We love the DMV

it's been a long time coming

Julianna finally learned my phone number yesterday. It took her forever to learn it and she's been really close for a long time. She's also known our address for about six months now but the phone number was a lot harder to learn.  Anyway, now at 4 years 2 months she can say it all by herself and I am so proud of her.

She picked a royal blue color

the cookie dance

Yes, it's another video.  Sorry about that.  It's just that my kids are so darn funny.


Untitled from c525600 on Vimeo.

the crazy things I'll do to get this kid to laugh

Actually, all you have to do is look in Joshua's direction and he'll smile.


Untitled from c525600 on Vimeo.

request for prayers

This is random I know, but if you pray will you send a few up for me?

I am still on the hunt for a full time job and while there have been numerous cuts for our school system and our state education budget, I still have a few ideas for next school year and I would covet your prayers regarding that situation.

Also, please pray for my little friend Vinny.  I wrote about him here.  He's been battling cancer and has just relapsed again with a tumor pressing on his bladder causing lots of pain and blood.  His family needs all the love they can get right now as they spend their last few months together.

Finally, please pray for me as I taper my antidepressants.  I mean this seriously, not to be funny.  I am still struggling slightly with the transition to having two kids and all of the activity of life that comes with it but I also desperately want to be off the meds.  I decreased my dose by half last week and in a few more weeks I will try to go without it.  Please pray that this goes smoothly and that I will not have trouble with it.

Thank you all so much!  I really appreciate my friends in the computer.

seven months

Dear Joshua,

Happy seven months, kiddo! It's been a good month. At this pace we'll be having your first birthday party before we know it. I look forward to it, but I am also relishing these last few months of "baby Joshy" because you are growing SO FAST!

This past month you got your first real taste of the water when you came with Nanna, Aunt Whitney and I to the beach for Mother's Day.  We took you in the pool and you loved it.  This summer is going to be so much fun but also: EXHAUSTING.  Not that that's a complaint though.  I love it.

You're eating like a champ now. You can pick up cereal puffs and put them in your mouth all by yourself. You still like all kinds of baby food that you've tasted (with the exception of peas) and you've finally gotten the hang of the sippy cup. In general you just already do a much better job of feeding yourself than Julianna did and I don't know if that's because you have better hand-eye coordination or if it's because you're the second kid and I'm constantly taking too long alternating between cutting up Julianna's food, sticking a bite in my mouth, and then spooning some in yours.  At any rate, you're impressing me with your eating skills so far.  I am also thankful that you are nursing less often now (about every 3 - 3.5 hours) and you prefer water to juice, drinking it willingly.

You're still such a happy baby.  The only time you cry is at night and right after bath when we're getting you dressed.  It is so easy to coax a smile or a laugh out of you.  Fortunately, we haven't had too much trouble with your ears this month although sure as I type this you'll come down with a double ear infection within minutes.  Let's hope not.

We've been working on some signs with you and don't seem to be making too much progress.  We sign milk, more, eat, and hurt with you regularly and you just look at us like we're crazy.  I do think you know your name though. You'll sometimes look when we call you and when we ask where Da Da, Mama, Nanna, Pap, or sister are you will usually look around for them.  You'll even call, "Da da da da da" and smile when he answers you.  Don't know if you know what you're saying but it's cute nonetheless and he loves to play this game with you.

You are thisclose to crawling.  It amazes me because your sister went about it in a completely different way and she didn't manage to crawl until she was 9 months and 1 week old. You however, have a MUCH GREATER desire to be on the move. You will sit and rock back and forth and back and forth and then you will lunge forward to grab a toy and you will do the tripod. You'll put both hands down on the floor and get up on one knee with your other leg folded under you.  Occasionally, you'll get up on all fours and walk forward with your hands only to collapse shortly thereafter onto your belly.  You have taken one "step" with your knee once or twice but you still need to get some muscle strength in your core to be able to lift that belly up off the ground more.

Speaking of your belly, you're still a chubby little thing.  Your legs have more rolls than I dare to count and  size 18-24 months clothes still fit you the best. Your wide and chubby little feet get scraped sometimes when you're in your walker outside and I've got to do better about putting shoes on you.  Your hair is growing fast and it's darker than Julianna's was. 

You will also walk all over the house if someone will hold your hands.  You can go anywhere you like in your walker, but you prefer to be "walked" by one of us. And hooo boy Joshua, you fuss like no other time when we come back and sit you back down in the floor after a walk. You cannot stand not being able to go, go, go.

Right now you are taking your morning nap and napping has been going really well over the last month.  You'll take at least a couple of 1.5 hour naps each day and usually a third 30-40 minute nap. You've decided you prefer to be a tummy sleeper now and I don't know if it's because you want to be mobile and can get around better on your tummy or what.  Anyway, t6he nighttime sleep has not been so great.  You are still waking up routinely several times a night.  We went through one week this month where you slept until 6am or so with only a few brief wakings in the night that didn't require us to go in your room but now you're back to waking up crying multiple times each night. It's about to drive me insane. You're very lucky you're so cute or I'd be tempted to give you away to that man we saw in the grocery store the other day who asked how much I'd take for you.

I love you boy.  I am excited about all we'll get to experience together in month eight!

Getting closer

Untitled from c525600 on Vimeo.

Afternoon walk

by the numbers

• 4 the number of audiobooks I’ve listened to in the last 3 weeks,
• 5 the number of seconds before my son took a breath while choking on a cereal puff tonight,
• 10 the number of fingernails I bit off the hour after my son choked on a Gerber cereal puff today,
• 13 the approximate number of times I’ve listened to all of my Glee downloads this week,
• 19 the number of days of school until summer break (which means 19 possible work days left),
• 12 the number of days of preschool until summer,
• 91 the number of degrees outside today,
• 1 the number of times my son fell off the couch this week,
• 40 the approximate number of times I've had to apologize to my daughter for being ugly to her lately,
• 700 amount of money I would pay for a weekend away right now (sans kids, in case that wasn't clear),
• 19 the number of dollars Julianna made selling lemonade at our yard sale today,
• 61 the number of dollars I made at the yard sale today,
• 372 the number of photos I figured out how to take off my phone Friday night,
• 9 the number of activities I have to do/really want to do this weekend,
• 446 the number of entries I just cleared out of my Google Reader,
• 2 the number of times I cried while watching Survivor this week,
• 1,296,307 the approximate number of calories I’ve consumed this weekend so far, hence,
• 17 the number of pounds I have to lose (again) to get back to pre-Joshua weight

she *might* not lose them in the ocean like her Pap does

I mentioned last week that we found out that Julianna was going to need to get glasses.  Here's the story.

Two weeks ago I took both kids to the pediatrician for well check-ups.  Josh was seen for his six month visit and Julianna for her four year old visit. As expected, both kids did really well and we really have no concerns to worry about.

Josh got his six month shots and he cried a little, but it wasn't too bad.  He weighed 19 pounds 4 ounces 75th percentile) and was 27 inches long (90th percentile).  The doctor seemed pleased with his overall development (sitting, rolling both ways, eating well, etc) although when I told her about how he's gone back to waking all night long she was discouraged.  She said that he should be going at least one 7-8 hour stretch each night.  He used to do that but not anymore.  I've got to figure that out.  Besides, I'm tired of being a human pacifier.

Julianna is still WAY above the 97th percentile for height (she's 44 inches tall!) and she's just under the 95th percentile for weight (44 pounds) for four year olds.  They checked her hearing and her vision and referred us to an ophthalmologist.  She got all of her 4/5 year old shots which she took like a champ; she peed in a cup so they could check her urine.  She only flinched at the finger prick. She had a large knot on her upper arm for four days as a result of one of the vaccinations.  Poor thing.

The ped and I also discussed early entrance for Jules for kindergarten which is why she went ahead and got her shots.  I feel like this goes without saying, but I really respect our pediatrician's opinion and it was good to hear her talk about the pros and cons of early kindergarten.  I still have a full post brewing on that matter, but I don't have time to get it all down right now.

So anyway, back to the glasses.  Last week Julianna went to the actual eye doctor to get her eyes checked and it turns out that her vision isn't too terrible.  (We expected it to be since both Jonathan and I had horrible vision before we had LASIK done. She has 20/30 in one eye and 20/40 in the other.)  She does however, have a pretty bad astigmatism and the doctor was concerned that if she didn't get glasses to force her body to use both eyes then she would gradually lose sight in that eye.  The glasses will train her brain to use both eyes instead of just the good one.  We are to encourage her to wear them only when she's doing up close work like those workbooks that she loves. 

The worst part of the visit was having to have her eyes dilated and waiting for the drops to take affect.  Jonathan has a hilarious video of her falling asleep in the waiting room.  She loved the temporary sunglasses that they gave her to wear home, but the crazy thing was that her eyes were still fully dilated after 36 hours.  When I called they said that was normal for kids her age.

She picked out a pair of glasses that she liked (pink Nine West ones) and we ordered them right away.  They came in on Tuesday and I think she looks precious in them.  I am actually excited about the opportunity to teach her responsibility.  Here's a before and after picture in the doctor's office.  Pardon her hair. She took her braid down while we were waiting and she's got the hair frizzies.

What do you think?  Isn't she a cutie?

Did any of you wear glasses as a child?  I got mine in 6th grade and Jonathan got his in elementary school.  I dread forking out $200 every couple of years for our kids but I think it's a fact of life that I'll have to get used to.

my little Schroeder

get ready

Untitled from c525600 on Vimeo.

Taking a break from shopping

news

Words that Julianna has learned in the last few days:
decay
mission
paralyze
fragrance
parable
respect
injury
dilated

That last one is because she's going to have to get GLASSES.  Pictures to come...

I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map

Julianna's map from her house to her school

figuring out the walker

For a long time now Joshua has known how to go backwards in his walker.  He could also go to the side when we wanted too and occasionally he would go forward but not know how he did it.  Now he has finally figured out how he can make it go forward by himself.  Here's a short little video of him starting to figure out what makes it go.  You might want to turn the sound down because I took the video on my cell phone and the quality is not good, plus there's tons of wind interference.  Anyway, here's my little cutie.


Untitled from c525600 on Vimeo.