Monday, December 30, 2013
7 Month Appt
You said you want a Thea update? Okay, well, she's almost nine months old and we will tell you about her seven month doctor's appointment now. She needed to have this appointment to check her weight since she hadn't gained much between her four and six month appointments. Her weight was 13 pounds, 13 ounces so she had gained 10 ounces in a month. While still at the tenth percentile, I think babies are expected to gain about a pound each month so this was progress. Also, our doctor has emphasized two things: 1) a child's weight just needs to stabilize (whether at 10th or 50th or 90th percentile doesn't matter) 2) it seems to be a genetic thing that happens with our babies (Matthew didn't gain weight from months four and six). Thus, our doctor was not concerned about Thea's weight and said that we will check things out again at her nine month appointment which is January 13th. People have asked if we have noticed weight gain now and I think that she has because she has a cute protruding belly and like her brother eats A LOT. I believe she has grown taller too because her once long pants are now capri pants that hit her just below the knee. That said she still fits most of her three month clothes. I very much look forward to obtaining the assurance I usually receive at our doctor appointments.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Thea's first word is...
"Daddy!"
No real surprise there.
She has loved her dad in a very special way since the very beginning. The way she lights up when she sees him is equal to none other. Mike thought she looked at him and said it a couple of days ago but with babies ya never know what's legit and what's an accident (read: what would be really fun to hear). But she said it again yesterday. Mike was on speaker phone and I asked him to say hi to Thea. I then showed the phone to Thea where she could see a picture of him and when Mike said "Thea Bean!" she responded with waving hands and "Daddy!"
No real surprise there.
She has loved her dad in a very special way since the very beginning. The way she lights up when she sees him is equal to none other. Mike thought she looked at him and said it a couple of days ago but with babies ya never know what's legit and what's an accident (read: what would be really fun to hear). But she said it again yesterday. Mike was on speaker phone and I asked him to say hi to Thea. I then showed the phone to Thea where she could see a picture of him and when Mike said "Thea Bean!" she responded with waving hands and "Daddy!"
A Question of Discipline
Our eldest child has entered the "Terrible Twos". Lucky us. It is as advertised, although I imagine it has been fairly easy for us given that Matthew is still typically very well behaved. He rarely goes out of his way to misbehave, save the drawing on walls, tables and toys and the occasional punching of a four-year old stranger. The kid probably should not have been all up in Matthew's business.
The most common form of "Terrible Two" behavior from our young lad is in the form of pseudo-tantrums. They are pseudo because they rarely last more than 10 - 30 seconds, but they are tantrums because they rarely do not involve the kid's entire body going limp and ending up in a wailing lump. He tries to cry but the tears almost never come. His high school drama teacher is already concerned with his inability to commit to the moment.
So, we have started to be more active in our disciplining of him. I use the term "discipline" loosely; we aren't punishing as much as we are telling him to stop doing something (i.e., throwing handful upon handful of oatmeal on the floor), or we take away something such as Play-Doh because "it's delicious!"
The vast majority of the time, Matthew follows directions really well. In fact, this was something his preschool teacher pointed out as a strength of Matthew's during our parent-teacher conference a couple weeks ago. However, when he chooses to be done with that, well...
And when something like that happens, how do you not LAUGH?!?! Or when he shushes his mother when she firmly tells him to stop doing something. I mean, you can't get more disrespectful as a two year old that saying "shh, mommy, shh" while holding a finger to your lips as she tells you to stop dumping an entire box of Cheez-Its on the ground. But how do you stay angry and keep a straight face with that?! The answer is, you can't. Which is why you have instances such as tonight, when E was bathing Thea and Matthew ran into the bathroom, went straight to the tub, and threw a chicken bone into the water. E immediately told Matthew that "we don't throw garbage in the tub." I provided a steady hand of household leadership by laughing in the kitchen. Matthew looked at E, turned around, ran out of the bathroom, turned left and ran to watch Charlie Brown Kicks Lucy's Face And Doesn't Feel Bad, or something of the ilk.
Speaking of firm hands, you will notice in the video above that E and her brother are about five minutes past actually trying to discipline Matthew and Titus. The comedic efforts overwhelmed the parental efforts.
The most common form of "Terrible Two" behavior from our young lad is in the form of pseudo-tantrums. They are pseudo because they rarely last more than 10 - 30 seconds, but they are tantrums because they rarely do not involve the kid's entire body going limp and ending up in a wailing lump. He tries to cry but the tears almost never come. His high school drama teacher is already concerned with his inability to commit to the moment.
So, we have started to be more active in our disciplining of him. I use the term "discipline" loosely; we aren't punishing as much as we are telling him to stop doing something (i.e., throwing handful upon handful of oatmeal on the floor), or we take away something such as Play-Doh because "it's delicious!"
The vast majority of the time, Matthew follows directions really well. In fact, this was something his preschool teacher pointed out as a strength of Matthew's during our parent-teacher conference a couple weeks ago. However, when he chooses to be done with that, well...
And when something like that happens, how do you not LAUGH?!?! Or when he shushes his mother when she firmly tells him to stop doing something. I mean, you can't get more disrespectful as a two year old that saying "shh, mommy, shh" while holding a finger to your lips as she tells you to stop dumping an entire box of Cheez-Its on the ground. But how do you stay angry and keep a straight face with that?! The answer is, you can't. Which is why you have instances such as tonight, when E was bathing Thea and Matthew ran into the bathroom, went straight to the tub, and threw a chicken bone into the water. E immediately told Matthew that "we don't throw garbage in the tub." I provided a steady hand of household leadership by laughing in the kitchen. Matthew looked at E, turned around, ran out of the bathroom, turned left and ran to watch Charlie Brown Kicks Lucy's Face And Doesn't Feel Bad, or something of the ilk.
Speaking of firm hands, you will notice in the video above that E and her brother are about five minutes past actually trying to discipline Matthew and Titus. The comedic efforts overwhelmed the parental efforts.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Teeth
Matthew had his first dentist appointment yesterday.
He was so good! He opened wide, wasn't scared by all the tools and the doctor's mask and crazy glasses. In fact, he actually seemed to really enjoy it! (Probably because the doctor just took a look at his teeth and he bypassed the teeth cleaning, FLOSSING, x-rays, and cavity fillings like Mommy. Boo Mommy.)
Her first tooth is her upper, left, and second from the front tooth. She's gonna be a snagglemonster! (Picture of said tooth to come when it is completely in.)
He was so good! He opened wide, wasn't scared by all the tools and the doctor's mask and crazy glasses. In fact, he actually seemed to really enjoy it! (Probably because the doctor just took a look at his teeth and he bypassed the teeth cleaning, FLOSSING, x-rays, and cavity fillings like Mommy. Boo Mommy.)
In other pearly white news, this little lady has had her first tooth pop through the gums:
Her first tooth is her upper, left, and second from the front tooth. She's gonna be a snagglemonster! (Picture of said tooth to come when it is completely in.)
Just Sayins'
It's been decided that we need to make a list here of some of Matthew's sayings that we have found to be adorable and funny that we don't want to forget because over time its inevitable that we will.
Wha happ? (while shrugging his shoulders and holding his hands up and out)
Wha happ? (while shrugging his shoulders and holding his hands up and out)
Mommy/Daddy/Papa, are you? (with one hand to the ear)
OHHHHH NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No, no, no, no, no! (while shaking a finger at you)
Bye Daddy. (while shoving you away because he's about to do something naughty or silly or when
you tell him he's going to have to stop something that he wants to keep doing)
Mommy, k? Mommy, k? Mommy k? (whenever anything drops, making a noise, or I cough/sneeze, hiccup)
Less go Mommy! (while waving you to come)
Sisser! (referring to Thea)
Hi Paul! Hi Titus! Hi Paul! Hi Titus! (starts at random and can continue for minutes at a time on repeat)
Titus, home. (when he is missing Titus and/or remembering that Titus and he both left Grandma and Papa's to go home)
Daddy, dance!
Sa-you! (sorry)
And then there's our favorite of Titus's:
No way! No way! Sop!
OHHHHH NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No, no, no, no, no! (while shaking a finger at you)
Bye Daddy. (while shoving you away because he's about to do something naughty or silly or when
you tell him he's going to have to stop something that he wants to keep doing)
Mommy, k? Mommy, k? Mommy k? (whenever anything drops, making a noise, or I cough/sneeze, hiccup)
Less go Mommy! (while waving you to come)
Sisser! (referring to Thea)
Hi Paul! Hi Titus! Hi Paul! Hi Titus! (starts at random and can continue for minutes at a time on repeat)
Titus, home. (when he is missing Titus and/or remembering that Titus and he both left Grandma and Papa's to go home)
Daddy, dance!
Sa-you! (sorry)
And then there's our favorite of Titus's:
No way! No way! Sop!
Friday, November 15, 2013
Box Peez!
At a restaurant last weekend, Matthew surprised us when he asked for a "box peez!" at the end of the meal. Such a polite little boy. When given a box, he put his leftovers inside and closed it up, just like he'd done it a thousand times.
What you see here is leftover tortellini soup and a piece of broccoli, minus the floret. Culinary arts at their finest.
Tonight we went to BW3s and this is what he packed up:
After his bath, he retrieved his box and sat down to dig in. On his hot dog bun. Note his hot dog did not make it home. Just the bun. Also, I am sure he is looking forward to eating the topping-free tortilla chip from the bottom of the nacho pile sometime tomorrow afternoon.
Another word on the hot dog bun. He was pretty jazzed by it. He took it out of the box, enjoyed a mouth-drying bite, graciously offered bites to both E and I, and then helped himself to another mouthful. Yum.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Week of Geoffrey
Two months ago, I lovingly called my father and aggressively told him he was coming to Chicago for the NASCAR race. Gently accentuating my demands with perfectly placed f-words, I let him know I selflessly bought him a plane ticket and race tickets. I then told him to shut up and get on the plane. Being incapable of expressing kindness without intertwining it with excessive dollops of sarcasm is a telltale sign of being emotionally well-adjusted.
Turns out my grandpa put the numbers on this door. In the mid-1970's.
The next day, I went to San Francisco on a work trip. Turns out, my hotel was a mile and a half from my dad's high school. So I woke up early and walked over there. It was both cool and surreal to imagine my father walking through those gates.
Because my father and his parents are and were ridiculous, I had never seen a picture of him when he was older than 4 and younger than 26. So I walked into the school and asked to see yearbooks from over 40 years ago, which is slightly less creepy than asking to see the current yearbook.
The 1970 Galileo Lions.
The 1969 Galileo Lions.
NOT PICTURED: The senior pictures from 1970 nor the junior pictures from 1969. Dad chose not to take class pictures and his parents chose not to make him do it. Thanks, guys.
ALSO NOT PICTURED: The entire page of 25+ seniors of 1970 with the last name "Wong". Seriously. Every single kid on the page was named "Wong".
In the front hall, there is an Athletic Hall of Fame. Fred Setting '50 was my father's baseball coach. O.J. Simpson '65 had a career in television, among other things. I'm sure Otto Sempel '45 was a terrific fellow.
After seeing the football field that is no longer named after O.J. Simpson '65, I went to see my grandparents' old apartment, which mom and I actually lived in with my grandparents for a few months when my dad was apparently really poor at sea in 1983. He was a Somalian pirate in the United States Navy.
Turns out my grandpa put the numbers on this door. In the mid-1970's.
It was an incredible experience to walk the same steps my dad did. Sounds crazy, but I kept feeling like I was about to see my 17 year old father walk out that door or walk past me on the street. It was very special.
Next week, maybe I will travel to Miami to the now horribly rundown neighborhood my mother grew up in. You know, the one where I was scared to fall asleep at night when I stayed there with grandma in the early 1990's. Or maybe I won't. And since my mother actually did things like take class photos and buy school yearbooks, I don't have to do that.
Sleep: A Week in Review
Sunday Night:
9:30: Asleep almost instantly when my head hit the pillow
9:50: Awakened by Mike rubbing my arm in his sleep. Very nice, Mike. Now stop it.
10:40: Matthew wakes up with diarrhea. I change his diaper and take off his jammies because he is a radiator when under the covers in our bed, which is where I took him.
10:50: Thea wakes up because of Matthew crying. I feed her because that ain't her fault.
4:30: Awakened when Matthew sweetly aligns himself next to me, in the fetal position, on the top of the covers, FREEZING cold. I move him back to his pillow and put the covers on top of him.
4:34: Thea's crying. And this continues on and off for the next 45 minutes. AND...Matthew's up for the day. And awesome. So are we.
Monday Night:
8:15: Matthew starts crying and comes out to the family room until about 8:45.
Midnight: Matthew's crying. Was able to talk to him via the monitor (thank you, monitor)
4:30: Thea is up for a feeding.
Tuesday Night: For whatever reason, Matthew wakes up at 3:30 and despite trying, can't fall back to sleep.
Wednesday Night: Up with Mike with stomach issues. For an hour. At 3am. Both kids...slept through the night.
Thursday Night: I woke up once when Thea cried for about 5-10 minutes around 3am. Pretty good! And a HUGE relief!
Saturday Morning:
E: Are you going to ask me how my night's sleep was?
Mike: Oh, yeah! I just assumed you slept great, deeply, and through the night because I did.
E: Of course you did. (pause) Matthew woke up crying at 1am because he was tangled in his blanket and Thea woke up at 3am but went to sleep without me feeding her about 5-10 minutes later. And then I woke up to go to the bathroom once, woke up when you went to the bathroom, and was hot/cold all night long. Soooo, not such a great night for me.
9:30: Asleep almost instantly when my head hit the pillow
9:50: Awakened by Mike rubbing my arm in his sleep. Very nice, Mike. Now stop it.
10:40: Matthew wakes up with diarrhea. I change his diaper and take off his jammies because he is a radiator when under the covers in our bed, which is where I took him.
10:50: Thea wakes up because of Matthew crying. I feed her because that ain't her fault.
4:30: Awakened when Matthew sweetly aligns himself next to me, in the fetal position, on the top of the covers, FREEZING cold. I move him back to his pillow and put the covers on top of him.
4:34: Thea's crying. And this continues on and off for the next 45 minutes. AND...Matthew's up for the day. And awesome. So are we.
Monday Night:
8:15: Matthew starts crying and comes out to the family room until about 8:45.
Midnight: Matthew's crying. Was able to talk to him via the monitor (thank you, monitor)
4:30: Thea is up for a feeding.
Tuesday Night: For whatever reason, Matthew wakes up at 3:30 and despite trying, can't fall back to sleep.
Wednesday Night: Up with Mike with stomach issues. For an hour. At 3am. Both kids...slept through the night.
Thursday Night: I woke up once when Thea cried for about 5-10 minutes around 3am. Pretty good! And a HUGE relief!
Saturday Morning:
E: Are you going to ask me how my night's sleep was?
Mike: Oh, yeah! I just assumed you slept great, deeply, and through the night because I did.
E: Of course you did. (pause) Matthew woke up crying at 1am because he was tangled in his blanket and Thea woke up at 3am but went to sleep without me feeding her about 5-10 minutes later. And then I woke up to go to the bathroom once, woke up when you went to the bathroom, and was hot/cold all night long. Soooo, not such a great night for me.
Who's this Guy?
We'll let Titus tell you:
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| Titus, aka Ninja Turtle (who apparently wore his costume for 3 straight days) |
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| Awaiting Trick or Treaters |
Mike, Rachel, and the boys had planned to take the kids around the block to trick or treat but it was pouring rain the entire time we were there and without a stop to the rain in sight, we decided to head home. Good thing Matthew is still young enough to be oblivious to what he missed out on! Although Grandma did give him a treat which made the hour drive (read: should've been 20 minutes) home a little bit better...for Matthew.
On Halloween Eve, the kids and I went to Mike's workplace for a family Halloween party which consisted of trick or treating and about an hour long game of chase through people's cubicles. You can thank us later for your greatest day of productive work.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Nice Little Saturday
Yesterday we had planned to meet some family at a fall festival of sorts. We ended up at the wrong one but still had a wonderful time. Matthew had a pony ride, saw many animals up close (giraffes, bears, tigers, goats, and sheep to name very few of the numerous), played on tractors, and walked through many 'o tunnels.
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| Legit tears were shed when this was over |
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| Matthew waving and saying hello to the donkeys |
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| "Vroom!" |
And because none of us were ready to be done painting after finishing our pumpkins...
Simply fantastic day filled with wonderful quality time as a family.
Matthew's 2nd Birthday
On October 19th, Matthew turned two. Here's what his day entailed:
First things first, he opened (read: pulled a blanket off) his present from his parents.
The weather was a bit chilly but the rain held off for Matthew's party at Jewett Park Pavillion. Many friends and family members came to play at the park and enjoy some cupcakes. Matthew truly had a blast running around, going down slides, and opening presents. The cupcakes, well, he ate some frosting and then left the rest of the work for his cousin.
First things first, he opened (read: pulled a blanket off) his present from his parents.
Daddy chose to get him a race car track with six cars that gave him minutes of fun!
Later in the day we went to my parents house where he napped (God's gift) and then received an airplane and airport from my parents.
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| Matthew's Biggest Birthday Playmate |
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| Thea thoroughly enjoying the party. And her nap. |
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| "Um...why was I given a cupcake when there's a whole cake to be had?" Picture courtesy of JMH |
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| Matthew and his wingman |
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| Picture courtesy JMH |
After the party, we had tickle time, I mean dinner as a family. Matthew's hot dog hit the floor after one bite so that was amazing. All was redeemed though when he was given a pile of pickles.
It was a special and really fun day.
Friday, October 18, 2013
little sister, BIG BROTHER
Things around here have been insane in the membrane. Insane in the brain. And by that I mean, we started the Insanity work-out program about 6 weeks ago which eats up our evening time, unless I decide I can't because, well, I have a pile of pie in my hands. So here's your update on some of the going-ons in our household.
We went to the doctor for both kiddos on Friday.
Thea
6 month stats:
Weight: 13lbs, 3oz (10th %ile)
Heght: 25 1/4in (25-50th %ile)
Head circumference: 44cm (90th %ile)
Thea's weight is the same that it was at 4 months, which for those of you that study the weights of our children, will know that this is the same thing that happened with Matthew between months four and six, thus our doctor thinks its genetic. Nonetheless, we will be bringing Thea back to the doctor in a month for a weight check.
What's new? Thea is now sitting up for a couple of minutes at a time, before toppling over. She started solids on Saturday and is loving it. She loves being part of the family meal and is eating like a champ. She's had rice and is now eating oatmeal. I didn't miss how messy it is to feed a baby or how long it takes. She is talking (read: screaming because that's what we do in this home) a lot and is so happy. Thea is now sleeping 10-12 hours a night...thank goodness! Cry it out is not fun. We got permission to let her really cry it out and the first night she cried on two separate occasions for 50 minutes. That happened a few more times and after about a week (phew!) we had all survived and were better off. She is bathing without the newborn mesh bath now; she lays down on her back in the tub and absolutely loves splashing water with her arms and legs. So great to have a bathtub. Thea regularly rolls over from her belly to her back and roll back to her side but has not yet rolled back to her tummy. She has been more snugly over the past week and while it can be challenging to hold her all the time, it has definitely increased the bond and love that I have with her, thus my heart is grateful and full.
Matthew
What's new? Thea is now sitting up for a couple of minutes at a time, before toppling over. She started solids on Saturday and is loving it. She loves being part of the family meal and is eating like a champ. She's had rice and is now eating oatmeal. I didn't miss how messy it is to feed a baby or how long it takes. She is talking (read: screaming because that's what we do in this home) a lot and is so happy. Thea is now sleeping 10-12 hours a night...thank goodness! Cry it out is not fun. We got permission to let her really cry it out and the first night she cried on two separate occasions for 50 minutes. That happened a few more times and after about a week (phew!) we had all survived and were better off. She is bathing without the newborn mesh bath now; she lays down on her back in the tub and absolutely loves splashing water with her arms and legs. So great to have a bathtub. Thea regularly rolls over from her belly to her back and roll back to her side but has not yet rolled back to her tummy. She has been more snugly over the past week and while it can be challenging to hold her all the time, it has definitely increased the bond and love that I have with her, thus my heart is grateful and full.
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| Matthew fed Thea her first bite of food |
2 year stats:
Weight: 29lbs, 15oz (50-75th %ile)
Height: 37 3/4in (off the charts tall)
Head circumference: 51cm (90-95th %ile)
The long and short, minus the short, of it is that Matthew is enormous. He is on pace to be about 6'2" and is already 3/5 my height. Not that I'm tall, but man, this kid and I are going to making eye contact while standing by like Monday.
What's new with the mister? Matthew is really into puzzles and trucks these days and will never turn down a trip to the park. He has settled into his toddler bed (had to do a couple nights of letting him cry it out for about 15 min which means we did cry it out with two kids over the course of two weeks) and actually runs to bed at naptime and bedtime. Literally runs. He is such a gift from God to us. He loves to laugh and his laughter is full of joy. He is so sweet and kind, except when he is stealing toys and hitting kids we just met (resulting in them falling down cement stairs). He throws out trash he finds, puts his dishes in the sink (TGIplastic), hugs his sister, asks for kisses, closes our front door when leaving the house, and listens to directions so well. Except that time he didn't and there was pile of star (read: salt-sized) pasta on the floor in our family room that kept resurfacing for like 5 weeks. Matthew turns 2 tomorrow. Wow. Preschool starts on Monday. Big week(end) ahead.
What's new with the mister? Matthew is really into puzzles and trucks these days and will never turn down a trip to the park. He has settled into his toddler bed (had to do a couple nights of letting him cry it out for about 15 min which means we did cry it out with two kids over the course of two weeks) and actually runs to bed at naptime and bedtime. Literally runs. He is such a gift from God to us. He loves to laugh and his laughter is full of joy. He is so sweet and kind, except when he is stealing toys and hitting kids we just met (resulting in them falling down cement stairs). He throws out trash he finds, puts his dishes in the sink (TGIplastic), hugs his sister, asks for kisses, closes our front door when leaving the house, and listens to directions so well. Except that time he didn't and there was pile of star (read: salt-sized) pasta on the floor in our family room that kept resurfacing for like 5 weeks. Matthew turns 2 tomorrow. Wow. Preschool starts on Monday. Big week(end) ahead.
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| Celebrated Matthew's Birthday with the Schwartzes |
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