Let the crying begin......

I've been reading this book about getting your kids to sleep (well) called, Healthy Habits, Happy Children, and it says that until 9 months babies may still get up to eat once or twice during the night. It says that is OK as long as it's been at least four hours since the last feeding. So, I decided to hang in there until Henry was nine months old. At least, until last night. Henry has been sleeping horribly and he seems to feel better so I'm not sure why. Last night, he nursed and went to bed at 11 pm and by 1 AM he was screaming. I decided that I was NOT going in. I was too tired. Eddie tried to give him his pacifier once and it only made him scream louder, so we let him cry. I turned the light on and started reading while he cried. My mom came out of her room. But, I held strong. MUST HAVE SLEEP! And, after 30 minutes of crying he fell back asleep and didn't wake again to eat until 5 AM. I think that's success. And, I'm happy he only cried 30 minutes. Yahoo! We'll see how tonight goes.

Last Day of School

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Owen's last day of first grade was Tuesday this past week. What a year he's had. Have I mentioned (just a time or two, right?) how phenomenal his teacher was? We were so lucky! He learned so much in first grade. He now can do 100 math facts in 10 minutes. He's started learning multiplication and division. He's writing how to stories and journals. He learned vulgar cheerleading songs about girls w/ sexy legs. And, he brought home many phone numbers and "I love you" notes. Oh...and he's a bit of a wise guy know it all. You take the good w/ the bad, I guess. On his way out of class the teacher lined everyone up and said goodbye one by one to them. I was there watching, because I always take the boys out to lunch (their pick...he picked Chili's) on the last day of school. As she said goodbye to each student she also said a little comment, such as "have a great summer." or "don't forget to practice your reading." When she got to Owen she said, "Owen, I just know you are going to do great things." Owen puzzled over that a bit as we left. "What do you think she meant, mom?" No idea...but I'm fairly certain she wasn't referring to soccer. The world is your oyster, kid.

First day of First Grade

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This was Owen's first day of school last September. I can't believe how much he's changed in 9 short months!

Grandma's here!

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Grandma arrived Saturday, the day before Henry's baptism. The boys (and I) are over the moon. She hasn't seen Henry since March (he's grown a bit since then :)). Toni and Tyla were still here awaiting Henry's baptism, so we all got to hang out. It was super fun! And....due to delays w/ her airplane, Toni and Tyla got to stay another day. Yeah!

Henry's Baptism

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Henry was baptized Sunday at our church, Liverpool First United Methodist Church. It was a beautiful ceremony. I was a little sad because although Toni (his Godmother) and my mom were there, I was really missing the rest of my family. But, I wanted to have him baptized in our church and we were surrounded by our church family, so it was OK. The gown he's wearing has been worn by all my boys. My mom made it from her wedding dress. I absolutely adore it and I'm so thankful to have such a special heirloom that will be passed down for generations. Doesn't he look absolutely cherubic?

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Doesn't the light make this photo look positively heavenly? And, you can see the Sacrament of Baptism w/ his name on it.

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Henry and his Godmother, Toni. His Godfather, my brother, Brian, couldn't make it.

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Grandma and Henry

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During the ceremony

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Back to the doctor...

After screaming all night long, I decided I better take Henry back to the doctor (he also has a runny nose and a cough), and sure enough ANOTHER bilateral ear infection. We were JUST at the doctor 6 days ago after the last ear infection and his ears were beautiful. This marks his 7th ear infection in his short 7 months and a referral to the ENT.

We got out!

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Toni and I were able to escape (by ourselves) on Friday night after getting her little one, Tyla, to bed. We met up w/ some of my friends at Ruby Tuesday. We shut the place down. Lots of fun....

The rest of the gang..

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Stephanie Cramer, Sheila Spindler, and Kim Taffner

Strawberry Picking

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We went strawberry picking at Abbott's Farm yesterday. It's a little interesting, because my boys don't like strawberries (and, believe it or not...I don't much either!) but it's still fun to do. We came home w/ a nice bowl of strawberries. We ran into someone from Owen's soccer team there who picked 63 dollars worth of strawberries. WHOA! Strawberry jelly, strawberry jam, strawberry shortcake, strawberry pie.......

Yum!

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Tyla sneaks a quick bite of a juicy strawberry.

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Henry would not stay in my sling yesterday. He kept leaning forward, trying to get out.

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Toni and Tyla are HERE!

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Yeah! We are having so much fun! Tyla is running around and keeping the big boys busy. Owen thinks she's awfully cute, but Emmett is starting to tease her. Stinker!
Toni is such a wonderful friend. We have done NOTHING!, but sit and chat and run to the grocery store but it is SO much fun!

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I'm enjoying my time w/ Toni and Tyla! More pictures soon!

No better!

Rough night again last night, and the day isn't going much better. Henry has been awake since 6:30 this AM (it's 1:15 now) and refuses to nap. This completely foils my plans, because I was going to clean this AM and go to the store after he woke up, because this PM we are picking Toni and Tyla up from the airport. YEAH! So...now the house won't be clean and we won't have any groceries. Oh well, we'll have each other :). It's been two years, so we have LOTS of catching up to do! And, as an added bonus, her kids have always slept well. So, I'm going to have her observe our situation and HELP US! Some of you suggested that it might be his ears. And, this is possible, but he is on his second set of antibiotics for his ear infection and he acts much happier. But, we go back to the pediatrician on Thursday so I'll know better then.

OMG!

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Henry has completely (I mean, COMPLETELY) stopped sleeping! He went to bed at 8:30 last night and was up by 1130. We let him cry about a half hour, went in to put his pacificer in his mouth...no go. Finally, I tried feeding him. He fell asleep. The second we laid him down, he started screaming again. So, we got him up. And, he played and played and played in our bed while we slept on each side of him. Not sure how long that lasted, but at least until 12:30/1:00. At which point he went back to bed and slept until 4:30. I fed him and he slept until 6. Then, up for the day. This would be bad enough, but it's even worse because he wouldn't nap today either! Every time I laid him down, he screamed! UGH!!!!! What is this about????
I think it might have something to do w/ his new "trick" ...sitting up! He loves sitting up and will sit and look at toys for a long time. It's funny, because it's the same toys he had when he could only lie down, but now they apparently look different, because he is MUCH more interested in them. So, maybe he doesn't want to sleep because he is so excited about his new talent. Who knows. Suggestions?? I need advice!

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He doesn't look like he could possibly cause this much trouble, does he?

Midnight last night...

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Sorry this is so dark. Next time I'll turn the light on before I video.

See the entry below....

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Father's Day

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Happy Father's Day to all the daddies out there. If you are half as wonderful as my dad and husband, then our children's future is pretty bright. My fab father is always true to his word. I know that what he says he means. He read me Shakespeare at night through high school, and explained what was going on to me. How many dad's do that? I can call him at any hour and he's ready to chat w/ me. (and I often do...on my way home from work at crazy hours). He's the most honest person I know. He always does what's right.
My husband lights up when he sees his kids. He genuinely, truly loves every minute he spends with them. He never complains. He plays endless board games and soccer games with them. He reads to them. He swings with Emmett any time he asks. He could stand and hold Henry all day long. He has fun w/ me. He's never stressed (unlike me), and he laughs with them constantly. He gets up in the middle of the night with the boys. He lets me sleep in. He's always thinking and questioning the way he does things. He wants to be the best dad around (I think he's already done that). I'm so lucky.
We went to a father's day picnic at a friend's house today with lots of great friends, great dads, great food, great weather, and great fun. Perfect day.

Why do we bother?

We got up this AM and went to church. It's been a while (I think since Mother's Day). With me working a lot of weekends and being EXHAUSTED the ones I'm not, we've had lots of trouble getting there since Henry arrived. Last year I taught Sunday School and we missed very few...this year, different story. Anyway, halfway to church this AM we realized we had forgotten the diaper bag, which shouldn't be that big of a deal. It's only an hour service after all, but we were going to the store after. Couple that w/ the fact that Henry has been pooping constantly (because of his antibiotics) and has a super ouchie diaper rash. Sure enough, he pooped shortly after arriving. Eddie left to get the diaper bag. I spent most of the remaining service standing in the book while Henry was reaching, grabbing, and jabbering over and over and over. I think he ate a total of two bulletins, one leafet, and one collection envelope. He tried a hymnal too, but decided against it. UGH! I don't want to put him in the nursery and expose him to all those germs, with his tendency to get sick. Eddie and I might have to take turns taking the boys to Sunday School. And, I'm beginning to think we might be in trouble when Henry becomes mobile. He's constant motion in our arms these days.

All night cafe

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I think I'm officially to the point where I could let Henry cry at night without feeling guilty. I'm SO tired and there's just no reason he should be getting up as often as he does. Case in point, last night: fed at 9:30 PM, fed at 1230 AM, up at 2 AM, up at 3:30 AM, and fed at 5:30 AM. I AM DONE! He gets one more week (just in case he still doesn't feel 100%), but then his goose is cooked. The all night cafe is closed.

Banana Baby

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After many repeated efforts, Henry is still not a fan of baby food. Anyone else have this problem? He doesn't mind baby cereal (although, I wouldn't say he's thrilled w/ it), but if I mix it w/ any baby food he's done. Recently, I've been cooking vegetables (not a fan) and trying different fruits. He seems to think bananas are OK. Suggestions?

Good Morning!

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Late night company

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Our big boys have been joining us in our room around 1 AM every night. Emmett climbs in the bed between us, and Owen climbs into his sleeping bag on the floor between our bed and the well. Check out this photo of him sleeping. That can't possibly be comfortable!

Good afternoon

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We're doing a little better here today. After a ROUGH night, Henry seems to be feeling better and has taken two long naps.

Sick, again!

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I had to go in for a quick meeting at work this AM and while there my babysitter called and said she couldn't get Henry to calm down...that he would not stop crying. This is so unlike him (Emmett as an infant, yes. Henry, no). When I got home, I took one look at him and knew he was sicker again. So, back to the pediatrician. She said that he has an ear infection now in the other ear (that was clear yesterday) and it's really ugly. More antibiotics, please....
T, I promise we'll be healthy while you are here :)

Feeling much better!

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Henry slept from 7 pm - 5 AM last night, which sounds wonderful, right? It would be except for the fact that my boobs were on the verge of exploding and I had to get up in the middle of the night and pump! UGH! We took Henry back to the pediatrician today for a follow up visit and his lungs sound better, but his ear is still bad and so we are starting round 2 of antibiotics. The good news is he has gained 10 ounces in the last four days. Over the past 6 weeks he has only gained one pound, so this is a huge weight gain. This is even more impressive, because he is hardly nursing and he wants nothing to do w/ baby food. He must be get something. :)

OMG!

I'm thinking about having an IUD put in and because our insurance doesn't cover them my OB said he would waive the doctor's visit. Pretty good deal, eh? NO! Even w/ the waived OB visit the whole sha-bang costs $767.00! OMG! I suppose it would still be cheaper than many years of birth control pill co-pays (it stays in for 10 years), but if we decided to have another baby in two years it would definetely not be worth it!

Our week in review

Sorry for the super long delay of posts. It has been a really hectic week. Check out the bazillion posts below this to see what we have been up to!

Laurie Berkner ROCKS!

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Today was the Laurie Berkner concert and it was SUPER FUN! It was in an outdoor ampitheatre near Rochester, NY (it brought back memories of Riverport for those of you from St. Louis). We had great seats, the weather was wonderful, and it was an all around super fun time. Eddie and I debated the whole ride home whether we enjoyed this concert or the Wiggles more. Tough.

One cool kid

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It's tragic really...Owen is now "too cool" to enjoy all the things he should. It sucks! He LOVES Laurie Berkner and has forever talked about wanting to sing w/ the Laurie Berkner band (he even wrote that in his bio for Christmas Carol), but he was too cool to get up and sing and dance w/ the rest of us. He went down to the pit w/ us briefly just to see it, but then resumed his seat. Don't let him fool you...he certainly enjoyed himself. He sang along to every song and even did some foot tapping, but he wouldn't sing or dance like no one was watching. Sad.

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We went to the concert w/ our good friends, The Spindlers. In this picture is Emmett, Keaton and Carson Spindler w/ the stuffed animals they brought for the Pig on Your Head song.

We love you, Laurie!

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The pit

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Emmett and I (and Keaton Spindler to the left) watching Laurie perform from "the pit".

Slinging...

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My new fave way to carry Henry. This sling was WONDERFUL when Henry wasn't feeling good on Thursday and Friday. I held him all day in this and he even slept tucked in it.

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Henry really enjoyed the show....slept through the whole thing!

Laurie Berkner song: Pig on my head

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Henry's got a dog on his head. Henry's got a dog on his head. Henry's got a dog on his head, he keeps it there all day......

Sick Baby

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at Emmett's graduation. Henry got sick the night before Emmett's graduation (Tuesday). High fever, cough, runny nose, etc. By Thursday, his breathing was more labored he was throwing up and having diarrhea. He has bronchitis and another ear infection (his fourth). We are nebbing him three times a day, plus she put him on an oral sterioid and antibiotic. She threatened that if he wasn't better by Friday, she would send us back to the hospital. Thankfully, he seemed to improve. Today (Sunday) he seems on the upswing but is super irritable and not sleeping or eating well. The inhaled and oral steroids I think are contributing to his disposition (poor baby). Interestingly, he had only gained 2 ounces since his 6 month check up two weeks ago. She wasn't concerned, so I guess I won't be either....

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The last day of Emmett's school was spent at the park where Emmett collected caterpillars (see the entry below).

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Peek - a - boo

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Marching...

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We marched in the annual Bville Memorial Day parade w/ Emmett's school for the third year in a row. I bought 11 pounds of candy and the kids LOVE to throw it out. Long walk, but a lot of fun. Eddie looks thrilled, doesn't he?

My (sort of) preschool graduate

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Emmett participated in preschool graduation on Wednesday, although he didn't technically graduate since he is going to go to preschool for one more year. It's just occured to him that everyone else in his class is going to kindergarten and I tried to explain it to him by saying that everyone else in his class is already 5, and he won't be five until September. At which point he said to me, Tristan is still 4 1/2 and he won't be five until September either." OOPS! The kid is too smart for his own good. I do feel for him, though, he says he wants to go to kindergarten. I met w/ his preschool teachers again just to double check on his "social" progresss since his last report card in January. His report card was 100 percent improved and his teachers said that he was doing so much better: playing w/ all the kids now, participating, being more independent. I'm so glad to hear that. I'm checking that off my list of things to worry about :)

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Owen and Emmett

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Emmett and his other best buddy, Jadyn Kantak. She is the only other one in his class returning next year.

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Emmett and his wonderful teachers, Mrs. Cooper (left) and Mrs. McCard (right). Mrs. McCard was also his teacher last year and Mrs. Cooper will be his teacher again next year.

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Still not doing the motions....maybe next year. To the right of him (in purple) is his good buddy, Corrie Youker.

Who knew..

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caterpillars were so hardy? Emmett found these 12 caterpillars at the park and they are still alive today! 8 days later! I was seriously hoping that they would meet their demise many days before since Emmett carries them everywhere and sleeps next to them at night. GAG! We can't let them go, because they're the kind of caterpillars that eat trees. That's all we need.....
Good-bye caterpillars. Go towards the light.......

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Eddie in his soccer uniform. Doesn't he look tough? tee hee..

First Game

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Eddie had his first soccer game, and he was like a kid in the candy store. His first game just happened to coincide w/ Emmett's preschool graduation...which he tried unsuccessfully to get out of going to by saying that Emmett is not technically graduating from preschool this year...he has one year left. Very true. But he still went at halftime. They won their first game by some crazy score...15 to 1 or something like that. They (meaning Eddie's co-partner in crime, the assistant brew master, Charlie) have strategically asked some soccer pros to play on their team, and shockingly four of them have said yes. Two of them were there tonight....the African-American man, Freddie, and the guy across form him, Jon. Eddie and Charlie know these two men (well...they're really still boys! In their young 20's...remember those days?) , because they coach Owen's select soccer team. Anyway, I think the soccer pros have agreed to play on their team simply because of the promise of free beer. Since a lot of the guys on the team are AB folk, there is always a cooler full at both practices and games. It's amusing to watch. These soccer pros are so exceptionally good that they look like they're half playing....toying around w/ everyone else. Although, Jon got his foot on the ball for a long kick at one point, and I tell you, he came real close to taking Eddie's head off. WOW! can they kick! The big test is this Wednesday when they play what has been historically the number one team in the league...Soccer Central. Stay tuned.

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Grandma Jan and Aunt Keri visited