My Snuggly Boys

John has always been snuggly. (Don't be getting any ideas ladies!) But Ethan and Edward just aren't the snuggliest of guys. Ethan is good for a short hug on occasion if I make a sad face or when he's hurt. But I'm not his dad, so I don't get much else out of him. And Edward, who is such a mama's boy that he screams when even John holds him, would rather look around at the world or eat my shoulder than give me some real lovin'.

Last night, Ethan wasn't feeling very well. (My fault. I'd used the wrong sunscreen on him and he broke out in a nasty rash.) Even with the Benadryl, he wasn't sleeping well and came into our room several times. Usually, John walks him back to bed and he goes right back down. But last night, as soon as John would get up, Ethan would climb into his spot and snuggle up against me. He doesn't even remember waking up, but I loved those few minutes of snuggly Ethan.

Edward has been sleeping better. Not great. Just better. Once he's down for the night (those few hours when he fights it are the worst of the entire day) we do ok. But it's the naps that are still an issue. Rarely does he sleep longer than 30 min. I'd be able to rock or nurse him back to sleep if I didn't have a 3 yr old who is getting really sick of not yelling or stomping (or spitting or shrieking or....) while his brother is trying to fall asleep. (Edward is also realizing that he doesn't like to be dragged around to Ethan's activities all the time. What fun is the park or a museum for him?) So Edward is tired and cranky a lot. Not all the time, but a lot of it. Today, he was tired without being cranky. And this meant I had my first intentional snuggle! He layed his head down on my shoulder and tucked his little face into my neck. Didn't last long, but it felt so nice.

It may not be often, but I love when my boys are snuggly.

General Conference

What I loved about last week's General Conference.

(If you're not LDS, most of this won't make any sense. Email me or leave a comment and I'll gladly explain any of it, if you'd like.)

1 Standing in solemn assembly both with the women of the church (Picture all of them, all over the world, standing together. So much strength.) and with my family.

2 Tearing up while Ethan, so excited to sustain our new prophet, stood with each and every quorum and raised his hand as high as he could.

3 The overall theme of sustaining the prophet. Loved Pres. Monson's story about the statues of Christ's disciples as reminder that he and the apostles are their latter-day equivalents.

4 The parenting lesson that was disguised as the Saturday Morning session.

5 How obvious it was that the mantle had descended on our new prophet. Still so him, but even more powerful.

6 I was touched by both Pres Packer's and Pres Monson's mention of their wives and how they never complain. After reviewing all of the talks and topics in my mind, these two off topic comments struck me more than anything else. I have a very hard time with people who are negative about life. But I'm one of them much too often. I've spent this week focusing on being more positive and life is just better.

Babies, babies, everywhere!

Baby Lucas

Baby Leah

Can't wait to meet these two beautiful babies. Good job mamas!

Lots of love to everyone else who's expecting. I ran out of hands trying to count you all!!

Changing My Focus

You may have noticed that my blogging has been slowly changing. I started this blog for our extended family, purely so that they could keep up with Ethan. Overtime, more and more of ME has been creeping in. And I like it.

I don't keep a journal, and we don't take nearly enough pictures. But these words give a pretty good idea of our life. My life, and that of the rest of the family. So I'm going to continue writing whatever craziness I feel like sharing, with the addition of some posts about me, purely for my boys.

I am actually working on having a book printed for each year of my blog (3 so far) and one for each year of John's (5!). We're really excited about having this record to pass on to our kids.

(For anyone who's interested, I'm using Blurb to put together and print the books.)

A Whole Family

At bedtime.

Ethan: Mom? I want Dad to hold my hand.

Me: He'll come in and give you a kiss after Cub Scouts. You'll be asleep already.

E: But I miss him.

M: I know you do. He'll come home as fast as he can.

E: Do you miss him, Mom?

M: Of course I do.

E: And Edward?

M: Yes, Edward misses Daddy too.

E: I want him to come home. I want us to be a whole family again.

M: Me too, bud. Me too.

The Constant Topic of Conversation

"You be Zurg!" Then he pushes a spot on his arm and makes laser noises while pretending to shoot at you.

He whispers while pushing a pretend button on his belly "My wings are up, my wings are up" then yells "To Infinity... And Beyond!!!" Then he takes a flying leap off of wherever it is he climbed up to.

"Wow... It'll be so amazing when I have a Buzz costume." If I don't get one for next Halloween, we'll have major issues.

Yes, he does have a SMALL obsession with Buzz Lightyear.

Laughing (and photos)

Because quite a few of you don't even know that John has a blog as well, here is the video he just posted.



And the link to a flicker set with all our photos from the last three months.

(John actually has two blogs. The second is focused on social media marketing.)

The News

A lot of you know at least some of this already. Here is the whole story of why my husband is amazing. (He would write this himself, but as you'll see by the end, he's pretty busy.)

We've been talking about moving for, what, 2 years now? The thing holding us back was John not being ready to start a job search. After Edward was born, we realized that Heavenly Father had stopped gently nudging and had started shouting. So John started looking around and updating his resume. But until two weeks ago, not applying for anything.

About a month ago, John found a great position in North Carolina. He was excited and made a big push to have his resume ready. After two weeks of rewriting, having others look at it, and rewriting again, it was an incredibly powerful resume. I think my dad even swore (by association) about how good a section was in the last draft. Plus a perfectly tailored cover letter and an email that would get their attention. It really would have been shocking for this company to NOT respond.

Respond they did. Less than twelve hours later they asked for salary requirements and whether or not we would be willing to move. So John took the weekend to research and make sure he asked for the right salary. This was tough. Coming from the Northeast, we worried that they would consider even his current salary too high, but we aren't moving without a raise b/c we plan to buy a house. After agonizing, John felt good about the range he gave them (a range b/c it would depend on benefits, obviously.)

We were stunned when the next morning, they responded that they were going to make someone else an offer. The wording told us that they had been waiting on this other candidate b/c they thought John might be better, but that our salary request ended that. Ouch.

My great husband, not willing to have things end that way, emailed back that he was glad they found someone and asked about what it was they had been looking for from us, so that we could have a better idea when applying to other jobs in the area. We were so glad to hear back that John hadn't asked for too much. They realized after reviewing John's qualifications and the job description, that they had created a job that was a higher level position than they had intended. So they actually changed the job description and John was overqualified. And they offered to be available to answer questions about the area if we do continue to look for work there. Which we are.

It was kind of a roller coaster for about a week with this company (and John didn't even make it to an interview!), and we were sorry that it didn't work out with them. They were clearly a company of good people. But the amazing response has been so motivating for both John and I. He spends every moment he can on his job search and I've started working on getting us ready to move.

You should see us. John is doing only his one big chore (dishes) and childcare when I need him to and spends the rest of his time on the computer. I've been dejunking, working on using up the food in the pantry rather than restocking, and packing. Yes, packing. I've already packed up some of the files we don't use regularly and am heading to the bookshelves next. On top of keeping our house cleaner than usual and the addition of a newborn. Crazy, I know.

So, my husband is amazing. When he finally started his job search, he did it with a bang. And it's helping me accomplish more in a day than I previously did in a week b/c I'm so excited for the change.

Wish us luck! If anyone has any leads for an Internet Marketing Specialist (particularly in the Cary, NC area, but it doesn't have to be) let us know!!

Backseat Driver

Who taught my son to drive??? How did Ethan learn the rules of the road??? I may have answered a few questions without thinking about the consequences.

"Two hands on the wheel! ... Higher...Higher...Good." My hands must be at 10 and 2 at all times.

"Mom. MOOOM! Slow down!" As we approach a red light that I am already slowing down for.

"GO. Green light means GO!!" Apparently I don't hit the gas quickly enough for him.

"Mom, you're driving too fast." or "Can we drive faster? We're going too slow." Usually he's right when he says these.

Aren't Babies Supposed to Sleep?

Edward started out as a fabulous sleeper. He made babies seem so easy. Then, it started to change. Our first thoughts were that it was a gas issue. So I lived without vegetables and chocolate for nearly two months. No chocolate for two months!! But he was still getting worse.

So two weeks ago, I took Edward in to have his ears checked and to discuss formula options. After going over his symptoms, the dr asked a few questions and said he suspected that reflux was the problem, not gas. So we started the boy on Zantac.

Miracle of miracles, it worked! For about a week and a half. Suspecting a few other things that could be keeping him up (earache, hunger, etc...) I took him in again. After I made this appointment, the office called and changed the time b/c our dr was covering the nursery and there were more babies that needed extra attention than usual. The new time was decidedly less convenient. I grumbled. I considered canceling. I could have called and had his zantac dose raised without having to go in and pay the copay.

But I'm so glad I didn't! Not because something was horribly wrong. All we ended up deciding was that he needed a higher dose (surprise, surprise). BUT... because I was concerned that my milk supply has been decreasing already, and the boy will need one of those "special" formulas (read: expensive), the dr gave me some. No, not just some, a CASE! Six whole cans! The twenty dollars for the copay wouldn't buy one! Have I told you I love our pediatrician?

And yes. Edward is sleeping better already. We'll just need to up his dose of Zantac every so often to keep it that way.

Listening to the Man in the Moon

Ethan: I see a circle!

John: That's the moon!

Me: Do you see the man in the moon? His eyes, nose and mouth?

Ethan: Yes... Does he talk?

Me: I don't know

Ethan: Shhhh! Be quiet and listen!

Quiet

John: (in funny voice) Ethan, this is the moon

Ethan: Dad, be quiet and listen!

Quiet

Me: What is the moon saying?

Ethan: He's talking about the prophet. And cars. . . . Be quiet! . . . He's talking about buildings and building houses. And trucks.

(Yes, we know that seeing the moon means we had Ethan out waaaay too late. But we were celebrating my awesome husband. More when we know more!)

What I Did Today

I was going to post about all of the things I accomplished today. The rooms I cleaned, the laundry I did, the kids I bathed, etc. I was very proud of myself. Until I realized that the most important thing I'd done all day wasn't all the things I cleaned, but all the things that Ethan cleaned.

Yes. I said Ethan cleaned. I was in a "need to clean" state of mind, and Edward was napping well, but I realized that a bored or mischievous Ethan could be a stumbling block. One that trips me up many a well-intentioned day. So I knew I needed a better plan.

I'm not sure I can remember how I did it, but I got Ethan excited about cleaning with me. He helped pick up and vacuum the living room. He cleaned up his room with only minimal direction from me. He wiped down the kitchen chairs. He even "swept" and "mopped" the kitchen!

All that I managed to accomplish around the house today pales in comparison to what I was able to accomplish with my son. I couldn't be happier.

For some great advice on teaching your kids to work with you, see Lara's series of articles. I am truly amazed by what she has accomplished with her children.

He is a Poop Ma-chine. Poop Ma-chine.

Yes, that would be Edward. He's the poop machine in the factory of messes and gross smells that is our home.

Can anyone name the reference? (Besides my husband, of course.)

Update: I'm not surprised that no one knows the reference. It's from "Can't Hardly Wait", one of John's favorite movies. It's a teen comedy thats still funny and cute all these years later. And no, Olaf, the non-english speaking exchange student, did not say "poop".

Need a Little Spring

I don't know that I've ever been so sick of winter. I've even stopped wearing a coat in protest. (When it's not below freezing, of course. I'm not that crazy.) I'm dreaming of the day that it will break 40 degrees for more than an hour or two. And when the wind dies down so that it doesn't make that 40 feel like 32. Once it hits the 50s, I'm breaking out the shorts. Who's with me!

So, for anyone else here in the northeast who just needs a little spring, go here and click away.

What Quirky Boys I Have

All the better to love them.

We all know that Ethan is quirky. Some days, he's downright weird.

Our favorite oddball behavior is talking about himself in the third person. "Ethan wants his cuppy." It makes me want to laugh every time. I just love it.

He also insists on picking his own clothes. When he was first learning to dress himself, I didn't mind the bizarre clothing choices because I didn't have to put them on him. Now I realize that I missed a teaching opportunity somewhere b/c he only ever wears t-shirts and sweatpants, and they NEVER match. Except for sundays when he insists on a shirt and tie like dad. (The first week this popped up, my son wore an orange plaid shirt and a bright red infant sized tie that barely came to his belly-button. In public! He now has a nice white shirt and several ties in the right size, and the offending orange and red ensemble has been packed away.)

The most disgusting quirk of Ethan's involves poop. (Skip this paragraph if you're squeamish!) He likes to see it so that he can tell us how gross it is. I think saying "eeeeeewwwwwwwwww" gives him the giggles. He even thinks its hilarious when Edward poops because you can hear it from the next room. Today, he pushed me a little too far with this obsession. He called out "Mooom. My fingers are dirty..." Those words combined with his 'enticing' tone of voice gave away the surprise. He didn't have a nice mommy during the cleanup.

Edward's little quirks are still just cute.

He would much rather be upright than laying down, and he reminds us very clearly when we forget. We have to hold him so that he's sitting or looking over our shoulders. I've even had to learn how to keep him sitting up in the sling while he's still inside it. This probably started before we discovered and began treating his reflux, but it has definitely continued b/c he want to be able to see better. He's incredibly social and can't stand to be left out.

He also loves to be naked. He takes after his namesake that way.

And my personal favorite, you can relax him by rubbing the bottoms of his feet. Cute and useful.

I'd list John's quirks, but that might push him to name some of mine. And no one wants that.

How to get AAA to come in 10 minutes or less!!

The magic words are "There are kids locked in the car!"

So, we've been having some car trouble. (It's all Grandma J's fault!) The battery had been dying, so we took it in to be replaced. (It's just too cold outside to do it ourselves.) Our shop is great and they checked the battery before pulling it out. It wasn't having any trouble holding a charge, so they did a little more investigating and found that the light-box, a ridiculously expensive bunch of relays, was constantly drawing power. It took a few days to get the new box, so I had to pull out a fuse every time the car was parked. Friday, it was replaced.

We didn't drive the car at all yesterday. When John got in to drive to church this morning, it was dead. Again. I was already gone, so our neighbor gave him a jump. Once John made it, I told him how to pull out the fuse.

Jump to after church. John loaded both kids into the car and started it to check the battery before replacing the fuse. It was fine, so John hopped out and popped the hood. Because it was cold, he closed the car door. Not a problem b/c the doors were all unlocked. EXCEPT that when the fuse is replaced, it locks the doors. Don't ask me why, it just does. And yes, we really should have a duplicate made of the key.

John tried to get Ethan to unbuckle himself and unlock the door, but he's never done it before and I'm not sure he has the hand strength yet. He did manage to wiggle his arms out and reach his lock, but he couldn't pull it up. Both John and I tried the unlock code on the door (it has those buttons above the handle), but that stopped working ages ago and we didn't really expect it to work. Edward, of course, started screaming only moments after we realized we couldn't get in.

AAA responds REALLY fast when kids are locked in cars. That was the first thing I said and the woman on the phone immediately asked for our location, had her supervisor start calling the closest place, and promised they'd be there in less than 10min before she even verified that we were members. It was pretty impressive.

The most amazing thing to me was that I wasn't even worried. I think John was much more worked up, and I knew that the appropriate reaction was freaking out, but it just didn't seem like that big of a deal. Edward would survive crying for a few minutes, Ethan would be a trouper, and we'd be able to comfort them both when we got in. Maybe I'm a little too laid back about my kids.

Field Trip to the Aquarium

Last week our little preschool took a field trip to the Boston Aquarium. Grandma J happened to be out, so she helped us with the kids and acted as photographer. (Thanks again!!)

Watching the penguins.

All four in one shot! This never happens.

Holding a starfish.

The stroller brigade

And Edward slept through it all

Flu news

I've learned quite a lot about this "common" illness in the last few days that may help you.

The most important right now is that this strain is causing a nationwide epidemic and was NOT included in the flu vaccine. So even if you got your flu shot this year, you can get it. (They choose what to include many months before so there is always the chance they'll guess wrong. But it's still worth getting them b/c most years they're right.) Obviously, this means staying away from anyone who is "coming down with something" and lots of handwashing when out in public.

Second, if you do get it, there IS something you can do about it. In the last few years, anti-viral medications have become widely available. They ease symptoms and shorten the duration of the illness. But they have to be started within 48 hrs of the first symptoms. So if you suspect flu, call your dr. The sooner you start the meds, the more effective they are. (If you are pregnant or nursing, they still don't know if it's safe for the baby. So you just have to tough it out. At least the baby will get the immunity you develop by fighting it.)

Last, symptoms. Flu symptoms can include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, exhaustion, dry cough, sore throat, runny nose, and congestion. Stomachaches are also possible, but more often in children. You may not get all of the symptoms, so don't wait for them. If you have two or three, get treated.

OH! And you are contagious until ALL of your symptoms are gone. The worst is over in a few days, but the cough can hang on for a week or two!

Flu

So, it may be a little longer before I get back to blogging. I seem to have the flu. But b/c I can't take the antivirals while nursing, I'm not going to bother getting tested. Just ibuprofen for the headache, muscle aches, and fever, and a decongestant if I really need it. Can't do much for the chills, but as long as this doesn't last long, I can tough it out. And I'm going to send John out for some face masks. No one else needs to get this.

I promise I'm still alive

It amazes me that people are still checking my blog. It's been two weeks with nothing new, and even longer since I've talked about the boys. Give me a few more days to get through my weekend at work. (Yes, I'm already back at work. It's exhausting, but I was sorely missed. They'd much rather have a tired me than no me.) After the weekend we'll be getting a little vacation (from Ethan). So with only one child I'll get little time to catch up on blogging, housework, some reading, SLEEP....

Sci-Fi

I'm a huge fan of science fiction. I'm particularly partial to the older stuff (Heinlein, Asimov, etc.), but there are a some great contemporary authors putting out novels and short stories. Lately, I've been enjoying reading and listening to short-stories. It's the route most sf authors take to become known and to try out new ideas. It's also allowing me to sample types of sf that I wouldn't usually choose.

So here is where I find these stories.

I really like Orson Scott Card's web magazine InterGalactic Medicine Show. (This one does cost a little, but for the month of Feb, one story from each of the first four issues is available for free. Just click on each issue to find it.) Besides featuring some newer authors, Card writes a new story in the Enderverse for each issue.

For listening, I highly recommend Escape Pod. A free podcast, they have a new story every week. And really good intro/exit music.

(If you clicked on that last link, I should probably admit to you that this classically trained alto listens to alternative rock and heavy metal most of the time. You should hear me sing along to guitar solos! And my older son yells if I try to change the radio station away from this type of "mewskit". He likes even harder stuff than I do! So, Daikaiju is pretty mellow for us, but it's fun and kind of energizing.)

Yaaawwn...

I feel like I'm stumbling through my days at the moment. Sooo tired. Edward is actually sleeping relatively well at night. It's the days that are killing me.

Edward is having more gas trouble and we have to fight for every minute of sleep he gets during the day. He has trouble staying down for more than 30min at a stretch and I spend many hours a day walking in circles to keep him from screaming. (Don't ask me why he can still sleep for longer stretches at night. I have no idea, but I'm grateful for it.)

And then there's Ethan. He's getting really tired of not being the center of attention, so he spends his days hitting, yelling, throwing things at me, and intentionally waking up Edward. (We know it's intentional b/c he'll ask us if it worked.)

My days are spent comforting one and disciplining the other. Both of which create the need to do more for the other one. I've been clenching my teeth so much that my jaw is killing me. If the boys don't ease up soon, I'll crack a tooth.

So, that's the update on the boys. Neither one is very happy right now. And it's exhausting.

Goodbye President Hinckley

Although the passing of President Gordon B. Hinckley was a little bit of a shock, I'm having a hard time feeling sad. For myself as a disciple, for the church as a whole, or even for his family.

Myself, I have lived grateful for his teachings for many years, and thankful that his media savvy has helped make it more "acceptable" to be Mormon. I have felt hugely blessed to have been alive during his tenure as prophet. But I can say that about each of the men who have served as prophet during my lifetime. I still remember going to see Spencer W. Kimball speak at the Hill Cumorah when I was 6 years old and feeling the warmth and love he radiated. During the years when I was reading the Book of Mormon for the first time, and then starting to understand how to apply it to myself, Ezra Taft Benson's teachings were exactly what I needed. And although his time as prophet was short, Howard W. Hunter's counsel on being temple-worthy while I was struggling through the social minefield of high school was particularly timely. So I can only look forward to what I will have the opportunity to learn from the next prophet.

The church will mourn, obviously, but then will get back up and move forward. It's one of the amazing things about how we are organized. Because we experience leadership changes on smaller levels relatively frequently (stake leaders, bishops, auxiliary presidencies, etc.), we understand that the church and it's teachings are the same, no matter who is leading us. Ultimately, Jesus Christ is the head of the church, and he is unchanging.

President Hinckley's family is the group that maybe I should feel sorry for. They have lost their patriarch. But not only do they know that they will be with him again, I'm sure that none of them begrudge him the chance to rejoin his wife. It makes me smile to think of how their reunion must have been.

I guess that is the ultimate reason I just can't be sad. I am so happy for our dear prophet. He finally has the opportunity to rest. He has earned his reward. And he is back in the arms of his love.

Goodbye President Hinckley. Thank you.

2008 Resolutions

I'm exhausted. And I know I promised pictures. They'll make it up eventually. (I'm excited to show you 'Underpants Man' with his very unique superpower!) But you'll have to wait b/c they haven't made it from camera to computer yet. (Come on photos! You can do it!)

Anyway. I lied about not making resolutions. I think this is prompted more by the huge life-changes another baby creates than the new year, but thats ok. I've been thinking a lot about who I am and who I want to be. I have so many ways that I'd like to improve and they can all be summed up in one word.

Strengthen

I'm applying this physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I feel like I'm already on the right path in most areas, but need to keep progressing forward. And in the few things that need major adjustments, strengthening elsewhere will help me to make those course corrections.

I'm not going to give you any more detail than that. But I am going to spend this coming Sunday (tomorrow) focused on actually writing each of the things down and committing to the first steps on this journey.

Wish me luck! Or better yet, strength.

(Editor's note: I totally screwed up the font while typing this and a glitch in blogger wouldn't let me fix it with their pull-down options, So I bravely dove into the HTML and, as you can see, fixed it myself!! I know that several of you are rolling your eyes, but hey, this is a big deal to me.)

Two at once

I'll jump back in with our visit to the dr yesterday for checkups. Wow, it takes a long time to do both kids! Between the weighing and measuring, the physical exams, and the discussions about development, I think we were in that room for over an hour!

Ethan first. (Because he insisted on going first yesterday.) His last weigh in was Halloween and he was up to a whopping 32.5lbs. Now, he is the exact same height and only 30lbs. This boy has gained (and kept on) only 10lbs since he was 5 months old!! Because his BMI is good and we've already proven that he can gain weight, we're going to leave it alone for now and just weigh him at Edward's checkups to make sure he doesn't lose more.

Otherwise, our boy is just fabulous. Gross motor skills are great as evidenced by his riding a big-kid scooter. Fine-motor are way above average as evidenced by his learning to write letters. (That one has also shown us that he learns by doing. Ethan had no real interest in learning his ABCs until he realized that he could make them. Now we introduce a new letter every few days.) Language skills are great. Social skills are great.

We were most proud of the dr's comments about Ethan's social skills. He said that you could tell our boy comes from a good home with good parents who don't fight b/c of the way he interacts with others. This seemed to stem particularly from the way Ethan would express his dislike of something, but then sit and listen while the dr explained what he was going to do, followed by agreement that it needed to be done. If only he'd do that at home!

The one suggestion that the dr had for us was to push him more. He's at an age where there are almost no limits to the amount he can learn. Our dr is chinese and is all about doing what you can to increase IQ and give your kid their best chance at success. He wants us to make sure he is exposed to lot of music, particularly making it. And he wants us to introduce new sports, like skiing, ice-skating, biking (on a two-wheeler!), gymnastics, etc. I think we're going to start with a tumbling class and maybe get some roller-skates in the spring. A bike can wait until we move.

On to Edward. He's up to 10lbs 15ozs and it shows. Not quite the porker his brother was, but the rolls of fat are coming along nicely. So nicely in fact that he's gained more than twice what they expect in the last two weeks. And we've had to move to size 2 diapers!

Last time we talked about the types of stimulation we should use to increase his IQ, so our only real discussion at this appt was about sleep. Now I know that most of you will want to hurt me when I say that he sleeps probably 17-18hrs a day. BUT, it's they way he does it thats the problem. Lately, he sleeps in short bursts, typically not longer than 2 hrs. Then when he's awake, he eats really often. And cries b/c he's tired and can't fall back to sleep.

The dr said his first instinct when he hears about sleeping like this is that the baby is hungry. But obviously Edward is getting plenty to eat. So we think that the real problem is gas bubbles formed by air swallowed when he cries. (I may have started the problem by eating a bunch of raw broccoli a while ago. Those painful bubbles caused the first bought of wails, resulting in more bubbles.) So it's possible that if we can get him through a day or so without much crying, the sleeping will get better. Plus we're only two weeks away from that magic 6 week mark where night sleeping improves. Can't wait for that.

So that's the general recap of Ethan at 3yrs old and Edward at 1 month old. Pictures to come tonight or tomorrow.

Sorry...

I can see that you've all been checking, so I'm sorry that I haven't posted. But I have an excuse. We can't use the laptop b/c the battery is dead and the power cord finally frayed where it bends. I promise a real update and photos at the beginning of next week when the replacements get here.

Fever

Edward had his 2 week checkup today. Of course, he's perfect in every way. He's even started smiling already!

Because Ethan has had a fever of 103 for the last 4 days, I took him with us to get checked out. I've been completely unable to identify anything wrong with him besides the fever (and the completely non-specific lethargy, loss of appetite, and pastey complexion.) After a through check, the dr found NOTHING! We even ran some blood work to see if he was fighting something bacterial and... it was normal. Meaning whatever Ethan has is viral. So we keep doing what we've been doing. Fluids, rest, and meds to keep the fever down.

We're hoping and praying that this resolves itself without becoming worse and especially that Edward doesn't catch it!

Reflections on 2007

I'm not one to make new years resolutions. I find it too depressing when I can't (or just don't) keep them. John and I have made some new goals, but we tend to do this every few months and revisit the old ones to see if they're working or if we need to adjust them.

So, I don't have a list of resolutions for you. But after reading Tisha's post a few days ago, I've been thinking a lot about what I've learned this last year. These are the big ones:

1 - I am much stronger than I thought I was.
2 - I am a good mother.
3 - When I want to, I can accomplish an amazing amount in one day.
4 - It's OK to ask for help.

There are so many more, but none as important as these. Here's to more personal growth in 2008!

Update

So it turns out that Edward was measured wrong initially. He's really only 21 inches. Not quite as impressive. But he is sleeping well at night, so we are proud of that. It's one of the perks of having big babies.

Ethan struggled a little at first. He misses having his mom and dad all to himself, but is really stoic about it. We've been trying to spend extra time with him as much as possible. Also, potty training is practically out the window at the moment. Our big guy had it down for months, so we thought we'd be ok, but no such luck. We're not pushing him at the moment. He has alot to adjust to.

And, he's sick. We're not sure what with, but the high fever is a sure sign. If it's not gone by tomorrow (day 3), we'll be heading to the dr for sure.

So that's us at the moment. Bumming around our house, getting to know our newest addition, and helping our oldest get better.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

This is hilarious! I've found the sheet music and totally will be using this at future Christmas parties.

Ta Da! (It's just that easy!)

He's finally made an appearance! This is my big, chubby, ridiculously long baby!

First, the stats. Edward Owen weighs in at 9lbs 3oz and is 22 3/4 inches long. (Even the pediatrician didn't believe his length at first.) He was born 12/19/07 at 5:39 pm. The boy has lots of dark hair and is surprisingly strong, reaching for me just minutes after birth and holding his head up for long periods by day 2. Also, he's a great eater.

OK. So here's the story of how. Don't read on if these things bother you.

We were late for our appointment at the hospital, but were settled into our room by about 9:30 and started the IV to get things moving. After several hours, thing were progressing VERY slowly. But the contractions were becoming an issue for me, so the dr ok'd the epidural. (We'd spent quite a lot of time talking about my labor and recovery last time so that my pain, shock, and emotional state could be handled better this go round.) The anesthesiologist did a great job. He did hit nerves, but we'd talked about using some trial and error to get better placement, so I was expecting it. And his placement was sooo good. I did need a few extra doses over the course of the day, but only b/c of contraction pain in my back.

So, I'm numb and happy. John and I decided to watch a movie b/c clearly, this would be a long process. About halfway through, my back was starting to be problem again, so the nurse came in to check me before calling for an extra dose in my epidural. John got ready to call the grandparents to give a long overdue update, but the nurse stopped him with "Are you ready to have a baby?" She had me push through one contraction and then paged the dr b/c he was crowning! Unfortunately, my dr had expected me to take several more hours and had just gone into the OR to assist. So I met another wonderful OB as she ran in, suited up, and delivered the baby. It took less than 10 minutes! And because of my great epidural, I didn't feel any pain. Definitely the best way to have a baby.

Recovery has been much easier. Except for the exhaustion and a sore back, I don't really have much to complain about. I give a HUGE shout out to the maternity services at Newton-Wellesley Hospital for their focus on the patient's wants and needs. It was the best hospital experience I've ever been a part of.

So that's it! Still don't know if I'll ever be willing to do it again, but at least it won't be fears about labor and recovery making the decision next time.

Baby Edward

YAY!

1 day away is weird (and me being stupid)

It's been so great to have Edward's delivery scheduled. We've been able to plan everything from babysitting for Ethan to the last big shopping trip. But today, it's weird. It would be a little less so if I was having a C-section, but knowing that tomorrow morning I'll go into labor is just strange. And instead of being surprised by this new little life who decided to join us, we're saying "Hey. It's time. Get out here and say hi." I'm still glad that we've been able to prepare so well (and that health-wise we're doing the best thing for both of us), but I'm missing the surprise. Just a little.
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And why I was stupid today. If you are fixing a dryer, be sure to unplug it before messing with the wiring. Especially if you're 9 months pregnant! I nearly electrocuted myself replacing a faulty switch, which turned out to not be the only problem. I think I'll leave the other work for my dad or his wife when they're out on Thurs.

Our Big Boy

Sitting here watching the snow. Although it's slowly switching over to sleet and rain, it still looks like a blizzard. Inside, it's just peaceful. John's still asleep and Ethan's at Grandpa G's. So I thought I'd post some pictures of the boy who has been woefully underrepresented on this blog lately.

Jumping on a trampoline in TX. He LOVED it

"Mom, my hat keeps sliding off!"

Swimming in the leaves at Grandpa G's

So proud to be able to pick something up with a chopstick. Not really the right way..., but it works!

"Mom, look at the mess I made!"

Our Big Boy cont.

"Mom, I made a smiley face!"

Just after Ethan helped us decorate the tree. I love the crazy placement of ornaments and daddy making Ethan's usual mad face (I had to trick Ethan into smiling and didn't even notice that John was trying to ruin my attempt at a good photo.)

Where's Ethan? Buried in his birthday presents.

Just after blowing out his birthday candles

Not a good shot, but this is how Ethan gets to the sink. He insists on washing his hands and filling up cups this way. The crazy boy has even started refusing water from the kitchen tap b/c he can do it himself at the bathroom sink. (The chain is his countdown to baby Edward!)

Belly Shots

This was about a month ago. Not much different except that it's smaller than now and only has the few stretch marks (compare it to the last photo to see the difference.)

Again, about a month ago. This is close to the angle that I see. It makes the belly look even bigger!

This is a maternity shirt. Nothing fits anymore and I have to wear one of the few longer shirts under everything.

Edward kicks less than his brother did, but he really likes to stretch. If you look closely (maybe click to enlarge), you can see the two different spots of shine with what is actually a large divot between. My belly is too swollen for him to distort it like this now, but for a while he would contort it into really bizarre shapes.

And the belly just the other day. The size difference is hard to see in this photo, but believe me, it just hasn't stopped growing. The spectacular part of this shot is the view of my stretch marks. Not a single patch of normal skin on the front of my belly. It's so beyond shot that I've lost all feeling in it! (But unfortunately the nerves in my tender uterus are more than making up for it.)

Some time off

After my contractions on Thursday, my mom decided that someone needed to be here for Ethan, just in case. So she came out Friday morning with the plan that my dad would switch out with her on Saturday evening and stay until John's mom comes on Sunday (or later if her flight doesn't make it.) But then dad had a great idea. Because my mom was heading back to NY anyway, why not take Ethan with her and drop her off at dad's house! So Ethan is having a sleepover with Uncle Bryson and will be back here on Monday when the roads are clear. And we are enjoying just relaxing, staying up late, and really just doing nothing.

That's the update. We're doing nothing. And no, labor doesn't seem close at hand. Sigh...

NOT TWINS!

I do really keep getting this question from random strangers (and teasing friends.) Yesterday at the dr's office it really came to a head. A pregnant woman and her mother came into the waiting room and the woman immediately headed for the bathroom (like we all do.) Her mother looked at me and said "Oh! How many are you having?" Apparently her daughter was about 6 1/2 months along with twins. (She looked about as big as I did at that point.) The mom was stunned when I told her I was only having the one. I had to give the whole shpeal about having large babies and carrying fully externally before she would believe me. And then she made a point of not telling her daughter so that she wouldn't worry about growing bigger than I am. I nearly burst out laughing b/c my mom has a nearly identical story from her last pregnancy!

So no! No twins! Just the ginormous one. (Actually, he's so big that the dr mentioned concern about my distended uterus yesterday. We're glad all around that my body won't have to do this much longer.)

Sorry to get your hopes up...

...and mine! It really was just the storm making my body go into labor. But it was too short and didn't push me over the edge. After hours of painful contractions that fluctuated between 6 and 15 minutes, I decided to try to sleep. So I had John rub my legs to ease the tension before laying down and that was the end of it. My body relaxed and not a single contraction woke me up (although that doesn't mean they stopped right away, just that they weren't strong enough to get me up from my coma.)

Now, nothing. He hasn't even dropped lower! We'll just have to wait and see if the storm on Sat night is long enough to make this happen. It really is miserable to feel your body starting on it's way, and then... give up.

The Belly

As promised, here's a photo. We just took it b/c we may need to head to the hospital tonight. I've been having contractions all afternoon, but they are more regular now. We'll keep you posted!

The last few days

After finishing up with the Christmas party last weekend and delivering the Sub-for-Santa donations on monday, Ethan and I have had nothing to do. It's been a little weird after weeks of going non-stop. But we're LOVING it.

Ethan and I have been spending our time just hanging out with each other. I can't imagine a better way to spend our last week together. He's been so much fun. Playing with all his toys, coloring, pretending to be everything from superheroes to pirates, and lots of dancing. We really need to spend the occasional day doing nothing more often. He's just a different kid!

Also, my body is in better shape. The leg problems that were keeping me up half the night are only a minor annoyance now. It's been good to get a little rest before all the work of a newborn.

The big craziness going on right now is the snow that's coming. This afternoon is the first storm, promising at least half a foot in a matter of hours. (And of course I have a dr's appt just as it starts so I can't stay out of it.) Then, on Saturday night, there's a nor-easter coming with predictions anywhere from sheeting ice to more than a foot of snow. Just in time to cause problems with Grandma J flying in.

Our only hope is that the changes in barometric pressure don't push me into labor. (It's crazy how many babies are born early for this reason.) We feel like the scheduled date is just perfect for us, and we REALLY don't want to be driving to the hospital during the middle of a storm.

So that's us for now. I'll try to get a belly shot posted later today (if I can find the memory card.)

"These, Our Little Ones"

That's the title of the First Presidency Message in this month's Ensign. It's all about how the future is affected by how we raise our children. Really an inspiring article by President Hinckley. I was particularly struck by a quote he included, attributed to E.T. Sullivan.

"When God wants a great work done in the world or a great wrong righted, he goes about it in a very unusual way. He doesn't stir up his earthquakes or send forth his thunderbolts. Instead, he has a helpless baby born, perhaps in a simple home and of some obscure mother. And then God puts the idea into the mother's heart, and she puts it into the baby's mind. And then God waits. The greatest forces in the world are not the earthquakes and the thunderbolts. The greatest forces in the world are babies."

I love this. I love that my little boys can (and will!) be powerful forces in the future. Even if it's in small ways or in small circles. And although I know that they will ultimately structure their own lives however they wish, President Hinckley's advice on bringing them up in a loving home where they are taught, respected, and led by example will help me provide my boys with a strong foundation to build upon.

A Great Article on Who We Are

This article was in the Wall Street Journal on Friday. It has some shocking statistics about how well Mormons are accepted in American society. It's a really good overview of who we are and why we should have as much respect as other religions. And no, it wasn't written by a Mormon.

(And for those of you who aren't LDS, I highly recommend checking out Mormon.org to have a few of your questions answered. Especially the overview of the Plan of Salvation under Basic Beliefs and the short videos included in that section. I promise your perspective on both Mormons and your own life will change.)

Just Blown Away...

The Ward Christmas Party is finally over. It was a ton of work, but soooo worth it. I have to admit that it was a great party.

But the best part is our AMAZING ward. They just blow me away. (And I'm not only talking about the incredible talent show or the huge number of donations to sub-for-santa.) We sent out a distress call earlier in the week for more people to bring food and the response was overwhelming. We had so much extra food that we distributed it to quite a few families who could use it, the missionaries, and everyone else who wanted some! And then there were the wonderful sisters who showed up, saw a need, and jumped in to help for the entire party. (My committee is only 5 people strong and we were 2 down, so we badly needed the help.) And everyone who helped us clean up from a party of nearly 250 people. In under an hour. Without being asked!!

We could not have pulled of such a great party without all the help. So if any of you read this... THANK YOU!!!

Car Talk

One of our favorite times to talk to Ethan is in the car. He opens up and chats away about the things he's been thinking about and learning, and also about what he sees out the window. Usually a combination of both. In the last few days, we've talked about letters, stinky skunks, happy monsters, airplanes, fish, snow, and presents we can give baby Jesus for his birthday (my favorite). It's so fun to just drive and wait to hear what he will bring up.

12 long days to go

It's been a few days since I've written b/c the only news is that I'm more uncomfortable. On Wed, even the dr was hoping my body would be at the point where he could just admit me. Not even close. I've been having a lot of painful contractions, but irregular and only in front (thank goodness! I couldn't handle these if they spread to my back.) So just false labor. Yuck.

But it does mean that I'm trying to get ready, just in case. Nearly everything is at least here, if not washed and ready to go. So I need to pack my bag for the hospital and do at least a few loads of laundry. Then we're prepared whether this happens this weekend or in 12 days.

Actually, I'm going to try to hurry it along a little. Today, I'm going to do all that prep work, and then go to work for my last shift before going on leave. Tomorrow is the Christmas party, so I'll be running around all day and late into the evening. And I intend to push it!

Wish me luck!

Baby Talk

After dinner last night, the moms were talking around the table while the dads kept an eye on the kids. One of the dads walked into the kitchen and immediately backtracked with the comment that women always end up talking about pregnancy and labor.

This morning, Eric Snider's column had this Q&A.
Dear Eric: Why is it that every time a group of women gather, the conversation turns to swapping baby stories? -- Muddled in Montana
Dear Muddy: Think about it. If you shoved a nine-pound human out of one of your personal orifices, don't you think you'd talk about it a lot too?

That's exactly why we talk about it. It's still amazes us that we did it. (And for some reason chose to do it again!)

Happy 3rd Birthday to Ethan!

Ethan has been talking about his birthday for ages. And after two of the other kids in his four person preschool class turned 3, he had become an expert. He knew you opened presents, had a party, sang the birthday song, and ate cake. So today, we did all of those things.

We started with a breakfast of his choice (egg-in-a-hole and bacon). Then presents. (Our house is exploding with all the toys his grandparents sent and it's not even Christmas yet!) After that he spent a few hours playing with the new stuff while John and I cleaned up and got ready for church. Church was fun b/c the nursery was visiting the primary today and they sang "Happy Birthday" to Ethan. (His little friends loved it and told their parents about when they would get to stand up front.) Afterward, we had some of Ethan's preschool friends (and their parents) over for dinner and cupcakes. It was really nice and Ethan was happy he had a "party". There were also phone calls from family and lots of surprising the boy with shouts of "Happy Birthday!" in there too.

Now he's sugared up and overtired, so all I hear is screaming coming from the bedroom where John is trying to get him into pajamas. Even if we have a miserable evening, it was worth b/c Ethan had a fun day.

Angels

Ethan was playing with the wood block nativity set I made several years ago and telling us about the people on each piece. Apparently, I'm Jesus's mom and "Angels come from flies."

3 Weeks To Go

I'm going to adjust the date on the little baby to the right so that it counts down to my induction day. Just click on the numbers until you see a countdown. Only 21 days to go!!

Sicko

That's me. Having a bad cold is always miserable, but it's so much worse with the added complications of pregnancy. Ethan gave me this cold and he didn't suffer nearly as badly. Lucky kid. Of course, this falls on a week when I have 50 million things to do, most of them not at home. (Thank goodness for the wonderful women who cleaned my house last week or it would be so much more. Thanks again ladies!)

So, as much as I want to spend my days resting on the couch and my nights sound asleep so that I can get better... we're running errands all morning, getting in a short nap, doing whatever I need to to get ready for evening plans, and finally crashing into bed for the night, where I'm up every hour and get almost no real sleep. You can imagine how great I'm feeling....

But Ethan's birthday, the last preschool lesson before we break for Christmas, the Ward Christmas party (I'm in charge), and so many other things just can't be ignored or put off. I'll have some time in about a week and a half to crash. I'll just have to wait to get better until then.

Our kind of Christmas music

Ethan and I have been listening to Christmas music in the car and at home for weeks now. Cheesy radio music in the car and typically Handel's Messiah or The Nutcracker at home.

But today we busted out our favorite while decorating the tree. We played The Trans-Siberian Orchestra nice and loud. For anyone who doesn't know, they are a rock orchestra. Definitely our kind of Christmas music. So after the tree, we were all at the table eating dessert when suddenly, we all start dancing in our chairs. Even Ethan. It was hilarious! I couldn't help but think "The family that dances to Christmas rock music together, stays together." We're glad that we're raising our son to appreciate the good stuff.

(For anyone who might be interested, we just discovered that the Smashing Pumpkins have a Christmas song, called Christmas Time. Go to the link to hear it! It's motivated me to find more in the same genre.)

Happy Thanksgiving

We've hosted Thanksgiving at our house the last 3 years. Not this one. Without Stew to cook the turkey, and with my ever-increasing size, we decided it would be better to not do it. So we had a great dinner with friends at someone else's house! (I still made pies, so I didn't back out of all the cooking.)

And because it's Thanksgiving:

I'm thankful for my wonderful husband. He sustains me everyday and I can't imagine life without him.

I'm thankful for my beautiful, smart, loving Ethan. Even on his worst days he's just such a good kid. And it's hard not to love someone who loves you so much.

I'm thankful for the relative stability of our life right now. It's easier to handle the changes we're making to our family and our life in the near future when everything else is going well.

I'm thankful for great friends. Those that we see often, those that have moved away, those that we've moved away from, and those we are still getting to know. Life is so much more fun with all of you around.

And I'm especially thankful for the knowledge of my purpose here on earth. It makes everything worth it. Everything.

December 19th, 2007!!

That, we hope, will be baby Edward's birthday. Because of Grandma J's schedule changes and the desire both on my part and the doctor's to do this early, we scheduled the induction. We are skipping the ultrasound to estimate size b/c if it turns out he's not quite as big as we think, then I would be bumped to a lower priority and could potentially have to wait until as late as Christmas day! No one wants that. So we are calling it a "previous history of large babies" and getting me on the schedule now with a high priority for delivery that day.

So... barring either an early natural delivery (doubtful b/c of his position), or my body's refusal to get ready even with the things they can do to push it along, we'll be having a baby Dec 19th!

He noticed!

Ethan: "Mom, your belly is getting really big."

Me: (laughing) "It is, isn't it."

Home Birth

I could never do this, with the risk of the baby being too big and needing a C-section and all, but it amazes me. (Plus the idea makes me uncomfortable. I've gotta go with my gut on this one.)

Tisha is an amazing woman who has done it yet again! (And need I mention she's a great friend who I dearly miss seeing every day?) Her strength blows me away every time I talk to her. Read her birth story here and see how "easy" homebirth can be.

P.S. - We finally took some belly photos last night and I promise to get them posted in the next day or two.

Title

So I realized that I'll need to change the title of my blog soon (although I won't change the address.) I like the one I've had, so I don't want to change it too much. I've had a few ideas. There is the obvious "Life with Ethan and Edward". Or "Life with the E-Boys". Or "Life with my boys" which would include John. What do you think? Any other suggestions?

Early Morning

"Wake up Daddy! The sun is awake!"

I'm sure that John doesn't think this is a cute as I do, but I love hearing Ethan's little declaration that the day is starting.

33 Weeks

I'm not actually 33 weeks along until tomorrow, but close enough. I had a dr's appt today. I'd been worried a little b/c I'm not feeling quite as uncomfortable and miserable as last time. Partially b/c I just don't have the time to think about it, and partially b/c I don't feel as big. (I know that it's weird to worry about feeling good, but when you've spent months anticipating these last few weeks of misery, it just feels wrong.)

I learned today why I don't feel as big. Edward has settled in transverse (meaning he's laying sideways instead of the normal up and down). This explains A LOT. Including why it still feels like he has so much room to move around. He doesn't, but because he can roll, I get hands and feet sticking out everywhere. (When Ethan settled into position at 5 or 6 months, he was so stuck there that I developed bruises in the spot where he kicked.)

This also means he hasn't dropped at all. So I look lower and less pointy b/c of his position, but it's not b/c he's getting ready to come out. In reality, if he doesn't rotate on his own, it may mean a C-section for me (Yay!!) But we still have time, so with my luck, he'll rotate.

The one good sign for me delivering early is that I'm measuring a week big. And it seems that with Edward's shift sideways, the vertical measurement they take would be falsely reduced, meaning I might measure even bigger if he were upright. Even with Ethan's size, I always measured right on, so just more evidence that Edward will be a big boy.

Hopefully I'll have more news about when he'll be coming soon. I go back in 2 weeks and expect to schedule the ultrasound for between that appt and the one the first week of Dec. Then we'll be able to schedule a delivery!! Yay!!

Last Call...

Now that Edward is arriving soon, I need to pick up those last few things that we need. So I'm giving anyone else a last chance before I get them myself.

The stroller and bottles are taken, but I will order the rest from both lists next week if I don't hear from anyone else.

Otherwise, we are getting to the point where we should be all set (I think.) We're going to finish the room rearranging and bring up the stuff from the basement this weekend, so then I'll know if we need anything else, but I don't think so.

Update: They didn't have the sling in my size in the patterns I'd mentioned before. So I went ahead and ordered one in a different pattern myself. I'll leave the link a while longer, just in case anyone else was looking to get one for themselves.

I know who you are....

I added a counter at the bottom of the sidebar not long ago. This was after I discovered that more people were reading my blog than I realized, so I wanted to find out how many. It's been less than two weeks and I'm about to top 100! You all make me feel so popular! The best thing about the service I'm using (besides the fact that it's free), is that I can see the locations that are checking my site. So I'm able to identify who is checking it b/c I know where you live. Bwa-ha-ha.

Seriously, it's just fun to see. (And occasionally discover things like Grandma J's trip to Japan before she mentioned it.)

Bump on the head

It would have been less of a big deal if this was just a simple bump on the head from falling or banging his head on something. But no. Ethan has a bump on his temple that's been there for months. I'd noticed it, but had been holding out on doing anything until the doctor mentioned it at Ethan's visit in Sept. So after keeping a closer eye on it, I confirmed that it isn't going away. That meant we needed to go back to the doctor to have him look at this bump. Anyone who knew Ethan's friend Hyrum before they moved away, knows the importance of having these checked out. (A bump on the head was the only symptom of a widespread bone cancer. Miraculously, his body dealt with it on its own and he is doing great.)

Can you believe how weird and slightly embarrassing it is to schedule an appointment for a bump on the head? While we were there, one of the nurses stopped as he walked by to say hi to Ethan and ask what we were doing there. I told him, and then said "Really just to say hi!" That's what it felt like. (We did manage to sneak in a weight check and a flu shot while we were there, which was nice.) But the doctor agreed that the bump bothered him as well. We discussed how 99% of the time these bumps are nothing, but it's that 1% that keeps us on edge. So not only did he check it out, he called in another doc to get a second opinion before making a decision. The bump is hard and doesn't move, so it seems like bone.

The consensus was to get an x-ray. Our dr's office is in a building connected to the hospital, so they sent us right over. I was really impressed by the efficiency of the whole process. Ethan wasn't. Because I'm pregnant, I couldn't stay with him during the seven! skull x-rays. It was a little bit traumatic with lots of tears, but he did great. He held still when they asked him to, and even went back in for more without a huge fight when the radiologist asked for a different angle. He was a brave boy.

So we made it out in less that two and a half hours and went to get a special lunch because Ethan did such a great job. Then, a few hours later, our dr called with the results. They didn't see anything. So unless it changes, or either of our intuitions makes us nervous about it, we'll just keep an eye on it. The next step would be a CT scan (heavy radiation) or an MRI (requires that Ethan be put under anesthesia), neither of which we feel is warranted right now.

For any family that reads this, feel your temples. Because of where Ethan's bump is, it is possible that he just has a strangely large temple, maybe because his orbital ridge is a little higher than average. So let us know if you have prominent temples. It would help confirm that this bump is nothing at all.

Update: My dad has prominent temples. Not as large as Ethan's bump, but definitely more than normal. He also has the higher orbital ridge (where your eyebrows are), so it seems like Ethan's bump is probably just the way his head is made.

Out of his shell

We all know that Ethan can take a while to warm up to people. Even people that he sees on a regular basis. But the last while has been different. Ethan has started responding when random people ask his name. Like the guy sweeping the floor at the supermarket. And the health insurance guy at John's office. Today at preschool he even jumped up on the mom teaching and started having a tickle fight! (During free-play, of course.) It's strange to see him coming out of his shell. I love that he's more comfortable out in the world. It's great to see him play more and not cling so much. But I also don't like that he's more comfortable out in the world. It was easiest when he was afraid to leave my side when we ran errands. Now, taking him out can be a major ordeal. And it'll be worse with two. I'm not completely sure whether or not I like this yet. I guess it depends on the situation.

Getting Dressed

I realized that the top picture on the last post has more of a story behind it. So here it is...

Typically, Ethan isn't interested in dressing himself. Strange, because he wants to do nearly everything by himself. (This is the cause of his fits 90% of the time.) But clothing has always been different. He'll start off great, get frustrated by something, bang his fists, and then cross his arms defiantly until we remind him that he needs to ask and say please if he wants help. Then we help.

The day of the photo, Ethan had been dressed earlier in a different outfit (possibly the same shirt.) Mid-morning, I was in the kitchen folding laundry when I realized he hadn't come in to pester me in a few minutes. (Glorious minutes.) So I poked my head into his room and saw this little naked butt sticking out while Ethan dug through his pants drawer. I asked what happened to his clothes and Ethan replied that he had had an accident and needed new ones. After he told me where he had been standing when he peed, I left him to his pants search while I cleaned the carpet. Meanwhile, Ethan retrieved not only new pants, but new underwear, socks, and a sweatshirt b/c I'd told him earlier that it was cold outside. He put them all on without complaint and came out to find his shoes, which he also put on. Finding him all ready to go (with nowhere to go), I had to take a picture. And then we went to the park as a reward for such a big accomplishment.

I'm not thrilled that it took an accident for him to do it, but I'm so proud of my little guy for dressing himself. Although it made me realize that he knows he can do it. He just chooses not to when he doesn't feel like putting in the effort. Somehow I need to convince him that it's worth it every day. Maybe I'll start the morning "chore" list I've been thinking about and reward him when he does all of it. (Stuff like getting dressed, eating breakfast, making his bed, etc. Probably one for each finger so that they are easy to keep track of. Don't worry, I'm not making my son a slave. Yet.)

Photos of our cute boy

Ethan dressed himself. Note the too small sweatshirt, the "sweater" pants hiked up to the knees, and the mismatched socks. But he did it himself, so I'm so proud!

So cool.

Ethan has just started posing for photos and this is his new cheeseball grin.

Pinwheel Preschool's First Fieldtrip. The kids climbing the hay mountain at the farm we visited.

Ethan has a horsey!

Weirdest Symptom

Did you know that your eyes can swell when you're pregnant? I'm lucky that my hands and feet don't swell much. (Just enough to keep my from wearing my rings.) But apparently, my eyes have taken on some of the extra fluid. Any time I wear my contacts, they are so tight I burst blood vessels. So I'm resigned to wearing glasses until sometime in December. At least they're cute pink ones!

What is that on the couch???

I came out of the shower this morning, and after getting dressed, went into the living room to see what mischief Ethan had gotten in to. Immediately my eyes were drawn to something bright red all over the couch. The markers are on a high shelf, so I racked my brain for what he could have smeared all over the couch that's so red. Then it hit me! BLOOD! A quick check and I discovered Ethan's first three toes on his right foot covered in it. Asking what happened was fruitless, so I began cleaning his foot to find the source. It took some looking. Apparently, all this blood came from a tiny, tiny scrape on the bottom of his second toe. Of course, while I was finding the little bandaids and bacitracin he ran all over the house leaving little spots of blood on carpeting, clothes on the floor, and again, the couch. When I finally found the bandaids (they'd fallen behind the medicine chest), I had to clean off his bloody foot again. Now he is complaining about the bandaid (he hates them), but I'm not letting him take it off until the bleeding has stopped. I already have enough to clean. (Maybe we'll go to IKEA and buy another slipcover for the couch. I don't think it's worth attempting to clean.)

Update : Thanks to Beth's mom for the heads up that peroxide gets out blood. I replaced the couch cover anyway b/c it was nearly destroyed pre-blood and so shrunken from many, many washes that it was ripping at the seams. But I'm totally going to use peroxide on those carpet spots. Thanks!!

Updated Sidebar

Just an update on my sidebar. I think G&G J are buying the stroller. And I removed the diapers from the "want" list b/c I'm realizing that it's just more work and expense than I want. But I did add a baby sling. I didn't like the one I had last time and barely used it b/c it didn't fit well, had no stretch, and had this annoying padding. After looking around for a while, I found these. They come in something like ten different sizes, are all stretch cotton, can be ordered with or without padding, and are so adorable to boot! Just in case you were wondering, I think I'll wear a size 23, unpadded, and I really like White Lotus, White Lily, Natural Bamboo (the bluer one), and Spellbound Stretch. I also like Blue Acadia, but definitely no solids b/c it'll be harder to hide messes and stains.

You've gotta watch this!

With nothing else to watch Wed nights, John and I discovered a new show and we LOVE it! It's called 'Pushing Daisies' and you can watch full episodes here. (It's not on iTunes yet, but we can hope.)

Narrated brilliantly by Jim Dale, it's about a pie-maker who can bring people and things back to life by touching them (and killing them again by another touch.) The owner of a small shop called the 'Pie Hole', his PI friend roped him into using his talent to solve murders and collect the reward. He brought back his child-hood girlfriend to solve her murder and can't bring himself to send her back. So now they live and work together, but can't touch. Creating more fun is the girl who loves him (played by the amazing Kristin Chenoweth), but can't figure out who this new non-contact girl is. They even make great use of her voice with fun musical interludes.

Really, I can't describe how great it is, so you've gotta watch it. So quirky. Way to come back ABC!

Shout out

Check out my friend Steph's new etsy store, "So Called Mommy"

Only a few things so far, but she is willing to customize any of them. They are all so cute! And I'm loving her sexy photo. Proof that moms really can look good!

What a great guy

I'm managing today b/c John stayed home from work. I didn't fall asleep until after 4am, so it was wonderful to sleep in. He's keeping Ethan out of the house so that I can clean, plan my preschool lessons for the week, run to the store, etc... without them in my way. This would have been a horrible day without him, so I'm sooo glad I have a great husband. I love you, babe!

...can't...sleep...

It's 1:30am Monday morning and I can't sleep. There are a million reasons that I should be totally zonked.

1 - I just worked a grueling three days that pushed me so far past my limits I started having contractions. My body can barely handle my regular days at the moment. Work days are much longer and require me to be on my feet more. It doesn't help that before work on Friday I insisted on making a HUGE grocery store trip with Ethan. I need to do those when I have someone else to unload the car for me. (For anyone who is unaware, I work the evening shift. So after most of my regular day with Ethan, I hand him off to his dad and spend another eight hours on my feet at the hospital. On the weekends I do get to sleep in a little more, but my pregnant body doesn't recover very quickly.)

2 - I'm into the not-so-fun part of the pregnancy where I'm swollen, sick, and tired all the time. Already. I'm exhausted. I can't even pretend that I don't want this baby out NOW!

3 - I take a sleeping pill! The anti-nausea meds I still need are also a sleep-aid, but somehow have never seemed to help me sleep. Even my dr is confused by this one.

So really, I should be sleeping. The nausea and muscle spasms from pushing my body too far keep me from my rest. I have no idea how I'm going to function tomorrow, but Ethan won't disappear, so somehow I'll have to.