First Haircut

Last night, Mom and I took Camryn and Cody to the beauty parlor for Camryn's first haircut (or, as Camryn said, 'to the booty parlor for a herrcut'). A picture of Cody and Grandma while we waited our turn:



So, this is what every parent imagines their child's first haircut to look like: cute place, cute smile, cute haircut.



However, it didn't quite go like that for us (and according to Camryn's "lady" - that's what she called the hairdresser - it doesn't go like that for most kids).

The good news is the picture above is how it ended, so at least I have a good chance of getting her back there for another haircut. The bad news is the picture below is how we started the appointment. It's a little blurry because well, let's face it, she wasn't exactly calmly posing for the camera. She was in full freak out mode. Mom and I couldn't help but laugh (is that mean?) but for real - look at her!

I was worried she was going to scare the other little kids, but no one seemed to notice (which was sort of alarming - she was very loud). She calmed down soon after this picture was taken - so I'm glad I snapped it in time! - and I think what helped the most was that she was able to watch another little girl get her haircut and to quote my mother, "she could see that the other little girl wasn't dead yet". Haha.

Just another picture to save forever!

Happy Birthday Mama!

Cody's First Video

Cody is quite the talker. Sometimes, he can't even eat because he is too busy 'talking' - I just have to stop and let him talk for a few minutes and then he'll eat again. Yesterday I swear he was singing - is that even possible? (poor Kevin might be stuck in the house with three people who talk as soon as they wake up!)

I made this video a few weeks ago - it is a little long, but after the first little bit he really starts talking. This is what I hear over the monitor at night when he wakes up and is hungry - him talking to his mobile. He's so sweet.

It's hard to be frustrated about no sleep with such a happy little boy! (I shouldn't say no sleep - the last week or so he's been going about 7 hours in between feedings at night - which would be awesome if I was going to sleep at the same time!)

See the video of Camryn in this bouncer when she was almost the same age (a little younger).

Big Girl Bed

While Camryn spent the night with Grandma on Saturday, we changed her crib to a toddler bed. She had not tried to climb out yet, but Kevin was concerned that it would be at any moment, so we went ahead and changed her over.

A few pictures of when she saw her bed (she first thought her bed was broken, but then we told her it was a big girl bed - she then yelled 'big girl bed!' at the top of her lungs for a LONG, LONG time)



While she was getting undressed for the bath, she hopped in her bed again and was very excited:

Cody didn't understand what all the yelling was for: [you can see how big his feet are in this picture; he's just figured out that he can move his legs up and use them!]

Camryn did great in her bed last night - we watched her on the monitor and she didn't get out of bed one time. She was also still in her bed when I went upstairs at 7:30 this morning. I am sure that soon she will realize that she can get out and play with her toys, but until then, I won't tell her!

Allergic to Formula?

[the picture above is a little blurry, but isn't he the cutest??]

Last Tuesday around noon, Cody had his first two ounces of formula (just regular Enfamil that Camryn drank for several months)and had an allergic reaction almost immediately that included choking, vomiting and hives. :( It was very scary, but after calling the pediatrician, they recommended that I go to the nearest ER to get him checked out immediately. Buddy drove us so that I could ride in the back with Cody and Kevin met us there. We were seen almost immediately and by then he was acting more like himself. As it was determined to be an allergic reaction and not getting any worse (and he was able to nurse), they recommended Benadryl and he was soon back to normal. By 6 that evening he was smiling again. Thank goodness.

This is a picture from the ER - almost two hours after the reaction started and after the benadryl. He was covered in hives and his ears turned bright red and got so big and swollen!


Resting at home...

The first guess is that he's allergic to the cow's milk in the formula. But, when I took him to see the pediatrician on Wednesday, he was not convinced. I told him the story and showed him the picture from the ER. He told me that its just not the typical reaction he sees, although he knows that can happen, it's just not as common. The word he used was 'peculiar'. So, he thinks that the choking/vomiting might have been from some drainage that Cody has had the last week or so (mostly due to the fact that he seem to be alternating between heater and AC on a regular basis instead of being able to stick to one) and the hives might have been related to something else. What else though? It happened within 10 minutes of having the bottle... so, naturally, I've been racking my brain and trying to figure out what else he might have been exposed to. No ideas yet.

Since we are not sure what he was allergic to, we are avoiding the milk formula for a little while - we hope to try it again in a few months. Kevin and I are both having a hard time believing the milk allergy - just doesn't feel right - but then again, we don't know what else it could have been! We tried soy formula yesterday - he had almost three ounces and did just fine! Whoo-hoo!

We stripped him down before giving him the first soy so that I could watch for hives - here he is enjoying his bottle in only a diaper!

Cody's Room

Since Cody is now sleeping upstairs in his room, I have been trying to put it all together. Here are a few pictures so far!

Cody's frog bathroom that connects to Camryn's ladybug bathroom.

The artwork by Kim at Custom Nursery Art by Kimberly - LOVE IT! - she did such a great job.

And a picture of the big boy!

New Year's Resolutions

I don't make New Year's Resolutions every year, but this year I am going to do it.

I'm sure that some of you can relate, but one of the things that I struggle with the most is that I don't really have any hobbies. For so long, I was either at work or with Kevin, with not a lot of separate "me" time in there.

One of my big goals this year is to work on "me." I feel like Kevin sets a good example for our children of being well-rounded; even though he works everyday, he also has a lot of outside interests: he plays basketball and golf, he fishes, messes with his car, and would probably do even more if he had more time. For me, not so much. That is what I'm hoping to change for 2011.

And, since I'm trying to be realistic about how much time I'll have once I go back to work, a lot of my goals are monthly. Baby steps.

1. Do something fun for myself once a month (dinner with girlfriends, mani/pedi, massages, anything!)
2. Work out at least two times a week (maybe even go to Yoga class with Mom once a month?)
3. Read one book a month.
4. Cook dinner at least 3 times a week.
5. Donate something (time, money, household items) once a quarter.
6. Increase general savings and retirement savings.
7. Have date nights often.
8. Be thankful everyday - we are so lucky and I tend to stress about everything.
9. Clean out the flowerbeds on the side of the house and make them beautiful!
10. Keep the blog up to date!

OK, so now these are for real! Wish me luck!