Memories... 2010!

I can still remember it like it was yesterday.  My birth experience with Lucas was eventful, and nerve-wracking.  I had to be induced because he was big, and very comfy.  So, on June 24th, I was admitted to Helen Ellis Hospital (which has now changed names) to begin the process.  I'll spare the details, but trust me, it was not pleasant.  I could not sleep.  I was prescribed an Ambien and within 20 minutes, was out cold.  I had NEVER taken any kind of sleep aid before, so waking up the next morning was crazy.  I legitimately had no idea where I was for a few minutes. 

The stuff they gave me on the 24th really didn't do much to begin labor, so they started me on Pitocin the morning of the 25th.  If you've never experienced the "joy" of being induced, let me break it down for you.  It hurts.  A lot.  You get absolutely no break from contractions once labor starts.  It sucks.  Thankfully, my doctor was fine with me getting an epidural as soon as I needed it... which was about an hour after I finally went into labor.  I was 1 cm dilated and felt like a wimp, but once it was in, I really didn't care.  Pain meds make me loopy, and I kept telling the nurses that my legs felt big and fuzzy.  Because Lucas was still taking his sweet time to enter the world, my mom and the nurses had to flip me over every hour or so.  Finally, after 8:00 that night (I had been in labor for 12 hours at that point), Dr. Goldman came in to see how I was feeling.  He'd asked if I felt any pressure, but I had no idea... he checked and said I was more than ready.  I cried.  I cried a lot.  I was SO not ready for this.  Lucas was, so I had no choice.  3 pushes (and some pushing on my belly from a nurse) and at 9:03PM he was out.  8lbs, 15oz.  20 1/2 inches long. 

Now, I had quite an audience for this... my mom, Katie, Scott's mom, and his Aunt Vicky.  THEN, once all was said and done, his brother walks in with another one of Scott's friends.  Looking back, this was completely awkward, but I was so exhausted at that point, I didn't care. 

Full disclosure: I did not fall in love immediately.  It sounds awful.  Lucas was born and laying on my belly and my mom was like, "He's here!  You can touch him!"   I think I reached down and grabbed his hand, and that was all I could do.  I was so overwhelmed. 

For the first month, I couldn't even say his name.  I gave him the nickname "Bug" in the hospital.  He didn't look like a bug.  I cried a lot those first few months.  Scott was wonderful and did EVERYTHING.  Lucas was a very hungry baby and wanted to eat every hour.  No one slept much that summer. 

Now he is 4.  I seriously cannot believe that time went by so quickly.  He is so smart.  He makes me laugh, he drives me insane, and he is the most loving child I have ever met.  I look at him every day and think, "Wow... I was a part of creating that".  It is a crazy feeling.  I try to be the best mom I can for him.  He loves to read, loves to sing, and loves to dance.  He is so creative and makes up stories with his cars and trucks.  He is truly one of my greatest accomplishments!

A whole year!

"Really, Mom?  Another wacky outfit and head thing?"

I cannot believe that Ava is now an entire year old.  I took her for her 12-month check up the other day.  She weighs 21.8 lbs and is 29.25in long!  She is crawling everywhere and pulling herself up on anything that stands still!  She was SUPER grumpy after her last set of shots.  Thankfully, we are almost done with them!  She is still not a great napper, but is doing better at night.  She has 4 teeth totally through, and 2 more on the way.  She is a biter... Mommy is her favorite teether.  Working on combating that!

She still does that head shaking thing occasionally.  It still isn't affecting her developmentally, but we have a follow up with the neurologist at the end of June just to be sure... unless she stops doing it now that she is 1!

Seriously... how was this a year ago??

We are starting her on some foods besides baby food and cereal.  She has tried (and LOVED) mashed potatoes, watermelon, cheerios, and goldfish crackers!  She is not a fan of cupcakes just yet.  I'm sure she will be soon, though!  The best part of Ava turning 1 is.... NO MORE FORMULA!!!!!!  We were so spoiled with Lucas, because I was able to nurse until he was 10 months old and only used formula when he was at daycare for a couple of bottles a day.  With Ava, she was straight formula from 4 months old.  That's a lot of formula at over $30 a container.  So, that will be a savings of about $120 a month.  Although, with the amount of milk we go through now, it might just even out!

She is trying to say words.  Everyone is "Da" or "Da-Dee".  She points to dogs and says, "Da".  Some days, I swear she is singing the alphabet.  She loves Mickey Mouse.  She starts freaking out, clapping, and smiling when he comes on the TV!  Oddly enough, she does the same thing when my mom comes over...

I am definitely looking forward to the summer.  I can't wait to just relax with my babies and play!  Lucas is going to attempt swimming lessons again (since last year was pretty much a disaster), but this time we will have someone come to our house and teach him.  I can't.  I'm terrified.  He can fall and I'm fine I can deal with blood, throwing up, poop... I can't deal with Lucas choking on water learning to swim. 

I say it all the time, but maybe this summer, I will post more often... ha ha!  Believe it when you see it, friends and family!

9 Months!

So crazy that this little girl is 9 months old already!

2/22/14

We had her check up today.  She is 20.31 lbs and 28.25 inches long!  Such a big girl!  She is sitting up completely on her own, and is crawling EVERYWHERE!

She has 2 teeth, so far.  More are coming.  She is MISERABLE.  Once again, nothing like Lucas.  This child is going to give us a run for our money, for sure!  She wakes up twice a night to eat.  Her pediatrician told me to stop that and let her cry, otherwise it will cause teeth issues and sleep issues.  Great.  That ought to be fun.  We will start that tonight so that (hopefully) by Spring Break, we will all be sleeping for more than 4 hours at a time!

Ava has been doing this weird shaking thing for the past few days.  I told her doctor about it, and she also did it in the office.  So, later this month, we will be traveling to St Pete to a pediatric neurologist to rule out minor seizures.  When she does it, she looks like she has a chill, but does it multiple times a day.  I'm not going to stress about it just yet.  She is developing normally, so whatever this is, it isn't affecting her developmentally!

Lucas is good.  He is such a good big brother. 

He is very "3" at times, but for the most part, he is 3 going on 30.  The things he says are just hilarious.  Of course, at this moment, I am so sleep deprived, I can't remember any of them... I've got to start keeping a notebook.

That's all for now.  Here's hoping the sleepless nights end sooner rather than later...

So... yeah...

Okay, so I haven't posted anything since September.  I had been doing so well.  Oops.  We are all sleep deprived.  Well, not Lucas - he isn't sleep deprived.  That kid sleeps through EVERYTHING (except fireworks...).

The last 3 months have been good.  School is draining for both Scott and I  (hence, no posting because I get home, check Facebook, and fall asleep by 9!).

September was Ava's Baptism.  My Dad came down for it.  It was a really nice day.  Beautiful weather.

Ava did NOT like the water being poured on her head!

Lucas was being very silly on this special day!

October brought Halloween.  Ava's 1st. Lucas was Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates.  He was sick last year, so he never wound up going trick or treating.  He was supposed to be Jake that time.  Good thing the costume still fit!  Ava was a ladybug.  It was cute and comfy since it was gross and humid outside in typical Florida fashion for the end of October.

Thanksgiving was small, but tasty. Ava had sweet potatoes for her dinner that night.  Yum. 

Ava had her 6-month check-up in December.  She was 18.2 lbs and 27 1/2 inches long!  She is a big girl and a good eater! 

Christmas was exciting!  We got a new car.  A van.  A sporty van.  A van that doesn't look like a van.  We drove it up to Connecticut.  It was beautiful to have so much room! 

Lots of milestones happened in December.  Ava started to sit up on her own!  She loves that!  Ava's first tooth made its grand entrance on December 21st.  Just in time for our trip.  She did pretty well when we were in Connecticut, but did not sleep well when we were in New York.  

Poor Lucas just wanted to see snow.  We saw roughly 12 flakes as they fell from the sky on Christmas Eve, but nothing really stuck.  Its always so nice to see everyone up there, and it is never long enough. 

Christmas Eve Sibling Love!

My little model!

Christmas Day Smooches!!

So, that brings me to present day, January 2014. Ava now has two teeth.  Teething has been a NIGHTMARE.  Everyone keeps telling me that life would be boring if my children were exactly the same.  Sleep-wise, if they were exactly the same, life would be awesome since, at Ava's age, Lucas was sleeping for 12 hours a night.  Oh well.  This too shall pass.  I'm not wishing her baby time away.  She is so close to crawling.  She gets up on her hands and knees, rocks, then flops like a fish and screams as if she can't understand why she isn't getting anywhere!

Ava's 1st Bounce House!

Here's to 2014.  Off to a crazy start, so far.  My resolution was to work out (ha!) and eat healthier (ha! ha!).  I've gotten my family to like green beans.  Next veggie to try: kale! 

I suppose I'll try not to wait another three months before I blog.  I'll shoot for every two weeks... maybe once a month...

Ava slept long enough for me to type this.  Back to full Mommy Mode!

Three Months!

Wow, it has been a while!  The end of July and the whole month of August are essentially a blur!  End of summer, Lindsey's visit, and school starting up again has made for little time to breath, let alone blog!  

Everyone is doing well.  Ava is growing like a weed. She was 12lbs, 12oz at her two-month check up, so I am assuming she is in the 13 lb. range these days. She is sleeping pretty well at night. She is sleeping in her crib (yay!), and loves sucking her thumb!  I'm so happy she found it!  Some nights, she sleeps straight through until 6:15 or so, other "mornings", she wakes up around 3, eats, then sleeps til 7. So, I can't complain too much! She is eating a whole lot. She is going to Miss Lisa's with Lucas. Ava eats 3 4oz bottles during the day! So crazy! I'm still trying to nurse, but keeping up with her has become tough with my return to work. So, I had to start supplementing with formula. It makes me sad a little because I was able to nurse exclusively for 4 months with Lucas and it just isn't a possibility this time around. 

She is doing a lot more.  She smiles and giggles and blows bubbles. She can roll onto her side. She is growing so fast, I can't stand it!

The hat lasted about 25 seconds...

Lucas is, well... Lucas! He is loving that he is back at daycare. He missed his friends and doing his projects! He is learning letters, numbers, shapes and nursery rhymes! I love it. He talks a mile a minute and loves reenacting scenes from Cars with his toys. I keep trying to record him doing it, but he always catches me and stops! I am determined to get him one of these days because it just cracks me up!

He loves playing with Photo Booth on my iPad!

I'm doing alright. School is crazy. By the time we get home, get everyone fed, get everyone to bed, pump, and make lunches for the next day, it is almost 9:00 and by that point, I am more than ready for bed! We're getting into a schedule, which is always good in my book! 

I feel incredibly guilty most of the time, both at school and at home.  I fell guilty because, while I was able to spend 4 months at home with Lucas, I was only able to spend (less than) 3 months with Ava.  I feel like this year, more than ever, I can't find balance between work and home.  I'm "on" from the moment I wake up until the moment my head hits the pillow at night.  I'm "Mommy", "Teacher", then "Mommy" again and don't stop from 6:00AM until everything is set for the next day.  By the time I get home, I have little patience left, so poor Lucas can't get away with anything (not that he gets away with anything on non-school nights, he just gets away with even LESS on school nights).  I put way too much pressure on myself.  I want to be a good teacher, because my students deserve that.  I want to be a good Mommy, because my children deserve that.  Some days, I feel like I am pretty good at both... others I feel like I am pretty lousy at everything.  It will get better.  We're coming up on Week 4 of school already... it has to get better. 

Two Months!

Ava has been in our lives for two months now. It is incredible how much she had changed and grown. We go for her two-month check up next week. It will be interesting to see how big she has gotten!

Happy Baby! 7/26/13

She smiles a lot and loves to sit on my belly propped up on my knees. She makes these happy cooing noises, too. I've gotten to know her patterns pretty well.  During the day, she wakes up, eats, "plays" for anywhere from 30-45 minutes, then gets super grumpy and wants to nap.  She is a cat-napper.  I can usually get one good two-hour nap out of her during the day.  Other than that, I get little 40-45 minute snoozes out of her. 

Sleeping hasn't changed much. She sleeps at night anywhere from 5-8 hours. She has been going around 6 hours for a while, but occasionally is up earlier. She is sleeping in her room now (yay for having two cameras now!), but still in the car seat. She is just not a fan of laying flat on her back. Next week, I suppose I'll torture myself and try to get her to sleep in the crib. Even though she is swaddled, I think she likes being cradled in the car seat. 

She is still eating well, and will take a bottle from me. Apparently she isn't too picky about where her food comes from! My mom gave her a bottle and she drank all but half an ounce, so we are on the right track!

As for Lucas, potty training has taken a turn for the better! His doctor was right... I have to let it be HIS idea.  He is only wearing Pull Ups at nap time and bed time.  He fights me when I try to make him go, but (knock on wood) hasn't had any accidents at home since we started underwear. I probably just jinxed myself there...

He has been taking swimming lessons. He is doing well now that it is just him and the instructor.  He did not do well when there were 4 other kids to goof around with.  He talks so well, that sometimes I forget that he is still very new at being 3, and I can't expect him to sit for too long watching others swim!

Go, Lucas, go!!

He cracks me up.  Sometimes, he sounds like a robot booting up!  He will "zone out" and when I get his attention, he looks at me and says, "Hi! I'm Lucas!"  kind of like when Frosty the Snowman comes to life in the cartoon and says "Happy Birthday" every time!  The other night at swimming, he embarrassed Scott so badly.  They were running a couple of minutes late, so Scott picked him up and was walking at his usual speed (and I thought I walked fast...).  Lucas starts yelling at him, "Daddy, don't run with me! You are going to drop me!"  Then, Scott told him to go to his teacher, who was waiting for him.  Lucas says, "Daddy, I can't go swimming without my sunscreen!"  I think I'll buy Scott a little bus for our anniversary since Lucas keeps throwing him under it!

I'm doing well.  Summer is winding down way too quickly for my liking.  Lindsey comes next weekend.  I'm really looking forward to that, but I can't believe August will be here so soon!  I've been getting stuff ready for school.  I'm so excited to be teaching Kindergarten again.  My team is great and I am really looking forward to being in a room in the same pod as them! 

That's all for now...

Time is flying :(

Time is going way too fast! Summer always goes quickly, but this summer it seems like it is flying by. 

Both kids went for their check-ups on last week. Ava is 11lbs, 14 oz and 21 1/2 inches long! Her head also grew an inch in diameter!  She got one shot, and cried more when I put her down than during the shot! She is doing more now.  She smiles and is making little noises.  She is also letting me sit her up on my lap without thinking it is eating time.  I've tried the bottle with her - success!  She took to bottle feeding MUCH easier than Lucas did.  Miss Lisa will be so happy ;-)

Lucas is 36 1/4 inches tall and 30 lbs. He is also smart and stubborn according to his doctor, which is why we are having such a hard time with potty training - he is exercising control over something he actually has control over. Great... *sigh* He was so funny at the office. They tried to test his vision, and while he knew all of the shapes, he didn't quite get the concept of covering only one eye. Apparently, they try vision testing three-year olds, but it doesn't really count.  Lucas told his doctor that he wanted to be a doctor.  Sounds good to me! 

He just cracks me up.  He loves Cars (from the movie) and watches this "Mater's Tall Tales" movie with my mom all the time.  When the movie is over, he goes back to his cars and retells a lot of the stories from the movie.  It is hilarious!  

FYI - Potty training sucks.  Pull Ups are useless.  "Learning Designs" are stupid.  If you aren't familiar with these, a "learning design" is a green imprint on the front of the Pull Up that fades away when the child wets their pants.  Well, the location of the design makes it difficult at best to "learn" when you are wet.  I thought Pull Ups were supposed to feel cool or wet so the kid would know they were going!  Nope.  Not anymore.  Something weird probably happened to little kids with the old Pull Ups.  I seriously wish I could find someone and pay them to potty train Lucas.  Two kids in diapers - because, let's be honest, at this point a Pull Up is a glorified diaper - is no fun.  Underwear isn't really working either.  The Pull Ups are to save my carpet!  Lucas just will not stop playing to use the potty.  I'm bribing with candy, TV, cars... he could care less.  I'm using timers to tell him to go try to go on the potty... nope.  I'm trying not to stress about it because clearly, he isn't ready in one way or another, but it it definitely getting frustrating!

As for me, I'm cleared to resume normal activities. My back is killing me, but as my doctor put it, I am small and carried an almost 9 pound baby. He said he'd be shocked if my back DIDN'T hurt a little still! I think I'll set up my Wii that I haven't touched in close to 2 years... and start off slow with my Zumba game!  

The 2 year anniversary of my 30th birthday was yesterday.  I don't feel any older (whew!). The day before, we had yummy cupcakes and family came over to celebrate.

We're actually getting sleep in the house. Ava sleeps between 6 and 8 hours at night, then another 3 hours after feeding. Unfortunately, this sleep is still happening in her car seat (or swing, depending on the night) because (a) we are waiting for the new monitor to arrive, and (b) she is still really stuffy when I lay her flat, so she won't sleep for very long in the bassinet :( Car seat sleep is for Mommy's sanity! 

No pictures this week... I don't have the patience to upload any.  Yes, I'm getting sleep, but my days are pretty exhausting.  Lucas is still learning his "inside voice", especially when Ava is napping.