How did he hear me?

We hung out with some friends last night whose boy is 6 months younger than Grant. Well after the boys were in bed, they told us lately their boy cries in the night and they bring him into bed with them. Derek and I (being pros) told them to turn off the monitor and let him cry.

So when Grant started crying that uncontrollable type - where it takes his breath away - at midnight (just 30 seconds after Abby went into a deep sleep), I most definitely did NOT go into his room to console him. And of course I did NOT rock him. And he is NOT sleeping on my side of the bed right now with Derek, leaving me to the guest room.

Such a pro. ;)

Abby's newborn photos

Abby's newborn shoot was on December 18th. Once again, Jesse Leos did an amazing job! Abby was so cooperative and slept most of the time. Some of my favorites:



YEP - all of the above were "Christmas card worthy", so you may have seen them before!

The above was Derek's favorite.

Christmas morning!!

On Christmas morning, most kids wake up early to play with the toys that Santa left. But our kids are still too small to understand all that. So we started off the day with breakfast at the Motos! We went in our PJs and had a great time!

When we got home, we tried to get Grant to open his gifts from us. It was awfully close to nap time. Can you tell?!

BTW - I still maintain that crying babies are cute and funny.
Grant eventually warmed up and opened gifts.

After his nap, we went to Big Gaga's...

No Santa this year

Santa missed our house this year. Well - not entirely. He dropped off gifts but didn't set anything up.

To his credit, there wasn't an hour that passed in the night without SOMEONE being awake. Abby has a cold and is so congested that she seems to only breath easy when she is held. She can't breath well laying down or even propped up in the vibrating chair. It is heart breaking! She slept in her daddy's arms 12-4 and now she's in mine.

I tried to lay Abby down in her chair but her breathing was so labored that I just couldn't leave her. I hope this passes soon. Until it does, she will be held or sleep in her car seat.

All I want for Christmas this year is 2 healthy children. And 3 more hours of sleep. :)

In other news, Abby rolled over from her stomach to her back earlier for the camera. She rolled over the first time at 2 weeks - the first time we did "tummy time". But last night she showed off while I had a camera near and while we were watching A Christmas Story (which you can hear in the background).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-w2qK_Ous0

Paxton Christmas

Our next Christmas adventure was with the extended Paxton family. We had lunch and a white elephant exchange. Grant started out the day as a passenger on the John Deere toys, but ended up a (wreckless) driver.

Abby slept through most of the gathering but when she was awake, Derek and I watched over the little ones by the standard "divide and conquer" method.

Gotta sneak this photo in - we are clearly having a conversation!

And before we left, we were able to get some family photos. Grant wanted to give his sister a kiss!

We then headed home to wait for Santa to come! And we sure weren't done with Christmases yet!!

Christmas with Grandma Rose & Papa

Yesterday we had Christmas at my parents' house. On the way down there, we taught Grant to hold his hands under his chin and say "Thank youuuuuu". He failed to do it at Christmas but has been doing it ever since.

The boys ran all around the house. Even a few falls and collisions (bottom right) didn't slow them down. *Note - why is Grant the only one with his shirt off? One word - lasagna.*

Grant did get a little distracted with Lola (that's who he's smiling at outside the door).

I really like this next photo of Uncle Steve with Abby.

Next came PRESENTS!!! Grant loved his sock monkey jack in the box from Aunt Carrie. The photo also captures Matthew's reaction to a lego set in the background. Love it! I also love the background of the second photo - Tia with her 'nog and my baby!

The young boys all got cowboy hats and John Deere boots!

Once the presents were opened, Grant played in the hat box and ate his stocking stuffer. Lots of people eat their stocking stuffers... when it's candy! *sigh*.

Grant went to bed and we put on the Wizard of Oz. Carrie's boys know the entire movie and reenact it or dance the whole time. Carrie and I sang every word like we used to at Gaumy's. It was so fun!

We were all wiped and went to bed mid-movie. That was a good thing - each of Carrie's boys was awake at some point during the night (and may have woken up other people too). And Abby was so congested that she needed to sleep on one of us. Oh - and she decided to party from 4-7 am. The Motos stayed in the game room and as soon as they heard about our overnight adventure, they called the game room for the next 5 years. Thankfully my favorite sister held my congested baby in the morning and I got a good nap!! It was a good thing too because next up was the Paxton family Christmas...

Abby's stump

Abby's stump came off today. Our last connection is gone... Except that she's constantly attached to my nipple. So glad it's off before her first photo shoot on Sunday.

SANTA!!! I know him!!!

Grant and Abby actually went to see St. Nick twice this year. The first time we went with Julie, Clara and Nathaniel, but the photos weren't great. The second time was a little bit of a fiasco (with all the cousins we had to wait longer because of a broken camera), but the photos turned out pretty good. Here are the best shots:

COUSINS!!

My babies!
And a couple photos from our first visit. Clara is so darn sweet, you could eat her!

These are the times

These are the times I will always cherish. Rocking my baby to sleep at 2 am. How she looks up at me begging me to stop her hiccups. And the way I can keep her feet warm by holding them both in one hand.

I've turned off my usual early morning accomplice (the tv) so I can take this in. Soak it up. I want it etched in my brain forever because these times are fleeting. That's why the tears flow so freely.

And right now I'm grateful for this blogger app that lets me write as I rock so that I always remember these moments.

Grant's First Haircut

Grant had his first haircut today. Our family of 4 went all together and only 2 of us cried - Grant and me! I cried even before we left the house. I'm blaming my post-partum emotions. His tears certainly weren't helped by the fact that we discovered when we got home that he had a little fever.

Oh - but the best photos are DURING the haircut:

Happy birth day, Abby

Fantastic news - everything went as planned for Abby's arrival. It was exactly as we hoped which feels like such a blessing.

On Thursday, December 1st, I got up at 5 am to eat. I also blogged about Grant's milestone (18 months old). Grant stirred pretty early and probably would have gone back to sleep if his anxious mommy had let him!

We spent the morning cleaning and double checking bags. Derek took Grant to Julie's and I shed a few tears already anticipating how much I'd miss my little man over the next several days.

We arrived at the hospital at 11:26 and got checked in. My nurse was tiny so we joked with her about her height. Derek had a Coke before we left so he was on edge and being Overly Helpful Dad - he kept asking if he should do this or that and his only job was really to talk to me and distract me!!

My mom came back and visited a while. Having your mom around at moments of high anticipation is so important! Or at least my mom - she provides comedic relief "without even trying" as my sister said! Her banter with Derek was a much needed distraction from my surgery prep (IV, etc.).

Gaumy and Morgan came and visited too. Before long I was being wheeled back to the OR. The hospital has 2 for C sections and I've seen them both now. Derek had to stay back while I got a spinal. It was painful but quick. The song Safety Dance was playing while I got the spinal - it was the first song that got Grant to smile so I couldn't help but smile and feel at peace. They laid me down, tested the spinal and brought Derek in. I had my arms out to my side but this time they didn't strap them down.

The C section was remarkably painless. Last time (with an epidural) it felt like they were pulling me apart. This time (with a spinal) I just felt some pulling.

Abigail Rose was born at 2:20 pm. It took about 10 seconds for her to cry. Her hair was matted down and it was black. It looked like black girl hair. Her skin was covered with vernix (white, cheesy like substance). I had read about it but it shocked Derek a bit. Grant didn't have that since he was born at 41+ weeks. She had gray eyes that have since turned brown.

I was shocked to hear her weight was 7lbs, 14 oz. I really thought she'd be smaller. I gained 10 pounds less with her, plus she's a girl (typically smaller than boys) and was born at 39 weeks, 3 days (Grant was born at 41 weeks, 2 days). With all of that, my guess was that she'd be 6 lbs, 6 oz. Derek guessed 7 lbs, 12 oz. He was pretty close!! She measured 20.5" at the hospital but only 19.5" at the doctor. I remember there being a discrepancy with Grant too.

The hospital changed a few things since last time. The idea is that a healthy baby is never away from mom. She was measured and had her heel prick while we were in recovery. She had her first bath once we got to our room. I loved that I was never away from her!

The Csection after mine didn't go so smoothly. The baby inhaled or swallowed meconium (poop) so the dad went with baby and the mom was in recovery alone. I couldn't help it - had to count my blessings. The Csection after that was after 20 hours of labor at the hospital. The dad was wiped out - I can't even imagine what his wife felt like!!

Clearly the hospital was busy!! With Grant, they were SLOW - my first post partum nurse only had 2 moms and 1 baby (Grant). She was there again for our 2nd and 3rd night and at our request was our nurse again! This time our nurses always had 4 moms and 4 babies. Not sure if it was the full floor or the fact that we aren't rookies anymore, but we weren't babied as much in the hospital this time (despite my efforts to bribe the nurses with s'mores bars).

Grant came up the day after she was born to visit for about 10 minutes. He spent the weekend with Grandma Rose and Papa. He was so sweet and gave his sister a kiss.

Grant is 18 months old!!

My boy is 18 months old! We'll have 18 month stats next week so I'll update then.

Height: 34" - 90th percentile
Weight: 29lbs - 85th percentile
Head: 50 cm - 98th percentile

Here's what he's up to:

* He's getting frustrated at not being able to communicate. The hitting has gotten better (but is still going on). I can see in his eyes when he's frustrated - he gets sad eyes that seem to say "You don't understand!! Please understand me!!" He flaps his arms a bit, then sometimes he hits and sometimes he makes the decision to NOT hit.

* That frustration comes out a lot at the dinner table. It's a mistake to start off with his favorites - when you start with bananas, he doesn't eat the rest of the meal very well. And while he still likes to eat, he's getting more and more stubborn about HOW he eats. Sometimes he wants his entire plate in front of him even though he eats better with smaller portions. More often he insists on feeding himself yogurt and applesauce. He's getting better with a spoon, but this is a very messy time!! The spoon isn't as fast as his hand - which he then rubs all over his face. And once he decides to use the spoon, it goes in his mouth upside down (spilling all over him) at least half the time.

* His favorite toys are the fire truck and choo choo train (both hand-me-downs from Jacob & Andrew). Speaking of frustration, when he plays with them both, he usually makes them park a certain way next to a wall or piece of furniture. And if they don't fit or he doesn't like something about it, he whines and throws one or both of them. So he gets his favorite toys taken away a lot.

* Still bffs with Nathaniel, but Clara is getting cooler by the minute. He gave her lots of hugs and kisses yesterday!

* He's about to lose his first fingernail. He smashed his left thumb in Derek's car door 2-3 weeks ago. It's not as bad as it sounds - there was no momentum but it was still a car door!

* He knows his body parts really well. He still points to my belly (sometimes his own) when we ask where the baby is, so we'll see how that changes in the next few weeks! He can actually say "nose" now and knows where it is (for a long time he got nose and toes confused).

* Miss Julie taught him how to honk noses!

* We're starting to talk about colors - he'll repeat the colors we say but I don't think they have sunk in yet.

* Will take his plate to the kitchen when he's done eating. It's the cutest thing. Thanks to Julie for teaching him this one!

* Still fascinated with wheels. We were at the park on Tuesday and he loved playing with the wheels on the stroller that someone else was in! He also became a pro with the big slide. As soon as he figured it out, he didn't want to stop! He climbed up and slid down at least 15 times in a row - panting the whole time! He did a front roll one time, but he didn't mind at all - the 2nd photo below shows him just before he flipped.

* He now makes sounds when he plays with his cars. It's adorable.

* His latest fascination is with buckles. On Tuesday I was organizing in the front room and turned around to find this:

He was trying to figure out how the buckle worked on the seat, and the best way to do that is to sit in it!! He does this with his booster seat, grocery carts, car seats, etc.

* Still sleeping really well in his big boy bed. Sleeps just under 12 hours per night and taking 1 good 2 hour nap each day. On the weekends, we'll sometimes do 2 shorter naps but he's taking 1 good nap each day at Julie's.

We got to spend a full day together on Tuesday - a day uninterrupted by cleaning or cooking or errands. We had lunch with Derek, Morgan and Big Gaga and also played at the park. It was nice to spend some quality time with him in his last few days as an only child!

I can't wait to see him as a big brother. I am already day dreaming about how much he'll love her and how much he'll teach his sister. How she'll know the sounds that cars and dinosaurs make before she knows animal noises. She'll play with cars before dolls. And Grant will be so proud of his sister.

I know not to expect too much right away, but because he's so young, he will never know any different. He'll never remember life without his little sis. He'll adjust over the next weeks and months in ways that we can't even imagine yet, but we are ready for that adventure. We're ready for the emotional ride of having a newborn and ready to find humor in the way a toddler and newborn turn our lives upside down.

Daddy's Boots

Grant is always playing in Derek's work boots. Yesterday Derek put him in the boots and I ran for my camera!

Oh - and photobucket doesn't approve of photos of naked 1 year olds. Don't even try it - they'll be removed!

Thanksgiving 2011

Steve and Gloria hosted the family again for Thanksgiving. We ate too much good stuff and then recovered by chasing around the kiddos and watching and playing football. Grant wanted to dress up for the occasion:

Grant and Matthew played with cars and Grant got some good cuddling in with Grandma Rose and Tia.

We took a family photo after lunch. You can't even really tell that Grant has food in his hair!

Gloria even sent us home with leftovers. Lots of them! Grant's favorites are the sweet potatoes and stuffing.

Recent photos

For no reason whatsoever, Grant ran around naked after his bath tonight. He had so much fun chasing Lola!

How big is Grant?! He'll answer "BIG!"

And a shot from last weekend of Grant doing his favorite thing - eating.

Prepping the House for Abigail - Part 3 - Nursery

I really enjoy saving some dough! I started my master plan long, long ago - when we were preparing the nursery for Grant!

Grant's nursery didn't really scream "baby boy." Except the blue walls. See:

Farm animals and polka dots = gender neutral. It sounds crazy because "Hicks men don't have girls" but I was prepared just in case!! Even the small things like the changing pad cover and the laundry basket are brown!

So when we found out we were having a girl, I didn't have to run out and redecorate the entire nursery. Just put a coat of pink on top of that blue (or in our case - hire someone to paint it), re-hang the existing decorations and VIOLA!!

The only tweaking that we needed to do is:

*New valance. The current valance had too much blue for my liking. In it's place is THIS valance (wide window, so I ordered 2). I scored them while they were on SALE on Amazon - even better!!

*New name on the wall. Grant is taking his name and his hat rack down the all with him. Abby's name is now done and hanging from some pretty doorknobs! Grant liked helping us pick them out - the doorknob drawers at Lowe's = heaven for him!

*New mobile. Grant broke his mobile and then became really attached to the part that sings and makes the mobile spin.

Including painters, crafts, new dots for the wall (the originals didn't re-stick nicely), new valance and a new mobile, the total cost was about $200. If we had painted ourselves, it would have been MUCH cheaper but we had other rooms to finish off too.

So now, we wait!

Grant can dance!!

I couldn't resist it. Check out Grant's moves here! Thanks to Julie for the photo from last week!!

Big bed hiccup

Yesterday we had our first hiccup in the big boy bed. After 3 different attempts and a total of about an hour and a half of crying, Grant finally took an afternoon nap! I thought we might be in for more trouble when I laid him down at bedtime and he was standing in the middle of the room by the time I got to the door, but he didn't make a peep! Saturday was smooth sailing too so hopefully Sunday nap was a fluke.

Prepping the House for Abigail - Part 2 - Grant's room

With the guest room set up, we set our sites on making sure Grant's room was ready. Thankfully my sister was ready to offer some help in this area. In the spirit of saving money (and also knowing kids just mess everything up), the furniture in this room consists of:

*Hand me down toddler bed from my favorite sister.
*Hand me down book shelf from Grant's Great Grandpa KC & Geri.
*Nightstand from our old bedroom set.
*Dresser from our old bedroom set.

Decorations consist of:

*Grant's handprints on canvas from 8 months and 15 months.

*Name and hat rack from his nursery.

*Big "G", which was in his nursery and actually made by Jill for his shower.


*Ikea curtain rods to hold Grant's artwork.

The verdict: Grant likes his new room!!

I saw these canvas boxes at IKEA that I thought would be great for the bookshelf. I thought it'd be great to have in orange, so I picked one up in white and grabbed some orange dye at Wally World. Here's the final product:

FAIL! My nails are still orange and I had to spend 30 minutes (with my big pregnant belly) trying to clean the dye out of the bath tub. I saw the green and turquoise boxes at Target and snatched them up after my dye job failed.

The good news is that I was planning on dying Grant's laundry basket too. I learned the lesson on a $5 box rather than a $50 laundry basket, and for that, I am grateful!

Although MOST everything in his room is his own artwork or hand-me-downs, we still needed a changing pad, laundry basket and wastebasket for this room since Abby would be using Grant's old gear. Total cost for Grant's new room = about $120.

Here's a few more shots of the room:




The former guest room furniture included a chest of drawers and queen bed. The chest of drawers from our old bedroom set is now in Red Oak, and the queen bed was gifted along to family!

Things I Love

My "go to" wine has become Gabbiano's Chianti. Tan label, please. It's the "middle class" of Gabbiano's Chiantis - not the fanciest and not the cheapest. Sometimes you can find it on sale for $10, but it's usually $12-13.

My secretary turned me onto this wine. Her friend from Italy (Emilio!!! I could write an entire post on him and how small the world is. Long story short - we ran into him in the streets of Florence) showed it to her while he was here in the States and said it was the table wine at one of his favorite restaurants in Florence. Of course - any table wine in Italy is a good glass of wine!

I stocked up today so that I'm properly prepared once Abby and the holidays arrive. This meant stopping at 2 liquor stores because the first was out of the tan label completely. I guess my little secret isn't that much of a secret!! The lady helping me made an alternative suggestion, but when you haven't had alcohol in months, you can't take a risk like that!