She's growing up

My four year old has recently learned to write her name. I am a proud mommy for sure. She came up to me a couple of weeks ago and said, look Mommy, I wrote Natalya.

(It's a tough one to spell. lots of letters.)

*sniff* My baby's growing up on me.

Zachary is ONE!!

I mean, seriously. Can you believe it?? Time has FLOWN by!!

He turned one a week+ ago, but we had his birthday party yesterday. He was so funny. He loved everyone singing to him but didn't know what to make of his own cake (we got a "smash" cake with the big cake) he bit his fingers in it and I finally cut a piece out and put it up to his mouth and he took a nibble, but that was it. I think he was shy to eat in front of everyone. :)

He just started pointing to things he wants. He is still signing milk, but now he signs it for everything! LOL! If I have shown him a sign for a work, he uses the sign for milk. So he understands and remembers that I showed him a sign, he just can't remember it or figure out how to do it, so he signs milk (like for dog, more, thank you, bird) he just signs milk. hehe.

He is a crawling madman. He is fast too! He isn't showing interest in walking yet, which is fine by me. He is saying Mama, Dada and Nana (natalya) ocassoinally and Uh-oh. Not talking nearly as much as Natalya was but he does like to squeal. Oh boy can he squeal. I guess he wants to make sure he is heard because he is LOUD and high-pitched. !!

He loves balls. Any ball he is obsessed with. He got lots of ball toys for his birthday and he is in ball-hog-heaven. He carries them everywhere, although it's pretty funny to watch him try to figure out how to carry the balls and crawl simultaneously. He has also suddenly become obsessed with balloons! He had one we got at Publix last week and he would NOT let go of the string. I mean, I had to pry it loose to get him to go to sleep. When I take it out of one hand, he sticks the other out and grabs it with the other hand. Smart kid. lol. So for his birthday party, my grandmother went to dollar tree and got like 12 helium balloons and the strings were long enough to reach the floor- he was loving it- crawling around and grabbing all the strings. He would crawl past you with them all trailing behind him! hahahaha! I have all these pics of him clutching onto the balloon strings.

He is a pretty smart cookie too. He was in the bathroom with me the other day and picked up a roll of toilet paper that had not made it onto the actual roll yet and he looked at me and pointed to the roll like, Mommy, this goes over there.

He also loves putting things in and taking things out. Especiall balls. hehe. Anything he can put in and out makes him happy. To occupy him, I will sometimes give him a plastic cup and a couple of small-ish balls. In out, in, out.

I can't believe he's already one!! He's my baby! He's not supposed to be this old!

A few new pics of the kids

I snapped a few pics today of the kids. I have been lax on the picture taking. I am still pretty bummed about my camera, and have been using mom's old camera (thanks!). And it needs the battery to be recharged a LOT. We went to the pumpkin patch last weekend and had a LOT of fun- when we got there... battery died on the camera. I think I took one picture. They had fun though- and Natalya picked out a pumpkin that needs to be carved, so perhaps that will be the plan for this weekend. We always carve a big one and paint some small ones. (Speaking of which...I need to find the paint!).

Kids are getting big. I can barely even lift Natalya anymore and Zachary is no tiny thing himself. :) Natalya is doing great at gymnastics. She's in a pre-competition class and loves it. She can do bunny hops on the balance beam now by herself without holding onto a coach! She is also doing simple math. She'll say something like, "Mommy, I have four crayons!" And I'll say, "If I take one, how many do you have?" And she'll say "THREE!!" And she can do it quickly too, with very little hesitation.

Zachary is out of his "dada" kick and into "Mama" kick. Everything is "Mama". My new favorite? He will say "uh-oh Mama" when something falls. :) His top two teeth are in, barely poking through- finally! He was working on those forever it seems like. He is crawling everywhere- and he's FAST! If he knows you're after him, he'll hit high ghear and laugh the whole time he's beelining away at top speed. Very cute. He also started "kissing". He does the sweet open-mouth baby kisses, but also, if you say "Zachary, kisses!" He will make a kissy sound by sucking his tongue through his lips. It makes the same sound you'd make if you were puckering and making the "kissing" noise. It is REALLY stinking cute!

Both kids are balls of energy and I can't wear them out fast enough!

Without further ado, here's some pics... Not great, but better than nothing, right?
These are from a few weeks ago at the park


And here is one from earlier this week

And then some from today

Zachary's first sign!

I've been signing with Z just like with N. We started with him at around 3 months, just like with N. She picked up her first sign, "milk" at 7 months. I haven't given up on Z yet, but it's taking a lot longer! (That boy thing and communication thing).

He tried to sign dog once a bit ago, but hasn't really attempted anything since.

Today he signed milk to his sister, then has been signing it all day! He is so excited to have put it together he is very exuberant with his signing. He gets the biggest smile when he signs it and you say, you want "milk"?

Of course, I've been nursing him a lot more today than in the past few weeks as a result since I want him to appreciate that asking for milk will actually result in him getting milk. kwim?
LOL

Communication begins! I love it!

Awww- poor Zachary

He is finally getting the top two front teeth in and it is taking forever! Poor baby- the front right one is protruding down, but the gums haven't popped over it yet, so it looks like the tooth is "in" but it's the gum poking down. You can tell it hurts. I was trying to let him chew on my finger, and rub the gum to help it pop through, but he was resisting. The gum was bleeding some too. I have tried giving him cold things to chew on, wet/cold washcloth, etc, and he's having none of it.

I guess time will be the only thing to help. I don't remember Natalya having any trouble cutting her teeth.

Another reason to breastfeed

We're sick. It started with natalya. She has a cough that has been lingering for ages. I finally took her to the dr last week and they diagnosed her with bronchitis and gave her an inhaler and albuterol. Meanwhile, Doug picked up a cough, but he seems to be better now.
Then Zachary started with the runny nose, but no cough.

Now I have a horrible cough and congestion. I feel like i am coughing up junk from my lungs, not just out of my sinuses.

I am thrilled that Zachary has only got a runny nose. I am so thankful for breastfeeding, as I know he would have gotten all this other crap if he wasn't getting the immunities from me.

*whew*

We're crawling and sick

Well, it was bound to happen. Once he started crawling he wants down. Everywhere. Trying to keep him off of nasty, filthy, germ-covered floors is just about nearly impossible. So we've been sick a bit.
Actually, Natalya is the one sick right now. She's got a horrid cough that is just really hanging in there- now it's congestion-filled. Poor kid.

Zachary is a crawling fiend. He is FAST too!! When he puts something in his mouth he's not supposed to (which would be ANYTHING he finds on the floor), he will crawl as fast as he can (picture warp speed) in the opposite direction, laughing the whole time you're after him.
He loves balls. Any balls. And he can throw pretty well already! He will throw you the ball if you ask him to. He is getting pretty big. He was at the dr a few weeks ago for his 9 month well baby (had to be postponed b/c he had a fever and rash- random kid bug). And he was 20.5lb and 28" long! My tall kiddos.

(How a 5'3" woman and 5'9" man had two such tall kids is beyond me).

Overall we're doing great. Sorry for the delay in posting. I'll try to have some pics up soon. :)

Almost crawling.

Almost. he's at the ... get up on my hands and knees and rock back and forth then flop on my belly stage.

Of course, my kids don't do anything normally, and he has to add his own twist. Which is, he gets on his knees then puts his head on the floor for support and scoots across the floor with his forehead on the floor.

Let's see, what else- he is sitting up on his own- he will lay on his back, lean up and to one side, then stick an arm out and sort of push himself up. He has also figured out how not to fall on his face when he is sitting and wants to be on his belly. Previously, he would stick one leg out, with one bent in front of him and lean forward until- smack- on his face on the floor. Now he sort of leans up and pulls his foot from under him and lands on his belly. This is a huge improvement and happened literally overnight several days ago.

He also calls everything "dada". He will say "mama" when he is in his crib and is really mad but that's the only time so far. The other night, we got into bed and Doug was already asleep and I swear he said "HEY DADA!" and started saying "dadadadada" and smacking Doug in his back. He hasn't really picked up any signs yet. He will sometimes do dog, and sometimes milk, but nothing consistently.
Oh, he was watching a Baby Einstein the other night and the screen came up and said "dog" and he said "duh". and started laughing and jumping all over. This boy loves dogs. And balls. When he sees a ball, he gets so excited! In fact, right now Natalya and he are playing with a ball and he is bouncing all over the place. :)

Fun in the water and Zachary's first words

Awwww- I love the talking stage! Zachary has been saying "dadadadadada" for a while, and we suspected he was putting it together with "daddy", but we weren't sure. Same with Mama. Then this week, it seems to be clicking. He can't wuite get "Mama" out, but if someone else is holding him and he wants me, or if he's in his crib and wants me, etc, he will start going "MMMMmmmmmmmm" "mmmmmmmm" :D
Today we went swimming with my brother at a friend's house I was housesitting, and Doug decided to come over after work. He came up to the gate and Zachary saw him and starting going "DADADADADA DADA!" And he hadn't made that noise/sound until he saw Doug. It was so sweet! It's official. His first word is Dada.

He also has picked up the game "where's the baby" from somewhere. We were atthe pool on Sunday with some friends and he was sitting with a towel next to him - he picked it up and was hiding behind it. We said, "OH! Where's Zachary?" and he would lower the towel grinning and laughing like crazy.

And Natalya! Oh my gosh! This child is crazy! All the gymnastics has hern doing some wild things. My brother was showing her how to go down the slide on her back, and then he did a cannonball off the diving board. She runs up to the board and goes off the end, doing a perfect cannonball! It was so cute! She was trying to be just like Uncle Tony. Then she says, "Hey Uncle Tony, watch what I can do!" and goes running to the end of the board and does a front flip off the board into the water! HOLY COW! Tony and I just looked at each other like, did she just do a flip? After picking our jaws up off the ground, we yelled and clapped for her. It was kind of funny though, this little kid with arm floaties doing front flips off the board!

Where's Zachary?

July and all is well

Both kids went in for a check up today. Natalya had her 4 year well check and Z just had one booster vax. (we separate all vaxes so they're not given in one lump).
Natalya is doing great! She's 44" tall and 40lb, 82nd% for weight and <97% for height! (I knew she was tall...). She had a finger prick to test her iron, and it was fine. They also tested her urine to make sure there was no infection or yeast (since she has a history of it) and all was good. She had two vaccine boosters, IPV and DTaP, and she took them like a trooper, with no tears. :) She earned a sucker AND a cookie for that, lol. Although I told her it was ok to cry.

The doctor asked about other vaccines and I denied them. He nodded. We also talked a little about the MMR and I mentioned that we were waiting until Merck re-released them separately and he agreed. I told him I had heard they were doing it soon, and he hadn't heard that, so he was thrilled. His has a high percentage of autistic children as patients (his specialty), so he has a high demand for those separate. He asked if she was going to school this year, and I said no. He wanted to know if we needed the "yellow form" lol. (to exempt them from "required" vaccinations) I told him not now, but if it comes up, I will let him know.

He is so awesome.

Zachary had a DTaP booster and he didn't cry either! The nurse was loving us today.

We also had pictures made. Here are some of my favorites...

Please help support new Stillbirth legislation!

Legislative Action Alert | Your help is needed!

Newly Introduced Legislation will Support Education and Prevention Efforts for Stillbirth, SIDS and other Sudden, Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUID)

First Candle is pleased to announce that the Stillbirth and SUID Prevention, Education and Awareness Act of 2009 was filed July 14 by Senator Frank Lautenberg, D-NJ. A companion bill was filed in the House by Frank Pallone, Jr., D-NJ-6. This bill would improve the collection of critical data to determine the causes of stillbirth SIDS and SUID, increase education and awareness about how to prevent these tragedies in the future and expand support services for families who have experienced a stillbirth, SIDS or SUID loss.

Every year there are more than 25,000 stillbirths in the United States. For more than half these deaths there is no known cause, leaving parents with more questions than answers as to why the baby died. The bill would expand activities to identify the causes of stillbirth, identify ways to prevent it in the future and increase education and awareness about the issue among healthcare providers and parents.

In addition, there are more than 4,600 sudden unexpected infant deaths each year (including SIDS) and 200 sudden unexpected deaths of children between the ages of one and four. This bill encourages states to complete scene investigations to better understand why these children died, establishes a national database to track these deaths and identify risk factors to prevent them in the future, supports more comprehensive reviews and creates a national public awareness campaign to educate parents and caregivers.

Please help by contacting your representative in the House and two Senators within the next week, urging them to co-sponsor this important bill.

The more co-sponsors the bill gets, the more likely it is to pass quickly through the House and Senate.

Participating in First Candle's letter-writing campaign is easy!

Visit www.house.gov to get contact information for the Congressman in your District. You will need your 9-digit zip code. You will then be able link directly to your Representative's website.

Visit www.senate.gov to get contact information for your states two Senators. Simply select your state from the drop down menu to connect to your Senators' websites.

We encourage you to call your representatives directly, or set up an appointment to meet with them face-to-face. Writing a letter or sending an email can be effective as well. Emails can be sent directly through your representatives' websites.

We have provided a Fact Sheet about the bill, as well as a sample letter to help guide you.

First Candle would love to receive a copy of your letter or an email detailing your conversation with your representatives for our files.

Members of Congress rely on input from their constituents to help them better understand what issues are important to those they serve. Help give our babies a voice!

Please feel free to contact Laura Reno, 800.221.7437 or laura.reno@firstcandle.org with any questions you may have.

OR CONTACT

RICHARD K. OLSEN, FOUNDER
NATIONAL STILLBIRTH SOCIETY
NSS@COX.NET
602-216-6600

Natalya's train of thought

I am both amazed and amused at her thought processes. She constantly says and does things that crack me up and blow me away.

Today we were in the car and I asked her what she wanted for her birthday. She started going on and on about this swing she wanted. (???) I had no clue what she was talking about so I asked her to describe it. Didn't help. Asked her was it inside or outside? what color? Then I said, where did you see the swing? She said, "well, you go up here and turn right, then you turn left, then you go straight. Then you go to Rotary Hills Court [this is our street]. Then you go right and left."

LOL!!!

Here I was expecting her to tell me she saw it at the store, or on tv. But she gives me directions! hahahaha!

My little guy is barely a baby any more

I really can't believe it. Up until the end of last week he was only nursing and turning away all baby foods. (both store bought and homemade)

A couple of days ago, I decided to try small bits of soft foods and he LOVED IT! He is now eating little bits of soft foods, mashing it between his gums and eating a TON! When Natalya was this age, she was eating some baby foods but that's it. She didn't start eating bits of things until she was a lot older.
Today he ate two meals, pretty big meals too. The first was scrambled eggs, toast and pears...the second was salmon (Loves it!), black beans, rice and eggs. He kept grabbing my hand and pushing it in his mouth to put the food in there. Once he was done, he turned his head and that was that.

I'm not ready for him to grow up. He's the baby!

My baby is almost 4 years old!!

*bawling*

I just can't believe it. She is getting so big. I can't believe how fast it goes.

The ONLY time she was in the isolette


several hours old


One year old. 7/12/2006


Second birthday party with Mamu Jimmie


Third birthday party


Several weeks ago painting.


Easter Egg hunting



First experience with soccer! She loved it!

What's new

Lots of things apparently! :)

Zachary is signing milk and it also apparently means Mama. When we went swimming yesterday, Stephanie was holding him while I went to put some things in the car and he got upset (he was tired) and looked her right in the eye and started doing the sign for milk (his version). I was coming back up the stairs and she said, hey Brandy, what does this mean, and she did the sign. awwww. My baby boy is getting so big!

He and Natalya were actually playing with each other the other night. He was sitting on the floor with the boppy behind him and he was so excited about the ball Natalya was playing with he was hopping up and down on his legs and actually hopping forward! It was so funny. Natalya sat across from him and was rolling the ball back and forth with him and he was having so much fun with her.

Natalya's birthday party is on Saturday. She is so excited about her Spiderman party! We are hoping that Mady can make it but her brother's birthday is that day so they are having a party too. We'll keep our fingers crossed for that.

I'll try to take some more pics and post later!

Happy Birthday sweet girl

Happy Birthday my sweet baby. You are missed and loved.
Natalya and I when I was approximately 5 months pregnant, April 2007

Pregnant with Margaret May 5, 2007

Margaret's hand

Margaret's feet. This image was photoshopped by a wonderful company that volunteers in conjunction with Stillnomore.org. The company donates time to photoshop images of stillborn babies, making the pictures more palatable. They photoshop two pictures and then send hard copies to you. It is a wonderful gift and we were, and still are, very appreciative.
If you'd like to donate to Stillnomore.org you can click HERE. This site works tirelessly to research stillbirth and fight for rights of parents who have lost children.

Feeling a bit sad today

I am so thankful and grateful for the two beautiful children I have, but I have to say I am thinking of the one that is gone today. Today marks the second year anniversary of the last day I felt her move. July 1 ...in labor all day and she was born at 1ish am July 2nd.

We miss you baby girl.

Some recent pics

Here are some more recent pics. The "garden" is coming along fairly well. We have a few zucchinis and a teensy little watermelon. Natalya got a bit of a sunburn last week after 5 hours swimming at Nana's house, but it didn't seem to phase her.




The watermelon


One of the zucchini


the tomato plants

Family reunion

Doug's family had a reunion this past weekend and we were able to go and see everyone. It was awesome to see everyone and Natalya has a lot of fun. The get-together was at a lake north of Atlanta and one of Doug's uncles had his boat and the kids got to go on the boat. Natalya was smiling so hard, I thought her cheeks were going to be sore the next day! And the look on Zachary's face was hysterical. His eyes were so wide I thought he'd have bugs flying in them. They both had a blast. Natalya said her favorite part of the trip was playing in the water with Lily and Jasmine. She liked talking all about how Jasmine was afraid and how Doug held her on his knee in the water so she could enjoy the water with Lily and Natalya.

Zachary was so tired - poor guy. While Kris was holding him, he fell asleep and she was kind enough to hold him for the entirety of his nap- over an hour and a half- with him sweating the whole time. (It's like holding a 20+ lb portable heater in your arms). Here's a few pics from the day.

Kris holding a sleeping Zachary


Natalya and Jasmine



Papa and his grandkids


Logan J and Zachary