Weekend Fun

I am still catching up from this past weekend, we had two parties on Saturday and one on Sunday. Great times at all of them. We have met such a fun, great group of people in Waterbury, Ken and I are always commenting on how lucky we are to live in a great place surrounded by great friends!

It was very cold here last week but is gettng a bit more tolerable, mid teens, better then negative. I wish this last storm could have come further north, our local economy needs a boost.

Lauren

Lauren had her first Rice Cereal on the 8th, one day shy of 6 months. She is such a good sleeper and nurser, there hasn't been any reason to start "solids" earlier and 6 months is the ideal time to start, the later the better. Since she has also had peas. She is doing well with both. After a bit of decision making we decided to buy her first jars of food vs making her baby food. I figure the food manufacturers are better at cooking it just right to lock in and preserve the vitamins, also organic baby food is so easy to get. I will do the jars to start and soon switch to making it for her as she starts getting better at having a few lumps. I also want to make sure I start with the wheat germ, I am trying to remember when we started giving to Calvin. We would like Lauren to take after Calvin in eating instead of Drew. Drew is getting better but can still be a pistol, we call him Captain Carb, crackers, bagels and pizza makes Drew a happy boy.

Drew

Time to stop posting about Drew, he had a 5th night success! I think we are clear and free, last night he woke up at midnight to use the bathroom. Without being gross I couldn't believe how much uhmm liquid he had to dispose of. I put him to bed and had him go twice, somehow he got a lot more water in him then I noticed. But since he is waking up at night on his own I think we are good.

Party

We had our 3rd annual Holiday Party last night. A good time was had by all, head count was at 73, great way to start the holiday season, we had a dusting of snow, finally.

4th night without a diaper, way to go Drew!

Night three diaper success!

Drew

Dry again this morning, second night without a diaper was a success, looking for three.

Drew

Last night, first night without a diaper, a success.

6 Months! Yikes.

Lauren is six months on the 9th. This one is going by fast. We moved so many times with the boys that I think it slowed down time. Lauren has her well child checkup on the 2nd. We are gearing up for our annual holiday party on the 5th. More to come on both the checkup and the holiday party. I will try and take a few pictures this year, it is the thrid annual. Last year I think we had 78 people, I am sure we will beat that this year.

Lauren is still an easy baby. It is is becoming more apparent that we have three children. She is still easy but requiring more attention, entertaining and holding. The past few nights she has slept to between 7 and 8, hopefully that continues. We are putting her down around 8. Occasionally I will hear her stir in the night but she always settles back down and goes back to sleep.

Drew and Calvin are both well. Lately they have been playing so well together, a lot less fighting and hitting, I hope this stays.

Drew has been wanting to stop wearing a diaper at night, I suppose we should give it a try but I don't think he is ready and I don't feel like "dealing" with the wet sheets. His diaper is wet more often then not in the morning, but perhaps eliminating the diaper is all the motivation he needs. Other then that he is diaper free all the time, I don't remember the last accident. He is still doing well at pre-school and is a cutie. Drew and I have been going to family yoga once a week. Pop-pop has been nice enough to come sit with Lauren so we can go. Drew seems to enjoy it although he sometimes has a hard time focusing when the tempo slows down. He LOVES swimming like a fish.

We have the window candles and the outside Christmas lights up. The inside decorations are all out but not completely set, I am waiting till the house gets cleaned on Wednesday before doing all the party decorating.

Lauren's appt went well. 50th percentile for height and weight and 90th percentile for her head. Lauren's head is a little smaller then her brothers (which is good). She had some shots but handled it like a trooper.

5 Months and 21 Weeks Today!

We baptized Lauren this past Sunday, Denise and Jon Rundle our dear friends are Lauren's Godparents. She was baptized in a Brink family gown and in the same church that Calvin was baptized in and where I went to Sunday School. I was baptized and confirmed at a Episcopal church in Stowe, but went to sunday school at the Stowe Community Church. My dad (Pop-pop) is a deacon there. We had a small brunch at our house hosted by Mor Mor after church. Lauren got a beautiful Silver cross and chain necklace from her Godparents, some Invesment money and a Silver Baby Cup from Mor Mor and Pop pop. It is the cup Mor Mor was given when she was baptized, Laurens name and baptismal date (as is the Norwegian tradition) is engraved on the cup alongside Mor Mor's information.

Calvin lost his last top tooth on Saturday. It was given a little bit of help, but not much. I am happy to see that one gone as it was sticking almost straight out.

20 Weeks and almost 5 months

Lauren was 20 weeks old this past Tuesday the 2nd, she will be 5 months old on the 9th. This time around it is definitely going by a lot quicker then I remember it with the boys. I guess that speaks to how busy we are. Lauren does not have a well child check up this month.

We all had a cold and maybe a bit of the flu two weeks ago, who knows which flu. Everyone is fine but we all had it and Ken seems to be holding on to it more then the rest of us.

Lauren is full of belly laughs (when prompted), she can bear all of her weight on her legs she has been doing this about a week now, she is getting very good at sitting and can do it for a few seconds by herself, she can roll front to back. She has had a couple of bottles in the past few weeks. Twice with Pedialyte (recommended by the doc) and once with pumped milk, she took the bottle like a champ. Since she only nursed for so long we are little concerned that she might reject the bottle. There is nothing else new to report with Lauren that I can think of, still sleeping from about 8 till 6, then nursing and falling back asleep in our bed. She sleeps an hour or so in the AM after her after-nursing sleep (which is really a continuation of night sleep) and then for 2/3 hours in the afternoon and sometimes has a cat nap before bed, truly a sleeper!

Drew, Lauren and Mommy drove to Boston to meet Ken for a night last month. Ken had an event which kept him there Friday and Saturday night. Calvin stayed with Mor Mor and Pop-pop and will join us in NYC in February for another Schwab event. Since the weather was bad we only went for one night. We drove straight down Friday morning, no stops from Waterbury to parking for the Children's Museum. The three of us spent a few hours there and then walked to Quincy Market and had lunch outside. We then walked back to the car, Drew was exhausted by this time, but hung in there. We managed to get to the Sheraton without any problems, Boston driving can be challenging at best. We checked into Daddy's room and walked around the Prudential Mall for a bit before meeting up with Ken. Ken got changed after a very successful event and we wandered outside and found a Pub for dinner. Everyone crashed hard after dinner. For some reason Drew wanted to sleep in the crib we had brought in for Lauren, who were we to argue with that. We tried to swim in the morning, Lauren was very cute in her bathing suit, but Drew wanted nothing to do with swimming and it was too cool for Lauren to get in the pool. We then took the T to the Aquarium, braving the elements as it was getting nasty out. Drew really enjoyed it and it was so nice to be able to spend the time with him and really focus just on Drew for a couple of days and make some nice memories. I am really looking forward to taking Calvin to NYC, he is going to love the Museum of Natural History. Drew will stay with Mor Mor and Pop-pop for that trip. The drive home was good as well and we did it straight.

Calvin has lost one of his top front teeth. He is getting ready to loose the other one as well. But as it is getting pushed out by the new tooth it is sticking straight out, it looks pretty fun and I am ready for it to come out. Mor Mor took Calvin to his first real movie when we were in Boston, they saw Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Calvin enjoyed it but wasn't quite as thrilled as I thought he might be.

4 Months (tomorrow)

Lauren had her well child check up on the 5th, here are her numbers:

75% Height, 24 3/4
70% Weight, 14 lsb 2 1/2 ozs
75% Head Circumference 16 1/2

She had a barrage of shots, no flu shots till 6 months. Everything else is fine. She continues to sleep like a champ, generally going to bed around 8. More often then not she wakes up at 5:30, I nurse her in bed with us, she falls back asleep, most of the time I do too. Lauren had a little stretch of sleeping till 6:30 which was much appreciated and I am looking forward to it happening again.

All else is good. We had a nice visit with Ken's dad and step-mom. We (mainly Ken) are working on getting the winter chores done. Outside furniture to come in, dock out of the pond, shrubs to cut back and few more truck loads of wood to bring over from mom and dads.

Ken and I have finished the kitchen. The cabinets are done, walls are painted, trim painted and put back up.

15 Weeks. 3 Months and 13 Days.

What a good baby we have! Even though its 6:00 and I have been up since 4:30 with Miss Lauren. Considering this is the first time she hasn't slept through till 7ish we are doing OK. I let her sleep too late in her swing yesterday afternoon, till 7 opps! So she was up a bit early this morning. Ken was up at 4:30 too to drive to Providence. I am enjoying a cup of coffee and watching the news in bed with Lauren.

Ken turned 35 on the 13th. His mom and step-dad drove out from Ohio to surprise him. We had a great visit, they were here for a week. As always we were spoiled with all the help from Mary. So nice to have someone else put the boys to bed and help with all the house chores. Mary is so great at doing things around the house. She plowed through the stuffed laundry chute. It always amazes me how much laundry we go through. Both bathrooms (different floors) has a door for the laundry chute so I can't see how much dirty stuff there is till going to the basement and checking the chute, and boy oh boy does it add up. The boys can almost never wear something two days in a row, unless it is raining and somehow they never got outside to get dirty. Lauren doesn't so much get dirty as everything has a sour milk smell. Ken is right up there with the boys. Fortunately his pants and shirts go to the dry cleaners. I tried ironing his dress shirts and it didn't last long. 1. I am not very good at it and 2. I hate ironing. Grandpa Joe was a big help too! We have recently painted our kitchen cabinets. It was a fairly big undertaking with all the doors and drawers coming off and out. Everything was sanded, primed and painted. Joe made some jigs for putting the new hardware on, I would hate to think how that job would have gone without the jigs. Ken and Joe got in a round of golf at the Country Club of Vermont. We had a very nice birthday dinner for Ken at our house, Mor Mor and Pop-pop joined us. I have finally found an easy and delicious Bearnaise recipes thanks to the Ina Garten. Other recipes aren't necessarily hard but they can be time consuming with the double boiler etc.

Lauren has a bit of a cold. We brought her to the Pediatrician when I thought it had moved into her lungs, it hadn't. She sounded so raspy that I thought for sure it was in her lungs. We weighed her when she was there, 13 lbs 10.5 ounces, 75th percentile. She is still such an easy baby, smiles a lot and is very easy going. For the most part she gives us 10/11 hour stretches at night now. She goes down around 8 and sleeps till around 6. When she first wakes up in the morning she nurses then goes back to sleep for awhile. She then sleeps for another hour or so in the morning after waking up to nurse again. She then takes a good 3+ hour nap in the afternoon, generally in her swing. I need to start getting her out of the swing and in her crib for nap time, oh well I have time to work on that one. She is also a certified thumb sucker. I try to get the pacifier in there whenever I can instead of the thumb, but she still finds the thumb. I appreciate the thumb when I hear her stiring in the morning, she finds it and then goes back to sleep. But I just really hope she can stop on her own when she is still a baby. Not looking forward to a potential habit for a few years, not to mention the ortho problems it can contribute too. Calvin used a paciifer and sucked two fingers, but stopped them both on his own around 9 months. Drew used a pacifier but was never as dedicated as Calvin was. Drew also stopped using them around the same time, we jsut took them away and that was that.

I mentioned the Kitchen Cabinets, they are all painted and hardware is on and they look great, definitely brightens the kitchen up. Now to paint the walls, paint the trim, put the trim back on and then paint the window/door frames. Ken has been working hard!

It has been getting cold here, frost warnings are getting common. I don't think we have had any frost here yet but it is getting close. I need to harvest the Basil tonight and make Pesto! Made some Banana Bread yesterday, good think to do with Bananas that are far gone.

We had some friends and kids for dinner last weekend. 8 adults and 9 kids, thank goodness for a good size house and well behaved kids. I made the first batch of Cincinnati Chili this season, it was a hit. On a side note I also made the first back of Mulligatawny when Mary and Joe were here, hands down one of my favorite soups ever.

I have started going to Bikram Yoga few times a week. I really enjoy it and would love to go 3 times a week, a little tough to make it there that many times but I am trying. Classes are at 9, noon and 5:30. Ken is hardly never home in time to make the 5:30, 9:00 and noon are tough with the kids. The days that the boys are busy I work till noon. Saturday at 9:00 is a definite then I try and pick up a class or two here nad there when I can.

13 Weeks and 2 Days

A quick update. Lauren is doing amazing. I weighed her at home today and she was 14.2 lbs. She doesn't have a well check up for another month. She is officially sleeping through the night, yeah! I usually nurse her and put her to bed after the boys have had their stories, been tucked in and sung too. She usually ends up in her crib between 8:30 and 9:00. She can be put in awake and goes to sleep herself. She then usually sleeps till right around 7:00. The latest was 8 and the earliest is 6:00/6:15. I can't believe how lucky we are to have such a good sleeper for #3, you can do anything with enough sleep. Even prior to this she was only waking up once a night and sleeping 6/7 hour stretches, which many people consider sleeping through the night. Her eyes seem to be changing color. I can't quite describe what they are doing but they look different. They are still blue but the color in the blue seems different.

Calvin is almost done with his first full week of Kindergaretn. Drew, Lauren and I met him at the bus stop this afternnon. When I take him to school in the morning I pull up and he gets out and walks to the school by himself, the big boy way (as he says). Little strange watching him walk away. I get out and help him with his knapsack, I still get to give him a kiss and he waves at the door. On his first day he turned around and blew me a kiss.

Drew is still doing great at pre-school. He has been virtually accident free for a couple of weeks, with the exception of a nasty accident yesterday at school. I think I need to keep the raisins away from him. He loves them and will eat a ton of them, but they make him not so solid, which makes knowing to go to the bathroom harder for him. He still wears a pull up or diaper for naps and at night time. He doesn't wear one for nap at school. He is starting to have more and more dry diapers. We are trying to feed the boys dinner earlier in the evening so he has time to get the fluids through.

We are in the process of painting our kitchen cabinets, what a chore. Hopefully it will be worth at the end.

Lauren 9 weeks and 5 days

Lauren and I had a wonderful, quick trip to the Island to visit with Lois, Kate and Helen (the Colorado family). We had hot sunny days. On the way there Lauren slept from our home till we crossed the border. On the way back she slept the whole way. This morning she slept till 7:00, straight through, granted she didn't go to bed till 11:00, but still very good. We went to a party last night. The night before she slept straight trough till 6:00, that was with an 8:30 bedtime! I am lovin' my little sleeper. Still has blue eyes, I don't think they are changing. Losing more hair and smiles a lot now. She also is getting interested in dangling toys. She has a couple with faces that she smiles at. She is reaching for and holding onto things.

2 Months Tomorrow

Lauren will be two months old tomorrow. She is such a wonderful baby and has made the transition to three kids a breeze, we are so lucky to have her. A healthy baby is all anyone can truly wish for, but to have a little girl added to our family has been a blessing. Ken and I feel very lucky and blessed, 2 boys and a girl! Lauren's eyes are still blue. She is giving lots and lots of social smiles and will return a smile most of the time. She is still a good nurser and a great sleeper. We have been putting her down around 8, shortly after the boys. She will then usually sleep till around 4. I nurse her and then she is back down for 2 to 4 hours. She is sleeping in her crib in her room now. We moved her in there as soon as we got back from the Island. She slept in her Moses Basket in our room at the Island. Although it is a bit harder on me to have to go upstairs for the feeding then just putting her in bed with us, I certainly can't complain. Unfortunately it has been taking me awhile to fall back asleep after her nursing so I am getting a bit tired. Not to mention we have been staying up later then normal, 11ish. I need to work on getting to bed earlier and turning my brain off after the early morning feeding, so I don't toss and turn.

Lauren had her two month appt on the 4th at 8 weeks. She weighed 11 lbs 8 ozs putting her in the 75th percentile, she was 23 inches long also the 75th percentile and her head was 15 3/4 inches which is the 85th percentile.

• At 8 weeks Drew was 13 lbs. He was 23 1/2 inches long at six weeks, 4 days.
• At 2 months Calvin was 11 lbs 15 0zs and 22 3/4 inches long.

Calvin is getting ready for his first day of Kindergarten. He will go one short day the last week of this month and then start the regular schedule (which is half day) after Labor Day. Drew is still doing great at HMCC and his pre-school session will start after Labor Day.

Lauren is coming to work with me and so far so good, no problems.

We all had a great time at the Island. Mor Mor and Pop-pop came up a day after us and stayed for a week. The kids did great, lots of mornings with everyone sleeping till 8. It took Calvin a while to get comfortable in the water, it was also very cold. Lauren did well and was easy as always. We got her the tiniest life jacket. Lauren and I are going back to the Island Wednesday to visit with my Aunt Lois and my cousins Kate and Helen, I will be sure to get a picture of Lauren and her life jacket.

6 weeks and two days

Lauren laughed today when we were looking at each other at work. She smiles quite a bit now, looking forward to more laughing, it is the sweetest sound. Getting ready to leave for the Island.

5 Weeks

Lauren is 5 weeks today. I weighed her on our home scale last night and she weighed 10 lbs 3 ozs. That would put her at 1 pound weight gain in the last two weeks. Not as much as the first couple of weeks but still doing great. Her eyes don't appear to have changed at all, still a very slate blue, maybe a bit brighter but still very blue. She has blonde hair coming in under her brown hair. She smiled on July 3rd after coming home from a BBQ at the Cooleys. Since then she has smiled once or a twice a day up til Sunday. Sunday she started smiling more then the once or twice a day but not all the time yet. I have heard her laugh twice and it was the sweetest thing ever and in her sleep, looking forward to hearing it again and having Ken hear her laugh. Her newborn sized clothes aren't long enough for her anymore and she is in the 0-3 month clothes and some 3 month shirts. Last night she slept from 9:00 till 2:37, nursed for 15 minutes and was back out till I woke her up at 7:45. I need to nurse before I leave the house to take the boys to school and to go to work.

3 Weeks and 2 Days...

I can't quite seem to make the actually "week"versary on here. Lauren had a doctors appt on Wednesday, 16 days since her last appt. Dr. Brad said that 1/2 oz to 1 oz weight gain per day is what they hope for, so that would have had her at 1/2 lb to 1 lb gain. She went from 7 lbs 9 oz to 9 lbs 5 oz a gain of 1 lb 12 oz's. Lauren is in the 75th percentile for weight. She is gaining like a champ and there are no issues with her sleeping so much. She is still sleeping well, going to bed around 9/10 and sleeping till 4 ish, she nurses goes back down and sleeps generally till I wake her up, its 8:45 now and she is still asleep.



Lauren did spend two nights in her room and that was OK. Her sleep stretches weren't as long. She is back in our room now, my incision opened up a bit and we wanted to eliminate any extra stair climbing. I am ready to move her back upstairs but I want to replicate her downstairs sleeping arrangement in hopes of her long stretches of sleep not going away. In our room she is sleeping in a Moses Basket on a stand with a big down pillow in the basket. I think she really likes the softness of the pillow and how it fluffs all around her. She sinks in to the pillow so there is no chance of rolling etc.. In her room she has a Bassinet, its the Bassinet her brothers used and it was mine when I was a baby. I am hoping I can replicate the pillow in the Bassinet and that will help her sleep as long as possible.



Drew had a great second week at HMCC. He had a little potty regression when I was in the hospital and at his first week at HMCC, but he seems to be over it now. He still wears a diaper at nap time and at night time. I don't think he will be dry through the night for some time. We did get rid of his toddle bed, now they are both on twin beds. Their room looks very grown up. The boys also seem SO big compared to Lauren. When I took them in at night they seem huge. I guess they are big but after staring at something so little all day they seem even bigger.



Calvin is getting ready for Pop-pop to come pick him up to hike to the Trapp's Cabin, last week they hiked to Taylor Lodge.



I did work two days this week. Lauren came with me and everything went well. Tuesday was a little hectic getting out of the house, but we were all on time.

Happy Days

• Drew is at his first day of pre-school today. He was a very excited boy this morning and the past couple of weeks. He is in a different class then Calvin but they will see each other for outside time. I drove them both to school today. First time driving since Lauren was born, all went well and I was glad to see Drew off for his first day. Drew has been home with me since he was born. This is his first structured and regular care away from family.
• Calvin got a new haircut on Friday. Pop-pop took Calvin and I to the Barber Shop, it is very short. He wanted to shave it like Ken, but I am not ready for that. Nor am I ready for a "buzz cut" but it is very short. I will get a pic up soon. He looks so grown up.
• Ken got up early on Father's Day and met Pop-pop at the Trout Club for some early fishing. He then came home for cards and gifts and we all went to Maxi's for breakfast. Then to Mor Mor and Pop-pops for drinks and dinner.
• Lauren is doing great! Saturday was her first rough night. All though I guess it wasn't really rough, but compared to bed at 10:00, feeding around 5:00 and sleeping till 8:00-9:00 (or whenever I wake her up to nurse) it was rough. She woke up at 2:30 to nurse and then didn't fall back asleep till 5ish. She never cried just made enough little baby noises in her Moses Basket that it kept Ken and I up. Today she is having her first nap in her room in the Bassinet. Even though she is so very quite in our room I am looking forward to having her upstairs in the Nursery. She has been napping since 11:45. So other then Saturday night she has been sleeping like a champ, knock on wood.

9 Days Old

bed @ 10:15----nursed @ 4:30----back to sleep till 9:00----wahoo!
Eyes, still dark/slate blue no changes, Drew's eyes started showing some brown at 10 days. Calvin's eyes are still blue although lighter then at birth.

8 Days Old

I missed the one week mark. Lauren had her first check up on Monday, she gained 5 oz's since she left the hospital on Friday. Quite often they are still losing for several days after they leave hospital, Dr. Brad was impressed that she had already gained so much back.

So far Lauren is a dream baby, I don't want to jinx myself but...We are starting to get a little bit of a day/night pattern where she is more alert and awake for longer periods during the day. We usually go to bed around 10:00 with that being her last nursing before bed time. Last night she slept through till 5:45 and the night before to 6:45. Sunday night wasn't as ideal but I think I have remedied the situation, she wasn't comfortable.

Both boys went right to a Bassinet in their own bedrooms when they came home and they were both great sleepers so Ken and I were hesitant to mess with success. But since the master is on the first floor and the other bedrooms are on the second floor and I can't walk up and down stairs we didn't have much choice but to put her in our room. Mor Mor got us a great Moses Basket for my Baby Shower. Denise has a Moses Basket Rocker which we have borrowed, together these are in our bedroom and is what Lauren sleeps in, on a down pillow. Its a huge pillow King size and fills the basket completely and she sinks in to it and it cradles her nicely, she is also swaddled and tucked in with a blanket. No chance of rolling etc. Ken and I are very aware of sleeping patterns changing but we are keeping are fingers crossed that this doesn't change. In a week or so when I can go up and down stairs she will move to the bassinet in her room.

During the day she eats, sleeps and looks around. The only crying we seem to get is if she is getting her diaper changed and is hungry at the same time or is just hungry and I am taking to long to get her to the source. She hasn't used the swing yet since we haven't had to soothe her. She likes the pacifier and will use it, but I took it away since she doesn't ever need to be soothed at this stage.

Hospital

Last night Lauren weighed 7 lbs 4 ozs, she appears to be done losing and is gaining! We had another good nights sleep. Lauren was in the Nursery from 11:30 to 6:30, she did come in once to nurse. She fell asleep right after nursing and went back to the Nursery.

We may go home later today or wait till Saturday. I can stay till Saturday and it is relaxing here. My milk is coming in and Lauren is still nursing like a champ. Lexie is my nurse today.

Notes from the Hospital

It is Wednesday morning 6:30 and Lauren is still asleep, I sent her to the Nursery at 10:30pm and she came back at 11:30, uh-uh I thought we were in for a long night. But she nursed again and I sent her back at 12:45 and she has been there ever since! I know this isn't necessarily a sign of things to come but I will take it! Tuesday I sent her to the nursery at 11:00 and by 5:30 I missed her and had them bring her to me, she was still sleeping. The rest of the time she is always with me and is a very pleasant little girl. She did seem to figure out that crying led to nursing, we were having some more cries towards the end of the day yesterday. So the past two nights we have had a six+ hour stretch of sleep! Nursing is going great she latched right on in recovery and hasn't slowed down since. My milk hasn't come in yet but there is plenty of Colostrum.

She was 7lbs 15 oz at birth, Tuesday night 7 lbs 5 oz and last night 7 lbs 3 oz. All very normal and good. Lauren was 21 inches long. Drew was also 21 in long and Calvin was 20 1/4 inches.

Drew and Calvin were both very excited to meet Lauren and wanted to hold her and kiss her. Pictures will come soon, but probably not till Saturday. There are some downloading restrictions with the hospitals wi-fi. I am sure they will be great big brothers, I do foresee some problems "sharing" her at first. They boys have been sleeping at Mor Mor and Pop-pop's since Monday night. Ken brings Drew in, in the AM then mom as been picking up Calvin from school and bringing him in in the afternoon, when Ken is home with Drew for his afternoon nap. Then Ken comes back for early evening, dinner and time with his girls. Ken is off for the week. Grandma Mary flies in Saturday to lend a hand, we are all looking forward to seeing her and having her here to help.

Cousin Lexie was working at the hopsital tuesday and was the first family member to meet Lauren. I *think* their relationship is first cousins once removed. Aunt Denise and Jilian came to visit yesterday, Pop-pop has been here and Elisabeth's college friend Kate has also visited.

Update to Updates.....

Calvin had a great T-Ball game yesterday. Ken tells me is head was much more in the game. He also was batting both lefty and righty.

Went out with Erika and Denise Friday night. Lots of fun to be out with pregnant girlfriends. Went to Erika's shower yesterday. A good time seem to be had by all, safe travels back to WY Erika.

Updates...

Not much new to report. I am 38 weeks along. I had an appt this past Wednesday. Everything is as it should be, no internal changes for me. Ken was in NY for a couple of nights this past week, Mor Mor spent the nights with us. I don't like Ken being gone. We are so lucky that Ken has the job he has and that we can live in Vermont. Normally overnights aren't a big deal, but my hormones have been giving me a run for my money this late in the pregnancy. We are all happy Lauren didn't arrive when Ken was in Buffalo. Ken has one more overnight trip prior to the 9th. This overnight is in Mass, he can be home very quickly if need be. I am ready for her to come and am ready to not be pregnant. It has been a very easy pregnancy but it is starting to be a little more painful. My lower back and hips are really starting to hurt at night. I can't believe I have gained less then 1/2 the weight I did with the boys, yahoo!

We got the gardens in this past weekend. Only to have frost warnings the next night, we covered everything and all is well. Happy to have the garden done without an early baby arrival.

Calvin has been playing T-Ball, his heart certainly isn't in it. He likes to look under all the bases for worms. Calvin is fascinated with bugs and other yucky stuff, we may have a future Entomologist on our hands. Maybe we started him a year too early from a concentration point or its just the age or he just don't like it. He likes to bat and likes playing catch at home but can't keep his mind in the game. I attended our first Kindergarten meeting last week. I can't believe he is starting Kinergarten in the fall. Nice to be in a great community where we know so many other kids and parents in the same situation.

Drew starts going to school with Calvin in June! He is really looking forward to it and is ready. He and Calvin will be going three days a week through the summer. In the fall Drew will start pre-school at the same school. Drew is practically potty trained. He still wears a diaper at night and during nap time. Most often his diaper is dry after nap time but rarely after night time. He is such a big boy for his age, I don't think he is capable of holding it all night.

Updates

Maybe I should stop this since I can't seem to post regularly. We are all doing well.

Drew turned three on the 6th! It was a busy weekend for us, as my birthday (35!) was on the 3rd and my shower was on the 4th. We did the usual and had family, The Rundles, The Thompsons and Aunt Kitty over for cake and some fun. It was a nice day and the kids spent a lot of time outside. Drew had his well child check up and is still a big boy! 41.6 lbs putting him in the greater then 97th percentile, he is 39 1/4 inches tall putting him in the 97th percentile. Ever since his 3 year check up I have been putting the potty training into overdrive. We really hadn't done much up till then. He is *basically* potty trained if he is home and nudie or wearing very loose clothes. He uses the toilet for #1 and #2 without being prompted. When he is dressed we are asking him all the time and really haven't put him to the test with remembering on his own. He is pant less a lot around the house:) It's very nice not changing a 40+ pound persons dirty diaper. Drew has started spending the mornings that I work with Pop-pop. It was getting harder on me to keep him at work and he wasn't enjoying himself. Thanks to Dad for watching him. Drew will start going to HMCC with Calvin on June 22nd. I am very happy and lucky that both Calvin and Drew will be spending three days a week there this summer at HMCC.

Calvin is loving the warm weather! He has taken an extreme interest in worms, salamanders and tad poles. The garage has numerous containers from the recycling bins filled with dirt and worms. He has also helped a bit in the garden. I can't believe he is starting Kindergarten in the fall! Soon we will be registering him for Kindergarten. His bike riding skills have improved quite a bit from last year, he likes to go up and down the driveway with his big boy bike, which does still have training wheels. This weekend is the kick-off for Calvin's Tee-Ball league, this is his first year and he is looking forward to it. He has become much more daring since last year, he used to be fairly cautious and it's nice to see him more willing to try new and 'scarier' things.


I have been feeling well with the exception of some aches and pains, mainly in the lower back and hips at night. All in all I can't complain. I am also about 25 pounds less then what I was with both boys at this point in the pregnancy. I am loving that and am looking forward to being without a baby belly. This baby is VERY active she is rolling and squirming around a lot! Definitely more then either boy did. Its nice that it is so pronounced in this pregnancy so I can remember it as this is the last pregnancy. I had a wonderful shower at Kitty's house, hosted by her, Denise and Annette. It was great to see all the girls after a long cold winter.

It has been very nice and warm lately and we (Ken:)) have gotten a fair amount of outside work done. The garden has been tilled and is waiting to be hoed and to be planted. Frost warnings go till the last week of May so we have time. Although I could get some hardier plants in now. We don't have much planned in the next month. I am hoping to get a few folks over for dinner before the baby comes. The Nursery is basically ready and there isn't too much more I need. Actually there isn't anything left that I need but a couple of wants. Ken and I have one more wall decoration to make. Ken has some training in AZ next month, Mor-Mor will spend the night here, just in case. I am not thrilled with Ken going to the southwest with the Swine Flu, maybe its the hormones and I am overreacting but the Swine Flu has me a bit nervous in general.

It's fun being pregnant with a couple of my closest girlfriends:)

Back Home

We all got home last night safe and sound from a nice trip to Punta Gorda to see Ken's parents. Ken got in a couple of games golf. It was cool the first few days but I still got in a lot reading time by the pool. As the weather improved the outdoor activities increased. Calvin did great at the pool. By our last day he was jumping in the pool without any rings, floaties etc. and swimming to the ladder, Ken or I or the side all by himself. His doggie paddle has room to improve but we are so excited that he was having fun and realized that he can swim and be safe in the water without a flotation device. It makes me that much more excited for the summer at the Island and swimming in the pond and anywhere else. Drew wasn't as excited for the pool as Calvin was. Drew did some jumping on his own but was much more happy playing with his boats and kicking on the stairs. It was so nice to go outside and be warm without multiple layers and hats and mittens. I am feeling well and really enjoyed getting outside this past week. I am starting to feel the weight of the baby and am getting some aches and pains.

It's a Girl!

We had our 19 week ultrasound on Monday and are very happy to announce that it is a little lady. Calvin and Mor Mor joined Ken and I for the US. Calvin also had a check up on Monday, he had is 5 year old well check up. Calvin turned 5 on Sunday! I can't believe what a big boy I have and to top it off he has two loose teeth. Calvin is right in the 50th percentile for both height and weight, he is staying true to his growth curve. Calvin had a great birthday and went bowling with the family and two of his friends, then we came home for cake and ice cream. Drew is doing well, nothing new to report with him. I am feeling well, but still having bouts of sleeplessness in the wee hours which is not much fun. We are gearing up to head to FL to see Grandma and Grandpa in two weeks, yikes I better start getting ready. If I can get it together I want to ship a box down there with suits and a change of clothes for all. I' ve attached some pictures from the last Ultrasound.

• This is the "toilet shot" which shows the three white lines that indicate the gender.

• Right Foot

• My first ever 3D Ultrasound which shows the baby's face, she is holding up her hand and pointing one finger up-something Calvin does a lot when talking and trying to get a point across (they get it from Ken)
  

• This is a whole body shot, the baby is on her back with her legs over her head and her knees pointing to her chest.