Today’s Dinner Conversation

Eric : “Liar liar pants on fire”

Ellie: “Whose pants are on fire?”

Eric: “Yours.”

Ellie: (Touches pants) “But they aren’t hot.”

Ellie: “Is it cause they’re pink?”

Braids and Charlie Brown

Just had a really nice Thanksgiving at Mom and Dad’s.  Ellie had a braid in her hair and when I took it out her hair was all wavy.  She couldn’t stop looking in the mirror.  I always forget little things like that the kids don’t know about.

As a treat I let the big kids stay up and watch Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving. I forgot the sayings like “blockhead” and “stupidest person on earth.”

James is One

When you ask James how old he is he points one finger up to the sky. I tried to ask him how old Ellie is but she is 1 too. :)

James is Growing Up

Since James had his ear tubes in this month, he is a lot better about being less cranky and actually plays with toys.  He is currently into blocks and cars, and likes to show us things.

Eric and Ellie are playing soccer on Saturdays when it isn’t raining, and they go to school and learn all week. Ellie goes to sleep with Christmas music on (still), and Eric sleeps in our bed to radio sports.

Hug

Ellie was so excited today to go sleep over Julie and Mike's house. She got her sleeping bag ready by 2pm.. picked out a movie for her and Mikey, packed up her backpack. So cute. Julie said Mikey is still running around and Ellie went right to bed :) The cutest was when she left Eric ran outside to "give her a little hug." That's a first!!

1st day of Kindergarten!

Well, I survived the first day of Kindergarten. Eric had a good day. His teacher's name is Mrs. Mahoney. I think he is missing his Mrs. Perry's preschool friends, mostly Niko, but he was thrilled to ride the bus with Christopher. Today he didn't get home until 3:30 and the bus driver said "tomorrow will be better, the first day is always long." And Eric said "if it takes this long imagine how long it will take him to find my new house."
I was a little teary and Ellie said "don't worry mom you still have me home." Awwwww..... except she is going to school 3 days a week now!

17 Month Vocabulary

teeeeeeee- tree, flower, grass.. anything green
nigh night- blankie, binky, nap or going to bed
ma ma, da da, papa, nani
kiiiis (Eric and Ellie-kids)
baaa- block, ball, bat
nose- just points to it, knows where it is
driving noise- car or truck
airplane- reaches to the sky

Sun Roof Experience

So today I opened the sunroof of the car because I thought the kids would get a kick out of it... they responded with:
Eric "I hope no space craters crash through there."
Ellie 'And I hope no dead birds fall into the car!"

Mama

James said mama... hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

James' Bump

Today I took James to the doctor because we noticed a lump on the bottom right side of his head at the hair line. Turns out it is a "reactive lymph node"... his body is going into overdrive fighting off infection and making it swell. The dcotor said out of 100 1-3 yr olds 40 have this at some time. Just need to watch it.

James' Checkup

25 lbs, 33 inches. 86% for height! He is going to go Mass Eye and Ear for an ear tube evaluation just like Eric.

His latest words: night night, knock knock, (ball, bat, bottle, block= baaa), dog, da, cookie, cracker (caka)

When will this child say mama????

Oops!

 

Ellie and James had fun cleaning this mess up!

Birthday Beauty

We have a 4 year old!! Ellie had a bounce house for her birthday. Because of the hoilday we got to have it for 4 days and the kids were in heaven. She has had a butterfly theme for the 4th time. I offered her a store bought cake but she LOVES baking so she wanted to bake it with me. I can't believe how fast she is growing.. and how smart and gorgeous she is!!

Buzzing Baby James' Hair

Awwww

Lately James has been such a sweet boy. Today Ellie was overtired and in tears crying and James toddled over and held out his blankie, when she wouldn't take it he tried his binky. No luck with that either but he did clap for himself when we said good job.

Every morning James get his bottle warmed up. (He's 15 months I know he should deal with the cold) The minute it's done and I screw the top on he runs into the living room and stand next to the couch because that's where I've been feeding him every morning since he was a tiny baby. It's so cool that he is starting to really understand things.

What a rooster says

Crock a doodle doo!

According to Ellie :)

Yay for Me

James just learned to clap and he claps for himself whenever he says "mama" or stands up on his own. He is very proud of himself and sometimes just walks around clapping.
I think it is a big achievement that when I say "no give that to mommy" he passes whatever is in his hand to me.
He tantrums just like Eric did.. carefully easing himself onto the floor so he doesn't hurt himself while he is screaming.

Sportsnut

Eric is a huge sports fan, especially of the Celtics and Red Sox. He now watches Sportscenter any chance he gets. The commercials for the sports are making an impression on him too.. he told me today when we drove by a Chili's "Mom, did you know they have fire grilled quesadillas there?" and when I got a turbo shot at DD he told me "turboshots make you better at baseball." (Duston Pedroia is a Dunkin Donuts spokesperson)
Today I got him a black Nike sweatband and we colored the swoosh green to be like the Celtics. He looks so adorable wearing it.

13 Months 2 Weeks

When little James started walking, yay James!!!! I love the toddling stage with the arms up for balance.

Yo

Is a nickname for Yo-yo, according to Ellie.

Uh Uh

I think James thinks the bathroom is called the "uh uh" because I always try keep him out of it. Now he crawls up to it or in it if he's fast enough saying 'uh uh, uh uh, uh, uh"

One Year Old

We have a one year old!! The cake was an bit of a let down, James wasn't overly impressed and ate it with little fanfare. He is obsessed with his solid foods now and happily kicks his feet while he's eating. I love his cute words: na-na (banana) Mum mum (mom) da da (Dad) na na na (NO NO NO)
His best skill is waving hello and goodbye and knowing when to do it. He waves and makes a noise that sounds a bit like haaaaaa. When you put his jacket he waves or if the door opens.
He can stand and cruise around and lets go for 10 seconds or so but not quite ready to go. Speed crawler!!!!
No more formula! He has en ear infection and is getting better thanks to Zithromycin, the only medicine that seems to work for him. He weighs 22 lbs.

Stuck Plane

I told Eric and Ellie that they wouldn't see Grandmom tonight because her plane was stuck in North Carolina and she was going to be 5 hours late.
Ellie said "What's the plane stuck to?"

Tea

Today we went to the Four Seasons for tea to celebrate Mom's birthday. Ellie, Mom, Julie, Lindsay and I went. We had tea and pastries and Ellie dressed up in her beautiful dress. My favorite part was when Ellie said "Is this what real princesses do?"

Ellie's Wish

"Star Light, Star Bright... I want the wish I wish tonight. I wish I had no brothers."

More of Eric's Religious Ponderings

With the discussions about James' baptism, Eric would like to know "why did God give his baby to Mary and Joseph?"

Finally

James can sleep through the night!!! 11 hours straight woo hoO!!!!!!!

Diginal Camera

I know when the kids get bigger I am going to forget their cute baby ways of saying things but I just can't get over how Ellie says "my diginal camera" She got a pink one from Santa.

James at 9 Months

20 lbs 1oz. 29.5 inches! Perfect!!! He is doing so well. Crawling (sort of) and standing. If he wants something he has his own method of rolling/dragging/crawling to get it. Still up at night at midnight and 5am... will it ever end!

Eeeeww

So today on the radio we heard "I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus" and Eric said "Who would kiss Santa-he doesn't even have a mouth!"

The true meaning of Christmas

Grammy gave Eric and Ellie a little manger and all the little figurines to put inside. Eric set the whole thing up and thought about it for a couple minutes and then said "well... where's God?"

Apples & Oranges

These kids never cease to amaze me. In thinking about how Tina and I differ, I guess I can understand. Tina can draw anything, and I couldn't even write my name so you could read it. Funny how I see that in Eric and Ellie. Little science guy and budding artist. Both smart but in different ways. Just really good kids I enjoy being around. When I m able to drop everything including my crazy thought process, I start to appreciate just how far they have come in a couple years. Reading, learning, and remembering everything reminds me of me. So does stubbornness and nosiness. But hey, as long as we can help them grow up and be a part of it every day, they'll be fine.

Ears

Eric "I'm lucky, I have tubes in my ears... all Ellie and James have is ear wax."

James's First Ear Infection

Poor James has his first ear infection. Runny nose, very fussy, won't sleep at night. He has a look on his face like he wants to be happy but can't. He is taking amoxicillin. At the doctor's he weighed 19 lbs 1 oz.

Naked Heart

Today I took off James' shirt while he was playing because he was drooling through everything. Ellie walked in the room and said "Mommy, why is James naked around his heart?"

Awww....

Tonight Eric told me "I have the best life ever" (must note this was in response to me organizing a playdate with his buddy, and driving our neighbor to school with us)
Ellie fell asleep reading without her binky and never mentioned it.. we have a big girl now!

Trick or Treating... again

The kids are obsessed with trick or treating. Ellie asked if we could go trick or treating again on Thanksgiving! Then they were amazingly playing together dressing up in old costumes and going around the house pretend trick or treating. It was nice to see them playing together with out fighting. Ellie did fall down and Eric screamed "Ellie bumped her head and I didn't even do it this time."

Carnivores

Eric: "Mom, how do dinosaurs eat meat if they don't know how to cook?"

James at 7 Months

At 7 months James is sitting for a long time, rolling across the floor several times in a row...even getting himself stuck half under the couch. He loves his doorway jumper and exersaucer.
We had to put him in a big boy carseat (sniff sniff) so no more carrier. I can;t believe he has already reached that stage.
He is a very smiley baby now and loves to watch his brother and sister. He always laughs. When they have tantrums or cry he laughs out loud and they can't help smiling too.
He has about 4 bottles a day and some days loves baby food and some days not.
His favorite thing is to drink out of our water cups. he grabs it with both hands and actually drinks, which he won't do with a bottle or sippy.
He is a blondie and it looks like the blue eyes are staying. Everyone who sees him comments on how beautiful his eyes are.

Potty Party

Just writing it is jinxing it, I know, but today we are one week accident free with Ellie! To celebrate we went to Panera for bagels and got her some play food at Toys R Us. Hopefully we are finally diaper free (well 2/3 diaper free I should say )

Spacesuit

Today Ellie pointed to a spacesuit costume and called it a "blastoff dress."

Blackberry

Today Eric told me I should get one!

27 Days

Today Eric said "Your birthday isn't for 27 days." It is actually in 28 but I was shocked that he was so close so I asked how he came up with that and he responded with
"I start at 31 and count backwards 3 because it's October 3rd so 31-30-29-28, wait actually it's in 28 days."
I think that is pretty advanced thinking for a four year old.

Secrets of a Mom

The other day I had to take a shower with a dirty car seat! There was no other way to take the covering off. Now it is sparkling :)

I love baby food. I always taste James' food to see if it is hot and for some reason I really like the baby rice cereal and bananas.

Ellie the Cowgirl

Ellie rode the horse today on her class field trip to the stable. She had such a fun time. She fed carrots to the horses by throwing them over the fence and screaming "there it is horse."

Help me please... I need a Dictionary

Today Eric and I were talking and for some reason I said "You are awfully good at that." And he said how can I be awful and good at the same time!!!

Did someone say...

it was easier to potty train a girl than a boy. Not quite the case around here!

Obama/McCain

So yesterday while the kids were sitting in the kitchen having some hot chocolate (rainy and cold), I told them they could watch some videos. I meant videos of themselves but when I turned on the computer yahoo news was on and Eric saw the pictures and he said "are we going to watch videos of Barack Obama and John McCain."

James' 6 Month Update

height: 27.5 inches... too big for his baby carrier :( 75th percentile
weight: 16.13 lbs 40th percentile

doing great... eating fruits.veggies.oatmeal.rice.formula.nursing

rolling over. not sitting yet but close

Imagine Eric and Ellie's faces when the doc said "we can give them flu shots while they're here."

Picture it: a tiny HOT room with three kids all getting shots. Not the ideal way to spend an afternoon. Ellie was amazingly the only one who cried.

Back to School

So Eric and Ellie are in preschool. Ellie goes Tue/Thu and Eric Mon/Wed/Fri. It is so nice for them to have time alone with me in the mornings and they both adore school.
Last night Ellie made us sit down and she read us an entire book that they have at school. Only 2 days and she is already playing the teacher.
Eric told me "you know school is a little bit more fun than home, there are more people and more things to do." I had better make things a little more exciting around here :)

Bad Pitch!

So due to peer pressure from her brother, Ellie decided to take up baseball. After she missed the first ball she said "bad pitch" and then continued to say that each time she missed!

Just Around the Corner

Andrew ran into Olympia Sports to get some soccer shin pads for Eric. While Andrew was in there Eric said "You know, there's always an Olympia Sports just arpund the corner."

Our Trip to Asheville

We came back on Saturday from our long road trip to Asheville. We had such a great time, things couldn't have been better... well maybe a little more sleep for the kids :)

We started off on a Thursday Morning (8:30am) and got to Philadelphia around 3. We stayed overnight and the next day until about 4. The kids slept in the car for about 3 hours then we stopped for dinner and finished the drive to Roanoke Va. (arrived 11pm) The next morning we woke up early (8am) and drove straight to Asheville and got there around 2 after stopping for lunch.

The kids had so much fun playing with Marley, Ally, and Ayden. They keep talking about Grandmom and Pop Pop and Auntie Tina and Uncle Mike and Grandpop and Ros and Grandpop and Aunt Barbara and Uncle Ted. I wrote like they speak.. listing EVERY person. Too cute.

We went to the Nature Center and Arboretum. The big hit for the kids was the Farmer's Market because Grandmom bought them ice cream. One night Grandmom and Pop Pop babysat so we could go out and when we walked in the door the kids were screaming "No.. go back out."

Ellie is in love with Tina and Mike's house. She said that she wants to "live on a hill like Auntie Tina with 3 dogs and 1 cat."

The kids got a kick out of sleeping in sleeping bags. They did miss out on naps though, it was too hard to calm them down in the middle of the day.

Can't wait until our next trip!!! Although, this went a little too well, next time, who knows! Pics as always, coming soon :)

Off Limits

Or in Ellie's words "Eric, Mommy said that toy is off lemons."

1st Dentist Visit/Spring Onions

Today was Ellie's first dentist appointment and Eric's 3rd (yes he's counting) Ellie was all excited and insisted on going first, then when the hygienist was about to start Ellie jumped off the chair so we let Eric go first. Eric loved every minute of it, especially wearing sunglasses so the light didn't get into his eyes. After watching him Ellie went next and did great. It cracks me up how they call flouride "special watermelon jelly" and toothpaste "princess paste."

And the Bad Mother of the Year Award goes to... ME! Well it wasn't exactly my fault, but I am supposed to have eyes in the back of my head. We were outside playing and went in to make dinner. I put James in the exersaucer and put some veggies from the garden on the sink to wash for dinner. I went into the red room to put on the TV so the kids could watch Curious George while I made dinner and the next thing I know I hear Ellie laughing and James making funny sucking noises. So I go in to find her trying to feed him spring onions...OMG!!!!!!! He actually liked it and was laughing. I picked him up right away and there was nothing in his mouth, thank god, but he reeked of onions! I think she has been paying attention when I have said "we're going to try rice cereal, bananas, carrots..etc." So she was just trying something new. Ugh... can't leave her alone for a second!

Mentioning food, at the pediatrician's advice we started James on rice at 4 months. He has no problems eating it and practically jumps out of the highchair when he sees it coming. So I started with bananas for a couple days, then apple, and now carrots. I can't believe how much he is eating but the other kids were early too.

Rain..Rain..Rain

August has been the rainiest month. Eric said the other day "I don't like August, it just rains too much." We try to run outside in between storms and play a little baseball or ride the trikes around the block.

Today my darling 4 year old told me (in the pouring rain as I was strapping him into his car seat) that I looked like a "wet dog."
Thanks a lot, Eric!

Three Musketeers

Can't get much cuter than that!

One of Our Favorite Things

The kids and I LOVE going for walks right after it rains. Today I let them jump in all the puddles, even the muddy ones, and put them in the bath afterwards.

Mini-Fan

We usually have the AC on so the kids have never really used fans too often. Ellie walked in our room last night and saw a fan I just plugged in and said "I like your new mini van mom." I had no idea what she meant until I saw her looking at the fan. I corrected her and then she said "I like your mini fan."

More Bad Parenting!

So Eric watches the Red Sox a lot on NESN and one of their commercials is for a super absorbent cloth. He saw Andrew's car washing cloth in the car and Eric said "hey look, we have a Sham-wow."

Accident Free

Ellie's 1st Day with NO ACCIDENTS and me not having to ask her to go to the potty. yay!!!

"Bug Light"

Today at lunch the kids were doing "cheers" with their milk cups when Eric said "Ellie, let's pretend our milk is bug light." Are we bad parents!!!!

Watermelon/Sleep...maybe

Tonight Eric told me "Mom, this is the best watermelon I've had in years."

I just put James down in the pack and play alone for the night with just a musical fish soother and HE FELL ASLEEP. I realize this should have been accomplished way before 4 months but he always falls asleep in the swing, bouncy swing, our lap.. so this is a big step!

Loooong Day

James' has the cutest smile ever! I think this is so he can cry every time we put him down and get away with it. I just can't let him cry it out, I hate hearing him so sad.

Eric's new Pastime

Much to my dismay I found the bathroom trash can full of pee today. He finally admitted it... YUCK!

Potty Training Day 4/James' Cast

Still in underwear... still having accidents but no backtracking!

james got his cast off! His foot has a few blisters on it but he is doing great. His phys therapy is now once per week too.

No Apologies

Eric was playing and ended up hitting Tia (Uncle Jon's mom Patty's dog) yesterday. We said it was ok but he had to say he was sorry and he pointed out "why would I apologize to a dog."

Potty Day 2

Ellie potty training! Hooray... finally!!! Yesterday was "U Day" (underwear day) I've had the day on the calendar for a couple weeks so she knew it was coming. I put underwear on her yesterday but she wouldn't pee all day until Eric, not me, went into the bathroom with her. She had a couple accidents but I stuck to my guns.. no more diapers! Today we did the same thing and she peed and pooped on the toilet, even peed at the Chateau and Nanny's house. 2 accidents today but she isreally starting to announce when she has to go.
Not to be outdone, Eric just got out of bed to tell me he went to the bathroom at night.. usually he does this without an announcement.
They are getting so big. I am so proud of Ellie and relieved too!

Ellie is 3 Now

Ellie turned 3 today. She had a huge party with lots of friends and family. She got a dollhouse and a bunch of girl toys. The best thing was making the cake with her, she loves baking. Daddy refilled her sandbox with new sand, she would spend forever in there playing. One of my favorite things about Ellie is that she can sit in the sand in a gorgeous dress without a care in the world.
We also got to show everyone our new kitchen today! It was a big hit. It is amazing with all the space and places to put things. It really has made a big difference.

Ellie has a wicked accent

Today I took the kids to the Science Museum with Kate and Enrique, who is up this weekend for Ellie's party. We spent some time trying to get her to say a few things like "four more doors", which comes out like "foah moah doahs". We could make a whole vocabulary lesson from her funny words. She is going to have the full accent if we don't stop her.

Tiny Little Memories

We took the kids to the Walpole fireworks tonight. It was fun, Ellie announced that the fireworks were "tiny little memories." We thought she was being very philosophical but then she said "little squares like my memory game."

Sweet Little Ellie... or not

Today I said "I love your dress, you look so pretty."
And she replied "well you don't mom."

Hardware

For the next couple of weeks, he will look like Eric did at this age. Not as severe though.

Raccoon Hair?

Tonight Andrew and I had wine with dinner and Eric thought it was juice. So I let him sniff it to prove it was wine and he said "eeewww that smells like raccoon hair." Where he came up with that I don't know.

Cry

Eric told Ellie if you don't give me a turn in that chair I'm gonna make you cry. She didn't move so he looked at her and said "cry" so she did.

Did I mention they were fighting over James' baby bumbo seat!!!

Afternoon Drinks

With the basement fridge accessible from outside now, Eric asked if he could go in and get a water bottle and I said sure could he get me a root beer. He came back a few minutes later and said "we're all out of root beer so I got you a beer." I didn't think a Miller Lite was appropriate for 2 pm on a wednesday but it was thoughtful of him anyways.

Long Afternoon Ahead

Ellie just informed me that naptime is canceled for today!

James' Foot Update

**James is getting his first leg cast or "boot" as we call it on June 25**

Went to Childrens today for James' appointment with Dr. Zimbler, the ortho who sees Eric for his clubfoot. James has clubfoot too but not as severe. It is called metatarsus adductus, defined as:

Metatarsus adductus is a foot deformity. The bones in the middle of the foot bend in toward the body. This is exactly what we saw on the xray,

Eric has true clubfoot or "talipes equinovarus" which is defined as:

The common ("classic") form of clubfoot. Talipes is made up of the Latin talus (ankle) + pes (foot). Equino- indicates the heel is elevated (like a horse's) and -varus indicates it is turned inward. With this type of clubfoot, the foot is turned in sharply and the person seems to be walking on their ankle. Eric's achilles tendon was actually too short and needed to be stretched.

While Eric had surgery, corrective shoes with a bar and casts for 5 months, James outlook is 1-2 months of casting and no surgery. James also has Torticollis, where one side of neck has weaker muscles, causing his head to slouch toward side which could develop a flat spot. Eric had this too, all we need to do is position him correctly and physical therapy.

Eric's doctor called him a "poster child for Children's hospital orthopedics" so hopefully James will be too.

All of these problems are attributed to "position in the womb" so I guess as a mother, it's one more thing for me to feel guilty about :)

Today James weighed 12 lb. 6 oz.

Harmonica

Actual song lyric: "I play the HARMONICA"

Ellie's Version "I play the KERMONITER"

Eric's Response "Ellie, it's not Kermoniter it's FRAMONICA"

Purple House

Ellie: When I'm bigger I'm gonna have a purple house and you can come visit me there."
Mom: "Wow! Are you going to have any kids in your purple house."
Ellie: "I'm gonna have kids when I'm big but I'm not sharing my toys with them."

Monitor

Eric made a drawing that looked like a rainbow with all of the lines red. I asked him what it was and he said "That's Ellie crying on the baby monitor."

Sweet Baby James

At 9 weeks old James is 11 lbs 8 oz. and 23.5 inches tall. He has grown 4 pounds since he was born. He is still nursing every 2-3 hours which is tough for me but I know he needs it. He is a sweet baby who loves to be held and being warm. He likes the swing, has no interest in toys yet. His favorite calming activity is staring out the window or going outside. He likes to be carried around in the Baby Bjorn and taking baths.
The ortho (Dr. Zimbler) thinks James may need a few casts like Eric had because he is too strong for his brace and can move his foot inside it. Whatever happens we know how great Eric's foot turned out so we aren't too worried.

Finally Some Sleep

James is on a more normal schedule these days, so there is some sleep to be had. Unfortunately I am up doing stuff until after 12 every night, so I am always tired.

Eric's Special Night

The Celtics are in the playoffs and Eric is getting into watching sports more. Lately he has been watching baseball and basketball, understanding the names, and memorizing the players by number. He know every member of the sox and most of the Celtics. Today I told him that if he behaved and took a nap, I'd take him to watch the Celtics at Jon and Lindsay's place, because i knew they'd watch. So he did what we told him and then asked about it and clung to me all afternoon, waiting for the game to start. We went over to watch and he pretty much paid attention the whole time. As the game went on, he got more interested, and by 11:15pm he was jumping up and down in front of the TV yelling "score" when they made a shot, and even during replays. Even though they lost, he didn't stop cheering until we left. Even in the driveway and the ride back, he was talking sense. At one point he reminded me that "college kids go to bars" and told me he already knows everything. Now let's see if he sleeps any later than 6:30 tomorrow.

Science Museum

Took E&E to the museum today while the house got cleaned up. They of course loved it and dragged me all over, never spending more than 30 seconds looking at the same thing. I got us tickets to the butterfly exhibit and the 3-d theater, both of which were fun. Ironically the most iteresting thing all day was the magnetic bead art, wich wasn't really scientific. I had to make excuses up just o leave than station. We had a snack, ran up the musical staircase, weighed ourselves on Jupiter, then left. So far the membership seems like a good idea.

1st Sleepover

Tonight we went to Lindsay and Jon's to celebrate Lindsay's 26th bday. We put their PJs on before we left and Andrew joked that we'd pick them up tomorrow. The kids liked the idea and so they stayed over on a mattress. They had sooooo much fun and didn't miss us at all (sniff sniff.) Lindsay and Jon are great babysitters... of course the kids cam home spoiled and wanting a dog :) The kids can't stop talking about how much fun they had. Thanks again guys!

Boy Wonder

Eric never ceases to amaze us. Today we were playing on the computer and not only did he take over using the touchpad mouse, he was able to navigate through the entire webpage and reached the highest level of the puzzle game he was playing. Then he amazed us even more by reading numbers like 752, 345, 621.. all of the scores in the game.

All 3 Sleeping

As a mom of 3 I don't have much time these days. Amazingly, all 3 are asleep, fed and bathed. I can finally have my tea and I feel accomplished having swept the floor, put the toys away, and set the coffee pot for tomorrow. Lots of caffeine these days. Having 3 kids is so rewarding and I really feel like James has been a perfect addition to our family. I was very scared and am still overwhelmed on an hourly basis but I actually do have peaceful times like now. Maybe I can squeeze in a shower before James wakes up... big maybe :)

Ellie's Typical Phone Call

Hi (Kate, Enrique, Nannie, Denise and Linda, Grandmom, etc)
I'm doing good.
My mom's doing good.
My dad's doing good.
Eric's doing good.
My baby named James is doing good.
Bye.

James Drew Gregory

On Monday, March 24, Andrew stayed home from work to help out with the kids. We took them to music class and the park and then spent the afternoon napping. At 4:30 I started having contractions 5 minutes apart. i called the hospital and they said to come in so Lindsay came over to take care of Eric and Ellie. We went to the hospital at 6pm.
When I got to the hospital I was dilated 4-5cm and was thrilled to hear we weren't going home! They guessed he would be born close to midnight. I did get an epidural and they broke my water. Dr. Terrazi was the doctor on call and he was great. After 4 hours I started pushing at 10:00 and James was born at 10:30. We spent most of my labor reading a baby name book and finally decided on James.
It was the first time I didn't have stitches or tears so I am having a much better recovery. Since James was born so late I stayed 3 nights. Andrew and I even got to have a "date" in the hospital, he brought us dinner and a movie.
James is an adorable baby with fine light brown hair and a cute dimple on one side. He barely ever cries and has been sleeping pretty much since birth. Eric and Ellie have adjusted great so far and can't get enough of him.
We are so happy with the new baby and how smoothly things have been. Can't give enough credit to Andrew, he really has taken on a lot of taking care of Eric and Ellie and the the house.

Eric Turns 4

We had Eric's party at the Blue Hills Trailside Museum which turned out great! The kids and I made a green snake cake with a bundt pan. Eric had a bunch of friends, some from school. They had time to look around the museum and then had a snake/turtle demonstration. The big hit of Eric's bday was the real turtle from Auntie Lindsay and Uncle Jon which he named "Mack" after the Cars movie.

Climber.... scary!

I still can't believe what eric did this morning... we let him go downstairs to play and he got a chair and put a stool on top of it to climb onto the hutch and get a pack of snakes for his bday party from the very top! we found out after the fact and he showed us exactly what he did... so no more solo play downstairs anymore!

The Big ?

So today Eric asked me "How do moms get babies in their tummies?" For now he was okay with "when they really want to have a baby they start to grow one in their tummy." Can't wait to see what he asks when his baby brother is actually here!

Our Names

Ellie calls us by our first names when she wants our attention. She calls me Anrew.

Contractions

Today I was having contractions so I went to the hospital. I was dehydrated from being sick so the IV stopped them. The baby is healthy and happy and kicking away. Now if only we could find a name for him. 8 more weeks but who's counting :)

Xylo-phone

Ellie loves musical instruments. She was playing with a xylophone and asked me "Is this a piano Mom?" I said "No that's a xylophone" so she said "Oh" and picked up the stick part of it and held it to her ear and said "Hello..Dad"

Christmas Vacation

We have had such a fun Christmas vacation. The week before Christmas we had 2 snowstorms so the kids finally got to make their first snowman. (Andrew's first too!) Andrew's mom was here for a week and it was awesome to have her here. We went to the Museum of Science and the Rainforest Cafe and did lots of Christmas shopping. Every morning they would come down the stairs and see if Grandmom was up. Luckily she's an early riser.
The kids were so excited on Christmas morning. The favorite gifts this year were clothes and a stroller for the Tricia dolls, cars for Eric, Tinkertoys, a Dora Lego house, and puzzles. Andrew and Eric have been puzzle addicts this vacation. They did 4 ocean puzzles (500 pieces each) that they are going to hang up in Eric's room.
We also went bowling with Dad and the kids. Ellie calls it "balling" and was more impressed with the snacks but Eric really got into it.
Andrew and I went away overnight and Auntie Lindsay and Uncle Jon took them to the Children's Museum and the mall.

I Like My New Bed Dad!

That's all Ellie keeps saying over and over. She is very excited because she just moved from a crib to a toddler bed and Eric is in a twin bed. They were so adorable, jumping up and down and arranging their new big beds.

Let it Snow

Today we had our first big snow of the season... about 8 inches. When I picked Eric up at school the first thing he did was to try to catch the snowflakes with his tongue. Ellie is very excited about her pink flowered snow pants, she was no problem to get geared up to go outside. Eric, the more cautious one, was not too happy about putting on snow pants but finally came outside with us. They both took turns shoveling and loved stomping in the snow. It is supposed to snow again this weekend so we'll have plenty of time for a snowman!