tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38543783732848242792024-02-07T11:08:56.163-08:00MonkeyMelBecause who doesn't love monkeys?Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15386588597247453303noreply@blogger.comBlogger130125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3854378373284824279.post-47579779301525951882015-06-15T07:59:00.001-07:002015-06-15T07:59:15.905-07:00Theo Turns 5 Months OldOh, the third child. Forgotten, but not unloved. I guess my only excuse is that I'm so busy trying to soak up every moment with my children that I don't write them down. Look at him. I couldn't even be bothered to change him into a white onesie. You poor baby.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://monkeymelissa.blogspot.com/2010/11/5-6-31.html">Eliot at 5 months</a><br />
<a href="http://monkeymelissa.blogspot.com/2013/07/malcolm-is-5-months-old.html">Malcolm at 5 months</a></td></tr>
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So who is Theo now that he's 5 months old? He's lovely. He's happy and smiley and loving. He loves his family, particularly his brothers. He has 2 teeth - 2! That's the earliest of any of my boys. He has rolls that don't stop. He's ticklish and squealy. He likes it when I pretend to eat his toes. He rolls both ways. We call him Baby Theo, or if you're Malcolm Baby Tee-o. I just love having a baby around. <br />
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Eliot adores him. Malcolm is nice to him, but will not let Theo borrow his blankets. Nobody gets to borrow Malcolm's blankets though. Having Eliot around is awesome for Theo. When I'm making dinner Eliot can entertain him! These children are starting to take care of themselves....almost. <br />
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Theo is a little Malcolm look-alike. I literally can't tell their baby pictures apart. So nice we made him twice. Here are some pictures...it's the best I can do!<br />
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We love you Baby Tee-o. <br />
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Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15386588597247453303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3854378373284824279.post-16215891739507355472015-02-03T13:42:00.003-08:002015-02-03T13:42:41.562-08:00Happy 2nd Birthday MalcolmWho would've guessed that 2 years after your birth you would no longer be the baby? Certainly not me. But surprise, surprise here we are, and you are a big brother yourself less than 2 years after arriving in this family. I'm sure that being the middle of three children will have its challenges. But you. Oh Malcolm. I know a 2 year old personality is totally not indicative of your entire life but you are such a sweetie.<br />
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You are just...special. You've got a gentleness and openness that I envy. You're willing to walk away when you know you can't win, and you love to just do your own thing, whatever thing that is, that makes you happy. You're expressive - you have the most expressive eyebrows I have ever seen. You have a great little jumpy run that I will be so sad to see leave. This year you went from baby to toddler/little boy. Your language alone just exploded - you started the year with a couple words and ended it being able to say almost anything. We had some excitement - you are allergic to bees and had your first ambulance ride...lights and sirens and everything. I guess now we know but summers have a whole new feeling now that we know how you react to bees. You can also assert yourself pretty strongly. You throw longer fits than Eliot ever did, but most of the time you're more easygoing so who knows why that makes sense. You're also an easygoing eater - which thank goodness. It's nice to have someone to share food with. Although sometimes you'll only eat off of our plates which can be frustrating. <br />
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You're smart - you were picking up colors and letters before you were even 2. I love your snuggles, however brief they are for your busy-ness. I love how fearless you are and willing to climb and strive and try for anything. And I love you. I love everything about you - we all do. I love having you as my son. I love having you in this family. I can't imagine life without you and I'm so glad you're ours. <br />
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We love you Malcolm - I hope some of your 2-year old self stays with you forever. You're a beautiful person and I can't wait to see who you become. <br />
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Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15386588597247453303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3854378373284824279.post-10910219979424489742015-01-30T14:15:00.000-08:002015-01-30T14:15:22.866-08:00Welcome to the World Theodore ThomasTheodore Thomas arrived January 13th at 2:43 AM. He weighed 8 lbs, 9 oz and was 20.5" long. His labor was fast, once it got started. We arrived at the hospital at 12:30 AM and had Theo in a couple hours....so as I said, fast labor. I think we were lucky to get there on time! Unfortunately (this word doesn't even cover how I feel) I deleted all the pictures from his first day of life. Me meeting Theo, Theo getting weighed, etc. Irreplaceable. I cried angry sad tears but they're gone - and Theo is still here. So I'm moving forward.<br />
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I've forgotten about the awesome newborn grunts and noises. Theo sounds like a mix between a dolphin and a pony. I also love his faces - love that he raises his eyebrows when he's trying to lift his head. Like he can lift his head by the power of his forehead alone. He was also born with a freakishly strong neck - which actually makes feeding him more challenging because he thinks he can do it himself. <br />
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This feels like a slightly awkward reintroduction to blogging. I haven't mentioned my pregnancy, or even talked about Eliot's 4th birthday this past June! But I want to talk about Theo and his arrival to our family. Theo definitely completes this family of 5. In other words I never want to be pregnant again, and we feel happy with 3 kids. <br />
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Eliot is amazing with Theo. Always hugging him and talking to him. He's always calling Theo a cutie and talking about what a sweet baby he is. It's pretty amazing. Malcolm is helpful too - bringing Theo blankets and diapers and saying he needs milk when he's crying. Every morning he asks where baby Theo is - already knows he's part of the family. <br />
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We are so in love with this new little guy, and he's already so lucky to have 2 big brothers to dote on him and teach him things. It's definitely crazier around here - three kids is more than two, that's for sure. One hilarious thing I've noticed - any time I take all three boys out of the house there are people who bestow blessings on me. Apparently leaving the house with three children needs blessing! It's happened at least 5 separate times. When I think of it, it probably does need blessing. <br />
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It's great to be so much more comfortable as a mom with the newborn stage. I take the sleepless nights with a little more grace, although honestly they're harder now than they were with Eliot because I have 2 bigger, yet still so little children who don't understand their mom needs a nap. I'm also just more confident with the baby and feel like it's easier to leave the house. I don't worry about Theo screaming or needing to nurse or having a diaper blowout...because honestly who cares? He's an infant - these are things that happen with infants. It took me a few kids to get here but I am happy to be this comfortable. I wouldn't mind having one more hand for parking lots and car loading, but we're making it work. <br />
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Welcome to our family and the world baby Theo. I've learned is that love only multiplies. We are bursting with love, even if we aren't bursting with time or money. We are so excited to get to know you!<br />
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Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15386588597247453303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3854378373284824279.post-4771074093335888242014-07-17T07:54:00.001-07:002015-01-30T11:00:50.176-08:00Well...Better Late than NeverSo happy (belated) birthday Eliot. Did you know life has been crazy lately? Life has been crazy. Crazy in such a good way. I think this last year was the switch from you being physically difficult to parent to being more mentally difficult to parent. You are so much more physically independent, you can get dressed by yourself, go to the bathroom yourself, heck you could even put on your shoes by yourself if they didn't suck so much. You ask so many questions, why do we use our seatbelts? Where does dad work? What does mom do? Why do we have noses? And my personal favorite: Why can't we take our feet off?<br>
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You're awesome, you're still funny as ever, and you're so loving. You are so social, heading right up to kids and calling them friend and trying to get them to play with you. And you're so disappointed when they're too shy to do it. Hurt, actually. It's hard to see you put yourself out there and get shot down, but you don't stop. Which makes me so proud of you. <br>
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No video this year, I think 3 years is all I can handle. Can I just say you're awesome? And I don't remember how I thought my life was complete without you? It's true. You are my light little guy, and I love you more than you'll ever know. <br>
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Happy 4th birthday Eliot. Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15386588597247453303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3854378373284824279.post-3460416457464295582014-04-29T05:22:00.001-07:002014-04-29T05:22:14.464-07:00In His Own TimeWhen Eliot was a baby our pediatrician was very pushy about getting him to sleep on his own. I always looked at her like she had two heads because the methods she talked about to get him to do this just wouldn't have worked with Eliot. They just....wouldn't. Eliot being my first I didn't know if I was doing it wrong or if she was just wrong. I never did push him, and I'm glad, because I see Malcolm and I know that she was talking about babies like Malcolm, who can sleep on their own with just a little push. With Eliot it would've been war, and truthfully he sleeps just fine now. I've learned to trust my gut. <br />
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Eliot still uses a "nana" (aka pacifier). I see other parents taking their children's nana's away, giving them to the nana fairy, forcing the issue. We slowly dialed back on where the nana could be used over the last few years. We got rid of it in the car (oh, the week of screaming that caused), daycare got rid of it for naps, grandma "lost" hers. I stopped buying more. We were down to one last nana. One nana that had begun to break apart and crack where he had bitten down on it. I was a little worried he would swallow pieces, and he couldn't suck on it any more because of the crack. He continued to use it and ask for it. Last night he was showing me the crack and telling me it was broken:<br />
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Eliot: See Mama? It's got a big crack, it's broken.<br />
Me: Yup. It looks like it might be time to throw that nana away.<br />
Eliot: Why?<br />
Me: Well, it's broken and they don't make nanas for kids your age. You're getting pretty big for nanas and when you're ready you can throw your nana away. <br />
Eliot: Oh. <br />
Me: It's okay, you can do it when you're ready. <br />
Eliot: I'm ready. <br />
<br />And then he gets up to go to the garbage. I kept calling after him saying he didn't have to be ready and then I realized I was crying. I didn't let him throw it in the garbage. We put it up on the dresser in our bedroom just in case. He didn't ask for it. He fell asleep with no problems and slept in this morning. <br />
<br />I don't know if I'm ready. Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15386588597247453303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3854378373284824279.post-4945494886907506562014-01-31T19:11:00.000-08:002014-02-03T07:15:26.454-08:00Happy First Birthday Malcolm!Dear Malcolm - <br />
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What did we do without you!? You are a ray of sunshine, a bit of laughter. You're funny, you're fun, and you fit so well into our family. It's been a year since you were born, a year since I met your tiny, beautiful, bruised face. A year since another little person has been out in this world carrying my heart with them everywhere they go. Looking back on the pictures and videos I took from the year, I found many from your first few months where I would record 5+ minutes of me just talking and staring at you. Those lazy maternity leave moments between just the two of us of you cooing and me trying to get you to smile. Oh how I miss my tiny newborn Malcolm, but I love the you that is right now. It's all my favorite. You are brave and brazen and ready to do whatever your brother does. You love to run away from me and look back with a big grin on your face to make sure I'm following. You do things you think or know you shouldn't and then look at me with a satisfied smirk, waiting for my reaction. I love watching you figure these things out. You like to cuddle with blankets, you like to jump on the bed (with my help), you like to scale things you shouldn't, and open cupboards and drawers and just explore! You love it when I carry you facing out and we chase Eliot through the house and collapse somewhere all together. I wish I could get that smile on camera, your wispy hair blowing up in the breeze, laughter and pure joy on your face. These are moments I wish I could bottle up forever. You can say "hi," "uh-oh," "dada," and of course, "vroom." You may have said "mama" but you weren't looking at me. Mama's can wait. Your laugh is contagious. I cannot believe how much love I have for you.You're in a needy stage right now. A stage I remember with Eliot at about the same age. A stage where I cannot even put you down to make dinner without you putting your head on the floor and crying in frustration. I hate doing it to you, but dinner must be made. You've started to throw little tantrums sometimes, head on the floor and laid full out, or throwing your head back and screaming. Tantrums are so cute at this age, they won't be in about a year so I'm enjoying it while I can. Not that I delight in your frustration, but I delight in the fact that you have an opinion and that you are developing normally. You are my second son, but you are your own person in every way. I don't know why I expected another Eliot. You are Malcolm, you are your own you, you do things like you and only you can. I love getting to know you more every day. Happy first birthday my little peanut. I look forward to many more. <br />
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<span id="goog_1885276547"></span><span id="goog_1885276548">Music by Devotchka, The Winner Is</span></div>
Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15386588597247453303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3854378373284824279.post-47984702968332422952013-12-31T19:11:00.000-08:002014-01-01T13:34:32.049-08:0011 months with Christmas thrown in for good measure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://monkeymelissa.blogspot.com/2011/05/11-months.html">Eliot for comparison</a></div>
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Couldn't get these boys to stand still for anything. </div>
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I will cherish this picture forever. This is what Eliot looked like all night. </div>
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Christmas pajamas!</div>
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Nice family...</div>
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That's better. </div>
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Malcolm is walking! He took his first steps this month, then a few days later decided to walk from thing to thing and gets the biggest, proudest smile on his face when he is walking. He is so...unstable! It's so different to have a 3 year old running around to accidentally knock into him this time. They have so much fun together though. Malcolm loves following Eliot around and sometimes Eliot even looks at Malcolm as a playmate, and not just a destroyer of whatever toy he's set up. Although I do call him "baby godzilla" because he does like to destroy whatever he touches. It's not cute if you're 3 and enjoy things like Legos and train tracks and things that are easily destroyed. Sharing is still an issue, and Eliot still gets angry when Malcolm is around sometimes. Eliot told me that he likes when Malcolm is sleeping, because then he can just play. But the day before he was asking if Malcolm could put on his boots and come play out in the snow too. <br />
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Malcolm is a good sleeper, loves to eat on his own, and is very busy. He's always exploring something. His latest favorite is the bathroom, where he likes to throw open the cupboards and play with things like a humidifier and tampons. I'm pretty sure he's said Dada and meant it. Pretty sure. But he says Dada a lot, so who knows. For sure his first word was "Vroom." Just like Eliot's. These boys and their cars. He finally got some teeth - 2 are in and 2 more on the way. It's fast and furious around here. </div>
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Eliot had his first Christmas program at preschool and surprised us all by being the absolute star of the stage. He was funny, he was right in front, and I think he loved the attention. We had multiple parents come up to us and say how funny he was. At one point the kids were singing about sharing, complete with a hand motion showing how to share. Eliot screams out (have I mentioned how loud he is?) "No, mine!" Every time they said "Share." He had the crowd roaring. I asked his teacher if she set that up...nope! He ad-libbed that. I think that was one of my favorite days ever, it reminds me of how surprising parenting can be. It humbles me to think of the talents and needs that my kids have/will have that I feel so unprepared to help them with! Two of the biggest introverts in the world may just have made an extrovert...god help us. </div>
Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15386588597247453303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3854378373284824279.post-21725316275770967122013-11-30T19:11:00.000-08:002014-01-01T13:19:16.829-08:0010 months...counting down to a first birthday here already<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://monkeymelissa.blogspot.com/2011/04/10-months.html">Eliot for comparison</a></div>
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Malcolm is fully mobile. Malcolm is trouble the way his brother never was. He's curious, he's the reason baby gates and cabinet locks and all those safety implements we never really needed for Eliot were invented. He likes to laugh. If you start laughing at him he'll laugh right back. He's smart - he knows when to get out of the way of the big kids. He gets himself stuck in places. He tries to eat tiny pieces of who knows what on the floor. He insists on eating dinner with us. If someone is eating, he better be eating too. He makes a vrooming noise when he's pushing cars on the floor. He's funny, he's got a great laugh. I am enjoying the heck out of this little guy. <br />
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Although I have to say lately Eliot has gotten pretty darn brave.</div>
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This month I had to wean Malcolm. I'm having some health problems, but this post isn't about me. I nursed Eliot for 19 months. I am an emotional mess about having to wean Malcolm. I miss it. He has adjusted just fine. But babies are traitors. Since Chris has been providing most of his care, Chris is the one he runs to. It's awesome, those two, how much fun they're having. I miss our relationship but it is special to see Chris and Malcolm have such a special relationship. I hope to be better soon and keep up with these kids a bit more. <br />
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They're together and fuzzy and just putting up with us for a minute.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGvcPZa4m51vT5lOqPabJBdNbHaBcDv-y9xRwJ4mSVMFGRynFt7xMZEpvw6zvp_CC2teOqcPPgmPYHyP0ak41Ya1yClCTqG03YY9aKCUg4k-PJMIwmuQ6Yg-h09ualuODK1B1AM5Zzy6QP/s1600/IMG_2147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGvcPZa4m51vT5lOqPabJBdNbHaBcDv-y9xRwJ4mSVMFGRynFt7xMZEpvw6zvp_CC2teOqcPPgmPYHyP0ak41Ya1yClCTqG03YY9aKCUg4k-PJMIwmuQ6Yg-h09ualuODK1B1AM5Zzy6QP/s320/IMG_2147.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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I forget about these moments sometimes. Good thing I have a camera.</div>
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Eliot is doing awesome. He loves preschool, tolerates daycare, and loves his grandma and his cousin Trenton. He can be rough with Malcolm sometimes. He takes toys, pushes, and screams at him. I'm not sure why he's so angry sometimes. We rarely yell in our house, but he's so angry lately. Ah well. I hope for a special relationship between Eliot and Malcolm. Maybe it's too early for them to get along much, but it's mostly screaming when someone's taken a toy.<br />
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Eliot is so excited for Christmas. He really gets it this year. He helped us set up the tree, he's got an advent calendar he talks about all the time and he's really looking forward to presents! He's been having some trouble sleeping alone lately so I've been spending lots of nights in his bed. He's funny - and I think he's a bit of the class clown at school. His teacher is always talking about how funny he is. The other moms say their kids talk about Eliot all the time...Eliot almost never talks about school. Sometimes we hear about one friend, but he's very quiet about school to my dismay. <br />
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Everything is moving so fast, I'm having trouble keeping up with this blog! I write these posts and never find time to publish them because I haven't added pictures. I need to make more time!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15386588597247453303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3854378373284824279.post-77724286715897151892013-11-07T12:37:00.000-08:002013-11-07T12:58:21.004-08:00Eliot<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">He sleeps with his yellow construction hat. And a stuffed
toy he calls baby jaguar and he still uses a pacifier. He’s almost 3.5 and he’s
not potty trained. He’s headstrong and testing limits and can be mean and rude
and dear god sometimes I forget that he is still such a baby. Sometimes I’m so
hard on him. Sometimes I give him the silent treatment because I don’t want to
yell at him. Because I’m angry. Because I want him to know I’m angry. He
screams for a while. Repetitive, wants something, doesn’t matter what, just
wants to win, just wants me to hear. Then he starts repeating “Be nice to me
mama.” I still don’t talk. I can’t. I’m just so angry about the way he acted
and angry that I have to be consistent with my punishment because dammit I wanted
to go to Target and get a cookie too but he didn’t listen and I took it away
and now we can’t go. How old am I? He sleeps with a construction hat and a
stuffed toy he calls baby jaguar. He still uses a pacifier. He still wants me
to lay with him when he goes to sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He asks me to turn on his turtle light when I leave so it’s not so dark.
He’s just a baby. Why do I want to yell at him like an adult? Actually I want
to yell at him like I would never yell at an adult. Sometimes I want to be
ugly. Sometimes I am ugly. When am I being too hard on him and when do I need
to enforce even more? What do I let go? How am I going to let him go? “I like
holding hands with you mama. I need a hug.” He’s still my baby. I’m trying so
hard to be a good mom. He’s still a baby, but comes incognito as a teenager when I least expect it.
But because he still needs to hold onto baby jaguar. Because he still needs to
hold onto my hand. I will take more deep breaths tonight and not be ugly. I
will hug and hold hands and be patient. I will be creative and find ways to
make doing what we need to do fun and possible. I will love the stuffing out of that little
boy for the rest of my life and I will not miss even an ugly moment of 3.5
because I won’t get it back. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15386588597247453303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3854378373284824279.post-42028122713388861852013-10-31T19:11:00.000-07:002014-01-01T13:07:02.912-08:009 Months Old!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://monkeymelissa.blogspot.com/2011/03/9-months.html">Eliot for comparison</a></div>
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Oh, are we ever mobile</div>
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Friends?</div>
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Oh mom, that's funny.</div>
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And they are outta here. Gotta be fast in this house.</div>
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I think the theme of this month was movement and mouthing. Because holy crap suddenly Malcolm is everywhere. Which involves gates and latches and barriers and eyes in the back of my head. Because cords are so interesting and anything that fits into his mouth is so tasty, and the dog bowl is so much fun to play in mom! He seriously squeals with glee any time he sees it on the floor and literally beelines it for the dog bowl. Malcolm also developed quite the personality this month. When you tell him no and start to chase him he laughs so happily and starts crawling in the other direction, all the while looking back to make sure you're trying to catch him. Oh this game is fun now, but once the kid can run we're in big trouble. He's liking solid foods more now and can handle some actual solid foods. Otherwise he's our happy, relaxed Malcolm. He's so mobile it's scary compared to Eliot, but he still has not cut one single tooth. Malcolm is close to standing on his own, and loves to push toys that he can walk with. 9 months. Goodness the time goes fast. <br />
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Eliot is smart, and funny, and preschool is just about the greatest thing ever in his world. He loves his teacher Mrs. Potter and loves going to school. He is getting better at his colors and can usually spell his name. His drawing is becoming much more representational of actual things (like a head, some legs and eyes). It's so cool to see him learn new things. Trick or treating blew his mind though. He was spider man (and did something weird with him mouth the entire time he was in the costume - see picture). We had to let him down easy and tell him that Halloween was only once a year...but that Thanksgiving and Christmas were coming up soon so that's should tide him over. Then it's a long, dark winter until this little boy's 4th birthday. Emphasis on the long. <br />
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Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15386588597247453303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3854378373284824279.post-8825837825775991162013-10-18T05:48:00.000-07:002014-01-01T13:03:10.554-08:008 Months and First Day of Preschool<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://monkeymelissa.blogspot.com/2011/02/eight-is-great.html">Eliot for comparison</a></div>
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Eliot for comparison now...goofball</div>
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What a happy baby! <br />
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So Malcolm is a mover and a shaker and a busy, busy guy now. His hands are always busy doing something, and if you put him on the floor in a room full of toys he will amuse himself for hours. Literally. He can crawl, get from a sitting position to a crawl, and get from the floor into a seated position. He's everywhere. He loves the dogs water bowl, so now Daly is horribly dehydrated half the time. He loves Daly and Eliot too. He also has a little temper. If there's something he wants and he's not getting it he makes this little angry noise. It's pretty cute actually. His chattering has switched from mamas to dadas. Of course. He's almost never crying, so content, as long as his hands are busy. He's a huge fan of baths too. You know what he's not crazy about? Food. Huh. He's definitely not his brother!<br />
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I think I've been talking about Eliot starting preschool for almost 6 months now. And he finally did it, he's finally in school. It's been a little traumatic for me. It's a lot, this new schedule, for him too. He seems to be enjoying it though, it wears him out a ton and makes him really hungry. He's also not one to chatter on about what happens - so I just get snippets of what may have happened. They talked about germs. He rode on a tractor. They made handprints. His teacher's dog is silly and eats balls. The first day of orientation I was holding his hand through the parking lot. When we got to the sidewalk he said, "You don't need to hold my hand any more, mama." Oh buddy, I know. Damn this growing up thing is breaking my heart. And he's still a baby! You forget about the letting go part. I get so wrapped up in the day to day baby-rearing that I forget they'll grow up and leave and I won't see them much and I'll need to fill all this time with my own wants and needs. I look forward to it and I'm so sad at the same time. <br />
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We pulled back on potty training Eliot. We had him in underwear for about a month and he was doing pretty good I guess. Or we thought. But he had never once told us he had to go to the bathroom. We had to beg and cajole him in there every hour and he would go, and keep his pants dry until the next time we begged and cajoled. If we were late in getting him there he would just pee his pants. If he had to poop he would just poop his pants. And finally he was sitting there with his head in his hands and feeling so sad he hadn't kept himself dry and I just called it off. We're going to wait a month and try again. So back to diapers and he could care less. I wish he cared a little more but Eliot is not one to like change. He's my son after all...<br />
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Eliot is a little sensitive to noise - he loved riding on the tractor once we found some ear protectors!</div>
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Showing off his super hero cape.</div>
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Standing next to a real live Frank!</div>
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Letting go...</div>
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Little overwhelmed.</div>
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<br />Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15386588597247453303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3854378373284824279.post-29287868450496325972013-08-31T19:11:00.000-07:002013-09-03T18:31:07.021-07:00Malcolm is 7 months and other things that blow my mindMy baby!! Is on the cusp of becoming not a baby! I call a timeout. Just let me languish here for a moment with a baby and a preschooler.<br />
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<a href="http://monkeymelissa.blogspot.com/2011_01_01_archive.html">Eliot for comparison</a></div>
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Wow! Eliot had a lot more hair at 7 months but Malcolm started out with more hair. This is interesting to nobody but me.</div>
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HA.</div>
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So is there some switch that flips at 6 months and these previously lumpy babies develop little personalities? I'm loving it. Malcolm has the happiest personality. He's so...well...happy! Lots of smiles and giggling and talking from this guy. He is so very very awesome. Malcolm is sitting on his own for small periods of time now. There's no sign of teeth yet, but lots of chewing and a definite preference for 2 specific fingers to suck on. He hates purees, loves whole foods (bananas, apples, watermelon, anything he can suck on and pretend he's also a 3 year old boy), but is still a pretty gaggy little guy when he eats. He's an easy baby, really only cries if he's hungry or tired, and has begun spending the first part of the night in his own crib. He's there from anywhere from 3-6 hours. I'm easily impressed considering Eliot was my first child and the most difficult sleeper ever. So way to go Malcolm! I think the thing I want to remember most about Malcolm at this age is his awesome smile. It's so pure, so completely all-encompassing, and so freaking cute. <br />
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Eliot, while still totally adorable and in possesion of my heart, can be somewhat sassy lately. He's trying out his future teenage attitude and he's quite adept at it. He's starting preschool on the 9th and I'm just...just...so very nervous and excited and I really really hope he likes it. Of course it's a milestone. Every year after this we will have a beginning of the school year, every year until he graduates high school and hopefully college after that. Twenty more years of school kid, it's a long crazy ride. Eliot is very well-spoken, hilarious, is a talented dancer, and loves all things that move. He's also pretty well potty trained! We're still dealing with accidents here and there, and daycare has him in a pullup (which makes him lazy and not remember to go to the bathroom) but he is doing AWESOME!! I'm so proud of him. I forget to tell him often enough sometimes. I worry I'm not being a good enough parent a lot, he can be difficult and I can lose my patience. He loves his little brother though, can't wait until they can play together someday soon. <br />
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This 3 year old is the master of the cheesy grin:<br />
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But sometimes you can catch him truly happy, like at the fair on a ride....</div>
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In larger family news, my mom had a cancer scare. It's not, not cancer, totally benign, which is totally awesome. But damn. Just the thought. The thought of my family's mortality....I can't even tell you. My mom is the glue that holds us together. I talk to my mom almost every day. I cannot imagine a family gathering, a family function, a life event, a regular day without my mom. I still need my mom. More than I can say, more than I had previously thought about. And we came together during this scare like I've never seen. We covered almost every minute with my mom. It felt like a big family wall, a wall against this thing, this cancer that we all felt was so surreal and so fucking real and scary at the same time. We stood together and said "not her." Not now. But it remains surreal, it remains a scare, a story, a blip. Thank god. But it's a reminder of what is sacred, of how none of us is promised another second. We went back to "normal" pretty quickly once we found out the news, but I still remember. For now I'll take it as a lesson. I love these fragile people around me and will try and appreciate them more, to soak them in as much as I can while I can. <br />
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Love this lady like crazy:</div>
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<br />Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15386588597247453303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3854378373284824279.post-73296904276170790682013-07-31T19:00:00.000-07:002013-08-18T14:50:53.578-07:00A half a yearSo I've been thinking about doing a more comprehensive update because I seem to be able to force myself to post once a month, but I never get to Eliot because they're all about Malcolm now. Which, maybe Malcolm doesn't want to share? <br />
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Aw, never mind. <br />
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<a href="http://monkeymelissa.blogspot.com/2010_12_01_archive.html">Eliot at 6 months for comparison</a><br />
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So yes! Malcolm is 6 months. What a cutie he is too. He is trying to crawl and pretty close to sitting up on his own. Loving that he's healthy and developing and all that but I am not looking forward to baby proofing my house. Yikes. Little Malcolm has also decided that he is not 6 months old, but he is 3 years old and will play with the same toys that 3 year olds play with. If Eliot is playing with trains, no other toy will do but a train. If Eliot is playing with cars, a car must be slobbered on (I am praying they have high standards for Hot Wheels paint ingredients). If we are reading books at night he must be playing with a book. Preferably chewing on the book I'm trying to read to Eliot. Malcolm is one of the most happy, smiling, giggling babies ever. He is so easy to get giggling. It's so interesting to see the differences between him and Eliot. I miss cuddling with Malcolm all the time. I try and soak it all up when I am cuddling with him, I definitely got more cuddling time from Eliot. Malcolm has had his first food! True to Malcolm fashion he insists on feeding himself, at the tender age of 5.75 months. Seriously. He has loved everything we've given him, and has already figured out how to drink out of a sippy cup with a straw. Whippersnapper!<br />
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Eliot is so social now! He continues to be a little hesitant physically but he's making friends and is willing to stick himself out there socially, and is definitely a bit braver when bigger kids are around. Watching Eliot make friends with kids at the park...is hard for me. There's always this moment where I seem to hold my breath, waiting for them to ignore him or hurt him somehow. Who says parenthood is always about them? Definitely brings up some of my own issues. They don't, they haven't, and I have to let him do most of the social navigation. It's good for him. I always encourage him to say hi to everyone, to wave and yell hello to other kids and people. He's not me, for better or worse. He's starting to enjoy baseball and can hit the ball pretty well. I'm debating signing him up to play on a team next year. We'll see what this school year (ACK!) brings. <br />
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Funny self discovery story -<br />
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Eliot: I have a nose in my mouth!<br />
Me: Huh? <br />
Eliot (with mouth wide open): There's a nose in my mouth (pointing at his uvula - little hangy thing in the back of his throat). <br />
Me: Ah, I see. <br />
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Eliot has started asking "Why" for everything. Mostly not even to get a response but to stall and keep us talking. Eliot is...3 in all it's glory, he's difficult and wonderful and needy. He's smart and active and frustrated at the things he can't do. He is funny - truly funny - and sweet and cuddly sometimes too. He can throw spectacular tantrums. He still needs his mom and sometimes I forget that when he's fighting with me like a teenager and really he just needs a hug. But we always make up.<br />
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Me: Eliot, I love you so much!<br />
Eliot: Mmmmhmmm Mama, I love you too much too. <br />
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These boys. These boys are carrying my heart around daily. Be careful with them world. <br />
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Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15386588597247453303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3854378373284824279.post-35046023901788568982013-07-31T03:39:00.001-07:002013-07-31T03:39:33.080-07:00The case of the 4 missing keysThis is the reason I shouldn't be allowed to be in charge of anything. <div><br></div><div>A a little background. We bought a new car, a Toyota highlander to be exact, to replace our small SUV. It's an awesome car and very high tech. One of the bonuses is that the door unlocks and the car starts as long as the key is nearby. This made me a little nervous because I'm great at losing keys. </div><div><br></div><div>Last Tuesday I went on a work trip. I was responsible for checking out the car. When we went to leave the girl who actually retrieved the car said the one I checked out didn't have a key and she had to take a different one. Odd, I thought. </div><div><br></div><div>Thursday I went to pump at a downtown building. You need keys for the room. I spent about 15 minutes digging in my purse and they were nowhere to be found. I decided to go pump and work at home. </div><div><br></div><div>Sunday comes around and I dig into my purse and ask Chris why he put his car keys in my purse. Upon closer inspection, they are the missing keys from work. No!!!!</div><div><br></div><div>Monday morning I am attempting to leave for work with the small car and cannot find my key anywhere I have to take Chris' key. </div><div><br></div><div>I run into work and return the company key. I send a long email apologizing. </div><div><br></div><div>A couple hours later I reach into my purse and see the pumping room keys just sitting in the compartment they are always in. Then I effortlessly pull out both small car keys. I excitedly text Chris that all is right with the world. </div><div><br></div><div>He disagrees. I left the keys for the new car in the diaper bag he was then carrying. Sigh. </div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15386588597247453303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3854378373284824279.post-92166920880766340502013-07-08T05:33:00.005-07:002013-07-08T05:33:46.168-07:00Malcolm is 5 months old!Or was, I guess. It finally happened. I became too busy to update these on time. Two kids is kicking my butt logistically. <br />
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I did take his 5 month pictures on time. Just haven't had a chance to write here.<br />
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Enough about me though!<br />
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<a href="http://monkeymelissa.blogspot.com/2010/11/5-6-31.html">Eliot at 5 months</a></div>
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Malcolm, you have become our happy little guy. You love to bounce, smile, and giggle. You are barely ever fussy and you love to watch your brother and cousin play. We bore you a bit because you're much more content when your brother is flying around with his antics. Eliot is so good with you too, and you love any attention from him. You look for him all the time, it is so cool to see your relationship grow. You still love baths, outside, getting your diaper changed (seriously!), and now you've started sucking on the pointer and index finger on your right hand fairly consistently.<br />
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I know we started Eliot on solid foods about this time, and you are totally acting ready, but I'm just not. See above about logistics. Solid food just adds this whole other component to getting ready that I'm not about to handle yet. You get to wait a couple more weeks, until I've wrapped my head around the fact that you're going to be a half a year old. I love you so much, Malcolm. I'm not sure what we did without you. You fit so perfectly into our family and we're having so much fun seeing your personality come out!<br />
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At the beach and a famous smile</div>
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Party time</div>
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Big Buddha cheeks</div>
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Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15386588597247453303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3854378373284824279.post-48421031168382061962013-06-18T00:11:00.000-07:002013-06-18T00:11:00.606-07:00Happy 3rd Birthday Eliot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Oh three.</div>
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<a href="http://monkeymelissa.blogspot.com/2012/06/two.html">Two</a>, <a href="http://monkeymelissa.blogspot.com/2011/06/one.html">One</a>, <a href="http://monkeymelissa.blogspot.com/2010/07/one-month.html">Newborn</a></div>
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Your 2's brought us some new parenting challenges. Standoffs and discipline and limit testing galore. But also a personality and sense of humor as well as the ability to communicate and ask questions. This has been an awesome year. It's hard for me to even remember what you were like at the beginning of this year, and I know it has been an amazing jump! You are so very able now. <br />
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This year you've become interested in other kids, you have friends in the neighborhood now (basically, everyone is your friend because that's what any other kid is to you). You love trains, the Disney Cars movie, and anything related to the character Mater from it. You became a big brother this year...and you're a great one. At first you were a little unsure of how to act around Malcolm, but now you love to cuddle him and talk to him and even give him hugs. You're so gentle and pretty careful. He's already nuts about you and loves to watch you. <br />
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You're looking more like a little boy now than a baby. With longer limbs that only have a hint of that beautiful toddler chubbiness at the bends. You're often to busy to sit with me for long, but sometimes you still ask me to cuddle with you. You say "yeth" for yes, "jumpoline" for trampoline, "juice" for water, and you have a friend Tatiana at daycare you you call "Tati-nana". At some point you said "belly buppon" for belly button, but that ended pretty quickly to my dismay. <br />
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You are still not potty trained. You are socially and verbally gifted, but still pretty hesitant when it comes to anything physical. You are adorably handsome and complete strangers still come up to me to tell me so. Toot toot.<br />
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You'll begin preschool this upcoming fall and that fast march towards adulthood. I can't even believe it. You're going to stop being mine soon, stop wanting me to play with you or hold your hand while you fall asleep. Sometimes you already push me away when I try to hug you or give you kisses. You get so busy, so intense in your playing sometime. You'll sit playing trains for an hour without noticing anyone around you sometimes. Then you'll stop and ask me to "Play with Percy Mama!"<br />
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I know you'll stop asking me for cuddles and reminding me that I forgot to kiss and hug you goodbye someday. I try not to take these things for granted, and try not to say no, but sometimes the laundry needs doing or Malcolm needs feeding or I just need 5 minutes to myself. I kick myself every time I skip one of your cuddles because I already know they're so fleeting. So I'm sorry, sorry for every time I said I didn't have time to cuddle right now or didn't come play trains with you. I'm sorry every time I lost my temper. You are constantly asking if people are happy. "Mama, are you happy? Be happy Mama" Oh buddy, I'm never fully angry, just frustrated and tired sometimes but joyful with life underneath it all. Joyful with you little boy. So happy with our little family. <br />
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I keep trying my best and you keep blowing me away by what you can acheive. 3 years. So fast....<br />
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Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15386588597247453303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3854378373284824279.post-52277892474525246512013-05-31T19:21:00.000-07:002013-06-02T11:41:29.259-07:00Malcolm at 4 MonthsUm, wow. So are these titles descriptively boring or what. The engineer in me loves their accuracy.<br />
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Apparently we can only smile with a finger in our mouth. <br />
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<a href="http://monkeymelissa.blogspot.com/2010/10/4-months.html">Eliot at 4 months for comparison</a></div>
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I forgot how freaking adorable a 4 month old is. You're old enough to be interested in the world around you but still so little. You've really come into your own look - and you are absolutely beautiful. You giggle now...oh how I love making you giggle. You still have your serious face but sometimes you are in a mood to giggle and I am more than happy to oblige. You are interested in us eating, watching everything we put in our mouth. You'll be eating food yourself soon I suppose....it all goes so fast. <br />
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You are a stubborn little guy. You have spent the last 2 weeks while I'm at work fasting. With dry diapers when I come home. It makes me so sad you won't take a bottle. Please take a bottle little guy, you'll be so much happier. <br />
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You adore your big brother. You like to watch him play and kick your arms and legs like crazy when he's running around. You want to get down and play so bad, and soon you will. Soon enough my little peanut. <br />
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Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15386588597247453303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3854378373284824279.post-63973233441224437812013-04-30T19:10:00.000-07:002013-05-01T04:34:28.084-07:00Malcolm at 3 Months<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://monkeymelissa.blogspot.com/2010_09_01_archive.html">Eliot at 3 months for comparison.</a></div>
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Is this ever flying by!</div>
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Haha. Ahem. </div>
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At three months you are such an easy baby. You have proven to be even more laid back than your brother. Although you already look like you just want to take off! You're always kicking and trying to scoot yourself. You can roll from your back to your side, and you love standing up if I'll hold you that way. You're always trying to sit up. If you're in your car seat you strain to sit, it's pretty cute to watch. No longer will you let me hold you facing me, you face out now, or I will never hear the end of it! You love watching your brother and absolutely love your activity mat. I have to admit to having forgotten you there because you're just so quiet and happy and I get busy taking care of Eliot. We had our first nice days this month and spent a lot of them outside. <br />
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The first few times you weren't so sure of the whole outside thing with the wind that makes you gulp and the sun that makes you squint, but you do like to watch everything that's going on, especially if it's Eliot running around with his friends. You are super into your mama right now. Nobody but mama can hold you after 4 pm without you letting them know about your unhappiness. We also can't set you down after 4, you still have a bit of a fussy evening time. <br />
I go back to work this next month, a little later than with Eliot because of daycare issues (so at 3.5 months instead of 3). I hate this transition because I know you won't understand where I went and if I'm coming back. You aren't crazy about bottles either. But you have your brother, and he loves you so much. He always wants to say hi to you, and hold you, and he already said he'd take care of you and watch out for you. I love it when he hears you crying and starts singing or says "It's ok, Malcolm." Because it is my little peanut, it will be ok. <br />
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He often gives us this lip to make us feel guilty</div>
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Serious face</div>
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Trying to get two boys to nap is a challenge</div>
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The second child has a different life - chilling while your brother plays</div>
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Working on tummy time</div>
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Cheeks!</div>
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Got it!</div>
Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15386588597247453303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3854378373284824279.post-20554349779754607062013-03-31T19:10:00.000-07:002013-04-06T07:13:56.341-07:00Malcolm at 2 months<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Malcolm! 2 months! I can't believe it. </div>
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<a href="http://monkeymelissa.blogspot.com/2010/08/2-months.html">Eliot at 2 months for comparison.</a></div>
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You have gotten so cute little man. You started smiling and cooing this month (ah! Cooing! I love cooing!). Eliot is much more comfortable around you and will come show you his toys and kind of quickly talk to you. He can't hold still very long and you keep trying to smile at him and talk to him but he's too fast still. You already have big brother interest. You can't stop watching him.<br />
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I am so excited for you to start moving around...but at the same time, SLOW DOWN KID. Your mama is enjoying this baby stage. Months go way too fast. You are a pretty laid back little dude, thank goodness. You'll sit in your bouncy seat or lay on your activity mat for 15 minutes sometimes and you're happy and smiling the whole time. It's great because sometimes I need time to make Eliot dinner or change his diaper or just go to the bathroom myself! You love baths and adore having your diaper changed. I'm pretty sure it's because it's the only time I am 100% paying attention to you! You are all smiles every time we go to the changing table, no matter how crabby you were. I admit sometimes I change you just to see you smile.<br />
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We are busy around here, busy with good stuff, but so busy. It will be interesting when I go back to work, I feel like we're barely staying on top of life now! But it will work...there's not really an alternative. <br />
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I love you so much my little peanut. I love your smiles, love your coos and you are so freaking cute it kills me. Your cheeks just don't quit and are totally nommable. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6SdETchbxjsLE69Nben7VMWISL2q5bWVoJrJQfIdomZV924y6fjNPz2-D8VIv4njD5KzLjDVfU0zRp7LtM3mGJNp-A2ETKyMUeaJWfYehi6xTMzTTuwSsqi3eEzCDKO_oAtPDYpjrgbTl/s1600/IMG_2324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6SdETchbxjsLE69Nben7VMWISL2q5bWVoJrJQfIdomZV924y6fjNPz2-D8VIv4njD5KzLjDVfU0zRp7LtM3mGJNp-A2ETKyMUeaJWfYehi6xTMzTTuwSsqi3eEzCDKO_oAtPDYpjrgbTl/s320/IMG_2324.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Cousins!</div>
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Family Easter picture.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobry0Sv-JKTRkKKRYjniFwku4QEmxPrE2D4Ujr8tEW-80KEGbFwQu8tfOuTGdOTEFYVam9-_CB6bwvrfuYxiFVowtnDeg5NzntLEXYoA8Py6LKVkTr9vufuuo8pSXHmuhAaZqmWWjJsw3/s640/blogger-image-1576380234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobry0Sv-JKTRkKKRYjniFwku4QEmxPrE2D4Ujr8tEW-80KEGbFwQu8tfOuTGdOTEFYVam9-_CB6bwvrfuYxiFVowtnDeg5NzntLEXYoA8Py6LKVkTr9vufuuo8pSXHmuhAaZqmWWjJsw3/s320/blogger-image-1576380234.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Ridiculousness.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzLt0gdgS3gsmq_d9h5PG_rb9ifIv93pWeTuhCgLHXLhyphenhyphennonFdBtQY6gh4u_gq80k5j7kmL3_iY6po97Mf2mYOa8wV7ma9yyGe_qHqfaKbXyDPxU4gvaRa0_7W0fIz3wOIjK8F48pD86f/s640/blogger-image--49065098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzLt0gdgS3gsmq_d9h5PG_rb9ifIv93pWeTuhCgLHXLhyphenhyphennonFdBtQY6gh4u_gq80k5j7kmL3_iY6po97Mf2mYOa8wV7ma9yyGe_qHqfaKbXyDPxU4gvaRa0_7W0fIz3wOIjK8F48pD86f/s320/blogger-image--49065098.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Love this guy.</div>
Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15386588597247453303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3854378373284824279.post-58452340633992526472013-02-28T19:10:00.000-08:002013-03-01T06:01:22.960-08:00One month<div style="text-align: center;">
The Bear! He is back!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXCZEEl-THb3kmp-haa6Ouwkcj9jzwVuyBbpDj5veR21TAzpf6ZnOHl1nk2WQJGrCIADZ3i1rZl45Ku8TvwC9Amdq-OocT1aBbs-FAYENsgSR9vxQ8lMsZ-vvjosGhXRyWkkRsZFZsAC02/s1600/DSC_0167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXCZEEl-THb3kmp-haa6Ouwkcj9jzwVuyBbpDj5veR21TAzpf6ZnOHl1nk2WQJGrCIADZ3i1rZl45Ku8TvwC9Amdq-OocT1aBbs-FAYENsgSR9vxQ8lMsZ-vvjosGhXRyWkkRsZFZsAC02/s400/DSC_0167.JPG" width="265" /></a></div>
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Malcolm newborn. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYav2qoxhJqgT-QKnx4MjT-MqkCdV2VtFR3JM04PcRg__LaHP19IjzqQft1fb8n6_Kx2UG0-zX616OQqlarUYK4yskww4v5RYovwJnOy2bHuA5D1AX805l0wkoAtiCSOemTOP_ogvAcF8o/s1600/DSC_0184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYav2qoxhJqgT-QKnx4MjT-MqkCdV2VtFR3JM04PcRg__LaHP19IjzqQft1fb8n6_Kx2UG0-zX616OQqlarUYK4yskww4v5RYovwJnOy2bHuA5D1AX805l0wkoAtiCSOemTOP_ogvAcF8o/s400/DSC_0184.JPG" width="265" /></a></div>
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Chilling on the bear - Malcolm One month. </div>
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<a href="http://monkeymelissa.blogspot.com/2010/07/one-month.html">Eliot for comparison</a></div>
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Seems like I'm always putting platitudes out there like WHERE DID THE TIME GO? SUNRISE, SUNSET EVERYONE! But seriously....months are too freaking short. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGEoMwqGa3a_PsI0Mgl2rojI7adKMnzZADHEQIEp9ud9ODJrbSngf21WwMYH5hpcG_0fcise0nc_331ep6sp_vwFhUx67o0S5dMMdW4L-ljnHZW_gDLdWqJpbPpi5u9hXbmPN83vbsjTt/s640/blogger-image-1588466023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqr2pe1qIZvrAXhFO_m5Yo8uHeJMUNolT9tSvQGVj-kt9eliCO2aXlj1kiJiFn7jbCtef8d2_WYEu7Pbo1zmB07uu8FIneX_b_3z7CRzVdDXpXnjW7gWny7bep3pWaOfyKLwAkjSLxcEUw/s640/blogger-image-1543642575.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqr2pe1qIZvrAXhFO_m5Yo8uHeJMUNolT9tSvQGVj-kt9eliCO2aXlj1kiJiFn7jbCtef8d2_WYEu7Pbo1zmB07uu8FIneX_b_3z7CRzVdDXpXnjW7gWny7bep3pWaOfyKLwAkjSLxcEUw/s400/blogger-image-1543642575.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I'm not sure my heart can handle all the love around here. I am literally exploding. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rpz34kf16iT6TaWhAswnlyN0dVx3XAXgVLjTr5edIIEFGXZRwvd1nHzwdbrwve_cB8TF519PCp09G_W5mwnAAkyNkKhCSzCVE4TwmrA8pZu6OI6F7fyoqnAhXiQZLySnvPEXAFlmsNgw/s640/blogger-image-887707046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rpz34kf16iT6TaWhAswnlyN0dVx3XAXgVLjTr5edIIEFGXZRwvd1nHzwdbrwve_cB8TF519PCp09G_W5mwnAAkyNkKhCSzCVE4TwmrA8pZu6OI6F7fyoqnAhXiQZLySnvPEXAFlmsNgw/s400/blogger-image-887707046.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Or the adorable, chewable cheeks. Seriously people. CHEEKS!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf00wLDL0QlDw3opJde35dupAK8twC_xrQzpyXzyQEmohCoVou4zH8pk9LS95KbQ_Lm8USIoInfXws3imi3gUiy4rCiiaupPhPC0PLn3QY1AD7Y-xT0ZN4uPozNxrE66mjLndTP-o8haSz/s640/blogger-image--1944813939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf00wLDL0QlDw3opJde35dupAK8twC_xrQzpyXzyQEmohCoVou4zH8pk9LS95KbQ_Lm8USIoInfXws3imi3gUiy4rCiiaupPhPC0PLn3QY1AD7Y-xT0ZN4uPozNxrE66mjLndTP-o8haSz/s400/blogger-image--1944813939.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Malcolm met his great grandparents - 19th great grandchild! He's the 15th boy, only 4 girls in the entire 19!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvog000u4ZpnYQ7auXwVYBqxaeqlIg396FixpZ46gPya7ILD760Y2kGL0Vwhwub1xyRLZ2xMtM9sw1JcGtuJS7Y1NjWs13iOjTKTwdjC_rUSnwwWjaWWBa6LJkfw96Ix5GECqEOSnsNWaH/s640/blogger-image--806619380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvog000u4ZpnYQ7auXwVYBqxaeqlIg396FixpZ46gPya7ILD760Y2kGL0Vwhwub1xyRLZ2xMtM9sw1JcGtuJS7Y1NjWs13iOjTKTwdjC_rUSnwwWjaWWBa6LJkfw96Ix5GECqEOSnsNWaH/s400/blogger-image--806619380.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Eliot teaching Malcolm how to use the play gym. </div>
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Malcolm spends a lot of time giving people this look:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPTHRvBFkxL9tQiSefTrCS8QTq4ZnHooOSXxjriEoKl-koLLg7XQ7N8t8j23njeAvEROVqa-FNLKuJlEUbFUHZLQJd1cZVMQb4sFSDRhwIkGAFBFnwRpj0Pqg2nmuSAmputEuIhFcV0fPD/s640/blogger-image--861602409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPTHRvBFkxL9tQiSefTrCS8QTq4ZnHooOSXxjriEoKl-koLLg7XQ7N8t8j23njeAvEROVqa-FNLKuJlEUbFUHZLQJd1cZVMQb4sFSDRhwIkGAFBFnwRpj0Pqg2nmuSAmputEuIhFcV0fPD/s400/blogger-image--861602409.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAoWa_7fb-xUBWS0Sf8SZfFFjBghuOFcrxcT8hyrDuJHqDmKFMqvzKH6Nl3eLM5rpS2O_QOMsyiVc_ndgfWtUSv3X7raCtae-VHdNADxEJ65BZVb8DtUSb8iLUp8pGxi070aNirknGJ-tq/s640/blogger-image--358641068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAoWa_7fb-xUBWS0Sf8SZfFFjBghuOFcrxcT8hyrDuJHqDmKFMqvzKH6Nl3eLM5rpS2O_QOMsyiVc_ndgfWtUSv3X7raCtae-VHdNADxEJ65BZVb8DtUSb8iLUp8pGxi070aNirknGJ-tq/s400/blogger-image--358641068.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPePRYU02zJSZvvpawOJHRhs40kwpwzO-cHUheJhsC-TzNfsbUYHvIAfg2GW2B60gZtBpOJeubDosJ4pE-tuvjy-pC3cbgwr1UgfoB2Ns-Pf6DJ66_-1sGXiHZrD4J3QubeoDk9GmD8qYi/s640/blogger-image--2135111911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPePRYU02zJSZvvpawOJHRhs40kwpwzO-cHUheJhsC-TzNfsbUYHvIAfg2GW2B60gZtBpOJeubDosJ4pE-tuvjy-pC3cbgwr1UgfoB2Ns-Pf6DJ66_-1sGXiHZrD4J3QubeoDk9GmD8qYi/s400/blogger-image--2135111911.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Eliot is telling him, "Hey, Malcolm, you have two eyes and I'm you're big brother. Hey, hey, hey!" (Eliot is super into the fact we all have 2 eyes lately).</div>
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And he is beautiful. So very, very beautiful.</div>
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This month has been amazing little Malcolm. Your nickname is peanut head, peanut for short, or buddy. For the much smaller head you have than your brother. Even though according to the doctor your head is perfectly average sized - it just looks small to us. You were jaundiced for a few weeks, but nothing treatable, just watched. It was awful to bring you in to get your heel poked though. You screamed and screamed and my heart and hormones could barely take it. You love to eat, sleep, stare at picture frames, and your bouncy seat. You really don't care for the swing and hate your car seat. You and your dad get along great and you are interested in Eliot when he can sit still long enough for you to find him. It's rare, you'll get faster little Malcolm. I sometimes find myself feeling guilty for you being the second child. You get less one on one time, I don't read you a book every morning like I did for Eliot, I don't have quite as much time to stare into your eyes and just sit with you, although I take those moments when I can. Sometimes you cry a little longer than I would like because I have to split my time between the two of you and I can't leave Eliot mid-diaper change or something. But you have more in other ways. You have parents who are more comfortable parenting. We're more relaxed with you. You have a brother who, in the coming months and years, will be much more exciting and amusing to you than we can ever be. You have a cousin who isn't that far apart in age with you and I hope you three will all be great friends. So there's less and more. Mostly more of the things that count though. We love you little peanut head. Happy one month birthday. </div>
Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15386588597247453303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3854378373284824279.post-8576781571900231682013-02-25T05:59:00.000-08:002013-03-01T06:00:27.925-08:00This Time AroundI fear that Malcolm's life will be measured in differences from his big brother. I try not to sit and compare constantly, but that's how we learn, right? Recording and acknowledging the differences we see in anything. Here's how I feel about things so far:<br />
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The unexpected:<br />
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<li>Malcolm sleeps better than Eliot did. Thank god. Some of it is just that I can nurse him easier and I knew what to expect, but I think we all feel more well rested this time around. </li>
<li>Nursing is just plain easier and less often with Malcolm. </li>
<li>Malcolm is a <strike>calmer</strike> <strike>easier</strike> different baby. He's already napping in his crib (sleeping is another story) for up to 2 hours. Sometimes he even cries a little bit...and then FALLS BACK ASLEEP. This never happened with Eliot until he was over a year.</li>
<li>Malcolm actually cares when his diaper is dirty. Eliot never really did, not that we let our kids sit in dirty diapers but if you miss a poop or something and can't figure out why Malcolm is fussing sometimes it's his diaper. Eliot never cared. </li>
<li>It's easier to deal with Malcolm's lack of positive feedback when you have another kid giving you plenty of feedback. I can wait for smiles more patiently when Eliot is telling me I'm his best friend. Seriously, my heart melts. </li>
<li>How I fell head over heels for Malcolm just like Eliot. How fast that Mama Bear instinct kicks in. I have stood up for this little guy hardcore already. </li>
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Things I missed:<br />
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<li>The snuggles and the rocking and the closeness you can only get with a newborn. Oh, the rocking. How I missed rocking a baby. </li>
<li>That newborn smell....mmmm....</li>
<li>The little happy noises he makes while he's nursing. The little noises he makes period. They're so cute!</li>
<li>Watching a baby figure things out. Little things like using his hands. You can see everything tick behind his eyes. </li>
<li>The simplicity of his needs. Eat, sleep, change, snuggle. Easy peasy. </li>
<li>His portability and lack of mobility. So much easier to shop/go out to eat with this little guy than an almost 3 year old who wants to go run around the minute he's done eating or feels antsy. </li>
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New Things:<br />
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<li>Seeing Eliot and Malcolm together really is the coolest thing in the world. My heart melts every time they interact. I love these two more than anything. </li>
</ul>
Things I didn't miss:<br />
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<li>Holy crap I forgot how often these little people need their diapers changed. I'm about to google when that changes. Every 3 hours around the clock? The waste and the exhaustion of it all!</li>
<li>The whole sleeping thing. Nobody wants to be up that often. I am dealing much better this time and Malcolm is solidly in our bed at night. No way am I getting out of bed that often to feed this little dude. Because he's napping in his crib I'm hoping for an earlier and smoother transition to his own space, but I'm fine with how it's working now. </li>
<li>The grunting at night. Seriously dude, just poop already. </li>
<li>Outfit blowouts. Especially onto me in public. </li>
<li>Worrying about things like SIDS</li>
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So will we do it again? Are we a family of 4 forever? We've put that decision on hold for now. Having a newborn is both awesome and impossible all at the same time. Not sure we want to do that again. We'd need a new car and there would be room sharing for a while at least. There would be less vacations and just a little less to go around but sometimes I feel that pull. I was one of 3 and I love it. But can I handle 3 boys? because you know it would be a boy. Can I handle never being pregnant or having a snugly cuddly newborn again? Give me a year. Lets see how 2 goes. Although this picture makes me want 100 babies. That man! <br />
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Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15386588597247453303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3854378373284824279.post-89642370752956219842013-02-09T10:55:00.001-08:002013-02-09T10:55:15.980-08:00Malcolm's Birth StoryMalcolm Griffin. Born 1/31/13 at 7:10 pm. 8 lbs 7 oz 21.5" long. He's my beautiful boy. To reiterate from the last birth story.... If you don't want to hear it don't read it. This is for me. <br />
Wednesday night I lost my mucus plug. That was how it started with Eliot but I really tried not to get my hopes up because it truly means nothing sometimes. I had been having terrible insomnia for weeks and I was kind of dreading going to bed. I fell asleep around 9 and woke up at 1:30 with a slightly upset stomach. I went to sit on the couch and noticed that I was having contractions! Finally, I thought! This is it! Contractions were coming 7-10 minutes apart so I tried to rest for a while. Around 4 am I did some laundry and started packing the rest of our hospital bag. When Chris and Eliot got up contractions were about 5 minutes apart. I told Chris this was probably it so he thought he should run into work to clean some stuff up. I called him home around 8:30 withe contractions from 3-5 minutes apart. I called the hospital and they informed me they were full. And did I think I could make it another hour? I did. Things seemed to be moving just as slowly as last time. The only good thing was that I was 4 days before my due date and so ready to have this baby I could cry. So I waited an hour and called back. They were still full. Could I wait another hour? I agreed but expressed my concern that I was gbs positive and needed a certain amount of antibiotics during labor. I was cleared to come in at 11. We arrived and were recognized by the security guard from our trip in on Monday (a whole other story) and all I could think is they're going to send me home and I'm going to have to walk by this guy pregnant at least 2 more times. We went up to the maternity ward, all the while having contractions I couldn't walk or talk through. They finally checked me and I was only 1-2 cm dilated. So depressing. Seeing as I was having so many contractions though they gave me an hour to progress. I walked in circles for an hour praying and hoping that the baby would decide to come today. During this time I noticed I had to start moving through my contractions. I was also fairly ready to beg for an induction. I wanted Malcolm out! They checked me again and I was almost a 2. No progress. Going home. The nurse went to talk with the dr about options and they decided that I was probably in false labor and muscle relaxants would stop it. Fine I said. I'll take them. She had been watching me and seemed to think I was acting differently because she asked if I wanted to stay and see if they stopped. No I said. I'll just go home. Stay she said. Lets see where this goes and if we can get you to relax and progress. So 4 muscle relaxants and a shot of morphine for good measure later I was in la la land with a warning not to get up to use the bathroom by myself. Which I promptly ignored. It was around 1 pm. I was told that if this was false labor the meds would stop it and I probably had a 60-40 chance of staying. I should mention that there were tears of frustration somewhere in there and Chris thought it was a good idea to ask what was wrong. I promptly bit his head off. What was wrong indeed. <br />
So the morphine and muscle relaxants did nothing for my contractions. I was up in bed moving through contractions every 3 minutes and heavily resting between each one. Somehow Chris slept through most of this even though he was only 3 feet from me. I woke up about 5 pm and stalled about calling for the nurse because to me the contractions were just as intense and just as often and I was sure we were going home. I finally called the nurse around 5:30 and Chris called our parents to let them know we were probably coming home for the night. I remember telling Chris we couldn't get Eliot that night because he couldn't see me like that. But they checked me and I was at a 6! She had me guess first and I guessed 2.5. Ha! So Chris went to grab our bags and eat and I talked to the dr who told me I could have any pain meds I wanted. I was having no problem with the contractions at that point because they had taken me off the monitor and I could move around. I was having back labor so I tried a birthing ball while they filled up this enormous awesome tub. Then I realized I was alone. When the nurse came back in I asked if there was anyone who would stay with me. She said she would but then immediately ran out of the room so she asked if I wanted a doula. I did. It was 6 pm at this point and they said the doula would be there in 20 minutes. <br />
The bath was finally full! I got in and it was awesome. They started my iv for the penicillin and I concentrated on one contraction at a time. My nurse was awesome and sat with me and told me how well I was doing. I really needed that. Just to be told I was doing it well and doing it right was just what I needed. From here on in things are a little fuzzy. <br />
Chris returned at some point. He helped by putting cool washcloths on my back and neck during the contractions. The nurse had the awesome idea of putting them in a bucket of ice water first. I was so hot and it really helped. The doula arrived and things really got serious. She kept telling me what a great job I was doing and really gave me confidence. People were in and out of the bathroom a lot. They had a Doppler to check Malcolm's heart beat under water but I'm not sure she ever got it to work. I either moved too much or once the battery died. The noises I was making during contractions were louder and louder. The doula told me to keep them low when they started to get high pitched. Right around then it started to be pretty intense. I remember almost crying as I felt the next contractions coming because they were so crazy and long and just a lot to handle. The nurses wanted to check me then and I refused. Basically all I could think was that me getting out of the tub and them checking me would actually cause contractions to occur and there was no way I was going to make it harder than it already was. Plus. I was doing it. As long as I got a break between each contraction I had no problem keeping it up. Then I had a lot of pressure. The nurse said I could stay in the tub as long as I wasn't making pushing noises. Of course the next contraction that is exactly what I did. Pushing is the craziest thing. It's so very involuntary. That first push didn't hurt. Someone ran to grab the dr and the nurse asked me to get out before I had an unintentional water birth. Strangely I've never wanted a water birth and totally agreed with her. But I asked for one more contraction in the tub so I would be fresh to move to the bed. I had that next contraction and it HURT. I could feel Malcolm right there and I announced as much. I got out of the tub and remember seeing the toilet and thinking I probably should use that but knew that the time wasn't right. I think I may have complained about getting out and how it was going to hurt more out of it. Which even at the time seemed silly. It was going to hurt no matter where I was. I hated pushing. A contraction was coming on as I saw the bed so I immediately dropped to my knees and pushed and screamed while doing it. Ha! I screamed and roared in a room full of people. It was crazy. The screaming came from a place of both pain and power. Like an extra push to the push. I have no idea how many contractions I had like that. I think only 2-3. The dr was not excited about the spot I chose to push. The nurses asked me to get up in the bed and I believe I fairly firmly said no. There was no way I was moving with a baby in between my legs like that. Plus I was not going to lay on my back for anything. Sounded like the most painful awful idea in the world. They kind of looked at the dr and I believe the dr said something about how her back couldn't handle it. If I would've been in the frame of mind to retort I think I could've given her some words about pain. Chris told me later she also said it was unsanitary. Indeed. I was pretty sure I couldn't move though. I think I said something completely futile about someone making it stop. Even I realized that was a stupid thing to say, who could make that stop? Finally Chris told me I had to get up in the bed and I found out I could move. I got into the bed and I remember hearing the doula tell me to think about stretching. He came so fast though, not sure it did much good. The dr announced I probably had 2 more good pushes and he'd be out. The doula confirmed his head was halfway out. She also reassured me that it was almost over and I was doing it. I pushed maybe 1-3 more times and he was out. At the end I wasn't sure I could do it. I wasn't sure I'd make it. Not that your body gives you a choice but pushing was the only time I doubted my ability to get through it. I could've handled contractions forever but not pushing. Maybe because he came so fast. I actually can't even remember the pain of pushing anymore, I just know it was awful. My mind literally blocked it out like some sort of protection. I got you on this one mind, I know it hurt - and bad. You can't fool me into having more babies just from that trick. <br />
I had some fairly bad postpartum bleeding. They tried to make it stop just by massaging my uterus but it didn't work. I ended up with 3 different drugs and an IV full of fluids to make my blood pressure come back up and stop the bleeding. That was the second IV they had to stick in me since the first one fell out some time during the birthing process. <br />
After he came out I got to hold him and keep him with me for a couple hours, unlike Eliot who had to have oxygen right away. Poor little Malcolm was so swollen from coming out sunny side up that he could barely open his eyes though. He did get a 9 and 9 on his apgars...already a little overachiever. We snuggled, he nursed, and then he fell asleep for basically 24 hours. Again, very unlike Eliot who wanted to nurse around the clock for days. Malcolm is a very calm baby so far, he's had a little trouble with jaundice, mostly they think because he had a pretty big bruise on his arm where the dr must've grabbed him. We go back in for our (hopefully) last heel prick today. I'm loving this time with him and can't stop snuggling him. I often spend my time as a baby couch and I don't mind at all. Eliot is very nice to him, but is acting out in other ways. We're struggling to maintain patience with him while we're a little overwhelmed and tired ourselves. I hope we're being good parents. Sometimes I'm not even sure what the rules are any more and if we're being reasonable or not. Maybe that sounds crazy. <br />
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I'm glad I did it without the epidural. No, it wasn't a completely natural birth but I'm ok with that. What I wanted was not to have the epidural again. I hated it last time, and I did it and didn't have to deal with the numbness of the epidural and possible side effects. <br />
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So there it is - Malcolm's entrance into the world. Welcome baby Malcolm. I'm loving every minute with our new family member. You are so wanted, so loved, and so amazing. Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15386588597247453303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3854378373284824279.post-55303078046717527452013-02-06T09:22:00.001-08:002013-02-09T10:55:49.394-08:00Welcome MalcolmWelcome to the world little Malcolm Griffin. Born 1/31/13 at 7:10 pm. 8 lbs 7 oz 21.5 inches long. Who knew our hearts could grow this much. More soon. <br />
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Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15386588597247453303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3854378373284824279.post-86261807174172467692013-01-21T12:21:00.001-08:002013-01-21T12:21:01.019-08:00State of the EliotThe last days as an only child and Eliot has been an angel. All energy and politeness and song and just so happy. He's busy and out of focus much of the time. These last few weeks have been out of focus for all of us as we try to wrap our head around 2 children. Eliot communicates better every day. I have entire conversations with him and he often makes me laugh. It's great except when he wasn't trying to be funny and he tells me it's not funny mama. I love him to pieces. He's still so much a baby and yet so much a little boy now. It must be hard to inhabit both worlds. I try and remind myself of that when I'm frustrated and he's frustrated and not making sense. He's mostly sunshine lately though. We are so lucky. Even when he's not perfect he's just perfect. I love you Eliot. Here comes life with a sibling...hang on! <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4DRJS2q_CcQfMuB2xW0y3-B3eCIryHgSMSidAHevZmjQT8Vopoa9lmWN1OkU6To-l7Hmpx7doimeCB7VeVcoSKy6MZt9KRLBWH2VcXhq-Ir2TLekJqUpLgvFF3dIoi908dcVfPx0n6VvR/s640/blogger-image-2034038954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4DRJS2q_CcQfMuB2xW0y3-B3eCIryHgSMSidAHevZmjQT8Vopoa9lmWN1OkU6To-l7Hmpx7doimeCB7VeVcoSKy6MZt9KRLBWH2VcXhq-Ir2TLekJqUpLgvFF3dIoi908dcVfPx0n6VvR/s640/blogger-image-2034038954.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpyTtWkF33JxsENtfrJNlS8lW82FSuA7l4Ltz4kYsEpGicaPWo-elVLJw4QbfiUa7U3n4cBXoPceKnE7XK4AvKFLyOprvkFErgKB0PnRNeJnLOhHf8xmofI43pxXKIJ2Lp09nkPRxDmS2q/s640/blogger-image--959721282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpyTtWkF33JxsENtfrJNlS8lW82FSuA7l4Ltz4kYsEpGicaPWo-elVLJw4QbfiUa7U3n4cBXoPceKnE7XK4AvKFLyOprvkFErgKB0PnRNeJnLOhHf8xmofI43pxXKIJ2Lp09nkPRxDmS2q/s640/blogger-image--959721282.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQwvXdFMJOdTnt-EmzuWeTBCh1wSp6JLVI1HGZK8rYmpbZG4f0tKR_TA8sJE61nEuZojlEbT_gX00wqZvlE4_u6ZuswneDHvwTZpziHniypdCEvRyA-m-i02ri1ishNVJTkeSa1LhNIDc/s640/blogger-image-466953646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQwvXdFMJOdTnt-EmzuWeTBCh1wSp6JLVI1HGZK8rYmpbZG4f0tKR_TA8sJE61nEuZojlEbT_gX00wqZvlE4_u6ZuswneDHvwTZpziHniypdCEvRyA-m-i02ri1ishNVJTkeSa1LhNIDc/s640/blogger-image-466953646.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisC3b2ch2tzjpX4-dnbpYw_kgax7GP1XGp_j3GdKLyeU07aA1bYqDgfvElzJxELYq_3hYX4kHJEYLTXKAMhzFP8r-bJT83fUHgJTsyJqpsdQTmV3VFTwcC5uxPpCg9lWYlWsUAGKz4p8fA/s640/blogger-image--1439381520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisC3b2ch2tzjpX4-dnbpYw_kgax7GP1XGp_j3GdKLyeU07aA1bYqDgfvElzJxELYq_3hYX4kHJEYLTXKAMhzFP8r-bJT83fUHgJTsyJqpsdQTmV3VFTwcC5uxPpCg9lWYlWsUAGKz4p8fA/s640/blogger-image--1439381520.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE2X2XParAK9Ow1SktwxJDcLhlUyri9KuUMq6MCTvWchtkZc3ultY7L9-2zGF6oYB1fKh_wysRkjS7xaOiOEtPlNmmKLSaV_ILOjsdDiL27-9hZo-UCOt_ABCDjB56iivdmscwVV7nMD0s/s640/blogger-image--1043413947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE2X2XParAK9Ow1SktwxJDcLhlUyri9KuUMq6MCTvWchtkZc3ultY7L9-2zGF6oYB1fKh_wysRkjS7xaOiOEtPlNmmKLSaV_ILOjsdDiL27-9hZo-UCOt_ABCDjB56iivdmscwVV7nMD0s/s640/blogger-image--1043413947.jpg" /></a></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15386588597247453303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3854378373284824279.post-2667418391200280522012-12-13T06:47:00.000-08:002012-12-13T06:47:03.810-08:00Changing and GrowingI guess that's me lately. So much change. I keep getting bigger, this little baby keeps getting bigger, and it's getting harder to deny that our family is soon going to be 4 instead of 3. Two more months - I can't wait. Does Eliot realize what's happening? Not really. Does he realize that one of the most important people in his life is about to appear? No. How special is this. That I get to be the mom to two little boys, two brothers. That I get to be part of this family, part of their lives? I know there will be some adjustment as Eliot realizes that maybe he isn't the center of the universe in our house (and oh, it's going to be a little painful), but I think it's good for him too. It's good for all of us. And how lucky is this new baby, to have an already built family. To have a big brother already there for him. I'm so nervous for them to meet each other. It just blows my mind...we made brothers. I will be there the moment they first meet and neither one will really realize what it means. I hope it's a good start. I hope they are friends for life.<br />
<br />I wonder sometimes if my heart really can expand to love two people the way I love Eliot. I worry about it stretching so thin that it snaps. You put these little people out into the world and it's painful in ways I couldn't imagine, but also the most joyful and wondrous thing I've ever done. Two little boys that need feeding, clothing, loving, attention....and who will be exposed to all the good and the bad the world has to offer. Wow. This motherhood thing really sneaks up on you, kind of like not being able to see the forest for the trees. <br />
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In other news I'm starting a new job next week. At 33 weeks pregnant. I figured one life change wasn't enough, I'd just start over. New house, new job, new baby. Keeping the husband though, I like that guy. I'm going to work for the government. I won't have Mondays off anymore, but I will be guaranteed to only work 40 hours a week. They're very flexible too. I think this is an awesome move for me and I can't wait to start. I just hope baby stays in for over 6 weeks so I can really get into the job...and take advantage of the great benefits. <br />
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So that's probably enough change for now, huh? Merry Christmas and all that jazz, I'll try and post some of my maternity photos up here soon. Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15386588597247453303noreply@blogger.com1