December Daily : The First of December

Well, I should first mention that it snowed for the first time this year yesterday. Almost always, the first snow (well, flurries) is around my birthday (November 5), but this year it was later. Westen went outside to see if he could make a snowball, but he couldn't. :) It had just flu.rried and a tiny bit stuck to the ground. It was pretty much gone by today. Looks like more is coming, though, and Westen is VERY excited about that.

We started Elf on the Shelf after Thanksgiving for the first time this year too. Today, our elf (Timmy) is perched in above the window in the bathroom. His hiding places so far have been a shelf in the living room, the Christmas tree, our living room lamp, a fake tree we have, and a curtain. Aeson was waving and blowing kisses at Timmy tonight, so Westen had to blow him a kiss too. :)

Westen's enjoyed plugging the Christmas tree in every day. The excitement of helping us put it up wore quickly, and it ended up being Eric and me doing mostly everything! Aeson tried to stick a couple of branches in.

I'm so excited for this month.. I love all the Christmas activities.

We'd planned on watching the Grinch tonight on tv, but it was also my sister's birthday, so we had dinner with them instead!-

Thankfulness Challenge

This year is the second year I've participated in the 30 days of thankfulness challenge. I posted all of mine on facebook, but I want to copy them for here too.

1 & 2 - Yesterday, I was thankful for a brother in law who can fix anything! Today, I'm thankful for the cuddles my baby boy loves to give & being able to be home with them!

3 - Today, I am thankful for my sister. She's the best person ever & I honestly have no idea what I'd do without her!

4 - is thankful for friends

5 - Today I'm thankful for a gift from a daycare kiddo, my momma coming in to help me with them so I could get things ready for tomorrow night, my grandma for the use of her car & getting Aeson to sleep, beautiful flowers, a Sullivan Taylor gift card, visits from multiple people, a short nap, warm tea for my sore throat, a... short break from my kids, dinner & help from my sister & brother-in-law, and most of all hearing from all of YOU! It's definitely made me feel special :)

6 - is thankful for wine! And good friends.. and relaxation! And birthdays :)

7 - is thankful for naps, the extra hour, & lazy days!

8 - Today, I am thankful that our doctor is open to reading things that go against her recommendations and that she still continues to see us and treat us well despite not following her recommendations. She's a nice person, even if we don't agree on everything!

9 - Today, I'm thankful for 70+ degree weather in November!

10 - Today, I'm thankful for my baby nephew & getting to cuddle with him today! I'm so happy they live close & our boys will be able to grow up together! ♥

11 - Today, I'm thankful for our safety thus far.

12 - Today, I'm thankful my husband is such a good Daddy & I don't have to worry about my kids at all with him!

13 - And today, I'm thankful for my warm home! Aeson keeps saying "brrr brrr!" :)

14 - Today, I'm thankful for a vehicle to drive! It's good to get out of the house!

15 - It's the start of an extremely busy week, beginning with Aeson's sono & bloodwork :( ...which today makes me extremely thankful for the Internet-without it, I'm not sure we would have discovered BWS & definitely not as quickly as we did.

16 - Today, I am OH so thankful to Shannon & La Leche League! Without both of them, there is no way I would have the amazing nursing relationship I have with my baby & he would not have gotten the AMAZING benefits he has from being only on momma's milk! Plus, I've learned SO much & met some awesome people!

17 - Today, I'm thankful for things that make me laugh! We elfed ourselves tonight & it was pretty hilarious :)

18 - Today, I am SOOOOOOOO thankful that all of Aeson's results came back normal AGAIN! I was so nervous this time!

19 - Every time I put something I'm thankful for, it makes me feel bad because that means someone else doesn't have that.. So today, I'm thankful for the ability to help others. We cleaned our pantry out for Loaves & Fishes today, and I hope to do even more.

20 - Today, I'm thankful for wonderful in-law's! I couldn't ask for better!

21 - Today, I'm thankful for jobs that provide the money we need!

22 - Today, I'm thankful for both my parents! My mom gives without needing to be asked & my dad is the kind of person I've always looked up to. I love them both VERY much! Both are wonderful grandparents too!

23 - Today, I'm thankful for MUSIC!

24 - Today, I'm super thankful for safe travel, kids who were absolutely wonderful on a 5+ hr drive, & for being able to buy more g dipes in an actual store

25 - Today, I am so so so SO thankful I live where I do! I honestly don't know how people live in big cities... No thank you!

26 & 27 - Yesterday, I was (and always am) thankful I have somebody to talk to regularly... And today, I'm thankful for time with my side of the family & all my favorite foods! Thanksgiving at Mom's tonight & celebrating my sister & brother-in-law's birthdays.

28 & 29 - For yesterday, I'm thankful for compliments from my 4 year old... He told me I'm "hot" LOL! And today, I'm thankful for caffeine!

30 -

I failed! I didn't write anything the last day. I have so, so much to be thankful for, but some days it was hard coming up with something. It's been a pretty rough month. Eric totaled his car. I'm so thankful he was perfectly okay and not hurt at all... but it has created a lot of stress, dealing with insurance and trying to find a car-- more particularly, a car we agree on. Eric's job also continues to be stressful. I do pretty much everything around the house and with the kids, and it's impossible to keep up with it all. Our yard is full of leaves, summer things are still out, cleaning the basement was never finished, our bathroom floor remains half done, the list goes on and on! Plus, it is SO stressful for me each day knowing we have no health insurance, no chance of vacation, no retirement... My job adds into this, because I have none of this either. Taking care of multiple babies is much more stressful than I ever thought it would be too, yet I just feel so strongly that I cannot leave my kids in daycare all day every day. There has to be some solution.

We also spent Thanksgiving in Chicago this year, at Eric's uncle and aunt's house. It was an enjoyable time, with the exception of Thanksgiving Day. Eric and I spent almost all our time following Aeson around so he wouldn't fall down the stairs and trying to keep him from knocking things over, spilling the dog's water, etc. He was pretty fussy and didn't really eat either. I know it was a big change from his day to day life, but it was exhausting for both of us. I worry about my parenting skills as well and of course blame myself for when they behave badly. Anyway, that's a whole other post! We both felt bad later for not spending much time on Westen too, because we spent so much on Aeson.

Moving on, there's a thing that goes around called December Daily. It's basically scrapbooking each day of December, if I understand it correctly. I totally do not have the time for that, but I've always wanted to participate... So I've decided to do my own version! I'm going to try to blog each day.. hopefully with pictures but probably not always. Or maybe I'll add the pictures later or something. It takes too long to connect the camera & upload everything!

Parent Teacher Conference & 15 Month Appt

Wow, it's been almost an entire month since I last wrote!

We had our first parent/teacher conference for Westen in October. I was actually nervous beforehand! Westen's pretty well behaved, but you never know how your child is when they're away from you! Anyway, it went very well! Some comments from the report we were given include...

"plays cooperatively with anyone. More connected to activity than person."
"Westen is kind and a good playmate"
"Westen is eager to please his teachers and well-liked by his classmates. Enjoy!"

She said she has never heard a bad thing about him from any of the other students. She did say he prefers to play on his own more than with the others and then will sometimes be upset that he didn't get to play with whatever the other small groups were doing. He's always played on his own, even as a baby in daycare. I think it's good that he can entertain himself but still get along well with the 'group' too. His teacher was very impressed by his artwork. She gave me a couple of samples and the name of another teacher who gives art lessons. He is amazing. He draws way better than I can!

Mrs. Carlson also said Westen hadn't sung before the Halloween program, but he did that day. She was surprised when he did! I wonder if the music classes we've been taking have helped with that. We started them just a week or two before the Halloween program. He sings the songs around our house but apparently was too shy to try during circle time at school. He would say he had a "broken tongue." :) So creative! He's doing well on all the pre-reading things and will definitely be ready for Kindergarten.

She said he's hesitant to get messy during art activities. She also said she can tell he could be easily bothered by something and could dwell on it, so if he EVER mentions being upset about anything at school to call her right away & she'll reassure him.

Overall, I think he's going to be a lot like his momma! I was very proud of him after the conference. He's such a good, sweet boy.

I love both my boys ages right now. Westen's been telling us to have sweet dreams before bed, and he's an amazing big brother and cousin. He's so caring and helpful towards the babies. Last night, he helped me make vegetable soup and I even let him cut some. We've been singing a "chop chop chippity chop" song in music class, so he was really excited to help out. Until it came to the onion! He was so confused when his eyes started to water. It was pretty humorous. :) He quickly decided he'd let me finish the onion! After I'd finished helping Addy out the door, I came back into the kitchen to find Westen talking out loud. He told me he'd been talking to God. :) He also swears that yesterday during school, when they'd gone over to the church, he heard Jesus talk.

Aeson is also getting so, so big and so smart! He understands so much of what we say now. He'll start the motions to songs I start to sing from music class, and he can do more and more motions all the time. He's using more sign language, saying more words, and making more animal sounds. He had his 15 month checkup on Monday and could do every single one of the milestones on the checklist. He weighed 29lbs, 4oz and was 33 1/4 inches long. In the 94th percentile for both. His growth did slow down over this last 3 month period. He's definitely more active now! He really never stops moving unless it's to nurse. We have to get his usual sonogram and bloodwork done next Monday. I dread that every time. They'll re-check his iron as well, and I'm hoping that's better so we can do without the supplements.

Aeson's also always so happy these days. He thinks everything is funny and has a wide-mouthed fake-sounding little laugh that's absolutely adorable. I can't even express how much I love being home with both my boys & being blessed enough to not miss out on a minute of their lives!

Alligator Hunter

Westen has said some very funny things this week! First, he told me that I'm the "bestest and cutest momma." :) Then last night, he told me my belly button looks "old" LOL.. and that my tummy is "squishy." He said it's not fat but then asked if having a baby made me fat! Oh kids. :) How honest they are! Today, he said he's going to be an "alligator hunter" when he's big. He also said he was going to marry his friend Calla, then asked me if that was ok. I told him if it was okay with her, so he asked her and she shook her shoulders.. Westen then said, "I think that means yes!" He says the funniest & sweetest things.

I think I've forgotten to write that for some time now Aeson says "What's that?" to EVERYTHING. Lately, especially when he's nursing, he'll go back and forth among all the parts that make up the face and "milk." He's also been signing "all done" after every meal! Acey's also been pointing to everything and everywhere. He'll even point to the bedroom and have us follow him when he's tired! And he knows what I mean when I say "potty" or "bath" and will go to the bathroom door.

I love both their ages right now!

It's been a really good week here. I love being busy and being OUT of the home. We were gone all day Monday. Tuesday got a little boring, especially since it rained some and we were unable to get outside. Wednesday, I did some baking in the morning and then we had Calla in the afternoon, so I also got to talk to her mom. Thursday was our usual "Mommy" playgroup. I'm so glad I've made a couple of new friends and we continue to get together every week. It's SO nice to have company. Today has been very busy.. I got Westen ready for school & then he went outside to play.. I told him to stay out of the dirt, but of course he didn't, so he had to change completely & I had to get him cleaned up. I made a new recipe for lunch & then we went to pick Calla up before preschool, the babies napped, and then we played outside. This time while we were outside, Aeson was the one to get in the dirt, so after letting him play for a while, I had to completely change HIM and clean him up!

We've got lots of plans this weekend. I think we're going to go pick out our pumpkins and we have a birthday party on Sunday. Monday, we're taking a trip to the fire house with Westen's class & our music classes start. We signed both the boys up for family music classes at the local college. I'm sure it will be fun!

Co-sleeping

My little Ace is getting SO big! He's really turning into a little boy. And Westen's really turning into an older child!

Two nights ago, we decided to try Aeson in his crib. He gets so restless in the early mornings and ends up kicking us and waking us up off and on, so we thought he might like having more room to himself. I rocked (and nursed) him to sleep the first night.. It took over a half hour to get him to go to sleep! He was definitely tired, but I think it was the different surroundings that kept him from going to sleep. He ended up sleeping from 8:30-10:30 and when he woke up fussing, we brought him to bed with us. We both missed having him there! Last night, he was VERY tired well before any of us were, so I once again rocked him to sleep. This time, it only took about 10 minutes or so & he ended up sleeping from 8-midnight in there! I thought that was really good. He nurses a lot at night, so I think he's used to waking up to eat. He slept with us the rest of the night, but I think he'd be easy to get back to sleep if we tried that too. Such a big boy!

Westen, on the other hand, has NOT been wanting to sleep in his bed! Ever since we got our kitten, he's been too scared to sleep in there. I think the cat playing in the dark would scare him. Now, our cat is missing (and I doubt will be coming back at this point..) so we need to start working on that too.

I think next time, we'll want to try transitioning to the crib earlier. Who knows, though.. I'm not in any hurry for them to grow up! I co-slept with Westen in the first couple of months but soon had him in his own bed. He took a bottle, was easy to put to sleep, and slept all night by the time I even went back to work. I, however, did not have a successful nursing relationship with him, so I think that had a big impact on things. Aeson has always nursed (and had no bottles since I began staying home), so co-sleeping makes that MUCH easier. Neither of us mind him sleeping with us, and he's NEVER slept through the night, so once again- much easier! However, with trying to rock him and lift him over his crib, I realize it would've been much easier when he was smaller. I still don't mind, though. I know I will miss these times! I barely remember Westen being that young. I also hope to pump and use more bottles next time, because Aeson's pretty much reliant on me for everything. I love him tons, though, and LOVE the closeness we share!

Fall

I love fall! I can't believe I forgot to write about us going to Tanner's Orchard a few weeks ago. It was quite a drive, but it was a lot of fun. We went apple picking for the first time and everyone loved that. We brought home LOTS of apples and everybody ate some along the way. Even Aeson, who had never had a whole apple before, started biting into one and did just fine with it! They had a little shop where you could taste all sorts of yummy things. We brought home some apple cider, cider doughnuts, and fudge. The kids got to feed farm animals, ride on ponies, and play on the playground.

We've had our house decorated for quite some time already. Westen was very anxious to do it (and as I said, I love fall & Halloween), so we let him. He's painted a pumpkin, but we haven't picked out any to carve yet. I think we may do that this coming weekend. Yesterday, we had to go to Quincy, so we stopped at an orchard there and got some more cider & apples. I also let Westen pick out a craft project at the store yesterday, so last night we all sat down & made a spiderweb and spider to go on it. Westen says he wants to go to the haunted corn maze this year, so I think we'll try but we'll see how he does!

Both kids have been able to ride on the combine with Dad this year. Both love it! Westen asks lots of questions and Aeson just lays back on me and takes it all in! I figured he'd be into everything but it was actually the opposite.. He was very relaxed.

Pottying Aeson has been going pretty well. It makes me very happy when he goes in the potty! We're not pushing him or doing it full-time or anything, but this way, he can get used to it and he seems to like it. He'd only gone pee until last night. This is the first time I've done it this early, so it's a learning process for both of us!

I went through Aeson's drawers this morning.. It seems like I have to do that monthly. He grows so fast. He's really turning into quite the little boy. He LOVES music too. Anytime he hears any type of music, he'll instantly stop what he's doing and either watch or start dancing and/or singing himself. I think he's going to be musical!

Finally, we got some good news a couple weeks ago.. My sister & her family are moving back! We're beyond thrilled & I can't WAIT to have them back.

Climber & EC

There's my little climber! He will not stay away from the oven! So far, he does seem to notice when it's on and warm & he hasn't really tried to mess with it then.. But I'm always right there too & telling him no, hot! Otherwise, he likes climbing on it several times a day. One day I was holding it closed and so he angrily opened the drawer there next to it and attempted to pull himself up.. He did a full pull up! He's one strong little man. We tried to find an oven lock but haven't yet. He also sees his brother use his step stool all the time, so he thinks he has to as well! He actually uses it very well!

Courtesy of wikipedia: Elimination communication (EC) is a toilet training practice in which a caregiver uses timing, signals, cues, and intuition to address an infant's need to eliminate waste. Caregivers try to recognize and respond to babies' bodily needs and enable them to urinate and defecate in an appropriate place (e.g. a toilet). Caregivers either use diapers as a back-up in case of misses, avoid the use of them altogether, or do a mixture of the two. EC emphasizes communication between the caregiver and child, helping them both become more attuned to the child's innate rhythms and control of urination and defecation. The practice can be done full time, part time, or just occasionally. The term "elimination communication" was inspired by traditional practices of diaper-less baby care in less industrialized countries and hunter-gatherer cultures.^[1] Some practitioners of EC begin soon after birth, although it can be started with babies of any age.

This week, I began semi using elimination communication. Aeson hates to have diapers on & will take them off any chance he gets. I also figure since I'm home, I may as well be working on it with him! And, I see this as the more natural thing.. Diapers don't seem that way for me. Plus, I get tired of washing diapers all the time & I don't want him to get used to always going in them, which will in turn make potty training harder! I'm not trying it all the time yet or anything like that.. It's too hard with other children here or when we go out places.. but I say it's still a start! I thought it was rather fun too. I haven't picked up on any signal or cue that he's going to go potty but once he started, I stuck the bucket under him and he LOVED peeing in it! He actually stopped himself pretty much every time (when I gasped, realizing he was going!) and then started again once the bowl was under him. Once, he's even pointed to the bowl & when I got it, he went! He was pretty proud of himself for pottying in there. He also LOVES to sit on the toilet.. but the problem is, he just wants to sit there! And sit there & sit there & sit there! :) He's made a few messes but luckily we have hardwood floors & it's an easy cleanup. I hope I continue to find time to work on it with him. I think it's a pretty amazing practice!

Well, I hear my little bundle up right now, so I better go cuddle him & give him some milk!