1 Month, 3 Days/ 2 Years, 1 Week, 6 Days

Ah, spring! It's so nice to have mostly consistently warm weather! It's made getting out and about with Silas easy, and Henry is really growing to love the outdoors. He asks to go on walks all the time and we've gotten to where JT or I will take him out in the evening before dinner as a way to help him start to wind down-- did i mention his energy level is soaring?

We had a really wonderful and busy weekend. Saturday morning Henry and JT walked all the way to the coffee shop and back (about 7 blocks each way) and brought home pastries for Silas and I (well at least for me). Later that afternoon we went to our friends' house for a bbq with 3 other couples and all the kidlets. I've got some great pictures from that i'll be posting this week, but first, the requested picture of Henry on his bug bike. He asks to ride it pretty frequently, especially when we talk about JT riding his bike. We stayed at the bbq until about 8:30 which meant Henry was up pretty much as late as he's ever been- 9 pm.

I'm a sleep nazi, so this was no off-hand decision. We definitely don't plan to make a habit of it, but it's nice to know that after those really, really difficult first months, Henry is such a great sleeper that one night of staying-up late doesn't totally throw him off. Speaking of sleep, that same night, Silas slept for 6 hours straight! Unfortunately between me taking awhile to fall asleep and then Henry waking up once and the cats driving us crazy, I didn't sleep 6 hours but it's quite a feat none-the-less.

Yesterday we did errands and chores but were pretty busy from sun-up (at least JT and Henry) to sundown. JT got a new smoker grill which we assembled, i seeded the lawn, we did laundry and grocery shopping and all those other weekend essentials. Now we're on to a new week and i can't believe how quickly time is moving. With Henry we used to joke (somewhat seriously) about me going back to work early, with Silas i understand why people want to stay home permanently.

Silas has his one-month appointment this afternoon, so we'll see how much he weighs now!

4 Weeks, 1 Day/ 2 Years 1 Week, 1 Day

Last night was a good baby night. Silas went to sleep by 10 and slept in two four-hour chunks. It's no 6 hours or anything, but usually after the first sleep chunk, the subsequent ones are never longer than 3 hours. What was even better was that after I took Henry to Brenda's, Silas ate and we both went back to sleep for another solid hour and a half. The past two days, Silas wasn't really sleeping soundly after we got home from taking Henry, so my amount of sleep was pretty negligible. Last night helped me get back ahead of the sleep curve.

Silas is definitely making his way towards the six-week fussy peak that supposedly occurs in all babies (except colicky ones which might not peak until 3-4 months.) He's still a very easy baby in that if he's fussy he just needs to be held, but he does want to be held more and is having a harder time going to sleep on his own. I just keep trying to help soothe him and get him drowsy and then put him down so he doesn't forget how to go to sleep on his own entirely. He is really good about sleeping whenever we're on the go, which definitely helps because i know he'll get solid naps in when we're out on walks or in the car.

It's been so nice this time around to have a close friend within walking distance home with a new baby at the same time i'm on maternity leave. We've been getting together several times a week and going for walks, out for lunch, to the park, etc. It definitely helps lessen the isolation that having a new baby can bring, and between meeting with her and sleeping late, the day is almost over before i even realize it.

Henry is getting more and more active in the last few weeks. From the time he wakes up until he goes to bed (thankfully with a break for a nap) he's rearing to go and in a good, excited mood. He's talking more and learning new words everyday. Right now his favorite word is "new." He's really excited when he gets "new" milk or puts on a "new" shirt. Another thing we realized while JT's parents were here is that he knows the letter "B." I had heard him saying "b" for awhile but couldn't figure out what he meant. Sheree showed me that he could pick out "b" from all his bathtub letters. Now he looks for "b's" when we're reading books.

I asked Brenda yesterday if Henry was still sleeping in the crib at daycare and she said that he's on a cot now with the bigger kids and that actually he's been sleeping better on the cot than in the crib. We haven't really had any sleep issues in his crib, so i don't think we'll be converting his bed to a toddler-bed anytime soon, but it's nice to know the transition has gone so well at daycare.

3 Weeks, 6 Days/ 2 Years, 6 Days

Henry's birthday party was an unqualified success. He had quite a bit of fun running around the back-yard with Carys and Helen, blowing bubbles, and playing with balls and sidewalk chalk. JT's parents were in town for the party and were a great help in preparing and cleaning up. Henry had a great time being home with them for a few days and Silas definitely enjoyed all the cuddling. JT cooked up hot-dogs and had a full-spread of Chicago-style fixins along with three different nationalities of potato salad (American, German and French.) Henry received so many fun gifts from our friends and family (summer clothes, cool books, a stuffed doggy, play-doh, and a lawn-mower.) He's actually played quite a bit with all of his toys but he's definitely obsessed with his lawn-mower right now. In fact he wanted to take it outside yesterday when we went for a walk so he could mow the sidewalk. I'm happy to say that chore is all done.

He's been riding on his "bike" a lot lately as well which is a little push-toy that looks like a grasshopper. It was an early birthday gift from my parents and at first he just liked to walk behind it and push it-- now he drives it all over the house and has gotten adept at avoiding or purposely running into stationary objects. He's also making some real progress going down the stairs. He has been walking down stairs for awhile but he really disliked doing it for a good long time. Now he rarely asks to be picked up and just wants to hold your hand while he walks down-- which is a good thing because i usually have Silas in the other hand.

Silas is continuing to do well. He's wanting to be held a little bit more and is taking longer to get to sleep at night, so hopefully in exchange he'll start sleeping some longer chunks as well. Henry was also very difficult to get to sleep but you had to physically hold and rock and pat and walk and bounce. As soon as you would lay him down he would start screaming and you'd have to start the whole process over. Silas just cycles in and out of light sleep fussing, grunting, and occasionally crying out in the awake periods. Mostly he just needs to work through his own wind-down routine but it's been taking him 30-45 minutes to get into a deep-sleep which feels like an eternity during the middle of the night!

I have a ton of new pictures on the camera that i'll promise to download soon. Here's one from Henry's birthday party courtesy of JT's parents!

3 Weeks, 2 Days/ 2 Years, 2 Days

Things are continuing to roll on at our household. Henry has been home enjoying spending time with his Oma and Opa. It actually worked out pretty well, because his col has been back and especially yesterday, i'm not sure he could have gone to daycare. He took a 4 hour nap yesterday and slept in today which i think is helping him. Unfortunately, i feel like i'm coming down with his cold and Silas was up closer to every two hours last night.

My back is feeling considerably better which is definitely a good thing. I go for another adjustment this afternoon.

Henry had a great actual birthday on Tuesday. We had balloons tied to his chair when he woke up for breakfast and in the evening we went to dinner out a nearby Mexican restaurant. You can see the trains go by from where we sat, so Henry was in heaven. The waitress really liked Henry and when she found out it was his birthday she brought him a yummy piece of cake with a birthday candle in it. He was stumped about blowing it out but once we showed him what to do he was pretty excited. We opened his birthday gifts when we got back to the house and then headed to bed. We're looking forward to his party on Saturday and hope the weather cooperates.

2 Weeks, 6 Days/ Almost Two!

Finally, some warm weather around here! I got to meet Corey and Kerala in the park this afternoon and we all soaked up some sun. It looks like it's going to be a mix of some cool and some sunny and warm weather for the next week. Right now we've got sun and 70 degrees projected for Henry's party on Saturday-- let's hope that holds.

JT is out of town on a one-day business trip, so i had the pleasure of getting up with both kids this morning. Thankfully Henry slept until 7:45 which gave me time to feed Silas soon after 7. After dropping Henry off Silas and i came back and slept for a few more hours which was wonderful. Then we went to order the cake for Henry's party and buy some balloons. We're planning to tie them on his chair tonight so that when he wakes up for breakfast tomorrow he has a fun start to his birthday. We'll do family gifts tomorrow night and then Saturday will be his actual party with a few close friends and Chicago-style hot dogs!

2 Weeks, 4 Days/ 23 Months, 3 Weeks, 1 Day

We reprised our successful dinner out from last week tonight-- we're starting to get downright haughty about this going out with two stuff (at least while one is in the "sleeps from the time we leave home until we return" stage.) It was fun to go back to a restaurant we had been visiting almost weekly in the last months of my pregnancy. The waitress knows us and adores Henry, and she was excited to meet Silas for the first time.

We're enjoying a pretty quiet weekend at home. I wound up having my first diagnostic chiropractor appointment on Friday and had my first "adjustment" this morning. It actually did help my back feel better-- not fixed but a milder form of pain every time i take a step or go up or down stairs. I'm set with three appointments next week and likely three the next week. She said that i would likely feel real relief after a few appointments. Here's hoping she's right! At least i've gotten a reasonable amount of sleep lately and the mastitis seems to be clearing up well.

Silas' sleep patterns have been a little bit all over the place. Two nights ago he went 6 hours between feedings (sleeping about 4.5 of that). Then last night he was up every two hours wanting to eat. I think it might have been a little growth spurt because he was wanting to eat every two hours most of the day as well. Today has been more normal, so hopefully he'll be back to at least 3 hour chunks tonight. At least on the weekend there's no problem with me being able to sleep in. I feed Silas around 6:30 or 7 and then JT takes him downstairs with Henry while i get to sleep until about 10. This is actually my survival strategy because i'm not great at napping in the afternoon.

Henry has taken to conducting "experiments" with his food once he's decided he's done eating. Jt's been trying to capture some of the more outlandish ones.

Bump in the road...

Silas is making his way towards three weeks and things were going swimmingly. Then two nights ago i had a terrible time sleeping and started feeling ill. Yesterday was truly awful-- i hurt in a million places and just couldn't sleep. Luckily i recognized the early signs of mastitis and was able to get in to see my Dr. last night. I started antibiotics last night and coupled with lots of sleep (interrupted as it was) i'm feeling MUCH better today. Still a little sluggish so i'm definitely taking it easy.

On top of the mastitis i hurt my back last week and it's not getting better. The Dr. gave me a referral to a chiropractor and physical therapy if that doesn't help. I couldn't get an appt. until Monday, but hopefully it will do the trick. Going upstairs is excruciating and even just walking is painful.

Henry is still doing well. I think he's starting to realize that my time is divided and occasionally demands my attention-- so JT and i have been trying to make sure that i have time just for Henry-- especially since most mornings Henry just sees me to say hi while i'm feeding Silas in bed.

Silas needs a little more attention-- sometimes he needs to be held for a bit before he can fall asleep-- and in the early evening. But he's generally easy to figure out and you can actually lay him down (and he stays asleep!) once he's gotten to sleep. We took him in for his 2 week appt. on Tuesday and he had gained a pound-- he's up to 9 lbs. 5.5 oz. So-- even though he's possibly the gassiest baby i've ever met-- he's gaining like gang busters. I'm doing my best to rotate all of his 0-3 outfits because i'm afraid they aren't going to fit much longer!

1 Week 5 Days/23 Months 2 Weeks 2 Days

Henry enjoyed his indoor egg hunt and discovering his Easter basket very much. He was also pretty excited to wear his new Easter outfit-- which thankfully included a sweater vest since it is still pretty cold around these parts.

We braved our first family outing for a non-traditional Vietnamese dinner of Pho. I'm happy to report that the evening couldn't have gone better. Henry was psyched for his strawberry smoothie and crackers (what a dinner!) and Silas slept almost from the time we left until we got back home.

Jt plans to head into the office tomorrow to check out what's on tap for the week. He's hoping to stay home a few more days and this way he'll be able to figure out just how much time he can be at home. Henry will head back to daycare tomorrow so Silas and i will be hanging out at home trying to rest and put the house back together and maybe even write a few thank-you notes!

1 Week 4 Days/23 Months 2 Weeks 1 Day

Unfortunately we didn't make it to the Easter Egg hunt they had in our local park. We had registered for it, but with a high of 33 degrees we decided not to brave it. Of course Henry couldn't have cared less. We did another "dry run" of hiding the Easter Eggs in the house and i learned from Gran and Nonna to put coins and other trinkets in the eggs. Henry is absolutely psyched to find them-- even when it's just a button inside.

Tomorrow morning we'll do the "real" indoor egg hunt and have his Easter basket. I have a feeling he'll enjoy it. Our friends Corey and Troy came over today with their daughter Kerala, to hang out and have lunch. Kerala is about a week older than Silas, so it was fun to have the babies together.

Silas had another good baby night-- the 4-3-3, 4 hours between feedings followed by two blocks of 3. He also went to sleep by about 10 which was really nice because that way JT and i could get to bed at the same time. I'm hoping that will work for the third straight night in a row. We had thought about going to Costco this afternoon but by the time everyone's naps were done it was a little too late. Henry was pretty much stir-crazy by then so JT took him out for a walk around the block. It was super-cold but definitely needed exercise for Henry. Hopefully tomorrow we'll get in some kind of outing. We're eager for the warm weather to return so we can start taking Silas and Henry out for walks-- with our new stroller!

1 Week 3 Days/ 23 Months 2 Weeks 6 Days

Last night was a good one around our house. I've gotten in the habit of trying to feed Silas closer to every 2 hours once the late afternoon/evening rolls around. There's mixed opinions on whether this helps them to sleep longer or not, but i figure it can't hurt, especially since sometimes he prefers to eat every 2 hours. Last night i fed him at 10:30 and then he went to sleep shortly after 11. He's getting to where he can take longer to fall asleep-- he grunts and groans and squeaks off an on until he falls asleep. At this point though he can still fall asleep on his own which is something we're trying really hard to preserve and encourage.

Henry is doing great at daycare and the cough/cold he's had seems to be finally improving. He's sleeping through the night without coughing at all and his nose finally stopped running as well. We've been practicing hunting Easter eggs indoors and Henry is extremely excited about the concept. We signed up for an Easter Egg hunt on Saturday at our local park but it's supposed to be 36 for a high that day so we might just do an indoor egg hunt on Sunday and let him find his Easter basket. I'm sad the weather isn't cooperating because i think he would have had a blast, but i'm not sure it's worth it to be out in the cold at 9 am.

Quick Update before bed

I'm a little too sleepy to work out everyone's respective ages, but i wanted to post something quickly before i head to bed.

We bid farewell to my parents today and it went better than expected. I wasn't sure how Henry would react, because he really bonded with them and "Nonna" became the most frequent refrain in our house in the last week. JT and Henry drove them to the train station and although he asked about them a couple times, he seemed okay with the explanation that they were getting on an airplane to their house. I know he'll look forward to seeing them later this summer, and will also enjoy the privilege of spending time with his Oma and Opa in just a few weeks as well.

Thankfully JT is still off this week and potentially part of next week, assuming he can get some work done at home. Henry is heading back to daycare tomorrow though, as i think we'll all have more time to bond with Silas and Henry will have the stimulation of all his friends and his caretakers.

Silas has been going 3-4 hours between feedings at night, but occasionally wakes up after just 2 hours like last night. I make it through by sleeping in until about 10 in the mornings. Tomorrow Jt will take Henry to daycare and Silas will stay home with me while JT's out, so hopefully that routine will continue.

6 Days/23 Months, 2 Weeks, 2 Days

Henry has enjoyed some new toys since his grandparents' arrival. One of the biggest is his new "carrot slide." He had a lot of fun going down the slide himself several times and then got a very big kick out of putting all his trains and other toys down the slide as well. It's a great size for him and i think will be really good for his climbing skills-- especially while we're still on a therapy hiatus.

Silas slept in more typical 3 hour stretches last night and Henry woke up early from his nap so i'm a little sleepy and can't think of any other developments. I did want to post a few more pictures though-- enjoy!

5 Days/ 23 Months 2 Weeks, 1 Day

We're really enjoying being at home, discovering a routine with Silas and Henry, and having a lot of help from my parents. Henry is absolutely ecstatic that his Gran and Nonna are here. They've been taking walks outside, coloring and playing inside and in general keeping Henry more than entertained.

Henry is getting more interested in Silas, but is very sweet with him. He likes to lean in over his bouncy seat and sweetly say "hi!" Right now he just calls him "baby," we're working on "Silas." We do have to monitor Henry closely when Silas is in the swing. Henry likes to turn the swing up to it's highest setting and Silas looks like he's about ready to launch.

We're doing really well with Silas so far. The first night home was the roughest because we hadn't gotten much sleep in the hospital that day and Silas was wanting to eat almost every hour. I did discover that he will take the pacifier and actually does a decent job of holding on to it. Each night since has been a little better. First 2-3 hour breaks between eating, and then consistently 3 and last night he went almost 5 hours between meals. Since you time from the start of one feeding to the next, and eating takes awhile when he keeps falling asleep, it doesn't work out to quite 5 hours of sleep-- but still i'll take it for a 5-day old!

We had his 4-day checkup yesterday and everything was absolutely perfect. He had a bilirubin level of 0 (indicative of jaundice) which is so unusual they tested it twice to make sure. We discussed all the different medical issues Henry has had and so far Silas looks clear of all of them. Although it can definitely still develop, at this point Silas isn't much of a spitter and doesn't show any signs of the pyloric stenosis stomach problem that Henry had. We're also enjoying his calm temperment and general sleepiness. I remember that Henry's fussiness developed more as he got closer to 3 weeks so in a sense i'm still waiting for the other shoe to fall, but for now he's a very "good" baby that's been pretty easy to integrate into our family.

I'll post some pictures soon but wanted to get this update posted.