Family Photo's

Tres!

Beck turned three years old on November 4. He finally got a party! On his first birthday, I went to get him from his crib and discovered he had thrown up. Other than some cake at his day care (which I don't think he enjoyed due to the stomach bug), we didn't really do anything to mark the day. Pauly and I left for Las Vegas the day after his second birthday. We had made tentative plans to have cake with Paul's parents (who stayed with Beck during our trip), but the timing of their arrival didn't allow for that, so again, we didn't celebrate the day. We decided that it was time for the kid to have a party.

We invited two of his playmates from day care (Cristian is his best buddy and is pictured above, wearing the striped shirt and poking Beck), and our friends with kids (some of whom Beck plays with regularly). I think there were about 8 kids, plus some younger siblings. We had the party at Little Monkey Bizness, so the kids got to run around and play for an hour, and then we quickly had pizza and cupcakes. Although the party was a success, there were some "oops" moments. Like, I thought it started at 3:30, but it actually started at 3:00, so our guests arrived 30 minutes before we did. I'm sure they were all scratching their heads, wondering where we were, and starting to worry about us. Also, the cupcakes didn't seem to be a hit. And, we came home with two huge pizzas. After several meals of pizza and cupcakes, we decided we had to throw the leftovers away. We gave the kids superhero capes and masks as party favors, which were a HUGE hit. Paul took a video with his iphone of the kids running around in circles in their capes. I'll try to post it later (along with more pictures). Beck also got some really thoughtful gifts, and has been enjoying playing with his new toys and using his new art supplies.

So, what does being three mean for Beck? We had his check-up yesterday. He weighs 28.75 pounds and is 37 inches tall. He's in about the 20% for weight (up from about the 2% at two years, so he's packed on some pounds), and about the 30% for height. He's healthy. At the PA's request, he sang his ABCs, and the cuteness of it all brought tears to everyone's eyes. The PA was also impressed with his knowledge of all the colors, and I checked "yes" on nearly all of the items on the three-year-old development check list, so I think he's right where he should be.

In addition to knowing his ABCs and being able to recognize and name most of the letters, he can count to twenty, and to ten in Spanish (along with me). He knows all of the basic colors (probably not "chartreuse" and the like yet), and lots of shapes. Several times, he's pointed out an "oxygon" (octagon) to me. He loves trucks and cars and construction. His temperament continues to be pretty easygoing. He plays a little too rough with Nolan sometimes, but in talking with our friends who have two kids, this is pretty common behavior for the older sibling. Nolan has taken a disproportionate share of our attention since he was born (even more so in the last few months), and Beck has taken it mostly in stride. He loves when we have visitors. He often tells us he loves us "so much." He doesn't like going to bed without talking about our day. "Let's talk about our day, mama" when we're together and "let's talk about your day, mama" and "let's talk about my day, mama" when he goes to day care and I go to work. We recap the day's events, and I ask him to tell me his favorite part. Last night it was "playing with my cars in the bath." He has an aversion to wearing his jacket, and he won't sleep under a blanket. We have to sneak into his room and cover him up after he falls asleep. He definitely has his quirks, but he is a very sweet, loving, energetic, and smart little guy. The other day, we were eating a snack at the kitchen table, and Nolan was reaching over toward Beck, moving his hand in a way that looked like he was signing "milk." Beck lifted his shirt and said "I only have wittle boobs, Nowan." "Only mama has milk."

He has a great vocabulary, but still mispronounces some things. For example, l = w (little = wittle, Nolan = Nowan), n = m and vice versa (need = meed, them = then), and he mixes up v and b (vacuum = bacuum).

At this age, he's not really developing any new skills. Instead, the skills he has are improving, and it's hard to pinpoint when changes take place. He's definitely starting to use his imagination more, and his drawing skills are improving. He understands how to share and take turns (but doesn't always like it). He's into the "why?" stage. I've been stumped on many occasions. He's better able to understand time (yesterday, today and tomorrow, last night and even "last morning"). He knows that he goes to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He's interested in what time it is.

I wish I could better put into words what kind of a kid he is, and I wish I could better keep track of the cute, smart, funny things he does. But, trust me, he's a cool kid. Happy (late) birthday, Beck!

Battle: Television

One of the things I regularly struggle with is the amount of t.v. Beck watches. I rely on the t.v. to keep him occupied when I need to go upstairs to put Nolan down for a nap, when I need to take a shower, when Paul is out of town and I need to do Nolan's bedtime routine, and sometimes when I'm making a meal.

It's really the only thing that I know will keep his attention long enough for me to complete those tasks. But, I don't like it. I worry that it's stifling his creativity (although one of his favorite shows is Caillou, and he often plays and pretends things that I think he gets from Caillou). I worry about the effect it's having on his brain and his development. And, although he only watches shows that are appropriate for his age, I worry that I'm not there with him to talk about what he's watching.

I've tried many times to come up with alternatives. Most often, it ends up significantly prolonging the task I'm trying to complete (instead of taking me 10 minutes to get Nolan down for his nap, it will take 30-45 minutes because Beck will interrupt us several times, or Nolan will hear him downstairs and get excited and not want to go to sleep). For example, this morning, I decided "we're not turning on the t.v. today." I needed to put Nolan down for his morning nap, and I gave Beck the following options: read books, draw a picture, play with his puzzles, or play with his cars. After some whining (he expects to watch t.v. during this time...ugh), he chose to read books. I set him up with 4 books, headed upstairs with Nolan, and closed the gate behind me.

Then, I heard Beck yelping at the bottom of the stairs. I go to check it out, and he is attempting to crawl through the wooden slats (picture 1, above). He's halfway through and stuck. I get him unstuck, tell him I'll be down as soon as Nolan is sleeping, and go up to try again. A while later, I hear Beck coming up the stairs. Huh? He made it all the way through the slats. Ok. I explain that he can't crawl through the slats, set him up with his books again, and try once more to get Nolan down. I hear some shuffling and grunting and other non-book-reading noises, and finally some yelping. I head back downstairs to check out the situation and find Beck inside our bench, with the contents spilled onto the floor (picture 2, above). Good lord.

It's now taken me almost an hour to get Nolan down for his nap. I've got a mess to clean up. And, what is Beck doing now? Watching Caillou. Television: 1, Sonja: 0.

Mobility and communication. Or, walking and talking.

Nolan has been mobile for months. He started army crawling (using his arms to pull himself along the floor on his belly) around 6 months. He did that for a few weeks, and would get up on his hands and knees and rock back and forth, and then he started crawling with his belly off the floor around 7 months. He started pulling himself up to standing shortly thereafter. He's now 8.5 months. He crawls (quickly) all over the place. He can walk along furniture, and his favorite thing to do right now is to hold my hands and walk around the house. He can't stand on his own yet, but I don't think it will be long. And then, I guess, comes walking. Tracey (Paul's mom) walked at 9 months, and my mom said I was walking around 9 months, too, so I guess it's possible. Beck didn't walk until 13 months, so this all seems early to me.

And, communication. I've been spotting some rudimentary signs from Nolan for about a month, and Paul confirmed the other night that Nolan signed "fan" so I'm confident enough that I'm not imagining it.

In addition to waving, clapping, and doing "TOUCHDOWN!" he has signed fan, milk, all done, more, and ball. Honestly, I don't think anyone else would be able to understand his signs, because they all look kind of similar, but he's used them in the right context, so he gets it, but his fine motor skills aren't advanced enough to let him make the signs perfectly. I'm also pretty sure he's saying some words: mama, dada, beck, and bath. He LOVES the bath, and if we don't keep the bathroom door closed, he'll make a beeline to the bathtub and try to crawl in. I was getting his bath ready two nights ago and he clearly said "baaath!" Paul witnessed this, too.

Oh, Nolan. What do you have in store for us next?

Sleep.

This guy is not letting us sleep.

It makes me tired just thinking about it. I know it’s not the most exciting topic to read about. And, I know most parents suffer from lack of sleep to some extent. We are smack-dab in the middle of sleeeeeeep-deprivaaaaaaation around here. Of the chronic variety. I’m at work – should be drafting a motion or something else productive, but I just can’t get myself to focus. It’s finally catching up with me.

I was chatting with a friend yesterday whose son is Nolan’s age. He sleeps much better at night and she wondered how I do it. “I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Aren’t you crabby? You don’t seem crabby.” She said. “I take it out on Pauly.” I explained. And, he takes it out on me. Thank goodness we have a strong foundation, because we’re pretty snappy with each other lately.

I don’t quite know where to begin. Well, from the beginning, I guess. Nolan was a fussy baby. Remember? He was not one of the babies who slept all the time. He would only nap in my arms or in the swing. I tried, really hard, to get him to nap in his pack-and-play. When I was on maternity leave, Beck was in day care on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I would not leave the house on those days. I would devote myself to trying to get Nolan to nap in his bed. I was not successful. We also ended up sharing our bed with him at night, even though that was not our plan, because it was the only way we could get any sleep. Finally, though, at some point, he started napping in his own bed. I just kept trying, and I guess when he was ready, he just did it. For a while, they were short naps – 30-45 minutes. But now, he’s a pretty good, maybe a really good napper. He takes a regular nap in the morning, around 9, for 1.5-2 hours. That is AWESOME. Then, he’ll take another nap in the early afternoon, which is less predictable, but usually substantial. He wakes up from his naps happy, instead of crying.

Nighttime, though. Siiiiiiiigh. Not good. He goes to bed between 6:45 – 7:30, depending on when and how long his afternoon nap was. He usually sleeps for 3 hours, maaaaaybe 5 hours. Then, game over. He’s up every hour after that. I try to put him back in his bed, but I’m exhausted, and he’s crying, so he ends up in our bed. But, he’s still restless. I think most of it is attributable to teething, and milestones (he now wakes up and sits up or stands up and cries), but I know some of it is a habit we’ve created, and some of it is just his personality. I keep telling myself that when he’s ready, he’ll sleep. In his bed. For a reasonable stretch of time. Paul and I have agreed to take the path of least resistance for now, which is a combination of the pack-and-play and our bed and as little crying as possible. We tried moving Nolan into the crib in Beck’s room. I was even more tired (trekking downstairs to feed him several times per night instead of just rolling over or putting him in the right position to nurse), and Beck’s sleep was disturbed. After five nights, and after Beck starting acting out and beating Nolan up, we nixed that plan. We also tried to let Nolan “cry it out.” He cried for t-w-o. h-o-u-r-s. Not acceptable for me, so crying it out is put on hold indefinitely. We only have two bedrooms, and one is Beck’s, and Beck is sleeping well. We don’t want to mess with that. So, for now, Nolan is stuck in our room.

Beck wasn’t always a good sleeper. Eventually, though, that changed and he consistently sleeps 10-11 hours at night and takes a 1.5-2 hour nap most days. That is our ray of hope. Nolan’s temperament is very different from Beck’s, but I’m still hopeful that if I just keep trying, and gently encourage him to sleeeeeeep, he will do it when he’s ready. I’m tired, though. Really tired. Usually, when I reach my breaking point, Nolan cuts me a little slack. So, universe, send him the message that mama needs a break! And a nap. Throw in a massage for good measure. Thanks.

We're alive!

You last heard from me regarding how the summer was flying by, and, now it's almost fall (almost OCTOBER). I don't know if we're doing something wrong, but this whole two kids thing is just not leaving a lot of time for blogging or posting pictures. Here's one, though. Aren't they cute? I think this picture shows how Beck has my coloring (part of this is from his summertime tan), and Nolan has Paul's coloring. Nolan is pretty goofy looking sometimes...he's got this fuzzy hair that stands up asymmetrically all over the place, and that GRIN! Are you kidding me? I've said many times that if it weren't for that smile, which lights up his whole darn face, we probably would have thrown him out the window or traded him for a puppy. Oh, Nolan. I jest, but you really are challenging us.

Seriously. We just made it through about 10 days that pretty much sucked. I'll try to sum it up quickly. Nolan had a cold. No big deal. Green stuff coming from his nose, but he was still fairly happy. Then, two Saturdays ago, he gets a fever. A high fever - like 103.6. He also starts acting like he is in great pain, so we assume the cold turned into an ear infection and I took him to urgent care. No ear infection, but the high fever suggests something is going on, so they take an x-ray to check for pneumonia (nope), and insert a catheter (ouch!) to check for a bladder/kidney infection (nope). We are sent home with the "just-a-virus" diagnosis and instructions to follow up with our pediatrician if the fever isn't gone in three days. Fever is still hanging around on Tuesday, so I stay home with him. I spoke to the nurse at our pediatrician's office, and she suggested that we wait one more day to see if the fever dissipated. We wake up Wednesday - Nolan is still hot and isn't feeling any better (he would be ok during the day if I gave him ibuprofen and acetaminophen around the clock, but holy moly was he miserable at night, even when he was medicated). I take him to the pediatrician. They say his ears could not be more clear, and take another urine culture (ouch again!), which shows no signs of infection. Hmmm...I guess it's just a stubborn virus? Bring him back again tomorrow if the fever isn't gone. Ugh. Fever reaches 106 at one point. We planned that Paul would stay home with him on Thursday so I could go to work, but he was so miserable, and I knew they would be taking blood, so we both took him to the doctor. Shuffle from the pediatrician's office over to urgent care by The Children's Hospital for another chest x-ray (negative), so now they have to draw his blood. We leave, Paul goes to work, I stay home with Nolan and try to keep him happy. Dr. Nagel calls with the blood results - two markers for inflammation (sed rate and c-reactive protein) are quite high and suggest a bacterial infection, rather than "just-a-virus." Head back over to the pediatrician's office for a super-duper dose of antibiotics via a big mean shot to the thigh. Lo and behold, Mr. Fever does not appear that night, and Nolan is still fever free on Friday morning. Phew. Which means "gray area." Was it really just a virus that ran its course, or was it a bacterial infection that responded to the antibiotics? Bring him back in again on Friday afternoon for a second big mean shot to the thigh, just in case. Keep an eye on him. If fever returns, um, lots more tests. If fever doesn't return, bring him back at the end of the week to re-check blood work and make sure markers for inflammation have returned to normal.

So, the fever has not returned. We will likely go back at the end of the week to have his blood drawn, and hopefully everything will be back to normal. Oh, by the way, he has also been teething. And, hoo boy, are these teeth stubborn. I swear one has been moving down, then back up, then down for about a month. Finally, finally, finally his top left tooth poked through yesterday. And last night was the first night in more nights than I can remember that he didn't wake up screaming at some point. He still woke up, but calmly nursed and went back to sleep.

I guess that was a not so short summary, but it feels good to vent a little. Anyway, Nolan seems to be himself again. Beck is doing well. He's almost three, people! He and Nolan are starting to actually play together, and I see glimpses of them that make me think having two boys 26 months apart is not the most asinine decision Pauly and I have ever made. Oh, also, Nolan is crawling, and using furniture to pull himself up to standing, and then walking along the furniture. What?!? His crazy mobility means he falls down about 20 times a day, but I'm pretty impressed with his skills. Okay, I lost my train of thought a little bit here at the end of the post, and I realize there's a lot here about Nolan. How about the next post fills you in on what's happening in Beck's world? Stay tuned...but don't hold your breath...it could be a while.

summertime

My goodness. I don’t understand it, but time continues to move more and more quickly and life with two is leaving me with little time to document it. Nolan turned 6 months old on July 22. We were in Whitefish, MT visiting Paul’s parents, his brother and sister-in-law and “Wissa and Macy” (Alyssa and Macy), Beck’s COUSINS! WHO ARE AWESOME!!! Beck followed them around for 6 days and just cannot wait to “Skype with them on the ‘puter’ mama!”

So, Nolan…the string bean - he’s 27.75 inches long (approximately the 90%) and just over 16 pounds (approximately the 25%). We started solids in the last few weeks, and he’s enjoying lots of fruits and veggies. I’ve been playing fast and loose with the recommended 3-5 day waiting period between introducing new foods, but he hasn’t had any type of negative reaction to anything so far. He has his two bottom teeth, which made their appearance within days of each other. They poked through just before we went to Whitefish, and he was also suffering from a cold, so he was a bit irritable during our vacation. We made a trip to the doctor the day we left because we were worried he had an ear infection (nope – his ears looked great and we got the go-ahead to hop on a plane), and we also visited the clinic while we were in Whitefish because we again suspected he had an ear infection (nope – after waiting for almost 2 hours, Dr. Whitefish also said his ears looked great). I think we just need to accept that he’s got an intense personality, and when he’s teething or sick, he can be *pretty* grumpy. He’s sitting up on his own, but he eventually falls over so I need to stay near him or surround him with pillows. He rolls and rolls (rollin’ Nolan), and can scoot and creep his way across the floor to reach whatever catches his fancy. Beck wasn’t really mobile until 9 months, and he never really pushed the limits with getting into things, so we’ve got some serious re-babyproofing to do.

And, Whitefish – John and Tracey’s house is beautiful and in a perfect location. Beck got to follow Alyssa and Macy around, and play with the neighborhood kids without constant adult supervision. He got to go on the boat and the tube! He got to stay up late, ride the alpine slide, and the chair lift. He had an absolute blast. We didn’t do a great job of taking pictures while we were there, but we did take some and they’ll be posted soon. Without getting into the loooong story of our botched travels, let me just say that it probably wasn’t a good idea to fly stand-by with two kiddos. We had some terrible luck with a huge hail storm just prior to leaving Denver, which cancelled several flights, and then another storm near Minneapolis on our way home that filled up several flights that should have had many, many open seats. We’re planning another trip this winter, and we purchased tickets, so we’re excited to have the Whitefish winter experience sans stressful travel.

Beck moved from the “twosies” room to the early pre-school room today. He is growing up so quickly, and becoming more and more independent. He is potty-trained…something that happened without much fanfare. Accidents are rare. He often wakes up from his naps dry, and even wakes up dry in the morning most of the time (which I find impressive, because he usually sleeps for 10-11 hours at night). He’s happy and easygoing about 99% of the time. He occasionally throws a fit when we’re busy paying attention to Nolan, or trying to have an adult conversation. We were so impressed with how well he handled traveling and a changed routine when we were on vacation.

My mom is coming to hang out with us in a week. While she’s here, we (as in me, my mom, Beck and Nolan) are going to take a road trip to Big Timber, MT for the Dribnenki family reunion. It’s about a nine hour drive. I think I’m a little bit crazy for attempting it, but I’m (crossing my fingers) optimistic that it will go well.

That’s probably enough writing for now. Pictures to come (when Paul has a chance to post them – he’s been crazy busy lately).

2.5

Beck is two-and-a-half today! Here he is reliving his glory days in the bouncy seat.

The last six months have been an absolute blur, but I feel like we're finally getting into somewhat of a routine again. Beck has settled into his new school and seems to have accepted his new little brother (although last week, Paul asked Beck if he wanted a puppy - after giving Paul "dagger eyes" because there is no way in he** we could handle a puppy right now, I jokingly asked Beck if he wanted another baby brother or sister - Beck said "Yeah! Let's take Nolan back!"

As I've said, Beck has been going to a new "school." We decided to switch daycares for a variety of reasons...unfortunately the timing was such that he switched one week after Nolan was born. I think the poor kid was really thrown for a loop. Paul and I questioned whether we made the right choice, because Beck cried each time we dropped him off for almost two months. For the first couple of weeks, he would sit in the "cozy corner" amidst pillows and his blanket, and cry and whimper for an hour or so until he felt comfortable enough to join the rest of the class. Luckily that stage passed pretty quickly, and instead of crying when I drop him off, he now excitedly runs into the classroom. He immediately grew attached to one of his teachers - Miss Alyssa - and also really likes his other teacher - Miss Wendy. His best buddy seems to be Christian. I've observed some cute exchanges between them. This is from an email I sent to Paul on April 21: "Beck ran into daycare again this morning. Christian met him at the door. They were both wearing a long-sleeved shirt, with a t-shirt over it, and pants with pockets. Christian commented on Beck's shirt, and then they were showing each other their pockets by putting their hands in them. I took Beck to wash his hands and he looked back and said "Christian, I'm washing my hands." It's so fun to see him interact with other kids.

He looooooves to talk. He pronounces most words pretty well, but still mixes up some letters and calls some things by some funny names. My mom got him a toy cash register for one of his birthday/christmas gifts, which he calls his "oink machine." Bob the builder is "Bob the beedler." Need = "meed" as in "I meed help, mama." We play at a place called The Village, which is "The Billage." He likes to put cinnamon on his pancakes and waffles, and he calls the cinnamon "sprinkles."

He's not potty-trained, but he often pees in the potty. At home, he peers into the potty after he's done and tells us what shape the pee has formed. "Mama, it's an oval!" He loves to read books, and we often check out books from the library. He loves to tell me that we "meed to take these books backa the libarry." He's starting to show affection toward Nolan, and sometimes he'll cuddle up to me and say "I wuv you too, mama." He's still a picky eater, but he eats a lot more than he used to. So far today, he's had a waffle and a rice krispie bar (thanks to daddy) for breakfast, some crackers/pretzels for a snack, six dinosaur chicken nuggets, an orange, and half of a cookie for lunch. He'll usually eat two out of three good meals. He loves fruit, but I can't think of a single vegetable he'll eat. He won't eat meat, except chicken nuggets, hot dogs, and some sausage. He loves rice and beans, in many different forms.

He still has his occassional "terrible" moments, especially when he's sick, or not getting enough attention, but most of the time he's a sweet, funny, and very loveable 2.5 year old. I wuv you, Beck!

brothers

The top is Beck, the bottom is Nolan, both at three months old. Resemblance?

2 months

We had Nolan's 2 month check-up on Tuesday. He weighed 12.5 pounds and was 24 inches long - about the 75th percentile for both. He's perfectly healthy...but still challenging. We saw the physician's assistant, Debbie, and she asked us "so, it's easier the second time around, huh?" We both looked at her, wide-eyed, and almost screamed "no!" and proceeded to vent to her about how challenging it's been. She listened to our woes about how Nolan doesn't sleep unless he's in our bed or the swing, and how he hates the car and the car seat and the stroller, and so on and so forth, then she diagnosed him as "a little colicky" and said he'd be just fine. I don't really think there's such a thing as "a little colicky" and he doesn't cry for hours each day...he's just periodically fussy, and very sensitive. We have our good days and our bad days, but he's definitely improving. He smiles and coos all the time, which makes it much easier to deal with the fussiness.

Something that's made the past 2 months even more challenging is the fact that Beck's attendance at a new day care has brought 3 colds into our household. Paul, Beck and I have each had 3 colds since Nolan was born. So, we've basically been sick for 2 months straight. Beck gets it first, and passes it to Paul, and then I get it. Just when I've had my last cough or sniffle, Beck gets a new cold and we start the whole cycle over. No fun. The cold and flu season should be over soon, though, and hopefully we'll start being healthy for more than a day or 2 at a time.

I go back to work (Tuesdays and Thursdays) starting April 5. I'm pretty much in denial about it. I don't think I fit into my work clothes yet, and "absentminded" is a nice way of describing the state of my brain, so I'll be very proud of myself if I show up on my first day ready to be a lawyer and wearing something other than sweatpants.