Happy Birthday, Matt!

Today was Matt's birthday. The kids had a great day getting things ready for when Daddy came home tonight...running errands, wrapping presents, etc. Mason decided he wanted to get Daddy candy, and ended up choosing a giant bag of mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Charlotte opted for some good coffee for Daddy (ok, I prompted her a little). We also got him a few other things, which the kids were more than happy to help him open.

Matt came home a little early and had the great idea of taking a family picture outside, so we got out the tripod and after a few shots later (it was the longest Isaac would sit still), this is what we got :)

And yes, Charlotte had a popsicle all through picture time, she was having trouble getting the last of it out so Daddy was helping her.
Here's Matt with his ice cream cake that I made...YUMMY!!!
The kids helping Daddy open his presents.
Happy Birthday, Matt!!

Randomness

Lots of thoughts going through my head...

Isaac is starting to walk more. He takes 3-4 steps at a time and has no fear whatsoever, and he's so proud of himself when he takes steps! He can also climb the steps, and very quickly!! I, of course, have to follow right behind him...but he's SO FAST that this afternoon I was two steps behind him and he made it up a flight before I caught up with him!

Mason is really reading well, I won't be able to spell words like P-O-O-L, or P-A-R-K anymore...he's too clever :) Mason loves to play with Isaac...he's a lot more fun now that they can "chase" and Mason can get him to laugh pretty easily. Mason goes on his first field trip next week. He's going to the zoo and they are riding a school bus...his first time!!!

Charlotte is getting a very spunky side. She also likes to get out of bed a bazillion times before going to sleep...maybe she's getting ready to ditch her afternoon nap?? She's getting very excited for her birthday coming up, although it seems to me that she's should be much older than THREE!

I start a new job next week! I've accepted a position at Olmsted Medical Center as a prenatal educator. It's very exciting and I'm thrilled that I can have a job doing something I'm so passionate about. It's also only night and weekend work (well, except for the orientation and some of the training)...so I'll only be gone when Matt is home with the kids. I've also taken on a doula client again, which I'm very excited about, and I hope to take on more soon. I'm also busy with the Southeast Minnesota Childbirth Network, we're doing all we can to try and reach out to the Rochester community to educate and inform women on their options surrounding childbirth. Keep an eye out...we've got an event coming up the end of May!

That's all for now...more ramblings later :)

"Guck"

That's Isaac's favorite word lately...

Mommy: (in my best Mommy voice) "How are you this morning big boy?
Isaac: "Guck.....guck"

Mommy: "What should we do today?"
Mason: "Watch a show!"
Charlotte: "Paint!"
Isaac: "Guck!"

Can anyone translate this for me??

First haircut

Isaac had his first haircut tonight...he didn't like it, I used the clippers. It may be hard for the average person to notice much of a difference, but his LONG hairs on top and around his cowlick are gone...such a big boy!!

Happy 10 months, Isaac!

My little man is 10 months old today. It's amazing that he still seems so little to me...Mason at 10 months seemed like such a big boy to me, but not Isaac. Maybe because I'm just not ready for my baby to grow up yet!!

Shirtless baby

Isaac was supposed to be going to sleep, but after a while he was still making noise. I go in his room to check on him only to find him shirtless! Where is his shirt? It was on the floor next to his crib! By the time I went and got the camera he was screaming his head off, so no picture for this one...

I have NO IDEA how he got it off by himself!! Too funny!

Count Bleck cake

Who is Count Bleck you ask?? Count Bleck is the villian from Super Paper Mario. Mason watches Matt play, and really gets into it. Mason insisted for several days that we make a Count Bleck cake, so I finally obliged. Here is the image of Count Bleck...
Here's the cake...the things a mother will do for her children :)

First steps

Isaac took his first steps today! One step, toward me...we tried again and he took two steps. It won't belong now until he's full fledged walking. It's all going by SO FAST!

Just when we thought it was over

After dealing with sickness for 2-1/2 weeks in the house, including pink eye (which I thought we were over)...we went off to the doctor yesterday. Isaac woke up with goopy eyes and Charlotte woke up complaining her ear hurt. Thankfully they had an opening at 8:30am!

Turns out, Charlotte has an unilateral ear infection (she did mention 2 weeks ago that her ear hurt) and pink eye. Isaac has a pretty bad bilateral ear infection (8/10 on my doc's scale), and pink eye as well. Augmentin for both of them...yuck.

Last night I tried giving Isaac his cherry flavored medicine, only to have him gag and lose his dinner. I called the pharmacist...they had some pretty good suggestions (mixing it with chocolate syrup, sugar, Jello powder, etc). I dug through the pantry and found chocolate pudding mix. I mixed the powder with Isaac's medicine and a little water to thin it out, then (picture this) Matt holds him over the kitchen sink just in case while I administer the dose...he doesn't like it, but he doesn't yack...yippie! Success!! And it worked again this morning. Charlotte also likes her chocolate pudding medicine :)

The downside...Augmentin (as most antibiotics) leads to bad diarrhea...poor Isaac, and we have 17 more doses to go. I'm starting the countdown!

Happy boy...

Isaac LOVES to play in the kitchen...he pulls all sorts of stuff out of the cupboards, and loves to try and sneak in the refrigerator every time I open it. Here's a pic of him after breakfast one morning...his hair is all sticky-up/out with mashed banana and Cheerio paste :)

Music

I was getting dinner ready in the kitchen last week, and the kids decided it was music time! They were using the pots and pans lids as cymbals. I was trying to get dinner ready, keeping the baby from digging in the trash, crawling in the dishwasher, eating dirty shoes, keeping kids away from the hot stove, etc. Needless to say the 'cymbals' were sending me through the roof...until I realized it was a nice day outside. I sent them out on the deck :) Isaac loved watching them ... I'm not sure the neighbors loved it so much though!

A late update - Easter

We were at Auntie Julie's for Easter, and the kids had a blast. Charlotte was actually very sad that the Easter Bunny had hidden her basket and desperately wanted help finding it. Mason was more than up for the challenge. Isaac loved finding eggs and smooshing them :)

ugh

Sick, that's the word of the week...well, make it soon to be two weeks. Isaac has been sick with a bad, awful cold for the last week, and tonight Mason got a fever and Charlotte has a hoarse voice and a low grade fever too. YUCK, YUCK, YUCK!!! This means that this week will be filled with not just one, but THREE sick kids!

Oh yeah, I came down with it Friday night and have had a low grade fever, massive aches, sore throat, stuffy head, and a headache. Thank goodness it's the weekend and Matt is home to take care of us all!! I took three naps today and I still feel like doing nothing but sleeping. I've no idea what I'm going to do when Matt has to go back to work tomorrow.

All this sickness is why I haven't updated with pix from Easter or anything else. It's going to be a long week here...wish me luck.

Where have I been?

I took the kids and went to my sister's (Julie's) for a week since it was 'boys weekend' here in Rochester. We had a lot of fun! I have yet to upload my pictures from my camera, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, I had to post something funny Mason said yesterday...he was sitting eating lunch and said:
"Mom, the bottom of my ears feels like playdough!"

Just like Barbie

Charlotte loves her beach Barbie...need I say more??

How big is Isaac?

SO BIG!! Not a great pic, but you get the point :) He just started doing it a couple days ago.

A few of his favorite things

Here are a few of Isaac's favorite things lately...

1) his tongue 2) his Leap Frog Learning Table (and his tongue again!)

and 3) his gingy (blanket)

I think we've made it

Mason is on day 6 of influenza, and feeling much better. The rest of us are all doing well too. I have read that young children can shed the virus for 7 days or longer, so I'll still be keeping Isaac away from Mason for at least a few more days! We're SO VERY THANKFUL that no one else got sick!

Now, our family is a fan of Tamiflu as it seems to have kept us all getting sick, however, the side effects are yucky. Mason is done with his meds, but the rest of us have 5 days left and we're all looking forward to being done!

I'll keep the kids out of school for a few more days, mostly because I want to make sure influenza is done circulating around preschool before I send them back!!

Getting better

Mason is getting better. After yesterday's day of lounging on the couch, watching tv, and eating next to nothing, today Mason is running around, terrorizing his sister, and having lots of fun. No fever at all today, and he seems to be eating a little better today too (if Jello for breakfast counts!).

The Tamiflu has some nasty side effects though...I've been wheezing and coughing and found this on the drug company's website "Less common Tamiflu side effects include phlegm producing cough or wheezing." also "There have been some very rare cases of self-injury and delirium due to the use of Tamiflu in patients with the flu." Thankfully I'm not experiencing the latter!!!

Everyone else seems to be healthy today yet again today, thank the Lord! Hopefully by the end of the weekend this will all be over!!

The Business of Being Born

I finally saw the movie and it is wonderful! It does a great job describing the crisis maternity care is in in this country, and how misinformed many pregnant women are. Here is the trailer...please spread the word!!

Day 3

Day 3 of influenza in our house. While Matt and I both have a cough, there's no fever, so hopefully the Tamiflu is doing its job. Charlotte is healthy and full of energy. Isaac is also healthy and doing well so far.

Mason still has a fever of 101 degrees or so, so it's going down. He's tired and worn out and coughing like crazy. He's not eating much, but is drinking enough juice that I'm not concerned about dehydration.

All in all...so far so good and I'm very thankful that the rest of us are staying healthy.

To all my Rochester girlfriends...when this is all over I'm going to need one BIG night out!!! I'm losing my mind trying to keep hands sanitized, coughs covered, germs separated etc...take me away!

Flu update

I've learned a lot about the flu in the last 12 hours! The antiviral medicine (Tamiflu) typically shortens the duration of the flu by 1.3 days if taken at the first onset of symptoms. Mason's first symptoms started last night during the night, and by 1pm today he had his first dose of meds, so I'm hoping that will help.

What I didn't know is that Tamiflu is 70% - 90% effective at preventing the flu when taken as a prophylactic. Soooooo....the rest of us (excluding Isaac) started on Tamiflu tonight as well (getting ahold of all the right doctors and getting the prescriptions filled was no small feat!). Hopefully the rest of us won't get it!!! Isaac is too little to take Tamiflu, but at least with the rest of us on it his chances of getting it will be minimal.

Mason's temp was 104 degrees this afternoon, and he's pretty miserable. Poor boy!!!

Lord help me

Mason has influenza.

After coughing all night, he woke up with a fever of 102 degrees. Mason NEVER gets a fever, and I had heard that the flu was going around preschool, so I brought him in. A nasal swab quickly showed a very positive result in half the allotted time. I'm glad I brought him in so we can start him on the antiviral meds and hopefully shorten the course and intensity of it for him. He is in good spirits, I'm hoping his body fights if off quickly.

For now, please, please PRAY that Mason is the only one in the house that gets it. Charlotte's wimpy immune system would explode, and poor baby Isaac can't get the antivirals since he is too little. I just want my kids to stay healthy!!

The latest

Just a little update on us:

Me: I'm starting to get sleep again. Isaac has given up his 3am party and is sleeping soundly until at least 6am (which is honestly my ideal wake up time!). Matt and I had a night out last night (thank you, Jennie!). It was really surreal for me to be out with Matt and not have any kids out with us. It was a little scary for me actually...which only tells me I need to get out more! I've also been busy trying to plan a few camping trips for this summer. We got a new tent and are very excited to try it out! Camping with three little ones though...wish us luck! :)

Matt: A new project at work has Matt busy, Busy, BUSY!!! It's great work though and he's really thankful for it. With his time at home he plays hard with the kids and they LOVE it. The other night after Matt got home, he sat on the couch and all three of them were instantly on his lap and vying for his attention.

Mason: He loves to try and read, and he loves to cut up paper and make his own 'comic books'. It was funny, Mace and I did the grocery shopping this morning and I bought some hamburger. He looked at it and said "Meat WORMS??!!!" I suppose that is sort of what it looks like! He also took an unfortunate fall down the stairs this morning onto the laminate in the dining room. Matt scooped him up and as he was crying on Matt's shoulder I asked him "Where does it hurt?" His only response was....."EVERYWHERE!!" Poor kid...

Charlotte: Hmmm...my one word for her lately - instigator!! She loves to push Mason's buttons, but I'm not sure she really means evil. She's a tough girl who has learned how to fend for herself! She does have a very sweet heart and such an innocent little soul. Also, the other day I was reading a book with Charlotte and there were snakes in the book. As she looked at them she said to me "Look, Mom, they don't have any hands!" What an interesting observation :)

Isaac: He is one tough cookie. His new mobility is leaving him with all sort of bumps and bruises. He's into everything and loves to sneak away down the hallway every chance he gets. This morning as he was standing holding on to the couch, he actually let go and stood unassisted for all of 2 seconds before falling on his butt. He also is starting to cruise along the furniture...YIKES! He loves to eat as well. He will eat Cheerios in his high chair for a very long time and also likes peas, green beans, ham, pancakes, bananas, carrots, sweet potatoes, applesauce, graham crackers, and apple juice :)

That's it on us for now...stay tuned!

Before I was a Mom

I got this from another wonderful Mom today and thought it was postable material :) This is for all you wonderful Moms!


Before I was a Mom
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom -
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom
I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put him down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom -
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed! a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom -
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache,the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

I Can Go

Here is a picture of Mason's first book that he READ! He was reading a draft copy of Matt's thesis that was in the art bin for scrap paper one day at lunch, so I decided I should get him something more appropriate! I printed off a few books from online and Mason cut the pages apart, wrote his name, and read it all by himself!


We also had another first last night. Mason was very brave and had his first haircut with NO CRYING! He did awesome and even said it wasn't so bad! Mason also celebrated his half birthday at school today. I spent the morning with him at school, and even Daddy came to sing happy birthday and stay a while. We had fun, and Mason is happy to now be 4-1/2 years old! :)

The fangs

I had to get better pictures of Isaac's 'fangs' since one of his central incisors came in and his smile will be changing again soon! I have to admit, it's not hard at all to get pictures of him smiling - happy baby!

I'm also happy to say he's finally sleeping through the night again (he was occasionally waking up at 3 or 4am...growth spurt? teething? who knows!)! YIPPIE! :)

Look out world...

Here comes Isaac! He loves to crawl around and get into EVERYTHING! Here's a couple pics...

This is a picture of his 'fangs'. It's not a great picture, but I realized you could see them pretty well...his two lateral incisors on top (his right central incisor is coming in too, but it's not through yet!).
Here are my boys both wearing camo :) I would've tried for a better picture, but Isaac kept crawling away, the battery in my camera died, I swapped that out, then my memory card was full...so this is the best I got!

New pots & pans!

I know this isn't something most people would get excited about, but I got new pots and pans and I LOVE them! I loved my T-FAL while it lasted, but it was time for something new :) I got Cuisinart Chef's Classic stainless steel cookware. Not exactly the set you see above, I instead bought only the pieces I would use most from the Cuisinart webstore since they sell open stock. They are awesome and they are a 'budget' stainless, so I didn't spend a fortune on them. What I like most...the CoolGrip handles, the entire pan can go in the oven up to 550 degrees, the lids are dripless, they are dishwasher safe, and they are SO pretty! AND these should last a LONG time (compared to the non-stick stuff that always ends up flaking off!).

I only wish I had a big kitchen with a nice island and a rack to hang them from instead of trying to stuff them all in a cabinet. Oh well...someday :)

What a week!

It's been quite a week. The kids are growing and changing so quickly. Mason has actually been reading words here and there on signs, in books, or on TV...he really surprises us! Below are a few pictures of what's new around here. Oh, and I had mastitis this week...it sucked and I have never felt so horribly awful in my life, and I'm not kidding even a little (just ask Matt!). Thankfully, Matt stayed home for two days to help out, he's been great at taking care of us all!

When I ask Charlotte how many ponytails she wants, she'll say "One, on top" usually. Occasionally, she'll say "I want FIVE ponytails!" - so I finally obliged :)

Isaac is now crawling on all fours, and he also loves pulling himself up. He now stands in his crib when he is done with his nap, waits for us, then squeals and smiles when we go in to get him up.
Three kids in the tub! They love to all get in the tub together, even Isaac now!
What a cutie!!

Let's make a cake!

We decided to make a cake today, and all had fun doing it. Of course, they had fun eating it too :)

COLD!!

Last week it was COLD, COLD, COLD!!! We managed to have fun staying in :) See Charlotte's 'fort' below....nice and cozy!

Preschool fun

The kids have been having a lot of fun at preschool. Charlotte got to bring home the sharing book - a book with pictures of all the kids in the class and of the things they've done so far this year at school (carving pumpkins, the firefighters visit, etc). She's enjoyed showing us all the pictures...she certainly seems like a little social butterfly at school!

Mason got to bring home Sophie the class stuffed dog. Here they are playing Leapster together. This is the second time he's had Sophie home, and each time we have to write a story about what we did with Sophie. He thinks it's a lot of fun, and Sophie and Soupy (his other dog in the picture) have lots of fun playing together!

Isaac @ 7 months

He's a little over 7 months now, and getting cuter all the time :) He has two new teeth, his upper lateral incisors...however, he hasn't gotten his central ones yet! So he'll have 'fangs' like his cousin Josie did, reference this picture. He loves to eat his cereal, toast, bananas, and now squash. Here's some pix of our happy little boy...I love the middle picture, no smile, but I just love the look on his face. He's got a completely different look than either Mason or Charlotte.

He's also crawling, as of today, on all fours. Not ALL the time, but he's definitely got it down. He also sits up. Growing up so fast!

The things kids say...and do!

My kids have such cute things they are doing lately! Just thought I'd write a few of them down:

Charlotte

• She insists she is wearing WET socks (even if they aren't!), then has to take them off and get new ones. There are socks in all corners of the house because I can't keep track of where she takes them off!
• She loves to eat ice. She will sit down with a cup of ice cubes and crunch them all down. Then complain that she is cold.
• She needs the tags off of every stuffed animal she has. If it DOES have a tag on it she finds it when she's laying in bed with it and will NOT go to sleep until the tag is cut off.
• She goes to the bathroom by herself, but announces when she's done and runs out of the bathroom naked. Even if she just peed and doesn't need help wiping, she still runs out of the bathroom "I'M ALL DONE!!"
• She is developing patience! When she asks for something and I can't help her immediately I say "Not right now." and she says "Okay, I will wait." - and she does!

Mason

• He is always trying to spell words, and does a pretty good job!
• He has picked up imaginary play behavior from Noah and Jack that he didn't used to do. Imagine him in his best robot voice "Purple dragon activate.."
• I also have a feeling play was separated between the boys and girls at Sarah & Sterling's house. Mason will say "Girls, please be quiet." or "Girls, eat your dinner." It's so funny.
• He loves to hold Isaac and be such a good big brother. He's always picking up the toys Isaac drops from his high chair during dinner

Isaac

• He is getting around nicely. He still does the army crawl, but is rocking more on his hands and knees. He even pulled himself up on a laundry basket yesterday!
• He is so happy, and LOVES to smile and laugh. He also likes to 'squawk' especially while in his exersaucer while I'm trying to make dinner :)
• He loves the camera, he smiles whenever I bring it out.
• He loves to clap, and even does it when we say "Can you clap, clap, clap?" - even when we aren't doing the motions...it seems that he truly understands the words!

In other news, we've officially decided to not send Mason to kindergarten next year. Another year will give him time to develop his social and emotional skills, and it will give me another year with my boy :) We've agonized over the decision for many months now, and we finally feel at peace with our decision. And maybe next year we'll have better luck with the choice school lottery!

I absolutely LOVE being home with my kids, they are growing up so fast. I just thank God for this time with them, for their health, for the family I've been so blessed with.

Missing cousins

Today on the way home from preschool, this is how my conversation with the kids went:

Mommy: "I'm so glad I get to be home with you guys, I'm so glad I'm your Mommy."

Mason: "Mom, I love you one hundred fifty thirty-nine times!"

Charlotte: "I love you FIVE times!"

Mommy: "Awww...that's so sweet!"

Mason: "And I love Daddy, eighty-nine hundred times!"

Charlotte: "I love Daddy FIVE times!"

Mommy: "Yes, we do love Daddy."

Mason: "Know what I love most, Mom?"

Mommy: "What do you love most, Mason?"

Mason: "My cousins, one starts with 'J' and one starts with 'N' ... Jack and Noah, that's what I love the most."

Awww...someone is going through cousin withdrawal!!

Our week at Sarah & Sterling's house

We had a great week at Sarah & Sterling's house! The kids had lots of fun playing together, and with Piper. Sarah and I got some sewing done and some Scrabble in :)

It was so nice to spend some time together, time we don't usually get. Tomorrow, we go home, but here's the pics from the week!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

He's clapping!!

Isaac started clapping this morning! I thought I noticed it yesterday, but figured it was just a fluke. This morning in the exersaucer he was doing it again, just clapping away! And now that he's figured it out he just keeps doing it, and doing it, and doing it...agghh! He's just growing up too fast!

He's also crawling all over on his belly, and gets up on his hands and knees and rocks and rocks. He crawled on all fours backward the other day a few steps, it was pretty funny. :)

In other news, the kids and I are hanging out at my sister's house this week. Last minute decision, but we're having lots of fun! I'm sure I'll post a slideshow in a few days to show everyone what we've been up to here! :)

Weekend at Grandma & Grandpa's

This weekend was all about family. We went to Grandma and Grandpa's in Green Bay for the weekend. Their new house is beautiful, complete with turkeys that come up to eat in the backyard! Many of my siblings came over to watch the Packer game and it was so much fun!

It was so nice to see everyone, and the snowy Packer game in Lambeau Field was AWESOME!

Here's the slideshow:

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

First cereal

Isaac had his first cereal last week! He loved it and kept opening his mouth and grabbing at the spoon. It wasn't technically his first taste of solid food either - last week I found him on the living room floor with a half eaten Cheez-It cracker in his hand...oops!

Lively conversation at the library

I took the kids to the library this morning and while Charlotte was playing on the computer, Mason and I were looking for books. Mason bumps into another girl about his age and this was their conversation:

Girl: Hee hee...see, I picked out "Arthur's Underpants" (holding out her book) HEE HEE!!

Mason (in a whisper): I have boxing briefs (boxer brief underpants). Shhhh...you're supposed to be quiet in the library. See? (pointing to Isaac in the stroller) That's my little brother, he used to be in my Mommy's tummy.

Girl: My Mom has a baby in her tummy too, but it didn't come out yet.

By the way, the girl's Mom didn't look pregnant at all, so I thought it was funny the girl spilled the beans to a complete stranger.

I love listening to kids' conversations :)

Good verse

My favorite bible verse lately...

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this you will experience God’s peace, which is far more powerful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Jesus Christ.

Phil 4:6-7