So...where have we been?

I was glancing at the last year of archives on this, and seen I only really update when there's a big event. Christmas, Halloween, first lost tooth, etc. I realize that's sort of the point of this blog, but I know you're all anxious to hear about our everyday lives, right? I mean, they're soooo fascinating.

Chris and I are busy at work. I went on a business trip to NYC last week which was pleasantly without travel complications. May the travel gods be with me throughout 2012! I'm also getting in the groove at my new place of employment, and really enjoy the people there. I love the flexibility and the quality of work. However, my "commute" (I put that in quotes for my dad since his is nearly 2 hours, and mine isn't even close) has tripled (from 7 to 21 minutes) but I'd say that's the most negative thing. I guess I'll take it!

Annika loves first grade, loves her teacher, loves her friends…she's a happy kid. Her first report card this year was extremely impressive – scoring above average in almost all subjects (they don't use letter grades yet, I'll spare you the complicated details) and is picking up reading very fast. I see her reading signs and listening to me & Chris when we spell stuff to avoid their prying ears…time is ticking away on that luxury. She also has a little boy crush at school which is advanced, but I am reminded of chasing boys around when I was in Kindergarten…so I can't really be too worried.

Declan started preschool at the beginning of the year and the adjustment was rough at first. He has always had issues with "transitions" - I.e. Taking him to his grandparents every morning ("No! I don't want to go! I want to stay!") and then being picked up in the evenings ("I want to stay here! I don't want to go home!"). He's also always had issues – since he was a newborn – with people leaving him. When one of us would leave a room, he would start crying and the person would return…and he's be better. He is always taking a mental picture of everyone in his space so he can account for their whereabouts. So, to 1) transition him to a preschool that is new and 2) to leave him there without a person he knows, well…it was rough. He cried for the first week every time we dropped him off, but in the last 2 weeks he's been more excited to go and says that he "likes to play there." Last week, he told us he was bit by a little boy, and then ythis week he came home with a mark and a band-aid! Apparently, this kid is a known biter and after confirming that Declan was not the aggressor ("Declan? Oh no, he's really good – he would never start a fight") we had to tell the school to keep an extra careful watch and we'd have to pull him out if it happened again…which is a bummer because we love the school, love the teachers and Annika went there – we have a lovely history with this place. Is it normal to keep a "known" biter at a preschool? How many strikes until he's out?

So in case you made it this far you can see that our lives are pretty boring and pretty full. Just the way I like it.

Oh and ...GO GIANTS!

Tired and in love

I am so tired. Every weekend we have plans (or I have plans) and work is fairly busy and stressful (but in a good way, I actually really like my job) and the kids are relentless (cute, but relentless). And though the exhaustion is sometimes overwhelming and certainly leads to some...a-hem...less desirable behavior on my part, I am in love with my family.

Declan is a funny kid. He likes to joke and play and is speaking more and more sentences. However, he can't say the "k" sound. As in: "O-tay." or "My name is Detan" or "I want to play tars!" It's adorable, but since he's going to go to preschool in 3 months, I thought we best start correcting that. Not really getting anywhere... "Declan, say CCCCCCars." "TARS!"



Annika started first grade last month and loves her teacher and her class. She loves to play at recess (duh) and also joins the "running club" during recess occasionally, which is when the kids run on the track for the entire recess (after they eat lunch). Sounds more like a thinly disguised Kid Boot Camp, but hey, she likes it...and she comes home nice and worn out. Ha!



Chris has lost 15 pounds in the last 2 months (after this pic was taken) and looks great. We're both trying to be healthier and eat more at home...which has mixed success, but we're trying! Now we spend our evenings talking about my Fantasy Football team (which is streaky....to be nice) which he says isn't his, but he spends more time thinking about it than I do. Every time I ask him to actually join my team, he says "I hate Fantasy Football." Isn't he cute? :)



OK, now back to work.

Dominoes

Last week, Declan slept in a little. Unusual for him since he loooves to be the early bird that catches that proverbial worm. He finally started rousing after 7, and I went to get him. His little cheeks were flushed and his cute face was lying next to a tiny pool of vomit. Ew!

Little guy had a stomach virus. He proceeded to tell us that his tummy felt "sick" and then puked two more times that day. His appetite wasn't its usual robust self, so we knew he was sick. However, he was in pretty good spirits and seemed to bounce back in a day. We thought it might be over.

Two days later, Chris came down with something similar...but the virus had gotten worse and he was laid up for at least an extra day more than Dex was. I, of course, have little patience for adult sickies, so I was less than helpful and annoyed that I had to spend my Memorial Day weekend tending to the kids as a single mother. The nerve!! In Chris's defense, he did rally for one day so we could go to the beach for a few hours...but he promptly relapsed pretty bad on that Monday and our long weekend was over.

Tuesday we wake up and Chris decided he needs an extra day, so is staying home sick. Declan is at the grandparents, and Annika and I are getting ready for school and work, respectively. Then guess what? Annika runs into our room and starts grabbing her tummy and says "Mommy, Mommy, Daddy Daddy, I don't feel good!! My tummy!!" and not five minutes later, we're bringing out the cleaning supplies. So much for Chris's sick day.

I had been grumpy for the last few days, but thought I was avoiding the virus monster, so I went to work. I felt a little off, but just thought I was annoyed to be at work...I mean, I usually am. Anyway, I get home that night and feel the alien invading my body...I ate dinner that night knowing it would be my last meal: and it was.

Annika and I are still feeling bad, almost a week later. Of course after I finally was able to keep food down, I promptly got a cold. Like, what the heck! Anyway, I spent this weekend on Nyquill and eating toast. Good times. Oh, and Chris's Dad got it too...from Patient Zero: Declan.

Annika finally went back to school on Friday, which is a bit of a bummer since this is her last week of school and she missed a few special days with her friends before the summer starts. I luckily was able to work from home the rest of the week (I tried to go in for a day, but my co-workers said I was gross and shooed me away).

We're all a little thinner, a little grumpier and a little out of it...we've never all been sick at the same time, but we sure fell like dominoes. The only thing I'm grateful for is that the sickness was somewhat staggered so we were all able to take care of each other at one stage or another. Well, except poor Chris...no one really took care of him. Love you, sweetie!

The kids being cute

Here's a couple of pictures of the kids...they make me think of summer (Hi Summer!) because it was so warm in these pics...and now it's barely 70 at the end of May. Oh global warming, why don't you actually *warm* us???

Annika is almost done with her first year of Kindergarten. She's an ok reader, pretty good at simple math and a very attentive and obedient student. I sorta think she'll be that kid who gets A's and B's but every teacher wants her in their class because she's so good. I'm ok with that. We'll push on the straight A's for high school - you know, so she can get into Harvard (Hi Summer!).

Declan is knee deep in his terrible 2's which is upsetting because Annika never had any. So we don't know what to do. I've told Chris a number of times that I think one of our problems in dealing with him is that we discipline him like we did Annika...and that isn't what works for him. But what does work? Hell if I know.

However, he is wonderful to his sister, is very funny (tells some great knock knock jokes!) and is super handsome. He's so cute...hmm, gotta go so I can go cuddle him. xoxo.

Ok, just one more year off...

So last year I pled busy (or rather, lazy) and said I wasn't going to send out Christmas cards. Well, the day of reckoning has arrived, and it won't happen this year either.

Here's what this year's Christmas card might have looked like:



This year was a big year for us. Declan started to walk and talk. Annika started Kindergarten. Declan fell in love with trucks and Annika fell in love with her friends. She's starting to read and write a bit and Declan is learning that the world doesn't revolve around him. They love each other so, so much and we couldn't be happier watching their relationship grow.

Chris and I continue to work way too hard, so I'm hopeful that 2011 will be a new year to appreciate the joy that we have in our lives and be a little easier on ourselves. With the kids getting bigger and incrementally independent, I'm cautiously optimistic that I'll be able to spend more one-on-one time with my fabulous husband.

Chris and I marvel often at the fortune in our lives and appreciate the people who make it possible. Much love to our family and friends who have read this blog for five (!) years - Merry Christmas!!

Love, Jenn, Chris, Annika & Declan

Stuff that's happened

We've had some fun the last few weeks.

Well, unless you count each of the 49ers' heartbreaking losses. And by heartbreaking; I mean embarrassing. But we did try and get into the spirit the weekend before last:

Chris actually noted they were winning for the 10 minutes all three of them were wearing the jerseys. Of course, this was during a September heat wave, and those jerseys don't really breathe and they each got too hot. Our commitment matches that of the 49ers.

Then Declan got his first haircut! Sadly I got some pretty crappy pictures because he wouldn't stay still, but I think we were able to capture the essence of the Before & After:

He was decently behaved for the ordeal, but was not like Annika's first cut who didn't move an inch and was completely quiet and obedient. Not that I compare! But he did a lot better than I thought and the end result is my baby who's turning into a little boy before my eyes. Can't lie...that bums me out.

Then yesterday Annika went to her "best friend's" birthday party. Her best friend is a friend from preschool and her mother and I are so taken by how cute they are together. This was her first "drop off" birthday party where she hung out on her own and we weren't there to smooth over the rough edges. The best friend's mom reported Annika was "a little angel" so I'll choose to believe that.

It was a princess themed party, so we dressed for the occasion, complete with a Hello Kitty clutch purse. She behaved like an angel...and looks like one, too!

Boring but good

Not much new going on in this here parts....oh, well, Annika is starting Kindergarten this week. Ok, that's a big deal! She's been acting up lately...maybe related to the whole life-changing thing, but maybe it's actually how 5 year olds act. We've been pretty spoiled. More to come on the Kindergarten front. For now:



We went to Sacramento last weekend to visit our cousins for their birthday party. These kids cannot travel. Declan is good for two hours; tops (Sac is a nearly 3-hour drive) and Annika (literally) asks "Are we there yet?" 448 times. I might need to work on my patience, but I vote that they need to work on their travel tolerance.

But they're so cute:



Annika asked me "Why is Declan's hair so dark?" Um, what do you mean, honey? "I mean, why is it brown while mine is blonde?" Hmmm... Darker brown? You decide:

Real quick

Annika "graduated" from preschool. Sigh...the milestone industry must rake it in.





Declan is Filipino. And he needs a haircut. And he now walks 98% of the time.

Declan sees the ocean for the first time

Monterey, CA

Taking the year off

For those of you who are expecting a Christmas card from us, or thought we simply left you off our list...we did not. We're just not doing one. Let me tell you why.

With the blog, Facebook and the fact that I tell everyone everything - not to mention our lives our pretty boring (wonderful, but boring) - I decided to take a year off with Christmas cards. Most of you whom I stay in touch with either read the blog, check me out on Facebook or....dare I say it? Talk to me. So, you know that Annika is continuing to love preschool but gets sad when other children won't play with her, but is also independent enough to go away for entire weekends with her cousins. You also know that Declan is starting to make more discernible noises, shows somewhat of an affinity for Momma over Dada but also gets sad when he walks out of a room. You also know that we are exhausted and can't wait when they're old enough to go on a family vacation.

I post enough pictures of these adorable souls on a semi-monthly basis, but let me post what likely would have made the Christmas card:

I promise it's nothing personal and we still love you the same as we did last year. Merry Christmas!

xoxo

Tuckered out.

Annika slept through the night starting at 3 months. We knew at the time we were lucky, but now that I have a kid who isn't as...accommodating...now I really know how lucky we were.

I think what worries me the most is when I go back to work (countdown: just over two weeks to go) and I walk around like a zombie. I am fully aware I'm not the only person in all the land to go to work sleepless, but doesn't mean I'll like it!

In other, more happy news, Declan laughs! Chris has a pretty surefire way to make that happen - it involves a lot of belly tickles. He also is close to rolling over and I'm pretty sure he's starting to teethe. He drools incessantly, bites on most anything he can get his hands on (not me - knock on wood), and often throws his hands into his mouth. Could be part of the sleeping problem? Maybe? I don't know...too tired to care.

Annika got moved up in her preschool to "Red Group 1" which basically means Pre-K. A little more focus on letters, numbers, learning, etc. as opposed to socialization. I was worried she would have difficulty transitioning, but she told me this morning that she likes her new classroom and was worried at first, but isn't any more.

2...the new 1?

Before we even considered having a second baby, Chris and I heard horror stories of additional children....we were told that having 2 wasn't twice the work...it was exponentially more work! A number high enough couldn't be assigned! Ahhh!!!

I'm sure I'll eat my words, but after 12 weeks, I have to say that 2 might be...wait for it....easier than 1. WHAT IS THIS?

Now, before we get crazy, let's remember that I'm still playing stay-at-home-mom/housewife right now, so maybe when I'm back at work, I'll be singing a different tune. We also have to take into account that Annika is in preschool 3 mornings a week and with her sainted grandparents a great majority of the rest of the week....effectively limiting my 'on the clock' time with both kids. And on the weekends I have a wonderful husband who happily shares the workload with me...it's a pretty sweet deal.

That said, when I do have both of them, it's...dare I say? Fun. Annika is usually a sweet dear (with notable exceptions) and makes it easy for me to feed Declan throughout the day or is patient when we have to delay her lunch by 20 minutes after I settle Declan down for a nap. She completely understands that he's a baby that needs much of my attention, and she is usually satisfied with the 1:1 time I can give her when he's occupied. We usually spend the day completing a couple of art projects, going to the park, or having a picnic outside. It's such a pleasure getting to know her during those moments that it makes the day go by quickly.

The flip side of that is by the time Chris gets home, I'm wiped out. With two kids, there is no downtime...but is that exponentially harder? KNOCK ON WOOD...not for us, so far. Declan appears to be gearing up for a teething tragedy while Annika is having a week of whininess unparalleled.

What makes it "easier" is that with #2, I sorta know what I'm doing. I don't worry about how much he's eating (apparently a lot), when he's eating, how much he's crying, what's he's crying about, when he's sleeping...you get the picture. Declan is not an easy baby, but he's not the roughest either, and I think having the experience with Annika oh-so-many years ago makes it so much more....possible. I don't fear so many things as I did with her...I just do it. I would imagine this has a lot to do with the assumption that first borns are high strung and babies of the family are waaayyy relaxed. It's all making sense...

Nothing is perfect, but I thought it was worth noting that we have it pretty good. I do recommend having the second kid! Sleep is not bountiful, your life is utterly centered around your kids but what you get from it - another little life to love, and a closer family than ever - makes it a pretty awesome thing.

Oh - are we going for #3? Hell no!

Weight check

When Chris and I take Declan out, we get one of two comments: "He sure looks like a boy" or "Wow - he's big!" I guess it's a good thing that he looks like a boy, but the big comment is mixed. I mean - he's two months old - do I need to worry about weight problems already??? Probably not. We went to the doctor's yesterday for his 2-month check-up and one thing we know about our doctor is that he'll say something's wrong if something is. He said that he's big for his age, but also tall, so he didn't have any issues. It is a little disturbing though when you see a walking 1-year old at the Injection Clinic and she's the same size as your 10-week old son...

But whatever! He's damn cute!

Here are his stats:

Height: 24.13 inches (81st percentile)
Weight: 15 pounds, .5 ounces (96th percentile)
Head circumference: 16.14 inches (66th percentile)

Annika's head circumference was never smaller than 95th percentile. Chris made the comment - no wonder it seems easier to put on Declan's shirts...

More fun updates on Declan - he is smiling more and staying awake longer. He is much more interested in his surroundings and he's always looking for entertainment. If you're unable to meet his expectations of entertainment, he'll cry...loudly.

Today he purposely knocked his hanging car seat toy. He was so proud! He smiled and even laughed a bit. I saw him continuing to try and hit it and he was so excited when he connected.

Oh and yesterday when he got his first series of shots, I marveled at how differently my children reacted. Annika was always a trouper about it - she would feel the needle go in and go still...then she'd look at you and then SOB. But she was overit pretty quick. Declan cried the second the needle grazed his skin and so deeply that he stopped breathing. His face was so red and the screaming so loud. I'm sure we scared a couple of kids in the waiting room...sorry!!

We had a bit of a scare yesterday - Declan vomited up blood. Luckily we already had the doctor appointment scheduled, so I tried not to panic too much. It only happened once, too, which was good. The Doc said that his esophagus could be irritated by all the times he spits up (usually 2-3 times after every feeding) so he prescribed an antacid. No blood any more, but not sure if the antacid is helping. But it's been 12 hours. So maybe I'll give it a little more time...

Some more birthday stuff

Since Annika's birthday was on a Wednesday, we kept the actual day of her birthday pretty low key. She still went to school where she brought cupcakes. She went to her cousin's house after school then Chris and I picked them both up for a trip to Chuck E Cheese. We all came back after a couple of hours to have cake and ice cream. Wednesday kicked off the weekend of birthdays, and it'll probably take her another day or so to fully recover. She's napping on the couch as I type this, and is incredibly cranky. Tough life!

Party weekend

Not only was Annika's pool 4th birthday party this weekend, but so were two other important birthday parties - Nico's and cousins Pierce and Audrey. This is what she looked like after her 6-hour party yesterday:

Backing up a bit, this is what she looked like in the middle of the party after a 2-hour swim and after she swallowed some water:

Then it got a little better when the pinata made its appearance:

Oh, and she enjoyed her birthday cake and the party theme - Scooby Doo. Have I mentioned how much she loves Scooby Doo? It's unnatural. So unnatural in fact that she's watching the live action movie right now...who would do that willingly? Only a true fan!

I'll post some video from the part(ies) later this week. I have some great pool action shots, though I missed Chris's cannonball.

Baby turns 4

My little girl is 4. Four years old! Four going on 18....

Annika is a really special person. She is caring. She is smart. She is selfless, and she is picky. She's so unique that Chris and I often marvel that we created her...we created this awesome person.

Annika asks a lot of questions. She understands a lot. We had a conversation last week about creationism vs. evolution. She so far is pretty sure that God created the Earth and people, but respects Darwin's position.

This year will be remembered for Declan's birth. But I hope we also remember that this is the year that Annika entered Pre-K, tried to learn to swim, asked for "Jack In The Box" for the first time (embarrassing...but true) and told me that she would "never break up" with me and that we'll be "best friends forever."

Annika - I love you so much, it swallows me up! You'll always be my baby and my best friend. Happy Birthday to you.

But what about Annika's adventures??

This blog has been Declan-heavy lately, so let me catch you up on Annika's life.

She's a big sister and she takes the responsibility very seriously. She insists that he likes to be tickled on his feet (though I agree he is ticklish, not sure he likes it), wants to be patted on the back...vigorously (true, actually) and is awfully annoying when he cries and cannot be consoled (also true). She told us last night that "Baby bro keeps waking me up!" but I actually think she wasn't ready to go to bed.

Bed time is a little different for her. She had a monitor in her room until just last week, when we finally weaned her. Having two kids on a monitor wasn't something I was personally into, and she's old enough to get out of bed if the situation warrants. The issue is that she thinks all situations warrant it.

"Mommy, Declan is keeping me awake."

"Daddy, I want new stuffed animals."

"I have to go pee." (a legitimate reason to get up, but often times it's just a few trickles...another stall tactic).

"Mommy, I have just one thing to say to you....are there mummies?"

She has friends at school - two girls for the most part, but one that she is particularly enamoured with. She told me "I hug her soooo tight, and she asks me to stop, but I can't help it!!!" My baby has a friend crush! Literally. We had a talk about personal boundaries, but not sure it took.

Speaking of boundaries, according to her, Declan doesn't have any. Whether he's feeding, sleeping, crying, pooping, taking a bath...all of his activities are fair game for her to jump in and rub his head (vigorously) or hug him sooooo tight or tickles his feet, etc...you get the idea. She's madly in love with him and her preschooler ways don't really understand quite yet how to tone it down. But I am so grateful for how much she loves him. She is not jealous at all. She just wants him to be her toy.

We are trying to teach her to swim this year, but she really just wants to hang out in the pool. She's not a fan of ....learning. We'll keep trying, but thinking she might have to get group lessons so she'll succumb to peer pressure. Ahh, the American way.

She is very much into art. Loves to paint, play with Play-Doh and draw most anything. She's also into 3-D art where she'll glue an item to a paper and then draw around it. Her Nana says she has a great sense of color, and I have to agree. I need to get her a portfolio to keep these pictures...they're all over my house and I have no idea what to do with them.

Her 4th birthday is coming up quick and she talks about her birthday party a lot. She also knows what she wants to be for Halloween this year - a cat.

Declan: one month

Declan will be one month on Monday, and to celebrate we went to the doctor's office today for his first well baby appointment. There were streamers and everything! (not really)

You can check all the percentiles here, but the 411 is that he's generally smaller than Annika....especially in head size. She was always in the 90th percentile for head circumference, but he's between 50-60%. Chris says he has a pinhead. I say he can wear hats made for his age!

Other stuff he can do right now: hold up his head, kinda smile (mostly when gassy, but sometimes when Chris kisses his chin), cry, eat, not sleep that much. (I am tired).

The stats:

Length: 21.75 inches

Weight: 11 pounds

Head circumference: 15 inches

64? Nah...96!

One of my most prized possessions when growing up was my box of 64 Crayola crayons. Annika has dozen of drawing utensils, but no box o' 64. I kept trying to remind myself to get her a box, but it continually slipped my mind.

Through the fog, I finally remembered and made good on that promise to myself. We went to the drugstore last night and picked up a box...but well, everything in Annika's life is bigger and better than anything I've ever known, so I opted for the box of 96. Who knew it existed? Oh, and it totally has a built-in sharpener. Genius!

She has really enjoyed - as much as I hoped - and is finding a new interest in coloring. I think the wide array of colors makes any girl happy. Next stop...make-up.

Behavior modification

Annika is going through the terrible 3.5's. Now, to put it in context, a terrible Annika isn't so bad...but it is frustrating. The obvious answer might be that she's reacting to the imminent arrival of her baby brother or that she's going through a lot of her own changes that are affecting her behavior. Maybe a combination of both. I'm naive enough to think that the arrival of her baby brother isn't affecting her quite yet...when we talk about him, she is excited and well understands that he'll be limited when first introduced to our family - that he won't be an immediate playmate ready to play in the sandbox or kick the beach ball around the back yard. That said, when we talk about him sometimes, she abruptly will say, "I wish there wasn't a baby brother. I mean it." I know it sounds harsh, but these moments are fleeting and usually prompted by an extended conversation about him...naivete strikes again!

What usually sets her off is simply not getting her way. No, she can't have a piece of candy before dinner. No, she can't stay up passed her bedtime. No she can't watch her TV show. No, Momma is too tired to play dolls right now. She gets frustrated in 1-60 flat and once she teeters off the edge...well, sometimes it takes a while to get her back.

We've been spoiled for too long and there's nothing wrong with a little challenge with our first born. Because even as she frustrates me to no end, she, in the next 5 minutes, will turn and grab my face, lean forward and kiss me proclaiming, "You get one free kiss!" Not too shabby.