Leo's Birthday Party

  Leo is turning ten tomorrow (TEN!!!).  We celebrated today with a birthday party.  Of course, we had to come up with a spooky treat like last year.  We decided to do "vampire cupcakes".  First I made some vanilla cupcakes.  Second, I dropped the tray pulling it out of the oven and lost several of them, but I don't want to talk about that part.  Then I cored out the middle and filled it with cherry "blood". 

 Then I gave them bleeding bite marks with the cherry blood.  I left a few without the bloody middle since I knew not all the kids would be into the filling.

 Anyway, the theme of the party was "messy fun".  The kids arrived and we started our first activity - painting with water guns. 

 They had fun squirting the paper.

 Beautiful masterpieces. 

 Then we had a lunch break but only a couple kids ate for some reason.  I guess they already had lunch.

 After lunch we had a round of Chubby Bunny.  The point of that game is to see how many marshmallows you can stuff in your mouth and still say "chubby bunny".  Tom took some video of the game, but honestly, it's too gross to watch. 

Next up was our cheese ball toss.  Step one was getting on shower caps.  The boys were into it, but Sharon (the lone girl at this year's party) wasn't interested. 

 They teamed up.  One kid got shaving creamed up and the other tossed the puffs trying to see how many they could get to stick.  Then they switched roles. 

Here's a video of the first round.  At the end of the video, Sharon asks if she can toss some and she did.  

 The aftermath.

 To clean off the shaving cream, the kids had a big water balloon fight.  Then they came inside to decorate some jumbo marshmallows.  That activity didn't last long.  Too many Nerf guns to mess around with instead.

 Then it was cupcake time. 

 Here's the inside of a "bleeding" vampire cupcake modeled by Tom.

 We also had silly prizes. 

All and all, it was a fun party.  There were only five kids here (including Leo), which gave me the false hope that things would be mellow.  They were not.  Those kids were crazy and nearly destroyed my couch multiple times.  Next year we will be venturing to another location for the birthday party.  

Here is one of Leo's more unusual gifts from one of his buddies. 

Tomorrow is the actual birthday.  He will be the big 1 - 0.  I'm definitely "in my feelings" about this one.  It's such a milestone that's he's been around for ten years; that Tom and I have been parents for ten years; that he is so rapidly leaving childhood behind.  Our plans for tomorrow are pretty low-key.  There will be a lot of Lego building and a special birthday dinner with Nana.  I also predict I will be hugging him a lot and saying "I can't believe you are 10."  Hopefully he tolerates that.

Weaning update

Overall, Serafina has handled the weaning really well. Tom put her to bed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights to put a little distance between nursing and the bedtime process. Wednesday morning she asked for milk and when I turned her down, she burst into tears and threw herself on the floor crying. She recovered when I got her a cereal bar.

Last night, I put her to bed myself and she asked for milk.  I told her that mommy doesn't have any more milk and sang her a song instead; she was just fine with that despite my terrible singing.  I've felt a little sad about it (and my boobs have felt a little full), but I'm also happy to be able to take some prescription cough medicine guilt-free so I can sleep at night.

End of a (boobie) era

Tomorrow night, I plan to nurse Serafina for the last time.  The boys are going to the monster truck rally in Oakland, but then after that, Tom will put her to bed for a few nights to change the routine and break the habit.  I'm sure she will do fine with it; I'm the one who is upset.  I had such a rough start with nursing when Leo was a newborn but it has become an empowering part of my life, not to mention, an incredible bond with my children.  But despite the heartache I'm feeling, I need relief from the boobache.  I'm not making much milk and it's uncomfortable to nurse.  I'm ready to do all the things nursing got in the way of - take medication, be away from the house at bedtime, maybe even get some botox.  Boo-yah!

I was asked recently how people react to my extended breastfeeding.  Since I do it in private, I don't hear comments from strangers.  My friends and family have been very supportive, though they may roll their eyes behind my back.  And my husband has been great about it.  Breastfeeding is a handy tool for a parent and I've whipped out a boob in plenty of airplanes, doctors' offices and park benches to easy pain/fear/sadness. So after about four years and a five months, this journey is over.

I'll miss it, but I hope someday I'll be able to support and encourage other nursing moms.


Nursing Leo, October 2007

 Nursing Serafina and Leo's doll, September 2009

My nurslings enjoying the warm weather yesterday.

Growing up

When Leo was a newborn, someone told me that the days take forever but the time flies by. I'm sure I've restated that before on this blog, but it really is true. As evident in my last post, these kids can wear on my nerves and with Tom working a lot of hours recently, I can feel like I'm losing my mind some days. But all of a sudden they are turning into little people and they are moving on to new stages of their lives that I'm not sure I'm ready for.

 Let's start with Serafina. She talks up a storm, though a lot of it is still hard to understand. Recently, she started saying "I love you" (or maybe she's been saying it for a while and I'm just now able to decipher it). It melts my heart every time. She'll be two and 1/2 in less than a month, so I'm weaning her. I've been nursing since 2007 and the time has come to have my body back and let go of this part of my life. It's definitely harder for me than Serafina, since I know I'll never nurse another baby. There is a certain way both my kids look when they nursed. Their features are softer and prettier in profile, from that very particular angle I see them when they are at my breast and I'm looking down at them. Sometimes I get a glimpse of them during the day and they look similar to the "nursing face" but it's never quite the same. 

On to Leo. Oh, Leo. He is a bundle of boy energy that leaves me feeling worn out a lot of the time. Unfortunately, that energy sometimes turns aggressive. Not violent, but just physical in a way that isn't gentle. He also growls and yells and is overall a bit of a nut. Though we registered him for kindergarten at our local public school, he isn't quite ready for it. His current teacher told us he would benefit from an extra year of preschool. It's not an academic issue (he's a smart cookie like his dad), but he's still a little guy with room to grow with his social skills and attention span. Also, he's spent the past two years in a mostly play-based preschool that he attends for less than eight hours a week. We want him in a five day-a-week program that is more structured and focused on academics. That means private preschool and that means big money. We've been looking at schools, going on tours and attending open houses. Here's something I learned: don't look at the most expensive school with the longest commute first because you might just fall in love with it and nothing else measures up. Trust me, I speak from experience and that school was amazing. The kids were spontaneously giving the teachers hugs and I felt like crying when we left because I didn't have words for how much I wanted Leo to go there. Of course, I might feel like crying every day I have to drive in morning rush-hour traffic to get him there. There are closer schools that we need to consider and I'm confident that wherever he goes, he will enjoy it and do well. I just feel like if we are going to spend such a chunk of change, I should feel good about it. Leo hasn't really been a part of the school search, but he did express his desire for his future school to have a garden. When I asked him why, he said he wants to be able to go out to the garden pick the food and just eat it. A couple schools we are considering do have gardens, but I doubt any of them have this buffet-style vegetable picking policy he dreams of. My hope is that we find a school that we feel good about without making ourselves crazy. The process is stressing me out, but the issue will be resolved soon since registration and enrollment for most places will be wrapped up in the next month or so.

Here's some pre-bed cuddle time with dad.

Seal Beach visit and Christmas parade

We got back this afternoon from a really fun and relaxing trip to Seal Beach. We spent quality time with family, enjoyed the parade and did plenty of eating.

 Here's Serafina carrying her own backpack at the airport. She thought that was pretty cool. She didn't enjoy flying too much though. She pitched a huge fit when the flight attendant had me put her in her own seat for take off. She also got upset on decent because her ears hurt. I hadn't planned on nursing her so I had to practically undress to make it happen, but thank goodness I had that option because it solved the problem.  The trip home was much easier.  There were back-to-back episodes of monster trucks on the in-flight TV for Leo and Serafina was happy to just hug and kiss me over and over.

Serafina relaxing in Auntie Sheila's backyard with Nana and Sheila.

Leo hit the beach.

And experienced his first sand berm sledding.

Here's a video.  

That night we headed to the parade.  Sheila was kind enough to set up chairs along Main Street early in the day so we didn't have to fight for a spot.

Cousin Sarah stopped by to say hi and Leo was happy to see her.  

Waiting for the parade to start.

Hans, Colvin and Stevie enjoyed the parade too, but not as much as my kids.

Time for the main attraction: Santa on top of a fire truck.

The next day my mom's friend and her granddaughter, Gia, stopped by.  She is the same age as Serafina and the kids got silly in the kitchen.

Daddy lay down

Tonight I asked Leo if he wanted mommy's milk or for daddy to lay down with him. He said, "daddy lay down." I mumbled, "are you sure?", gave him a good night kiss and went off to nurse the other baby. I've always said I would follow Leo's lead for weaning, but I guess I didn't figure it would happen so suddenly. Of course, it has only been two nights. He could easily change his mind tomorrow night. It's not like I'm going to loose my supply since baby girl eats...well, all the time. If this is the end, I know I'm going to be very sad. It is such a special time I share with him each night. Something no one else could do. I was the only one who saw him from that particular angle, held him in that particular way. He's such a busy little guy, sometimes that would be the only real chance I had to cuddle him. It's pretty amazing that from such a rough start, a long, successful, fulfilling breastfeeding relationship formed. I made it through the pain of thrush and nursing during pregnancy when my supply dried up to almost nothing. I gave him comfort when teething, after surgery and through various illnesses.

I can only hope Serafina and I share the same future because breastfeeding really is the most rewarding (and challenging) experience of my life.

Fall

It is starting to feel like fall around here. I made some zucchini bread and dressed Leo in a sweatshirt before he went outside. Of course, Tom harvested an immense amount of tomatoes today, so it is more like a California fall.

Doesn't she look peaceful and sweet? Too bad she doesn't sleep like this at night.

Leo always finds ways to entertain himself and us.

Can you guess what happens a lot around here? I guess I should be flattered he wants to be like mommy.
Some general silliness.

The first days of Fina

Wow. What an amazing couple of days. I'll give you a brief run-down and share some pictures.

Here's little Fina, fresh from the belly. Actually the birth canal. She spent a lot of time in there, just like her brother. My babies just don't want to come out on their own. Once again I had an vacuum extraction. I was very lucky that my OB happen to be coming on shift right about the time we were ready for show time. Her skill, confidence and encouragement kept us out of the operating room (even though I had to sign all the consent forms "just in case"). It was a long night with some tense moments as her heartbeat dipped. Our nurse was awesome and even stayed after her shifted ended to see us through the delivery. Serafina was delivered to my belly, all slimy, and it was wonderful. I didn't get her again for a while since she had a lot of mucus and needed quite a bit of suctioning. Tom held her first and the pure joy on his face was...well, I don't really have a word for it.


My first time holding her.
Checking for all 10 toes.
All cleaned up after her bath.
Meeting Nana for the first time.
Meeting big brother.

We were put in a shared room. I'm sure my roommate is a very nice person, but her constant chatting on the phone and cheesy music were tough to take. Luckily, both the OB and the pediatrician were comfortable discharging us after just one night and were able to come home the next day at lunch time.

Here she is all dressed for the ride home. It was a very hot day.
Arriving home to a special sign made by Leo and Nana.
Last night was rough. She's not a fan of sleeping flat on her back, but we survived it. One of the contingencies of going home early was seeing the pediatrician today. Here's her visiting the doctor outfit. The appointment was generally fine. She's dropped in weight, which is normal and is a bit yellow. We've been down this road before so we aren't overly concerned. My milk is just coming in so I'm confident we'll be on the right track very soon. We follow up with doctor on Sunday just to make sure. I nursed Leo before bed and shortly after he started he popped off to point and say "milk", so I think things are flowing. She's been latching on well since the first nursing in the delivery room. One of the nurses told me that second-time moms have a confidence that babies can sense and it usually goes smoothly. Apparently I was the talk of the nurses station because whenever a new nurse came to check on me, she said "I hear you still nurse your 23 month old."
Leo is very big on "holding baby". He asks to hold her often and once he has her, tells us "camera", so I guess he realizes it is a good photo op. His interest in her is brief. After a few minutes of holding her and pointing out body parts, he's done. He seems to be adjusting well, but tonight he was extra fussy and needy. He's a pretty adaptable kid, so I'm not too worried. Though when Nana leaves on Sunday, it may be a different story.

Leo looks like such a giant next to little Fina. It's funny and a little strange to see.
Tom gave Fina a little sun therapy. Just like Leo.

I'll try my best to keep blogging regularly. I've got a lot on my plate, but I'm just so thrilled with my little family. Fina is full of funny faces and cute noises. She's a wonder. Leo is just as awesome as always. Nana is so willing to help however she can and I'm not sure how we're going to cope without her. And Tom...well, he's super dad and the best labor coach a girl could want. I hope I remember all this love and happiness when the going gets tough. I know there will be times I feel like I am drowning, but right now, at this moment, I'm in heaven.