Kathy and Ryan

How's it going?

2012-01-25T23:21:00.001-05:00

(not feeling his best)

A couple more and pull-backs

2012-01-23T20:23:00.006-05:00

A comment in my post below asked to see some pull-backs showing how I set-up the photos of Elliott. Here are a few more pictures I took using the same set-up, as well as a pull-back shot.

I just love this one, modeling a onesie I made!

Because this day was unusually bright (it snowed! Yay!) I was able to shoot these at ISO800. My settings were 1/250 sec, f/3.2, 50 mm.

A few more:

Our guest room is about the only place in our house that is light enough to take pictures. (Sometimes our kitchen or den work, but not as well.) I have to wait for a really bright day in order to keep my shutter speed high enough, even if I am shooting at ISO1600 (which I hate doing, by the way.)

Currently however, our guest room is our furniture-baby-stuff-to-sell storage room. Sigh.

To say it's cramped is an understatement. I often can't use my sharpest lens if I want to get a full body shot...I can barely get away with it with E since he is still small and doesn't move. Even still, I'm up against the corner between the cabinet and the window, with my head against the window. Elliott would be on the bed, on the blue blanket, facing at an angle somewhat facing towards the window, with the white backdrop behind him.

The backdrop is taped to the wall. :) I have a fairly tight window to work with, esp for mobile kids, so it can be difficult not to get the other stuff (ie: storage stuff) in the background. The white backdrop looks gray because it's in a shadow, but I don't mind a gray background.

I placed a wood board under the blanket (on top of the mattress) because otherwise Elliott's feet/hands sink too far in the mattress and I can't see them, plus he falls over.

I almost always still need to run noiseware.

hello Mr. Froggie!

2012-01-22T23:56:00.002-05:00

Up until now, Andrew was using his infant bath towels. They were so small on him, they barely went past his bottom and they couldn't cover him around. He was so cold. We finally bought some cute toddler towels. His favorite one is the frog. He looks so cute and loves to wear it.

Andrew makes Elliott laugh

2012-01-22T16:46:00.001-05:00

toot-jan2012 from Kathy on Vimeo.

Bean boy

2012-01-21T17:58:00.001-05:00

Finally sitting up well enough to model some cute hats!!!

Genes

2012-01-20T12:48:00.003-05:00

See most recent picture of baby E:

Does he look like me? (9 mos)

Or, Ryan?

Or, the little, cute, brunette baby in the bottom, left corner?

That's Ryan's mom.

Another of baby E:

Either way, I'd say he's beautiful!

Elliott - 8 months

2012-01-17T20:31:00.004-05:00

Age: 8 months

Weight: a week ago he was 18 lb + 10 oz

Length: Unsure.

Size: 6-12 fits well in all brands. Size 3 diaper. (Difficult to tell apart from Andrew's size 4 diaper, I am glad they are labeled.)

Teeth: He cut 4 teeth this month; top 2 & bottom 2 middles.

Hair: Holy hair, batman! I'm not sure how much longer we can wait to cut his hair; pretty soon it'll be in his eyes.

Sleeping: 7 pm - 7:15 am, naps 9-10:30 am, 1-2:30 pm. Extremely predictable and fully transitioned to 2 naps as of this week. Naps are less predictable when he has an ear infection; we've had no issues at night.

Eating: Drank less this month due to ear infections and teething; usually about 18-22 oz a day, sometimes less. He is now eating purees 3 times a day and loving all fruits & veggies & oatmeal we give him. We have completed all step 1 foods and are moving on to step 2. We tried Puffs this week; he gagged lightly but was able to eat a couple...I'm not sure he is quite ready.

Movement: Elliott has mastered rolling, pivoting, and reaching/inching to get what he wants - - usually his brother's toys and never his own toys. :) He is all over our family room. His sitting is still very slouchy and he falls over quickly. I suspect he'll be army crawling soon.

Milestones: Celebrated his first Christmas. Is started to recognize emotion and cries if other babies are crying. Cried at people outside of our immediate family 3 times; showing some signs of stranger anxiety. Sometimes holds his own bottle.

Favorite Toys: Andrew's toys. He has a strong preference for very hard teethers, whereas Andrew liked Sophie. He likes to try to chew on tables, blocks, books, wooden pieces, etc. He still likes the jumperoo. He likes his Poppin' Pal.

Dislikes: Having his face wiped. Lumpy food, like a mashed banana.

Likes: He's a Daddy's boy. He loves Andrew. His natural schedule. Reading.

Words & sounds: Babbling!!! "dadada" "mamama" and "bababa"

More from this week.

2012-01-17T18:39:00.002-05:00

Andrew had to hang out by Elliott on the blanket

Hanging out, snowed in

Scarfing down baby food

Baby E tries Puffs

2012-01-16T13:11:00.003-05:00

Elliott tried Puffs this weekend! He wasn't able to pincer grasp them yet, but, he was able to palm them and suck on them. It was so cute to watch him. He was very focused and enjoyed it. (Andrew kept wanting to eat Puffs, too.)

side comment: check out that head of hair in the top-down view!

edited pic vs. SOOC

2012-01-15T14:18:00.006-05:00

My goal for the last several months has been to take pictures that require very little editing. Editing can be SO SO SO super time consuming, and with 2 kids, I just can't spend as much time doing it anymore.

This SOOC picture (ie: as shot, no photoshop) was decent, although a bit overexposed and a bit flat. I do wish I could see his hands.

Left - SOOC, Right - Edited

To edit this picture I lowered the exposure, increased the contrast (it was a pretty flat image), and cropped in a bit. I'd still like to improve so that even less editing is required!

Shown bigger:

A couple more with some thoughts.

I tried out a warmer, softer edit here. I focused on his left eye and it bothers me; I generally lock in focus on the closer eye. I don't think I like the warmer color temp.

In these 2, I dislike that his hands disappeared in the blanket!

I wish I had more eye contact and I wish I could see more of his right hand! I may experiment with putting a hard surface on top of the mattress next time.

I've worked a lot at improving my SOOC pictures. Shooting in manual was a huge step. Next I need to get better at nailing exposure and consistently using a custom white balance.

Big boy bed update

2012-01-15T13:39:00.002-05:00

Andrew is doing very well. He is still a little uncomfortable with the change at times, so he prefers to sleep in his crib about 2/3 of the time. When it's time for bed, we ask him where he wants to sleep. Sometimes he says he wants to sleep in his big boy bed, but then gets nervous and changes his mind right away. The times he has chosen to sleep in his big boy bed, we've had absolutely zero issues...he reads in bed until he is tired, and then sleeps until it's time to get up for school at 7 am, or at naps he sleeps from 12 - 3 or 4 pm (school is wearing him out.)

I have noticed that Andrew tends to be nervous to sleep in his bed when he isn't as tired. I think, in that instance, he prefers his crib because he likes to sit in the corner against the slats and read. I think he likes the security of the crib boundaries.

I've enjoyed letting Andrew lead the way on this transition and I'm proud of him for being such a big boy. Once Andrew fully transitions, we will sell the crib and move his desk back in. I'm looking forward to gaining some space back!

And so this post isn't picture-less, here are some more pictures of Andrew playing in the sink. He was playing the other day and the light was quite pretty!

Updated brother picture :)

2012-01-13T21:17:00.002-05:00

Andrew (3 years) and Elliott (7 months)

It snowed, so we finally have enough window light to take some pictures! We were snowed in today, Andrew didn't have school, and although neither boy was in a great mood, we did a little photo shoot. Andrew wanted down and Elliott kept falling over on the bed, so I'm pretty happy this turned out as well as it did!

Family

2012-01-13T12:57:00.003-05:00

I took this picture (at Thanksgiving, when my brother was back home!) for my parent's Christmas card.

We only had one opportunity to take the picture, mid-day on a super bright day, of course. This wasn't necessarily the best spot for pictures, but I chose it because the lighting worked. The big tree blocked the overhead sun enough to allow for a back-lit picture that wasn't too ridiculously washed out on such a bright day.

left to right:
my brother Mike, Mom, Dad, my brother Nick, my sister Jessi

Indiana State Museum

2012-01-11T10:05:00.003-05:00

During the last week in December, my parents took Andrew for a sleepover and the next day they went to the Indiana State Museum. My parents said it was deserted and they had lots of fun. They took some pictures, I'll share a few of my favorites.

Driving the tractor:

Hot stuff

All aboard!

Riding the train solo (I remember riding it when I was little, too)

meanwhile, Ryan and I had a break (having just one), so we went out to dinner and shopping with Elliott.

Typical Day

2012-01-10T10:09:00.004-05:00

With Andrew going to school near by and on the bus, our routine is significantly easier. Here is a typical weekday in our household. :)

7:00 am - alarm, wake Andrew, medicine, get dressed, breakfast, watch for the bus.
7:45 am - bus comes
7:45 am - feed Elliott his 1st bottle (he usually wakes up around 7:30 give or take)
8:45 am - feed Elliott breakfast
9:00 am-10:30 - nap time (meanwhile, shower if I haven't, do laundry, clean, bills, etc.)
10:50 am - Andrew is home. Play.
11:30-12:00 - all 3 of us eat lunch.
12:15 pm - Put Andrew down for a nap and feed Elliott his bottle.
1:00 pm - lay Elliott down for his nap
*prays for long overlapping naps*
wash bottles, play, medicine for Andrew, cook dinner, Elliott bottle
4:30 pm - Elliott sometimes needs a 3rd nap, esp if he is sick
6:00 pm - dinner all together
7:00 pm - Andrew snack, Elliott bottle
7:30 pm - Andrew in bed. Elliott last bottle then bed.

Big Boy!

2012-01-09T09:49:00.002-05:00

Andrew did great! He read in his bed for an hour, then fell asleep sucking his thumb. He never tried to get out of bed or made a peep (aside from singing), until he woke up at 7 am, which is when I get him up for school.

When I walked in his room, he said "sleep good!!!" and was quite proud of himself.

*bed head*

*sucking his thumb, still waking up*

What a sweet boy.

Night night Buddy!

2012-01-08T20:39:00.004-05:00

We haven't been in any rush to move Andrew out of his crib - he loves his crib, sleeps well there, and he isn't a big fan of change. We figured he has had enough going on that we'd do it on his own terms.

When we set up his "big boy room" (his car room) we kept him in his crib, but added a twin bed. We read on that bed every night before he sleeps on his crib.

We never mentioned it, but about 2 weeks ago, give or take, he started asking if he could sleep in the twin bed. (At the same time, he started to listen and follow directions very very well, so for a combination of reasons, I knew he was ready to take the plunge.) Every night after reading our book (when he knew it was bed time) he would say, "I want to sleep in Mommy's bed!" He thinks it's my bed, since we read together there, and since me and baby E hang out there in the mornings.

Each day he was getting a little more adamant about sleeping in Mommy's bed. We didn't want to make any big changes during the holidays or before he started school. He adjusted very quickly to his new school, no tears no issues at all, and kept asking, so we got to work.

This week we found a used bed on Craigslist. It isn't the nicest bed (not wood) but it serves our purpose for now and we saved a lot of money. It has drawers underneath for storage and a bookshelf-style headboard. At some point we'll upgrade it. We already had the mattress. I ordered sheets, a mattress cover, a video monitor, a nightlight (just in case we need one) and a crib rail.

We were going to let him nap in there today, but we swapped the position of his bed & crib, and he was really mixed up. He said "I want to sleep in my crib" and he did.

Then, tonight, he was more used to the set-up, we read our normal night time book, and he said, "I want to sleep in Mommy's bed!" and I said "OK." He looked at me, like "really?! sweet!" and I tucked him in, gave him his glow worm and a book. (That's our normal routine. He is outgrowing naps, so we are giving him a book in bed in case he isn't tired yet. No cars.)

I've been watching him on the monitor for the last hour. He hasn't moved a muscle, he is laying in bed, reading by the light of his glow worm, just like he normally does. now he is sucking his thumb, playing with his belly button, and about to fall asleep. :)

Praying he stays put...we ran out of time to reverse his lock, but I don't think he'll try to get out of bed with the rail there in the dark.

I have the best little boys!

note: I only took one picture because I didn't want to make a giant deal out of it - I just wanted to follow his lead and stick with our normal routine as much as possible. :)

Andrew's 1st day riding the school bus

2012-01-07T12:41:00.002-05:00

Andrew had his first day at his new school on Tuesday. He goes to our local, public grade school and rides the school bus. The school bus picks him up and drops him off at our driveway. It's pretty awesome for me, too. :) Andrew qualifies for this program so he can continue therapy services through the state, ensuring that he continues to develop well and that he will be ready for Kindergarten when the time comes.

Andrew understood exactly what was going on when the bus came to pick him up the first day. He was not afraid to leave me and he did not cry. He was afraid to get on and off the bus because the stairs are near the (very loud) engine. Once he is on the bus though, he is happy and excited. By Friday, he did walk down the steps to get off the bus on his own with a hand held. When he comes home from school, he is excited to see me through the bus window. He's also getting the hang of wearing his backpack.

(picture at bottom right: first time getting on the bus in the morning)

The bus has about 4 seats, a driver, and a helper (puts the kids in a harness, sings songs with them). They are very nice - Andrew seems to love them and they rave about him every day. They say he is very "even-keeled", every day they say he is very chatty during the entire ride, and that he says "bye" to his friends as they get off the bus. He has 4 other classmates that ride the bus, and an addition 2 "peer models" from the community. Andrew is the first on and last off the bus. I think that's a good way for him to decompose before and after school, get a little extra time to socialize, plus I think he really likes riding.

He's quite happy on the days he goes to school, so I can only assume he likes it. On Tuesday afternoon (the first day) he told me that his teacher is nice. He is still a little confused and mixing up schools - asking where Miss Amanda (his teacher last semester) is, as well as his best buddies and favorite toys at his previous school. He hasn't thrown out any of his friends names, but I'm sure it won't be long before he feels more comfortable around them.

Every night since he has started going to school, he has been singing "wheels on the bus" in his bed, complete with hand motions. He never was into the hand motions, but he is now.

1, 2, and 3 years ago today

2012-01-06T22:40:00.002-05:00

Far Left: 16 weeks pregnant with Elliott (1 year ago)
Middle: Andrew at 12 months (2 years ago)
Far Right: Our first family picture with Andrew at 1 week old (3 years ago)

Last week in pictures

2012-01-06T13:49:00.003-05:00

We learned how to fix stuff with Grandpa.

and listened to music with Grandma.

We had a happy new year!

Baby E got 2 teeth

Andrew loved playing in the bath

E studied his toys

Andrew insisted on doing dishes

and watercolor painting with a paintbrush and a spoon

E bounced a lot, because being on the floor hurt his ears

E enjoyed bananas

but not veggies

We had 2 fussy boys, watching Cars while Mommy made dinner

A got cozy, and laughed at the part when the dump truck falls down

E bounced some more

and every other night, we did our squats, crunches, and push-ups

and yes, I am working towards my goal of being more selective with pictures. You don't want to know how many pictures I actually TOOK & deleted in the last week...

Andrew's 3rd Birthday Party - Beep Beep!

2012-01-04T19:48:00.004-05:00

We started off the day by eating Lightning McQueen and Mater pancakes. Andrew ate 4 of them and they are huge. We got the pancake molds on sale at Williams Sonoma. (Click here.)

Ryan's family drove down and we played for a while. Then, during his nap time, we decorated the house for the party.

I put the finishing touches on the cake.

(Side note: Andrew sung/talked in bed for 2 hours and never fell asleep, he is outgrowing his nap, so we went up to get him at 3:00 so he could come down and play.)

After he came down, he saw his sign. Then, it started to register that his Lightning McQueen party was finally here!

Traditional picture with Mommy & Daddy before the party started.

(2 year and 1 year shots)

And family pictures:

Baby E loves his great-grandparents:

Andrew finds the cake...deciding if it passes the test...and then deciding he's just going to lay his head on the table and do nothing else until he can get a piece of that cake. (We moved cake to first.)

Blowing out his candles. Very proud of himself for blowing out his candle (new skill we have worked on.)

Lovin' his cake in his king hat.

Ready for presents!

Quite excited about his new mp3 boombox. He said "Music! I love music."

Starting to get verrry tired from not napping...(5 pm)

Floor play after opening. Baby E was quite excited to get his hands on the toys.

All the great-grandparents and the boys.

Baby E hasn't been feeling so hot (we find out today he has an ear infection again)

By 6 pm Andrew got crazy over tired hyper and was running around like a wild man with this red balloon. It is still quite the hit...I'm saving that idea for a rainy day...

Andrew totally passed out at 7 pm. He had a great, great day!

(I tried to be selective in posting pictures, to see all of his birthday party pictures, click here! The race/birthday banners, cake, birthday shirt, and king hat were DIY)

Brothers Comparison

2012-01-04T10:17:00.003-05:00

Opposites, but you can see in the eyes/nose/chin that they are definitely related.

Snowed in

2012-01-03T20:27:00.000-05:00

(From last week)

2012 photography goals

2012-01-01T20:08:00.003-05:00

1. Be more selective in choosing with pictures to keep, edit, and post
2. Learn how to use my Speedlite instead of completely guessing on the settings
3. Learn how to use a gray card. Use custom white balance most of the time.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T13:37:00.004-05:00

2011 was a busy and crazy year for our family. Thank you to everyone that has been a huge help to our family this year, especially our parents. I also want to thank Ryan for amazing amounts of support through some difficult times.

*Ryan was very, very busy at work and when not working, helped to take care of all of us.

*I was in a high risk pregnancy including some pre-term labor, in/out of triage, some bed rest, and sick with PUPPS and on steroids for 4 months.

*Andrew was enrolled in 2 schools and 3 types of therapy with a very busy schedule.

*Elliott was born a month early and started off the first 2 months of life with some big tummy issues, resolved after a formula change, and has been the lowest-key member of our family for the last few months.

We are thankful that we enter 2012 with everyone healthy and doing very well.

2011 pictures:

In January, we moved Andrew into his big boy (car) room.

We also found out that our little baby was going to be a baby boy.

In February, we bundled up and played outside with Andrew's favorite car.

In March, we got spring fever. Andrew's language took off (up to 16 words!) and I entered my first ever third trimester.

In April, Andrew started preschool for the first time. I hit my first major pregnancy goal: 30 weeks! We had a nice Easter and a friend took some maternity pictures for me.

In May, our perfectly healthy and adorable baby E was born at 35 weeks + 4 days. He needed no NICU time and came home with us after about 6 (?) days in the hospital. Ryan and I both turned 30, and my PUPPs exploded with blisters when E was born.

In June, we spent a lot of time outside. Ryan and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. Andrew's doing amazing and has too many words to list.

In July we enjoyed a 4th of July parade, a visit from friends, and lots of fun time at the park. My blisters are gone, although still weaning from steroid medication and struggling with their side effects.

in August, we enjoy playing in the sprinkler, the State Fair, the NICU reunion. Elliott got baptized.

In September, we enjoy the apple orchard, picking tomatoes, finger painting, and the zoo. Andrew holds baby E for the first time. Andrew adds a 2nd preschool.

In October, our 2 little puppies had a great Halloween.

In November, baby E turns 6 months and we have a nice Thanksgiving, getting to see my brother Nick who flew home. We enjoy 60-degree weather at the end of the month and put up Christmas lights.

In December, Elliott got his first bad illness requiring breathing treatments followed by a double ear infection. Elliott learned to sit up, we had a great Christmas, and Andrew turned 3 years old!

Look how much he's grown!

2011-12-30T22:00:00.000-05:00

Dressed for his party

2011-12-30T21:36:00.003-05:00

Andrew had an absolute blast at his party. More pictures and details to come when I can get to it!

(I made his birthday shirt by using iron on & applique. The car was a purchase iron-on applique from JoAnn Fabrics. The shirt was a $0.50 garage sale find.)

Happy 3rd Birthday, Andrew!

2011-12-29T20:49:00.006-05:00

I can so vividly remember this morning 3 years ago. All night prior I knew my body was fighting too hard, and that today would be the day. There was a lot of uncertainty - I knew nothing about labor, and I certainly knew nothing about what to expect from a little preemie, except that I knew we had long road ahead. Andrew was born at 9;23, 2 lb 3 oz, wiggly, crying, I knew he was going to be OK. Another year has come and gone already. It's hard to believe our little guy is already 3 years old.

Andrew's first year was mostly a year of physical growth. Andrew spent 1/3 of the year in the NICU, finally reunited with us at home, where we emphasized keeping him as healthy as possible so he could grow, grow, grow.

Andrew's second year was a year of firsts, as he was released from his bubble and allowed to experience all of the fun things kid should experience, germs included. Mid-way through the year, I took a leave from work, and taking Andrew on all kinds of fun outings.

In his third year, Andrew excelled in his communication skills, matured socially, and became a big brother. This has been a year of lots, and lots, and lots of hard work, including about 152 hours of therapy this year. The results have been undeniable.

Andrew is a very sweet, silly, smart, adorable little boy. He is so much fun to be around. I was thinking the other day, "What should I write for Andrew's birthday post?" I decided I should write about the things I don't want to forget 10 years from now. There is so much I want to remember!

*Andrew narrates everything. He's a little chatterbox. Here's an example from tonight, when he was playing with some gel snowflake window clings, "I want the big snowflake. I want to eat it. No, it stays on the window. These ARE snowflakes! Let's try the green one! Squishy!" Sometimes he surprises us with things he picks up. The other day I asked him what he wanted for breakfast and he said, "I want decaf!"

*Andrew is fascinated and memorized by music. He loves it when I play the viola and sing songs. He frequently sings in his crib while falling asleep, mostly often singing a made up song that goes "Piggies, piggies, everybody everywhere..."

(His favorite songs right now are "This little light of mine", "Do Re Me", "Skinny Marinky Dinky Dink", "Wheels on the Bus", "Jingle Bells", "On Top of Spaghetti", "You are my sunshine", "Me and my teddy", "The Family Song" and the "Rescue Pack Song" from Go Diego Go.)

*Andrew has a list of totally random words/phrases that he thinks are hysterical (and says frequently.) Here we go. "Silly Sally!" " My name is Mater like Tow-Mater." (both referring to Disney Cars). "Yikes!!" "Eyes-ies, Nose-ies, Piggy Toes-ies!!!" "Donkey" "Turbo boost!" "So cozy!" "You tooted!" and his #1 favorite word is still "Kaboom!"

*When I pick up Andrew after his nap, he often looks at me as if to say "I missed you, Mommy" and he'll pat my back.

*Andrew loves: all things with wheels, Disney Cars, trampolines, Go Diego Go, being outside, reading, toes, swings, school, his family + teachers + friends at school + therapists, riding forward-facing and watching Mommy drive, fire places, running (or driving his car) on ramps or hills, the color blue, Play-doh, his glow worm baby, being "cozy" with his soft blanket, animals, baths, jumping, piggy-back rides, markers, bubbles

*This kid loves food! (What a change from a year ago.) He loves fruit snacks, pumpkin-flavored foods, salad with Ranch, almost all fruits & veggies, chocolate and candy (well, almost any dessert!), tacos, Chinese food (stir fry, lettuce wraps, rice), scrambled eggs, hamburger, crackers, pretzels, raisins, BBQ sauce, noodles with marinara or butter & Parmesan cheese, any soups, PB&J, waffles, pancakes. On and on and on.

*Andrew has grown up a lot lately. He prefers to sit in "mommy's chair" at the kitchen table. We are starting to help him learn how to dress & undress himself. He has a definite opinion about wanting to sleep in the twin bed in his room, but since he isn't about to climb out, I'm not in any hurry. Before nap or bed time, he usually tries to stall by saying, "I want to play cars for just a little bit!" or "Just one more minute!" or "I want to go back downstairs and play with you." Thankfully, while he challenges us, he also listens & understands consequences very well. In the last month or so his understanding of expectations and his ability to follow directions is much, much better. He really just acts much more like a little boy to me than a toddler. Even this week, I see a difference. Simultaneously, in the last 3 months, he's gotten a streak of Mommy-itis that he never really had before. He also was very difficult during therapy, very often refusing to participate. He also is craving more engagement and gets bored quickly at home, so Ryan and I alternate taking him out to do big boy things on the weekends.

*As Andrew told me one day at lunch, "Andrew is a smart cookie!" He very quickly picks up school-related skills and has an awesome memory. We're told his school skills are "very advanced"for a 3 year old :) He got some jigsaw puzzles for his birthday and can put them together with minimal help. He also can play his first board game, Memory, I'm so excited because I love board games.

*Andrew is very sweet with Baby E. When Baby E first came around, Andrew acted like he was invisible. Now, he likes to show baby E his toys. Sometimes, he looks out for baby E - he thinks he needs a toy car, or crackers to eat. He loves Elliott's little body parts. When Elliott and I go to get Andrew in the morning, usually the first thing Andrew says is, "I want to get down and see Baby Elliott's piggy toes!" Andrew thinks the "E" in "Baby E" stands for e-mail, so he frequently calls Elliott "Baby E-mail" or he calls him "Bumblebee", his other nickname. Andrew isn't really interested in holding Elliott, just once did he say yes, but, he's very gentle, patient, is happy to see him, and shares with him.

*Andrew sucks his thumb more than ever, and usually simultaneously plays with his belly button.

*Andrew loves cars, trucks, trains, motorcycles, cement mixers, ATVs, you name it. Wheels. He LOVES things with wheels. He spots Jeeps, "slug bugs", Mini Coopers, convertibles, sports cars, all of the different types of trucks, knows the difference between my (2008) Odyssey and my in-laws (2011) Odyssey, a Honda CRV (his babysitter drives), a Yukon (my mom drives), etc etc. As a result, we appropriately refer to Andrew as "Beep Beep" this nickname suits him better now, although I do sometimes call him "Peanut."

*Despite all that he's been through, a ton of therapy, a ton of doctor appointments, being patient while I was pregnant (and on bed rest, in the hospital some, recovering from my rash, then preoccupied with Elliott for a while), even a kidney stone, Andrew is almost always a happy boy. He rarely cries, unless he is scared or not feeling well.

Andrew continues to surprise us with something new every day. I look back and I am shocked at the progress he's made from last year. I love that he is so happy and I can't wait to see what he does this coming year. I'm so proud to be his Mommy and I thank God for blessing us with our beautiful little boy.

(One picture for every quarter, the first 3 years.)

Christmas Day Pictures

2011-12-29T10:35:00.002-05:00

Here is a comparison of pictures from Christmases past (2008, 2009, 2010) with this year's.

This year we missed seeing Ryan's parents and grandparents. Here is a picture of Andrew video-chatting with his grandparents on Christmas morning. He's showing them his new magnadoodle. We are celebrating with them soon.

3 Year Stats - Andrew

2011-12-27T13:05:00.002-05:00

Weight: 28.2 lb
(Down a little from lately, but he's been pretty sick for a while. Overall, good. 14 percentile for 3-year-olds, and his best percentage yet!)

Height: Unknown, best guess 37-38 inches
(which would put him near 50-60th percentile for 3-year-olds, also up from last year), he was going ballistic during his appointment and they were unable to get a measurement.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-26T14:00:00.002-05:00

We started out Christmas Eve by having eggs for breakfast and giving Andrew one of his smaller presents. We figured he would get bombarded on Christmas, so we'd spread it out a little. He loves his little airplane.

We did some watercoloring in his Thomas the Train book.

Then we took naps and got ready for mass.

After mass, we came back home, ate some soup, and exchanged presents with my family.

Big helper

Andrew was excited about his and Elliott's new Little People Nativity.

Baby E let Andrew open all his gifts for him :)

Whoa! A kitchen set! (We just set it up and he finally got to play today...he enjoys making coffee!)

Setting out cookies (oops, no milk) for Santa (well, and one for Andrew, too). Baby E is always staring at Andrew.

Good night!

Merry Christmas (pic from today)

2011-12-25T17:38:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-25T08:24:00.002-05:00

*before Christmas Eve mass

(our card this year)

Christmas Day Countdown: 1 day

2011-12-24T13:06:00.002-05:00

*Andrew painting in his Thomas the Train Christmas watercolor book this morning

Christmas Eve 2010

Christmas Eve 2009

Christmas Day Countdown: 2 days

2011-12-23T11:14:00.001-05:00

Andrew has turned one of our Christmas decorations (I made this wreath when I was little) into his king hat. When he puts it on, he turns into "King Andrew!" and runs across the kitchen floor.

The other night he did this, laughing hysterically as the wreath would fall and tickle him, for a solid 30 minutes until he was so tired he couldn't run anymore.

Love.

Random snapshots from this week

2011-12-22T14:26:00.003-05:00

(catching up)

Bed time bottle

Trying peppermint ice cream for the first time

Reading a book before bed

Trying out the sippy cup

Reading with Grandma Julie

Chillin' in his Jumperoo

He desperately wants to chew on those hanging animals

Now I'm all caught up and ready to post more Christmas!

Christmas Day Countdown: 3 days

2011-12-22T14:07:00.003-05:00

(These didn't turn out like I had in mind, but oh well!)

Me: "Andrew, kiss baby E on the cheek!"
Andrew: (Leans in his way of kissing)

Andrew: "You did it!" (Quite proud of himself for kissing his baby brother.)

Baby Blue!

2011-12-21T21:37:00.000-05:00

Christmas Day Countdown: 4 days

2011-12-21T12:36:00.001-05:00

(checking out his favorite ornament - his fire truck ornament. He SO badly wants to play with it, but it's quite fragile)

Christmas Day Countdown: 5 days!

2011-12-20T13:50:00.000-05:00

Santa Baby!

Elliott's 7 month pictures

2011-12-19T22:02:00.003-05:00

So sweet!

This is hard work!

Take 2!

Mommy, my teeth hurt. (He got his first 2 teeth today!)

Nom

See ya!

Christmas Day Countdown: 6 days!

2011-12-19T14:04:00.002-05:00

Andrew singing Jingle Bells (with the hiccups)....enjoy!

jingle-bells-dec2011 from Kathy on Vimeo.

Elliott - 7 Months

2011-12-18T14:22:00.006-05:00

Age: 7 months (6 months adjusted)

Weight, Length: About 17 1/2 lbs. Not sure on length.

Size: 6-9 month fits well. 6-12 month still has lots of room.

Teeth: Very red gums.

Hair: He's gotten a lot of hair over the last 3 months, now it's just getting thicker and longer. It's now hanging over his ears. He may end up being the youngest boy needing a hair cut.

Sleeping: Thankfully, still awesome despite a lot of sickness this month. He has transitioned with much success over the past 4 days from 3 to only 2 naps.

New schedule that I love.
up at 7:30-8 AM
nap 9:30-10:30
nap 1-4 the last few days (today 1-3:15, I'm guessing that'll be more typical)
bed at 7:30-8 (flex based on if Andrew has school the next day)

Eating: Drinks 24-26 oz/day (Nutramigen), except when sick. He is doing great with purees and most days will finish one jar of baby food with a little water to wash it down. He has had oatmeal, pears, squash, carrots, peas, and bananas and likes them all. (Peas took some more coaxing. He definitely likes the sweeter foods best.) He is generally excited about eating real food.

Movement: Can play on stomach comfortably (YAY) and sit up for a *split* second before toppling over. He spins in (slow) circles to get toys when on his tummy. Huge progress!

Milestones: First bad illness - bad respiratory bug requiring breathing treatments and then leading to a double ear infection.

Favorite toys: Jumperoo. Teethers. Has been known to roll over twice, but only to go after Andrew's cars, so I'd say he likes cars ;)

Dislikes: Being overtired. Having his face wiped. Breathing treatments.

Likes: People, especially his big brother. Sticking to his schedule. Eating his socks.

Words & Sounds: No big change.

Christmas Day Countdown: 7 days!

2011-12-18T09:28:00.001-05:00

(Andrew, 2009)

Christmas Day Countdown: 8 days!

2011-12-17T13:18:00.000-05:00

Christmas Day Countdown: 9 days!

2011-12-16T13:49:00.003-05:00

Our family ornament from this year. (I did not make it!) The white blob has our last name written on it, so I made it illegible.

This is one of my favorite ornaments - Ryan's grandma gave it to me. Ryan is 4 1/2 years old in this picture, and wow, Andrew is starting to show some more of Ryan's characteristics!

Christmas Day Countdown: 10 days!

2011-12-15T10:07:00.001-05:00

(Andrew, 2009)

Elliott's video debut

2011-12-14T21:16:00.002-05:00

6 months
baby blues
squeals
daddy's smile
little feet
chunky cheeks

Dec2011-Elliott from Kathy on Vimeo.

Christmas Day Countdown: 11 days!

2011-12-14T10:22:00.002-05:00

Shot at 17 mm, ISO1600, 1/4 sec, f/2.8

This tutorial talks about getting that Christmas tree glow! (Thanks to my friend Laura for sharing it with me.)

Christmas Day Countdown: 12 days!

2011-12-13T19:44:00.002-05:00

Click here to see the pictures from the Christmas Countdown in 2009.

A friend's maternity pics!

2011-12-10T20:02:00.004-05:00

One of my very good friends is expecting soon! We traded shoots; Karla took my awesome maternity pictures this spring and it was my turn to take them for her. It was lots of fun.

Here are a few of my personal favorites!

Sam had lots of fun running around!

Karla used to play softball, so it was her idea to take a few on the field

VIP Christmas Party in Zionsville

2011-12-09T23:47:00.004-05:00

Tonight we took the boys to the VIP (invitation for special needs kids and their families) Christmas Party in Zionsville.

It was at the Zionsville library. Andrew enjoyed some free cookies and an orchestra playing carols. He liked seeing a Frosty the Snowman (he gave him high five and liked his carrot nose), Rudolph, and a duck (random, why a duck?) costume. A fire truck and ambulance were out front too. We saw Santa from afar (not really interested in the big guy yet) too. Free sleigh rides were available, but, the line was long and it was pretty cold outside for our hungry Elliott, so we opted to look at some Christmas lights on the way home instead.

I decided Andrew should wear his Christmas vest, so he can wear it more than a couple of times. I normally don't do vests or dressy clothes for him, but it was on clearance and I couldn't pass it up. He loves it since it has a fire truck on it! I do think it looks adorable on him! (Doesn't he look so grown up?)

Elliott doesn't really have a Christmas outfit because Andrew couldn't go anywhere his first Christmas. Oops. If I see a cute sweater I'll have to pick one up!

New Trampoline!

2011-12-07T20:59:00.002-05:00

Ryan and I went to tour Andrew's new school recently. They had a trampoline and we thought it was a great idea. After taking Andrew to a nearby indoor playground that had a trampoline (he LOVED), we decided to get one.

Very first jump:

I love this one!

Meanwhile Elliott was jumping in his Jumperoo. They kept looking at each other and then jumping some more.

Laughing with Daddy (Sorry for the blur, I wasn't quite fast enough!)

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

2011-12-06T21:34:00.005-05:00

Happy Saint Nicholas Day!

St. Nick, later called Santa Claus, is known for helping those in need. My family has celebrated St. Nicholas Day growing up and so we continue the tradition. My friend Amy wrote a great blog post about Saint Nick! Click here to see it.

Since the boys aren't feeling well I don't have a lot of pictures, but here is one of Andrew opening his stocking. St Nick leaves little goodies in our stockings; he started a tradition of making the boys ornaments every year :-) Andrew got a big brother ornament and Elliott got a "baby's first Christmas" ornament. Andrew also got a pudding snack pack (he was pumped), a pack of Christmas stickers, and pipe cleaners (random for craft fun). Elliott also got some peaches. Ha!

Here is Andrew opening his stocking this year:

From 2010:

From 2009:

No pictures of Elliott opening his since he can't sit up yet!

Here is Elliott's ornament (a bird!) and Andrew's (a little truck with a big truck)

p.s. Saint Nick told me that painting these ornaments with a brush is WAY easier than using paint pens!

Andrew feeding Elliott

2011-12-06T20:02:00.004-05:00

Andrew wanted to give Elliott a bottle for the first time today. I'm glad I had my camera handy.

Andrew loves to check out Elliott's little belly button - - Elliott stares at Andrew, he loves him!

Andrew with the tree :)

2011-12-06T19:59:00.002-05:00

Checkin' out the ornaments

Smile for Mommy!

When I asked him to stand by the tree to take his picture, this is what he did :)

Old Oaken Bucket Game - Boiler up!!!

2011-12-04T23:24:00.002-05:00

(for all of our friends who are Hoosier fans)

picture taken a week ago!

Got the tree up just in time!

2011-12-04T21:12:00.004-05:00

We put our tree up after Thanksgiving and I'm glad we got it up early because now our house is nuts! The blog will be slow this week.

Elliott is quite sick with a virus; after 2 trips to urgent care, he is currently on steroids for his lungs and breathing treatments. Andrew has a sinus infection and is also sick, probably from the same virus, he's on the mend.

Andrew has a doctor's appointments Monday (check the fit of the orthotics and order new ones, he keeps tripping so maybe this will help), Wed (kidney ultrasound and specialist appointment at the hospital half the day), and hernia surgery Thursday. Thank goodness my mom is coming to help with Elliott so he can rest at home when he's sick and Ryan doesn't have to use a vacation day.

To say I'm a little anxious about getting through this week is putting it mildly!

Santa came early for Elliott

2011-12-02T10:40:00.001-05:00

Andrew - 2 years + 11 months

2011-11-30T20:52:00.002-05:00

(note: someone's belly is getting bigger!)

Age: 35 months

Weight: Over 28 lbs (Thank you yummy holiday food!)

Length: Over 36"

Size: 3T shirts fit well, 2T pants are too short and 3T are a bit long (he is wearing mostly 3T with the waist rolled)

Teeth: No change

Sleeping: No change

Eating: Still doing great. He likes mac and cheese, one of the few foods he's always hated, ever since having a Thanksgiving feast at school. Doing very well with spoon & fork, but still messy.

Movement: No big change. Loves trampolines.

Milestones: First time trick-or-treating, first time enjoying/eating Thanksgiving food including turkey, mac and cheese, asparagus, green beans, and pumpkin pie.

Favorite toys: Loves his new trampoline and Weebles in addition to his old favorites.

Dislikes: Having a sinus infection and a nasty cough. Participating in therapy - the therapists say this is very common behavior just before kids turn 3.

Likes: Fire places. Salad. Christmas trees. Car shopping carts at Home Depot. The word "donkey" makes him laugh hysterically. Fruit snacks. Reading. Cars. Piggy toes and feet. Playing "kabing kaboom" (ie: drop me on the couch!) with Daddy. Family. Watching Mommy drive.

Words: He is now using consistently long and often complete sentences. He has said "I want to hang out with Mommy!" and "I want to take my bib off and get down and play cars!" and "Miss Cheryl brought a blue truck today!" He is starting to do much better answering yes/no and open-ended questions. He is still quite repetitive, although his language is becoming a bit more conversational.

Potty-training: No change.

Black Friday

2011-11-30T12:35:00.004-05:00

Instead of shopping (I can do without the early wake-ups, crowds, and lines!), we had a family day on Black Friday.

We had brunch with my brother (in town from Connecticut, first time we've seen him since he started at Yale) and the family. We had an egg casserole, goetta, fruit, pumpkin bread, and coffee.

We all hung out for a while. It was a beautiful day and Andrew got to play outside for a while.

He really loves his new raccoon hat and I think it's so cute, so I took a few pictures of him in it. I asked him to "smile to show Grandma Beth your new raccoon hat!" and this is what I got:

Such a beautiful day!

After naps, we put up the outdoor lights.

Andrew sported his Christmas shirt for this year - I made it last week!

Break from putting up lights to watch the neighbor's tractor. He is fascinated by it, but is very scared of the sound at the same time!

Excited:

After the kids were in bed, Ryan and I put the tree up and the lights on so it would be ready for Andrew to see when he woke up.

Thanksgiving day

2011-11-27T12:59:00.001-05:00

'tis the season!

2011-11-25T21:32:00.003-05:00

The Christmas season is here! To celebrate, I took some pictures of the boys with Christmas lights twinkling in the background. I stole this idea from a photography message board and Christie gave me some pointers.

Andrew:

Elliott: (couldn't get a smile, stinker, he'd been sick!)

Andrew again:

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T09:19:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours! We have a lot to be thankful for.

(artwork by Andrew)

Elliott tries oatmeal and squash!

2011-11-23T14:10:00.003-05:00

Elliott finally got some oatmeal for the first time! He was happy and opened his mouth wide, although a bit confused. Most of it got pushed back out but we figured he just needs some practice and we'll take it slow.

Here is his first bite:

and some action shots:

Today Andrew wanted to give him some pumpkin bread. I'm not sure he's ready for that yet, but, he did get his first veggie - squash. Again, not so sure...

I remember Andrew was also very hesitant about oatmeal and about his first veggie, but after that he would eat anything, and still will. Hopefully baby brother will enjoy lots of foods too!

Playdoh

2011-11-23T14:04:00.002-05:00

Andrew looooves Playdoh. He still tries to eat it and he's *fast*, so we can't take our eye off him, but he has a ball playing with it. We are trying to encourage imaginary play and this is one way that seems to work well. I like to help him build roads, speed bumps, cars, or animals. It's a good way for him to learn to use scissors, so we don't have to worry about the implications of using real scissors gone wrong. He likes to use stamps or cookie cutters to make shapes in the playdoh, or drive his cars in it, leaving behind tracks. Ryan played with him the other night and he had so much fun!

making a wheel:

pulling it apart:

making a big snake:

quite proud:

Elliott's 6 month checkup

2011-11-22T11:54:00.002-05:00

6 months + 4 days
perfectly and refreshingly normal and healthy
growing like a weed
development on track for adjusted age
took 3 shots like a champ!

***stats****
16 lb 10 oz (30% for actual age - much better and way up from 13% at 4 months!)
26 5/8 inches long(44% for actual age - up from 39% at 4 months)
44 1/4 cm head (74% for actual age - way up from 43% at 4 months)

Thanks to God for blessing us with a healthy, beautiful, happy little munchkin!

Brothers Photo Shoot

2011-11-21T10:46:00.001-05:00

Just for fun!

Elliott's 6 month pictures!

2011-11-19T10:04:00.002-05:00

Enjoy!

Elliott - 6 months!

2011-11-18T09:53:00.003-05:00

Age: 6 months (5 months adjusted) - I cant' believe how fast the time has gone!

Weight, Length: He seems huge, but we find out next week.

Size: 6-9 month and 6-12 month. I prayed for healthy and chunky and was blessed with that!

Teeth: So so close; I can see bumps and he's chewing like a madman. He's happy if he can have a teether in his mouth to chew on, but he's not quite coordinated enough to keep it in his mouth very well.

Hair: I can't believe how much hair he has. Or how straight, softy, and fuzzy it is.

Sleeping: An awesome sleeper. Going to 2 long naps, but still 3 on days we're out and about. Sometimes has night awakenings but puts himself back to sleep.

Eating: Doing much better on Nutramigen again, back to his normal eating of 26 oz/day on average. We're starting oatmeal this weekend (!)

Movement: Boot camp is paying off! He can lift much higher, rolled (once) last night, and is closer to sitting (although falls forward and promptly face plants...). His core is still a little slumpy but it's much better. During his bath, he wiggles and kicks like crazy, which makes me laugh, because Andrew used to just kick back with his feet over the tub like he was at the spa; it's a stark difference!

Milestones: I can't think of anything other than already mentioned.

Favorite toys: His teethers. Otherwise he's not huge into toys yet, mostly, he just loves to talk and watch people!

Dislikes: Being strapped in his car seat.

Likes: He really loves his big brother. He loves to watch him play and he loves it when he gets his attention. Enjoys sitting at the kitchen table with us (in his high chair) during meals.

Words & Sounds: Lots of cooling. He found is tongue and is on the verge of babbling!

We're blessed with a happy and healthy little guy.

First ever World Prematurity Day: Andrew's story

2011-11-17T12:55:00.009-05:00

Being a mother of a preemie is the most emotionally difficult thing I’ve ever been through. Here is our story; the abridged version.

Things started to go awry late in my 23^rd week of pregnancy. I didn’t notice the very subtle early signs, and I went to the doctor’s office one day (at 24 weeks) without much alarm, telling my coworkers I was sure I’d be back in an hour. I was in disbelief when the first thing the doctor said was “I’m sorry” and “You need to go in an ambulance to the hospital.” I couldn’t get a hold of Ryan in a meeting. I was just waiting in the exam room, confused and scared, wondering how our picture perfect pregnancy had gone so wrong in a blink of an eye.

We were told Andrew would be born in 1-2 days and our odds of leaving the hospital with a healthy baby were not good. It was too late for medical intervention. I received steroid shots to mature his lungs; the doctors were hoping to buy 24 hours to let the steroids work; they told me every hour counts. I was laying upside down, in pain and miserable on magnesium sulfate, praying for a miracle and thanking God every time that ticker reached one more day. The doctors were afraid my water would break at any moment and immediately send me into labor, so I was literally afraid to move anything except my arms and head. I have never seen Ryan so courageous. He kept me [mostly] relaxed and calm. I received Anointing of the sick. Ryan and I did not understand why this was happening, but we didn’t lose faith.I was too dizzy to do anything except play cards; Ryan happily played about 1,000 games of Gin Rummy with me. (We haven’t played a single game since, ha!) We spent Christmas in the hospital and were so thankful to still be there; that was our Christmas wish. Our next goal was to make it to the new year. However, after the end of 2 weeks, my back pain was unbearable and my contractions got very painful. After about 12 hours of very painful contractions, and no success at slowing them, I knew that my body wasn’t turning back. That morning, we cried with a favorite nurse – God had blessed us with 2 life-changing weeks in utero, and while the situation was scary, our baby had a fighting chance.

Once everyone agreed that little A was going to be born, at a mere 26 weeks and a long 14 weeks from term, things moved very quickly. I still wanted an epidural to relieve the back pain I’d suffered with for 2 weeks and the strong contractions I felt the whole day before; it took affect immediately and they wheeled me to the Operating Room to deliver so that we were as close to the NICU as possible. I kept reminding the nurses to tell me what to do because I was clueless and I hadn’t taken any classes yet!

Our baby was born 30 minutes later. I remember waiting to see if he cried and I was so glad when I heard it! Ryan was sitting by me, holding my hand, so proud and collected. The doctor announced it was a boy, which we’d thought all along. They set Andrew on my stomach very very briefly to cut the cord, he was very wiggly, then they whisked him away to the NICU.

Later that day after things settled down, they wheeled my hospital bed into the NICU to see Andrew. I was scared and I didn’t know what to expect. His skin was so red and he was much taller (a whopping 13 cm!) than I expected. I couldn’t see much of him or his face because there was too much “stuff” (I had no idea what it all was) in the way. I wanted to remember how small he was so I used a physical reference to measure; his wrist was the size of my pinky finger.

Andrew’s NICU stay is starting to become a blur. Certain moments are so clear but the long 17 weeks spent there is starting to feel like a blip in time. At the time, it seemed like forever. The first week seemed like one piece of bad news after another, without completely understanding how this would affect our baby boy long-term, but he was fighting. We just kept praying. I pumped around the clock and would just sit and pray. We got to hold him for the first time at 10 days old; it was a great moment but nerve-wracking at the same time because he was probably under 2 lbs at that point. We quickly learned what all the buzzers, alarms, monitors, cords, wires, and tubes were. After a month, we started to feel relief. We spent countless hours sitting by his bedside, reading to him, and eventually able to dress and feed him. I will never forget his first bottle at 9 weeks old; it gave me hope. Every night on our way into the hospital, we stopped at the chapel and told God we were thankful for that day’s progress and to ask for more help. Many days he seemed to step backwards, which was in line with the commonly heard phrase, “NICU rollercoaster.” Towards his due date, he was showing no interest in eating and we got scared. A few tests later and 3 weeks after his due date, things turned around and our baby came home, completely wireless.

Andrew came home on one of the first beautiful days of spring. The first thing we did when he came home was go for a walk. It was glorious. We felt so free and so normal. That was the very first day we got to hold him without a single wire.

While that day was one of the best days of my life, I didn’t know that the coming weeks/month/years would still be quite so difficult as they have been. The worry of preemie doesn’t stop when you leave the NICU walls. Current challenges Andrew faces due to his prematurity are ongoing GI issues, kidney stones, minor fine motor delays, sensor integration disorder, significant delays in his gross motor and speech, a mild Autism spectrum disorder (PDD-NOS), and he faces hernia surgery next month . Andrew’s and our lives are forever touched by his prematurity. We are so thankful that these are all relatively minor and he should outgrow most of his issues.

One night this week, I was watching him scarf down his carrots and rice at dinner, talking about the friends he played cars with at school, thinking what a miracle he is. I flash back to single most difficult moment in that first week (I can imagine it like it was yesterday) and I remembering thinking, “I just wish I could see what he will be like when he’s 3 and know that he’ll be OK.” Of course seeing into the future isn’t possible, but if I had been able to, I would have beyond impressed by this little fighter.

God has a plan for Andrew. And he chose us to be his parents for a reason. While I wish that Andrew didn’t have to go through all of this, I am thankful for what I have learned throughout this experience. I believe I see the world a little differently.

I think this quote about preemie moms says it well, “She doesn't know it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a spoken word. She will never consider a step ordinary. When her child says momma for the first time, she will be witness to a miracle and know it.”

Please take some time out today to pray for sick preemies currently in the NICU, mommies that are facing pre-term births, and preemies that are angels watching over us.

We also want to thank NICU employees everywhere, and especially the amazing staff at our local hospital.

dining room makeover

2011-11-16T20:59:00.004-05:00

When we moved into our house, our dining room was dark red with a bronze chandelier and white lace curtains. I hated it!

(Before)

We finally changed the room up to fit our taste. It's brighter and more kid-friendly.

We bought the table for an amazing price at JcPenney (even cheaper than the Ikea set we considered), so we don't have to stress about letting the kids be kids. It's a square table, conducive to family board game nights down the road.

The new chandelier was $1 at a garage sale; I'd like to replace it with something more rustic/outdoorsy down the road, but for now, it works.

The curtain is also a hand-me-down.

The wall candle sconces were also inexpensive from JcPenney.

The wall shelves are from Target.

Painting the walls was the biggest and best change of all.

The buffet table is a hand-me-down. The mirror was inexpensive at Home Goods.

random pics from this week!

2011-11-15T22:44:00.001-05:00

Reading before bed.

Elliott watching Andrew play :-)

E found his tongue!

Brother shirts!

Baby E found his feet!

2011-11-14T22:46:00.000-05:00

Applique christmas stockings for the boys

2011-11-12T21:47:00.003-05:00

I've been busy over the last week making Christmas stockings for the boys. I didn't like the felt one I made for Andrew, and Elliott didn't have a stocking, so I got the idea in my head to remake Andrew's and make Elliott's at the same time so that they coordinate.

My inspiration was a combination of Andrew's bedroom pictures and a stocking I saw at Pottery Barn Kids.

The final product. All ready to be hung on Black Friday.

I bought the red, quilted fabric at JoAnn's, and then I purchased the set of fun, winter fabrics online. I drew patterns, cut out the applique shapes, and used Steam-A-Seam to adhere them to the quilted material. I found a stocking pattern online to cut the quilted material and the liner.

I zig-zagged around the edges of each pieces to permanently attach the appliques.

After the applique was complete, I sewed the stocking itself and included a partial liner so seams won't show inside.

I bought pre-made iron-on applique letters (white) at Michael's and ironed them. Sneaky sneaky.

I'm quite happy with how they turned out!

Prematurity Awareness Month

2011-11-12T13:10:00.006-05:00

Please pray for my friend Amy and that she may have a healthy, term pregnancy. 3 of her 4 biological children were born prematurely. Here is her story in honor of Prematurity Awareness Month.

I also wanted to share some pictures of Andrew then and now.

27 weeks gestational age (1 week old) - After a difficult first week, this was a day of celebration. This was the day Andrew came off the ventilator and moved to CPAP. This picture was taken during the big transfer, and was the first time we got to see Andrew's little face free of tape, tubes, and wires.

34 months old.

A friend sent me this quote that day. It's still tucked away in my saved email.

Romans 5:3-5 “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance produces character, and character produces hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

I'm thankful every day for this blessing. I look at Andrew and know that God is watching over us and has a special plan for him.

Brothers

2011-11-10T22:32:00.001-05:00

Random quotes by Andrew

2011-11-09T12:43:00.003-05:00

While eating breakfast, he was singing, "Wheels, wheels, everybody everywhere. Wheels, wheels..." (To the tune of "clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere.")

Andrew: "We're going to get a special treat!"
Me: "Andrew, what is a special treat?"
Andrew: "Ice cream!!"

While reading the Toys 'R Us catalog: "The little girl is playing with the yellow car!"

Long sentence, after eating lunch: "I want to take my bib off and get down and play with Lightning McQueen!"

During a check-up at the pediatrician:
"Andrew do you want to sit on the table?"
"No!"
"Do you want to sit on Mommy's lap?"
"No!"
"Do you want to sit on the chair?"
"No way, Jose!"

And for fun, here's a picture:

chunky chunk

2011-11-08T21:34:00.001-05:00

Look who can push up!

2011-11-07T21:46:00.003-05:00

Of course we did a photo shoot to celebrate all Elliott's hard work during "boot camp!" :-)

(Photos were taken last week)

Who's getting bigger? Me?

Showing off my gummy smile because pretty soon I'm going to have some chompers!

Building up our core and neck muscles in the Bumbo chair. He can tolerate a few minutes before he gets tired and slumpy.

Prematurity Awarness Month - How can you help?

2011-11-06T23:10:00.005-05:00

Does a friend or family member have a baby in the NICU? What can you do to help?

I've gotten this question a few times, and here's what I found to be the most helpful.

1) Help with food! (Either gift cards, home cooked meals, snacks, anything!) Most NICU parents spend a lot of time running back and forth to the hospital and many travel hours to another city to see their babies. Help with meals is a big stress reliever.

2) Give a journal (During rounds every day, I recorded Andrew's weight gain/loss in grams, and any other news.)

3) Give children's books! We received a few books and we kept a pile in Andrew's NICU pod. The doctors told us how important it was for us to read to him so we started from day one. It was a great active thing we could do to help Andrew, even before we could hold him!

4) Offer support - A few friends met up with us for a quick dinner out before our evening trip to the hospital, or a cup of coffee at the hospital lobby for a breather, and a couple of close friends even offered to sit with us in the NICU. Everyone's comfort level and schedule is different, but it doesn't hurt to offer. It can get lonely sitting in the hospital day after day, especially for long-term hospital stays.

5) Make goody bags! (We spent a lot of hours sitting at Andrew's bedside and often unable to hold him, I really appreciated when someone gave me new crossword puzzles, books, and magazines!)

6) Many parents are not aware of organizations such as Pictures of Hope, which provides free professional pictures for families with kids in the NICU. Unfortunately, there are not photographers available for this particular company in Indiana.

7) Tell the family you are thinking of them and praying for them!

Mom and Dad

2011-11-06T13:33:00.001-05:00

November is Prematurity Awareness Month - Facts

2011-11-05T20:27:00.005-04:00

November is Prematurity Awareness Month. Throughout this month, I plan to post an occasional entry related to premature births.

This week, I'd like to share some facts about prematurity. (Thanks to the March of Dimes.)

In the U.S., 1 in 8 babies is born prematurely.

The rate of prematurity has increased by 20% between 1990 and 2006.

In 40% of premature births, the cause is unknown.

I was not in any high risk group and had no warning signs prior to 23 weeks. 24 weeks is the start of "viability." Thanks to modern medicine, we have 2 healthy sons today. Some of the medical advances that have blessed our family are:

-Steroid shots to mature baby's lungs
-Artificial surfactant to mature baby's lungs after birth
-Reflux medication that allowed Andrew to come home without a feeding tube
-Many other advances in Neonatology
-Transabdominal cerclage to prevent early delivery of Elliott
-Cervical length checks
-P17 progesterone shots significantly decrease the chances of pre-term labor

Prematurity affects the baby in many ways; some of the serious complications are:

-Respiratory distress (primarily affecting babies before 34 weeks)
-Bleeding in the brain "IVH" (most common in babies before 32 weeks)
-Patent ductus arteriosus (common heart issue)
-Necrotizing enterocolitis "NEC" (dangerous intestinal problem)
-Retinopathy of prematurity "ROP" (eye problem that occurs mainly in babies born before 32 weeks of pregnancy)

"But what does the future hold for these babies? Many survivors grow up healthy; others aren't so lucky. Even the best of care cannot always spare a premature baby from lasting disabilities such as cerebral palsy; mental retardation and learning problems; chronic lung disease; and vision and hearing problems. Half of all neurological disabilities in children are related to premature birth." -March of Dimes

Even late-preemies are affected by prematurity. A baby's brain at 35 weeks weighs only 2/3 of what it will weigh at 39-40 weeks.

Please pray for all of the families and babies affected by premature birth.

Hilarious video

2011-11-05T15:21:00.001-04:00

This is Andrew post-nap :)
You have to turn the sound way up at the beginning to hear Andrew laughing when his bedroom door is shut.

Untitled from Kathy on Vimeo.

Playing with pudding

2011-11-05T13:26:00.002-04:00

During his Occupational Therapy recently, Andrew got to play with pudding. He used to be afraid of messy play, so this is something they've worked on. Each week she would bring something different. This week was pudding.

Obviously Andrew is over this hurdle and he loved the pudding. He couldn't shovel it in his mouth fast enough. I think he was thinking "this is the best therapy day ever!" :-)

It's great to see Andrew having so much fun with this!

Leaf pile!

2011-11-04T21:07:00.003-04:00

Last weekend, Ryan raked up the leaves into one big leaf pile. I wanted to see if Andrew would enjoy playing in the leaves. Last year he took some warming up, but then he did OK.

Watching Daddy rake leaves:

I asked him if he wanted to jump in the leaves - he said "NO" very firmly.
I told him "watch Mommy jump in the leaves."
He thought that was pretty great.
He ran along side me on the sidewalk, then would stop and smile and watch me do the jumping.
I asked him "Do you want to jump?" "NO".
So I asked him , "Do you want to jump with Mommy?" "NO."
So I whisked him up, we ran around the yard a couple times, landing into the leaf pile.
I kept him on my lap so he didn't have to actually sit in the leaves.
I showed him how his car could drive on the leaves and make them crunch.
I showed him how the leaves can "rain."
He liked that.

Running on the side walk.

Sitting with Mommy.

Then we went on a walk around the block. A few minutes later, he said "I want to play in the leaves!!!". Um, ok. So we go back home.

He starts barreling across the yard, his car in hand. I think, "Wow, he's really going to jump!" and just short of the leaf pile he stops, and raises his car way up high and crunches it in the leaves. And he just think it's the best thing ever. Leaf piles are for more than jumping!

Sadly, our tree is totally bare now. I'm not ready for winter! I wish our tree could stay a gorgeous red all year long.

Halloween Post 3 - Trick or Treat!

2011-11-02T20:22:00.002-04:00

We took Andrew to our neighborhood's annual parade (this year led by a fire truck escort! sweet!). We trick-or-treated all the way up the main street of our neighborhood and in our cul-de-sac. Andrew didn't want to stop but I thought 1/2 a pumpkin full of candy was enough for a almost-3-year-old : )

Watching the parade with Daddy. (And in shock!)

first piece of candy - he loves Smarties

He went up to some houses on his own, but between carrying his bucket and kids running by, he needed help on the steps. Fine by me, since it won't be long until he's too cool to go with Mommy :-)

On his own. Look at his little tail :)

So proud!

At most of the houses he said "Trick or treat!" and said "please" and "thank you". At some of the houses he reached back in the candy basket and said "One for Mommy!". He totally has my back!

all done...he dove right in to check out his loot.

Loving' some candy. He liked the Reese Peanut Butter Cups best.

2 tired little boys.

Also, on Saturday night, we went to a friend's get together. Here is a picture of the adorable little kids.

Left to Right is:
Elliott, Rowan, Andrew, Luke, Sam, Quinn, and Tyson.

Laura (Luke's mom) blogged about the get together with a lot more pictures and detail. Check it out here.

2 Years Ago Today

2011-11-02T20:18:00.001-04:00

Halloween Post 2 - (Zoo Boo)

2011-10-31T15:07:00.003-04:00

Happy Halloween! We went to Zoo Boo a couple of weeks ago and I just realized I didn't share those pictures yet. So here you are.

Baby E

Andrew, after the first candy stand, and after spotting the second candy stand...he's not totally sure what the deal is yet, but he wouldn't let go of that Twizzler!

"chocolate candy!" (hey, where'd his pumpkin go?)

By now, he's a pro.

Annoyed face.

Candy break with his friend, Sam

With Grandpa :)

With his Grandma and Grandpa S and happy as a clam!

2 weeks later, he still keeps asking to go Trick-or-treating at the zoo.

Andrew - 2 years + 10 months

2011-10-30T13:39:00.007-04:00

Age: 34 Months.

Weight: 27.3 lb

Length: about 36"

Size: Can squeeze into some 2T (but starting to look a little silly), needs 3T. 18-24 in Gymboree.

Teeth: He has them all!!!!!!!! :-)

Sleeping: No change.

Eating: He's doing great. He asks for dessert a lot. He loves hamburger. We've started giving him watered down juice to push more fluids.

Movement: He can jump higher more consistently. He loves to practice jumping. He also is getting much better at mimicking movements (such as "wave your arms" or "do a somersault") which they work on in PT.

Milestones: He is all done teething, I'd say that's pretty huge! I think he's turned a corner from being indifferent about his baby brother to liking his baby brother. He has said "I want to play cars with baby Elliott!", and asks where he is sometimes. When he wasn't feeling well (sick) this month, he developed a little temper. (Luckily, he understands when I tell him if he screams, we're going straight home!) We moved his car seat around and he thinks forward-facing is the best thing ever and always asks to "watch mommy drive!"

Favorite Toys: Same. He loves to string beads, too.

Dislikes: No new dislikes except for several noises that bother him.

Likes: He loves 2 of the little boys at his school, Joey and Demetri. He also keeps asking to go to the zoo and the library. He is intrigued by fireplaces right now, and always says "Fire like a fire truck!". Random. He always talk about his grandparents and great-grandparents. He's also on a cement mixer kick, and enjoys pretending he is Lightning McQueen.

Words: He's doing awesome. He is picking up funny phrases, I never know what he'll say next. He's also having conversations with himself. The other day he said "I want more fruit snacks!". Then he paused, and said, "You already had some!". At least I didn't have to be the bad guy :-)
Favorite phase this month was, "Andrew is a hero!" Some new words/phrases he is using are breezy, cozy, slow, little teeny tiny, thank you, "one more time", "just a minute!". His understanding is great right now too.

Potty-training: We are following Andrew's cues. He knows the routine, is very intrigued by the potty, tells us when his diaper is dirty, but is not ready to potty train. We periodically ask him if he wants to use the potty, and he says a very stern "NO!" His OT suggested taking a baby step by teaching him that he should go in the bathroom when he needs to go (even if he doesn't sit on the potty and still relies on his diaper), but so far, we still get a stern "NO." Andrew seems to be on his own timeline with all new things, so we'll take it a day at time and listen to what he's ready to do.

Sophie, Take 2!

2011-10-29T21:28:00.002-04:00

We broke Sophie out of storage. Looks like our little man is cutting his first tooth!

Andrew with Sophie on September 30, 2009.

Once again, Sophie saves the day.

Halloween Post 1 - My Little Puppies

2011-10-29T14:18:00.002-04:00

oh so cute! (Andrew picked both costumes)

How the little guy sleeps...

2011-10-26T22:13:00.002-04:00

Always in this position!

He still sleeps in his Fisher Price Rock 'N Play sleeper, but sometimes naps on his belly in his crib (when we can keep an eye on him). Once he rolls (lazy little guy) we'll probably transition him to his crib all of the time. For now this is working well though!

Friends

2011-10-23T14:43:00.003-04:00

My sister doesn't have any recent pictures of her with her best friend, so I took a couple for her the other day.

I like the sun flare in this one.

one and two years ago

2011-10-19T21:41:00.001-04:00

2010

2009

Elliott - 5 months

2011-10-18T12:45:00.005-04:00

Age: 5 months (4 adjusted)

Weight, Length: No update

Size: Mostly 3-6 month

Teeth: Biting and drooly, nothing popping through yet!

Hair: Coming in really thick now! It's super soft and straight, light brown, just like Dad's. It's fuzzy looking most of the time!

Sleeping: Our family is quite blessed in this department. 11.5 hours at night, 3 naps totaling about 4 hours of sleep or so. Very predictable. Bed at 8, up at 7:30, naps at 9, 12:30, and about 4:30.

Eating: Wow better still. He did great this month. He added a bottle and ate 26 oz a day at the start of the month. The last few days he added yet another bottle, up to 33 oz/day. We tried switching from hypoallergenic formula back to regular formula and it was a huge, massive fail - poor guy. He must be allergic to dairy, but even if so, he'll most likely grow out of it as an infant so the pedi said just to keep him on Nutramigen!

Movement: This little guy is a bit too content to lay and play still, so I've started what I call "daily boot camp" in an effort to promote rolling and building of muscles during tummy time. I see a slight improvement. He will roll to his side now and can hold himself up for longer periods of times.

Milestones: First road trip to visit his friend Matthew, first family vacation to Brown County, and first laugh for Grandma S.

Favorite toys: Play mat

Dislikes: Tummy time!

Likes: Andrew, talking, books.

Words/sounds: Lots of cooing! He's chattery!

This little guy is very content and predictable. He's really interested in his big brother and loves it when he gets him to smile at him, and smiles back.

ha ha

Curb Appeal

2011-10-17T21:23:00.002-04:00

My friend Laura decorated her front porch for fall and it looked so pretty, I took the initiative to do a little work this year. And by do a little work, I asked Ryan to pick up some Mums at Home Depot, and then he planted them for me :-)

I love Mums, and perennials are a practical and affordable way to "decorate" for fall!

Throw in our pumpkins and my home made fall wreath, and it looks awesome!!

Meet Rocky

2011-10-17T13:27:00.003-04:00

Our friends Jamie and Charles are parents!!! All of our prayers were answered when they were blessed with this little guy. I'm so happy for them and I know they are going to have such a fun time raising Rocky. Elliott is excited to have a play mate!

I got to meet Rocky and take a couple of pictures!!

My favorite!

I have known Jamie since junior high and I can safely say she's going to be an AWESOME mommy. Rocky is quite lucky!

Fall morning walk

2011-10-16T20:57:00.002-04:00

Friday morning was gorgeous and Andrew's therapy was cancelled, so we played outside in the front yard while Elliott napped. The leaves and the light were so pretty, I took a few pictures. I think they are adorable!

I told Andrew to "sit by your pumpkin for a picture!" and this is what he did. ha. He squatted next to the pumpkin, trying to sit on it - he took my directions very literally!

Love!

aw :)

I took one of Elliott when he woke up, too!

And on a walk together later that same evening:

I got this sling for quick trips into the store, or to give me a free hand when I take Andrew into school. Elliott isn't quite strong enough for it yet, he was a little slumpy and so he puked on me 3 times. We'll try again in a few weeks!

fall hat time!

2011-10-15T09:08:00.003-04:00

I've been looking forward to fall just so I can take pictures of Elliott in cute little hats. I know I'm weird. He has a perfectly round head, which is awesome for modeling little hats!

A friend of mine called him Mr. Chubs - isn't it fitting!? Look at those cheeks!

Yo Mom.

I'll give you a big cheeser smile if you leave me alone.

I know I'm adorable.