Team Thompson » June 2008 Journal Entries » AboutMyBaby - online baby scrapbooks, photo albums, videos, birth and pregnancy announcements

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Mon, Jun 30, 2008 3:40 PM
Chad is off for the night and is staying at a small motel this time. It’s not as nice as the hotel, but at least he’ll get some rest. They didn’t do much today. They were on structure protection again, but there was no fire. He’s hoping they can waive the mandatory 12-hour rest period tomorrow, so that they can get on the road and come home as soon as possible.

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Sun, Jun 29, 2008 3:39 PM
Noah is starting to turn away from the camera when I’m trying to take pix of him. WTH?!! When did he learn that and HOW??? It’s the exact same thing he does when I try to give him his vitamins! Anyway, I try not to laugh, but sheesh it’s annoyingly funny!

Noah is having fun with the Play-Doh. He saw the box this morning and wanted to play with it. I make sure he keeps it only on the table. He does pretty well, but he tested me a lot today and would bring it to the kitchen, to the couch, and other places OFF the table. I would tell him to “put it back on the table please” and he would cooperate eventually. That little boy is already kalohe (rascal).

Because Noah was playing so nicely with the Play-Doh, I thought I’d set up a CD player in the room so that he’d have some music to listen to while creating. I put his Baby Einstein CD in and he loved it. I play it often in the car, but I guess it sounds completely different when you’re staring at some strange box with sound coming from it. Whenever one song would end, he would do the “more” sign. The next song would start and he would be happy until it ended, so he’d do the “more” sign again. He did it like 5 times in a row. He’s too cute.

Joshua got his last two (of 4) bottles in a sippy cup today. I was thinking about the tough transition from the bottle that we had with Noah, so I’m starting earlier with Joshua to hopefully sidestep all of that. Joshua did pretty good with the sippy cup! He would pull away and start to fuss, but would also latch on right away again. I think because he was hungry, he finished both bottles with no problem. YAY! The nipples are a much faster flow than the bottles, so that might be why he fussed, too. He’s just not used to them yet.

Joshua is also getting food 3x/day now – breakfast, lunch & dinner. We had been feeding him solids 4x/day before each bottle. But we’re going to get him to “regular” meal times and offering him more food. He was getting about 1-2 T. of food. Today, I increased that amount to 1 oz. of formula/cereal/food at each meal. We need to work up to 4 oz. at each meal, and decrease his milk slightly from 8 oz. each. He fussed when he finished his first bottle this morning, so I gave him about another oz. and then he was happy.

We went over to the Haan’s for dinner tonight. Carrie & Rick also had 3 other families there - more unfamiliar faces than familiar ones. A couple times before in group situations, Joshua would show some stranger anxiety and start crying. But not tonight! He did great and just hung out on my lap. Yay, Joshua!

Chad called. He is in a hotel room tonight! It's the hotel attached to some gaming casino up there. Today was a day off for them and kind of a down day because 1) they got the news that they might be up there longer than expected and 2) they haven't been given great (ie, exciting) assignments, so they weren't looking forward to another 3 days of a boring work assignment. He said that the days are long when you aren't on the front lines. So the guys tried to relax and actually got out to see a movie. It's in the high 80s there, so he said it was nice to be in an a/c'ed area. When they got out of the movie, they got the news that they are back to the original plan and they'll be going home on Tuesday... YAY!!!

As long as the fires don't get any worse, the relief team is scheduled to leave Anaheim tomorrow morning. Chad & his crew will be officially off on Tuesday morning and then they have a mandatory 12 hour rest before they can travel home, so that means they will leave at about 8 pm and drive through the night. Chad is hoping they can leave earlier though because all of them are "over the over time" and anxious to get home. Needless to say, we're anxious to have him back home, too!

Chad got some blisters on his heels from some boots that apparently need more breaking in ;). He said they're manageable with some mole skin and duct tape! He soaked in the tub tonight and is looking forward to a good night's sleep (for once not under the stars). They'll wake up at about 6 am to have breakfast (before having to eat sack meals again) and then be on the road by 7 am to get their assignment for their (hopefully!) last day.

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Sat, Jun 28, 2008 3:39 PM
Noah gave me a booger today. At least I think that’s what it was. He produces them quite often. It’s when I’m changing his diaper that I see them. They’re hard to ignore when he’s lying down – the angle is perfect. In typical mom fashion, I went in with my pinky nail to scrape it out (which of course he hates). Noah usually squirms and screams when I try to extract them, but this time he stuck his finger up the other nostril instead. Great, he’s learned how to pick his nose. Joy. Anyway, a little while later, he wanted to give me something. He’s always picking up tiny pieces of whatever and handing them to me. Yeah, I’m not a housekeeper. (In fact, the other day, he made me JUMP! He found something and walked over to me to it hand me, as usual. He extended his arm and his hand was *this close* to my face when I see, between his cute little thumb and index finger, a DEAD FLY! EWWWWW!!! I even let out a little scream! I so was not expecting to see that! GROOOOOSS!! I’m just glad he didn’t try to eat it!!! For some reason, there are always dead flies lying around our house and I’m constantly looking on the floor cleaning them up. It’s really disgusting. But that’s a whole other story…) You would think that I learned my lesson from that dead fly episode. But my memory is short and I was busy changing Joshua’s diaper. A quick glance showed nothing between Noah’s fingers this time (whew), so I simply slid my hand over his to grab whatever he was trying to hand me. Well...I felt something sticky. Then I looked down and see something small, brown and long-ish. I didn’t take any time to inspect it any further. I just wanted it off my finger! It might not have been a booger, but really what else it could have been? I didn’t want to know. I washed my hands and thought…ah, motherhood.

Noah can say “heart”! I bought him a cute little table & chair and a little Play-Doh kit with a bunch of different “cookie cutter” shapes, one of them being a heart! He’s starting to imitate more and it’s very cute. At night when I'm reading him bedtime stories, I'll ask "where's the sheep?" (or horse, cow, cat, duck etc.) and he'll point to it. Then I'll ask "what does a sheep (horse/cow/etc.) say?" Then he'll look at me and study my lips as I say "baaa baaa". He's made the "baaa" sound a couple times and it's very cute. Everytime I say a new word or make a new sound, he'll study my lips. I think he's really trying to figure out what to do with his mouth so that he can start saying them!

I was excited to introduce him to Play-Doh. I dug out a bit of the blue compound to try. What’s the very first thing he tried to do? Eat it! ARGH!!! I told him “don’t eat”, but of course he doesn’t listen. I left the room to do something and came back to see a slobbery piece of Play-Doh on the table. UGH!!!! I tried to get him to open his mouth so that I can retrieve whatever may still be in there, but he refuses. Oh well, the stuff has got to be non-toxic, right? It’s not going to the worst (or last) thing he tries to eat.

Joshua has got some muscles. He loves playing with the toys dangling from his activity gym and will always manage to pull them off. They’re stuck on with Velcro which is fairly strong. I will keep my hand on the Velcro when he’s playing with the toys and I’m amazed at how much strength I need to use to keep him from pulling them off.

Joshua can also transfer toys from hand to hand. I watched him do it with the koosh ball today. He’s also bearing weight on his legs. He’s still got the baby bowlegs, and they’re still really chunky and full of folds that I have to clean out periodically. Can you say parmesan cheese?

Joshua is also really ticklish on his upper thighs. He giggled the whole time I was wiping his during a diaper change. He’s ticklish all over his thigh area, just like his mommy!

I gave both boys a bath in the tub tonight. It was Joshua’s first time in the tub, and my first time giving him a bath on my own. It was pretty easy, but it did take some effort to get him out of the bath “chair” that we have for him.

Comments:
traci: oh my goodness, noah is SO FUNNY!!!!!!!

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Thu, Jun 26, 2008 5:34 PM
Chad called this morning. He and his crew are getting the next 24 hours off which is good. He'll get some rest and some decent food. He doesn't think he'll be home any earlier than Tuesday. He may be up there even longer...just depends on how the fires progress.

It's Joshua's 7-month birthday today. He's getting sooo big. I keep wondering if he'll outgrow Noah... He's eating at least 2T. of rice cereal with food, and then finishing four 8+ oz each day. He gets a nap between each feeding (so 3 total) and is sleeping well at night.

Comments:
Bruce Riley: Tina, we continue in paryer for Chad's safety and that of his crew. Hopefully he is back home with his family and the fires are starting to die out. God Bless You and all your family and hold all of you in his hands. Keep on blogging I love it.

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Wed, Jun 25, 2008 5:28 PM
Chad called this morning. They are babysitting fires to make sure they didn't jump roads. They got to put out some small ones, too.

Noah LOVES raspberries. Mama gave him some on Sun when we visited and he couldn’t pop them in his mouth fast enough. She brought more raspberries to me at work to give to him, along with some breadsticks that he liked, too. Well, he would’ve eaten the whole box of berries if I let him today. And he ate all the breadsticks – one after the other. I’ve never seen him do the “more” sign so many times in a row. It was very cute.

Today was Joshua’s last bottles that included breast milk. I used the last bag of my frozen supply. :( He’ll be getting all formula after today...so sad.

The boys went to Babies R Us with me this morning, but the rest of the day was spent at home. I played and played with Joshua today. He is so cute and I love nuzzling his neck and making him laugh. I'm trying to cherish these days while he's still a baby because he's growing so fast.

Ok, so here's the update to my vague entry on 6/17. I can divulge this info now since I can happily say that we're in the clear.

So, back on 6/17, I called my OB’s office, telling her that I’ve stopped nursing, so please call in a new rx for a stronger, “regular” pill rx to take when I’m finished taking this – my last mini-pill – pack in a couple weeks. She then tells me that we need to use a back-up method during the first month of this new pill. I ask why since I was just hoping to transition to the new pills after taking the last one in the current pack. So, she says...GET THIS...the mini-pill only protects against pregnancy WHEN YOU'RE NURSING! I could ovulate at any time because I'M NOT NURSING!

OH. MY. GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I HAVEN'T BEEN NURSING SINCE MAY 3!!! I thought I was safe this whole time and didn’t know the mini-pill ONLY WORKS WHEN YOU’RE NURSING!!!!!!!!! AAAAHHHHHHHH

We’ve been UNPROTECTED for OVER 6 WEEKS! AAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!

Seriously, I’m not dumb. I would have remembered if she told me that piece of IMPORTANT information! Isn't this something that we really needed to know???!! Why the heck wasn't that to me from the start???!! AAAHHHHHHH!!!

I called Chad in a panic and told him that I was buying an EPT on the way home that night. He asked if he should move up his “big V”. WTH? That doesn’t matter! LOL! What matters is the other night...and the other night before that!!! AAHHHH!!!

I'm kinda panicking. Understatement. But nothing I can do now, right?

I was wondering why I hadn't gotten my AF yet...I thought I was just LUCKY! HAHA! Seriously, I hope I am lucky. If not, I'll take it as a sign that God thinks I'm a good mom.

AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

So...the next day (6/18), I anxiously take the EPT. 2 minutes later...NEGATIVE! WOO HOO! I'm so relieved...

But now I'm thinking about how long those little guys actually can survive... Isn't it like 3 or 4 days??? That means I still have a couple days to still worry.

Which brings us up to today. It's now been a week. So, I take a second EPT. Hold my breath. It's NEGATIVE!! I'm not preggo for sure!! Hooray!!!

And I'm not on any kind of pill right now. I have to wait for AF to show up until I can start. So, for now, we're stuck with those lovely latex gloves. Oh well...Chad's "V" is scheduled for 8/28, so it won't be much longer that we'll have to think of any kind of BC.

Comments:
Uncle Bruce: What a tale you spin. I was engrossed in it.

traci: OH MY GOSH! YOU ARE THE FUNNIEST PERSON ALIVE!!! This sure is a LOT of information! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

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Mon, Jun 23, 2008 5:48 PM
Chad got called to fight the fires up north in Butte County. He and his crew are going in a strike team/caravan of 6 engines. It will take them 8+ hours to drive up there. Plus, they're leaving right in the middle of rush-hour traffic.

He could be gone all week. :( I started missing him as soon as he told me. I know he’s excited to go, but it will be hard to have him gone that long. It will be the longest he’s ever been away from all of us.

Be safe, Daddy! We’ll miss you!

UPDATE: Chad just called and they are in Bakersfield, which is about a 3 hour drive from here, and they still have about NINE more hours to go. They are going to be driving through the night and will arrive around 6 am. UGH.

Here's a map to where the fires are now:
http://www.fire.ca.gov/about/downloads/Statewide_Fire_Maps/
Statewide_Fires_062208_0800_A.pdf
The fire he's going to fight is the "BTU Lightning" fire in Butte County - about 1/4 of the way from the northern most border of California. We live in Orange County - all the way south, the tiny little area on the west coast, just north of San Diego County. They're going FAR!

I read that it was started by lightning, hence the name, and that about 200 residences are being threatened.

He doesn't know how long he'll be up there. It'll be a day-to-day assessment of the need, so please pray for a quick containment!

Comments:
Uncle Bruce: You know that you will have ours. He is in a very dangerous occupation and we all know it. So glad that you married a brave man with good character. Not bad looking either. [GRIN]

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Sun, Jun 22, 2008 5:47 PM
Man, what a day. I had 2 diaper blowouts, 2 doo-doo loads of laundry, a broken crib and a dismantled window blind.

Joshua was first up the diaper disaster. He was in his kick-n-play and I glanced down to see all this greenish paste on his thigh. I thought it was baby food that I didn’t wipe off completely…that is, until I got a closer look and saw it was coming from his diaper! YIKES! It was a HUGE amount, too. I would’ve thrown away the kick-n-play if I could. But we use it too often. So I wiped it off and threw it in the washer. Doo-doo load #1.

Since I had to throw something else in the washer so it wasn’t just the kick-in-play cover, I grabbed the sheets of the boys’ crib mattresses. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, on Joshua’s crib, the mattress got caught on the springs below, so I was having the hardest time getting the mattress up to remove the sheet. Well, I struggled with it and it finally came up, springs and all. And yep, it’s true what they say. What comes up, must come down. And it came down hard – so hard that a piece of plastic when flying off on its landing. It fell back crooked and completely out of whack. Oops. I really hoped I didn’t break it! Crap. Where was Joshua going to take his nap?! Crap. I didn’t know what it was or where it came from, so I proceeded to put the crib back together. I hope I didn’t damage anything else. I hope the crib is still safe! We had Joshua on the highest level since he’s not crawling or pulling up or anywhere near standing yet. Well, I figured out where that plastic piece came from...it was where the springs rest to be on the highest level. So, now we can’t put the mattress on the highest level anymore. Sigh.

Now, we pack up the boys and go to Mama & Papa’s for the day. I had the a/c on, but turned it off since we’d be gone all day. I wondered how hot the house would be when we got back. I didn’t want to leave the a/c on and waste all that energy, plus I didn’t want to have to pay for it if we weren’t going to be there. The boys had fun playing with their grandparents and we left about 6:30 to get home in time for me to feed the boys dinner and then get them to bed.

After getting off the exit at Bake, I started noticing a fertilizer odor. I glanced down at the a/c and noticed that I had the air on “fresh”. So, I change it to “recirculate”, thinking of course I'd keep the bad smell out. Well, the smell isn't going away. Then Noah starts getting fussy. It took me a while to figure it out, and then I realized...ahhhh...ok, the stink is coming from Noah! Big poopy diaper #2 for the day. We get home. I get Joshua into the house first, then get Noah out and start changing his diaper. The doo-doo came out the top of his diaper and started going up his back. GROSS. Keeping him buckled in snugly in his car seat doesn’t only mean there’s no wiggle room for him; it also means there’s no place for his doo-doo’s to go, except up his back! Argh! The doo-doo is on the inside of his shirt, too. Did it get on the car seat? Must remember to go back to the car and check...so both Noah's shorts and shirt are now off and headed for the washer. Doo-doo load of laundry #2.

The house was hot, but not as bad as I thought it would be. To start getting all the hot air out, I turned on the house fan and, as fast as I could, open all the windows upstairs. I started with Joshua’s room, fine. Next was Noah’s room. He’s got a huge window with big blinds. Heavy blinds. I pull hard on the cord...and the whole thing comes off and falls down with a big bang. Crap. All 3 poster board shades come down, too, now that the blinds aren’t there to hold them in place. Crap. Did I break the lamp? Did it ding any of the furniture? Quick glance - nothing big. Ok, good. Thank God none of it fell on Noah! He was upstairs with me following me around as I opened windows, like the little nosy boy he is. Chad is working, so I stand there for a moment looking up at the place where the blinds used to be and wonder how the heck I’m going to put everything back by 8 pm when Noah needs to go to bed. It’s too high and too heavy for me to put back by myself. Think, Tina, think!

It’s now 7:15 pm. Neither boy has eaten yet and I still need to unload the groceries and bags from the car and get them fed and ready for bed. Thankfully, Joshua isn’t screaming for food yet. I start getting Joshua’s food ready and sit Noah in his highchair to get ready to eat, too. I open all the other windows to start cooling down the rest of the house.

I then realize I could call Rick to help me with the blinds! But no one is home at the Haan house – NOOOOO! Next, I try Carrie’s cell. They’re on their way home from all-day baseball games – maybe 5 minutes away – YAY! Nathan’s team won the championship – yay! And they can stop by before going home to help me put the blinds back – YAY YAY! It’s great to have family that close! I got the ladder upstairs and ready for Rick to help. I also put the clean sheets back on the boys’ mattresses. Ugh, it’s so hard getting those sheets on. I know they make them snug so they won’t be a safety hazard, but SHEESH! I almost broke my hand trying to get them on. It never gets easier. Anyway, the Haans arrived and Rick helped me put back the blind. It literally took seconds. I just needed a strong hand. Whew! Done and fixed. Noah’s room was finally back together.

The boys finished eating. Thankfully, they both ate well. Noah is getting good about taking his vitamins, too. He doesn’t really fuss anymore, but he will keep his lips closed for a few seconds and then will open his mouth for me to get the dropper in there.

Oh, and Noah said a new word today - "down"! When the Haan's were over, he starting freaking out, and didn't want to eat. When I asked him if he wanted down, he said "down"! I couldn't believe it!

It was still too warm in the house at 8 pm, but I needed to get the boys in bed. So I turned on the a/c to cool the house down further and started shutting all the windows. I wish I could leave the boys’ windows open, but the outside noise (esp. cars driving by) can get really loud. The temp read 85 degrees inside, so I set the temp to 78 to cool it down fast. I dressed the boys in just onesies and turned on the fans in their rooms. The a/c works really well and when the temp hit 81, it actually felt comfortable which was unusual. Usually, we set it at 80 and it's still a little warm. Anyway, now I start to worry that the onesie wasn’t going to keep them warm enough if it gets any cooler. So, I kept the a/c at 81 which ended up being perfect. By morning, it was 67 degrees outside. So, I opened up the windows again. Ah, relief! It’s supposed to get cooler as the week progresses...yay!

That was my crazy day. So, I spent the rest of the night “dead-ass”-ing it (as Chad calls it) on the couch watching TV.

Comments:
traci: Wow, sounds like you had a CRAPPY day! Have you tried out "The Ultimate Crib Sheet" yet? It sure is a lifesaver when poop or pee goes down! Don't forget, you can call us anytime for help too! =)

sara: tina- you have the funniest stories! bless you for all of your patience!

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Fri, Jun 20, 2008 10:22 PM
After work tonight, I planned to dance "Silayan" with 2 of the girls from the Ohana ministry - Mae and Lorna. It was for Mae's church fundraiser. It's a cute little Filipino church in Irvine.

Mae was really excited to dance, but unfortunately had to be rushed to the ER just after we all finished dinner. Chad checked her symptoms and thought it was Bell's palsy. (UPDATE: Chad got the diagnosis right. Mae is fine - after 4 hours in the ER! - and should be completely recovered in a couple weeks.)

It was HOT (nice little heat wave we're having right now), but thankfully the sun was starting to set by the time we got started. It was still in the 80's though, even after the sun went down.

I had a rude reminder of how much weight I still have to lose. I grabbed a mu'umu'u to wear for the hula, but didn't bother to try it on. It crossed my mind this morning to try it first, but I was rushing around and didn't have time. Well, I put it on (in the car as I was parked in the church parking lot - thank goodness for tinted windows) and I could barely get it over my hips! I squeezed it on and BROKE the zipper! I panicked! Luckily, I was able to put the zipper back together and zip it up. But it was soooo tight. I could barely walk! Chad and the boys came to support/watch me dance. Chad's expression was funny when I walked up to him and he saw me bulging out of the dress. Thankfully, Mae hadn't left her house yet, so when I called her she was able to bring one of hers for me to wear. Thank goodness! I don't know how I would have been able to dance in my mu'umu'u...or if I did, I probably would have popped the zipper completely, which would have been soooo embarrassing!

Mae's family was so friendly. Her mother-in-law thought the boys were so cute and helped me feed Joshua. And then later, Mae's Uncle Ray took Joshua and held him for the entire rest of the night! His kids are all grown up now and everyone was telling me that he looooves babies and is always holding one. Joshua couldn't have been happier. He was so content and I didn't see or hear him fuss at all. Uncle Ray is a great babysitter!

The pastor prayed for Mae before Lorna & I danced the hula. It went well considering everything.

Comments:
traci: ps - What is Bell's Palsy?

traci: Tina, you are SO FUNNY!!!!!!!!!!

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Wed, Jun 18, 2008 5:47 PM
Joshua opens his mouth to eat now…YAY!!! It’s soooo much easier now! And it takes just a fraction of the time for him to eat. It’s awesome.

We also are tried a new bottle for him. After hearing all the reports on BPA being bad – it’s the plastic found in some food containers – I decided to switch out his current bottles. The Avent ones have BPA in them, so we’re trying out the Playtex drop-ins instead. Thankfully, Joshua didn’t have any problem taking the new nipple. Yay for easy transitions! The only thing is that these bottles only hold 8 oz. tops, and that’s filling them up all the way to the very rim. So, I still need to search for BPA-free bottles that are bigger that Joshua likes.

Comments:
traci: I have some Avent drop in Bottles and liners if you want them! If you want to borrow the bottles, you can - and you can KEEP the liners! ;-) The drop ins are awesome and so much better for the little ones!!!

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Tue, Jun 17, 2008 10:40 PM
I got so irked at my OB and her nurse today. I'll elaborate later.

Comments:
traci: oh my gosh, what happened?!?!?!?!??!

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Mon, Jun 16, 2008 12:00 PM
Oh man, I had a tough time sleeping last night. My back was hurting me for some reason and I kept tossing and turning and could not get comfortable. I looked at the clock and it was 1 am! Joshua was making a few crying sounds, too, but nothing serious. I went in to check on him and he was sideways in the crib. I straightened him out and tucked his lovey under his arm. I didn't hear a peep out of him after that!

Joshua was up early again this morning, too. My alarm went off at 6:15 and he was already making noises. I took him downstairs so he wouldn't wake Noah. Joshua was cranky and wouldn't settle, even in the swing. Gammie arrived, so she was going to try the jumper next. Hopefully, that worked.

Wow, Joshua sure hates to get his face wiped. Whenever I do it, it's the same reflex - he rears back, leading with his head, and completely straightens out his body. Usually, he's in the Bumbo when I do it, so it seems like he's going to push himself all the way out. He's practically doing a back bend as it is.

Noah loves trucks. Whenever he sees on the road, he'll say "oh!" And we'll tell him what kind of truck it is - box truck, dump truck, semi, 18 wheeler, RV, cement mixer. He loves them all.

Comments:
Uncle Bruce: Don't you just love the different reactions you get and they develop personalities so quickly. He will get used to having his face wiped and then again maybe not. Can you imagine him as he gets older and still does that. Hopefully he won't though.

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Sun, Jun 15, 2008 12:17 PM
Happy Father's Day!

It turned out to be a warm day. Thankfully Carrie & Rick offered their house (and pool!) for us to have to the party. Both families were together again this year. And, again this year, we had king crab legs and BBQ short ribs. It was yummy. No one was talking, just busy eating! LOL! Everyone had fun. Noah went swimming with Daddy twice, but Joshua and Mommy didn't. I'm sure we won't be able to keep either boy out of the pool next year.

Noah and Joshua have been really talkative the last couple of days. They've both been jabbering and having little conversations with each other. Tonight at dinner they were both looking at each other and making faces at each other and smiling at each other. I love watching them interact with each other. They are too cute!

Noah is also starting to do animal noises. When we ask him what a lion or tiger says, he'll roar. And when we ask him what a cat says, he'll meow.

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Sat, Jun 14, 2008 10:08 PM
Noah learned a new sign today - "cold". He doesn't quite do it right. His version is raising his shoulders, rather than shuddering with your arms. Whenever he felt something cold, he would say "hot" - I think because he thought "hot" meant anything that was an extreme temperature, like hot or cold. But I think he's now understanding there's a different word for each side of the temperature range.

When we read stories to Noah at bedtime, he loves to lay across our laps. I used to always have him sit right in front of me, but now he always twists himself around to this perpendicular position. It's very cute to see his preferences. A lot of times, he'll do the cutest thing of touching my nose and saying "nose". Or, even better, he'll raise his head slightly with his nose, which means he wants to touch his nose to mine and then rub them together. I'll say "nose nose nose" while we're doing the Eskimo kiss. I love that!

Joshua is eating better. The trick is to feed him his solids first, and then give him his bottle. Joshua had carrots for the first time today and he seems to really like them. He was still taking a longer time than I'd like to eat though, so I was tickling his feet to get him to laugh and open up his mouth. That worked pretty well. He was kinda cranky today and was making lots of sounds. He was also gumming his toys, so maybe it's the teething that's bothering him again. But I felt his gums, and there's nothing there.

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Fri, Jun 13, 2008 10:15 PM
We all went to CostCo today. Joshua sits up fairly well now, so we decided to sit him up in the cart next to Noah. It was too cute to see them sitting together. Our little baby is growing so fast!

Chad fed Joshua his solids this afternoon and had the easiest time! I was so jealous! Joshua was opening his mouth because he was hungry and kinda crying, so everytime his mouth would open, Chad would put a spoonful of cereal in his mouth. That was the fastest Joshua has eaten!

We celebrated Chad's birthday today. Gammie came over to watch the boys and we went out on a date to the Irvine Spectrum. We had dinner at Maki Maki - the sushi place where we had our first date just over 3 years ago on 6/4/05. They have Happy Hour until 6 pm - 50% off sushi - so we chowed down on that. If it was all-you-can-eat, Chad said he could've probably eaten another 8 or 10 pieces of sushi. Oh my gosh!

Afterwards, we saw Iron Man. It was a really good movie! I was pleasantly surprised, esp. since I'm not a Robert Downey, Jr. nor Gweneth Paltrow fan. But I really loved their characters. I can't wait to get it on DVD. I hope it has a lot of good bonus features. I can't wait for the sequel either!

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Thu, Jun 12, 2008 10:41 PM
It is Chad's 39th birthday today. He was working, so I went over at lunch time and brought over a couple of pies to celebrate. Thankfully, they weren't out on a call and he was eating lunch when I got there, so I was able to surprise him. :)

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Wed, Jun 11, 2008 10:13 PM
Joshua had his 6-month appt today. He’s 19 lb 2 oz which is much less than what I thought he weighed. I thought for sure he was at least 21 lbs. We get to keep him in his infant car seat a little while longer. He’s also 27” long and his head is 45 cm. His weight and measurements are all around the 75th percentile.

When Dr. K asked about his allergy and rash, he was surprised when we told him that Joshua is eating 3 oz. of milk in each of his 4 bottles. So, he said to just watch for reactions as we increase the concentration of milk. He wasn’t worried at all.

Then, Joshua got 4 more shots. He didn’t like them at all. He cried at the first 2, and then he REALLY cried at the second 2. : ( He was actually shaking his head “no” during those last ones. Daddy was holding his arms, and even he felt sorry for the little guy when he started moving his head side to side. It didn’t take him too long to recover.

Before we left, I made Joshua’s next appt which is when he’s 9 months old. When I looked at my calendar, I saw that Noah was already scheduled for that same date, so the girl said that she’d just add Joshua in on that same appt time. Great. Chad’s working, so I’ll be by myself with both boys. AND THEY’RE BOTH GETTING SHOTS. Sigh.

Joshua will not open his mouth to eat. The making-him-laugh trick isn't working anymore. I am forced to shove the spoon between his lips and then kind of crow bar it in between his gums to try and scrape some food off the spoon and into his mouth. I even tried holding his nose shut, so that he'd open his mouth. Chad was laughing at me when I tried that. That kinda works, but Joshua hates it. So he moves his head all around to get me off of him and then the food goes everywhere except in his mouth because he's moving too much. Grrr!!!

Comments:
Mom: Have you tried adding the food into his milk? That's how I used to "trick" you girls. Ha!Ha!..the secret is out.

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Mon, Jun 9, 2008 9:13 PM
The last couple of mornings, Joshua has woken up early, like before 7 am. And this morning, I found him turned 180 degrees around from the way I laid him down last night which, for whatever reason, I always find hilarious.

He’s getting so big and I’m anxious to take him to his 6-month check-up on Wed so we can see how much he weighs and to ask the dr some questions about his eating solids and his possible milk allergy. I think he’s over 21 pounds. If so, that means goodbye soon to the infant car seat. The weight limit is 22 pounds. We started him in Size 3 diapers last night. Noah’s only in Size 4! I sure hope Joshua doesn’t outgrow his brother. I can’t imagine what kind of complex that would give Noah if he did.

Joshua got peas for the first time tonight, along with brown rice cereal. He seems to like them both. At least he didn't gag. ;)

Noah is 22 months old today! I love coming home - not only because I’m getting home to my boys, but because Noah recognizes that the silver car driving into the garage means that mommy’s home. The door to the garage is always open, so I see him hear the car, then get excited and smile and then start running to the door. He’s usually at the car door before I can even open it. He starts babbling and I usually can get a hug right away if he's not trying to show me a toy. I love that!

Noah is starting to getting lean now that he’s walking and moving around. He’s definitely starting to lose his baby fat and getting skinnier. He’s a bonafide toddler now.

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Sun, Jun 8, 2008 10:31 AM
Noah has started a funny way of eating. Instead of picking up the food with his hands or with a spoon. He'll put it on his tray (or on the floor!) and then try to pick it up just with his mouth - like he's bobbing for apples. Ayayay!

We tried giving Joshua his first taste of food this morning. I tried going straight to the Stage 2 version of Garden Veggies. He didn't like it. I tried adding some formula and more cereal to cut the taste. He gagged and threw up a little. I tossed that out and went back to plain formula and cereal and added just a 1/8th of a teaspoon of veggies. He still complained, but I got a few spoonfuls in him.

Oops, I also remembered afterwards that the reason we should start with Stage 1 food is not just because it's pureed well. It's because they're single foods and not a bunch of different things mixed together. So, if he had an allergic rxn to the food, we'd know what it is instead of trying to guess because he ate 3 things in the mix. Thankfully, Joshua didn't show any allergies.

We also gave Joshua his most milk formula yet. He had 3 oz. of milk formula mixed with 5 oz. of soy and 1 oz. of breast milk. He seemed to be ok. I am anxious to take him to the dr. on Wed for his 6-month check up and ask about contact rxns to milk.

We also witnessed Joshua turning from his back to his stomach. Unfortunately, both times he's tried, there was something blocking him from turning completely, so he couldn't. We know he can because we've found him on his tummy in his crib a few times already.

Comments:
traci: Oh my gosh, food! A whole new world for little Joshie!!! It's so great that he's doing good with the milk formula - hooray!!!!

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Sat, Jun 7, 2008 10:45 AM
Chad & I had another date day today. We dropped off the boys at Mama & Papa's and then we went to Disney's California Adventure to ride the new Toy Story Mania attraction. It was my 2nd time and Chad's first, and he STILL beat me! We had lunch, then went to "it's tough to be a bug!" and Soarin' Over California. We bought some candy and then headed over to Disneyland to try and ride Nemo. The line was huge. I also wanted to ride the new monorail, but it was down at the time. So, we went to Adventureland to ride my favorite ride Indiana Jones. It apparently was down, but then had just opened up, so the line wasn't too long. It's such a fun ride, and, yep, still my favorite.

After Disneyland, we still had a couple hours to spare before picking up the boys. So, we thought about seeing a movie. Nothing was playing for another 45 minutes, so we opted to go furniture shopping instead. We've been trying to find a new couch for the living room. We went to Living Spaces and Daniel's. No luck.

So, we headed back to Fullerton to rest and wait for the boys.

It was a good day.

Comments:
traci: I am so glad you guys had a "date day" - that's so great!

Uncle Bruce: I am so jealous. I loved going to D land when we could travel. BTW I was supposed to teleconference with your dad when he had the boys but I have my grandsons here too. So what with all the commotion I just plain forgot and he even called me. Well next time. I hope. My grandsons will be here with us for the entire summer. We are looking to have lots and lots of fun.

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Thu, Jun 5, 2008 9:03 PM
I saw Joshua push today for the first time. His face turned red like someone else we know. He's definitely Noah's brother! LOL!

Comments:
Uncle Bruce: Let's assume that you mean he is like dad too! Hope that Chad does not have to much trouble with the big "V". It is not that painful. Oh Really?

traci: AWESOME!!!!!!!!!! Can't wait to see the video!

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Wed, Jun 4, 2008 9:04 PM
We went to Chad's vasectomy consultation today. The doctor discussed the procedure and answered our questions. He was very likable. Towards the end of the appt, the doctor all of a sudden said to Chad "ok, drop your drawers. Let's see what you got"!!! HAHAHAHA! I know Chad was not expecting that. Chad was cool though and played it off. The doctor showed Chad exactly where he was going to cut and where the tube was...yep, he was THAT thorough.

I'm having a hard time getting Joshua to open his mouth to eat. He was doing so good before. Now, I have to wiggle the spoon between his lips and hope some of the cereal stays in his mouth. It's really frustating. So, I started making him laugh so that he'd open his mouth. I quickly get the cereal in his mouth before he closes it. It seems to be working!

Comments:
traci: Did you check with the doc to see if he can do a special discount? Two for the price of....? I'll volunteer my husband!!!!!!

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Mon, Jun 2, 2008 5:51 PM
Gammie said that Joshua turned over from his back to his belly again today. He was on the couch when he did it. Thankfully, she was right there to catch him before he rolled off!

Noah has a new word "boom". Whenever anything crashes or falls down, he says it. He pronounces is more like "bom" though. It's cute as everything he does is. ;)

Noah has started to climb on everything. He can pull himself up on the dining room chairs and up onto the sofa. He's been trying to climb up onto his changing table, too. Today, he started climbing on the bar stools and got up to the second rung. Ugh, he's going to fall off of that any day now. Chad says it's good for him to fall, so that he learns the consequences and won't climb it again. I understand that idea, but what if he does it over and over again before he learns it and stops? I cringe thinking of Noah hurting himself.

Noah also figured out how to open the gate at the bottom of the stairs. Man, he's figuring out everything now.

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Sun, Jun 1, 2008 5:53 PM
Noah has been “patting” his tummy and we haven’t understood what that sign meant until today. That’s how he’s signing “bath”. I found out when I asked him if he wanted to take a bath and he did that patting thing. He looooves taking baths. And, as much as he loves it, he doesn’t put up a fuss when we end the bath, so (as of now – knock on wood) we don’t have any problem getting him out.

Today, Noah had a really bad diaper rash. It was so sore that he didn’t want to sit on my lap or even sit in the bathtub. I felt so bad for him.

Noah has one of the Tupperware Shape-O Ball toys and recognizes the star shape now. He does the twisty hand motion when he sees it or wants it like when we sing “Twinkle Twinkle”. It’s very cute. We were also watching Signing Time and he learned the sign for cookie. I told him “you don’t even know what that is!” How funny that he knows the good stuff before he even tastes it!

Joshua did a 180 in his crib today. That’s the first time I’ve found him “upside down” in the crib. He’s getting very mobile lately.

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