Mother’s Day and Mom’s Birthday

Posted by rachael on May 21st, 2009 filed in around the house, isaac, natalie
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I’m officially a really terrible blogger.  I didn’t even know how to log in to add a new post.

This month I enjoyed my third Mother’s Day with Jon, the kids, Jon’s cousin Leslie and her family.  Isaac swam in the pool with Daddy, we barbecued, and Natalie refused to go to bed.  A few days later, I turned 32.  We celebrated at the famous White House (as in Dr. White of Arcadia, not Obama) with a few friends and cupcakes.   Thanks to Annette for your hostessing panache!

Natalie is closing in on 5 months old and remains very tiny.  She is between the 25- and 50th percentiles for length, but at the 10th for weight! At her 4-month appointment, she was only 11 lbs!  If you squeeze her legs and arms, you can find some baby chub, and her cheeks are full, but that’s it!  None of those delicious rolls that some babies have.  Still, she could not be more beautiful with her pale skin and clear blue eyes.  Her hair is still fuzzy but she has a little bit more of it.  She can roll from her tummy to her back, laugh, gurgle, and bring toys to her mouth.  If you are anywhere near her mouth she will suck on any part of you (she gave me a pretty good-sized hickey on my shoulder recently).   Like her brother, she is an early teether.  She’s working on a couple of bottom teeth and they are making her pretty miserable.   But when she has eaten, she loves to smile.  In fact, smile at her, and it’s very likely that you’ll be greeted with an enthusiastic squeal and a gummy grin.

Isaac is a joyful, amazing kid.  He loves to play with his water table in the backyard and throw things “up in da air.”  He gets our rebounds when we play ball outside and loves to have adventures.  Also, he is getting very creative and loves to pretend.   He picks up imaginary hamsters and keys (thanks for the inspiration, Elmo and Dora), and leads you “over da bridge, through da gate, to da big, red hill!”  The family cars are one of his favorite places to play these days as well.  Another highlight of the last month has been Isaac’s willingness to eat a variety of foods – trying chicken, steamed broccoli, and black beans!  He now eats turkey sandwiches as well.  This might not seem like a big deal, but he was very picky until recently.  I have had some one-on-one time with Natalie daily due to Isaac’s blessing me with 2 and 3 hour naps.  Yes and amen!

P’narkio, Necteroons, Almonds & Smiles

Posted by jcline on April 13th, 2009 filed in around the house, isaac, natalie
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We have been having lots of fun but still getting tired sometimes. Having two kids is a wonderful joy but can bring out the best if you know what I mean. What has been great is that we have seen significant development in both our little ones over the past couple weeks.

Isaac is really growing verbally with an expanding vocabulary and a propensity to narrate his world; citing all the items he can name wherever he goes. As a babysitter reference, we put this decoder key together.

Decoder Key

• p’narkio = Pinnocio
• necteroons = Macaroons
• kekock = peacock
• veggie pudding = vegetable baby food
• baff = bath
• nally = Natalie

Isaac is so much fun to talk to. He loves his sister and has never been mean or physical to her. Every morning, upon entering his room he consistently says, “all done ni-nights. go see mommy and sister.” So cute.

Natalie has really made some significant strides this past couple weeks too. She is a much smaller baby than Isaac was and has a different timeline than he did. She is smiling a lot now and making the wonderful cooing and other joyful noises that babies are commonly known for (that’s not all they do btw!). She too has Rachael’s hair color and eyes which I am so grateful for as she (Rachael) is very beautiful with a not so common blue eyes and dark red hair. A nice gift to pass on to little Natalie.

She is beginning to put herself to sleep for a while if we get her relaxed in her crib. What a lifesaver! You can’t imagine how your life and relationship to your kids play a role in your happiness.

Isaac also started to love almonds and cashews a couple weeks back so that is fun as I loved them to! Can you imagine enticing your kid to hop into his high-chair… for a couple nuts – it’s enough to make the time even sweeter.

That’s it for now. More later.

–jc

Here’s a cople pics.

Learning to Miss A Lot Less These Days

Posted by jcline on March 15th, 2009 filed in around the house, isaac, natalie
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I have learned a lot about living in the moment from my kids. Being distracted, focused on the next thing, or even anxious about things has prevented me from fully engaging many times.

Well, I thought I would go back and see a few of the moments that I didn’t miss and look forward to the many more I won’t in the future. I have compiled some historical evidence below so you too can have hope that we all can increase our happiness by increasing our engagement.

– jon

Natalie is 10 weeks old

Posted by rachael on March 15th, 2009 filed in around the house, isaac, natalie
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Our family is adjusting to our 4th member, although it’s been a bit of a rocky transition, for me in particular (Rachael) as I am home with both kids and nursing VERY frequently!  Isaac loves his sister and thinks she’s so cute; thankfully, the novelty has not yet worn off.  I have a feeling that when she begins to crawl and take his toys, he might feel differently! We are very proud of our big boy and his patience with all the big changes in our home.

Natalie is small for her age; as far as percentiles go, she is right around the 25th.  However, as she gets older she seems to get longer instead of fatter like most babies.  She may have a promising career as a basketball player if this keeps up.  Her eyes are still light blue and her hair is definitely red, but falling out in strange patches!  She has a thick patch of dark hair around the back of her head, a bald “sleep spot” from sleeping on her back, a receeding hairline, and where her hair is growing in it’s quite fuzzy and thin.  Her skin is pale like Mama’s – and overall, she does tend to look more like me while Isaac looks like Jon.   She has a beautiful, gummy smile and at times likes to stick her tongue out while smiling.  She coos and gurgles while you are looking at her and cries for attention and socialization.  She will put up with her bouncy seat or the floor for a while, but about an hour and a half to two hours after waking up, she is yelping for a nap and you had BETTER respond or ELSE.  Yeah, and don’t try any of that carseat business when she’s tired or you will learn that small lungs can produce very loud sounds.  She’s been a bit more difficult to get onto a routine and nights are still all over the place – one night she will sleep 6 hours and the next, wakes every 2 hours.  This one is keeping Mama on her toes.  She has a sweet disposition and loves to cuddle over your shoulder (warning: use a burp cloth) or be swaddled in the crook of your arm.   She takes her sweet time while eating and seems to love the closeness of it more than the milk itself.  It’s been interesting balancing a busy boy and a sleepy, nursing girl!  We love little Natalie and are hoping she continues to adjust to “life on the outside” as she gets older.   Until then, we are all about The Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp.  A must read for parents of newborns!

Here are some photo highlights of the last 10 weeks.  Enjoy!

The Rhythm of 2

Posted by jcline on January 4th, 2009 filed in natalie
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We have started finding a routine with the five of us including grandma. This is all happening much faster than with Isaac. I actually 8 hours of sleep last night – crazy! With much thanks to Rachael of course.

Gaining weight.

We visited a new Pediatrician near MH today (Dr. Who anyone?) who said Natalie was kickin’ the Jaundice’s bottom (bott’n as Isaac would say) and had gained 2.5 oz. Way to go girl! Her hair has now become silky brown with an Alfalfa curl near the front. So cute.

The first quiet alert time.

Yesterday we got to see our little girl in a quiet alert state for a couple hours. Her dark eyes have the typical newborn blue and she glanced around the room and tracked our hands and the camera well.

“Be right back.”

Isaac has responded so well to Natalie. To this point, we haven’t seen any jealousy towards her. Their first meeting in the hospital was him saying “baby,” petting her head, and giving her a kiss. He might think she’s just a guest so we’ll see.

“Ni-Nite sister.”

Isaac came in last night to say goodnight to grandma and mom and also added “ni-nite sister” on his own.

So cute.

Here is a short video of Natalie’s first couple days.

– jc