Happy Easter! 2008

Speedy Baby...

On March 9th I posted a video of Robin just learning to crawl. 9 days later and he's all over the house, crawling faster than I can catch him....kneeling, lifting himself up against things, and causing general mischief. I don't remember it all happening this fast with Arthur. I'll have to go back and read some of my older blog to see if I can jog my memory!

Oh, and I swapped out for an adorable new diaper today. I love the GADs diapers but Joanne isn't much of a fan so I compromised and swapped two (I kept our gorgeous embroidered ones with the dragon and lion). In exchange I got this one, and a cute print from Spooky Kitty!

Our name quest is over.....

...because it's a girl! And she looks great!

Arthur's Haircut

The first thing he said to me after we left Snip-its was "Mum, I don't look like a gorilla anymore!"

You can see the video "bananas and cheese" I posted for a reference of how shaggy he was.

9 Months Old Today

I can't believe it's been nine months!

Two Videos for Today - Part Two - Bananas and "Cheese"

Two Videos for Today - Part One - Robin Crawling

Moving along...

I think Robin may have crawled forward today for the first time. He's been mobile for about a month but mostly it's been a combination of skootching, rolling, and crawling backwards that has gotten him where he needs to be. He's also recently been moving from the hands and knees position to sitting up. He's been doing that a lot (unfortunately, also in his crib..which makes it harder to get him to settle down for the night).



But tonight he made his way forward a couple of feet. I wasn't really expecting it. I'm wondering if he's done it before but I just haven't seen it because there have been a few times when I've left the room only to return to find him across on the other side.



I'll count today as the first time though because I actually witnessed it this time.

They just don't make valentine's like they used to...

For a two-year-old? Come on. I can't imagine that a parent really sat back and thought this one was a good idea for a class of toddlers. I think I'm a wee bit behind the times..ha ha ha

A little bit of a scare, but everything is o.k.!

Joanne had a pre-natal appointment at the birth center today (13 weeks) and the midwife had a little trouble finding the heartbeat. After about 10-15 minutes of trying she said "Why don't we send you over for an ultrasound". We had heard the heartbeat at 9 weeks so we weren't over-the-top worried but it was still a little unnerving.

So across the street we go and check in with the radiology department at the hospital and then Joanne gets sent to registration first and they send her to the front of the building to check in and they send her back to register! It was a little time-intensive and we were nervous. An hour later we finally get into the ultrasound. Everything is fine. The tech said that the baby was probably just moving around too much for the doppler. (Baby was very flippy and bouncy). Heartrate averaged about 169 and everything looked as it should at first glance.

We were a little worried of course, and Arthur sensed that I think and he refused to use the potty at the technicians office even though he really had to go. While we were in the ultrasound room he wet his pants and the floor. So I had Robin in one arm trying to wipe up pee off the floor and Joanne obviously couldn't do anything. What an adventure!

But everything is fine. I'm glad we got a sneak peek at the baby because we weren't planning on any ultrasounds until one at 18 weeks.

Your input welcomed....(see previous post for elaboration)

Of these boy's names, which do you like best? Frederick (Fred) Leonardo (Leo) Elijah (possibly Eli) Noah Henry view results

Speaking of names...

Choosing boys names is difficult. It was challenging the first time, tough the second time, and pretty darn brutal this time. Not that we know what we are having..not for another 4-8 weeks will we be able to find out. But I can assure you that if we don't think of a boys name, that's what we most definitely will be having. I mean, we've had a girl's name picked out, ready to go, for three years now...so I'm not sure of the likelihood that we'll ever get to actually use it. I love my boys, and would be very happy to have another one. But truly the most challenging part of the whole process is picking the name.

Our perameters are kind of tough. It must be a name that is a name that people know and could say. But it can't be common. Names like Ian, Connor, Logan, Caden, Brayden, and Max (while we really do like "Max") are completely out of the picture.

We like traditional names but we aren't quite as particular this time. Our "no" list of traditional names includes: Matthew, William, Charles, George, Albert, Alfred, Edward, Michael, and Nicholas. Some of these are merely just names that are too common and other we have associations that we don't like.

We've tossed around: Leo, Frederick, Theodore, Elijah, Henry, Isaac, Noah, Seth, Finn, Nevan, Benjamin, Oliver, Henry, Caleb, Walter, Nathanial, and more unusual ones like Armando, Ansel, Barrett, August, Seamus, Dmitri,and Benicio, Elliot, Emmett.

Obviously we've found some "no's" from that list too. Joanne doesn't like Dmitri, Benicio, Armando, or Nevan. Seamus and Ben with our last name sound ridiculous.

I don't like Elliot, Emmett, Ansel, August, or Leo as a stand alone name. I also think Barrett reminds me too much of the guy with a gun for an arm from Final Fantasy VII to want to pick it.
Caleb is the name of a friend of mine's son and it's a wee bit too common for me now. Noah and Elijah are also becoming more common (although I really like Elijah). Oliver and Gabriel are huge with two-mom families so I don't really want to perpetuate that stereotype. We like having something a little unique.

I was recently reminded of the Pharoah Seti where the name Seth really comes from who doesn't really have the most compassionate and glorius of histories.

We both like Frederick, Leo, Noah, Elijah, Henry...and really that's it right now. If I had to pick today, I'd pick Elijah. But then again, it has slowely creeped up the latter of popularity and most recently was number 26 on the social security administration's list of most popular names. 26 is pretty high for us.

We have contemplated Frederick since Arthur was born. We both think Fred is a great nickname and Frederick is a good solid name. Frederick Douglas would be an excellent association to the name too. However something keeps holding us back. We keep passing it over for other options we like more. So something might be telling us there is a reason we're not picking it.

As for "Leo". The problem we're having is that we can't agree on on a formal name. Joanne feels that "Leo" would be fine as a stand alone name. I feel that something bigger should be on the birth certificate and that "Leo" is too short for a formal name. But Leonardo...doesn't that seem so huge? Sure Da Vinci is an excellent source for a name but it really is a big name. Not a fan of Leonard and Joanne doesn't really like Leon either.

Henry is an issue too because if I named my son Henry, I'd call him Henry. Joanne would call him Harry. It's cute and all but in the midst of this Harry Potter mania the past few years, do we really want "Harry"? And I also kind of think that if we call him "Harry", we should just name him "Harry". Both of us don't like "Hank".

So there is Noah. Great name...nice legend. Number 15 on the list of popular names. Dang it.

So here we are...kind of at square one. I can't even possibly anticipate what we'll come up with at this point but if anyone has any suggestions feel free to leave some comments (click "0 comments" below the post and it will take you to the comments screen).

A name is a tough thing to choose..you're stuck with it for the rest of your life so of course, all parents want to pick something nice.

Sharing one of my mental inspirations for Robin's name

You can click HERE to view For Better or for Worse, which has been my favorite comic for the better part of about 15 years and which sadly, is coming to an end very soon. Sniff sniff.

Michael has two children, a girl and a boy, named Meredith and Robin. I've always thought Robin was such a sweet name even before we incorporated the "Robin Hood" legend to match up with our "King Arthur". Just thought I'd share a little bit of the history now that the comic is coming to an end...

Whoever said nursing burns more calories lied!

I'm stuck. I didn't gain much when I was pregnant...less than 20 pounds. But now, I'm still a good 6-7 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight. Which is still about 15 pounds heavier than when Arthur was born (and I wasn't too uncomfortable with my weight at that point).

Usually, I hit a plateau of "My goodness, I can't wear my good pants anymore" and I modify my eating a bit, try to get more exercise, and drink a lot of extra water. After a few weeks of that I get a momentum and I can lose a few pounds.

But I don't know if it's the breastfeeding, or the post baby blobby-ness overall but I am having so much trouble doing that. Part of it is that I am hungry ALL-THE-TIME. It's ridiculous. I have dinner, then about three hours later my stomach is literally growling so much that a mere cracker will not do it. A sandwich and a glass of milk later and there's a whole extra meal for the day.

I know, I know...nursing requires an extra 500 calories a day (so they say). So that sandwich and milk (or pack of noodles, or can of soup, or wheat thins with cream cheese, or a bowl of cereal) really isn't such a bad thing. However, I've just got to do something about this flab. I'm in a weight range that I'm just not comfortable in at all.

Don't get me wrong, I love nursing. It's recommended for at least a year and I plan to go at least that long. But I just wasn't prepared for it making me want to eat like a sumo-wrestler (and hanging onto the body baggage like one as well).

grumble grumble...the cornflakes are calling...thanks for letting me vent!

Edited to Add:

Just read this and had to laugh...this is so going to be us!

Our stroller is here!

And it's even nicer in person. Arthur keeps begging to ride it so we'll have to venture out sometime this weekend, I think. He says "Arthur goes here" as he climbs on the back and then "Robin sit there" as he points to the front. He's cute. (reference earlier post here)

Arthur is at school. Robin just went down for a nap with (so far) no protest, and since I have to work this afternoon I'm going to try to squeeze in a little nap too.

Cat's Out of the Bag

Most Compact Double Stroller

It's double stroller time! It was getting a little tough pushing both boys in seperate strollers. And while most of the time, I don't mind wearing Robin...sometimes I want to be a little more active than baby wearing will allow. So we decided it was time for a double stroller. We wanted one really compact but the prices for the ultra-compact ones were a little bit out of our range. I'm not really looking to spend $800.00 on a stroller, no matter how nice they are or how much they are named after a cute little frog...



Joanne received a gift card from one of her customers at work (the whole office did) and we thought it would be nice to get something practical and useful for the family. We stopped at Babies R Us to look at some and Joanne discovered one right away that was excellent. Affordable and really compact. It's the Joovy Caboose Tandem Stroller. Robin can ride in the front (in his infant seat or in the regular seat) and Arthur can either stand or sit backwards in the rear part of the stroller. It has a metal frame and folds up smaller than our Graco Metrolite. It's a tad heavier but I can't really feel much of a difference.



Babies R Us was out of stock for the stroller so we put one on hold. In the meantime we found one in a better color online for the same price and ordered it. (Joanne liked the orange color and I was happy with that too).

Nothing gets between me and my Mum Mums....

Mr. Sun

Arthur had his face painted at school today. He told us he was the sun. :)

January 5th Trip to the Boston Children's Museum

Robin's 6 Month Appointment

Have I mentioned how much I love our pediatricians? Seriously, love them. They are so incredibly supportive and receptive to any issue I've presented and are champions of flexibility. Oh, and they love our kids. But I'll get to that later.

Robin's 6 month Stats:
Height: 25 3/4 inches
Weight: 12 lbs 6 ounces
Head: 16 1/2 inches
Chest 15 1/4 inches

He's growing great and is sticking to a nice curve. He's a long skinny thing...maybe he'll be tall and be able to reach things for his short mamas. He's sitting on his own (but will flop over when he gets tired of it). He's rolling from back to tummy and tummy to back. He's not as miserable during tummy time as Arthur used to be. And this past week he's been a fairly smiley happy baby.

And the best thing is...last night he slept through the entire night for the VERY FIRST TIME. 9PM-5:30AM. I don't expect it to last..ha ha ha. He usually wakes up twice to eat so this was a shock to me. I would love it if he's just finally decided that sleep is good :)

As for the supportive pediatricians...I've developed some ethical issues with a few of the vaccines. None that impacted Robin today but will in the future. I've just discovered that a few of the major vaccines contain human diploid cells (fetal tissue). I'm a very liberal person, and I place no judgement on what is right for others regarding this issue...but when I found out, I cried. There's a difference between knowing what exists that I wouldn't personally partake in, and taking something objectionable to me and injecting it into my child. Without getting into it too much, this was upsetting to me and I decided to ask my pediatrician about it.

Turns out, I'm not alone. He just discovered this issue as well and it has upset him greatly too. His advice "get the vaccines BUT make a huge stink about it with the companies...they need to change how the vaccine is made". I was so happy to get so much support from him! He gave me some materials to read from a medical journal "Ethics & Medics" and I'm going to pore over it to help me make the best decision I can. I do know that alternative vaccines exist without ethically questionable materials and if I can seek those out instead and use those, I will. (The vaccines with human diploid cells are MMR (specifically Mumps and Rubella), the chicken pox vaccine, hepatitis A, and the live Varicella vaccine)

I'll skip the chicken pox vaccine entirely. It's not a required vaccine and honestly, knowing what goes into it...I'd rather my kids get chicken pox.

The shots today (while containing things like formaldehyde, monkey kidney cells, and thimerasol) I wasn't thrilled about but I've decided to break them up to make them easier for Robin to handle. Instead of being majorly uncomfortable for two days, he'll be just a little uncomfortable for a day or two now, and then a little uncomfortable for a day or two in a couple of weeks when I get the rest. He's so tiny for his age, I didn't want to overload him and the pediatrician is fully supportive of parents selectively choosing to delay vaccines. He got 3 today and he'll get the other 3 in two weeks. If he's reached 13 lbs by then, I'll get the flu shot too...but I really need to cross that weight milestone (being that 6 months is the earliest they offer the flu shot and he is just so small for his age still). I mean, the poor baby is conked out cold right now just from getting half of the shots today...you know those ingredients in there are some pretty potent ones.

Wow, that was a novel! But it's something that has been really weighing on my mind the past couple of months and I've been doing lots of research about and I thought I would share it. A lot of people may not know what goes into vaccines and would be surprised to learn what exactly is being put into our children without questioning if there is a better way.

With Arthur, I never questioned..and I'm ashamed that I didn't know what was being put into his body. Joanne and I try so hard to limit the chemicals he eats, but I thought nothing of letting someone put formaldehyde into his bloodstream. I understand that vaccines can be a great thing...but if I at least know ahead of time what I'm putting into my children I can be more prepared and research if any alternative vaccines exist that we can use instead. I'm not anti-vaccine, but lets find a way to make them with ingredients that will reduce fear and worry in parents as well as eliminate ethical concerns with questionable ingredients.

If I don't get to post again, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Robin's 6 Month Photos

A sneak peek at the Santa shot:



A tummy shot:



Playing with feet:



The pose we got to match Arthur's 6 month photo on our wall.

Robin:



Arthur at 6 months (November 2005):

Little Santa

Snowball Fight

Non-Crappy Starring You! eCards on JibJab

Decorating the Christmas Tree

A photo-op in front of the tree.



Arthur decorating the tree (sorry about the tighty-whiteys showing, but this was the cutest picture of the bunch)



Robin helped too (ha ha ha)



May the force be with you this Christmas:

Robin's 4 Month Appointment

He's doing great. He's more than doubled his birthweight and he's growing and getting stronger. He can roll over now and reach for interesting things to put in his mouth. He's eating well and has just started sleeping through till about 4-5AM (well....the last three days anyway. We'll see how it goes!)

Weight: 10lbs 13oz
Height: 24.5" He's a long skinny thing.

To put it into perspective, at 4 months Arthur was the same height but weighed almost exactly 4lbs more! And I thought he was small!

Robin at 4 Months:


Arthur at 4 Months:

Finally just about ready for cloth!

It has been my intention for a while now to switch Robin over to cloth diapers when he got big enough. I had always wanted to cloth diaper Arthur but couldn't get around the start up expense. Several months ago I found a great deal on Fuzzi Bunz and I couldn't pass up buying a starter set. The size I bought starts at 15lbs and Robin is only about 11lbs now, but I am so itching to start that I couldn't help putting him in them today. They are definitely a little big on even the smallest snap setting but they're holding up fairly well. I have a slightly snug onsie on him over the diaper and that seems to be holding it on well. Time will tell but so far so good!

After a conversation with my mother this weekend talking about how I was brought up in cloth, I've strengthened my resolve to get him in them as soon as I could. I'll feel much better about the environmental impact and since these diapers are so easy to use and clean, I don't see how I can NOT use them. :)

Some new pictures of the boys

Happy Birthday Mum!

I had to work last night so Arthur and I made some cupcakes in the morning for Joanne's birthday so they could have some after dinner. Arthur helped by putting the cups in the tray and putting the decals on after I frosted them. He snuck in quite a few tastes of course, and yes I'm letting him eat raw cupcake batter...bad mommy. :)

I made a really yummy twist on the buttercream frosting. Frosting is so easy to make that I never even look at the tubs of it at the store anymore and the real butter is just so good. Yum.

Jen's Orange Buttercream Frosting:

1 stick of butter softened slightly

3.5 cups confectioner's sugar

2-3 TBS half & half

1 tsp natural vanilla extract

1 TBS natural orange extract

Beat on high speed the butter and sugar. Add half and half in 1 TBS increments until blended in smooth. Add vanilla and orange extracts and beat on high until light and fluffy.

Apple Picking

Just Playing

A couple of weeks ago an online friend of ours sent Robin a little fabric ball that she made herself. Robin thinks there are no better toys in the world right now. I've taken to hanging the ball on the foam supports of his playmat and no matter what side I put in on, that's the side he migrates over to so he can bat at the ball. It's really cute and I wanted to get a video of it so Liz could see for herself how much he enjoys it.