Straight from the Mouth of Carly

Unfortunately we had to put Jake down today.  This wasn't something that was scheduled or even expected when we woke up this morning, but it is how our day progressed.  Thankfully, Jake is now comfortable, able to swim, and seizure free.  Dave and I spoke this afternoon about how we would handle telling Carly.  We decided we would let her guide us by asking about him.  I felt it would happen today, Dave figured that with Halloween it would happen on Friday.  Well tonight at dinner we had the following conversation -

Carly - "When is Jake coming home"
{silent moment, two parents looking at each other and all around trying to figure out who is going to talk and what exactly will be said}
Dave - "He won't be coming home, he got sick and died."
Carly - "No he didn't, when is he coming home?"
Dave - "He isn't, he died."
Carly - "No he didn't, when is he coming home?"
Dave - "Never"
Carly - "What day of the week is that? When is he coming home?"
Sharon - "He is in heaven like GG Grandma where he can swim, play, and not have seizures anymore."
Carly - "No he isn't, when is he coming home?"
Dave - "He isn't.  He was sick today and went to the doctor and they couldn't fix him.  He died.  But he is happy and in doggie heaven now."
Carly - "Oh.  Are we going to get another dog?"
Dave - "Yes, but not for a long while."
Carly - "Why?"
Dave - "Mommy and I have to recover from this first."
Carly - "Can we call him Jake?"
Sharon - "No, Jake will always be our Jake."
Dave - "You will get to help us name him or her when the time comes."
Carly - "We should name him..." (she just kind of faded off) "Will he have the same doctor as Jake?"

While today has been hard on Dave and myself, thankfully the kids have been very well behaved today and Carly has provided comical relief at all of the right moments.

Greek Taco

Dinner time recently has been a struggle with Carly.  The phrase "no thank you" has been used A LOT.  (Two weeks ago she didn't eat dinner 5 nights in a row...)  Last night we had lamb, asparagus, and couscous - Carly ate none of it.  Tonight we ate gyros or in Carly's case a Greek Taco.  Her "greek taco" was slightly different and consisted of lamb, humus, pita bread, and shredded Mexican cheese.  She ate the WHOLE thing!

Win for her Daddy with the creative dinner time naming!  Keeping this idea in my back pocket!

Triathlon Camp

Carly has finished her first week of summer camp.  This winter I learned that the YMCA offered a triathlon camp for preschool kids, so I quickly signed Carly up.  Between registering her in February and starting camp on Monday we worked with her on biking and even purchased a "big girl" bike (with training wheels).  She took swimming lessons and was ready to swim the distance with no help.

On Monday and Tuesday the kids worked on swimming, running, and having fun with each other.  She was excited about her time and camp, but there was a lot more excitement on Wednesday when I picked her up.  Wednesday the kids took their bikes and began biking while at camp too.  This was a wonderful addition in Carly's mind.  She got in the car and quickly started telling me about her day.  They swam, ate a snack, biked, ran, then moved on to the playground and lunch before wrapping the day up with a craft.  She even quizzed me about what she was to do in T1 and T2.  (T1 = transition 1: move from swim to bike AND T2 = transition 2: move from bike to swim)

Today was her final day of camp and she had a mock triathlon.  We went out with a sign and cowbell and cheered our little girl on.  She swam the length of the pull (in a life vest), biked two laps around a cul-de-sac at the Y, and then ran around the tennis courts.  She wasn't very quick today, but her counselors claim she was during the week.  I will admit, Carly is competitive about accomplishing a task but not about finishing first.  Dave and I aren't quick and our goal is to finish a race, so I guess Carly will be a lot like us.

Growing Up

Last week was a BIG week for both of our children.  On Tuesday, Carly attempted her swimming test at our YMCA.  It was after her lesson and wasn't really in our plan.  She had finished her lesson and a boy who will turn 6 in a few months had made plans to take the test after class.  This boy actually sat out for the 5 minutes of class so that he would be rested for the test.  I thought it would be good for Carly to watch him take the test and cheer him on during it.  I also knew she could complete the swim and floating portion of the test if she put her mind to it.  She watched him take the test and get his yellow swim necklace and immediately wanted to try it.  Unfortunately, she was not successful.  She turned for the wall with 2 feet left in the swim (swimming a foot towards the wall, so really falling just a foot short).  We made plans for her to test again on Thursday.  Well, she passed with flying colors after her lesson and now has a yellow necklace.  This necklace allows her to swim without me in the water where she can touch (so not very deep) and allows her to go on the 2 large water slides.  Unfortunately, she isn't quite tall enough to climb to the top of the slides.  So the reality, it gives her nothing except for a HUGE sense of pride.

Thursday was also a big day for David.  He moved up from the nursery at the gym to the toddler room. This move is due to the amount of walking he is doing now.  Apparently, he was walking all around the nursery and checking on all of the other babies and beginning to climb.  Due to space David was actually moved to the 2 year old room this day.  When I picked him up he was sitting around a rectangular table while the other kids were coloring.  He wasn't coloring, but was watching them closely.  When I came to the door and called his name, he looked up at me, banged the table, and went back to watching these other children.  I actually needed to walk into the room and get him.  (Typically he moves as quickly as he can in my direction.)

Last Thursday was filled with 2 big milestones for our growing children.

And We Are Done!

David Jr and I have ended our breastfeeding relationship.  Last Monday (July 1) he nursed for his very last night... at his afternoon nap.  We were starting the weaning process, but then an eye doctor's appointment ran long and David Jr was more pushy than I wanted before his afternoon nap... so I thought this is the end.  Dave and I pushed through with this idea and on Tuesday evening I broke down and enjoyed cheese on my sandwich and salad at dinner.  Later in the evening I enjoyed a WONDERFUL peanut butter cup (a year in the making).

The past week has been tough.  I've been slightly uncomfortable.  David has been fussier at nap and bed times.  There are many times when I thought, "I wish I hadn't eaten cheese and could just nurse these tears away."  I am glad that I did go ahead and eat a few un-forbidden foods to help me not change my course on weaning him.

I am sure we still have a few bumps in the road in this process, but David is weaned and going down decently now for his nap and bed times.  I went 12 months without dairy and around 11 months without egg, peanut butter, and crab and am really enjoying reintroducing my body to some of my favorite foods.

David Jr is WALKING!!

David has been taking a few (1-5 steps) occasionally now for about a month.  Yesterday, I took Carly and David to a local splash pad.  David crawled around and then would stand up in an area to play with friends.  While watching David I started to think he was finally interested in walking.  (At his 1 year well visit the pediatrician felt that David has the muscle tone to walk but wasn't interested in doing it.)  Last night David began walking from point to point more and then continued again today.  He isn't ready to hold our hand and walk out to the car, but he did spend more time tonight walking than crawling.

We are Back!

Our family is back on the water!!  This morning Dave went for a 33 mile group ride while the kids and I hung out, made pancakes, and cleaned the kitchen.  Dave returned home shortly after David went down for what I thought was his morning nap.  It turned into a 2.5 hour nap and allowed our family to have a FABULOUS afternoon.  During the nap we made lunch, gathered our items for the boat, and got as ready as we could.  As soon as David (finally) woke up, we all sun screened up and made our way down to the water.

Carly and David both seemed a lot more comfortable on the boat today.  David was very interested in standing on the seat, holding a grab bar/rail, and looking out at everything going by (both when we were in the no wake zones and cruising.  Carly wasn't quite as clingy during our ride and even sat up in the co-captain's seat for our ride home.

After our first anchoring we caught sight of some friends and decided to try and join them.  So up came the anchor and we motored towards them.  This turned out wonderfully!  They had planned to meet up with more of our friends and built in babysitters.  There were 4 rising high school freshman girls on the boats we met up within about 10 minutes of Carly first getting into the water.  It was GREAT!  We kept a very close eye on Carly (we didn't expect them to watch her), but she had constant entertainment and company.  She was very interested in showing off for these girls (and the other "kids" that continued to join our raft up) and spend majority of the time jumping off of the boats or swimming.

David did not spend quite as much time in the water, but he did have two extended lengths of time floating around in his life jacket and holding onto a noodle.  He was also very happy standing on the back bench jumping around and watching everything.  Which was great with me - it meant he was out of the sun and under our canopy for most of the day.

Dave and I decided it was time for us to pull out when another boat did since our kids were still happy and not in full melt down mode - we knew we were on borrowed time and our luck would soon run out.  We called Carly back to our boat and explained we were about to leave, to which she responded with, "No thank you!"  This got a loud laugh from the other parents and she thankfully did leave without any fuss or tantrum!!

Our 4+ hours out on the boat were GLORIOUS today!

Welcome Summer

While summer hasn't officially started - our family had its first real taste of summer on the lake today.  During the kids' afternoon naps Dave ran out to ready the boat.  By 4pm we were making our way down to the water.  After a short ride we were anchored and ready to swim.  Carly and Dave jumped in first and made 2 laps around the boat.  She then turned into a jumping machine.  She would jump off the boat to a noodle, swim to the ladder, and repeat (of course with her life jacket on).  David was loaded up into his float and floated through the water until he became more interested in drinking the lake water.  My favorite part however was the boat ride home.   I was able to sit up in the bow holding David in my arms and Carly sitting across from me holding on to the bars.  She even did a "woo-hoo" at a wave.  I am very, very excited for what the rest of the summer has to offer.

"We're going to...

... Raleigh to see my daddy compete in a half Ironman this weekend!" ~ Carly

This sentence has been coming out of Carly's mouth ALL week.  She has told everyone we have come in contact with this week.  She has played "Ironman" all week.  Saturday was filled with her registering  for her race and then running around the house.  She was able to show off her biking and swimming in the evening to her Grandma, who traveled into town for Dave's race.

Sunday morning, we woke up and set off to Raleigh to see Dave complete his half Ironman.  (Which Carly informed me was not a triathlon, but an Ironman.)  We were fortunate enough to have timed things just right and watched him run around mile 4 at Meredith College and then saw him at the finish line.  Carly was on cloud nine for the entire event.  Her daddy kissed her at mile 4 and everyone commented on her signs.  We had 3 with us - 1) Left, Right, Repeat  2) Run, Daddy, Run  3) Pain is Temporary, Internet Results Last Forever

After the race we got both cars loaded up and Carly asked repetitively if Dave could ride in the car with us.  After dinner she finally got her wish and he told us all about his day during our ride home.  We have all enjoyed hearing all about his race and seeing all the fun things he got from the event.

Tooth Alert

Around May 4th we went on full tooth alert.  We could see David's top two teeth through his gums, but they hadn't broken through.  I mentioned this to the kids' dentist during Carly's visit, and she felt like the bottom left tooth would be the first to debut.  Well our first tooth debuted today and it was the top left tooth!  Just one day shy of being 13 months!!

**Update - the right upper tooth popped through the very next day (May 26th)

David and I ventured over to his allergist today while Dave and Carly had a daddy - daughter date to breakfast before preschool.  David's appointment was almost 2 hours, but we have answers!  David is officially allergic to dairy, egg whites and yolks, peanuts, and crab.  Due to his allergy to peanuts and crab he has an 85% chance of also being allergic to nuts and shellfish, so we will be avoiding those items too.  This definitely isn't the news we wanted to hear, but we are thankful to have answers.  And those answers came very quickly.  The nurse pricked his back with the allergiens and began to clean up her materials.  David was very squirmy and I was having difficulty holding him without touching the spots on his back.  Within about 90 seconds she checked his back to make sure everything was working and quickly commented that she was going to get the doctor.  The two ladies walked back in and the doctor immediately said, "Get them off of him, he's reacting to all 5 foods."  He was quickly wiped down and coated with a lot of antihistamine.  We currently have a "plan" about what comes next - begin a transition from breast milk to soy milk, avoid egg, dairy, shellfish, and nuts, and return to the allergist when David is three!

Let's Celebrate!

It has been a BIG weekend in the Orr household!  On Friday David turned one.  We celebrated his birthday with a Duplo themed small play date with friends and a yummy grilled dinner with his Grandma, Papa, and GG Papa.  Our celebrations continued on Saturday with another grilled dinner and more company - his Grammie, Grandpa, and Uncle Robert joined us for the food and celebrations.  Dave designed and made a fabulous bright blue Duplo cake for Saturday night's celebration.  On Sunday we changed gears slightly and celebrated David's Baptism.  Carly was able to stand up at the front of the church in a dress matching David's outfit (thanks to their Grandma's wonderful sewing ability) and was the very proud.  She even held the skirt of her dress out while standing up front with David and our preacher.

Happy Birthday David Jr!

Dear David Jr,

It is hard to believe that a year ago from right now you had just finished getting your first bath while your Daddy and I packed up to move to a different room within the hospital.  Your birthday was quite the exciting day but it doesn't even seem to compare in the excitement you have brought our family during your first year with us.

Carly loves you to the moon and back (and then some more).  She loves to play with you, give you hugs and kisses regularly, and protect you from the world.  Everywhere we go she announces your allergies and will ask if you can eat any new food she encounters.

Your Dad and I just look at you in complete awe (especially when we see a newborn) and can't believe how much you have grown during your first 365 days.  You have gone from a happy, sleepy baby to a boy who can feed himself, speed crawls, recognizes the sounds of the dishwasher, baby gate, and laundry room door opening, asks to be picked up, and says "dada" as soon as your daddy comes home from work.  You no longer seem to be interested in baby food and have actually not consumed even 6 ounces total of pureed food in the past 7 days.  Unfortunately we are still working through your food allergies/intolerances, but hope to have more answers for you (and ourselves) on Thursday.

This past year has been a wonderful adventure, and I can't wait to see how you will continue to grow and develop during this next year!

Love,
Mommy

Swimming Lessons

Unfortunately at swimming lessons today Carly was not the model student.  Her lesson started off well; however, she a little too confident in her swimming abilities and not too interested in listening to her instructor.  While she was supposed to be sitting on the edge of the pool so another girl could have a turn swimming with the instructor Carly got up and walked to a different spot on the edge.  (She had done this earlier to work with the class's assistant, so I thought nothing of it.)  However, while both teachers were away from the edge of the pool with students Carly began to lower herself into the side of the pool by holding on to the edge.  As I glanced in her direction to give her the "mommy stare" she pushed herself off of the edge and swam about a yard and a half out into the water.  By this point I was at the edge of the pool and the instructor was within a foot of Carly's body.  She began to tread water for about a minute until she attempted to swim back to the edge.  At this point she began to sink down and was scooped up by the teacher.  There was a discussion with the teacher about how unsafe her choices had been before she was told her lesson for the day was over, a similar discussion on our ride home, and then again at bedtime with Dave.  I'm really hoping Monday will go smoother and that we haven't just frightened Carly away from the pool.

Still Allergic to Milk...

Well I knew this day would come, and yesterday it did.  David Jr, Carly, and I were at the park with some friends.  Carly was off playing and David was sitting on the ground with some other kids close to his age.  I glanced up to check on Carly and then looked back down at David.  I found a pile of goldfish crackers on the ground in front of him and his hand going for one.  I scooped him up, causing the cracker in his hand to drop to the ground and realized quickly he had one in his mouth.  With a quick scoop of my finger it was out of his mouth still intact, and slightly soggy.  Another mom had removed the crackers from the area and I began freaking out deep inside (not wanting anyone to know).  Carly had swimming in the afternoon so David would be in child watch, I had something at church so the kids were going to have a babysitter in the evening, and I really needed David Jr to take a nap when we got home so I could pick up the house some - all time that I couldn't helicopter over him and make sure he kept breathing, was getting a rash, etc.  Well David's lunch and nap time went fine,  and he woke up from nap with a nasty, blood speckled diaper.  Confirming that our little man is still allergic to milk.  I made mention of this episode to the girls at child watch and the kids' babysitter and neither reported back anything about his diaper, so I'm assuming he either didn't have a BM or it was comparable to what I had described.  He goes back for allergy testing a few days after his first birthday, but at the moment we know dairy will come back positive.

Chunky Monkey?

Our chunky monkey doesn't seem so chunky in this picture.  Today was the first time David showed off his little legs this season.  And as he motored by me I thought, "Where did those bird legs come from?"  David never seemed to develop the baby pudge in his legs like Carly and so many other babies do.  

Math

I have begun to talk more and more about David's up coming FIRST birthday party and it is making Carly quite excited.  There were some muffin/cupcake liners left out on the counter this morning from our breakfast muffins and Carly mentioned that she thought we would need more for David's birthday.  When asked why she thought this her response was "Because there will be what, 15 people here for cupcakes?" (A number I'm sure I've said at some point about the party, but do not know when exactly.)  My immediate response was, "How many do we have already?"  She then began counting the liners.  Once she was finished she looked at me and stated, "We have 10 mom, so we need 5 more." Talk about a quick snap of my mom/teacher head in her direction - I was not expecting to see my little 3 year old looking up after me after that statement.  But she was, and WOW!!

11 Months

David Jr is now 11 months and so very close to that big 1 year milestone.  Around the house we've started talking to Carly about how at the moment he is "Baby David," we won't be calling him that after his first birthday.  So of course now she calls him "Baby David" and then gives me a description of when and why we will be stopping this reference soon.  And while Dave and I are the ones who told her this and know it is true, I'm having a hard time bracing myself for this reality.  My baby is almost 1 and not going to publicly be called a "baby" much longer.

At 11 months, David Jr is a speed crawler and cruiser.  He isn't showing interest in walking or standing independently.  But give him a walk behind toy or a piece of furniture he can push and move he will walk right along.  And if he wants to get to a specific point quickly, then he will drop to his hands and knees and take off.  He loves to chase his sister around the house and race her to various points.  He is still very fond of dumping out the Duplo blocks and animals in our Noah's Ark.

David is also eating us out of house and home already.  He typically starts a meal with a portion of what is on my plate and typically eats more peas or green beans than Carly.  He then moves on to a vegetable puree and finishes his meal with either a fruit puree or chunks (if not both).  He recently also showed a big interest in graham crackers and wanting to bite piece off of it, instead of me breaking it up into small pieces for him.

At the moment David is not showing any signs of teething, babbles a lot, and has handsome blue eyes!

We Survived!!

Well Dave and I survived!

The above statement could be used to describe a number of events -
1) A weekend away from both children.  (Dave's parents also survived staying with both children!)
2) I survived running 26.2 miles and bettered my time by 34 minutes, having me finish at 3:46:26.
3) Dave survived running 13.1 miles and bettered his average pace by 22 seconds a mile, finishing at 2:41:01.

Don't get me wrong, I was confident about our family surviving the dynamics and big events of this weekend.  However, there were some bumps in the road leading up to the weekend that left me slightly nervous.

I had strained a muscle and come to realize that my hips were misaligned, leaving me to only run 18 miles for my longest training run and to need physical therapy 2 times a week for the four weeks leading up to our race weekend.

David had been consumed with work, school, and looking towards the future for his half Ironman event in June, so hadn't been consistent with his week day runs.

The forecasted weather for the weekend was in our favor for driving up to DC on Friday and returning home on Sunday, but sandwiched in the two days were some nasty storms.

Carly had developed a stuffy nose on Thursday afternoon and slept very little the night before our departure.  This left us worried about how she would behave and feel while we were away, and gave a pretty sleepless night before getting in the car to drive 6 hours.

David Jr. has only recently (as in over the past 4 weeks) began taking some milk from a bottle; however, had never been away from me for more than 1 feeding.  His food challenges also make his desire to eat table food some what of a challenge at times.

There were also about 5 different "childcare" plans throughout the course of the week leading up to this weekend, which had my anxiety level quite high.

Oh, and David's car had begun acting up and was occasionally locking the key in the ignition when you tried to turn the car off.  

With all of the bumps I was scared I was missing a big sign that this trip was a mistake and we shouldn't go.  But, on Friday morning my alarm went off at 5am and things began moving into motion. By 7:00am we were loaded up, had bought gas, gone through the ATM, and were on I-77N.  We only had traffic in Richmond due to a stalled truck in the center lane and arrived in Washington DC is great time.  After checking into our hotel we headed out to the Armory to pick up our race packets and make sure we had a clear understanding of the Metro system before needing it to return back to the hotel the next afternoon following the race.  We walked around DC some and ate dinner before heading back to the room for an early night.  Saturday morning, I awoke again at 5am and had the most pleasant surprise - a dry forecast!  The system that was supposed to hit the DC area that morning had shifted south and DC was spared.  We would have a dry run!!  We arrived at the starting area, turned our items into the gear check bus, and ventured around.  Eventually we made it to our separate corals and waited for the race to begin.  I know Dave complained later about a slow first mile due to a slow pace by others around him, but overall he had a fabulous run.  I made great time with my first 20 miles and then slowed down considerably for the last 6.  Not only was the race dry, it was also sunny for the final moments of Dave's and the last quarter of mine.  Following the race Dave was able to spot me in a sea of people and we slowly made our way back to the Metro.  After arriving at the hotel, getting cleaned up, and a quick nap for Dave we ventured downstairs for lunch in the restaurant that was next to our hotel.  After ordering a hamburger the waitress mentioned that the burger was huge and question if it was really what I wanted, I promptly explained that I had just finished running and finishing it would NOT be a problem.  I polished it clean, along with my fruit cup.  (The slaw was left on the plate only due to David's allergies, not because I was full.)  The remainder of our trip was peacefully.  Lots of sleeping and eating!  Our kids did great for their grandparents and even felt obligated to share their colds with them.  (Sorry)

I am very thankful that I didn't just throw my hands up in the air and cancel our trip after the many bumps that presented themselves the weeks leading up to the race and I can now say that I ran a marathon when my son was just 10 months old!  I've got my eyes currently on a half Ironman event in September (can't let Dave be the only one knocking one of those out this summer) and maybe a marathon in November/December - but I will have to see how our calendar is looking.  All of these long distance events take a chunk of time out of our weekends, and Dave only has a few quarters left of school...

Happy 10 Months

Double digits, double digits!  David Jr joined us 10 months ago today and has helped to keep out lives interesting since.  We actually found out 5 days ago that my hips are misaligned most likely due to David's delivery - although I'm not sure he is deserves all the credit for the misalignment.  (I'm somewhat of a klutz...)

At 10 months, David Jr is doing VERY well at eating table food and especially likes shredded chicken, peas, and chicken pot pie.  The only "baby" foods we have found him to not be a fan of are mushy grains and citrus.  Otherwise he enjoys EVERYTHING else!  This is such a blessing to my heart after watching his weight slowly drop between July and November.  When we went for his 9 month well visit he had chunked up some.  Unfortunately, he will never have chunky little Michelin Man legs and arms - he didn't start putting on weight until he became mobile.  But at 10 months, David is a bruiser with his size.  He is also cruising furniture and pulling up on tables, chairs, and cabinets.  He enjoys greeting us each morning by smiling as he is standing in his crib and will quickly flash a flirty smile when someone gives him any ounce of attention.  David isn't speaking much but he does occassionaly say "mama mama," "dada dada," and "up."  Every so often there is something that sounds like "all done." 

It is hard to believe that in 2 months we will be celebrating David's first birthday!  

4 Years...

Four years ago today Dave and I found out that we were going to be parents!  It was a Monday and Dave was home for a dentist appointment which he had schedule on my birthday to help shift his travel plans from the usual Monday - Thursday to Tuesday - Friday.  I had been sent home from work sick and figured it would be best to call the doctor since nothing had really helped me feel better for the past 5 days.  After describing all of my symptoms to the nurse she asked for a urine sample.  I thought nothing of it.  After meeting with the doctor and being given a treatment plan I asked about the previous sample.  She commented that the nurse had asked for it for a pregnancy test due to the light headed feelings I was having, but that she wasn't interested in running the test after seeing just how much fluid I had on my ears.  In a bummed out tone I responded with an "oh okay, we are trying so thought maybe..."  She immediately jumped and offered to have it run for me.  Because I was the last patient before lunch I was able to sit in the room and wait.  Ten minutes later, she returned with a smile on her face and said that I was in fact pregnant!  She asked for my prescription back (it was not suitable for a pregnant lady) and said she would be right back with some information and the due date wheel.  When she stepped out, I called Dave immediately.  He was actually in a store purchasing my birthday gift (new sunglasses) when I told him.  He was so excited that he told the sales girl while purchasing my gift before meeting me at home.  He then went to his office together to pick up his laptop, there was no way he would be sitting in an office all afternoon and able to keep his new little secret.  Even though I didn't feel well, I did find the energy to go to a bookstore to buy pregnancy books to read while I was stuck at home sick for the next few days!

While out with Dave tonight he mentioned that we had found out 4 years ago today that we would be having a baby.  This began a discussion about how much our lives have changed over the past 4 years...

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today has been a wonderful day!  It began with a late start.  Carly visited me early in the morning, wished me a Happy Birthday, and then ran off to play.  (Ninety minutes later I woke up to her again and later found all of the fun she had enjoyed while Dave and I slept... no one to reminder to clean up.  Carly, Dave, and David then went out to get bagels while I relaxed (slept) a little more.  We then spent time playing and speaking with many family members.  After a late lunch, Dave picked up most of the house while I put both kids down for naps.  In true amazement, Carly napped today (a first since Super Bowl Sunday) while I showered and got ready for my date afternoon!  The kids' babysitter arrive at 3:30 so that Dave and I could head to the bike store for a kid free shopping experience.  Our goal for the afternoon was to get me fitted for a bicycle and then to test two different bikes that Dave really liked on paper for me.  Unfortunately mother nature had different plans for today.  The forecast had been calling for a wintery mix all day, but nothing had actually happened.  Well within 10 minutes of us leaving the house a snow shower began and continued for the remainder of the afternoon.  I was able to be fitted for a bike but will need to return to the store for my test rides.  Our afternoon date was not wasted though.  After the bike store we went to a local bakery that specializes in baking for those with food allergies and enjoyed yummy cupcakes.  We then ventured down to REI to check out their cycling  and running apparel.  I was able to find the shorts I had been admiring online and a hot pink cycling jersey and matching gloves on the clearance rack.  Our thoughts were to visit PF Chang's for dinner while down at REI, but their wait was 75 - 90 minutes, we didn't have that long to wait and weren't interested in waiting that long.  We decided instead to have dinner at a more local chinese restaurant, which was a great call.  We typically only order take out from Ming's instead of trying it as a sit down meal with Carly, so it was great to actually sit in the restaurant and enjoy our meal!  We returned home just before the kids' bedtime - not our original plan but there is only such much you can do on a snowy afternoon and evening in Cornelius.

Unfortunately for Dave this afternoon didn't go as he had planned, but I had a wonderful 32nd birthday with him and our children!

This was a New One

This evening I was having a difficult time putting David Jr down for bed.  He had eaten a TON at dinner - chicken and peas from our meal, in addition to his 4oz of pureed sweet potatoes and 2oz of a pureed fruit blend.  He then nursed for a very long time at bedtime.  After he began screaming loudly shortly after I put him in his crib for a second time I thought to sniff his diaper.  Thinking maybe he had soiled it after such a large dinner.  As I was getting my "sniff" he let out four or five little toots directly on my nose.  Now, I've been pooped and peed on but being tooted on my face was a whole new experience.  And one that will definitely make me think twice before doing the "sniff" test tomorrow.

Tis the Season

February 1st is registration day in Mecklenburg County for what feels like everything.  Today I registered Carly for preschool next year and for her first summer camp.  Next year Carly will be attending preschool 3 days a week at a church.  But she is more excited about her triathlon camp this August.  She will spend 5 days this summer swimming, biking, and running!  About a week ago she looked at Dave and me at the table and said she would be competing in a Half IronMan in May.  While she may not be able to compete in one this year (although, her dad promised her that if she wanted to do one when she was 18 then he would do one with her), she will be completing a kids triathlon this year with her camp!

Compassion

Carly is 3 in every sense of the imagination.  At times this can be a lot of fun, and at other times it can drive me completely batty.  Today was a moment when I thought - she really will grow up to a a FABULOUS adult.

I seem to have contracted an infection in the tissue of my right thumb - causing quite a bit of pain.  This morning while out running I decided it was time to call the doctor.  So at 8:00am while preparing her breakfast I was also on the phone trying to schedule an appointment for myself.  The receptionist asked how quick I could be there after hearing about my thumb and told me to come on.  This gave me 20 minutes to get both kids dressed, packed up (breakfast and entertainment), in the car, and to the office.  Typically trying to doing anything quickly with Carly backfires are results in turtle pace.  Not today.  She moved and didn't argue that her Cheerios were being poured into one of David's new snack savor cups to be enjoyed in the car.

Carly's awesomeness and real compassion then came out when we got home.  After about an hour of playing it was time for David's nap.  While at home I began to feel really cruddy and tired, so after putting David down I told Carly I wanted to go upstairs and lie down for a few moments while David napped.  She asked if I would please lie down on the sofa instead.  Not feeling like having an argument with her, I complied.  She then covered me up with a blanket and patted my head.  She asked if I wanted a baby doll and immediately ran upstairs to get me one of her absolute favorite dolls.  After tucking the doll in my arms, Carly then began to pat my head and tell me "its okay mommy, you'll feel better soon."  Which is exactly what I needed to hear.  She then actually let me rest in quiet for David's entire 45 minute nap!

9 Month Well Visit

Today David Jr had his 9 month well visit.  Everything checked out great.  He weighed in at 20 pounds, 5 ounces (just below the 50%ile).  And was 29.5 inches long - 90%ile (time for a new carseat) with a head circumference of 18 inches (just above the 50%ile).

Waffles (vegan style)

Introducing "table food" has me slightly nervous with David Jr. due to this food challenges.  I am still avoiding dairy, egg, peanut butter, and crab because we know that when I eat these foods it upsets his tummy.  However, we were sent home from the allergist when he was 4 months old with an Epi-pen as a precaution since we were going to begin introducing baby cereal and pureed foods.  So today I started making breakfast - waffles.  While mixing up my dairy and egg free batter I decided David Jr. was going to get to try it today.  So away we went and it was a success!  He really enjoyed it and ate about a 3 inch square piece.  About half way through breakfast I realized that I had made today's waffles with almond milk and quit breathing for about a second in fear.  Almond milk can't be consumed by someone with tree nut allergies and tree nuts were something we were supposed to avoid until at least his first birthday.  OOPS!  Thankfully, he showed no signs of a reaction and was reaching for more pieces of waffles.  At least we now know he can also handle baked almond milk.

9 Months

Its hard to imagine that David Jr is already 9 months old.  He is doing really well with his eating and really enjoys Cheerios, although he isn't feeding them to himself yet.  He is also a very quick crawler and has taken to pulling himself up to a standing position any chance he gets.  He is cruising our furniture, but is not overly interested in it.  He is interested in exploring our house and will regularly leave his toys in the family room to join me in the kitchen at meal prep times.  He really enjoys playing with Duplo blocks, anything that makes noise, and whatever Carly is interested in at the moment.

I am really enjoying watching David and Carly's evolving interactions and the thrill they have for each other.  She can't wait to see him and talk to him in the morning and his eyes light up when he first hears her voice, but can't quite see or locate her yet.

Speedy

Tonight after Carly rode her tricycle complete around our neighborhood loop (0.8 miles), David came home to show off just how speedy he can be.  Over the past few days he has been scooting or army crawling through our family room, well tonight he decided to pick up his belly and GO!  This method of traveling is quicker for him and he is proud of it.  He has also become quite accomplished in going from a crawling position to a sitting position, and will applaud himself for such an accomplishment (Carly actually applauded herself on this accomplishment too at this age).

David is also taking a much greater interest in pulling himself up and standing up.  While walk is still quite a ways off, I think he is interested on beginning to work towards this skill.  A handful of times he pushed himself off from my hands or another object while standing, would stand for a second, then plop down on his bottom.  Fussing would then commence because he was sitting and no longer standing.

David's ability to  move quicker now, desire to stand and pull up, and his LOVE for all cords and cables is going to make life quite interesting now.  Thankfully, Carly loves to give me a play-by-play of EVERYTHING her brother is doing - so he can't get into too much mischief at the moment.

Melts My Heart

Today after Carly's nap I was combing her hair and placing a bow in it when she looked at me and said, "Mommy, you are the best." Those words were the best words I have ever heard in my entire life!

Really Moving Now...

This morning I put David down in the middle of the family room floor and stepped out of the room to switch the laundry from the washing machine to the dryer.  I could hear him getting frustrated, and assumed he was just trying to move towards a particular toy.  I walked back into the room and realized I was greatly mistaken.  David had moved (I'm not sure if it was a crawl or scoot) to our love seat.  He then proceeded to pull himself up and was happily cruising the length of the love seat when I walked into the room.  He looked up at me, gave me a HUGE smile, and then continued on his way.  I was so excited, raced to get my phone and call Dave.  My bubble deflated slightly when he responded with, "Oh! I forgot to tell you, he did that last night while you were at church."

I Like to Move It, Move It...

... I Like to Move It, Move It.  Move It!  This song lyric - made famous in the movie Madagascar describes our son best!  David unfortunately spent a LONG time in the frustrated non-crawler stage.  He would try to move but would only go backwards or spin around.  Well, that all changed today and he is THRILLED!  He currently doesn't look like the traditional crawler, but rather like he is snaking himself under barbed wire or a fence of some sort.  He has a LOW belly army crawl going on and has become quiet efficient in it since after lunch time today.  When he wasn't busying army crawling around this afternoon and evening he was getting up on his knees and arms and rocking.  He would then propel himself forward and begin his army crawl.  He has also begun trying to pull himself up on furniture after crawling towards it.  Dave even found him sitting this evening after crawling towards the sofa.  Needless to say we will be quite busy tomorrow re-baby proofing the house and lowering the crib.  Let the fun begin!!

Soccer

Carly had her first soccer practice today!  There were a total of 3 kids in the group.  The two boys were unfortunately not quite as cooperative as Carly, nor quite as good at listening.  Carly was very, very excited about today and immediately clammed up once we joined her group.  She spoke very softly and followed most of her coach's directions.  The group worked on trapping, dribbling, and kicking the ball.  They even attempted to dribble it around an obstacle course made with bean bags.  Unfortunately, one of the boys will not be returning next week - he made it quite clear that he wanted to do basketball instead, so her groups will be quite small.  Which will be good as she ventured out of her shell more and more around her new coach.

Carly's Perception...

At breakfast today Carly asked me what I wanted for Christmas.  I informed her that Christmas was pretty far off and listed just a handful of the birthdays our family would be celebrating between today and Christmas.  To which she responded, "Then what do you want for your birthday?"  I told that I thought she, her dad, and her brother were going to get me a new bike so that I could start riding more like her daddy does.  She then told me "no."  And that apparently I am too short to ride a bike like daddy's.  But they could get me one and when I grow to be a little taller like daddy, then I could start riding it.  (A very similar conversation was had between her and Dave this weekend - minus the statement about going ahead and buying her a bike now.)