Five Months Old!

Michael turned five months old yesterday. (To see Megan at five months, click here.) Hard to believe! As you can tell from the picture, he was a little cranky. He's got a virus--mild fever, but nothing else at this point. He is also teething, which doesn't help him get comfy. But he's doing well. Trying hard to roll over. We are also trying to get him to soothe himself to sleep, which is definitely a challenge--Megan would drift off after nursing or a bottle, but Michael usually stays awake. We're working on it!

Megan is doing well. She requests "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" (Stevie Nicks) when we get into the car. First she just said, "Stop!" and now it's "Stop dagn muh hatround." So funny!!!!

The Alphabet According to Megan at 21 Months

Overheard while Megan was singing the alphabet song:

"...h-i-j-k-l-m-ELMO-p..."

Say it out loud. It's pretty funny.

We Are Busy!

It's been a very busy few weeks. Entering daycare meant a big-time initiation into getting sick for Michael--he had a stomach virus that kept him out for several days. Megan got an ear infection. And I got a stomach virus too, which prevented all of us from going to Baltimore for my high-school reunion. I was very disappointed about that, but it's just the way it is with kids!
Right now everyone is healthy, but I know it's only a matter of time before we start all over again. But there's no sense in worrying about it, because it will happen whether I worry or not!

The good news: Michael had a successful four-month checkup. The vital stats:

Length: 26 1/4 inches (90th percentile)

Weight 14 pounds, 2 ounces (32nd percentile)

Head Circumference: 17 inches (75th percentile)

So he's long and lean. (For reference, at four months Megan was 13 pounds, 6 ounces [49th percentile] and 25 inches long [79th percentile]. She was long and lean too!) The craziness is that Michael is now wearing nine month clothing because he is so long. Crazy! He's waking up once a night for a bottle, which the doctor is fine with because he is likely trying to put on more weight.
And as much as I'd like him to make it all night (which he has a few times), I'll take this over those first weeks anytime!

Megan continues to learn new words daily. The other night, P.C. was coming home early and I said to Megan, "Daddy's coming home early. How 'bout that?" and she said, "How 'bout that?" as clear as a bell.

I do have to say that trying to do bedtime on my own is a real challenge. Tonight, they were both tired and cranky, and while I was putting Megan to bed, Michael was screaming in his crib (where I put him so he was safe while I was putting Megan down). After I put Megan to bed and started to give Michael a bottle, Megan started screaming, so I went into Megan's room and fed Michael in the rocking chair while I sang to Megan. Finally, she settled down, and I finished feeding Michael and put him to bed. It's a real challenge, but I must say I feel so accomplished after they are both in bed!

Four Months Old!

Michael turned four months old today. He's trying to roll over, but no total success yet!

Last week was crazy. Megan had an ear infection and a stomach issue, and then Michael joined her with a nasty stomach bug. Megan is almost finished with it all, and Michael is hopefully on the upswing.

They are both changing daily--Michael in his awareness of the world, and Megan in her ability to speak in sentences. They never cease to fascinate me!

Back to Work, Viruses, and Tiny Little Miracles

I went back to work yesterday. So far, so good. Poor Michael went to daycare last week for a few "test days" of a few hours each, and ended up with a stomach virus and a cold. Ick. You know, this time around I'm trying not to worry too much about him (and Megan) getting sick. I worried with Megan, and it certainly didn't stop her! Just gotta take each thing as it comes...

Being back at work definitely makes for a very. very long day. But we'll be back in the routine eventually. And then, once we have the routine figured out, it will change again!

Michael is doing better at night. He had a few nights of sleeping from 8 a.m. until 4 or 5 a.m., which was amazing. He's had plenty of off nights too, but I'm encouraged by the good nights and feeling like there is a light at the end of the sleeping tunnel...

We had a really lovely Easter day (not that we celebrate Easter, but it just happened to be Easter Sunday). P.C. took the WHOLE day and night off--highly unusual during baseball season! First, we had breakfast at IHOP (where this nice Jewish girl forgot it was Passover and ate pancakes). We went to the Encino baseball fields, and Megan and P.C. ran the bases while I fed Michael a bottle in the stands and cheered. Then we went to a party at Gillian's house, and Megan had a blast playing and looking for eggs.

Tonight, when I was rocking Megan, we were kissing each other's cheeks, and she took my face in her hands, turned my cheek, and kissed it. I can't even describe the gratitude I felt at that moment. To be rocking my 20-month-old baby, who was only a dream a few years ago, and to have her show such sweet affection, was totally overwhelming. I know there have been and will continue to be days that test my patience and confidence as a mom, but tonight, it felt so completely satisfying. And Michael is smiling and cooing like crazy. He's another miracle, too. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Two Great Megan Moments Today

1. Megan used the potty today! Before her bath, she looked at the training potty and said "potty." I asked her if she wanted to use it, and she said yes. And then she actually peed in the potty! Woo hoo! We are ages away from being potty trained--especially since they don't start training at daycare until age 2--but it's a start!

2. While Megan was watching Elmo before bed, Michael was super-fussy (as he often is during "happy hour"). Megan looked at Michael, got down from the couch and gently put a calming hand on his head and stood and stared lovingly at him. I praised her for being so lovely and was about to get teary when she took her hand from Michael's head and poked him in the eye. So much for tenderness. :-)

First Haircut!

Megan got her first haircut on Friday (April 3). Here's a photo of her leaving Lollicuts, the children's salon. I would have taken pictures of her during the actual haircut, but she spent it on my lap, crying and saying "All done!" over and over again. It wasn't too traumatic, though--after the haircut was done, she munched two animal crackers, got a balloon, and waved on her way out.

Both kids are changing so much every day. Today, Megan picked up Gram's shoes and said, "Gram's shoes." She hit the infamous baseball toy (click here for THAT traumatic incident from a year ago) and happily yelled, "Home run!"

Michael is tolerating "tummy time" and is holding his head up pretty well (although you can't tell from this shot). He also rolled over from his back to his tummy the other night. He hasn't done it since, but he is rolling from his back to his side, so it's only a matter of time.

Above is a picture of Megan keeping Michael company while he does his "tummy time." She went into her room to get a blanket so she could lie down with him.

Here are a couple of pictures of the kids in their Adidas wear. Adidas sponsors UCLA Athletics, and Daddy went a little crazy in the ordering department. But don't they look adorable? Michael's outfit makes me giggle every time.

And here's a cute shot of Megan...just because.