Which one is Zander?

Picture #1

Picture # 2

I can barely tell. . .good luck!

Zander is 2 months old!

Holy Cow! I can't believe that he is already 2 months--it goes by so fast! Zander had his 2 month wellness check today and good news. . . he is doing well. (As if anyone was worried.) Here are the stats:
Weight: 12 lbs. 13 oz.
Length: 23 1/4"
Head Circumference: 41cm.

All of these land around the 75th percentile. He really is Alexander the Great!

He is getting baptized this weekend so we will have a full house of family and friends. We can't wait to see everyone.

Feeling Better

Here is Zoey last Sunday showing off her badges of bravery. She donned all 13 stickers, her admittance braclet, her daffy duck band-aid, AND the pink bracelet that I forgot she received.

Unfortunately by Monday her fever had returned and spiked up to 104 degrees in the afternoon. So I stayed home with her and we sat on the couch and vegged a ton.
Tyler stayed home with her on Tuesday and she seemed to be doing better.

Today at work I was talking to some friends about Zoey and how I just couldn't figure out what was wrong (and neither could the doctors really). And as we talked it came out that she may be cutting her two year molars--which could explain a lot. For example--it may be why she has literally chewed through three pacifiers over the weekend. It may be why she tells us her ears hurt. It may explain the nightwakings--last night at 2 am she woke up and wanted a massage. (Little punk! I don't do massage at 2am!) It could also explain a little of the fever and the overall grumpiness and why every little thing sets her off. The only thing I can't get her to admit though is that her teeth hurt. Hmmm. . . I do believe that she had a virus also over the weekend--because of the high temperatures--but the teething thing helps me understand a lot of other things.

Here is the big 8 week old. Still smiling--just never for a camera. He has learned how to smack his lips and likes to stick out his tongue. He is taking his bottles better now and even had one night where he slept from 9pm to 4 am. And although we haven't been able to duplicate that night--there is a glimmer of hope.

Here are my two sweeties. I hope that Zander enjoys being the little brother as much as Zoey likes being a big sister!

Zander's first overnight at Nana and Poppa's house.

To give Zoey and Mommy and Daddy a bit of a break after a grueling day going to urgent care and Childrens ER. We got to babysit Zander!
It was a cold morning so we bundled up.
This is how Nana looks with very little sleep.
We found time for the first horsey ride -- it's tradition!

We were very happy to hear Zoey was starting to recover. Zoey you were very, very brave! We love you sooo much!

Here's Zander in the morning after keeping Nana up most of the night with one and two oz feedings. Papa held him from 6-8 a.m. to keep him quiet so Nana could get a little sleep.

Very Very Very Brave!

This morning when I went to wake up Zoey, she wasn't herself. She woke up crying about her tummy hurting and wouldn't stop. She felt a little warm. Of course I was conflicted, because Zoey sometimes just wakes up a little crabby and then after a while is just fine. Today was the day we were suppose to go down to Rochester for the birthday parties. But I soon figured out that we would not be partying today. Zoey just kept persisting that she hurt and her temperature seemed high--so I took her to Urgent Care. Since I didn't really know what was hurting her, I wasn't sure what to tell the doctor. She was definitely sick, though. Her ears were fine, but her tummy was very hard. So she went for X-rays and we worked off the diagnosis that she was just a bit constipated. So she had an enema--poor baby. She was so good. The nurses told her exactly what was going to happen and Zoey would just whimper, "Ok." Then they needed a urine sample, so they tried the catheter. It was now that we realized that she was dehydrated--they couldn't even get a sample. So the doctor and nurses observed her for awhile after the enema and sent us home with these instructions: If she isn't back to her old self and playing by 3 or 4 pm take her to the emergency room.

So I took her home and napped with her in her bed--she was very hot and sleepy. She didn't want to do anything. When she woke up she was still in a lot of pain. Nana came over to take care of Zander while Tyler and I took Zoey to Children's Hospital. At the ER, everyone who looked at her could tell that she was sick--but really no one really new why. Her temperature was now 102 degrees. But other than the pain, she didn't have any other symptoms. So she had another x-ray, another urine test, and some blood tests taken AND was hooked up to an IV. By the end of our evening, the doctor said that Zoey has really puzzled him, but he is going to say that she has a virus (flu like) because she did finally vomit at the end.

In the car, on the way home, Zoey started to gain a little of her spirit back. She started to tell Tyler and I about her experience in the hospital. "I saw doctor. I very, very, very brave. There lots of people there." Then when Tyler and I stopped at the drive through for a late night dinner she wanted to order chicken nuggets--so I think we are on the road to recovery.

13 Stickers and a lolli-pop later, we are home now keeping a close eye on her. Zoey and I have spent 10 hours at the hospital and we are all tired. Nana and Poppa took Zander for the night so that Tyler, Zoey, and I can all get a good night's rest. THANK YOU!!!

Mommy's Birthday

Zoey at the park.

Zander at the park.

It was my birthday last Saturday. Zoey is always excited about birthdays and loves to celebrate them. I told Zoey that for my birthday I wanted to take a picnic lunch to Pioneer Park in Stillwater. She was all for that. So all four of us spent a nice morning at the park. Then we came home and napped. What I also wanted for my birthday was a cake from Cold Stone Creamery--so I told Zoey that after nap we would all have some cake before Mommy and Daddy went out on a date. She was excited about the cake. Then Nana came over to brave the evening with the kids while Tyler and I went out for a dinner and a movie. Zoey burst into tears, wanting to celebrate Mommy's birthday more. From what I gather, she is used to birthdays being big to-dos with lots of presents and people around. My birthday was a big let down for her. So I decided to take her out for lunch the next day to continue my birthday celebration at the place she always has wanted to eat--Target. It was a fun time for all. Luckily for Zoey, she gets to go to Rochester this coming weekend for a double birthday party celebrating Aiden's 4th birthday and Kiera's 2nd birthday. That will make up for my birthday (which by the way I truly enjoyed!) Thank you Nana for watching Zoey and Zander! Tyler and I enjoyed our night out.

Yummy! Target food!

Zander is 7 weeks old.

I am back at work now and everything is going great--so far the kids are very cooperative in the morning and things have gone smoothly. Let's hope that it continues.

Pictures of Pictures

We took Zander to his first day of daycare today freeing me up to get a heck of a lot done before I go back to work on Monday. I worked non-stop from the time we dropped him off at daycare until we picked him up at the end of the work day. It is important to me to have the house in order before I go back to work--so today I cleaned almost every room and put pictures on the wall and around the house. What a difference that makes! It really makes our house feel more like home. My favorite pictures are the ones of both kids' first smiles. It really does show the resemblance.

Here is Zander this morning at daycare. Zoey and Sean will take good care of him!

Here is Zander. Just hanging around.

Me and my kids!

Got it!

I finally captured the elusive smile of Zander the Great! It was so worth the wait. Enjoy! I am sure there will be more to come.And for all those Zoey fans out there--here is a picture of her BIG Muscles. She is SO strong!

Precious Moments and Milestones

I did it! I stayed home and took care of two kids all by myself. I know that seems like a silly thing to be proud of, but it has been a little phobia of mine since we have had two kids. Especially since Zoey is so into "testing her boundaries" these days. But on Friday when Tyler went to work, Zoey, Zander, and I had a great day. I even had a short time where both kids were napping--it was heaven!

Here are the two kids when Zander and I were trying to wake Zoey up from her nap.

This is a cute picture of Zoey getting ready to go to the fair last weekend.

Zander is 5 weeks old now and is spending a little more awake time during the day.

I am calling it--his official first smile was on Aug. 24th. Grandpa must have tickled just the right spot. I have been able to get him to smile about once a day since then--but just can't seem to get it on camera. Tyler witnessed the smile yesterday, so he believes me now. Trust me--it is adorable!

Last week, Zoey and Zander's daycare provider, Mary, came over with her daughter, Katie, to see the house. Zoey was very excited to give them the grand tour. Mary also brought presents--this is the quilt that she made for Zander. It is so cute. Thank you Mary for the very thougthful gift. It is a perfect blanket for him to hang out on.

I have one more week at home before I go back to work full time. Zander and I are really working on his routine. Hopefully he will continue to follow it when he starts daycare. He is doing very well so far.