He is 3 months old

So this happened yesterday. My littlest turned 3 months old! He is still a happy baby that sleeps well for me at night. He has his first cold right now, but it doesn't seem to be slowing him down at all.

When he gets home at night we sit on the couch together and he "talks" to me for a while. He gets so excited when I answer him and he just keeps going. It's pretty wonderful. He is very animated.

We found one of Grayson's favorite toys from when he was this age - Elsie the cow. Nolan thinks she is wonderful. If you pull her out and show her to him he gets the funniest grin on his face. He is really starting to grab things and use his hands.

He is doing well with his schedule, he enjoys daycare and over all 3 months suits him well. He is still a chunky monkey & loves to eat.

He loves when we play Wheels on the Bus (using his arms or legs) and Row Row Row Your Boat.

To see his smile is one of the reasons I jump out of bed in the morning.

Being the mom of 2 is pretty awesome!

The Medicine

Grayson has terrible eczema. He has since he was a baby. Nothing over the counter worked, and as he got older he would just scratch and scratch causing sores & infections and just be terribly unhappy a lot because of all this.

We saw a dermatologist and we started trying all types of perscriptions. Things worked, but nothing made it go away forever. We were advised many times this is something that can't be cured and he has to grow out of it. First it was, "many kids grow out of it by 2." Then that date past... then it was 4, which we haven't hit yet, but it's now up to 6 years old. "Most kids grow out of it by 6 years old." Okay then.

Besides all the creams to try to clear it up and to try to curb the itching we also do Benadryl 1-2 times a day & of course my son also has allergies so he gets Claritin. We just started the Claritin in a chewable pill form instead of the liquid, and basically it tastes like a little piece of grape candy to him. I think he looks forward to me handing that to him every day.

Last night he was itching more than normal, and when I call him on his itching he always tells me, "But there are bugs! I have to get the bugs!" I feel bad for him, I really do. But I have to try to stop the itching so he doesn't get open sores, because this happens a lot more then it should.

"Do you need some Benadryl? You are itching a lot."

"No mommy, no medicine.".... then a long pause. "No Benadryl, I want Claritin."

My 3 year old can name his drugs. I don't think a 3 year old should be fluent in the names of drugs.

I hope he does grow out of this soon, otherwise I think I've got a growing pharmaceutical rep on my hands.

Making the most of the time we have

Lately I just feel like we are going going going when the weekends hit. Even if it's something fun like the aquarium, zoo or bowling (all of which we have done in the last month), I still feel like we are constantly moving.

This weekend was different. There was a lot of laying around and just doing nothing. It was really nice honestly.

Sunday I wanted to try to get some "Grayson and Mommy" time in because I have really been feeling disconnected from him. It's hard - trying to balance a 3 year old and a 3 month old. I need to know Nolan is taken care of and happy but at the same time I need to know Grayson feels loved.

So, Grayson and Mommy went food shopping Sunday afternoon. He was an angel. We ended up leaving with animal crackers, a balloon and a "cupcake" (it was really a red velvet muffin with a little icing drizzled on top).

After we got home from there and had a little snack and relaxed, off to the park just Grayson and Mommy went! We were there a while playing on the swings, running around, sliding (yes, even Mommy!) and just having a good time 3 year old style.

After it started to get chilly we headed back home and Grayson crashed on the couch for a little while.

After Nolan was in bed we played board games, watched the fish (while eating goldfish, a strange but fun new pass time for Grayson) and just danced around the living room a little.

It was nice to just be the 2 of us for a bit. I didn't realize how much I missed it until today. And while it isn't something we can do all the time, it's something to make sure I plan in, even if it's just once a month - I know Grayson will take a lot away from the day. And so will I.

Sometimes it's hard

Basically every Tuesday, right now, is hard. My husband works Tuesday nights, so it's just Mommy and the kids. When it was just one, it wasn't a big deal. We enjoyed ourselves. It was nice most of the time.

But right now, with Nolan being almost 12 weeks old, he is a crank pot from 5pm until when I get him to bed (the latest being 7pm). So, I get to daycare about 5:10ish & Nolan is already crying. He might have been a perfect angel all day, but somehow his tiny little body knows that the clock has hit 5pm and he just starts crying. This is what the doctor's that don't have to deal with our kids like to call the "witching hour". Hour my ass.

Now, I believe the daycare teacher - I've seen it myself, the happy smiling Nolan all day, even if he doesn't feel like napping well, he really is happy all damn day. It's a light switch.

So, anyway. I have Nolan - crying so hard it looks like it hurts. His face is the color of a granny smith apple, and he gets so upset he can't even breath. It's terrible.

When I'm not alone it doesn't get that bad because I can just walk away from my 3 year old and daddy will be there to make sure he doesn't kill himself by trying to do something like jump off the top of the fridge. But when I have Grayson asking for dinner and milk and for this TV show or that toy... then the cats that I completely forgot to feed 45 minutes ago when I actually walked in the door up my butt... and the screaming Nolan - a mommy can lose her mind. I get anxious as the clock gets anywhere near 5pm on Tuesdays. Normally I'm itching to run out the office door.

Last night I put Nolan to bed at 6:30. It took less than 10 minutes for him to fall asleep. You know you did the right thing when that happens. He is still sleeping like a rock star & only wakes up once a night (around 4:30am) for a feeding and then he will sleep until 7-7:30am. It's amazing. I then got to sit down with Grayson and watch a show with him. Then we read about 200 books until I couldn't let him push bedtime off any more. I still read one more book to him while he laid in bed. It turned out to be some nice quality time with him.

I know it's not forever. Eventually Nolan will become more human and be able to stay awake until well after the evening news begins. But for now I'm going to just imagine the finish line with a giant bottle of wine jumping up and down behind it.

8pm on a Tuesday night can't come fast enough!

New Tradition?



Yesterday was St. Paddy's Day. And while I don't have an oz of Irish in me, my boys do. Grayson wanted nothing to do with the new Hulk shirt that I bought him for the day. He wore green, but nothing new like his baby brother.

We took Grayson bowling for the first time! It was funny, and fun. The first ball he kicked down the lane. I'm not sure why he thought he was suppose to kick it but he did. Thankfully he barely made contact with, so it was funny & not painful like it could have been!

From there he pushed the ball down the lane with his Daddy and enjoyed it every time. About 1/2 way through the 1 and only game we played he was over it and so we ordered chicken fingers to keep him occupied with we finished our game. Steve bowled the rest of Grayson's frames & Grayson ended up kicking butt.

I can see us doing that again with him, I would love to make that a family tradition, just so we can have something to associate the "holiday" with, since overall it isn't a big one and requires no gifts! I love days we can have moments to share instead of gifts to buy.



It's Friday!

Woke up to snow this morning. What a pain in the ass. This is my work parking lot. After it took my 35 minutes to get here - when I can make it in 7. We weren't expecting anything more than a dusting. No roads are treated, everyone is sliding everywhere & the snow is definitely sticking to the roads. The "experts" claim that it will stop around lunch time and the sun will come shining through. We shall see about that.

This weekend is suppose to be pushing 60 both days! We decided to become a member to the Philly Zoo. I'm excited. We only have to go 2 times to make the pass worth it, that is definitely do all. This Sunday will be number 1! I'm hoping we make it a bunch of times. They are open year round, so when we get a random nice day in say, November, we can just shoot down 95 and go.

The day that we don't go to the Zoo we are going to hit up a State Park with play ground. I don't know which one yet, we have 2 to choose from. I want to have Grayson outside as much as possible this weekend. I feel so bad he has been stuck in the house for ages really. At least when he is with me. I can't have Nolan outside when it's cold out. That's just not nice. I don't care how much blankets he has on him, he can't run around to help keep warm.

But we will all be getting fresh air this weekend! I might even try to open the house up for a little bit.

A Gift From My Boys

I got flowers from my boys at work! There were a, "we know it's hard to not be home with your baby!!" gift, I love them. Definitely helped to brighten my day.

I'm back at work

Today was my first day back in the office, and it wasn't bad at all. I remember with Grayson being so freaked out about going back and being back.

That was not the case this time. I got up and got everything ready for today. I got washed up and dressed. I kissed everyone goodbye, didn't shed a tear. I left a few minutes after the boys did & I went to get coffee.

I got to the office and just fell into my old ways. It was great to catch up with everyone. Sitting down to work kept me busy the entire day. I took a break to have lunch with some co-workers. It was an awesome first day back.

I miss my babies. The whole day. But I honestly can't imagine that being all I did. I give props to the stay at home moms. It's a life I can't even imagine living. I know with Grayson it's what I thought I wanted. Now I know that working makes me a better mom.

I have more patience for my kids. I cherish the time I do have with them - even during the tantrums and crying spells. Hearing Grayson talk about all the fun he has at school, and all his friends. It makes me glad that he gets to explore the world "on his own". Even at 3. It makes my heart melt when he runs at me when I pick him up from school, or that he is waiting for the front door for me if he gets home before I do. The highlights of my day.

To hear how much my father & mother in law enjoy the day (each) they have with Grayson (and now both the boys) makes me happy that we do that - give them each their own personal time with their grandchildren.

It's not perfect. But no way is perfect. Every option has its flaws. Every possibility has it's pros. It all comes down to what is best for ones family and sanity.

Back to life - back to reality! Don't think I would have it any other way.

Growing Babies

It was Grayson's 3 year appointment & Nolan's 2 month appointment yesterday. It went very well! My children are both right where they should be on the "charts".

Grayson is 37.5 inches tall & weighing in at 33 lbs.

Nolan is a long 24 inches and a crazy 14 lbs 4 oz. Insane for a 2 month old, but he is a happy baby, so no complaints here!

The down side was the 2 shots Nolan needed. He cried - just like last month - but he calmed down quickly. He has slept a lot more, even for him, the last 2 days. I actually put him down to bed at 9pm tonight. 2 hours earlier than we have been putting him down, I'm very curious to see how tonight goes.

After the doctors appointment (Steve was off from work) and we took Grayson to Chuck E Cheese again. I had such a great time with him last week that I really wanted Steve to enjoy the experience too. So we went there for lunch and games. We all had a blast. Nolan slept through most of it, of course.

Then we came home and Grayson crashed on the couch around 5pm. That's how awesome of a day he had. It was funny to see him asleep like that. And of course Nolan slept a lot of the night too.

Today was my last official maternity leave day, Monday I am back to the grind. I'm excited and not all at once. Tomorrow I'm taking the morning as "Mommy Time". I'm getting a mani/pedi followed by a much needed hair cut. Yey!! 

Sunday we are planning an Aquarium trip. I'm excited to take Grayson back, he always has a good time and it's been a while since we have taken him. Obviously Nolan has never been, not that he is going to get much out of it. I will get some good pictures though!