Alli is 7 months old!

Alli turned 7 months old a few days ago. My little, fragile newborn is gone and she has been replaced with this happy, cute peanut that is so full of joy! Alli is such a happy baby. You would think that after sleeping 11 hours, not eating for 12 hours, and waking up with a poopy diaper she might be a little cranky (I mean, I totally would be!) But no... she greets us with a smile and a coo and that is how almost every day begins.

Sitting pretty, 7 months old

I haven't weighed her since last month, but I'm pretty sure she hit a growth spurt in the last few weeks. She's eating more and just seems chunkier. I can't wait to see where she falls on the growth curve later this month at her check-up. Currently, she is fitting comfortably in 6 month clothes, with some brands fitting a little snug.

As for eating, we have taken it slow on the solids, due to her tummy issues about 6 weeks ago. We tried sweet potatoes and squash first, which she hated and would refuse to eat. I think all she needed was time, because now she is eating really well and doesn't seem too reluctant to try anything! So far she's eaten (and loved) carrots, peaches, and pears. I recently tried sweet potatoes again and she tolerated them. She has also fallen in love with her mesh feeder. I put frozen pineapple in it yesterday and she sucked happily away until it was just mush in the feeder. I'm sure the frozen fruit helps to soothe her achy gums. No teeth yet, but it looks like the bottom two could make an entrance sometime soon. I'm trying to enjoy the huge, gummy smile as long as possible because I know her whole look will change once she gets teeth.

Peaches are yummy!

Frozen pineapple in the mesh feeder

Alli has decided that she is a tummy sleeper, which has caused both hubs and I to stare endlessly at the monitor on many nights ("Can she breathe?", "Can she roll herself over?", "Do we need to go in there?") Our sound sleeper began crying out in the middle of the night, most likely due to the fact that she found herself in her new position and was either confused how she got there, or wasn't sure how to get herself into a new position. I was getting frustrated at having to get up multiple times during the night. I mean, we have just recently gotten ourselves into the comfort of the whole family sleeping through the night... I didn't want to go backward! I read an article about how when babies learn new skills, such as rolling from back to belly, they tend to want to "practice" it on their own. I started giving Alli more practice on her mat during the day and voila! She began sleeping much better through the night again, rolling herself from her tummy to her back to her side. Whew! I'll take a few more weeks of sound sleep, until she starts teething, and then I'm sure we'll be taking turns in the middle of the night on monitor duty again.

She loves her tummy!

How is Andrew handling all of this? Like a champ. That kid is amazing. He adores his little sister. When she cries, he says "Mommy. I need to make Alli happy!" and will promptly go to her and try to make her laugh. When she drops a toy, he picks it up. When her music stops on her swing, he presses the button to make it start again. He loves her, and just when I thought it wasn't possible to love him any more, my heart continues to grow.

"I need to make her happy!"

He looks so protective 

It's not all perfect over here, though. There are 3-year-old meltdowns, lots of time-outs, and sweet little Alli is placed somewhere (swing, bouncer, jumperoo, etc.) so that we can deal with disciplining Andrew, because let's face it: he can be stubborn and obstinate, even though he is adorable. My house is a mess, my laundry is piled up, and I can't remember the last time I cooked a "real" meal.

I love that he's having a meltdown, and she's laughing at him

It's hard being a working mom, with a husband that works a strange schedule all so we can make ends meet for our little family. I can't wait for summer vacation, when I can maybe clean my floors, start Alli's baby book before she turns 1, teach Andrew how to write his name, and have some quality time with my husband. But, this too shall pass and I know one day, I will probably be looking back and longing for these days. I'm actually pretty sure these are the "easy days". I can't imagine what it will be like worrying about what my teenagers are doing, or who they are spending their time with. So for now, I will enjoy these sweet, innocent faces and my messy floors that they play on.

Andrew at 6 months old and Alli at 6 months old

She loves her jumperoo

A rare lunch outing was successful!

Going for her first outside walk in the stroller 4-8-14

<3

Alli is 6 months old!

I just want time to stop. Right. Now.

I absolutely love, love, LOVE this baby stage that Alli is in. Her personality is coming out (for the record, she is the happiest and most smiley baby). She's starting to realize that there are things surrounding her that she can look at and observe. She is so curious, always twisting and turning so she can check out whatever it is that catches her interest. She's just a "go-with-the-flow" kinda gal, which is good because her brother is a little high-maintenance these days.

Serious 6 month old

Some of Alli's 6 month stats:

Weight (at her most recent check-up 2 weeks ago): 14.8 lbs (25th percentile)
Length: 25.5 inches (50th percentile)
Head Circumference: 16.5 inches (50th percentile)

Basically, her body type is the exact opposite of Andrew's. He was pretty much off the charts for everything when he was 6 months old (and still is, even at 3 years old!). It's nice to have a "normal" sized baby this time around.

Alli just started wearing her 6 month wardrobe last week, and some of the clothes are still a little too big on her. It is so fun dressing her up in all the pinks, purples, and cute headbands. I can't get enough! Between my mom and my mother-in-law, Alli's closet is stocked with clothes until she is 18 months old. Gotta love grandparents!

Alli seems to be meeting all her milestones on time or early, a lot of which I think has to do with the fact that she is always watching her brother on the go. She loves playing on her activity mat, batting and grabbing the dangling toys, while her little legs just kick constantly. She rolls to her side easily, and I don't think it will be long before she is rolling from her back to her belly. When she's on her belly, she either immediately rolls over to her back, or starts rocking her lower body while flexing her legs, surely signs of early crawling. I'm not ready for her to be on the move yet!!!

As for eating, Alli loves her bottle. As soon as it is offered, she grabs it with a death grip and won't let it go. I have to pry it out of her hands to burp her. As of this past weekend, she has transitioned to all formula. Pumping at work was just too stressful for me. I'm just thankful I was able to give her the "good stuff" for almost 6 months. I started giving Alli rice cereal when she turned 5 months old. I would only give it to her once in awhile, just to get her used to eating solid food from a spoon. She did not tolerate it well, giving us a scare by projectile vomiting for a few hours after eating the cereal. I think her little tummy is just sensitive to "real food". We tried sweet potatoes, and she vomited them all over her crib. So, we've held off with giving her no solids for the last 2 weeks and will try a new veggie this weekend and see how she reacts. Keeping my fingers crossed for a vomit-free weekend!

Alli has been sleeping through the night in her crib for awhile now. I love that she is in her own room, away from the noise in the rest of the house. She sleeps like a champ, from about 8pm-7am, sometimes sleeping in even later than that. It's nice to get normal sleep again! In those early months, you feel like you might be destined to be a zombie, never sleeping again.

When Andrew turned 6 months old, we decided to give him a little 1/2 birthday party, so in keeping with tradition, we did the same for Alli yesterday. I was leery of letting her taste the cake frosting, with her tummy sensitivity, but she was fine. She took one little lick, and then we cleaned her off. I can't believe that in 6 months from now, we'll be having her first birthday party. Eeeek! Slow down, time!!!

Alli's half-cake

"Wait. What? I get to eat the cake?!"

Daddy's girl

Mommy and her angel

She's always this happy

Kisses from big brother

These last 6 months have been pretty much pure joy with Alli. She has been the easiest, happiest, most love-filled baby. The perfect little addition to our family. I can't wait to see what the next 6 months bring!

Love those cheeks!

Funny things 3 year olds say...

I've been meaning to start writing down all the funny things Drew says, because I know there is no way I will remember these things in a few years. I love, love, love the emerging language of toddlers/preschool-aged kids. Over the past few weeks, I've taken short videos of some of my recent favorites.

This first one was taken on Valentine's Day. I just love his little voice saying, "I love you".

I love the way Drew says certain words and I know very soon, he will be saying them the correct way. Some every day favorites:

strawbabies and bluebabies=strawberries and blueberries
beemanas=bananas
twokolate=chocolate
scratch you= scratch my back
cubbers= cover me
fuegos=legos

And then, there is my all time favorite right now. Our 3 year old is on the verge of being a 13 year old. His favorite phrase as of late: "No mommy, I very busy!" This occurs whenever he is asked to do something he does not want to do. He suddenly becomes "very busy". Bill and I have no idea where he got this from. The only thing we could think of is when Drew would want me for something and Bill would tell him that mama was busy feeding Alli. Gotta love it!

It's hard to think of all the funny things on the spot, but at least I was able to get few of my faves on video. Before I know it, he'll be speaking "normal" English and this early talk will just be a memory.

Poor, forgotten second child

After a very lengthy hiatus, I am ready to try my hand at this blogging thing again. I have found myself so much lately looking back at blogs I posted about Drew... comparing Alli's development and milestones to what he was doing when he was her age. I love that I am able to look back at so many moments of his, especially things that I had forgotten.  I decided it's high time that Alli get a little blog love, too. She's already 5 months old and her little life seems to be zipping by.

Poor, forgotten second child... I guess there is no time to start, but the present!

How could you forget a face like this?!

Bear with me as I try to find balance in chronicling the events in both kiddies lives (and trying to find time to do said chronicling!)   :)

Life has been a whirlwind since Alli joined our family. I know it sounds "corny", but she completes us. She is the happiest baby I have ever seen. She just goes with the flow and is so mellow. She loves to observe and watches her big brother intently to see what he is doing. So loves to try to mimic sounds we are making and is very aware if we are not in her line of sight (at which time she will start to fuss or cry).

I love Alli's birth story, because it is the exact opposite of Andrew's. Everything about her birth was so non-stressful. She was born in the middle of the night, in a quiet hospital room with just Bill, the doctor and nurse present. I remember feeling such peace as the nurse placed her in my arms, and just reveling in how quiet the hospital was at 2:30am. After being pregnant and dealing with a very strong-willed toddler, the hospital stay with Alli seemed like a vacation! I felt so much more comfortable the second time around, there was no panic about what to do with a fragile newborn.

Drew was indifferent to Alli for a long time after we brought her home. Being a "momma's boy", it was difficult for him to adjust to the fact that mommy had to share her attention with this little newcomer. I tried to balance those early weeks/months out with special outings with just Andrew and I (trips with GPa to see fire trucks and ambulances, visits to McDonald's to play in the playscape, and outings to the mall to play and run off some energy). Little by little, Drew took to his sister, finally telling his friends at daycare "That's MY sister!" when I brought Alli in to pick him up toward the end of my maternity leave. Now, he loves helping out with Alli. He brings her toys to play with if she is fussy, saying, "Don't cry, Alli!" Sometimes he will request to "hold" her, declaring that she is his baby. When I feed Alli, he will often get his favorite stuffed puppy and pretend to feed it and burp it, too. He's shaping up to be a pretty good big brother.

Andrew, after asking to hold Alli: "I all done, mama!"

I'm hoping to be able to blog more often now that we're not in "survival" mode anymore. Alli has transitioned to her crib from her bassinet, and it's nice to not have to "tiptoe" around the house anymore while she sleeps. She's sleeping an average of 10-12 hours each night, which is a far cry from those early days where she would only sleep ON us. That seems like so long ago, now! Bill and I would walk around like zombies, because there is no napping when you have a 2.5 year old to entertain in addition to a newborn to nurture!

1-31-14  Sleeping in the crib for the first time

I'm ambitious and hoping to document a lot of these cute (and not-so-cute!) moments that are happening around here, so that hopefully one day both Drew and Alli can look back and laugh (or be embarrassed) at all the moments that made them who they are.

Alli loves bath time!

2-15-14 Happy girl in the Bumbo

Movie night with my boy

Bye-bye summer!

Drew is 19 months old now! I know I say it all the time, but I just don't know where the time is going!!! My little buddy and I have had such a fun summer together. I am so thankful that I chose to be a teacher. Having my summer off is the best perk ever...especially now that I have a child.

8-27-12   19 months old!

Drew made this summer so much fun for us. We stuck close to home, but it was good nonetheless. Maybe next year we'll go up north and Drew can brave the chilly waters of Lake Michigan. :)

What's new in Drew's world these days? Well, we are officially DONE with bottles. Hallelujah!!! It was my summer mission to be done with the bottle by the time I went back to school. Drew was drinking from the sippy throughout the day, but loved his morning and evening bottle of milk. Last week, I decided to go back to a sippy that we hadn't tried for a while and he took to it like a champ. It is shaped very similar to his bottle, which I think made it easy for him. Oh my gosh, it's so nice having my counter space back from his bottle drying rack. It's the littlest things that make me happy these days!!!

Nuk active sippy cup- Best transition sippy ever! 

The last time we took Drew to the doctor he weighed in at 31 pounds. We will find out how tall he is at his next well visit in 2 weeks. He's growing out of most of his 24 month/2T clothes. His jacket for fall is a 3T, as are most of his shirts. Thank goodness for my best friend who has boys. We have acquired some great hand-me-downs for our ever-growing boy!

Over the last month, Drew has acquired several new skills. He's becoming our little outdoorsman. He's learned how to "ride" his truck, Flintstone-style outside. He's been trying for awhile, but could only manage to go backward. All of a sudden, the other day it all just "clicked" and he began moving forward. Now, it is one of his favorite things to do. Drew also LOVES to go for rides in his wagon. As soon as we step in to the garage, he runs to his wagon, points to it and says "a-wah", which clearly means he wants to go for a ride. He also has been enjoying throwing his ball around and learning how to play with his new t-ball set. We're starting him young! He would stay outside until it got dark if we let him!

Going for a ride in his "a-wah"

Playing with his ball in the back yard

"Flintstone-ing" it down the sidewalk

A few weeks ago we took Drew to the splash park for the first time. He seemed to enjoy it, but was very particular about which splashy features he played with. He tended to stick with the smaller spraying ones or the ones that lightly misted him. He did not like it when his face got sprayed and would run to mommy or daddy for comfort (or to wipe his face on our dry legs). Maybe next year he'll be ready for the bucket that soaks you with water. We'll see! :)

He loved the gentle water sprayers

With the "spider" sprayer

Mr. Observant- taking it all in

Loving the water!

Even though I'm not ready to say goodbye to summer, I know all good things must come to an end. In 2 days, I'll be back to work and Drew will be back to full-time daycare. It's a little bittersweet, but it'll be okay. Soon, fall will be upon us and we'll have a lot of new "firsts" to look forward to.

He fits perfectly in his Tonka truck :)

Mmmm...Mommy's smoothie is yummy!

Tired toddler!

Saying "broom-broom" for his truck

He loves ketchup!

Out to dinner- our self-portrait :)

First bite of a Krispy Kreme donut

The call you never want to receive...

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Pantuso, it's Small Wonders calling. Andrew has had a seizure. The ambulance is on the way. Which hospital would you like us to take him to?"

I think my heart stopped when I heard those words. I immediately lost it and started crying hysterically while I stuffed Drew's diaper bag with clothes, blankets, and his comfort item- a stuffed polar bear. Is he ok? How bad was it? Will he have to stay overnight at the hospital? What is my baby going to look like when  I see him? All of these thoughts and a million more raced through my mind. But most of all, I felt guilty... that I wasn't there for him when he needed me the most.

I quickly made my way to the ER at St. John Macomb (the closest hospital to Drew's daycare). Bill was already there and his mom followed me. The two daycare directors were there too, waiting until I got there to leave.

As soon as I saw Andrew sitting on the bed in his little blue hospital gown, my heart gave way and I started crying all over again. Andrew smiled the biggest smile ever when he saw me and deep down, I knew it was all going to be ok. The ER doctor told me to keep it together and that Drew would be ok. He was hooked up to a blood pressure and heart rate monitor, and his numbers looked good. The ER nurse explained that we needed to stay for another hour, just to be sure he didn't have another seizure. As soon as I came in the room, Drew wanted his mama. He crawled into my lap, cuddled for a little bit, and then fell asleep.

Bill told me that the daycare directors explained what had happened. It was like any other normal day. Drew was playing with a school bus, rolling it across the floor, when his daycare teacher noticed him fall over and starting to convulse. She quickly called the director, while the other teacher rolled Drew to his side. The seizure lasted for about 2 minutes. The ambulance was there within minutes and he was rushed to the hospital. Apparently, he had a sudden high fever of 102, and his body was trying to fight it off. The fever was the result of a mild ear infection.

In hindsight, I think there is a lot to be said about "mother's intution".That morning, Drew just didn't seem like himself when I was getting him ready for daycare. He was really cuddly and lovey, which is how he acts when he's not feeling good. His cheeks were pink, so I took his temperaure, which was normal (98.4). I just chalked it up to the fact that it had been 4 days since he had been to daycare, we had a great weekend, and his cheeks were pink from too much sun the previous day. When I asked him if he wanted to go to daycare, he shook his head "no"... which he never does. Looking back, I wonder if those were signs that I should have kept him home.

Drew is doing much better now and is pretty much his happy, normal self (thank God!!!). I have to say, in retrospect, I am almost glad this incident happened at daycare. They are trained to respond quickly, and honestly I don't know if I could handle the mental image of seeing my child have a seizure. I'm just glad that he's ok. This whole thing has proven to Bill and I to not take any moments for granted. I think Drew has been hugged, kissed, cuddled, and squeezed so much more than he is used to in the last week... and it's not going to stop anytime soon! :)

My brave boy

Happy that Mommy and Daddy are with him

Tired baby

18 months...WOW!

Drew and I are having such a great summer together! Last year at this time I remember wondering what he would be like this summer. What would he be interested in? What would we be doing? What kind of personality would he have?

Oh, BOY! Nothing could have prepared me for the amount of joy I feel in being able to have a job where I get to spend the summer with my child. Drew is my little buddy and I am already dreading going back to work in a little over a month. I just have to keep counting my blessings and looking on the bright side. :)

So, what is Drew like these days? He is a full-blown, rambunctious, into-everything, curious, helpful, funny, personality-plus toddler!

Barefoot in the grass 7/18/12

I am lucky enough to be able to send Drew to daycare two days each week this summer, just so he can still be around other kids and have some structure in his days. Recently, he was moved up to the 2 year old toddler room, where he will mostly likely stay until he is about 2 1/2. Two of his little friends from his previous room moved with him, all because the teachers felt they were developmentally ready to take on the "big kids". Drew is definitely the size (or bigger) than the kids in his new class. It's amazing to see how far along these kids are with their language and development. I can't wait to see Drew be able to do the things these kids are doing! It's only a short matter of time before he will be stringing words together with meaning, feeding himself efficiently, and improving his coordination. Such fun things to come!

One thing all of Drew's teachers have said is that he is very helpful, which we see at home as well. He always helps pick up his toys and even helps mommy put the laundry into the dryer.

Helping mommy "clean" the windows

Since I'm a special ed teacher, I think I may be a little more neurotic about developmental milestones. At Drew's 15 month appointment, I spoke to his pediatrician because I was concerned about Drew's language development. It didn't seem like Drew was speaking with meaning a whole lot. He basically said "ball" and "dog" consisitently, but still wasn't saying "mama" or "dada" discriminately. After speaking with the doctor, he reassured me that Drew is doing just fine developmentally with his language. I realized that he is using the sign language they are teaching him in daycare and that his receptive language (how he receives language) is VERY strong, which will in turn help to develop his expressive language (how his language comes out).

Since his 15 month appointment, I still feel like his language development is maybe a little slow, but I'm not as worried.  One of his little "friends" at daycare who is a few days younger than him was saying "vacuum" the other day. I was like, "Seriously?!?" Vacuum?!? We're still working on "dog" and "mama"!!!".

Words Drew can say consistently:

"ba"- which means ball or bye-bye
"da"- which can mean dog, done, there (when he points to an object he wants)
"mama" and "dada"- he is more consistent with saying dada
"nak"- snack
"ish"- fish
"mmmm-baa"- means I want to get up on something

Words Drew can sign: more, eat, bye-bye, milk, all-done, and blow kisses :)

Signing that he wants "more" iPad :)

My best friend pointed out the other day that while Drew may not be able to say many words right now, he is totally understanding what we are asking him or what he is being told. I think that's why I'm not as worried anymore, because he is so smart when you ask him to get something or if you tell him to do something. He is definitely comprehending language, which is a relief to this slightly neurotic mama!

Maybe he's not saying so much because he's getting all these new teeth, too! Drew's molars came in around 16 months, which added to his top 4 front teeth and his bottom 2 front teeth. In the last week, it seems like all the other "filler" teeth have started erupting through his gums. Right now he has 6 teeth coming through, but he is taking it like a champ. Besides excessive drooling, he seems unaffected. I'm pretty sure this is why God gives us all our teeth when we are babies. Adults would not be able to stand the pain and babies don't remember it!

Fun with yogurt. Look at all those chompers!

In other areas of development, Drew is doing just fine. He's walking and running around, picking up and throwing balls, stacking blocks, starting to use a spoon to eat (very messy!) and is almost exclusively on the sippy. He wipes his face after eating and helps me brush his teeth. He's become interested in the potty all of a sudden, too. He wants to flush the toilet every time we go in the bathroom. I decided it was time to buy Drew his own potty, just to get used to for the moment. We're not starting any potty training yet, but I want him to associate the potty with what's going on in his diaper. :)

He would play with this all day if I let him :)

I just can't get over how BIG he is. At his last doctor visit, he was almost 30 pounds and 34 inches long. He is going to be a big boy! He's comfortably wearing 2T clothes and will probably be wearing 3T by the fall. His current sandals are a size 6, but he'll probably need a 7 for the fall. It's insane how fast he's growing!!!


Drew has definitely become a "mama's boy" this summer and has been my little buddy. We've had so much fun playing with his water table outside, hanging out with friends, going to the zoo, and visiting family. I'm just so glad we have a little summer left, because there is still so much fun to be had with my boy! :)

Fun with the water table

Coloring a picture for daddy

At the zoo with his friends Justin & Jonah

7/27/12- 18 months old today!

How can you resist this face?!?