Monday, March 31, 2008

We're going on an Easter Egg Hunt

Grandma Vera & AsherDaddy with his girlsAustin Family PhotoAsher ready for the Easter Egg HuntAsher with Grandpa Bill

Yesterday we made our way to Iowa to Grandma Bet & Boppa Bill's House on the farm for a late Easter celebration. Dinner was wonderful, as usual, followed by an Easter Egg Hunt, divided by child (which was nice). Alivia ran all over the yard looking for her eggs. Addison would find an egg and want to see what was in it. So, the candy would fall to the ground. She did not seem to mind, though. Asher actually look a small catnap in Daddy's arms while Addison took a nap in Mommy's old crib (and I mean OLD). It was nice to see Grandma Vera, too, who was in good spirits. We had a lot of fun. Everyone slept good last night!

 

Alivia runs to the next eggAsher & Daddy watching the Egg HuntAddi finds an eggOn Addison's HuntLots of Candy, too few teeth!


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Saturday, March 29, 2008

Asher turns 4 months old!

So hard to believe that Asher is 4 months old already! It does not seem possible! At his 4 month checkup, Asher weighed in at 13 lb 8 oz was 24 1/2 inches long. So, despite being very spitty, he has maintained his place on the growth charts. He is to continue the Zantac for possible reflux, and I am to continue a dairy free diet for what may be a milk protein intolerance, until his next checkup at 6 months. Although he giving me lots of laundry to do, the diet and the Zantac have helped him to not be fussy. Asher has been sleeping through the night (at least in my eyes) since about 3 1/2 months of age. Just when I think he has developed a pattern, he wakes up at 3-4 am, though. He usually eats around 8pm, waking to eat around 5-6 am, then sleeping again until 8 or so in the morning. He does not nap, however. I place him in his crib a few times a day to take a nap, but with rare success. My mom mentioned that I sent her a lot of pictures of Asher sleeping from February. That is because whenever I get him to sleep (which is usually for less than 5 minutes), I take a picture because it is so unsual! We are blessed that he does rest at night, though. I have begun "sleep training" him during the day for naptime. So, hopefully he will start napping in the next few weeks. 

So, what does Asher like to do? He loves playing with Addison (and Addison, now 20 months old, loves playing with Asher, too). Although I am still nursing, he does take a bottle of mommy milk once a day now. Alivia likes to help with that. He likes to eat about every 3 1/2 hours. He has gone 4 hours between feedings a few times, but that is usually when he wakes at night to eat, though. He has just started to recognize when Mommy is out of sight (perhaps the issue at naptime). He just started rolling over and scooting with his feet while on his back! He was trying to scoot off the examination table during his checkup. I also have to strap him into the bouncy chair because he wants to scoot right out of the thing. The times of laying him down on the playmat while I fix a meal will not last much longer. He can sit by himself for a short period of time, too, before falling over. What makes him laugh? He likes to be tickled and play peek with Addison. He has many sounds that he makes, but he has the loudest high pitched cry I have ever heard (and this is coming from a Mommy of 2 girls!). We like his laugh best, of course.

The months just seem to be racing by...so off to enjoy every moment!

 

Asher at his 4 month checkupMy, what big eyes you have, Asher!

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Monday, March 24, 2008

Happy Easter - Asher's first!

Our Easter began before sunrise as we made our way to 7:30 Mass in attempts to beat the Easter rush. Everyone was really tired. Then, we came back home for an egg hunt and Easter Baskets. After Addison had a little nap, we went over to Chris' parents' house for brunch and another egg hunt. Alivia now knows what to do and had a lot of fun. Addison was just cold. Asher watched. After all that fun, Chris & I were ready for bed!

 

Alivia & Addison at 7:30 massWe're going on an Egg Hunt!Asher's 1st EasterAddison & Alivia with Boppa BobPrincess AliviaAsher with Grandma Kathy on the Egg HuntAddison on another Egg HuntAlivia with all her eggs

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Saturday, March 22, 2008

Hop to it?

 

Alivia is sooo cold!"Cheese!"Um, when is it starting?Egg Hunting.

First Easter Egg Hunts. First one was at Chris' work (can we say..."brrrr")where the kids were divided by age group. So nice! The second hunt was in our neighborhood where there was no division by age (& we will not be returning again).

Happy Easter!

 

Waiting at the neighborhood egg huntAlivia ready to go.

 

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What's for breakfast?

Cinnamon Rolls (from Better Homes and Gardens)

Oven to 375

4-41/3 c. flour

1 package yeast

1c milk

1/3 c sugar

1/3c margarine

1/2tsp salt

2 eggs

3 TBSP marg.

1/2 c. sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

 

1. Mix 2 cups flour and yeast, set aside. In saucepan, heat and stir milk, the 1/3c sugar, and 1/3 c butter and salt til warm (120-130 degrees) and butter almost melts. Add milk mixture to dry mixture, add eggs. Beat for 30 seconds on medium speed, then 3 minutes on high. Add remaining flour.

2. Knead dough with mixture or hand knead on floured surface. Shape dough into ball and raise 1 hr.

3. Punch down and divide dough in half. Cover & let set 10 minutes. Lightly grease 2 round baking pans.

4. Roll dough into 2 12x8 rectangles, brush with melted 3 TBSP margarine, then cover with mix of 1/2 c sugar and cinnamon Roll up, jelly roll style, from long side. Cut into 12 equal pieces. Place in prepared pans. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.

5. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.  I then covered mine with 1c. powdered sugar, 1/2tsp vanilla, and 1 TBSP milk.

Alivia loved these. I made 1/2 caramel rolls and 1/2 cinnimon with frosting. So, now you know what I do when I get up with Alivia at 3:30am, Asher for a hour from 3:45-4:45 (um, don't know why he woke up so early today!) and then Addison woke up at 5. Guess I might as well make a special treat for breakfast! (too bad I could not eat them since they have milk in them!).

 

 

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Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Chooo Chooooo!

Well, we got our long awaited "Trane" furnace & air conditioner today. We hope this investment saves us money in the long run, & keeps us cool in the summer and warm in the winter for years to come. Chooo Chooo!!

 

Before Air conditioner: Um, really yucky.Before: Um, yuck.DuringAfter: New Air conditionerAfter...New Trane furnace

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Visit to the Easter Bunny

The kids & I went to visit the Easter Bunny yesterday. This is the first time I have ever done this. Asher was the only one that sat on his lap (& note the spit-up coming out of his mouth at the time of the picture!). Addison was crying at my side & Alivia, the one that was so excited to see the Easter Bunny, hardly stepped foot into the picture area. Oh, but the memories we will have forever, right?

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Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Update

As you can see from the picture above, Asher will not be having any dairy products anytime soon. That is actually a small example. Yuck! Chris, Asher, and I change our clothes many times a day. I have been off dairy products, for the most part, for a while now, seeing good results. However, I tend to sneak in a bite of chocolate or cheese here and there, and that leads to the above. So, I have to go to the store today and buy things I can eat instead (there are many substitutes actually). Yesterday, I had to resort to Cheerios for snack because it was the only snacky thing I could find without milk (there are only so many fruits and vegetables I can eat in a day). I also do not think Asher is tolerating soy, but that is yet to be determined. As for Asher starting cereal, um, I think I will wait. Can you imagine how messy that would be right now? His poor tummy needs to figure out how to digest breastmilk first. He is, however, sleeping through the night! That is so exciting (but I do miss him at night). I feed him at 7:30-8PM (he sometimes can not wait until 8) and wakes between 5-6am!

My back is now back to 85% probably. I went to a chiropractor last week. I am not sure if it helped my body, but it helped my mind. I am back taking my occasional jogs and carrying 2 kids at a time. Oh, the life of a SAHM is backbreaking!

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Saturday, March 15, 2008

It can be done!

 

The 3 kiddos in the Camry...it can be done with a little blood, sweat and tears, anyway (especially with a bad back). Off to school we go! (& I will now admit, I am very stubborn and extremely conservative. If Chris only worked closer, I would not ask for a car at all! But, as you can see, I think we need one!).

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Friday, March 14, 2008

Moving on up

Congratulations to Chris! After taking the day off Monday to help me walk, he went to work and got promoted on Tuesday! Yeah, Chris!! (Guess I will have to keep him home for 3 day weekends more often!).

He is now a software engineer II (um, still do not know what he does...that is classified). The caveat, he may have to work some long hours in the next few weeks/months (maybe years).

Congratulations Topher!

 

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Monday, March 10, 2008

You know you are old when...

You can not walk without help and they take away your car.

Let me explain.

First: Chris called in sick today because I can not walk or stand up from a sitting position without his help because my back went out last week. I pulled it getting a binder down from a carton of binders for my boss last week and it has just progressively gotten worse. By yesterday, I was a mess. Nice, huh? Now, I am home with 3 kids, two of which like to be held, and have problems even walking. I can tell I am a year older!

Second: They came and picked up my car this morning. So, I am officially without my own car. It was so sad to see it go. Luckily, Chris will have my parents' car to drive to work on Tuesdays and Thursdays so I can take the Camry to preschool.

So, I guess it is official. I am O-L-D.

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Sunday, March 09, 2008

Omaha Children's Museum

Addison playing in the waterAddi playing in the fire engineAlivia playing in moon sandDaddy, can you carry anything else?Peek-a-boo, I see you!Addi in the play kitchen

We made a trip to the Omaha Children's Museum on Saturday. I loved this place (although exhausting!). Addison loved it upon entry. She was all over looking at all the fun toys and learning all she could soak up. We were there 3 hours, and Alivia warmed up about 2 1/2 hours into it. Oh well, maybe she will like it next time. Highly recommended trip!

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Got Milk?

Our household is currently in a milk boycott. Chris has known that he has had a milk allergy for 7 years or so. When he was diagnosed, his allergist said that Chris' reaction was the worst he had seen in an adult. The funny thing is, Chris can tolerate milk and dairy products to a certain extent. For example, he does splash some skim milk on his cereal and can have cheese pizza. He loves milkshakes, but usually can only sample them because he has a reaction. He does not like most dairy products, though, so he is lucky in that regard I guess. His reaction? His throat swells, hiccups, and sometimes wheezing. Not a good thing.

At a year, Addison had a milk intolerance. She was okay when eating dairy products but milk itself went right through her. So, I cut it out. She ate cheese and yogurt fine, though. So, about a month ago, I started to give her milk again. Slowly, I added milk to her cereal. She loved it! Then, a couple weeks ago, we started to give her milk to drink. Um, where did these hives come from? It started as a small rash and developed into this neck to toe thing (so far, nothing on her face). The only thing we could think of that was new was milk and a new shampoo. So, back to the old shampoo and back to soy milk. I am doing a milk elimination to see if her hives go away.

Now, onto Asher. The boy is constantly spitting up. Sometimes small amounts, but many times large amounts. Chris watched him for a few minutes on Friday when I ran out to get our pizza. And, he had enough. Asher's pediatrician wanted to see if it was reflux and called in Zantac. I, however, was not convinced. I wanted to see if it could be dairy for him, too. I know a couple of Moms who took out dairy in their diet while breastfeeding and it really made a difference. I love dairy, so this is a big deal. I have gone without ANY dairy (including things like croutons & chips where the package says may contain milk) for 2 days. The result? Asher is rarely fussy and did not spit up at all today. I will continue this for a week, and then try to reintroduce dairy to see if for sure it is dairy. If it is, it will be a long few months until he is a year. I rarely eat meat, so without dairy, my diet will be rather boring. (I mistakenly said that I was going to die without my cheese in front of Alivia and Alivia said, "Mommy, I don't want you to die!" Ooops, I have to watch my language now!! Too much Bambi for her.).

So, for now? Got milk? Well, Alivia is the only one 'round here saying, "More please!"

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Thursday, March 06, 2008

As old as Jesus?

My Dad says my Mom is as old as dirt (how nice) and he says he is older than dirt (much nicer). Today, I am as old as Jesus. While it is not exactly known how old Jesus was when he died for us, I have heard it a few times that he was as old as I am today. Any guesses on that?

To celebrate, I went to Alivia's parent/teacher conferences to learn that she is shy (shocker) and a very good listener (really?!!). Now, I just want to go back to buy more books at the book fair.

Chris asked me what I wanted for my birthday, and I told him I already had all I wanted. Oh, I guess I could use a new travel coffee cup for my cocoa! So, perhaps that is what I will open later as we eat the chocolate cake he baked me last night. And, as I rocked Asher in the rocking chair at "quiet time" I had to say...I do have all that I want.

So, here's to being as old as Jesus was when he died for us! 

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Monday, March 03, 2008

The Blessed Day 1

Today was the first day of my new "job" as a stay at home Mommy! Even when all 3 kiddos were in tears this am (all for different reasons, too), I still feel so lucky to be at home with our kids. Would not change a thing! My boss came and picked up all the goods that I had accumulated over the last 8 years...notebook computer thingy, printer, LCD screen, keyboard (oh, those will be missed!), etc. It was so nice to see my little computer go...the one that fell off my car while I drove away with it on the hood and still managed to function (I tried to break it and it still worked!). I still have the car for a few more days. That...I will miss. My parents have graciously offered to loan us one of their cars for Chris to drive to work on the days I need the Camry until we can get something else. I, being stubborn or whatever, am insisting on not getting a car until August or September. Chris will have his motorcycle to drive in the summer on those days I need to go to the store, the zoo, or visit Grandparents or something. We are narrowing the car choices between a couple SUVs and the Honda Oddessey (huh um, mini van). Although we want a SUV, we think we have grown into a mini van family.

Anyway, I am so glad we made that goal to have me stay at home. I whined, and I mean whined, for years "I wanna stay home!!" Whining did me no good, just as I tell Alivia daily. We had to work at this goal...but here it is! I have something to say about that woman who started the women's lib movement (you know, where women think they have to have and do it all - work, family, all in perfect harmony). That woman ruined it for us! Alivia would say, "She is not that smart." I will not speak for Chris, but I think he enjoys having his clothes clean when he wants them, a semi clean home, his lunch packed for him, and a hug and kiss when he comes home at night. Okay, I did not mention dinner served on the table because that does not always happen lately because of nursing Asher, but I will keep working on it. Gotta have goals, right?!

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Saturday, March 01, 2008