Now what...?

On Thursday, I surprised my students by telling them it was my last day with me.  After starting the year out on maternity leave, I only ended up teaching this group for about 2 months.  I'm not one for big good-byes, so I thought just telling them on my last day was the best day to go.  My enrichment was having a going away party for a student who is moving, so I used that as my chance to say good-bye as well.

I finalized their grades and had them complete personal evaluations for me during class, so by the end of the day I had every grade entered and the end of the marking period complete.  After chatting with co-workers, I spent some time at my desk just kind of confused with what to work on.  I went to pack up to go home and was pretty confused when I realized I had nothing to take home and put in my bag! 

I really don't mind the teaching-but the grading, and the hours of prep work that can't be done during the school day are what really make me not want to work full time (while raising babies).  I've always envied people who can get their work done during their actual 9-5 hours and aren't always scrambling to get work done before work or taking it home after. 

 My room before we started packing it up.

I love these drawings... they had to use specific types of lines and write the equation for each line used.  These are form last year, just one of the many things that I had to leave behind.

We spent three hours on Saturday, and four more this morning packing up my classroom (two full car-loads of stuff).  As we walked to the playground afterwards (at Theo's request), I started letting the weight of my job lift from my shoulders.  As I was sitting swinging with my baby, and watching Theo and Brian chase each other through the playground equipment, I realized it was the first care-free moment we (all four of us) had had in weeks (maybe months!).  When we got back in the car, I turned to Brian and said, "Now what?"

Delaware Bucket List: DogTown

After we packed up my classroom, we decided to check one place off of our Delaware bucket list.  We aren't really sure how much longer it will take before we make the official move to DC, but hopefully Brian will start commuting before we have made the physical move.

 But back to the bucket list.  Though I taught in a school very near Middletown, DE, I haven't been to very many places in the actual town.  One that I have driven by numerous times and always wondered about is DogTown Hot Dogs.  Located right on the busiest corner in the town, in the quaintly redone "downtown" area, this little place is small enough to contain Theo.  It was pretty packed for a Sunday afternoon, so we chose a high table rather than putting Theo in a high chair (though they had two). 

Their menu features many different styles of hot-dogs, and a few other things, see at left.

I really liked that their kids menu actually had different size items, rather than all one size.  Most of the time the kids meals are too big for Theo, and too expensive for what he'll actually eat.  I appreciated that the meals were smaller and cheaper for toddlers.  The best part was that the hot dog was already cut into bite size pieces in the " Little Toddler " meal!  Add some ketchup and he was ready to eat.  They also have JUICE BOXES!  One of Theo's favorite thing on earth (thanks to Chipotle). 

I enjoyed my No-Dog burger that was on a great not-soggy yet not too thick bun, and the fries were crispy with an almost breaded taste, plus a side of cheese. 

Brian enjoyed a Miami Dream and Fly' N Hawaiian dog on this January coat-less day, and Old Bay tater tots.  Only in the Delmarva region can you get Old Bay on just about anything. 

But Theo's favorite part was the "Big Dog" statue! 

Elijah: 4 months

Jan. 12, 2013

So naturally, on your four-month birthday you awoke me at 4 AM for a feeding.  While normally, I can fall right back asleep after this, today was a struggle.  So, I am writing your letter to you today on time! 

Your infant stage is far behind, as you continue to grow quickly.  You are trying to sit up on your own, and can sit for long periods in the bumbo.  Dada let you try the jumper this month, and you had a great time twirling in there.  A tooth could be coming soon, because you are constantly drooling and chewing on whatever you can find.  Your only real problem seems to be dry skin, and we are trying to fix that.

I can't wait until a week from now, when I will again be a stay-at-home mama with you, and be able to spend all day watching you grow.

Weight:  17 pounds
Length:   26.25 inches
Size:  Same as last month!
Feeding:  Pretty much the same as last month.  During the day you like to eat every three to four hours.
Sleeping:  Last night you slept from 10-4 before waking up to eat, and have been sleeping since 4 as well.  Naps come and go during the day.
Likes:  grandmas, chewing on things, toys
Dislikes:  being hungry, tummy time
*You giggled today!  Grandma found your ticklish spot (your neck!).  It was the sweetest sound!*

Blogging in 2013

Despite the fact that blogger tells me my last post was on Nov. 1, I actually have been keeping up with my blog I just haven't been publishing anything I write (I had no way to upload photos to my computer so all my posts are half finished).  Hopefully that will change soon. 

My computer went down in November.  It was a very sad day, but we found that my original laptop was still alive.  Thus, I've been using it for a couple months.  However, it works at the speed of about a 1990 computer and has no camera for using Skype (amongst other issues like lack of photo editing software-I can't even crop a photo).  Luckily, my in-laws helped me out with a nice Christmas gift to go toward a new laptop, so I'm now happily speeding along on a new computer again (though figuring out the new Windows is taking some time).

When I first started my blog, I mainly wanted to give my distant friends and relatives a look at our life here so they could feel a part of what we are doing.  Several of my friends "back home" (whether that is Arizona or Indiana) have blogs that inspired me to start mine.  However, as we settled here in Delaware and started our family, my blog changed along with us.  While originally I was highlighting the places we discovered here in Delaware, in recent years I have also added on posts with information about babies and toddlers and raising them here.  I use this place as a diary that I hope will be interesting to them when they are older.

As we anticipate moving to DC soon, I assume my blog will change right along with me.  As new posts highlight all the new places we will discover there (picture this mama with a baby strapped in a baby carrier tightly holding the hand of a toddler on the metro traipsing all over DC this spring), I am going to try to be a little more explicit when posting about these places with info that other mamas/dadas would find helpful (such as:  kid-friendly menus, changing facilities, nursing rooms, general age guidelines for places). 

After being here for so long, and bringing two baby boys home to this tiny apartment, it is bittersweet to anticipate our move.  It will be the third time in the last decade that I have left everything I know behind (except Brian), and started in a new place.  But, it should be an exciting new chapter to this blog.  I thought of changing the title to 2304 miles minus 100 miles (exactly how far Brian's work is from here, back in the direction we came from), but I thought that was a little too complicated. 

Elijah: 3 months

Dec. 19, 2012

Today you turned three months (and one week) old!  Mama forgot to write this on time, but since I am home sick today I decided to try and write this.  You have been such a good baby all day, just mellowing out while mama sleeps and tries to feel better.  I hope so much you don't get sick, but your little smiling face has sure helped me through this rough day.

You are such a smiley baby!  When you want attention or picked up you just turn on the charm and give a big flash of your toothless gums.  This month you have really wrapped mama around your finger with your sweetness.

You did have a little cold (runny nose, cough) a few weeks ago, but are feeling great now.

Weight:  15 pounds, 9 ounces
Length:  (did not measure, first month without a doctor check-up!)
Size:  The 6-12 month winter clothes I bought you fit surprisingly well, and size 2 diapers are fitting best.
Feeding:  When mama went back to work, you started getting some bottles and have done pretty well with them.  You eat right before and after I work, but only eat twice while I'm gone, and continue to nurse several times through the night.
Sleeping:  Your starting to stretch into fewer, longer naps now.  You sleep a lot in the morning, and are normally pretty tired by 8:00 at night.  You stay in your bassinet for the first part of the night, but normally end up in bed nursing with mama.
Likes:  smiling at Mama, Dada, and brother; grabbing and holding rattles and toys
Dislikes:  when Theo bonks you accidentally

Elijah: 2 Months

Nov. 12, 2012

This month we finally cleared up your jaundice (breast milk jaundice this time) and baby acne, but now you are getting some dry skin in this cold month.  Your hiccoughs are happening less, but you do still get them.  You started the month banging your head into our shoulders a lot, but have really started holding up your head pretty well now.

You have ridden in the Moby wrap quite a few times now, and seem to like it (you always fall asleep).  You like to sleep in your swing often too.  When awake you like to hold onto toys, and have started liking being able to watch your mobile.  You have learned how to give really big smiles when you want picked up or played with.  They are so precious.

Weight:  13 pounds, 9 ounces
Length:  23.75 inches
Size:  We're into size 2 diapers, and your 3-6 month clothes. 
Feeding:  You eat every few hours now (for about 15 minutes a time).  You have experienced a bottle now and took right to it.  Some nights you will go almost 6 hours before waking to eat.  You burp really well.
Sleeping:  You are still such a good sleeper.  You end up sleeping with mama a lot after your early morning feedings, but spend the first half of the night in your bassinet.  We don't swaddle anymore, but have started the sleep sacks.
Likes:  Toys that rattle, Mobile, mama, Dada, and big brother
Dislikes:  Cori barking at the mail man

HallOween

So, for some reason, I have decided that I would really like to make my kids their Halloween costumes for as long as they will let me.  But I am not one to spend a lot of time with an elaborate costume.  I try to find ideas that are fairly simple (cheap) and quick.   Here are the ones we have come up with so far.

2012:  Football 1 month old and Football Player 2.5 Years Old

Having a newborn at Halloween kind of narrows the options, but I saw this on pinterest months ago and knew it would be perfect.  The football onesie was very easy.  Dyed it brown, and then used fabric glue to attach white bias tape that I already had in my craft supplies.  Brian gets the credit for making the stitching look as realistic as possible.  Bias tape worked much better than ribbon, which the glue kind of bled through on.  We put a green sleeper underneath for warmth, and thought it could double as a the green grass on a football field.

 For the player, we used a Colts jersey, blue socks, and white sneakers that we had at home.  For the pants, we bought some girls leggings and just adding two strips of ribbon down the side.  Theo was most excited to put on "mama's make-up" for his eye black, and was tolerant with the pads that dada made for him.  My husband spent quite a while making very, very realistic looking shoulder pads out of a plastic container and cardboard, and kitchen twine. He also made thigh pads out of cardboard and stuffing.  It was a little dangerous walking around in Eagles territory with the Colts jersey on, but he still got treats from everyone.

2011:  Johnny Appleseed:  1.5 Years Old

This year Theo had just begun saying the word "apple", so it gave us the inspiration for this costume.  Hubby again got in on the action with this one, creating the hat that Theodore would wear (a real pot was too heavy and wouldn't fit his head correctly).  He used cardboard covered in tin foil. I added a quick vest I made out of some brown cotton material I found, and made a quick pouch for his "apple seeds" (candy bag!).  Theodore carried an apple with him, and rolled up his pants to complete the look.  He could have gone barefoot to add to the look, but that wasn't practical. 

2010: Chocolate Chip Cookie 6 months old

For his first Halloween, I made T a cookie costume.  I simply made two light brown circular pillows, and then added dark brown chocolate chips to each one.  He still has these pillows on his bed.

For some more recent costume ideas, check out 2013 and 2014!

Kilby Cream

After a quick search of my blog, I realized I have never really done a post about one of our favorite local places, Kilby Cream.  Though this one is a bit away from Newark, I would still consider it close enough to call local.

A quick jog down 95 will lead you into rural Maryland (third state Eli has visited now).  It always amazes me how quickly we can get to the country here. When we lived in Phoenix it took FOREVER to get "out of the city".  Here we are not nearly as trapped in the urban sprawl as we were there.

This dairy has really great ice cream, a petting zoo (calves, goats, mini horses, etc), and a playground that Theodore just can't resist.  And in the fall it is home to a corn maze.

Last year was our first time there, and we had a fun time taking Theodore through, though we went at a busier time and some of the lesser behaved children annoyed us.

But this year, we had the whole maze to ourselves on an early Sunday evening, and Theodore really had a blast leading us through.  He wanted to "read" the map the whole time, and kept deciding "This Way" at all the intersections. He was oddly right most of the time too.  Every now and then he wanted to trick dada by telling him to go a different way, but then would get worried when he was gone.  T would literally jump in the air when dada would sneak up on him by going around a different way, and then start giggling.  It was a lot of fun, and of course was followed by some great scoops of ice cream!  Not a normal fall pairing, but one Theodore is probably going to always link-  ice cream and corn mazes.

Elijah: 1 Month

Oct. 12, 2012

Today you turned one month old!  You are still the sweetest baby ever.  I've started calling you "little goat" because you sound just like one when you mewl.  However, I much prefer that to crying and am lucky you are so calm and rarely cry or spit up.

Your umbilical cord finally fell off on the 1st of Oct.  After being grossed out by it for a month, your brother turned 360 degrees and became upset when it fell off and complained he "want cord back" for the next few days.  You seem to be interested in your big brother, and like to watch him.

Weight:  10 pounds 14 ounces
Length:  22.5 inches
Size:  We can just barely squeeze you into newborn clothes and diapers, size 1 and 0-3 months fit better.
Feeding:  Like a clock.  You eat every two hours if you have a "half order" and every three hours if you have a "full order".  At night you only eat every four hours.
Sleeping:  All the time!  You do like to get up more in the late afternoon and evening hours, which works well since that's when dada comes home.  You like to sleep on mama, but will also sleep in the bassinet and the vibrating chair.
Likes:  Being swaddled at night, rocking and being cuddled.
Dislikes:  Binky, hiccups (you get them all the time!)

First Out of State Trip

I have felt a little trapped in my own house since the baby was born.  I really can't leave with both boys, since I am not supposed to lift Theodore and there are too many instances in any trip where I would have to lift him and I haven't fully started driving yet after my surgery.  And Brian is working as much as possible, so he can't really take us many places.  But today, I made him take us for a little outing.

We couldn't really decide what to do, but I've been wanting to drive up to Lancaster for a while now, so we headed north without any real plans except to find some "orange trees" as we instructed Theo.

By the time we got there around noon, we were quite hungry so we searched for restaurants on our GPS and randomly picked the fifth one it listed - The Smoketown Diner.  Apparently, Smoketown is one of the many, many towns that cluster outside of Lancaster.  It was a small diner, loud enough that Theo wasn't too distracting to everyone else, but quiet enough that the baby stayed asleep pretty much the whole time.  It was a cheap meal, and pretty filling but not too large portions, though we had to wait a bit.  Though I normally don't order dessert, I was excited to see peanut butter pie on the menu and disappointed when they didn't have any.

We picked up a guide and a map here, and were interested by a dairy, and a pretzel shop, and headed that way.

The dairy, Oregon Dairy, turned out to be the perfect place to spend one of the last nice days of the year with both boys.  We ordered some really tasty ice cream and ate out on the ice cream deck which was perfect with the sun warming us.  Theodore then had a great time playing on the playground, and I enjoyed seeing all the white deer they kept there.

Then we traveled just a bit more and came to a nice, historic town called Lititz.  We found  "the first commercial pretzel bakery in America,"  Sturgis Pretzel Bakery.  Though it was too close to nap time for us to take the tour, it looked interesting and was only a couple bucks a person.  We picked up some bags of pretzels, and a few hot freshly baked ones as well.

On our way out, we enjoyed the rest of our scenic, winding drive, and headed home a different route through Gap.  Of course, we had to stop at our cheese shoppe there.  Theo, always the chatterbox, thanked Bill for the cheese as we left with Manchego and an Irish cheddar with porter.

Elijah only cried a little on the drive home, as he was getting a little hungry.  Overall, it was a very successful first outing as a family of four, and Elijah's first time out of his home state.

Letter at Two Weeks Old

Dear Eli,

Not much has changed in the past two weeks… your jaundice is almost gone.  You still go through a ton of diapers a day, but you have only really gotten one outfit dirty and one changing pad cover.  You’re pretty clean for a baby.

You have had two doctor’s appointments, got to go to the park last week, and to Bob Evans and church Sunday, but otherwise you’ve been pretty housebound. 

Sleeping is still your main activity.  It comes very easily to you.  You love to be swaddled but could take or leave a binky.  And you still have your umbilical cord, I think just to annoy your big brother.

Love ya,

Mama

Baby #2 has arrived!

 On Sept. 12, 2012 at precisely 8:04 am my eyes filled with tears as I heard my little one’s first cries.  As soon as I could see his little body, I fell in love all over again.  My first thoughts were of how bald he looked, but when I got closer look I found he does have a light layer of brown hair. As I was anxiously awaiting getting to see him myself, I heard the nurses score him a 9 on the apgar scale, and I was glad to hear he was a healthy 8 pounds and 9 ounces, and 21 inches.  I was worried beforehand that they had estimated him to be smaller than Theo, but he turned out to be pretty good sized and everything was healthy with him (other than a little jaundice).  He has the exact same size statistics I had when I was born.

First picture.

Two minutes later, Brian got to re-cut the cord.

It wasn't until 8:19 (15 minutes after his first cries) that I finally got to see him up close. 

It seemed like it was forever before they finally brought him close for me to see, and a really long time before I finally got to hold him when they wheeled me back to recovery.  While I was still shaking from the shock afterward this time, it wasn’t quite to the extent I remember shivering last time.  The anesthesiologist nurse did a really good job making sure I was comfortable this time. 

8:50 Finally holding baby!  One of the many cons of a c-section is waiting so long to hold baby.

After this photo they took me to recovery, where I spent a few hours.  Elijah met his big brother and his grandma, and attempted to nurse for the first time.  

We finally got to our room around lunchtime, and spent the next few hours so excited and happy getting to know our new little guy.  So much different than last time where we were exhausted and upset about the c-section and struggling to get through our first night.

The rest of the hospital stay was pretty routine, and I was up walking as soon as possible.  I had almost no feet and leg swelling this time, and knew to keep asking for pain meds to keep myself going.

Going home outfit!

 Elijah is a very sweet baby, but has such a serious little face.  He does not spit up much at all (I didn’t know such a baby existed), and he doesn’t need to eat quite as often as Theo did (but already regained his weight and is gaining fine).   He will stop crying almost as soon as you pick him up and tend to him, and it is pretty easy to figure out what he needs (not sure if that’s b/c he is a second child or just an easy child).   

 “Old Man Wrinkles” was almost immediately my nickname for this little serious face.

 First meeting!

 Theo is adjusting well.  His life hasn’t changed that much now that he’s a big brother.  He is still into playing with his blocks, trains, reading, watching Word World, and playing with his stuffed animals.  But now, he has a little brother to come check on, set beside and watch, and talk about constantly.  

One cute thing is every time he sees Eli’s umbilical cord he yells out “Look-LOOK!” and is freaked out.  Hopefully it falls off soon.  He then claims it is “My Turn” and will climb up on the changing table to change his diaper too.  The toilet is still not looking inviting to him apparently. 

Theo also uses a lot of the phrases I use-he’ll walk over to Eli and say how cute he is.  He likes to keep him near when he is playing blocks/trains/making the bed with blankets on the floor.  And he is always worried about him having a blankie/binky.  He acts like it is completely normal to have a little brother join us. 

I was a little overwhelmed Sunday when we went to our first church service as a family of four, and I had time to just reflect on how truly blessed we are to have two wonderful, healthy boys. 

 

 First pic as a family of four!

1st Pregnancy vs. 2nd Pregnancy

I have been lucky and blessed by two fairly easy pregnancies.  Both times I had no complications, always low blood pressure and normal glucose levels.  I did not have much nausea in either pregnancy, and carried both babies well.

I definitely had more heartburn with my first pregnancy, leading me to believe the wives-tail about the more heartburn the more hair, b/c my second had very little heartburn, and very little hair. 

Both pregnancies ended in unwanted c-sections.  In the first case, I was unsuccessfully induced and stopped progressing at 7 cm.  This time, they would have let me try for a VBAC had I started labor on my own, but I did not and the alternative was a scheduled c-section at about 41 weeks.   The second c-section was a very different experience.  The first time, it was so entirely unexpected as I never, ever imagined my childbirth experience going that way.  But this time, after my due date had come and gone, and I had tried everything to get the baby coming on my own, I was resigned to the fact that I was going to have a repeat section.   While with the first I had lots of baby blues and emotional swings after he was here, I got all my emotions about the c-section taken care of before my second son was born and have really been able to enjoy almost every moment since he arrived.  It was also much easier to recover from without the induced labor beforehand, and knowing what to expect after.

40weeks + 1day Pregnant with a 9 lb baby (Age 25 1/4 years)

40weeks + 4days Pregnant with a 8 lb 9 oz baby (Age 27 5/6 years)

My weight gain was different with each, though my starting weight was similar for both pregnancies.  For the first I gained 41.5 pounds, while I only gained 32 pounds with the second.  Perhaps that had sometime to do with the ease of recovery too? 

Hopefully, for #3 I’ll be able to successfully have a VBA2C.  I really don’t want to go through surgery again, but thankfully I am almost recovered from this one.

2.5 Years, Alright

Theo recently had his 2 and a half year wellness visit.  He has been going with me to the doctor lately, so he's getting to understand how the medical world works.  He's even been asking to go to the doctor when his tummy hurt (I'm pretty sure he just bumped into something).  So, I thought he'd be excited when he finally got to go see his doctor, but I was wrong.  He was cranky and a little hesitant, but he did say "hi doctor" and got through the appointment.

Height and Weight:  He is still off the charts for his age, 39 inches and 41 pounds.  Literally off the charts.  But he is active (kicking/throwing a ball around the house as I write this), strong, and healthy.  She had no concerns about his speech or language.  He has really taken off in the last six months and became such a talker. 

Eating:  Not as well as he used to.  If it is meat, cheese, eggs, beans, pasta, potatoes, or bread we normally have no problems.  But he is in a picky stage and will pick out onions and vegetables from dishes.  He still actually will eat pureed food much better than actual veggies, and I don't seem to be able to get him past this.  Fruit has about a 50-50 chance of getting eaten, depending on his mood.  He likes to put lemon and lime juice in his water, and will drink any kind of watered down juice that he can get.  I don't really push it with most food, but I would like him to eat some green things...

Early Literacy:  He loves the shows Word World (yay) and Super Reader (boo).  WW has definitely upstaged Elmo.  For that matter, so has Grover, which they unfortunately don't play much on Sesame Street so we have just been skipping that all together lately.  Last time, when the Super Grover segment was over and they did the advertisement for Elmo coming next, he actually said "No Elmo, More Grover!" and pouted.  He really is learning his letters thanks to these two shows, and when we work on his Pre-K book together he gets very excited to point out the letters and sing "LMNOP" and "Z".  He is into a couple longer Dr. Seuss books lately, unfortunately, and amazes me at just home many books he has committed partially to memory.  When reading his favorites I always pause and let him say words at the end of the sentences.  When we are out walking he likes to stop at signs and point out letters.

 Early Numeracy:  Theo is a good little counter now.  He can't make "S" sounds well, so six and seven are rough but we know what he is trying to say.  He is getting into shapes, asking to watch "Elmo's Shapes" quite often and again pointing out the shapes of signs on our walks.  He's starting to name numbers, however, he is quite adamant that the number "8" is "number B".

Potty Training:  We have not kicked this in full gear yet.  He has went on the potty precisely Three times, and each time was a bit of a fluke and was not to be repeated.  He takes off his diaper lately though, when it needs changed, which is somewhat helpful but makes more of a mess sometimes.  I think this is starting to point toward him being more ready to start training though.

Sibling Training:  Theo does seem very excited about the baby coming.  He will "knock" on my belly and tell the baby to wake up, and always blesses him in his nightly prayers (Mama, Dada, then little brother).

Behavior:  I think he is typical in his occasional defiance (for a two year old).  He will be naughty on occasion, and sit through his resulting time out.  Recently, he cracked us up with his reluctance to comply with a request (to eat something, or go to a time out), when he said "ALRIGHT" and started doing what had been asked.  It was so unexpected.  I'm not sure where/when he learned that phrase, but now he has been saying it all the time.  It is too cute.

New Book Favorites: Little Critter Books, Fox in Socks, One Fish, Two Fish

Favorite Toys:  Toy cars and ramps, Duplos, Barn and animal set, Firetruck.  He also loves his stuffed animals.  I was always confused why my mother kept giving him random stuffed animals, (a lion at Christmas, a random Iguana) but now I'm thankfully.  He loves to play with his animals, and they get to partake in a lot of the activities that we do.  He will set them up all over the house.  Often times they are fighting and eating each other, but it is still fun to play with him with them.

I haven't done a great job documenting his growth with his blue bear, but I think this tells the story pretty well:

Newborn!

 6 Months!

12 Months

 30 months