Over the past few days, Nikos has been acting out a little bit (just a little), so we thought we'd take a family trip to the zoo this morning in an effort to show him that we still love him and can go out to do fun things, etc. But of course, it was sprinkling pretty hard by the time we got there (yes, apparently it does rain in Southern California!). We were tempted to throw in the towel and go home, but Nikos was so excited to see the llamas that we figured we'd just see them and leave. After loading both kiddos into the (massive) double stroller and entering the zoo, we learned that the llamas had been relocated next to the brand-new elephant exhibit-- located on the far side of the park, as opposed to near the entrance (where they used to be). How Gus managed to control that stroller on the many hills we walked up and down, I will never know... But we made it out there, and saw some llamas and some elephants (and a giant toy bulldozer, which Nikos pointed out excitedly-- "Tractor! A tractor!"). Three of us got pretty wet, while Maya snoozed in her little cocoon. And then we turned around and went home. It's a good thing we're members, because paying for entry today would have been a waste! Still, it was successful in terms of our first public family outing. So, hooray!
And now for the funnies... It's amazing to me how quickly Nikos is picking up new words and phrases lately... He is definitely going through sort of a language growth spurt! Some of the things he has started saying:
(Counting) Two.. Four... White... Sick... Seben... Eight... Car?
"Aw, maaaan!!" (my personal favorite-- his inflection is perfect)
Today he looked at the bears on Maya's footed pajamas and shrieked "A baby bear! A baby bear!"
"Baby guy" (baby cry)
"Big"-- he's started adding this to things, like "a BIG car!"
And the list goes on and on. All day, he kept asking for strawberries, which he practically inhaled once he got them. And then when Gus got home from running various errands, and I told him that Daddy was home, he looked all excited and asked, "Peeus?" (pizza?). I laughed so hard! Gus brought home pizza the other night, and apparently our friend was hoping for a repeat performance. :) It's pretty stinking cute, I must say. I can't wait for Maya to be able to communicate with us this way... or even stay awake at the zoo, for that matter!
Edited to add: I nearly forgot about Nikos' most important new vocabulary words: "Please" ("pees") and "Thank you" ("dak you"). He is getting pretty good at using them when he asks for something, and it is unbelievably cute. Hooray for manners!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Introducing...
Miss Maya's beautiful bellybutton!
It only took 3 weeks and 4 days for her umbilical cord stump to fall off... Sheesh! I think Nikos' was off by the two week mark. Anyway, it finally fell off. Hooray!! :)
In other news... Nikos thoroughly enjoyed his spaghetti tonight, resulting in an earlier-than-usual bath...
And speaking of baths... Maya also got to have a REAL bath (not the sponge variety), now that her cord fell off. She loved it! She sat very quietly, looking around and just enjoying the whole experience. She didn't make a peep!
Now everyone smells great. Hooray!
It only took 3 weeks and 4 days for her umbilical cord stump to fall off... Sheesh! I think Nikos' was off by the two week mark. Anyway, it finally fell off. Hooray!! :)In other news... Nikos thoroughly enjoyed his spaghetti tonight, resulting in an earlier-than-usual bath...
And speaking of baths... Maya also got to have a REAL bath (not the sponge variety), now that her cord fell off. She loved it! She sat very quietly, looking around and just enjoying the whole experience. She didn't make a peep!
Now everyone smells great. Hooray!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Funny Faces
Ok, so we're having a better afternoon (thanks to a good nap!). I thought I'd share these some funny pictures of the kids wearing Mr. Potatohead's glasses. :) Also, there's a video at the end of Nikos "counting." I think it's hilarious! He's really into counting things right now, but doesn't know his numbers yet (except for two and eight, haha!).
Oh My...
I have been on my own with both kids several times now, and I thought things went pretty smoothly. But today has been... different. Not only did Maya pick today to be awake and hungry most of the time, but Nikos thought today would be ideal for being a teething, cranky mess. Aack! Gus has been working out in the front yard all day, so I've been on my own with them both. And believe me, nap time couldn't come quickly enough!
First, Nikos wanted to go outside to play. I definitely wanted to take him, but needed to finish feeding Maya first. After whining by the back door for a few minutes, he came over and sweetly handed me one of Maya's pacifiers. Aww... And then he grabbed it, along with another one nearby, and ran off down the hallway. A few seconds later, I see the two pacifiers go flying out of the hallway and into the kitchen, one at a time. Nice!
So I finished feeding Maya, and went to put her into her car seat so I could bring her outside with us. "Noooooooo!!!!!" Nikos decided that this was not okay, though I have no idea why. He tried pulling her out of the seat by grabbing onto her onesie. He stopped as soon as I told him to, but then ran back to the back door to whine some more.
Finally, we made it outside. Nikos decided that he wanted to play with his watering can, and asked me to fill it. Well... Gus was working on a sprinkler line, so the water was shut off. Good luck explaining that to a toddler! So he threw another little whining fit. Which then upset Maya, so I needed to take her out of the carseat and hold her.
Next, Nikos grabbed his inflatable duck tub and dragged it out onto the grass. Naturally, he wanted the hose so that he could fill it up. Once again, there was no water, so he got pretty ticked off. Suddenly, I realized that we had a package of unopened bottles of water sitting by me (they've been there for months!). He is obsessed with water bottles! So, in a moment of desperation, I gave him one. It kept him busy for a few minutes, until he realized that he could dump the water into his duck tub. So he did. And then he came to me and asked me for another bottle of water. He even said "please"! So I gave him another... and another... and then he was happy, I guess, with the water level in the tub.
We had maybe 10 minutes of peaceful playing outside, while I held Maya. Then she pooped, a LOT, and wanted to be changed. I got her inside first, then had to drag my kicking-and-screaming toddler inside (after explaining that we were all done, which he refused to accept). He stood at the back door, screaming, while I went to change Maya's diaper. But then it got quiet. TOO quiet. So I rushed to finish changing her to see what he was up to.
The little booger was SITTING IN HIS HIGH CHAIR! All casual and pleased with himself. He has never even attempted to climb into it before, and it really is pretty high. What a little monkey!!! I tried pulling him down, but he held on tight, saying that he wanted "dinner" (lunch, really). I looked at the clock and, sure enough, it was lunch time-- noon on the dot! So I plunked Maya in her bouncy seat, strapped him into his chair, and he proceeded to eat a huge lunch. By the end, though, he was whining about something unintelligible and rubbing his face a lot, so I decided it was nap time (half an hour earlier than usual). I also gave him some ibuprofen. Luckily, Maya decided to finally take a nap not too long after he went down. Hallelujah!
Seriously, I love both my babies to death. But I feel old and tired today. I'm crossing my fingers that everyone wakes up in a better mood, and that Gus finishes his yard work soon! This is HARD!!!
First, Nikos wanted to go outside to play. I definitely wanted to take him, but needed to finish feeding Maya first. After whining by the back door for a few minutes, he came over and sweetly handed me one of Maya's pacifiers. Aww... And then he grabbed it, along with another one nearby, and ran off down the hallway. A few seconds later, I see the two pacifiers go flying out of the hallway and into the kitchen, one at a time. Nice!
So I finished feeding Maya, and went to put her into her car seat so I could bring her outside with us. "Noooooooo!!!!!" Nikos decided that this was not okay, though I have no idea why. He tried pulling her out of the seat by grabbing onto her onesie. He stopped as soon as I told him to, but then ran back to the back door to whine some more.
Finally, we made it outside. Nikos decided that he wanted to play with his watering can, and asked me to fill it. Well... Gus was working on a sprinkler line, so the water was shut off. Good luck explaining that to a toddler! So he threw another little whining fit. Which then upset Maya, so I needed to take her out of the carseat and hold her.
Next, Nikos grabbed his inflatable duck tub and dragged it out onto the grass. Naturally, he wanted the hose so that he could fill it up. Once again, there was no water, so he got pretty ticked off. Suddenly, I realized that we had a package of unopened bottles of water sitting by me (they've been there for months!). He is obsessed with water bottles! So, in a moment of desperation, I gave him one. It kept him busy for a few minutes, until he realized that he could dump the water into his duck tub. So he did. And then he came to me and asked me for another bottle of water. He even said "please"! So I gave him another... and another... and then he was happy, I guess, with the water level in the tub.
We had maybe 10 minutes of peaceful playing outside, while I held Maya. Then she pooped, a LOT, and wanted to be changed. I got her inside first, then had to drag my kicking-and-screaming toddler inside (after explaining that we were all done, which he refused to accept). He stood at the back door, screaming, while I went to change Maya's diaper. But then it got quiet. TOO quiet. So I rushed to finish changing her to see what he was up to.
The little booger was SITTING IN HIS HIGH CHAIR! All casual and pleased with himself. He has never even attempted to climb into it before, and it really is pretty high. What a little monkey!!! I tried pulling him down, but he held on tight, saying that he wanted "dinner" (lunch, really). I looked at the clock and, sure enough, it was lunch time-- noon on the dot! So I plunked Maya in her bouncy seat, strapped him into his chair, and he proceeded to eat a huge lunch. By the end, though, he was whining about something unintelligible and rubbing his face a lot, so I decided it was nap time (half an hour earlier than usual). I also gave him some ibuprofen. Luckily, Maya decided to finally take a nap not too long after he went down. Hallelujah!
Seriously, I love both my babies to death. But I feel old and tired today. I'm crossing my fingers that everyone wakes up in a better mood, and that Gus finishes his yard work soon! This is HARD!!!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Equal Blog Time...
Since I posted a video of Nikos yesterday, I thought I'd balance it out with some pictures of our baby girl today (I'd post a video, but she doesn't do much-- yet!).
Snoozing
Pooping... :)
Tiny little feet!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Just for Fun
I thought this video was cute... I was trying to get one of Nikos giving Maya kisses, but he refused to do a repeat performance. So instead, here you go (please ignore the mess... the living room was actually clean until Gus and Nikos came home, as usual!):
(FYI-- the "beaty-beaty-beat" thing is from "Yo Gabba Gabba." It's part of a head, shoulders, knees and toes variation, which is why Nikos points to his head, legs, etc. SO CUTE!)
And... the painting is done! Click here for updated pictures! :)
(FYI-- the "beaty-beaty-beat" thing is from "Yo Gabba Gabba." It's part of a head, shoulders, knees and toes variation, which is why Nikos points to his head, legs, etc. SO CUTE!)
And... the painting is done! Click here for updated pictures! :)
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Musings
Well, today is day two of house painting, and I am essentially trapped inside... All of the doors/windows are currently covered with plastic sheeting, plus I need to stick around and answer any questions the contractor has (and he has a lot, which is annoying). And since Miss Maya is currently conked out her in bouncy seat, I thought I'd get on the computer and type out a few miscellaneous thoughts!
First... Maya had her two-week appointment last Friday, and weighed in at a whopping 8 pounds, 3 ounces. She had gained 11 ounces in one short week, and 14 ounces in a week and a half (since leaving the hospital). Way to grow, baby girl! It's strange to think that she is still lighter than Nikos was when he was born, but she is growing wonderfully. Breastfeeding came so naturally to her from the get-go, and it's really working! I should also add (warning: TMI!) that she has wonderful yellow poop. That's right, I used the words "wonderful" and "poop" in the same sentence! It may not seem like a huge deal to people who don't have kids, but yellow poop means she's getting enough milk-- in particular, the fatty hindmilk. Nikos had green poop for the longest time, and it stressed me out. So I can't help but do a little happy dance every time I change a (yellow) poopy diaper. Woohoo!
Second... Both kiddos got to vote yesterday! Well, not really... But they did go to the polling location, and Nikos even got a sticker (though the ladies working there did not believe he was 18). We had a special election all about the California budget. Maya and I walked to our polling place early in the day, and Nikos went with Gus when the two of them got home from daycare and work, respectively. He was very pleased with his sticker. He kept pointing at it and saying "sticker!" So cute!
Third... We bought me a new computer last night!! My desktop has started to die on me, leaving me to use this one laptop we have that is slooooooooow... It has, like, no memory whatsoever. And we had been talking about getting a new computer for a while, so we pulled the trigger. I am getting a sweet new laptop, which should be here as early as Friday. I can't wait!!! I am also getting a wireless mouse and keyboard, which are the two parts of a laptop I greatly dislike. That way, I can still use the laptop like a desktop if I want to. So, hooray for that! It's shocking to think of how much money we have spent in the past week, with the tree removal, painting the house, and now this. But considering we hardly ever splurge on expensive things and have been saving for a while, I guess it's alright. Still... It's crazy!
Anyhow... I think the painters are finishing up for the day, since they have removed the plastic from the windows. Hooray! They should be done with the whole job tomorrow, at which time I will take pictures and add them to the album I posted a link to in my previous post. So far, it looks great. I can't wait to see the finished product!!
First... Maya had her two-week appointment last Friday, and weighed in at a whopping 8 pounds, 3 ounces. She had gained 11 ounces in one short week, and 14 ounces in a week and a half (since leaving the hospital). Way to grow, baby girl! It's strange to think that she is still lighter than Nikos was when he was born, but she is growing wonderfully. Breastfeeding came so naturally to her from the get-go, and it's really working! I should also add (warning: TMI!) that she has wonderful yellow poop. That's right, I used the words "wonderful" and "poop" in the same sentence! It may not seem like a huge deal to people who don't have kids, but yellow poop means she's getting enough milk-- in particular, the fatty hindmilk. Nikos had green poop for the longest time, and it stressed me out. So I can't help but do a little happy dance every time I change a (yellow) poopy diaper. Woohoo!
Second... Both kiddos got to vote yesterday! Well, not really... But they did go to the polling location, and Nikos even got a sticker (though the ladies working there did not believe he was 18). We had a special election all about the California budget. Maya and I walked to our polling place early in the day, and Nikos went with Gus when the two of them got home from daycare and work, respectively. He was very pleased with his sticker. He kept pointing at it and saying "sticker!" So cute!
Third... We bought me a new computer last night!! My desktop has started to die on me, leaving me to use this one laptop we have that is slooooooooow... It has, like, no memory whatsoever. And we had been talking about getting a new computer for a while, so we pulled the trigger. I am getting a sweet new laptop, which should be here as early as Friday. I can't wait!!! I am also getting a wireless mouse and keyboard, which are the two parts of a laptop I greatly dislike. That way, I can still use the laptop like a desktop if I want to. So, hooray for that! It's shocking to think of how much money we have spent in the past week, with the tree removal, painting the house, and now this. But considering we hardly ever splurge on expensive things and have been saving for a while, I guess it's alright. Still... It's crazy!
Anyhow... I think the painters are finishing up for the day, since they have removed the plastic from the windows. Hooray! They should be done with the whole job tomorrow, at which time I will take pictures and add them to the album I posted a link to in my previous post. So far, it looks great. I can't wait to see the finished product!!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Pictures!
I have finally started posting some pictures of our home-improvements-in-progress, if you'd like to see! We're still working on a lot of things, but click here to see what we've accomplished so far (and by "we," I mostly mean "Gus"). :)
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Cuties
Today was a busy day! My parents came down so that my dad could help Gus install our new front door. It took a good chunk of the day, but it looks great! It's not 100% finished yet (Gus needs to install the molding around it tomorrow), but I will post pictures of that later. While the guys were hard at work, my mom and I took care of the kiddos. Nikos decided that he wanted to play in the water, which was hilarious... He dragged out his inflatable duck tub, grabbed the hose, and asked for water. Not only did he fill the tub (and then play in it for a long time), but he also watered our orange and lemon trees. What a great little helper! Earlier in the morning, he had tried to be helpful by bringing me some of Maya's clean diapers-- and then promptly putting them in the diaper pail. Doh!
After my parents left, Gus went out in the front yard to dig a giant hole and plant our new fruitless plum tree (prunus vesuvius). It looks awesome!! In the meantime, I hung out with both kiddos (although Maya was asleep most of the time). Anyway, here are some pictures from the day. I love the second one because of Nikos' eyes. I swear, he has the biggest puppy-dog eyes in the universe! Such a little heartbreaker!
After my parents left, Gus went out in the front yard to dig a giant hole and plant our new fruitless plum tree (prunus vesuvius). It looks awesome!! In the meantime, I hung out with both kiddos (although Maya was asleep most of the time). Anyway, here are some pictures from the day. I love the second one because of Nikos' eyes. I swear, he has the biggest puppy-dog eyes in the universe! Such a little heartbreaker!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Timber!!
Well, we took the first step today: the trees are gone! While a part of me feels sad about cutting down trees in general, a bigger part of me is glad that the eyesores are finally gone so we can landscape the way we always wanted. Right now, the crew is out feeding the tall cypresses into the chipper/shredder. Just a little while ago, this was what we saw out in front of the garage:
As you can see, the yard currently looks like a war zone. But that's okay! They are going to start grinding down the stumps, soon, so that they are 10 inches below ground level. Then we'll fill in the holes, get some grass seed on there, and plant a new tree (a fruitless plum) in the center of the lawn. Tomorrow, we're replacing the front door (we bought it yesterday). And within the next few weeks, we'll have the entire house painted. YAY!
I will have to post some before and after pics later on! :)
As you can see, the yard currently looks like a war zone. But that's okay! They are going to start grinding down the stumps, soon, so that they are 10 inches below ground level. Then we'll fill in the holes, get some grass seed on there, and plant a new tree (a fruitless plum) in the center of the lawn. Tomorrow, we're replacing the front door (we bought it yesterday). And within the next few weeks, we'll have the entire house painted. YAY!
I will have to post some before and after pics later on! :)
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
I Love You!
Although our little guy is still sick, he was in a fantastic mood today! Not only did he take a nice two-hour nap, but he was chatty and much more back to his normal self. Hooray!! He still woke up a few times last night, too, but it was a huge improvement over the night before. So he seems to be on the mend, which is great news for everyone!
The best part, though, was the new milestone he achieved today: he said "I love you" for the first time ever!! ♥♥♥ I was so happy, I nearly cried! I said "I love you" to him this morning, as I do a million times every day, and he said it back to me! And this afternoon, we were talking to my mom on the phone and I asked him to say it again... and he did! ♥ Our little lovebug! Not only does he give great kisses (he even says "mwah!") and big bear hugs, but now he can say the words that go with them. Best. Day. Ever. ♥♥♥♥
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In other news... Our home improvement projects are moving forward! On Friday, we are having a company come to remove all our palm trees and the two hideous cypress trees that have been in our front yard since we bought the place. Gus and I are both totally excited to finally see them gone-- this has been something we've talked about for 4 years now! We are also going to have the exterior of the house repainted. We got a bunch of estimates, and found a guy who will power-wash the entire house, repair any cracks in the stucco, sand all the wood trim, and paint everything (including the wooden frame for the awning over our patio) for a really reasonable price. Way cheaper than we thought it would be! We're thinking of painting the house a mocha/coffee color with white trim, and getting a new white front door with a window in it (our current door is original to the house-- and really ugly). This is so exciting!!!!! I will have to post some before, during, and after pictures. I can't wait to get started! :)
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Finally, I wanted to share about my day, and tell you just how portable my baby girl is! I took her to Walmart, the post office, Petco, and the supermarket this morning without so much as a peep out of her! I have to laugh about it when I think about Nikos at this age-- there was no WAY we would have been able to do that! We were gone for well over an hour. She snoozed most of the time, periodically waking up to look around quietly before dozing off again. I wandered leisurely through the supermarket aisles, getting everything we needed, and I decided that I wanted to bake cookies from scratch. So I did! Maya watched peacefully from her bouncy seat as I baked chocolate- and peanut-butter-chip cookies. And then she watched as I showed her how to eat cookie dough, haha! (Alayna, I totally had flashbacks of sitting in your living room eating cookie dough that we begged your sister to make for us!). All in all, it was a great day.
The best part, though, was the new milestone he achieved today: he said "I love you" for the first time ever!! ♥♥♥ I was so happy, I nearly cried! I said "I love you" to him this morning, as I do a million times every day, and he said it back to me! And this afternoon, we were talking to my mom on the phone and I asked him to say it again... and he did! ♥ Our little lovebug! Not only does he give great kisses (he even says "mwah!") and big bear hugs, but now he can say the words that go with them. Best. Day. Ever. ♥♥♥♥
In other news... Our home improvement projects are moving forward! On Friday, we are having a company come to remove all our palm trees and the two hideous cypress trees that have been in our front yard since we bought the place. Gus and I are both totally excited to finally see them gone-- this has been something we've talked about for 4 years now! We are also going to have the exterior of the house repainted. We got a bunch of estimates, and found a guy who will power-wash the entire house, repair any cracks in the stucco, sand all the wood trim, and paint everything (including the wooden frame for the awning over our patio) for a really reasonable price. Way cheaper than we thought it would be! We're thinking of painting the house a mocha/coffee color with white trim, and getting a new white front door with a window in it (our current door is original to the house-- and really ugly). This is so exciting!!!!! I will have to post some before, during, and after pictures. I can't wait to get started! :)
Finally, I wanted to share about my day, and tell you just how portable my baby girl is! I took her to Walmart, the post office, Petco, and the supermarket this morning without so much as a peep out of her! I have to laugh about it when I think about Nikos at this age-- there was no WAY we would have been able to do that! We were gone for well over an hour. She snoozed most of the time, periodically waking up to look around quietly before dozing off again. I wandered leisurely through the supermarket aisles, getting everything we needed, and I decided that I wanted to bake cookies from scratch. So I did! Maya watched peacefully from her bouncy seat as I baked chocolate- and peanut-butter-chip cookies. And then she watched as I showed her how to eat cookie dough, haha! (Alayna, I totally had flashbacks of sitting in your living room eating cookie dough that we begged your sister to make for us!). All in all, it was a great day.
Coxsackie Virus
While it is hard for me to say "coxsackie" without giggling, this is no laughing matter! It turns out that our poor little boy has this disease, more commonly referred to as Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. :( I feel so horrible! We thought he might be getting some molars in lately-- he's been drooling like crazy, constantly putting his fingers in his mouth, and running a low fever. Sounds like teething, right? He was cranky and nap-resistant, too, but it all seemed to fit with the teething theory. Until last night. Nikos was up for hours last night, crying relentlessly whenever either one of us tried to leave the room. Gus actually spent a few hours asleep on the floor in there, because that was the only way he could get him to sleep! Very unusual behavior for our little guy, who is an expert sleeper these days. And then today, he only took about a 30 minute nap before be began crying inconsolably-- which is what led me to call the doctor and take him in right away. He was miserable!
Anyway... Her first thought was that maybe he had an ear infection, since he had a cold about a week ago. Nope-- both ears looked great. His temperature was even back to normal. But she took one look in his mouth, and knew exactly what it was. It turns out that the back of his mouth and throat are covered with the telltale coxsackie sores. He also has a few pimple-like bumps in various places around his body, but they are really minimal. The throat is the bad part-- it's making it painful for him to eat! Unfortunately, the virus just has to run its course. We can give him ibuprofen for the pain and fever, and offer him soft foods and lots of liquids, but otherwise we just have to wait. It should last about a week from when it started-- so I'm guessing he'll be a lot happier by the end of the weekend. But until then... I just hope the ibuprofen keeps him from being cranky!
Also, it turns out that the virus is really contagious. He probably got it from someone at daycare, but that's irrelevant at this point. What matters is that he needs to stay away from his baby sister. No kisses for the next week or so, which makes me sad! :( Luckily, the doctor thinks she'll be fine, especially since she is breastfeeding and getting a little boost to her immune system. Hooray for that, right? The other good news is that this is one of those diseases that kids generally get only once in a lifetime. So at least we're getting it out of the way before he starts school!
On a completely different topic, I just had to share what the doctor said to me at the appointment. She is not the regular doctor that Nikos and Maya go to-- she was the only one able to see Nikos on such short notice. So I've never met her before. Well, she asked me to sit on the table and hold Nikos on my lap (so she could look in his ears without him squirming). Her exact words: "I think it might be best if he sat in your lap-- or what's left of it, anyway!" NOT AGAIN!!! I told her that my lap was actually starting to return, since I just had a baby eleven days ago. She was really nice, and it didn't bother me the way it did the other day, but I'm thinking I might need to stop wearing this yellow shirt I bought. I only seem to get the pregnant comments when I'm wearing it. hmmm...
Anyway... Her first thought was that maybe he had an ear infection, since he had a cold about a week ago. Nope-- both ears looked great. His temperature was even back to normal. But she took one look in his mouth, and knew exactly what it was. It turns out that the back of his mouth and throat are covered with the telltale coxsackie sores. He also has a few pimple-like bumps in various places around his body, but they are really minimal. The throat is the bad part-- it's making it painful for him to eat! Unfortunately, the virus just has to run its course. We can give him ibuprofen for the pain and fever, and offer him soft foods and lots of liquids, but otherwise we just have to wait. It should last about a week from when it started-- so I'm guessing he'll be a lot happier by the end of the weekend. But until then... I just hope the ibuprofen keeps him from being cranky!
Also, it turns out that the virus is really contagious. He probably got it from someone at daycare, but that's irrelevant at this point. What matters is that he needs to stay away from his baby sister. No kisses for the next week or so, which makes me sad! :( Luckily, the doctor thinks she'll be fine, especially since she is breastfeeding and getting a little boost to her immune system. Hooray for that, right? The other good news is that this is one of those diseases that kids generally get only once in a lifetime. So at least we're getting it out of the way before he starts school!
On a completely different topic, I just had to share what the doctor said to me at the appointment. She is not the regular doctor that Nikos and Maya go to-- she was the only one able to see Nikos on such short notice. So I've never met her before. Well, she asked me to sit on the table and hold Nikos on my lap (so she could look in his ears without him squirming). Her exact words: "I think it might be best if he sat in your lap-- or what's left of it, anyway!" NOT AGAIN!!! I told her that my lap was actually starting to return, since I just had a baby eleven days ago. She was really nice, and it didn't bother me the way it did the other day, but I'm thinking I might need to stop wearing this yellow shirt I bought. I only seem to get the pregnant comments when I'm wearing it. hmmm...
Friday, May 8, 2009
Love
Somebody sure loves his little sister! I am pretty sure he would pat her on the head, give her hugs, and kiss her all day long if he had the chance. ♥
Well that sucked...
I just went out to two local stores to run some errands-- just a few quick things we needed. At the first store, the checkout woman asked me if it was my first Mother's Day. I was confused for a minute (since I didn't have any kids with me), but then I realized: she thinks I'm pregnant. I told her it was my second Mother's Day, and that I had an 18-month-old son and a daughter born a week ago. And I left it at that.
So then I was in the supermarket, checking out in the express lane. The checker was the same lady who is always there-- and I swear, she never remembers me, even though I've been going there for years. Anyway, I saw her just last Thursday, fully pregnant, and told her I was having the baby the next day. Today, she leans over and asks me how far along I am. I reminded her that I had the baby last week, at which point she totally backpedaled and told me how great I looked, etc. etc. Too late- My face was crumpling as she was talking, and I was crying by the time I got to the car.
I know my belly will go back to normal size, and it's only been a week, but sheesh. People should know better than to make comments like that-- especially to a hormonal post-partum lady. That sucked. :(
So then I was in the supermarket, checking out in the express lane. The checker was the same lady who is always there-- and I swear, she never remembers me, even though I've been going there for years. Anyway, I saw her just last Thursday, fully pregnant, and told her I was having the baby the next day. Today, she leans over and asks me how far along I am. I reminded her that I had the baby last week, at which point she totally backpedaled and told me how great I looked, etc. etc. Too late- My face was crumpling as she was talking, and I was crying by the time I got to the car.
I know my belly will go back to normal size, and it's only been a week, but sheesh. People should know better than to make comments like that-- especially to a hormonal post-partum lady. That sucked. :(
One Week Old & GREAT News!
First, a picture of our baby girl on her one-week "birthday." I swear, she gets cuter by the hour! I love her pointy little chin and her weird newborn-color eyes. She is so sweet!
And, how about some great news? I got an email from Lisa (my principal) this morning saying that my name is officially on the "rescind-layoff-notices" list to be approved at the board meeting this upcoming Monday. I was already pretty certain that my job would be safe, but this will make it official! All of the tenured teachers at my school were on the list (yay!), but there are still a few non-tenured folks whose job futures are uncertain. I am keeping my fingers crossed for everyone!
In other, completely unrelated news... We have decided to move forward on a few landscaping-type projects. We have a few people coming today to give us estimates on removing the (hideous!) cypress trees from our front yard. We are also thinking about replacing our lawn with EasyTurf, but need to investigate more. We'll probably get a few estimates on that next week. We use so much water keeping our lawn alive, and yet it still looks like garbage. There are a few houses in our neighborhood that have artificial grass, and it looks really nice... so we'll see. Gus also wants to level out the front lawn and have a retaining wall built along the front (a continuation of the already-existing retaining wall). He then wants to give the wall a stone facade so that we aren't looking at the ugly cinder blocks. Ultimately, we also want to get rid of the palm trees and replace them with one really nice shade tree in the front yard-- maybe some sort of maple. And then, of course, we'll need to install drip irrigation (my specialty, haha!) in all the flower beds, and re-plant them with prettier plants (like Mexican sage and bougainvillea). Right now, everything is sort of cactus-y. Of course, once that's all done, we'll need to repaint the house... and maybe re-pave the walkway and driveway. Aack!!! But yes. It looks like we'll at least be getting the cypress trees removed soon, and that is cause for celebration!
Oh, and I just remembered something important! Gus was originally planning on staying home for a month, but Maya is such an easy baby that it really isn't necessary. So instead, he'll stay home for one more week and then return to work-- only he'll be home by four o'clock every afternoon to get Nikos from daycare! YAY!! That was going to be the toughest time of day for me, without a doubt, so this is a great plan. Plus, he'll have more daylight hours to work on our never-ending list of home improvement projects. Hooray! :)
And, how about some great news? I got an email from Lisa (my principal) this morning saying that my name is officially on the "rescind-layoff-notices" list to be approved at the board meeting this upcoming Monday. I was already pretty certain that my job would be safe, but this will make it official! All of the tenured teachers at my school were on the list (yay!), but there are still a few non-tenured folks whose job futures are uncertain. I am keeping my fingers crossed for everyone!
In other, completely unrelated news... We have decided to move forward on a few landscaping-type projects. We have a few people coming today to give us estimates on removing the (hideous!) cypress trees from our front yard. We are also thinking about replacing our lawn with EasyTurf, but need to investigate more. We'll probably get a few estimates on that next week. We use so much water keeping our lawn alive, and yet it still looks like garbage. There are a few houses in our neighborhood that have artificial grass, and it looks really nice... so we'll see. Gus also wants to level out the front lawn and have a retaining wall built along the front (a continuation of the already-existing retaining wall). He then wants to give the wall a stone facade so that we aren't looking at the ugly cinder blocks. Ultimately, we also want to get rid of the palm trees and replace them with one really nice shade tree in the front yard-- maybe some sort of maple. And then, of course, we'll need to install drip irrigation (my specialty, haha!) in all the flower beds, and re-plant them with prettier plants (like Mexican sage and bougainvillea). Right now, everything is sort of cactus-y. Of course, once that's all done, we'll need to repaint the house... and maybe re-pave the walkway and driveway. Aack!!! But yes. It looks like we'll at least be getting the cypress trees removed soon, and that is cause for celebration!
Oh, and I just remembered something important! Gus was originally planning on staying home for a month, but Maya is such an easy baby that it really isn't necessary. So instead, he'll stay home for one more week and then return to work-- only he'll be home by four o'clock every afternoon to get Nikos from daycare! YAY!! That was going to be the toughest time of day for me, without a doubt, so this is a great plan. Plus, he'll have more daylight hours to work on our never-ending list of home improvement projects. Hooray! :)
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Out and About
Wow. I just went back to see when I took Nikos out to a store for the first time, and it was November 13th, 2007-- making him about 3 weeks old. And it was a traumatic experience for me, since he cried almost the entire time and I was a basket case. Oh, how times have changed!
I remember feeling trapped when Nikos was born-- like I would never see the light of day again. It didn't help that it was late October and the days were getting shorter! This time around, Gus and I are both amazed at how easy a newborn is compared to a toddler. I mean, it's not like she's really on a schedule yet-- she just eats, sleeps, and poops all day. And as long as I'm nearby to provide the food source, it doesn't matter where we are-- she can do all three things without a problem. I think it helps that she caught on really quickly to the whole idea of nursing, and that she's an efficient little eater. But I digress... Gus and I have spent the past two days out and about with her, without a single problem! It's like a dream come true!
Yesterday, we spent several hours going to a jewelry store to exchange the diamond earrings that Gus bought me (yes, you read that right! woohoo!!!). He had wanted to get the biggest ones he could for the money, but they weren't all that clear or sparkly. I ended up getting slightly smaller ones that are beautiful-- much more sparkly. :) Plus, I wanted to get the screw-backs put on so that they don't fall off. So Maya came along for the ride, and snoozed most of the time.
Today, little Maya-bear had her first visit with the pediatrician since we were discharged. She weighed in at 7 pounds, 8 ounces-- great news, since she was down to 7 pounds, 5 ounces at one point. She has another appointment next Friday, at which point I fully expect she will be back to her birth weight (7 pounds, 11 ounces). Otherwise, she is doing really well! She was bright and alert throughout the appointment, staring at the doctor with her big eyes and happily sucking on her pacifier. And yes, I am giving her a pacifier already, since she has already shown me that she rocks at breastfeeding. Hooray for an excellent sucking reflex! :)
And speaking of her eyes... We still have no idea what color they are. I think it is safe to say that they are lighter than Nikos', since his appeared to be dark brown after only a few days. Her eyes are still that weird bluish newborn color. I'm pretty sure that her hair color is the same as Nikos' (and mine!), but only time will tell. It's so exciting to see how these things unfold!
Anyway, I got off track there again (something I'm notorious for in the classroom, oops!). What I meant to say was that after her doctor's appointment, Maya and I went to the mall! I just wanted to go to one store to buy a particular nursing top, so that's what we did. She was an angel, as always. After that, I grabbed lunch at In-N-Out and then drove home. It's the little things like this that are making me feel so human this time-- I am not battling the "baby blues" at all (major change from last time). I feel like my life is still my life-- only better, now that our little family is complete! It's such a happy feeling! :)
Nikos, for his part, continues to be the adoring big brother. He loves "baby," and always wants to touch her head or say "hi" to her. It's been hard for me, since I can't lift him (due to the c-section), but Gus has been good about taking the baby and making sure I have one-on-one time with my boy. I just sit on the living room floor, snuggle with him, and play with whatever toys he brings over. I can see that he is capable of resenting his sister, but it seems to be under control at this point. And it's incredible to see him next to her-- it's like my baby became a little boy overnight. He's also decided to shun his naps completely for the past few days. I'm not sure if this is a result of all the big changes at home, or if he is just going through a phase, but I have a lot of sympathy for Bonnie (our daycare provider). He's been in a great mood all day, from what she tells us, but he is just bouncing off the walls with energy. I hope, for her sake, that he at least goes back to taking one nap a day (he was still taking two naps a day up until last week!). But, as always, only time will tell.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Introductions
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video must be worth way more than that... So I'll just let this speak for itself! :)
Home Sweet Home!
Well, we're on our own now! And so far, it has been wonderful. We were discharged at about 3pm yesterday afternoon, and walked out of the hospital into the most beautiful spring weather imaginable. What a great day to go home! The little peanut slept the entire way home, and continued her nap in her crib for an hour or so after that. We got all unpacked, cleaned up a bit, and then Gus went to the pharmacy to pick up my painkiller prescription. Maya spent the evening snoozing, eating, or looking around with her big, beautiful eyes. I think I finally understand what people mean when they talk about the blissful newborn stage. Maya is so mellow that you can't help but just gaze at her and adore her. Of course, we loved Nikos more than we ever thought possible, but his newborn stage was a VERY different experience. We're finally getting a peek at what an "easy" baby is like!
Last night (our first night home) continued in much the same way... Maya slept for four hours at a time, waking only to nurse and have her diaper changed. She slept in bed with us, snuggled up against my arm the entire night. Shockingly, Gus and I both felt perfectly well-rested this morning. Is that amazing or what?
We spent the morning cleaning up, taking long showers (a nice change from the shower at the hospital), and then going for a stroll around the neighborhood. On our walk, we stopped by Bonnie's house to introduce her to her newest little customer. Teagen (Nikos' buddy and Bonnie's grandson) was there, and he was very interested in looking at the teeny-tiny baby. He kept asking about Nikos, though, which was too cute! And then he'd point at Maya and say "Nikos sister." Bonnie asked him if he liked the little baby, and he shook his head to say "no." So Bonnie asked him if he was scared of her, and he said "yeah." It was hilarious! I'm sure that Nikos will be so excited to see Teagen and his other daycare buddies again tomorrow. And it'll be great for him to get back into his routine.
Right now, I'm finishing up my lunch while Miss Maya sleeps in her carseat (still snoozing from our walk around the neighborhood). Nikos should be coming home at around 3:00 this afternoon, at which point he will meet his baby sister for the first time!! My video camera is all charged up and ready to go. I got him a little present, too, in case he feels left out. I just hope all goes well and that he loves his sister as much as we do! Fingers crossed!
Last night (our first night home) continued in much the same way... Maya slept for four hours at a time, waking only to nurse and have her diaper changed. She slept in bed with us, snuggled up against my arm the entire night. Shockingly, Gus and I both felt perfectly well-rested this morning. Is that amazing or what?
We spent the morning cleaning up, taking long showers (a nice change from the shower at the hospital), and then going for a stroll around the neighborhood. On our walk, we stopped by Bonnie's house to introduce her to her newest little customer. Teagen (Nikos' buddy and Bonnie's grandson) was there, and he was very interested in looking at the teeny-tiny baby. He kept asking about Nikos, though, which was too cute! And then he'd point at Maya and say "Nikos sister." Bonnie asked him if he liked the little baby, and he shook his head to say "no." So Bonnie asked him if he was scared of her, and he said "yeah." It was hilarious! I'm sure that Nikos will be so excited to see Teagen and his other daycare buddies again tomorrow. And it'll be great for him to get back into his routine.
Right now, I'm finishing up my lunch while Miss Maya sleeps in her carseat (still snoozing from our walk around the neighborhood). Nikos should be coming home at around 3:00 this afternoon, at which point he will meet his baby sister for the first time!! My video camera is all charged up and ready to go. I got him a little present, too, in case he feels left out. I just hope all goes well and that he loves his sister as much as we do! Fingers crossed!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Angel Baby
Well, it's Sunday, and we're most likely going to be discharged from the hospital at some point tomorrow. And I have to say that Maya is a pretty remarkable little baby. We knew that last night (night #2) would be the real kicker for us. She would have recovered enough from the trauma of being born to show us her real personality. With Nikos, this meant inconsolable crying all night long! With Maya, it meant that she slept soundly cuddled up with her daddy, waking every three hours to nurse and have her diaper changed, only to promptly fall back asleep. The three of us woke in the morning actually feeling rested! It's still too soon to call this a trend (and I'm afraid of jinxing myself by even saying this), but... She is such a little angel-baby! It really seems that she cries only when she needs something: food, a diaper change, or an adjustment in her blanket. But she calms down very quickly, and is just such a peaceful little lady. Really, she is what the doctor ordered for a second baby! I just hope she keeps up the great work! :)
As far as feeding goes, she is a natural. I think that my milk is finally starting to come in, but that has not ever deterred her from nursing like a champ. Beginning yesterday, we would let her nurse until she was done (about half an hour), then follow up with a small bottle of formula to fill her tummy. She continues to have lots of wet and poopy diapers, which is a great sign. The doctor noted today that she was very slightly jaundiced, which should remedy itself as my milk supply really gets going. But overall, we are doing fantastically well. I think that Nikos is going to adore his little sweetie of a sister, and I can't wait to see them together. I miss my boy so much!
In other news... I have to say that I feel mentally healthy! I know that's a weird sort of thing to declare, but I was definitely not myself for a while after Nikos was born. So much has gone differently this time, and I just feel so lucky and so in love with my little family. It's amazing how time and experience can change your perspective so much! :)
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Recovery
So life with our new little one is going really well, so far! Of course, we are still in the hospital (and will be until Monday, at least), but I have very few things to complain about. Little Maya is a champion nurser, even though my milk hasn't come in yet. She latches on quickly and just keeps trying, which will get us off to a great start when the milk gets flowing over the next few days. This is a HUGE step for us, because breastfeeding was the single most stressful part of my life when Nikos was born. So hallelujah!
Maya's entry into the outside world was relatively calm compared to her big brother's. We got to the hospital at 5:30am yesterday morning, filled out paperwork, and then the nurses proceeded to prep me for my surgery. They did a few blood draws, got me changed into the hospital gown, inserted my IV (it took two tries- yuck!), and then had me drink some unpleasant concoction to calm my stomach. I then walked into the operating room, which was so weird after being wheeled in on a gurney last time. The anesthesiologist gave me my spinal block (also took two tries-- shudder!), and my toes instantly went tingly. Within two minutes, I was numb from the chest down and lying on the operating table. The nurses and techs draped my belly and got everything ready, and then in came my obstetrician to get things rolling! He was actually assisted by another surgeon-- the same one who delivered Nikos! So that was kind of cool. Everyone was really chatty as they cut me open-- obviously, I didn't feel a thing! We talked about Nikos, teaching, and all sorts of random things. It was pretty surreal, actually!
At 7:49, the anesthesiologist grabbed a mirror and held it up over the drape so that I could see what was going on. I didn't expect that AT ALL, and it was AWESOME!!! I am definitely not squeamish when it comes to blood and guts, and it was incredible to see them actually pulling Maya's head out of my belly. They suctioned out her nose and throat, and she started wailing! They wiggled the rest of her body out, cut her umbilical cord, and then she was here! I couldn't believe it. I have never seen anything so amazing in my life. With Nikos, he just sort of appeared from behind the curtain. This time, it was so, SO clear that she came out of my belly. Unbelievable!
During the surgery, and especially after she was out, my blood pressure started to plummet and I felt incredibly nauseous and dizzy. I have low blood pressure to begin with (100/70 is pretty typical for me), so it was scary. Luckily, the anesthesiologist was on top of things, and she gave me several doses of a medication to bring me back up. I was feeling a little loopy after that, though.
Anyway... I spent about 3 hours in the recovery room, and Maya was visited by both sets of grandparents, her Aunt Maria, and Maria's boyfriend, Nick. I felt pretty shaky and out of it, but still relieved. And then I was pleasantly surprised to learn that we would be getting a private post-partum room. What great luck!
It may be too early to make this claim, Maya seems to be a mellow baby, only fussing when she's hungry, cold, or needs a diaper change. She spends almost all her time sleeping or being quiet and alert. I think it may have something to do with the calmness of her parents (especially her mother!) this time around- I just know that she is healthy and wonderful, and that we're going to be okay. Life is good!
The ONLY complaint I have is that the hospital had to change their visitor policy because of the Swine Flu-- NO visitors under the age of 16, period. Not even siblings. Sadly, Nikos won't get to meet his new sister until we come home from the hospital. And while it breaks my heart (I cried a lot when I heard the news), I know that it really won't make a difference to him one way or another. It was more for me, I guess. It just means that I have something else to look forward to when we go home. I'm going to film their first meeting! :)
Maya's entry into the outside world was relatively calm compared to her big brother's. We got to the hospital at 5:30am yesterday morning, filled out paperwork, and then the nurses proceeded to prep me for my surgery. They did a few blood draws, got me changed into the hospital gown, inserted my IV (it took two tries- yuck!), and then had me drink some unpleasant concoction to calm my stomach. I then walked into the operating room, which was so weird after being wheeled in on a gurney last time. The anesthesiologist gave me my spinal block (also took two tries-- shudder!), and my toes instantly went tingly. Within two minutes, I was numb from the chest down and lying on the operating table. The nurses and techs draped my belly and got everything ready, and then in came my obstetrician to get things rolling! He was actually assisted by another surgeon-- the same one who delivered Nikos! So that was kind of cool. Everyone was really chatty as they cut me open-- obviously, I didn't feel a thing! We talked about Nikos, teaching, and all sorts of random things. It was pretty surreal, actually!
At 7:49, the anesthesiologist grabbed a mirror and held it up over the drape so that I could see what was going on. I didn't expect that AT ALL, and it was AWESOME!!! I am definitely not squeamish when it comes to blood and guts, and it was incredible to see them actually pulling Maya's head out of my belly. They suctioned out her nose and throat, and she started wailing! They wiggled the rest of her body out, cut her umbilical cord, and then she was here! I couldn't believe it. I have never seen anything so amazing in my life. With Nikos, he just sort of appeared from behind the curtain. This time, it was so, SO clear that she came out of my belly. Unbelievable!
During the surgery, and especially after she was out, my blood pressure started to plummet and I felt incredibly nauseous and dizzy. I have low blood pressure to begin with (100/70 is pretty typical for me), so it was scary. Luckily, the anesthesiologist was on top of things, and she gave me several doses of a medication to bring me back up. I was feeling a little loopy after that, though.
Anyway... I spent about 3 hours in the recovery room, and Maya was visited by both sets of grandparents, her Aunt Maria, and Maria's boyfriend, Nick. I felt pretty shaky and out of it, but still relieved. And then I was pleasantly surprised to learn that we would be getting a private post-partum room. What great luck!
It may be too early to make this claim, Maya seems to be a mellow baby, only fussing when she's hungry, cold, or needs a diaper change. She spends almost all her time sleeping or being quiet and alert. I think it may have something to do with the calmness of her parents (especially her mother!) this time around- I just know that she is healthy and wonderful, and that we're going to be okay. Life is good!
The ONLY complaint I have is that the hospital had to change their visitor policy because of the Swine Flu-- NO visitors under the age of 16, period. Not even siblings. Sadly, Nikos won't get to meet his new sister until we come home from the hospital. And while it breaks my heart (I cried a lot when I heard the news), I know that it really won't make a difference to him one way or another. It was more for me, I guess. It just means that I have something else to look forward to when we go home. I'm going to film their first meeting! :)
Friday, May 1, 2009
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