To the grindstone

Well, I am back at work after my wonderful 12 week maternity leave. Which was nearly not enough time to spend with my boys. I was definitely anxious about my return, but it went quite smoothly. I made sure to have everything organized and ready to go the night before. I set out clothes for the boys and myself, bottles ready for Henry, breast pump in the van, lunch made. I cried a few times throughout this process knowing it was going to be my first day away from Henry. I wasn't away from him for more than a few hours and most of that time was consumed by a dentist appointment. 

We needed to leave the house by 6 am so it was an unusually early morning for the three of us. I cried again while I was getting Henry out of his pjs. I said to him "You know, your brother slept through the night for my first day back at work-you didn't." He woke up at 3.  

Dave helped by getting the boys in the van once I had them dressed. It doesn't sound like much, but it helped immensely. I barely held in my tears when I said good bye to Dave. Ugh-how would I ever keep it together at work.

We arrived early to a nearly empty daycare. Due to our schedules the boys will be two of the first ones there and some of the last to leave..I'm getting my money's worth at least. I took a few pictures to commemorate Henry's first day and hung out for a little bit-not wanting to leave. I didn't cry again until I asked David to keep an eye on his little brother. (Dave just rolled his eyes at me when I told him that.Ok, so I'm overly emotional :) David's teacher gave me a hug and told me that we will all be fine. She's right, but that first day is always the worst.

Work wasn't too bad. It was mostly a day of chatting. After not seeing my coworkers for 3 months, there was a lot to catch up on. Throw breaks and pumping into the mix-I didn't get a lot accomplished. Oh well, it was my first day and my only day of work this week. I can handle that. My 'full' work week begins on Sunday. I'm glad it's only 3 days, but they are looong days. The worst of it is leaving all 3 of my boys on Sundays. I'm so jealous that they get to hang out without me. I know it's good bonding time for Dave, but still-I'd much rather be home and have another family day together.

Two days left....and then back to work. Boo.

Proud Mama

I just have to gush about my boys for a minute. They are AWESOME! 

D hasn't been feeling the best for the last week due to the fact he is getting 4 teeth! I think one is finally through, but that still leaves 3 more of those pointy cuspid teeth. Last Saturday, we planned to go to Dave's Duathlon race and D woke up with fever. With a little help from,  my friend, Tylenol he pulled it together and we enjoyed a great morning.

On Wednesday, we all (Daddy too) went to the MN Zoo. It was a beautiful day with perfect, kid friendly, weather. D was still out of sorts in the morning, but we reminded him we were going to see animals. He perked right up once we arrived. D loves animals. It was so fun to watch the excitement in his eyes.
He was quite the trooper and walked more than half of the way around the zoo. This is a big zoo people!

D is also 'chatting' up a storm. He will also repeat nearly everything you ask him to say. He understands any commands we may give him. Does he always follow through with them-of course not, he's an almost 2 year old! 

His fav cartoon is 'Super Why!' and the kids do a 'hands in the middle' cheer. So I showed D how to do it. I wasn't sure he caught on until a few days later. He walked up to me with his hand outstretched waiting for the cheer. He will come find me (even if it's the bathroom) to do the cheer.  So cute! And every time we watch the 'Wheel of Fortune' he shouts out "G!!" I just love this guy. It's just amazing how much their little brains absorb.

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Now, little or should I say big H. He has caught us by surprise. He could hold his head up since birth. D did this too-so no big deal. He has grown like a weed. We have started moving him up to the next size (3-6mo) of clothes. Not because of his width, but his length. He has a looong torso like Daddy. And what's with this rolling over business?!?! I was quite shocked the first time, but he hasn't stopped. Of course, he won't roll over when we are trying to show him off ;-) 

This growing and moving is all new for us. D was always behind the clothing suggestions and his milestones were 'right on time'. What does this little guy have in store for us? Can't wait to find out!!

What were we thinking

We recently received a wedding invitation in the mail for a friend of a friend. We decided, what the heck-lets go. It has been a long time since Dave and I have gone out together, much less gotten dressed up to go out. This is how it went:

We arrived early, so H nursed in the van and Dave and D went for a walk. So far, so good. While in the church, D was talking softly to himself and checking out the hymnals. Dave, however, decided it was too much and ran out with him. I think he may have jumped the gun. D was behaving quite well for a 20 month old and I don't think anyone was bothered by his sweet chattering. So that left H and I to enjoy a great sermon together. Just before the vows began, H decided it was his turn to talk. This wasn't happy talk-it was hungry talk. So I moved back a few pews and we danced to the music. This wasn't enough to distract him, so we left the ceremony also. While H and I were in the foyer, I could hear D giggling outside with another pair of wedding fugitives. :)

Once at the reception, we lasted about an hour. It was a cocktail/hors d'oeuvres reception which didn't provide many toddler friendly options. I prepared poorly. The snacks just weren't doing it for him. We left just as the more filling apps were being served, if you call 'sliders' more filling. The lines were quite long and just not worth it. Our evening ended with a swing through a fast-food joint. 

So in the end, we basically got dressed up to go to McDonald's-AWESOME!

Another Nephew!

My sister, Krystal, and her husband, Dustin, just found out that they will be having a baby boy at the beginning of January! I am so excited for them. Henry and Baby Berger will be nearly the same age. Can't wait for all the kids to be old enough to play together. With all these babies, get-togethers will be a lot more entertaining.
When she first called, she said, "My little girl is a boy." Well, I didn't hear anything after girl. I was already in tears, happy tears. Then my brain said wait a minute and had her repeat what she said. OMG it's a boy!? Awesome.
Our family is getting over run by the boys though. Leah (SIL's) is the only girl on the Meberg side of 6 grandkids. And now, out of 4 grandbabies on the Wetzel side, Jozie (brother's) is the only little girl. I guess that just makes them extra special. And look at all the boys they get to boss around :)

Embarrassing

Yesterday, I had my postpartum checkup and the boys joined me. Wow! Was this ever a bad decision. My first mistake, apparently, was to schedule it right after David's nap. He was fine when he woke up. He was fine on the drive. He had juice, snack, and a book to keep him entertained. I even brought the Nuk just in case. It wasn't until we had to pass the Ped's waiting room. He has a good memory! Of course he wanted to go play with the the hoards of toys and bikes, who wouldn't? I knew if I let him, I would never get him back. I stood my ground and kept him in the stroller. He disliked this decision, but still was behaving. It wasn't until the nurse called me back, then he let the entire clinic know he wasn't happy. I tried to push the snack, juice, book, and pacifier...nope. In the stroller, out of the stroller, on my lap, on the chair. None of this made him happy. He even pulled out the classic tantrum move of lying on the ground-gross! The nurse offered to get him a coloring book and crayons. I met her in the hallway. I couldn't take the screeching anymore. I shyly asked the nurse and my doctor to babysit Henry while David and I went to the pharmacy for a treat. As soon as he sees the candy he giggles-are you kidding me?! A 5 cent lollipop saved me. He was fairly cooperative for the rest of the visit, but boy was I glad to get out of there. From here on out I will be getting a sitter for any future appointments. Thank you to the nurse and Dr. Buss for being so patient. Needless to say, I had a headache!

To Giveth or Taketh Away

With one child, almost 20 months old, the pacifier can be seen as unacceptable and unnecessary. Yes, it can deter speech and be bad for their teeth, but at times it is the only answer for a cranky/tired/hungry kid. At this point, the Nuk probably serves me better than it does David. For the last few months, he has willingly offered it up when we ask him to take it out of his mouth. We have decided, however, that it should be reserved for bedtime only. And, between us, when a stay-at-home mom just can't 'take it anymore'.

Now with Henry, almost 2 months old. He rejects all attempts of any pacifier being placed in his mouth. Shouldn't I be happy that when I reach David's age with Henry, I will not have to face the battle of taking away this prized possession? I have actually purchased a few different types/brands of pacifiers hoping one will interest him. The sucking can be soothing for a baby and sometimes I rather it be a pacifier than myself. My fears: What am I going to do when he is having a 'baby tantrum'? The Nuk has always worked for David. What if he becomes a thumb-sucker?!?! Isn't this worse on the teeth? Seems to me that it would be easier to take away an inanimate object than a body part.

Don't think I have given up, this battle(s) has just begun

Baby David Update

Wow, I guess it was quite the busy summer since I haven't updated David's blog since then. Well things are quieting down a little, just a wee little bit so I will give you a quick glimpse into the life of David.

In September, he was one of three ring bearers in my sister's wedding. Due to the fact that he can't walk, he and Jozie (my neice) were pulled in a wagon by the two older ring bearers. During rehearsal everything was fine, but the day of the wedding David was a little ansty. Gpa Wetzel gave him his car keys which distracted him thoroughly as he made his little journey. It was just the sweetest thing. My sister-in-law, Kelly (Jozie's mom), metioned that she felt as if she was at Jozie's funeral as she laid her in the wagon. We were all giggling at her comment, but it really did sort of resemble a coffin especially with the black blanket and not to mention Jozie was totally out-sleeping like a lamb. And then, I nearly peed my pants as the two boys pulled the wagon down the aisle. Little Dillan was laughing so hard, he was nearly bent in half and Little Gene'o wasn't watching where he was going and they ran into one of the pews. Hilarious! I wish I had had a better vantage point.

Let's see what else is new...David has four teeth: 2 bottom, 2 top. I think he may even be sprouting his 3rd top incisor. He eats like a little carnivor, but he almost always uses his thumb and index finger. Such manners. I swear he eats as much as I do. I don't seem to keep enough on the plate. He definitely loves fruit especially bananas and mandarin oranges. Sometimes I feel like he is ahead of the game when it comes to eating table food, but the little guy just prefers to feed himself. If I attempt to feed him he will try to intercept it so he can do it himself.

He is 'walking' around like crazy. Of course, not without assistance, yet. Whether it's you, the couch, a box-whatever-he must be touching something. He can stand perfectly well so I don't know what he is waiting for to take those first steps. He loves pushing around boxes. I think Dave thought he was deprived so we bought him a little shopping cart to push around. I'm pretty sure he still prefers the boxes! Oh well, Christmas gift buying should be easy--just give him the leftover paper and boxes :)

David is also babbling away. He doesn't have any 'real' words as of right now. He still says dadada a lot and mum here and there, but I don't think he is associating them with us or anything else for that matter. Before I know it he will be yelling 'mmmmmaaaaaaaammmmm!'

The other day I received a letter from Babies r Us informing me on "How to Plan Your Child's First Birthday". I admit I was tearing up as I read this silly checklist. I can't believe David is going to ONE next month. A year seems to go by so much faster when you are checking off baby milestones month after month. This has been one of the most challenging and doubly rewarding years of my life...if I could only push pause every once in awhile to fully enjoy each and every moment.