Things seem to be getting better for Oscar's tummy and for a couple days now, we're just getting up for nighttime feedings. Every once in awhile he'll still wake up and fuss, but he has started resolving the tummy problems on his own and we don't have to get up. Way to go, Oscar!!
Of course, that means another shoe must drop... Everyone has been dueling colds for a few days. And then Saturday morning I checked my email and we received emails from two moms that their kids woke up with a stomach bug. I sent out my concern and hope they feel better email and somewhat smugly thought to myself, thank goodness my kids are so healthy! (Ignoring the fact that they have colds.). Maybe there is something to this theory that people keep telling me that mix kids are healthier.
We went through our day and had a blast playing outside, brunching with the family for Oma's birthday, going to the pool, etc. the kids napped great and were wiped out by dinner time. Fantastic! We can put them down, then enjoy a relaxing dinner with my sister's family.
Just as we settled down to eat, Sylvia started screaming. And not just her, I don't want to sleep cry, but really screaming. D went to check, and discovered that she caught the stomach bug. I checked my email and, sure enough, it hit every classmate except the other little girl, although her mommy has been sick for two days.
D was amazing and took over most of the comforting, caring for and cleaning up after Sylvia to try to keep me (and therefore Oscar since I have to handle him more) from catching the terrible virus. So much for the relaxing dinner. A few hours, a couple clothes changes, and sprints to the bathroom later, all the children were sleeping soundly and we could get some rest. Oscar blessed us with a great night of sleep--possibly due in part to fighting the cold, but we'll take it!
Now, we're just waiting for Rafa's turn...
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Friday, September 20, 2013
art
I love watching the kids create. They love drawing on their easel. Both with chalk and with markers. Lately, it's been really fun as they tell me what they're 'drawing'.
I've posted about being nervous that we stifle their creativity, so I'm particularly enjoying seeing them express any and all types. For instance, Rafa decided that his taco had wings. Since I haven't cultivated whatever creativity I have inside, I'm really interested in seeing how a child's eyes see the world and interpret it.
Here is their first art on display! I don't think we can sell it for thousands, yet, but mami loves it.
I've posted about being nervous that we stifle their creativity, so I'm particularly enjoying seeing them express any and all types. For instance, Rafa decided that his taco had wings. Since I haven't cultivated whatever creativity I have inside, I'm really interested in seeing how a child's eyes see the world and interpret it.
Here is their first art on display! I don't think we can sell it for thousands, yet, but mami loves it.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
quick update
Since there's been lots of radiosilence here on familiography, I thought I'd do a quick update.
Sylvia and Rafael are doing well in school. We're already proud parents as the teachers were so excited to tell us that when Mr. Ben came for music time our kids did the motions to the songs AND SANG ALONG! And they were the only ones. [cue beaming, competitive mother] We were talking about school this morning and Rafa started naming all of his classmates! We'll take that as a good sign that he's enjoying his friends enough to remember their names. Our kids have better memories than their parents. Next time we go shopping, I'm just going to dictate the list to the kids and they'll be sure I don't forget anything.
It's a good thing Rafa has had some cute moments like that because he is in a funk these days. He's exerting his independence on just about everything. It seems like it's mostly a transition issue, that he really likes whatever it is he's doing and doesn't want to move to the next thing. Leaving school one day last week, he stood in the doorway for about 5 minutes while parents were coming and going picking up their kids walking around him. He stood there until I just left for the car and after I was a good distance away, he decided to run after me. (For those thinking I'm a negligent parent, I waited until the traffic died down and the security guard, Rafa, and I were the only ones left, so the security guard helped keep an eye on him until he got to me.) Of course, he fought getting into the car. Then, when we got home and I unbuckled him, he buckled himself back in! He used to love singing at night with us, but since he knows that bedtime follows shortly thereafter, he's begun protesting the singing. I won't even talk about the war we wage for diaper changes, brushing teeth, and bedtime. Fortunately, it seems that when one of the kids goes through a difficult phase, the other one lightens up and Sylvia hasn't been quite as challenging lately. That doesn't mean we don't have moments (pretty much every evening) when all three are wailing at the same time. If that doesn't teach us patience, we are lost causes.
Oscar, well, where to begin with Oscar. We got him on a new medicine that seems to be helping. It's not perfect, but he mostly seems to be better related to the reflux. He still spits up, but doesn't seem to be in as much pain. He just is not a very happy baby. Which makes his parents not particularly happy, either. He did hang out awake and content for about an hour this morning, which was so wonderful that I told D to take another look before going off to work. There's just always something making him uncomfortable: gas, reflux, hiccups, poop, hunger, fatigue, dirty diaper, boredom, you name it. I think he's called a high needs baby. He's only quiet when he's sleeping (and even then there's lots of grunting and moaning) or in my arms while being rocked and bounced and sung to. We finally got him to take a pacifier sometimes, which helps. He has stayed asleep for naps a couple times in the swing, but other than that, he's social and wants people, particularly mami. Looks like we'll have another active one on our hands! He has started sleeping better with the new medicine and we usually get him to sleep well for the first two feeds of the night, but lately he really wants to be up starting at 2am. We are going to try REALLY hard to keep him awake as much as possible during the day today and hope that we can shift his idea of nighttime a little to align a little better with ours.
OK, so not particularly quick, but there's a lot going on here.
Sylvia and Rafael are doing well in school. We're already proud parents as the teachers were so excited to tell us that when Mr. Ben came for music time our kids did the motions to the songs AND SANG ALONG! And they were the only ones. [cue beaming, competitive mother] We were talking about school this morning and Rafa started naming all of his classmates! We'll take that as a good sign that he's enjoying his friends enough to remember their names. Our kids have better memories than their parents. Next time we go shopping, I'm just going to dictate the list to the kids and they'll be sure I don't forget anything.
It's a good thing Rafa has had some cute moments like that because he is in a funk these days. He's exerting his independence on just about everything. It seems like it's mostly a transition issue, that he really likes whatever it is he's doing and doesn't want to move to the next thing. Leaving school one day last week, he stood in the doorway for about 5 minutes while parents were coming and going picking up their kids walking around him. He stood there until I just left for the car and after I was a good distance away, he decided to run after me. (For those thinking I'm a negligent parent, I waited until the traffic died down and the security guard, Rafa, and I were the only ones left, so the security guard helped keep an eye on him until he got to me.) Of course, he fought getting into the car. Then, when we got home and I unbuckled him, he buckled himself back in! He used to love singing at night with us, but since he knows that bedtime follows shortly thereafter, he's begun protesting the singing. I won't even talk about the war we wage for diaper changes, brushing teeth, and bedtime. Fortunately, it seems that when one of the kids goes through a difficult phase, the other one lightens up and Sylvia hasn't been quite as challenging lately. That doesn't mean we don't have moments (pretty much every evening) when all three are wailing at the same time. If that doesn't teach us patience, we are lost causes.
Oscar, well, where to begin with Oscar. We got him on a new medicine that seems to be helping. It's not perfect, but he mostly seems to be better related to the reflux. He still spits up, but doesn't seem to be in as much pain. He just is not a very happy baby. Which makes his parents not particularly happy, either. He did hang out awake and content for about an hour this morning, which was so wonderful that I told D to take another look before going off to work. There's just always something making him uncomfortable: gas, reflux, hiccups, poop, hunger, fatigue, dirty diaper, boredom, you name it. I think he's called a high needs baby. He's only quiet when he's sleeping (and even then there's lots of grunting and moaning) or in my arms while being rocked and bounced and sung to. We finally got him to take a pacifier sometimes, which helps. He has stayed asleep for naps a couple times in the swing, but other than that, he's social and wants people, particularly mami. Looks like we'll have another active one on our hands! He has started sleeping better with the new medicine and we usually get him to sleep well for the first two feeds of the night, but lately he really wants to be up starting at 2am. We are going to try REALLY hard to keep him awake as much as possible during the day today and hope that we can shift his idea of nighttime a little to align a little better with ours.
OK, so not particularly quick, but there's a lot going on here.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Monday, September 9, 2013
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Happy Birthday!
Rafa "blowing" out the candle.
Rafa and Sylvia enjoying juice, which they have only had a couple of times during their 730 days on Earth.
Thanks family and friends for coming out. It was a blast!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Rafa and Sylvia enjoying juice, which they have only had a couple of times during their 730 days on Earth.
Thanks family and friends for coming out. It was a blast!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
2 year checkup
Yesterday, for their birthday, we took Sylvia and Rafael to the doctor for shots. Not really. But sort of.
Our doctor told us that when she looked at her schedule and saw their names, she thought someone had made a mistake because she couldn't believe they were already two.
Everything looks good and they're growing and developing wonderfully. Here are the stats:
Sylvia
Height - 35.5" (90%)
Weight - 26 lb 9.6 oz (50%)
HC - 18.74" (54%)
Rafael
Height - 34" (40%)
Weight - 25 lb 6.4 oz (19%)
HC - 20" (94%)
They did get one shot and were A-MA-ZING. Rafa only whimpered a little after it was all over. Sylvia cried about 5 seconds. We were shocked and very pleased. Sylvia did have a little soreness in her leg and was fussy afterwards until that went away, but it wasn't long before playing distracted her enough to ignore it. These days, we get more tears over picking the wrong colored plate for dinner than shots.
Our doctor told us that when she looked at her schedule and saw their names, she thought someone had made a mistake because she couldn't believe they were already two.
Everything looks good and they're growing and developing wonderfully. Here are the stats:
Sylvia
Height - 35.5" (90%)
Weight - 26 lb 9.6 oz (50%)
HC - 18.74" (54%)
Rafael
Height - 34" (40%)
Weight - 25 lb 6.4 oz (19%)
HC - 20" (94%)
They did get one shot and were A-MA-ZING. Rafa only whimpered a little after it was all over. Sylvia cried about 5 seconds. We were shocked and very pleased. Sylvia did have a little soreness in her leg and was fussy afterwards until that went away, but it wasn't long before playing distracted her enough to ignore it. These days, we get more tears over picking the wrong colored plate for dinner than shots.
Friday, September 6, 2013
dos
Two. Sylvia and Rafa are two. How did that happen? The days are long, but the years are short.
Their nanny brought gift bags full of goodies and somehow they knew that there was fun stuff inside. D and I are not very good gift givers, but it was really fun watching them enjoy their gifts.
Their nanny brought gift bags full of goodies and somehow they knew that there was fun stuff inside. D and I are not very good gift givers, but it was really fun watching them enjoy their gifts.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
little dancing boy
After church, the nursery ladies told D that Rafa spent the hour dancing to the music from the video they were showing. He loves dancing and we love how much he loves music.
Unfortunately, I didn't catch Sylvia spinning, which is her signature move. She only lasts about 20 seconds before something else catches her eye. I also didn't catch some of Rafa's best moves, including shaking his bottom!--is that just a natural reaction to music or where did he learn it??
Unfortunately, I didn't catch Sylvia spinning, which is her signature move. She only lasts about 20 seconds before something else catches her eye. I also didn't catch some of Rafa's best moves, including shaking his bottom!--is that just a natural reaction to music or where did he learn it??
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Rafa loves reading
It might be his favorite thing.
He's lucky his crib is the one next to the bookshelf.
He'll be mad at us one day for these photos...
He's lucky his crib is the one next to the bookshelf.
He'll be mad at us one day for these photos...
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
first day
Today is the first day of Mother's Day Out for Sylvia and Rafael. So, of course Rafa woke up with a runny nose. Ugh. No temp and not too much drainage, so he still gets to go, but I fear he may not make it the whole day.
Mami's kids are growing up!
And they're off!
It helps to be part of a team tackling this new adventure. (They got lots of oohs and aahs walking hand in hand down the hallway.)
And this is all I got for a goodbye. Rafa looked back for a minute. They both just went right in, a little hesitant, but without tears and without even looking for me. They're going to have a blast!
Mami's kids are growing up!
And they're off!
It helps to be part of a team tackling this new adventure. (They got lots of oohs and aahs walking hand in hand down the hallway.)
And this is all I got for a goodbye. Rafa looked back for a minute. They both just went right in, a little hesitant, but without tears and without even looking for me. They're going to have a blast!
Monday, September 2, 2013
that's what I get
I should have known better than to brag about sweet slumber. After that celebratory post, Oscar decided he didn't need to sleep any more the rest of the night. So, I'm not sure the longer stretch was all that helpful except that now we know he can do it. But everything has consequences...
wowzers
At his best, Oscar has been only going 3 hours (at most) between feeds at night. Sometimes only 2. Since nursing and burping takes an hour, that doesn't leave much sleeping time.
I guess Oscar decided to celebrate Labor Day and he just when 4.75 hours between feeds!!! It's a good thing I went to bed early, almost right after nursing and got to take advantage of the extra z's. if we get any repeat action on this in the next week, I'll be a whole new woman.
Thank you, Oscar. The new medicine probably didn't hurt.
I guess Oscar decided to celebrate Labor Day and he just when 4.75 hours between feeds!!! It's a good thing I went to bed early, almost right after nursing and got to take advantage of the extra z's. if we get any repeat action on this in the next week, I'll be a whole new woman.
Thank you, Oscar. The new medicine probably didn't hurt.
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