Takeover by Teething

I think there was a coup recently on our baby boy's mouth, as of today, he is cutting 5 teeth all at the same time. Last Friday, I noticed the first tooth breaking through, his top front left one. That was followed over the weekend by both of his top canines breaking through his gums and then his lower left canine. And, then today, lo and behold, his top right front tooth came through the gum! Amazingly, he hasn't been that fussy! He is a champion teether compared to Marissa who from the time she was 4 months old, you would have thought was a frenzied maniac of a baby when her teeth started coming through. I did however, have to give him some Motrin for the early evening hours the past few days. I just cannot get over how many teeth are coming through all at once! He is going to have a mouthful by New Years. When baby teeth first break through, they are so tiny, I have to look in his mouth in the bright bathroom light to make sure I am not imagining things. But, then day by day they come in a teensy bit more and more. Lets just pray that he doesn't test out his new teeth all at once while nursing. His sleep has been more interrupted than his normal good sleeping, and at 4 am the other night, the only thing that would distract him were the tacky flashing colored lights on our Christmas tree! Thank goodness for tacky colored flashing lights!
On a whole though, teething seems like something minor to be worried about. My best friend since 5th grade delivered identical twin baby boys last Tuesday night at 32 weeks, after they developed TTTS. They are doing much better, but have a long road in the NICU ahead of them. Luckily they have the most amazing mommy and daddy who will support them and advocate for them every second of the way. It really put in perspective my daily complaints about teething or lallygagging preschoolers though. I have so much to be thankful for and at the top of my list is the health of my family. Please send your thoughts and prayers to my friend and her baby boys that they have an easy NICU course.

Showing off his swollen gums and already existing bottom teeth!
Note the drool soaked shirt.

Oma's Visit

Oma trekked it out here from VT about a month ago, despite the late update, I thought it was worth a blog post to share some cute moments and photos we had. Anyone who has flown VT-LAX knows that it is a less than fun trip with at least one guaranteed miserable connection and a 4 am rising to leave on the east coast end. So thanks Oma for making the haul out here! Perfect timing while daddy was at a weekend retreat in Monterey.
Oliver took an almost immediate liking which turned into being quite smitten with Oma quite quickly! Of course Marissa remembers Oma even though we don't see her often, and also through the wonder of Skype we get to video chat with her. Some highlights of the trip included a mommy and daughter walk at Descano Gardens with grandson, and a trip to Disneyland. California was able to deliver spectacular fall weather for the trip and Oliver was able to deliver some important "firsts" while she was here. On Oma's third day while daddy was still out of town, Oliver cut his first tooth (bottom right) and said "mamma" for the first time, both on the same day! If you know my mom, you know she knows (like really knows) flowers, antiques and cooking and you will see that we managed to squeeze some of her knowledge out of each of these areas:) It is always interesting to me to see my mom with my own children, it feels like I am getting to spy on how she was as my mother when I was a very small child.
On a random note, if anyone out there knows how to make my photos fit better on the whole page or can suggest a better layout, I'm all ears! It seems like my wording and photos are frequently getting cut off with this layout! I would love to devote tons of time to fixing this, but unfortunately I really don't have time to figure it out! I will try to post some more recent stuff soon!

Here are some photos from the visit:

Always nice to have someone with a good eye to catch all of us on film.

Descano Gardens

I think Oma may have been in 7th heaven.

Awww! Snug.



If you know my mom, you know she is the ultimate
 "queen." So how perfect that the first
thing we saw at Disneyland was
 The Queen of Hearts?



How could I resist posting this one?





Skuut! Which Marissa has gotten insanely good at in the last month!
 Thanks for the jump start Oma!



Making Zuchinni muffins, vintage apron courtesty of Oma.



Or this one?



I think Oma's a good photographer, what do you think?




I had to add this one because  I just love the way Marissa is kicking
her leg so high in the air out of sheer glee.
That's Tinkerbell by the way:)



Happy 6 months Oliver!

Happy 6 Months Oliver!

A little more than 6 months ago, I was still daydreaming about whether you were a girl or boy, what you would be like, when you would show up (well I generally knew that one, but one can obsess at the end of pregnancy) You are such a happy, gregarious baby boy. You were eager to meet the world when you were born (you were almost an LA freeway baby!) and made it out in a rapid 3 hours. You showed us a glimpse of what your personality would become that night, because you are still eager to study the world, you are such a curious baby, so outgoing, and so happy. I know that all mom's say their babies are happy, but you truly are. You just crack up laughing all the time! At what sometimes nobody knows!Today was a rough day of nap training, but despite that in the tub tonight you just looked at me with your sparkly eyes and laughed and laughed, at who knows what. You just find life to be amusing and are quick to share a smile with just about anyone these days. You save most of your laughs for your big sister, who cracks you up with all of her antics. Your favorite one is when she bangs inappropriate objects on things and makes loud obnoxious noises that adults do not enjoy. You two are definitely already in cahoots. You set each other all the time. If one of you is crying, the other will start too, if one of you is laughing the other's giggles are not far behind. She loves you so much and refers to you all the time as "My Oliver." You are extremely ticklish! I love that about you! I can get you every time! Who doesn't love a ticklish baby? Daddy also can get you going in full hysterics with his silly faces and antics. You kick your legs in delight when you see him and those you have come to love. You laugh when I bounce you around on my hip singing you Shaggy Boombastic. You love to ride up high on daddy's shoulders, and it especially delights you when you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. In general, you love the sight of your own reflection, I'm not sure if you know it's you or not, but you can really spend a good deal of time talking and staring at yourself! You love grabbing my face with two hand and planting huge open mouth kisses that are insanely drooly all over my cheeks, and I love each and every single one. You always laugh after giving me each one like you know exactly what you are doing. You love to grab my and Marissa's hair and yank the heck out of it each day, it actually hurts quite a bit you know. You get furious when we take a toy away from you or something that you've clenched onto that you aren't supposed to have. You love looking at people and studying them. You will reward them with a smile when they notice you and then smash into my chest to hide. You love something outside our living room window, I'm not sure if it's the birds on the telephone wire or the big oak tree, but something delights you and you face lights up every time you are looking out there. And, you often have a few words about what you are seeing. You are sitting (but easily distractable into toppling but things of interest in the various direction of said topple), you are rolling both ways. You are getting closer and closer to scooting, getting both your back legs up under you, you are quite motivated to get to Ripper, who you also like to grab in a not very gentle way. You are sleeping though the night! You are getting more and more into solids. You especially love peas, followed by all the other vegetables we have fed you. You definitely prefer them to fruits. You love being outside and studying the trees moving in the wind. You are my little koala baby and can hold on so tightly around my neck I swear you could hang there without me holding onto you (don't worry I won't test this theory.) You are a big boy. You are in 12-18 month clothes and they don't need any rolling-up. You were 19lbs 2 oz at 5 months and 28 inches long, you are not really chubby at all, just very solid. You have zero teeth, although it looks like you are close to getting 3 on the bottom. You aren't nearly as bothered by teething as your sister was. Your mamma thinks you are a beautiful boy, with creamy skin, and blue eyes that are showing a hint of brown, long eyelashes and the best dimples. My life, and our family wouldn't be complete without you, I love you more than you will ever know Oliver Jack. I can't wait to find out what the next six months has in store for you.

Click Take A Pic

Making Baked Potato Soup with Momma.
I'm so happy fall has finally arrived and we can
 cook yummy fall type dishes!
She loooves to help in the kitchen, even if she doesn't
always eat what we make.

Mr. Blue Eyes with his Sister's Dora Balloon - obsessed with it!

Sneak Peak of Ol's  First Halloween Costume

All little girls have to try on their Mommy's heels right?
I love the way she always has to have her
headband in front of her ears!

Funnyisms and other things.

Sometimes Marissa just cracks me up. Sometimes she speaks just like a tiny adult, very eloquently, and sometimes she says things that show how her mind works as a three year-old. I love seeing these sneak peeks into her mind. For example, today I asked Marissa if she had been picking at her scab on her leg (it was pretty obvious she had, it had been healing well with Neosporin, and was suddenly looking open in various places (she slipped on our front door steps.)) Without missing a beat, she said "Oh, Mommy, I think I will knit a scarf, it will go right around my neck just like this" while miming draping a scarf around her neck with her hands. And, I said no, Marissa a "scab" and then we got into the whole discussion of her injury. And, for those that know her well, yes it is shocking there is no band aid on there, but it is a really big scrape! I'm still not really sure if "scab" is integrated into her vocab or not now, but I vividly remember picking at scabs as a kid too!
Then later at the dinner table, my baseball hat was near her on the table, I don't normally wear one, so she isn't used to seeing this hat, and it happened to be a camouflagee one (hey, it's my Vermont roots, don't get on me:) She said, "Mommy, I think your hat is really dirty! It's just all messed up." I looked at it, and totally saw her point of view. It's funny how she just thought camo looked all dirty. Which, I guess is really the intent of it after all. Well, anyway, in my world it's just a fashion thing, but I guess she may just think Mommy is going around wearing dirty clothes. Speaking of clothes, the amount of laundry accumulating in our house on a daily basis is shocking! It doesn't help that Marissa loves to change outfits on a whim multiple times a day! She is all about exerting her independence these days.

And, in Oliver news: he is officially sitting now! All of the sudden this week it just clicked, he's got his balance down. If something to his sides or back distracts him suddenly though, he is just down for the count, so he certainly isn't meant to be left unattended in a seating position quite yet. Good job little 20 pounder! They say it's harder to balance the bigger they are, so I was wondering... He's also eating sweet potatoes regularly, and had a few bites of apples that he liked as well!

Here are some other things that I am going to try and randomly update on:
Oliver's Current Size diapers (at age 5.5 months) - Size Three (and has been in these for probably about 1.5 months +)
Oliver's Current favorite food other than BM- sweet potatoes!
Marissa's Current favorite food - does milk count as a food or ketchup? Otherwise it would be dinosaur chicken
Oliver # of teeth = zero, but heavily teething
One of Marissa's least favorite things - having her hair rinsed in the tub, full on screams each time
One of Oliver's least favorite things - getting his arms put through shirts, guaranteed cry every time!
One of Marissa's favorite things- decorating the house for holidays, getting "jumped up high" by Daddy
One of Oliver's favorite things- any sort of fun interaction with family, he's always laughing at everything these days and sometimes nothing at all, he will just crack up out of the blue.
Oliver and strangers- he will stare at them intensely until they give him some sort of attention and then reward them with a gleeful smile
Marissa and strangers- if she's playing on the sidewalk in front of the house, and people are walking towards her, she will completely turn her body and look at the ground and ignore anything they say
Oliver's favorite place to be- anywhere outside
Marissa's favorite place to be- the living room with her toys and books
Marissa's favorite tv show- She has taken a loving to Handy Manny, which I think is quite cute
Oliver's favorite tv show- ok we don't let Oliver really watch tv, but scarily when he catches a glimpse of  Handy Manny, he actually, literally squeals in delight.
Marissa's proudest moment this week - doing "share" aka show and tell for her class at school. She was a star and brought in a rubber duckie:) The other kids have to guess what is in the opaque bag and the kid who brings share answers the questions. Marissa's item was a bit confusing. The kids guessed it was a bird, but then she told them it didn't have feathers and it was orange. Who has heard of an orange featherless duck?!
Marissa's sleep - not too bad, she only woke up a bunch the night before her "share day."
Oliver's sleep - rather terrible since Hawaii where he ended up in our bed most of the time due to being sick and having a cold iron hotel crib that he was way too big for. Since then he has woken up 2 or even 3 times a night, you can guess what's coming in his near future. Sorry buddy.
Marissa's favorite book this week- "No hitting." Which we randomly borrowed from preschool, she is very interested in this book this week. I'm wondering how much kid fighting she is seeing at school for the first time. I don't even think she knew what hitting was before preschool. Oh the joys of having your kid learn bad behaviors from other kids at school. As a side note, she is generally loving non-fiction books lately.
Oliver's favorite book - Trucks (or something like that.) A huge DK book with flaps and bright colors and trucks that make noise. I love DK books for very little ones. He still has a pretty short attention span for books, especially compared to Marissa at this age (she sat through multiple repeats of Make Way for Ducklings at 4 months.)

Well I guess that's enough updates for right now. I'm trying to think of fun little things to look back on like these that are easy to compare, and will change as time goes by. Let me know if you have any other good ones! Oh, and sorry for the blurry header picture, it's from my IPhone, but I just had to put it up for a little while since it had a Fall feel and they are being so cute in it:) And, also because I think they look so much alike in it!
Here is a picture of Marissa from "share" with her teacher.

One of Oliver for good measure



Do you think she loves her teacher?



And, we are busy...

Is that an okay excuse to be such a terrible updater? September flew by in a blur, and October doesn't show any signs of slowing down. Our big news is that we are moving! We have to move by the end of the month (YIKES!) and we don't have a new house yet! We are going to look at a slew of houses on Sunday with the real estate agent and I am hoping that the kids can hang tough for this outing. And, I am hoping we find something we LOVE! I'm torn on wanting a pool or not. I'm scared of the dangers, but would love the cool relief it would bring from our hot neck of the woods. We are staying local, but it is still daunting to think of all the work we have in front of us this month (I have packed two diaper boxes so far.) Hmmm, I probably should be packing and not blogging. I really wish we didn't own so much stuff, it has just accumulated over time, especially with the kids, I just have the hardest time throwing things out!
We are also just back from Hawaii this week and let me just confirm that I was almost in tears leaving. It is so gorgeous and relaxing there, and that is saying a lot, because we had two kids who were super sick. Marissa ended up with a sinus infection and needed antibiotics, but we still eeked out some fun. Preschool tag sale is tomorrow and daddy is working 4 hours at that, and still putting in shockingly huge hours at the firm. Daddy turned 30, and he is owed a major re-do on his birthday dinner that was less than fun. Think slightly too fancy restaurant for tired, sick and jet lagged children who were wildly unhappy to be in the restaurant. It was totally unsalvagable, and we ended up packing up our dinner to go. Overall, I think we did about 10% of what we wanted to do in Maui, and I was still sad to leave!

The sky here made me feel whole. We don't get skies like this in LA.

Enough of all that though, what I really want to document is how much the kids have changed. Marissa really likes preschool, and ever since starting has become so much more independent. She is throwing her own garbage away at home without prompting, taking herself potty etc. It is fabulous! The only downside is, I think she is slightly bored at home too. I almost wish I had put her in three days a week, but I keep thinking that she has the rest of her life to be in school. It is definitely one of my goals to have activities planned for her the night before, so I am not struggling to figure out what to do, printing directions etc the day of. Before we had Oliver, everyday was activity packed, parks, museums, cooking, etc. But, life with baby really changes things. If we are going to cook, it can't be a lengthy project, I'm always thinking about sun exposure (at least until I can put sunblock on him!) with our strong Southern California sun etc... It is getting easier the older he gets though. He can go longer without eating, sleeping etc... If anyone has great activities to do with a three year old and a five month old, let me know!




Luau attempt #1, about one minute before vomiting up that fruit punch.


And, I love to get out with Oliver because he is Mr. Social. He has this smile that just seems to win people over. He does this thing where he smiles and raises one of his eye brows at the same time, almost a little Jack Nicholson like (but in a really cute way:) And, I love when he smiles at someone and then turns quickly and hides in my chest while simultaneously fist pounding me with his inner hand. It is the cutest. And, I love how he will stare at the nearest person until they give him some attention and then he gets all shy. What a flirt! Most of all I love how much he loves his big sister. Whenever he wakes up from a nap all cranky, the second he sees her, he busts out into the biggest grin. They just have an unspoken chemistry those two. He's been talking up a storm to her and it is just so fun to watch him really focus on her and tell her a million things, if only we knew what he was saying!
He has been sitting for a few seconds here and there, and it will be really great once he balances out because the second he is on the floor on his back, he rolls over and then the tummy time is short lived after the 50th roll. When he is on his tummy propped up slightly by a little wedge he is starting to get his legs up under him and is super wiggly looking like he really wants to go somewhere. We tried him on rice cereal and he took about 4 bites and was done! I don't think he is the biggest fan of the taste! We might try it mixed with a fruit in a couple of weeks. Phew, and this is what happens when I don't update, entries are way too long! I'm also including a ton of photos, these were edited out of about 600 or so.

At the airport. The boy is a good traveler.



"Seriously, who let these guys become parents?"



Probably one of my favorite pictures of Marissa ever.



Dancing to the band.

Luau Success! A great family activity!

We let her sit at the wheel of the Dodge Caravan when we were setting up the rental car. It was about 12 am LA time and she was so overtired. This was probably not our brightest idea, but it preserved every one's sanity. PS: this may be one of the worst cars ever built.



Sunset at Black Rock.



Oliver and Mommy at sunset

Hawaii Keiki

Tent Happiness

Baby Elvis Wind Hair.

Can we go back tomorrow?



Family of Four



Sand Angel



Pirate Ship Pool Slide!



Until Next Time

Beach Tent

Surfer Girl

Oliver in his swim suit

Preschool!

Well, Marissa and I attended visiting day at her preschool, and I would say it was a total success! Visiting day started at 8:30 am, pretty early for my little girl. She was definitely nervous this morning. She ate one bite of the special chocolate chip waffles I got for her! And, then she claimed that she was sick, and had a fever and a cold. Then I asked her if she was worried about preschool, and she said, "Mommy, I am worried." Oh, how my heart ached for her. But, once we got settled in, she realized how many fun things there are to do there, she was all smiles. I think she is going to really love it there and will learn so many things. I am excited to see her thrive, and I think the preschool we chose for her is the perfect fit. Her classroom has a neat new reading loft as well, which is just perfect for our little reading bug! I remember having a reading loft in my elementary school classroom and I have many fond memories from it. Now, for the true test, next Tuesday is when I will say goodbye for real after story time, lets hope it goes well too! Mommy is signed up to work in the classroom soon after, as it is a coop preschool, and I can't wait to participate in my little girl's first experience in education. Oh, and I have to bring snack to the classroom for 10 kids, let me know if you have any ideas for easy snacks (it has to be a carb, protein/dairy, and veggie/fruit.  Oliver has been uber-cute lately, and he now makes these adorable pig like squeals of excitement, that actually mean he's really tired (I swear they are really cute, and I will try and figure out how to put a video of one on here!) Here are some pictures of our visiting day!

Excellent Selection of princess shoes and closets full of dress up stuff. Marissa was in 7th heaven.

Mommy and Sass in front of the new reading loft! They are installing brand new carpet on Saturday, I love the way these look!

They have a bunny for a classroom pet!

Cool Nail and Rubberband board, I love how such a simple thing can teach so many different things.

Mrs.Laura Marissa's teacher. Doesn't she look teachery?

The piles

Oh boy, the piles of "stuff" around this house are on my mind. And, by piles I mean, piles of laundry (various, multiple piles that seem to exponentially grow), piles of laundry, piles of little girl barrettes and pony tail holders, piles of dirty dishes, piles of art supplies seeking to consume Marissa's craft table, piles of mail (both junk and non-junk), piles of photos on my memory card to be downloaded and well you get the idea. I have no idea how mom's with clean houses get the house to look so good. When Oliver's napping, I'm either reading to Marissa or trying to give her some much deserved attention, trying to get Oliver back down if he randomly woke back up (yes, we have another light sleeper,) am scrambling to shove some food down my throat or making Marissa a meal that is probably running a little late. Not to mention, maybe possibly trying to get 1/100 of one pile put in its proper place.
Adding to the random chaos that is currently our house, Leo has been working a ton. And, by a ton I mean about 230 billable hours a month. That would be billable, not just regular old work hours. To say we all miss him would be an understatement. The good news is Marissa and Oliver seem to care less about the cleanliness of our house than I do. And, for that I am their biggest fan. Daddy is working all three days of this labor day weekend, and I am therefore bailing on a birthday party at a rock climbing gym tomorrow because I just can't juggle a 3 year old and a 4 month old while trying to support the 3 year old in rock climbing efforts and a bouncy house. Well, I probably could, but I would come home with a huge headache and be wrecked for the rest of the day. Sometimes a momma just has to look out for herself.  I think it's time to fire up the kiddie pools in the backyard this weekend as we have been maintaining around a 95 degree temperature this week. I'm still planning on making the weekend fun, it's just an endless summer here in Southern California.
Speaking of which, around this time of year, I always miss the coolness that comes on without fail in Vermont. It is more than a shift in air temperature however, it is a change in the feel of the wind, and most definitely a smell in the air. You just know fall is coming. And, that air, it smells oh so clean and almost sweet. I hate to say it, but fall in Southern California just doesn't compare. Apple picking, fallen maple leaf picking, leaf raking, acorn gathering, wood splitting. log stacking. There is nothing quite like a New England fall. Despite this, I intend to fully bring my Vermont roots to LA for my kids. I can't wait to do every conceivable fall activity with them. The highlight of which for me is going to Underwood Family Farms (http://www.underwoodfamilyfarms.com/) to pick out our pumpkins, they have great tractor rides, 100's of pumpkins and it just feels like fall there. And, how about Halloween? Actually, Halloween used to be my very least favorite holiday as an adult (that and New Years,) but now I can say that it is hands down my very favorite holiday with the kids. Yes, Marissa and I have already been discussing her Halloween costume for months and months, and we even know what Oliver will be:)  I just can't wait!
And, fall this year also means the first day of preschool for my girl Marissa. Next week we have our test visit day, just her and I (and all the other kids in her class and their parents,) and then the week after that she starts all on her very own! We have been reading lots of books in preparation. D.W.'s Guide to Preschool and Llama Llama Misses Mama (the latter is by a Vermont Author) are our two favorites. Marissa told me today, "Mom let's go to preschool right now. I'm ready. I won't be shy, I will just say'hi' to all the kids." Oh, how I hope that is the case, I worry for my shy, sensitive girl's entrance into the school world. But, Leo and I have been telling her how great she will do and how much fun she will have. I'm very careful not to state any of my concerns to her, but inwardly they are there. Mainly because she reminds me so very much of how I was as a kid. Everyone always says how fast time goes, and it really does. Which, is exactly why I honestly don't care that the house is a mess, I want to spend these waking moments with them, not cleaning.
Can you believe Oliver is 4 months old? Actually almost 4.5 months old? I can't. He has officially started teething (oh so fun) and has also become an official member of the rolly-poli club. He is also officially "tall" at 27.5 inches (97 percentile) and weighed in at 18 lbs (70 percentile) at his four month checkup. Where did August, July and June go? Ready or not, here we come fall. Next post, I'll update on Oliver's torticollis situation and our imminent tropical vacations plans. Here are a few recent photos of the munchkins.

Is it just me or are they already keeping secrets from us?

Their moods are so in sync, it's freaky. "Mom, get out of here."

Oh, how she loves him.

Cracking Up. And, how I love those all those little feet.