Count to Ten

We caught Henry on tape counting to ten last night.  Every day he amazes me more and more with everything he is learning.  Love this boy!

Sharing

Henry is learning to share his toys with Hannah.  He knows that if he takes a toy away from her, he needs to give her one in return.  It was so fun to watch Hannah crawl over top of Henry this morning to try and get the toy he was playing with.  Of course, his toys are the only thing she wants to play with.  Hannah is becoming more and more mobile every day.  She can crawl backwards now, so I know any day away she will go!!

I have quickly learned that toys are not the only thing these kids share.  On Friday Hannah woke up covered in poop.  She unfortunately has come down with the same thing Henry had last week.  So all weekend Hannah was fussy, pooping every 2 hours, and not sleeping well.  It continued yesterday, so I called my mom and asked her to come over today to stay home with the kids.  So she is at home with both kids today.  We are so lucky to have our family so close. 

I have a call into the pediatrician since when kids have diarrhea you are supposed to take them off milk.  But what do you do when all your baby drinks is milk??  My mom tried a few ounces of Pedialyte this morning which she took down fine.  She is on day four of this GI bug, so hopefully on the mends.  Poor little girl.

Henry is completely better and treated mommy and daddy to sleeping in until 7:15 this morning!  Only if that would continue!!

And P.S. - Mommy has a sinus infection...nothing more fun that a sick mommy and sick kids!  Luckily my Dr. called in a script for me that I am headed to pick up over noon.  There is no time for this mom to be sick!

Happy Monday everyone!

Cheerios

Our sitter called in sick today, so I am at home this morning with the kids.  Henry was eating his normal 4 bowls of cereal, which is the only meal of the day we can get him to eat well for us.  Hannah was being a little fussy, so I decided to entertain her with some Cheerios.  Her first time gumming any type of finger food and she did great!!  Pretty hilarious watching her try this new adventure of eating Cheerios. 

Kids Company

Our search began for a new babysitter.  The question is - do we switch to a center now that Henry is older?  What do we do with Hannah?  Do we bring her to an in-home provider and Henry to the center and deal with two drop offs for a year?  Or do we bring Hannah to the center as well?  Those questions and more have been on my mind over the past few months.

Now that Henry is almost half way to his third birthday, structure in his day is becoming more and more important.  Free play is still a very important piece of his day, but a few short lessons here and there are good for him.  And playing in groups of children his own age wouldn't hurt either.

Andy and I interviewed with three centers and three in-home providers.  My coworker highly referred the center she brings her children to called Kids Company.  Of the three centers I toured I liked this one the best by far.  It is much smaller than the other centers, and is family run.  The only problem is, like with most centers around here, the wait list!  Emily (the director) thought she could get Henry enrolled in June, and Hannah in August, so a little bit of a wait.  So we had been dealing with what to do with the kids until they had an opening.  Then last week Emily called and said an opening came available and she can get Henry in starting March 21st!  That is the first day we will be in the new house - so perfect timing. 

She still doesn't have a date for when Hannah can start.  Once Henry starts we get priority over any other families that aren't currently enrolled, so she is hopeful for a June start.  We interviewed with an in-home provider a few weeks ago that we really liked and are working through details with her now.  She may be ok with us bringing Hannah for a few months until they can get her in the center.  Or we may decide to keep Hannah with her for awhile until she is ready for a center, as long as the two drop offs isn't a huge inconvenience. 

I dropped by our deposit check for Henry on Tuesday and peeked in his room again.  One of the things I love about Kids Company is that they split out their two year olds into 'Little 2's' and 'Big 2's'.  There is such a difference in development between a 24 month old compared to a 36 month old.  So I really like that they split them up.  Henry will have 11 other little playmates in his class.  I also like that during educational time they break out into two small groups of 6 each.  They also go outside at least once a day.  He is going to love it so much!

So we have one of the kids taken care of, which is a relief!  Still trying to figure out what to do with Hannah.  Luckily we still have five weeks.  And if I don't find anything that is better than where she is at now I can always leave her with Teri. 

Hard to believe that Henry will be starting at more of a 'preschool' now.  He is growing too fast!!

My Valentine's

Last night Henry was feeling a little better and helped me make his Valentine's.  He helped me write each of the daycare kids names on each Valentine, and put the stickers on.  We then attached a piece of candy to each one.

When is the last time you made Valentine's?  Well, it had been quite awhile for Andy and me.  We couldn't remember how they worked.  Does Henry give everyone Spiderman Valentines since he is a boy?  Or does he give the girls the Princess ones and the boys the Spiderman ones?  There were no directions on the box to help us out! 

Henry helping with the heart stickers. 

Spiderman and Princesses.  We decided to give the girls the Princess Valentine's and the boys the Spiderman Valentine's.  That makes the most sense - right??

This Valentine's Day I find myself the luckiest girl around.  I have the most wonderful husband, and two beautiful babies.  I am lucky to be so loved. 

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Not Feeling so Well

Henry is constantly on the move.  Literally.  He never sits still for even a second.  So I knew this morning right after he woke up when he wanted to cuddle on the couch that he wasn't feeling well.  We have been super lucky with such healthy children.  Henry didn't get his first ear infection until he was 2 years old.  Sure, he has had the normal colds here and there, but hardly is he sick enough that it slows him down.  Well today is a different story. 

Poor little guy.  This was after he laid in bed with us until 7:30am, and took a 2 hour morning nap. 

Don't worry, he didn't forget about his Spider Man swim trunks (two sizes too big).  He has not taken these off since we accidentally stumbled upon them while packing yesterday. 

He is down for his second nap of the day now.  Hopefully he wakes up feeling much better.  Valentines Day is tomorrow and we have a list of his daycare buddies to make Valentines Day cards for!

Schmidt - Schweers Family Night Out

Last Saturday the Schweers came to visit.  Henry loves playing with his cousins, and Andy and I really enjoy hanging out with Adam and Jill, so we were excited to have them over for the night.  When Adam suggested going out to eat Andy and I thought he was crazy.  Bringing 3 boys and an infant out in public??  How were we going to manage that?  To our surprise the boys did great.  They all stayed in the booth the entire time, and we managed to have an enjoyable night out! 

Here is Camron, Bennett and Henry having fun at Old Chicago. 

Another Trip to the Dr.

My cell phone rang this morning around 10am and it was Teri, our daycare provider.  I always know it isn't good news when her name shows up on my phone. She said Henry was not himself, lying on the floor all morning.  He didn't have a fever, but I figured since there were three other kids this week that had confirmed cases of strep, I should probably bring him to the Dr.

The Dr. checked him over and the strep culture came back negative.  He had no fever, just the usual cold symptoms.  So the Dr. called it a viral infection and said to give it a few days and sent us on our way.  All good news.

I brought Hannah along to have her weight checked.  At her 6 month check they were concerned with her weight.  Since then we have upped her ounces and fed her more baby food, which seems to have taken care of the problem.  Her weight is up to 16lbs 3oz.  38th percentile. 

For now we just wait and hope that Henry doesn't get worse.  I stayed home with him the rest of the day and all three of us napped together, a nice long nap from 12:30 - 3:30.  My kind of nap. 

Tonight Henry is playing like normal and seems to be doing just fine.  Let's hope it continues.

Skywalk Golf 2011

This morning was our 4th annual Skywalk Golf.  The first year I was pregnant with Henry, so technically he has attended each one. 

Our tee time was 8:03am, so one of the first teams to go.  KCCI Channel 8 was broadcasting live from our 'Blue' course and interviewed Henry.  She called him a little golf pro.  It was very cute. 

Henry love watching the Duck. 

Here he is taking his turn.  He would not let the putter go the entire day.

Schmidt family.

Henry loves riding escalators. 

Henry only threw a few fits when he got mad when we had to move him from the course.  Other than that we kept him pretty busy and he had a good time!

More Space

Andy and I have been throwing around the idea of moving for the past year.  Last year at this time we still owned our townhouse in Atlanta, which is a whole different story, but having that mortgage payment, with rent on top of it made for no extra cash.  Last year at this time I was pregnant with Hannah, so we knew we would need more space, but the thought of moving all of our stuff, and increasing our rent payment outweighed the idea of moving.  So we decided to extend our current lease.

Our current townhome that we rent has a great layout.  But, it only has two bedrooms, which has been challenging.  I don't think Hannah has slept in her crib more than a few times, since she shares a room with Henry (and Lord knows, we would not want to ever wake up Henry).  Her 'make shift' bedroom is in our master bedroom closet where we have her pack n play set up.  I know that sounds terrible, but it is a huge closet, and it has actually worked out well having her so close. 

So this March our lease expires again.  There are two major things that made us consider not moving.  The actual move...we have SO much stuff.  And having to switch babysitters.  I hate sitter searching, and it makes it hard since we like Teri so much.  There is the option of staying with Teri, but that would mean adding 20 minutes onto the commute. 

We have decided to hire movers (Yes - all of our immediate family can start cheering now).  And we have started the sitter hunt.  If we don't find a sitter we like just as much as Teri, then we will make the extra drive and continue to bring the kids there until we do find another arrangement.  Our kids are the most important thing to us, and we won't settle for anything but the best for them.  The good thing is that we have time. 

We found a great home out west in Urbandale off of Hickman Rd.  It is about five minutes away from our good friends who have little girls the same age as Hannah, and is closer to my sisters.  It has four bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a back yard, and 2200 square feet!!  I am not looking forward to the additional time that will be spent on cleaning, but more space will be so nice. 



Why rent vs own??  We had to short sell our townhouse, which stays on our credit history for 3 years.  So two years from now we will be able to be approved for a loan, have a better feel for the area we want to buy, have more money saved for a down payment, and ready to take on the title of home ownership again. 

Yeah to more space!!

Chatter Box

Last night while picking Henry up from Ms. Teri's house she mentioned what a chatter box he has become.  That really got me thinking about it.  Henry has gone from saying two word sentences just 5 months ago, to saying at least 6 word sentences more recently.  This morning he said 'Hannah turned off the movie Mom'.  (Hannah was gumming the remote and paused the TV).

It has been so much fun watching him go from learning one word every few days, to several words each day.  He is also getting very good at talking back.  'NO MOM' and 'NO HANNAH' is getting to be some of his favorite phrases.  I can already tell that Henry will be telling on Hannah any chance he gets. 

Hannah is 7 Months Old!

Hannah is 7 months old!! 

Hannah has mastered sitting up unsupported.  This week she started really raising herself up on her arms and supporting herself up high.  She babbles a lot, and has started eating a lot more baby food.  So far we have tried sweet potatoes, apples, peaches, and bananas.  We try and introduce one new baby food each week. 

Hannah still isn't sleeping through the night.  She wakes up at least twice a night, but goes right back to sleep.  She was sleeping great until she got her second ear infection two weeks ago.  Sickness always seems to mess with the night sleeping.  I am hopeful it won't be long!

This week I went from pumping three times a day down to two times a day at work.  I am slowly starting to reduce my milk supply.  Only two more months left and I will be done!  Which for me is bitter sweet. 

I could not get her to lay on her back for more than a second.  So most of the pictures are of her on her tummy. 

Pretty face.  She has had a terrible time with very dry skin around her mouth.  The constant drooling and the dry air are not a good combination.  I put aquafor on daily, but we just can't get rid of it. 

Reaching for anything she can!

I snapped this right before she turned over.  She still constantly kicks her legs and thumps them on the ground. 

Getting better at balancing on her tummy.  It won't be long before she is crawling after her brother!

Here is Henry at 7 months.   

Chubby legs!

It looks like Henry was a little farther along with being on all fours.  Hannah isn't far behind though!

Best Husband Ever

When I came back to my office Wednesday after being in meetings all day long I was greeted with these beautiful flowers on my desk.   

After being together for eight years he is still full of surprises. 

To the best husband ever - I love you.

How I Love a Deal

I love shopping at Baby Gap.  Any time we are at the mall I always stop in just to 'browse'.  I have had my eye on this red Christmas dress for Hannah since the beginning of the season.  As everyone knows, I will not buy anything that is not on sale.  So there was no way I was paying full price for the dress.  I continued to watch it as the price dropped.  I almost bought it two weeks ago for $24, but Andy talked me out of it.  I then saw it on the rack last Thursday and couldn't resist.  On sale for $10.99!!  And you know the best part??  When I got up to the register and she rung me up, the dress came up as an additional 40% off!!  One of the best feelings for anyone that loves finding a deal is when you already think you are getting a great price, you go to check out and it is even cheaper than what you thought!  So I got the dress for right under $7.  I was ecstatic. 


Even Andy was impressed with my find, even though he couldn't believe I was buying a dress for next Christmas....  He would have been more impressed with the one purchase, totaling $6.97, but I couldn't resist and bought the below dress as well for her this summer.  It was $9, so not as good of a find - but still a great deal!



Can you tell I'm my mother's daughter???

Bottom line - Hannah is going to be one well dressed baby girl.

Goodnight Moon

Reading Goodnight Moon has become a nightly routine for us.  Henry is getting so smart and now knows what the next words on the next page are before we even get there.  It is so fun to watch the excitement in his eyes each time we read the book. 

Hannah loves sitting on daddy's lap listening to the words as well.  It is so nice that we now have the kids on similar schedules.  Bath and bed time come at pretty much the same time each time.  And recently we have been placing Hannah's baby tub in the big tub with Henry so they have bath time together, which lasts a good 30 minutes.  What a fun bedtime routine they get to share together. 

Bennett turns 6

This weekend we loaded up the kids and headed to Carroll to celebrate Bennett's 6th birthday.  Adam's sister Katie has two boys, so we had 5 boys under the age of 6 in a room at the same time.  It was super fun to watch them all interact together. 

Henry ate really well sitting at the table with all the boys. As Jill said...peer pressure can do wonderful things, but it can also work against you! I quickly learned that as the boys started climbing under the tables, running out of the room, pushing each other and more. Henry of course followed right along.  

Time to open presents!  Henry has been fighting a cold all week and his nose is constantly running.  So of course his fingers are always fishing around trying to figure out what is going on.  I caught him in the act. 

Hannah with Grandma Schmidt.  Eating at Pizza Ranch.

Henry watching on as Bennett gets ready to open presents.

Happy 6th birthday Bennett!

Sunday Funday

Last Sunday was a great day.  The kids slept in past 6am, we went to church, everyone napped, and then we headed over to our good friends Kelly and Ryan's for Sunday Funday. 

It was crazy enough when Kelly, Erin and I were all pregnant at the same time, but for all three of us to have girls was even crazier.  I am so excited to watch these three girls grow up together. 

Georgia is 8 months, Hannah 6, and Peyton 3.

They had so much fun playing on the ground together for a couple of hours.  Henry ran around the house while the little girls gossiped. 

Come 6:30pm the babies started having melt downs so we called it a night.  And a good night it was.

BaBaBa

Hannah's new two syllable word.  She just started doing it tonight and now it is all she says.  It is so crazy how quick she picks up on things. 

My little talker.  

6 Month Check

Hannah's 6 month check was yesterday.  This girl has been in the 50% for everything, so I was very surprised went he Dr. came in and said the words 'We need to talk about Hannah's weight'.  She had dropped down to the 18% for her weight.  Not a good sign for babies.  So of course I got worried.  They asked how many times a day she eats and how many ounces each feeding.  She is taking three 5 ounce bottles each day at the sitter.  Well, they think that is what the problem is.  A baby should be taking at least how many months they are (6) in ounces at each feeding, plus one ounce.  Hannah should be taking around 6-8 ounces. 

So...they are going to give me 4 weeks to get her weight up.  First thing is to up the ounces.  So I called the sitter last night and told her that she needs to feed her more.  I'm not sure if it is the sitter not putting enough in her bottle, or Hannah not taking more than 5 ounces.  Whatever the reason was, going forward the sitter is going to make her eat more.  I told her to force feed her, which I hate saying, but we need to get her weight back up!!  They said if her weight isn't up when I come back in four weeks then we will need to discuss supplementing with formula, which I am not a fan of.  I really want to exclusively breast feed for 9 months, to get through the winter crud, and to match what I did for Henry.  The Dr. also said we need to start feeding her more baby food.  Not so much rice cereal, but baby food.  So last night I went out and bought a ton of baby food and we will start tonight. 

Her height is still 50%.  She is hitting all her milestones as she should.  And she is a happy baby.  Just need to work on her weight and get her eating more.

Two Nights in a Row

Hannah slept completely through the night the past two nights.  I had to wake her up this morning!  Lets only hope it continues.  It sure does feel great getting 6-8 consecutive hours of sleep!! 

Now if we can only get her brother to sleep past 5am.  This morning I heard Henry playing in the living room with his blocks building towers....in the dark!  I tried to get him to go back to sleep, but it was a no go. 

Guess I just can't win....