Baby Baker Blog

Happy Birthday Zoe!

2011-12-21T14:41:00.003-06:00

Hard to believe it's been 2 years already! Holy moly! To celebrate let's take a look at some her current "Zoe-isms":

- Spicy! I *like* it! (stated for anything she likes, not necessarily culinary in nature. For example shoes.)
- Look! It's a tiny wittle Kwisam Twee! (translation: it's a charmingly small Christmas tree)
- Poh poh! (translation chupo translation pacifier. Which she gave up a month ago. And by "give up" I mean "lost the last one and mommy and daddy aren't getting any more")
- Mr. Johnny John (her brother)
- I no like it. It's not my favorite.
- Bwuebewwies! (translation: Blueberries)

Favorite toys:
- Mamma Cheetah (a 16" plush cheetah)
- Baby Jaguar (any small spotted cat like toy that vaguely resembles Baby Jaguar from Diego)
- Bwakiosaurus (the hard plastic brachiosaurus that belongs to her brother)

And then there were three

2011-12-01T15:02:00.001-06:00

We're expecting again - hooray! eek! What were we thinking?!?!
I mean, hooray!

JJ quotes

2011-07-17T22:01:00.004-05:00

(sound of " flatulence") I burped out of my bum!
My eyes are heavy cuz I ate too much cinnamon roll.

Signing and Reading

2011-03-15T11:28:00.000-05:00

Aunt Sharon got Zoe a set of wonderful signing books for a random gift and she LOVES them. She's signing "eat" while reading her book. Go Zoe!

Not available in all regions

2011-01-05T15:06:00.002-06:00

Looking at some of his sticker art on the fridge, JJ "reads" the letters (which actually spell Trick or Treat):

Mommy, this says "Not available in all regions."

snort.

Officially - she's walking!

2011-01-01T15:08:00.000-06:00

She took her first few steps over Thanksgiving at Pappy and Pat's.... but now she's walkin, yes indeed she's talkin! What girl :) Go Zoe Go!

Happy Birthday Zoe!

2010-12-21T15:09:00.002-06:00

So, in honor of her birthday, we took Miss Zoe's to get her picture taken. And, keeping with tradition (is it a tradition if you've only ever done it once?) we got a cheap Kroger birthday cake for her to smear all over herself for the pictures. Or, rather, not. We set her down in front of the cake with only her little pink diaper on. She leans forward. Interested. Interested. Very interested. She puts one chubby little hand in the cake, pulls back, looks at the icing covering her fingers in horror and immediately starts trying to wipe it off, crying her eyes out.

So - pristine photos.

That night, we had a few friends over for birthday dinner and a red velvet bakery cake from The Velvet Bake Shop (located in Plano, totally totally awesome!). I'm thinking "OK, well, we'll take a quick shot of her with her slice of cake, then I'll eat it since she doesn't like cake." I get the shot, leave the room to put down the camera, come back and she is totally going to town on the cake! Loved it and ate every last crumb. Well, every last crumb that wasn't adorning some part of her body anyway. It was a very red-velvety bath that night.

So - I am left to conclude that Zoe just doesn't like cheap cake. That's my foodie girl :)

End of swim lessons - how'd we do?

2010-11-19T10:21:00.002-06:00

Well, last night was our last swim lesson. JJ went from refusing to put his face in the water and clinging to whatever adult was available to blowing bubbles, kicking his feet, and jumping in (with getting his face wet) as long as there was someone to make sure he popped back up again. YEAH! Zoe can now almost climb out of the pool on her own (her chubby little legs are still too short - but that doesn't stop her from trying) and clearly LOVES the water. And mom and dad are now practiced at using the family changing rooms to get two wiggly wet children changed into their PJs and out the door with a minimum of fuss. Overall - very successful!

JJ asks a girl for a date

2010-11-18T09:48:00.000-06:00

*sniff* My little boy is getting all grown up. At the end of his swim lesson, he approached his swim teacher (cute girl, Taylor, about 17 yrs old) and said "We have pizza and games at my house. Do you want to come over and have pizza and games with me?" She told him "Sure!" and then she and I started talking about how we were going to engage her for baby sitting in Dec. We head home and when we get there, I start unbuckling him from the car seat and he says "Where Taylor?" I explained that she went home to her house because it was a "school night" and she would come over another night to visit. He got this stricken look on his face and said "But, I told her!" We nearly had a meltdown, before I could comfort him that Taylor had not stood him up but would be over another day.

My little Casanova - what a cutie!

On the road with the Zoers

2010-11-15T10:31:00.002-06:00

Girl's Road Trip!

The annual girl's road trip took us to Galveston with Auntie Angela and Auntie Joy (with a special guest appearance by Aunt Sharon). Zoe thoroughly enjoyed her first girl's road trip, and was a VERY good travel companion. She sampled the local cuisine (or at least as much of it as mommy would allow), made everyone adore her (I thought I might have to get physical to remove her from the Houston Museum of Natural Science she had so many adoring fans), and all in all had a great time. Auntie Joy was especially in favor because of her Sally's Spa iPhone App, which Zoe adored. And then there was the amazingly gorgeous fake fur white tiger coat from Aunt Sharon - pictures to follow very soon (she looks FABULOUS in it!)

Thanks to all the girl's that made the trip so fun :)

Swimming Lessons!

2010-11-02T10:19:00.001-05:00

Waterbabies and Watertots - here we come!

Swimming lessons for both kids started today. They both LOVED it. JJ is cautiously enthusiastic (he's fine as long as someone is holding him) and Zoe is just enthusiastic. She's ready to go solo already. Child is going to give me a heart attack.

I'm not lion

2010-11-01T10:36:00.003-05:00

JJ picked out his and Zoe's outfits this year. I gotta say - the kid has good taste :)

Dead T-Rex

2010-10-22T13:36:00.003-05:00

JJ has a small plastic T-Rex dinosaur. Last night he runs up to John with this exchange:

"Oh no! Daddy. The T-Rex dead."

"Where JJ?"

"Over der, on de floah. Yoo needta kween him UP!"

"OK"

"What shold we do with him, JJ?"

"Lay him DOWN. Over heah, onna couch. No not like dat! Onna piwwow."

"How did the Trex die, JJ"

"He jus' dead. Iss veree sadt."

"But what happened to him?"

"I not know. Oh no. Trex deadt."

"Will he be better tomorrow?

"Yeah... HEY! Lookat dis, Daddy!"

And indeed, the T-Rex was up and around and attempting to bite Zoe's head this morning. Apparently he's familiar with Monty Python's Holy Grail (I think I'll go for a walk...) ;)

Save the date

2010-10-15T10:41:00.000-05:00

Just got the Save the Date for Uncle Charles and Auntie Allison's wedding - Zoe is stoked!

Houston, we have teeth

2010-09-24T12:57:00.000-05:00

Two, to be precise. Miss Zoe is now the proud owner of 2 teeth (on the bottom). And Uncle Charles and Pappy were here to see them too! Well done Zoe!

House of snot

2010-09-03T09:54:00.003-05:00

Good morning! Welcome to the house of snot.

Apparently, the weather has cause some allergen to bloom with a vengeance.

John's nose is stuffy.

JJ's nose is stuffy.

Zoe's nose is stuffy.

I can breathe with no problems, but I'm grumpy because I've gotten like 2 hours of sleep in the last couple of days because the rest of the household is up all night with stuffed noses and when they're not up, they're snoring so loud I don't know why the neighbors haven't called to ask why we're running a buzz saw in the middle of the night. I'm waiting for the USGS to contact me with a concerns over local seismic activity.

I hope everyone dries up before I have a psychotic break. I'm not exactly sure what a psychotic break involves, but I'm given to understand it happens when you don't get enough sleep over a prolonged time period and it sounds unpleasant.

Say hello to my leetle friend

2010-08-31T10:10:00.003-05:00

John and I love to quote movies and sometimes the results with a literal minded toddler are a bit unexpected.

John made some little pancakes for JJ. He brought them over to him saying "Say hello to my leetle pancakes!" ala Scarface.

JJ, without missing a beat, says in a high falsetto voice "Hello little pancakes!"

And she's off!

2010-08-30T09:48:00.004-05:00

Zoe is officially crawling. Friday she started doing the army-man crawl. I figured it would be a while before we saw an actual up on the knees crawl - WRONG! Sunday night she popped up on her knees and got moving. No rocking back and forth. No hesitation. Just not moving one minute and halfway across the floor the next.

This kid is amazing.

I've never seen a baby deliberately practice how to do things. It's like she has an instinctive understanding on how to refine physical skills. She will pull herself up to standing, lower herself back down then pull back up just to refine her standing skill. She's cruising easily now. I'm kind of surprised she bothered with crawling - I'm sure she's going to start walking soon. What an incredible kid!

There's a fire drill in my head

2010-08-10T15:50:00.002-05:00

On arriving at work this morning, JJ announced "There's a fire drill in my head."

Me "What?"

JJ "A fire drill. Inside my head."

Me "uh...do you mean you hear a ringing like the fire drill?"
JJ "Yeah, inside my head. "

Poor kid - sinus headaches suck! But I got to hand it to him - only JJ would think to describe it as a fire drill inside his head! :)

Pulling up

2010-08-06T15:53:00.002-05:00

She did it - last night she pulled herself up to standing on my arm. I was reaching for something and she just latched on and the next thing I knew she was standing. WOW. Cruising won't be far behind! Go Zozo!

No, mommy, don't get up!

2010-07-28T15:52:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I wish I didn't have to go to work. Last night was a rough one, with Zoe up and down due to some nasty congestion (allergies) all night (I hate having to vacuum her nose with the nasal aspirator, but it seems to help - screaming and all). So when I had to get up for an early meeting this morning, I was already pretty tired and wishing I could stay in bed for 5 more minutes. Or hours. JJ was snuggling me when I started getting up and he threw himself across me trying to pin me to the bed saying "Mommy! Don't get up! Stay and snuggle me!"

Sigh. Some days....

Cashmere and Water Babies

2010-07-26T17:05:00.004-05:00

This weekend we got a chance to visit our good friends, Joanie and Mark (well, Mark had to work, so we got to visit Joanie), who have both a salt water pool and a horse - aka, toddler and baby heaven. JJ was completely entranced by Cashmere, their beautiful mare, who permitted JJ to pet her nose and give her carrots. He has now renamed his toy horse from Coco to Cashmere and spent the next day feeding carrots to it. He also insisted on taking it to bed (a high honor, previously only afforded to his beanie baby alligator and Siamese cat).

Zoe on the other hand was all about the pool. When JJ was her age (7 months) we took him to visit Joanie and Mark and took him out in the pool and he FREAKED. Zoe however was apparently born to water. She thought it was the BEST thing ever, laughing and cooing and generally living it up. JJ refused to get in the pool proper, opting to dabble about in the spa. I think we need to get some swimming lessons for these two, pronto - for Zoe because she will love love love it and for JJ to help him get over his fear.

The adults got to enjoy good conversation, hanging out in the pool and yummy food. All in all a wonderful weekend :)

Can't Live Without It: Trixie Tracker

2010-07-21T14:11:00.005-05:00

Product: Trixie Tracker (http://www.trixietracker.com/)

What is it: A website service that lets you record data about your child and detect patterns in that data over time. For example, you can record sleep times and use it to see patterns in sleep (so you know the best time to put them down for a nap, try to schedule a hair appt, etc.)

The creator, Ben MacNeill, uses the phrase "Data Driven Parenting" to describe the use of Trixie Tracker. It describes our exact approach to child rearing - that is, observe the child, look for patterns in behavior, then use that information to minimize conflict and maximize enjoyment for everyone (parents included). This program has really given me peace of mind: from knowing when the optimal time to put my daughter down for a nap is to being able to detect an ear infection before it even shows up (because we had a big nursing spike).

Cost: $8/month, $14.95/3 months, $24.95/6months

Why I Can't Live Without It: When you are sleep deprived and can't even remember if *you* had a shower this morning, let alone when you last changed a diaper, this tool is a lifesaver. And when you start tearing your hair out because you swear that the child is napping less and less, this tool can tell you whether that's true or just low blood sugar talking. And when the dr. asks you "so, how long is the baby sleeping/nursing? and how many diapers does the baby go through every day?" you can smugly tell them the answer (with graphs if you like!).

Zummer Klaus

2010-07-19T15:54:00.000-05:00

Last year we held our first Christmas in July which was a BIG hit, so we decided to make it a family tradition and do it again this year. Since we're still feeling our way through what this holiday should be like, we made a few additions this year:

We decided that the message for the kids would be that we wanted to remember that God gives us gifts every day not just once a year at Christmas, so this was a holiday to help us remember and be thankful for those gifts.
We decided that Santa Claus has a summer counter part - Zummer Klaus - and that he brings 1 present for the Summer Christmas.
We decided that Zummer Klaus put presents by your shoes, instead of a stocking.

I told JJ about Zummer Klaus then told him "but I don't know what he looks like or how he gets around. Do you know?" He said he did! So, here's the specs on Zummer Klaus according to JJ:

Size: Large. Specifically tall and fat.
Hair: Orange. And all over his body. (very hairy)
Eyes: Purple
Mode of dress: Flip flops and red shorts. Nothing else.
Mode of transportation: A magic airplane
How he gets into your house: Through the bathtub faucet.
Where does he live: In a swimming pool

I never would've known that Zummer Klaus was a large hairy carrot top dressed in red shorts and flip flops lazing around the pool, with the ability to travel through water pipes. Good thing JJ was in the know - we put out shoes out by the bath tub and wouldn't you know it? He found them just fine (and without tracking water all over the house) ;)

Up on her knees - uh oh!

2010-07-16T14:27:00.002-05:00

So, as solids have been progressing, I knew that it wouldn't be long before we started seeing signs of Zoe wanting to crawl. She's all over the rolling thing - she can get just about anywhere she wants to get rolling. In fact, we've entered the WWF-stage of diaper changes (you'd think doing a take down and pin on a 6.5 month old would be fairly easy - guess I need to start hitting the gym!)

But today she actually got up on her knees for a minute. Oh dear....crawling won't be far behind.

Empathy for toes

2010-07-15T14:21:00.000-05:00

JJ is an exceptionally bright child, but he is also very empathic. I've been told that he will often offer comfort to crying children in his classroom, and I've observed how concerned he gets when his sister cries or when John or I hurt ourselves (stump our toes, etc.) always wanting to "kiss it!" He's pretty convinced that any amount of physical pain can be overcome with a carefully applied kiss - and in extreme cases, a band aid.

However, his little thoughtfulnesses continue to warm me. Yesterday I was doing some stretching before bed and explaining to him what I was doing (If I move like this, I can feel it here). I was doing the classic reach-forward-grab-your-toes hamstring stretch, minus the actual ability to grab my toes because my hamstrings are REALLY tight. I told him "And now I'm going to try to grab my toes. I can't ever seem to get them though." He got a very concerned look on his face, and quickly scrambled off the bed to land on the floor next to my feet. He reached forward and promptly grabbed my toes saying "Don't worry Mommy. I got your toes."

PLLLLLBBBBB

2010-07-14T13:58:00.001-05:00

Zoe has discovered the joy of blowing raspberries. A lot. So much so, that playing with her has turned into a first-five-rows-at-Sea-World event. Somebody hand me a towel.

Chatty chatty chatty

2010-07-11T14:02:00.000-05:00

I should've known when Grandma got her a toy cell phone, that it wouldn't be long before she started talking our ears off. And, true to form, we've got dada as one of our first words :) Ah Zoe, such a daddy's girl! Of course it's all part of the whole ga ga ba baba ga eeeeeeeeeeee! at the loudest possible volume that she graces us with, but it's in there nonetheless.

Sing the Zoe song

2010-07-06T15:16:00.003-05:00

Riding into work today, I ask JJ "Should we sing a song?" "Yes mommy!" he replies quickly. "OK, what song should we sing?" "Sing the Zoe song?"

The what?

John and I walk around the house making up silly songs for the kids all the time (Like "Zo Zo ZoZo bean she's a cutie pie" to the tune of Row Row Row Your Boat). So I sing one of the Zoe songs.

"Ok honey, what song next?" "Helicopter song!"

WHAT?!?!

SO, now, I don't know ANY helicopter songs. After a little probing, I find out he wants me to make up a song about a helicopter and sing it. So I did. And he loved it. I'd like to say it was inspired, fabulous and really entertaining. But I don't like to lie.

Ninja Mommy

2010-06-30T09:35:00.001-05:00

We had a big family reunion this weekend at my grandfather's lake house. Loads of people all over, playing games, fishing, swimming, etc. John decides he is going to take JJ fishing down at the dock and swimming. We had gotten him a lifejacket before the trip but had not had a chance to try it on him yet. SO, after 20 minutes or so, I head down to the dock to take pictures of everyone. I find John helping JJ get out of the lake. He tells me that JJ freaked out in the water and that the lifejacket is too big on him (will not keep his face out of the water) and would I please watch him so John can go swimming.

I'm thinking, "no problem".

SO, JJ and I are sitting on the dock with 5 or 6 other folks and he's "fishing" (no hook, no bait - that's a daddy thing to deal with ;) ). It's a floating boat dock, so there's a railing on one side (to the open lake) and no rail on the other side (to the boat slip). JJ turns around and starts "fishing" in the empty boat slip. I am sitting right next to him. The next thing I know he's falling forward into the boat slip (he apparently saw a fish and was leaning forward to get a better look). I grab with my left hand and MISS. I grab his FOOT with my right hand (because at this point he is well and truly falling) and bodily haul him back up and into my lap. He got half his face wet, and scraped his leg on the way out, but was otherwise fine. I am checking him all over making sure he hasn't inhaled any water. He's ok (thank heavens!) In fact, he's so ok, he goes right back to doing what got him in trouble in the first place! (AHHHH!)

Next thing I know, half my family is over next to us exclaiming about my ninja-like reflexes. Apparently I moved faster than anyone had ever seen! One of my aunts said it looked like I teleported him out of the water. Personally, it all seemed like slow motion to me - I was absolutely terrified he would go in and inhale a bunch of water in his panic. I had visions of my beautiful baby boy drowned. It was horrible. The next day, my whole right side hurt like the devil, from my shoulder to my lower back. I had really wrenched something.

So, those stories they tell you about mom's lifting buses and stuff like that. I totally believe it now. And watch those little ones near the water this summer. I'm still not over the scare.

A substantial breakfast

2010-06-10T14:33:00.001-05:00

JJ asked to have a cookie for breakfast. I said "No. you need something more substantial than that." He thought a minute and said "Ok mommy. 2 cookies."

What big lungs you have...

2010-05-24T15:54:00.001-05:00

One of the little girls at daycare was looking at Zoe in her sundress. Pointing to the rolls of baby fat on her chest she says "Zoe has big lungs, just like her mommy!"
Now, I wonder how she knew I have big lungs....LOL!

Breakfast options

2010-05-14T12:05:00.000-05:00

JJ when asked if he wants a cereal bar or yogurt for breakfast "No thanks, just ice cream.

Working Mom

2010-05-11T13:44:00.001-05:00

Being a working mom has always been challenging - balancing the needs of your children and husband with a career, while simultaneously trying to live up to the June Cleaver model of house keeping and social interaction that our current culture holds out to us as ideal.

Now throw globalization into the mix. I've regularly got meetings that start in the 7am time frame so I can work with people around the world - but childcare doesn't open until 8am.

Angry bird

2010-05-10T10:49:00.004-05:00

"Mommy, what birdie doing?"
"The bird is flying, sweetie."
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why flying?"
"Do you mean how is the bird able to fly or why does the bird like to fly?"

"Why *like* flying?"

"Well, do you like to run?"

"Yes!"

"Why do you like to run?"
"I not know."

"Well, birds are made to fly like you are made to run. And because they are made for flying, they are very good at it, and it is a joyous thing for them to do. By joyous, I mean makes them happy."

"Birdie happy flying?"

"Yes!"

"Birdie not happy, birdie angry."
"What?!"

"Birdie *angry* mommy."
"Um, ok...why is the bird angry?"
"I not know."

"OK, how do you know the bird is angry."
"Bit me. In the car."
"What?!"

"Birdie bit me in truck. Flew on car and bit me."

"Um, was this a dream."
"Uh huh."

"Ok, so let me get this straight, you had a dream in which an angry bird flew onto the truck and bit you. Is that right?"

"Uh huh."

"Well, I think the bird is probably happy now. It was just a dream."

"No! Birdie very angry."
"Um, ok. What can we do to help the birdie be happy?"

"Snack."
"We should give the bird a snack?"
"Yes!"

"What kind of snack would make the bird happy?"

"Goldfish! Snack make birdie happy!"

Fortunately for the "birdie", fruit and cereal at daycare was an adequate substitute for the goldfish. And here I thought he was a little young for the whole metaphor thing...

Rolling onto her tummy

2010-05-08T00:56:00.002-05:00

Well Zoe sorted out how to roll on to her tummy in the wee hours of Wednesday morning and since then diaper changes have turned into roller derby wrestling! She's so pleased with her new trick she does it all the time - in her swing in her chair on th changing table in her bassinet...too cute!

Easter Hats Rock!

2010-04-14T16:04:00.002-05:00

Gerber baby, eat your heart out!

What a day...

2010-04-10T21:26:00.004-05:00

Up this morning and off to the Farmer's Market - Zoe's first since her arrival. Lots of fun stuff to see as it turns out because it is a Civil War reenactment weekend! JJ got to see his first spinning wheel in action (very cool). Then this afternoon we went to a friend's child's birthday party at Chuck E Cheese. This was the first time JJ or I (or Zoe, for that matter) had been to a Chuck E Cheese. Oh my. I can't believe people actually pay to go to those things - it was insane! The noise alone was enough to make me want to run. JJ handled it ok, but was definitely ready to go within 30 minutes. We decided we were all too stressed out to cook dinner, so we stopped at Pho Mac on the way home for yummy cha gio (Vietnamese egg rolls). JJ, who turns up his nose at anything but macaroni and cheese these days, ate an entire egg roll and some rice noodles. Yeah! Then, during tummy time, Zoe turned over for the first time. WOW! what a day...

Rollin' Over

2010-04-10T20:56:00.001-05:00

She did it! Today Zoe rolled over from her front to her back for the first time. You go girl!! So much for tummy time...

Getting on top of things

2010-03-23T16:15:00.002-05:00

I've got to give it to the little guy - he is just amazing for being only 2. We have entered the infamous terrible twos, a time when children are trying to establish their independence, but still needing the security of mommy and daddy. Hormones are rampant as they go through growth spurts and learn huge amounts of new information daily. From a child's perspective, it's got to be pretty strange - sometimes mom and dad are all supportive of your latest discovery, for example when you point out a strange new bug you found and sometimes they just squash what you're trying to do, for example when you rub macaroni and cheese inside your shirt to see what it feels like on your chest.

I really wish that last part had been a hypothetical. Really I do.

But, in spite of the craziness of being two, coupled with the not inconsiderable stresses of a new little sister in the house, JJ is doing great. Do we have meltdowns? Of course. Does he refuse to eat anything that doesn't involve pasta some days? Yup. Do the words "no" and "self" figure prominently in his vocabulary? Absolutely. But, most importantly (to me at least), he has the ability to "get on top of it" if he needs to. No matter the meltdown, the tantrum, the pout...if I look him in the eye and say, "JJ, you need to get on top of this. Take a couple of deep breaths" he will do just that. And within minutes he'll be happy and back to doing something fun again. If it's a really bad one, I can hold him and say "It's ok, I've gotcha sweetie." and rock him and all will soon be right again. He worries about his sister when she cries and about his friends at daycare when they're upset. He loves his dog and his cats and tries very hard to help around the house. And he's so very very smart.

And best of all, when he wakes up in the morning, he throws his arms around me and whispers "I gotcha Mommy."

OMG - 8 hours!!

2010-03-19T10:56:00.004-05:00

Thankyou Zozo!! She slept 8 hours last night! WHOOHOO!

Yesterday was...well, it started off with a night of Zoe getting up every hour and a half. Then JJ's pullup had a total fail during the night - TWICE. So, that's two bed changes (he's sleeping with us, so it's not just changing his sheets, it's changing ours). Then the dog throws up in her crate. Needless to say, getting ready for the day was less than pleasant.

Now this morning....well, JJ had another pull up fail, but it didn't happen until I was already up for the day, plus I got 7 hours of sleep last night (thankyou Zoe!), so it didn't seem quite so tragic. The dog threw up again, this time on the carpet in the living room and one of the cats also threw up, but in the den (just to make sure we have to clean ALL the carpets). Sigh.

But I can't be too upset - it's hard to be down when you've had enough sleep for a change!

More JJisms

2010-03-16T15:28:00.002-05:00

"One tiny leetle piece of chewocolate?" - Um...how could I say no to that?

"Hey man! Poly" - as in, "hey man, I think you need a new coat of poly" a line from Cars by Ramone (voiced by Cheech Marin). Now, this is cute in and of itself, but what makes it is that JJ delivers this in his best gruff approximation of Cheech Marin (which is pretty darn good).

"T-Rex got me!" - He will alternately pretend that a T-Rex or an alligator is chasing him around the house. Amusingly, his sense of scale is such that, when prompted as to exactly where the T-Rex is, he points to the ground, usually under a chair.

"Zozo kwying - it's ok Zozo!" This second reassurance is usually delivered at the top of his lungs at a shout.

You can pet her!

2010-03-16T12:55:00.002-05:00

So, Zozo started daycare with her big brother yesterday. Sigh. Back to work for mommy. I was hanging out with them waiting for Daddy to pick us up, and watching the other little kids who are totally obsessed with the new baby (She's so tiny! She's like a little doll! Oh she's so sweet!) One of the little girls sees her mommy come in the door and yells "Mommy! Come see JJ's little sister! You can pet her if you want to!"

I about fell out of my chair laughing!

Weight loss - down below pre-pregnancy weight

2010-03-05T13:06:00.000-06:00

Ok, so there's an upside to the stomach flu. I'm now 4lbs under my pre pregnancy weight and still losing. Whoohoo!

Downside is that apparently I'm having a hard time eating enough to keep up with the tandem nursing. I've been getting dizzy and light headed - here I thought it was a cold (inner ear stuff), but it turns out it's just me being hungry. Never thought I'd have trouble eating enough!

House of plague

2010-03-01T12:59:00.000-06:00

Ugh. February has been a month of sickness at our house. First Zoe comes down with RSV (basically bad case of the sniffles for her - nothing too serious), then JJ gets a cold, then John and I get a cold (bad enough we both need steroids and antibiotics) then JJ gets diarrhea and is home for several days and John's cold gets bad enough he has to sleep in the chair because his uvula is choking him. Then the next week JJ gets a stomach bug (starts throwing up in the middle of the night), gets over it in a day, then John and I get the same bug (bad enough we had to call a neighbor to help us out at 4am because I was in danger of throwing up on the baby while I fed her and John was totally incapacitated - Nancy is an ANGEL!!). We get over that and JJ and John both get really awful diarrhea the following week. Poor JJ has been home from school almost 3 weeks out of the 4 in February and the rest of us have been the walking dead. Zoe is the only one who's flown through it all without much fuss. Boy I hope that is behind us!

Tandem Nursing - Notes from the Field

2010-01-14T12:00:00.001-06:00

The Good: Still nursing JJ seems to be helping JJ adjust to having a little sister, in that he feels like he still gets his "mommy time". It also makes ensuring I get alone time with him easier on me because it's sort of built in. When they nurse together,it gives him a chance to "play" with his little sister (hold her hand or rub her head gently) in a closely supervised environment.

For Zoe, it has meant an easier time nursing since my milk was already "in" with less frustration. She's gained weight well and didn't have any jaundice issues. And finally, I'm down to 3lbs over my pre-pregnancy weight, just 3 weeks after birth (I gained 25lbs total during the pregnancy) and my bleeding has almost stopped. The Not-So-Good - Think of all the time you spend feeding a newborn. Then add half again as much time during the week and twice as much on the weekends because now you're feeding 2, one of whom doesn't really need it physically, but definitely needs it emotionally. I often feel like a walking cafe and that can get downright frustrating, especially when you're tired. Occasionally, I just want to scream "What?! Am I just a pair of boobs to you people!?!" And of course I know that's not the case and after a nap and a chocolate bar I've got my perspective back, but I'd be lying if I denied that I had those moments several times a week. Night times can be especially hard when Zoe wakes JJ up and he decides he wants "MILK!" too. It's hard enough to get a squirmy newborn latched on properly without having to juggle an impatient nearly 2 year old while operating on an hour of sleep. Also, it's nearly impossible to eat enough. I'm not surprised I've lost weight so quickly - it's hard to find time to eat (since I'm feeding someone else most of the time) and then it's just hard to eat enough to keep up with the calorie demands from nursing 2 kids. I'm hungry a lot. This is getting slightly better since JJ is back in daycare, but still a challenge. Would I do it again? Yes. In spite of the obvious challenges, I think the positives outweigh them for us. JJ clearly needs the emotional support and connection he gets from nursing and I really value the extra time I get to spend with him. It also made nursing Zoe SO much easier for me - I really struggled with JJ and had to supplement for a year because my supply was never enough. It's been good not to have that frustration this time.

JJisms

2010-01-02T18:28:00.003-06:00

"hoe-ja" - hold ya or, more accurately, pick me up

"heardit!" I heard something

"checkitout!" - let's go see whatever made that noise, delivered in a breathy, schwartzenegger-esque tone

"here go" - here you go, you can have this

"maaalk" - mommy milk, please

"shoowar" - yes, I'm sure

"baff" - bath

"chewocolate" - chocolate

"spreaditout" - spread the blanket out

Zoe Stats and Pictures

2009-12-29T22:04:00.001-06:00

7lbs 11.2 oz

20 inches

Born 12/21/09 @ 7:59am

Zoe Elizabeth birth story

2009-12-29T22:02:00.000-06:00

We arrived at the hospital at o dark thirty in the morning, deciding they must schedule c-sections so early to prepare you for the sleep deprivation to come. After surrendering my worldly possessions and signing many papers agreeing to hold no one responsible for anything, I dressed in the fashion dujour - a stunning open backed gown with comfortingly neutral tones - and awaited the main event. My anesthetist, sporting an incongruously bright hospital hat replete with multicolored cats, administered the combination spinal and epidural, and as I lost all feeling in my legs I knew we were on the way to meeting our latest addition.

The incision, accompanied by the usual burning smell from the cauterizer, seemed to take forever, as I waited on pins and needles to hear that first little cry. The room erupted in laughter as my doctor opened the uterus and Zoe promptly stuck her hand out (looking for credit cards already, quipped the assistant). A minute later she was out and filling the air with a healthy bawl. As they were almost done sewing me back up and I was drifting in and out of a drug-induced haze, I could hear them counting the equipment - and they were missing some forceps. They ended up being in the asst. surgeon's pocket - ha ha (not!)

They brought Zoe to me in recovery and she latched on right away like a champ. Since I am still nursing JJ, she got milk right away. Everyone was amazed at how quickly she latched on and how long she ate (45 minutes!!) My little chow hound :)

Back in my room, JJ was completely unhappy that Mommy was in bed and couldn't get up. The 2nd day was a bit worse - he came in while I was nursing Zoe and started freaking out (No! Mine!) However, the 3rd day, I was nursing him and they brought Zoe in hungry. I asked him if it was OK if Zoe had some milk too and he said OK. So I put Zoe on the other breast. After a while, he straightened up and leaned over to watch her eat. Pointing at her, he says "Zozo, milk?" "Yes, Zoe is having some milk." he points at my other breast and then at himself "JJ, milk?" "Yes, you get milk too." This huge grin spread over his face and he clapped his hands together and almost shouted "Same!" then went back to nursing. Now, when they nurse together, he'll reach over and hold her hand while they're both on. It is heartbreakingly sweet. He calls her Zozo and corrects people when they call her Zoe.

Overall, I've recovered much much more quickly than last time, have had less pain, have been less drugged out/loopy, and feel able to do a lot more than I should. On the downside, I've come down with an ear infection and am back on antibiotics :( Zoe lost about 10 oz while in the hospital and had started gaining back weight before we left on Christmas eve (in a snow storm of all things!) By her appointment on Monday, she'd gained back nearly all her weight - she's only 1 oz shy of her birth weight now.

Welcome to the world Miss Zozo :)

Weight and sick

2009-12-18T11:20:00.003-06:00

Weigh in today: 215lb. That's a total gain of 25lbs for this pregnancy, and just exactly where I want to be. Hooray!

Unfortunately, I am fighting a really bad cold. Lost my voice on Wednesday. They started me on antibiotics on Tuesday (a z-pak, so they are serious). Bad bad cough today. And contractions off and on all week. The contractions seem to be getting more frequent, even though I'm not doing anything to start them up (like, I'll have them while lying down in bed, drinking water). So far, nothing regular, but it's scary when I think of the dr. telling me I "better not go into labor because the scars from the myomectomy might not hold." Yikes!!!

Zoe, girl, you can make an appearance any time...but it would be sweet of you if you waited until Monday :)

Circumfrence update

2009-12-11T15:59:00.002-06:00

47 3/8" - 10 days to go. Last time I was only 46" around. This little girl is going to be BIG!

Of course, I managed to come down with pink eye, of all the annoying things. JJ had it last week - I thought I was in the clear. Guess I've been burning the candle at both ends...

Another potty update

2009-11-30T16:52:00.002-06:00

JJ is doing GREAT on the potty training. He rarely has more than 1 pee accident a day and rarely a poop accident (it still happens, but very infrequently). And 2-3 times a week, he'll go all day with no accidents at all. YEAH! Go JJ!

Belly Measurement!

2009-11-30T16:40:00.002-06:00

I'm a little behind on these this pregnancy (what with a toddler and work and a dissertation and all :) ) - so here goes.

Current belly measurement (at 36 and a bit weeks): 44 3/4 inches - I made it to 46 inches two weeks before JJ was due, so sounds right on track (even if I FEEL huger)

Weight: 215lbs (that's a gain of an even 25lbs for the total pregnancy)

Grow baby grow!

I am on self-prescribed bed rest today due to having some nasty cramps this morning and some contractions on top of that. Pretty sure it's just dehydration from the weekend (I tried, but just didn't get enough water in me). Feeling a bit better now, although still nauseated and and achy in my lower back.

Who's coming tomorrow?

2009-11-24T11:22:00.002-06:00

Let's hope JJ isn't showing signs of precognition. Yesterday, we were trying to get him pumped up about all the folks who are coming to visit (not difficult since he LOVES visitors!!). So we told him that Pappy and Aunt Pat and Wheezy and Aunt Ruth were all coming to visit tomorrow. The later we asked him "Who's coming tomorrow, JJ?"

He thought for a second and said, "Zoe!"

Uh, YIKES! Not yet!!

Where'd my toddler go?

2009-11-23T14:23:00.001-06:00

A pregnancy "milestone" I hadn't thought about before.

JJ runs up and grabs my knees, saying "Hold ya! Up up up!" this morning and when I look down to pick him up, I can't see him AT ALL. My belly is officially big enough it can obscure a toddler.

Oh my.

4D ultrasound pics of Miss Zoe

2009-11-12T09:42:00.002-06:00

Here's our little cutie!

The funny things kids do

2009-11-11T11:14:00.001-06:00

Ah, the joys of motherhood! I don't know why anyone would bother with a TV - toddlers are the best entertainment ever :) Here's a few of JJ's latest funny things:

Before he nurses at night, he hauls a line up of toys into bed or the rocking chair and lets them "drink" milk first! Last night it was a purple bear, a fire engine, a taxi cab, and a spoon. After he's finished "sharing" he's ready to have some himself.
Every time he pitches a fit for no reason other than not getting his way, he starts off wailing, but quickly moves to begging for a bobby pin. Yes, like a bobby pin for your hair. I have NO idea why. But if you give him one, it calms him down immediately and he's all lovey sweet and cuddly good boy again. It even works if he wakes up with a nightmare at night. Behold the magic bobby pin!

Potty training update

2009-11-10T11:15:00.000-06:00

In the words of his teacher, JJ is "unique" in his approach to potty training. Apparently, since we've used elimination communication with him, he's got a completely different approach to the potty than most children they've dealt with.

For one, he totally gets it - that is, he knows that you eliminate in the toilet. It's not scary, novel, or at all interesting to him - it's just the way life his. OK, that's good, you say. Yeah...but...apparently a lot of conventional potty training techniques rely on the "Wow isn't this a cool new thing you're doing" approach. Not effective for someone who has "been there, done that." Similarly, a reward system (stickers, M&Ms, etc.) isn't particularly effective because he's like "Uh...why am I getting something for what I do all the time anyway?"

Two, because he's been part-time elimination communication, part time diapers, he looks at going in the potty as an "option". Meaning, well, if it's convenient, I'll go in the potty, but if it's not, well, pants are just as good. It's very interesting in some way because he is nearly 100% dry when we go out, whether it's the mall, or to eat, or in the car or whatever. But when he's at home or daycare - more like 50% dry.

So, it's slow going, but we're getting there. This week he's been VERY good - I'd say edging up to a 70% success rate. I'd love to take credit for that, but I think he's just getting tired of people changing his pants all the time. LOL! And honestly, it'll take as long as it takes - I don't want to push him and I don't really find it frustrating or anything.

Potty training!

2009-10-12T17:00:00.004-05:00

Well, this was the big P weekend - the daycare announced that they felt JJ was "ready" for potty training and I sort of agreed. I say "sort of" because I have absolutely no idea. I mean, you can't ever know for sure, and while his communication skills are outstanding for a 1.5 year old, they are still rather challenging from an adult perspective. But, if not this weekend, then the next opportunity wouldn't be until November so...onwards and pottywards!

We opted for the "nekkid kid" approach on Saturday, letting him roam free with naught on but a shirt and a smile. I think the poor little guy learned more about how "not to climb on things while naked" than anything else as he kept getting his dangle caught on things (OUCH!). And, it was a total disaster. I spent the whole day watching him like a hawk and we had maybe a 60% success rate. In fact, we've had better days when he was wearing a diaper than we had on Saturday! I was really discouraged. We had to run an errand in the evening, so we put underwear on him, and he wet himself twice while we were out. I went to bed sure that we had started too early and very discouraged.

On Sunday, we decided to start again with the nekkid kid approach, except this time John was home and could help. The morning was more of the same disaster - accidents all over the place and no apparent interest in getting to the potty. He went down for a nap around noon and when he woke up, we took him straight to the potty and celebrated the success. Then, we decided to say "Well, since you were dry through your whole nap (he always is, so no biggie really) and went potty so well when you woke up, would you like some "special" underwear?" We got out the Cars underwear with Mater on it and he was thrilled (he loves that movie). We told him that in order to wear these it was really important to keep Mater dry. And what do you know? It totally worked. He was dry for the next 7 hours!!! He went potty when prompted and we even went out to a late lunch, to Target for more underwear, and to Brahms for ice cream - all with NO accidents.

At bedtime, we put him in a diaper (we're still co-sleeping, and while he can make it through the night dry, whenever he wakes up with nightmares or night terrors, he tends to pee before we can get him to a potty), and were very encouraged by the whole thing.

Unsurprisingly, he had night terrors last night. I say unsurprisingly because whenever he has a significant change/learning event, it tends to trigger them.

This morning, we brought him to school (dry! hooray!) and let them know how it went. At lunch we had to go home and get more pants because he had 4 accidents in the morning. I'm interested to see how he did in the afternoon - it's got to be a huge adjustment from being able to go whenever you want without interrupting your activities to having to stop and go to a special room and sit down every time you need to go. It would be so much easier if they would practice the elimination communication we started with him full time at daycare. Oh well. Hopefully he'll improve during the week and we'll keep reinforcing at home. And, if it turns out that it's just too soon, well, that's ok too, and we'll just go back and try again later. Although, I swear, I think *I* stressed out way more over the whole thing than JJ did. I kept being certain I was doing something wrong. I think he just thought it was interesting that he got to be nekkid all day! LOL!

The kind of mom I want to be

2009-09-30T08:46:00.004-05:00

I want to be the kind of mom that laughs when she gets blasted with the squirt gun and has her suit thoroughly soaked just before she gets to the office not the one who screams.

I want to have pictures of my child with yogurt in his hair and a maniacal laugh on his face, knowing that he just dumped and entire bowl down his pants not pictures of him combed and perfect with red-rimmed eyes because someone has been yelling at him to just sit still for two seconds.

I want to be the kind of mom that says "WOW!" when he notices an acorn on the ground and shows it to me, not the one who grabs his hand and says "Hurry up! We're late!"

I want to recognize that children, clothing, floors, tables, and chairs are all washable and not spend my time worrying about whether I'll ever get the stains out.

I want to be the kind of mom that takes time to explain why certain things are allowed and others are not, not the one who says "Because I said so."

When my child comes crying to me, I want to be the mom who kisses him and asks "What's wrong? Are you ok?", not the one who says "What did you do this time?"

I want to always remember that nothing is more important than listening to my children - and that I cannot do that if I am always telling them what to do.

Night weaning: Progress report

2009-09-21T11:22:00.003-05:00

So far so good! We've decided no nursing from 11pm-6am. The first two nights went great - I just made the boobs inaccessible and he went right back to sleep, no complaints. Last night however....well, the poor little guy came down with a bad head cold and at 3am there was NO taking no for an answer. So I caved. But that's normal for when the kid is sick, so I'm not too worried about it. We'll do better tonight.

Communication Tip: From JJ

2009-09-20T11:31:00.002-05:00

So here is a communication tip from JJ (LOL!): Get a sign language book for toddlers. Teach them sign language using the book. Then, when mommy and daddy are tired and not being very smart, the toddler can get the book and point to the sign in addition to saying and signing the word to get his idea across.

JJ has done this before when he wants John to get me for "milk" but he reached a new high this weekend. He was signing "sick" at us, but we totally missed it (mostly because he never used that sign before). He goes and gets his book, brings it to us, flips to the page with the sick sign, points to it, signs it, says "sick, medsin" John asks him "Does something hurt? what hurts?" and JJ nods his head and signs "pain" and says "Hurt, head." Poor kid had a sinus headache and knew that some medicine (Tylenol) would help. He'd had a runny nose all weekend but it never even occurred to me he might have a headache.

Sometimes I just have to be grateful that at least one of us is on top of things - even if it's the toddler!

A Haiku for JJ

2009-09-03T14:51:00.001-05:00

Little hands reaching
Wanting cookies, kisses, now
Your laugh in my heart

Cosleeping, Night Weaning and Other Parenting Choices

2009-08-26T13:34:00.004-05:00

We're currently struggling with whether to continue night nursing with JJ.

Now I know that, at 18 months, there's a lot of folks who would be all freaked out that we're still nursing at all, let alone, on demand. But there's a strong body of evidence that suggests that allowing a child to 'self-wean' is a healthier (from an emotional attachment standpoint) way of weaning. The thought is that children who wean on their own suffer less abandonment issues/seperation anxiety/etc. than those who are cut off cold turkey as it were. Personally, I think the jury is out on the efficacy of studies in either camp (to wean or not to wean). However, it's clear that letting a child self-wean is not a BAD thing, so, in the interests of continued peace and harmony, we've chosen to go that route. I mean, honestly, it's way easier to just let him nurse than to turn him down. And it's a nice snuggly time for both of us.

BUT - the night time nursing is starting to be an issue. It's one thing if he woke up once and wanted to nurse a few minutes. But he's waking up multiple times a night and wanting to nurse anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour. And it's starting to take it's toll. So we're debating on how to best approach night weaning. We don't want to wean him completely until he's ready. Even with a little sister on the way, we can tandem nurse - I don't mind. But the night time stuff...I need more sleep. The question is how? There's a lot of information out there on how to go about night weaning, so we may just try a few things and see how it works. He's a pretty adaptable kid - chances are it'll be easier than I suspect.

Broccoli, Please

2009-08-24T14:24:00.002-05:00

Hooray! Last night we had porkchops, rice, broccoli, and carrots. JJ has started that "picky eater" stage, so I figured he'd have some rice then start angling for a cookie. But he dived straight into the carrots, woofed down the rice, devoured the broccoli (giving the pork chops a miss, but hey, beggers can't be choosers).

Then he looked at me and said and signed "More broccoli please!" and proceeded to have 2 more servings of broccoli!

That's my boy :)

Baby in the belly

2009-08-18T12:21:00.001-05:00

JJ definitely *knows* there is a baby in mommy's tummy. Every day, he comes up and gets in my lap, pulls down the bellaband and puts his ear to my belly and listens. Then he puts his mouth on my belly and says some things then puts his ear back and listens again with a big grin on his face then laughs. I have no idea what they're talking about, but apparently his little sister is quite the cut up :) It's so adorable! Reportedly, he has also been asking the folks at daycare to put a ball under his shirt, so he can pat it and say "baby". This kid cracks me up!

Recurring Nightmare

2009-08-11T15:59:00.002-05:00

JJ woke up last night, very upset. And I do mean VERY upset. Crying, clearly frightened. I brought him to bed with us, and it got *worse* - the minute he realized I was trying to put him down on the bed, he started throwing himself around, pitching a fit. We finally got him calmed down enough to talk to us (well, communicate as well as an 18 month old can), and he told us that there was a man in the backyard looking in the bathroom window. This is the second time he's woken up with this dream (and it clearly is a dream - he hadn't even been in the bathroom to be able to see if anyone was looking in the window). He wouldn't go back to sleep until John took him outside and showed him the backyard and all the corners to prove there was no one back there! Even after that he slept very restlessly, waking up a lot. Poor little guy.

I feel so bad for him having these nightmares, and at the same time it gives me the shivers. I mean, where would he have gotten the image of a man in the back yard looking in the bathroom window and associated it with being a scary thing? Creepy.

18 month appointment

2009-08-10T14:27:00.002-05:00

Ht: 33"

Wt: 24lbs

Got his first fluoride treatment today. And when they gave him his shot, he didn't cry or even get upset!!! What a little trooper :) Now, getting on the scale was a whole other matter (major meltdown). Go figure - what kid is terrified of the scale but doesn't bat an eye about a shot?

First Haircut

2009-08-01T14:31:00.009-05:00

JJ's first haircut - at a real barber shop with Daddy's barber!

Getting to sit in a chair that is older than Daddy....

Here comes the smock....

Oh dear, not liking this at all....

What a handsome little man!

Level 2 Ultrasound - All is well

2009-07-31T10:59:00.002-05:00

19 weeks, level 2 ultrasound for the little belly bean and all is well. Obviously scanning tests can't find all cases of Down's etc., but it does catch a goodly number of them and I'm not willing to risk a miscarriage with an amnio to get 100% answer when we wouldn't change the outcome of the pregnancy anyway. We got confirmation that we've got a little girl (yeah!) and got LOADS of pictures of her adorable profile. We're definitely thinking Zoe Elizabeth (so she can be ZZ) for our little sweetie. I'm getting excited about meetiner her too. Almost 1/2 way there to meet my little Christmas girl :)

18 months next week and ready to tutor

2009-07-30T09:55:00.002-05:00

JJ is in the process of transitioning from the 3-17 months class to the 18-36 months class this week. There's a little boy in the 18-36 month class that just turned 3 and is transitioning up to the 3-5yr class. So, they've got all these learning materials out for them both that are for the class they are transitioning to. The teacher spreads out these flash cards with sea animals on them (whales, manatees, sharks, etc.) for the older child and asks him to point to the manatee. He's having some trouble, can't seem to find it. So, JJ walks over from where he is working and leans over the child's shoulder and points at the manatee saying "tee, tee" WOW! The teacher was totally blown away and so was I. My little man, already a tutor :)

He's doing so amazingly well with all the work they have, and not just the language stuff - he can even clean windows with a squeegee and he's learning to polish his shoes!! He is so smart - makes his mamma proud :)

Night terrors again

2009-07-28T15:18:00.001-05:00

JJ had night terrors again last night. Still on a once a month cycle, bless his heart. I will be so glad when he outgrows this - it just tears me up everytime it happens to him.

Finally starting to feel her

2009-07-28T15:16:00.002-05:00

I got a tiny little boot to the belly today. Hooray! This little lady certainly is starting off more genteel than Mr. JJ! :)

First night in the toddler bed

2009-07-27T15:15:00.001-05:00

Well, my little guy is getting all grown up. We got him a toddler bed yesterday and he was SO excited! Immediately climbed in and was all smiles. And you HAVE to love that smile :)

Confirmation: It's a girl!

2009-07-17T11:07:00.003-05:00

As the doctor said, "it's the unmistakable sign of the taco!" LOL! I remember with JJ they said they were looking for a "hot dog or a turtle." Will the euphemisms never cease? Too funny!

Well, this was the 16 week appointment, and everything looks good. My weight is steadily increasing - not too fast, but not too slow. The baby was sucking and moving her little hands and feet all over the place on the ultrasound. It was such a relief to see.

I've been really depressed these last couple of weeks. So much to do at work and with school and home and everything. It all seemed hopeless to be able to finish everything. And I was really really worried about this visit. I was afraid we'd had a silent miscarriage because I'm still not feeling movement right now. And we're coming up on 18 weeks when we lost the first baby. I really want everything to go right with this little girl and I just feel like I haven't had the time or energy to be as healthy as I was with JJ. I was sick for almost a month and couldn't work out. And since this was sort of surprise, I had not been very good at taking my prenatals in the weeks before I got pregnant (my prescription had run out). So, it was good to see everything seems to be progressing well and the little tyke is doing good. Hopefully I can relax a little and stop worrying so much.

Madame Zaritska Reading

2009-07-14T10:23:00.001-05:00

The day you deliver, outside will be misty. Your baby will arrive in the evening. After a labor lasting approximately 25 hours, your child, a girl, will be born. Your baby will weigh about 8 pounds, 8 ounces, and will be 20-1/2 inches long. This child will have light amber eyes and curly black hair.

Got to love the predictions of the virtual clairvoyant, Madame Zaritska. I supposed she can be forgiven not realizing I'll be having a C-section or that the child will most definitely have blue eyes LOL!

Night terrors again

2009-07-08T15:02:00.002-05:00

Another bout of night terrors last night. This one lasted 15 minutes. We were able to eventually get him to wake up enough to nurse himself back to sleep. This is actually something I haven't seen in any of the research I've done on the subject - typically you cannot wake the child and they go right back to sleep when the episode is over. For JJ, it seems like you can eventually bring him to a slightly higher level of awareness and provide him with a comfort (nursing), then he can go back to sleep. Otherwise it just goes on and on until he wakes up. I don't know if this is because he is so young - most night terrors are reported in children over the age of 2 and he started having them when he was only 3 months old - or for some other reason. I wish I knew what his triggers were - my heart breaks every time he goes through these bouts, which seem to come about once a month. Poor little guy.

Visiting for the 4th

2009-07-07T08:42:00.001-05:00

What an exciting weekend! We got to visit my parents this weekend for the 4th and all my aunts and uncles were there and my sister and even one of my cousins! Tres cool! JJ was very good (of course) and we all had great fun.

My dad organized the family "olympics" with events like Wii handbells, guitar hero (see picture of JJ practicing his mad guitar hero skills - rock out little man!), ski jump, etc. and croquet. I took the silver in handbells (LOL!) We had to leave all too soon :( I wish we lived closer.

Family Time

2009-07-06T16:05:00.000-05:00

The Matson Clan (or at least part of us) together for July 4th

Mom, Sharon, JJ and me

JJ and his great granddad!

4 generations - JJ, his dad, my dad, and my granddad

First Croquet Game!

2009-07-04T16:02:00.000-05:00

Lake Charles, LA - You can tell he's a Matson!! Bring on the GAMES!

All in the family cold

2009-07-03T08:33:00.000-05:00

Well, that clinches it. First JJ had the horrible cough, then I came down with it. Now John's got it. Blech. Not the kind of family sharing I prefer!

It's my turn...

2009-06-29T08:38:00.000-05:00

Ugh. Apparently now it's my turn. It's hard enough dealing with the poor little guy not feeling good - now I've come down with it. I coughed so hard today I actually threw up - YUCK! No fever or anything, but still miserable. My throat is killing me. No wonder he sounded like he swallowed a frog. I hope this doesn't last long....

Coughing up a lung

2009-06-26T08:35:00.000-05:00

I swear it sounds like JJ is coughing up a lung. It started Wednesday night, so I took him to the doctor yesterday. They said his lungs are clear and that it's just allergies. So, I took him to school today and they called to say he was running a fever. And so back to the doctor. They still don't think there's anything wrong with him other than allergies, but they gave him some antibiotics to head off a "slight" throat infection. Sigh. Maybe I need a 2nd opinion - he sounds terrible!

It's (probably) a....

2009-06-17T14:13:00.000-05:00

...girl! We had our 12 week ultrasound (complete with NT testing and all that fun stuff) today and what a lovely active baby! Stretching its legs out like its trying to work out the kinks...very cute. The ultrasound tech asked if we wanted to know what she thought it was (gender wise). Sure! A girl. Really? Yup. Apparently, at this stage they can see the orientation of the genitalia. Up usually means boy (why am I not surprised?) and down usually means girl. And our little belly bean's bits are pointed down. So - how often is she right? 80%!!! Oh my!

We'll have plenty of other ultrasounds to make sure everything is fine and the one at 18 weeks ought to be a bit clearer. But it looks like JJ might just have a little sister on his hands.

First day of Splash

2009-06-16T14:18:00.000-05:00

At daycare, they have something called "splash" in the mornings during the summer. It's some kind of water play where they get to go out and play in the sprinklers and such. Well, today was JJ first day at splash (yesterday he put himself down for a nap and missed it - and yes, you read that right he put HIMSELF down for a nap - will wonders never cease?) and he LOVED it. Apparently, he had so much fun he was staggering around towards the end all tired! We really need to get this kid a pool!

Second Trimester - and still sick

2009-06-16T14:11:00.000-05:00

OK, so totally not fair. Here we are starting the second trimester and I've actually thrown up the last two days!! I made it 12 weeks without *actually* hurling and now twice in as many days. YUCK! I hate throwing up. And on Monday it was at WORK of all places. How embarrassing.

And for the record - Pad Thai is NOT an optimal thing to have to regurgitate. I'm just sayin...

Felt a kick?

2009-06-12T01:08:00.000-05:00

Maybe. It seems early and just under 12 weeks, but it could be! One solid "kathunk!" in the side. The little belly bean is jumpin!

Walk, Bar, and other words

2009-06-05T13:19:00.000-05:00

I don't even remember when JJ couldn't talk. It seems like he's been chatting up a one word at a time storm forever now! He's so excited he's figured out how to make himself understood that he just about explodes with joy every time you "get" it. My two favorites (because he get soooo excited) are "bar" (as in cereal bar - which he doesn't get very often but LOVES) and "walk" (as in, taking a walk around the block in the stroller, which we do daily). He'll try his best to crawl into the stroller chanting "walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk..." you just have to love it.

He's also started to find humor in slapstick. John will pretend to hit himself in some excessively silly way and JJ will laugh so hard he'll actually choke himself! When he finally catches his breath, he'll look expectantly at John and say and sign "more?" I guess there are 3 stooges movies in my future...sigh...

Week 10: Take 2

2009-06-02T16:57:00.000-05:00

Well, morning sickness continues morning, afternoon and now in the middle of the night. Yup - actually waking me up in the middle night to feel rotten. Blech.

At least now I can work out in the mornings. 3 days so far and counting. Still extremely irritable though. Although, I'm not sure how much of that is hormones and how much of that is just being over tired. JJ is still at 6 hours a night in a row, then I've got to help him get back to sleep after that. John can't help until his arm is better so I've got extra kid duty making me tired on top of being pregnant (which makes me exhausted). You do what ya gotta do though.

Poor baby - so sick

2009-05-26T13:05:00.000-05:00

Poor JJ. Sunday night, he woke up whimpering and felt so hot! I took his temp and it was 102. Yikes! So I stripped him down to his diaper, gave him some Tylenol, and nursed him back to sleep. All Monday his fever was been up and down, peaking at 104 in the afternoon. We gave him a luke warm bath to get him cooled down (that lasted all of 3 screaming minutes, but it worked). Poor little guy was just not himself all day. You could tell when the fever was going up because all he'd want to do it snuggle.

Took him to the doctor's today and everything is fine - he's got a throat infection, but nothing that medicine can do anything about. His fever is gone and he should be back to his regular self by tomorrow. Oh - and he's cutting 8 teeth right now which explains all the whimpering. I can't even imagine.

Baby or belly?

2009-05-19T13:39:00.000-05:00

Strangest thing. Since I've been pregnant, but before I knew, JJ has been pointing at my belly and putting his ear on it like he's listening for something. At first I thought "oh gosh, I've gotten fat enough he's looking at it like another breast", but that's not it. He keeps pointing at it and then smiling and putting his ear to it. Then three of days ago, he does this same thing and says "Baby." Could've knocked me over with a feather! Now, we've talked about the pregnancy in front of him and told him he's going to be a big brother, but I don't really think he understands or has any means of comprehension for such an abstract concept at this point. But here he is saying "baby." Then I thought, maybe he is trying to say "Belly" instead. That would make a lot more sense. Two days ago he did it again, except with John in the room. John's jaw dropped - "Did he just say 'baby'?" So, maybe he did. How would he know?

Quacking in his sleep

2009-05-19T13:37:00.000-05:00

Night before last, JJ is in bed with us when suddenly he belts out in a very loud clear voice "QUACK QUACK QUACK DUCK!" then starts snoring softly. Never woke up the whole time. You have to wonder....what was THAT dream all about?

Reading with me

2009-05-19T13:36:00.000-05:00

JJ loves books. One of his first words and signs was "book" :) And one of his favorite books is Sandra Boynton's Moo Baa La La La. So, yesterday, he brings me the book and hops up in my lap for me to read to him. I start off "The Cow say" and he interrupts me to say "Moo!" and then proceeded to fill in all the animal noises at all the right places (except the rhinos)! It was really cool - he's never done anything like that before. I was thrilled. Oh, and of course we get to the end and I read the last line "It's quiet now, what do YOU say?" and he says "Woof." LOL

Another ultrasound

2009-05-14T13:41:00.000-05:00

So here we are at 7.5 weeks with another ultrasound at the doctor's check up. Everything looks good, strong heartbeat of 167! Go go go little jelly bean!

It's interesting to compare with my last pregnancy at 7 weeks - so many similarities and yet differences too. I've had much worse morning sickness (should be called all day sickness!) this time. I'm nauseated most of the day, especially if I forget to eat enough. I've got nutty cravings for potstickers all the time! And while coffee and tea smell divine, one sip and I'm running for the bathroom.

They had to do a mandatory STD test at the dr's yesterday and ugh - I ended up with some viscious cramps afterwards. Poor John had all kinds of doctor appointments for his arm (since he detached a bicep), but I ended up stealing his exam table so I could get my feet up. Blech. All better now.

No more coffee or tea...

2009-05-13T16:06:00.000-05:00

Even the decaf stuff is making me want to hurl :( Blech. What a weird food aversion.

Eating disorders and young children

2009-05-12T17:28:00.000-05:00

Monday, I read this thoughtful story on how many of the "health" messages we are currently bombarding our children with are actually causing more problems than they are solving: http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2009/05/innocence-lost-health-messages-are-not.html

It makes sense. Children don't have the capacity for discernment that we do - if you say something is "bad if you eat too much" then in their mind it's just "bad." I found it disturbing to think that the media's over-the-top treatment of "the obesity epidemic" is perhaps encouraging children to starve themselves. Food as fear. And yet, am I surprised? I guess not. Certainly, I know enough adults who have succumbed to the "good food bad food" characterization - smart, clever people, that, if they thought about it just a little bit, would say that was a silly thing to do. I can't count how often I've done it myself - having a piece of chocolate even though it's "bad" for me and will "make" me fat. Silliness, that we let ourselves be drawn into because it's easy.

So, now I wonder how John and I can make sure that JJ gets a much more emotionally healthy message about food, body image, etc. Step one is obviously ensuring our own attitudes are well-balanced and sensible. But after that, it will be teaching him how to examine information that he has been given and evaluate it for himself, to realize you can entertain an idea without accepting it, and to know that just because someone is louder/older/bigger than you, it doesn't mean they know what they're talking about.

Here's to critical thinking!

15 month appointment

2009-05-07T11:03:00.000-05:00

Time continues to fly by as our little man just gets bigger and bigger.

Stats for the 15 month appt.

Height: 31 inches

Weight: 22lbs

Head: 18 inches (and a bit)

Teeth: 13 and still working on more (yikes)

He can say lots of words (milk, book, more, read, dog, woof, cat, meow, baa, neigh, water, mama, dada, this, that, toes, door, out, help, go....and that's just ones I remember at the moment!) and he's getting very good with his signing (milk, more, help, please, read/book, up, down, potty, bath, all done). He puts together phrases with the words he knows too, like "read book" or "more book" or "more milk" or "out door". What an amazing kid!

The doctor said he was right on track and "remarkably mature for 15 months." Apparently, the fact that he listens to us and can be reasoned with (for example, he was upset about getting weighed and we told him that it would be over shortly and then he could get a big hug from Daddy - and he settled down right away.) is unusual for this age. Who knew? He's growing up fast, that's for sure.

Cats...

2009-04-27T14:20:00.000-05:00

My cat, Paka, seems to have an affinity for my baby belly, even when it's not a proper "belly" yet. When I was pregnant with JJ and now again this time, she insists on sleeping on my belly. When I'm not pregnant, she sleeps on my legs - but not now. It's almost like she "knows" (although my theory is that I'm just awfully warm with all the extra blood volume). There is some evidence to suggest that pets can sense and do react to the pregnancy of thier owner. All the evidence seems anecdotal at best, but that doesn't stop Paka from snuggling up to her latest playmate and purring away. Of all the cats, she's the only one who lets JJ touch her - in fact, she will seek him out and snuggle up to him, rubbing and purring. Best buds...and hopefully she'll be the same way with the new little one.

Not fair...

2009-04-22T17:07:00.000-05:00

Morning sickness - or rather, morning, noon, and night sickness - and pounding headaches. Granted, I was having this problem last week too, but last week I could blame it on the weather. Now, I've got another 9 months of this, potentially. Yikes! It is definitely going to be a test of wills finishing this dissertation. A toddler, morning sickness and data collection. Wow.

Poor JJ is starting to get so picky about his food too. And not in any predictable pattern either. One day broccoli is the rage. The next, he doesn't even want it on his plate. The power struggle around that is becoming interesting too. He's always game to try something, but once he decided he doesn't want it, he'll pick it up off the plate and drop it on the floor, one piece at a time. John and I have tried telling him "no" firmly, holding his hand to prevent him from doing it, and just plain removing the offending item and he just looks puzzled. Definitely not sure what we're trying to say. Makes me feel stupid - like if I were just a little smarter I could explain it to him. Oh well - maybe Mommy and Daddy will get smarter once we get some more sleep (insert maniacal laughter here).

SURPRISE!

2009-04-20T10:01:00.000-05:00

I've been feeling really off lately - clumsily running into things, getting really snappish with John, horrible runny nose, feeling dizzy when I'm sitting for long period of time, constantly hot, sometimes nauseated....and I thought "allergies, sleep deprivation, period fixin' to start" Oh yeah - shouldn't my period have started like 4 days ago? So, just to be on the safe side, I took a pregnancy test. Given my symptoms, I should've known. It came back 2 lines - that's POSITIVE.

Oh my.

I mean, it's not like I don't know what causes this or that we weren't interested in having another. It's just that last time we had to try so hard and have "help" and all and I sort of thought it would be the same going forward. WRONG! I'm scared to death because I haven't been taking my prenatal vitamin like I should, I've had loads of coffee and tea, and I had a glass of wine last night to celebrate finishing my proposal for my chair. And here I am, in the middle of trying to schedule my proposal defense, with the beginnings of pregnancy brain, and not sure if I should be delighted or hysterical.

I think I will settle for cautiously optimistic.