Birthday
One Year
Two Years
Three Years
Coffee, Cats, and Deadlines: A Day in My Life
1 month ago
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Three Years Old
Roper turned 3 on Monday...I'm not really sure how these three years have passed so quickly!! It doesn't seem like it's been that long since he was Duncan's size...
Birthday
One Year
Two Years
Three Years
Birthday
One Year
Two Years
Three Years
Friday, June 22, 2012
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Two Months Old
I know its June 6th...I promise I took these on May 17th. I figured I better post them before Duncan turns 3 months old!
We've been busy the past few weeks; I have some catching up to do (what's new). Duncan is smiling and laughing and cooing and has turned from his stomach to his back and from his back to his stomach, although he seemed surprised both times. I don't think it was intentional, but it happened, so it counts. Although to be perfectly accurate, both occurences were in the past week, so I probably should have saved that news for the "Three Month" post.
He really has turned into quite a content little baby, we had some rough weeks, and he still has tummy issues from time to time, but that is not uncommon. At the suggestion of my cousin Alice and seconded by our pediatrician, we started him on some probiotic drops. They come in a tee-tiny little glass bottle that costs $40 but they are worth every penny because I really think they've helped him feel better. There is nothing worse than a baby that you can't comfort! I also have cut way way back on dairy which might be helping too. His favorite past-time is being held as much as possible, I'm afraid I've spoiled him, but I'm okay with that!
He is steadily climbing up the charts. At his 2-month check-up he weighed in at 12.44 lbs (63rd percentile), measured 23" (57th percentile), and head circumference was 15.5" (66th percentile). He's growing!
Friday, May 18, 2012
Big Boy
I'm still catching up on April news...Roper woke up the second morning of spring break insisting that he wear big boy underwear.
The timing wasn't ideal...I had not intended to potty train Roper while Duncan was only 3 weeks old...I was hoping to start sometime in the summer...but how do you say "no" to a 2-year-old that wants to give all his diapers to his baby brother?
It was peer pressure at its best. We spent Monday with my friend Kate and her 2 boys (which since then has increased to 3 boys!). Jesse, Charlie, Mason & Roper had the best time playing in the sprinkler...and Roper was the only one with a swim diaper on under his trunks. I think he finally realized that diapers are for babies!
He embraced potty training...not to say we haven't hada few many accidents along the way. Graem was out of town for week 2 of potty training. He made the mistake of checking in He checked in with me one morning from his meeting in Arizona...
Yeah...that was a long day. Sometimes whatever happens in the morning seems to set the tone for the rest of the day, therefore that was one crappy day (ha). The other thing Roper has been doing is pooping in the yard. Ridiculous. But I think we've gotten through that too. Or maybe I should say he's gotten it out of his system (sorry, couldn't resist).
And now my potty training disclaimer/tips to anyone that might be embarking on this filthy adventure...
I take a very relaxed approach to potty training. I'm by no means an expert, but after going through this dreaded experience with two children, I've made some observations that worked for us that yall might find helpful.
One of my college roommates (Becky) passed along some helpful advice which I've since shared with friends...a good indicator that your child is ready to start training is when they wake up in the morning or from naps dry. This shows that they have some "bladder readiness." Another good sign is when they wake up insisting that we give all their diapers to the baby.
During "training," when we're home & awake, I put them in underwear; when we go out or when they go to bed, I put them in pull-ups. This breaks all the potty training rules that you'll read in books, most of which tell you to go cold turkey to underwear. That's just not practical for us, I can't tolerate having to clean up an accident in the car, grocery store, etc.
It's helpful to potty train when its warm outside, so you can spend as much time in the yard as possible and minimize damage to your floors & furniture.
I try to take them to the potty about every hour or within 30 minutes of eating/drinking. The rewards system worked well for us...m&m's or jelly beans or gummy bears or skittles or tic tacs. I mixed it up to keep it interesting. 1 treat for staying dry and clean + 1 treat for #1 + 2 treats for #2. Which means they could max out with 4 treats on each trip!
Mason and Roper both caught on to #1 before #2...so I had to be a little manipulative with their diet to get them going. For instance: oatmeal & prune juice for breakfast, then straight to the potty. This would typically result in a reward, and before long they got the hang of it.
Just for boys (might help with girls too, not sure?) -- a friend of mine taught me to put them on the potty backwards, ie facing the tank. This was more helpful for Mason, who we trained to do #1 sitting down at first. Roper went straight to standing up because that is what he saw his big brother doing. We used a potty seat with Mason but not Roper. Potty seats are gross. Anyway, the sitting backwards helped direct the spray into the water & also seemed to give him some security for #2.
Those are just some tips that worked for us that hopefully some of you will find helpful. My two oldest have been trained before turning 3, which I count as a success, especially considering that Roper was a baby when Mason was potty training and of course we had a brand new baby when we started potty training Roper. The good news is that I only had 2 children in diapers for a matter of weeks this time!!
The timing wasn't ideal...I had not intended to potty train Roper while Duncan was only 3 weeks old...I was hoping to start sometime in the summer...but how do you say "no" to a 2-year-old that wants to give all his diapers to his baby brother?
It was peer pressure at its best. We spent Monday with my friend Kate and her 2 boys (which since then has increased to 3 boys!). Jesse, Charlie, Mason & Roper had the best time playing in the sprinkler...and Roper was the only one with a swim diaper on under his trunks. I think he finally realized that diapers are for babies!
He embraced potty training...not to say we haven't had
Yeah...that was a long day. Sometimes whatever happens in the morning seems to set the tone for the rest of the day, therefore that was one crappy day (ha). The other thing Roper has been doing is pooping in the yard. Ridiculous. But I think we've gotten through that too. Or maybe I should say he's gotten it out of his system (sorry, couldn't resist).
And now my potty training disclaimer/tips to anyone that might be embarking on this filthy adventure...
I take a very relaxed approach to potty training. I'm by no means an expert, but after going through this dreaded experience with two children, I've made some observations that worked for us that yall might find helpful.
One of my college roommates (Becky) passed along some helpful advice which I've since shared with friends...a good indicator that your child is ready to start training is when they wake up in the morning or from naps dry. This shows that they have some "bladder readiness." Another good sign is when they wake up insisting that we give all their diapers to the baby.
During "training," when we're home & awake, I put them in underwear; when we go out or when they go to bed, I put them in pull-ups. This breaks all the potty training rules that you'll read in books, most of which tell you to go cold turkey to underwear. That's just not practical for us, I can't tolerate having to clean up an accident in the car, grocery store, etc.
It's helpful to potty train when its warm outside, so you can spend as much time in the yard as possible and minimize damage to your floors & furniture.
I try to take them to the potty about every hour or within 30 minutes of eating/drinking. The rewards system worked well for us...m&m's or jelly beans or gummy bears or skittles or tic tacs. I mixed it up to keep it interesting. 1 treat for staying dry and clean + 1 treat for #1 + 2 treats for #2. Which means they could max out with 4 treats on each trip!
Mason and Roper both caught on to #1 before #2...so I had to be a little manipulative with their diet to get them going. For instance: oatmeal & prune juice for breakfast, then straight to the potty. This would typically result in a reward, and before long they got the hang of it.
Just for boys (might help with girls too, not sure?) -- a friend of mine taught me to put them on the potty backwards, ie facing the tank. This was more helpful for Mason, who we trained to do #1 sitting down at first. Roper went straight to standing up because that is what he saw his big brother doing. We used a potty seat with Mason but not Roper. Potty seats are gross. Anyway, the sitting backwards helped direct the spray into the water & also seemed to give him some security for #2.
Those are just some tips that worked for us that hopefully some of you will find helpful. My two oldest have been trained before turning 3, which I count as a success, especially considering that Roper was a baby when Mason was potty training and of course we had a brand new baby when we started potty training Roper. The good news is that I only had 2 children in diapers for a matter of weeks this time!!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Strawberry Patch
These pictures are well over a month old, but they are too cute not to share.
Mason LOVES strawberries. If you ask him what his favorite food is, he will usually tell you strawberries and bacon and chicken wings.
Back during the week of spring break from preschool we met our friends the Parnells for picking strawberries. Duncan was with us too but he was in the baby Bjorn...kind of hard to get a picture of him while I was carrying him!
Sampling the berries for quality control...
The boys always end up with red goatees by the end of a trip to the strawberry patch!
Mason LOVES strawberries. If you ask him what his favorite food is, he will usually tell you strawberries and bacon and chicken wings.
Back during the week of spring break from preschool we met our friends the Parnells for picking strawberries. Duncan was with us too but he was in the baby Bjorn...kind of hard to get a picture of him while I was carrying him!
Sampling the berries for quality control...
The boys always end up with red goatees by the end of a trip to the strawberry patch!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Overwhelmed
I'm here to admit that life with three children has been a HUGE adjustment for us. People told me that three was not much harder than two. They lied.
My mantra when Roper was born was to make sure that M&R napped at the same time every day. That really doesn't happen when you throw a third into the mix. It has happened a handful of times, but it's not an everyday occurrence, maybe once a week.
Duncan is definitely my neediest baby, he loves to be held and I guess you would say that he is colicky. The nurse at our ped's office has suggested that I cut dairy out of my diet...but it takes 3 weeks for the dairy protein to get out of your system. What if that ends up not being the problem? I have a long list of things to discuss with our ped at D's 2-month check-up on Thursday. But let's face it, when I have a 2-year-old and 4-year-old to keep up with and the baby cries, he gets held.
So...we are having fun but I feel overwhelmed. Yet I still feel the need to blog. I want to document all the things that are going on with us so that our friends and loved ones that follow my blog can share in them. Also it makes me so happy to read back through my old posts and I just don't want to miss some of this stuff!
Duncan is only 8 weeks old...we are coming off a week of Graem being out of town...I don't believe that "overwhelmed" is our "new normal" but it is for the time being. This too shall pass and we'll get into a routine at some point.
Here's a quick rundown of what's been going on with us:
-Duncan is on the verge of sleeping through the night. I think it will happen in the next week. He still gets up between 3:00 and 4:00 but he falls back asleep before he has had a full feeding.
-Roper is potty trained.
-Mason lost his first tooth.
-Graem and I spent a long weekend in Vancouver and then Graem went on an 8-day Alaskan cruise.
I promise to be back with pictures at some point, hopefully sooner rather than later!
My mantra when Roper was born was to make sure that M&R napped at the same time every day. That really doesn't happen when you throw a third into the mix. It has happened a handful of times, but it's not an everyday occurrence, maybe once a week.
Duncan is definitely my neediest baby, he loves to be held and I guess you would say that he is colicky. The nurse at our ped's office has suggested that I cut dairy out of my diet...but it takes 3 weeks for the dairy protein to get out of your system. What if that ends up not being the problem? I have a long list of things to discuss with our ped at D's 2-month check-up on Thursday. But let's face it, when I have a 2-year-old and 4-year-old to keep up with and the baby cries, he gets held.
So...we are having fun but I feel overwhelmed. Yet I still feel the need to blog. I want to document all the things that are going on with us so that our friends and loved ones that follow my blog can share in them. Also it makes me so happy to read back through my old posts and I just don't want to miss some of this stuff!
Duncan is only 8 weeks old...we are coming off a week of Graem being out of town...I don't believe that "overwhelmed" is our "new normal" but it is for the time being. This too shall pass and we'll get into a routine at some point.
Here's a quick rundown of what's been going on with us:
-Duncan is on the verge of sleeping through the night. I think it will happen in the next week. He still gets up between 3:00 and 4:00 but he falls back asleep before he has had a full feeding.
-Roper is potty trained.
-Mason lost his first tooth.
-Graem and I spent a long weekend in Vancouver and then Graem went on an 8-day Alaskan cruise.
I promise to be back with pictures at some point, hopefully sooner rather than later!
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