Taking a Stand

Well, I haven't posted about this lately, mostly because I have simply been too exhausted, but Maya's sleep habits have deteriorated as of late. And really, it's all our fault. I swore up and down that we would Ferberize at the four-month mark like we did with Nikos, and get Maya on a good sleep schedule. But we ended up only doing the sleep training at bedtime. When she would wake up during the night, we would either give her the pacifier, feed her, or (when all else failed) bring her into bed with us. And so a bad habit was formed... The more we did this, the more frequent her nighttime wakings became. I know she can't talk yet, but I swear that she wakes up on purpose because she hopes she'll end up in our bed. She is such a little snuggler! But it's still not a good habit, and I never wake up feeling refreshed when she sleeps with us.

Anyhow... It got worse and worse this week, to the point where she was waking up every hour or two all night long-- and she has NEVER done that, not even as a newborn! Gus and I finally decided that it was high time to Ferberize again, only this time we would follow through on it. It's hard to do this when both of us have to get up early for work and we don't want to wake Nikos up with her crying... But it definitely needs to be done. It may seem easy to stick a pacifier in her mouth or feed her, but to do that over and over and over again all night long is not fun.

So... We did it! Last night, Maya actually slept for a longer chunk than she has lately, waking at 2:15am. I nursed her (since I'm pretty sure she does still need one nighttime feeding-- I won't stop that just yet!). I laid her back in her crib, and she drifted right off... Only to wake up crying about half an hour later. So, we followed the Ferber method. She probably cried off and on for a total of 20 minutes, but she did put herself back to sleep. And she didn't wake up again until 6:15am! Add to that the fact that today was Sunday (my day to sleep in), and I actually felt rested and refreshed for the first time in WEEKS!

So yes. We are sleep training again. We'll do it right this time!

Holiday Spirit

Well, it's official: the countdown to Christmas has begun! The house is decorated inside and out, the stockings are hung, and there are even a few presents wrapped and under the tree already. So I figured I'd "dress up" the blog, too! I will change it back to the old look once the holidays are over. But for now, I am liking the Christmas theme! :)

Since I'm on a roll, I wanted to share these pictures of the kids I took last night. It was totally unplanned, or I would have had them wearing different clothes... But they were playing on the living room floor with the tree in the background, and I couldn't resist. I may have to do this again, only in their Christmas outfits!



And one more picture of the outside of the house. Gus wants to do some kind of lawn decoration (perhaps a reindeer or two?) but hasn't decided yet. And he needs to fix all the dead sections of the lights. Still, I think it looks pretty good! I am loving the new front door!

Post-Turkey Day Wrap-up

Well, we are home! We spent Thanksgiving at my parents' house, along with my brother and his wife and my aunt, uncle, and cousin. Both kids seemed to enjoy themselves tremendously, and we all stuffed ourselves silly with my mom's excellent cooking (YUM!!). The only downside was that Maya slept horribly last night, and I ended up bringing her into bed with me so that she would sleep. As expected, though, I ended up being the one without sleep. sigh. Anyway, here are a few pictures of the kiddos on Maya's first Thanksgiving!

Maya in her Thanksgiving onesie (with dried sweet potatoes on her face... guess I miss a spot or two!)

Nikos visiting with his Aunt Melissa

Nikos pushing Uncle Grant around on my mom's desk chair

Maya in her jammies this morning (at least SHE looks rested!)

Nikos in his jammies... someone needs a haircut!

What I'm Thankful For...

There are so many things that I have to be thankful for this year. At the top of the list, though, are these two little sweethearts:


Really, I feel like I am just the luckiest person in the world. Not only am I married to an amazing guy (who also happens to be a great dad), but I have two of the sweetest little children in the universe. They bring so much happiness into my life every single day, and I am so thankful that they are here and that they are thriving.

I am also thankful for close friends, and for all our extended family who are all such wonderful and loving people. I am thankful for the roof over my head and the paycheck in the bank, especially after receiving a pink slip back in March. All in all, it has been a great year, and I feel lucky and loved. You can't beat that, can you?

(total side note-- I got the replacement 50mm lens for my camera! Compare the picture of Maya to the picture of Nikos. Guess which one was taken with my awesome new lens! Another thing to be thankful for!)

Prepare for Cuteness!

That's right-- we went to see Santa today! My parents came down, primarily to help clean the living room carpet with their awesome machine (thanks Mom!!), and we thought it would be a great time to try and get the kids' pictures taken with Santa. And it was a great time-- since it's still early in the season, and a weekday, there was virtually no line to see the man himself.

I knew Nikos would not be a fan, but was hoping to at least get a picture of the two of them together, even if he was screaming his head off (like last year). Alas, that was not to be. Maya had no problem sitting with Santa, as evidenced by the adorable picture up above. She smiled and examined him and was just her usual, happy self. Nikos, however, FREAKED out! Worse than last year! He was holding on to me so tightly that I didn't even need to use my arms. He was literally clinging to me for dear life. Rather than torture him any more than I already had, we decided to take a break and try again after lunch.

We got lunch at a restaurant in the mall, and Nikos soon returned to being the delightful toddler we know and love. We thought we would walk around for a bit, then try to visit Santa again. However, the little guy discovered the mall play area, and we realized we were done. He had a GREAT time playing there, and we just knew that he would throw a fit if we tried to drag him away before he was ready. So, that was that. We got a great picture with Maya, at least! And years from now, if he wonders why he wasn't in the 2009 picture, well-- here's the explanation! He didn't like Santa this year, not one bit. It will be interesting to see how he feels about him next year!

In other news... I am starting to get into the Christmas spirit, even though Thanksgiving is still a few days away. Yes, I put up the Christmas tree! I couldn't help myself. I have this entire week off from school, and it was calling to me. Nikos was such a good helper, too, handing me ornaments and telling me where he thought they should go on the tree ("Up high, Mommy!" "Over there, Mommy!"). Maya seemed interested, too, sitting in her Bumbo chair and watching my every move. It was a ton of fun. For the first time, we will be spending Christmas entirely at home and having people come to US! I CAN'T WAIT!!!

In the meantime, though, Thanksgiving will be fun. We will be spending it at my parents' house with my brother, sister-in-law, aunt, uncle, and cousin. I just baked two pumpkin pies, and will be baking an apple pie tomorrow. The house smells so great. I love the holidays!! :)

6- and 24-month Appointments!

I nearly forgot! Our babies had their well-baby appointments today! Gus took both kids at the same time, earning some serious brownie points in my book. Here is how they measured up:

Maya:
15 pounds, 10 ounces (24th percentile)
26.75 inches (65th percentile)

Nikos:
27 pounds, 4 ounces (37th percentile)
34.5 inches (45th percentile)

WOOHOO!! Especially for Nikos, who has made quite a comeback since being labeled "failure to thrive" not too long ago. I am happy!

"Mommy is sad!"

This is what Nikos said to me yesterday when I fake-cried after asking for a hug and being denied. He then proceeded to giggle and run off, but I was smiling at his little sentence (especially his use of the word "is"). Gosh, I love that kid!

What he should have said, though, was "Mommy is tired!" Exhausted, actually. Let me catch you up to speed. Saturday morning was soccer class, which went GREAT! Nikos is finally starting to warm up to the whole thing, and he participated in just about every activity (yay!). Once we got home, I nursed Maya, then we piled into the car and headed for Orange County. We spent the rest of the day at Gus' parents' house. Nikos had a total blast, especially when Pappou took him to the pet store and McDonald's. Maya had a great time, too, though that fell apart at bedtime.

I still don't know what exactly happened. Maybe she wasn't feeling well, or maybe it was because she was in a new environment, but our little sweetheart was a miserable wreck. She would not stay asleep, and would wake up in hysterics on a regular basis. At 10pm, I finally said goodnight to everyone (Nouno and Nouna were over for dinner) and brought Maya to bed with me. She slept fine after that, though I did not (too uncomfortable).

Sunday morning, we had breakfast with Yiayia and Pappou, then headed to see my parents on our way home. We stayed there until Nikos woke up from his marathon afternoon nap, and then got home just in time for dinner.

Monday, I had to be at work by 7:15 to hold parent-teacher conferences. My first one was at 7:30, and they were non-stop for most of the day (I held 15 conferences yesterday, out of 34 students!). I had six more today, including one parent who burst into tears because her daughter feels unloved and it couldn't be further from the truth. Have I mentioned how conferences can be emotionally draining? Not only did my conferences run late today, but I felt like I needed a drink when they were over!

So I mentioned that we were gone basically all weekend... Which means that I wasn't able to go grocery shopping. We had NO food today... The kicker was that we were out of milk, which is just not good with a toddler in the house. So after my hectic and emotionally taxing day, I ran home, nursed Maya, then loaded both kids into the car for a quick supermarket trip.

Luckily, the stars were aligned for us, and a "car-cart" was available. Nikos LOVES these carts, and will happily steer for an entire extended shopping trip. Hallelujah! Long story short, we were able to get the basics and still get home in time to cook dinner (barely!).

But yes. I am exhausted!!! Only three more days, and then I have the entire week off. WOOHOO!!

Conversations

On my lunch break today, I mentioned to my coworkers that I have just recently become aware of the fact that Nikos can actually carry on a conversation. Of course, he's responded to questions for a long time now, but he generally answered them with one or two words. But all of a sudden, I really feel like he listens to and understands everything I say... and it is AWESOME! I love having conversations with my little guy! Here is just a sampling of some recent chats we've had (for posterity, of course!)...

#1
Me: So what did you do at Bonnie's house today?
Nikos: Friends! I see Teagen, and Brady, and Jenna, and Mattias, and Hanna...
Me: Oh, so you played with your friends? What else did you do?
Nikos: I color.
Me: You colored? What did you color?
Nikos: I color Spider-man! I like Spider-man!

#2
(sitting in the high chair)
Me: Niko, get down. That chair is for babies.
Nikos: No, it's MY chair.
Me: No, it's Maya's chair. Time to get down.
Nikos: No, it's NIKO'S chair. DAT's Maya's chair (pointing at his booster seat)
(it was hard not to laugh at that point!)

#3
Nikos: Mmmmm... Nummy nummy pizza!
Me: Is that good? You like the pizza?
Nikos: I like it! It's nummy, Mommy?
Me: Yes, it's yummy!
Nikos: An' I got milk and juice, too! Tank you, Mommy!
Me: You're welcome, baby.

Christmas Shopping: Done!

Today was Veteran's Day, which meant that both Gus and I had the day off of work (yay!). We elected, however, to send the kids to daycare so that we would have time to get all sorts of things done that would have been very difficult with them around. And my task of choice was Christmas shopping for the kids!

I have to say, it was incredibly fun to spend hours and hours wandering through various stores, buying lots of goodies for the two kids I love more than life itself. And I am so proud of my haul! I had been making lists for the past week or so, coming up with ideas for both kids, researching good deals, etc. I also realized that I had $33 in credit at one store, and a $25 gift card to another. Combined with a $100 AmEx gift card we recently rediscovered, I ended up spending very little money and getting quite a bit!

A few highlights from my expedition:

• Target's dollar bins. I always peek to see what's in them, but they had some great stuff in them today! I bought a bunch of books, as well as 4 wooden cars and a wooden airplane for Nikos. They will go great with the next gift I got him...
  
• Which brings me to Home Depot. I went in there to buy Nikos a rug that has roads on it, for his cars and whatnot. But instead of ringing up as a $20 item, the computer said that it was $0.01. Yes, a penny. I told the cashier that wasn't right, and she knew it couldn't be right... But she let me have it! I guess she just didn't want to deal with it. But that was nearly a 100% discount!
  
• At another store, I went in looking for clothing. I walked out with quite a few great books and a high-quality wooden puzzle that were deeply discounted but in perfect condition! Score!

I also bought Christmas outfits for both kids, and a Thanksgiving outfit for Maya that was only $3! And I capped off the shopping trip by buying a new artificial Christmas tree to replace our old one. It's 7.5 feet tall and looks great-- I'm so excited to put it up!

At any rate... Can you tell I'm ready for Christmas? And only a few more weeks until Thanksgiving, too! I just have to get through parent-teacher conferences, and then it will be here. Hooray!! :)

Short Stories

"Working"
Sadly, Black Fishy passed away earlier this week. Instead of just replacing him, Gus and I thought it would be better if we purchased an actual tank to replace the fishbowl, thinking that a lack of proper oxygenation might be the culprit. And I didn't want to set up a new tank AND introduce a new fish at the same time.

Anyhow, Nikos came home from daycare that day, and immediately asked to see his fishies. And he quickly noticed Black Fishy's absence, and inquired about it. What did I say to my little two-year-old? "He's working." It was the first thing that popped into my head!

He seemed to accept that without problem. After all, Mommy and Daddy go to work, so why not Black Fishy?

Black Fishy #2 was in the tank when he came home the next day. All is right in the world! And they are really liking their new home, too.

"Soccer"
Today was Nikos' second soccer class, and it went better than last week! There were still some tears, mostly when it was circle time and he did not want to sit down (he wanted to run laps back and forth across the field... could we have a distance runner here??). But overall, it went better. He played Red Light, Green Light, he played with cones, he kicked the ball a few times, and participated in the group cheer at the end. He still didn't want to play with the parachute, but he got a little closer to it, at least!

"Sickness"
I didn't really post about it, but our littly lady was pretty sick last weekend-- to the point where I thought it could be H1N1 and spent 40 minutes on hold with the Pediatric Nurse Advice hotline. She was horribly congested, had a fever, wasn't eating a ton, and basically just whimpered most of the day. Sunday (her half-birthday!) was the worst. Gus actually stayed home with her on Monday, and took her in to see our pediatrician. Luckily, she was already acting better by then, and the doctor said that it wasn't H1N1 and that we just needed to let it run its course. And I'm happy to say that she seems to be back to 100% now-- hooray!

Exposed!

Well, one of my worst fears was realized today: one of my students walked into the classroom when I was pumping! Yes, you read that correctly. Ever since I returned to work after having Nikos, I have told my students time and time again that they needed to learn responsibility, and that they would NEVER be allowed back into the classroom during lunch. Ever. If they asked what I was doing in there, I would tell them that I was making very important phone calls and getting some work done, and that I couldn't be interrupted. I always locked my door, closed the blinds, and made sure all my neighbors knew what was going on so that they wouldn't let my students inside while I was pumping (their key opens my room, too).

But alas, one teacher forgot.

The teacher next door happened to be walking out of her room, just as one of my students was returning to my door (to find it locked, of course). He told her his sob story: he had left his wallet in his desk, and it contained his lunch money. Being the kind person she is, she agreed to let him in so he could get it. I heard the key turn in the lock, and a surge of panic washed over me. I quickly did my best to cover up-- luckily, I was wearing a big sweater over a nursing tank top, so it wasn't too hard (this is not always the case!). I got down as low as I could in my chair. As this little boy walked in, I told him to get out. He looked at me, very confused, and started to explain that he needed to get his wallet. Honestly, I was a little hysterical at this point. The adrenaline was pumping (no pun intended)-- I pretty much screamed for him to get out. That was when my coworker suddenly realized what she had done, whisked him out of the room, and then came in to apologize profusely (while I was still pumping, which is actually sort of funny, in retrospect... Her kids are all around my age, and they all have young babies. I don't think she even thought twice about the fact that I was pumping. Especially since I was covered up!).

At any rate, there is no way that this kiddo saw anything, except for possibly the pump itself (no nudity, thank goodness!). I'm sure he was mostly just very confused. I emailed his mom, who I have known for years now and who also happens to be my Room Parent. But I think that it's pretty much a nonissue, at this point.

Still... My heart was pounding so hard. I felt so completely vulnerable! I almost thought I was going to pass out right afterward. I hope that was the first AND last time that sort of thing ever happens!

6 Month Letter

Dear Maya,

Wow. Just wow. You are half a year old already, and I couldn't for the life of me explain how that happened. But here you are, a sweet, wonderful little half-year-old. This past month has been a really busy one for our family, but we haven't failed to notice all the growing you've been doing!

For one, you are getting really close to being able to sit on your own. Actually, you can sit on your own for a little while-- but then you get excited about something and like to launch yourself backward or to the side. You have also become quite the little grabber. We are constantly looking to make sure that certain things aren't within your reach, because we know you will grab them if they are! The other night, I was giving you your bath when you accidentally dropped your rubber ducky over the side. Next thing I knew, you were launching yourself over the side after it-- and you successfully retrieved it, I might add! You grow stronger by the day, and I know that our days of you being immobile are short-lived. You love doing your baby push-ups on the floor, and sometimes pull your knees up underneath you. It's only a matter of time before you put all the pieces together and start to crawl. sigh...

Sleep-wise, yours is a history of constant improvement and then regression. We weren't as strict with the sleep training this time around as we were with your brother, and that may be part of it. It's just easier to go in and feed you or give you your pacifier than it is to listen to you cry and worry about waking your brother. At any rate, you tend to still wake up once at night for a feeding. The problem is that you've been waking for the day at 5am lately, which means that we've been bringing you into bed with us for that last hour before our alarm clocks go off. We long for the day when you realize just how awesome sleep truly is. Once you and your brother figure that out, then we've got it made!

I mentioned before that it has been a busy month. The past week alone has been a big one for you! First, your brother turned two, and we celebrated all weekend long. We had family portraits taken later in the week, which was a lot like herding cats-- working with a toddler and an infant is tricky! Finally, you celebrated your very first Halloween by going trick-or-treating with your big brother. You didn't collect any candy (since you have no teeth!), but the consensus was that you were quite the beautiful little flower.

Basically, you are an incredible kid. The word that keeps popping into my head is "synergy." It describes a situation where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. And with you in our family, that's just what we have. You aren't just the fourth member of our family, but you are the missing piece of our puzzle. We simply can't imagine our life without you. You are the sweetest, most amazing little girl we know, and that will never change. We love you!!!

Love Always,
Mommy and Daddy

Happy Halloween!

So much to post, so little time!

Long story short: Nikos had his first soccer class this morning. He was excited about it up until we got there... then it took him about 20 minutes to get warmed up to the whole idea and start participating. Later in the day, he and I baked Halloween sugar cookies. And after dinner, the four of us went trick-or-treating to a few houses on the street. Nikos, our shy guy, decided he was done after that. He was thrilled to strip out of his costume and check out the kids who came to our door instead. Maya did just fine (and looked incredibly cute in her $8 costume!), but she had a rough day because she's been sick (appears to be a common cold, like what I've had all week-- but obviously we're keeping an eye on her to make sure it's not H1N1).

Anyway, that about sums it up! And without further ado: pictures!