the other end of the charts

This morning Anna and I took Emmett in to the doctor for his 2 month well-child visit. Anna was very proud of her little brother and showed both Dr. Strong and her nurse what she can do as a big sister - "hug him like this" and "I can tickle him like this"... she did a great job. She was very interested in all of the activity, although she did not like to see him get upset after his shots.

At less than 10 weeks old this little man weighs what his big sis did at 4 months. He is certainly at the other end of the charts when it comes to size and we love it!

Weight: 13lbs - 85th percentile

Height: 24.75 in - 97th percentile

Head: 16.5 - 90th percentile

The doctor was thrilled to see how social Emmett was and she was amazed by the connection that he and Anna share. He definitely responds to Anna's voice and immediately smiles. It was fun to have someone else witness this bond that they have!

Unfortunately the doctor did find Emmett's heart murmur (the one we thought had gone away) and referred us to a cardiologist. She did not think it was cause for concern, but she couldn't tell by listening to it if it was valvular or not so she thought this was the best course of action. Our appointment is next Monday at Children's - and while I am not concerned (both Steve and I have heart murmurs) say a little prayer that it is a harmless murmur.

I also talked to the doctor about Emmett's sleep habits. She concurred that we need to get him to take his naps in his bed (or someplace other than a moving object). For the past 4-5 days I have been putting Emmett in his bassinet in his room for naps when he is just about to fall asleep or sometimes after he has fallen asleep. For 4-5 days straight he has lain there quietly for a few minutes and then wakes up screaming. We let him "cry it out" - going in to comfort him by talking to him, touching his face, giving him his nuk, or picking him up for a second every 10-15 mins but that little man has stamina! He settles down every time we walk in the room and he hears a familiar voice...but then the cycle begins again. This oftentimes continues until it is time for him to eat again. So, this means he can cry for nearly 90 mins at a stretch and for a few days meant no naps - or just a few 30 min naps.

If any of you have ever tried to do this, it is heartbreaking. I can't tell you the number of times I have wanted to say forget it, I'll just hold him and soothe him to sleep. I continually ask myself whether or not this is the right approach and think about how I should/could change things, etc. But then I tell myself to give it a little more time and see what happens.

Progress is coming in baby steps. Yesterday Emmett took two 30 min naps in his bed - and he fell asleep on his own each time. Last night he slept from 8pm until 6:30 this morning! Granted, he was probably exhausted from the past several days of no naps, but I did hear him talking in the night and he figured out how to get back to sleep on his own. He also took a 2 hour nap in his bassinet in his room this morning, and is napping in his room as I type. I am sure there is more crying to come, but I am hoping that we are moving in the right direction.

I promise you little guy, this is only for your own good! I hate to see you cry.

When Emmett is awake and fed, he is a very happy little guy. He sits and watches everyone around him, and perks up whenever anyone talks to him, or sings to him. He loves to be entertained by his big sis. She plays her puppets for him, dances for him and even sings him "twinkle twinkle little star" - which seems to be his favorite song. He is a wonderful baby!

oh, you make me giggle

This picture sends me into fits of giggles every single time I look at it. It is SO ANNA these days!!

Yesterday, after enjoying a nice breakfast with my brothers, Uncle Patrick and Uncle Matt came over to have some playtime with Anna and Emmett. Uncle Patrick also brought along his fancy camera to snap some photos of the kids for me. I have a lot of great ones of little Emmett as well, but until I decide which will go on his birth announcement, I am keeping them from you! Instead I'll share a few of my other favorites. I thought these pictures captured Anna's spirit so well - her quirky smiles, her sillyness, and the joy she gets from PLAY, PLAY, PLAY!

Thank you Patrick for the gorgeous pictures, there are so many that I love. Thank you both for playing with your niece and nephew - Anna certainly enjoys the attention and time you shower her with. It means so much to all of us!

I adore this picture (above), well and below for that matter

nine weeks

Today this little man turns 9 weeks old. I can hardly believe that 9 weeks have passed since the day we welcomed this sweet one into our lives and into our hearts. In these past 9 weeks I have learned a lot about little boys. Oh, how different life is with #2.

First, there are the diapers. I remember going through many diapers the first few weeks of Anna's life but after a few months things tapered off. This does not appear to be the case with our Mr. Man. One diaper is filled and no less than 30 mins later another can be full and leaking out the back. We went from size 1 diapers two weeks ago to size 3 diapers today. I don't think Anna entered size 3 until she was well into her 7th or 8th month of life.

Then, there is the eating. Emmett can still eat like a champ. It is only 1:30pm and he has already had over 20oz. of breastmilk. This is what we tried to get Anna to eat in a 24 hr. period. I am happy he is such a good eater...I think because he eats well he is more content throughout the day.

But then there is the sleeping. Emmett's nights are all over the place. We have seen him go 8 hours between feedings, and yet there are nights when he will only make it 2 or 3 hours between. Lately he has consistently had a 5+ hr stretch in the night, sometimes as long as 8. Our bigger issue is daytime sleep. Emmett loves his morning nap and I almost always have to wake him up after 2 hours. Today I let him sleep because we were at ECFE and I was happy playing with Anna and he slept for 3.5 hrs. But after his morning nap, things get a little more messy.

Emmett does NOT like to sleep during the day anywhere other than in his swing, his carseat (on the go) or in my arms. This week I am trying to get him acquainted with his bassinet or crib for naps and he is not having it. I can put him in there asleep and after 5 mins he will wake up screaming. Crying it out with this child is going to be much more painful...that is very evident.

It's especially hard on me because all he wants is his mommy. The moment I enter his room and pick him up he calms down and flashes me one of these:

And then I cuddle him and tell him it's ok but that he needs to sleep in his bed and he looks at me like this:

"I don't know mom, that's what you think. I wanna cuddle."

And I am not sure what it is - if it's because I know he doesn't have the fiercely independent nature his big sis did, or if it's because I see how much he loves his mommy, or if it's because I fear this child may be our last, or if it's because his smiles just melt my heart - whatever the reason, I can't seem to hold my ground.

I find myself acting different this time around. At 8 weeks in ECFE a baby is supposed to go to the childcare area rather than to class with the mom and the older sibling. I found myself negotiating with the teacher today for one more month of having him in the classroom with me. Even though he just sits in his carseat and sleeps, I feel more comfortable with him close by.

And while I have no issues being away from him, getting out and having time alone with no kids, I have an issue with letting a stranger take care of him. Maybe I never was faced with this at this point - this young - with Anna, but I don't remember this feeling.

The other feeling that is new this time around is the feeling that he is not getting enough attention. Anna is a bright light, she attracts all those around her with her energy and her zest for life. I love this about her. But in many ways it takes away from the attention this little one receives. After having 2.5 yrs of alone time with Anna, I am very aware of the fact that little Emmett needs this one-on-one time as well.

This is not always easy with a 2.5 yr old who is enamored with her little brother. That said, I am so happy she has taken on her big sister role with a vengence. She introduces everyone, and I mean everyone (even checkers and baggers at the grocery store) to her "new baby brother, his name is Emmett and I am a big sister".

I look at this little man and I can't help but smile. He is so unique, so special to me and I am 100% enamored with this little baby. I remember worrying late in my pregnancy about how I could possibly love another child as much as I love Anna. And now I look into these eyes and into this sweet face and I see that every child is so unique. My love for each child is equal, yet I love them in different ways, and different qualities touch my heart. I am so very, very blessed and I thank God for these lovely children who grace my life.

playdates and parties

After recovering from her cold / virus, Anna has re-entered her play circles with a vengence. Because we have had to post-pone many playdates and offers to stop by and meet Emmett until now, our days as of late have been very busy! Last week we were able to meet Allison and Tyler at Open Gym and share a lovely lunch at McDonalds with the kids...they had a great time!

Then, after naps that same day Anna headed to a neighbor's house to attend the birthday party of her friend Charlie who turned 2. It was the 2nd birthday party Anna has ever attended (the first being Charlie's older brother Jack's party last fall) and she was ready! She told me she had to wear her party dress, and do her hair special. As the only girl there, she was quite the princess. While the boys were busy playing trucks and trains, Anna was fascinated with her party hat and couldn't wait to share cake and ice cream with everyone. It was a fantastic time!

Over the weekend Grandma & Uncle Patrick stopped by to play, and our friends the Fillas and the Amelottes also came over. Anna had a great time playing with all of the kids! I don't know if we have finally turned the corner from 2 and a half heading into the "3's", but Anna is just now starting to play very well with other children. In the past she would play, but most often she would want to spend the majority of her time with the adults. I have noticed over the past week that this is shifting and if her playmates can talk, and are interested in playing together - she will leave the adults and head for her toys with the other children. Anna and Elise had a great time playing together on Saturday night - it was quite fun to watch!

When we aren't having playdates or attending parties, Anna is often pretending to have parties at home. Yesterday afternoon Anna and I organized a "puppy party" in our living room where we gathered all of her stuffed puppies from her room and around the house and had them show us their tricks. Later we put them on their leashes and took them for walks. Anna even set up bowls of water for them to drink from. Quite the imagination!

And while Anna is living life to its fullest, her little brother continues to eat and sleep. He and I have both picked up Anna's cold, but fortunately it hasn't been too bad so far. I think we are on the tail end of it having both enjoyed some extra sleep this weekend. Emmett dazzles us with his smiles and loves all of the attention that is showered on him.

emmett's video debut

Happy 2 months big guy!


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happy st. patrick's day

from your little leprechans

super soccer kick

Anna has taken a strong liking to soccer - probably because she has seen Dora the Explorer play it, but she actually is pretty good. Perhaps the Easter Bunny will bring a real soccer ball for her to kick around. And maybe once she's 3 we'll look for a city league for her to play in for fun. What a great way to expend some energy!



Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

summer day

What to do on a summer day in March?

How about a little soccer...


and some sand castles...

and a little water and rocks...

and maybe some chalk pictures...

and then "lets lay in the sun mommy, like this..."

puppet show

splish splash

when you're 2 and a half...

...you can say things like this and it's cute:

"Mommy, I don't wanna time-out. Nobody has time-outs!"
but it won't be so cute when you're a teenager.

...your stories are creative, and there is no offense taken to a story like this:

"Once upon a time there was a girl named mommy. And then there was a big, BIG fox. And the fox ATE mommy. But then I went to the fox and opened his mouth and got mommy out! Yeah! I did it!"

...you have lots of opinions:

"Mommy, I like your car. But I don't like Papa's truck. His truck is blue. I don't like Papa's truck, I like your car. Daddy has a car too. But he has different wheels. I like your wheels better. I like your car mommy."

...you have favorites, even if they change with the wind:

"Mommy, my favorite princess is Cinderella. I love Cinderella."

(Monday) "Mommy, my favorite color is green" (Tuesday) "Mommy, my favorite color is blue, and pink" (Wednesday) "Mommy, my favorite color is green"

...you know your routine:

"No mommy, I did that at preschool...not at school (meaning her mom's day away), at preschool. Miss Briana and Miss Alyssa are at school. Grandma is at preschool."

...you are confident in what you "know":

Anna received an invitation to a birthday party that was designed with Diego's "field journal" on it. Anna has been carrying it around playing with it all week pretending it is real, and pretending to be on one of Diego's animal adventures.

"No mommy, not a field journal...it's "feel turtle". Say "feel...turtle". This is Diego's "feel turtle" and it says we have to go and save the mommy sloth."

...you can change the world:

While watching the movie Sleeping Beauty the following transpired when the Prince was trying to defeat the mean dragon in order to get to the princess

"Mommy look! I can keep dancing and that will make the dragon go away and the princess will wake up. See mommy, see, watch me! I am dancing and the dragon will go away."

(15 minutes later and she's still dancing)

"See mommy, I TOLD you I could make the dragon go away and LOOK the princess woked up now! I did it!"

little bro, big sis

it was bound to happen sometime

When you go to things like preschool, and ECFE, and the Children's Museum with friends...

Anna (2.5yrs) and Joe (2 yrs)

And then to indoor play places to run, jump and be loud...

And to local Community Centers for Open Gym...all in the midst of a midwest winter...

It's only natural that the next stop is going to be a visit to the doctor's office.

After miraculously escaping colds, flus, strep and other things this winter, Anna has contracted her first real cold of the season. She has been running a fever of over 100 for 3 days, and is dealing with a stuffy head and runny nose. Fortunately her strep test came back negative and her fever does appear to be coming down slowly. Unfortunately this has meant a pretty uneventful week for us in our house. Our big outing was to the doctor yesterday morning, a feat that took 2 hours of talking, crying and convincing before we could make it. Going to the doctor at age 2.5 is a very scary experience I am finding. So, we talked about it and cuddled and Mr. Bear came along for the ride - to offer cuddles when they were needed. Anna did great - she picked out some beautiful Cinderella stickers after her throat culture and then we made a stop at McDonald's for a milkshake on the way home. That made her day!

Emmett seems to remain healthy at this time, however his sleep has been interrupted in the nights with some more frequent wakings again. Last night he was up from 1am - 4:30am suffering from some sort of stomach pain. He is still a little fussy this morning and is having trouble napping. Hopefully he is not getting this bug too!

Soon enough we will be back to our activities as usual, so we are trying to enjoy these "at home" days with movies and fun activities...

She doesn't look too sick to me!

mr. big stuff

... who do you think you are??

Look at this little man, who's not so little anymore! This sweet little smiley man has been working on growing this week. I am quite sure he has doubled in size, he looks and feels as if he has, that is for sure. These little white pants that he was drowning in at Patrick & Tanya's wedding are now nearly too small. HA!

As you can see, Emmett is flashing his smile more and more often these days. He seems to flash it MOST often when he hears Anna's voice. It's so fun to watch...I can be holding him and whether he is just chilling out or fussing a bit, when he hears Anna grow near he breaks into a great big grin. They have a mutual love for one another, it is absolutely adorable.

Emmett is still an eater...he is now eating 6-10oz. at a feeding if he is fed from a bottle. This is more than double what Anna would eat at a time at this age. That said, he doesn't eat quite as frequently as she did. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we adjusted our schedule a bit. It now follows a very simple sleep, eat, play pattern.

When Emmett wakes up in the morning (between 6 and 7am!) he eats, then we play for a bit and then back to sleep. If he is still sleeping 3 hours from when his last feeding began, I will wake him and we repeat that pattern. This 3 or 3.5 hr. pattern repeats again and again until the end of the day. He typically falls asleep on his own around 7pm and he is out. We try to wake him, change him and feed him a little more around 9 but we are lucky if he eats for a few minutes or a few ounces. That said, since adding this feeding (my friend Andrea's suggestion), Emmett will often wake just once in the night - somewhere between 1:30 and 3:30am. He then returns to sleep until 6 or 7am when he is up for the day. This is much, much easier on me! Now if we can just get Anna to sleep past 5:45am we will be in great shape! :)

At this age Emmett likes to be held. He also likes to lay on the floor and look up at the lights, he likes to be sung to, he now enjoys his swing, loves his baths, and really loves to be talked to.

Anna continues to adjust - we have had some very tough days in the past few weeks. Two and a half is a tough age I am finding, and then on top of that take away attention from someone who has had it showered on her for so long and you have a recipe for a tough day here and there. But, these tough days are offset with some very bright moments too. Anna has become a great helper and she is so sweet to her brother. She is never rough (on purpose) and is always concerned with his well-being. I can see they will have many many fun adventures ahead together.

Speaking of...we are off for another one here shortly so I better get moving!

nearly six weeks

I cannot believe that 6 weeks ago tomorrow we were going into the hospital, ready for this little one's arrival. I forgot just how much babies change in such a very short amount of time. Each week is a new discovery, and each week this little one grows a bit more - changing his appearance so much it's incredible.

Here are a few pictures that we took today, trying to capture his adorable smile. He is definitely responding to all of us and will smile when I pick him up, when Anna comes over to talk to him, when daddy cuddles him.

And, we have had some changes in sleep patterns thanks to a suggestion by my friend Andrea, and a few tweaks we have made to our schedule. I would tell you more, but I am afraid that the moment I do I will be getting up at 4am for the day once again. I'll let you know how things are going in a few more days, after things settle into a pattern. (Thanks Andrea!)

dirty head

This morning we went to church as we do nearly every week. Anna has become accustomed to spending an hour in the nursery with "Grandma Jean" (the woman who runs it) and seems to look forward to going. She is welcome to sit with us when she wants to - but an hour with no talking and sitting quietly in her seat is not something that Anna enjoys so she often prefers to spend her time in the nursery.

This morning, upon picking her up Anna asked Steve: "Where did you go?"
Steve: "To church, like we always do"
Anna: "Then how come you don't have dirt on your head?"

I think our explanations for the Ash Wednesday service we attended a few days ago may have been a bit lacking. :)