Sleep Night #3

Koen is asleep at 7:30pm. I started at 7pm and only had to pick him up 10 times in the half hour. Either he is at the age where he was suddenly ready to go to bed early or this whole pick up put down thing really works! If it does work (aka in one week he goes to bed without having to be picked up and put down) I'll definitely encourage it! Gary `alters' the method a bit as he would rather just put down and not do the pick up part (aka let him cry it out), but he's kind of on board with it:)
I'm going to read!!

Oh, and because each post needs a picture of some sort...here is our office wall. We've updated our black and whites to include older pictures of Kai and new ones of Koen.

Cows and Stuff

Okay, sleep update first!! Today we used the PU/PD for naps and it only took maybe 5 times for him to sleep and his nap was over an hour long!

The craziest thing is that tonight Gary put him down at 8:30pm and he didn't cry for even a second. I know I will be feeding him tonight though, last night I fed him every 3 hours. Growth spurt? I really don't care though, its the early bedtimes that I am striving for.

I couldn't find Koen today and when I looked for him, I found him under the dining room chair, standing up. Our chairs are pub style ones that are extra high...he's not really that short!

This afternoon we visited my best friend, Lynette's, family farm. Kai LOVED it. Actually we all did. There is so much to learn on the dairy farm and Kai loved all the cows, tractors, and of course, the ride on lawnmower.









(The whole time in the milking parlour, I just thought of breastfeeding..it is so similar:)
This evening we did an engagement shoot for my lil sis and my soon to be brother in law. So here is Gary's `flirting' with me (he takes a shot of me each shoot...it makes me smile while editing:)

I loved that they wore shirts that were the other persons eye colour. Does that make sense? Steve's left eye may be slightly closed here but you get the idea. Trish, I will be able to finish editing and posting some pictures tomorrow:)

Let's hope tonight's a gooder. Bon nuit. Oh ya, Kai said that `hungwee is how you say hungry in french' today. He makes up lots of words, like `Wadoo' and says they are french. Goofball.

Sleeping Update And Another Party

Okay, so we have instigated three things to try to get Koen to sleep on time based on various suggestions. I am unable to let him cry it out (I'm an emotional softie) but the `pick up put down' method seemed like a happy medium. We will devote one week to doing this. We have also put the radio static on for some white noise (which worked when he was a baby) and we have given him his own little blankie/stuffed animal which he will hopefully fall in love with. Kai having his blankie, Bubi, has saved us.

NIGHT #1: My friend said that the first night they did this, it took 43 times so I was comfortable with doing it 43 times:) I did the PU/PD 40 times in a row, from 8:10pm until 8:45pm and he fell asleep. I think he was exhausted because each time I would lay him down, he would stand up. Quite the workout for him! Not bad, not bad. Let's hope he stays asleep! We're still trying to figure out what to do during the night as he can still have 2 full feeds at night....I'm really trying to fill him up with more food during the day to combat this. AND, don't suggest formula because he can't stomach it. Kai was a big boy too, but even he did not continue eating at night at this age. I think Koen may have surpassed him in the size department as he is still breastfeeding every 3 hours and having 3 full meals a day. When I weighed him the other day, it said 21lbs.

This video shows Koen standing up, you'll miss it if you are paying attention to Kai:) I cannot believe how much he has changed in just a week. He absolutely amazes me. He will climb anything and crawl anywhere. I would say that in this one week, he has changed more than at any point in his life. I can see already how he is so different than Kai in personality. Kai will learn by watching and asking questions, even as a baby he was just very observant. Koen is super hands on. He can't just look at something, he needs to play with it, eat it, get to it, climb it etc.

Today we celebrated Riley's first birthday. Riley is an incredibly mobile boy, I have never seen a one year old so stable on his feet. He can climb up and down stairs and walk up and down hills. Maybe that's what happens when you have two older brothers to keep up with! The party was at the Walnut Grove water park which was a fantastic location. I've never been to that water park but the little river was a super hit.

Kai with buddy Bennett. They were trying to find monsters down the drain. I love that these two love playing together...another generation of buddies.
Well, now that Koen is down, I'm going to get back to my book, `Plain Truth'. Bon nuit.

Kai's Third Birthday Party

Wow, who knew a three year old birthday party could be so tiring?! I was hoping to play a bunch of games but Gary said we should just let the kids play and that ended up working best in the end. Maybe next year I can reminisce about the games we played as kids and get Kai to play them with his friends:) We had a ton of family and friends over for a few hours. We had lunch, cake, opened presents, and played. It is also Kai's cousin Theo's (T-bone) bday today so that is why he is blowing out a candle.

Kai wanted cars on his cupcakes so I just put them on the extra fondant I had so they didn't get covered in icing. I decided to decorate the cake with frosting instead of fondant and I think it turned out okay. If anyone needs to borrow a car cake pan, I've got one! Kai was super spoiled with tons of trucks, cars, diggers etc. I'd say my favourite is a Melissa & Doug's magnetic body systems. Soooo cool and very anatomically correct. Kai and I have had several interesting conversations about the boy and girl ones already:)
We did do one pinata type game. This one was just a `pull the ribbon' one. So, each kid pulled a ribbon and some how, the 2nd last ribbon was the one that released the door and let all the candy out. Good thing they didn't pull that ribbon first:) Ani was pretty pumped that it was her ribbon that did it. And, call me crazy cheap but the car is in perfect condition to use as an actual pinata next year:)

Thank you to everyone that came and celebrated the 3 years that Kai has been blessed with. We are so grateful to have you in our lives and we love seeing our big boy being so loved. I need a nap.

Birthdays and Wrestling

Today I turned 31. No biggie. Feel the same. I like the 30's, they suit me. For my birthday, Koen slept 7 hours straight...awesomeness. Then, we got up, had a yummy breakfast, and went and ran 6.5km of the Fort to Fort Trail in Fort Langley. The kids did decently although it was drizzling and Koen was hungry. I love trail running sooooooo much. The plan for the evening is to get ready for Kai's 3rd birthday party tomorrow and Gary is picking up a `new' (craigslist) flash tonight because I could use an upgrade anyway and our good one is in the shop. The one in the shop won't be ready for the next 2 weddings so we `needed' another one.

My dad gave me a bunch of my baby pictures this morning. Do I look like someone we know and love? I think Koen looks so much like me! And yes, I was bald for forever. I guess my mom took us to Sears or something almost every month for a picture, who knew?

The boys are interacting so much more. True, it's quite a bit of rough interactions but they both enjoy it so ya, I'm going with it. Both are covered in bumps and bruises. Koen because he is trying to do too much, Kai, because he always falls when he runs.


(I like this shot..um, why is this underlined? I see no key for this...)
Thanks to all those who commented on the sleep issue. I guess what I needed most was empathy AND the reassurance that it can't last forever. It sounds like once they are one, things settle down a bit so I'll go with that. It doesn't bother me that much, except once 9:30pm rolls around and I'm exhuasted. If he slept til 8am, that would be a different story. However, he's usually up around 6am:) So much to figure out with these guys. We're at the stage where I'm a little frustrated introducing food so slowly. I know he just wants to eat our food and I'm just so tempted to give him exactly what we are eating, but, I don't want to give him dairy yet in case he does have a serious allergy to milk proteins and also, a lot of our food is quite spicy. So far, he will eat whatever I put in his mouth. He can only feed himself mum mums, bananas and bread. Hungry, hungry hippo.
Okay, time for dinner. Have a great weekend everyone!

Feel free to comment on how much Koen looks like me or how cute my boys are or something:)

Sleep Advice Please

Okay, I need some help. If you know me, you know I don't like to ask for help:) Koen, our wild & wonderful 7 month old, does not sleep. He sleeps about 2 hours in the day time and 8-10 hours at night (and no, not in a row. Last night I fed him at 12:30pm and 5am). That's less than 12 hours a day. I don't think this is healthy for him. Admittedly, he is a very happy boy. The main concern is him not going to bed before 9:30pm EVER. I am concerned because I am exhausted. If we lay him down, he stands up and cries and cries. He will cry for an hour straight and I haven't let him go beyond that. If we keep him up til 10pm, he generally goes to sleep within 10 minutes.
Gary and I need our evenings back. I am well aware of the Pick Up Put Down method and will instigate it if you can tell me that it worked for you and your child that did not need a lot of sleep. We cannot cut out his daytime naps because he gets grumpy and tired during the day and needs a nap. He usually naps 30-45 minutes two times a day (9am and 1pm).
WE ARE TIRED. I AM TIRED. Please don't tell me to let him cry for 2 hours because I won't:) Please don't tell me to feed him to sleep because he won't. Please don't tell me what you've read. Tell me what you have done which has worked. I just want a couple hours to myself each evening and I think at this stage in the game, it isn't asking for too much.
Maybe I was spoiled with Kai sleeping 7pm-7am. I think he just fell asleep. 9:30pm...not bad.
By the way, today he was cruising along furniture and he went from one piece of furniture to another. He is one crazy, sweet kid. I think he will be keeping us very busy for many years to come. That's my new workout routine...take care of 2 energetic boys all day long.

Phew

(Kai and Koen's feet..Kai suggested getting a shot of their `toesies' so we did).
I'm all done editing from the last 3 shoots, just one more tomorrow and then we have 5 days off. It's about 4 hours of editing for 1 hour of shooting so that's been a lot of work on the computer. Thank goodness Gary is around or this would sure take a lot longer. I'm the kind of person who won't have fun and play until all the work is done so I haven't done much for fun this past week:)

(We were taking pictures of Koen in the mirror so Kai said he wanted pictures in front of the mirror too:)
Kai's birthday party is this Saturday. Originally I wanted to play games and stuff but I'm thinking 3 year olds (mostly boys) will just want to run around and eat so we'll just stick to that. I'm unsure if I will make a fondant or icing car cake but need to figure it out soon. He doesn't care so I shouldn't either.

(Look how red Koen's nose is from trying to kiss himself in the mirror)
Koen is nuts. Usually he has just been crawling around on our rug where all the toys are. However, today he ventured down the hall to the bathroom and then discovered the hall closet mirror. He spent a good amount of time playing with and kissing his `new friend'. He is fearless. He is a terrible napper. He is my beautiful baby.

We just sold our black rug on craigslist because I was having to vacuum it everyday. I loved it as it was so soft and matched well. Oh well, not worth the daily vacuuming. We got a cream shag one instead. Not sure if it looks okay but its actually a lot more functional.

We had our first babysitter yesterday who was not a family member or friend of ours. She is a 15 year old that goes to our church and she was perfect!!! Phew. We were only gone 2 hours but she handled it well. Koen refused to nap so she just took him downstairs and he fell asleep in her arms. She played with boats in the kitchen sink with Kai. This is a big step for me (trusting someone to watch our kids) and I'm glad it was successful.

(While editing I always find just one picture that Gary took with me in it. It always makes me smile. I think it's his way of flirting with me).

The babysitter was for a morning shoot and then in the evening, my sister Maria came by to watch the kids so that Gary and I could go to the Keg for our birthdays. We had a gift card so I was very excited to use it. I made sure to get a run in during the day and I'm glad I did. The food was amazing, I had lobster and steak. So much butter and cream sauce...soooo good but soooo bad!

We've been playing a lot of `Guess Who' these days. Brings me back to my childhood. One of us always plays on Kai's team. Two of his questions today were, `Does your person have a head?' and `Does your person have eyes?'. He's getting there:)

Kai: Daddy, I have a great idea!
Gary: What's that?
Kai: We should have my birthday party in my room!
Gary: But how will all your friends fit in there?
Kai: You can build a bigger room for me!

Okay, off to pick blackberries with the boys. I'm really loving this cooler weather. Life is good.

Bliss

For the past two nights, Koen has fallen asleep just cuddling with me. This is very, very unlike him. He hasn't done that since he was maybe 2 months old. I'm thinking it's due to his cold. Regardless, I was cherishing it. These moments pass by too fast. In this picture I'm post shower, in my pj's, looking tired etc but I had to post this because it's pure bliss to me.

I will have to show you a video of him. He boggles my mind with his no fear attitude. He can stand up holding onto anything. Today he was watching Kai in the bathtub, holding onto the outside, and then let go and grabbed onto me instead. Maybe this is normal and Kai was the abnormal one...or, just every kid is just so different. I'm thinking that this is the case. Regardless, my baby being comforted, snuggly and sleepy while lying on me makes me smile.
PS I know I'm blogging too much...I bet once Gary goes back to work I won't have this freedom to blog as frequently.

Bobs & Lolo

This afternoon we went to the opening of Kidtopia in Surrey. It's a great store to find learning toys at. I may have bought Kai a thing or two. The main reason to go was to see Bobs & Lolo perform. Kai wanted to know what kind of car they drove and we found out it's a red jeep:) They sang Kai's favourite song, Raindrop Pop. Kai's buddy Noah was there too. Kai enjoyed the singing, bubbles, dancing, popcorn and face painting. He passed out on the way home. It was nice to have some one on one time with my 3 year old:)


Talking about Kai, here's a little conversation we had while he was in time out...
Me: Kai, why were you sitting on your brother's head?
Kai: Well mommy, I needed somewhere to sit.

I think Koen is going to be just as tough as his older brother. So far he hasn't complained when Kai has wrestled him and I'm trying to be a little more relaxed with the two of them jumping on eachother. All in all, great Sunday afternoon.

7 Months Old

I can't believe I'm doing this post almost a week late...bad mommy. Koen makes me so happy, I seriously can't get mad at him. Yes, I've been frustrated that he hasn't gone to bed before 9:30pm every night, and that his naps only last 45 minutes, BUT, he's just too darn cute. I know the day will come where I can't wait to start on the time outs:)

Here's some stuff about Koen:
Weight: 21lbs
Favourite food: sweet potato, bananas, mum mums
Physical developments: crawl to sit, sit to crawl, sit to stand (pulling up on everything and anything), rolling both directions.
Loves: people, being outside, matchbox cars, drinking milk, big brother Kai, pulling mommy or daddy's hair, tickles, listening to singing, having a little receiving blanket to sleep with, being in the bjorn (soooo heavy).
Dislikes: being alone and especially away from mommy, eating carrots, going to bed at night (great at going down in the daytime though!)
Brotherly Love?: Kai gave him a hug without being asked and was pretty pumped that Koen is crawling.
Health: he currently has a cold but he seems to be handling the congestion and coughing just fine. I believe his reflux is completely gone and I would say that in the past 3 days, he has barely even spit up at all!! Woohoo!
Sleeping: has two 45 minute naps and goes down to bed around 9:30pm and wakes up for a feed at least once. Up for the day around 6am. He will def. have longer naps (maybe 2 hours!!) if we are on a road trip.

Koen, you are sooooo loved. I think that even though you look like an old man, you are the cutest old looking man out there:) Your dimples and giggles make me melt. I can't wait to see what kind of toddler you will be, well, I can wait. Don't get big too fast.