Just Off Magazine

Shared space

2012-02-01T19:52:00.005-05:00

Both boys went to bed about the same time and both were awake in their beds. Giggling together. Hans would pull down the crib bumper to get a better look at Freddie and they'd both erupt with laughter. And I couldn't do anything but smile listening to them.

Sleep Cycles

2012-01-31T14:32:00.001-05:00

I love watching him on the monitor

We've reached a milestone: Hans is in his crib at night. The boys are now sharing a room. Sounds so cute and cozy, but the reality is there wasn't any other option. We're not saving that third bedroom for an office or a playroom or a man cave....there is no third bedroom in this apartment.

Hans transitioned from the cosleeper right next to me to the travel crib three feet from me around 12 weeks. He was holding on to one middle of the night nursing and I pretty much knew it was because he'd wake, lift his head, and see me. Naturally his thoughts upon seeing me at 2am wandered straight to wanting the boob. So I kicked Charlie out of the bedroom for a few nights and positioned myself on his side of the bed, out of sight. Sure enough one or two nights and there were only a few whimpers and he began sleeping straight through.

Sleep through the night. CHECK

When I decide to do something I really do it, so I rode the wave of momentum and moved the boy right to his crib after that. The first few nights were rocky, as to be expected. Freddie handled the middle of the night endless screaming with grace and his fingers in his ears and pillow over his head. The kid's good for a laugh even when I'm pretty much at the end of my rope.

Freddie's been rather excited about having Hans in the crib next to him. He's been telling me he is more than capable of soothing Hans at night and promised to return to his bed right after telling him "It's ok, Freddie's here." Sure enough, he's gotten up to soothe him "in the middle of the night," around 5am. My heart literally explodes with love, pride, happiness, I don't even know what, when I hear that little voice at 5am (Yes, 5am!) through the monitor talking so sweetly to his brother.

It's been about a week now though, and at 5am I just really want everyone to still be sleeping. Day before yesterday at 5.30 am the voice through the monitor called "Mama, Hans is pooping. Can you come get him?" And this morning Freddie skipped the sweet talk, ran past The Daddy's side of the bed, and grabbed my foot. "Hans is awake. Can you come see?"

Hans' circadian rhythms (and bowels and TEETH) seem to have him stuck in an early wake up pattern. I also think he's not quite used to being in the crib yet and he becomes alert during those early morning sleep cycles rather than allowing himself to doze another hour or so. I've shifted the bedtime later as well as earlier with not much success in altering the wake up time, although everything will be all shook up next week when we travel.

Even worse than dealing with one kid awake at 5am is dealing with two kids awake at 5am. And even worse than that is dealing with those same two kids and their Mama at 5pm. Poor Charlie coming home to a house full of grumps.

I'm trudging on. I mean, what else can I do? It won't be like this forever. Right???

Weekend Numbers

2012-01-30T06:19:00.002-05:00

1 trip to the candy store
18 dollars spent
1 giant lollipop
100 licks consumed
1,000,000 left to go
2 sleeping babies in view on the monitor
3 pieces of "macaroni pizza" consumed by Freddie (translation: pepperoni pizza)
2 hours at the museum
40 minute IMAX film (Born to Be Wild -- a hit with both boys, as well as Mama and Dada)
2 hour walk (round trip) through the park to the museum
2 guys using tools
1 Home Depot trip
10 new tools requested
1 completed project
4 tram rides

Peek A Boo

2012-01-27T14:00:00.000-05:00

He's been initiating peek-a-boo for a while now and it is so much fun for all of us. Freddie got out of the tub in record time so he could play too. And then I showed him how he used to do the exact same thing.

31 Weeks

2012-01-26T23:00:00.000-05:00

Got it up on Thursday!

You're 7 months old. I'm estimating you to be about 17 or 18 pounds and pretty close to the 50th percentile these days. We'll confirm this with Dr. G at the end of February, but for now you are our Chubba Wubba. Or Freddie's Hansie Wansie.

Get me down!

You're eating bagels and cream cheese for breakfast now! Well little bits of Mama's bagel and cream cheese. You like to smack and suck to get the cream cheese off. You've also had toast and butter or jam, bits of cantaloupe, banana, puffs, and potato. I usually see the relief in your eyes though when I start spooning the purees into your mouth. Finger foods aren't getting to your mouth fast enough quite yet.

More bagel, please.

Freddie's room is now "the boys' room." You've officially taken up residence in the crib. We've had a couple rough nights adjusting and we're still trying to shake the early wake ups. Hopefully another week or two and it will be smooth sailing. Freddie is tickled to have you in the room with him. He explained for days and days that he was capable of getting out of bed, climbing on his stool, and saying "it's ok, it's ok, it's ok" and then returning to his bed if you cried during the night. He's been a real sport during the transition sleeping with the pillow over his head or fingers in his ears.

Your favorite activity is gazing out the window. Standing you on the window sill and chatting about everything we see is a sure fire way to please you. Freddie acting silly definitely rates high on your list of favorite entertainment. You're pretty needy on the days he's off at school.

The bottom left tooth is up and from the looks of it your mouth is going to be pretty crowded. Just like Freddie, this one's come up on an angle, I assume to allow room for the others to cram in. I'm hoping more teeth fill in that smile soon.

Lovin'

2012-01-26T07:36:00.002-05:00

Lego creations
School stories
Date night in front of the TV with my husband
Spring concert tickets
Costume planning
Independent dressing and shirts on backwards
One tooth grins
Parenting discussions
Double booster seats at the table
Meals as a foursome
"Making Groceries" card game (Go Fish, NOLA style)

Morning Giggles

2012-01-25T11:50:00.000-05:00

Museum Day

2012-01-25T07:55:00.002-05:00

To avoid the snow and cold on Saturday, we checked out the hot, humid, butterfly exhibit at the Natural History Museum.

It is definitely a tropical climate in there and while I loved having that "glisten," Charlie was downright hot. It made me miss having a garden to tend and butterflies to watch in our own backyard.

Freddie didn't have much patience waiting for the butterflies to sit still so he could check them out, so onto the dinosaurs we went. We visit the 4th floor each time we visit as well as one other part of the museum.

This is pretty much how he looks all the time in there...mouth open and map in hand.

Getting out in between morning nap and afternoon nap is a challenge. I feel like the time passes in a blink, and it's a whole-lotta work getting out of the house with two of them. Lots of schlepping and corralling and some crying from all parties involved, but in the end I'm (usually) glad we did it.

No point in living in NYC and not taking advantage of all that it has to offer, right? And I can say bringing Freddie out and about has really contributed to his independent nature and curiosity.

It won't be much longer before Hans will be right there with Freddie. For now he was content to jabber as we strolled along.

Take our picture, Mama

2012-01-24T06:46:00.000-05:00

Snow Day

2012-01-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Winter finally arrived in the city Saturday morning. We've been enjoying "warm" 40 degree days until this weekend when temperatures dipped below 30 and stayed there for 48 hours straight. We got just enough snow to cover the ground for sledding. We planned a morning in Central Park at Pilgrim Hill, complete with hot chocolate and bagels, but switching Hans from the travel crib next to mama to his crib next to Freddie meant less than adequate sleep for everyone so we stuck close to home instead. The "big guys" dressed for the snow and headed out with skis and sled.

When he's excited he starts giving kisses

See ya later, Mama.

Hans napped and I watched from the window.

Somewhere on the little hill before it got crowded

They trudged out to the sledding hill. Freddie's been spending lots of time on his skis around the house but he wanted the speed and safety of his sled.

Charlie didn't get any sledding pictures. He was too busy chasing the sled and preventing collisions. We're expecting temperatures back in the 50s and rain this week, so this may be it for winter. The snow's fun, but I'm not complaining!

30 Weeks (and 1 day)

2012-01-20T14:53:00.000-05:00

You're not very interested in sitting for pictures any longer, my Chubba Wubba.

You're moving all over these days, ending up across the room and fussing with some frustration that you're not getting closer to your intended destination.

You have one lone tooth poking through. Not really much sign of any others.

Eating is one of your favorite past times. You love yogurt and if its in sight you must have it immediately. You refuse all other foods if you know yogurt is on the menu. You're nursing 4-5 times a day and eating three solid meals a day.

Your other favorite part of the day is giggling with Freddie. I love seeing the two of you together.

It won't be much longer before you're following him all over the house.

Your sleep is fantastic these days, sleeping 11-12 hours at night and taking two naps a day. The best part is you wake up smiling. I love this. I hope this keeps up through our travels in a few weeks.

You're going through a "mama phase." I must be in your sight at all times. Kinda difficult and pretty pathetic when you put out that lip and cry when I walk away from you.

We love you, Chubba Wubba...big as the wold.

Lovin'

2012-01-18T13:36:00.001-05:00

The artist and his daily projects
Cheerios crunching under my feet
Where's your penis, Mama?
12 hour sleeps
Packing lunches
Summer planning
Bagels and cream cheese
Stillness
Organization that works
Back cracking hugs

A New Perspective

2012-01-17T06:30:00.000-05:00

He's sitting! Things must look nice from this angle. He's been insisting on performing his new trick several times a day.

Sweet Sleep

2012-01-16T08:48:00.000-05:00

Not a day passes that I don't watch each boy for a few minutes after they've fallen asleep. I don't imagine this will stop any time soon.

29 Weeks (and 1 day)

2012-01-13T13:10:00.004-05:00

Well, all of your weekly photos are going to have to be +1 day I've decided. Friday is the new picture day because you really like having Freddie here and he is a big help. With Freddie in school two days a week you can get a little lonely although I think it is really nice to be able to sit and really look at you. When we go to pick up Freddie though you start flailing all of your appendages until he comes over and loves on you. I love that. Love, love, love it.

My favorite development of yours this week is you are smacking your lips (or clicking your tongue?) and it sounds like you're giving kisses!

You are getting more mobile trying to inch forward but you usually end up stuck in reverse, reminding me a little of your big brother.

Biggest news is that perhaps by the end of the day your first tooth will have finally cut through the gums. I've felt it pressing there for a few weeks, as have you and you've let us know about it, but it is finally to the point where I can see it right under the surface. I hope the others make their appearance quickly so we can just get this teething thing behind us for a while.

Lovin'

2012-01-10T08:03:00.000-05:00

The boys' bathroom

Toothbrushes
Little tools and toolboxes
Football on the tube
King cake for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Upcoming travel plans
Phone calls from friends
"Will you snuggle me, Mama?"
Sunshine
Socks without holes
Cold beer
School days
Round bellies

6 month well visit

2012-01-09T11:27:00.001-05:00

6 month well visit at 6 months, 2 weeks, 3 days:

Stats:

Weight: 16 lbs 2 oz (17th percentile up from 2nd percentile at 4 months)
Length: 27 inches (53th percentile up from 40th percentile at 4 months)
Head circumference: 43.5 cm (45th percentile up from 35th percentile at 4 months)

Vaccinations:

Rotovirus, 3rd dose
Hib, 3rd dose
DTP, 3rd dose
IPV, 3rd dose
PCV, 3rd dose
Influenza
Note: Held off on Hep B today since flu shot was added.

He looks great. Dr. G was pleased to see the increase in the percentiles. No concerns.

I have to admit I have been going back and reading lots of Freddie's posts to compare. Need to stop the comparing, but wish I had read Freddie's 6 month well visit post prior to Hans' appointment. Freddie began lead tests at 6 months and while I think we are low risk living in a new building I do want to ask Dr. G about testing (just the finger prick not venous for now). No reason not to as far as I'm concerned.

And since I brought up the whole comparison thing Freddie was in the 5th-10th percentile at this point with the exception of his noggin which was in the 50-75th percentile. Freddie was also far more mobile, holding to stand independently, and was sitting with a great amount of proficiency. While Hans is not yet there, I'm not worried. I need to keep in mind that Freddie hit lots of physical milestones early and Hans will do everything on his own schedule.

Freddie looks/sounds great as well.

Next visit: February 27th to administer 2nd dose of flu shot and 3rd Hep B dose.

28 Weeks

2012-01-05T19:14:00.001-05:00

Yeah, I totally missed last week. I suppose you're used to my general laissez faire attitude by now.

Likes:

Your brother. You smile ear to ear when he enters the room.
You're also pretty fond of your father. When Dada walks in the door in the evening and I am holding you, you throw your body in his direction as if to propel us over to him.
Looking in the mirror gets you laughing. Today you discovered a mirror on one of your toys and you cackled looking at yourself.
Everything must be examined, up close. I've enjoyed watching you look at your hands and discovering that they are yours and they are attached to you!
Raspberries on your belly...you'll pooch that belly out as if to say "do it again, Mama."
You *love* food, especially yogurt. You get pretty angry if you see the yogurt on the table and I dare offer you anything but a bite of yogurt.

Dislikes:

You're not very fond of the bumbo chair. As a matter of fact you hate anything that pushes you into a sitting position. That may be why you're not anywhere near sitting on your own yet.
Being left alone. You are used to having action at all times thanks to Freddie.
Green veggies

Working on:

Sitting up. You're not loving being bent into the sitting position and you do little to hold yourself up. Sometimes I can get you into the tripod pose where you support yourself with one arm between your legs but only for a few seconds.
You've been getting the cup spout to your mouth and gnawing on it just enough to get a bit of water into your mouth. This surprises you each time.
I've started the puffs on the tray so you can work on your pincher grasp. You tend to paw at them and get them stuck on your sticky palms.

Vocabulary:

Mama mama mama
Brrrrmmmm
Eeeeeeeeee
And some general screeching that I just love and makes everyone smile.

For my record: Sick Visit

2012-01-04T18:19:00.001-05:00

Freddie has been running fever for the past five or so days. Mostly about 100 degrees, but peaking at 102.5. He's refusing anything to control the fever after our last medicine fiasco. He did request a shot, however. Sigh.

Went to see Dr. G today although his fever's been at or below 100 the past two days with the exception of the middle of the night. She suspects a virus, again. His ears, nose, throat look fine and his lungs are clear. She wants to wait and see, and advised rest.

Recovering

2012-01-04T07:30:00.000-05:00

The holidays are over. And we're home. We're finding our routine, catching up on sleep, and trying to shake the runny noses, coughs, and fever.

We're slowly opening packages and presents and cards. We're thankful for the generosity of family and friends.

The decorations will slowly come down this week but I think I'll leave the cards up a bit longer before binding them in a book to toss into Freddie's book bin. I like seeing everyone's notes and faces hanging in the living room.

It's a new year and I'm not thinking of doing much different. 2011 was good to us, and who wants to mess with a good thing.

Tigey Sleds

2012-01-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

Not much snow in Vail this year, but Tigey got in a few good runs on the sled.

He Skis. Sort of.

2012-01-02T07:30:00.000-05:00

Freddie was quite excited to get on skis this trip to Vail. He was pumped to be suited up and headed to the mountain. Charlie and I, on the other hand, were worn out getting everyone out the door. Long underwear, fleece, snow suit, boots, hats, mittens, glasses, times two and then someone has to potty and I can't find the camera or the car keys. I'm seriously going to be that mom who pushes my kid to be a swimmer. Speedo and goggles. The simplicity is beautiful.

When we were finally out the door Freddie was bubbly with excitement. He wanted his skis.

He got his boots and walked amazingly well in them.

And off we went to the mountain.

We have been talking about skiing quite a bit, watched videos on youtube of toddler successes and failures on skis, and talked about trying again and again and again.

He was ready. But he was scared. He skated only a few feet forward before he wanted off. No more skiing. He wanted the cheetos in his lunch. And that was it.

It reminded me of him wanting to go down the slide but he just couldn't muster the courage. We held on to the skis to try around the house, and he did talk about his skis (these are MY skis) and wanted to put them on in the house, and we realized that it's going to take some warming up to the idea, like most everything. Unfortunately it's not looking like we're going to be having much snow in NY this winter (Did I just type that?!?!) but I have ordered some little skis for him to call his own and get better acquainted with the idea of skiing. He can put them on with the speedo and goggles that are on order.

In the Mountains

2011-12-26T19:59:00.000-05:00

Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T19:56:00.000-05:00

Present opening the week before. (Thanks, Aunt Mary!)
A nonstop, 4 hour flight with two children.
Early to bed and early to rise.
Eastern timezone schedules living in mountain time.
Starting the day between 3 and 4 am.
Santa found us in Denver.
Santa ate his cookies, the reindeer ate the carrots, and Santa left chocolate cake.
A new sock, a la Gammie, for Hans.

I'm setting vanity aside.

Mama has reading glasses.
Santa cookies for Charlie.
Only a handful of photos taken by Mommy.
No snow in the mountains.
Gifts from Santa awaiting under the tree in NYC.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T07:22:00.000-05:00

Our holiday cards should be in mailboxes and on mantels by now. Happy Holidays!

26 Weeks (and 1 day)

2011-12-23T13:12:00.002-05:00

I thought about taking your photo a few times yesterday but just couldn't do it without Freddie here.

You missed your brother quite a bit while he was in school. In fact you needed to be strapped on to me while I walked around for most of the day to avoid any fussing. You were all smiles when you finally laid eyes on Freddie at the end of the day.

You're eating lots of new foods and looking at these pictures I wonder if you're turning orange from having so many carrots and sweet potatoes. Your other favorite is yogurt.

You will roll all over the living room to get just where you want to be, namely under the Christmas tree to grab at the packages. The paper makes the best noise when crinkled.

I'm forcing you into the sitting position more and more. You resist but I'm hoping you'll start working on that "tripod" pose soon. You resist the swing and bumbo seat now and pretty much attempt to eject yourself from either.

Still no teeth but that bottom left is bulging right under the surface. You can be pretty irritable at times, and I blame the teeth. I hope we see them soon.

Happy half birthday my baby boy. I love you and love you.

First day of "big boy school"

2011-12-20T20:00:00.000-05:00

Today has been a much anticipated day for us all. Freddie has been enamored with "big kids" and the idea of going to school for quite some time. He was a little disappointed he wouldn't be riding a school bus (we watch the kids getting off the bus in the afternoons in front of our building) but he was psyched to have a juice box since I think every reference to school he's seen in books involved a lunch scene with juice boxes. He's been telling me he's going to write and raise his hand (other things he's picked up from books).

This morning he seemed a bit reluctant to get dressed, although getting the kid out of his pjs is always a chore. I do think he was a little nervous. He mentioned rather emphatically that he likes sitting (rather than standing) to potty and I explained his teacher would be more than happy to have him sit. I certainly am.

We finally made our way out the door and to school. School's just a short elevator ride down to our basement so he was able to lead the way. As we walked down the hallway to the door he said I love you, Mama. I love you whole world. Into the door we went. And then he was off. He didn't look back.

The director sent me an email during the morning:

I just checked in on him. He is standing right in front and doing the Hokey Pokey with the rest of the class, with his eyes glued to Moraima. His teacher report that he has been totally happy and right with the group during all of the activities this morning.

Between lunch and nap I went down to check in and handed off Tigey. He ate ALL of his lunch and he napped. The power of peer pressure is amazing.

His teachers said he was very observant and engaged in all the activities. They were very surprised this was his first experience in a child care setting. I am so proud of him. I can probably count on my hands the number of times he's been away from me and he's only had one evening with a babysitter he didn't know.

I had to wake him when I went to pick him up at 3.00 this afternoon. He thanked his teacher and made sure his backpack was on straight before we headed home. He was still sleepy and not so talkative, but tonight during bath time he talked about gluing eyes and buttons on a gingerbread man and singing and dancing.

Back on Thursday. He'll be on a Tuesday/Thursday schedule.

How did Mama do? I was teary and I missed him. I missed him a lot. More on that later.

Lovin'

2011-12-19T07:39:00.001-05:00

Mapping where our gifts are traveling from (this one is from Norway!)
Half eaten candy canes all over the house
Pajama days
Pancakes for supper
Singing Christmas carols
Questions about Santa
Wrapped gifts
Searching for the moon
Christmas books
Twinkling lights

25 Weeks

2011-12-15T19:25:00.000-05:00

I'm here. Sorry for the lapse. I'm attempting to get the blogging momentum going again. I took these photos on Thursday right before bed. Obviously the boys are tired and still not feeling well.

Hans, I've been calling you Bubba over the last few weeks because...well....you are looking like a Bubba. I was very surprised when you weighed in right under 15lbs and only in the 8th percentile this week. You're still Bubba to us.

You love real food. You love nursing too, but I think getting those three solid meals might just be the highlights of your day. I keep thinking teeth are right under the surface. My biggest clue is you're biting me. You're biting me during nursing. And laughing. And pouting when I fuss at you.

Sleep is just about back to normal. You're sleeping 10 hours straight, but the last two hours can sometimes be difficult for you to settle back into a deep sleep. I often hear you squirming in bed when I'd much rather hear you snoring.

Sixth months is coming up fast. I can't believe we're halfway through your first year.

Radio City Christmas Spectacular

2011-12-15T12:12:00.000-05:00

Charlie was a good sport and went to see the Christmas Spectacular when we visited NYC in 2008. I loved the show then and I especially loved it last night with my three boys.

I bought tickets to the show months ago, and wasn't exactly relishing taking the boys given their being sick and my being crabby. Getting bundled for winter weather is a chore, and since we were meeting Charlie there Mama was flying solo on this task. Getting out the door was definitely on par with poking my eyeballs out, but once we exited the subway at Rockefellar Center, Freddie was giddy over the holiday decorations in the city and the tension left my body.

Radio City Music Hall is beautful and worth visiting just to admire the art deco details. Freddie really liked the "lounge" area of the restroom and was especially tickled by the urinals! The Beacon has the same urinals, just FYI.

Our seats were in the upper balcony, but the first row. Perfect view. Freddie was anxious to see Santa and asked about 1,000 times when he would get on the stage, but as soon as the organs began playing his eyes lit up and they were fixed on the stage.

I don't think the smile left his face for the entire 90 minute performance. He danced along to some of the songs, watched the orchestra and conductor in the pit, and had an amazing time. This has been my very favorite "NYC experience" with him so far. Oh, and little Hans enjoyed it as well. He partied past his bedtime without any problems.

Notes:

Sorry about the cell phone pictures. No SLR cameras allowed in Radio City and just as well because we had our hands full. I never can remember to get someone to take a picture of the four of us though.
Our balcony seats were $45 each (plus a $14 per ticket service charge, damn Ticketmaster). I bought tickets in June to make sure we were able to get seats on the front row. Several sections are unavailable for purchase because they are reserved for groups.
2 sodas and popcorn cost $18.
There have been lots of special deals in the last 6 or so weeks that have come through my inbox for the Christmas Spectacular. I didn't investigate them too carefully because we already had tickets, but the price was nice. I'm not sure about the seat location though, and I'm not sure how well the boys would be able to see if we were seated behind a row of adults.
We went to the 5.00pm show and the boys were home and in bed a bit after 7.00pm.

Sick Visits (updated)

2011-12-12T19:09:00.000-05:00

Took the boys to see Dr. G this morning since Freddie had fever, again. He's had fever for at least five days, hovering around 100-101. He's congested and coughing and complaining his throat hurts.

His gunky nose and bad breathe are signs of a possible sinus infection. She did say a virus piggybacking on another virus because of his weakened immune system is more probable but went ahead with an antibiotic because of this other symptoms.

This would be only the second time he's ever had an antibiotic. The first time was for an ear infection and the amoxicillan went down smoothly. This time he's got a z-pak, and it is not going down. At all.

The kid doesn't cry for shots, but he's not swalling yucky medicine. Had I known, I think talking about it ahead of time might of helped, but once he got the stuff to his lips there was no way it was going down.

My attempt at brute force to quickly get it into his cheek with the syringe resulted in his puking all over the two of us. Putting it in Coke, the only liquid he's agreed to drink all day, made him gag with each tiny sip.

I'll call the doctor in the morning. I'm feeling like a bad Mama for now. I apologized for forcing it down and he says, "It's ok, Mama. I sorry, too."

In other news, Hans is healthy, and weighed in at 14lbs 10oz putting him in the 8th percentile.

Thursday Update: I spoke with Dr. G and she advised masking the taste with chocolate, but actually just recommended skipping the antibiotic for another day or two until it was 100% evident it was an infection rather than viral. And sure enough, Freddie's fever broke on Wednesday and he's been fever free today, so I suppose no meds needed. I know for next time that zpak ain't happening and to ask for something different. Dr. G has been very kind and helpful and has called to check in with us three times in the past 48 hours. Although she doesn't keep the most convenient office hours, which aren't even the same week to week, she is very accessible over the phone.

Home

2011-12-11T18:23:00.001-05:00

One of only 9 photos I took this visit.

Freddie ripping the dumdum pop from the stick with one chomp during take off should have been an omen. These tiny suckers used to be my ace in the hole on flights. A wee bit of sugar on a stick kept Freddie busy for a good thirty minutes, until this trip where he discovered one sharp bite and the whole thing pops off into his mouth an he can move on to another flavor.

Folks generally offer sympathy when they see me traveling solo with these guys, or they check to be certain I'm not on their flight. Honestly, the travel days themselves have nothing on the two weeks in between this trip.

Both boys were sick, and no one slept. It was exhausting. Now we're home and the boys are still sick, and we're facing the next few weeks of holiday activites, Freddie starting "big boy school," and more holiday travel. The boys are still sick, and I'm still exhausted. I wonder how well a dumdum pop stirs a cocktail.

24 Weeks

2011-12-08T18:42:00.001-05:00

Exhausted, stuffy, and not at all interested in taking a photo. Thankfully his breathing has improved. He's only sounding like a rattle rather than a purring kitty.

I'm Sorry I Called Them Buttheads

2011-12-06T11:44:00.001-05:00

Hans slept, for the most part, last night. After being hard to settle at bedtime, a 20 minute crying spell around 11pm, and a 3am nursing, he slept almost 14 hours and has taken a 2 hour nap already this morning. And it's probably because he is really, really sick today and needs lots of rest.

Nothing like pushing a mama over the edge though when it takes 1 hour to settle one baby and once back under the covers you hear B-I-N-G-O, and Bingo was his name-o from a tiny voice in bed next to you. Or when the room is dark and still at 4am and those tiny little hands grab each cheek and a whisper, Mommy, I just made a rooty tooty.

Ok, maybe one of them is a butthead.

Traveling with the boys

2011-12-05T03:54:00.001-05:00

What could be worse than a teething stuffy nosed baby waking every two hours throughout the night and starting the day at 4.30 am because his bowels and biorhythms are stuck in the eastern time zone?

Doing that seven days in a row? Yep, that's worse all right.

And now for the second straight night I have not one, but two, children screaming in the room next to me at 3.01am. It can always be worse.

I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow night.

23 Weeks

2011-12-01T11:51:00.001-05:00

Finally. Sweet sleep. Waking every two hours isn't any fun for either of us. Especially since Freddie is sharing the room with us in NOLA this week. My only guess is new teeth are to blame. Whatever it may be it does not bode well for future traveling.

7up Biscuits

2011-11-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

This recipe is one that I found on Pinterest and after poking around on the internet there are several variations floating around. Several said it was like a good ole Popeye's biscuit so I had to try. That meant getting Bisquik and Sprite as I don't keep those in the pantry.

My first batch didn't go over so well because the dough is so sticky that I found it nearly impossible to cut biscuits. So the second try I just pressed the dough in the pan and cut into squares. Much easier and very yummy.

Ingredients:

2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup 7-up
1/4 cup melted butter (This can be reduced or even omitted and still yummy)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450.
Cut sour cream into biscuit mix, add 7-Up. Makes a very soft dough.
Sprinkle additional biscuit mix on board or table and pat dough out.
Cut biscuits (or form square to be placed in pan).
Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 9 inch square pan. (Glass pan or heavy pan works best.)
Place cut biscuits in pan and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. (I found that if not doing cut biscuits then 20-25 minutes is needed in the oven.)

I probably won't make these again unless I have the ingredients on hand. I prefer the drop biscuits we make, although Freddie did like having Shirley Temples with supper each night to finish off the Sprite.

Visiting Santa at Macy's Santaland 2011

2011-11-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

After last year, I worked hard to prepare Freddie for what it would be like to see Santa. I showed him his picture with Santa when he was a little guy. I don't think he could see the tears in his eyes in that photo, thank goodness.

Santa arrived at Macy's on Friday and we decided to get there to see him early in the season to avoid the crowds. No wait at all this year, but we still took time to look at the decorations as we made our way to see Santa.

We explained Santa would have him sit on his lap to talk to him and would most likely ask what gift he'd like on Christmas morning. Each time we'd talk Freddie would insist he wanted boots. "Teeny tiny boots for Hans!" he'd say.

When we finally made it to the room where Santa was waiting Freddie creeped up and watched the little girl ahead of us sit with Santa. He was wide eyed and seemed a bit timid. He was star struck I'd say.

But he greeted Santa with a big smile and "Hello, I'm Freddie" and let Santa scoop him up into his lap. He didn't cry, and asked Santa for Hans' boots. Santa assured Freddie he would see what he could do about getting some teeny, tiny boots for Hans.

There were smiles and a picture and then a high five to say goodbye. When we made our way out of Santaland Freddie declared that he was sad. He explained, with tears on his cheeks, he hadn't told Santa he wanted a toolbox. Luckily, Santa will be visiting boys and girls in New Orleans during our visit this week and we can talk to him again and let him know about that tool box. And I have a feeling he'll probably bring up Hans needing teeny, tiny boots again.

The Weekend

2011-11-28T12:40:00.000-05:00

The Monopoly Cabin on the ferris wheel

Freddie's holiday shopping in Times Square
Family ferris wheel ride
Burgers for lunch
Packing for travel
Biscuits and bacon
Laundry
Sunshine and playground visits
Teeny Tiny ice cubes in cocktails
Football on the tube
12-0 Tigers!
The Polar Express
"Avan" the elf

Rolling

2011-11-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

Apparently he started do this earlier in the week, but no one told me! He did the belly to back roll right around 12 weeks, and now he is "mobile" with the back to belly roll down. He'll roll back and forth to get to what he's got his eye on.

22 Weeks (and 1 day)

2011-11-25T18:05:00.001-05:00

Same outfit as last week. Maybe he's a tad bigger?

Love these two together...

Balloons

2011-11-24T11:44:00.001-05:00

Last night we headed out to 77th and Columbus Circle to get a peek at the balloons being inflated for today's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I knew we weren't up to going out for the parade with the kids in the morning, but I thought Freddie would like to see the balloons.

Charlie and I had done this a few years ago when we visited for the holiday, so we knew we didn't want a stroller. It is extremely crowded and it's hard for kids to see from the strollers anyway. 95% of the strollers we passed were running into the ankles of those around them and were empty. So Charlie carried Freddie, and I carried Hans...all the way from 59th and 2nd. It was a long walk with extra weight strapped on, but it was a nice night and worth avoiding the subway.

It's nice to get a glimpse of the balloons up close being inflated. It helps get an idea of truly how big they actually are. It was even nicer to watch the parade on television with Freddie this morning as he recognized the balloons we saw last night.

Maybe next year we'll go see the parade, although I suspect the boys will be wondering where the beads (and booze) are since we'll get a big dose of parading in February when we visit NOLA.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

If the only prayer you say in your life is thank you, that would suffice.
-Maurice Eckhart

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Lovin'

2011-11-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Picnics on the living room floor
The magic of adding a bowl of popcorn to movie night
Boots
Chocolate soymilk
Free shipping
Snips of time for phone conversations
Baby food making
Having boys
Minty chapstick
Wool socks

What are you Lovin? Go ahead and link up!

Independence

2011-11-22T06:30:00.000-05:00

Guess who put his pajamas and undies on by himself?

Sitting on the sidelines patiently watching him do things *by himself* has been painful at times. For both of us. Knowing he'll want to dress on his own means starting the process long before we need to leave the house. It means whines of "I do it, you help me, Nooooooo, I doing it." But he's finally starting to do it without my sitting next to him cheering or guiding through each step. I can finally say, "Go put on your undies" and the kid comes back with is undies on, albeit backwards or on the outside. I'm going with the flow and leaving the house with his pants on backwards and shoes on the wrong feet. I dare not say a word about it.

New York Botanical Garden Train Show

2011-11-21T07:30:00.000-05:00

The Brooklyn Bridge

This weekend we headed to the Bronx to visit the New York Botanical Garden.

It was the opening weekend of the Holiday Train Show. I assumed since it had just opened and we aren't technically into the holiday season yet it wouldn't be too crowded. I forget with so many people in NYC that *everything* is *always* crowded. There's just no escaping it.

Models of New York landmarks made from bits and pieces gathered from nature are set up in the conservatory with model trains running through. The landmarks are quite intricate and are built from gourds, acorns, bark, leaves, and twigs.

Freddie did a great job, as always, getting himself into prime viewing location. It was difficult to take many pictures because there were just so many people.

The conservatory is beautiful, humid, and filled with tropical plants reminding me of NOLA gardens. I hear there's another botanical garden in in Brooklyn that we'll have to check out one day. Actually we'll have to head back to the New York Botanical Garden to see more of the garden since we didn't make it around to see much other than the conservatory and the children's garden area.

Notes in case you visit:

$20 for adults, $10 for kids
$13 round trip in tolls and $12 to park. We opted to drive since the subway was a 1 hour 15 minute ride along with a 15 minute walk to the gardens as compared to a 25 minute drive. Having two young children makes a long commute difficult.
There's a cafe at the gardens that gets pretty good reviews, but we skipped this in favor of getting some pizza in the Bronx just a few blocks from the garden.

7 Years

2011-11-20T16:00:00.000-05:00

My, we were cute...

I must say this was one of the best days of my life. And not just in that trite "it's our wedding day" way. I really, really loved our evening.

And I loved our day today together too! We're still pretty cute, right?

Self Portraits are more difficult now but I vow to revive the tradition!

7 years is only the beginning and I can't wait to see what's next. Thank you, Charlie, for this life. Thank you for these boys and the laughs and the love.

Jump!

2011-11-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

It takes up our entire living room floor, but it is so much fun!

21 weeks

2011-11-17T15:53:00.001-05:00

No pictures yet, but you discovered your feet this week. Seeing yo grab onto your long toes makes me smile.

I'm enjoying feeding you as well. So far you've had apples, banana, carrots, peaches, prunes, and blueberries. And blueberries are your favorite. Next week I'm making squash and pineapple for you, and those were two of Freddie's favorites so I'm hoping you enjoy them as well.

You're morning wake up time has been creeping back to before 6am. I'm not so happy about that but it seems as though your bowels are giving you the signal that its time to get going, and after that I can' see to get you back to sleep. Sigh.

You are having so much fun with your brother. No one can get a smile out of you like he can. He loves you so much. And absolutely nothing makes me happier than seeing the two of you giggling and cuddling together.

One reason I had another baby...

2011-11-16T15:37:00.001-05:00

I heard giggling from my bedroom. Lots of it. It got quiet as they heard my footsteps, usually a sign of trouble.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;I could here &amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

I know you're feeling a little sorry for Hans, but don't worry, he's loving every minute of it. Babies are almost unbreakable. If I hadn't learned it when Freddie rolled off the couch as an infant, I've certainly learned it watching these two interact.

Slow Cooker Ribs

2011-11-16T12:39:00.000-05:00

I think I found this on Pinterest. And if you're not on Pinterest yet, you should be. The perfect way to waste time. Mindless internet time, scooping up ideas that someone else worked so hard to find and "pin." Let me know if you'd like an invite.

We really, really, really liked these ribs. I've never thought of doing ribs in the crockpot, but it's so easy.

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs ribs
1 large yellow onion, sliced in rings
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 (12-ounce) bottle chili sauce
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 chopped garlic cloves
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce
1/4 teaspoon Liquid Smoke

Directions:

Cut the rack of ribs in half.
Place the sliced onion in your pot, then put the ribs back in.
Combine the dried ingredients: brown sugar, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Rub this mixture all over the ribs.
Now combine the wet ingredients: chili sauce, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, Tabasco, and Liquid Smoke.
Pour this mixture evenly over the top of your ribs.
Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or until the meat is tender, and has begun to pull away from the bone. The longer you cook the meat, the more tender it will become. Before serving, flip the ribs over a few times to get all sides nice and saucy.

Lots of this going on lately...

2011-11-16T08:58:00.001-05:00

When Charlie comes home from work in the evening Hans fusses if Charlie leaves his sight. Poor guy only gets to see the Daddy for about 20 minutes in the evening before he's headed to bed. They make up for it in the mornings though. And Freddie gets in on the lovin too.

Happiness is...

2011-11-14T06:39:00.001-05:00

Finding all three guys cuddled in bed reading a story....

And then everyone looking at the camera for a photo!

20 Weeks

2011-11-10T18:03:00.001-05:00

You're getting bigger...

and getting hair!

The big thing this week is your appetite. You're eating solids twice a day, and I feel like you'd be thrilled if I offered it even more often. You've had apples, carrots, bananas, peaches, and prunes. You wiggle when you see me stirring it up with your spoon and you fuss if I don't get it in your mouth fast enough.

The guys watching football

Your favorite person though is Freddie. You smile as soon as you catch a glimpse of him. The two of you are interacting more and more and now I know why I had more than one kid. Love watching the two of you.

You're reaching and grabbing and rolling. You'll roll from your back to your sides now to get closer looks and i know it won't be long before you're completely rolling over.

It's something new each day, Hans. We're all watching and trying to take it all in.

Hans' Weigh In

2011-11-09T19:08:00.000-05:00

At 4 months, 2 weeks:

13lbs 2.25 oz (5.97kg) (4.5th percentile)

So, he's gained about 13oz in 12 days. That's more than the 1/2 oz per day usually recommended for newborns. He's gaining, but still is "slight." The kid has a roll on each thigh, but he's still considered slight. Ah, well...

Last week I spoke with the lactation consultant. She was kind enough to just chat with me on the phone for a while. No appointment. No getting myself or the boys anywhere. Her recommendations to increase my supply:

Mother's Milk Tea....haven't gotten any yet, but hope to visit Whole Food this weekend. I like tea, and there's no harm in it, so I'll give it a whirl.
Pump after each nursing, if you have time....HA!
Rest...even bigger HA!
Eat three meals and three snacks a day. I did increase my caloric intake.

What I have done:

Mama is now off limits when nursing. No chatting, no asking her for help, no singing to her and Hans, no requests to watch tricks or jumping jacks. This has helped Hans focus and I think he is nursing longer.
We've been inside more. I'd been staying in more to try to help get Hans' naps later in the morning, so this being in the house more means I've been offering to nurse him every 1.5-2.0 hours rather than every 3 hours.

What won't happen:

The lactation consultant verified that he is more than capable of getting enough calories during the day. He does not need to get up at night to eat. Whew.

What concerns me:

He is in an extreme state of constipation. And I do mean extreme. The pain he is in trying to have a bowel movement is nothing compared to his 9 day poop-less stints. It is AWFUL to see him strain and cry.
He acts like he is starving and cannot get enough solids! Is he that hungry and can I be feeding him too much?

What Dr. G said today:

Wow! He sure is active for 4 months! And he's just going to get more active and burn more calories.
Keep doing what you're doing.
I'm not worried.
Try oatmeal instead of rice cereal. Keep up the prunes.
Feed him as much as he'd like to eat, but always after he's had a full nursing session

Next steps:

Six month appointment in January, but pop in for a weight check when time allows every few weeks.

10 Things

2011-11-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

Running to beat the timer. Maybe Santa will bring me a remote.

The leaves have finally begun to change.
Getting a family photo with everyone looking at the camera is impossible.
Charlie told me my roots needed retouching after we took pictures, so even if everyone had been looking at the camera, we'd have scrapped the photo.
Charlie died my hair while watching football on Saturday night.
Hans just might have gained 1 pound in a week.
Hans has had apples and banana and this week we're moving on to carrots.
Freddie chooses showers over baths lately.
Charlie is addicted to Angry Birds.
No one took advantage of the extra hour of sleep this weekend.
Freddie's decided he's going to ask Santa for a rubber duckie.

19 Weeks

2011-11-03T14:25:00.003-04:00

A few nights of being up crying and grunting with an aching tummy mean you've created a bad habit with night waking. Sigh. Glad you've finally pooped though. Hoping everyone catches up on sleep real soon.

You're loving, loving, loving rice cereal. you eag your arms and legs at the sight of me mixing it up. I feel so guilty when it's all gone. Not to worry, we're slowly building up those portion sizes.

Searching for the thumb

This week I find you reaching for more and more things and bringing them straight to your mouth. The thumb goes into the mouth a lot as well.

I'm working on plumping you up. You're not beefy, by any means, but you've got some rolls on those thighs, so I'm not overly concerned that you're in the lower (lowest) percentiles.

You're cuddly and giggly and, well, just perfect.

Reading the Instructions

2011-11-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

Freddie has taken to reading to us. He'll read me books, sometimes relying on what he's memorized the text to be and sometimes winging it or using pictures for cues. He also likes to read the instructions for games. They're a little different with each reading though, and I think reading the instructions has a lot to do with making a case for all things according to Freddie.

And that would be a watch hanging from his undies. It's his "undie watch," the face of Charlie's old watch tied to a string on a hook attached to his undies.

Halloween

2011-11-01T07:53:00.002-04:00

It looked like it was going to be one of those "terrible, horrible, no bad days" as Freddie likes to call them. Hans was up a lot during the night with a, yep you guessed it, gassey tummy. I used baking soda in our bisucits instead of baking powder, a simple mix up that ruins everything. Hans wouldn't nap for longer than 30 minutes, damn gas, and I had my doubts about Freddie getting in a good nap. But there was a *big* afternoon and evening awaiting us, so as much as I wanted to just crawl under the covers, we pushed through the day.

A fall tree, not a burning bush

Staying home with the hope of Hans getting in some sleep meant Freddie was in need of some entertainment. A sure fix for any boredom is to pull out the scissors. Thank god Hans doesn't have any hair yet. Freddie loves cutting. He finally let me do some hand over hand cutting with him so we cut lots and lots of leaves together and made a fall tree on our door.

Freddie was invited to spend the afternoon with the preschool in our building. I knew this was going to be the highlight of his day. He talks about going to big boy school at least once a day, and now he was finally going to see what it was all about. I had to wake him from his nap. Freddie, time to get on your costume so we can go to school. Awesome, Mom. And then he rolled over and refused to get out of bed.

After finally getting he and Hans dressed, which is no small feat, we headed to the preschool. Freddie inspected each and every classroom very thoroughly before the kids lined up to "parade" around the block in their costumes. Freddie grabbed onto the rope and never looked back for me.

He then found a seat with some other children for some crafts and snacks.

Afterwards we headed to the "lounge" upstairs for the building party where Freddie walked from candy bowl to candy bowl helping himself to candy He'd take a bite and hand me the rest until he finally discovered the bowl of Cheetos.

After a few photos it was time for trick or treating.

And time for Hans to go to sleep. Charlie stayed home with the cute little sleeping clown and handed out candy.

"The other Freddy" joined us for some trick or treating on a few floors. The boys got into the routine pretty quickly.

Freddie remembered the drill from last year, except for that "be polite and only take one piece of candy" part.

It was a long afternoon for this little astronaut. He ended the day with candies and a glass of milk for supper and M&Ms in bed during stories. Not bad for a "terrible, horrible, no bad day."

Cereal!

2011-10-31T10:30:00.000-04:00

Whatcha got there, Mommy?

Looks pretty yummy...

Mmmmmmm...delicious.

More please...

Keep it coming, lady.

He liked it. He liked it more than I thought he would. He ate far more than I remember Freddie eating and probably would have eaten more if he could have kept his hands out of his mouth. Now I need to figure out where to add this new little trick into our day. I suppose I will put a spin on making baby food and feeding Hans so that it is quite the event. We're going to be needing a few activities to fill these long winter days inside anyhow.

The weather outside is frightful

2011-10-30T20:17:00.002-04:00

We had our first snow on Saturday. It's not even November and the snow was coming down fast and furious. I didn't think it'd stick, especially since we had some hard rain as well, but this morning there was some hanging around.

Out came the snowsuits and off he went.

Dressing a toddler for the snow requires a whole other level of parenting patience. He made it outside in one piece, but let's say I am *not* looking forward to doing this several times a week. I'm still on the hunt for gloves that open wide and cinch down over his sleeve, and there should be snow boots delivered next week. He's got on some hiking boots, and it makes me giggle when he puts them on because he's so pleased with how "tall" he is in them.

The hats, mittens, gloves, jackets, boots, and stroller buntings are all out and somewhat organized in the entryway. Getting both of them bundled and out the door will be very interesting this winter.

Well Visits

2011-10-28T19:12:00.001-04:00

Freddie at 2 years, 8 months:
Stats:

Weight: 27 lbs (15th percentile)
Height: 34 inches (5th percentile)

Vaccinations:

Hep A, 2nd dose
Influenza

Right on track with growth, with the 1 inch growth in about six months! Dr. G said to expect about 2 inches per year.

Also, the child DID NOT CRY for either shot. And he watched the needle go in both times! I was amazed. We have been talking about going to see Dr. G for the past week and told him he was going to get a shot. We also told him that shots hurt. He went with Charlie to get his allergy shot and he's seen Hans get his shots. He knew what he was in for and this morning he was actually *excited* to go to the doctor to get a shot. It was if he was getting initiated into the club. I told him it'd be ok if he cried because it does hurt. Not a tear.

No concerns. Development looks great. She was impressed with his toileting, vocabulary, and imagination.

Mama at 37 years 4 months:
Stats:

3 lbs from prepregnancy weight and nowhere near fitting into my prepregnancy pants. Sigh.

Vaccinations:

Influenza

I asked if she thought my OB had the vaccinations and would administer one to me, and she offered to take care of it. She said I had too much other stuff to worry about and didn't need to schlep into the city with two babies for a vaccination. I agree! I didn't cry but man my arm is aching!

Hans, 4 month well visit at 4 months, 5 days:

Weight: 12 lbs 5 oz (2nd percentile)
Length: 25 inches (40th percentile)
Head circumference: 41.5 cm (35th percentile)

Vaccinations:

Rotovirus, 2nd dose
Hib, 2nd dose
DTP, 2nd dose
IPV, 2nd dose
PCV, 2nd dose

Well, can you spot the problem? Hans is only in the 2nd percentile for weight. A drop from the 22nd percentile at his last visit. And even thinner than Freddie at the same age. All of his percentiles dropped, actually, but the weight is the most significant.

We began the visit with my concerns, where I brought up the issue of his bowel movements being infrequent, once every 7-9 days. Although there have been a few days of daily bowel movements here an there, he continues to go long stretches. And she said this was normal, even if he is showing some signs of "discomfort." I've been doing some weight checks on the scale at home and knew he was not gaining a significant amount of weight and had a feeling she might change her opinion of the "normalcy" of his infrequent bowel movements once she saw his weight.

Sure enough, she's concerned about his weight. The fact that he's not pooping as often in addition to the weight supports her concern. "As much as I hate to say it, I think you should supplement with formula," she said.

And I said, "I really don't want to do that." So we talked about why:

Supplementing often results in the baby refusing the breast and at the very least means I will produce less with the baby getting (some) nourishment elsewhere.
I breastfeed to pass on antibodies. Charlie suffers with allergies, and I want to take whatever steps necessary to prevent Hans from having allergies. The recommendation is a year, and I want to nurse for a year. She, as a pediatric allergist, wholeheartedly agrees with nursing for this reason.
Freddie was (is) small, and he's fine. I think it is completely in the realm of normal for both boys to be similarly sized.

So she gave me the name of a lactation consultant who may have some suggestions. She said she wouldn't dare recommend waking him during his 9 hour slumber to nurse, and hoped the lactation consultant might have some other ideas. I sure hope those other ideas don't include the pump. Sigh.

She checked his urine, for what I don't know, and it was "normal."

She talked about the expected drop in weight for babies around the 6 month mark because of their increased activity, but still thought this drop at 4 months was a little premature and quite severe.

She thought starting solids might help and gave me the go ahead, although she said her typical recommendation is to wait until 6 months. At the very least, she wants me to come back in a few weeks to check his weight.

His development was normal, cooing and babbling, smiling, wiggling, and lifting his chest and head off the table nice and steady.

My general feeling is that he's doing just fine, but I do feel it necessary to follow through with the next few precautionary steps just to be certain.

Next appointment: November 9th with Dr. G. Appointment pending with lactation consultant

Rainy Day

2011-10-28T08:31:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was a cold and rainy day. We baked a cake...

Freddie discovered the yumminess that is cake batter.

We decorated it, and ate more candy than we actually put on.

We visited the library and read Maisy books...in Spanish. The Daddy translated later that night at bedtime. Yep, this was about the only time he wore clothes yesterday. He strips as soon as we walk in the door.

We played Candyland.

We made a pumpkin decoration with construction paper and glue. Yes, his undies are on backwards, but he's putting them on by himself so we're just going with it for now.

Mama sure slept well after all that. And as much *fun* as it was, I am not looking forward to the long winter days, weeks, months that are right around the corner. I'm going to need to up my game and get creative to keep everyone smiling. Please, please, please send kid friendly recipes, crafts, and game ideas. And make it quick. We've got our first snow (a light dusting) predicted for the weekend!

18 Weeks

2011-10-27T19:19:00.000-04:00

I look at you and Freddie and wish for you to experience such joy and excitement each and every day of your life.

It fills me with joy just to watch the two of you.

Life is good for you at 18 weeks. You're sleeping well, eating well, and getting lots of loving.

You're becoming quite the talker. You definitely hold up your end of the conversation. It won't be long before you and Freddie are dominating dinner time conversation.

You're long and skinny. We'll just see how skinny when we see Dr. G tomorrow.

For now you're still sleeping next to me in the cosleeper. I think we'll transition to the travel crib for naps this week as a start.

You proved yourself easy going yet again by sucking down a lukewarm bottle without even batting an eye. You roll with things rather well and tolerate being toted around to Freddie's activities without any fussing.

Happy 18 weeks, my dear baby boy.

Father and Son Conversation

2011-10-26T05:30:00.000-04:00

Happy Fall, Y'all!

2011-10-25T06:26:00.000-04:00

4 months

My guy was not cheesing as much as usual. He was ready for nap, and wondering what in the world we were doing to him, setting him up in the display in the lounge downstairs.

Take a peek at our pumpkin 2 years ago.

Weekend Redux

2011-10-24T06:30:00.000-04:00

Sunday at The Central Park Zoo

Organization planning, in our jammies
Games, in our jammies
Holiday shopping, in our jammies
Laundry
Boudin
Breakfast for dinner
Playground visits
Naps
Zoo trip
Jack-o-lantern carving
Pretzels in the park
Sunshine
Long walks
Daddy dish duty
Giggles

17 Weeks

2011-10-20T20:12:00.001-04:00

About to get into bed for the night

Well, my dear, I think you just may be starting to look like your father. The Mama genes are pretty dominate, imagine that!, so things could change, but right now I am seeing some of The Daddy in you.

You continue to be a laid back little fella. You handle being shuttled from place to place rather well and usually only fuss if you're sleepy or need a new diaper. You generous with the smiles and giggles as well.

Things seem to be working themselves out with your sleeping. 2 naps a day and almost back to that 1 waking at night. I know teeth are in the near future so I'm not sure how long this will last though. Wondering when I'll be brave enough to put you and Freddie in the same room at night. Risking sleep is a scary prospect but you are at a point where the crib would be far more comfortable.

I find myself pausing to look at you and hold you a little longer trying to imprint the memory of what your little head feels like tucked next to my neck. I know now how fleeting this time is, how different you'll be tomorrow.

Lovin'

2011-10-19T07:30:00.000-04:00

Fall weather
Petting Zoo trips, with lots of quarters for feed
My new phone
Taking videos
Giggles
A little someone talking about grouches
Homemade baby food in the freezer
Pumpkins
Sugar snap peas
Football on the tube
Scarecrow spottings

What are you Lovin' today?

Go ahead and link up!

Applesauce

2011-10-19T05:00:00.000-04:00

Looks like apple butter since I cooked it until smooth

Yep, another apple recipe. I'll freeze most of this in ice cube trays. That way I can use some as food for Hans in a few short months, as well as use for baking.

Ingredients:

10 or so apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1/2 cup or so brown sugar
1 tsp or so pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup or so water

Directions:

Add apples and water to crockpot, cooking on low for about 10 hours.
During the last 30 minutes add sugar and spice.
Stir or mash if needed.

I ended up going light on the sugar, cooking it overnight for about 12-14 hours, and then pureed it with an immersion blender so it will be nice and smooth for Hans. Check on it as it cooks and decide when it's to the consistency you like it.

More where this came from

2011-10-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

The latest iPhone for Mama means a video camera in my hand all the time. Expect lots more snippets of our days.

Morning Harvest Muffins

2011-10-18T05:00:00.000-04:00

I based this on a allrecipes.com recipe. One of our favorite NOLA bakeries has Morning Harvest muffins that I love, packed with carrots and apples and zucchini, I think. These didn't turn out quite like those but they were still pretty yummy.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 apple - peeled, cored and shredded
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Grease muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
Stir in the carrot, raisins, nuts, coconut, and apple.
In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, oil, and vanilla.
Stir egg mixture into the carrot/flour mixture, just until moistened.
Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

I ended up doubling the recipe and got 33 nice sized muffins. I've put them all in the freezer and will defrost a few at a time or breakfasts and snacks.

Yo Gabba Gabba: It's Time to Dance

2011-10-17T06:28:00.000-04:00

DJ Lance was in New York City this weekend and we *had* to be there. I made certain to get in on the presale tickets several months ago because that's just what you do when your favorite group comes to town, right? This Mama's not sleeping in line for any tickets, but stalking the tickemaster sight waiting for 10.00am sales to make sure her boy has big smiles was well worth it. I could have done without the hefty price tag of seeing shows in the city but what ya gonna do.

We told Freddie midweek about the weekend plans and evidently the kid has got this show thing down pat because he flat out said he was having popcorn and a Coke, and wanted a balloon.

Off to the Beacon Theatre we went Saturday morning. It is an amazing old theatre.

There weren't any balloons, but what's a concert with out glow stick? He also got the official tour shirt.

We all donned out DJ Lance glasses and waited for the show to begin.

Hans was very impressed with the colors as we waited for the show to begin. Freddie was impressed with the popcorn.

When the house lights dimmed and DJ Lance's face appeared on a screen and his voice boomed, Hans poked out his lower lip and screamed. It was *very* loud and very much like a concert.

But after a little dancing in the back with Mama, Hans was set for the rest of the show in our seats in the first row of the loge. The Beacon is tiny and the experience was much different than seeing Elmo at Madison Square Garden. They performed all of the songs from the album loaded on Freddie's iPod, so he was more than familiar with all of them and the dances associated with each song. You can catch he and Charlie dancing around in their pajamas in Freddie's a few times a week at least, so he's had lots of practice.

With Leslie Hall

The show, one of seven this weekend, looked just about sold out with the exception of the first two rows reserved for the "party package" patrons. Lots of Mamas and Dadas were decked in their Gabba gear dancing next to their little fans. It was about 90 minutes with a short intermission.

Freddie stayed in his seat for the first half of the show. I think he was a little overwhelmed, but more than anything he wasn't giving up the popcorn. It was a lot to take in. When Charlie would dance, he'd furrow his brow as if to say, "Daaaaaad....You're emabarrassing me."

Biz Markie had everyone beatboxing

He loosened up some after intermission, but still was not interested in Charlie dancing with him. There were "big boys" there and he has an image to maintain.

We continued the fun with burgers, beers and Shirley Temples afterwards at P.J. Clarke's and a crosstown walk to the petting zoo. A perfect day.

Apple Pie Cupcakes

2011-10-14T13:34:00.000-04:00

A few powdered sugar lumps in my glaze. Still tasted yummy.

One apple down, 35 to go. Expect some apple recipes for a while. Freddie and I enjoyed baking these together. My favorite part...Pouring in the rum and he says "Mmmmm. That smells goooood."

Ingredients:

1 c. plus 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 pinch salt
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp spiced rum
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 c. apple, finely diced (about 1 large apple)

Glaze Ingredients:

1/4 c. brown sugar
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 c. powdered sugar
Milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tin with cupcake liners.
In large bowl combine flour, brown sugar, soda, powder, cinnamon, cloves,nutmeg and salt.
Whisk to combine thoroughly and break up all pieces of the brown sugar.
Add milk, oil, rum, and vanilla and stir until just incorporated.
Fold in apple until just incorporated.
Spoon into fill cupcakes liners about 3/4 way full, dividing evenly amongall liners.
Bake in oven until cooked through, about 25 minutes or until toothpickinserted in center of cupcakes comes out clean.
Meanwhile, make caramel glaze: In small saucepan combine brown sugar andbutter over medium low heat.
Bring to a boil, remove from heat, stir in powdered sugar.
Slowly add a bit of milk to help smooth the mixture.

Notes:

Try adding about a tablespoon at a time of milk to the glaze until it is at desired consistency.
I used 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice in place of all the spices.
These didn't rise well for me and were super moist. Maybe a little too moist? Perhaps I added too much apple and I probably should have diced it a little finer. I'm storing them in the fridge because it is so humid here now and they were verging on gooey.
I'll make them again, but try tweaking the amount of apple.

16 Weeks

2011-10-13T11:31:00.000-04:00

It's Friday, but I did manage to take these photos on Thursday. So I'm taking the liberty of posting them to Thursday.

Your brother was unable to get himself in the photo this week. I made the mistake of taking these in the afternoon. After he skipped a nap. Big mistake. Don't worry. He wasn't locked in his room. Just on the floor at my feet wailing because I said his dump truck was yellow. It's a good thing I suppose, because now I know what to expect with you.

You continue to smile and giggle and charm. You're super easy and go with the flow. You get a low quality morning nap in the stroller, so this means your afternoon nap tends to be about 3 hours. You're asleep not long after 5.30 each evening and up at 6.00 each morning. You've gotten into the routine of waking up around 12.30am and then again around 4.00am. I thought I'd try to squash that but think I'll roll with it for a while in the hopes that you just work it out, especially since we are approaching that 4 month sleep regression I have read so much about and even experienced with Freddie.

Some of what you're doing:

Still sucking on that pointer finger. You'll go for the whole fist when you're sleepy.
Enjoying playing peek a boo.
"Talking" to your brother.
Batting at and grabbing objects dangling from your gym. You like the cracking sounds in some of the toys.
Rolling more often.
Holding your head up when lying on belly to look around at things.
Kicking to splash in the water. This makes Freddie squeal and you think that's just so funny.

Lovin'

2011-10-12T06:00:00.000-04:00

"You so, so, so beautiful, Mama"
Who Dat!
Tiny hands in mine
Apples
Weekend planning
Christmas shopping
"You wanna be tall like me, Hans?"
Early bedtimes
Routine
Leftovers

What are you lovin?

Go ahead and link up!

Scooting

2011-10-11T12:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday, Pudge

2011-10-11T08:00:00.000-04:00

M&M jack-o-lantern's "mouth" courtesy of Freddie

Thanks for celebrating with us! We'll see you soon.

Apple Picking

2011-10-10T06:00:00.000-04:00

This weekend we headed north to Warwick, NY to pick apples. It's one of those "New England-y" things I've been wanting to do, falling into the same category as wearing cute sweaters and eating chowder in Maine.

I thought we'd be wearing cute sweaters and jeans, nibbling apples in a scenic orchard on a crisp fall day. Well, I'm still not fitting into my jeans and just as well because it was warm and humid. So one of the four outfits that fit (and allow for breast feeding on the go) and flip flops it was for mama.

I researched orchards on pickyourown.org, a great resource for finding places to pick fresh produce across the country. After narrowing it down to a few places and checking out some reviews on Yelp, we decided upon Ochs Orchard.

It seems many orchards in the area have an abundance of *fall* activities in addition to just picking apples. Think hayrides, petting zoos, corn mazes. As tempting as all of that sounded we decided, as apple picking virgins, we'd better stick with simple so when I stumbled upon a review describing Ochs as "low key" I knew that our spot.

We left the house about 9.00am, made the drive out of the city, and arrived to a bustling parking lot an hour and a half later. Traffic in these parts is light at that time of day, and Charlie's trusty iPhone directions led us straight there.

We had our choice of quarter bushel and half bushel bags to fill with apples. Of course we got the big bag. I didn't drive an hour and a half for a few apples. We also opted to rent the pole to reach the apples. Good thing or Charlie would have had to scale the trees. Not many apples within reach.

Up there, up there, up there

The orchard provided a map with the trees that had apples ready for picking noted. This weekend there were golden delicious, red delicious, cortland, empire, and macintosh. Freddie liked "reading the map" and telling us where to go. He also liked pointing out apples ready for picking. The kid pretty much likes being in charge and bossing you around. We complied.

Picking apples was hard work. Freddie asked to be carried more than once. The Daddy happily obliged. We should have brought the big stroller to navigate the bumpy terrain. There were wagons to rent and next time we'll definitely pony up the $5.

There was lots of sampling to decide which varieties we liked best. We came home with mostly golden delicious. The fuji are some of our favorites but they won't be ready for picking until the end of the month.

In addition to apples, beans and pumpkins were ready for picking. Freddie picked the perfect pumpkin. He wanted a bag to fill with pumpkins and wasn't quite convinced when I explained pumpkins were a "one per person" kind of thing.

It was a tough decision and he considered "which one Hans would like" when making his selection.

After paying for our goods, $25 for the apples and $1.25 for the pumpkin, we headed down to the store in search of all things apple. All varieties of apples were available here along with a few varieties that aren't open to "you pick."

There's also apple cider, apple butter, apple cider donuts, honey, jams, and other produce.

We spotted a few goats, donkeys, and chickens on the way out. Freddie loved feeding the tiny donkey. I suppose my days of avoiding the petting zoo in Central Park are over. We left with a half bushel of apples, a pumpkin, a half dozen donuts, and some cider.

The parking lot was bursting as we were pulling out. And traffic through Warwick was bumper to bumper for miles and miles and miles. Thank goodness we're early risers and made it and out before we got caught in that because it definitely would not have been such a great day sitting in the car with two children for hours.

Hans was a good sport and fell asleep not long before leaving.

The traffic entering Manhattan, forking over $12 in tolls, and Hans deciding he had enough of the car was just about to make me wonder if this New England-y stuff was for the birds, but Freddie, who jabbered the entire car ride there and back, burst out "Thanks for picking apples. I had a great day. Picking apples was fun."

Yes. It was fun, my dear. It was a great day. Now we need to figure out what to do with all these apples.

Tips for next trip:

Leave early. Really early. The traffic is absurd in the afternoon. Leaving the city after 9am may mean having to sit in traffic for hours. I'm not exaggerating.
Wear sneakers with your cute sweater. It's hard work picking apples. The ground is uneven and sneakers would make life easier. And I'm not usually one to sacrifice style for comfort so heed this warning!
Rent the wagon! It's worth the $5.
Definitely get the picker on a pole for $2. So many trees were picked over and there was little within reach. We could have filled our half bushel bag picking from low branches but I think the higher fruit was better quality.
Lots of people brought picnic lunches. I'm not sure we'd be able to handle the traffic if we left later with the rest of the crowd though.

15 weeks (and 3 days)

2011-10-08T16:21:00.000-04:00

Late again. Sorry, Hans. Getting back to a routine and getting some photos in has been a bit tricky.

Big news this week is that you went 9! days without pooping. And now you seem to be making up for lost time. Three poops or more a day means I've had to pull the Boudreaux's Butt Paste out of the medicine cabinet. Sigh.

Not only do you smile but you laugh. A lot. I love tickling your tummy to hear that giggle.

Looking at Dada

Apparently Freddie is more amused than you are

Your brother is another sure way to get a laugh out of you. He loves you and you obviously love him too.

You're still sucking your fist to soothe yourself to sleep but you've become fond of just one finger in your mouth.

You're a lovable little guy. Can't get enough of you.

Vocabulary lessons

2011-10-06T18:46:00.001-04:00

Freddie loves to try out new words and phrases. It's funny to hear what he picks up on and how he works them into his dialogue. This week he's working on "Do me a big favor" as overheard by me on the plane to someone reaching in the overhead bin, "What's up?' origin unknown, and "Darn" as said by Gammie I believe.

Today a conversation went something like this:

Freddie, sitting on the potty: MAMA! There's something on my penis!

Mama, sitting in the rocker nursing Hans: Um, can you climb down and come in here and show me?

F, holding up his penis, pointing to his testicles: Here. LOOK!

M: Oh, those are your testicles.

F: My te-te-les? Darn it! I need a new penis.

Goodbye NOLA

2011-10-05T16:16:00.004-04:00

Goodbye duckies
Goodbye one lone swan
Goodbye scooter rides in the park
Goodbye cousins to chase
Goodbye rides in Papi's truck
Goodbye Taco Bell bean burritos (no onions!)
Goodbye beignets
Goodbye rumbling "car street"
Goodbye mosquitos buzzing
Goodbye sweaty hair
Goodbye big slides
Goodbye museum
Goodbye Whole Foods and Target

See you soon!

(We say our goodbyes as we fly away. I love it, even if it makes me teary)

Children's Museum

2011-10-05T14:10:00.000-04:00

Serving Papi some lunch

Freddie's imagination is boundless. He needn't any props to activate play, but a few never hurt. And what better props than what the Louisiana Children's Museum has to offer.

Freddie loved cooking and serving in the resturanut, as well as shopping in the groccery and playing in the houses.

The museum offers many, many areas for imaginative play. Freddie gave eye exams...

Where's Waldo?

Mama loaded barges...

Mama and Hans loading the ships with cargo

And we all road the streetcar.

Freddie calls it a "car street" kinda like when he's cold he gets "bumps goose"

But they could have spent all day in the little houses.

Ava can play house too.

Freddie had the grandest meltdown in his 2.5 years of living when it was time to leave. It was by far his favorite activity in the 2 weeks we were there. I know next time to get there when they open and stay until they close.

Brave

2011-10-03T20:43:00.000-04:00

Oh, Papi.... someone is calling you.

All three piled up. I wish I had my good camera to capture the facial expressions!

Freddie offered to hold Papi's hand to help Papi be brave. That made me giggle. Papi probably wouldn't have been as brave had the "bouncey place" (as named by Freddie) had any other patrons. Maybe next time he'll make it down solo. Or at least with only Ian to hold on to.

14 Weeks (and 1 day)

2011-09-30T20:19:00.001-04:00

At Audubon Park, taking a break from our walk

Growing hair
Gaining weight but about 12 lbs.
"Talking" to Freddie

Big Boy

Carrying on entire conversations with your coos
Sleeping 5.30pm-1.30am and 1.30am-5.00am and 5.00am-6 or 7ish
Napping morning and afternoon
Getting used to the car

Enjoying baths
Sucking your fingers and then your whole fist

Smiling at anyone who stops to interact
Stuffy nose complete with boogies
Reaching

Grabbing and pulling towards you
Rolling over to get a different perspective
Rolling over and fussing to be flipped back over

Snoozing in the Baby Bjorn

Photo courtesy of Freddie

Easy going
Patient

Beignets

2011-09-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

My boy asks for beignets pretty regularly. I'm doing my best to raise a New Orleanian, but I will not deep fry. I just cannot do it.

So for now he'll have to settle for an order once every few months.

He definitely knows the fun is in the eating, as well making a big ole powdered sugar mess.

Trying to make a sugar cloud.

And it won't be long before Hansie is able to chomp down on an order of his own.

Um, Mama...Where's mine?

Christened

2011-09-28T08:00:00.001-04:00

Hans Edward received his first sacramanet.

He was baptized at St. Philip Neri. Lizzy and Bruno were there to serve, yet again, as the wonder godparents.

He was a perfect angel, no tears at all.

Benign

2011-09-27T13:22:00.000-04:00

My mole was noncancerous. Turns out it was a compound nevus, which often mimics malignant melanoma. I suppose if it's hard for an expert to distinguish, who am I to even attempt to decide which moles are suspicious.

Another body check in the spring.

Love

2011-09-27T09:30:00.000-04:00

Ian, Hans, Papi

Cousins

2011-09-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

Ian, 4 yrs 1 month and Freddie, 2 yrs 7 months

13 weeks (and 3 days)

2011-09-25T18:55:00.000-04:00

I'm late. So late I even considered just skipping this week, but I know poor Dada is dying for some pictures of his boys since we've been away from home for almost a week.

I'm happy to report you're a good traveler, getting into a sleep routine very quickly. Sharing a room with your brother isn't something that's going so well though. More on that later.

You're turning over at every opportunity and reaching and grabbing on to small toys. I think you may outgrow your pajamas before we get home. Slow down, please!

Drop Biscuits

2011-09-20T05:30:00.000-04:00

Drop biscuits were popular in our house growing up. They were the Bisquick variety. Even without Bisquick, these are super easy. And oh so yummy. Ask Freddie. He ate several in one sitting.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
Stir in butter and milk.
Drop batter on a lightly greased cookie sheet by the tablespoon.
Bake until golden on the edges, about 8 to 12 minutes.

Makes about 12 biscuits.

Lovin'

2011-09-19T13:12:00.000-04:00

My assistant chef
Chocolate frosting mustaches
Packed bags
Open windows
Halloween candy still sealed in the package
Weight loss, however small or slow
Christmas shopping
Folded laundry
Breezy mornings
Fleece
Costume browsing

What are you lovin? Go ahead and link up!

Freddie Goes to the Dentist

2011-09-17T14:35:00.000-04:00

Today was Freddie's first visit to the dentist. We'd been preparing this past week talking about what dentists do and we had a book about the dentist. We'd find him in his room looking through the pictures during the week. He seemed pretty excited to make sure his teeth stayed healthy and "didn't get sick."

Mama went first, and he watched. But when the noisy cleaning began he covered his ears and began crying. I asked him to stand closer and hold my hand to help me be brave. That seemed to do the trick as he clamed down. I thought that had pretty much sealed the deal and there'd be no way he'd let her into his mouth.

But he climbed up into the chair and said "aaaahhhhhh" just like we'd been practicing. He held his mouth open wide the entire time. The dentist poked around and "no signs of any cavities." She then showed him her "special brush" and let him feel the movement on his hand first. He sat still through having his teeth polished. His favorite part: the little cup filled with water, rinsing, and spitting in the little sink.

Storytime

2011-09-16T13:24:00.003-04:00

In bed waiting for Mama to come.

The three of us spend all of our time together but there's not much the three of us can all *do* together. But reading stories is something we all enjoy, especially the Mama.

Both boys are still and quiet. Both boys giggle. And there's usually snuggling involved, too!

12 Weeks

2011-09-15T20:23:00.001-04:00

Three months old. I have been thinking today about how you're a new baby lately. Lots of smiles. Sleeping. Napping better. Babbling away. Going down to sleep without endless rocking.

And then last night you sneaked in an extra mid-night nursing. Then today no significant naps. And now you are fighting sleep. Sigh. Two steps forward, one step back.

Or perhaps a growth spurt? Or skill development? You did roll from your belly to your back for the first time yesterday. Man, were you ever upset about it too. You are stretching out your arms and swiping at objects, checking out your hands, and calling out to interact. So much happening.

Good thing you're so cute.

You're definitely growing fast. I think you'll be in your crib within a few weeks because the cosleeper is going to be a little cramped soon.

You're holding up your neck and putting weight on your legs. And as I look down at you stretched across my lap as you nurse I wonder how it has happened that you're already so long.

One thing I can say you love right now is your brother. You smile at the sight of him or the sound of his voice. I wish it'd be like that forever.

I'm feeling so content with our little family the last few weeks. You've really added something we've been missing.

Moley

2011-09-15T14:45:00.000-04:00

Being a parent means doing lots of stuff you really don't want to do. Beyond sitting at birthday parties with far too many kids and no booze, and spending money on cute shoes for the unappreciative children rather than yourself, there's lots of being responsible. Updating wills. Getting life insurance. And making sure you're in tip top shape until the kids can pay all of their own bills, and that damn well better be before they're 30.

I (foolishly) delay trips to the dermatologist mostly because I don't want to endure a brow beating about my sun worshipping over the last 20 years. I'm suffering with wrinkles and ages spots, isn't that enough? But today I sucked it up, mostly because I was scared silly at the sight of a multi-shaded mole on my neck. It broke one of the A(asymmetrical), B (Border poorly defined), C (color not the same throughout), D (diameter greater than 6mm) indicators I check for at home. Ugh. Cannot go leaving Charlie as a single parent, now can I.

Dr. V, the newest dermatologist, took a quick look and said, Benign. Whew. I went ahead and submitted to the full body check. There's a mole on my belly, which hasn't seen the sun for years mind you, that I had questions about a few years back. It was preblog or digital calender so no documentation of how long ago that was. Noticing it with it's unusual border pushed me to the dermatologist office. After a long lecture about the sun she did a biopsy on another mole and thought the belly mole was just something to watch. So I've been watching. No change. Today it came off and was sent to the lab. And Dr. V said he's concerned.

He also photographed the mole on my leg for documentation purposes. He's watching this one. I told him I've had it for nearly all my life, and I'm actually a little attached to it. For real. It can stay for now. Call in a week for results and be sure to schedule another full body once over every 6 months. Your insurance pays for it after all.

Brothers

2011-09-13T10:16:00.000-04:00

Freddie 2 years 6 months, Hans 11 weeks

Weekend

2011-09-12T13:19:00.002-04:00

Delacorte Clock chimes
Stroller cleaning
Central Park stroll
Bridge and tram closures because of suspicious package
September 11th security
Zoo trip
Tomato Soup
9 hours uninterrupted sleep
Clogged milk duct (see above)
Brother cuddles
Much appreciated walk alone time for Mama
Biscuit baking
Football on the tube
Who Dat cheering practice
Smiles, smiles, smiles
Scooter riding

Garlic Cilantro Ribs

2011-09-11T21:37:00.000-04:00

I got this one from Better Homes and Garden. Charlie's a fan of cilantro and marinade, so this was for him. I'm a good wife like that. It made him happy, and I thought they were pretty tasty.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp minced garlic (I'd recommend more)
1 large bunch cilantro
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup Asian sweet chili sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 lb. baby back pork ribs

Directions:

In a blender or food processor combine garlic, cilantro, and sugar; blend or process until ingredients form a paste.
Add soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, and vegetable oil. Pulse until well combined.
Pour the mixture over the ribs in a large glass, plastic, or stainless steel container, turning ribs to coat well.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Preheat grill.
Remove ribs from the sauce, shaking off any excess. Reserve remaining sauce. Flip and grill another 4 minutes. (Um, we have no grill so this didn't happen.)
Transfer ribs to a 9×13×2-inch baking dish and pour reserved sauce over ribs. Cover with foil and bake 3 hours.
Remove and serve immediately.