Calving Season Has Begun

So many of my friends I pregnant I can barely keep track! The first two babies of the season made their debut this weekend. Hannah was born on 3/27 and Abigail was born 3/29. Their moms are both part of our playgroup, delivered in the same hospital, and were three doors down from each other on the maternity ward. The rest of playgroup had a fun time visiting them this weekend!

This is just the beginning though. Eight more friends plus myself are expecting babies between now and the first week of October. Fun times!



(L to R): Jennifer with Hannah, Leslie, Heidi with Abbie, Ann (26 weeks), Karen (33 weeks)

Don't we have nice looking moms in our playgroup?

(L to R) Hannah 8 pounds, 20 inches; Abigail 7 lbs 10 ounces, 21 inches (only 6 hours old)

Hug your kids

I am so thankful that Erik is a healthy, smart, kind "baby" boy. I was reminded of what a blessing this is when I took him in for his 18 month check up. His pediatrician is also pregnant -- due a few weeks after me. I asked her when she thought she would be returning to work after having her baby. She said she is taking an extended leave of absence starting in June -- with no return date. The reason for this is because her 24 month old son developed Infantile Spasms at 6 months of age. He has been seizure free for a year now but is globally delayed. He doesn't talk at all and doesn't seem to be able to follow commands. He has a feeding disorder, fine motor delays, etc. He is receiving a lot of therapy but there is little else they can do but wait and see what happens. The prognosis for him is poor -- he will likely always be severely cognitively delayed. I felt so bad for his mom/Erik's doctor (almost started to cry as I was talking to her). I thought it was quite amazing she was so open with me -- my heart goes out to her family. She said the most frustrating part of it is that even though she spends all day helping other peoples kids there is very little that can be done to help her son. Poor thing! So -- let's say a prayer for them, a praise for our healthy kids, and then give our sweet babies a big hug!

Thank you!

I just wanted to say a quick thank you to men. I traveled without Victor to Nebraska this week. Of course I wasn't really alone -- I had 18 month old Erik, a stroller, 42 pound suitcase, and am 6 months pregnant!

We had a one hour drive to the airport, shuttle from the parking lot, two flights, and then one hour drive to Julie and Brad's house. This was a long day. My day was improved by the kind men who went out of their way to help me. I don't think I ever lifted my suitcase or opened a door. I never asked for help or made any effort to look like a damsel in distress but men still volunteered to help me every step of the way. Thank you!! Your efforts are appreciated.

As for the women -- not one offered to help (except for a flight attendant). One did sigh at me as I was a little slow getting off of the airplane. Another woman commented, "Guess I could of helped you, huh?" after I got on the shuttle bus. Nice! Her help wasn't actually needed though as 2 men had gotten out of their seats -- one to lift my suitcase the other to help me get the stroller on the bus.

Thank you again to all the helpful men I encountered on my travels. To the women reading my blog (I am sure you are more helpful than the women I encountered) -- lets try to match the effort of the men and offer to help out struggling strangers!

Nebraska

This week Erik and I spent a few days in Nebraska visiting my cousins. We stayed with Julie but also spent a day with the Trucke's. Erik and Elliana are 6 weeks apart in age. They played together very well. It was fun to watch. I was also struck by the difference between boys and girls. During playgroup (4 boys 1 girl) there is always someone pulling hair, hitting, pushing, etc. Erik spent many hours with Elliana and I don't think we had to seperate them once. No ones hair got pulled, no one was hit on the head with a hammer, no one got a time out for bad behavior, etc. Erik is pretty gentle in general (although he has his moments) and it seemed like when not surrounded by testosterone the interactions between the kids was generally kind and gentle. Interesting!

Julie and I are both pregnant again -- 6 weeks apart. It is fun to experience pregnancy and raising kids together. Here are some photos from our trip.....

Erik loved the doll stroller, kitchen, and baby dolls. It was cute.








Alexa, Elliana, Erik, and Sydney after swimming.

18 1/2 months

I took Erik in for his 18 month check up yesterday. Here are his stats....

Length: 32 1/2 inches (50%)
Weight: 24 pounds 12 ounces (30%)
Head Circumference: 19 inches -- I think (75%)

He is doing well. It is amazing how much he has learned this month. He is talking a lot -- tries to repeat almost anything you ask him too. He has started occasionally putting 2 words together as well. This week he has started to say 1, 2, 3. I think he may have picked that up from Elliana. I don't think he understands counting completely but when we were in the car yesterday he said, " Bus. one, two. " Which was correct. It is so fun to see him learn!

Topics of discussion at this 18 month check up included...

1- Reflux. His symptoms have improved significantly since starting him on Prevacid 6 weeks ago. It seems like it is still bothering him at night 1 -2 times a week so we are going to double his dose for 4 weeks and see if it is even better.

2- Allergies. I am starting Erik in preschool in the fall and they need guidelines regarding exposure to peanuts -- since he tested positive for an allergy to them. I am going to schedule him for an appointment with an allergist prior to September and hope to be able to expose him to nuts in an controlled environment (at the allergists) to see if he has a reaction. I would hate to have to segregate him from other kids eating peanut butter, etc. if it isn't necessary.

3- Drooling/Chewing. Erik drools A LOT!!! His shirt is soaked many times throughout the day. He also gags on his food if it isn't cut into microscopic pieces. This is abnormal for an 18 month old. I asked the Dr. about it and she agreed that although developmentally he is normal (or ahead of schedule) his swallowing/chewing coordination seems to be a little weak. Her son has had significant problems with this so she game me some ideas/exercises to try at home with Erik. If the drooling/gagging doesn't improve over the next few months we may need to see a speech pathologist for some help. This doesn't seem to affect Erik much but I get nervous about having other people feed him since most 18 month olds can tolerate larger bites than he can.

There was something else we talked about but I can't remember what is was at the moment. Oh well! Erik is doing great! I am so thankful for my healthy little boy.

Post - St. Patrick's Day Party

Yesterday, we had three other families over for dinner. We all have one year olds so it is fun to get together. We made a traditional St. Patrick's Day meal -- corn beef, potatoes, carrots, Irish soda bread, salad, apple crisp, chocolate mint cake, etc. Yum!! It is nice to have such a nice group of friends (there is one more family in our "group" but they couldn't make it). All the parents like each other and the kids are the same age so it is nice. Additionally, 4 out of the 5 mom's are expecting their second baby sometime in the next 3 months. Getting together will be really interesting then!

Kids Table....


Adult "table"....

Climbing

Erik likes to climb! It is cute but a bit dangerous. Here are a few examples...

Cute little Boy

Two cute things from today...

Tonight I was eating dinner with Erik. I said a quick prayer at the beginning of the meal. Erik must be listening and know that I always end the prayer with, "In your name we pray -- followed by Amen. I say this because tonight he said Amen at the exact same time I did. He then said and signed, "more" and reached out to hold my hand. I said another quick prayer and he again said, "amen" at the exact same time I did. He did it 3 times in a row -- until I told him prayer time was over. Pretty cute!

Although Erik is getting bigger by the day he still would prefer to be rocked to sleep. We don't oblige him of course but sometimes if he is really tired he will just curl up and go to sleep in your arms. Today I was reading him a book before nap time and about 30 seconds into the story I realized he was fast asleep. It is so nice to cuddle with him sometimes.

Big Boy

Erik peed on his potty chair for the first time today. We bought one a couple of weeks ago just so he would get used to it. He likes to sit on it and read stories. This morning he actually peed while I was reading to him. He was so proud -- he stood up and clapped for himself. Two later attempts resulted in him peeing on the floor. I am still okay when he does that (as long as it's on the tile) because at least he is becoming aware of going to the bathroom. If he continues to have success and seems interested I may pursue potty training more earnestly. If not, he can just enjoy occasional stories while naked and we will try for real when he seems ready.

Another thing that makes Erik seem like a big boy is the huge improvement in his communication skills. Last week he said, "Ow" two days in a row when I was putting on his shoes. At first I thought maybe I tied them too tight or his sock was crooked (he had only been wearing the shoes for 6 weeks). Nope, he was trying to tell me they were too small. I bumped him up a size (I have a stock of shoes that I bought on sale) and haven't heard a complaint since. It is nice that he can communicate his needs more clearly now!

The other thing that makes him seems older is that he is capable of "milking it" for attention. A couple of weeks ago I told you about him getting picked on at play group. Well, today my friends Karen and Leslie were over. Sean, was attempting to hit Erik but actually didn't touch him at all - bad aim. Karen, Sean's mom, said No Sean and I said, sarcastically, Sean you better not hit Erik or my baby boy will cry. Well, two seconds later Erik bursts into tears -- big fat lip and all. It seemed like he heard what I said and decided to try it. Pretty funny. I did give him a hug of course but laughed at the same time.

Uncle Colin is fun!

We have been busy with Uncle Colin. He has never been to DC before so he has spent a lot of time sightseeing. When he is not sightseeing he is entertaining Erik. Erik thinks Colin is just here to play and is enjoying that immensely. Below is a video of Erik and Colin playing.

Besides sightseeing and playing we put Colin to work. He helped Victor carry the office furniture downstairs, move the guest room to where the office used to be, and move a new bed upstairs from the basement. Thank you Colin!!

Uncle Colin

Uncle Colin is here to visit. His visit started out rough -- when he walked in the door last night Erik started bawling and clinging to me. He must of though Colin was a babysitter. Erik warmed up to Colin once he realized that Uncle Colin was willing to chase him around and around and around in circles. Chase is Erik's favorite game.

This morning Erik set a new record -- he slept until 7:25. Thank you daylight savings! Since he slept in so late we were able to join Colin for the morning in downtown DC. We walked about the mall and spent time at the Air and Space museum. Erik enjoyed being chased both indoors and out. I got him back in the car around 12:45 and he was sleeping before I even put the into drive. He has not been transferring from the carseat very well anymore so I was nervous. He did wake up when we got home but went right back to sleep when I put him back in the crib. Phew! Now we can have a nice afternoon.

Here is a photo of Erik and Colin in front of the capital and a video of Erik flying a plane. He enjoyed!

St. Patty's Parade

5 days after it snowed we were wearing shorts. We had 5 days in the 70's. Yay! Spring is almost here. This weekend it is back in the 40's though.

Here are some photos from the St. Patrick's Day parade and Dog Show we went to in Old Town Alexandria last weekend.

Erik didn't know what to think of the bagpipers.

Picture

Peaceful Moment! Leslie and I carpool places sometimes
since we live 1 block from each other. Erik and Cullen seem to
enjoy having a friend in the car. We often find them holding hands.



Snow on March 1st

Erik and Cow. Erik loves cows. This one is for his baby
sister. Before I stashed it away for her, he made sure to give
it some love!

Snow and Erik the Runt

We have had a nice week. It snowed here Sunday night. We actually got about 5 inches on the ground. Unlike Wisconsin winters, this is very unusual in Virginia so any snow we get is actually exciting. Erik really enjoyed playing in the snow this week. He shouts "noe" out the window (can't say the S). It is cute. I have some pictures but am too tired tonight to download them off of my camera and post them. I shoveled our front walk that morning and Erik followed behind me with a shovel of his own. Pretty cute!

The best part about snow in VA is that it doesn't stick around long. It is supposed to be 75 degrees this weekend. Snow is so much more enjoyable when you know your not going to be shoveling continuously for 5 months. :)

Every Thursday we go to playgroup with 4 friends and their one year olds. I look forward to this outing every week as I get to socialize with my friends while our kids play. Today was James' 2nd birthday (hard to believe all of the kids will be two in the next 6 months). Erik is the youngest of the group (by 6 weeks). They play well together but recently Erik has been getting bullied a little. First, Cullen seemed to enjoy pushing him. This has improved significantly during the past week. Now, though, Sean (who in general is as sweet and laid back as a one year old can be) has picked Erik as his target. Erik had an extra tough time with this today because just before playgroup we were playing chase and he tripped and slammed his forehead into the wooden corner. He has a HUGE goose egg. At playgroup Erik and Sean both loved the Elmo balloon (Elmo is a hot item amongst the one year olds) -- feeling a bit defensive regarding ownership of the balloon Sean pulled Erik's hair and then later pulled him over. Normally, this wouldn't bother Erik much but today he milked it as much as one can and just cried and cried -- big alligator tears. Oh well, I am sure he will learn to stand his ground soon -- and will probably choose to pick on his baby sister. Poor baby girl doesn't know what she is getting into.

Saying this -- Erik isn't always innocent! He did run Cullen over with his car one day when he was feeling particularly feisty and he pushed a 12 month old at the library this morning. Apparently, though he seems to respect the role as runt at playgroup. Not sure why but all of the kids seem to follow this. Until we joined the group Sean (the next youngest) was the scapegoat.

It is interesting to watch my baby become a boy. It is hard to know when to step in and comfort/referee and when to let them work it out on their own. Today Erik seemed genuinely sad and needed comforting but I am also aware that he is a smart little boy and is likely capable of overreacting to a minor infraction in order to get attention/other kid in trouble. Hopefully, I will choose the right times to ignore vs comfort/reprimand.

All in all, we had a great time at James' party. I am so grateful to have met such wonderful friends. They are great friends and mom's and I look forward to getting to know each other better and to face more parenting challenges together!

I will post some photos this weekend. Good night!