07/10/10

July 10, 2010 - Eric fell asleep in his tent this afternoon!

July 9 2010 - This morning Dave took Eric to his sports class, but he was still unwilling to participate.  Oh well.  We'll keep going (I've already paid for it) but I doubt he participates at all.  We then met up with our playgroup friends at a park and I love how all four of them are on the teeter totter together.  After rest time this afternoon Dave and Eric had some more pool time.  It was another warm day in the upper 90's.  Today was the first day in six days that Eric did not nap.  I've noticed that he such a nicer and more cooperative kid when he has a nap.  I think he's in that in-between time where he's not quite ready to give them up, but refuses to take one most days.

July 8, 2010 - Today was another hot day- 100!  I also got to have a bit of story time with my boys :)

    Video: Nick Jabbering

July 7, 2010 - Ahh...summer has finally arrived!  Today we had temps in the upper 90's and spent a lot of the morning and early afternoon outside before it got too hot.  We also got out the new swimming pool and Eric had A LOT of fun with it.  We also put Nick in for his first swimming experience and he did not like the cold!  He did calm down with Eric in the water and when Eric distracted him.

                Videos: Nick Fist Time in the Pool and Eric Pool Fun

July 6, 2010 - Dave worked today, but is going to take the rest of the week off.  Yay!  We've also noticed that Nick is starting to move around more.  He's done a tiny bit of backward crawling movement and is starting to move his knees more.  He also now has this side position where he pauses halfway when rolling from his tummy to his back. 

July 5, 2010 - Uncle Doug and Aunt Eiko left at lunchtime today.  Eric showed us his unhappiness with their leaving by being obstinate and not wanting his picture taken.

July 4, 2010 - Happy 4th of July!  Dave took Eric in our neighborhood parade this morning while Nick and I watched.  This afternoon Uncle Doug and Aunt Eiko arrived for a quick visit.  Cousin Chris stayed back home as their trip was for a wedding that was in the area.  Eric was SO excited to see them and we had a nice, short, visit.  The other day Dave and Eric went and bought fireworks, ones that supposedly made light but no noise.  Wrong.  Eric tried to watch the fireworks (note the ear covers) but was just too scared.  We ended up putting him to bed and then finishing them. 

Nick also started making new noises today.  A few days ago he started opening and closing his mouth (kind of like a chewing motion) but with no noise.  Today he added the 'ra ra ra' noise to it and he and Aunt Eiko had a lot of fun talking 'ra ra ra' with each other :)

July 3, 2010 - I talked with the doctor's office today, but our pediatrician was not on call and the on-call doctor didn't want to give us a different med and suggested we just continue with the previous medicine (and Nick handles just fine).  I got the icky medicine flavored this afternoon, but Dave tested it and it still tasted pretty awful.  I think we'll hold off until either Nick starts throwing up regularly again or until after our next appt. on the 13th.

July 2, 2010 - This morning I took Nick back in to the pediatrician for his reflux.  He hasn't thrown up much the last couple of days, but he is still coughing and we still distract him when he does so to hopefully prevent him from getting sick.  He weighed in at 17 lb, 8 oz, only 4 oz. more than a month ago.  Although his overall weight is fine, his growth rate completely slowed down with all the vomiting.  The ped wants us to try a new medicine, which we tried tonight and it was awful!  Nick gagged and threw up every time we gave it to him (multiple attempts, unfortunately).  We finally tasted it and it tasted like soapy, salty, fishy water and made me gag!  I feel so awful about giving him the stuff :(  I'll be calling the doctor's office and pharmacist tomorrow morning.

  Eric fell asleep on the floor (and partly under his bed) this afternoon!

July 1, 2010 - Some pictures from today...Dave picked up some headphone/muffler things for Eric to wear during the fireworks this weekend and during car shows.  He loves them!  We've also noticed that Nick is getting more hair!  He has some longer sections on top and it is growing in more in the back now that he is a tummy sleeper.  Eric was bald until 18 months, so it looks like Nick will get his hair much sooner!

     Video: Nick Excited to See Mocha (I think he's going to be a chaser!)

June 30, 2010 - Eric did a lot better at swimming this morning and had a good time.  Nick got sick once, so I went ahead and scheduled an appointment for Friday.  He's also still doing the coughing thing and often we are able to distract him from potentially getting sick.  Tonight we headed up to PIR to look at more cars.

June 29, 2010 - Nick didn't get sick today either!  Also, tonight I had a band concert and here's a couple videos of the boys during the concert.  Nick During Concert & Eric and Nana 'Dancing'

June 28, 2010 - We gave Nick some cheerios this evening.  He didn't really pick them up, but at least he can start getting familiar with them.  On a plus note, Nick didn't throw up today!

June 27, 2010 - I got a day off today!  Dave stayed home with the boys and Nana and I headed down south for a little bit of shopping and to a bridal shower for a family friend.  Here are a few pictures from this evening.

June 25, 2010 - Eric had his first sports class today.  It is a mixed sports class where they focus on a different sport each week.  Eric absolutely refused to leave me and clung and cried when I tried to get him to participate.  He ended up watching from the side, about three feet from Nick and I.

June 24, 2010 - We met up with Dave for lunch today.  We also noticed that Nick is starting to lift up his butt a little when he is on his tummy.  Crawling soon??

June 23, 2010 - Busy day!  This morning I upped Nick's reflux meds (per Ped's recommendation) as he is still throwing up a couple of times a day.  We'll see if it helps!  This morning Eric also had his first swimming lesson.  He spent the first part clinging to me and not wanting to get into the pool, but once the teacher was able to engage him with some toys he seemed to have some fun.  This afternoon we had another visit from a plumber (we've been trying to figure out what it will take to increase our water pressure) and we happily finally figured out that we have copper inside, galvanized outside and a pretty easy way to have a new water line installed.  Finally, tonight was the first car show at PIR and we had a great time!

June 20, 2010 - Another photo op!

June 19, 2010 - What a disaster of a Father's Day today!  The plan was to go to a car show up in Woodland, one we've been year in past years.  Then we woke up to rain and delayed our start.  Then Dave and Eric left, in the Mustang, and Nick and I followed shortly thereafter.  Soon after we all got to Nana and Pops' the boys headed to the car show (even though it was still cloudy and sprinkling) while Nana and I stayed behind so I could feed Nick.  Then I got the call from Dave that the Mustang had died and he couldn't get it above 25 mph.  He called AAA and we packed up to go rescue Eric (who was quite scared).  We finally located them and I offered to stay with the Mustang and get it home so that Dave could go to the car show.  The did, and got completely soaked by the pouring rain and soon thereafter ended up back at Nana and Pops'.  Meanwhile, I waited and waited for the tow truck (and saw a coyote heading my way who, thankfully, turned around).  Eventually he showed up and got the Mustang loaded and we headed south.  It took a while to get home and I got to steer the car into the garage while the guy pushed!  I then got in the Prius and headed back to Vancouver, finding traffic to be quite slow.  I finally made it up there and then we went out for dinner.  Dinner was fine until, at the end, Nick decided to throw up all the food I had fed him.  We finally got home and thankfully the day was done!!

June 15, 2010 - Grammy went home this morning.  Nick threw up a total of four times today, so this evening we abandoned the rice cereal and began the reflux meds. Eric also finally took a nap today.  He's been having so much fun with Grammy that he hasn't napped for several days. 

June 14, 2010 - Nick and Grammy, plus a few other pictures from her visit.  On a side note, Eric has started calling her both Grammy and Grandma (all on his own).

June 12, 2010 - Ah...the sun appeared today!  Grammy, the boys and I went to the farmer's market.  When we got home our neighbor was working on his boat so Eric got to get in and drive it.  He especially liked honking the horn!

June 11, 2010 - Dave fell asleep on the floor and Eric decided to use him as the 'juice bar' to serve Grammy juice from.  Very cute.  Also, we were able to bring the Prius home this afternoon.  Turns out that some inverter part needed to be replaced.  Ironically, our extended warranty expired on Tuesday- the issues took place yesterday, Thursday.  Figures.  But, Toyota took mercy on us and went ahead and covered the work.  I figure that they don't want the bad press!

June 10, 2010 - First, I had to take this picture of Mocha.  Too funny.  Second, rice cereal does not work so well in the bottle, but we'll give it a try.  Third, Grammy arrived for a visit this evening!  Eric was very, very excited (and thus misbehaved most of the day), but we were all very thankful when she and Dave arrived safely from the airport.  After spending two+ hours in traffic getting there, the Prius had all sorts of issues getting home.  We'll be taking it in tomorrow morning!

June 9, 2010 - Nick's coughing and throwing up has gotten worse (once or twice a day- I'm very tired of changing our clothes), so I took him to the pediatrician this morning.  She thinks it is reflux, and although it is unusual for it to begin at this age, it is not unheard of.  She suggested that we try adding rice cereal to his formula for a week, and then if that doesn't help she gave me a prescription for some reflux meds.  On the way home we stopped at the grocery store where we first took a snack break and, ironically, Nick threw up all over.  Nice.

June 7, 2010 - We put Nick in the swing during dinner and Nick immediately sat forward and got to know the animals on the tray.  Video: Nick Eating Swing Animals

June 5, 2010 - We had a busy day today!  This morning Dave and Eric went to the Ford show in Hillsboro and then we met them at a birthday party this afternoon.  Before they left, Eric asked to hold Nick so of course I got out the camera!  Here's a video of Eric and Nick together:  Eric Telling Nick About the Day and here's another from the Ford show (this is a must-see):  Classic Three Year Old.

June 4, 2010 - What an adventuresome morning we had!  Today was very rainy so for playgroup we decided to meet at an indoor play place.  On the way there, we saw a police officer sitting by the road every 500 feet or so and I definitely wondered what was going on!  I stopped to ask a news camera guy and learned that there was about to be a funeral procession for the city's police chief.  We then went to the play place and were there for a while when suddenly we were told to quickly get out because there was a fire!  I quickly gathered up the boys (and thankfully we had a friend there who could help) and we left the building.  Turns out that there was a car on fire, just on the other side of the wall from where we were.  Thankfully we all got out just fine and our car was parked far enough away that we were able to head home.  Perhaps today should have been an at-home day!!

June 3, 2010 - As you can see from the first picture, Nick no longer stays on the blanket, instead choosing to roll with it!  This morning I took the boys down to the waterfront to look at some of the ships that are visiting for the Rose Festival.  Unfortunately, none of the bigger Navy ships were in yet but we got to see some of the Coast Guard ships.

June 1, 2010 - This morning I took the boys in to the pediatrician for check-ups.  Nick had his 6-month check-up and is doing great!  He weighs 17lb, 4oz and is 26.25" long (both 40th percentile).  The doctor didn't have any concerns and he did pretty good with his shots.  I did mention to her that Nick has started coughing randomly and sometimes it leads to vomiting, but it hasn't happened very many times so she didn't seem too concerned.  Eric had a check-up for his asthma and we decided to stop his daily inhaler for the summer.  He will resume either if he gets sick and needs it or right before preschool resumes, whichever comes first.

May 31, 2010 - Dave left for Vegas this afternoon.  He'll be there for a conference for the week.  Eric was a real stinker this morning, we think because he knew Daddy would be leaving soon.

May 30, 2010 - I got the garden finished this afternoon, but then the rain came in!  Rain, rain, go away!  This morning I set Nick down on his blanket and a few minutes later Dave asked me where he was.  We could both hear him but no see him, and he had rolled to the other side of the rug!

   Video: Tossing the Ball (Nick loved it!)

May 29, 2010 - This morning Eric and I bought plants and then spent the afternoon working on the garden.  I hope the weather improves soon so the plants grow!  I also snapped this picture of all three boys watching a car video on Dave's phone.  I guess it's in the blood...

May 28, 2010 - We had Eric's preschool picnic today (held inside due to weather) and we got pictures of him with his two teachers.  Nick also had a group of admirers.  All three girls are in Eric's class.

May 27, 2010 - Today was Eric's last day of preschool.  It was so sweet to see him give his teachers great big hugs (all on his own).  He'll see one of his teachers during gym/playground time next year, but his other teacher is moving back to the East coast.

May 25, 2010 - Nick is really rolling now!  He is rolling all over the living room now.

May 24, 2010 - We had playgroup at our house this morning and Nick and Karina had fun staring at each other.

May 23, 2010 - The birds came back today!  Dave managed to get a few pictures.

May 22, 2010 - Some random things from today...a look at our lovely spring weather (hail in May!) and Nick eyeing my Rice Krispie treat.

     Video: Wacky Spring Weather

May 20, 2010 - This morning at preschool Eric's class spent part of the morning in next year's classroom with next year's teacher, Mrs. Broome.  He seemed to have a good time.  The classroom is MUCH larger than his current, even though there are only six more kids (10 now, 16 next year).  Then, this afternoon Eric fell down and got his first bloody nose.  Thankfully, it stopped pretty quickly

This evening during dinner Nick was on the floor when I looked over and he was on his tummy!  He can finally roll onto his tummy!

      Video: Nick Hiding, Not Rolling!

May 19, 2010 - Dave came home from Israel today! 

May 18, 2010 - A couple of videos from today: Eric's Big Bubbles and Driving to Grammy and Grandpa's

May 16, 2010 - Since Dave is gone we went up to Nana and Pops' for the day.  Eric had a great time helping Nana outside with the dirt and plants and getting some good car time with Pops.

May 15, 2010 - Today Nick discovered his toes, but every time I got close with the camera he stopped playing with them.  We've had some nice weather the last few days and I've enjoyed being able to dress him in only a onesie :)  Just look at those thighs!

May 14, 2010 - Dave left early this morning for his trip to Israel.  He made it to JFK without any problems, but once there he had a 4-hour layover, then the plane left 45 minutes late and ended up sitting on the tarmac for almost 4 hours, waiting to take off!  Weather seemed to be the primary issue.  They were able to take off just before the time hit where they would have needed to go back to the gate (that law that recently took effect).  Thankfully, he made it to Israel safely.

May 13, 2010 - I kept Eric home from preschool today since he had the low-grade fever yesterday, but today he is doing just fine.  It was also finally a nice day today- high 70's!!

May 12, 2010 - Eric seems to be feeling much better today, but has still had a low-grade fever on and off.  Also, Nick is 6 months old today!

May 11, 2010 - Eric still had a fever today.  I took him to the pediatrician for a strep test and it came back negative, so looks like he just has some fever virus!  This afternoon I was feeding Nick in the living room and I suddenly noticed all of these yellow and red birds flying around.  It is called a 'Western Tanager'.  They stayed for only about 30 minutes before flying away.  What an interesting sight!

Video: Nick Bathtub Giggling

May 10, 2010 - Eric seemed ok this morning, but had a slight fever again by this afternoon.  No preschool tomorrow :(  The nurse said that there is a virus going around that starts with a sore throat, so we'll wait to see how his throat is doing before I take him in for a strep test.  On the plus side, he seems to have a bunch of energy and is not acting differently.  Also, it seems that Nick has officially given up the binky and is now a thumb-sucker.  Tonight at bedtime Dave gave him the binky and he threw it to the bottom of the bed.  Oh well....not much I can do at this point!

May 9, 2010 - Happy Mother's Day!  We headed up to Vancouver this morning.  While Nana, Nick and I went to the farmer's market, Pops, Dave and Eric assembled a wonderful brunch!  Unfortunately, by mid-afternoon Eric wasn't feeling well and obviously had a fever.  We can tell he really wasn't feeling well because he crashed for a nap, without any of his usual sleeping lovies, in a noisy house and without a fan.  He was also complaining of a sore throat, so hopefully he doesn't have strep.  Once the Tylenol kicked in he felt much better and even ate a good dinner.

May 7, 2010 - This morning we met some friends at a park- it was actually nice today!  Unfortunately, he fell off the swing when I turned my back for a second and landed on his stomach.  Thankfully he was ok and had only minor scratches.  Whew!

May 6, 2010 - I received my first mother's day gift today from Eric when we picked him up from preschool.  He made me a trivet from clothes pins- very cute.  The also learned 'The Mommy Song', which just melted my heart when I heard it.  I hope to get it on video soon!  

May 4, 2010 - Eric has had a little cold since Saturday (a minor one), but he is mostly better now.  Unfortunately, it looks like Nick has caught his first cold.  He's been sneezy and drippy today, but seems to be doing ok overall.  This evening during dinner our neighbor across the street pulled out a huge tractor thing from his backyard and Eric was so excited.  It was still out after dinner so we went over to look at it and Eric was able to sit on and pretend to drive it.  He was scared at first, but ended up having a great time.  Video: Eric Driving the Neighbor's Tractor

May 1, 2010 - So, today we took a little road trip to Silverton (about an hour away) because I had a band performance there this afternoon.  As we were driving down it was mostly cloudy and Eric looked out the window and said 'look at that blue cloud!'.  This is quite funny because ever since college in Seattle Dave has been calling the speck of blue sky that you see on a cloudy day 'blue clouds', but Eric came up with this all on his own!  The other funny thing happened during lunch.  The boys dropped me off at my band performance and then went to a park to play and finish eating lunch.  During lunch Eric got up and was chasing a crow around the play area.  The next thing Dave knows, the crow came over to the picnic table and picked up Eric's last chicken strip and flew up to a tree to eat it.  I guess he wanted revenge for the chasing!!

April 29, 2010 - Eric took a good nap today, second day in a row!  A blessing with Dave gone.  But, Dave came home tonight and I happily survived.  Funnily, at lunchtime today Eric told me he was getting on an airplane and then this evening he showed us his 'office'.  Too cute!!  He's checking his email in this picture :)  Video: Nick Likes the Frog Block

April 26, 2010 - Dave left this morning for his first official trip since Nick was born.  He's off to LA for three nights for a conference.  I hope to survive!

April 24, 2010 - Last night Eric spent the night at Nana and Pops' and we got a nice little break.  It's amazing how you get used to the constant chatter of a 3-year-old.  Even with Nick at home, the house felt so quiet!  The de-swaddling process is pretty much over and really went much better than expected.  We just need to figure out how to keep the darn binky in his mouth!  :)

April 23, 2010 - Carrots!!

April 22, 2010 - Today was the 'Special Someone Tea' at preschool.  All the kids and their special someone dressed up for the breakfast, followed by craft and story time in the classroom.  In the second picture you can see my beautiful hand-made corsage :)

April 21, 2010 - Peas!!

April 20, 2010 - Today I did something I thought I would never do.  The kids and I participated in a photo shoot for a political campaign.  A friend of mind is running for city council and they wanted pictures with parents and kids.  It took Eric a few minutes to warm up, but then he seemed to have a great time running around and even followed directions really well with the photographer!  Today I also began the de-swaddling process with Nick.  The problem with having his arms out seems to be that he won't keep the binky in, and he doesn't want to go to sleep without it.  We'll see how this goes! 

April 18, 2010 - The play structure is finished!  Good job, Dave!

April 17, 2010 - Lots happing today!  Dave spent most of today constructing a new play structure for the backyard.  Eric can't wait until it is finished (hopefully tomorrow).  Eric also got to play outside a lot today and the weather was nice.  We also gave Nick his first solid food!  I'm not sure if he likes the rice cereal, but he was certainly intrigued!  I also had to take a picture of Eric and his room after his 'rest' time.  He now actually napping only a couple of times a week and today was a day with no sleeping and lots of playing!  At least it still gives us a break...  Video: Nick's First Solid Food

April 15, 2010 - My cuties!

April 14, 2010 - Eric went to the dentist this morning for a cleaning and check-up.  He was pretty scared and skittish, I think mainly from his recent experience at the allergist.  He didn't end up getting his teeth cleaned, but he did play with one of the gals who works there and overall had a fun and comfortable experience.  The dentist was also able to get a quick look in his mouth and said that everything looks great and no cavities! 

April 12 2010 - Nick is 5 months old today!  He has become such a different baby over the last month or so.  His first four months he was super fussy almost all the time.  He has now become a much, much happier baby!  He smiles, talks and laughs almost all the time and usually only cries when he is hungry or tired.  He has also started sleeping a solid 10-11 hours at night, which is quite nice.  Now if only I would go to bed earlier... :)

April 10, 2010 - This afternoon Dave took Eric to the swap meet for a few hours.  In the last picture, we thought it was cute how Eric put his shoes away inside of Dave's shoes (instead of into the shoe basket).

April 9, 2010 - Dave spent all day and evening at the swap meet today, so Nana came over for the evening.  Before we went out for dinner, we asked Eric what he wanted to do and his response: "Ride on green rolley", the roller character from Bob the Builder.  Which just happens to be at Toys R Us.  So, we did that and Eric managed to finagle a new car out of Nana.  Eric loved his Rolley time and his new garbage truck.  Nick also had a good time with Nana:  Nick & Nana- 5 Months.

April 8, 2010 - Look at those thighs!!

April 7, 2010 - This morning I took Eric to the allergist for his allergy testing.  He did pretty well, considering, and we even made it out of the building without a huge fit :)  He cried on and off during and after the testing, but that is completely understandable when you have two strangers shoving lots of needles into your back!  Thankfully, Dave was able to stay home with Nick this morning.  The testing revealed that, yes, Eric is definitely allergic to peanuts but nothing else popped up.  They didn't test every nut, but both almonds and walnuts came back negative.  Eric was a much happier kid when we got home and he had a great time playing with his new bubble thing, even in the rain.

We also got several videos from today:  Bubbles in the Rain, Giraffe & Zebra, and Rescue Me! (long)

April 4, 2010 - Happy Easter!  This morning we got all dressed up and went to church.  We probably would have made it through the entire service, but they decided to do communion today.  So, we had to leave early due to a fussy baby and a 3-year-old who won't sit still.  We then headed up to Nana and Pops for a fun Easter day and dinner.  Cousin Zachary was also there and Eric had a great time playing with him.

April 3, 2010 - This morning was our neighborhood's annual Easter egg hunt in the park, but it was rainy and 40 degrees out.  With Eric still coughing and recovering, we decided to skip it.  But, we did color Easter eggs this afternoon.  Video:  Eric explaining the egg tongs

April 2, 2010 - Here's a fun picture of Dave entertaining both kids, including a very fussy Nicholas (probably from yesterday's shots).

April 1, 2010 - Eric was well enough to go to preschool today- yay!  This was also good because Nick had his 4-month check-up this morning.  Nick now weighs almost 15 pounds (30th percentile) and is about 25 inches long.  The flat spots on his head seem to be getting better and he is doing great!  He had some shots but recovered pretty quickly.

March 31, 2010 - Eric is finally starting to feel better today.  Whew.  We finally got out of the house today and made a Costco run.  Something you can do with a slightly-sick kid :)

March 30, 2010 - Eric is still pretty sick, so no preschool for him today.  His asthma kicked in today, too, so lots and lots of coughing.  On the plus side, we were at home all day and got to see Nick roll over more.  Today he rolled the other direction!  Here's another video, this time the roll is quick :)  Nick Rolling- Day 2  We also snapped this funny picture of what Dave did to Nick.

March 29, 2010 - Nick rolled over for the first time today!  He rolled from front to back, always easier with gravity helping :)  Here's a video, but beware- this one was a slow roll.  Nick Rolls Over for First Time

March 28, 2010 - Eric woke up with a cold and cough this morning :(  He's been feeling icky all day.  Hopefully he'll be feeling better by Tuesday so he can go to preschool.  He has been such a stinker this past week (refusing to do anything we ask of him), so I know I can use a break! 

March 27, 2010 - "I know that binky is someplace..."

March 25, 2010 - This is spring break week for us, which means no preschool for Eric.  And that means we had more free mornings than normal.  So, yesterday we went to visit Dave at his office and then went out for lunch.  Today we visited Pops at his office and then went out for lunch with him.  Then we headed up to Nana's school and real estate office for visits, then to their house for a bit before heading home.  I don't know about the boys, but I was certainly exhausted!

March 22, 2010 - Nick and his 'bling' :)

March 21, 2010 - Some fun pictures from today...

March 20, 2010 - We took advantage of the nice weather today (72!!) and drove out to Multnomah Falls to show Eric what a waterfall looks like.  He saw it on the news a while back and wondered 'what is that?'  He seemed to enjoy looking at it.  We walked up to the bridge for a closer look and he had a lot of questions about how the waterfall works.  Ah...our little engineer :)

March 19, 2010 - For the last two days Eric has been complaining about a sore mouth/throat.  So, this afternoon I took him to the ped's to be tested for strep.  Test came back negative and the doctor didn't see anything wrong so we'll just keep an eye on it...

March 18, 2010 - Today was bike day at preschool, so the kids all brought their trikes/bikes/scooters and rode them around the gym.  I wasn't there, but sounds like complete chaos to me :)  It was certainly interesting trying to get Eric, the trike and Nick between the car and the building!

March 17, 2010 - Happy St. Patrick's Day!  We had a warm and sunny (58) day today and were able to get outside for a walk, which was nice.  For dinner we had a 'green' dinner, although the green Jell-o was not a hit.  Oh well.

March 16, 2010 - Dave is home, and I survived!  Yea!  Here's a picture of Nick and I working on tummy time...

March 15, 2010 - Tonight is Dave's first night away- he is in AZ for one night.  I had our neighborhood babysitter, Hanna, come over tonight to help me with the boys, especially since I needed to give them both a bath.  I survived the evening and will hopefully make it until Dave gets home tomorrow night!  On the plus side, Nick slept 10 hours straight last night, from 9:30-7:30 :)

March 14, 2010 - We spent the afternoon at Nana and Pops' and got some pictures of all five grandkids together.

March 13, 2010 - Eric- much too big for the Bumbo seat!

March 12, 2010 - Nick is four months old today!  We don't go in for his check-up for another three weeks, so I'll have to wait to figure out how much he weighs these days.  I did a side-by-side comparison of the boys at four months- here's the file:  Nick & Eric @ 4 months.  Nick is definitely bigger (to be expected), but they don't look too much alike anymore.  Some same features like the nose, mouth and eyes.

March 11, 2010 - I gave almond butter to Eric at lunch today and, thankfully, he had no reaction to it.  The allergist said to avoid nuts until we do the testing, but that he could try the almond butter since he has had it so often and frequently the last two years.  It was also better to go back to it sooner, rather than waiting until after the testing.  Also, here's some picture from this evening.  Nick sure loves his fingers!

March 10, 2010 - We went to see the allergist this morning.  It was quite a morning.  We are going to wait a few weeks before doing any allergy testing.  The doctor also specializes in asthma, so he had some interesting things to say about how to manage Eric's asthmatic response to colds.  Eric really didn't like being there and was very happy to be done.  However, on the way out (and all the way home!) he had the biggest fit I have ever seen.  Ironically, when he had a huge fit last summer it was as we were leaving the same office in the same building.  I think the reasons were different, but I'm not looking forward to going back there for the allergy testing!

Needless to say, it was a good night for me to have bunco.  I was very glad to get out of the house.  Here's a picture of how I found Nick when I got home.  Dave was at his wits end with him at bedtime, so just put him on the kitchen floor while he worked on dishes!

March 8, 2010 - I got to go back to band tonight!  It was good to see everyone there and to play music again, which always relaxes me.

March 7, 2010 - Video of Nick doing his tummy time (which he really hates) on Daddy and being distracted by big brother.

March 6, 2010 - Nick is now intentionally grabbing a toy to stick in his mouth and chew on.  I can hold a toy in front of him and see him look at it and move his hand (usually his left- another lefty?) to grab it and then put it in his mouth. 

March 5, 2010 - Eric was doing perfectly fine today, whew!  He was pretty tired and took a good nap, but otherwise completely normal.  I talked with the pediatrician and she recommends that we take Eric to an allergist.  I was able to get an appointment for Wednesday.  She also sent in a prescription for an epi pen- something I hope to never need to use!  Tonight at dinner Dave tried to tease Eric by asking if he wanted a peanut butter cookie and he reacted by crying :(  Poor kid.  At least he knows not to eat it.

Dave snapped this picture this morning of me trying to catch some extra zzz's even though Nick was already awake.  Also, here's a cute video of Nick being tickled.

March 4, 2010 - What a day today!  This morning Eric had 'Munch with Men' at preschool, where the daddies (or other men) come in for breakfast and activities for the first hour of preschool.  Eric has been looking forward to this all week and he had a great time with Daddy there this morning.

This evening was a different story...at the end of dinner we ended up letting Eric try a peanut butter girl scout cookie for dessert.  We did this knowing it was his first time trying peanuts or peanut butter.  And, yes, it turns out that he is allergic.  Almost immediately his throat started bothering him.  He started having a weird cough about 20 minutes later and threw up twice after 45 minutes.  Thankfully, through all of this his breathing seemed to be fine so we didn't need to call 911.  But, after talking with the advice nurse, we were told to take him to the ER since he had vomited so quickly.  So, I quickly gathered up some things, got Eric into his PJs and headed to the hospital.  Dave stayed home with Nick to get him to bed and finish cleaning up the messes.

Eric did so well at the ER.  We were seen pretty quickly by a triage nurse (who checked that his breathing was fine, and it was) and then taken back to the Children's ER section within 10 minutes after that.  By this point I could see that Eric was already doing better and was perking up.  Vomiting was probably the best thing he did.  Once we got to the exam area he was itching and hives were beginning to appear.  The doctor checked him out and concluded he was breathing fine and on the mend.  Eric was given some Benedryl (we had tried at home but it made him throw up again) and we were sent home with instructions to check him every hour for the first half of the night and to follow up with the pediatrician.  Eric crashed pretty quickly once we got home (he didn't take a nap today) and the night checks were fine.

March 1, 2010 - The last few nights we've been trying to get Nick to fall asleep in his crib (instead of downstairs on Daddy) and around 9:00.  It's been working pretty good so far, so we'll see how things continue.  Most nights his first stretch of sleep is 5-7 hours and I end up getting up with him once, sometime between 3 and 5am.  Usually he goes right back to sleep and I'm only up for about 30 minutes.  These are the nights I can handle; it's the odd nights when he wakes up more than once that I am really dragging the next day.  Thankfully it doesn't happen too often nowadays.

February 28, 2010 - We are constantly amazed at the ingenuity of a 3-year old.  Tonight Dave and Eric were playing around.  First Dave was tickling him, then he was 'getting his nose', and then he tried to 'get his ears'.  Each time Eric covered himself up so that Daddy couldn't get him.  Finally Dave said 'I'm going to get your ears and your nose!'  Eric's response?  He covered his ears with his hands and put his nose to the floor, hence figuring out how to cover all three areas when he has only two hands.  What a smartie!

February 27, 2010 - Nana and Pops came over tonight and we went out for our 'lobsterfest' dinner at Red Lobster.  Yum...  Here's some cute pictures from today.  Nick just loves watching his big brother!

February 26, 2010 - Nick slept from midnight to 8am last night...so nice!

February 22, 2010 - This morning I bought a bumbo seat for Nick to use and here's some cute pictures of him trying it for the first time tonight.  These evening was also my first time to do bedtime with both kids by myself as Dave had a work dinner.  I survived, but it sure was tough!

February 21, 2010 - Another swing picture.  Often by around 6:00 Nick is ready for a last quick nap but won't easily go to sleep in his crib, especially since I'm usually trying to get dinner ready around this time.  It's not unusual for us to wrap him up in his swaddle and stick him in the swing, where he generally falls asleep for a bit.

February 20, 2010 - Nick asleep in his swing today... (don't worry, we didn't let him stay like this for too long).

February 19, 2010 - It was sunny and 60 degrees today!  This morning we went to a playground with some friends and Eric had a great time running all around, climbing all over the equipment and going down the slides. 

February 18, 2010 - This morning Nick picked up his first toy!  I think it was completely by accident, and you can see on the video how he is getting frustrated every time he bonks himself in the head with the toy.  Also, tonight I heard a true belly laugh from Nick for the first time.  Dave has heard it before, but it was nice for me to finally hear it as well.

February 15, 2010 - Took Grammy back to the airport this morning.  Eric is already asking when we will see her and Grandpa again, and when we can go visit at their house!

February 14, 2010 - Some more pictures from this weekend...

February 13, 2010 - Tonight Dave and I got to go out to dinner, just the two of us!  It was so nice to have a relaxing dinner without kids.  Thanks, Grammy!

February 12, 2010 - This morning we picked up Grammy at the airport, who is visiting for the long weekend.  On a side note, on the way we stopped at Starbucks to pick up some coffee for me (we have a drive thru location right by our house).  Since I didn't sleep much last night, I ordered a caffeinated mocha.  When I got to the window to pick it up, the guy asked me 'are you sure you didn't want decaf?', knowing that I typically get decaf.  I guess they know me very well!

February 10, 2010 - Video of Nick doing Tummy Time with the Baby in the Mirror

February 9, 2010 - Nick slept a lot today, which was really nice.  This evening I got out the bigger bathtub for him to use and it worked ok.  He was getting a little big for bathing in the kitchen sink, plus he is starting to kick his legs more and I don't want him to bump his head on the porcelain sink.

February 7, 2010 - This morning we celebrated Nana's birthday by going out for a big family brunch.  We then came back to our house for Super Bowl and Jen's cousin Clinton and his wife Heidi joined us.  Eric had a great time watching the football game and constantly going up and down the stairs since people we both up and down (something he doesn't usually get to do).  He also had a lot of fun playing with Clinton and Heidi.

February 5, 2010 - Today was sunny and 61!  Amazing weather for February :)  We walked to the park for the first time in several months and Eric had a great time playing on all of the equipment.  He also got to pee in the bushes for the first time!  It was a bit difficult for me to assist him (especially being the first time and all) since I had Nick sound asleep in the front carrier, but we managed to make it work :)

February 3, 2010 - Wow- Nick slept 9.5 hours last night!  What a treat :)  Also, this afternoon Grandpa came over for a few hours (he is in town for a day for work).  Eric had a great time with Grandpa and especially enjoyed reading stories together and finding Waldo.

Video: Eric Reading to Grandpa (beware- large file)

February 2, 2010 - This afternoon I got both boys to take naps and the same time, and I got a 90-minute nap in as well!  It felt so nice :)  This evening we did a photo session with the boys in their brother shirts.  Eric desperately needs a haircut...good thing we're going in tomorrow morning!

February 1, 2010 - Eric is feeling better from his cold, but we decided to stay home from playgroup today just to be safe.  I also began working on a version of sleep training with Nick.  I'm trying to lay him down for sleep when he begins to be tired so that he begins to learn to fall asleep by himself.  With Eric running around and to take care of, I just can't rock Nick to sleep every time.  Today it worked about half the time.  We'll see how the rest of the week goes.

January 31, 2010 - Here's a cute video of Eric and Dave tickling Nick and getting him to smile.

January 30, 2010- Eric has another cold....  In this picture he is reading his 'Monster Trucks' book to Nick to entertain him during tummy time.  As is typical for most babies, Nick doesn't like tummy time but he seems to handle it better when he can watch his big brother.

January 29, 2010- This afternoon Dave and Eric went to the International Car Show.  Eric had fun getting in and out of the cars.

January 28, 2010- All week Nick won't sleep longer than 30-45 minutes at a time, during the day and in his crib.  It's been very frustrating...  He has discovered a few of his fingers, though!

January 27, 2010- It was sunny today and we finally got to take a quick walk outside- very nice!

January 26 2010- Today was 'crazy hat day' at preschool.  Eric had fun decorating his hat yesterday!

January 25, 2010- Playgroup was canceled today so I took the boys to Dave's office for lunch.  Nick slept the whole time but Eric had fun drawing on the whiteboards and eating with Daddy.

January 24, 2010- Eric loved working on his puzzles today!

January 23, 2010- Bought a new laptop and new HDTV for upstairs today...a day of electronics!

January 22, 2010- Today Nick grabbed a toy for the first time!  Here's also a video of him; he was talking quite a bit but became Camera Shy once Dave got the camera out.

January 20, 2010- We went to the grocery store this morning and I dropped Eric off at Playland.  5 minutes later I was being paged back to Playland to pick him up.  He loved it last spring/summer, but something scared him this time.  It was our first time taking him there in several months.  So, I got to do a big grocery run with both kids, but thankfully they both cooperated for me.

January 19, 2010- This morning when I got Nick (who slept a 7-hour stretch last night!) he saved his smiles just for Eric.  Very cute!  Nick just loves watching his big brother and Eric definitely gets more smiles that Dave or I.

January 18, 2010- Dave got cheap take-out for dinner tonight so that I didn't have to cook on my birthday :)

January 17, 2010- Tonight we celebrated my birthday and had a nice dinner out.  When it came time to open gifts, Eric couldn't wait to 'help'.

January 16, 2010- This morning we had our annual playgroup birthday party at Pump It Up Junior.  Eric was very apprehensive at first, but after some encouragement from Dave and I he had a great time playing on the equipment and going down the slides. 

               Videos:  Eric on the Slide   Eric Bouncing

January 14, 2010- Eric woke up with a cold this morning, so no preschool for him today.  On the plus side, Nick slept through the night last night!  Midnight-7:30am.  Wow!  He also slept a lot today, so he must be going through a bit of a growing spurt.

January 13, 2010- Tonight I took Nick with me to bunco while Eric had a much-needed daddy night and the two of them went out for sushi for dinner.

January 12, 2010- Nick is two months old today!  This morning I took him in for his check-up and his first set of shots.  He weighed in at 10 lb, 13 oz (30th percentile).  Nick wasn't thrilled with the shots, but overall he did well.  Ironically, it was the liquid vaccine that he had the most issues with.  The nurse was 3/4 of they way through giving it to him when he had a huge throw-up all over.  The appointment went a little longer than I had hoped so we asked Ruth, JJ and Lydia to pick Eric up from preschool (they live across the street from the preschool and church).  Eric had a great time playing cars with the kids until I got there.  Nick woke up this afternoon VERY unhappy, presumably due to the shots.  After some food and some Tylenol, he was quickly back to sleep.  Here are some cute pictures from today- when he was happy!

           Video: Tickling Nick @ 2 Months

January 11, 2010- We had playgroup at our house today.  It was nice to see everyone as it has been several weeks since we made it to playgroup.

January 10, 2010- Yesterday Nick had a good today...today he did not.  Eric worked on puzzles a lot today which was nice to see :)

January 8, 2010- It's amazing how long it can take to get out the door in the morning...very frustrating.

January 7, 2010- While Eric was at preschool this morning I took Nick with me to get my haircut.  Mistake.  Instead of sleeping through it he was awake the entire time and I even had to feed him while my hair was being done- not an easy task!  When we went to pick Eric up from preschool I was told that he was very chatty today again.  He's a new kid!

January 5, 2010- Eric returned to preschool today and he really looked forward to it.  When we picked him up his teachers told me about how outgoing he was today during gym time, much more than normal.  I think his personality has blossomed!!  Today was another good day for Nick, so fingers are now crossed that this continues...

January 4, 2010- Today was Dave's first day back at work after being home for two weeks.  I think he is looking forward to getting back to regular sleeping.  Thankfully, the boys and I survived today and hope to be in a good routine soon.  Nick really wasn't fussy today which was a big help.

January 3, 2010- Whew...today was a much better day for Nick.  Only time will tell if formula #2 is best for him, but at least today we had a baby who ate and didn't scream all day.

January 2, 2010- After nap today Dave and Eric put together his new computer that Santa brought him.  And, although you wouldn't know it from the picture below, Nick was a very unhappy baby today.  After being fussy, crying lots, refusing to eat, spitting up a ton, very gassy and projectile vomiting twice, we decided tonight to stop the new formula (#4) and go back to one he had been on before (#2).  Here's to hoping that tomorrow is a better day...

January 1, 2010- Happy New Years!  We began taking down Christmas decorations today and then went out for German food for dinner tonight with Jen's family.  Yum!