We love our Uncle Laef

Marc's long time friend Laef (whom we have dubbed Uncle Laef) stayed the night at our house on his way to Kansas, where he will stay for a few months before heading to Thailand to teach English. After feasting on some yummy grilled steak Laef was gracious enough to play 'froggy vs. the triceratops' with Rachel. Rachel just loves Laef. When I told her that he was here we opened the door and she ran out onto the porch where she gave him the biggest hug and immediately enlisted him as her sole playmate. After putting the kids to bed we had a rousing game of 'Settlers of Catan' and of course I won. This morning we had a lazy start, picked vegetables in our garden and Benjamin was able to have some bonding time with Uncle Laef too (when he wasn't playing with Rachel). Thanks Laef for entertaining Rachel and good luck in Thailand, we sure will miss you!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 25 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Elizabeth Yanz = 1
Marc Anson = 2
Rachel Anson = 7
Benjamin Anson = 7

Circle Time

Blue's Clues fans (or parents of Blue's Clues fans) will appreciate this one.

These are just cute pictures of the kids I've taken lately. This is his first day fitting into his newborn hat. Benjamin is such a happy boy! Don't you just love his smiles?

It's done

I did it!Benjamin is officially in Rachel's room. So I guess now it's not Rachel's room it's the kid's room. I decided to forget the pack-n-play in the play room idea and just jump right into him being in the same room. I was a little nervous but I didn't need to be. Since Rachel has been back on her Asthma medicine she is finally sleeping through the night again I figured it would be okay to try it out. Well I'm pleased to report:

1. It's officially been 3 nights that they have shared a room.
2. I can hear Benjamin just fine when he decides he is hungry and wants to eat.
3. Rachel sleeps through anything Benjamin can dish out.
4. Marc will sometimes get up and bring him into me. (so now he is more involved in the process)
5. I'm getting more rest now than I was when he was in the room.


As a side note: I just got a call from the Allergist while I was typing this and they went over the blood test results with me. Rachel's casine levels (milk intolerance levels) were borderline high for having a milk intolerance too. To show that you have an intolerence, your bood work needs to come back with at least a .10 to the thing (milk in our case) and Rachel's came back as a .14. So we are to stay on the soy and not re-introduce milk into her diet. On March 26 we will go back in to re-test her her for the egg and milk allergy/intolerance and redo the asthma testing so we can know the severity of her asthma. Crazy! Who would have thought my little girl would have so many things to worry about at such a young age.

Benjamin vs. the Ball

My mom has been quick to remind me that there have been no recent pictures of Benjamin. And she is right. Are we already starting the second child syndrome? - Not as many pictures as the first child? I hope not!! But all the same we do need a Benjamin update. He is growing fast and it feels like he has always been a part of our family. The other night we were trying to remember what it was like when it was just the 3 of us. Some of his new favorite things to do are: grab toys and bring them to his mouth, chew and suck on his fist/fingers, sit on my lap at the dinner table (he no longer likes being in the swing next to us when we eat...he just has to see what's going on), looking out the window, being outside and batting at the ball on his activity mat. He is such a cutie and his smile is just the best. He's really good at holding his head up and tries to sit up sometimes too. I was planning on putting him in Rachel's room, I even got the crib moved in there, then he got sick with a cold. So I kept him in our room in the pack-n-play for a little longer but now that he's all better I will be transitioning him into the play room for a week to see how it goes. If all goes as planned he should be in Rachel's room in a couple weeks. And yes he still has all of that hair!

My super-duper-uper-shmuper big girl

As some of you may have been aware Rachel has been showing signs of Asthma and Allergies; so our pediatrician made a referral to a specialist so we could determine what was going on. Today was that day. I knew that it would be a rough day so I had enlisted a friend to watch Benjamin so my full attention could be on Rachel. As a side note, it was kind of hard for me to leave him. Not that I don't trust my friend, it's just that I almost felt guilty for not wanting him there. I don't know how mom's can drop off their little kids at a day care...that would be so hard for me. So back to the appointment. We visited with the specialist for a little while and then she ordered some tests. First they wanted her try a machine that measures your breathing, but Rachel was a nervous about that so we have to come back in 6 months to try it again; then we will know if we need a nebulizer. Then came the skin pricks on the back. They tested her for so many things from pollen, to food. I've never seen anything like this done before and it was quite fascinating. First they mark up your back with little rows of dots, then they put the allergen next to the dots then scratch it into the skin. I was a little nervous but Rachel did great. She sat there eating her snack and watching cartoons the entire time. After the allotted time they checked her back and noticed that she only had reactions to eggs (white and the yolk). I was a little surprised. I thought for sure she would be covered in hives. The doctor came back in and discussed with me the findings and ordered several blood tests be done to determine a milk intolerance and a few other things. She said that egg allergies and asthma typically come in pairs so she gave us a prescription for Singular (which is used for mild asthma in 2 year olds-she was on it and we have found major improvements in her symptoms while she was on it). So basically every time my daughter eats anything with egg protein she is having an asthma and allergy attack-who knew that's what all the coughing and vomiting was all about. So after drawing three tubes of blood with no tears (they even gave her that cute zebra in the picture becuase she did so great), making an appointment 5 weeks and 6 months from now and leaving with a big old folder of information we are now home and I get to learn how to cook without eggs. Fun for me!! Library here I come.

Things I've learned today

1. Canning with 2 children 2 and under is like conducting a 3 ring circus; hard but not impossible

2. Peaches go a long way in canning. (I ran out of jars)

3. Peaches are actually very easy to can.

4. Salsa is a lot of work, not as hard as I thought, but still a lot of work.

5. Zucchini in salsa doesn't change the taste, it just makes it chunkier.

6. When cutting hot peppers make sure you have gloves. If you forgot to grab them when you are at the store...by all means take the time to get them.

7. The oil from 7 jalapenos and 1 banana pepper on your bare skin really burns bad.

8. Washing your hands with salt, baking soda, milk, soap, or rubbing alcohol to get the oil off, stops the burning for a few minutes.

9. The only thing that stopped the burning was burn relief with Lidocain.

10. Even 2 year olds can help you, just be prepared for a larger mess than you wanted.

Pajama-naut

The other night we watched a Blue's Clues where Steve becomes a Pajama-naut and flies into space where he learns about why there is night and day. Tonight out of nowhere Rachel became one too...what an imagination and a memory.

Oh the joy of pudding....

We decided to have pudding tonight as a FHE snack. I thought I was being a smart mom - we cleaned up toys, had a bath and put on nice clean PJ's for bed. Then we went downstairs to have our chocolate pudding. I thought it was a great idea...you know stick to the routine...until I looked at her and the carpet. What was I thinking?! Now we have chocolate stains on the carpet and on her PJ's. But how can I be upset at her, it was my fault for thinking a 2 year old could eat chocolate pudding neatly. I guess that's how you become a 'seasoned' parent.

The new stroller

I bought the stroller yesterday morning and this afternoon at 3:30 p.m. our special delivery came...fast service if you ask me. Rachel was so excited to see the new stroller that we just HAD to go for a walk RIGHT NOW! Period no exceptions. So I put the stroller together, then we had a quick dinner and went for a good 2 mile walk. It was great! I loved being able to take the kids for a walk and get some excercise. Rachel thought the new stroller was the coolest thing and Benjamin enjoyed it too...the part he was awake for. What do you think?

Up-date

So I've moved his crib in Rachel's room across from her bed. This week he will be sleeping in the pack and play in the play room which is adjacent to her bedroom. Then if all goes well he will move back into the crib. I actually feel a little guilty now having him out of the room especially when he smiles really big when he sees me. I kind of miss him sleeping next to me in the crib...but I don't miss the crib being in our uper-super tiny bedroom. I feel like I have some breathing room finally!

Another big change for Rachel (besides sharing her room soon) is that she has been 'broken' of the nook. We knew she could sleep without it but we weren't going to rush things. Then conveniently on Tuesday she lost her nook. (I seriously can't find it anywhere-no little white lie) When she asked for it at bed time we told her it was lost and we couldn't find it. I asked if she could try sleeping without it and she said ya. I told her we would look for it the next day when it was light out and I did, I tore her bedroom, playroom and our room apart looking for it. But I couldn't find it anywhere. She asked for it at nap time and I told her I couldn't find it. Well to make a long 3 days short she has gone to bed and down for naps with NO nook just fine and has slept all night long!! WAHOO!!!!! So now that that is done, we have sharing a room transition and then potty training!! One big change at a time.

Oh and I broke down and bought a double stroller so I can get some excercise and save gas. I got a killer deal on it and it's being shipped to my house for free. I'm so excited!!

Advice

Here's a question for all the mothers out there: When do you move the new baby into the same room as the older kid? Assuming your kids have to share a room like ours do. I've heard that you should do it right from the get go so the older child gets used to all the noise. I've also heard when they are only eating once a night. Then I've heard when they are sleeping the whole night, which makes sense. But what if your new baby doesn't sleep through the night until they are like 1 or older? Do you really keep them in the room with you?

I'm about ready to move Benjamin into Rachel's room because I'm tired of having the crib in our uper-super tiny bedroom. He usually wakes up only 1 time a night to eat now and then both Rachel and Benjamin get up at 6:30 when Marc leaves. My only concern is that he would wake up Rachel and then we would have to deal with her waking up in the middle of the night again (BTW: she is just now sleeping through the night with the occasional sleep walking). I'm also worried that maybe I wouldn't hear him when he did wake up then we would all be up. Am I just being selfish in wanting the crib out of our room and I should just deal with it longer? Any thoughts on the subject would be great as I'm the first time mom of two and really don't know what I"m doing.

Game Night

Tonight we decided to try games with Rachel. It was her first time ever playing a board game and she actually did very well, considering they were for 3 and up (Candyland) and 7 and up (Connect Four). During Candyland she seemed a little confused at times but did very well at telling us the colors and finding them on the board. When we were done playing we asked her if she liked it...her response "put game away."
Now Connect Four on the other had she loved a ton. She and Marc must have 'played' at least 4 games. She just loved putting the 'wheels' in and watching them drop to the bottom. Not that she ever got the concept of needing to get 4 in a row but we think she learned about taking turns, which is a good start.

Fruits of our labor and the hidden Zucchini

Our garden has been very fruit full this year and it's been wonderful!! I've been able to can (so far) 7 jars of tomatoes, freeze bags of corn, zucchini and green beans and I even attempted pickles with our many cucumbers (8 jars). The pickles are not your Vlasic's but they are edible.
At least every other day I come into the house with a bucketful of goodies. We have so many goodies coming out of our ears that we decided to share the wealth with our neighbors. They haven't complained yet.

And this zucchini (the one in the background) was hidden underneath all of the foliage for I don't know how long. I found it yesterday and it must weigh a good 5 lbs at least...it's massive! The one in the front is of a normal zucchini just for size comparison. What's the world record for the largest zucchini?

Happy Birthday to me!

Today is my 20 something Birthday...we'll just leave it at that. The important people out there know how old I really am and that's all that matters. We went to Marc's parents for Labor Day weekend and my birthday. Monday was crazy, it was cold and rainy so we didn't get to go to the parade with the cousins. Instead we decided to go to the dollar theater and watch Kungfu Panda with all the cousins...which is exactly what everyone else and their mother's, brother's, uncle decided to do that day. It was CRAZY! After finding out the movie was sold out for the time we wanted we got later tickets, for 4 hours later! Trying to entertain the kids we looked at a few stores in the mall, bought some soft pretzels and threw pennies into the indoor waterfall. The kids had fun but we still had 2 hours until the movie. After running out of ideas we went back to Marc's parents for a few hours. When we got there poor dad was so sick, so we helped him out a bit before heading back to the theater. After waiting in line for 20 min to get into the theater Rachel decided to throw a tantrum half way through the movie because she wanted chocolate Teddie Grahams and I only had cinnamon. So Marc and I grabbed all of our stuff and went back to mom and dad's...again. (What we saw of the movie was cute and we recommend it) When the movie was done everyone came over for some yummy food - everything was great!! Then we had some even more delicious birthday dessert of peach cobbler and strawberry shortcake, mmmmmmmmm! I got some great gifts from everyone, Rachel enjoyed opening them for me. Then we had a l o n g drive home. But we all survived and had a great time. So the picture up there really does have something to do with my birthday I promise. For as long as we've lived in our home I've wanted a bookshelf in the kitchen for my ever growing collection of cookbooks. I've dealt with what ever I could fit there for the time being for far too long and told Marc I really really really wanted it soon and that it would be a great birthday present. I made up the plans (measurements and all) of what I wanted and he went out and made it a few days later. OK so I ended up helping maybe too much in the making process - in fact I held the boards together while he nailed, I nailed, sanded and painted it. But it's done and I love it!!! Thank you honey for all that you did, it's one of the best birthday presents ever...now all I need is a piano bench. Hint,Hint

2 months and counting

I couldn't decide which picture to post, he's just too cute in both of these. Well my little man is 2 months old! Can you believe it? Time seems to have just flown by. Today we went to the doctor for his 2 month check up. He has grown quite a bit! He's even had a few night of sleeping for 6 hours at a time (yes!!) They say boys are usually bigger than girls and this is holding true for us. He is 10.3 lbs (35%tile) and 23 1/2 inches long (90%tile). I knew that he was getting longer because we had to move him into the 3-6 month range for clothes...his torso is just so long, anything smaller gives him a diaper wedgie, OUCH! But he is still in newborn pants; we just make 'em long and skinny. When we got home I looked at Rachel's stats at 2 months and noticed it took her until 6 months to reach the 10 lb mark...man she was tiny (and still is). No wonder I didn't get any sleep for the first year and a half. Keep growing little man, we love ya!!

4 New Things

Rachel continues to grow by leaps and bounds. I am amazed by all that she can do at her age. She recently mastered the art of holding up 2 fingers when you ask her how old she is. We've been working on it for a while now, it was a hard to keep those other 3 fingers down but she did it. Way to go kiddo!
Another new thing she has taken to doing is sitting in her dolls cradle when we read stories at night. And we are not allowed to read the stories to her anymore...she must read them herself. Though it's mostly memorization of the stories it's super cute!
She loves, loves, loves her new dishes she got for her birthday from Grandma and Grandpa Anson. I can say to her "why don't you go play with your dishes?" and when she does it can be for up to an hour at a time. She loves to make pancakes, juice, soup and cookies.
Her last new thing is to create balls, rolls and what ever with Play-doh. Her most favorite part of it all...deciding that she needs a new color as soon as it's out of the container.