back in the pool

Yup, I made my first trip to the Y tonight to do some swimming and it felt fabulous! I seriously recommend swimming to anyone looking for a great workout- Great cardio, but because you are in the pool, it doesn't seem too bad! I don't know - I really enjoy swimming.. in a pool that is. Get me in a lake and it is a completely different story. Hopefully that will change this summer. I will force myself to go swimming and not to think about all the weird fish in the water that could bite my toes off or something like that....

Yea - it is my Friday! No real plans with the kids. I am hoping to figure out whatever is going on with Evan. I feel bad for the kid, I am experimenting with everything I can think of to help him out. He has had some rough nights lately - the past two I bet he has been up an average of 5-6 times, which is super rough - but what can you do? Tylenol, me not drinking milk, acid reflux medicine, swaddling, Nuk's, crying it out, I don't know what else to do. Hopefully his little teeth will pop soon (if that is it) or his acid reflux medicine will work (which we are starting again). I spoke with an Occupational Therapist today... aka Kristen.. and she recommended trying one thing or the other for 2 weeks straight before we decide to try a new method. She suggests this to her families, so that is what I am trying. We stopped his acid reflux medicine after about 4-5 days as he hated it so much and it didn't seem like it was working. However, I was reading the web today about infant A.R. and his symptoms sound match what they were saying. They also suggested mixing his medicine with Hershey's syrup so he would take it better. SO - For the next 2 weeks, he is on acid reflux medicine and I am trying to cure him of that. If, that is what it is :-) I just wish the kid could talk... it would make life so much easier.

Emma has been really good at home lately, a pretty good helper, not so whiney, and overall improving. Then, I pick her up from daycare today and get the report that she is pushing her brother over when he is sitting on the floor. Nice, very nice. Evan loves sitting up now and is so proud of himself - he sat by himself surrounded on toy island for probably 30 minutes tonight, happily chewing and playng. Now imagine you are relaxed, happy, and your big sister comes and pushes you over! NOT GOOD! She does it for attention, I realize that, but that doesn't mean I like it. So, her and I have a conversation about it tonight.

Me: So, Emma, Theresa tells me you are pushing Evan over. That is not very nice! He is too little and you need to be nice to your brother.
Emma: Yup. He is my little brother.
Me: Yeah, I know. Now imagine how you would feel if he pushed you over.
Emma: He can't. He is my little brother and I am bigger and bigger and bigger than him.
Me: Yeah, I know. But what if he could push you over. That wouldn't be very nice and I don't think you would like it.
Emma: But he can't. Mama- want to dance with me?

And that is trying to rationalize with an almost 3 year old. Lovely.

We are up to the cabin this weekend. Tim and I are going on a date tomorrow night! We are getting a babysitter so we can go out to happy hour tomorrow night - yeah! Just a quick night out. It should be good :-)

Dancing with the stars

Man, is Gilles a great dancer. Really, seriously - a great dancer - and not too hard to look at either! I felt bad for Evan. I was trying to feed him a bottle when Gilles came on to dance. Poor kid had milk dripping down his chin as I wasn't paying any attention. I even voted! I never do that.

catching up

That must be the mantra of all people with children - catch up. There are only so many hours in the day so at the end, we have to catch up. I obviously haven't had enough hours lately to update the blog as I have been catching up with other stuff. Some of the stuff on my catching up list:
1)Do our taxes (unfortunately this one has a due date to it)
2)Send some of the new kid pics to Sam's to print them out.
3)Work on some new photo-editing tricks that my friend Molly told me about
4)Start reading our next book club book
5)digital scrapbooking - unfortunately this one always takes the back-burner. SO - I am hoping to find a good way to document stuff now so I can do them later.

Anyway - the reason I have a longer than normal catch-up list is because we have been pretty busy here. Last weekend I had book club and Tim and I attended a St. Patrick's Party. That was a lot of fun! It was a prior co-worker of his and she had the best house with the best Irish bar in the basement. (she seriously had a bar in the basement - it was SO neat!) That was a lot of fun and the kiddo's did great for our babysitter! Even Evan did great - which means we can maybe go out on a date night real soon :-)

This week was work as usual and then we took off on Thursday and went on vacation! We went to Grand Rios waterpark in the suburbs up here - stayed over 2 nights in a hotel and relaxed (or belaxed as Emma says). It was great. Not so much a Tim and I vacation (that will hopefully be this summer) but it was wonderful for the kids. Well, for Emma. She had an absolute blast! She has stayed in a hotel before and been to an indoor water-park - but she does not remember either. She was running around the room examining everything. She jumped on the beds a bit, played with the TV a bit, thought the bathroom was pretty cool and was happy we had a potty. She thought it was pretty neat to be staying in someone else's place. But the waterpark for her was heaven. I was surprised at first because she was a little timid about the whole thing. She didn't really want to splash. She wanted to walk around the perimeter of the whole park and take it all in. She started to warm up a bit the first night - we were in the park for about 2 hours then and towards the end she was playing on the small slides and having a blast. Evan on the other hand was NOT enjoying it one bit. He didn't want to splash, didn't want to play and would have a fit if one drop of water would touch him. Yeah - not a good sign as his whole summer will be around water at the cabin. Tim getting Evan ready for the waterpark.

That night, we ordered in pizza and went to bed. We had a pack-n-play for the boy and he fell asleep very quickly. Emma on the other hand wasn't feeling too tired and Tim and I ended up shutting off the TV around 9:30 so she would finally go to bed. Here is a picture of Evan playing on the hotel bed in his play zen we made :-)

We packed a bunch of food in the cooler and had a breakfast "in" the next morning of yogurt, donutes, muffins, milk, fruit, etc. The whole vacation Emma had a big smile on her face, just taking the whole experience in. It was so much fun to watch her experience all of that - her wide eyes were looking around and loving every minute of it. She did much better Friday at the water park also. She got to the point where she was going on the "big" kid slides all by herself. She even saw one kid go down head first on her belly so she had to do that also. Up, down, Up, down, over and over and over. (Emma and her goofy, happy smile) Tim and I took turns between her and Evan as we would get a bit tired (and dare I say bored) doing them over and over again. I thought it would be interesting during naptime to see how Emma would do, but honestly she was out in about 5 minutes of us laying her in her bed - Evan too. It was nice as even Tim and I got a chance to nap for about an hour. That afternoon, more of the same, then Buca's for supper.

We checked out on Saturday at 11am, after Emma actually getting sick of the waterslides, then headed to the Mall of America where Emma went on some of the rides there. After that, we were ready to come home. It was a quick stop at McDonalds for lunch and more Chocolate Milk for Emma - which she loves, but I only give to her on special occasions - then home. It was good to be home. Tim and I felt like pack-mules as we brought so much stuff with us for 2 nights. So, it was good to have some time to unpack, do laundry and relax.

Today was family time. My parents, sister Kim and her son Andrew came up to visit. Oh yeah - and I picked up my new bike! My old mountain bike isn't really a speed demon in triathlons, so I bit the bullet and bought a road-bike. I love it! I took it for a quick spin today and am very happy with my purchase. Yesterday we also got a membership to the YMCA in Woodbury, so I am good to go. Well, I should say I have all the tools, now I just need the time to swim a bit and I will be ready. It felt good to get on a bike again and I am sure it will feel awesome to get in the pool and start swimming!

(I will mention now that I am watching the Amazing Race, so I will NOT be proof-reading my post. Sorry, but I have other stuff to get done tonight too :-)

Emma has been a bit of a struggly lately. She is so strong-willed, which is good sometimes, but then we ask her to do some simple things like pick up toys, wash her hands, and she totally melts down. I don't know what to do! She has to realize that she needs to listen to Tim and I, but she just thinks it is a game sometimes. So frustrating! But, here are some cute things she has been doing lately to make up for it:
(After Tim made steak and green beans for supper one night) "Daddy, these are awesome! You did a good job!"
We we outside grilling last night, so she brought her babydoll out and put it in the swing and she was doing underdogs for her baby "just like Mama does for me. Daddy can push me REALLY high so I feel like I am going to hit the deck, but Mama can do underdogs."

Evan is good too. Still sitting up well, actually he enjoys this position the best now. He is still eating okay and hopefully Kristen helped us solve his drinking issues so he is not uncomfortable when he drinks. It may not be the Acid Reflux like we thought, but all the milk that I drink that may be making the little guy uncomfortable. Apparently sometimes little ones have difficulty with the lactose in milk too - so I am going to experiment with that a bit. I didn't drink any milk today and he drank really well, so hopefully that is it. STILL NO TEETH! Seriously -when will they show up?

That's about it. Tim and I are good. We are both getting some more responsibility at work. I will be working with more plants - so that will keep me busy and Tim has a new job. Really tough one too - he will be building an organization for vendor managment. So, as he puts it - More golfing and game watching. Yeah - poor Tim :-) Hopefully he realizes that he needs to take his wife along to so things - hahah!

6 months

I feel like I have so much to say and so little time. Let's start with the important stuff.... Evan is 6 months old! We had his doctor's appointment today and it went well. He is 17.5# (38%), 26 in (45%), and who really cares about his head circumference? The doctor thought Evan was doing really well, tracks his eyes well, bears weight on his legs well, all-in-all, a healthy little boy :-) He did prescribe some medicine for acid reflux as Evan is a bit fussy while eating and I am hoping the medicine will help with that.

Here is a pic of my handsome little man.


Let's see, Evan at 6 months:
** Just today started sitting up by himself and he can actually do it for a few minutes at a time. He prefers that position now.
** Rolling from his back to stomach is easy, stomach to back, not so much. Many times now in the middle of the night, he will roll from back to stomach and then fuss for someone to come and roll him back.
** STILL having sleep issues. Although - last night he did sleep for 6 hours straight! It was Heaven!
** Fussy eater - sometimes wants cereal, sometimes doesn't. Sometimes will take the bottle, sometimes not. I have started those little fruity puff things for kids. He really likes those. Well, I take that back, he likes picking them up and trying to get them in his mouth. If he actually gets one in his mouth, he makes a bad face and sometimes gags.
**Usually a pretty happy-go-lucky kid. He LOVES being in his bouncy seat and loves watching Emma. He cannot wait until he can keep up with her.
**Smiles often, but it is harder to get him to giggle.
**He is a Momma's boy. If I am up walking around, his eyes follow me the whole time. If I walk past him if he is on the floor or with Tim, he starts whining and wants to be picked up. Yes, it is cute, but can be frustrating at times.
**Loves his bath -
**Still likes the pacifier.

That is all I can think of for now. I have to go to bed.

Oh yeah - still no coat for Emma and now dance class is over. At least we got it seriously discounted and she wouldn't have been able to wear it next year, but still!

Here is another picture of my guy.

update on the coat.

The Dance studio called me yesterday morning saying they had found Emma's coat at the end of the sessions last night and had it at their receptionist desk. Emma and I were obviously very happy at the news and called Tim to tell him to pick it up on his way home from work. Unfortunately the studio called back about 10 minutes later and apologized as they just discovered it was NOT Emma's coat. It was a pink kids coat, but not the brand that Emma's was. I guess they forgot to look at one of the big distinguishing factors before calling and declaring that it was ours. (maybe this person was the same woman that asked me if I had looked for the coat yesterday before reporting it missing.) I called Tim back and gave him the news. He snorted and didn't seem surprised. My faith in humanity is still holding out that it will be returned - although Tim pointed out that the coat left at the dance studio probably belonged to the people that stole Emma's. Anyway... hopefully this will have a good outcome. I would THINK the people that have Emma's coat would have realized it by now AND returned it to the dance studio as it is still winter and she doesn't have her coat. Lord knows if it was me, I would feel so horrible for the mistake that it would have been returned right away. Anyway - at least she does have another coat she can wear. It is a bit small, but we can make do.

We are heading to the cabin this morning. Tim and Evan are still sleeping and I am up with Emma enjoying the morning. Go figure... I am the one up with the kid during the night and Tim is the one that is sleeping in :-) Typical male....

I hope you all have a great weekend!

(a slightly older picture of my family, but I still like it!)

The case of the missing coat.

Emma had dance class tonight. She had a great time, like usual, running and jumping and constantly looking at herself in the mirrors. When the class finished, we went to the little hook we hung all of her stuff up on and could not find her coat. Not too worry I think, I am sure it is here somewhere. So, Tim watches the kids as I search all the hooks, casually move the other coats to the side, and try to find Em's coat. No luck.... I walk around the other studio's, other hooks, chairs, etc and NO LUCK! Emma by this point is getting pretty upset. "Mama, where is my coat? I need my coat!" Tim searches and finds nothing. All this time I am thinking... this is not good. Of course dance is a sea of pink winter coats at this time so trying to find one is difficult. In the end, I go up to the secretary or receptionist and ask her about it. She asks me, "Well, have you looked at the other hooks?" Gee - what a wonderful thought...Never would have thought to do that. She, in the end, takes down our name, phone number, description of the coat and tells me she would call at the end of the day when everyone leaves if she finds it. As of 10:10 I have not received a phone call. Tim is not hopeful, he thinks someone stole it. I am hoping some tired Mom didn't realize she put the wrong coat on her kid. I will stop in tomorrow and see if it is in the lost and found section. I told Tim that if it does not show up, I am going to post a sign at dance that says, "To the person that stole my 2.5 year old daughter's pink winter coat, call ***-**** to inquire about the matching snow-pants." sigh...

Emma is done with dance class next week. Tim wants to sign her up for another session because, in his words: "she looks forward to dance so much. AND she is by far the best one in her class. She listens to the teacher and really tries to do what the teacher is telling her." uh, huh... yeah. She is two & a half. Not sure if I see her budding talent like Tim does ( do you think she has him wrapped around her finger at all?) but I do know that Emma enjoys it. I though am looking forward to having Wednesday nights back to normal. So, we will see.

With that, I am off to bed. No spell check, no grammar check tonight.

Evan Meets God

Tim said to me tonight (in-between wails from an almost 3 year old and jabbering from a 6 month old) "Kelly, remember what it was like before we had children?" Yup. ... quiet... peace and quiet... cook nights... down-time... sleeping in :-) However, I wouldn't change my life for anything.

We had a good weekend. Busy, but good. I still feel as though I have a cold. It is about 2 weeks running and I want it to go away. Sorry, sidenote.

Anyway - Saturday was Meg's baby shower and that went great! It was fun catching up with Trisha and feeling the excitement of a new addition! Megan received tons of nice things, there was yummy food, and I think everyone had a great time.



Sunday was Evan's baptism. He hiccupped/cried though most of the baptism. Thankfully not loud cries (well, at least not until the end) just a whimper here and a quiet wail there. Father Tom made some funny comments about it as the other two getting baptized barely made a peep and then there is Evan. Oh well, it made it memorable. Then, we had a bunch of family over to the house for the party. More yummy food and nice gifts, which Emma could not wait to open. Because of the long day, Emma did not have a nap and, well, Evan just does not nap, so we had too tired kids. They were both in bed around 7:30. Here are a bunch of pictures.

God parents (Tim's son Eric, my sister Kim, me, Tim, and Evan)


The family


Giving Evan a blessing


in the water


The close up


Crying Evan


Proud Big Sister


With Father Tom



And more crying Evan with Nana


We went to church earlier that day and both kids did good. Emma kept wanting to walk around and show everyone her school. No real decision if Emma will be attending their school or not, but she thinks she is. They do have 3 year old Sunday school which Emma will be attending in a few months (or at least I would like her too), but as for kindergarten, not sure.

Nothing too exciting this week. Hopefully everything will be back to normal with daycare & work schedules. This weekend we have the Milwaukee clan coming up to the cabin, so that will be very fun!

And with that, I need to do more web searching and then get ready for tomorrow. Have a great week!