No alarm needed

Thayer had her one month appointment yesterday and I was given very good news - not only is she healthy but she is big enough that I can let her sleep at night! Which means no more alarms in the middle of the night reminding me to wake her up.

For the first two weeks I fed her every 2.5 - 3 hours. At her two week appointment the doctor said that I could let her go a little longer at night but that she shouldn't sleep more than 5 hours. So I set my alarm for 4.5 hours. And now she is allowed to sleep as much as she wants at night. That is not to say that she sleep through the night but she slept about 5 hours and then 4 hours which meant only one wake up for me in the middle of the night which was so nice!

I feel like it was about 3 months before the doctor said to let Murdoch go but I am sure it was about the same time period but it just seemed like a really long time. This first month with her has flown by. She has been such a good baby and I am really enjoying my leave. If I don't get anything done one day then that is fine - it was hard to accept that with Murdoch but now it feels pretty normal.

Happy Birthday Emily!

We wanted to wish Emily/Aunt Emily a Happy Birthday!

We hope you are able to get in some relax time just like Thayer:



We hope are able to get out and enjoy the weather as much as Deucey enjoys swimming and chasing the ducks:


And we hope you have a good meal on your special day and enjoy it as much as Murdoch enjoys his spreadable cheese:

We miss you and love you lots! Happy Birthday!

I'm back baby!

It is a little depressing to think that my kids won't get that title as a Seinfeld reference. But there will be a lot of things that they don't get that will just make me feel older and older.

After a nice weekend in Maine something nice happened last night. I put Murdoch to bed, sang him a couple of songs, and then left him while he was still awake. I left the door open and he came right out. I put him back to bed and told him good night again and closed the door. He got right up and opened the door but I was standing there so he closed it, he tried that again and then put himself back to bed without any crying. I know this sound stupid and small but it made me feel great. Not only did he listen to me, which is always a nice feeling, but he went to bed by himself without needing one of us to sit there which is a big step after he moved to his toddler bed. I know there will be nights when we have to stay there longer but at least we are making progress. It is just another light at the end of the tunnel that I can now see, and that I really need now especially with a newborn.

Today Thayer is 1 month old. I feel like maybe her first month has gone by a lot faster than Murdoch's. Everyone says that happens with the second. Probably because you have done it before and you don't have as much time to watch everything that happens with the baby. Maybe I should celebrate with a glass of wine!

Mommy's out gettin' drunk tonight!

Ellen, Andy, the kids, and I went up the street for a drink on Tuesday night around 7. It is a small restaurant/bar that has good drinks so I thought it would be a nice outing on the last night Ellen was hear. It was crowded but not that bad so we took the seats away from the bar where no one was sitting and ordered our drinks. I have to say that both kids were really good. Then we started to notice that the hostess was basically throwing daggers at us the whole time we were there. We had a double stroller but we had it well out of the way. Then these two girls came in and kept staring at us again looking a little annoyed. We continued with our drink and Andy took the kids home so that Ellen and I could stay and talk. Right before Andy left he said that those two girls had left and as they left they said 'Looks like Mommy's out gettin' drunk tonight!' That plus the hostesses behavior really pissed me off. We went out for one drink at 7 PM on a Tuesday night. We have always taken our kids everywhere and we have never been treated like that. We also try to go off hours, not on a Friday or Saturday night, and not to a really nice place. We have taken Murdoch to this bar before with no negative reaction. Maybe it was the double stroller - I don't know. I just found it annoying that someone couldn't tolerate a child for about 40 minutes who wasn't screaming, running around or misbehaving in any way. And the fact that I have one drink doesn't make me drunk. Am I supposed to sit at home until my kids are grown? And we don't have any family for babysitting so it isn't like we can just drop them off somewhere if we decide to do a quick outing on a nice summer evening. At the end of the night it gave us something to talk about I guess.

Ellen - you should be happy you left yesterday morning, Wednesday night Murdoch started vomiting everywhere - Mommy wasn't out at a bar getting drunk last night! :) I hope you had a sage flight.

Ellen arrives today!

And I can't wait!

Doorknobs

The dictator has learned how to open doorknobs. Which is a big deal. Now when he wakes up in the morning we no longer get that 5-10 minutes to adjust to the day while he calls for us in his room. I wake up to a little face saying 'Hi Mama' or I just feel something tickling my hands which is him or just his hair as he stands there. Unfortunately he can also let himself out if he just doesn't want to go to sleep which has been a little annoying. So we took the locking side of the door and that is now facing the hallway and I know it sounds mean but I have locked him in there when he gets a little sassy about going to bed. Usually after 30 seconds or so he settles down and I can go in and put him to bed.

Andy is away for a bachelor party this weekend (next weekend as well) so Bob & Talli came to help out today. And they brought Liam with them - I don't know that I have experiences 3 kids at one time like this - I guess it is good that we have three adults so we are doing pretty well. It is the first time in a long time that I am actually writing down nap times, eating time, diaper time, etc. because it is the only way I can keep up with this many schedules. I got a few cute pictures and I will post those later. I hope you enjoy your weekend.

Some days I feel like a failure

Two days ago Murdoch, Deucey, and I went for a walk to have a little Murdoch alone time - I don't want him to feel like I am always with the baby - and it was also for me - the weather was gorgeous and I could use the exercise to start to tone this body up. Near the end of the walk we were on a steep hill, Murdoch stood up in the stroller, and as he did this I jerked the stroller which them caused him to literally do a somersault from the standing position off the stroller and he landed on his back on the concrete. There were a lot of tears and some scrapes but it wasn't too bad. Of course there was an older woman on her porch enjoying the evening and she screamed 'Oh my God!'. Well as if I didn't feel badly enough about causing him pain then I have this lady screaming and I feel like the worst mother in the world.

And today and many other days this week Murdoch has really been testing his boundaries. I am sure it is the age, the new baby, and whatever else goes on in his head but there are times when this is happening that I feel like a failure. He doesn't mind me, and what makes it worse is the fact that he does mind Andy so much more than me. He used to go to bed no issue with me, now it is a battle. Today I finally just left his bedroom and told Andy to put up a gate outside of his room because he just learned how to open doorknobs. I was trying to get him down for a nap and he just kept giggling and playing with me - which is what he does when he knows he is doing something wrong. I didn't have the patience. I am sure it is the lack of sleep that isn't helping but I left that room feeling like a totally loser that had lost control and basically had no respect in my own house.

I know it will change but right now I am tired and my patience level is short which then annoys me that I can't deal with him at times. I am looking forward to a nice day with him tomorrow. We had an awesome morning together on a walk and at the park but the nap time killed me. Oh well. Tomorrow is another day.

Thayer - The First Week

Finally I downloaded some pictures and I have a little time to do a quick post. We welcomed Thayer Stevens at 1:20 PM on July 24th. She arrived at 7 pounds 15 ounces and 20 1/4 inches. Here is a little summary of her first week:

-I am happy to no longer be pregnant and know I won't be doing it again. Though the memory of the pregnancy has already started to fade.
-The labor and delivery was much easier than Murdoch. The start was a little slow and initially it looked like I might have a C-section but she was a strong little girl that 'loved' the contractions so with a little help from some drugs she popped right out after about 3 pushes. And Andy was happy that there were less 'colors' this time. :) You can ask him about that.
-Thayer is much easier than Murdoch - at least so far. I thought Murdoch was really good but she is even better which still scares me to say that. She is a really good eater, good sleeper, and loves to just look around. I am thinking of asking the doctor if anything is wrong - I am sure he will laugh at me and say enjoy it while you can! :)
-I love the way she looks when she stretches after being swaddled - she looks exactly the same as Murdoch.
-In general she looks exactly the same as Murdoch - it is scary.
-She loves your pinkie finger just like Murdoch - and I love in-between sucking she does this a little thing where she kind of gnaws on your finger about 4 or 5 times quickly and softly - again something Murdoch did but I forgot about.
-She has the dark grayish eyes just like Murdoch so she might end up with brown eyes like her brother.
-Murdoch has been a very good big brother without any major issues. Though when we got home Thayer needed to be changed she we took her up to Murdoch's room and changed her on Murdoch's changing pad. Well let me tell you he lost it! I guess I should have thought about it but the kid hates getting his diapers changed and hates being on the changing pad in general - always has. So what did her want after her diaper was changed - he wanted to lay on the pad. Toddlers are a funny breed.

I am sure that I have already forgotten a lot of other things in just the first week but it is something. Here are some pictures from the hospital and her first week at home including some of Murdoch.

I-Day

So I have moved from D-Day to I-Day(inducement day). I didn't actually think I would make it - I thought for sure that I would have already gone into labor, had the baby, and maybe we would even be home by now and Andy and I would be staring at each other thinking/saying what did we get ourselves into?! So tonight we head to the hospital, the inducement is scheduled for 8:30 PM but I think there are a whole bunch of tests and such that need to happen so I don't see things moving very quickly. I am thinking baby sometime tomorrow or maybe even Saturday. At this point things are really out of my hands. It is very odd thinking that I will be going to the hospital today no matter what. I wasn't expecting this scenario at all. But I guess there really isn't one way to give birth. I am just hoping that it doesn't take too long and that is about it. The rest will just fall into place.

If anyone is reading this please go to the following blog and send out some good and positive thoughts or prayers - which ever you prefer.

http://byronladybugs.blogspot.com/

D-Day

I have made it to D-day. No baby yet and if he/she wants to stay with its due date things will have to start and happen quickly. So I am thinking that this baby will be late as well. This time I was kind of expecting it so it doesn't seem like as big of a deal and maybe the fact that I know what is coming makes me not quite as anxious.

Murdoch was up at 4 AM. Maybe the whole toddler bed isn't going as well as I thought it was. Or maybe he knows something is up because he has been really clingy lately. I started working from home this week looking to avoid being in labor at work. And Talli is staying with us to help out with Murdoch so those are two changes. So I don't know if it is just that or if he would be like this whether or not I was pregnant. I know I am being impatient but I would like this toddler bed to work and get back to sleep before sleep is taken away yet again.

Heading to the doctor tomorrow. She will set my inducement date which was about 10 or so days past my due date so I assume it will be about the same. I am really hoping I don't reach that date. I am hoping it comes on its own schedule which is before that date. And luckily the weather has been pretty nice which makes things easier.

So thank you for all of your emails and phone calls but we are still in a holding pattern. As Andy says that makes scheduling meetings and social outings kind of difficult - tell me about it! :)

Moving on up

At the end of last week we finally went out to get Murdoch a toddler bed. We are going to need the crib for the new baby so we were hoping to get him used to the new bed, and hopefully during that process he would forget about his crib and not feel like the new baby was taking it away from him. So we made a big deal about bringing it in the house, and putting it together - Murdoch assisted with all of the tools and he thought it was awesome!

Initially we thought we would just start out with naps and move to over night later because he would still ask to go in the crib. That hasn't happened and he did the last two nights in the new bed without issue. He actually just stays in the bed in the morning and calls out for us to come and get him out which is kind of nice. You can just hear him playing with all of his toys on his bed.

During one nap he asked to hold my hand while he fell asleep. Normally he is always put to bed awake but I figured why not - plus it was kind of nice for me. I realize that I won't have as much time with him in a week or so. So while I was holding his hand and leaning on his bed, which was really nice, I looked up at his crib and realized that I may never see him in that crib again, jumping up and down and so happy when I go in to get him in the morning or after a nap.

So yet again this may be another exciting first, but at the same time it could be a last that is already gone before I even knew it was going to be the last. I was sad but I need to remember to focus on the present and how proud I am. I am raising him to be an independent individual, some days it is just hard when those types of things slap you in the face and you realize that they are gone before you even know what has happened.

Words to remember

As I get closer and closer to my due date my complaining levels get higher and higher. I am tired, sore, can't sleep, can't eat, etc. I am sure you know what I am talking about if you have had a baby. Then I start to think - this is such a big change, how will I deal with the lack of sleep, entertaining Murdoch while the baby needs something, will Murdoch reject his new sister or brother, etc. Again all of the things that everyone thinks of. Sometimes it is hard to see the silver lining or the light at the end of the tunnel when you are down in the trenches. But I just got an email from a friend at a previous job about something that someone told him when he found out he was having his second child:

'That is the best gift you could ever give your son.'

So I am going to try and remember that when things are tough. I hope that they are good friends but even if they aren't I just hope they are both better people because they have each other.

Things I need to remember!

My last post was pretty negative so I am trying for a more positive outlook on things. It is just hard when you are tired. Here are some things I want to remember about Murdoch. Memories are already fading which I find so depressing. He is so funny, entertaining, frustrating, and so many other things and I find myself enjoying different things he does but I forget to document them and then they are gone and he has moved onto something else that fills that void and I start to lose that memory. So here are a few things that I want to remember:

• They had a fire safety week at school and ever since then he takes anything, such as power cords for your laptop, keys, etc., and uses them as a hose to water things while saying 'We-we-we-we'. He could do that for hours.
• He loves bubbles in the bath and he does this little thing in the bath called 'swimming' where he gets on his stomach and moves back and forth in the bath like a seal - and there is such joy when he does that.
• He has this new Mommy and Daddy book and one of the pages says that Mommies and Daddies love to get kisses, now when we get to that page he stretches his arms really wide and he gives the book a bug and kiss - it brings a smile to my face every time.
• He has started to come over and hold our hands when he wants to show you something.
• He loves cars, trucks, buses, etc. on the road and points them out the whole way home from daycare.
• He loves to chase birds.
• He loves to tickle you - which at times is very painful because it is often like grabbing but he thinks it is the funniest thing.
• He loves getting a massage after his bath - he will show you which arm and/or leg he wants done. I massage his little palms like they do during a manicure and he loves it - those hands are probably really tired.
• Now when the other parents come to daycare it upsets Murdoch if it takes me awhile to get there - I feel horrible for the little guy that it upsets him that I am not there yet. Of course I bend down for my huge hug and usually get is about 6 inches away and goes right for the snack that I have in my hand, he takes that and then my hand like let's get out of here!
• Now when we get home from daycare we have to spend 10-15 minutes in the car so that he can 'drive' and play with all of the buttons and other car parts - he loves it!
• He loves/is scared of the helicopter that Andy bought. He wants Andy to play with it all of the time but when he sees Andy get it out he runs over to me and sits next to me while holdings hands because of the noise. But he asks Andy to fly it over and over again. And he has started to fly it by himself.
• With any loud noises he comes right over to one of us and needs to hold our hand - it makes it all better. That is basically the only time he sits still on the couch with one of us.

I know that there are a ton of other things but I wanted to at least get a few things down. With the baby coming it is going to get harder and harder to remember all of these thing because time will just fly by and we will need to try and capture two sets of memories.

I hope you all enjoy the weekend. It is rainy here but maybe we will get a little break to go outside and play.

The final countdown...

I am due 1 month from today and I am definitely getting to the point is being done being pregnant! I have started to remember the following points that become a little annoying at the end of your pregnancy:

• Leg cramps in the middle of the night that are painful enough to wake you up - check
• Trying to go to bed at 9 in order to get some extra rest and the baby decides that it will dance to Kung Foo Fighting for 90 minutes - check; Oh and they replay that song apparently around 2 AM
• I never know when I am full which then makes me nauseous - check! I can't wait to have a full sized stomach back in order to enjoy a normal sized meal. Though at the same time I am probably eating portions that are more appropriate.
• Inability to rollover at night so there is no way you can stay asleep.
• The reality that wearing Depends is an option that is now appealing.
• At this point elastic waist bands are really the only way to go - I can't breath in anything else.

I know all of this and many other things are very normal - I just had a bad night last night so I am a little tired and cranky. I think also the second time around isn't quite as exciting. Maybe because you have done it before and maybe because you know what is coming. I know once the baby comes I will forget all of these annoyances and think to myself - wouldn't it just be easier to be pregnant again because there will be so much crying and lack of sleep. But really at least you can sleep again even if it is only for small bits of time. I can't wait to sleep on my stomach again!

Sorry for the whining - things are just starting to wear on me a little bit right now. And some of it I would like to look back on and laugh at. I find having a child is such a mixture of opposite emotions and right now happiness/joy/excitement isn't bubbling to the top. Luckily tomorrow is another day for those to win out.

Happy Birthday Dad/Uncle Al!!!!

My Dad turns 65 today! Instead of grandpa or something like that he is hoping that Murdoch will call him Uncle Al instead. For a toddler Al is probably a lot easier than other names so it might work! Murdoch wishes you some quality downtime! You deserve it! Murdoch makes a point of taking a little siesta everyday and he says it works wonders! Enjoy your day! Love Sarah, Andy, Murdoch, and Deucey!

We have royalty in the house...

In the form of a new potty. This is the Fisher-Price Royal Stepstool Potty.



This is our newest purchase! :) Last night Master Murdoch sat on the potty for 5 stories before going to bed. He actually really seems to enjoy his time there - I guess that is something he got from his father :)

When I pick Murdoch up from daycare everyday you get a little piece of paper that tells you what he eat, how long he slept, and then his bathroom routine as well. I noticed about a month or so ago that next to the bathroom details they circled 'TRIED'. So I asked them if they thought I should try at home as well. They said why not. So we bought the potty and he loves sitting on it with his pants up so we have been doing that for a week or so and now we are working it into the nigh time routine. No real action yet but when it does happen a little song plays which should be pretty funny. Hopefully we will hear one of those royal tunes soon :)

And I had to pass along another funny thing from last night. After the potty we went back to get ready for bed and I was walking around with him talking and then started to sing/hum a made-up song. I was doing that for about 3 seconds and he said 'NO!'. I stopped and then started again and this time I got the 'NO!' with a hand on the mouth. I thought this was pretty funny so I tried it one more time and I got the 'NO!' with the hand. So I said what do you want me to sing then? No answer. I tried Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. There was no 'NO!' and he kept his head on my shoulder relaxing. Then when I finished his head flipped off my shoulder and he started saying Yeah while clapping his hands over his head. I got this kind of reaction about 3 more times before I put him to bed. I thought this was pretty funny - I guess he won't tolerate my silly little songs like Andy does :)

What everyone wants for Mother's Day...

...a puddle of urine on the floor! Yes that was my big present at the end of the day on Sunday. Luckily it was tile so the cleanup was easy. I was getting Murdoch undressed for his bath and he couldn't wait to get his clothes and diaper off. So much so that I only got one side of the diaper undone and he just stepped out of the other leg. I turned around to put the diaper in the trash and when I turned around it looked like there was a little bit of water on the floor and the bathmat was a little wet. I thought to myself that is odd because I haven't even started the bath. Then I went over for a closer inspection and found the source. Well Murdoch thought this was so funny that he started to do a little 'dance' with his feet, he then added his hands, and then he wiped out in the puddle and thought it was the funniest thing. I couldn't stop laughing. At least it happened about a foot from the bathtub so cleanup wasn't easy. Maybe playing in the water table outside right before the bath wasn't the best idea :)

Happy Mother's Day to everyone!

Doing well...

Bob's surgery went well and he is resting and recovering. I believe the results of the surgery, as far as what was removed, should be back in a week or so. Hopefully all of the results of those tests are positive and good!

Nothing new from the Suthersons. Andy is leaving today for a wedding in LA so I will have the troops by myself through Sunday. I am crossing my fingers for no rain so that we can get out and go for some walks and such instead of being trapped inside of a dirty house while it rains. Hopefully Murdoch is on his best behavior and there aren't too many temper tantrums this weekend. I am hoping for a nice boring weekend with a little bit of sun and outdoor time.

I hope you all enjoy your weekend. Maybe if Murdoch goes to bed at a decent time I will upload some pictures - hopefully the cheesy face one to make Bob smile.

Good Luck Bob!

Bob, my father in-law, Andy's Dad, and Murdoch & Deucey's grandfather is having surgery for prostate cancer today. I have a really cute picture of Murdoch with spreadable cheese all over his face that I will hopefully post later that I am sure will bring a smile to his face but knowing my track record right now if I waited for that this post may never happen. So I just wanted to get a quick post out saying good luck today! We are thinking of you and sending out good and happy thoughts. We are looking forward to seeing you again soon up and around being chased by your crazy grandchildren! We love you!

It is finally here....

....The word 'NO'! My beautiful, sweet, little boy who answered 'Yeah' to every question has discovered the word 'No' and literally have put it to its fullest use within 3 days - literally! If you had asked me on Friday if he would be saying No this much I would have told you that is crazy. But it is true. Somehow in 3 days he has really changed with this new word. On one hand it is nice because he will actually tell you that he doesn't want something but after a few No's with the swipe of the hand it can get a little obnoxious! I guess this is the start of the terrible 2's. I knew it was going to happen eventually but how quickly he changed was a little shocking.

On a separate note we stayed in a hotel last night which was interesting. The little guy was up way past his bed time - it is kind of hard to settle down when you are in the same room with your parents and all of this stuff is new so we let it slide. He managed to call the front desk right away multiple times and then he got the front desk to call him because he left the phone off the hook. So needless to say I think I would prefer to rent a house and never stay in a hotel with a small child in the future. This time it wasn't an option but I really don't like sleeping in the same room with him. Somehow I got up and ready for work without him completely waking up so hopefully the two of them are still asleep with the room darking shades pulled tight.