Monday, again

Mondays sure roll around fast around here.  This week was no exception.  Mom came by tonight and hung out with us for awhile.  Luke seemed to enjoy the first day in his new classroom at school.  I have to admit I felt a little overwhelmed when I picked him up.  The teachers started talking to me abut homework, sight words, action words, Dr. Seuss' birthday and pajama day.  What?!?!  I just smiled and nodded like I knew exactly what they were talking about.  Mom volunteered for homework duty which was great!  He had to write one of the letters they were focusing on this week (P and V), draw something that starts with that letter or find pictures in magazines of items that start with that letter.  They did it pretty quickly and he seemed to think homework was fun.  I am sure that will change sooner than later!  Luke was in rare form tonight.  He did not want to do anything I asked him and was acting out.  That is not like him at all.  I immediately blamed his new room and the older kids he is with now.  It also could have been that Mom was here and Paul wasn't.  He is like that sometimes when "visitors" are here.  We will see what he is like the rest of the week.

Katherine took her usual evening nap after supper. She did really well with squash tonight.  I had tried it once before and she did not seem to like it but she did much better this time around. Bedtime went well again tonight.  Mom left before bedtime since I seemed to think Luke's behavior might be related to her being here.

Mother's Day Present

So for my birthday Paul finished installing the hammock I got for Mother's Day last year!  It was just one of those projects that always got put on the back burner.  I was super excited to try it out and can't wait for the weather to be a little warmer so I can enjoy it even more.  Luke got a kick out of it and liked to get in and out of it.  Paul even installed a little rope attached to a stake so I can "swing" myself.  I love it!  Looking at these pictures makes me realize how much we need to do in our yard this Spring...

This morning we went to church and then met Bill, Paula and Kitty at Mimi's Cafe for my birthday.  I love brunch food so was excited to eat there.  It was really good and so sweet that they wanted to help me celebrate my birthday.  Katherine slept the whole time and Luke went from person to person chatting.  Luke starts in the 3-year old room at school tomorrow so we have been trying to talk it up and get him excited about it.

The rest of the afternoon was pretty uneventful.  We just hung out at home.  I tried to take a nap but Katherine did not want me to do that!  Paul gave me some shelves for the bedroom that I have had my eye on for three years!  I couldn't have been more excited!  He thought I was crazy when I said that is the best present he has given me in a long time.  He installed them for me this afternoon and I love them.  Now, what to put on them...

An Afternoon at the Zoo

My Mom and Paul's parents both offered to keep the kids so he and I could do something for my birthday.  I decided I wanted to do something as a family instead.  Since Paul gave me a family membership to the zoo last year for my birthday I wanted to go one more time before it expired. 

The weather was absolutely perfect! It was sunny and in the mid-60's.  Luke loves going to the zoo.  We let him pick which animals he wanted to visit since we knew we would not all hold out to go to every part of the zoo.  He picked the flamingos, giraffes and elephants.  He also wanted to ride the merry-go-round again.  That is what he had been talking about the most.  He knew he wanted to ride the elephant one again.  Katherine did great at the zoo, too. She slept some of the time and when she was not sleeping she just smiled and grunted.

Shared Birthday Lunch

Since Mom's birthday is the 25th and mine is the 27th we met on the 26th to celebrate.  We went to Carrabba's which is always good.  We met for an early lunch and there was hardly anyone else in the restaurant.  Katherine was so good.  She is to the age that she pulls and reaches for everything.  She tried to pull my bowl of pasta off the table and enjoyed chewing on the napkin.  Luke had to help us blow out the candles.  That is his favorite part of anyone's birthday.  We had a great time. I had made Mom a digital scrapbook of our Christmas holidays.  She really seemed to like it.  After lunch we headed to the zoo...

Two Little Monkeys

jumping on the bed!  Luke still loves that song and book.  Paul was helping Katherine jump on the bed.  She loves it when you bounce her up and down on anything but especially beds.  She just giggles and grins.  I know some parents would be appalled that we let our kids jump on the bed but we do not really see any harm in it.  We only let Luke do it when we are in the room with him.

Playing with the Bunnies

We are all about the holidays around here.  We already unpacked our Easter and Spring decorations.  Luke had fun helping me find places for all the bunnies and chicks.  Katherine, of course, loved the bunnies since she liked to chew on their ears.  She came home today in a spare outfit from school.  I always try to keep two extra outfits for her, but today she went through those and moved on to someone else's clothes.  We have tried different brand diapers but nothing seems to help.  I know it will get better when she begins to have more solids in her diet rather than milk.  In the mean time we will keep the detergent companies in business!

Who is that?

If you live in Tennessee then you are familiar with "Charlie" from the Farm Bureau commercials.  Lately Paul has had several people comment that he looks like Charlie.  Luke put one of Paul's caps on and we decided he looked like a little Charlie!  Luke has gotten in to wearing hats lately. He wants to wear the one that matches Paul's (usually UT).

Someone's In The Kitchen...

Mom gave Luke a subscription to High Five magazine for Christmas.  He loves to read it over and over again.  This month there is a recipe for banana bread.  He has had Paul and I read the steps to him a dozen times.  Tonight while I was feeding Katherine and putting her to bed Paul and Luke made the banana bread.  Luke still loves to help us in the kitchen.  It turned out great! 

Sick Day

Katherine did not have a good night last night. She was more restless and fussy than she has been since she got sick.  She started out in her bed but eventually ended up in our bed.  This is something we never did with Luke.  I would not allow it now but Katherine's room is so close to Luke's that we do not want him to wake up and then we would have two wide-awake kids to contend with.  So, that is how Katherine ends up in bed with us.  I think she sleeps better because she lays on a pillow which relieves some of the pressure in her ear.  I knew when we were awake multiple times there was no way I could send her to school with a clear conscience.  It would not be fair to her, the teachers of the other kids.  I hastily sent my boss an email early this morning explaining what was going on.

Luke went to school and I kept Katherine home.  She slept a lot.  I was glad to be home with her because I know there is no way she would have been able to sleep that much at school.  We did run out long enough to get some groceries and to pick Luke up.  She seemed much better by this afternoon. Paul had class tonight but the kids and I had fun.  I got Katherine to eat a few carrots before Luke and I had supper.  While Katherine napped Luke and I played.  Our bedtime routine went well again.  Katherine did wake up after Paul got home while I was putting Luke to bed.  He was able to get her back to sleep fairly quickly. 

On another note, Katherine and I played some this afternoon.  She is loving her toys now!  It is so neat how quickly her interests are evolving. She loves to play with the little kitchen she got for Christmas. She turns the "water" off and on and "cooks" on the stove.  Luke also likes to play with her.  Another big hit is a fun penguin cousin Thomas gave her.  She likes to bat at him and he wobbles around and sings.  She always giggles and smiles!  I knew she was feeling better when she wanted to play.

Our Weekend

Our weekend started Friday night when we went to supper at Genghis Grill.  Katherine usually sleeps while we are eating out are plays happily until we are done.  We should have known something was up when she woke up shortly after we got there and fussed the whole time.  Paul and I took turns walking her around the restaurant.  What I should have seen coming I didn't.  Katherine woke up that night and had a temperature.  She was so cranky and restless.  I worked Saturday morning while Paul kept the kids.  Katherine actually slept a good part of the morning.  She was worn out after being up the night before.  We thought maybe she just had a cold.  She did not seem to be getting any better so we decided to take her to the doctor Sunday.

Our pediatrician is closed on Sundays but I knew of one that was open in Hendersonville.  The plan was for Katherine and I to drop Luke off at church, run to the doctor office and have K checked out and then back to church to pick the boys up.  Well, the pediatrician opened at 10.  I pulled in the parking lot at five till and was shocked that the parking lot was full!  The waiting room was pretty  much standing room only.  I signed Katherine in and waited for them to call us.  When they did they wanted to know what doctor she was a patient of.  When I told them they were not our normal pediatrician they looked at me like I was an alien.  They informed me it would be an 1 1/2 wait at the minimum before she would see a doctor.  Since we had to be back at the church that was not going to work.  I tried two other places - one did not see infants and they other clinic was closed. 

To make a very long story short I found an Urgent Care clinic that is staffed by an MD so we went - after dropping the boys off at home.  We were there for two hours, but Katherine did great.  She was very content for most of the wait.  After we had been there an hour and a half the receptionist asked if I would like to wait in a separate waiting room so Katherine would not leave there more sick than when she came.  I was grateful, but couldn't she have thought of that sooner?  By this time Katherine was fast asleep in my arms.  When we finally saw the doctor he confirmed what we thought - her ears were draining, her eyes were draining and she had post nasal drainage in her throat.  He wrote  script for an antibiotic and we were out the door. 

We started the medicine this afternoon and she seems to already be feeling better.  We plan to send her to school tomorrow since we know it is her ears and she has not had a temperature since early Sunday.  Luke has only had two ear infections in his life and Katherine has had two in the last two months...oh well!

Mommy's Kiddos

Peek-a-Boo

Happy Girl

Evidence that I can build a train track!

I did not have any appointments scheduled for today so the kids and I stayed home together!  The only thing we had to do was take Katherine to the doctor to get her Prevnar shot.  When I took her for her 6-month check up a couple of weeks ago they had run out of that vaccine. We had plans to meet Paul for lunch afterward but he ended up not being able to get away.  So, we picked up lunch and brought it home.  Katherine was sleepy after her shot and took a long afternoon nap.  Luke and I curled up on the couch, turned the easy listening music on and took a nap ourselves!  I did not sleep very long but Luke had a good nap. 

The weather was so warm we decided to spend time on the porch.  Luke was really wanting to go play with trains at Monkey Tree House.  I hated to go spend time indoors when it was so nice so I decided to pull out some things he got for Christmas that we had put up.  I thought the tent Nanny gave him would be good to occupy his time for awhile.  He got some giggles watching me try to put it together.  What probably should have taken less than 5 minutes took me closer to 30!  I finally found the directions hidden in the bag and quickly got it assembled.  He had fun hanging out in his tent and wanted to take everything in with him. The tent can only hold so much!  Katherine was a doll during all this...just laughing and babbling.  She seems to really enjoy being outside like Luke did at that age. 

We had a great day together and Luke is already asking if he gets to stay home tomorrow!

Luke's Valentine Party

I left work in time to make it to Luke's Valentine party.  I did not take many pictures because I was chatting with some of the other parents.  This party actually last longer than any of his other parties because all 14 kids had to pass out their valentine cards to everyone. 

Paul had class tonight so Mom came over and brought supper for us.  She brought Valentine gifts for everyone.  Luke got some more beginning reader books, which he loves.  Mom had to read all of them to him after supper as well as his latest Highlights magazine.  He sure loves to be read to!  I was so tired that Katherine and I catnapped in the recliner while Mom entertained Luke. 

Paul and I celebrated our Valentine's last Saturday.  Bill and Paula kept the kids while we went to eat and did a few errands.  We missed having Paul here tonight but am hopeful his class will pay off!

Our Sunday Ritual

Most every Sunday after church we go to our neighborhood Subway.  As I have mentioned before Luke does his own ordering.  He loves to stand up on the ledge (while we hold him) and tell our nice Subway friends what he wants.  They pretty much know all of our orders by heart.  They even like to tease Luke now about him not liking lettuce.  He always orders a ham mini on wheat bread with shredded cheese, extra olives, pickles, green pepper, yellow pepper and tomatoes!  He has been ordering this same sandwich for well over 6 months. 

We did our weekly grocery shopping after lunch and came home to take naps.  Since the weather was so beautiful we decided to try out the double stroller.  We took a walk in the neighborhood and met a couple about our age with 2 kids.  Maybe we will see them around more now that the weather is getting nicer.  Tonight Katherine tried peas and she really seemed to like them!  So far it seems her favorites are carrots and peas.

Another Snow Day

Well, it snowed again!  Nashville has seen more "snow events" this year than in longer than I can remember.  It started snowing on Wednesday afternoon and did not let up until Thursday morning.  The kids were out of school today.  I took them to school yesterday while I was off so I could work on our taxes and do several other things that are not necessarily kid-friendly.  I had in my head I would leave about 3 to go pick them up. By the time I got there and we were on the road again the snow was awful . The visibility was poor and there were people sliding everywhere.  I have never been one to be nervous to drive in the ice and snow but I must admit I was nervous since both kids were with me.  I made it on the bypass fine and everyone was driving slow.  I was in Paul's car since he had taken mine in for a few minor repairs before the warranty ran out.  I could not get off the Conference Drive north exit due to multiple wrecks.  I went on to get off at the next Conference Drive exit which is a steep incline.  By the time I had made up my mind not to get off it was too late to get over.  I watched helplessly as numerous trucks were spinning and sliding all over the ramp.  I got behind a little Civic and we inched our way to to the top of the ramp!  I did not slide once.  Too make a very long story short we made it home alright - but it took us over an hour.  Katherine slept the whole time and Luke was very patient and could tell our drive home was out of the ordinary.

The daycare was closed today and it was Paul's turn to stay home.  He said the kids did really well.  When I got home from work he and Luke went outside to play in the snow.

Missing Daddy

Paul had his Engineering class tonight. The kids did great.  We  had Super Bowl leftovers for supper.  Katherine took a long nap when we got home from school.  I tried squash with her again and she still does not seem to like it.  That is fine, we will just move on to a green vegetable this week.  At one point Katherine was crying and Luke said that Katherine missed her Daddy.  I thought that was too sweet.  Since both kids go to bed at the same time normally, I have a new routine when Paul is not here to help.  I feed Katherine in the bonus room and Luke lays beside us on the couch and we watch some sort of show of his choosing.  (This is only if he has been good all night).  So far, I can take Katherine to her room and lay her down and she is fine.  I then put Luke to bed.  Hopefully this will continue to work for the next couple of months while Paul is in class. 

Go Crackers....I mean Packers!

We enjoyed our typical Sunday morning - church, Subway, grocery store and home for naps.  Bill and Paula came over to watch the Super Bowl.  Paul had been explaining to Luke about the Super Bowl and that we were having a party.  We told him what teams were playing and he decided to root for the "Crackers".  Then at a random moment in the game he said "Go Red Sox"!  We were not sure if we heard him correctly so we asked him to repeat it -- he said the same thing.  I asked him where he learned about the Red Sox.  He replied "in that book Gigi gave me".  That is one smart little boy!

Bill and Paula left at halftime, but we continued watching the game.  It ended up being a good game.  Even though I did not care who won it was fun to watch the commercials!

Such a Great Saturday...

and no pictures to prove it!  Oh well.  The day started great for me because Katherine did not wake up until 5:45,  yay!  I fed her and put her back to bed.  Just as I was getting back in bed Luke came running in our room.  He had an accident.  He has not done that in a few months so I had to get him changed.  In the mean time Katherine had not fallen back asleep so Luke and I went to check on her and she had spit up everywhere.  It has also been a long time since she has done that.  So, I had both beds stripped down and laundry going by 6:15 this morning.  Katherine stayed a wake for awhile but then fell back asleep before I got breakfast cooked.  She has a runny nose so she is not feeling too great.

Paul and I worked on cleaning the house while Luke followed us around "helping".  We all got ready and drove to Mt. Juliet to pick up some engineering books for Paul to study with.  He has decided to take the Professional Engineer exam again and a friend of ours loaned us his books which is great!  Definitely saved us a couple hundred dollars.  Both kids slept on the way so Paul and I actually got to have an adult conversation which was nice.  We ate at Salsarita's for lunch and then went and walked around TJ Maxx/ Homegoods.  That place was packed.  I could not get up and down the aisles!  Since the kids were being so great we stopped at Babies R Us on the way home to get a double stroller.  We have been debating it for quite some time but I had a coupon so we decided to go ahead and get it.  I know we will need it more when it starts to warm up some and we go to the park, zoo, etc. 

The rest of the night was spent playing with the kids and more housework.  We had a great day -- had fun and were also productive.  My kind of Saturday!

Playtime

Katherine is becoming more and more interested in toys, blocks and stuffed animals.  Well, basically anything she can put in her mouth!  She is definitely teething and it shows.  She gnaws on anything and has been a little fussy lately.  We have been  using Oragel some and that seems to help.  I need to pick up some teething biscuits and try those as well.  I can not really tell which ones are bothering her.  The  bottom look more swollen but she seems to chew on her top gums more. 

Paul gave Katherine a bottle tonight and I put Luke to bed.  Sometimes Katherine takes a bottle well at night and sometimes not.  Tonight was definitely a "not" night.  Luke and I stayed upstairs and watched Mickey Mouse before bed.  When we went to get ready I heard Katherine crying very loud.  I offered to take her but Paul said they would be fine.  Pretty soon the crying stopped and I heard Paul leave her room.  Of  course, I fell asleep in Luke's bed after bedtime stories, singing and prayers.  It is hard for me to put him to sleep -- I think I always fall asleep before he does!

Six Month Well Visit and Sweet Taters

Today was Katherine's 6-month check up.  Paul, thankfully, took Luke to school.  I did not want to drag him to the doctor with us and I was afraid if I took him he would not want to stay if he knew Katherine was not staying.  He still has his good days and bad when it comes to going to school in the mornings.  Most mornings he does not want to go and cries when I leave him.  I think it is just habit with me.  Apparently he does not cry when Paul drops him off. Go figure!

So, Katherine and I were off to see Dr. P.  We were called back as soon as we got there which is always nice.  Her check up was great!  She is definitely healthy as I will share later.  Dr. P and I talked about her eating habits, sleeping, interacting and so forth.  I confessed to her that I felt bad that Katherine has only had cereal and carrots so far.  She, of course, said no worries.  Some babies are eating 2-3 meals per day by 6 months and some have not had their first taste of food besides milk.  So, we are fine!  We discussed that Katherine has rolled over numerous times but has chosen not to do so lately.  She is also sitting up unassisted fairly well.  Dr. P reminded me that she probably won't be able to totally sit unassisted until 7-9 months.  Katherine got more shots and they were out of the pneumonia one so we will have to go back when it is available.  She also got her first flu shot but will require a second booster next month. We also talked about things like what we did the previous weekend and where we are planning to vacation...that is one of the many reasons I love her!

By the numbers:

Length: 25"
Weight:  18 # 2 oz
Head Circumference: 16 3/4"

Katherine is still tracking right at Luke's pace. He was 18# 4 oz and 26" at his 6-month visit. Luke was so excited when we picked him up this afternoon. He asked Katherine all about her doctor visit and if her boo-boo hurt where she got her shots. 

Tonight we tried sweet potatoes and she seemed to like them, too.  Her face is so funny when she first tastes the veggie!