Litte Man is 18 months!

Technically Makael is closer to 19 months now, but he just had his 18 month check up last week so I wanted to wait.  He weighs 20 lbs 3 oz, putting him back down into the 5th percentile, and is 32 inches tall which puts him in the 25th percentile (falling from the 50th).  Not too big of  drops so his pediatrician wasn't overly concerned, but we still need to go back in three months for a weight check just to make sure.  The doctor might not have been concerned, but I left the appointment feeling pretty discouraged.  As hard as I try the boy will NOT eat! It's not even that he's picky, he just has no interest. Most of the time I can get him to take a bite of whatever I put in front of him, and then he's done. I think the only thing keeping him from starving himself is that he loves milk, especially chocolate milk. So...I just got back from the grocery store and my pantry is now stocked. Operation "get Makael fat" begins tomorrow. I skipped right over those 60 calorie pudding cups, and went straight for the 150 calorie cups of creamy goodness! I'm going to try and maintain our healthy eating habits and minimize processed foods, but at this point the objective is to get calories in him.

He has definitely turned a corner in his talking.  I'm loving that he's using words more rather than grunting, but hearing "up" over and over can get just as old. He can get away with it though, his little voice is the cutest thing you've ever heard.

I don't know if it's his teeth coming in, the fact that he's perpetually in starvation mode, or it's that we are approaching the terrible twos... but we have been seeing a little too much of his defiant side.  Sometimes I wonder if he has an anger issue. Seriously! Anytime something doesn't go as planned (his ball falls down the stairs), or he can't figure something out (how to get a lid off of something), he loses it. He will throw or swing at whatever is closest.  Maybe it's a boy thing? I have no idea. All I know is I've been having to get much more strict with him and address those little (huge) temper tantrums.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that in a few days after I've managed to get him to consume some calories and his incisors have popped through, he'll be my sweet boy again.

Contrary to what you might think after reading that last paragraph, things haven't been all bad.  He's doing so many new big boy things that make him lots of fun.  He initiates games now like hide and go seek, chase, and getting Gemma to race him around the house.  This afternoon while we took a walk around the neighborhood, he would stop and get a serious look on his face, wait for us to be a ways in front of him, then sprint and giggle as he passed us before coming to a dead stop again. It was hysterical! We had no idea what he was doing but it was clear he had his own little game going. He also realized how much fun splashing in a puddle can be. See? That snow was good for something... It was all fun and games until he realized he was wet, then he refused to take another step and proceeded to whine at us while trying to take off his clothes. Ha! He still has an aversion to water but he's getting better.  We at least know he likes playing in the rain...

It was raining pretty hard and freezing but he didn't seem to mind all that much.

He's an expressive little guy :)

Getting Through Winter

I'm pretty impressed with us this winter.  No one has been sick (not even with a cold) since the second week of January. I feel like I've spent the last 8 weeks holding my breath wondering who will be the first to catch the "next virus". So far we've been lucky, although I'm currently trying to ignore Makael's slightly runny nose,  I'm so happy March is finally here and warm Spring weather is on its way.

The kids are doing great.  Gemma is loving her swimming classes.  She's come so far since her first lesson, and although she might not be a proficient swimmer before pool season gets here, it's comforting to know she's relaxed and comfortable in the water.  Not that she wasn't before, but I feel like she has more control now.  Not only am I impressed with her swimming, more than anything I'm impressed by how well she follows direction and how focused she is for the entirety of the class.  She's going to be a good student I think.  Although, she's the only one that HAS to have a conversation with the instructor before EVERY turn... "No I don't want to put my goggles in the water, just up to my nose"... You should see her back floats though! She's a pro.

Makael has really turned a corner with his talking.  He repeats almost anything I ask him to, and he has even started taking the initiative to communicate with words.  Some of his favorite words include:
Yes, Yeah, Papa, Nana, Daddy, Alvin (which he has to yell out just like in the movie), Dave (also from the movie), please, Ariya, blocks, and last but not least...Mommy. Finally!!! The other day he even said, "mommy please" while reaching for me.

In case you didn't catch it before, he's really into watching "Alvin and the Chipmunks".  And by really into it, I mean the first thing he says in the morning is "Alvin"... and again, he has to YELL it. Along with Alvin, he enjoys turning light switches on and off until you go crazy, getting every appliance out of the kitchen cabinets, pushing the buttons on the dishwasher, turning the water faucet off and on, slamming doors, and playing with empty containers from the recycling bin.  Toys? Who wants those?

He's starting to show signs of being a perfectionist. Not sure how I feel about that but given his family history I can't really be surprised.  He's very meticulous with his block towers.  They need to be stacked just right. I've even seen him turn them so they're all facing a certain direction, and he gets really upset if someone knocks them over.  What boy doesn't like to knock over blocks?!

Here's a little preview of our winter. I still haven't figured out why I can't upload videos.  I've got some good ones!

We thought Spring was near, and then this happened...

Brushing her teeth is the highlight of her evenings.

I've got some flirtatious kids.

Not very visible in the picture, but this was his first MAJOR fall. Sad day.

We played lots of indoor sports.

Looked for animals walking in the snow. 

Went to swimming (sorry it's blurry).

 There you have it...I'm looking forward to more outdoor pictures in the near future. 

The day is coming...

Gemma starts preschool in the fall. I could write and entire post about how I feel about that, but I'm sure everyone would roll their eyes and say, "Get a grip Audrey, it's only two mornings a week." So I won't go into that... at least not now. Come August however...

I will tell you about her preschool tour though. I think I was more excited than she was. Maybe I should have scheduled it later in the day, instead of half hour after she usually wakes up.  She's not exactly "perky" at 8:30 in the morning, but there was definite excitement in her smile on our car drive there.  I should know by now things don't always go like I think they will. Considering how outgoing she is and how much she loves other kids, I assumed she would love it.  Not that it went poorly at all, she just played the shy card and had me hold her most of the time.  Once we finished walking the building (super cute by the way) and got through the informative part (which David and I enjoyed), she opened up some. The little preschoolers were as cute as cute can be! She got the chance to play with the kids for a while, and although she wasn't her usual loud and giddy self, I took it as a good sign that she started crying when we said it was time to go.  She's going to love it!

She also had her first swimming lesson this week.  Yet another event that didn't go as I thought it would...it was so much better! I'm sure taking her to various classes or extra curricular activities will eventually get old, especially when I'm doing the same for her little brother, but right now it's a total blast.  It was impossibly cute! Her class is typically twice a week but she gets an extra class this week since she missed the first lesson. She was a little scared of a few exercises her first time, but if I learned anything from watching her, she's one determined little person. Her second day was a huge improvement! She went from being scared to try the arm strokes, to doing them with her head under water. I'm not surprised though, she has always loved the water. She just needed that initial class to get confident again.

I am more than a little emotional that she's starting preschool in the Fall. Our time together isn't ending obviously, but it will definitely be different.  When August comes, in addition to being sad, I know I'll be so excited and proud of her, as well as thankful for some one on one time with Makael. Until then I'm going to soak up as much of "little" Gemma as I can.

Gemma, you may not remember the Spring/Summer before you started preschool when you're older, but you better believe your mommy will.

Croup

I have been dreading the day one of my kids got Croup. I've watched Elly's experiences with her kids and seen how dangerous it can be. When Gemma was a baby I actually prayed multiple times that she wouldn't get it.  Well, two nights ago I had my first experience with it.  I could hear it coming as Gemma's cough turned bark-like throughout the day.  By bedtime it was pretty obvious it was croup, so I called Elly and got a "refresher" on what to do in the event Gemma got an attack in the middle of the night...keep her calm, take her outside to breath in cold air, keep her fever down, go to ER if gets out of hand...etc. Well, it didn't matter how "prepared" I was, it was still the most terrifying night I've encountered as a parent. How do you sleep when you are constantly wondering if your kid can breath or not?  I woke up to every single sound in the house. Eventually I just got in bed with her, that was easier than walking across the house every 15 minutes.  I was able to relax some once her fever broke and she seemed to be sleeping more soundly, but it was still a very restless night.  Unfortunately, Makael appears to have the same virus now, but his cough doesn't sound croupy...and I sincerely hope it stays that way.

Even though no one was feeling 100% yesterday, we still had to get out and enjoy the 70 degree weather. I personally like winter. I'm somewhat of a homebody and like feeling cozy in my warm house while I drink a hot cup of coffee, but I must admit, the break in the cold felt wonderful.  We took a walk, chased bubbles in the back yard, and went to the park. I've got a major case of Spring fever now.


I'm no longer babysitting any kids, which surprisingly has been somewhat of an adjustment.  I had been watching kids during the day since before Gemma was born. I loved it! It was nice to have a built in play date every morning keeping Gemma (and eventually Makael) entertained while I got to do stuff around the house,  giving us more freedom in the afternoons to do fun stuff. Without it, I now have to come up with even more fun things for us to do and I no longer get the mornings to clean the house.  Poor me right? Don't you worry...they are still getting plenty of play dates (just requires a little more planning on my part), they are getting out of the house more often, and I'm still cleaning my house  (it's just more spread out). The one upside to not having other kids around is that  Gemma and Makael are now forced to play together more. I love that!  It doesn't matter how noisy they are being or what kind of mess they are making, I love watching/hearing them play and enjoy one another. I'm pretty sure they're going to get along this well their whole lives...hahahaha okay maybe not :)

Playing in her fort. Isn't she so pretty?

He's into climbing on everything right now.  (That's his little friend Brielle)

This picture cracks me up! I don't know what's more funny, M's expression, G conked out in the background,  or M making friends with the creepy little statue. 

Cutest explorer there ever was!

So proud of the fact that she dressed herself.

They went on an expedition with Lita (with maps, snacks, and all)! 

M was less than enthused by the expedition.

  

They just keep growing!

Yesterday Gemma folded a pile of towels, helped me make dinner, set the table (with glasses of water an all), cut up her own chicken, and then brushed her teeth before bed. What does she need me for anymore? David and I both praised her for all of her accomplishments , and we meant it, but I was secretly crying inside. No question I'm incredibly proud of her, but I'm not ready for her to grow up.   I had a conversation with her about this exact topic the other day.  It went like this...

Me: Gemma you're not allowed to grow up.
G:   But mom, I need to grow up and get bigger!
Me. No, I want you to stay little forever.
G:  Umm, can we talk about this?

She's already way more grown up than I would like.

Helping make dinner. 

Makael is also doing his fair share of growing.  We had a really hard time a couple of weeks ago.  Seriously, it was bad.  I thought my sweet boy had been replaced with a mean, rebellious, angry child.  He stopped eating, stopped taking naps, didn't want to be held, didn't want to be put down, and didn't want to watch Baby Einstein (which typically means something is NOT right). He was suffering through his third week with a cold/cough so I was trying to cut him some slack but after four days, I was starting to lose it.  Just when he was about to push me over the edge, I decided to check his gums to see if he was teething. Yep, all four molars were in! Well of course he's going to be hating the world...who wouldn't? Thankfully he's back to his normal self and four teeth richer.  

Growing teeth isn't the only thing he's been up to.  He has also decided to drop his nap. I had no idea how much I used his nap time to recharge and get through my day until it was gone. I've been working with him on "room time", but unlike his sister, it hasn't been such a seamless transition.  I knew Gemma was ready to drop her nap when she decided that her time was better spent talking instead of sleeping.  From then on, "nap time" was just renamed "room time".  She played, talked, and sometimes slept while I got a chance to do other things or just relax. She still has daily room time, and loves it. Makael...not so much.  In fact, he hates it.  We're working on it. 

Back to his happy self.

I argue he still needs a nap.

First post of 2013

Well here we are...another year. We had a great December even though 3 out of 4 of us were sick most of the time. This time I had the unfortunate pleasure of ushering us into the flu season. I just hope we don't have a repeat of last year and take turns being sick for two months straight.

Gemma was especially fun this past Christmas.  She got over the top excited about every single gift and was incredibly good about thanking people and giving them hugs. I actually got teary eyed a couple of times watching her.  She sure made things seem more magical :)

Makael is beyond adorable right now.  Saying new words and showing more and more personality by the day. I'm pretty sure he's going to be my little comedian.  Besides communicating through grunting, he's lost most of his babyness.   I'm not sure exactly when it changed, but his playing and interactions are definitely more little boy than baby now. He loves to stack things, pretend to eat and drink things out of cups, and wrestle with Gemma. As sweet natured as he is, he doesn't hold back when it comes to wrestling.  

I meant to document Makael's stats last month when he had his 15 month check up, but time got away from me. In case you were wondering, (which probably only grandparents care) he weighed 19 lbs 8oz, keeping him in the 10th percentile for weight.  However, the big shocker of the appointment was finding out he jumped from the 10th to the 50th percentile in hight!  What a growing boy!

Here are some pictures of our December...

I asked her to pose for the picture. Ha!

Like I said...a little comedian.

He's the cutest!

Running down the sidewalk is another favorite thing to do. 

:)

He loves to "vacuum".

Admiring his new ornament.

He pulled the pretzels out of the pantry on his own.  That's a guilty smile. 

Opening presents!!

She's so much fun!

Uncle Clay kept telling her "secrets".

Wanting cousin Aksel to play.

My man :)

Dress-up

We had a busy busy November this year. There was good, bad, sickness, and decorating...we are now ready for Christmas...and hopefully a healthy one.

Our Christmas tree went up last weekend.  We were somewhat under house arrest due to medical reasons (I'll spare the details), so I figured it was a good time to decorate.  Our tree is beautiful!  I officially HATE putting lights on a tree, but after a couple of hours of labor and several yells of frustration, we got a beautiful product.  Truth be told, it was all worth it once I saw Gemma's facial expression.  She took interest in every single ornament this year, and helped decorate until every single one was on the tree. Makael on the other hand, had no interest in the ornaments (probably a good thing), but took it upon himself to be the one to add  extra chaos by running in and out of the living room tracking fallen pine needles all over the house. It was magical craziness.

Here's a rundown of our November...

• Gemma turned 3
• Makael realized the thrill of opening and shutting doors (and drawers, and microwaves, and latches,and...)
• I ran my fourth marathon with my sister, and got to visit my friend April in Philly
• Makael got sick, then well, then sick again
• Gemma has suddenly started trying to spell everything and add whatever numbers she can (smarty pants)
• And last but not least...

 lots of playing dress-up

Love her facial expressions!

Makael isn't a fan of anything on his head

Please excuse his onesie...he had just finished eating spaguetti

He'll grow into it :)

Speaks for itself :)

She makes a pretty cute pirate