"Is he breathing?"

Tuesday night was a hectic one for me since Mike had a meeting and wasn't getting home until after bedtime.  We followed the same routine coming home from Eva's---eating, bathtime and getting ready for bed.  Poor Nicholas is just along for the ride.  He is such a trooper.  Mikey was in bed by 8:15 (success!) and as we came down the stairs Nicholas was rubbing his eyes so I put him in the pack n' play.  He would be due to eat again around 9 so I held off on changing into his pj's.  He found his thumb (!) and fell asleep.

The rest of the night went like this:

9pm:  Mike comes home.

10:00 pm: I decide to pump since N is quiet and ask that Mike give him the bottle when he wakes up so I can get some sleep.  I left his pj's out, too.

2:00 am:  I wake up when Mike comes into bed.  I jump up as I don't see N on the video monitor.  Mike informs me that N is still sleeping.  He put the bottle in the fridge and came upstairs to sleep---since "waiting" for N to wake up and sleeping on the couch wasn't that comfortable.  I couldn't believe he was still sleeping. I asked Mike "Is he still breathing?".  He replied "Yes" but became nervous after me asking that question.

3:00am: I go downstairs and check on N.  Sleeping with thumb in mouth.  (I placed my finger under his nose to feel him breathing!)

6:00am:  Go back downstairs.  Still sleeping with thumb in mouth. (Again I checked the nose.)

(I had woken up frequently between 3 and 6 and just layed in bed listening for crying.  Not a peep.)

7:30am:  I go downstairs again.  Still sleeping.  I was nervous ("There must be something wrong with him") and I was uncomfortable (one word: engorged). At this point I wake him up.  (No need to check the nose.)   He cried, then smiled and happily ate.  I actually contemplated calling the doctor but "my son slept for 11 hours straight through the night!" is hardly a "bad" symptom.  I told myself it must have been a fluke and the next night we would be quickly back to our every three hour feedings at 12, 3 and 6.

The next night Nicholas slept from 10pm-8am.

The following night 8am-7am.

I don't want to jinx anything but hopefully we are on the verge of an established routine.....

What a difference it is when you wake up refreshed (and more patience to deal with the big brother!) when you get so many consecutive hours of sleep.  Way to go, Nicholas!

Snow

We sure have had a lot of the white stuff this winter.  Luckily most of it has come over the weekend so it hasn't impacted our weekly routine at all.  Unfortunately Nicholas is a bit small to enjoy it, but Mikey has had a blast making snow angels, snow balls and snowmen.  As much as I dislike winter and anything that accompanies it, I will admit that it is fun to play in the snow with my son :)

(Clearly I need to work on my snowman making skills)

Sick

No one invited the stomach bug to our house for Mikey's birthday!!!!

Poor Mikey told me this morning that he needed "a tiny bit of medicine" since his tummy hurt.  He threw up four times in an hour and half.  He went white as a ghost on me and was on the verge of passing out until I used cold water to revive him (that was super scary!).  By the afternoon the vomiting had stopped but he had a fever of 101.0.  Poor kid.  Today was spent either on the couch or in Mommy and Daddy's bed watching TV.

Mommy is trying her hardest to keep Mikey and Nicholas apart so the germs aren't shared.  Let's cross our fingers we have this under control!

Happy Birthday, Mimi!

Happy Birthday to you!  We hope you have a great day!  See you soon!

3 months!

No monthly check-up this month so I'm not sure exactly of N's weight or length however I do know we have one happy, lovable baby!

On Saturday, February 23, Nicholas slept in his crib for the whole night (and on the first attempt!).  He woke up twice to eat (around 3am and 6am) and went back to sleep both times.  He is becoming more interactive with us and is starting to hold objects, eat his hands and kick those legs!  He has been rolling himself onto his side and he also gets himself in a new position in the crib (typically 90 degrees different from where he was originally placed).  He LOVES his big brother and watches everything he does.  Nicholas will cat nap during the day in a variety of locations.  He will sleep the longest if the swing is in motion (which I try not to leave on for long so he doesn't get used to only sleeping while moving).  He is still eating like a champ---averaging about every 3 hours (he may go for a longer stretch during the day or at night).  My guess is he is getting approximately 3 oz during each feeding.  He has taken a bottle on two or three occasions and it goes okay.  It is definitely not his preferred method of eating but if that is the only alternative, he will comply.

Where is the time going?!?!?

Mikey's birthday party

You're Invited!

Who: Mikey Scialabba's 4th Birthday Party

Where: Our House

Time: 10:30am

We had 12 kids for Mikey's birthday here at the house (including babies there were 18 kids!).  We asked Ronni to come for the music entertainment since Mikey loves seeing Ronni each week at Eva's House (instead of it being "Thursday", Mikey calls it "Ronni Day!").  Everything went great!  The kids had a great time singing and dancing followed by bagels, muffins, fruit and a Lightening McQueen birthday cake!

Mikey also had special visits by "Cousin Emily" and "Timmy's Emily" in addition to Grandma & Bob.

My annual cake making project.  Step by step:

(I used the Funfetti cake mix)

                                   

                                   

                                   

Happy 4th Birthday, Mikey!

4 years old!  How is it possible that we already have a 4 year old?!?!?

Here's a summary of our 4 year old, Mikey:

Weight: 37 lb (61st percentile)

Height: 41.75" (78th percentile)

Popular phrases:  "tiny bit", "actually....", "almost...", "(person's name) will you play with me?" (in a very cute voice), "I fine" (when asked if he wants more of something), and asks to watch movies now on a daily basis;

Favorite songs to sing:  "For Boston" (sings it on his baseball ottoman in his room), "Winkle Winkle Little Star",  "a, b, c, d, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, x, y and z.  now i know my ABC's next time won't you sing with me" (Mikey's version).

Favorite playtime toys and books:  Loves cars, pirates, puzzles, Legos, his castle and now dragons.  Favorite books include "King Jack and the Dragon", "Dragons Love Tacos" (Mommy's new favorite book, too!) and other books vary ("Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Llama Llama series, Cars Look and Find book, How I Became A Pirate);

2 crushes: Cousin Emily and Timmy's (girlfriend) Emily;

Mikey is still attached to his lovey (at home) but now it is effecting his mouth/teeth so we are going to have to bid farewell to them soon.  (He can still fall asleep at Eva's without it!)  

Eating is getting better.  Mikey will eat all of the food I send to Eva's (meat too!) even though he will resist it here at home (he used to say "I not like that" but it has phased out thank goodness).  I am no longer making Mikey is own dinner and will now have to eat what we are having.  His favorite foods are very toddler appropriate: pancakes, cereal with milk and fruit, waffles, bacon & sausage, pizza, chicken nuggets, fish sticks, raw veggies, cheese, yogurt (with granola) and carbs (breads, muffins, pasta, etc).  He recently ate three servings of tacos (made with ground turkey) thanks to the "Dragons Love Tacos" book.  Now we just need to add more books to the series like: "Dragons Really Love Chicken Cutlets" and "Dragons Also Love Mommy's Meatloaf"!

From a motor perspective, Mikey has a hard time figuring out what to do with his body.  His balance is limited and his movements aren't well coordinated for things like hopping on one foot, walking on a line, galloping, skipping and riding a bike.  Hopefully with lots of practice this spring/summer in our new yard these motor skills will be achieved.  Mikey is beginning to take more of an interest in coloring and is now doing a better job of coloring a specific object instead of scribbling all over the paper.  He will even color the the object in its' appropriate color (ie: Peter Pan is green).  We are working more on him paying attention to the lines and staying within the border.  He can recognize the letters in his name and can produce the letter "E" independently.  I have started a "letter of the week" activity for us to work on identifying and recognizing letters as well as using his fine motor skills to color the letters, cut letters out of magazines, etc.

Mikey's language is still developing at its own pace.  He recently began speech services again with Margeaux (after we did some reaching out to our new insurance company).  Mikey still has a hard time recalling previous events or even elaborating on a specific topic.  He still speaks in short phrases and you need to ask him a lot of questions to get information.  I believe this is a very sensitive area for him and he feels pressured to say things correctly.  If he feels too much pressure, he gets upset or just sits and says nothing.  Other times he runs away.  He is the most chatty with us when we are home together.  When company arrives he is a tad more shy (depending on who it is) and when we are out in public is his quietest times.  Then there are other times when I just want to say, "Mikey, be quiet!".  He does a lot of asking questions---sometimes the same questions over and over again ("Why?") or questions that he can physically see the answer to ("Mommy, what are you doing?" as he sees me changing Nicholas' diaper for example).

Speaking of Nicholas, Mikey is an exceptional big brother.  When Nicholas is upset he will sing our song to him or bring him a toy.  He gives lots of hugs and kisses (sometimes needing a reminder to be "gentle") and always notifies me when Nicholas is crying.  When talking about us doing things together as a family, Mikey will now incorporate Nicholas into the discussion.  He is going to be a very protective and loving big brother.  And his little brother thinks the world of him already.  You can see it in the way Nicholas looks at Mikey.  It is a look that none of us get from him.  Amazing.

Happy Birthday, Mikey!  (When we told you this the weekend of your birthday your response was, "Happy Birthday" instead of "thank you"! Ha!)  Daddy and I cannot believe you are already 4 years old yet it is hard to think about life before you were a part of ours!  We love you so much!  This is going to be an exciting year for you!

xoxo