This video really requires no introduction. It's pretty darn cute. This is a little song and dance that Gigi taught her - and we all go around the house singing it. I apologize in advance for the fact that you too will have the darn song running through your head for the next week. But it's worth it. :) And yes...we are in the bathroom.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Zachary's Christening and Daycare
Zachary Thomas was Baptized on Sunday, February 22, 2009 in the Christening Gown that his Nana made. The ceremony was beautiful, and we had a blast at the party afterwards. He and his sister Lexi were both angels as always. Here are some pictures of him in the gown my Nana made, and also in the "Lambert" gown...
Poppy holding Zachary in the gown and jacket that Nana made, and Poppy once wore.
Poppy holding Zachary in the gown and jacket that Nana made, and Poppy once wore. 
Angelic...
It was a long day, but everyone had fun, and Lexi really enjoyed having the afternoon to play with her cousins.
On Tuesday, Zachary attended his first day of daycare as I went back to work. It's great being back at work, although I do miss my quiet time with Zachy...but, as expected, he did very well and was happy as a clam. It was so fun watching all the children clamor around the "baby section" trying to catch a glimpse of the new baby...as though he was the newest addition to the zoo exhibit. Lexi got to be the special big sister and go in to help Yaya feed her brover. She was so proud. And so it begins..."real life" being a WOHM of two (work out of the home mom of two).
Friday, February 20, 2009
Updates and Cute Alert!
We've had quite a bit going on lately, and it seems that I'm always too busy to update the blog! I have a few minutes now, so I wanted to post a quick update...
Today Lexi met her new Physical Therapist. I am SO thrilled with her for so many reasons - the biggest reason being that Lexi seems to love her! She is fantastic with Lexi - she talks right to her, asks her questions, really plays with her rather than forcing Lexi to do stuff she's not interested in, listens to my concerns, etc., etc. All in all she was just fantastic. As we left the facility Lexi was already talking excitedly about what she's going to get to do next week. I'm thrilled, and really have high hopes for the progress we will make with Debbie. She did find Lexi to be a little tight, but it she feels as though Lexi really has more stability issues, which, in her attempt to compensate for that, has caused some muscle imbalances, etc.
I just can't emphasize enough how happy I am with Debbie. Even though Lexi's "issues" are small in comparison to what some children deal with, they weigh heavily on me every day. I wish every day that I could wave a magic wand and make her better. I feel like we have been to one doctor, therapist, etc. after another who might fix one thing, but they just don't seem to be getting to the bottom of the problem. Debbie really seems to see Lexi's legs as part of the whole picture and I really feel like she is going to fix all of Lexi so that she will be able to keep up with all the other kids on the playground.
Zachary is continuing to be wonderful. He is still growing like a weed, and he seems like a different boy almost every day. He suffered his first cold last week while Ahren was away on a business trip in Las Vegas. That was a tough week for all of us - Ahren was unhappy to be away, Lexi was sick with her umpteenth cold of the month (after a previously very healthy winter!), Zach was dealing with his first cold, and I was hit with another bout of mastitis. But, we survived, and everyone was VERY happy when Daddy came home!
This week Zachary started shaking a rattle. It's very cute, although he still doesn't quite seem to understand what he's doing. He sure does love it, though. His favorite rattle is one that was Ahren's when he was a baby, so it's pretty cute to see Zachy using it. Zach has also become a bit of a thumb sucker. It was something we were trying to avoid, but he secretly learned his skill at night in his crib. For now we're pretty much letting it go, although encouraging the paci during the day when we can. For the most part, he only sucks his thumb at night, so hopefully it will be a relatively short lived habit that he only does to sleep.
This week is officially the end of my maternity leave. On Tuesday I'll be dropping both Lexi and Zachary off at Fadia's. I thought sending #2 to daycare would be easier than it was with #1, but I'm not so sure as the time approaches. I know Zachary will be in very good hands, and that his big sister will be there for him as well, but it's going to be tough to give up our alone time together.
And now, I have to return to our family game of Zingo...but I will leave you with some adorable pictures and probably the cutest video that was ever made...enjoy!
"Rock it! Yea!"
What a beauty!
Handsome boy!
Brother and Sister...
Today Lexi met her new Physical Therapist. I am SO thrilled with her for so many reasons - the biggest reason being that Lexi seems to love her! She is fantastic with Lexi - she talks right to her, asks her questions, really plays with her rather than forcing Lexi to do stuff she's not interested in, listens to my concerns, etc., etc. All in all she was just fantastic. As we left the facility Lexi was already talking excitedly about what she's going to get to do next week. I'm thrilled, and really have high hopes for the progress we will make with Debbie. She did find Lexi to be a little tight, but it she feels as though Lexi really has more stability issues, which, in her attempt to compensate for that, has caused some muscle imbalances, etc.
I just can't emphasize enough how happy I am with Debbie. Even though Lexi's "issues" are small in comparison to what some children deal with, they weigh heavily on me every day. I wish every day that I could wave a magic wand and make her better. I feel like we have been to one doctor, therapist, etc. after another who might fix one thing, but they just don't seem to be getting to the bottom of the problem. Debbie really seems to see Lexi's legs as part of the whole picture and I really feel like she is going to fix all of Lexi so that she will be able to keep up with all the other kids on the playground.
Zachary is continuing to be wonderful. He is still growing like a weed, and he seems like a different boy almost every day. He suffered his first cold last week while Ahren was away on a business trip in Las Vegas. That was a tough week for all of us - Ahren was unhappy to be away, Lexi was sick with her umpteenth cold of the month (after a previously very healthy winter!), Zach was dealing with his first cold, and I was hit with another bout of mastitis. But, we survived, and everyone was VERY happy when Daddy came home!
This week Zachary started shaking a rattle. It's very cute, although he still doesn't quite seem to understand what he's doing. He sure does love it, though. His favorite rattle is one that was Ahren's when he was a baby, so it's pretty cute to see Zachy using it. Zach has also become a bit of a thumb sucker. It was something we were trying to avoid, but he secretly learned his skill at night in his crib. For now we're pretty much letting it go, although encouraging the paci during the day when we can. For the most part, he only sucks his thumb at night, so hopefully it will be a relatively short lived habit that he only does to sleep.
This week is officially the end of my maternity leave. On Tuesday I'll be dropping both Lexi and Zachary off at Fadia's. I thought sending #2 to daycare would be easier than it was with #1, but I'm not so sure as the time approaches. I know Zachary will be in very good hands, and that his big sister will be there for him as well, but it's going to be tough to give up our alone time together.
And now, I have to return to our family game of Zingo...but I will leave you with some adorable pictures and probably the cutest video that was ever made...enjoy!
"Rock it! Yea!"
What a beauty!
Handsome boy!
Brother and Sister...Lexi Sings To Zachary...And He Sings Along...
Saturday, February 7, 2009
They Grow So Fast...
Zachary had his two month doctor's visit this week. It was a tough one for me, because he was receiving his first vaccines, and I have paid a lot more attention to vaccine issues since Lexi's horrible reaction when she was 15 months old. Luckily, our new doctor is slightly lenient about what she will allow us to do with the schedule, and the practice uses the combination shots that are the safest in my opinion. So, although I was a complete wreck about the whole thing, we both survived just fine, and Zach escaped with only two shots, and will still be up to date on his shots when he goes to daycare in a few short weeks! I really love our new doctor - she is young, sweet, and very good to the kids. She asks me about Lexi when she's not there, and never makes me feel rushed during our visits, even if I ask her a Lexi question during a Zach visit.
She was pretty impressed with Zachary this week. On Monday he laughed for the first time, which wasn't too surprising since he's been smiling (social smiles) since he was less than a week old. During the visit he was trying his best to learn a new trick - rolling off the exam table. He didn't succeed, but he just may have had I not been holding him. Dr. M and I laughed through the whole visit. Most impressive was how much he's grown!
Height - 25 1/2 inches tall - 98th percentile!! (Must be some Duda genes in this boy!)
Weight - 14 lbs. 3 ozs. - 90th percentile.
He's already wearing his 3-6 month clothes, and due to his ingrown toenails, we've had to cut holes in all of his p.j.s.
Zachary is really beginning to play now too. He's laughed a few times, enjoys batting at his toys, brings toys to his mouth, but most especially enjoys hanging out with his sister.
As for Lexi, she continues to be an excellent big sister! She's suffered with a few colds in the last few weeks, but she handles them like a champ. She's been coming up with some pretty funny stuff lately too...here's a sampling:
Lexi: "Mama, I need some juice. My lips are all chopped."
Lexi (after successfully pooping on the potty): "See Mama? I told you I ate enough vegetables to poop!"
Me (responding to Zachary crying while quickly trying to finish up an e-mail): "I know Zachy, Mommy hears you! I'm coming right now."
Lexi (without even looking up from her clay): "Zachy says, 'Really Mommy, because it looks like you're typing an e-mail to me..'"
Lexi: "Daddy, do you want to run some Ahren's with us?"
Ahren: "Some Ahrens? You're going to run me??"
Lexi: "No Daddy, sometimes people call going to stores 'running Ahrens'. Mommy and I are going to run some Ahrens. Do you want to come?"
And now, my poor, little sick girl needs me, so I have to run...
She was pretty impressed with Zachary this week. On Monday he laughed for the first time, which wasn't too surprising since he's been smiling (social smiles) since he was less than a week old. During the visit he was trying his best to learn a new trick - rolling off the exam table. He didn't succeed, but he just may have had I not been holding him. Dr. M and I laughed through the whole visit. Most impressive was how much he's grown!
Height - 25 1/2 inches tall - 98th percentile!! (Must be some Duda genes in this boy!)
Weight - 14 lbs. 3 ozs. - 90th percentile.
He's already wearing his 3-6 month clothes, and due to his ingrown toenails, we've had to cut holes in all of his p.j.s.
Zachary is really beginning to play now too. He's laughed a few times, enjoys batting at his toys, brings toys to his mouth, but most especially enjoys hanging out with his sister.
As for Lexi, she continues to be an excellent big sister! She's suffered with a few colds in the last few weeks, but she handles them like a champ. She's been coming up with some pretty funny stuff lately too...here's a sampling:
Lexi: "Mama, I need some juice. My lips are all chopped."
Lexi (after successfully pooping on the potty): "See Mama? I told you I ate enough vegetables to poop!"
Me (responding to Zachary crying while quickly trying to finish up an e-mail): "I know Zachy, Mommy hears you! I'm coming right now."
Lexi (without even looking up from her clay): "Zachy says, 'Really Mommy, because it looks like you're typing an e-mail to me..'"
Lexi: "Daddy, do you want to run some Ahren's with us?"
Ahren: "Some Ahrens? You're going to run me??"
Lexi: "No Daddy, sometimes people call going to stores 'running Ahrens'. Mommy and I are going to run some Ahrens. Do you want to come?"
And now, my poor, little sick girl needs me, so I have to run...
Friday, January 23, 2009
More Lexi-isms
Lexi, upon receiving a bowl of grapes and cantaloupe:
"Look, Daddy! I have grapes and candlesticks!"
The morning after the inauguration Lexi and I were watching children on t.v. who were sending messages to President Obama. One of the children said, "I hope you make it a law that there is no more littering." Lexi turned to me and in complete shock said, "No more LETTERING???"
After a particularly bad morning I said to Lexi, "Lexi, I think Mama's going to cry..." She stopped what she was doing, looked right into my eyes and said, "No Mama, don't cry. If you cry I am going to cry."
When I picked up Lexi at Fadia's on Wednesday I peeked around the corner and saw her standing with one elbow on the toy box next to Luke who also had one elbow up on the toy box. She said to him, "Hey Lukey, do you want to run around and around until my Mommy gets here?" He replied, "Okay." Lexi said, "Okay, let's do it!" and off they ran until Lexi caught me out of the corner of her eye and exclaimed, "Oh, hi Mama!! I didn't see you there!"
She just keeps making us laugh...
"Look, Daddy! I have grapes and candlesticks!"
The morning after the inauguration Lexi and I were watching children on t.v. who were sending messages to President Obama. One of the children said, "I hope you make it a law that there is no more littering." Lexi turned to me and in complete shock said, "No more LETTERING???"
After a particularly bad morning I said to Lexi, "Lexi, I think Mama's going to cry..." She stopped what she was doing, looked right into my eyes and said, "No Mama, don't cry. If you cry I am going to cry."
When I picked up Lexi at Fadia's on Wednesday I peeked around the corner and saw her standing with one elbow on the toy box next to Luke who also had one elbow up on the toy box. She said to him, "Hey Lukey, do you want to run around and around until my Mommy gets here?" He replied, "Okay." Lexi said, "Okay, let's do it!" and off they ran until Lexi caught me out of the corner of her eye and exclaimed, "Oh, hi Mama!! I didn't see you there!"
She just keeps making us laugh...
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Lexi-isms
Even when she's sick, Lexi makes me laugh...
The other evening she climbed up onto the couch and asked if I would let her watch cartoons. I had been watching the news, but was happy to put cartoons on for her, because she was really feeling lousy. As I got the cartoon that she wanted she said to me, "Mama, maybe when I'm older I'll watch the news with you and Daddy."
A day or two later:
Lexi: "Mama, I can't breeve."
Me: "I know, sweetie. It's because you have a cold. If you want, I can get the sucker (aka "nasal aspirator") and suction your nose. I will help you to be able to breathe better."
Lexi: "I can breeve now."
What a cutie. Here she is with her "Brover brov brov" aka "Zacharia" aka "Buddy" wearing her "Big Sister" shirt and Zach wearing his "Little Brother" shirt that she picked out for him.
And it's hard to believe, but this happy little boy is starting some of his own tricks as well! A few days ago I was nursing him and telling Ahren a story. Apparently I was being too loud because He started waving his hands around and moaning at me as I spoke. I stopped talking and he went back to happily nursing. As I started talking again, he again started waving his hands and moaning. Apparently the little prince needs to eat in peace...SO much like his big sister. :)
Last night after we ate dinner, Zach was in his swing and Lexi and I were chatting at the table, but we had our backs to Zachary. He started fussing, and we turned and saw the biggest pouty face we'd ever seen! As soon as we starting talking to him we got this face:
Then Ahren came over and we said, "Zachary, show Daddy your new trick - show him your new face!" and we got this:
The original face was much poutier, but as soon as we all laughed, the bright smiley face came back. He did it two more times after that too...the boy is two months old and already smart as a whip! We better start saving more money for college - because we have two genius children on our hands. :)
The other evening she climbed up onto the couch and asked if I would let her watch cartoons. I had been watching the news, but was happy to put cartoons on for her, because she was really feeling lousy. As I got the cartoon that she wanted she said to me, "Mama, maybe when I'm older I'll watch the news with you and Daddy."
A day or two later:
Lexi: "Mama, I can't breeve."
Me: "I know, sweetie. It's because you have a cold. If you want, I can get the sucker (aka "nasal aspirator") and suction your nose. I will help you to be able to breathe better."
Lexi: "I can breeve now."
What a cutie. Here she is with her "Brover brov brov" aka "Zacharia" aka "Buddy" wearing her "Big Sister" shirt and Zach wearing his "Little Brother" shirt that she picked out for him.
And it's hard to believe, but this happy little boy is starting some of his own tricks as well! A few days ago I was nursing him and telling Ahren a story. Apparently I was being too loud because He started waving his hands around and moaning at me as I spoke. I stopped talking and he went back to happily nursing. As I started talking again, he again started waving his hands and moaning. Apparently the little prince needs to eat in peace...SO much like his big sister. :) Last night after we ate dinner, Zach was in his swing and Lexi and I were chatting at the table, but we had our backs to Zachary. He started fussing, and we turned and saw the biggest pouty face we'd ever seen! As soon as we starting talking to him we got this face:
Then Ahren came over and we said, "Zachary, show Daddy your new trick - show him your new face!" and we got this:
The original face was much poutier, but as soon as we all laughed, the bright smiley face came back. He did it two more times after that too...the boy is two months old and already smart as a whip! We better start saving more money for college - because we have two genius children on our hands. :) Thursday, January 15, 2009
2 Seconds Flat
That's how quickly it can all go to hell when you have kids. Everything is going along swimmingly and then BAM! downhill faster than you can say, "What happened??". The good news is that this time around I have a good sense of humor about the hell I often fall into, and I've also learned to let go of the little things when the big things take over.
Yesterday, life was good. It was Wednesday, so that meant that Ali was coming for her weekly visit, and I was also scheduled to go see my friend Christi and her new (4 day old) baby, Henry. Things threatened to get nutty in the morning, but we pulled out of it quickly, and I had two happy kids and a happy Mama. While I was changing Zachary, Lexi had assumed her position, right by his head, entertaining the heck out of him while I swerved to avoid the poop rockets he was shooting at me. As she stood there holding his hand and saying, "Hi Zachary. Hi...hi..." he looked right into her eyes and said, "HI". No word of a lie. Lexi and I both stopped short and looked at each other. Lexi said to me, "Mummy, I didn't know that babies could talk!" I didn't know it either, but honestly if you did not know that Zachary was only 7 weeks old, you would have been sure he was a one year old responding to his big sister. It was hysterical! The rest of the day went great. It was fun visiting with Christi and the baby, and Ali and I hung out and chatted up a storm all afternoon. She is like my weekly therapy, and I look forward to her Wednesday visits all week long.
At 4:30, Ali, Zachary and I left the house to pick up Lexi and drop off Ali. On my way from Ali's to Fadia's my neighbor Maureen called to see if we had power. Uh oh...we had when I left the house, but sure enough, when I returned home we were out...along with the rest of Harold Street. Great. Luckily, although Gigi and Poppy were not home, Gigi had made a huge dish of rice pilaf before she left, and instructed me to take the kids there and eat dinner. So, I did. As the night progressed, so did the "estimated time power will be restored time" on National Grid's website. It went from 7:30pm, to 10:30 pm (when we decided that Lexi would sleep over at Gigi and Poppy's) to 1am (when we decided the rest of the family would sleep there too). Having a sleepover mid-week is inconvenient, but we were lucky to have the option, so Ahren and I went back to the house in the dark to pick up some clothes and supplies. Everything seemed like it was going to be "fine"...until 3am when Lexi woke up screaming because she had a bloody nose. This is not a terribly unusual event. Lexi never had a chance of not getting bloody noses, as Ahren and I both got them terribly when we were children. The bloody nose was fine...it was the fever that I worried about. Gigi and I got the nose under control and we all went back to bed...I, however was wide awake...worried about this fever, and wondering if she would be staying home from Fadia's in the morning...thinking about the plans I would have to cancel...worrying about what was causing the fever...and worst of all, worrying that Zachary might catch the illness from Lexi. 4am screams got me out of bed again with another bloody nose, and while she felt mildly cooler, she still had a fever. When we woke up this morning, it was clear that she would not be going to Fadia's today. This is where I need to take a big, deep breath and let go. I can't panic about what's not going to get done, what I'm going to miss, etc. I just have to rewire my brain into, "today we're all staying home."
So, here it is, almost noon, and I still have dishes from yesterday's breakfast in my sink, I haven't showered, Zachary is in his p.j.s, but we're good....I'm good. I guess the key to being a healthy mom free from the almost crippling anxiety I suffered from when Lexi was a baby is learning to be okay with the hell...it can come in 2 seconds flat, and if that's okay then we'll be okay. Because just as quickly as things can go to hell they can go just as fast back to good.
Yesterday, life was good. It was Wednesday, so that meant that Ali was coming for her weekly visit, and I was also scheduled to go see my friend Christi and her new (4 day old) baby, Henry. Things threatened to get nutty in the morning, but we pulled out of it quickly, and I had two happy kids and a happy Mama. While I was changing Zachary, Lexi had assumed her position, right by his head, entertaining the heck out of him while I swerved to avoid the poop rockets he was shooting at me. As she stood there holding his hand and saying, "Hi Zachary. Hi...hi..." he looked right into her eyes and said, "HI". No word of a lie. Lexi and I both stopped short and looked at each other. Lexi said to me, "Mummy, I didn't know that babies could talk!" I didn't know it either, but honestly if you did not know that Zachary was only 7 weeks old, you would have been sure he was a one year old responding to his big sister. It was hysterical! The rest of the day went great. It was fun visiting with Christi and the baby, and Ali and I hung out and chatted up a storm all afternoon. She is like my weekly therapy, and I look forward to her Wednesday visits all week long.
At 4:30, Ali, Zachary and I left the house to pick up Lexi and drop off Ali. On my way from Ali's to Fadia's my neighbor Maureen called to see if we had power. Uh oh...we had when I left the house, but sure enough, when I returned home we were out...along with the rest of Harold Street. Great. Luckily, although Gigi and Poppy were not home, Gigi had made a huge dish of rice pilaf before she left, and instructed me to take the kids there and eat dinner. So, I did. As the night progressed, so did the "estimated time power will be restored time" on National Grid's website. It went from 7:30pm, to 10:30 pm (when we decided that Lexi would sleep over at Gigi and Poppy's) to 1am (when we decided the rest of the family would sleep there too). Having a sleepover mid-week is inconvenient, but we were lucky to have the option, so Ahren and I went back to the house in the dark to pick up some clothes and supplies. Everything seemed like it was going to be "fine"...until 3am when Lexi woke up screaming because she had a bloody nose. This is not a terribly unusual event. Lexi never had a chance of not getting bloody noses, as Ahren and I both got them terribly when we were children. The bloody nose was fine...it was the fever that I worried about. Gigi and I got the nose under control and we all went back to bed...I, however was wide awake...worried about this fever, and wondering if she would be staying home from Fadia's in the morning...thinking about the plans I would have to cancel...worrying about what was causing the fever...and worst of all, worrying that Zachary might catch the illness from Lexi. 4am screams got me out of bed again with another bloody nose, and while she felt mildly cooler, she still had a fever. When we woke up this morning, it was clear that she would not be going to Fadia's today. This is where I need to take a big, deep breath and let go. I can't panic about what's not going to get done, what I'm going to miss, etc. I just have to rewire my brain into, "today we're all staying home."
So, here it is, almost noon, and I still have dishes from yesterday's breakfast in my sink, I haven't showered, Zachary is in his p.j.s, but we're good....I'm good. I guess the key to being a healthy mom free from the almost crippling anxiety I suffered from when Lexi was a baby is learning to be okay with the hell...it can come in 2 seconds flat, and if that's okay then we'll be okay. Because just as quickly as things can go to hell they can go just as fast back to good.
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