At Least it Was Warm(er)!

Sigh.

We just returned from our fabulous 5 day vacation! Woo hoo! Charlie and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary on Friday and this year we celebrated in style! We usually do the "traditional" wedding anniversary gift for each other. Mostly we think it's kinda fun, but it also takes the pressure off as neither of us feel the need to make extraordinary purchases for the other on this date, but 5 years is our 1st big milestone, AND this year's traditional gift is 'wood'. I know, I know, save the jokes, cuz I guarantee they've already been made, but we decided the best gift we could give each other would be wood in the form of palm trees!


We headed to sunny Florida, Ft. Lauderdale to be exact, but sadly, just like the rest of the US, they were experiencing an unseasonably cold winter as well! Shoot! When I first looked at the weather, weeks ago, it started in the low 80s...slowly they dropped it to the low 70s and then we ended up with highs in the upper 60s...oh well, at least it was sunny! And we got to play and walk and just BE outside without coats and hats, and that was a big plus! We had a great time and it was so much fun to relax and be together! We're really good at vacation, I can say that! :)


I'll post more news and pictures soon, and by golly there are plenty to be seen!

Wishin' and Hopin'

We are ready to welcome spring with open arms! Yesterday and today have gotten downright balmy with highs in the upper 40s so we took advantage of it! The three of us (four including Walter) enjoyed two afternoon walks. It did require mittens and hats, but it was worth it! It was so refreshing and enjoyable to breathe fresh air and get a little bit of exercise! C'mon, Spring!!!!

My Valentines

My lovely Valentine surprised me with a dozen roses and a dozen donuts on Sunday morning...really what more could a girl want?! Sophia was his trust accomplice and Daddy even bought her her own flower to cherish. Sophia was absolutely thrilled to show off her Valentine gift from her daddy when the arrived home. She insisted we put it in a vase right away and then put it in her room. The nice ladies at the store even gave her food for her flower and a festive balloon! So cute! Sophia has been tending to her flower each day and is excited every time it opens just a bit more.

Thanks to mom, Charlie and I even got to get away for a mid-day Valentine's movie. We planned on going to the Legends, mostly because that was the best movie time, and quickly found ourselves in the snowstorm. The highway was at a dead standstill and we went ahead and broke the law to jump across the median and enter into the opposite lanes of traffic. We probably would have stuck it out except that our gas light had come on and we didn't know the gravity of the situation at the time, and we did not want to run out of gas! We could hear the sirens of the incoming emergency vehicles and a few had already started arriving, so we made the quick decision to just jump ship...and I'm glad we did. I thank our lucky stars that we were a mere 5 minutes behind the massive pile-ups and that we were able to get away when we did! We rounded out our evening with some yummy Chinese take-out and went to bed happy!

Toddler VD

Sophia and John decorating the front door

making a card for her Valentine, Daddy

Luca went ahead and made cookies...


...while all the others did the decorating!
I'm still finding sparkle sprinkles in my kitchen!!



3 Happy Hirners!

I couldn't decide between these last two pictures, they're both pretty sweet! So...I put them both!

Despite our limited guest list, another successful toddler party was had. This winter has really taken a toll on everyone it seems! Half the guest list was sick and had to cancel, which was a big bummer, but fun (and food) was had nonetheless! I had tried a few new recipes for the moms which included a mushroom quiche and heart shaped lava cakes. Both were well received and I'll be putting them on future menus! The kids got bagels with blueberry or strawberry cream cheese, heart shaped pumpkin loaves, fruit and turkey. They were most interested in the cookie decorating, however, and for most, that served as lunch! ;)

Sophia made a Valentine card for her Daddy and it was really just too sweet. It melted my heart just a little bit and Charlie was thrilled to receive it. I think he was even a little vehclempt. Crayola makes a new glass marker and that was the hit of the party. All the kids had a blast decorating the two glass doors and it came off easy-peasy! I'm sure those will have to become a staple at all our next parties! I also have plenty of heart shaped stickers left over for next year, so if you missed us this time, never fear, I doubt my party gene will ever lose it's love light!

Lysol Coma

I think I may have single-handily killed the earth with as many Clorox wipes as I've used in the last 10 days. After 2 rounds of strep and one stomach bug (which was possibly food poisoning, but you can't be too sure) I wanted to take extra precautions...and where did it leave me, you ask???


It left me with strep. Again. Mother F*$#@!! After leaving the doctor's office today I was sure they were going to tell me they wanted to remove my tonsils, especially after the lab tech took one look inside my mouth and queried...I wonder how your breathing? Gee thanks, I guess?? Anyway, they did not mention surgery, yet...but did say that they would culture my germs to see exactly what was going on. They apparently guessed last time that my particular strain of strep was resistant to penicillin but didn't culture it, so that leaves us with little to go on. She gave me yet a third antibiotic that will hopefully kill anything still living inside my throat, but one can't ever be sure.


In the meantime, I have Lysoled my house and my car from top to bottom. I'm not taking any chances on Clorox wipes alone and since I'm on a killing streak, I figure why not include the pesky ozone layer and take it out with my aerosol.

Odds & Ends

Last weekend we enjoyed the Barnes and Noble story hour where Sophia (and Belinda, her baby) got to meet Biscuit the Dog! Surprisingly enough, Sophia LOVES gigantic, furry, costumed animals of any kind.

We've started putting these two monkeys in the bath together! It saves time and energy for sure, but Sophia wasn't thrilled with the idea at first! She quickly warmed up to it, however, and they have fun splashing together, because let me tell you...Leo is quite the splasher!

This was from the Super Bowl...it's hard to see but I thought it was too cute that all the boys in the room, including Baby Leo were all engrossed in the television set! Baby Leo is in the saucer, Leo W. and Charlie are on the couch and Jason is in the chair. Sophia happily watched Barney upstairs while I entertained the men with my culinary delights!

Leo the lion

Okay, so I know it's Valentine's Day and my kid is still wearing Christmas pajamas, but I needed them and I got over the fact that they were out of season because I just could not pass up this picture perfect moment! I think he looks just like a little man sitting there all wise and happy! ;)

It's Grrrrrrrrrr-eat!

messy, but good, says Leo!
yuck says Sophia!

not so bad after all!

Well we started cereal on Friday evening and so far so good! He really picked up on how things worked right away! Sophia did not like cereal when we started it with her, but her brother was a different story. Charlie joked that he was indeed his father's child! Miraculously, the first night, he slept a whopping 11 hours! Woo Hoo!!! The next night I fed him cereal and he only made it 8 hours, the following two nights Charlie fed him and he slept at least 10-11 hours again...do we see a pattern here?? I am not normally one to admit defeat but in this case I'll concede...Charlie is much better at cereal feeding and he gets the job! ;)

The only thing I don't like so far about this situation is the high chair. With Sophia we didn't use our kitchen table and only used our dining room table so there was much more room. Now that we've upgraded our dining room we're using the kitchen table every meal and the high chair is a big nuisance! Plus, I've also got the saucer, the bouncy, the dog, plus various other toys of Sophia's all cluttering the kitchen during meal time so I'm ready to upgrade our chair, or rather downgrade...I'd like to get a chair that connects to the kitchen chair so he can sit with us and it's not so cumbersome. I have yet to research this in any capacity, so if anyone has a suggestion, let me know! (Jill, yours look nice, do you like them??)

We are hopeful that this is in fact the turning point for Leo and his sleeping. I have thought this before, so I am hesitant to be too joyful, but we're keeping our fingers crossed. I'm ready to have both kids sleep through night, as Sophia is still hit or miss. But, after last week where she was up for 3+ hours in the middle of the night, two nights in a row, I'm ready to administer some tough love! Once we have Leo down I think it will be easier to address this very subject!

Buggin' Out

Few people appreciate my need to match and/or coordinate my children on a regular basis...but thank goodness the seamstress of the family sure does! ;) Thanks to Aunt Cathy, the kiddos have another pair of cutie patootie pants to wear. She even found them tops that have a coordinating animal on them! Sophia was quite excited to match her brother too!

There's some other snapshots from our days too...

As a woman, Sophia has already realized the need to wear many hats...

sailor

cowgirl

chef

We had a play date with Lauren and Aubrey. The girls loved to play in their new kitchen! Lauren and Sophia coordinated that day too! Yay for matches!

Cheese!

Aubrey kept wanting me to take her picture! Cute!

Three girls hard at work!

It's a good thing I'm not a germ freak because Sophia and Luca had a really great time crawling all over the mall floor! But, they sure did look awful cute!

To Catch a Babbler...

Just as I finished the first post about Leo being quite the talker, he started up again! I manged to catch it on video! I think my previous videos have just been too long (therefore being too big) so I tried to keep this one short and sweet! Enjoy our little cutie!

The cutest part about this was when I played it back...Leo heard himself and started babbling right back at himself making similar sounds! Adorable!!

Check-Up Time

What exactly am I supposed to do here??

all smiles from Mommy's big boy!

Walter loves babies

Well, wudya know, this sitting up stuff is pretty fun!

snuggle time!

(when I see them together in pictures I realize how olive Sophia is and how pale and pink Leo is...too funny! I hope he still gets my summer time tan gene and doesn't burn like Daddy!!)

This post is a little late, but if you're keeping up, I've had much more pressing matters on my mind! ;)

Anyway, Leo had his 4 month check-up on Monday and he checked in at a whopping 18lbs 10oz...WOW! He was also measured at 28"...both measurements are off the charts. Our appointment was very enlightening overall, and I have to just say again that I really love our pediatrician. He and my OB are friends and it has to be because they have very similar styles. They are both direct, to the point, and make no apologies about it! I need this! After discussing Leo's sleep issues and how he gets up in the middle of the night still, he said that we need to let him cry it out. I explained that although I wasn't against the CIO method in general, in this instance I felt I couldn't do it because he was really hungry when he woke up. Really, he said, I don't think he's as hungry as you think he is. Ha! After thinking about it...perhaps he's right...we're not dealing with a lightweight here! In fact, in the nights since the appointment, I've been trying to really assess the situation and I have to admit that once I actually get up and feed him, he's really not so much interested in eating. He's interested in cuddling and spending time with Mommy, but eating?? Not so much. He will eat, but I began thinking maybe he doesn't need it after all. BUT...he did give us another option too...

...you guessed it: CEREAL! Whoopee! And by "whoopee" I really mean "crap". Mostly I'm just lazy and I was hoping to stave off the eating from a spoon business until 6 months, but I feel like in order to be fair to Leo and save us from nights of (possibly) unnecessary crying, we should give the cereal a chance. There is more on the cereal to come...since this post is so overdue, life in fact did move on and there is more to tell in this area so stay tuned.

We discussed his milk issues and the doc seems to think it's only temporary. I hope so, but to be honest, I'm just not holding my breath. He had such a severe reaction and has made such an improvement since we've switched to soy, that I just wouldn't be surprised if this was a true allergy. BUT...only time will tell and he is the expert. He said that it's actually fairly common, and it's true that I've met a lot of moms since this happened that have reported similar things with their babies (interestingly they've all been boys...coincidence??) and most of those babies have grown out of the "allergy" so this is promising news. I also asked about the soy/estrogen thing and luckily he didn't think it was too crazy of a question! ;) He said that he's read multiple studies on that very topic and that all of them pretty much said that there is no issue at all with either boys or girls being exposed to this low level of hormone. That definitely eased my mind on that issue! Anyway, he said that at 9 months, he'd like to reintroduce milk products into Leo's diet and go from there.

The little guy was a real champ and even took two shots in the leg without too much fuss. In fact the first shot he didn't feel at all...not even a wince or whimper! Could it have anything to do with the fat rolls?? Haha! We don't go back until 6 months where Leo will hopefully be sitting up and moving onto the exciting world of fruit and veggies!

In other developmental news, Leo is trying to suck his thumb. It's pretty cute and I'm trying to train him that if he's going to suck, he needs to stick with the right thumb. Sophia sucks her left thumb and since I'm pretty sure she's not giving it up anytime soon, I want to be able to hold both their hands or sit them next to each other without conflict! ;) Crazy, I know, but I think about these things! Also I'm becoming more confident in his overnight routine. He's getting stronger every day and I wake up less frequently to check on him throughout the night. He continues to enjoy sleeping on his side, but moves to his tummy at some point during the night. We have also busted out the exer-saucer. Sophia was absolutely beside herself that she was not allowed to get in it, but is really working on taking her big-girl pill to resolve that matter. Leo likes it okay, but we're hoping to really develop those tummy muscles so he can work on sitting up. If you put him in the swing, he fights the angle and tries his little heart out to sit up, it's pretty cute. He enjoys looking around and being part of the action. Lastly, I have wondered, with him being the second child, that his language might not develop as rapidly or strongly as Sophia's, but at the rate he's going, that point will be moot! He is an absolute crack up! He talks and gurgles and coos and laughs all day long! He is so smiley and it doesn't take much to get him to laugh it up. He also sings himself to sleep and it is just precious. We really love seeing his little personality develop and it looks like he might just be as goofy and precocious and his sister!

Oh and Another Thing...

All the tabloids are reporting that Brad and Angelina are breaking up...why? Here are the alleged details:

• Angelina is a perfectionist who doesn't understand why Brad can't clean up after himself.
• They fight about schools.
• Brad called Angie a bitch behind her back.
• He pays more attention to the boy children than the girl children.
• She isn't into his "pet projects" like art and architecture.
• Wait a minute, some of these things sound strikingly familiar! Their issues sure don't sound much different than most married couples I know! I find it hilarious that when it happens to Brangelina, it's news, when it happens to me, it's life.
• Get a grip, People!!!
• Even though I have always been team Jennifer, if you will, I would find it somewhat disappointing if they split up. I mean if you've got millions of dollars, multiple homes, one nanny per child and two able bodied, seemingly intelligent parents and you still can't make it work, how do the rest of us have a chance?! Although....if my life had to mirror any celebrity's I guess I'd stick with Brad and Angie's drama over Tiger the Sex Addict's!! Haha ;)

Deep Thoughts

So I haven't had a post in a while because I think I'm having a mid-winter breakdown. Oh, that and I also got strep...again. I must say that thankfully (and knock on wood) Sophia seems to have come out of the germ filled month of January virtually unscathed. She does have quite a runny nose and teeny bit of a cough situation, but nothing else. Apparently my particular strain of strep was penicillin resistant so lucky me, I got another prescription of something else. It seems to have worked, but we'll see! In the mean time I needed a post dedicated to the randomness of my brain. I really have to get rid of some of this to move on to more productive posts.

• Why were there no Girl Scouts at my door this year? Did I not pay in a timely fashion last year? Is it that I look like I need no more cookies? Has there been a ration on chocolate coconutty goodness?
• It's good that 5K money goes towards charities or I'd be really pissed I missed another one due to sickness.
• Dr. Phil is my secret (not anymore!) TV trash. All the other trash I watch I'm totally open and honest about, but I've been keeping him hidden. I just want to know how does a man made rich by Oprah slowly transition himself into being the next Maury Povich? He's only a step away from paternity testing, but really, who couldn't stop and watch the good doctor shame a lowly surrogate that kept the baby for herself?!
• The Academy Awards, although they used to hold a special place in my heart each year, only now make me depressed because I don't have time to see movies, and when I do, I truly can't tolerate anything deeper than The Hangover.
• Jack Bauer has busted up more terrorist plots than Homeland Security and yet the government still doesn't trust him nor do the bad guys recognize him...curious. Don't worry, Jack, you can shoot my gun anytime!
• Are there bookies in Vegas that deal in whether or not Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow?
• Will I ever sleep again?
• Who are those women who have children and then are in a bikini the next month? In fact, how does any mother find the time to work out? With one child, pretty easy...two children...let's just say that I'm still in my big girl pants! GRRRR!
• Cookies bring me joy...hmmm, maybe I should refer back one statement? ;)
• Will my hair ever stop falling out? Hormones are a bitch. Or, wait...is it they that make me a bitch?

Ahhhh, and such a more perfect ending couldn't be had.