Calmness in Chaos

As I sit down to write this I look down at my shirt and there is marinara sauce all down the front, the sleeve is somehow ripped, and let's not forget the spit up. I am typing with one hand because Luke is in my lap asleep with my pinky in his mouth, and I know if I either remove my finger or lay him down he will wake up and cry. This seems par for the course these days. One difference is that I actually put on clothes and brushed my hair ( I know you are all thinking how lucky Pete is). Looking back on the week I realize that in all the chaos that is my life much has been accomplished.

One major accomplishment is cooking. Making dinner has not been on my radar at all in months- I do mean months. I might make one meal every few weeks then ask Pete to make fajitas once a week. This week I made a menu for the whole week, I wrote it on the white board, went grocery shopping, and have actually stuck to it-- I have even impressed myself. There were many times during those many months where I had dinner plans but decided it was easier to order pizza, chinese, go to some fast food place, or just eat cereal.

The weather was nice earlier in the week so I grabbed our Baby Bjorn, the camera, bubbles, both kids and we went outside to play. This was the first time I have done this by myself. We stayed outside for over an hour. Here are a couple pictures of Jack making his faces outside.

I decided that it was time to officially potty train Jack. Today was the big start day. Pete wakes up with Jack so he was in charge of reminding him no diaper today. I woke up to Jack crying, the no diaper plan was not going over so well. I came out and began to remind him what we talked about and what rewards awaited him. Jack did not care and he began to tell me why he needed his diaper. It was here that I thought- if my child is old enough to have a reasonable conversation about this he is ready to do it. He threw some toys, had to go to time out, and cried-for a very long time, but then I told him his High Five magazine could only be read in the bathroom and something changed. He went to the bathroom, and I read his magazine to him. After that the kid was all about going to the bathroom. He took a nap without his diaper-no accidents. He pooped twice, there were no accidents all day, and while making dinner he had stopped playing so I sent Pete to find him, and Jack was on the potty using it all by himself! I don't know if tomorrow will be as successful but what a great start. He has taken this being a big boy thing very seriously.

So I sit here reflecting on the past few days and realize there is a calmness in the chaos because it is a constant. Here's to more normalcy being born out of disorder.

Random Updates

We went to the doctor today for J's 3 yr check up and L's 1 month and here are the stats:
J: Height: 35 3/4"- 10-25% Weight: 28lbs - 25% ( he definitely needs to keep eating those energy bars to help pack on the pounds!)

L: Height:22"- 50%
Weight: 10lbs 12.7 oz- 75%
Head Circ.: 37.8cm- 25-50%

We are excited that Jack has started to gain some weight and has shifted out of the 10% or less percentile for weight. As for height, there isn't a whole lot we can do for that- sorry bud.

We are amazed that we have a child in the 50% and above range for weight and height-- never never thought that would happen. One other difference is head circumference, J's head was always huge and L has a smaller head. Maybe this means we will have one cerebral child and one brawny child-variety is good.

Here is a picture of our little family.



We went to KY for a few days during our Spring Break. The weather was great so we were able to play outside during the afternoons then come in and watch basketball all night. UofL let us down by going out in the first round ( we are still very sad about this) but luckily we have two schools to root for and Purdue is showing us just how scrappy they are! We are not true blue UK fans, but we do support our state, so we hope UK does well too.

We made a couple quick stops in Louisville: My Favorite Muffin and Safier's. If you make it to Louisville you have to eat at Safier's--it is so delicious. We have decided to make more of an effort to stop by when we drive through town. I love their hummus, and well just everything I have had there is delicious!

L is doing very well and starting to be more alert. He has picked up the bad habit of only falling and staying asleep while we are holding him- that has made life interesting. I am trying to wait a minute or two before picking him up again, but I am not a fan of letting babies under 6 months cry for extended periods of time.

J is doing very well with the adjustment from only child to big brother. At first he was acting out in public but this is really starting to diminish. He loves to help by picking out diapers and clothes, so we are trying to praise him for his helpfulness.

Over break Melissa T. ( she just had her baby Monday) and I were honored with a baby shower that was very delicious and unique. It was at a local candy shop- Kathy's Kandies. I had a great time and enjoyed all the yummy treats. I think I will have to go back soon to stock up on all my candy needs.

Jackisms

Jack's catchy song:

Hey Little Baby

Hey Little Baby

Hey

Jack thoughts and sayings:

- Are you a doctor? I am because I made Baby Luke feel better.

- Are you going in the front or the back? I go in the front. You go in the back. ( referring to using the bathroom).

- J: Mom we need to change my shirt and pants.

M: Why?

J: They are just dirty. ( then he looks at his hands and they are dirty)

M: What did you do? Did you touch your poop?

J: Yeah and I wiped it on myself.

-If I wear spanx under my jeans I can wear a pair or two of regular jeans. Jack saw me getting dressed today and says:

J: Mom, you are wearing two pair of pants. Are you supposed to?

- J: This is my mean face. ( shows face ) This is my happy face (shows face)

M: I like your happy face.

J: Mom you like all my faces.

-J: Why are you a girl?

M: I don't have a penis.

J: why?

M: God just thought I would make a really good girl.

J: It is because you are so pretty.

We'll Call Him Bear

We have accomplished the one week down part parenting two children. Since there have been no trips to ERs or feeding Jack dog food instead of yogurt I consider it a success. Pete has been the one to pick up all the slack so to him goes the credit, especially since he is sick.





First things first- Baby Luke has been given a nickname that is sure to stick around forever because it is just that awesome, and his brother is the one who has bestowed it-- Bear. It is apt because the child is a bear in size and appetite, and it is one of those names that will easily go with him into sports. Bear.

Bear had jaundice leaving the hospital which meant a trip to the doctor only a couple days after settling back into life at home. His level was just high enough that we had to use a bili blanket for about 2.5 days. We are not newcomers to jaundice so this was not something that we were stressed out about. With Jack it was the bili lights that were brought into our house and they stayed forever, about two weeks, and we had a home nurse come visit us every day. In comparison 2.5 days of a bili blanket was nothing, and I recommend the bili blanket over the lights- for us it was easier and you still get to hold your new baby.



Upon leaving our doctor's appt. we were given a bag with formula even though I told them I nursed, to which they replied it was just their standard parting gift for new parents. Thanks. In it there was also a Baby's First Year Book, as I scanned it I read this line: Sometimes older children display frustration by talking back, doing something he knows is forbidden, or literally shouting for attention. We can honestly go check, check, and check to all of the above. Oh yes, Jack is having problems adjusting to his new brother. He is not mean to his brother, but his mood and behavior have taken a nose dive. Jack has let it be known that he wants a sister instead. ( Like a sister would make it all better).

Our newest addition spent the first week of life being an excellent baby-- we were shocked and amazed that a child could respond like this. Now we are nearing the two week mark and things are starting to look a little different so we have great fear for the future. He obviously has some gas issues because he scrunches up and grunts and turns red and all for nothing. He wants to nurse all the time and noticeable naps aren't really happening during the day. He will sleep in my arms but when I try to put him in a chair or his bed he wakes up, cries, makes baby noises, and etc. This change has us holding our breath. The sleep thing was important to us as it took Jack over 6-8 months to "technically" sleep through the night. Keeping that in mind, I wanted to make sure we did not enter into the vicious cycle of overly tired baby, and with this whole I will not sleep in my bed thing going on I am not sure what is going to happen. I put him in his bed almost asleep this afternoon hoping he would end up falling asleep, but it is now 30 mins. later and I can hear that he is not asleep.

Size wise he is a bear because by one week out from the hospital he had already gained all his weight back and even added a few ounces to the scale. It usually takes two weeks to regain the weight but our guy has gone above and beyond the call of duty. I am not in regular jeans yet, so all his weight gain hasn't zapped me into model thin shape, but I have lost 20 of the 40 lbs. I gained. However, with all the delicious cookies and treats we have been given I may gain those 20 lbs. right back in a matter of days.

Jack celebrated his 3rd birthday this week!! I have made him cheesecake the last two years, but this year we knew my making a cake would not be in the cards, and he wanted a chocolate cake anyway. We decided to go for the Dairy Queen cake option. Pete was sent to make arrangements and a Cars cake was brought home. Nice. There was even a large plastic Lightning McQueen that vrooms on top of the cake. Added bonus. It was a pretty laid back day and not overly exciting, hopefully he can forgive us our laziness and know that next year we will do something awesome.




Jack is also crazy funny. He was wearing a red jacket with velcro. He pulled it apart and held it out to his sides. Pete told him he was Super Grover. Jack replied- No I am the guy from Beat It.
( He was saying that he was Michael Jackson from the Beat It video where he pulls back his red jacket while dancing). Jack then went on to sing: Beat It Just Beat It No One Likes To Be Defeated.