-We removed the bassinet part of the pack-n-play.
-The kids started sleeping in separate beds. We haven't broken down and bought another crib yet. I'm still hoping to "borrow" one from Marianne. So for now, we are using th pack-n-play. Tom is dragging it upstairs every night and downstairs every morning. All I can say, is it's a good thing we started when we did. When Jake wakes up now, he kind of does this roll into a sit -- in his sleep. It's hilarious. They are sleeping at least a little better in their own beds. Jake is still waking up, but I am trying to let him cry a little more and work it out by himself cause it doesn't bother Sophie now that they are separate.
-Tom put together the exer-saucer.
-We opened bank accounts for the kids today. We have already started their college funds (529 plans), but we figured might as well get the savings accounts going too.
-Tonight, before going upstairs for bed, we gave the kiddos their first bit of cereal. We did it in the bottle, so it wasn't too big of a deal. Let's see how the digestion goes. My dad will be happy, the whole time we were in NY he was joking that we should start feeding them cereal and they would be happier. We'll see...
-I've stopped pumping (mostly). I didn't plan for it to happen at six months, it just kind of came to a natural stopping point.
-I am no longer doing separate loads of laundry for the kiddos. All of their stuff gets lumped in with ours.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Let the sitting begin
Jake is officially sitting up on his own. It started yesterday. He kind of just picked up that hand and balanced himself. It is quite possibly the cutest thing so far. He just kind of sits there, all cute and happy. Until he falls over and bangs his head. And then the screaming begins.
So I've missed writing about the trip to New York. The actual driving wasn't too bad. I was a little cranky on the way up because we didn't eat dinner before leaving. Jake fell asleep almost as soon as we left. Sophie and I "talked" for awhile before she fell asleep too. When we switched drivers, Sophie and Tom blew zerberts at each other for awhile in the dark. Kind of like "I'm still here; are you still here?". When we arrived at Tom's grandmother's (Grandma B) house at about 12:30 am, Marianne and Lauren were waiting for us. Soph woke up and they played with her for awhile. Then she remembered she really really likes to sleep and threw a hissy fit for about half an hour. It was bad. Her chest was hitching because she couldn't catch her breath - it was kinda freaky. I said to Tom, "Can you imagine if it was like this all the time?". Thank god it is not.
On Friday my grandparents (Bubbe & Zayde) came by Grandma B's house from Aunt Flori's on their way to Aunt Roz's. After they left, we went to visit Tom's other grandma (Grandma C). She was so excited to meet the babies. All of Tom's brothers & sisters (except Dena who was working) came over too. Tom was so happy to be with everyone. He just doesn't shut up when he's with everyone. Jake seemed so amazed to see his dad talking so much. He just kept looking up at him.
Saturday Marianne babysat while Tom and I went to Aunt Roz's 90th Birthday party. It was fun, but it took us 4 hours to get home. Ridiculous. The babies went with Grandma Marianne to meet Grandpa Larry at Temple so Grandpa could show off his grandkids. Then they went to Aunt Sue's to play with all of the cousins.
Sunday was the big day. Everything pretty much went off without a hitch. There was no yelling or crying during church and the actual baptism was very nice. I was honestly a little worried about the party because it went from 4:30 to 8:30 and the kids usually go to bed around 7pm. But they were pretty good. They both napped a bit during the party (on their grandmas). And the party was so great. There were about 100 people at the party. The food was great thanks to Dena's boyfriend, Joe. Marianne put it all together and she did a great job.
Anyway, time to go - babysitter's leaving.
So I've missed writing about the trip to New York. The actual driving wasn't too bad. I was a little cranky on the way up because we didn't eat dinner before leaving. Jake fell asleep almost as soon as we left. Sophie and I "talked" for awhile before she fell asleep too. When we switched drivers, Sophie and Tom blew zerberts at each other for awhile in the dark. Kind of like "I'm still here; are you still here?". When we arrived at Tom's grandmother's (Grandma B) house at about 12:30 am, Marianne and Lauren were waiting for us. Soph woke up and they played with her for awhile. Then she remembered she really really likes to sleep and threw a hissy fit for about half an hour. It was bad. Her chest was hitching because she couldn't catch her breath - it was kinda freaky. I said to Tom, "Can you imagine if it was like this all the time?". Thank god it is not.
On Friday my grandparents (Bubbe & Zayde) came by Grandma B's house from Aunt Flori's on their way to Aunt Roz's. After they left, we went to visit Tom's other grandma (Grandma C). She was so excited to meet the babies. All of Tom's brothers & sisters (except Dena who was working) came over too. Tom was so happy to be with everyone. He just doesn't shut up when he's with everyone. Jake seemed so amazed to see his dad talking so much. He just kept looking up at him.
Saturday Marianne babysat while Tom and I went to Aunt Roz's 90th Birthday party. It was fun, but it took us 4 hours to get home. Ridiculous. The babies went with Grandma Marianne to meet Grandpa Larry at Temple so Grandpa could show off his grandkids. Then they went to Aunt Sue's to play with all of the cousins.
Sunday was the big day. Everything pretty much went off without a hitch. There was no yelling or crying during church and the actual baptism was very nice. I was honestly a little worried about the party because it went from 4:30 to 8:30 and the kids usually go to bed around 7pm. But they were pretty good. They both napped a bit during the party (on their grandmas). And the party was so great. There were about 100 people at the party. The food was great thanks to Dena's boyfriend, Joe. Marianne put it all together and she did a great job.
Anyway, time to go - babysitter's leaving.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Things the kiddos can do
I originally started this blog so I would remember what the kids are doing, but it seems like I've spent most of the time complaining. So, today's post is a mini-list of what they are up to.
-We call Jake the cheese-maker because he spits up this cottage cheese looking junk. Gross.
-Sophie will pretty much put herself to sleep if you give her a burp cloth and either a pacifier or a bottle (depending on her mood). She puts the burp cloth over her eyes and nods off.
-Jake is a little tripod right now. He puts his forehead on the floor and his butt in the air with his legs extended...it looks like he's about to do a headstand or stand up.
-They are both getting up on their hands and knees and rocking back and forth. This is pretty new and I was sure they were going to start crawling this week. Guess not. Soon though.
-Jake almost sits up by himself. He goes from the almost-crawl position to kind of sitting while leaning on one hand. Then he tips over. He he he. Soph does this too, just not as often.
-They both like sitting in the high chair. We only have one put together, so we don't really sit down with them both at the kitchen table. It's nice though when I want to get something done in the kitchen or at my "desk" (kitchen table).
-They are both putting everything in their mouths. Everything. Sophie is especially droolish. I know this will only get worse as they continue to teethe.
-They are both mostly sleeping through the night. Sophia has been doing this for, it seems like, forever. At least two months probably (see, I can't remember - I need to write this stuff down). We give the kiddos a bath between 6 and 7 pm. After, in Mom and Dad's room, they get a little baby lotion, then pajamas and a bottle and fall asleep for the night. If we don't fall asleep too, we move them to their crib and they stay down until about 5 or 6 am. Jake sometimes still wakes up, but goes back to bed pretty quickly with a bottle. I recently read that the bottle should be at the beginning of the night time routine so that they aren't dependent on it for sleeping, but it's working for us for now.
That's the high points. I will include more soon! Off to wash bottles and go to bed. Tom's already asleep - he didn't get back up after putting Sophie to sleep.
-We call Jake the cheese-maker because he spits up this cottage cheese looking junk. Gross.
-Sophie will pretty much put herself to sleep if you give her a burp cloth and either a pacifier or a bottle (depending on her mood). She puts the burp cloth over her eyes and nods off.
-Jake is a little tripod right now. He puts his forehead on the floor and his butt in the air with his legs extended...it looks like he's about to do a headstand or stand up.
-They are both getting up on their hands and knees and rocking back and forth. This is pretty new and I was sure they were going to start crawling this week. Guess not. Soon though.
-Jake almost sits up by himself. He goes from the almost-crawl position to kind of sitting while leaning on one hand. Then he tips over. He he he. Soph does this too, just not as often.
-They both like sitting in the high chair. We only have one put together, so we don't really sit down with them both at the kitchen table. It's nice though when I want to get something done in the kitchen or at my "desk" (kitchen table).
-They are both putting everything in their mouths. Everything. Sophie is especially droolish. I know this will only get worse as they continue to teethe.
-They are both mostly sleeping through the night. Sophia has been doing this for, it seems like, forever. At least two months probably (see, I can't remember - I need to write this stuff down). We give the kiddos a bath between 6 and 7 pm. After, in Mom and Dad's room, they get a little baby lotion, then pajamas and a bottle and fall asleep for the night. If we don't fall asleep too, we move them to their crib and they stay down until about 5 or 6 am. Jake sometimes still wakes up, but goes back to bed pretty quickly with a bottle. I recently read that the bottle should be at the beginning of the night time routine so that they aren't dependent on it for sleeping, but it's working for us for now.
That's the high points. I will include more soon! Off to wash bottles and go to bed. Tom's already asleep - he didn't get back up after putting Sophie to sleep.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Friday's Bitching
So I'm not so angry anymore, but yesterday I was furious. I have three bitches about the babysitter from yesterday:
-When she arrived, she told me she was going to leave early. This one isn't that big of a deal, but I would like a little more notice. I've discovered I can't really work if I'm home alone with the kiddos. They are too little to play with me only keeping one eye on them and they never nap at the same time. I guess I just need to let it go - I expect her to be flexible for us. But still, I try to give her at least a day's notice if my schedule is going to be different.
-She let Jake nap on the couch and then walked away. He had a pillow on the open side, so even if he rolled, he probably would have not rolled off. Anyway, I got up from my "desk" in the kitchen and asked her not to leave Jake on the couch by himself. She said something like "I'm right here". But, to me, she was too far away, even if it was only three feet. I told her, this makes me very nervous, please don't leave him on the couch alone. She seemed offended and I felt bad. But ya know what? I'm the mom and sometimes you just have to do what I say.
-The last thing really really pissed me off. After she left, I noticed that the sheet in the pack n play bassinet was wet. Really wet. Wet enough that the cloth padding underneath was soaked too. I have no problem if the babies make a mess. Hell, they do it all the time. But please tell me so I can put the damn thing in the wash before it starts to stink. I know this probably isn't true, but I feel like she didn't tell me because I said something about Jake and the couch.
That's all the bitching for now...
-When she arrived, she told me she was going to leave early. This one isn't that big of a deal, but I would like a little more notice. I've discovered I can't really work if I'm home alone with the kiddos. They are too little to play with me only keeping one eye on them and they never nap at the same time. I guess I just need to let it go - I expect her to be flexible for us. But still, I try to give her at least a day's notice if my schedule is going to be different.
-She let Jake nap on the couch and then walked away. He had a pillow on the open side, so even if he rolled, he probably would have not rolled off. Anyway, I got up from my "desk" in the kitchen and asked her not to leave Jake on the couch by himself. She said something like "I'm right here". But, to me, she was too far away, even if it was only three feet. I told her, this makes me very nervous, please don't leave him on the couch alone. She seemed offended and I felt bad. But ya know what? I'm the mom and sometimes you just have to do what I say.
-The last thing really really pissed me off. After she left, I noticed that the sheet in the pack n play bassinet was wet. Really wet. Wet enough that the cloth padding underneath was soaked too. I have no problem if the babies make a mess. Hell, they do it all the time. But please tell me so I can put the damn thing in the wash before it starts to stink. I know this probably isn't true, but I feel like she didn't tell me because I said something about Jake and the couch.
That's all the bitching for now...
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Jake is Baby A
Sophie has done everything first. She rolled over first. I remember that day -- she was in the bassinet part of the pack n play. I wasn't really sure if she had rolled herself or if it was because the bassinet sort of dipped in the middle. I really didn't care -- I was just so excited and could not wait to tell everyone about my genius daughter. It was a weekend and Tom had to work for some reason. I called everyone but couldn't get anyone on the phone. Finally, I got Marianne and I was sooo excited. Jake rolled over soon after, but quickly lost interest. It wasn't until he saw Sophie really moving around that he remembered he could roll too.
So, today, as we were getting the kiddos ready for bed, I was happy to see Jake doing something first. He has moved on from babbling and making real sounds - on purpose. It was so amazing to see and hear him say "ba ba" over and over again. A few times he just watched us make the noise and then he would reply. Sometimes he would just make the motion with his mouth with no sound. It was just so cool to see him doing it on purpose. It was really so different from any other sound either of them has made. I don't think he was really associating it with "bottle", even though I always ask "Ready for ba ba?" and we do usually give them a bottle at that time. Of course I was a complete moron and started crying and grabbing Tom's hand. And then once the kiddos were asleep I had to call everyone and tell them. They were excited, but not as much as me.
And just for the record, this momentous occasion has not been captured on video because I broke the camera today. I was taking pictures of the kids with their "Happy 60th Birthday Grandpa" sign for my dad. Soon balancing the kids and the camera on the couch became too much and the camera fell to the floor. Now the zoom part of the lens won't go back in and the camera won't focus. Woops! Tom isn't too happy with me. That's OK, I wasn't too happy with him this morning. I was running around trying to get all this stuff done this morning (vacuum, laundry, wash bottles) and manage babies while he sat on the bed and watched a movie. I finally told him "You are pissing me off. Get in the shower and get to work.". Nice, eh? Luckily he knows how to ignore the nasty tone and loves me anyway.
Today I had an ENG Test to see if we could pinpoint the reason for my dizziness. The good news is nothing showed up on the test, the bad news is we still don't know what is causing the dizziness. I feel kind of stupid going to the doctor for this because I feel like it's just new mom stuff. But it really is getting worse and more frequent. We'll see what the doctor says next week...
So, today, as we were getting the kiddos ready for bed, I was happy to see Jake doing something first. He has moved on from babbling and making real sounds - on purpose. It was so amazing to see and hear him say "ba ba" over and over again. A few times he just watched us make the noise and then he would reply. Sometimes he would just make the motion with his mouth with no sound. It was just so cool to see him doing it on purpose. It was really so different from any other sound either of them has made. I don't think he was really associating it with "bottle", even though I always ask "Ready for ba ba?" and we do usually give them a bottle at that time. Of course I was a complete moron and started crying and grabbing Tom's hand. And then once the kiddos were asleep I had to call everyone and tell them. They were excited, but not as much as me.
And just for the record, this momentous occasion has not been captured on video because I broke the camera today. I was taking pictures of the kids with their "Happy 60th Birthday Grandpa" sign for my dad. Soon balancing the kids and the camera on the couch became too much and the camera fell to the floor. Now the zoom part of the lens won't go back in and the camera won't focus. Woops! Tom isn't too happy with me. That's OK, I wasn't too happy with him this morning. I was running around trying to get all this stuff done this morning (vacuum, laundry, wash bottles) and manage babies while he sat on the bed and watched a movie. I finally told him "You are pissing me off. Get in the shower and get to work.". Nice, eh? Luckily he knows how to ignore the nasty tone and loves me anyway.
Today I had an ENG Test to see if we could pinpoint the reason for my dizziness. The good news is nothing showed up on the test, the bad news is we still don't know what is causing the dizziness. I feel kind of stupid going to the doctor for this because I feel like it's just new mom stuff. But it really is getting worse and more frequent. We'll see what the doctor says next week...
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Things I'd like to bitch about
So, as my first post I have so much to say. Really, I just want to write about our day to day experiences so I don't forget. I feel I've already forgotten when they started rolling over and scooting across the floor. But as my first post, there are just some things I need to bitch about:
-Learning to Crawl
-Bitching about the Babysitter
-How many diapers can you use in 5 hours?
-Why must you change their clothes?
-Can I ask you not to watch Barney with my kids without sounding rude?
-Tom's New Job
-When can we move?
-Having no friends
-Mommy Groups that only meet in the morning
Like, today is June 12, the babies are over 5 months old and they are getting ready to crawl. I know, they are super-babies. We are so unprepared - the house is not baby-proofed at all. And Sophie is sooo interested in Buddy. He will be laying on the couch with his feet hanging off and Sophie will take a swipe at him from the floor. Bud is such a good boy - he just yelps and moves away.
OK, so I love our babysitter. Really. She takes fabulous care of the kiddos. But really, you don't need to change their diapers on a schedule - just when they are wet or dirty. These things cost money, ya know? And really, please don't change their clothes unless their is a real need - like I need more laundry. And I dress them as I want them dressed. So just leave them. And lastly...Barney. Please God, no.
So Tom has been looking for a new job since his contract at Secret Service ended. Right now he is just doing trouble tickets at Avaya HQ. He is totally bored. When he started looking, he looked here and in New York and Florida. Yesterday he got offered a new job at Avaya, Software Specialist. Right now they are going back and forth about salary. It's cool though, he will be working from home too!
So, as glad as I am that Tom got a new job, I really want to move. I'm bored and lonely and I need more help with this whole baby thing. I want Florida, but will gladly accept New York. Tom made a point that if we move to Florida, he still won't have any friends. Very true. But if we move to New York, I still won't have my mom. Financially, Florida makes the most sense, but in New York, we would have Tom's entire family. And built in friends.
Speaking of friends, I have none. I mean I have a couple of girlfriends from work that I really like. But not seeing them everyday has removed me from their minds. It sucks. I'm lonely. And very picky about who I would want as a friend anyway. If we moved, I would have friends. In Florida, Shanna and Christy and my mom and grandma. In New York, Tom's sisters and cousins and mom and aunts and everyone. So, to reiterate, I have no friends and I want to move.
Just to add insult to injury, I joined two stay at home mom groups. Great way to make friends, right? One group does all this cool stuff, but is either too far away or all the outings are meant for older kids. Not great. The other one does stuff right around here but everything goes on in the morning. So I guess if I'm working at home and not available at 10 am I'm not really a SAHM? Great, another failure.
So this bitchfest hasn't been about the babies because I love them and they are perfect. Except when they are screaming or otherwise grating my nerves. Which isn't often, but they are starting to teethe and I already know that everything that came before was just to lull us into this false sense of calm babies.
Today's post ends now. The bitching will continue another day.
-Learning to Crawl
-Bitching about the Babysitter
-How many diapers can you use in 5 hours?
-Why must you change their clothes?
-Can I ask you not to watch Barney with my kids without sounding rude?
-Tom's New Job
-When can we move?
-Having no friends
-Mommy Groups that only meet in the morning
Like, today is June 12, the babies are over 5 months old and they are getting ready to crawl. I know, they are super-babies. We are so unprepared - the house is not baby-proofed at all. And Sophie is sooo interested in Buddy. He will be laying on the couch with his feet hanging off and Sophie will take a swipe at him from the floor. Bud is such a good boy - he just yelps and moves away.
OK, so I love our babysitter. Really. She takes fabulous care of the kiddos. But really, you don't need to change their diapers on a schedule - just when they are wet or dirty. These things cost money, ya know? And really, please don't change their clothes unless their is a real need - like I need more laundry. And I dress them as I want them dressed. So just leave them. And lastly...Barney. Please God, no.
So Tom has been looking for a new job since his contract at Secret Service ended. Right now he is just doing trouble tickets at Avaya HQ. He is totally bored. When he started looking, he looked here and in New York and Florida. Yesterday he got offered a new job at Avaya, Software Specialist. Right now they are going back and forth about salary. It's cool though, he will be working from home too!
So, as glad as I am that Tom got a new job, I really want to move. I'm bored and lonely and I need more help with this whole baby thing. I want Florida, but will gladly accept New York. Tom made a point that if we move to Florida, he still won't have any friends. Very true. But if we move to New York, I still won't have my mom. Financially, Florida makes the most sense, but in New York, we would have Tom's entire family. And built in friends.
Speaking of friends, I have none. I mean I have a couple of girlfriends from work that I really like. But not seeing them everyday has removed me from their minds. It sucks. I'm lonely. And very picky about who I would want as a friend anyway. If we moved, I would have friends. In Florida, Shanna and Christy and my mom and grandma. In New York, Tom's sisters and cousins and mom and aunts and everyone. So, to reiterate, I have no friends and I want to move.
Just to add insult to injury, I joined two stay at home mom groups. Great way to make friends, right? One group does all this cool stuff, but is either too far away or all the outings are meant for older kids. Not great. The other one does stuff right around here but everything goes on in the morning. So I guess if I'm working at home and not available at 10 am I'm not really a SAHM? Great, another failure.
So this bitchfest hasn't been about the babies because I love them and they are perfect. Except when they are screaming or otherwise grating my nerves. Which isn't often, but they are starting to teethe and I already know that everything that came before was just to lull us into this false sense of calm babies.
Today's post ends now. The bitching will continue another day.
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