June is 17 months old

I just ate cookies until I felt sick.  Now I'm in bed and I haven't washed my face one single time today  but I brushed my teeth.  June is getting her 4th molar in two weeks.

She's 17 months old and I took her to the dr. today.  26 pounds and in 18 month clothes.  I took her to the doctor because she is especially ornery lately.  Turns out it's just teething.  Aye Carumba.  She is SO much work right now.  SO.  MUCH. WORK.   I am still appreciative, however that she is still a baby and she breathes like a baby and sleeps with her butt in the air even though she gives me tension headaches and dark circles and makes me eat cookies until I'm sick.  This morning in my Barre3 class my instructor told everyone she didn't feel good yesterday so she "binge-watched Empire."  I was so envious.

Charlie told me he hated me yesterday for the very first time.  I told my sister and she said "is that the first time he's said that?"  She has a 5 year old girl.

Charlie has a lot of girl friends at school and his vocabulary now includes the words "whatever" and "oh my god."  That's Makena sitting next to him in both pictures.  I'm sad she won't 'be in his class next year.






Charlie is almost 4 years old.  He hates sleeping alone and needs me to lay down next to him as he falls asleep. It's really sweet how important I am to him.  Tonight as he was falling asleep he told me he wants June to invite him to her birthday party and he wants her to come to his birthday party too.  He also can't wait until her baby voice goes away and she has long hair and can sleep in his bed every night.

Right now life is simple and my family is great.  Please give me the strength to leave my vanity aside and help me to do more yoga, to eat better and to go to sleep earlier.  Good night!

My Experience with a Colicky Baby

I just found this unpublished blog post from 1 whole year ago.  Thought I should post it.  On a side note, June is now wonderful and it was all worth it and I'd do it over again to get this toddler I have now.  On a side note, I still don't fall into bed and put lotion on my hands.

I have a three month old baby girl and she is crazy colicky.  I thought Charlie was bad but oh man, step aside.  June is scream city and she is loud!  I can't wait to get through this, to be on the other side.  I can't wait to offer my sympathies to a new mom and tell her I've been there (and I'm on the other side).  I can't wait to have some sort of of normalcy in my life!  Please, let it happen soon!

June's colic is super extreme.  This existence right now is extreme.  My body is now shaped like a C from all the bouncing.  My skin is wrecked, hair unkempt… you get it.  I don't look my best right now.  Every day is a battle filled with anxiety, fear, love, happiness, exhaustion, and again, lots and lots of bouncing.

I've given up dairy and caffeine.  I question every single thing I eat and I'm scared to eat out in public for fear that the cooks will sneak an onion into my food and as a result I'll be up that much longer at night.  We started her on acid reflux medicine and I think it's helped?  But the gas pains are still there.  I called her pediatrician today to let him know that she's still crazy and her gas is still really bad.  His advice?  To be more vigilant about burping her.  So, so awesome.  Thanks for the help.

When I do get to put her down, and when Charlie is asleep or otherwise occupied, I go into frantic "what is the priority" mode.  What is the most important task to get done right now… wash my hair, no… go to the bathroom… maybe… drink water… okay, probably.  And if I manage to get in the shower, I have to think, "what is my priority while in the shower?"  Because at any moment, the baby might start crying again and free time is over!

I dream about what I will do when I'm through this.  I'm going to wake up early, drink coffee with milk, and get ready for the day, I'm going to work out in the mornings and I'm going to eat right.  I'm going to drink wine at night, and fall into bed and put lotion on my hands while chatting with my husband about how his day went.

Is it getting better now that she's 3 months?  In some ways, yes. She has two sleep sessions on her own in her rock n play sleeper, one around 1pm and one around 8pm.  But it seems like the crying sessions are getting to be longer and louder.  She is becoming more aware and it's making it harder on her and on me.  I haven't slept longer than 4 hours in a row since she was born.  I can't sleep through her crying.  If I'm asleep and I hear her, my heart starts beating and I'm wide awake even though my body is beyond fatigued.  Just like with Charlie, I have a hard time letting anyone else take care of her when she's crying.  So on this note, I want to write down how to handle the mom of a colicky baby.  I want to get it down while I'm in the thick of things because otherwise I'll forget, just like you forget the pains of childbirth.

1.) If you see a mom with a screaming baby, don't try to give her advice in that moment, she can't hear what you are saying.  Instead, hold the door open for her, or let her go in front of you in line.

2.) If you are chatting with a mom with a colicky baby and the baby is not screaming, please (still) don't give her advice.  Instead, just listen, and say, "that is awful, I'm sorry you are having such a hard time." 

3.) If you are a friend, please barge into the new mom's house and do dishes, vacuum, do laundry, and cook.  Don't come over with advice on how to handle it all.  And under NO circumstances should you tell her to STAY POSITIVE!

4.)  Don't ever  tell a mom with a colicky baby that she looks exhausted.

5.) Don't ever tell her that you feel tired too BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT AS TIRED so just keep it to yourself!

6.) Don't buy her any baby clothes.  Colicky babies don't wear clothes, they were PJ's.  Instead, buy the mom a hydrating/exfoliating mask and a comfy blanket or sweater.

OK, that's all I wrote one year ago.  Pretty good advice to keep in mind!  I never did figure out what was wrong with her.  I chalk it up to "immature gut" just like Charlie had.

Here's my baby June at 3 months old:

And her she is now at 16 months old:

Time flies, right?

Sausage and Cauliflower Gratin

Before the arrival of baby #2, I need to figure out how to do a meal plan once a week then stick to going to the store twice a week, without Charlie.  He thinks he gets a cookie every time we go to the store.  How do I avoid breaking him of this habit?  By not taking him anymore and when I do, he gets a special treat.  Is that bad?  I potentially have a VERY spoiled child on my hands.  My sweet little 2 year old.

I signed up for emeals.com through groupon and so far the recipes are working. 

I made this last night and my two picky eaters ate it.  Charlie just picked through for the cauliflower but at least he ate something other than breakfast food!

Sausage and Cauliflower Gratin 

8 cups cauliflower florets
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 (4-oz) links sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
2 cups chopped onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
3⁄4 teaspoon salt
1 (26-oz) jar bottled marinara sauce (I think you should add less to taste, one jar was too much to me)
1 cup pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped (I would half this next time)


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange cauliflower florets in a steamer basket over boiling water. Cover and steam cauliflower 2 minutes; pat dry. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; sauté sausage in oil 6 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add onion and garlic; sauté 4 minutes. Stir in salt and marinara sauce; reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes. Toss cauliflower and olives together; arrange in a greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Pour sausage mixture over cauliflower; bake 25 minutes or until heated. 

Here is a photo just to make this post more interesting (we are redoing our backyard, it's going to take about a month):  


The ivy is gone, the fence is new, and we have removed all the trees but two.  The rest were dead because the ivy grew up into the branches and suffocated them.  Ivy is evil!

Charlie LOVES the improvements.  Backhoes!  Excavators!  Dump trucks!  Rocks! He had an absolute melt down last night when it was time for bed.  "I want more running" was said over and over and over.

Still "Spirited" at almost two years old

I have been told over and over that Charlie is "spirited."  Is this what "spirited" looks like?

He was in a bad mood already but this particular spirited moment was because I wouldn't let him throw the dirt in the dust pan back onto the floor.

Charlie is nearing two years old and his mood swings are getting sharper.  I have started to re-read "The Happiest Toddler on the Block" to try and understand how to deal with him.  He is challenging to say the least but what makes it even harder is that his personality does not seem to be anything like my own.  I think this personality of his will be great when he's older (and it's fantastic when he's in a good mood) but right now it is really tough to deal with.

On a side note, I think I mentioned this before, the first time I tried to purchase "The Happiest Toddler on the Block" Charlie threw a tantrum in a long line at the book store so I had to put the book down and walk out.  Ironic?

Maybe he's just growing or maybe I need to feed him better or get him to sleep more.  Who knows, this toddler is quite an enigma.  A cute enigma though!

20 months old

Charlie is now 20 months old!  Last time I posted, he was 14 months, whoops! Today he weighs 31 pounds and is wearing size 7.5 shoes.

At his 18 month check-up, Charlie weighed 29.5 lbs (97th percentile), was 34.5 inches (98th percentile), and his head was in the 99th percentile!

Some mornings I treat myself and we go to La Boulange for a chocolate croissant:

I love going there.  Charlie loves it too.  He is so social and he says hi to everyone when we walk in, thank you when they hand us the croissant, and bye to everyone as we leave.  He loves attention.

He now has ALL of his teeth.  This last week the top two-year molars have been breaking through.  These have been the hardest and thank god they're the last!  He is having a hard time sleeping and everything is a battle.  Getting into the car, getting out of the car, putting on shoes, changing his diaper. I want the real Charlie back, not this sad, pouty one.

Charlie is obsessed with the garage (when he says the word, it sound like sha-sh).  He would be happy if he could spend all day out there with access to everything.  His most used word is "hammer" and he carries his hammer with him everywhere.  Yesterday he insisted on napping with it.  "Hamm-moo, Hamm-moo!"

Every Tuesday and Thursday morning we have playgroup with Miss Shelley.  This is what I look forward to most during the week.  It's a chance for Charlie to play and do crafts and run around while I get to sit back and talk to other moms (and sometimes dads) in the group.  Miss Shelly is awesome and patient and laid back and Charlie loves her.  He always hugs her and seeks her attention.  This class has helped him learn about group participation and it's helped me see what type of kid he is around other kids.  He is social and bright and energetic and I am happy to see how much he enjoys it.

In February we flew to Oregon to visit with Melanie's family at her in-law's house in Sisters.

 

Scott and Matt skiied while we stayed home with the children (of course).  Lots of eating and drinking wine was had.  Some snow play and spa time happened as well.  Oh, and there was a bounce house in the garage!

Besides spending time with Melanie, I think my favorite part of the trip was visiting the fish hatchery. We bought fish food and fed the fish and they jumped to grab the food and it was so thrilling to Charlie.  I didn't take any photos because I was too busy making sure he didn't jump into the water due to extreme excitement.

There's too much to update in this one blog post and it's 8:40 which means it's nearing my bedtime.  

In closing, I wanted to show what a bad-ass Charlie is becoming at the playground!

Look out Hap Magee!

Look out Sycamore Valley!

Look out Diablo Vista!

Look out Osage!

We are OWNING it at the park!

16 Months Old

Charlie is nearly 16 months old!



At fifteen months, Charlie weighed 28 pounds and was 30" in height.  He's still in the 97th percentile for weight but in height he came out to be in the 75th percentile.  It seems to me like he's thinning out but those statistics prove me wrong.



As I write this I am sitting outside enjoying the warm fall day we are having and Charlie is riding his ATV around the backyard.  He has started mimicking sounds that certain things make.  He's making a revving sound on the ATV.  He has a fake vacuum that he's obsessed with and he also makes a vacuum sound when he's pushing it around.  The different noises all sound the same to me but I'm sure in Charlie's head they are a very specific tune.

He's just so active, as is every kid his age.  He has added to his moving talents running, spinning in a circle, and walking backwards.  He's working on climbing but he's still being very careful with that.  It's fun to watch him climb the steps at the playground and go down the slide all by himself.  Charlie seems to be fearless.  He loves everything we've let him try at the playground.

He got his first haircut!  His hair was about to get into his eyes and the duck fuzz in the back was getting so out of control that I knew it was time.

Before:







After:



A few days ago we were visiting Scott's cousin's family (the Wreden's) in Pleasanton and an airplane flew by really close en route to the Livermore airport.  It was very exciting for Charlie and now every time we go outside he points to the sky as if he's recounting what happened in Pleasanton.

It's nearly impossible to hang out at home right now.  Charlie wants to get into every cabinet that is locked and he wants to test out every faucet and toilet and door.  It's very frustrating to him how many constraints he has while inside and once he gets frustrated reasoning with him is like reasoning with a neanderthal.  I've gotten into the habit of packing everything we need in the car before he wakes up and getting out for the entire duration of his wake cycles.  It's going to prove to be more challenging once winter is here.  Maybe it's time for preschool.  I hear there are places that take 18 month olds!

Charlie has a new word each week.  Last week it was 'shoes' and this week it's 'waffle.'  His favorite things to do are go  feed the ducks with mom and go to swim class with dad on Saturday mornings.  Every time he sees a river or a bird or a picture of a duck he goes into a crazy duck quacking rant.  Every time he sees his swim trunks he pulls them out and hands them to me.  I know he's thinking, if i put these on then daddy and I will go to swim class!

We're still outside and Charlie has found his deflated kiddie pool and he's trying desperately to drag it to the grass and he can't because it's too heavy.  I wish he would just give it up and move onto something else.  He seems to be very headstrong.  This will prove to be valuable when he's older but right now it's a difficult part of his personality for me to deal with.

Charlie is still very fun and loud and social but he has recently become very attached to mom and dad and has a little separation anxiety.  The fun part is we get lots more hugs and kisses than we used to get.  I'll take it!

16 months is a fun age and I can't wait to see what else he'll discover this week!

Shiner!

Is this how it is going to go with a little boy?  Ever since Charlie's last fall, my heart skips a beat every time he topples forward or gets close to a trip hazard but I have slowly relaxed and gotten over the busted lip incident.  Today I was working out and Charlie was in the little daycare room right in the same studio and I heard him cry.  He never cries.  Low and behold, I get called out of class and I turn the corner to see my little cherub baby with an instant black eye.  He hit it on the corner of a low bookcase while he was playing.  He didn't cry too much and he was laughing within one minute of when I collected him from daycare.  My little baby is walking and he is starting to run and now he's trying to climb!  Here is a photo of us leaving the studio this afternoon.  My poor little baby!