"I Lost Our Son"

Aug 5-11, 2013

Caleb loves shoes and wearing mom and dad's shoes. We bought him new shoes since his were definitely too small. (We tried going to the pool but it was closed due to thunder and lightning so we stopped at the store while we were out.) He was so excited that he started running around the store in them. As I kept looking at other shoes while holding Leila, Allen shouted, "Nikki, I lost our son!"  It's not that big of a store but it was packed since it is back-to-school tax-free weekend. A lady turned to me and said, "I saw the caution wet floor sign moving at the front of the store, I think he's carrying it." Meanwhile a little girl said to Allen, "Sir, is he wearing orange? He's at the front of the store."

The new kicks

Leila rolls over from front to back throughout the night and then is awake and can't fall back to sleep. About half the time she's poopy too so I go check on her and change her and nurse her if she needs it. She slept fairly well the end of last week and beginning of this week and then she tried rice cereal. 

Ate rice cereal for the first time and really liked it. Unfortunately her digestive tract didn't. Gas, tummy pains, not sleeping well and having really thick big baby poop (not quite to big girl poop). 

Speaking of poop, Caleb tried pooping in the toilet on Saturday. We're probably not anywhere close to being ready to potty train but we give him chances to sit on the toilet every day and flush. Most days he doesn't sit on it but enjoys flushing it a lot... A little too much. 

Caleb loves a baby signing app on my iPod and will use it to show us what words he means when we don't understand what he's trying to communicate. He generally does a great job of getting his point across. Actions, words, gestures, and acting things out. 

A grunt "ugh" can signify need to poop, need help fixing something, this is heavy  and I need help lifting it, pretending to try do anything that he wants help with. 

Caleb genuinely loves Leila now and has for the last month. Before there was liking and tolerating her but now he loves her and is a great big brother. 

He brings her toys to play with, even shares his own. Reads to her and tries to make sure she understands. Calms her when she is crying. I was trying to let her cry herself to sleep for a nap because she was so tired and wouldn't sleep. Caleb ran to her room, opened her door and was holding her hand through the crib slats and kept saying hi. He was also sucking on her binky. We are weaning this week except for nap and night time. Although Friday night Allen forgot to give it to him and he didn't even ask for it! 

He loves wrestling with Dad.

Leila laughs at him and loves to watch him. She smiles whenever she sees him. She loves to grab her feet, especially her right foot. Enjoys baths and relaxes/kicks her feet as long as she isn't being splashed and mauled. 

She's been sick since Thursday and starting Saturday has had a hard time breathing with the congestion and it makes sleeping difficult. Caleb and I have it too. Caleb's cough sounds like a 60 year-old smoker. 

 Allen had a physical and the doctor's first comment was, "You don't look 29!" He gets that a lot. Now I'm paranoid that I'm going to look like I'm his mom in a few years. Everyone will think he's in his twenties while I'm in my forties. 

Caleb loved nursery again!

Other things that happened this week:
Leila is up to 11 lb 3 oz.
The sister missionaries came over to practice teaching one morning.
I went to Activity Days and did Minute to Win It with the girls.
Allen had an activity/party/shindig with some people from his office one night at Top Shot, a golf/driving range/game place.
I taught sharing time and went to ward council.

Swimming, More Swimming and Train (the band, not the toy)

July 29-Aug 4, 2013

Monday we met Luke and Cathryn at the pool. Leila started doing better eating and sleeping so I think the dairy is getting out of my system.

Monday night she slept in her car seat and she actually slept for a four hour stretch! She hadn't gone longer than an hour without waking day or night for the past three days.

Excited hands for the underwear party

Monday evening was an underwear party at our house. When we left the pool, I took off the kids' swimsuits and just put on diapers, put them in the stroller and walked home. Allen was going to be home soon and I wanted to start dinner so I just threw on some underwear and a shirt and started cooking dinner. Allen walked in to see us all in our underwear and when he came out from getting changed, he had thrown on a pair of white underwear to match the rest of us! Hahaha! We unintentionally put on a show for our neighbors but we all had a good laugh.

Tuesday we went grocery shopping and played at the Parkers' house for a little while. 

Wednesday marked the end of Caleb sleeping in til 6:30... We're back to 5:30 am wakeups because he wants to see daddy in the morning.  We tried to get safety and emissions done to register the van but there was a long wait so we gave up and went to Sonic on the way home for a lemonberry slush. 

Thursday went to the Sawmill pool with Parkers. 

Friday morning we had a couple of new friends over: Tara and Justi, who both just moved into the neighborhood and ward.

Friday afternoon went swimming and Terrie Falconer held Leila so I just got to play with Caleb! That evening we got both kids in bed and went to a Train concert. We missed the first opener, Gavin Degraw but got there in time for The Script. Train was awesome!

If you go to a Train concert, dress up like a mermaid to go onstage.

Saturday Allen played basketball, we cleaned, went to the post office and SAMs club, napped, I worked on sharing time, we cleaned (Allen mostly while I played with kids and made pizza). We ate an early dinner and then Al watched the kids while I mowed and then he did the weed whacking. Then it was bedtime for kids, we showered and watched a movie. 

Sunday Caleb slept in but had a rough nap. Dad left about half an hour before it and he was sad and then cried himself to sleep. Then he woke up crying forty-five minutes later. I brought him down to eat and then Allen went up to take a nap with him. They both slept for almost an hour and a half! 

Caleb went to nursery no problem, stayed the whole time with no tears and was excited when we got him! Allen played the organ and Caleb behaved pretty well this time. I taught the primary sharing time about choosing to be married in the temple to have an eternal family. The kids were riveted as I told the story of how Allen and I met and started dating and why we chose to be married in the temple. There wasn't as much participation as I usually like to have because I talked so much but I thought it went well. 

Caleb has become quite the imitator. He likes to help. He mistakes words like "wash" for "watch" and  when I asked if he wanted a smoothie, he got excited because he thought we were going to watch a  movie. The kid has TV on the brain. He loves Thomas and playing with his trains.

This kid has got it all: batman pajamas, a monster hooded towel and a train table!

Four Months Old and Train Table

July 22-28, 2013

We got back from Utah at 2 am Sunday morning and spent the day recovering and at church. 

Monday was spent playing, grocery shopping, unpacking and making our yard look like our home had not been abandoned (pulled weeds, clipped tree shoots, mowed and removed mushrooms). We also had Luke and Cathryn come play, which was a definite highlight. 

He helps me throw weeds and branches away when we're done working in the yard.

Tuesday morning was Leila's four month checkup, which was somewhat discouraging. Although she has reached the milestones for her age and is the 55th percentile for length and 89th percentile in head circumference, she is 0th percentile in weight. I was shocked! I thought she was starting to chunk up nicely... Getting some bigger rolls on her thighs and arms. 

We have an appointment to meet with a pediatric GI specialist on August 4, so between now and then we will try to make sure she eats well night and day, foregoing outings to make sure she has as little distractions as possible while eating and let her nurse as long as she wants to each time. 

His first ride on the merry-go-round. He loved watching it go around and around and was so excited to get on. Once he got on, he was a little scared.

While waiting to get on the merry-go-round, he tried to climb up onto multiple chairs to eat other peoples' food, but mostly to drink their drinks.

Discovering herself 

Caleb's early birthday present. He loves the train table already!

Caleb was great throughout the appointment and only fussed/cried and tried to protect Leila when the lady with the shots came. He has been a lot more loving towards and aware of Leila since we got back. Tuesday he tried prying her hand open to give her her binky. He also offers her his food all of the time, Cheetos, Cheerios, milk. 

The rest of Tuesday we played in the sprinklers on the tramp, moved sprinklers around to water the yard, and played with toys we've missed while we were gone. 

We went to the park Wednesday morning for the first time in a long time.

Caleb loves pointing to the letters he knows, it takes a while to get to and from the park.

Wednesday Caleb tried helping her put lotion on her hand,

he let her wear his beads (this is a big deal),

Here are the blue beads.

Here are the red beads.

he wanted to hold her hand as he jumped on the tramp and ran around it. She smiled and laughed as she watched him jump on the trampoline. It was adorable!

Leila loves playing with toys now. Grabbing, chewing, sucking on everything within reach. She also found her feet and likes to grab them. 

A downside to driving from Utah is that Caleb asks of we are going to see mi and baba every time we get in the van.

Saturday evening there was an end of season soccer party for Allen’s soccer team.