A Mostly March Post

Whoa! It's already April!

I kind of feel like from the time Brian went back to work (February 26th), time has moved along like molasses. I think it's because we spend a lot of time at home. Everett's VERY active, but I'm not involved in all his activities (he goes to Phil and Gion's all day Tuesday and plays with my mom all morning Thursday), so I basically only take him to mommy & me on Wednesdays (when I'm not sick--I had mastitis recently) and play dates on Fridays. And although Lydia is a bit needy, she doesn't require much effort. She sleeps a lot.

But, of course, Brian gets a week off work, and the time just zooms by! Last week I was thinking, "geez! It's been forever since I last blogged!" Now I'm five days late!

So, the last two days we've been POTTY TRAINING!! We decided a while ago to train during spring break. The first part of the break was taken up by Easter and touring preschools!! But we started yesterday and have dedicated at least three days to pretty much nothing but learning how to wear underpants. We're doing the 3 Day Potty Training method, which is really logical, even if it sounds crazy (throw away the diapers?!? Underpants only, even for nap and nighttime?!?).

But so far, so good. He's had A LOT of accidents. Even today, a lot of poop accidents. But he stayed dry during his nap yesterday and was only a tiny bit wet when he woke up this morning (the bed was still dry!). And he pooped in the potty for the first time EVER today!!

I have a great feeling about where this is going!

Before I go back in time, here's an adorable picture of Lydia from yesterday:

Tie dye we did at a play date at Juliette and Adrian (and Ernesto's) house. She's smiling a lot more. A handful of smiling patches a day.

Going back to early March. We had our last Friday play date that included our awesome friend Anna. She got a job teaching preschool! We already miss her on Fridays and hope we'll see her on the weekends sometimes.

My dad had an opening for his show at The Gallery at Marina Square in Morro Bay. It was very nice, and my parents had a great time showing off their grandkids.

One last (?) picture in this series. We'll see if I remember to do it again at one YEAR!

Phewf! That's a lot of growing and (sorta) shrinking!

Everett eating a carrot Brian grew in the garden. The carrots are ok, but we've been eating a lot of carrot top pesto. Yum!

You can see our awesome view a bit in the back of this one. Everett's face has been thinning out lately. For a while there, his face was getting chubbier, and I kept getting comments that he looked like his Grandpa Phil. (; But I think he was just getting ready for a growth spirt. Now I think he looks more like his daddy.

Lydia's a big (long) girl! 

At her one month appointment, on March 14th, she was: 

> 97% in height, 24.8 in

97% in weight, 11 lbs 10 oz

and 92% in head circ., 39.5 cm

And who knows how much she weighs/measures now!?? She goes back to the doctor in a week and a half.

We also took Everett in that day to have the doctor look at the bumps on his head. They're a virus, like warts, and will go away on their own. Hopefully soon!

Lydia can not play with her toys in peace. There's always a brother there to take the best stuff! See they're both in Beatles shirts!?! His says "All You Need Is Love."

I love her little outfits that aren't all light pink. She's edgier than that.

Her sweet little St. Patty's Day outfit.

Playing trains with Baba George. I think the adults in his life like building track almost as much as he does!

Silly boy before getting potty trained!!

He loves helping with her baths. He stands in the shower like this and does what you tell him, mostly (he also likes to put his feet in her bath).

A woman on the SLO County Mommies forum I'm a part of offered us some free stuff for Everett's birthday party (she was going to throw her daughter a bug party but didn't?). She lives in Los Osos, so we took advantage of the trip and went to Montaña de Oro!

Everett didn't want to have anything to do with the water, but Brian took him too it . . .

put his toes in it for a bit . . .

but Everett pretty quickly headed back to the towel. I think we need to go to the beach more.

After the beach, we went to Sylvester's for burgers, and Everett got milkshake in my hair.

And all over himself. By the way, we tie dyed that shirt because it was too stained to ever be white again.

Lydia visited Grandma Kathie and Baba George's house for the first time on March 24th. That sounds like an awfully long time not to have visited, but they came to our house a lot when she was first born to make it easier on us.

Two cool dudes soaking up spring break.

The second best thing about spring break after just having Brian around more, is that projects get done! Well, I guess it's a natural consequence to having Brian home.

It's great to have the bathroom done because (well besides the obvious upside of having two bathrooms) now Brian can work on all the little projects that didn't get done while the bathroom was the number one priority.

Done when Everett was gone, of course, we don't want to encourage HIM to do this! But the bar can hold 2 thousand pounds.

I put her in almost all the frilly dresses she had around easter time and took pictures: this one with the awesome Nikon DSLR I recently bought from my cousin-in-law Ash! 

She's already wondering what her silly brother is doing.

The Easter Bunny brought some cheap dollar store loot to our house.

Yummy Easter brunch at Phil and Gion's house.

The Easter Bunny brought some way cool gifts to Grandma and Grandpa's house: including a scooter! And a t-ball set, and some water guns.

Grandma Gion showing him how it's done!

Me and Lydia looking pretty and drinkin' mimosas (she only got a teeny bit).

egg hunting

 candy eating

more serious/competitive egg hunting at the Hunters'

We're so grateful the Hunter's have hosted an Easter party the last couple years. They have such a nice place for egg hunting and picture taking!

On Wednesday, we went to Grandpa Stanley's to visit with Cisneros family, particularly Helen and Sammy who were visiting from Washington.

I hope someone else got a picture of Stanley and Lydia.

Uncle Benny made her cry (just kidding, she was fine).

But Aunt Shirley made her so comfy. By the way, Lydia's wearing a dress Gion and Katie picked out for her before she was born.

Some cute Everettisms:

He says "by my own self," as in "after my next birthday party, I'll be able to play outside by my own self." I'm going to be sad when he stops saying this.

Everett: Lydia's my best friend. Me: Yeah, someday she will be your best friend. Everett: No, she's *already* my best friend.

We've been listening to David Bowie. Today, he said: "ahhhhhh . . . wham bam you're welcome ma'am!" 

February and beginning of March post

Hmm . . . for some reason, I haven't gotten around to blogging. And it's not because I've been busy. More that I've been nursing and cuddling a newborn, and when I'm not I'm so tired I can't even remember to put away the laundry (that's sitting, folded 10 feet away from me). 

Here's the focus of this post: my big, smart boy. 

It's hard. Our world has changed so much that I expect him to be the constant in our lives, but he keeps changing too! In three weeks, he's changed almost as much as Lydia has! 

First, going way back to early February. Here's Rosa's dinosaur birthday. Max and Paloma (and Momma Anna) were there too. 

Hunting for dinosaur eggs.

Trying so hard to get the egg open. ARRRGGHH!

Success!

Me back there with Anna. Lydia in the belly.

Here's the cool guy. Yup, still using a pacifier. There were so many things we put off doing because his world was going to be rocked: pacifier, potty training, bedtime routine.

But Lydia made changing the bedtime routine a necessity. Brian and I are so tired in the evening, Everett NEEDS to go to bed earlier. We do dinner, straight to shower, straight to bed to read books. We used to hold him to sleep on the couch while we watched TV (a shameful holdover from when I used to nurse him to sleep), but no more! It's been taking an hour at least to read books and go to sleep in his bed, but hopefully that time will decrease, and we can all start going to bed earlier. Before 9:00, please!!

Having Lydia out is far easier for me than being pregnant was. At the end, I was nervous to say I was done, knowing that newborns are difficult. I won't generalize and say "having a newborn is easier than being 40 weeks pregnant," but having MY newborn is easier than being hugely pregnant. So far, she's an "easy baby," and I know we're very lucky. 

When Lydia was 6 days old, we did a photoshoot with our friend, photographer Dana Holt. It happened to be Valentines Day, so we all wore pinks and purples. I'm not posting any photos I might use on her announcement.

Brian's been spending a lot of time with Everett. The two weeks Brian was home, he would take Everett outside in the morning and afternoon and they'd play. Brian would often be working in the yard, and Everett would "help" him or play on his own.

I got to nurse or cuddle Lydia and watch Downton Abbey. It was wonderful.

Living near our parents has been so amazing. It always is, but now especially. Since Brian's gone back to work, Phil and Gion have ended up taking Everett two to three times a week. Gion's been taking Everett to Mommy & Me (Brian did when he was off, that was fun). My mom and dad have come over and played with Everett several times. 

I don't want to say "I couldn't do it without them" because I'd like to think I'd be up to the task. But it's been much more relaxing for me to have help. And Everett is so much happier and more enriched playing with his grandparents than he would be watching TV with me and his sister and getting nagged. (; 

Avila Valley barn. We met Maayan (a former VRL co-worker) and her family there. 

Lydia finally meeting the Hunter kids!! . . . and John. Rachel had already met her a couple times.

Several of our friends brought us meals in the early days, mostly ladies I know from SLO County Mommies, a local online forum. It was wonderful! My favorite part about it, though, was getting to introduce Lydia to friends individually. A couple times they were mini play dates for Everett, if they brought their kids with them. 

Lydia's first party. The Boniheeds hosted an Oscar party. It was great fun. Here are the kids watching Cinderella, or as Everett calls it Cinder-eddy (because of the song the mouse sings).

Brian's last day before going back to work, we took a trip to the coast.

The sweetest big brother.

He can "read" this sign . . . because he knows it from Curious George.

It was a gorgeous day! It was sad sending Brian back to work. But we were lucky the weather cooperated on that day. 

Look at those chubby cheeks! She's gained so much weight since she was born, but we won't know just how much until her check-up on the 14th (a week from today).

I like how slowly I've gotten to hit all the milestones. The day Everett and Brian gave Lydia this bottle was  the first day I pumped, it was a trial run for a few days later when I needed to leave her with Brian to get my hair cut.

The day I got my hair cut was the first day I'd driven since well before Lydia was born.

Today was the first day I drove myself and Lydia (to the OB). I have yet to drive both kids on my own. And I still haven't spent a whole day alone with both kids. Like I said, I've been very lucky to ease into all these milestones.

What a good daddy, cuddling and feeding his girl. 

Baba George came over and played in the dirt for a couple hours.

In the dirt with the worms and millipedes.

He's still such a sweet brother. He doesn't care that she's just a sleeping, pooping, nursing lump. Gion told me that she'll ask if he wants to go home to see mom and dad, and he'll say no. She asked a couple days ago if he wanted to go home and see baby sister, and he said yes!

But he doesn't know his own size, and he doesn't understand where her body extends, so he's prone to squishing her when all he wants to do is give kisses.

Little by little she's awake more. Her eyes are tracking more and more. And every once in a while we'll hear her true little voice. It's the sweetest.

These are pictures of her wearing the outfit Katie came home from the hospital in. She wore it to the Oscar party too, but she spit up on it before we could get a picture (That was actually pretty late in the evening. We just didn't get a picture).

She makes all sorts of funny faces. Look at that little fist. Her grip is getting strong!

More chubby cheeks! Part of me hopes she'll be a pudgy baby with rolls, but she'll probably be like her brother, chubby cheeks at first but mostly pretty thin.

I'll list some Everett things. I'll be adding to this, I'm sure: 

He doesn't usually like if you sing along to his shows' theme songs. He'll say "noooo" or "stop it!" I guess we're not good enough singers? 

We've been reading to him A LOT. I'll read to him before nap (unless he's at Phil and Gion's). Brian reads to him at bedtime. He used to quote TV shows and movies mostly, now he's quoting a lot of books. It's hard to tell the difference unless you know the quoted material. 

We've been easing into the potty. He'll often use the potty during diaper changes. I'll have him use the potty before I put a clean diaper on him. Gion does this sometimes too. We're just helping him understand what's possible. We're planning on doing the hardcore training during Brian's spring break, the first week of April. 

Until next month!