Chocolate Chip Pancakes!

Someone enjoyed her breakfast this morning.  :-)

First Snow

We had our first snow this weekend.  The kids stood at the front door for a really long time watching their daddy snow blow the driveway. 

And then Ian wanted to suit up and go outside and "help" so I got him dressed and he happily helped his daddy shovel the walkway.

Ian REALLY had a good time in the snow.  He stomped around in it and made snow angels.  And we went sledding in our backyard and he was happy.  This was a nice change from when he was 2 when he HATED the snow.  (We didn't end up getting to see his reaction as a 3 year old since there was no snow last year!)  

On the other hand, we got to re-live an almost 2-year old's reaction to the snow.  Samantha, like her brother 2 years ago, HATED it.  She was mostly okay if you held her.  In the picture below, I got a tiny little smile out of her.

But if you put her down, even on the shoveled driveway, the tears began to flow.  Man, she did NOT want to be in the snow.  Here is the proof.  My poor baby.

*Update*

We played outside again in the snow the following day.  After a while, Sammy decided she wanted to walk in the snow while holding onto her daddy's hand.  So I was very proud of her for that.

Cute Sammy Things - 20 months

Here are some of the cute things Sammy says at 20 months:

"Uh dowwwwn" = upside down

"Nani" = banana (She demands these often and can eat a ridiculous amount)

"Mammy" = Sammy

"baby" = binkie

"dooop" = soup

"dork" = fork

"dookie" = cookie

I can't believe the verbal explosion.  She knows so many words and can express herself so well.

She also does this drama queen act when she doesn't get her way.  She falls to the floor on her knees, and puts her forehead against the floor and the back of her fists to her eyes.  It's so funny that it makes me laugh every time.  It's always pretty short-lived so let's hope it doesn't turn into a many minute tantrum.

She won't let me brush her hair.  It's really starting to grow now and I'd like to keep it on the longer side  (at least shoulder length).  But I'm guessing she won't let me put anything in her hair to keep it out of her eyes.  So we'll have to wait and see how that will go.

She loves to run naked through the house after her bath.  She will let me dry her off and then she'll look at me and say "run?" and when I let her go, she goes flying into the kitchen.  I usually yell "INCOMING!" so that my husband can be there to greet her as she runs her naked body right over to him.  It's hysterical.

School Transitions

Roughly 3.5 years ago, I chose a daycare for Ian, my infant, my first baby.  I struggled to pick one, but found one that seemed like it had the right combination of care, good and happy teachers, a loving and competent director, great facilities (including a gym!) and convenience (close to our home and highway).  And when Sammy was born, it seemed natural to put her in the infant room to be cared for by the same teachers that cared for Ian.  But things have changed.  The director left and after many many months, a new director was hired.  The teachers weren't happy with the new director and turnover was high.  And I wasn't happy with the lack of communication from the new director.  But I figured I would stick around as long as Ian's teacher stayed since he was doing really well under her care.  But then I got the notice that she was leaving too.  So it was time to make the jump.  I knew that we were going to need a different school in 2 years anyway when Ian entered the public school system so we just transitioned earlier than I had originally planned.

So far, the transition has gone fairly smoothly.  Luckily, one of his classmates from his old school had also transitioned to the new school and so he had an instant friend.  But Ian is struggling a bit with the new rules, which are more rigid than his old school.  They provide lunch at the new school and so he's really been missing his favorite sandwich with sunflower seed butter and raspberry jelly.  And they provide a blanket and sheet for nap time and so no more Lightning McQueen pillow and blanket.  It's a distraction.  And his new teachers are not going to tolerate his tantrums.  He's almost 4 and so it's really just time to stop.  He can communicate with words very well and so there is no need to behave that way. 

We were thinking about ways to reward Ian for good behavior instead of just taking things away from him (like his stuffed animals).  The sticker chart worked so well for Ian when he was potty training so we decided to use one to reward good behavior/lack of tantrums.  So far, it's working.  He didn't have any tantrums at school today and we rewarded him with 2 stickers.  He earned a third sticker by helping Sammy take off her socks and shoes.  So cute!

Sammy's transition at the new school has been a breeze.  She seems really happy and I like her teachers.  So far, at 20 months of age, she hasn't had any tantrums and I'm crossing my fingers it will stay that way.

The great thing about this new school is that they provide after-school care for kids in the public school system.  They provide transportation from the public school back to the center.  This is a really great option for us as Ian will have a place to go after school and we will be able to pick up both kids in the same place (despite them being 2 years apart in age).  So Sammy can continue to have full time daycare until she's ready to enter the public school system too.  And the school can be really flexible too.  If my mother-in-law wants to spend time with the kids after school but doesn't want to do it 5 days a week, she can do 2 days and the kids can go to the daycare center the other 3 days.  Awesome.  I'm not sure if this is what we'll end up doing, but it's nice to know that they're in a school that has this as an option.

So Thankful

I've been struggling with the tragedy in Newtown, CT.  I grew up roughly 20 minutes away and used to swim in the Newtown pool in high school.  It could have been my town.  It could have been my kids' school.  It could have been my kids who didn't come home safely that day.  I've been trying to hold back the tears each day.  Sometimes I'm successful...

It's been terrible.  But it reminds me how unbelievably thankful I am for this:

I have been hugging my kids a lot and will NEVER take them for granted.  I am so lucky to be their mom.

Sammy's 18 Month Stats

Sammy had her 18 month well-baby visit this morning.  Thankfully, she still had tubes in both ears and I've got my fingers crossed that we'll get through the winter with them staying intact.  Here are her stats:

Height:  33"  (83%)
Weight:  23 lb 3.2 oz (31%)
Head Circumference:  46 cm (33%)

She is growing nicely along all of her curves and the doctor had zero concerns.  Hooray!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!  My husband did a great job carving some pumpkins and our front door looked super cool.

Here's my fireman.

My little kitty.  She had super cute ears and a little boa to wear too, but she wanted NOTHING to do with the accessories.

While my husband took Ian trick or treating, Sammy and I held down the fort giving out candy.  We sat on our front stoop and had lots of fun.  She never fail to make me smile.

Autumn!

I'm totally behind on my posts, but at least I can post some pics of the fun we had with leaves in our yard:

My Smart Kiddos

I had parent-teacher conferences for Ian and Sammy yesterday.  I know, it's a bit ridiculous to have conferences for a 3.5 year old and a 1.5 year old.  But the school was offering it to all parents and I decided to take advantage of it to learn a bit more about how my kids fared for the 10 hours per day they were being cared for by someone other than me and my husband.

I met with Ian's teacher first.  She immediately talked about how unbelievably smart he is.  Of course, that made me very proud.  I know he is smart, but it's nice to hear it validated by someone who is around lots of kids all day.

We talked a lot about what to do when Ian gets "stuck" - if he's tired or hungry or generally being crabby, he gets very upset when he doesn't get what he wants.  And it's hard to get him out of that state of being.  As an example, when I picked him up from school the other day, he got annoyed that I was there because he was just about to play with blocks and I interrupted his fun plans.  So he whined about that for a while until we passed the BBQ truck on the way home and then he whined about how he wanted BBQ for dinner and that we never stop and crab...crab...crab.  And once we got home, it morphed into the fact that he wanted to watch TV and I didn't let him and cry...cry...cry.  The teacher thinks he's seeking attention and right now, the way he knows how to get attention is to be whiny and annoying and throw tantrums because hey, it gets him attention.  We have to think of ways to get him to seek positive attention instead of negative attention.  So I've got some ideas and hopefully we'll find something that works.  In general, he's been acting a lot better, but it's truly hard when he gets stuck.  It requires a lot of patience to deal with and even on good days, my bowl isn't chock full of patience.

On the positive side, he knows the sound that each letter makes and has started sounding out some words.  He told us all the other day that W or "Double You" starts with "D".  I started to tell him that no, "W" didn't start with "D" but then thought about how it sounded and was shocked to realize he was right!  Apparently, he is grasping this skill very early.  It will be very interesting to watch his development.  He really wants to learn how to read and so if he's motivated, I bet he'll get it early.

My big boy is also wearing undies to bed now instead of pull ups.  He's been dry every morning for over 1 month and consistently wakes up once or twice to pee in the middle of the night.  It amazes me that he can do this at such an early age, but hey, I'll take it.  He's never been one of those kids that sleeps like the dead.  We are never able to transfer him sleeping out of a car seat and into bed.  He always wakes up.  So I guess it's not surprising that a full bladder wakes him up.

Lastly, I'm also so proud of how Ian is doing socially.  He is not a shy kid and will start chatting with anyone who wants to engage him.  He's eager to talk to new people.  Last night, I brought both kids to the doctor for flu shots and while we were waiting in line, he was chatting with a woman in the waiting area.  I checked in on him and asked him if he was "socializing."  He said "No, mommy, I'm talking to this lady!"  That, of course, made everyone who heard laugh.

And Sammy is doing GREAT!  I think she's going to give her big brother a run for his money.  When I asked her teacher if she seemed to be developing normally, he said they she absolutely was and if anything, she was ahead of her classmates.  He said that she's starting to pick up their routines and without being asked, she will go sit down when it's circle time.  He laughed and said it was making their lives easier because instead of the teachers having to herd the kids, they can just say "hey everyone, go sit next to Sammy."

She's not quite 18 months old yet and already communicates so well.  I can't even begin to count the number of words she knows.  Her pronunciation isn't perfect, but it's pretty easy to understand what she's talking about or what she wants.  She knows where most of her body parts are and will say mouth, nose, ear, and eye.  She knows some animal names (like kitty, doggie, owl and fish) but will make the sounds that many other animals make (like hoo hoo, meow, woof and baaaa).  I have to remember to record her "meow" because it is so freakin' adorable and I need to be able to listen to that when she's off in college.

I remember being SO frustrated with Ian before he was 20 months because I could NOT communicate with him and he would get so upset that I didn't understand what he wanted.  With Sammy, that is not an issue.  When we ask if she's hungry or wants to sleep, she says "yeah".  She will push food away and say "no" when she is done eating.  She says "out" when she wants to get out of her chair and "up" when she wants to be picked up.  She adores reading books (just like her brother) and will sit and read with us for very long periods of time.  I can't wait to see how she continues to develop.

Man, I love my kids!

Bar Mitzvah Celebration

This past weekend, we traveled to Baltimore to attend my oldest nephew's bar mitzvah.  I was worried about the trip for a variety of reasons.  First, we haven't traveled much with two children and the last time we traveled by plane, Sammy was less than 1 year old, much more malleable and a lot less mobile.  Second, I wasn't sure how we would all handle sleeping in the same room.  Third, my brother goes to a conservative temple and they had a strict rule against electronics/anything with batteries during the ceremony.  My god, what was I going to do with the kids for over 3 hours of ceremony!?

But I am happy to report that it was a FANTASTIC trip.  The hardest part, honestly, was packing for the trip.  I hate packing for myself, let alone also making sure we had the right clothes, shoes and snacks for the kids.  Sammy and Ian were great on the plane.  I felt bad because I had promised Ian that he could look out the window but it turns out we were in the VERY last row of the plane, which had no window seat!  Luckily, he wasn't too upset and we had a very nice flight attendant who talked to him and gave him extra animal crackers.  As a reward for being incredibly well-behaved, Ian got to sit in the cockpit when we got off the plane.  Here he is, so proud to be sitting where the pilot sits!

As for sleeping in the same room with the kids, it turned out to be totally fine.  It was a little tricky getting Ian to go to sleep while we were still in the room.  He wanted to chat.  But we told him it was bedtime, turned out all the lights and pretended to go to sleep ourselves.  He thought it was really great that he had an entire queen-sized bed to himself (although despite the little body in the big bed, he still managed to fall out of bed one night!).

And as figuring out what we would do in the temple for 3 hours without our electronic gadgets, that worked out fine too.  Ian played with his cousins and some action figures.  And I did a lot of walking up and down the aisles with Sammy, which was nice because I got to show her off.  Everyone thought she was deliciously cute in her dress.

Here are the kids in their dress up clothes:

The bar mitzvah ceremony itself was a doozie - it was very long and ran even longer than expected!  It was close to 1 pm before we had lunch - good thing I had given the kids lots of snacks before then!  Sammy had a little lunch and then her little body couldn't hang on anymore.  She fell asleep in my arms and I set her down to change her diaper before we went back to the hotel for a real nap.   Here's the photo evidence:

The rest of the weekend was just so much fun (despite the fact that the kids look so serious in this picture).

My brother's wife had great dinners planned on both Friday and Saturday nights.  And the kids had a blast at their house.  They have this super awesome swing and Ian LOVED LOVED LOVED it (despite the fact that he hasn't, in the past, been a kid who likes swings).  And of course, his grandpa Hoopie was there to keep him safe and swing him.

And Sammy also wanted in on the action:

And man, it was so nice to be with my siblings.  With my sister in Florida, my brother in Maryland and me in Massachusetts and all of us having 2 kids, it's very rare that we're all in the same place at the same time. I think the last time we did it was in Cancun, Mexico (when I was pregnant with Sammy).  I wish we could do it more often.

And the trip back was great.  This time, Ian DID have a window seat, which he enjoyed a lot.  Here the kids are, sharing Ian's seat and hamming it up in front of the camera:

And when Ian went to the potty, Sammy was quick to steal his seat and read up on important airplane safety information:

So overall, I think I'm much less nervous about traveling now.  The kids are so much more adaptable than I ever give them credit for.  And they were really well-behaved.  I was really happy with how they acted on the plane.  Granted, it's a short flight from Boston to Baltimore, but they could have screamed the entire time.  Instead, we chatted, read books and ate snacks and smiled a lot.  I couldn't have asked for a better weekend.  Night night!

Random Cuteness

It appears that I'm too busy (or too lazy?) to post these days.  But here are some cute pictures!

This pretty much sums up Sammy's personality.  My goofy happy girl.

Ian was fighting monsters at momma's work.

Both Ian and Sammy LOVE LOVE LOVE books.

This is the face Sammy makes when you ask her to smile.

Still lovin' the double stroller!

Sammy's 15 Month Update

Sammy had her 15 month well-baby visit last week.  Here are her stats:

Height - 32 inches (88.14%)
Weight - 21 pounds, 12.8 ounces (30.44%)
Head Circumference - 45.2 cm (27.64%)

Sammy is a tall, lean eating machine!  Clearly, all the food she puts into her mouth is going into height growth and not weight growth!  She's doing really well - all her stats keep her on her growth curves.  She struck a nice pose for me on the examination table.

She's starting to say much more now.  As far as I can tell, she says the following words:

Ball
Book
Bubble
Milk
More
Ian
Daddy
Hat
Nose
Mouth
Uh oh
Wheeeeee
Wow

She understands so much more than she can speak.  When I ask her if she wants to put her shoes on, she promptly sits down and sticks out her feet.  It's a bummer for me, but she doesn't seem to use "Mama" correctly.  She says it but it never seems to be in reference to me.  Oh well.  She'll get there eventually.

Here she is saying and pointing to her nose:

And here is my beautiful girl fast asleep in her crib.  I'm so glad she got her daddy's nice full lips!

Ian's Bedtime Ritual

Every night at bedtime, Ian always says"Goodnight.  I'll see you in the morning when it's time to eat breakfast.  Good night."  I finally decided to record it so that we always remembered it.  Usually, he says it more frantically and at a higher pitch than tonight to try and get it all in right before we close his bedroom door.  But he was tired and slower tonight, which is probably for the best because if I recorded how he normally says it, you wouldn't understand a single word!

Musical Sammy

We showed Sammy how to blow into the harmonica and she loved it!  She is such a happy, smiley, fun little kid.  It's really tremendous fun to spend time with her.

Sammy also likes to dance to music.  I captured just a little bit of her head bopping here:

Done Breastfeeding

I stopped breastfeeding on July 9.  I didn't really do it consciously.  But Sammy, after waking up multiple times starting at 4:45 am, slept until 6:30 am.  I was already out of bed and eating breakfast when she was finally ready to get up.  I wasn't going to climb back into bed to nurse her.  And this morning, I got up and exercised and was in the middle of exercising when she woke up and my husband took care of her.  So I guess I'm done nursing!  I wish I had a conscious thought the last time I nursed her to think THIS IS THE LAST TIME I WILL EVER NURSE A BABY.  But I didn't.  And I think it's okay.

We've also decided to take Sammy's binkie away except for naps and nighttime sleeping.  She doesn't really need it during the day but if she has it, she will suck on it every single second of every single minute of every single day.  So bye bye binkie!  She's more than 14 months now.  If we don't get rid of it now, we may lose our opportunity to do it easily as she gets older.

Bad Blogger

I've been a bad blogger lately.  I used to blog so often, but lately, well, it's just hard.  Sammy has me up around 5:15 am or 5:30 am every day and after work, by the time we finish dinner, clean up and make lunches for the next day, it's 9 pm and I'm wiped.

Here is my bullet point update:

• I survived my weekend of parenting solo last weekend.  My husband did his annual Bike for MS ride, a 150 mile bike ride from Boston to Provincetown.  I'm very proud of him for doing the ride and I'm very proud of me for surviving the weekend.  I had a really great weekend with the kids.  Ian took pity on me and was very well-behaved.  I managed to grocery shop, feed the kids and I even mowed the lawn!  It helped that my in-laws took Ian on Sunday and it really helped that I had dinner at a friend's house on Saturday night and dinner at my in-laws on Sunday.
• Sammy gets up super early these days and about half the time ends up falling asleep again on the way to daycare.  She makes it until about 7:15 pm at night and then crashes hard.  It's been much easier to put her to bed these days.  She cries for about 20 seconds before sighing in relief that she can sleep.  
• Sammy is growing up so fast - she's 14 months already!  She's not saying much these days and often has the binkie stuffed in her mouth.  This past week, she's been running over to Ian and bashing him on the head with a toy.  When I yell "No!" at her, she laughs at me.  This doesn't bode well!  Daycare says she doesn't hit any other kids, so I guess it's special behavior she saves for her big brother.

Funny Conversation

This morning, Ian was playing with my vitamin bottles.  And he wanted me to show him which way to turn the cap to open it so he could see the pills inside.  Here is our conversation:

Ian:  Momma, which way do I turn the cap to open it?
Momma:  You turn it to the left, like this.  You see, leftie loosey and righty tighty?  You turn it to the left to open and the right to close.
Ian:  Leftie loosey?
Momma:  Yes, you turn it to the left to open it, so that you make it looser.  Leftie loosey.
Ian:  But "Loosey" is my cousin.  (Yes, indeed, he does have a cousin named "Lucy")

Commence laughter.

Sammy's New Skills

Sammy, at 13.5 months, has learned some new things recently.

1.  Her second word is "Hi!"  She says it in a very bubbly and cute manner, usually while waving her hand.

2.  She can open all of our bedroom and closet doors now.

3.  She loves to be on the couch, especially when Ian is also up there.  She know understands there is an edge you can fall off and can get off herself, going backwards.

The Inevitable Has Occurred

It was inevitable.  13.5 months after having Samantha, my period has returned.  I sort of expected it because there were signs of ovulation about 10 days ago and I was dropping everything in sight yesterday.  I'm a total clutz right before I get my period.  So there it is.  I'm actually pretty psyched that I've had about 2 years without a menstrual cycle - 37 weeks of pregnancy and now 13.5 months post-partum.  Hooray for breast feeding!  Body, you have served me well and I thank you.


*As an aside, I am still nursing Sammy but it is only in the mornings now.  And if I miss a feeding, there seems to be no difference in how I feel.  Certainly, there is no pain or engorgement.  It's been so nice weaning her gradually (as opposed to forcing Ian to wean around 11 months).

Hand Food and Mouth

Poor Sammy!  It appears she has contracted Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease, which is going around her daycare.  Yesterday, she came home with a fever of 101.8 and was very fussy.  We had a TERRIBLE night - she was awake and crying a lot.  This morning, she was fever-free and so we sent her to school.  But while at school, the blisters started showing up on her skin.  She has some on her thighs and a couple on her mouth, but her poor bum is one big horrible red rash.  It must hurt a lot.  And her throat must kill her because she doesn't want to eat at all and is drooling a ton (because she doesn't want to swallow her saliva).  I feel really bad for her.  At least she is drinking her milk.  She can go to school in the morning if she isn't super clingy, but we'll assess in the morning.  If she's feeling really crummy, I don't want to send her in.  She needs my love and attention and support right now.  I know a couple of adults who have contracted HFM and they say the throat pain is excruciating.  I hope she feels better really soon and I am crossing my fingers and toes that Ian doesn't get it.

Best Buds

Ian and Sammy are SO cute together.  Ian is constantly trying to hug her or kiss her.  Sometimes he also wants to tackle her.  And Sammy adores him.  She wants to be in whatever room he's in and will follow him to the bathroom or to his bedroom, which is not always what he wants.  I love watching them grow up together and it looks like they're going to be best buds!

Sammy's First Word!

Sammy's first word is...ball!  She says a lot of other things like "mama" or "dada" and she already says "uh oh" but this is the first word real word that she is using in the correct context.  I caught her saying it on video - she is 13 months old here.

Swingset!

My parents have been visiting for a week.  I'll be super sad to see them go tomorrow as it's always fun to have them here.  The kids love it and we play the card game "hand and foot" at night after the kids go to bed.

Last weekend, my husband and my dad put together a cool, new, awesome cedar swingset with a 10 foot slide and 4 different play levels.  (It's so great to have both a handy husband AND a handy father!)  Sammy ADORES the baby swing and would allow you to push her for hours if you wanted to do so.  Ian likes the glider (especially being pushed high into the tree) and likes to swing on his stomach on the other swing.  He and my dad played a ton in the playhouse - especially in the penthouse.  They also had a picnic at the built-in picnic table.  Ian has also managed to launch himself off the slide and into the center of our lawn with lots of giggles.  So all around, a big hit!  The girls who live across the street from us also love it.  In my opinion, it was money well spent.  We also use it for 20 minutes during the week, after we pick the kids up from daycare, before we go inside for dinner.  And here it is, in all of its glory.

Peek-A-Boo!

My mother played Peek-A Boo with Sammy.  Both of them totally cracked me up.  I'm glad I recorded my mother's voice and giggle - it's infectious and is now saved for all eternity.

Ian Quote

Ian came home from school the other day and said that he learned about strangers.  And how if you don't know someone's name, they're a stranger.  So I tried to reinforce the concept and told him that you don't go into a stranger's car, or hold their hand, or walk down the street with them or eat candy they are offering.  And at the end of my monologue, I said, "Do you understand?"  And he nodded his head and said he did understand.  So then I asked, "Ian, what do you do if a stranger asks you to do something."

And he looks straight at me and says, "You do it and you don't whine or crab."

Sammy is One!

Sammy is one.  I can't believe it.  This year went by soooooo quickly, although I will admit that the 7.5 months of pumping weren't fantastic.  But I did it!  Like her brother, Sammy never had a single ounce of formula.  I'm very proud of my achievement.  I started mixing regular milk with breast milk around 11 months and once I saw she did fine with that, I started dropping the pumps at work.  Now I only nurse her in the morning and at night before bedtime (although I lately I find myself feeding her around 3 am to soothe her back to sleep).  I'm not sure when I plan to stop nursing her.  I think I'll let her decide.  Unlike with Ian, where I had to stop breastfeeding in order to get my period back so that I could start trying to have Sammy, there is no artificial stop point for nursing Sammy.  I'll do it as long as she's interested.  (And as a plus, 1 year later, I still don't have my period.  :-)  )

On Samantha's actual birthday (this past Wednesday), I had to pick her up early from day care because she had a fever (which went up to 103.3 by 5 pm!).  Poor thing.  She was like a rag doll in my arms.  With a little Motrin, she started to feel better and so I took the obligatory chair photos.  (It was pajama day at school, which is why she's wearing PJs).  This is how happy she is, even with a 102 fever!

She still had a fever the next day and so my husband stayed home with her.  He decided to have a little fun with her and took these photos.  If you look closely in these pictures, you can see the drool dripping from her face.  On top of having a cold, the poor little thing has THREE teeth cutting on top - the second tooth in the middle is coming through, as well as both incisors.  It's been a tough couple of nights for her.

And today, we celebrated her birthday for real with my in-laws.  My mother-in-law made an awesome chocolate cake.  Sammy didn't really like it (I think it was too sophisticated a taste for her).  But she adored the Hershey's kiss we gave her after trying the cake.

I love her so much.  I am the luckiest woman in the world that she is my daughter.