Love It

Of the nearly 100 pictures I took this morning, this may be my favorite.  Getting two children to smile or look in the same direction is tough...let alone three!  Unfortunately, I forgot to remove the date stamp before the photo session.  This was actually the last picture I took.

I started a blog post on Thursday about Esther...but haven't had time to complete it.  I also want to write about all that Evan and Meghan are up to these days, but time is limited.

Thanksgiving

Today was our very first Thanksgiving with just the five of us.  We have always been surrounded by family on Thanksgiving day.  We have even eaten two full Thanksgiving meals plus dessert with another part of our family before in order to see both of my parents and Derek's family on this day.

I definitely missed our families today, but it's nice to know that we can be content right at home, too.  Though I have just started cooking again (having been given at least seven meals from friends) I made a simple turkey Thanksgiving meal for us.  Yesterday I made an apple pie.  (And I'm so thankful that I finally made a good rolled pie crust!  Not only that, but the apple filling wasn't runny!  It was a good pie.)  Derek used the bread maker last night.  (Granted it was around midnight when the bread was done...but I was awake.)  

We are big Muppets fans.  A few days ago Derek had the idea to take the Big Kids to see the new The Muppets movie.  So he did!  They were gone most of the morning, but arrived home a bit after one o'clock.  I was able to put together enough food to call it a Thanksgiving meal, despite a little girl needing attention.  

Upon their arrival home, Meghan was thrilled that the table was covered with a tablecloth and that we used cloth napkins.  Not only that, but the kids were given glasses (instead of plastic cups) for drinks.  That's about as fancy as we get.

Meghan had asked if she could help, so I had her take the bread from the bag and place it on the plate.  She was very proud of her stacking.  I promise that despite the fuzzy hair, her hands were washed!  (Should I tell you that Meghan went to the theater without her hair being combed?  Probably not, but it wasn't that fuzzy when she left...and things were a bit crazy.  In my defense I was in the shower when they left.)

Above does not show how Evan cannot keep his hands off Esther's face.  Prior to the camera in my hand he was all over her though.  This picture was taken in the early morning.

(On a non-Thanksgiving note, we did see a GI specialist for Esther.  We are trying another medication and increasing the Zantac, but not noticing a change.  Next week we will also have an ultrasound of her belly and upper GI.)

We have much to be thankful for!

Four Weeks...

Our little baby is a month old now.  We are doing okay-not great.

Esther sleeps little outside of our arms.  That means I sit on my bum most of the day holding her.  I have been watching an incredible amount of television.  (And typically I don't turn on the TV at all during the daytime for myself.)  Esther has painful gas and reflux that makes her scream, especially during the evenings.  When she's not in pain, she is sometimes still be fussy, even in our arms.

We have tried four formulas.  (Yes, our daughter is bottle-fed.)  Regular.  Soy.  Gentlease.  And now a really expensive formula for colic.  She is also taking Zantac.  At the time of this writing we haven't been using the colic formula long enough to know if it will make a difference or not.  If not, we might discuss seeing a GI doctor for her.

We're thankful that she has at least one 2 hour stretch each night now.  For a long time I was sleeping for 20-45 minutes at a time...when I could actually sleep.

Big brother Evan and big sister Meghan adore her.  Meghan did ask a while back if we could have a yard sale.  When we inquired why, she wanted to sell  Esther.  When I said that wasn't possible she suggested selling her brother instead.

But really, they adore our baby.  So do I.

Teeth

The day before Esther was born Evan had climbed in the toy box (it's big)...and somehow lost his footing and fell.   (Did you notice the aftermath?)  Pained screams followed, along with much blood from his mouth-his lips and gums.

We watched and waited.  Last week I took him to the dentist because his left front tooth is a bit discolored.  They x-rayed, and as it turns out they are more concerned with the tooth beside it.  We'll be following up in three months at his regular check-up and checking his gums for infection and hope the root is not damaged.

I was horrified at the thought of taking Evan and Esther to the dentist.  The last time Evan was there for a check-up, it was awful-and just 3 months ago.  He wouldn't even let them count his teeth.  I had to hold him down (on my pregnant lap) the whole time.  However, Evan was the perfect patient this time.  He had fun, too!  I am so proud of him!

Meghan Reading

I typically go to the library every few of weeks.  However, a couple weeks before Esther was due, I returned ALL of my books to the library.  That means that for five weeks I have not listened to any books while working in the kitchen.  This would have been torture for me, except some lovely friends have been feeding us since Derek's mom left.  (And Janice fed us great meals while she was here.)

Meghan had asked a while back if we could go to the library.  I explained to her that I might go without her, and asked if she wanted me to get some books for her.  She requested Piggie and Gerald books.  These are written by Mo Willems and are part of the Elephant and Piggie books which we LOVE (but own none of our own).

Back to my point.  (I do get sidetracked easily.)  TODAY I VENTURED OUT TO THE LIBRARY-WITH EVAN AND ESTHER!  With going to preschool three days a week, I have had NO desire to go anywhere else with them.  However, last night I went out for several hours to do some Christmas shopping.  Based on Derek's reaction when I returned, I didn't think it wise to request an evening at the library (or the hour it takes to get there, get books, and drive home).  (Keep in mind that Esther is not a content baby.  I don't mean she is fussy...I mean she cries and screams a lot and cannot be consoled.)  So...I took the kids out in the rain.

Anyway, Evan was thrilled to go to the library.  Esther only cried during checkout...which lasted for about five minutes.

Meghan got to read a new  Elephant and Piggie book!  I thought I'd take the opportunity to videotape her reading a book that she had never heard an adult read so you know all inflections are her own, and it is not memorized.

The video is long...about 6 minutes, but it does go quickly.  Enjoy!  (And I should apologize for the quality.  It was a rainy late afternoon, and our camera only takes good videos in bright light.)

 Here she is-Esther at three weeks.

Esther at Two Weeks

Our littlest girl is now two weeks old.

 Can you see a touch of red in her hair in the above picture?  Great Grandma J, whose name we used for Esther's middle name (Carol), has red hair.  So does her maternal grandfather.  We'll have to wait to see what really happens with Esther. 

 Oh, yes, Esther likes to hold her head up high.

At two weeks Esther

• eats all the time.  She sometimes takes an hour to drink a two ounce bottle.  It is not unusual for her to take that long to drink just an ounce.  Of course, when she eats so little she is hungry very soon.  If she takes a full two ounces, she might wait two hours before her next feeding.  Yes, she truly eats all the time.
• has reflux.  The reflux and gas seem to be causing her less pain these days, but it is still very much a part of our lives.  We're hoping that things improve so she is in less pain.
• likes to sleep, but only if she is in our arms.  This can be rather tiring, as you might imagine.  Nights are still rather rough.  I am often able to sleep for just 20-45 minutes at a time.  More than an hour (without Derek's assistance) is a rarity.  You might say that I am tired.  
• might be smiling.  She has smiled for no reason (or just gas) for a while, but in the past couple of days she seems to be truly smiling.
• weighs 8 pounds, 9 ounces, as of Friday.  She has gained a full pound.

Both Meghan and Evan are doing really well adjusting to life with a (not-so-happy) baby in the house -even with the crying (and screaming, at times), Meghan's only complaint is that Esther wakes her up during the night.  Both Big Kids take an interest in Esther and have really accepted her.  I think the extra attention for the past two weeks with Derek's mom and then Derek being here all day was very helpful.  Tomorrow Derek returns to work.  I am fully on my own.  Oh my.  Tuesday I take Meghan to school with Esther and Evan in tow.  Taking her to school means going into the church (where her preschool is located) and down to the basement to her classroom.  It doesn't sound like fun to me, but we'll get through it.

Dress Up for NYC

I am all about frugal costumes, so last year I was fine with Meghan wanting to be a princess for Halloween...right from her dress up box.  At the same time, I don't want her imagination and pretend play (or Halloween even) to be limited to princesses.  Very early on...oh, about a year ago, I planted the idea in Meghan's head that she could be the Statue of Liberty for Halloween this year.

I'm sure seeing Lady Liberty this summer helped, too.

 I was shocked that Evan had an opinion about dressing up in a costume.  When Meghan first questioned us about a week before Halloween as to when it was we started talking about costumes.  Evan immediately knew he wanted to be a knight...and all week he never changed his mind.  However, based on what we had available for him, he chose to be a baseball player for the New York Mets.  Check out his pitch!

 

 I was rather surprised when Derek came up with his own "costume" to take the big kids around the neighborhood.

Not surprisingly, Esther and I stayed home.