Sleep and Potties

Since both boys are currently napping (but only slightly overlapping so I'm still awake....), I thought I'd whip up a blog post.  Another reason I am not currently asleep is because Callum was a darling and gave me 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep last night!  It was fantastic!  We had a walk to the park/lunch at our house playdate today and Everett was exhausted by the end.  He lost his ability to share toys or hold himself together.  But despite all that, he managed to not have a single accident.  What's that?  I didn't mention that he's potty-training?  Oh yes.  My little bug is using the potty (for #1 only) consistently now.  It all started when Everett went to hang out with grandma for the day on Saturday (I was sick with a nasty cold - thanks Christy! ;p) and worked on potty training with his puppy potty over there.  It was hit and miss that day and Sunday.  Suddenly, he figured it out.  He's been steadily improving all week.
On Wednesday, we had playgroup and I popped him in a cloth diaper (bum genius 4.0 with velcro closure), but we went to the bathroom every 10 minutes (he was telling me that he had to go that often) and he stayed completely dry, including on our walk to and from the center!  The diaper I happened to grab was perfect for this because I could keep undoing the velcro, popping the diaper off, hoisting Ev up onto the potty, and then could re-apply the still dry diaper, pull pants back up, and be on our way.  He's still wetting his diaper at naptime, but who cares!  Today he hasn't even been going as often and still remembering to go when he feels the urge.  You could not find a more proud mama!  He's wearing his new "unders" at home and elastic waist pants, and he insists on going into the bathroom alone and doing his thing (now if only he would listen and not attempt to dump his potty into the toilet on his own....).  We've even managed to get one poopy in the potty, but he just hasn't been going as much.  After that one instance, I was so excited that he got super excited and we had to call daddy at work right away (poor Brian.  :D).  Ev's consistently had a dirty diaper in the morning when he wakes up (disposable) and I'm wondering if he's holding it in more or just doesn't have to go as much (because that boy used to poop A LOT).
Anyway.  Yes, I am amazed and beyond pleased that he has taken this "big boy" thing and run with it, right into the potty training department.  Another thing that I am extremely pleased with?  Ev's big brother behavior.  He still doesn't like it if other kids get too close to Callum and is very wary of other adults (besides mama, daddy, and grandparents) holding him.  I noticed that whenever one of my friends was holding Callum at playgroup (which was a lot, since I was running to and from the bathroom every 10 minutes), he would eye them a bit, sidle up to them, and rub Callum's head for a while.  He is just super protective of his baby and (almost) always rushes to help if baby brother is crying and needs a nuk.  He tries to give him toys and loves to make sure Callum has his Thing 2 bear anytime Everett has his Thing 1 bear.  (Auntie C brought back two bears from Universal Studios that are wearing red Thing 1 and Thing 2 shirts).
In non-potty or sleeping or baby news, I am finally getting my day care certification stuff done.  I need to get a couple more papers to the certifier and she needs to do some background checks for Indiana.  AND, I got a phone call from a prospective client!  My buddy Monica gave her my name because she doesn't have enough openings and she called me yesterday.  Two kids, ages 3 and 5, full time, and one needs some daily therapies.    Yikes!  But it would definitely make me feel like I am working and doing something with my education background and doing some good in the world.  So I'll be keeping in touch with her about my certification status and we'll see where things go.  Another friend of mine who used to do day care has also offered to let me look through her old stuff for daily plans, weekly themes, and activity ideas.  So this ball is actually starting to roll.
AND, since I ran out of household budget a week or so ago, I haven't been allowed to go shopping.  It was actually really cool though.  Our fridge is quite sparse and we've been eating down what we have.  Much more cost-efficient and generally good for everyone and the planet.  We haven't had to throw away much except some mushrooms (because I really don't care much for mushrooms).  So I had to make up a shopping list for tomorrow and to do that, I also needed some dinner ideas.
So here's my dinner menu for the next week and some change!

Friday, April 1 – pizza and pineapple

Saturday, April 2 – slow cooker vegetarian chili/soup (freeze half, some  for lunches) & corn muffins

Sunday, April 3 – roast in crock pot (get roast out of freezer)

Monday, April 4 – shepherd’s pie with leftover roast

Tuesday, April 5 – fish on grill, baked potatoes

Wednesday, April 6 – honey chicken kabobs

Thursday, April 7 (mama to ElDo) – leftovers????

Friday, April 8 – lentil stew

Saturday, April 9 – slow cooker enchiladas (get beef out)

Sunday, April 10 – whole chicken dinner

1 Month Old

Callum asking if we are really going to take him outside in this weather.

 Big brother doesn't mind

Callum enjoying an evening bath

Everett always loves a bath

And Callum is one month old today!!!  Such a big boy!

Giant Baby!

Whilst out and about trading cars around today (CR-V got sick and had to go to the car doctor), Auntie C and I stopped in at the clinic and threw Cal man onto the baby scale.  Fully clothed he came in at....wait for it....10 pounds, 3.5 ounces!  Dr. Grandma told us to subtract the 3.5oz for clothes, but that still leaves a ten pound baby!  Wow!  I knew he was getting heavy and commented to my mom and Brian last night that his cheeks and thighs are getting chunkier.  Looks like I was right (of course!) :).  Yay for giant babies!
And just for comparison's sake, at this age, Everett was about 8 pounds.  Yeahhhh....

Rear-facing until 2

The American Academy of Pediatrics is now officially recommending that children remain in rear-facing carseats until they are at least two years old!  As you all know, I'm sure, Everett was rear-facing until he was 2.  He would have stayed rear-facing even longer if only we hadn't developed the need to have another rear-facing seat in our car.  ;)  Because someone in the family happens to be 6'4" and apparently needs leg room (pshaw!), we cannot fit a rear-facing seat behind the driver.  So Everett got turned forward-facing January (I think...may have been late December....but he was over 2).  He was thrilled to turn around but just having him enjoying the new view in no way makes me sorry that I didn't turn him sooner.  I still feel no guilt about turning him around, especially since he is a large boy for his age.
It was amazing the difference I saw in his head/neck control between the ages of 1 and 2.  As he crept closer to 2, I noticed that he was much better at controlling his whole body, including his head/neck and that made me so happy that we didn't turn him around at 1 like doctors were approving.  Also, our carseat is approved for rear-facing up to 35 pounds.  Everett, at 27 months and large for his age, is now at 31 pounds.  So technically, he would still be ok to sit rear-facing in that seat.  It has a forward-facing limit of 65 pounds and I'm pretty sure we won't be hitting that anytime soon.  Callum will definitely stay rear-facing until he is at least two and we bought the same carseat for him.  Acutally, I think we may have bought a newer model that has a couple newer features, but....yeah.  As soon as the weather warms up a bit, we're going to switch out his bucket seat that we borrowed from a friend and put in his new seat.  I just love that darn carseat so much, I would prefer to use it than the uber portable baby type.
Anyway!  My soap box has been stood upon.  I'm done (for now).

Spoiling baby

No, I'm not talking about always holding him, not letting him cry, blah blah.  I'm talking about him going bad.  After Brian read the poem that I posted, he was holding Callum (so yeah, we also don't let him cry without running to soothe him.  You CANNOT spoil a 3 week old.) and said, "He's getting so big!  You're right.  Babies don't keep.  This one is spoiling." 
It's interesting using cloth diapers from the get go because I am noticing him growing!  I used to have to fold down the front of his tiny newborn prefold diapers and now I don't have to.  Without folding down, they are reaching the same point on his belly as when I had been folding.  EEK!  That means he's growing.  Right before my very eyes.  He is not quite as tiny, not quite as new, not quite as baby.  Not fair.  Callum is still just the most easy-going little guy ever.  If he is going to have a 3 week growth spurt, it hasn't hit yet.  He's having more and more awake time and is starting to turn toward us when we talk to him.  His eye color is still a mystery.  Some days I swear they are going to be brown and the next minute, I think I see some blue in them.  Who knows!
Everett had his last day of day care yesterday and I think it's the right timing.  He was super excited to return to day care last week and play with his friends and we were a little sad that we were pulling him away from that.  Then this week, he went Tuesday and Thursday and both days we had trouble at drop-off.  He didn't want us to leave him there.  He had a great day yesterday at the goodbye party they held for him, hugged his teacher's kiddos, and said bye.  I think he'll miss them, but I'm glad that he can stay at home with me.  He's been very clingy and needy lately and I am glad that I can just let him cling and know that he's not being replaced by a smaller, newer version...like an iPod!    The sleep deprivation is getting to me and I feel bad for not having as much patience with Ev as I should, but he's doing so well.  He still runs to get Callum his nuk if he's crying and he's getting very good at following directions.  Today I asked him to run upstairs and get a diaper from his room and some diaper cream from the bathroom.  After only one incident of mysterious sounds and me yelling for him, he came trotting downstairs with exactly what I asked for.  So proud!  Now he's off at the vet with Grandma so I should really take this opportunity to get a shower.  Callum doesn't yet beg and cry to join me in the shower, so it's much easier to get clean with only him around.  :)

Picture update

Last week of day care

Everett is off at his second to last day of daycare today.  Since his day care provider's kids were sick last Monday and Tuesday, she offered to watch Everett two more days this week to make a full week of free day care.  Pretty awesome of her!  So he's there today and then is having his goodbye party on Thursday.  That means I have today alone with baby Cal.  It's forecasted to be above 40 degrees today, so we'll probably take a little walk with our new Moby wrap (WHY didn't I have one of these with Everett?!?).  Yesterday, I popped Cal in the Moby, Ev in his BOB stroller, and we walked down to the co-op to get yogurt and chocolate almond milk, talking about how walking is good for our bodies and the planet.  I only got one comment about having my hands full.  :)
I'm trying to figure out the best way to use my "free" day and I know there is a nap in there somewhere.  Callum has been very sleepy at night recently, which is somehow making me very tired.  Last night he didn't wake until 2:30 am (4 hours since eating last) and  it was nearly impossible to get him to eat.  I unzipped his swaddle, I tickled his feet, I rubbed his back vigorously, I stroked his neck, I blew on his hair, I changed his diaper....I think he finally got one full side in (normally takes two sides/feeding).  Then he didn't wake up again until 5:45!  And again, it was quite the task to get him to finally nurse one full side.  This trying to get him to eat is much more tiring for me than just waking up, feeding him, and going back to sleep.  So much so that I didn't hear a thing when Brian and Everett got up this morning until they were heading downstairs for breakfast.  I found a leftover cup of coffee in the pot (yes, I'm gross like that) but I might make our walk take a detour to the black cat today.  I know we're on a tight budget now, but $1.25 for a coffee and a walk isn't that bad, is it?
Now, I really should pause the Today show and go bathe myself and the babe since we both smell of old milk.  Yuck.

Babies Don't Keep

This poem has been making its way around the message board/blog circuits and I am a sheep, so I'm following suit.  Grab a tissue.

Babies Don’t Keep
by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I’ve grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
 
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
 
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren’t his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

Callum is two weeks old today and I cannot believe it.  He's my tiny little (big) snugglebaby and I could keep him this way forever.  I am relishing every snuggly moment with him because I know I am going to turn around and he'll be a crazy two year old who doesn't have time for snuggles and is stronger than he knows.    So I take some time every day and we just stare at each other, getting to know each other, and eating up these adorable newborn (he's still a newborn, right?!) moments. 
Callum's still just the most laid back, calm little guy.  He screams at diaper changes but if he's hungry, cold, wants a clean diaper or just to be held, he only fusses and grunts until we fix whatever's wrong.  He has gotten to be a bit of a lazy nurser at night, only staying awake for five minutes or so (and by awake, I mean capable of sucking and not just snuggling, open-mouthed). 
Everett was very excited last night to share his bath with baby brother, even if mama was kneeling in the tub holding on to him.  He only splashed baby's face with water twice.  :)
Yesterday the sun was out, so I assembled our new stroller and we went on a walk.  Then the walk wasn't long enough, so we walked to pick up daddy from work.  Apparently this idea surprises some because 13 day postpartum moms aren't supposed to go pushing a stroller through the mud for a mile or so.  Huh.  I'm just excited for the snow to melt and the days to get longer so I can get back into running.  We're going to see how it goes this summer, but I'm hoping to do some length of race at the whistlestop in October.
Anyway!  My coffee's getting cold and Callum needs a diaper change.  Oh yeah, and I should probably take a shower.....hmmm....

2 Milestones

Yesterday was a big, busy day for us.  Everett's daycare friends were finally over their recent bout of illness, so Everett got to go back to day care!  He was so excited to see his buddies again and talked about it nonstop all morning.  Since Everett was not underfoot, I decided to take the opportunity to go out to wal-mart and county market with the little one.  It took us forever to get out the door (2 pukes on my favorite, hard to get on, outfit for Callum) and it took forever in the stores too.  That was my fault though...I couldn't decide on darn disposable diapers.  Brian wants me to keep some paper diapers on hand in case someone has to watch the boys and doesn't want to use cloth.  Everett's about to run out of paper diapers too, so he'll be going to cloth at night and I'll buy a small package of size 5 (!!!) diapers to keep on hand for him.  After daycare, we went and picked up Ev and made a stop at my old office to show off the boys.  Everyone was very excited to see them and Everett managed to finagle a pack of fruit snacks AND a sucker out of them.  THEN, we went to the co-op because we needed milk and there was a sale on bulk items.  The aisles were crowded though, so we only came away with wheat bran, sunflower seeds, dried apricots, and organic raisins.

Now on to the milestones!  Callum has a real belly button now!  Very exciting for me because now I don't have to fold down diapers to avoid rubbing on his stump!
Aaand, I wore regular jeans yesterday!  Hooray.  Never mind that they were 1-2 sizes larger than my usual pre-pregnancy jeans - they didn't have an elastic panel!  And, since I really only wore them for a while after Everett was born, they're in new condition and the perfect length. 

Callum is daily becoming more awake and alert.  He is now awake for three good periods during the day, just staring at windows, blinds, and my glasses (a benefit of dark plastic frames - nice contrast for baby to stare at).  He's also becoming more vocal.  He still hates diaper changes and will scream and let his little chin tremble so much you almost cry.  He's still a perfect little snugglebug though.  The last two nights, Brian has gotten to sit on the couch and snuggle a sleepy baby while I knit and eat girl scout cookies (wishing I had ordered more samoas and not so many thin mints....).

Today, we are just doing laundry and hanging out until it's time to get Everett from daycare.  It's supposed to hit 37 today, so I'm thinking I might break out our new sit n' stand stroller to retrieve big brother.  Now, I must get back to my coffee, Today show, and knitting....and holding this baby....I think I need another arm.

Child Wellness Day

Yesterday, we dragged the whole four-person family out to the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center to participate in a Child Wellness Day.  It is an event for children aged birth to 5 to be screened for developmental delays and such, but we went just to have fun.  Grandma Goose was there (which is how we bribed Everett to get ready to go) along with activities, information booths, face painting, and snacks.  Everett showed off his skills and tried out some scissors.

 He scored well within his age range for all the development markers like dressing himself, washing his hands, playing with other children, walking up and down stairs, and speaking clearly.  The only thing he was closer to 2 than 2.5 on was fine motor skills, so we're working on those.

Ever really enjoyed one of the activities where you painted a rubber fish and then imprinted it on a bandanna.  Let's play Where's Callum, shall we?  ;)

 He also got a yellow and black snake painted on his cheek.  It came off later that day during a crying tantrum (which we were assured is quite normal for his age.).

He also got his hearing checked - ha ha!  PROOF that he CAN hear us and just doesn't listen sometimes.  :)
He also got his height and weight measured.  He was 31 pounds (and boy is he heavy after toting around little 8 lb Callum!) which puts him around the 85th percentile.  His height....our little boy....was 38".  That puts him off the charts.  Still.  He is going to be one tall guy.

Now some pictures of Callum!  We took this picture a few days ago because it was too funny.  He's just now starting to keep his legs more straight when relaxing, but for the first week, this is how he held them:

 You can see just how cramped he was in utero!

Another picture I have to add just because it makes me giggle a little.  The guys look so bored and Callum's fussing.

 And look at our sweet big brother.  He is such a good helper.  Whenever we need a nuk, blanket, burp cloth, diaper, snappi....he's running off for us.  I asked him to reheat my coffee today but it turns out our little butler isn't tall enough to reach the microwave.  ;)

What's in a name?

Obviously after two boys with more unique names, you've figured out that I'm not a fan of the uber popular, trendy, and common names.  I thought it might be interesting to explain our name choices for our lovely boys.

We'll go ahead and start with Everett.
The year Everett was born, the name was the 382nd most popular name for boys in the U.S.  This comes out to about .04% of boys born that year - a total of 796 babies.  It was much more popular in 1901 and 1894 when it ranked as 86th most popular boy's name.  In 1921, there were 1913 boys born who were named Everett.  This explains why most of the time when someone hears the name, they say something like, "Oh, I had a grandfather/great uncle named Everett!"  I love that reaction - seriously!  I have never once regretted choosing the name Everett and we've only met one other little Everett so far.
Everett is a form of the name Everard, which is a Germanic name meaning, strong as a wild boar.  And boy is he strong and wild boar-like!  The child is definitely spirited.  The Normans introduced the name to England and has only rarely been used since the Middle Ages.
I first heard the name Everett while watching a terrible movie called The Family Stone.  (Seriously, a terrible movie!)  But the character was tall, dark, and handsome and the name stuck with me.
His middle name is Paschal, which is a family name on Brian's side (also Brian's middle name).  No one ever knows how to pronounce or spell it, but hey, it's a middle name!

Callum's up next!
The data obviously isn't in for babies born in 2011, and still not in for 2010, but in 2009, the name was ranked 871st in the U.S.  That comes out to .01% of boys - a total of 239 babies.  Much farther back.  It wasn't in the top 1000 names before 2008 at all.  However, in 2008, Callum was the 28th most popular boy's name in the UK.  It has consistently been much more popular there, so if the little guy ever moves across the pond, he'll be a lot less unique.
The name is from the late Latin name Columba, meaning Dove.  See?  We learned from naming Everett something about a wild boar.  We're sticking with more gentle, quiet animals this time.  :)  Columba is the name of several early saints, including a 6th century Irish monk who established a monastery on the island of Iona off the coast of Scotland. He is credited with the conversion of Scotland to Christianity. 
I first saw the name Callum as the name of another little boy born around the same time as Everett whose mother frequents the same pregnancy/parenting boards as me.  Since she lives somewhere in the Carolinas, it's not name-napping, right?
Callum's middle name is George, which happens to be the name of both Brian's and my great-grandfathers on our mothers' sides.  And the name of the now-dead, but formerly cute and lovable character on Grey's Anatomy.  :)

Phew!  See why choosing names is so hard for me!?  My brain has to process all of this information for any name that I actually consider.  Also why Callum was not officially named until the morning after he was born.  Just for funsies, the other names we were debating between were: Declan, Dexter, Finnegan, and Archer.

Callum's first check up!

Callum had his one week check up today.  Since our doctor went off ice-fishing or some silliness, we took him to see another doctor at the clinic; the same doctor who was on call this past weekend and checked on us in the hospital.
He is still down 5 oz, currently sitting at 7lbs, 14.5 oz.  This is a huge relief since Everett lost over a pound in his first nine days.  He is very slightly jaundiced too but the doctor was not at all concerned.  He is still eating very well except for the middle of the night when he would rather sleep and I try to force him to eat because it's been four hours!  He's also having plenty of diapers that need changing and we got to show two nurses and the doctor how to use a snappi on a little tiny prefold today.  Now he doesn't get seen again until the end of April!
Everett skipped out on the doctor's visit to hang out with Nana and Papa.  Much more fun for him, much easier for me!
Callum is daily becoming more alert and looking at things.  He really enjoys staring at the windows behind our couch with the leaded glass and mini-blinds.  (Nice contrasts.)  He has now been able to try out my Baby K'Tan and I just bought a used Moby wrap off ebay since the K'Tan is sized and Brian can't use it.  Brian loves baby-wearing but Cal's still too small for the Ergo without an insert and we haven't attempted the mei tai.  I've wanted a moby wrap for a while anyway.
Everett's being a very good boy recently.  Still a bit on the sensitive side and wanting to do everything on his terms, but that's just being two.  He's had some trouble going to sleep recently but today's nap he went down without a fuss, singing songs to himself.  He loves helping with and holding Callum and can run to retrieve nuks and blankets at lightning speed.
I would add some pictures, but I want a nap before Everett wakes up, so that will have to wait.

5 Days Old

An excellent song, by the way. 
Cal and I are sitting around watching the View and drinking some coffee.  Daddy and Ev are off on another morning adventure today, this time trying out the Wednesday morning playgroup at our community center.  Today Callum will be getting his newborn pictures taken (SO excited!) and I just hope I can keep him from scratching his face or making his chin all red by having his nuk too much today.  The boy loves that nuk already.  And just like Ev, he is a big fan of the Mam brand.  Very glad I picked up a pack of them before he was born.
Everett is adjusting beautifully.  He most definitely woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, but I think he was quite hungry too.  He insists on holding, kissing, hugging, and giving the nuk to his "baby Callum."  He received his own baby doll as a gift yesterday from a friend and was quite preoccupied with dressing and undressing it, wondering why he couldn't get it entirely naked (white cloth body), and putting its nuk in its mouth.  He is a very good big brother already, just like we thought he would be.  Despite all the tantrums, the individuality, and the crazy energy, he is such a caring, loving little boy.  He's not so sure about Callum getting new clothes that won't fit on Everett and doesn't like the idea of Callum getting toys or books, but we're working on the whole sharing idea anyway.  Soon, Everett, you will have to share ALL your toys.
Things are still going great on my side too.  Breastfeeding is still going great.  I am sore, but managed to push through the initial soreness and the first signs of a blister have disappeared.  Callum does have some of his brother's sleepy problems with only lasting a few minutes before falling asleep but it helps that we don't have him on a strict 2 hour schedule like Everett was.  With Cal, I'm nursing every 2-3 hours depending on when he's awake and I feel too full.  Our longest stretch last night was only 3.5 hours between beginning of feedings, but that's not so bad because nursing and diapering him only takes about 30-40 minutes.  Because Cal can latch well, is obviously getting milk and wetting his diapers, doesn't have trouble getting his own bubbles out, and is just generally easy-going, I have been much less stressed this time around.  Brian lets me sleep an extra hour in the mornings while he tends to Everett monster and breakfast.  We've also had amazing friends showering us in dinners, baked goods, and gifts since we came home.  While we did have some people bring us meals when Everett was born, it is just so different now that I have such an awesome group of mommy friends who are doting on our entire family.
I am relishing this week where Brian is taking full daddy-duty over Everett and I get to sit on the couch with a newborn on my chest, sniffing his little baby head and marveling that only days ago he was cramped into my belly, sticking his cute little bum up under my ribs, and folding his long little legs up in my side (he is still bow-legged and about 2/3 of his length because he keeps his legs tucked up so tightly - there really wasn't enough room in there for him!).

Compare and Contrast

I promise I won't compare them forever, but my two little boys' newborn pictures look a whole lot alike.  Exhibit A: in the hospital, 1-2 days old.

Everett:

Callum:

And just for funsies because someone actually said he looked like ME in a picture.
Mama as a newborn:

Callum:

First fluffy bum!