family fun

All the cousins were together again last weekend. We thought it would be a good idea to take the 7 youngest ones (4 and under) to a museum... Despite any fears we may have had, the kids were on fantastic behavior and everyone had a good time. It was really a special thing to me to be walking along with this little pack of children hanging out together. Hopefully we're creating some beautiful memories.



On another trip to a museum, this time the children's museum, I found Rafa and Sylvia had moved these two rocking dogs together and thought it was too precious to not capture.



As was their make believe feast.



Today we went to Oma and Gong-Gong's house and Oscar made sure that he wasn't left out of the fun and bellied right up.



These are the beautiful moments that photos will help us preserve. I'm grateful for that!

hernia - take 2...

So, it turns out that Rafa has a hernia.  You might remember that Sylvia had one but then didn't.  This time, it sounds like the urologist is sure that Rafa has one.  He also said that he wouldn't use imaging to discover a hernia, which makes me wonder a little whether we need to check into Sylvia again...  If I remember correctly, it was because they couldn't find anything in radiology to decide that she didn't have one.  Anyhow, that's a question for another day.

Rafa will have surgery in early May.  While I expected that he might have one and that we might need to go in for surgery, I was still a little heartbroken for him when the doctor told me that he would indeed need surgery.  Deep breath.  It will be okay.

This guy.  This guy needs surgery.  Ay, mi amor...

crawling!

At a family dinner, we all witnessed it, Oscar is definitely crawling. Not just scooting or dragging himself around, but for reals crawling. Watch out world. Smiles are coming your way. Because there's nothing Oscar enjoys more than swapping smiles with others.

The only thing that interferes with his crawling is that he seems to really want to bear walk.

Ex A:




There's something really adorable about naked babies.




We might not use any clothes this summer. It's not because we're lazy or too busy with everything else in our 5-family. It's just because it's stinking adorable. Truly.

sharing

Of course I missed the first few minutes where they went back and forth draining my water. But you get the idea. If only they always shared this well.

a sister's love

One of our greatest battles is getting the kids to bed. They just despise that part of the day. We all enjoy wonderful family time together for dinner, a walk, bath, stories, etc. When we start the routine, Sylvia often says: "we're not going to sleep today." By the end, they're usually in tears and wailing. Right now, Rafa fights it more. Sylvia just asks to go to the toilet, for her blankets to be fixed, for her lovey, etc.

Just the other night, Rafa was putting up a fight for the ages. Which of course meant that he was super tired. Into the crib he went. Thank goodness we haven't switched to toddler beds we thought. About 3 minutes later we hear a crash followed by a desperate, blood curdling "Raaaaaaaafaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!"

Yup, he attempted to climb out and was probably too tired to do it without falling. I picked him up an cradled him a little while. Maybe he just needed a little more snuggling. Maybe the episode tired him out. Whatever the case, the next attempt at bedtime was successful.

The interesting thing is that my child crashing to the floor is not what has stuck with me the past few days. What I can't get out of my head is Sylvia's terror stricken scream. In her voice I could hear her deep love for her brother, her fear that something terrible had gone wrong, and her desperation at not being able to do anything (being stuck in her own crib). I am so grateful for the love that my children have for each other. And I pray that they will only cry out for each other like that for something as benign as falling out of bed.

more cowkids

On a walk with Tia Candy after our rodeo day, we came upon a teepee that some neighborhood kids built in their front yard out of bamboo.  Thanks to Tia Candy for these fun videos.

singing in the rain

One of the wonderful things about our new porch is being able to go outside even when it's raining.  Part of the porch is not covered, so naturally, the kids wanted to explore.  It was one of those funny moments when, as parents, we would generally say that it's not a good idea and let's do something else where you'll stay dry.  But, D and I both just let it happen.  And they had a blast.  We need to remember that they just need to be kids and relish it.

trio

All our little ones were playing together on the floor, perhaps for the first time that I've seen, so I had to catch the moment.  [heart melting]


Rafa "brushed" O's teeth and later helped feed him.  He sweetly said with each spoon, "Here, BabyOscar."  "Open your mouth, BabyOscar."  Now I just need to teach him how to change a diaper...

cowkids

You can't pass up the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo when it's in town!  They loved taking it all in.  Sylvia didn't want to have anything to do with the horses and cows and donkeys and other big animals, which saved mami from the pony ride line.  It was only a couple hours of running around, but it wore me out!














All they're missing is the horse!

all fours!

Which means crawling will be soon!

2 x 2.5!!

Sylvia and Rafael are now 2 1/2!

Here are the doctor stats:

Rafa:
Height - 34" (10%)
Weight - 29 lb. 10 oz. (48%)

Sylvia:
Height - 36" (65%)
Weight - 31 lb. 10 oz. (80%)

The good doctor also thinks that Rafa might have a hernia, so we're going for his scan later this month. And they say it's not genetic...

The kids were amazing at their doctor and their dentist appointments. For the most part they did what was asked of them on their own and with little coaxing by mami. Independent kids. They're kids, now, not toddlers. And we delight in them.

family fun

7 months!

BabyOscar is 7 months old!

Our nanny sent this picture:



He looks like a little boy already, sitting up by himself and swinging.

At the risk of jinxing things, he's also not spitting up like he used to, so either the meds we switched to are working or his little body is working better.

Probably because of that, he's also sleeping marvelously! He does cry himself to sleep a little, but we haven't heard from him at night more often than we have. So, we're going on a few consecutive nights of uninterrupted sleep by him. Unfortunately, I've had to get up for Sylvia a time or two as we are trying to figure out the right amount of light/sound to keep her and Rafa happy at night.

Another contributing factor is probably that we've gotten Oscar on a good and fairly consistent eating and sleeping schedule. He's now eating purées like a champ, too.

Everyone will be happier with more sleep and we think we're entering the good stage. The stage that was so fun last time we decided to have another. Please remind us this time that three is perfect.