Four Years

Four years ago today, Gus and I got married after dating for exactly six years and eight months. Back in 1998, who would have thought that this is where we would be almost eleven years later? And the past four years have just sailed right by. Crazy!!

Chatterbox

Over the past few days, we've hit a new milestone: two- and three-word phrases! Nikos would occasionally combine words in the past, but he's started to do it with more consistency. For example, this morning he wanted me to hand him all his stuffed animals so that he could make them sit around the perimeter of his bed. I handed him his stuffed penguin, and he said, "Hi! Hi penguin! Hi penguin! (kiss) Mwah! Love you!" He did that again for a bunch of his other animals, too! And when I handed him one of his bears (which he requested very politely-- "bear, pweez!"), he said, "Thank you Mommy!" Can you tell we've been working on manners lately? :)

Anyway, it's pretty darn cute. And there is nothing better in the entire world than when your baby turns to you before bed and says "Night-night, love you Mommy!" Really, there isn't. :)

Busy Weekend

Well, we did it... We survived our first overnight adventure with both kids in tow! And while I spent most of yesterday recovering, I think we'll call this one a success. Not bad for a first attempt, anyway!

On Saturday, we drove up to L.A. for Eraclis' (Nikos' godbrother's) college graduation party. We timed it so that we'd be leaving our house just as it was time for Nikos' nap. And, as luck would have it, Maya fell asleep at about the same time. The stars seemed to be lining up for us! We hit a lot of traffic, though, and the drive took almost exactly three hours. Nikos slept for the first hour and a half, but then woke up cranky and wanting out of his seat. We kept him happy by discussing everyone who would be at the party (pappou, yia-yia, thea, nouno, nouna, and a doggy!). He was especially excited about petting the dog, and quickly became upset that he couldn't do it RIGHT NOW. Toddlers don't exactly grasp the concept of "later"-- oops! So we quickly moved on to singing songs as a distraction tactic, which bought us some time before he mentioned the doggy again... and again... and again...

Anyway, we got to the party, and he was thrilled to get out of the car. He walked up to the front door, and... promptlydecided it was time to go bye-bye! He would NOT stay in the house or the back yard for more than a few minutes without screaming his head off and yelling "BYE-BYE! BYE-BYE!!!" It was loads of fun. Gus ended up walking him up and down the block in front of their house for a long time until yia-yia and pappou finally showed up. From that point on, he got better and eventually came in for the party. He even played with another little girl who was there. I will never understand what goes through his cute little head, but he did end up having a great time and eating a ton of strawberries (his favorite).

Meanwhile... Maya's tummy was unhappy. I'd go into a bedroom to nurse her, and she would spend half the time bobbing her head around, looking at the unfamiliar surroundings. Needless to say, she ended up swallowing a lot of air and getting pretty uncomfortable-- even spitting up quite a bit. In the end, though, she was relaxed and wide awake, and a lot of people got to hold her. :)

About half an hour past Nikos' bedtime, after saying all our goodbyes, we loaded everyone in the car and headed part of the way home. We decided to spend the night at Gus' parents' house, since it was only about a 45 minute drive from the party. Miraculously, both kids fell asleep on the drive. When we got to the house, we had to set up the Pack N Play for Nikos to sleep in. Normally when we visit, he sleeps in a crib in the room with us. But with Maya, we wanted him to be somewhere else where he wouldn't be woken up by his sister. The transition from the car to the Pack N Play made for a very groggy and miserable toddler, but he crashed after a few minutes of crying. Meanwhile, Maya slept in her carseat in our room until 3:30am. That's when I fed her, and she decided not to go back to sleep. After an hour of us taking turns holding and rocking her, she finally gave in and allowed us to sleep until 7:30 or so. Hallelujah! Nikos had woken up at 6:15, but Gus' parents had gotten up with him. Double hallelujah!

After we went out to breakfast on Sunday (and Nikos spent the entire time stealing food off of everyone's plates), we packed up again and drove another 45 minutes to my parents' house. Nikos fell asleep in the car, at the entirely wrong time of day for him, so we knew he had to be exhausted. Once we arrived at my parents' house, he was in a weird, groggy sort of mood. And Maya, who had slept all through breakfast and the car ride, had woken up in an interesting mood, too. It was a shame, really, because my aunt and grandma were visiting from Northern California, and they didn't get to see how the kids really are on a normal day. But that's okay. Everyone has an "off" day every now and then, right?

Anyhow... We took Nikos to the pool, but he wouldn't do more than sit on the edge and kick his feet. We really do need to get those swimming lessons! Maya enjoyed the ride in the stroller to and from the pool, but was fussy for the remainder of the day. That is, until she had an explosive poop during dinner, which went all up the back of her clothes and onto her carseat. Joy! Luckily, I was prepared with several changes of clothing. I learned that lesson the hard way with baby #1. :)

Finally, at Nikos' bedtime, we got into the car and headed home. Maya, who had been asleep after her diaper explosion, decided to wake up and be unhappy. Which made Nikos unhappy. Which meant that we pulled over, and Gus squeezed into the tiny seat between the two carseats so that he could soothe the kiddos. Good thing he's so skinny! Anyhow, we finally got home, and Nikos settled down happily in his bed. I fed Maya, and we finally got her to go to sleep by 10pm. And everyone slept through the night, happily ever after! :)

So, in short, we survived. It was exhausting, but we made it. And I don't think we will be doing it again any time soon, because that was a LOT of work!

Say Cheese!

She's been smiling at us a lot lately, but I finally caught it on camera! Two words: SO CUTE!! :)

Happy Father's Day!

Nikos and Maya are just about the luckiest kids in the world to have Gus as their daddy. He's been a hands-on dad since day one with both kids: getting up in the wee hours of the night to rock them back to sleep, changing poopy diapers, giving endless hugs, kisses, tickles-- you name it! He is an amazing dad, and I know he'd do anything for his babies (and their mommy). Nikos sums it up best in his artwork:

Of course, I have a pretty great dad, too! :) Happy Father's Day, Dad!! I found this picture on my computer from when Grant and I were little... We were probably about the same ages as Nikos and Maya are right now, which is so hard to imagine!

Finally, Happy Father's Day to Nick (Gus' dad). Clearly, you did a good job raising your son, or I wouldn't have married him! :) And no, I don't have old pictures of you... But I do have this one!

------------Now, to be fair, I didn't get a chance to post on Mother's Day because we were too busy... But Gus and I both have amazing moms who we love very, very much! So I might just have to do a mommy post in the next few days... Stay tuned! :)

A New Personal Best

Drumroll please... Maya slept from 9:30pm last night until 5am this morning! That is 7.5 hours of continuous sleep, people!! And even at 5am, she ate quickly and efficiently and went back to sleep. And she is still asleep as I type this (at almost 8am). I guess she was plum tuckered out from her tough day yesterday, but I'll take it! She is 7 weeks today, and she has officially slept through the night. AWESOME!

And in a random side note... When I went in to get Nikos up this morning, he wanted me to hand him all of his stuffed animals, one by one. That's nothing new. But when I tossed the first bear to him, he said "Oh, no! Bear, sit!" and proceeded to make the bear sit up (instead of flopping over). He then did that with every single animal, telling them to sit and arranging them around the edges of his bed. And once they were arranged to his satisfaction, he decided that he needed to jump on the bed (holding onto the headboard). It was ridiculously cute! :)

Afternoon at Grandma and Grandpa's

I am currently sitting in my parents' living room, since we decided to come up for a visit today. My dad wanted to take Nikos in the pool, which was semi-successful. We were able to get him to wear his yellow floatie-vest-thing, which was a miracle! He sat at the edge and kicked for a bit, and then got into the baby pool. But then he fell forward, gulping a bit of water, and was pretty much done after that. Baby steps, right? We really need to get this kid some swim lessons... I know that our local YMCA offers a Saturday class, and it's pretty affordable, so... maybe this summer!

Miss Maya was also awake most of the day, which was unusual for her (not in a good way, either). I think she was constipated because, once she finally got a good poop out, she basically conked out. I fear for this evening, because she's napping so much later than she usually does. However, all the awake time did lend itself to some nice picture-taking! Here's Maya with Grandma. Check out those pretty eyes!

And finally, here's what's happening right now in the back yard... He took a short nap, but is still in a decent mood!

Sleep

Since both kiddos are currently napping, I thought I'd take a minute to jot down a few notes about their sleeping habits...

Nikos started out as a horrible sleeper, but after we followed the Ferber method at four months, he improved drastically. He quickly adopted a regular sleep schedule which included three naps, bedtime at 7:30pm, and waking up at 6am. Not bad! As he approached the one-year mark, he dropped down to two naps. And, pretty much right when Maya was born, he cut back to one longer nap in the afternoon. He still goes to bed at around 7:15, and wakes up anywhere between 6:30 and 7am. And since transitioning to his toddler bed, he has only fallen out twice and gotten out once-- and all three incidents were months ago. I can honestly say that he has become a pretty awesome sleeper. Even when he doesn't want to take a nap, he will still stay in his bed and eventually lie down and close his eyes. What more could we ask for?

Maya, for her part, started out as a pretty great sleeper. I can only think of one night so far that was sort of rough-- and even that night pales in comparison to pretty much ALL of the nights when Nikos was a newborn. She consistently gives us at least a four-hour stretch of sleep, sometimes even six or seven hours. And she can be counted upon to go back to sleep fairly quickly after a feeding with little help from us. Even when she wakes up, her cries are plaintive and quiet as opposed to screaming bloody murder.

Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that we are really, really lucky. And remarkably well-rested for having a newborn and a toddler in the house. *knock on wood!*

Progress!

Last night, Maya slept in her crib the entire night! Gus and I have been inconsistent about this, since a) co-sleeping is so easy, b) she sleeps really well when she's with us, and b) we were worried that she might wake Nikos up with her crying. But it went great! I nursed her one last time at 10pm, put her down for the night, nursed her again at 2:15am, and then she woke up at 7am! Not bad at all! It looks as though our co-sleeping days might be drawing to a close, which is bittersweet.

I do want to add, however, that it stinks when both kids wake up at exactly the same time and both want to be held-- and you are the only one home because Daddy has already left for work. This morning was rough-- I officially need another pair of arms!

Misc. Movies and Pictures

First, some pictures of both my babies from this afternoon!


Next... A video of Maya. She doesn't do a whole lot, but I figured we needed a video to capture and preserve her newborn-ness. :)


Finally, another video of Nikos dancing, just because I think it's unbelievably cute! He loves our little dance parties, and will run over to where my iPod is docked and beg for me to turn it on. I love it!

Fun Family Day

We began our day with a family outing to Ikea, which is always an adventure (with or without kids)! The goal of the trip was to buy Nikos a small table and chairs set, which I just knew he would love. And he did love it... as well as everything else in the children's section of the store! He sat at all the tables, played with the toys, and had a great time... all while Maya snoozed in her stroller. On the ride home, after eating half of my cinnamon roll (Ikea = cheap food, you know), he babbled happily about his table. And when we got home, he wanted to open the box right away and assemble it. He even tried assembling it himself, putting bolts in the pre-drilled holes and attempting to secure them with the allen wrench. :) Anyway, he LOVES his table! It's currently in our living room, but will be making its way into his bedroom tomorrow. Here he is, putting it to good use:

After his nap today, we went next door for a high school graduation party. Everyone from the daycare had been invited, and they had a bouncy house for all the kids. Nikos was a little hesitant at first, but then spent the majority of the afternoon inside. First, he went with his little buddy Jenna, who is 8 or 9 years old. But when she had to leave, Gus and I ended up taking turns inside with him. Fun! oh, and the kiddo in the red shirt is Teagen, Nikos' favorite friend who he talks about all. the. time.)


We came home right at dinner time, and Nikos happily chowed down on some leftover pizza while we had burritos. Dinner of champions! It was good though. :)

Finally, a picture of our girl. She didn't do much but sit around at the party, but she was still as cute as ever! I continue to guess what color her eyes will end up being-- they are so much lighter than Nikos' EVER were!

A final note: Maya slept from 9pm until 4am last night! SEVEN HOURS! And, while she fussed briefly after eating and took longer than usual to fall back asleep, we got to sleep in until 7:30. ALL of us! Talk about a great start to the weekend!

New Shades

Maya and I went to the mall today, for no reason other than to get out of the house and do something. And it was fun! I picked up some new clothes for Nikos, and bought new sunglasses for both kiddos. I also bought some excellent body scrub that was on sale, as well as a new shirt for myself. And after that, we went to the grocery store. All in all, a successful day!

Here is the little lady modeling her new shades. They're a little big on her ("size 0-2"), but I think they are ridiculously cute! Nikos' are orange with darker lenses (and no rhinestones, haha!)... I'll have to get a picture of him later! :)

Farmer Nikos

Just because he is so cute!!

Out and About

Well, I knew it had to happen at some point... I had promised my students that I would bring Maya to see them before the school year ended, and today was the day! All the fifth graders were at the local pool for their end-of-year party, so I loaded Maya into the car and headed on over. And oh. my. goodness. To get into the pool area, you have to go through the bathroom/locker room. And as soon as I walked in there, I was swarmed by fifth grade girls. As soon as we left the bathroom and were by the pool, the swarm grew bigger. And bigger. I felt like the Pied Piper, leading a herd of fifth graders around the pool! haha! I walked over to where my coworkers were sitting in the shade, and grabbed a chair. The kids were so cute! As part of their year-end treats (which they received this morning), they get disposable cameras. So the paparazzi descended upon poor Maya... I have no idea how many pictures they took of her, but it was a LOT. Luckily, she was totally asleep, and remained that way throughout the entire visit.

Anyway, as much as I don't miss teaching right now (I'd much rather be "mommy" at the moment), I realized that I did miss some of these kiddos. It was nice to see them again, and to feel missed. I got lots of soggy hugs today. :)

Pictures from Today

Just because! Nikos went to spend the weekend with Yia-yia and Pappou, and Gus is outside working on the yard, so I decided to take some pics of my baby girl!

Time Out

Well, folks, we have entered new territory: Time Out Land. Our normally very sweet boy has decided, recently, to assert his toddler-ness by being a bit of a stinker. And as a result, we are going to attempt to do time outs with him.

I'm sure it's just a phase, brought on by both the sudden major change in his life (e.g., Maya) and his age (wanting to be more independent and being frustrated). Still, our little guy has been acting out. The other day, he tried yanking Maya out of her bouncy seat while yelling, "No! No!" When I told him, "STOP! That hurts baby!" he ran off to the kitchen and starting throwing magnets onto the ground and yelling "No" some more. I went over there and told him to stop, or he'd go to time out. He seemed to sense that he was in trouble, because he stopped... then grinned and threw more magnets. So, wanting to follow through on my threat, I needed to put him in time out. But I hadn't even decided where that was, yet!! I grabbed his little plastic stepstool, put it against the wall, and tried to get him to sit. He kicked and screamed, and would run away as soon as I set him down. I ended up giving up after trying a few times (I know, my bad). Plus, he seemed to be in a better mood.

Anyway... After discussing this with quite a few people, I have decided to try the time out thing again. So yesterday, I bought a little bath math that will officially be the Time Out Rug. And if he needs to go there, I will just keep putting him back there as many times as necessary until he gets the message. It's really the only thing I can think of. A few nights ago, we reached a new low, with him screaming his head off during bath time and yanking Maya's pacifier from her mouth at every possible opportunity. I think he may have been over-tired (he requested "night-night" about 20 minutes before his regular bedtime, which I gladly accomodated), but still... At least we are now prepared with the time out rug, and hopefully it will work quickly and he won't be spending much time there in the future. Wish us luck!

On a happier note... Teagen (the little boy next door) walked Nikos home from daycare the other day. It was the cutest thing ever! He wanted to walk his friend home. So when I went to pick him up, he came along, too (and so did his mom). He even opened the door for us and said goodbye to Nikos like a million times. And Nikos was happy as a clam. Best friends! And, on a completely different topic: Maya slept for 7 hours straight last night!! 11pm to 6am. I don't think her brother did that until we Ferberized at four months. Amazing!

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OH... and I nearly forgot: I discovered my first real gray hair on Saturday night!! Coincidence? :P And, despite what the Old Wives' Tales say, I plucked it out. And taped it to the bathroom mirror so I could show Gus. I have proof!

One Month Letter

Dear Maya,

Words cannot describe how incredible this first month with you has been! From the moment you entered the world, your daddy and I have both had the feeling that our little family was finally complete. We are so lucky to have you, and love you more than you will ever know.

Since day one, you have been a total angel... Despite a few worrisome contractions a few days before your scheduled birthday, you managed to hang out inside my belly so that all could go according to plan- and for that, we all thank you! As far as your birth was concerned, you had no complications whatsoever, and began crying right away. And, by some miracle, you seemed to know the difference between night and day almost instantly. You have spoiled us by sleeping in three- or four-hour chunks at night (sometimes even five hours!), waking only briefly for a diaper change and a feeding. Believe me, we appreciate what an easy baby you have been. We would love for you to keep it up, but don't want to jinx anything!

These past few weeks have seen you start to "wake up" and notice your surroundings a lot more. You love to stare at faces when they are close enough for you to focus on them, and you are starting to move your head around more and develop neck strength. When you are not quietly alert, you love to sleep (unswaddled-- a big change from your brother) in your car seat or the bouncer, and can sleep through just about anything. You have slept through the sounds of chainsaws, a stump grinder, a chipper-shredder, trees falling, a power-washer, and (of course) a toddler running willy-nilly around the house and shrieking. And yes, you have perfect hearing. You never cease to amaze us with your mellowness!

Your first month has just sailed by, baby girl. You fit right into our family like the missing piece of our puzzle, and already I find it hard to think of a time that you weren't here. You are adored by everyone--especially your big brother, who asks to see you first thing when he wakes up in the morning and first thing when he gets home from daycare. He even makes requests to see you while he's eating his breakfast in the morning! When you do cry, Nikos is often the first one on the scene, trying to give you your pacifier or touching you on the head to tell you it's okay. The cuteness is unbearable. You are so lucky to have a brother who loves you so much, and we hope that this great relationship will continue throughout both of your lives.

In short, you are amazing, incredible, and wonderful in every way... and we love you. You may be our second baby, but you will always be our favorite girl. We look forward to seeing how much you grow and change in the coming months!

All our love, forever,
Mommy and Daddy

P.S. We're going to try something new here, and take a picture of you every month with your stuffed bunny (as a basis for comparison). The bunny looks big now, but I bet it won't for long! :)

Funnies

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!

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!

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!!!

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!

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! :)

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!!

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"). :)

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!

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! :)

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.

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...

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. :(

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! :)

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.

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!

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! :)

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! :)

She's Here!!

Maya Joelle P.
Friday, May 1st, 2009 at 7:49am
7 pounds, 11 ounces
19 inches long