2 and a quarter

Sunday's late nap

The boys are 2 and a quarter years old today!  At this point, I have pretty much forgotten to count the months, and they are just flying by.

We leave this weekend for our annual summer trip to Maine, and are getting excited to see family, and for all the ice cream we plan to eat!

Both boys are finally starting to talk more- not nearly as much as many of their friends, but imitating our words and making connections that they haven't before.  It is reassuring.

We've had a little bit of a hunger strike recently, but I think they're starting to warm up to eating more.  Asher will almost always eat cheese, crackers, and ask for cookies and juice.  He has a Landes sweet tooth, I guess!  Benjamin is a more consistent eater, but he is super skinny.  Of course, being a Jewish mom, I am worried about him being too thin, but everyone else says he looks fine.  He does look healthy, but definitely thin.

For the most part, the boys are sleeping later in the morning- til about 6:30 or so.  Eric and I definitely appreciate this.  We think that hanging dark curtains in the room made a difference, but why it wouldn't have mattered for the past 2 years, but started mattering now, who knows.

We are lucky to have healthy, good-natured children.  I marvel at how beautiful and perfect they are, and I hope that I never lose my sense of awe when I look at them.

a weekend away

The Chesapeake Bay

We didn't really go away for a full weekend, more like 27 hours.  Eric and I went with friends to St. Michael's, Maryland to enjoy a little bit of quiet and company before our friends welcome their first baby later this summer.  

Saturday was a little hot, but we cooled off with ice cream and iced tea.  My friend Alissa and I walked around town and browsed in the shops while our husbands watched the soccer game and drank beer.  Then we went back to Alissa's house and the girls sat around while the guys rowed a kayak 10 feet away from the dock and then sat and drank beer.  Then we had dinner at the house: half a bushel of crabs, corn on the cob, salad, and for the guys- beer.

Eric Crabby-Hands

Is it a picture of me? Or the sunset?

Oh, yeah- there was wine, too.

If you look closely, you can see 2 little heads on the dock- Alissa's mom and her boyfriend

I had big plans to get a lot of rest without any children to disrupt my sleep, but it turns out I can manage insomnia and sleep disruption all on my own.  It took me forever to fall asleep, and then I was up early, too.  I was exhausted!

Sunday morning we made blueberry waffles for breakfast.  Alissa's mom took a picture of our tummies together:

Alissa at 34 weeks and me at 14 weeks

So there is my belly shot for the week!  After breakfast, Alissa's mom and her boyfriend rushed off for a full day of exercise- kayaking and a bike ride- and the rest of us got ready to head home again.

On the way home, my mom (my parents graciously babysat for the weekend and had the boys enjoying one fun activity after another) texted to let me know that no one was napping, and she was tired.  Good thing we were already coming home!

The boys continued to not-nap after we got home.  After a while, Eric and I gave up and took them to the pool at my aunt and uncle's.  They are getting more accustomed to the pool and like the hot tub, which we call the baby pool.  My uncle has been heating it a little, so it is comfortable for them to play in for a long period of time.  Our cousins from Massachusetts (at whose house we spent Passover) are visiting for a couple of weeks, and I think the boys liked seeing their cousins play in the pool.  Benjamin put on his swim vest, which is like his big cousin Lilah's, and got in the big pool with Eric.  Both boys are practicing blowing bubbles and dipping their faces in.  

After the pool, the boys were exhausted and fell asleep in the car.  Eric and I decided to let them sleep a little before dinner, and that was a big mistake!  When we woke them up, they were complete wrecks.  Benjamin just rolled on the floor screaming, "NA-NIGHT!  NA-NIGHT!"  They didn't eat any dinner at all, and we ended up giving them a bath, with both boys hysterical, and trying to get them into bed.  At one point, both boys were rolling on their bedroom floor, naked and crying, not letting us get their diapers or pajamas on, and I turned to Eric and said, "which circle of hell is this?"  Definitely a moment where, if I were not already pregnant, I would seriously consider not having a third!

Today has been much better, fortunately, except that Benjamin is boycotting his nap again.  If anyone has any nap advice on this, please pass it on!  I don't think he is ready to give up the nap altogether, since he seems miserable and exhausted without it, but when he decides not to nap, there is no persuading him otherwise.

Father's Day 2012

We had a nice, fairly uneventful day.  Daddy Eric went golfing from 10:30 to about 5 pm, so the boys and I didn't do anything special during those hours to celebrate him, and by the time he got home, Mommy Becca handed off responsibility for child care.

We did make a big breakfast with waffles and bacon, and ate with Grandpa Nick, Meema Alison, and Aunt Elana.  Then Grandpa Nick and I took the boys to the park:

Grandpa and his grandsons

Our friends were there with a bike and bike trailer, and offered to take the boys for a ride.  Benjamin seemed interested, but then backed out of the trailer and decided he wanted to ride the bike himself.

Taking after daddy

I gave the boys lunch, and they took turns wearing tiger ears and being ferocious:

What a scary tiger!

Did you know tigers like applesauce?

We ended the day with dinner at Aunt Jane and Uncle Ed's.  Great-Grandma Sonia, Great-Grandpa David, Aunt Pierrette, Uncle Richard, and Aunt Esther were all there to help Sonia, David, and Pierrette find a new home at one of the retirement homes near here.  There was lots of food, and Asher ate a lot of turkey, which he then threw up on the table (he choked on some cake).  Aunt Elana was saying she's definitely not ready for kids.

And here is a cute picture from tonight, after dinner at our friends' house:

Asher loves kitties

Oh, and does it look like Asher is wearing his fleece bear pajamas?  That is because he kind of is.  Our outfit compromise for the day was that he wore his sweat pants and t-shirt, but got to wear the bear-jamas as a cape.  He wore them all day long.  We took them off for bath time, and when it was time for pajamas, he tried refusing a clean pair and asked for "bear."  I told him, no, too dirty.  Fortunately he didn't fight me on it.  Those poor pajamas! They have holes worn in the feet from overuse.  Fortunately, I bought a pair in 3T for $3 on clearance for this next fall and winter, so he can wear his favorite pajamas for another year.

Pregnancy #2: 13 weeks

13 week belly picture (also the first of this pregnancy)
no make-up, no smile

I don't really have the time or energy to start a whole new blog for this pregnancy (sorry, #3, you are already getting short-changed), so I am going to do my weekly updates in here.


How far along?  13 weeks
Total weight gain/loss?  I don't have a scale, but I am certain I have gained plenty more than the "2 lbs in the first trimester" average.
Maternity clothes?  I have been wearing some.  I got a few things on sale, and have worn maternity shorts, maternity skirt, and a maternity dress.  I still fit into regular shirts and some of my bottoms that are in bigger sizes.
Pregnancy symptoms?  Some lightheadedness and dizziness if I stand up too fast, or am hungry or thirsty.  Still some nausea around certain smells, or garbage cans, or bathrooms.
Stretch marks? No new ones.
Sleep?  I am actually falling asleep well, which I am excited about.  Pretty much for the past 2 years I have taken something to fall asleep at night- Tylenol PM, Melatonin, or Ambien.  I am waking up early, though, and having trouble falling back to sleep.  My OB did give me some Ambien to take a little of if I wake up around 4, but it doesn't always work.
Best moment last week? Having my NT scan and seeing one perfectly healthy fetus.
Movement?  None. I have an anterior placenta again, so I don't anticipate feeling anything for many weeks.
Food cravings? Maybe more on the salty side?  But I am eating a lot of fruit.  Earlier in the pregnancy I was always hungry, but now my appetite feels more normal.
Gender? A mystery, but I am guessing another boy.
Labor signs? Um, no. Not yet.
Belly button in/out? In. It never popped last time.
What I miss: The relative peace of my last pregnancy!
What I am looking forward to: My OB appointment next week.  I can never get enough reassurance!
Milestones: We announced the pregnancy on Facebook.  Obnoxious, I know, but Eric really wanted to do it.

Surprise! We'll soon be FIVE!

Baby #3

It is true- we are surprisingly and miraculously expecting our third child.  I'm 12 weeks and 4 days pregnant, with a due date of December 22nd.  This pregnancy was entirely unplanned, and initially a huge shock, but we are now excited!

We just had the first part of our sequential screening today, with our ultrasound.  I have to wait a few days or a week to hear any results from my bloodwork, but the ultrasound was "textbook normal" according to the tech, and he said it looks like a perfect pregnancy.  Normal? Me?  That's a strange feeling.

I will write more about how we found out and how we handled the news soon, but now it is my bedtime!

mike tyson

Here is Bear with a black-ish eye.  He didn't get in fight, but the story I was told had something to do with him climbing on a chair, slipping off the chair, and hitting his face on the way down.  Since he was 2 months old, people have said he's a "bruiser," and now he really looks like one!

Memorial Day 2012 (obviously very late)

For Memorial Day, we went to Cape Cod with my family as a belated graduation celebration for my sister, and briefly to Providence for part of my 5 year reunion.  The car rides went really smoothly, which was nice.  On Thursday, on our way up, we stopped in Providence for lunch with my cousin, Alexandra, who was graduating from Brown.  The weather was beautiful, and the boys had a great time running around the Green and getting their energy out.

Then we went the rest of the way to the Cape, and out to dinner.  We wanted the boys to have a night there to settle in before we went away the following day without them.  On Friday, Eric and I went to my reunion.  Here is the only picture of us, at the end of the night:

 When we got back to the Cape on Saturday, we got the sense from my parents that they were pretty much at the end of their rope with childcare.  Asher hadn't really slept at night, and Benjamin didn't nap while we were gone, so Meema and Grandpa were tired.  There was a small carnival going on by the playground, so Eric and I took the boys.  Eric and I were out of money, but the ladies at the ticket booth took pity on us and gave us a few extra tickets so that the boys could get on some rides.

Benjamin is still not sure how he feels about rides

 Then we convinced Meema to meet us for soft serve.  Last summer the boys didn't show much interest in ice cream, but this summer they seem to have wised up.  We got one chocolate and one vanilla, and the boys took it away.

Asher chose vanilla

Benjamin chose chocolate

Mmmm. Kissable lips, especially covered in chocolate

 Sunday we had perfect weather.  Of course, when we were packing, Eric told me not to bring bathing suits, because the water would be too cold. The only person who packed a bathing suit was Grandpa Nick, who is always notorious for forgetting to pack the essentials (underwear, toothbrush).  The rest of us sat around in our clothes, and the boys wore stylish diapers.

Checking out the sand and the sea

Two years + two months old and still mommy's little baby

The only hat Benjamin will wear

Most stylish bug on the beach

 The sleep schedule was kind of a mess.  It seemed like we were finally getting back on track with sleep, and it was time to leave again.  Benjamin has not been napping consistently the past couple of weeks, and I am 100% not ready for him to give up naps, so he better get back on track!  Here is Asher, taking the second half of his nap on the couch in the living room.  The only thing that got him up was the promise of getting to play "beep beep" (pretend driving the car).

Meema reading them "Where the Wild Things Are"

2nd day in a row of ice cream

No more books, on to movies

We left on Monday evening, before dinner time.  We ate in the car, which made me completely car sick!  We made it home in good time, and got home to a sparkling clean house, since our newly hired cleaning woman had come while we were away.

Then we went upstairs to find all the bedroom doors closed, and our cat Peanut hovering outside our bedroom. I knew instantly that Trouble was locked inside- since Saturday morning (this was Tuesday at 12:30 a.m.), with no food, no open windows, in the stifling heat.  I was so panicked.  I sent Eric in to look for Trouble, and when I didn't hear a scream or sobs, I assumed Trouble was alive.

Fortunately, the cleaning woman had left the lid up on the toilet, so he had water to drink, otherwise I worry he might not have made it!  Trouble was pretty disturbed, crying and clinging to us.  Oh, and our whole room stank of cat pee- but he was a good kitty and used only the bath mat in our bathroom to pee on, so the mess was easily dealt with.  He seems to have made a full recovery, and has spent the past two days killing all the mice that our neighbors have sent our way (rather than buy traps they got noise makers to scare the mice at their house, so guess where they ended up?).

We had a great weekend, and I was not ready to leave the Cape at all.  It has made me all the more eager for our vacation there in August.  It was too bad that it ended on a sour note when we got home, but we're all alive (except for those mice).