2, 3, 4

I am behind on my blogging - I know it, you know it, everyone knows it!  But regardless of the chaos that is our life right now I think a certain birthday is important enough to sit down and write about.

Miss Hannah Grace celebrated her 2nd birthday last week, June 7, 2012.  If you ask her how old she is she frequently responds "2, 3, 4" which gets a chuckle out of everyone.  We had a little birthday party for her in Michigan complete with cake, pinata, and presents but we also had a mini celebration last week with just Blaine and I, since David had to work, on her real birthday.  (This was quite distrurbing to big brother because two birthday parties is "too much" for "baby sisters.")  We made homemade pizza, opened presents from all of her grandparents, and finished the night off with ice cream. 

The last two years have been amazing with our precious girl.  She continues to provide us with hilarious comedic acts, endless smiles, sweet sayings and affection.  She has a face for every emotion and thought and nearly everything that comes out of her mouth is adorable.  She cares deeply for others and shows her concern by tilting her head a bit to the left and saying, "awwww."  And then continues to ask about the boo-boo or situation for the rest of the day. 

Hannah loves babies, swimming, playing with her brother, meat (yes, as in beef and bacon) and of course the men in her life.  She is definitely a "Daddy's Girl!"  (And a Papa's Girl and Pop's Girl and... you get the picture.)

We have a lot of fun together and she remains to be the easiest child to be around, entertain, play with and take places.  I can shop, clean, run errands and really do anything with HG in tow.  She is pretty much happy doing anything we're doing as long as she is doing something.

She is using 5-word phrases right now which is great because typically developing two year olds are using 2-3 word sentences.  She is now eating one type of fruit: frozen blueberries.  They must be totally frozen or she won't touch them and don't try to sneak fruit into anything else she's eating, she'll totally freak out on you.  Vegetables are still a battle too.  Sometimes she will eat broccoli but only if I play the I'm-gonna-eat-your-food-so-you-better-grab-the-fork-before-I-put-it-in-my-mouth game.  Good times.

Here are her digits from her last appointment which was on her actual 2nd birthday.

Weight: 24 lbs 4 oz. - 19th percentile
Height: 33 inches - 29th percentile
Head Circ: 48.5 cm - 77th percentile

Some of our favorite memories from recent months:

- Hannah will pull her hand into her sleeve and ask, "Where my hand, Mama/Daddy?" Then when we say, "OMG!  Where did Hannah's hand go?" She pushes her hand out and cracks up hysterically.

- Little Miss Planner (hmmm, where did she get that from?)  When we start getting dressed in the morning she says, "Where we goin Mama?"  I tell her and then she says, "And then where?" and this continues all day where after each errand , "Now where to Mama?"

- When David talks to her on the phone, she says, "Hi Daddy, what doin?"  When he tells her she exclaims, "OH!" and then asks repeatedly, "What doin Daddy?"

I know there are so many others but it's late and mama needs her beauty sleep.

 God bless you, sweet Hannah.  We love you so much!

Beans and Such

I received a call from Blaine's school yesterday. Here's how it went:

"Hi Jessica, it's Lisa from Hawthorne--no emergency, but we did want to call you and let you know that Blaine put a bean in his nose."

*me laughing*

"A bean?  Really?  I always hear of kids putting things in their nose and wondered why and when it would be our turn."

"Yep, a bean.  He's fine though.  Ms. Megan got it out."

Nice, son.  Really nice.

And in other news, we're getting serious at night now.  No more Mr. and Mrs. Nice Guy/Gal.  The midnight (on the dot) and 4:30 am (on the dot) feedings have got to end.  With only two "sleep-through-the-night" nights under our belts in almost 6 months, I think it's about time.  After checking on Sister at midnight we let her "cry-it-out".  It was brutal.  Well, not too brutal because I guess I fell back asleep.  At one point I asked David how long she'd been crying and when he looked at the alarm told me it had been an hour.

AN HOUR!?!?!  WHAT? 

I might have said some expletives at this point and then I jumped out of bed.  I had never intended to let her scream her poor head off for an hour.  Poor Angel Bug.  I darted into her room to find her in a pool of snot and tears.  I cleaned her face, moved her to a clean spot in the bed and then rubbed her back.  Within seconds she was sleeping and doing that deep breath thing that kids do after they sob uncontrollably for a long time.

I definitely did not win any mother-of-the-night awards last night but redeemed myself at the 5:00 am feeding.

And in more news... our Christmas tree is up but is not decorated.  That's another post though.

Have a good day.

Update, 2-Month Well Check, and Michigan

We took Hannah to the doctor on Tuesday for her 2-month well check (though she was sick) and all the tests came back negative. She just has/had a little virus which caused a fever, loss of appetite and a rash. She finally started eating full meals again today so I think she's better. Because of her virus we decided to postpone vaccinations but Dr. Howard did the rest of her exam.

Weight: 11 lbs 3 ounces (she lost 7 ounces from Sunday to Tuesday due to virus!) 54th percentile
Height: 21 1/2 inches - 25th percentile
Head Circ.: 39 1/2 cm - 75th percentile

'She looks great', were the doctors words. Her head control is what it should be (even though we don't do any tummy-time with her (oooops)) and she is tracking us and smiling and "talking" (cooing back and forth with us).

She is still a wonderful baby - she eats and sleeps well and does very little crying and fussing. She loves to be held with her head facing backwards, looking over our shoulder. Her acid reflux seems to be under control. I have eliminated all dairy from my diet (this is very difficult), I don't eat tomatoes, no spicy food and no citrus foods (wow)... She is still taking her Prevacid twice a day and between my diet and her medicine I think we've got it under control. She is much happier and we're all much cleaner since she's not throwing up all over the place now.

And lastly, we've arrived in Michigan for our annual summer vacation. The flight up was great - Sister slept the whole way and Mister was occupied with DVD's, coloring books, and Dollar Store prizes. We only got two glares from the people sitting in front of him because he kicked their seat and yelled once. Guess they don't have kids or never were kids...

Sister: sick... again

We made an emergency run to the Urgent Care on Sunday morning with H.G. She was running a temperature of 99.8 at 5 am and then it shot up to 101 around 8:30 am. After two hours, a catheter, a CBC, and a blood culture they don't know what's wrong. The blood cultures will come back in 5-7 days and the urine analysis in 3 days. We leave for Michigan on Wednesday. Yikes! We'll actually see her doctor tomorrow for her 2 month check-up so maybe we'll know more then. We think (and hope) that she was just fighting off a nasty bug and that it is not a bacterial infection. The blood culture will tell all in a few days. She is definitely more fussy and has been having a bit of diarrhea, but is smiling and sleeping and eating. All good signs. I'll catch everyone up on her 2-month checkup when I get a moment... that may be never!

25 weeks pregnant

I had a doctors appointment today and everything appears to be on schedule. Hannah's heartbeat is strong and normal and my belly is measuring right on the dot. Here are some pictures, which I am reluctant to share due to my extravagant weight gain (I've gained as much at this point as I did with my entire first pregnancy! YIKES!) but whatever. :)

And then there are my two precious boys. The one in the diaper was playing the "jump to me" game where he jumps from the couch into big blanket and dada's arms. He was quite happy with this invented game.

And her name shall be...

D and I have gone back and forth for months trying to find the right name for "Sister". You may remember the post where I wrote about the meanings and origins of our three names so it is no surprise that we don't taking naming lightly but we've also had had a lot of fun with it this go around.

Today when I went to work, Andrea asked me how things were going and I made a prayer request: that we find a name for "Sister" - a name that we were both happy with and felt fit with our family. I wanted certain names and David wanted other names and we really just needed prayer for discernment, guidance, and agreement. As is usual, Andrea and Keith discussed my prayer request and (as is usual) they jumped on the chance to pray with me further and offer their insight, if I wanted it. I never turn this down.

I gave Keith several of the names we were considering and he was able to give me a lot of biblical and etymological information on the names. He also referred me to a book called The Naming of Persons by Paul Tournier. In this book Tournier discusses the importance of names and why/how names are chosen, or should be chosen for children. Two things stuck out as I read:

1. Tournier stated: "But I soon realized that what was involved (regarding the naming of a child) was the person of the child, his individual identity and the respect due to him even before birth."

and

2. "It is through the naming (of a child) that he becomes aware that he is person, a unique being. He alone answers to that name, is called upon to answer; and it is what awakens in him the feeling of his personal identity and his personal responsibility."

After Keith told me how two of the names in particular (my favorite and David's favorite) were both beautiful, biblical and meaningful, I did a little of my own research, talked with David and we both knew that we had arrived at Sister's name. Before I go further, I suppose I should mention what Sister's real name will be (drum roll please):

Hannah Grace Lyon

Hannah means "Woman of Grace" or "Gracious Woman". Hannah was Samuel's mother. Samuel was a leader of ancient Israel in the Book(s) of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. His status, as viewed by rabbinical literature, is that he was the last of the Hebrew Judges and the first of the major prophets who began to prophesy inside the Land of Israel. He was thus at the cusp between two eras. According to the text of the Book(s) of Samuel, he also anointed the first two kings of the Kingdom of Israel: Saul and David. (Source: Wikipedia.com) Now back to his mama...

"Hannah had what many would call 'a raw deal in life'. She was childless in a society that considered not having a child the ultimate failure. A longing of the heart denied can cause much pain. Rather than allow her pain to cause bitterness towards God Hannah used the pain in her heart as a catalyst to pray. (1 Samuel 1:12-20). Hannah developed a more intimate relationship with the God of Israel than the priest of Israel had. Eli was a man who watched lips instead of perceiving hearts (1 Samuel 1:12-24). How often today do we applaud those who 'talk the talk' at the expense of those who are quietly 'walking the walk'. Eli was the priest, yet even when God spoke he heard nothing (1 Samuel 3:4-6). On the other hand, Hannah, a childless woman conversed freely with God and received her request. God honoured the most despised in the society with the favour of his blessings. The perception that God in the Old Testament did not treat women well is not true. It was the culture of the time that detested women not God. After Hannah's encounter with God her attitude changed before her condition did. She started to live a normal life again prior to having a child (1 Samuel 1:18). Contentment comes with believing God and finding rest in him. Contentment starts in the heart not with possessions. Hannah soon gave birth to Samuel. When the child was weaned she gave him back to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:24-28). From what we know of the culture of those days Samuel would have been about three years old at this time... If anyone cherished her child Hannah did. Yet even she knew that children are a gift from God. We are given the privilege to care, guide and train them and later release them into life. Hannah's story ends with her giving praise and glory to God (1 Samuel 2:1-11). She had a fulfilled life. The fact that she had to wait for some things did not mean she was doomed. Waiting for things is not a curse. In fact God always uses it to produce a blessing if we remain faithful to Him. Keep your trust in God. That is what Hannah's life is telling you." (Source: Living Word Library)

Grace: David's favorite definition of Grace is "the active expression of God's love" and Keith said Grace was "unearned love without limits" and it was what Jesus came to give us. He (Jesus) came to bring us God's Grace.

I don't think much more needs to be said about that!

We look forward to welcoming Hannah Grace Lyon on June 10th, 2010.

He is NOT our child

Turns out that Blaine is not our child. Today at his 2-year well check he was measured and weighed and prodded (but not poked-more on that later.)

Weight: 28 pounds 14 ounces 70th %tile

Height: 36 inches 90th %tile

Head Circumference: 49.5 cm 70th %tile

His weight was not really a surprise since he's a chunk to carry around, but his height was another story. The nurse asked him to lay down on the table and she got out her trusty yard stick to measure his height. When she laid it down next to him, she gasped and then laughed and said he was too tall for her device! Actually, he was exactly 36 inches tall. She said that she is usually able to use the yard stick to measure kids up to their 3rd birthday! She said 'not for this guy!' Our boy is going to tower over us! (Daddy is still trying to get comfortable with that.)

We got to brag on him a bit more when she asked if he was saying 1-2 word phrases yet. To which we replied... He is saying 7+ word sentences. (There is a smart brain inside that huge head...)

What we couldn't brag about (and ok, if you must know, I had a minor cry-session regarding this) was Blaine's sleeping issues and his aggressiveness.

Re: Sleep. The kid doesn't sleep. He is up (like clockwork) 3-4 times a night. Sometimes he cries and screams for us, sometimes he gets out of bed and comes to our room, sometimes he casually calls our names or demands that we "covuh up mista Bear!" The bottom line is for the last 6+ months he has been getting up like this every single night and we're *darn* tired (and so is he). Our doctor recommended a few books and said we are doing everything right and that if the books don't guide us to more nights that are full of sleep, to come back and see him.

Re: Aggressiveness: Doctor says: Blaine is a boy. Blaine is two. Simple as that. He also said that is sounds like Blaine is one of those kids that has an extra dose of super-hyper-energy and if it is not channeled in a positive way, he'll bite, hit, slap, etc... and be, well, crazy! He didn't have much advice, though he did say that our time-out delivery method was solid and that we were doing the right thing, we now just have to help Blaine find ways to express himself in ways that are not aggressive and to make sure he gets plenty of exercise and time outdoors each day.

We were not able to get his immunization shots today though because he still has a bad ear infection (despite the 10 days of amoxicillin he was just on) and he has an upper respiratory infection (which caused him to cough and gag up his food the last two days). The doctor put him on a stronger antibiotic and said that if he has one more ear infection this season that he will refer him to an ENT doctor to have his adenoids looked at. We'll pray that he stays healthy. No wants Mister to have any surgery to take any of his precious Mister parts out! :)

His school was closed today due to "inclement weather" (ALL that snow we got really put the city into panic mode) so David and I had to take turns spending time with him today so that we could both get some work done. After my work shift ended, Blaine and I headed to IKEA where we found this cool tent. He likes it. He likes it even more when he can coerce Mommy AND Daddy AND Tug to get in it with him and all his stuffed animals and a few books. (P.S. It is not as big as it looks.)

The last funny for today: Blaine brought my water bottle to me today and said: "Mama, baby needs water." When I took a drink and rubbed my belly and said, "Sister says THANK YOU" He beamed with pride. It was so cute.

Sister

Our baby girl is being called "Sister" until we name her. Sister is actually my official name back home in Michigan. My parents, brother and some aunts and uncles all call me Sister (minus those that call me Jessie--which I also find funny).

Here are pictures from our ultrasound a few weeks ago. She was 22 weeks in these videos.

Blaine says:

Whoa Baby!

It may be the XL shake I had tonight (mint-cookies-n-cream.... Mmmm!) but our baby is really growing! We'll find out if it is a he or she in less than two weeks... Will Blaine have a brother or a sister? Only God knows!

153

I had a "baby docker" (as Blaine calls it) appointment this morning. Because we have Mister now, David is not able to go to the appointments with me unless we both go during work hours when Blaine is in school and that doesn't work with my work schedule, so I go solo. Though today, I really wish David and Blaine could have been there because I got to hear the sweetest sound ever: the heartbeat. It was strong - around 150-153 bpm. Dr. Campaigne let me listen for what seemed like a long time because I have been concerned that something was wrong. I listened... and cried! A good cry ;) She said that my concerns are normal for a 2nd time mom because I can't focus solely on the pregnancy when I have a toddler running circles around me, so often times second time moms think "something" is wrong. I have my next appointment on January 5th.

Blaine has BIG news!

Blaine is going to become a big brother on June 11th, 2010. We are happy to announce that our family is expecting another little one ;) As of Thanksgiving Day I will be 12-weeks pregnant. Blogging has been more challenging lately because I have been extremely tired and very, very nauseous for about 6 weeks now. I've had my first doctors appointment and all seems to be as it should be.

Blaine often comes up to me, raises my shirt and lovingly says "baaaaby" then he rubs my tummy, kisses it and runs off to his next thing. I wonder if he'll be this affectionate when the baby actually comes home? If he's anything like his daddy when David's younger brother came home from the hospital he'll ask: "When can we take him back?"

We have also decided to find out the sex of this baby. Some of you may remember that we did not find out what Blaine was. Personally, I like the element of surprise and loved finding out what we had on our hands when Blaine joined us on 2.22.08 at 2:22 pm. David is eager to find out this time, so I am getting excited about that too.

Now we've got to get this potty-training thing down pat (two kids in diapers is not my idea of a fun time) and we will be moving Blaine into a big-boy bed before June. A lot of changes for our Mister in the next 7 months.

We are always thankful but this year we are especially thankful for this new miracle. Thank you God! :)