This and That

This post is going to be all over the place so I'll just dive right in with the hodge podge of updates...

Sucker for a Good Tune

Rudy is still a sucker for a good tune.  He is cracking us up lately with his new moves that he's been coming up with... he gets his shoulders in the mix, does a little shimmy, throws in some arms...it's hysterical.  We literally laugh out loud several times a day when he gets groovin'

And his facial expressions are getting more and more complex (and priceless!).  It's funny to see mine or John's expressions come across his face... for example my "scrunch face."  John is often telling me to "stop making that scrunch face" or "what's that scrunch face for?"  And then I saw it.  Apparently I do make "that scrunch face" often.  

If only I could get a picture of him trying to roll his eyes.  

Poop City

I feel like I am up to my elbows with poop lately and, at times, I feel like our house just smells of poop!  Between Rudy's continued diarrhea and Avery's constant pooping, we probably go through 8-10 dirty diapers a day -- and that's a lot!  Not to mention, about half of those require outfit changes.  I put Avery in size 2 diapers as of last week, hoping that would help.  And it did.  Somewhat.  I don't think any diaper can handle what that girl puts out at times.  I basically bathe her with wipes on the really good ones.  I called the doctor's office about Rudy's nonstop diarrhea.  Since he had that stomach flu, they said to expect 7-10 days of diarrhea, but we are going on 2 1/2 weeks.  The doctor ordered a stool culture and some other tests that required me to collect his poop in little cups.  Once collected, I had to get it to the lap within 2-3 hours and luckily he filled his pants right before Gran's lunch hour so she was able to make the drop off for me.  The results came back negative for anything, which is great.  We think he may be getting more "regular" and the amount of juice he gets may be making his stools loose and it's time to start trying to work in more dairy again.  We'll see how it goes!

Skin Issues

Avery broke out with some awful looking baby acne, mixed with a little cradle cap, too.  Poor girl.  This dry weather doesn't help, either!  I only give her a bath about every third day to keep her skin from getting too dry and I apply Aquafor and hydrocortisone cream on her face/neck/chest for the acne and cradle cap.  Thankfully, it is all just about cleared up.  Hopefully it stays that way.  The doctor said it was a very common age to get it and being in the winter, it's not surprising that it seemed "worse"

Snacks

Rudy's newest favorite snacks are Baked Cheetos and Oreo cookies.  He gets so excited when we get them out for him, especially because I bought the individual sized bags and let him have the whole bag... he was thrilled.  I've since bought a regular bag and split it into snack-sized baggies so he still gets the feeling of his very own bag.  And of course, Oreo cookies...who doesn't love Oreo cookies??  Give him either and he will sit content in his high chair as happy as a clam.

Growth Spurts

We are pretty sure Rudy is going through a growth spurt or has recently had one.. which is odd considering all the diarrhea... but all of his sudden, his clothes don't fit quite right.  His pants are all a tad too short, his shirts that he always wore are creeping up his belly and things I never thought about climbing, he has dared to climb (and is able to!)...like on top our bed, the couches, the ledge around the fireplace, coffee tables, etc.  He's our little monkey these days!

Avery on the other hand just must gradually always be growing.  When Rudy was a baby it was very obvious when he was having a growth spurt because he would want to eat nonstop!  But Miss Avery has been on her same schedule (give or take a feeding or two) since about 2 weeks old.  But she absolutely is getting bigger.  Bigger diapers as I mentioned before and she has outgrown several outfits... some even 0-3 month size things don't fit anymore.  It's incredible.  But this is absolutely the way I'd prefer it.  I like our routine and I like being able to rely on it.  So fingers-crossed, she keeps this up!

Craft Time

FitClub has been doing Valentine's Day crafts with Rudy for a week or two now and I love seeing Rudy come home with his latest project.  He runs in holding it, so proud, to give to me.  Then we have to hang it on our bulletin board and at least once a day he wants me to hold him up to admire them.

All Clear

I had my 6-week checkup with the doctor and I am all clear to return to my normal activity.  Six weeks went by fast!  No more excuses of not being able to carry or lift heavy things and especially no more excuses for not working out...although I have no idea when I will find the time for it.. but I hope to figure it out!  I am 9 pounds away from pre-pregnancy with Avery weight and 17 pounds from pre-pregnancy Rudy weight.  Long way to go :(

Reflux

The reflux medicine for Avery seems to be helping quite a bit.  She is not nearly as nasally and I only suction her maybe once a day.  She has started spitting up more, which is odd now that she is on the meds, but maybe it is just coming out instead of going up her nasal passages?  Who knows..

At Home Barber Shop

Our handsome little boy got another hair cut.  We set him up in his high chair and this time we tried giving him a marker and some paper to color on.  It worked for about 15 seconds.  Then he just held the marker and cried.  Luckily, John is quick with the clippers and it only lasts about 3 minutes (Papa once suggested he join the fair sheep shirring contests).  We took the tray away and de-clothed him to start the hair clean-up and he found another surface to color on!

Activities

I have been trying to come up with things to do around the house or things outside of the house to keep us busy and occupied.  This winter weather can really get me down!  One thing that worked well to entertain the little man was giving him some Post-It notes to play with on the windows.  He loved it!  He thought it was hilarious and ran up and down the hall putting them on different windows, then would stand back and laugh.  I bought a multi-pack so we will be getting them out again some day.

We also took a trip to Barnes and Noble with Jenna, Nolan and Nora last week.  Starbucks for the moms, books and toys to run around and play with for the boys, and the girls slept soundly.  It was a nice little outing!  Of course, Rudy liked to climb up the stacks of books more than he wanted to read them..but at least he burned off some energy and was happy!

Markers and paper have given us some entertainment, too.  Thank God for "washable" ingredients!

And, of course, the mall is always a favorite hot spot with the carousel and train.

Rudy also stays busy working on the house, naturally.

And Avery?  She is working on getting stronger.  Rudy loves to lay on his stomach, looking right into her face whenever she is on the floor (and it's so sweet to see).  And just watching Rudy exhausts her, I think!  For whatever reason, Rudy also tries to sit on her when she is on the floor.  He acts like he's going to walk away, but then goes to sit down real quick.  I have to stay on guard whenever she is on the ground -- whether it's a flying toy (trying to place catch with her) or his backside -- little miss needs protected from her crazy, big brother (who loves her so much -- Avery always gets the best kisses)! 

Cars, Trains, and Trucks...and Barney

In case anyone wondered, Rudy is loving cars, trains, and trucks.  It is his go-to toy for sure these days. He rolls them on everything, sends them down the slides, shows them to Avery, etc.  He has even started to point them out to us when we are driving. 

And, as much as I thought I would never let him into our house, Barney is his favorite show right now.  He is so entertained by the constant songs and watching the other kids.  It's actually come in handy for John and I because if Rudy is being whiny -- like when we are trying to wash dishes or get dressed in the morning -- we can sing a favorite Barney tune and Rudy snaps out of it and starts dancing!

Sleeping Beauty

Avery is still our little Sleeping Beauty as we affectionately call her often.  While she is up and alert several times throughout the day, she sleeps so great and peacefully -- even through Rudy's screams and bangs.  I guess I shouldn't say "peacefully" allllll the time...the girl makes quite a bit of noise in her sleep, especially at night.  Needless to say, I wake up often thinking she is waking up, but it's just her making her noises.  

Patriots Cheerleader

Unfortunately, we won't be cheering on the Patriots this weekend, but that doesn't mean they don't still have the cutest little cheerleader!  

Chili Cook-off Winner!

Papa had a winning weekend a couple weekends ago.  He won first place in green chili on Saturday, followed by first place in red chili on Sunday.  Mom and Dad will be headed to Palm Springs, California this fall for the World Chili Cook-off!  We were lucky enough to be with him when he won on Sunday and Rudy was awfully proud!  

The cook-off on Saturday was in a mall and Papa used some of his earnings to buy Rudy the next size up of his favorite CP3's.  It was love at first sight.  Of course we had to take them out of the box right away and put them on, even though they were too big!  They are hiding in his closet for now -- it'll be exciting all over again when he can fit into them.

Just for Fun

I must say, I am thoroughly enjoying my time with my children :)

Coming Soon...

An incredible Valentine's Day photo shoot ...and trust me, it will be worth the wait

Our One-Month Old Baby Girl

Avery had her one-month wellness check last week and she did great.  

Stats:

Weight: 10 lbs, 13 oz (86 percentile)

Height: 22.5 inches (95 percentile)

My main concern was her stuffy-ness.  For the last couple weeks, she is constantly stuffy.  I suction her nose 3-4 times a day and am always able to get snot out.  I use saline drops, keep her propped day and night, burp her after every feeding, run a humidifier in the bedroom at night... anything and everything I know to do to get her cleared up.  I didn't take her to the doc earlier because it's not getting worse, she isn't dripping any snot out (I can just hear it up there), and she is still able to sleep just fine.  The doc suggested she may have some reflux issues.  I was surprised because I always thought of reflux as either spitting up or stomach pains, but she said the stuffy-ness could actually be the milk coming back up into her nasal passages, especially because I was doing so many helpful measures without anything seeming to get better or worse and her lungs/chest sounded clear, ears looked good, etc.  So she gave her a prescription for Zantac to see how that goes.  Hopefully it helps clear her up because she just sounds awful at times!

I also asked about what I should be doing for her "developmentally" because I feel like I am not doing anything.  Avery is such a good, content baby that we don't have to work hard to occupy her or keep her calm like we did with Rudy, so I worry that we aren't doing something on accident.  She reassured me that she was more than fine and that you "just do things differently with the second" -- she might have seen me fighting back tears when I was explaining the guilt I felt when Avery can be in her swing for hours while I entertain Rudy (in all fairness to myself, though, Avery is usually asleep so it's not like I would be doing anything different with her if it were just her and I here alone).  She just said to work on tummy-time and stimulate her when she is awake...which we do often.  

See... :)  Check out our strong girl!

And Rudy is always showing Avery his trains, cars, balls, etc... so I'd say she gets stimulated! 

We are seeing a new doctor because who we used to see retired at the end of the year.  I always liked our doctor, but I LOVE our new one!!  I am so happy with who we ended up with.  Dr. Phillips has been so great.  She listened to me ramble on, didn't make me feel rushed, answered all my questions thoroughly and acted as though I had legitimate concerns/good questions and not "oh they all ask this.." or "oh they'll be fine..." or "you just worry...".  Its hard to find good doctors and I'm soooo relieved this switch worked out in our favor!

Avery is getting bigger and bigger and more alert every day.  It's crazy how fast time flies.  She's so sweet... she's started talking to us in little "coo's" and smiles...melts my hears!

In Sickness and In Health

The stomach flu has made its way to our house...yuck!!

So after my last post, you are all probably thinking the sames thing... "What were you expecting??"

Rudy started with diarrhea on Friday and by Saturday night he was vomiting.  Unfortunately, he was spending the night with Ray and LeeAnn that night because I had come down with it late Saturday afternoon.  John was home, but he was going to have me and Avery to take care of and, at the time, we didn't think Rudy was sick and didn't want to risk getting him sick, too.  We decided to have John feed Avery with my pumped milk so I wouldn't get her sick and because I was so weak I could barely even pump.  It completely broke my heart to not be able to be there for Rudy when he was sick, but I would have been no help had he been here and John would have had his hands full!  It would have been a nightmare for him to have me and Rudy throwing up and taking care of Avery, too.

Who knows where it came from?  Could have been the Fit Club daycare, the mall, gym class...but we could have also brought it in from the cart at the grocery store... so I wouldn't change our actions because we can't avoid contact from the world... but we do need to get better about washing hands, toys, etc!

Grandma, Gran, and Papa all were sick, too.  Grandpa Ray, John, and Avery are holding out.  Its almost been a week since we all fell victim, so fingers-crossed they are in the clear!

But man, what a chore this has been.  John spent the better part of Sunday cleaning and disinfecting everything in sight.  We ran the washing machine nonstop -- every blanket, sheet, pillow case, etc.  I think he used an entire can of Lysol, too.  He's a keeper.

Rudy's diarrhea persisted for several days.  I called his doctor's office and they said that is what they are seeing with kids... vomiting for a day or two and lingering diarrhea for 7-10 days.  Yeaaaa... 7-10 days.  The worst day of it I was home by myself with both kids and I had to change Rudy's clothes 4 times and give him 4 baths, well 5 if you count before bed, in one day.  Poor kid.  Luckily, he has been "regular" for a couple days now so hopefully its all out of his system.

As odd as it sounds, though, I was glad to be home to take care of him.  I think the night I couldn't be there for him really put the whole sickness in perspective.  I would rather it be me than anyone else.  He needed me and I was so glad to be there for him.  But I'm happy we are all back to healthy again, and I'm praying we stay that way for a loooooong time!!

Out and About

We have had some excursions out of the house lately and we love it!  Everyone likes getting out and does really well.

I took Avery to my office to revise my maternity schedule since she came earlier than her due date (and to show her off, of course!).  There are 5 girls in my office on maternity leave right now.  Pretty incredible for an office of 60.  Three of us planned to go in on the same day and have lunch together afterwards.  It was nice catching up and getting out with my little lady. 

Baby Avery (Dec 14), Baby Kirn (Dec 12), Baby Lydia (Dec 23)

I also got brave and took both kids out to the mall...by myself!  Thanks to the double-stroller and a warmer-than-normal day, it was a giant success.  Avery slept almost the entire time and Rudy LOVES stroller rides, especially at the mall where he gets to snack on Auntie Anne's pretzels and lemonade.  I didn't have anything particular to get, so it was nice just strolling around. 

Rudy seems to have better days if he gets out at least for a little bit.  He sleeps better, plays better, and is just a happier-camper.

He missed Rufus while we were gone!

One for Rudy

One for Rufus

One for Rudy

And so on until the bag was gone... 

All while I was nursing Avery and defenseless against his sharing.  Oh well!  

I also took them both to visit Dada at work.  He was moved to the house right by ours for a shift so we loaded up and hung out for a bit.  

And Rudy made himself right at home!

I recently enrolled Rudy in a "gym" class at the YMCA with his friend, Jorja.  We had our first class last week and Rudy loved it!  There were also several other familiar faces of moms/babies so it was nice for me, too!

Rudy had a ball.  It's just a foam mat-lined floor room with all kinds of big play objects -- like a ball pit, roller coaster car ride, airplane, big foam blocks, a parachute, etc.  The kids just get to run around and play on whatever and interact however they choose.  We did all get together to do the parachute and the kids could jump under and they all loved it.  

I can't wait for warmer weather to be able to get outdoors, but in the meantime, we are doing our best to not be home-bodies!

Illinois State Museum

In an effort to get out of the house and do something different, we took the kids to the Illinois State Museum a couple weeks ago (yes, I'm running about a week or two behind on my updates -- but at least they are still coming!).  

Rudy had all kinds of fun! 

Double-point -- he meant business when he wanted Dada to look!

And Avery...well...she wouldn't have even known we were there

The basement of the Museum has a "Children's Play" area and Rudy was all over it.  

His favorite was the red car, of course.  

We had a nice little morning out as a family and I am looking forward to lots more times like these!