Where Does the Time Go?

So, have I told everyone that Zach is crawling? Everywhere? He is the fastest, nosiest baby that I ever have met. It is crazy, the kid has some sort of sixth sense for finding cords and then ripping them out from under the carpet where they once peacefully rested. He has two little teeth, all the better to scream at 11:00 every night. Okay, those two don't really go together, but I just wanted to point out that Zach still pretty much wakes up every night.

I have officially, well part timingly, rejoined the work force. A girl who I work with is about two seconds from having a baby, so I am going to help cover her maternity leave. I'm working about thirty hours a week and because my bestest babysitter recently had her baby, my kids officially have been enrolled in their first daycare center. I think it will actually be really great for Ben's learning skills, Maddie's social skills, Zach's independence skills and mom's sanity skills. I'm taking this class for church and it has a lot to do with figuring out who you are and let me tell you who I am not: a person who is geared towards being home with three kids all day, every day.

A couple of funny things that Ben has done recently that need to be immortalized in blog world: He recently told Matt that "I have to poop and it is going to be a while" and when coming home from a midweek trip that included a visit to the John Deere Pavillion, The Imagination Movers concert and a trip to visit cousin Jacque at the Iowa Children's Museum, it finally took a toll on him and he actually succumbed to a nap in the car. However, being the most efficient little three year old that he is, he took the time to have his snack of cheese popcorn while he was sleeping. It was one of the funnier things I have ever seen him do and can imagine that when I see him doing it about 18 years from now with the cold pizza of his choice, it won't be quite as funny. And speaking of flashforwards (I haven't watched the show, but heard it was great, so thought I would reference it here) he was taking an awful long time in the bathroom so I busted in on him to see what he was doing and I found him on the floor, shirt off, pants down with a bottle of lotion. I asked him what are you doing? and he told me, mom, I just needed some lotion so I put it on my belly and my knees, see? It was pretty cute, but I couldn't help thinking about how a very similar scene is not going to be so cute, in say, god, I hope never, but probably 11 years or so. Start praying for me now...I have a feeling that having a 3, 2 and 7 month old is going to be a cakewalk compared to a 15, 14 and 12 year old.

Anyway, as Ben keeps informing me, Maddie is not going to go back to sleep (she has been fussing the entire time over the monitor), so I better get back to the duty at hand, which is enjoying my one day at home with my kids...how close is it to five o'clock?

A Busy Week!

So, to start out, go ahead and scratch our "Parents of the Year" Nominations. As I was just blogging about Zach's fits, I finally had enough and took him to the doctor and turns out he has an ear infection. That was probably the problem all along. Oops. Good news is that last night he slept until three with only a brief fit at 11. Much better. At least for one night. Madilyn had her two year check up today. She didn't cry a bit, even when they gave her a shot. She is 25% for weight, 50% for height, 75% for head. Not too shabby. Got both the kids Flu Mist and now just have to wait for the H1N1 vaccination, which I envision us having to wait outside in the snow in a line of about 500 people only to get to the front to find out that they are out. BTW, if that really is the situation, I think we are taking our chances with the virus. I've heard a lot of kids aroung here are sick, but what are you going to do? That's what happens when the weather turns from summer to winter on a dime.
It's been a busy week around here as our beloved friends Travis and Cerrita Anderson had their FOURTH baby, Jaxon Joseph. I was actually there to see the little guy born which was crazy, gross and beautiful all at the same time. It was also fast. I told Cerrita she makes it look easy. Little Jaxon was three weeks early, and only 5 lbs 4 oz and wouldn't cry. Unfortunately, he is in the NICU (for probably 10+ days) to get a little stronger and fight off the infection in his lungs. He is so stinking cute and so stinking little. Say a prayer or two for the little guy.

Madilyn is Two!

Happy Birthday to Maddie! She is celebrating by being a pretty big grouch and insisting on wearing pajamas. Ah, welcome to having a two year old girl who knows way too many words. The good mother in me should say that she is sassy and sweet at the same time, but the truth of the matter is that right now, she is mostly sassy. However, I do attribute some of that to the fact that I think she is getting another molar and it is wearing on her, but maybe that is just wishful thinking. She got a new pink potty for her birthday (thank you Schaefers!) and did go on that a couple of times. That is a good sign. One less baby in diapers would be helpful. As for the other two, they are both doing pretty well. Zach is still throwing a fit just about every night at 11. It is starting to get really annoying. Ben is a pretty good three year old. He does a pretty good job of playing with toys on his own, but man, is he ever a tattle tale. I think he is pretty sure he is the third parent in this family of ours, so from his point of view, he is just doing his duty as a good dad. I celebrated Maddie's second birthday with my 8th (or is it 9th, I've kind of lost count) bout of mastitis, so I write to you today with a dish towel strapped around my chest...my first step to weaning Zach. I figured I'm already going to be in pain because of the infection, I might as well go all out. Please do not brush up against me in the next 5-7 days. It won't be pretty.

Whistling Truckers

Oops, so it has been almost a month since I posted. In the baby land that I live in, I don't even know where to start with the leaps and bounds that my children have grown and changed in that month. I mean, do you start with the "Pull My Finger" Story (sure to be an instant classic), do you report that Zach can now sit up on his own (after he has fallen onto his big gut) and has almost perfected the eye rake, do you talk about Maddie's new ability to call small birds to our home with her whistling ability and Ben's really annoying attempt at copying her, or perhaps you talk about Ben's new tactic of getting out of trouble by throwing Matt and I's words right back at us. Hmmm, one at a time I guess.

I have to start with Pull My Finger because it is a crowd pleaser with it's cuteness (okay grossness) and the fact that it showcases something that their daddy has taught his son. So Ben and Maddie were standing on the landing between our living room and basement. I hear him saying "Maddie, pull my finger, pull my finger. When you pull my finger I fart." So after some prodding, she did indeed pull his finger at which point you see Ben's face change from one of amusement to one of uncertainity. He came upstairs and says "Mom, I pooped my pants". Yes, dad may have taught him the "pull my finger" gag, but has yet to sit down with his son and talk about the poop/fart separator. Nice.

Secondly, Zach is so big! Tonight when I went to check on him in his crib he was sitting up and looked pretty amused with himself that he got there. He is truly a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. We have started "ferberizing" him and making him cry through his waking up at night instead of going in, rocking him, then probably feeding him and then finally just bringing him into bed so that we can get some sleep. So instead we let him throw these monster fits. I mean it is ridiculous. I am lucky that on the nights the windows are open DHS hasn't shown up on our doorstep. But, keep your fingers crossed, the last two nights he has done pretty well.

So Maddie learned to whistle. It was really random and I have no idea where she picked it up. But, I was listening to her and Ben on their monitor one naptime and I got really freaked out because I heard someone whistling. Who was this intruder in our house that instead of trying to kidnap my kids breaks in to whistle to them? So I run downstairs to see Maddie in her bed, whistling a little tune. She pretty much does it on command now. She LOVES Kindermusik and is pretty much the star of the class. Perhaps a musical prodigy on our hands. Uncle Jeremy will have to start some guitar lessons soon.

So that explain the Whistling part of my title, so how about the trucker. I have decided that there is probably a 90% chance that Ben may become a trucker when he grows up. He loves to hook the wagon up to his Big Wheel or Jeep and pull it around, but he has to have stuff in his "trailer". Whether it be his scooter or his sister, he does a great job of keeping an eye on his cargo and has only slammed into my van once (that I saw) while he was watching his cargo instead of watching where he was going. And speaking of Ben, if you plan on yelling at him any time in the near future, you better hope you have an answer for having your words thrown right back at you, because all Matt and I can do is laugh. I wanted him to come in the house the other night and he was throwing a fit, so I took him aside in a very motherly way and said (can you believe this, I'm such a mom) "now you listen to me mister" to which he replied "now you listen to me mom" (try keeping a straight face during that) but I maintained composure and said "you have two options, option number one you go in the house" to which he said "you have two options, YOU go in the house". To which I cracked up. Matt got a dose of the other day when he told Ben "You don't talk to me that way" to which Ben replied "YOU don't talk to ME that way". So precious.

Anyway, that is my update for now. I have some OP pizza waiting for me and can't really believe I have stayed away from it this long.

P.S. My plans for this blog are to eventually print them out so that my kids will have some sort of scrapbook/baby book and will know that their mom did try to chronicle their lives in some small way. But, I also want to chronicle what else is going on in our lives and to that end, would like to officially welcome Samuel James Holter Dunn to the world. We can't wait to meet you!

Baby Diet

Well, it's official...Zach has to go on a diet. He just saw the doctor for his 6 month checkup and continues to shatter the growth chart for his weight. He seemed to be WELL over the curve and continuing to go higher above instead of following the curve like the doctor had hoped. Damn my delicious milk producing boobs. He was 90% for height and 95% for head, so he is a big kid overall. Tall and fat, says the doc. Everything else looked great. I'm supposed to try to decrease the amount of cereal I give him and stick to fruits and veggies. Oh, and the being connected to my chest every three hours? Sorry, Zachman, but those days are over! We had started trying to wean him a couple of weeks ago, but think we mistook an ear infection for milk intolerance. So hopefully, we can start the formula again. I just gave him a 4 oz bottle, so keep your fingers crossed for me that he doesn't go beserk in about three hours. I'm hoping formula will stick with him a little longer and he can stop using my chest as a pacifier. I have created a monster, there is not doubt in my mind. But, he is one stinking cute monster! Ben loved his first week at preschool. I got an email from his teacher saying that he was loving, sweet and funny. I would have liked to reply, ah yes, the Ben I know BEFORE naptime is all of those things. The Ben I know who I try to get to lay down for a nap, followed by the Ben who doesn't take a nap is crabby, lippy and a pain in the a**, but I didn't of course. Seriously, I think preschool will be really good for him and me both. I am going to try to take Maddie to a Kindermusik class next week during Ben's preschool to try to give her and I some one on one time together. I think it will be something that she will enjoy. That is, if I don't have to go in for jury duty. Yep, yours truly got called to do her civic duty (AGAIN!), so look out gangstas of Waterloo--I may be deciding your fate. My plan is to take my breastpump. I figure I'll get dismissed as soon as I whip that puppy out. I'll let you all know. Gotta go make Ben stop playing with his tractors and sleep...wish me luck!

I Sometimes Wonder If I Will Be Lonely

When my personal space finally becomes my own again. I'm not sure what I will do. Maybe I will start hearing voices that aren't really there instead of the three little ones I hear constantly now. Or maybe I will start having to take a stuffed animal or something with me to the bathroom, so that I won't be alone. It is crazy how you wait and wait and wait for your kids to be able to talk to you and once they can, you just wish you could shut them off every once in a while. My days are filled with constant chatters of "look at this" "what's your name (don't ask about this one, I thought it was so cute weeks ago and now I just want it to go away)", "I need (fill in the blank, but usually it is milk, water or my butt wiped)", etc. The other day I was trying to unload the dishwasher, a relatively mundane task, right? And I pretty much just snapped and banned all people under the age of three from the kitchen until the task was completed. The kids are constantly checking out what I am doing in the bathroom (which is sometimes reading People a little bit longer then neccessary just to get away for a moment or two) and today when I announced that I was going to take a shower (why do I even announce such things) I got two bathing buddies in the form of Ben and Maddie. That's right, the shower isn't even sacred anymore. So anyway, I'm so accustomed to having someone accompany me everywhere and of having constant chatter going, I'm not sure I will know what to do when it is gone. Granted, this will be a LONG time from now, but believe it or not Ben is starting preschool on Tuesday which makes me realize when people tell you time flies with your kids, they are not joking around. Maddie also thinks she is attending school, so it should be an interesting first day drop off. We had to take Zach back to the doctor this week and turns out he did have an ear infection. Antibiotics seem to be kicking in and he seems to be doing better. We take him back at the end of next week for his 6 month checkup. I'll be curious to see if he has made it to the 125th percentile yet;)

Small Vacations, Good Times

So this last weekend the troop headed to Des Moines for a mini-vaca. We also brought along our niece Abby, and let me tell you, we might not be able to take any more vacations without her. Having an extra stroller-pusher, hand-holder, drink-fetcher, etc. is quite the luxury. So on Sunday we headed to the Blank Park Zoo via Urgent Care for Zachary. Saturday night was a rough night for the little guy that we had originally attributed to teething. But, he became pretty much inconsolable and if you even moved him an inch, he would scream. I thought I maybe dislocated a shoulder picking him up or something (trust me, I had some paranoid scenarios going through my head, especially when I couldn't get him to roll over, something that had become second nature to him). Anyway, the doctor said it was just a virus, but in doing my own diagnostic work (just call me Dr. House, because I went down about three different paths before arriving at my conclusion) that I think he was having a reaction to the Target formula we bought him. That's what we get for being cheap. So, I was starting to wean him and now all of that has went in the crapper and he's back to breast feeding all the time and I haven't given him cereal for about a week. However, the chunky monkey weighed 24 pounds 10 oz at the doctor, officially surpassing his sister by about a pound. So, in other words, I don't think he's hurting for meals. He seems to be doing much better now, besides the fact that we think he is starting to scream to imitate his sister, which is not a pleasant noise:) But I digress. So we head to the zoo on Sunday afternoon and had a great time. If you haven't been to the Blank Park Zoo and have little kids I highly recommend it. It was just the right size, and it wasn't so crowded that you had to fight to see the animals. It was perfect. Then we headed to a hotel that I kind of want to keep a secret because it was so great and Matt and I don't want the word to get out:) Okay, I will tell you guys. We headed to the Ramada on Merle Hay Road that has been COMPLETELY redone with an awesome pool area. It was perfect. The kids had so much fun. Monday we got up and swam some more and then headed to the Iowa State Fair. So we figured a Monday would not be too busy, but boy, did we figure wrong. It was CRAZY busy! The kids got tatoos, went down the giant slide (nearly causing me to have a heart attack as I looked on) and ate some food that both Matt and I regretted that night and Zach regretted the next day. But all in all, it was a great time. One of the best things about staying at home (besides hours upon hours of time with my kids....) is the fact that Matt and I have been able to spend some time together with our kids without dipping into what was once my meager vacation time. It has given us some freedom which is really nice. Kind of makes me hope we can afford to have me stay home forever...and hire a nanny:)