Welcome to my life

Yesterday was eventful to say the least.

- Connor is battling some sort of bug that appeared last Thursday. I finally decided to take him in to the doctor. Bad cough, runny nose, yellow discharge from eyes. Verdict? Allergies, which I kinda sorta don't agree with. He's now on Clariton once a day for a couple of weeks and some sort antibiotic eye drops. What does C think about that? No bueno. He spit the medicine out all over the couch this morning and screams "it tickles! (???) whenever we are able to pry an eye open to get drops in it. He's growing like a weed, though. 36lbs! Big boy!

Besides that, this is what went down.

-My car would not start, so I somehow figured out how to jump start my car without killing myself in order to get to town.

- While doing this, Declan threw up all over his clothes. And then pooped.

- I get to the doctors office and immediately try to restart my car. It won't start. I must call my husband and let him know that we are stranded.

- I parked in a parking space that had a ton of empty spaces around it, that way DH could get in to jump start me. When I got out, EVERY PARKING SPOT WAS TAKEN. It was almost comical. So DH had to pull an "Austin Powers" (you know, back up then pull forward then back up and then pull forward) until he was close enough to start my car.

- I had to take C's prescription to get filled, which was going to take 2 hours. T.WO. So I went to Dh's work, where he left me so he could get another battery for my car.

- I then had to go back to pick up the medication and found out Tr.icare only pays for one of them. Oh, thanks.

-I am now in that awkward time table of "not enough time to go home, but also super early to pick up my kindergartner". So I have like 30 minutes to kill. Both boys are asleep! I can just park in the waiting line and read my book! Except Declan wakes up as soon as the car stops moving. And C wakes himself up coughing. Now they are both crying. Yay. *___ *

HOWEVER, when DH got home he took the two older ones outside with him and the baby ended up passing out for a 4 hour nap. So, it ended on a good note. :)

[totally picturing you all reading this like this]

Coming up - Declan turns 3 months next week. Someone hold me!

Little Ballerina

3 weeks ago Emma started her first dance class. She'd been doing gymnastics since she was 18mo and I felt like maybe we should try something else out. She enjoyed gymnastics while there, but she never talked about it between classes, didn't notice if we skipped a class, etc. So, right after Declan was born I took her out and started looking for dance classes. I found one that started in September and looked perfect for us. She's in a class for kindergartners-2nd graders and it's a ballet/tap/hip hop combo. Once a week and she has a big dance recital next May. SO looking forward to that. With gymnastics, it was just practice week after week, not really leading up to anything since there are no competitions at her age (and considering how little she really thought about it, I'm not sure she would have put in the time to actually get on the team).

And oh my word, she LOVES it! I wish I would have just made the switch sooner. She smiles the whole time and asks constantly throughout the week when it's time for ballet again. She's also excited at the thought of preforming on stage because my daughter is a weirdo and loves stuff like that (I am obviously a normal person and have a huge case of stage fright ;) ). I've been joking that she must of gotten her dancing abilities from her father (to which he replied, "you mean she was awesome out there? Ha) but this week she was much more in control of her body and I think come May she, and the rest of the group, will have their dances down.

Happy 3rd birthday!

My sweet, sweet middle child turned 3 years old on Monday of this week (the 10th). It has been such a wonderful 3 years of being his mama. Never had to deal with tantrums, no separation anxiety, slept through the night by 2mo, gained weight well and never got sick....all in all, a perfect child. The definition of a middle child. He was always a serious baby, never quick to smile and how you had to work for those laughs. I think that made them extra special. He's not quite so serious now and his sense of humor? I better get myself prepared now for lots of trips to the principals office because he's going to be the class clown. He still co-sleeps which doesn't bother me in the slightest (although I do get a few horrified looks when I mention it). He's only little this one time and he'll move into his own room in his own time. I will also be able to tell his future wife that he is a bed hog, so she will be prepared for that. He loves chicken nuggets with "big ketchup" (which means he just wants a huge glop of ketchup that takes up half the plate). He still loves his binkie and I am taking the same approach I take with the sleeping arrangements: he's only little once. As long as he doesn't have it stuffed in his pocket on his wedding day we'll be doing good. He's about 75% potty trained. He can count to 20, knows all shapes (including trapezoid!) and colors, and has absolutely no interest in ever learning the abc's. He can play computer games like a pro and wants to be Mike the Knight when he grows up. He's so excited about getting bigger and tells me constantly that "I'm a big boy!". He still has some baby chub, which I love. He's a boy through and through and has forced me to start learning superhero names. What is it with boys and super hero's? It's like they are programmed from birth to be obsessed with men in tights and capes and to run around in batman underwear yelling "POWER!" (this happened today).

Connor has taught me what it means to be a mommy to a little boy and I couldn't be more blessed to have him. Happy birthday my sweet boy! I love you more than words can say.

2 months!

Declan turned 2 months old way back on the 2nd and what a month it has been! This little ball of grumpiness has slowly turned into this slightly larger ball of happiness (there is still some meanness mixed it, but it's more of the normal variety and not the 'omg, my child has colic' type). 

Sleeping patterns - Sleeping is still hit or miss, but definitely more hitting right now. He goes to bed around 9pm or so and then sleeps until sometime between 4-5:30. Eats and then goes back to sleep until 8 or so. So, a nice little stretch there. If I'd actually go to bed at 9 and I'd get a lot of sleep but I end up staring at the computer like a zombie until at least 11, go to sleep, and then moan about how tired I am the next morning. I'm going to kick myself the night he ends up waking up every hour (he's slept so good lately that I KNOW it's coming). Naps are still a work in progress, but I've learned my lesson of trying to get him to nap in the living room where all the action is. I've been laying him on either my bed or Em's bed ( no worries, he's safe) and he's had several good naps there. His favorite place to nap is still in his car seat. Only problem is, the car seat must be in the car. With the car running. And moving. So there are days where I'm all "Connor, let's go to sonic!" just because D had been fighting sleep all day.

Height - he's 10 weeks old and last time he was measured was 2 weeks ago. He was 22 inches then.

Weight - 2 weeks ago he was 11lbs 5oz.

Eating Habits - While we don't really have a set schedule down, he usually eats every 3-4hrs during the day, unless he gets sleepy inbetween that. Then he snacks himself to sleep. From about 7-to whenever he finally conks out is also a big cluster feeding. With the bottle. LOL. He eats usually 4oz at a time, although I've noticed there are times where 30 minutes later he wants 2 more oz, so we'll be into the 5-6oz bottle range here soon enough. As for nursing, I guess we can consider me still doing it? He nurses a few times a day, never for long, but long enough to keep at least a little milk supply up. I have thoughts every once in awhile to  ditching the bottle and work on getting my supply up (since he does still latch on fine) but for the most part I am happy with how things are going in this department.

New foods he liked - nothing but formula and breastmilk in these parts!

New discoveries he's made - Since we're still in the beginning stages of this month, there hasn't been A LOT of new things going on. He's super,SUPER, smiley and I swear a laugh is coming any minute. He puts his hands together all the time, and has started bicycling his little leggies. He's also been focusing on certain objects and you can just see the wheels turning in his head as he tries to figure out how to move his hands toward it. My smart man!

Me - I'm doing well in the emotional department. Physical department is still an on-going process. Why can't I lose these extra 8lbs?! I can tell you exactly where those extra pounds are hanging out, too (4lbs in my butt/thigh region, 3lbs in my stomach, and 1lb split between my arms. I don't wave at people at the moment..hah). I ran for about 11 minutes on the treadmill before thinking "I'm so bored!" so obviously I am doing everything in my power to lose this weight - this is sarcasm. I am doing nothing but complaining about the weight - this is truth. I have given myself a goal. All weight off by Halloween. So there, stubborn me.

Whooo Pig Sooie!

Update on school

I am so thankful to have a little girl who loves school. The last 3-4 weeks have been really emotional and I'm pretty sure the only reason I'm not stuffed into a straight jacket at this point is because she was/is so calm about the whole thing. I keep hearing stories of kids who cried when their parents left and I swear I feel my heart just breaking. especially since I have this nagging feeling that I'll be going through that when C starts school.

The first day of kindergarten, I was up like 2hrs before I needed to be. I was so freaking _nervous_ about how the day was going to go. Would she cry? Would she get lost? What if I have a complete meltdown and the principal has to carry me out of the building? These were all legit concerns. DH took the morning off to see his little girl off to school, so it was nice having another adult there while I was learning the new school day routine. (for what it's worth, I have that down to a T now. I think I could pack a lunch/sign a check/feed a baby all at the same time now). I got her dressed in one of her new outfits, tried to talk her into eating something - didn't work - and away we went. 

The plan was for all of us to walk her to her classroom, but I guess every other parent had the same idea, since it was a mad-house. DH eventually just decided to stay in the car with the boys while I walked Em to her room. To get to her room you have to walk through the 4th grade wing, and let me tell you. 4th graders are intimidating. They have this aura about them that says "yeah, I'm the top dog around here". Plus the fact that most of them were taller than me! So yeah, we staked out the place and found a better, more direct, route to where she waits for her class that doesn't involve walking through a hall of menacing 10 year olds. ;)

The first day I was able to walk her directly to her classroom. I helped her put her backpack in her little cubby, walked her to her desk and then stood in the doorway with my heart in my throat. She just looked so _tiny_ sitting there and it took everything in me not to just scoop her up and run out of there. I didn't want to linger too long so I put my sunglasses back on (to hide the tears)and walked away. And oh how it hurt. By the time I got back to the car, the tears were coming hot and fast. We didn't know any different, her and I. I had been a stay at home mom since the beginning and suddenly this new person, this STRANGER, was going to have her more throughout the week than I was. DH was awesome and had me giggling by the time we left the parking lot by telling me stories of all the other moms who were coming out of the school bawling their eyes out. Then, when we turned on the radio, one of the announcers was joking around and was telling everyone to take it easy on the road, since there would be a lot of parents out and about that morning who'd be trying to drive through all the tears. Strangely, that also made me feel better. I guess it reminded me that I wasn't the only one hurting that morning. Some probably even had it worse, since I'm sure not all kids went willingly into their rooms after a quick hug from mom like mine did. 

I watched the clock that entire day and had the boys packed in the car ready to go about 10 minutes before we ever had to leave. My teeny girl came out of the building with a huge smile on her face and it hasn't been any different in the past 3 weeks. She goes to school happy and excited and comes out grinning. I thank my lucky stars every day for that. As for me, I'm doing ok. I sign what I need to sign in her folder, I send checks for school t-shirts, and I look forward to school fundraisers like it's my job (and it sort of is). I'm trying to be the best parent of a kindergartner I can be. I might even attend my first PTA meeting next week. :)

First day of school

All backed up

I could have probably found a more appropriate name for this post (hee. 15yr old sense of humor FTW) but it's true. I'm all backed up. On posts, that is. I still haven't managed to write about Em's first few weeks of school, Declan somehow turned 2 months over the weekend, and Labor Day weekend really deserves a post of it's own. And oh, I STILL have to write about D's birth story. Luckily I've written it out somewhere else, so it's just a matter of copy and paste.

The thing is, I have absolutely no time! Right now C is hovering around me saying "can I play games now?". He's discovered the joys of online games (thank you, Nick jr) and insists on doing them THE WHOLE DAY. I have to literally pry him from the the computer during meals and when it's time to go get Em from school. Declan has decided not to sleep during the day unless he's in the carseat, in a moving car. So, his naps have correlated with morning drop off and afternoon pickup. This means during the day he's awake and demanding attention. and sitting here in the bouncy seat while I try to type obviously doesn't do it for him.

So yeah, I've been slacking. I do plan on getting in Emma's kindergarten post and D's 2 month post by this weekend. I hope. But in the meantime, a few quick things.

* C's birthday party is this sunday and we ordered him an awesome castle birthday cake yesterday

* D had two 9 hour nights this week. I felt like I'd slept for a week!

* My weight loss is still going nice and slow. In the last 3 weeks I've lost 1.5 pounds. I have no idea why I am averaging only 1/2 a pound a week right now, but it's all kinds of irritating. Still 8lbs to go!

* 2 out of 3 kids have their Halloween costumes already! Can I get a high five?!

* Emma asked a little boy on the playground to marry her yesterday. I am in some major trouble here in about 10 years! LOL

* E ended up square dancing in TWO groups over the weekend and somehow _I_ was the one exhausted by the end of it. Oh, to be young. ;)