Maxwell was chosen to present at his school's Kindergarten Roundup. It's an event to showcase what the preschoolers have learned and talk about why they should continue their Kindergarten schooling at the Montessori school.
I wasn't going to be able to go to the roundup due to work travel, so Maxwell's teacher let me go to the practice during the day at the school.
Maxwell had to introduce himself, what class he was from, and what he would be doing before he got to work. It wasn't a very fast process while he worked through the 4 digit subtraction but it's how you do this "game" so it just takes time.
With daddy at the presentation
Sitting at the front of the room
Patiently waiting his turn (not all the other presenters did such a great job and it was tough because he was nearly at the end of it). Peter said he did a great job (he's so timid ... it was great to see him be in front of a group like this).
While Maxwell had his presentation, I was in Nashville for work and got to go to dinner and then stuff hundreds of Easter Eggs with my step-sister Marabeth. It was fun to get to spend time together!!
Maxwell had an Easter Egg Hunt (gather) with his class. I totally forgot to bring his Easter basket so instead he had to use this reusable grocery bag that I had in my car - sorry buddy.
Ready to go get those eggs!
There was a visit from the Easter Bunny!
All the eggs are gathered (but you can't tell in that huge bag).
Group pic with his class - The Groundhogs and Ms. Cynthia
Life is getting better and we are having more fun the further we get from the newborn phase.
How can you resist this cute smile?!
I pump in the mornings after I nurse her so that I can start building up my supply of frozen breast milk. I really enjoy the time I get to engage with her while I'm a captive audience.
2 month doctor visit
She's so tiny
Max was a good boy and entertained himself with books
I fill out a developmental questionnaire at each of her well visits. I took a pic of the pages so that I could look back and know what she was doing at that age. I did something similar for Max at his visits but I didn't ever think to document the responses until recently, bummer!
Emmalyn's Pediatrician was a little concerned initially with her size and then he looked at me and asked how tall I was. He ended up saying that maybe she was just evening out from where her weight was when she was born and she is just going to be little. So even though she dropped in percentile he wasn't completely concerned because she wasn't gaunt and seemed healthy for her size. He did want me to come back when she was 3 months just to do a weight check and ensure she was gaining weight.
Here's her stats from her 2 month visit:
Weight: 9 lbs 2 oz, 3rd Percentile
Height: 21.5 in, 8th Percentile
Head: 14.8, 22nd Percentile
I took both kids to Costco (LOVE the big shopping carts and the samples!)
Emmalyn got 2 shots and one oral vaccine. She cried, of course, and the nurse said that I could stay and nurse her if I wanted. I thought that was a great idea. She was so mad after the shots and only calmed down when I nursed her. So I comforted her for a few minutes before we packed up and left which wasn't great because as soon as I stopped nursing her she was mad again. I wish Max's pediatrician would have recommended the same thing when he was going through all those shots. It's not fun and made me feel better to comfort her and calm her down after the shots.
I was worried we were in for a rough night after the shots but she did good. She cried a little bit in pain and she got a little bit of a fever so we gave her some Tylenol but that was it. No big fussiness or problems sleeping. She did want to be held a lot.
With the doctor's visit and then Costco, Max didn't end up taking a nap today. So he wasn't being a great listening. At one point we were in the car and he wouldn't stop touching the overhead light. I got so frustrated and had such a short temper, that I yelled at him. I couldn't believe it when it came out of my mouth. I'm not a yelling mom. Sure I talk sternly but I don't yell. I don't want to be a mom who yells. Ugh. I'm still learning how to deal with two kids and all that goes along with that, clearly. I felt really bad and apologized to Max later.
Man, our weeks sure are starting to be more full. This week alone, we had a play date with Jessica and C, went to the splash park, went to the pool, had swimming lessons, went to the library, Pediatrician visit, and Costco! That's a lot for me/us!
Max and his cousins having a pillow fight. We're lucky to have his best friends living with us. :)
A pic courtesy of Max??
I got Max a pre-k workbook so he could do "homework".
Emmalyn enjoying being a part of me cooking
Bought shoes online for the first time ever. They are a little wide but I like them and they are a comfy alternative to frumpy flip flops.
Video - This kid's dancing CRACKS me up. He's so funny. He LOVES wearing this hat over his face.
We went to another dessert and wine tasting to enjoy the amazing creations from my friend Tida. The stuff her and her partner come up with is seriously delicious and beautiful too! Peter was being good so that meant I got to enjoy his goodies for him. It was really really really enjoyable to be out on a "date" in the company of great friends, enjoying treats and small adult beverages.
I love hanging out with Jess/John and Tida/Jason. Jessica and John are looking to move back to MN to be closer to family. I can completely understand that but will be really sad to have them so far away. We built a great friendship/support system over the past 3 years.
I am completely exhausted and sort of tired of the "routine" you have when you have a 2 month old and a 2 year old. However, tonight I met a couple who had just given birth and lost their baby girl. They learned fairly early in the pregnancy that their daughter had a condition that would be fatal and she would only live for minutes or hours after birth. They continued through the pregnancy knowing this and planning for it. So when their daughter was born, they cherished every second they got with her. They told me in hours and minutes how much time they got with her. I couldn't believe they had experienced such a tragedy weeks ago and were out, spending time with friends, continuing their lives and talking openly and calmly about all this. They were pretty incredible people and their story was very humbling and grounding for me. It was a good reminder of how lucky I am to have Emmalyn. Yes, I'm tired. Yes, I'm stressed. Yes, I'm overwhelmed. But larger than all that, I'm blessed to have my baby girl.
My Emmalyn cuddles and kisses meant more to me that night.
Max got invited to a 2 yr old birthday party for one of the boys in his Kindermusik class. We took a wagon ride to get to the party location. This party was really nice. (I told Peter that just the money they spent for on just the 30 nice gourmet pizzas i.e. not Dominoes or Little Caesars... was more than I would have spent on a party TOTAL.
Max "got" to go on his first pony ride. We made him do it. He was not happy.
I had to stay next to him the entire time. He cried for about half the ride and then sat their silently for the rest.
There was a petting zoo, too!
A little painting time at home.
Found Maxwell cuddle up with his BYU Teddy Bear one night. So sweet.
I took both kids to the library and let Max take a couple extra rides on the elevator.
I have been babying my tomato plants. I was soooo excited when I saw that FINALLY a couple of flowers had turned into fruit. I had 2 tomatoes growing!!! Then, one day Peter comes in after playing with the boys outside and tells me that I'm going to be really mad. I couldn't imagine what he was talking about, but came to learn that they were kicking the soccer ball and Hayden kicked it (accidentally) right into my tomato plant and the two tomatoes were knocked off the plant way before they were ripe. I wasn't mad...things happen. I was sad though. So here are my two tomatoes. They weren't full size yet and far to green to ever ripen up. RIP tomatoes. :( (ARGH!!! Am I ever going to have success with tomatoes in Texas?!)
My two little tomatoes
Our family went to the athletic center and I was going to go swimming with Max while Emmalyn hung out by us and Peter worked out. Well, the pool was closed because it was a thunder storm. I wanted Peter to still be able to work out so we decided to put Max in the child care so that at least he could play and would be bored waiting for Peter to finish. This was the first time we ever have put Max in a child care/day care situation. He was upset and crying but the staff took him and we walked out. I sat in the lobby with Emmalyn just hanging out and enjoying some quiet time.
I wanted to go check on Max and make sure he was okay about 15 minutes later. I didn't want to lug the car seat with me and the child care center was just down the hallway from the lobby. So, I asked this group of teenage boys that were right next to us waiting for their ride if they would watch her for just one minute while I went to check on my son. (Now - here's where I'm semi-irrational. I had to keep reassuring myself that Emmalyn was going to be okay with these teenagers for a few minutes. I had to silence my worries that they would hurt her or take her or let someone else take her. Of course none of these scenarios are rational or likely, but they are possible.) I let them know that they didn't need to do anything but just watch her and she'd be fine. They said yes and I went to check on Max.
He was doing fine (they let him watch TV, of course he was fine). It took me less than 60 seconds to check on him but when I came out of the kids club, I saw these cool, teenage jocks all huddled around the baby. One of them had sat down on the floor in front of her and the rest were all huddled over her cooing at her. It really made me smile. These tough kids had turned into a bunch of softies and were all engrossed in my sweet baby. It was pretty funny. :) As soon as I got back they quickly moved away and went back to being cool.
The teenage boys
Emmalyn just hung out sleeping. She how she was holding in her binky?
Eventually she relaxed her fingers.
Updates on the kids:
Emmalyn -
She now rubs her eyes when she's tired
She has been sleeping for 6 to 7 hours at night but unfortunately the clock on this stretch of time starts between 5 pm and 7 pm. Aside from that she is going 4 hours between nursing.
She is so much fun when she's HAPPY!
After nursing and when she's on her changing table are the magic moments when we get lots of coos and smiles.
She loves to watch her big brother.
She LOVES baths!
Max -
He is enjoying pretend play
He's not the perfectly behaved kid anymore. He struggles to listen (Obey), he hits and screams when Landen invades his space or takes his toys. He cries if he doesn't get his way sometimes and especially when he's tired.
He will see the clean up song when he's cleaning up and is usually good about cleaning up.
He seems so grown up lately - he's bigger, doing more things by himself, is helping out more and talking more.
He still calls his daddy "Peter" more than "Daddy" and is starting to call me "Kallie" more often. - - this continues to bother some of those around us but it doesn't bother us.
Max is really good at talking but struggles with a couple sounds. His "L's" are pronounced as "W's" and instead of saying the "TH" sound, he says "D".
A couple cute things he says - - Instead of saying "slippery" he says "swippity" and "girls" is more like "girruhls". He "cu-can-cumber" for "cucumber" and instead of staying "upside down" he says "upside over"
Max is realizing that words are all over and he can read more than just books. He will read signs and numbers he sees on the road, will read the signs inside and outside of stores, and he will read the numbers and letters off of license plates.
Another week...which means another 5 days where I'm trying to keep things afloat until Peter gets home. Some moments are amazing and then just like that, BAM, things are flipped on their head and I feel like I'm in a nightmare.
I decided that if she was going to catch the HFMD, she would have caught it already so I let Max kiss her again.
He's so cute - after he kisses her he pulls back with a big smile and goes, "Ha Hah!" in a cute high voice. He's really proud of himself for kissing her. :)
Still has some long hair in the back
These two silly boys wanted to pretend they were sleeping. (I think Max is so cute in his big boy underwear plus it makes him look so big!)
We went to lunch at McDonalds with Andrea, S, and little baby C (just 2 months older than Emmalyn). Max, as usual, had zero desire to play on the play place. Sadly, all S wanted was someone to play with her. She kept asking him and he kept saying "No, thank you. I don't want to play," and instead sat there coloring. She eventually gave up and colored too.
Max put the plastic spider he got in his Happy Meal on his sister. YUCK!
Trying to hold that binkie in? You'd think so but this does nothing to keep it in.
We spent too long at McDonald's. I was enjoying being out of the house and getting to visit with Andrea. I should have done a better job of cutting it off and getting home so Max could take a nap. He was so well behaved the whole time and so I just stayed. Then on the way home I felt bad because he fell asleep and Emmalyn was screaming hungry. Bad mom choice. I need to do shorter visits in the future.
Max rolled into the edge of his bed the other day - did you ever known anyone to bruise their ear?
Love that startle reflex
Superhero cousins - Maxwell and Landen
She worked that arm out of her swaddle. This must be way more comfortable. :)
Grocery shopping in the rain meant that Max got to hold the umbrella by himself for the first time.
Some days it just feels like the entire universe is against me...
I was so sleepy this morning that I didn't make Max take his diaper off and go potty. When I finally got around to it, I found this lovely wet spot he left behind. Sigh...the last thing I had energy for is changing the sheets. A sign of how exhausted I was, I was so tired that I decided to just let it go...it would dry after all.
Then I was holding a screaming baby and trying to get Max a breakfast of yogurt and applesauce. My efforts were rewarded by the yogurt slipping out of my hand when I reached for it and splattering all over the floor. Awesomeness. Something else to clean up. Sigh. And I still have a screaming baby and a hungry toddler. (Peter has stated recently that he can't understand why I can't multi-task anymore. Hello - this is exactly why I can't. Stuff like this happens.)
See how bad her acne has gotten? It's spread to her jawline, behind her ear, chin, temples, and forehead.
I left Maxwell with Brittany and took Emmalyn out with me. I needed to get out of the house and feel like I was getting something accomplished. So we hit the baby store for some breast pump supplies.
Then we went to the maternity ward at the hospital to pick up some new tubing for the breast pump and a prescription from my doctor for a new pump (since insurance covers them now, I figured I would get a secondary one that I can just leave at work rather than bring it home every day). Now that I had the new tubing, I started pumping in the morning after nursing to start building up a supply for when I go back to work.
Blue sucker tongue. Max still picks a sucker for him and then a sucker for me after swimming lessons.
We are trying to decide where to send Max to preschool next year so we visited a Montessori school. He was really excited to "go to school" and did a good job of interacting with the teachers (and showing off).
So grateful for this happy boy's spirit - it lightens my heavy days.
She was intently watching something...
...her friend, the ceiling fan. He gets he attention more than anyone else.
Wife, Mom, and Career Woman. Trying to succeed at all three. Enjoy cruising, time with friends and family, and sleeping. Busy life doesn't leave time for as much fun as in the past but that's okay, it's still a good life.
