4 Months

14 lbs 9 oz (75th)
24.5 in (55th)
40 1/2 HC (45th)

Dear MJ,

What a charmer, you are! Your days are spent sucking your fingers/hands/fists/wrists, gazing at me, constantly enthralled by your brother, and soaking up the sights of the world. As with your brother before you, I long to squish you back to your scrunchy newborn self, while concurrently loving each new stage of your development. I'm far less focused on milestones, and far more focused on just enjoying you--taking an extra five minutes at the end of your nap to play with you in your crib; letting you nurse longer than necessary if you need the comfort; watching you work SO HARD to get that toy in your mouth.

Your Favorite Things: You love your new bee dangly toy, the lights above the jungle playmat, being tickled, ANYTHING where your bro is involved, splashing like crazy in the tub. But your two ultimate thrills are 1) when we take off your pants, and 2) when we do leg stretches--specifically, the spread-eagle. Yep, we're definitely going to have to find other ways to make you giggle, or we're going to be in serious trouble when you hit your teen years. (Sorry, Internets...TMI?)

Notes:

You nap. If I stick to Dr. Weissbluth's rule of putting you down by the third yawn and within two hours of last waking, you rarely fuss. We stopped swaddling you only last week, even though you've been breaking out of it for months. It just seemed to help calm you. Now that you're in the sleep-sack, I definitely think it contributes to when you wake soon after being put down. You just need to learn how to soothe yourself after you get startled awake again. Anyway....you often nap for 1.5-2 hours, but also sometimes for 45 minutes. Your night patterns, however, while not especially awful, are still completely sporadic. Sometimes you wake twice a night, sometimes once a night, a few times you've actually slept "through the night" (6 hours), and one time you slept ALL the way through the night (11 hours). It's all well and good but consistency would be just lovely. You're not terribly into your pacifier anymore. Sometimes we can use it to help calm you down, but if you've decided you're going to cry, no amount of pacifying will change your mind. (It's for this reason that we've decided to start the "excinction" (aka Crying it Out) method this week.)

You've become a champ at rolling from your tummy to back, and you protest tummy time a lot less, as a result. You love to make this "ah-ah-ah" sound that reminds me of a vocal exercise one of my roommates used to do in college. You also "hoo" just like an owl, and squeal when something is particularly hilarious.

You are easily startled by unexpected noises. It's especially amusing when I blow my nose. Your eyes get as big as saucers, your arms flail out to the side, and you wriggle your little body like jello. This also happens when someone sneezes, when the dog barks, and, um, on New Year's Eve, when the big kids were blowing their horns. Too loud!!!

I'm glad you're at a healthy weight, are a happy nurser (minus our few Vampire Baby encounters...too gross even for the Internets), and have lovely "Thunder Thighs" to squeeze. Dr. E suggested we start cereal, as you (evidently) no longer get iron from breast milk. We'll see how it goes....In the meantime, I'm glad your daily nursing schedule has decreased from 8 to 6 feedings per day--minus the week we were in Arizona, when you decided to nurse every two hours. Must be really dry there. :)

I love you, my darling daughter.
Mom

(How you prefer your hands. See also, "Thunder Thighs.")

3 Months

Dear Rosebud,

This month was all about learning to use your hands. You, like your brother before you, can now hit the monkey, although you're much more partial to the giraffe that dangles from your play mat. Just last night I saw you grab his foot and direct it into your mouth. And this morning you found your thumb for the first time--uh oh! You're enthralled by any toy someone puts before you, but not as enthralled as you are by ANYTHING your brother does. When you nurse, you use your free hand to grasp at the nearest object--my hair, my shirt, my fingers. It's almost as though you need an anchor.

We were able to capture some of your first giggles on video. Your dad and I found it hilarious that you mostly laughed without opening the back of your throat, so it sounds like you're laughing under water--complete with your Snorty McSnorterton noises that you seem to be (slowly) growing out of. In the last few weeks, though, your underwater giggles have morphed into full on belly laughs and squealing. I can't, for the life of me, capture it on video yet but I'll keep trying. You laugh when someone tickles your belly (particularly if you're undressed), and when someone says "boo," and pretty much whenever you're on your changing table (something about the butterflies on your mirror is HILARIOUS), or whenever someone takes off your pants. Let's hope that changes before you go to high school. (wink)

Bath time remains a favorite activity, especially if your brother joins you. He's great at helping to wash your hair and your feet. You also love when he reads and sings to you, and when he chooses a new toy (or perhaps ALL your toys at once!) for you.

Developmentally, you're working on strengthening your neck muscles. You prefer to sit up all the way, and are sitting in your Bumbo seat for the first time. You still loathe tummy time, but you did roll over from front to back for the first time. I'm not convinced it wasn't an accident, though. And, as I mentioned, you can easily guide your hand and fingers to your mouth.

Your eating schedule has spaced out considerably, as your naps get longer and more predictable. (For my records, your sleep cycles are usually 45-60 minutes, after which I often need to soothe you back to sleep.) You're ready to sleep two hours after you last awoke, which means you often go 3.5-5 hours between feedings during the day. Nights....are still unpredictable. You slept through the night (once), and followed that by waking every three hours the next night. I'm hoping this month will bring a more predictable nighttime schedule. Ha.

You are such a pleasant, easy-going baby. Thanks for that gift, my love.

Love,
Mom

http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100806 (P.S. You may have heard that the Mobile Gallery feature offered by Apple will be discontinued soon. I will be moving the photos to another host site. Stay tuned.)

The Big Brother

(Quick! Before anything changes!)


Dear SIR,

You are an amazing big brother. You care more for your sister than I've ever seen you care for a person--including your best friend, Daddy. Toward her, I see your empathy and concern. I see your unabashed glee when you're responsible for making her happy. Of all our family members, she saves her biggest smiles for you. I love that you "read" to her and sing to her. I love that you enjoy helping me put her to sleep. I love that you willingly fetch diapers and pacifiers and burp cloths for her. I love that you understand some days you get to "go first," and some days she gets to "go first"--usually regarding eating. I love that you'll jump down from the lunch table with a "Mommy, I got it," to give her a paci when she's fussing. I love that you try to engage her with toys--whether she wants them or not. I love that, three months later, you still ask to hold her.

With her, you put your needs last.

Thanks for being so incredibly awesome.
Love,
Mom

First bath together

(SIR was asked to watch her for a minute while Daddy ran downstairs. This is what he found when he returned.)

Sibling love!

"You're Doing it WRONG!"

You ever get the feeling that you've been doing something wrong for a long time? That you can't QUITE figure out what's wrong with what you're doing wrong? And you certainly have no idea how to fix it?

Me too.

I have been feeling this way about a) child discipline and b) children's toys.

a:

Frequently uttered phrases, "He never LISTENS." "He never OBEYS." "He's so DIFFICULT." Enter this book: Parenting with Love and Logic

It's not a perfect approach, and I'm certainly not going to be perfect while implementing it, but it's a start toward a healthier relationship with my son and a happier life as a stay-at-home-mom.

b:
This one is trickier, because it requires other members of my house to get on board. And the holidays are coming up. BUT. Here goes: I'm struggling with the amount of STUFF we have on our home (toy and play related), how it is organized, displayed and available for play. I want a crafting/art area; I want a single "playroom" area on the main floor (but I'm unwilling to sacrifice my piano and my coat closet); I want my children to get messy and learn from doing so. Enter Play at Home Mom. This group of women are some of the bravest mothers I've ever encountered, and I currently want to BE them. How I'm going to implement their techniques is a work in progress...but my Christmas shopping list for the children is looking a lot different this year. (Want to help me brainstorm? Feel free!!!)

Stay tuned...I hope.

Halloween 2011 Wrap-Up

Hey! Guess what the most overrated Halloween activity is, according to my three year old? You guessed it...carving pumpkins. But bedazzling a pumpkin for a baby sister? Best. craft. ever. (Next year we'll explore no-carve options like these. )

This year, the boy settled on his firefighter costume by mom's deadline (Oct. 1), which gave us plenty of time to work on the baby's dalmation costume--since we prefer themed costumes whenever possible (read: for one more year, before she develops her own opinions). Thanks to etsy, I only had to make her sleeper (black felt + glue gun), and attach her ears to a headband or hat--one for inside, one for outside.

A last minute RSVP to a party meant we would need grownup costumes, too. One trip to the Halloween Express, two trips to Michaels, one trip to Target, and 15 yards of tulle later, we added a fire chief and...FIRE!....to our costumed crew.

Enjoy the photos! http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100798

2008/2011

2 Months

11 lbs, 4 oz (70th %ile)
22 3/4 in (70th %ile)
HC: 38 cm (50th %ile)


Dear Rosebud,

What a lovely two month old you are! A happy baby, generally speaking, who isn't stingy with smiles. You smile at me, at your dad, at your grandparents...but no one gets bigger smiles than your wonderful big brother. He's certainly the most entertaining person in your life.

I love that you sometimes stop crying simply because I walk in the room. I love that you drop your paci as soon as you fall asleep. I love your double (triple?) chins and chunky, roly-poly thighs. You're simultaneously losing your newborn hair and growing it back, but it's left you with definite "male pattern baldness" for a while.

You're quite a gassy little girl, though we're working on those issues as of today (anti-reflux meds). You continue to snort and sniffle your way through your (usually short) crying jags, especially at night, so we're hoping the meds will help there, too. You continue to eat fairly often: every 2.5-3 hours, provided you're awake.

Speaking of...your night sleep is gradually improving, but there still isn't much of a pattern to speak of. Some nights you're down for the count at 10 and sleep until 4 or 5. Other nights you don't sleep until 11 are are up again between 2 and 3. The good news is that you always (oh, I'm in so much trouble when I use that word) go back to sleep quickly, and occasionally "sleep in" in the mornings. (Not that I get to, mind you.)

I still can't get enough of you in my arms, but it's translating more into cuddle time during cat naps. When you're awake, you enjoy your bouncy chair or your play mat, and fixate on anything moving above you--talking to them like they're people. You're happy as a clam if you're in the Bjorn/Beco, since it feels like mommy holding you. But the heavier you get, the less time we spend like that.

I love you, little lady. Don't ever grow up.
Love,
Mom


http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100775

Newborn Photo Shoot

So, we had "professional" photos taken of Miss M. I wasn't terribly impressed, to be honest, and here's why:

In a nutshell, I pretty much think every photographer needs a wrangler. I did the best I could with the subject, but there were some sloppy things that led to lots of photos that can't be used (the dark floor is wrinkled and glare-y, the fake trim is misaligned on some, the family shots are TERRIBLY composed). In the photographer's defense, we had a few things working against us. Miss M was a week older than suggested for these kinds of photos (read: she was fussy and not sleepy); SIR had a nasty cold AND waited in the basement with Brad for a million years until it was his turn, at which point M was awake for good and just DONE.

Whatever. You get what you pay for, I guess.

We got a few good shots of our little peanut, and that's what counts. I'm pretty sure I'll be putting both kids back in their outfits soon to take their photos myself.

See them here: http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100759

1 Month

My Dear Rosebud -


Know how you can tell you're the second child? This post is being written almost a week late. Sorry 'bout that. (I backdated it.)

You are such a sweet, sweet baby. You tolerate your brother's sometimes slight overaffection, and you love to cuddle with anyone who will hold you--and there have been a lot of people offering to do that.

You are nursing every 2 to 2.5 hours, with an occasional nap stretching you a little further. You are The Spitup Queen. No doubt. We burn through at least five burp cloths per day, and they are scattered around our house in every place imaginable.

You are beginning to organize your night sleep. There is no "usually," yet, but OFTEN you are in bed between 9-10. You wake between 12-2 and between 4-6, and are up for the day around 7. Naps are tricky, partly because you're the younger child and get hauled around a little more, partly because this ain't my first rodeo and I know it'll be a while before you nap well.

I could literally hold you all day long, if I had nothing else to tend to. I feel very emotional about your babyhood, as I've definitely determined that the newborn stage is my favorite favorite favorite time of my children's lives. I'm not sure if it's because you're helpless, because you depend on me for nourishment (and, oh, everything else), because I just like snuggling babies, (because you can't sass me)...All I know is I'm grasping every moment I possibly can, and I WILL be sad each month I post these updates.

Please grow up slowly.
Love,
Mom



More photos here.

MJR 3 wks pics

Yes, these are late.


http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100744

SIR's 3rd Birthday Party

In honor of National Talk Like a Pirate Day...

Here are the pics from the boy's Pirate Party. ARRRGGHH!!!

http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100736

On the Day You Were Born--The Second Installment

(First installment...if you want to compare and contrast.)

Dear Rosebud/MJR,

On the day you were born...your brother and I took a tour of a fire station with a group of kids and moms. It was positively pouring rain that morning, and I was remembering three years before when he was born in the pouring rain; I wondered if you might make your entrance in this terrible weather. The firefighters and other moms were joking that if I were to go into labor, at least I was in a good place for it ha ha ha!

1:30 pm - SIR and I visit the marvelous Dr. Chen. She reports that I am 2 cm dilated, and performs a membrane sweep to try to speed things along. Since it is still two days before your due date, and because your brother came a week late, I don't have high hopes. I had been having Braxton-Hicks contractions for weeks, and two nighs prior had some that were starting to become painful (real), but seven hours of those yielded nothing.

2:00 pm - I'm on the phone with Dr. Chen, calling to tell her that your dad and I decided NOT to schedule an induction at this time. She says that she respects our decision, but talks me into at least putting one on the calendar for September 2, since that weekend is Labor Day and our next opportunity to induce would be the 6th. This takes several phone calls back and forth.

3:00 pm - I'm on the phone with your Mimi, sobbing over the idea of being overdue, AGAIN. She mentions that she's headed to Toledo for the evening, and wonders if she should pack her suitcase--the one that she's planning to bring when you're born. I say, eh, why not? Better safe than sorry.

4:00-4:30 pm - I'm on the phone with your "Auntie" Alexis, iPhone in hand, timing contractions. Nothing new...I'd been doing this for days. Eventually I said, "Um, you know, I think I'd better get off the phone. These contractions are getting pretty real. FIgures that I might have a baby today, since I haven't washed my hair or finished packing my hospital bag." She said, "Well, why don't you at least get off the phone and take a shower--it'll put your mind at ease." So I did. Timing contractions the whole way.

5:00 pm - I call your dad. "I don't know if this is real or not, but it's rush hour and I'd feel better if you were at least on your way home from work. " He dashes out the door (completely forgetting he's supposed to be giving a ride to a friend--oops).

5:30 pm - I call Dr. Chen. Again. "I've been having contractions 5-6 minutes apart for an hour." "An hour isn't very long, so call me back in another hour if they're still going strong."

Now the timeline gets a little blurry, but by 6:30 pm your dad was home, I had walked the dog, tried to make some dinner (ha), finished packing both myself and your brother, and a set of grandparents had been put on standby to come pick him up for the night. I sent a text to your Mimi, asking her to call me before she leaves Toledo, to see if she should head back to Detroit or come straight to Chicago. Contractions are 2-4 minutes apart.

By 7:45 pm, your brother was on his way to Granny and Grand Dede's house, Mimi was on her way to Chicago....and your dad and I were on our way to the hospital!

8:15 pm - We arrive at the hospital, and your dad takes the worst photo of me in my entire life. I did ask him to snap a photo outside the car, since we hadn't taken a pregnant photo since 36 weeks. Silly me. Check in is quick and easy, and Dr. Chen is there to greet us and show us our room. (Seriously, readers, she is THE BEST OB EVER. She was with me--and I mean, IN THE ROOM--almost every second we were in Labor/Delivery. She coached me through contractions, she joked around with us, she answered all my questions. This is what you get when you choose a one-woman OB show. Oh, also, I used to teach one of her kids. That probably makes a difference.) I am 4 cm and 80% effaced.

The next 75 minutes are pretty rough. By this time in my last labor, I was already epiduraled up, so painful contractions were a thing of the past. Not so this time. We had requested the anesthesiologist to come administer one, but he was stuck in a C-section, so I labored sitting up on the bed. Dad provided a hand to squeeze, and my INCREDIBLE nurse and Dr. Chen helped me breathe out those nasty contractions.

9:15 - Epidural is administered. It was bad. I don't want to talk about it. But when it was over, I felt. so. good. I had talked at length (well, as "at length" as anyone gets to talk to the anesthesiologist...30 seconds?) about not wanting to be completely numb, and he did a great job. New with this delivery was a button I could press to administer more medicine, as needed.

10:00 pm - I am 6 cm and 100% effaced. Dr. Chen breaks my water. We think it doesn't work. But 20 minutes later, I'm having massive contractions that I can actually FEEL (even with the epi). At 10:30 pm, I pushed the magic button.

The doctor and nurse have left the room and I have another one of those crazy contractions. The nurse comes in and I tell her, "I feel like the baby is RIGHT THERE." She says she'll check me to see what's going on. She says, "That's because the baby is RIGHT THERE."

The whole mood of the room changes. Lights come on, nurses come in, the birthing area is prepped, the ceiling opens up, the stirrups are put into place. The staff is joking with me, and I'm laughing with them. My nurse says, "If you guys crack one more joke, she is literally going to LAUGH this baby out!"

Dr. Chen reenters. More friendly banter. She says it's time to push. I push six times (two sets of three).

10:48 pm - You are born! And you look just like your dad...

MJR Week 2!

Okay, I SWEAR I'm going to try to get her birth story up here before her first birthday. In the meantime...more photos!!!

Hey! If you took your own photos (Mimi and anyone else), you can upload them to any of these photo galleries. If you want.

http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100728

7 lbs 2 oz
20 1/4 in
34 3/4 cm

MJR Week 1 Photos

Enjoy some shots of our little girl in her first week.

http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100713

Three Years

38 1/4 inches (75th %ile)
34 1/2 lbs (75th %ile


My Dearest Boy,
As I write this (in July), anticipating the birth of your sister, I reflect alllllll the way back to when you were just a wiggle in my tummy. We still have our good days and bad (and I suspect we always will), but I marvel at the boy you're becoming--so smart, and funny, silly, (and sometimes a teeny bit violent, but we're working on it), and wonderful.

Some highlights:

- 96% of all sentences begin with "but." Regardless of whether or not this makes any grammatical sense or is in any way related to the previously uttered sentence.

- the "why" questions. Especially when they don't make sense.
"Dat's a FIRE station!"
"Nope, it's a POLICE station."
"But why is it a POLICE station?"

- "But, when my lil sister's born, you won't have to go potty anymore!"

- Calling the little green guy from Star Wars "Zoda," and then later telling me I was going to "Zoga class."

- Helping me water the garden by dumping eleventy billion cans of water...on the same plant.

- Asking what you want for your birthday. Your response? "A golf shirt. A blue golf shirt." Um, okaaaay.

- Playing with your Toy Story aliens on the bay windowsill. You put them in the red corvette (they travel in style) and zoom them around, and then they take turns going into the "jail" (the lantern I just can't bear to fill with a candle, since it makes such a pleasing toy).

- Watching your pretend play. All of it. Using the Candy Land guys as supplemental fire fighters in the fire house. Allowing the Toy Story characters to finally play with others. Constantly cooking things for us.

- You are trying so hard to like to draw. This usually involves an elaborate procedure of setting out paper-no-coloring-book-no-paper and crayons-no-markers-no-crayons, which takes at least ten minutes, at which point you draw for 32.5 seconds and announce that you "made DIS for you! where can we hang it?"

- A current favorite pastime involves (yay!) music. You're obsessed with playing the drums (which I totally called, like, two years ago). You use your red rhythm sticks to play the little blue drum that lives in your room, and you prefer it when I accompany you either on kazoo or penny whistle. Songs of choice are from the "Miss Mary" collection (Music Together, natch). Additionally, you're enamored with Rock Band on the Wii. It's become a favorite way for our family to end the day: usually me on vocals, Daddy on guitar, and you on--what else?--drum set.

- "Are you talking to me? Me, ____(name), in the blue shirt?"
We're alone in the house, so.....yup.

- Telling Avery (the dog) all about the characters in the Winnie the Pooh movie. "Dere's Pooh Bear and Tigger--he's a silly guy--and Owl and Christopher....I dunno....and Rabbit and Eeyore."

- "What should we call your little sister?"
"Barbie."

- During the "Pinocchio" show at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, "I wish I could have donkey ears."

- "I can't walk. I'm too crabby."

- Calling it a "smurfee." You meant "smoothie."

- Per your Mimi: Watching out the window at the 22 songbirds at our feeder, the grandbuddy began to rap on the window, because he wanted to see them all fly away.
Me: Don't hit the window too hard.
Him: Why? Because it will hurt their feelings?

- At night, you rarely fall asleep faster than 45 minutes after we've put you to bed. But tonight you decided to sing "This Old Man"--all ten verses. Except when you get to the rhyming part ("He played nine, he played knick knack on my pline"), you just make it up. Hilarious.

- Naked in the bathtub: "I'm wearing my body!"


I love you, my little man, my original baby.
Mom

MJR Hospital Photos

Wow. I had completely forgotten how difficult it is to get stuff done with a newborn. Since it took me a solid week to compile, edit, and caption this first set of photos, you'll have to wait a while longer for the story of MJR's birth. (Hey! New blog nicknames....please remember to use them if you're commenting below. Otherwise your comment will be removed. The boy is now SIR. The girl is MJR.)

Check this link again in a few days for some photos I'll be adding of our little peanut in her "going home" outfit.

http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100688

"I...

...have arrived."

Summer.

The Rose family's attendants have been horrible documentarians of this beautiful summer. Yes, we've been exceptionally busy preparing for baby, but we have done a LOT of fun stuff--and then Mimi crammed in a lot of fun stuff into her week with The Boy, too, but took photos, which we will now steal. (Grin.)

Our summer:

1. Parks, parks, parks. The park down the street, the park down the street the other direction, the park at the elementary school, the park near the grocery store, the park in the next town over with the AWESOME slides, the park by the pool, the parks at Mimi's.



(Photo credits: Mimi, Auntie Omi)

2. Pools. Somehow, our little family of three never made it to the pool all at the same time this entire summer (?!), but we have spent many a morning there separately and with some friends. And The Boy visited Mimi's pool, too. His swimming hallmarks this summer include an increased amount of bravery with water slides and putting his face in the water. If only we could convince him to keep his giant fish mouth closed...



(Photo credit: Mimi)

3. Playdates! We've hosted and been hosted. A lot. Thanks, friends!

4. 4th of July Parade and Picnic. We participated, once again, in the parade our town sponsors and marched with our theatre group. The little boys had a great time "driving" the truck and strolling with their pregnant mommies. Post parade, we returned to our abode for yummy cookout food, squirt gunning, and wading pools.


(Photo credits: Auntie G and Mimi (I think))

4. Outdoor concerts. Er, concert. On Wednesday nights, you can picnic on the Esplanade at the Chicago Botanic Garden, while enjoying a fun concert for kids. Wednesday nights have been yoga nights for mommy, but The Boy and I took advantage of this when Daddy was out of town. Sadly, our one and only photo was taken by me on my inferior iPhone 3GS, which does not "flip" the image for you so you can adequately photograph yourself. Oh well.


5. "Pinocchio" at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre . A beautiful venue with an impressive set and costume design. The music left something to be desired, IMO, but it was a great experience.





(Boarding the train heading to downtown, first train ride, sitting on the stage before the show, at our seats, proudly collecting autographs, and posing against our beautiful skyline.)

6. Lake House. Our friends hosted us for the day at their beautiful lake house, a few hours west of us. Mister Bravery rode a speedboat for the first time, swam in a deep lake with a life jacket, went on the water raft alone (only a mild heart attack for the mom), cavorted with seaweed, and had a great playing with the kids. We had two delicious meals, cooked S'Mores, chased fireflies, and on and on. It was a busy and fun filled day!



(Photo credit: Amy G.)

7. Movies! "Winnie the Pooh" with Grandma, "Kung Fu Panda 2" with us. And a Drive In movie (okay, it was really a "Chair In" movie): "Tangled," which we own and which is completely beside the point.

8. First Undernighter with Huey and his grandparents, while the moms and dads attended a dinner party.

9. Week at Mimi's. This is the second installment of this vacation (for The Boy and for his parents), which we're all hoping continues as part of an annual tradition.

10. The conclusion of Mom's Morning Away. Somehow I haven't blogged about this all year. Since January, The Boy has attended a wonderful program through the park district, wherein he attends "school" for three hours, one time a week. During that time, he painted, crafted, played with toys/kids, read stories, played in the park and the indoor "jungle," made a good friend, etc. During that time, I ran errands like a chicken with its head cut off. Okay, I also enjoyed a pedicure or two, a Starbucks/McDonald's iced coffee or two, and a teeny bit of time doing things around the house. Here is a photo of my boy on his first day of pre-pre-school:
(January 2011)


As our summer draws to a close, he looks forward to heading off to real pre-school when he "turns three." I look forward to finding the right time to potty train. And, of course, we're all eagerly awaiting the birth of The Boy's baby sister. Any minute now. (Tick tock...)

Oh, Dear Deer.

This is a familiar sight in our town. We used to see this same mini-herd of deer in our yard all the time, before we put up a fence. It was not uncommon to let the dog out at night and see the deer freeze in the glow of the porchlights, turn, and dart away.

Here they are in front of The Boy's soon-to-be-preschool, aka his "Blue School."

Freshly Showered!

A good friend mentioned throwing a shower for me, and I cringed a little. A second baby shower? Isn't that a bit awkward? So we agreed on "a little something, " just to spend some time with a few girlfriends and honor this baby-to-be. Since it's the second baby and I don't really need "stuff," I did mention that the thing I could use were some meals for my freezer--and I was sort of kidding. But she took the idea, ran with it, and threw a most beautiful cooking shower for four (and a half).

The Decor:



Party Favors (an apron, kitchen towel, wooden spoon):


Adorned:


How I spent the majority of the evening:



While they were doing this:


Giftings:


And ohmygoodness, THE FOOD. Appetizers galore, followed by homemade butternut squash pizza, followed by yummy cupcakes. And I should have taken a picture of the final result. I actually purchased a small freezer for our basement in anticipation of this event, and it's a good thing I did. I left the party with two dinners worth of enchiladas, two baked ziti, three helpings of homemade vodka pasta sauce, three helpings of tuna casserole, and two helpings of lasagna. (I should have kept this quiet though, so as not to discourage the bringing of food when the baby is born. Shhhhh.... :) )

So I give many thanks to my three besties for giving their time, grocery shopping, commuting, cooking, creativity, gifts, and company. I'm so very grateful.



The complete photo set:
http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100665

"Summer" Vacation

I'm sure everyone who lives outside the Midwest is really tired of hearing Midwesterners complain about the weather this season. But seriously...it sucks. So, needless to say, we were really looking forward to escaping the unpredictable/cold/miserable/rainy weather in IL in favor of some nicer weather in AZ. We spent two days in the Flagstaff area, which is one of my favorite places in the country. Smells like pine trees, reminds me of summer camp, feels homey and outdoorsy at the same time...I love it there. BUT, it was definitely too chilly for swimming, so we all trekked back "down the hill" (as the natives say) to enjoy some pool time in Scottsdale.

We certainly were busy bees! Here are some photo highlights:

http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100657

NYC: in photos

Enjoy, and don't forget that you have to click on the pictures (not just the thumbnails) if you want to read the captions.

http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100648

"NYC...what is it about you?"

My husband loves me. How do I know? He suggested our baby-moon should be to NYC for a round of brand spanking new theatre. A summary [Disclaimer: I generally loathe giving written, detailed reviews. But I've had a lot of requests. Just remember this is coming from someone who usually pays a whole lot more attention to the performers and the material than the creative details.]:

1. "Anything Goes," starring Sutton Foster (Brad's girlfriend), Joel Grey, Laura Osnes (winner of NBC's "Grease" casting reality show, among other things), and a host of character actors and hoofers.

This is a lavish production, with a killer ship set and costumes to die for. The performances are solid, for the most part, the choreography intensely marvelous, and the direction...almost non-existent. When I first heard Sutton Foster would be playing the brassy Reno Sweeney, I was a bit dubious. Her credits include almost exclusively "peppy/perky" women. I was pleasantly surprised by her performance, though there were some touches of awkwardness between her and Grey, and a few moments of...interesting vocal choices. Overall, a grand production. I was entertained and a jolly theatre-goer upon exiting the (beautifully restored and newly christened Stephen Sondheim Theatre) venue--which has 22 stalls in the women's bathroom. Bonus! That said (sigh), I think I just don't like this show very much. Each and every Cole Porter tune, classics though they are, have the exact same structure. Very few numbers forward the plot in any way, and the farcical elements feel utterly dated.

Bottom Line: Oh my, the dancing. If you were only to see the end of Act I and the opening of Act II, you would have gotten your money's worth.


2. "How to Succeed in Business..." starring Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), John Larroquette, et al.

I loved this show. Granted, I'm often prone to loving material I've never seen, so this felt quite fresh. The costumes were sharp and snazzy (and the character of Rosemary wears at least nine different dresses--all pink), the set felt appropriately modern, modular, creative, and complete with detailed finishing touches--my favorite being the stationary elevator that lights up each floor as it "moves" up or down.

Daniel Radcliffe, though a good 5-10 years too young for the role of Finch, is so freaking charming I almost died. First of all, this kid is shockingly nuanced. Secondly, he. can. dance. If only he was a better singer...I truly believe it's what prevented him from garnering a Tony nomination. Don't get me wrong, he sings in tune and hits all the right notes, and it's not a role that I feel really demands super-strong vocal prowess, but he clearly sounds untrained. In fact, after the show I had been thinking, "Gee, Daniel Radcliffe isn't too bad a vocalist." Then I saw Aaron Tveit's performance in "Catch Me if You Can." THAT kid can saaaaaaang. More on Tveit later. [Side note: We hear rumor that when Radcliffe goes on a two week press tour for Harry Potter this fall, he'll be temporarily replaced by Darren Criss, who plays Blaine (Kurt's BF) on "Glee." Yum! AND a singer!]

Bottom Line: It's funny, it feels fresh, and has received many updates that improve upon the original material (so I'm told). And it's simply delicious to look at.


3. "Catch Me if You Can," starring Aaron Tveit, Norbert Leo Butz, and Kerry Butler (sorta). Yes, it's based on the Leo DiCaprio/Tom Hanks film.

My new favorite tenor voice? Aaron Tveit. Aaron Tveit. Aaron Tveit. I'm one of five people who didn't see the original production of "Next to Normal," so he's new to me. HOLY COW. Why this poor kid isn't nominated for a Tony, I have no idea. He works his butt off during this show, rarely leaving the stage, looks GREAT (he's a better looking dead-ringer for Leo), sounds GREAT--I'm puzzled. However, the show stealer is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, Norbert Leo Butz (you would have seen him in "The Last 5 Years," "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," and he's cameo-ed on almost every recent TV drama ever made, it feels), who is nominated for Featured Actor in a Musical. He has been dramatically aged to play the Tom Hanks role, and seriously kids, if I didn't know it was him, I wouldn't have known it was him. Which, IMO, is one of the highest compliments you can pay an actor. And Kerry Butler ("Little Shop," "Hairspray," "Xanadu") is...fine. She seems a bit of an odd choice for this role, since she appears (for all intents and purposes) only in Act II, and is rather known for her comedic chops, which are completely unused in the character of Brenda Strong. I'm not a huge fan of hers, but I'm also not a huge fan of slamming actors.

I wanted to love this show, I really did. The reviews have been pretty harsh (although with "Spiderman" around, it's hard to believe the critics have any bad reviews left to give), but the creative team has some serious street cred, so I tried to go in with very few opinions. They use the show-within-a-show strategy for telling the story, which mostly works, though not always. I get a little queasy when the characters start conversing with each other before they've actually met within the storyline, etc.--feels a little hokey. (And speaking of hokey, the Laker Girl-esque dancers they've recruited to play flight attendants, nurses, and a host of other characters were just that--though Brad would strongly disagree. Then again, it's gonna be pretty tough to convince any straight man that a chorus of statuesque, mostly blonde, and mostly well-endowed women is superfluous.) The most basic problem with this show is that it's predictable, even if you don't remember the movie's plot, which was decidedly UNpredictable--hence its huge success.

Plot issues aside, I was the most disappointed in the music. With the exception of one tune currently being played to death on Sirius XM ("Fly, Fly Away," Kerry Butler's one "moment" in the whole show, in the form of the eleven-o'clock number), there wasn't one memorable tune. This, from the "Hairspray" guys? Better luck next time.

Bottom Line: It's pretty. It's highly entertaining, if not the least bit mentally challenging. The girls are hot. Aaron Tveit is my American Idol. Norbert Leo Butz is a genius. The orchestra is on stage (bonus points in my book). The book/score need work.


4. "The Book of Mormon."

This was our last and most highly anticipated show, what with all the Tony/critic/theatregoer buzz. I was speaking with another theatre patron at a different show who shared that when he tried to purchase tickets, the first full-price ticket isn't available until the end of July. The first discount (balcony) ticket isn't available until October. So it's safe to say this is the hottest ticket in town. For the record, I was having a difficult time admitting I was headed to see this show, in certain circles. But first, a story:

It was my birthday. We had taken a power nap at the hotel after a day of sight-seeing and touring Central Park. We got up, freshened up, and jaunted over to 46th St, between 8th and 9th Ave, for some dinner--with plenty of time to make our 8pm curtain at 48th and 7th. After much debate, we settled on sushi for dinner (hey, it was my birthday so I was giving myself license to be a bit naughty, pregnant and all). We ordered our food, enjoyed an appetizer, ate a piece or two each of our delicious rolls that had arrived in record time, at which point Brad pulled out the tickets--completely by chance. OUR SHOW WAS AT 7PM. IT WAS 6:59. I snagged the waitress, grabbed my ticket and RAN, since you know, I'm the pregnant chick who moves at a slight snail pace, complete with waddle. Brad took care of the bill, snapped up our sushi to-go, and sprinted after me. Luckily, we weren't the only patrons to arrive close to curtain, and I'm pretty sure they started almost 10 minutes late, so we didn't miss anything. (And yes, we DID enjoy some luke-warm sushi at our seats during intermission, since the Eugene O'Neill theatre is the smallest venue EVER and there was literally nowhere else to go. Also, bonus information if you're a woman sitting in the mezzanine: No matter what the ushers tell you, exit HOUSE LEFT for the bathroom, as the line curves up the staircase to the mezz anyway. Otherwise, you have to go down the right stairs, arm-wrestle your way through the main floor, only to follow the line back up the left stairs to the end of the line which no doubt formed while you were en route. You're welcome.)

Now for the hard part.

Plot summary, courtesy of Wikipedia: "'The Book of Mormon' [the musical] tells the story of two young Mormon missionaries sent to a remote village in northern Uganda, where a brutal warlord is threatening the local population. Naive and optimistic, the two missionaries try to share their scriptures — which only one of them knows very well — but have trouble connecting with the locals, who are worried about famine, poverty, and AIDS."

Did I laugh? Yes. Was I riveted for every moment of the show? Yes. Were there some great numbers? YES YES YES. Content firmly aside, my absolute favorite number is the opening of the show, where we meet about a dozen young missionaries (and which features the show's two leading men, Josh Gad and the hunky-ish Andrew Rannells--both nominated) through the singing of an intricate song layered with complicated polyphony and intense harmonies--the last chord of the song was worth the price of admission. There is another number later in the show that also features The Elders in a hilarious tap routine (and if you've seen it, WHERE DID THOSE VESTS COME FROM?!). And those are just the white guys. The remainder of the cast is black, playing the parts of the Ugandans, and they are a collective force with which to be reckoned. Of every shape, size and age, they tear up the floor and add surprisingly authentic and amazingly well-sung African music to the score.

Does it have a positive message? Yes. But, let's be honest, no one is going to see this show because it has a positive message.

Was it thoroughly offensive? More than likely. I am neither Mormon nor Ugandan, but I can assume both groups would find plenty of material objectionable. (Also, the language is rough, and anyone who believes in any God of any kind will likely squirm through one particular song.)

The biggest problem for me, and the reason why I can't wholeheartedly recommend that everyone should see this show, is that there is a fine line between POKING fun at something, and MAKING fun of something. I'm addressing the Mormonism here. Again, since I'm not a Mormon and the bulk of my knowledge of the religion comes from friends and TV (ahem), I can't speak to whether or not the material is presented accurately. I do know that many stereotypes of that religion appear to be explored here, and it FEELS like poking fun (jokes about the ringing of doorbells, abstaining from caffeine, etc.); but I would imagine that a Mormon would feel that many aspects of the religion are exploited (the history of Joseph Smith, for example), and that's the part that gives me pause. I couldn't help wondering, if this were a musical that exploited the religious beliefs of Jews, would it be as well-received?

Was it my favorite show, regardless of the above information? Um, yeah. What can I say, I'm a sucker for fresh material, I guess.

Bottom Line: If you thought "Avenue Q" was hilarious and it didn't make you blush (and assuming you're not a Mormon), you'll probably love this show. If not, well, I'd skip it. Religious themes aside, it's still "rated R." BUT. This cast is quite possibly the hardest working cast on Broadway, and they deserve mad props for their success.

***

On our last day in NYC, we had a couple of hours to kill before heading to the airport (Newark, by the way--eat before you go), so we purchased tickets for one of those super-touristy double-decker bus tours. Little did we know that they are "hop on, hop off" tours, which we really didn't have enough time to take advantage of. Dang! So if you do it, plan to spend an entire day, using the bus as your transportation to various neighborhoods in downtown Manhattan. Example: take the bus through Greenwich Village, and hop off for some lunch. Get back on (a different bus) and head to So-Ho, hop off for shopping. Hop back on and tour the financial district on your way to the Statue of Liberty. It's a really cool way to get your bearings in the city, and see lots of different areas without worrying about navigating the subway. (Also, you didn't hear it here, but they rarely seem to check tickets, so I imagine you MIGHT be able to get away with using yours for more than one day.) Highlight: I now know where Stephen Sondheim lives. Check.

Becoming a Music Teacher - Again

For the last two years, The Boy and I have been attending the Music Together program in the big city. Try as we might to find an adequate suburban substitute after our move, it turns out that no one measures up to our dear Miss Mary...so we're back to our old location. Again. I figure, as long as it's just the two of us and we have a morning to kill, why not keep our wonderful excuse to head into the city on a weekly basis for some quality music time. (Also, we sometimes meet up with Daddy for lunch.) (Also, sometimes there is shopping in cutesey little boutiques.) (Also, did I mention I'm having a GIRL so the old boutiques I've explored ad nauseum have new life?!)

Story detour: A few months ago, I discovered that my Illinois teaching certificate is up for renewal this June, and I am MANY credits behind where I need to be to get re-certified. Letting one's certificate lapse is generally considered a super bad idea because the hoops and hurdles you need to jump to get back in the game are much more plentiful than just completing the necessary requirements in the first place. Basically, I needed a quick and easy-ish (and always expensive--that can't be helped) workshop that would earn me the necessary credits. Bonus points if it's an area in which I'm actually interested.

Flash forward to this Sunday, when I will start a three day training workshop to become...a Music Together teacher! Yes, folks, my brain, which has mostly been on ice for the last three years of SAHMommydom, will need to oil itself and ka-chunk, ka-chunk, ka-chunk into gear. Yes, I'm worried about hand-cramps from note taking, sitting my pregnant self on the floor (let's hope not) for nine hours each day, having to actually teach in front of my peers again, etc. But the idea of three! days! off! of parenting! is totally worth it, IMO. Oh, I mean, the idea of having a brand spanking new Illinois Teaching Certificate is totally worth it. Ahem.

Will I actually put this new certification to use? Who knows. There are something like 30 people taking the training JUST IN CHICAGO, not to mention the other 40 or so trainings that take place around the country each year, so I'd imagine Music Together jobs are in high demand. Also, you know, I'm having a baby. But maybe some day....

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to organize my backpack and sharpen my No. 2 pencils.


(Ka-chunk...ka-chunk...ka-chunk...)

Sugar and Spice

Remember the pink cash register? It's gonna come in handy....




(Yes, Baby Girl, I am posting an ultrasound picture of your ladyparts for all the world to see, but it's essentially YOUR FAULT because you refused to show your pretty face to the u/s tech, leaving me with this as your best photo. So there. Try to cooperate at the next appointment, eh?)

The Paci Fairy

If you're a regular on FaceBook, then you've already read my posts about the Paci Fairy's visit to our house. Since one of the purposes of this blog is for documentation, however, you're going to have to endure a full post with all the details. That way if/when we go through this with the next kid, I'll have a lovely and handy guide for The Perfect Way to Ditch the Paci. Ahem.

With advice from Supernanny, Jo Frost, we planted the idea of the Paci Fairy in The Boy's mind. (Prior to that, we made a paper chain with 20 rings that we used to count down the days until he would get rid of his pacis.) On THE DAY, he placed his pacis in a gift bag with a note to the Fairy, explaining that he was giving his pacis away to a baby who might need them. We placed the bag outside the house before his nap, and headed upstairs. He and I both cried a little bit as we sat in our living room, staring at the bag. What a brave boy.

He had his game face on all the way through the pre-nap routine, up until song time, when he cried and cried and cried. And cried and cried and cried and cried. He finally tired himself out on me, fell asleep, and I put him in his crib where he slept for a comparatively short time (one hour instead of his regular two). I attribute this to the assumption that he usually wakes up during his nap, finds his paci and settles back down to sleep. Without the paci, he's lost that skill or desire.

Day two: No nap. He played in his crib for a looooong time and cried for his paci.

Day three: Played in his crib until I went up and rocked him to sleep.

Day four: No nap. At all.

Day five: Enter the sticker chart. He earns one sticker per nap, and a trip to the movie theatre after 12.

He has now napped successfully for four consecutive days, but his naps are definitely shorter. Today's victory was that he put himself to sleep for the first time, without assistance. He stopped asking for his paci several days ago, which is a HUGE victory for us all.

What I have learned: I originally thought we were in the ideal window for getting rid of the paci, since he's old enough to actually understand the explanation for where it went and to take some ownership of the process. I now think that if we had done it sooner, he would better have learned how to soothe himself to sleep, thus his naps would still be long. Then again, it could have backfired. Our reason for wanting to get rid of it now is that a) there will soon be another baby in the house who may use pacis, and if he sees the baby using it for several more years, he might NEVER give it up, and b) we wanted to get rid of them before the transition to the Big Boy Bed. Those beds are HUGE, in comparison to a crib, so a "lost" paci is much more difficult to find.

Props for us: The one thing I absolutely think we did correctly was to wean him off paci usage gradually. As of less than one year (I wish I could remember, exactly), he was only allowed to use them in the car and for sleeping. Then we cut the car usage out, except for long trips where he would take a nap. The good thing about this approach is that we weren't constantly hunting down pacis all over the house, and he wasn't toting them all over town. Yay, us.


"Isn't this exciting." - Sheila, A Chorus Line

The Difference a Day Makes

If you read the last post, you know where my head has been. It's amazing, though, how helpful it is (to me) to simply put my feelings out there. First, in a blog post; later in a private conversation with my incredibly supportive husband. Technically, nothing has changed, and yet everything has changed.

Yesterday, as we spent the entire day together as a family, we were walking through the woods when I became overcome with excitement and joy that my son is going to be a big brother. I started to feel incomplete--as though the state of my family is in flux, and will be until this beautiful baby is born, because s/he belongs to us and is a part of us.

And it made me smile.

Living in Fear

Okay, that's a bit dramatic. I'm not LIVING in fear....I'm just residing in it for longer stints than I care to. And I suppose "fear" isn't exactly accurate, either. Trepidation, anxiety, precariousness. Y'all, I am quaking in my boots (that I am still wearing--thank you Midwestern "spring") about adding a baby to this house and to my life.

Part of me has forgotten too many details about raising a baby: weaning off the bottle, when/how to sleep train, breastfeeding details, how to assemble the stupid Baby Bjorn. Yeah, I know it doesn't matter, really, and I know it will come back to me or I will relearn it. But it's still a source of anxiety and I can't help it.

Part of me knows the reason for the stress is due to the presence of a strong-willed toddler in my house. A toddler that requires a specific act of discipline every 20-30 minutes; who's latest reaction to said discipline is to SCREAM BLOODY MURDER in my face; who is growing up faster than you can say "reform school." (That's a joke.) (I think.)

The thought of living through trying to enjoy the sleeplessness that comes with a newborn under these conditions is causing periods of hyperventilation and terror. And, here's the thing, one of the reasons I waited as long as I did to get pregnant again was that I wanted to be as "present" as possible for this pregnancy and the birth of a new baby. Because one never knows when one is pregnant for the last time, right? I am desperately trying to cling on to details of this pregnancy, and am flashing forward to the first three months of new life, which flew by faster than a Lear jet last time, bound and determined to get my head in the game and REMEMBER REMEMBER REMEMBER the newborn stage.

I'm terrified of waking up some morning next spring and realizing that my baby isn't a baby anymore, and that I missed it all because I was "tired" "crabby" "overwhelmed" "exhausted."

Oh, it feels better just to write this all out, honestly.

The good news is that I have recently started yoga again, after a three year hiatus. (The only yoga I've ever taken is prenatal.) I'm using a couple of videos and am thinking of joining a class on the weekends, and my body feels soooo goooooood when I'm done. I'm fairly certain that yoga contributed exactly nothing to my last birth experience, but I truly feel wonderfully peaceful when I've finished a session. And I can usually refrain from heading immediately to my pillow.

Speaking of. I'm off to the serenity of my basement, where I trade the inconvenience of hitting the ceiling during tree pose for the extra padding of the plush shag carpet (shut up).

Thanks for remaining loyal readers. :-)

2 1/2 Years

Weight: 33 1/2 lbs (75th)
Height: 36 in (50th)
HC: 19 1/4 (50th)


Dear Munchkin/Boy:

ARE WE DONE WITH TWO, YET?! ARE WE?! Just sayin'...

Okay, I've got that out of my system. I find age two to be a constant power struggle against itself. It's such an age of wonder, discovery, exploration, light-bulb moments. But then it's also an age of arguments, disobedience, back-talk, and regret (Mom's). And in traditional human fashion, I find that I spend more time recalling the tough times than good times. It's the reason why, even though this post has been in the works for months, I feel I should have more than just a few fun "lookey what my kid did/said!" tidbits to offer. This parenting thing is hard, yo, and I'm not ashamed to say it.

Here are some things that make me smile:

- You almost always say "please" when you ask for something. Even if it comes out, "I WANT MORE CRACKERS!!!!!!.....pweeze."

- You are a diligent cleaner-upper when prompted, and take pride in ensuring everything ends up in its rightful container.

- "Pack pack" = back pack

- "Piggy pack pack" = piggy back ride

- "We all done wis da wash cloth?" (You meant, "with the car wash")

- "Mommy, can you do me a favorite?" (favor)

- Daddy: "Am I your friend?" You: "No, you're Brad."

- "Okay, mommy, here's da situation."

- Trying so hard to make monkey cheeks (puffed up cheeks) in swimming class, only to end up making a fish face instead.

- Whenever anyone asks you if you think you're having a baby brother or sister, you always reply, "a baby sistah." (Perhaps we will learn about disappointment sooner than later? Time will tell.)

- You insist on telling the day's routine: "We gonna go to school, den we gonna eat lunch, den we gonna take a nap, den we gonna wake up!"

- Singing the lyrics to "Prince Ali" from Aladdin: "Pwince Ali, handsome is he, Ali A-Blah Blah." (It's supposed to be "Ali Ababwa.")

- Over pronouncing all your Ls, but skipping Rs and Ys. Yellow = "Lellow"

- You are the ultimate negotiator. All requests are met with, "Five minutes, mommy." And you hold up your five fingers, just in case I misunderstood. Or, "How bout...pway for two minutes, THEN take a nap."

- You're so proud of your new clock that changes colors to tell you when it's time to sleep and when it's okay to be awake. "Mommy! My cLLLock is LeLLow!" "My cLLLock is not blue!"


Here are a few pics from our recent trip back to the Kohl Children's Museum:
Pressing buttons to make the water jump

Grocery shopping. Atta boy!


Aaaand...cue the heart melt. It's moments like THIS (completely uninstructed as to how to hold that baby doll) that make me forget about the terrible two's....almost. :)

Love,
Mom