Merry Christmas from the Bartos Family.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Quick Pics
I am going to blog by Monday.....I promise. In the meantime, enjoy the pics!
 | |
| Alice's 3rd birthday party at school |
 |
| Alice being silly |
 |
| Ben and Cooper - 6 months old. (aka little John and little Colleen) |
 |
| Ben & Coop's teachers made these shirts for them on their last day in AL. so sweet |
 |
| ahhhhh, they sleep. |
Thursday, August 25, 2011
It's Bunny
Alice either can't say the "F" sound or refuses to try (my money is on the latter) so the letter F is always replaced with the letter B. Bish, Bamily, Bork, etc.
So this morning we were in the car on the way to school. She was belching, as usual (her new trick is making herself burp - such a classy kid) and after each one she would giggle, say "S'cuse me...You're welcome". I said, "Alice, it is not nice to burp so much." Her reply, "But it's BUNNY!"
So this morning we were in the car on the way to school. She was belching, as usual (her new trick is making herself burp - such a classy kid) and after each one she would giggle, say "S'cuse me...You're welcome". I said, "Alice, it is not nice to burp so much." Her reply, "But it's BUNNY!"
Monday, August 15, 2011
The Honest Truth
People always ask me now Alice is handling being a BIG Sister. There are many nice things to say about it but this picture shows the truth.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Changes... Part 2
One of the other changes to this blog - after the name change - is the subject matter. I will be writing primarily about the kids but I will also include things about other happenings with the Bartos Five. This will probably just be updates and the like so I will probably start writing again at the other blog to blow off steam.
Most of you know about our current situation but if you don't, here is a quick recap. After losing his job in February, John finally landed a new one. In Blacksburg, Virginia.
My head is spinning with all that is about to change. My heart is broken about leaving this town; it has become our home. I am trying really hard to stay optimistic about this but it is so hard. I have made some of the best friends of my life here. I love my house. I love my job. I love our daycare and they love my kids. I am happy here..................... On the other hand, the ideal of starting a new chapter in our lives is appealing to me. Blacksburg is the home of Virginia Tech; I love the idea of a college town. Virginia is significantly closer to my family - Kev, Steph & Nate are in DC (4 hr drive) and Syracuse is only an 8 hour drive. Alice is young enough to not be too affected by the move. I think she will adjust well. The boys will not know any different. I am somewhat confident that I will be able to find a job and even if I do not, our living expenses will be reduced so it may be possible for me to stay home with the boys for a few years while Alice goes to school/daycare. We will see.
And that is my problem... I hate living like this. There is so much going on and nothing is confirmed yet. There is so much left to do to make this happen and little things keep popping up that make us wonder if we are making the right decision. I am trying to remember that things happen for a reason and we would not be given anything we cannot handle but Come On! Can we please have just a couple of things fall in to place? puh-lease? OK, I should probably stop - I can see this post veering towards the negative fast (maybe I will continue on E&P).
So, WOW - Three posts in 2 days! I'm on a roll.
Most of you know about our current situation but if you don't, here is a quick recap. After losing his job in February, John finally landed a new one. In Blacksburg, Virginia.
My head is spinning with all that is about to change. My heart is broken about leaving this town; it has become our home. I am trying really hard to stay optimistic about this but it is so hard. I have made some of the best friends of my life here. I love my house. I love my job. I love our daycare and they love my kids. I am happy here..................... On the other hand, the ideal of starting a new chapter in our lives is appealing to me. Blacksburg is the home of Virginia Tech; I love the idea of a college town. Virginia is significantly closer to my family - Kev, Steph & Nate are in DC (4 hr drive) and Syracuse is only an 8 hour drive. Alice is young enough to not be too affected by the move. I think she will adjust well. The boys will not know any different. I am somewhat confident that I will be able to find a job and even if I do not, our living expenses will be reduced so it may be possible for me to stay home with the boys for a few years while Alice goes to school/daycare. We will see.
And that is my problem... I hate living like this. There is so much going on and nothing is confirmed yet. There is so much left to do to make this happen and little things keep popping up that make us wonder if we are making the right decision. I am trying to remember that things happen for a reason and we would not be given anything we cannot handle but Come On! Can we please have just a couple of things fall in to place? puh-lease? OK, I should probably stop - I can see this post veering towards the negative fast (maybe I will continue on E&P).
So, WOW - Three posts in 2 days! I'm on a roll.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes... Part 1
First things first.....enjoy the pictures and video.
The more and more I get behind on blogging, the more I seem to put it off. So, I will do a super quick glimpse into our lives these days as The Bartos Family Circus and then I will move on and try to start posting more regularly.
The Girl
Alice is great. She is starting to experience a little more jealousy towards the boys now that they are no longer sleeping 24/7. She is having a hard time sharing with them...sharing toys, sharing time, sharing Mom and Dad. It is interesting to watch her thought process and facial expressions when we are all doing something together. She will go from excited and happy to annoyed and whiny very quickly when she is not the focal point. I try really hard to keep her involved with doing things for the boys without taxing her too much but it really is exhausting. She is such a drama queen and I am not sure how much of it has to do with her brothers vs. being almost 3. She has started telling people that she is three. Well, her reply to the age question is: "I be 3 on my birthday". (side note: the "terrible twos" have simply not been that bad. I wonder if we have been lucky or if we have hyped it up so much that her behavior just does not seem nearly as bad as we were expecting.)
She shocks us everyday with her smarts. She can count without problem to eleven...and keeps going but every couple of numbers seem to be eleventeen. She can sing the alphabet song with a little help. If she sings it by herself, she has the tune but just mumbles through it. She is beginning to recognize numbers and letters and is very excited when she sees "Her Letter" (A) on signs and in books. The other day she was watching a cartoon about mail delivery and there was a bunch of zip codes and she read the numbers right off, correctly! So often lately, John and I are stunned by the things that come out of her mouth.
Her memory and imagination are growing exponentially. She tells me all the time about the trip we took to the beach in August of last year and tells me that she wants to go to the beach NOW! (don't I know it). I just love watching her imagination explode. She has been doing more and more role playing with her dolls and toys and she has been making up little stories and events. On the way home the other day, she told me there were alligators on the car and started yelling and waving her arms, "Get off the car you alligators!"
She has started becoming quite the actress when it comes to bedtime. She will go upstairs to get ready for bed fairly willingly but after her bath, pjs, and a story, the excuses and stalling starts. Rub my belly...I need some water...my < blank > hurts, kiss it...I want different music...the list is never ending. Sometimes she just sits in bed and yells MOMMY at the top of her lungs....I went back up one night when she was doing this, walked into her room and said "Alice, WHAT!" She grinned at me and said "i missed you". ARGH - she pushes me to insanity but then brings me right back with something like that. what a stinker.
We have been swimming every weekend. She likes it a lot but is still very nervous. We are working on kicking and paddling. She likes to try but her little body is so stiff and she freaks if you take your hands away from holding her firmly that it is hard to show her what she needs to do. She has a hard time remembering to keep her mouth closed and absolutely refuses to lean back to float or dip her head in the water. She gets a little better with each swim so at this rate she will be really good just as we close the pool.
The Boys
Wow, where to begin. They are such amazing little guys! They are starting to babble and squeal all the time. Ben is such a smiley guy. He has a hard time drinking his bottle when I feed him because he spends his time staring at me and grinning. Coop is not as smiley but he is a giggler. He grunts and giggles when we tickle him - which is as often as possible. They have both slept through the night all this week and have started eating one meal of rice at school.
Their 4 month check-up was on Tuesday. They are growing like weeds. Coop is 19lbs, 5ozs (105th percentile) and 27 inches (97th percentile) and
 |
| Ben's smile |
 |
| Coop's smile |
 |
| They are getting so big and long! |
 |
| Alice and John in the pool. She LOVES it but is still very nervous. |
 |
| The boys interact so very little - it is quite amusing |
 |
| My big boys at their 4 month check-up |
 | |
| Just cannot resist a naked butt. |
The more and more I get behind on blogging, the more I seem to put it off. So, I will do a super quick glimpse into our lives these days as The Bartos Family Circus and then I will move on and try to start posting more regularly.
The Girl
Alice is great. She is starting to experience a little more jealousy towards the boys now that they are no longer sleeping 24/7. She is having a hard time sharing with them...sharing toys, sharing time, sharing Mom and Dad. It is interesting to watch her thought process and facial expressions when we are all doing something together. She will go from excited and happy to annoyed and whiny very quickly when she is not the focal point. I try really hard to keep her involved with doing things for the boys without taxing her too much but it really is exhausting. She is such a drama queen and I am not sure how much of it has to do with her brothers vs. being almost 3. She has started telling people that she is three. Well, her reply to the age question is: "I be 3 on my birthday". (side note: the "terrible twos" have simply not been that bad. I wonder if we have been lucky or if we have hyped it up so much that her behavior just does not seem nearly as bad as we were expecting.)
She shocks us everyday with her smarts. She can count without problem to eleven...and keeps going but every couple of numbers seem to be eleventeen. She can sing the alphabet song with a little help. If she sings it by herself, she has the tune but just mumbles through it. She is beginning to recognize numbers and letters and is very excited when she sees "Her Letter" (A) on signs and in books. The other day she was watching a cartoon about mail delivery and there was a bunch of zip codes and she read the numbers right off, correctly! So often lately, John and I are stunned by the things that come out of her mouth.
Her memory and imagination are growing exponentially. She tells me all the time about the trip we took to the beach in August of last year and tells me that she wants to go to the beach NOW! (don't I know it). I just love watching her imagination explode. She has been doing more and more role playing with her dolls and toys and she has been making up little stories and events. On the way home the other day, she told me there were alligators on the car and started yelling and waving her arms, "Get off the car you alligators!"
She has started becoming quite the actress when it comes to bedtime. She will go upstairs to get ready for bed fairly willingly but after her bath, pjs, and a story, the excuses and stalling starts. Rub my belly...I need some water...my < blank > hurts, kiss it...I want different music...the list is never ending. Sometimes she just sits in bed and yells MOMMY at the top of her lungs....I went back up one night when she was doing this, walked into her room and said "Alice, WHAT!" She grinned at me and said "i missed you". ARGH - she pushes me to insanity but then brings me right back with something like that. what a stinker.
We have been swimming every weekend. She likes it a lot but is still very nervous. We are working on kicking and paddling. She likes to try but her little body is so stiff and she freaks if you take your hands away from holding her firmly that it is hard to show her what she needs to do. She has a hard time remembering to keep her mouth closed and absolutely refuses to lean back to float or dip her head in the water. She gets a little better with each swim so at this rate she will be really good just as we close the pool.
The Boys
Wow, where to begin. They are such amazing little guys! They are starting to babble and squeal all the time. Ben is such a smiley guy. He has a hard time drinking his bottle when I feed him because he spends his time staring at me and grinning. Coop is not as smiley but he is a giggler. He grunts and giggles when we tickle him - which is as often as possible. They have both slept through the night all this week and have started eating one meal of rice at school.
Their 4 month check-up was on Tuesday. They are growing like weeds. Coop is 19lbs, 5ozs (105th percentile) and 27 inches (97th percentile) and
Pictures from June and July
 |
| Tummy Time (Coop l, Ben r) |
 |
| Cooper has such a cute smile. |
 |
| Ben does too. |
 | |
| My nephew, Nate, and Alice |
Monday, June 13, 2011
New Website!
Muffin's Oven has moved...sort of. We now have our own website. Please update your bookmarks!
www.BartosFamilyCircus.com
The new site is actually directed to the old one so you can still access this site from the "muffinsoven" address but since some settings on the site have changed, I wanted to have the blog reflect the changes in our family. (Mom, don't try to understand what has happened, just save the bookmark) :)
www.BartosFamilyCircus.com
The new site is actually directed to the old one so you can still access this site from the "muffinsoven" address but since some settings on the site have changed, I wanted to have the blog reflect the changes in our family. (Mom, don't try to understand what has happened, just save the bookmark) :)
Photo/Video Montage
This is what our house sounded like for the first two months.
Alice loves performing but never cooperates when the camera is on.
Coop and Ben enjoying the activity mat.
 |
| A friend of mine told me this is how she fed her twins. I tried but it did not work for us. |
 |
| Alice telling Cooper that he was allowed to use her baby toy. |
 |
| Aunt Cindy with Alice, Ben, and Coop |
 |
| Ben and Coop - 6 1/2 weeks |
 |
| Ben and Coop - 6 1/2 weeks |
 |
| John and Tom doing a morning feeding. |
 |
| Alice enjoying the Bridge Street fountain. |
 |
| Cooper - 8 weeks |
 |
| Ben - 8 weeks |
 |
| Alice and her "moogit" (music) |
 |
| Ben - 9 1/2 weeks |
Post from 5/17/11
I wrote this post almost three weeks ago but forgot to post it… (original date 5/17/11)
I was admitted to the hospital for a scheduled cesarean section delivery on April 7th because my blood pressure was beginning to elevate. At that point, I was 36 weeks (measuring 43 weeks!) The surgery was routine and there were no complications. It was the most bizarre thing I have ever experienced and may blog about it at another time, just to have it documented. The only troublesome aspect of the surgery and initial recovery was a bad reaction I had to the pain meds. They made me ridiculously sick and zombie-like but once I realized what was going on, I get them changed and started to feel better.
Ben and Coop did great right from the start. They were only the slightest bit jaundice but recovered quickly. They had great first baths from Dad and settled into the nursery until I was moved from the OR recovery into my room. Alice waited patiently to meet her brothers and was very excited to finally see them. She was very sweet but was a little rough in the beginning. She wanted to pick them up like her dolls and was a little grabby but she relaxed about them rather quickly. She kept saying “don’t cry, it’s ok” while patting them on the head.
The boys and I came home on Sunday afternoon and began to settle into our routine. The boys were eating every 2-3 hours around the clock and sleeping constantly. For the first few days, Alice was acutely aware of their crying and got a little upset when they started. The first two nights were rough for her. Each time the boys cried, Alice would start crying too. I went in to see if she was ok and she would tell me, “My brothers are crying. They need me.” Awww, so sweet. She had very diva-like behavior for the first week or so – tantrums at dinner, throwing things, hitting us and her classmates, and being defiant in general. She was still good with the boys but was obviously having a hard time sharing me as well as dealing with the change in the house and the disruption to her sleep and play schedule. After about two weeks, she started to lighten up a lot. She tends to ignore the boys and goes about her day which is helpful to us. All in all, she has been very good aside a meltdown here and there; she has been a great little girl and a very helpful big sister.
My Mom was here for the first five weeks, and my sister-in-law, Cindy, is here for two weeks. They have allowed us to get larger chunks of sleep at night by taking the overnight feedings. Of course, this has not worked out quite as planned as the boys often want to eat at the same time. It takes about an hour to feed, change, rock each baby and ready them to go back to sleep or whatever…times two! Then we have about an hour to sleep/shower/grab something to eat/do a load of laundry/etc. before it starts over again. The amount of food they boys have been eating at each feeding is increasing but oddly enough, the length of time between feedings is not….maddening. I have no idea how we are going to do it once the last of our live-in help leaves!
Three weeks into our life as a family of five (and on my birthday), Huntsville was hit with major tornados. We lost power on Wednesday evening, just as Alice was singing Happy Birthday to me over cake. We proved to be exceedingly lucky as the damage was devastating and very close to our home (significant damage only 4-5 miles away from our house). We were without power for 5 days but thankfully, we have a gas hot water heater with a pilot light so we were able to make bottles for the boys, shower, and wash dishes. We made our meals on the grill and used flashlights and candles to get through the nighttime feedings. I am sure, by now, you all have heard about my realization that with no electricity I had no way to use my breast pump….and my adventures in the Lowe’s employee break room. This is definitely one birthday I will never forget!
The boys have been growing like little weeds. Coop has easily doubled his weight in the last six weeks - he is a meatball!! He is a great eater and an even better sleeper. He is an extraordinary vocal little guy - grunting ALL THE TIME. At first, we thought he was especially gassy but it seems as though he just likes to grunt. He sleeps with his arms over his head so he has earned the nickname 'Super Cooper'.
Ben, my little guy, is proving to be a little more needy. He seems to have a bit of reflux so he spits up a lot and needs to be upright for at least 30 minutes after he eats to help curb it. He wants to be held constantly and is very impatient. If he opens his eyes and you are not standing in front of him with a bottle, he screams like he has not eaten in days!
More to come…
I was admitted to the hospital for a scheduled cesarean section delivery on April 7th because my blood pressure was beginning to elevate. At that point, I was 36 weeks (measuring 43 weeks!) The surgery was routine and there were no complications. It was the most bizarre thing I have ever experienced and may blog about it at another time, just to have it documented. The only troublesome aspect of the surgery and initial recovery was a bad reaction I had to the pain meds. They made me ridiculously sick and zombie-like but once I realized what was going on, I get them changed and started to feel better.
Ben and Coop did great right from the start. They were only the slightest bit jaundice but recovered quickly. They had great first baths from Dad and settled into the nursery until I was moved from the OR recovery into my room. Alice waited patiently to meet her brothers and was very excited to finally see them. She was very sweet but was a little rough in the beginning. She wanted to pick them up like her dolls and was a little grabby but she relaxed about them rather quickly. She kept saying “don’t cry, it’s ok” while patting them on the head.
The boys and I came home on Sunday afternoon and began to settle into our routine. The boys were eating every 2-3 hours around the clock and sleeping constantly. For the first few days, Alice was acutely aware of their crying and got a little upset when they started. The first two nights were rough for her. Each time the boys cried, Alice would start crying too. I went in to see if she was ok and she would tell me, “My brothers are crying. They need me.” Awww, so sweet. She had very diva-like behavior for the first week or so – tantrums at dinner, throwing things, hitting us and her classmates, and being defiant in general. She was still good with the boys but was obviously having a hard time sharing me as well as dealing with the change in the house and the disruption to her sleep and play schedule. After about two weeks, she started to lighten up a lot. She tends to ignore the boys and goes about her day which is helpful to us. All in all, she has been very good aside a meltdown here and there; she has been a great little girl and a very helpful big sister.
My Mom was here for the first five weeks, and my sister-in-law, Cindy, is here for two weeks. They have allowed us to get larger chunks of sleep at night by taking the overnight feedings. Of course, this has not worked out quite as planned as the boys often want to eat at the same time. It takes about an hour to feed, change, rock each baby and ready them to go back to sleep or whatever…times two! Then we have about an hour to sleep/shower/grab something to eat/do a load of laundry/etc. before it starts over again. The amount of food they boys have been eating at each feeding is increasing but oddly enough, the length of time between feedings is not….maddening. I have no idea how we are going to do it once the last of our live-in help leaves!
Three weeks into our life as a family of five (and on my birthday), Huntsville was hit with major tornados. We lost power on Wednesday evening, just as Alice was singing Happy Birthday to me over cake. We proved to be exceedingly lucky as the damage was devastating and very close to our home (significant damage only 4-5 miles away from our house). We were without power for 5 days but thankfully, we have a gas hot water heater with a pilot light so we were able to make bottles for the boys, shower, and wash dishes. We made our meals on the grill and used flashlights and candles to get through the nighttime feedings. I am sure, by now, you all have heard about my realization that with no electricity I had no way to use my breast pump….and my adventures in the Lowe’s employee break room. This is definitely one birthday I will never forget!
The boys have been growing like little weeds. Coop has easily doubled his weight in the last six weeks - he is a meatball!! He is a great eater and an even better sleeper. He is an extraordinary vocal little guy - grunting ALL THE TIME. At first, we thought he was especially gassy but it seems as though he just likes to grunt. He sleeps with his arms over his head so he has earned the nickname 'Super Cooper'.
Ben, my little guy, is proving to be a little more needy. He seems to have a bit of reflux so he spits up a lot and needs to be upright for at least 30 minutes after he eats to help curb it. He wants to be held constantly and is very impatient. If he opens his eyes and you are not standing in front of him with a bottle, he screams like he has not eaten in days!
More to come…
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Hello boys!
Since I am clearly having trouble getting a free minute to blog about the last 6 weeks, I thought you would enjoy this short video of the boys. Enjoy their cuteness!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Introducing Benjamin Robert & Cooper Thomas
On April 7, 2011, Benjamin Robert and Cooper Thomas were welcomed to the world.
Ben weighed 5 pounds, 3 ounces and was 18.5 inches long
Coop weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces and was 19 inces long
We will not say who was born first because I am determined not to ever hear sibling taunting about who is older or who is the middle child. It was a photo finish and I didn't see the picture. :)
<>
Ben weighed 5 pounds, 3 ounces and was 18.5 inches long
Coop weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces and was 19 inces long
We will not say who was born first because I am determined not to ever hear sibling taunting about who is older or who is the middle child. It was a photo finish and I didn't see the picture. :)
 |
| Introducing Benjamin & Cooper |
 |
| Alice meets her little brothers |
 |
| Happy GaGa |
 |
| Proud Papa |
Monday, March 28, 2011
Happy Face
As she starts to fully embrace being TWO, Alice obliges our simple requests less and less these days. For example, she used to LOVE getting her picture taken and would consistently pause and give a big grin when we said "Say Cheese". Now she looks at the camera and turns her back but then wants to look at the blurry pictures on the screen. Last night at dinnershe gave us a big grin and told us it was her "Happy Face". Hope that means we will be able to ask for that from time to time and she will oblige.
Alice is also getting more and more independent. Twice yesterday she told me that she had to go potty. She got up, looked at me and said "I be right back, you stay here". Of course I followed her to the bathroom to help her and she got upset with me and insisted that I leave the room. She has completely filled her potty chart with stickers (successes) and has stopped asking for stickers when she goes so I don't think I am going to make another chart.
We took her crib down this weekend and she was very excited about the changes to her bedroom. We took the rocker out and put it in the boys' room and also moved all of her stuffed animals up from the playroom to make room for the diaper changing station in the playroom. She occasionally asks for a pacifier but when we remind her that they are all gone because she is a big girl, she moves on rather quickly.
Alice's new class has been a major hit! Every morning, she runs to the class and is so excited about all of the new stuff to do. It is very different and the kids have a lot of new responsibility and do a lot of solo work. In the morning, the kids are allowed to choose what they want to do for their afternoon 'free' time and then are expected to follow through with that choice. Every Friday the class has show and tell. I know she is way too young to really understand this but I am so excited about it for her. Last week was something starting with the letter A. A friend of mine whipped up a super adorable apron with the letter A on it. Alice seemed less than impressed but her teachers told me that she put it on and paraded it around circle time. Wish I could have seen that! This week the class is talking about the weather so we will have to think about something for Friday's SnT. I am so thrilled that she is so happy in her new class. It is so funny to her her huge BYE in the morning - sort of like what I expect to hear when she is a teenager. :)
Much to my delight, Alice has been singing to me a lot lately. This morning on the way to school, I got a verse of Rain, rain go away and a triple verse of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (or as she sings it...Winkle Winkle Little Store). I just can't get over how stinking cute she is!
I finally feel like the house is ready for the boys to arrive. Their room is done - except for one final decoration that I need to complete. The new den has been furnished with the big things - pack and plays, swings, bouncy seats. I washed and put together all of the bottles, warmers, and other feeding stuff and set up a station on the kitchen counter. There are still a couple of things here and there that need to be done but I think we are ready.
And speaking of being ready...I am SO ready....I think. I am having such mixed feelings about all of this. I am really tired of being pregnant, tired of wearing the same 4 outfits (because not even the new maternity shirt I treated myself to last week fits over my enormous belly), tired of having to pee every 20 minutes, tired of being exhausted and not being able to really play with Alice. Having said all of that....I find myself feeling very conflicted. As tired as I am of being pregnant and as much as I want it to be over, I am sad that I will never be pregnant again and will never again have the opportunity to go through this amazing experience. The other, and at the moment, much larger concern is one of actually caring for TWO newborns! Am I really ready for that? In theory, I suppose.
Alice is also getting more and more independent. Twice yesterday she told me that she had to go potty. She got up, looked at me and said "I be right back, you stay here". Of course I followed her to the bathroom to help her and she got upset with me and insisted that I leave the room. She has completely filled her potty chart with stickers (successes) and has stopped asking for stickers when she goes so I don't think I am going to make another chart.
We took her crib down this weekend and she was very excited about the changes to her bedroom. We took the rocker out and put it in the boys' room and also moved all of her stuffed animals up from the playroom to make room for the diaper changing station in the playroom. She occasionally asks for a pacifier but when we remind her that they are all gone because she is a big girl, she moves on rather quickly.
Alice's new class has been a major hit! Every morning, she runs to the class and is so excited about all of the new stuff to do. It is very different and the kids have a lot of new responsibility and do a lot of solo work. In the morning, the kids are allowed to choose what they want to do for their afternoon 'free' time and then are expected to follow through with that choice. Every Friday the class has show and tell. I know she is way too young to really understand this but I am so excited about it for her. Last week was something starting with the letter A. A friend of mine whipped up a super adorable apron with the letter A on it. Alice seemed less than impressed but her teachers told me that she put it on and paraded it around circle time. Wish I could have seen that! This week the class is talking about the weather so we will have to think about something for Friday's SnT. I am so thrilled that she is so happy in her new class. It is so funny to her her huge BYE in the morning - sort of like what I expect to hear when she is a teenager. :)
Much to my delight, Alice has been singing to me a lot lately. This morning on the way to school, I got a verse of Rain, rain go away and a triple verse of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (or as she sings it...Winkle Winkle Little Store). I just can't get over how stinking cute she is!
I finally feel like the house is ready for the boys to arrive. Their room is done - except for one final decoration that I need to complete. The new den has been furnished with the big things - pack and plays, swings, bouncy seats. I washed and put together all of the bottles, warmers, and other feeding stuff and set up a station on the kitchen counter. There are still a couple of things here and there that need to be done but I think we are ready.
And speaking of being ready...I am SO ready....I think. I am having such mixed feelings about all of this. I am really tired of being pregnant, tired of wearing the same 4 outfits (because not even the new maternity shirt I treated myself to last week fits over my enormous belly), tired of having to pee every 20 minutes, tired of being exhausted and not being able to really play with Alice. Having said all of that....I find myself feeling very conflicted. As tired as I am of being pregnant and as much as I want it to be over, I am sad that I will never be pregnant again and will never again have the opportunity to go through this amazing experience. The other, and at the moment, much larger concern is one of actually caring for TWO newborns! Am I really ready for that? In theory, I suppose.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Big Girl Bed
I mentioned in my last post that John and I were going to relax a bit on forcing Alice to stay in her bed and only enforce her staying in her room. Turns out we didn't even really need to do that. Last night, we did the typical routine. Dinner, Dora, bath, jammies, and stories. She sat on her bed while I sat on the floor next to her reading. She insisted on two books which I was more than happy to read as long as she was in the bed. As I read, she moved closer and closer to the edge of the bed but she followed my request to say in bed. I gave her a good night kiss and hug and told her again to say in bed or she would have to sleep in her crib. Then I left her room, closed the door over and sat down in the hallway - waiting for the inevitable peek of her little face through the crack in the door. I ended up sitting in the hallway for about an hour then went downstairs and listened on monitor for another 30 minutes - she did not get off the bed one single time! I was very surprised and very proud of her. She talked and sang to herself but finally drifted off about 8:30. John and I had to try really hard not to go look in on her but finally did an hour or so later. This is what we found. She was upside down but in bed and cuddled up with her puppy "boo". Ah, what a kid!!
Monday, March 21, 2011
In like a Lion, out like a Lamb....we hope!
March has been a really busy, hectic, stressful month but we have had a lot of fun and a few big changes too. John has been flying all over the country for job interviews and while nothing has really come to fruition yet, we are hoping for a couple of options that will allow us to stay in Huntsville. I have been going to the OB every Friday since the beginning of February. Every week I have been getting the "medical" thumbs up and have been able to see our little guys almost every week. As of this past Friday, Baby A is weighing in at 5 lbs, 3 ozs and Baby B is 4 lbs, 14 ozs. They are right on target for 34 weeks and things are looking good for me to stay working as long as I hope to (going to the office until April 1 and then working from home until the delivery). I finally managed to pin the doc down a little bit on a possible scheduling of their arrival. Since both boys are transverse (sideways), I will definitely have to have a c-section. I am not totally thrilled with that but the idea of scheduling it is over-riding my fear. So, the HOPE is that the surgery will be scheduled for April 11th or 12th. We would like for it to happen in the beginning of the week so Alice's schedule will not be disrupted too much. She will go to school during the day so there will be less time for her to wonder where Mommy is, plus, by the time the weekend comes, I should be home from the hospital. I know what is said about best laid plans but....I have to do something or I will go insane.
I wrote a few weeks ago about Alice wanting a mustache....well, I told my brother, Kevin, the story and a few days later Alice got some mail from Uncle Kevin and Cousin Nate. It was a real-human hair mustache. I, honestly, cannot say that I was the slightest bit surprised (if you know Kevin, I am sure you are not either. :) And yes, Kevin, sooner or later, you will get your pic of Alice in her mustache.) Anyway, while at the costume store, Nate spotted a blond beard that he just HAD to have. You see, this kid goes a little leprechaun crazy every March. This year he decided to dress up as a leprechaun and the beard was to be the perfect complement to his costume! (I, personally, think the missing teeth make the whole thing.) This kid is such a hoot!
A couple of weekends ago, Alice (and John and I) was invited to her classmate, Allison's, 2nd birthday party. The girls had lots of fun stalking a kitty cat and playing in the backyard. It was so great to be able to meet and get to know some new adult friends and to watch all the kids play. Alice had a couple mini-meltdowns when it came time to eat because she could not have cake first but was a pretty good girl for most of the day.
John and I decided it was time to put the boys' carseats into my car. Have to say that I had a mini-meltdown when I saw them all in. Seeing THREE little kiddie seats and coming to terms with the desperate need for a mini-van was just a little overwhelming. Thank goodness my belly will not be quite so large once the actual seats need to be in place or else I would not be able to fit behind the steering wheel!
This picture just cracks me up. John and I call this hairstyle "The Donald" (as in Donald Trump). Alice's hair is still so baby fine and curly but when she wakes up, the back looks like dreadlocks. In order to be able to run a comb through it, I have to soak it with detangler. This is what it looks like before it completely dries and the curls bounce back.
My girlfriends threw me a baby shower this past weekend. I had a great time and was shown, once again, how lucky I am to have such awesomely fantastic friends! They really went all out with the party and were kind enough to allow a lot of the focus to be on Alice - this was her "Big Girl" party. They even made up a basket of gifts just for her! She loved it, I loved it - it was just a great day!
And if all of this excitement was not enough... This weekend was the start to a lot of Big Girl changes for Alice. Today is her first day in her new class at school. She moves from Early Preschool (EP) to Preschool (P) which means being with some older kids (this class is age 2.5 to 4.5) and most importantly, she will get to play on the "big" playground! So this morning, she went in to her EP class for breakfast and then went to P for the rest of the morning and lunch. I just stopped by the school to see how she did and was told everything went great. She went to P willingly, ate a great lunch, used the potty, LOVED the playground, and then went willingly back to EP for nap. She will spend the rest of the day in EP. Tomorrow morning I will take her to EP and she will go to P around 9 and stay until after nap (or the rest of the day if she wants). Then on Wednesday, she will go to P in the morning and that is that!
John and I took full advantage of the school changes and big girl party this weekend to implement a few changes of our own around the house. We decided it was time to get rid of the pacifier and introduce the toddler bed. We were pretty firm in our decision about the pacy but were iffy about the toddler bed for a couple of reasons. She always has been very content to be in her crib and has not once tried to climb out. We also had to take into account that we will appreciate the fact that she is confined to the crib and is not able to be up and wandering around the upstairs - especially as we are trying to take care of the boys. We decided to set the bed up but tell her that she didn't have to sleep in it if she didn't want to. We really thought she would not be interested....boy, were we wrong!!! I made the bed up on Saturday morning while she and John were at the park and we showed it to her when they got home. She went crazy - she was SO excited about her big girl bed! Now, she has yet to actually SLEEP in her big girl bed. We tried nap time and bed time both Saturday and last night but she kept getting out and running around. At first she was really playing us. We would hear her up, start up the stairs to her room, only to hear her run back to the bed and jump in. We would go in and she would say something like "I just getting book, Mommy". After a few of those, she got a little more daring and would peek out the door or just open the door and run into our room. We gave her a number of tries but each sleep time ended with a very unhappy Alice in her crib. Tonight we are going to scale back a bit on forcing her to stay in bed and just enforce her staying in her room. We think that she needs a little time to explore and have fun with her new freedom...and if she falls asleep on the floor across the room, so be it.
Getting rid of the pacifier was the thing I was dreading. I envisioned it being a huge battle with lots of tears but she surprised us! Here and there, while John and I were telling her all about the new big girl things that were happening, we would slip into conversation that big girls don't use pacys anymore. She never once acknowledged or questioned what we were saying so we were stunned Friday night when she did not ask for a pacy. We thought it was a fluke but decided to run with it. Saturday morning she asked for one and we told her that they were all gone because she was a big girl and didn't need to use one anymore. She whimpered a bit and asked for it a few more times but that was pretty much it. I have hidden them for now (just in case) but plan on throwing them away in a day or so. I think all the excitement about the bed has distracted her from the need for her other bedtime comfort. Oh, the tricks we play on our kids.
All of this "growing up" is proving to be really good for Alice - at least in the very short time we have been dealing with it. I can't help but get myself a little emotional about it though....my baby girl, isn't a baby girl anymore! sniff, sniff
She did the sweetest thing this weekend. She and I were playing with her baby dolls (she has a set of twins) and I was telling her all about the things that she was going to be able to do to help me with her brothers. I told her that the babies would probably cry a lot and she could say shhhh to them and tell them not to cry. She took the dolls, and put them both face down on pillows, covered them with a blanket and knelt down next to them and said "Shh, don't cry Ben. Shh, don't cry Cooper." Just about melted my heart!
Oh, and one funny/cute thing. She is doing so well with the potty training and needs less and less distraction (reading books and singing songs) to go. She has, however, decided that she now needs to help me when I use the bathroom. As soon as I sit down, she starts singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star to me and continues until I am finished. I think being serenaded while on the toilet is a decent trade off for not having any privacy. What do you think?
So, to tie back into the title of this blog post....here's hoping that since March started off and has continued to be busy and hectic, that it will end quietly and calmly with the right job offer for John and two little boys who stay in my belly until, at least, the first of April.
I wrote a few weeks ago about Alice wanting a mustache....well, I told my brother, Kevin, the story and a few days later Alice got some mail from Uncle Kevin and Cousin Nate. It was a real-human hair mustache. I, honestly, cannot say that I was the slightest bit surprised (if you know Kevin, I am sure you are not either. :) And yes, Kevin, sooner or later, you will get your pic of Alice in her mustache.) Anyway, while at the costume store, Nate spotted a blond beard that he just HAD to have. You see, this kid goes a little leprechaun crazy every March. This year he decided to dress up as a leprechaun and the beard was to be the perfect complement to his costume! (I, personally, think the missing teeth make the whole thing.) This kid is such a hoot!
 | ||
| Nate the Leprechaun. |
 |
| Allison and Alice stalking the Kitty |
 |
| Allison and Alice finally score some kitty-love |
 |
| Can someone say MINI-VAN?? |
 |
| "The Donald" |
 |
| It's official - Here are their names! Ben and Coop |
And if all of this excitement was not enough... This weekend was the start to a lot of Big Girl changes for Alice. Today is her first day in her new class at school. She moves from Early Preschool (EP) to Preschool (P) which means being with some older kids (this class is age 2.5 to 4.5) and most importantly, she will get to play on the "big" playground! So this morning, she went in to her EP class for breakfast and then went to P for the rest of the morning and lunch. I just stopped by the school to see how she did and was told everything went great. She went to P willingly, ate a great lunch, used the potty, LOVED the playground, and then went willingly back to EP for nap. She will spend the rest of the day in EP. Tomorrow morning I will take her to EP and she will go to P around 9 and stay until after nap (or the rest of the day if she wants). Then on Wednesday, she will go to P in the morning and that is that!
John and I took full advantage of the school changes and big girl party this weekend to implement a few changes of our own around the house. We decided it was time to get rid of the pacifier and introduce the toddler bed. We were pretty firm in our decision about the pacy but were iffy about the toddler bed for a couple of reasons. She always has been very content to be in her crib and has not once tried to climb out. We also had to take into account that we will appreciate the fact that she is confined to the crib and is not able to be up and wandering around the upstairs - especially as we are trying to take care of the boys. We decided to set the bed up but tell her that she didn't have to sleep in it if she didn't want to. We really thought she would not be interested....boy, were we wrong!!! I made the bed up on Saturday morning while she and John were at the park and we showed it to her when they got home. She went crazy - she was SO excited about her big girl bed! Now, she has yet to actually SLEEP in her big girl bed. We tried nap time and bed time both Saturday and last night but she kept getting out and running around. At first she was really playing us. We would hear her up, start up the stairs to her room, only to hear her run back to the bed and jump in. We would go in and she would say something like "I just getting book, Mommy". After a few of those, she got a little more daring and would peek out the door or just open the door and run into our room. We gave her a number of tries but each sleep time ended with a very unhappy Alice in her crib. Tonight we are going to scale back a bit on forcing her to stay in bed and just enforce her staying in her room. We think that she needs a little time to explore and have fun with her new freedom...and if she falls asleep on the floor across the room, so be it.
Getting rid of the pacifier was the thing I was dreading. I envisioned it being a huge battle with lots of tears but she surprised us! Here and there, while John and I were telling her all about the new big girl things that were happening, we would slip into conversation that big girls don't use pacys anymore. She never once acknowledged or questioned what we were saying so we were stunned Friday night when she did not ask for a pacy. We thought it was a fluke but decided to run with it. Saturday morning she asked for one and we told her that they were all gone because she was a big girl and didn't need to use one anymore. She whimpered a bit and asked for it a few more times but that was pretty much it. I have hidden them for now (just in case) but plan on throwing them away in a day or so. I think all the excitement about the bed has distracted her from the need for her other bedtime comfort. Oh, the tricks we play on our kids.
All of this "growing up" is proving to be really good for Alice - at least in the very short time we have been dealing with it. I can't help but get myself a little emotional about it though....my baby girl, isn't a baby girl anymore! sniff, sniff
She did the sweetest thing this weekend. She and I were playing with her baby dolls (she has a set of twins) and I was telling her all about the things that she was going to be able to do to help me with her brothers. I told her that the babies would probably cry a lot and she could say shhhh to them and tell them not to cry. She took the dolls, and put them both face down on pillows, covered them with a blanket and knelt down next to them and said "Shh, don't cry Ben. Shh, don't cry Cooper." Just about melted my heart!
Oh, and one funny/cute thing. She is doing so well with the potty training and needs less and less distraction (reading books and singing songs) to go. She has, however, decided that she now needs to help me when I use the bathroom. As soon as I sit down, she starts singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star to me and continues until I am finished. I think being serenaded while on the toilet is a decent trade off for not having any privacy. What do you think?
So, to tie back into the title of this blog post....here's hoping that since March started off and has continued to be busy and hectic, that it will end quietly and calmly with the right job offer for John and two little boys who stay in my belly until, at least, the first of April.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)