Belly Cast!

Tonight was Belly Cast night! I think we've learned something after the 3rd time doing this.. The most accurate way to really see the belly probably would have been to stand.. so anyone out there planning on doing this eventually.. stand up. It works fine sitting, but I think everything might be a little more spread out, but that's the way we started back in 2005, so that's the way we finished!
That being said, there is a DEFINITE difference between the three kids as you are about to see. This baby is like a torpedo compared to Caden and Cole! A much bigger shelf to catch crumbs on that is for sure! I thought I was ginormous, and I have now just proven it! I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing!

Our three kids - Caden, Cole and Baby C#3

Caden closest, Baby C#3 farthest...check out the distance on that one!

Baby C#3 closest, Caden farthest

Baby Appointment - 37 Weeks!

Wow! only 3 weeks left! The heart rate today was around 135... nothing like a consistent kid! I think that has been the heart rate every appointment for at least the past 5! Otherwise the head is in the pelvis, but when I asked her if the baby had dropped, she didn't really say, just that the head could go up and down still.. not very informative! The baby is laying with it's back on my right side, a position which tends to go posterior..meaning back labor like Caden's long labor :( The good news is that Cole was in this same position at this time, and he had a speedy labor and was not backwards... so really I think this means nothing! It was also the same midwife that told me Cole was most likely to go backwards, so I won't get worked up about it. She did say since the last labor was 3 hours start to finish I need to call as soon as I think I am in labor, and even if I'm not ready when I get there they probably won't send me home since the last time was so quick and it could progress rapidly at any time. That I will listen to because I really do not want to have a baby in the bathroom.. or on the side of the road!

Other than the baby appointment, household updates are that Caden is sick with the sniffles,and when he gets the sniffles his eyes water like crazy. He is the worst patient ever complaining about every last thing. If Cole looks at him he sets off in tears. Speaking of Cole, he has become hilarious, even more so than I already thought he was! He thinks everything is funny and is constantly cackling to himself! He also loves to try and scare you.. jumping out and yelling with his hands up. Quite comical! He is also into messes, the past two days he has taken every board game off of the shelf opened the box and dumped the contents. Caden just says "Mom.. he's doing it AGAIN!" He also has some massive temper tantrums where he kicks or throws every toy in site. If it is too heavy he gets even more mad and worked up. He sweeps everything off of the table, and if something he throws doesn't go far enough, he picks it up and chucks it again. While we shouldn't laugh, we do behind our hands because to watch him be so irrational really is quite funny! Although something we'd like to break the habit of quite quickly!

Tooth Extraction....

Ouch is the first thing I think of when I hear those words.. "My poor baby Caden" is what I think of when I hear this from Rob after Caden's visit to the dentist.

Rewind to June of 2007 when Cole was less than 1 week old and my confidence of being a Mother of two was thrown out with the bath water when Caden flipped out of an umbrella stroller smashing his face on the driveway. He made it through with a minute chip, and a slight discoloration of his tooth. They were able to polish the tar off of his teeth (I'm not kidding his teeth were black! how they weren't broken completely out of his mouth is beyond us!) and he gave himself a frenectomy (the attachment between the top lip and the top gums) which they said he would've needed if he hadn't had the accident.

Now fast forward to today when apparently the tooth has abscessed, and in order for it not to effect the permanent tooth growing behind it, he has to have it pulled :( The worst part is that Caden already hates the dentist, I'm not even sure hate is a strong enough word! I guess maybe the wrong word? Terrified? Rob took him today and he cried pretty much through the entire visit. While Caden has grown in so many ways in the past 6 months or so becoming so much more brave in many situations, he has not grown out of his fear of the dentist! Anyway! They found a pimple type bump on his gums above the bumped tooth so had to force him to get an x-ray, where they found the abscess. We always knew this could happen, but had sort of forgotten about it, since it's been almost 2 years, and thought we were in the clear.

So as of right now on February 19th (YES!! My due date!) Caden has an appointment to have his tooth pulled. We will try to reschedule it for sooner, but Rob has to check his plan book, to see where he can fit in another day off.. I would bring him and go in late to work, but I CANNOT be there and see him in that state, as much as I want to be able to be there to hold him and comfort him the entire time. Especially if they are unable to use nitrous oxide and they have to use "conscious sedation" ugh.. My stomach has been in knots all day worrying about it! I guess we should consider ourselves lucky, both boys have been extremely healthy, and had no major accidents up to this point, so really a pulled tooth is nothing!

Good thing Caden has started learning to skate, because soon he will look the part as a hockey player with his missing tooth! Or perhaps we need to move farther north in New Hampshire where missing teeth is more the norm! I kid, I kid! I'm just trying to make light of the situation.. supposedly adults take more notice than kids, but I still worry that kids will think he's a weirdo! I've heard and read they become cool because they've already lost a tooth which is a big deal and means you're "a big kid".. who knows, I guess we'll find out soon! Stay tuned, because you'll hear all about it.. and of course see pictures of our little jack-o-lantern.

Top Bunk!

We have succeeded in getting Caden to be a top bunk guy!! We realized the only way Caden was going to sleep in the top bunk would be if he had a sleep over.. I told him when the baby comes Grammy is going to stay with us while Mommy was at the hospital, didn't he want her to sleep in his bunk beds instead of on the floor on an air mattress? He thought that was a great idea, but I had to remind him that Grammy was too old to be on the top bunk (sorry Mom!) so he was going to have to be on the top. He seemed agreeable. But before the big day we figured we'd better try it out.. so last night Rob had a sleep over in the bottom bunk. At 6'4" in a 6'6" bed it wasn't the best sleep he's had, but he he can't complain because he went to bed at 8 o'clock! so any sleep lost in discomfort he made up for! He said he was going to come downstairs after Caden fell asleep.. but sleeping beauty himself fell asleep and never woke up in time to get some evening time in!

Tonight Caden is back in the top bunk!! With hardly a word.. he did want me to sleep over tonight, but I told him I couldn't since I had to work in the morning and I wouldn't hear my alarm to wake up and I would get in trouble. He seemed okay with that answer. We did bring up his two stuffed dogs to sleep with him along with Angel who made a reappearance last night. For anyone who doesn't know Angel is Caden's comfort object, which he has for the most part abandoned. She came out when he made the move to the bunk beds from his other bed, and now for the top bunk.

I took a few pictures although you can't really see much, but figured since I went through the trouble to take them at 1AM when I went to bed I should include them! The last picture was taken today.. and I just had to include it even though it has nothing to do with the bunk beds.. because I love it! I also should add these pictures were taken in the pitch black with my new speedlight flash! Notice no shadows? Bounce photography is THE BEST!

The big blue lump is Rob in the bottom bunk

Sweet Slumber

My boys!!

Skating!

Saturday we went to the rink for Caden's first skating lesson with his friend Cole S. Cole's aunt is going to be teaching the boys to skate! Unfortunately due to car trouble, they couldn't make it.. but it worked out fine just to get Caden on the ice and feel what it was going to be like. You can see from the first 2 pictures, Caden held on for dear life!! He was still excited, but as expected a bit apprehensive! And you can probably tell that Rob's back had a bit of a crick by the end of the afternoon!

After the first lap Caden decided he wanted to put his snow pants on... He didn't want them in the beginning, we tried. So once he was all geared up the went out for the 2nd lap (each lap probably took 10-15 minutes!) For the second lap Caden had started getting his rink legs, and didn't need to hold on for dear life anymore! He skated around just holding Rob's hands, and by the second half of the lap he was able to skate in front of Rob.

On to the third and final lap Caden insisted Rob let go of him!! And he didn't want any assistance when he fell. Until he felt how cold the ice is without mittens on that is!! We were so proud that Caden was so brave! As many of you know he is generally slow to warm up to new situations, so his instant love and excitement for skating was very gratifying! He still has a long way to go before he'll be skating on his own, but so far he is making great progress.

Next week if all goes well he and Cole S. will have their lesson together! Right now we are just renting skates from the rink, but now that we know he likes it if he continues to like it we'll get him some hockey skates.. he doesn't use the toe pick now, so hopefully it'll be an easy switch.

36 Week Belly Photos! - Checking for Drop!

I think we've grown a bunch in the last 2 weeks!! But I'm not sure if the baby has dropped yet or not.. I feel like the shelf is sloping more downward this week, but who knows. I included the 34 Week picture among the comparisons so you can form your own opinion! I do think all three belly pictures at this timepoint look the same though!
All is well, we're just waiting now! Trying to figure out what we need to do to get ready, avoiding packing the hospital bag!. We've got all of the gender neutral clothes washed as well as all the blankets, towels and bassinet sheets. AND! all the carseat, swing, bouncy seat, etc. covers are ready to go! We've been doing LOTS of laundry.

34 Week Baby Belly

36 Week Baby Belly

Cole's 36 Weeks Baby Belly

Caden's 36 Week Baby Belly

Shelter

It is good to know we are good charitable people, allowing strangers to take shelter in our house on this freezing cold day! Here are a few pictures of our houseguest...


We have tried on multiple occasions for Ivy to see our new little friend so she can fulfill part of her purpose in life (aside from being a wonderfully soft cuddle kitten!), but each time we see the mouse she is no where to be found.. we bring her into the room, and the mouse stays hidden. Apparently her sniffer isn't' working well! Maybe we should show her one of these pictures and she'll realize there is a scent in the air! She's an excellent bug catcher, and she's caught a couple mice in the past.. we're hoping she won't fail us now! As a back up we got some mouse traps (safe for kids don't worry!) Until then we'll be sharing the family room with our furry new friend.

Fun Friday

Our pipes freezing for the second time probably wouldn't be considered fun (the first time was 2 weeks ago when we woke up on New Year's Day). However we got the heat back up and running in no time flat since we are now expert defrosters!

The fun part was Uncle Brian and Becky visiting! They were in the area at a tack store (that's horse speak, not office supplies!) and were able to stop in for some play time with the boys and some dinner (it was preplanned, they didn't just show up with empty bellies!) They did a great job of tiring out the boys, making bedtime really easy! Hopefully it'll last into the morning and they'll let us sleep in! Check out Cole snuggled up to Uncle Brian getting his second.. or third wind!

Baby Appointment - 34 Weeks 5 Days!

All is well! Heart rate is around 130. The midwife assures me we are not having a ginormous baby.. yet anyway. We are measuring normally. I feel as though I am carrying around a piglet! She says with each successive baby our tolerance level decreases.. I'm sorry, but there is no way I felt this way with Caden or Cole! It is NOT my tolerance, unless my stomach and bladder are completely empty, walking around is pure agony! This baby is definitely sitting differently than the boys I don't care what anyone says! It's too early to feel this way! Anyway.. no more complaining.. at least until the next appointment or belly pictures post!! Seriously I feel like a wuss!

An older woman at my work told me I must be having a girl, because the misery has already started! Do you think she is partial to boys?!

Sunday Sledding!

Sunday's snow brought lot's of sledding fun with the Sevin Family! Although it was pretty chilly out for little Rudolph-the-Red-Nose-Cole-Bear! You'll see why we dubbed him that in the photos! The snow was too deep for Cole to have any fun other than being pulled around in the sled, he got too frustrated when he tried to walk, until we brought him onto the road, then he took off running, kicking any potential snowball that crossed his path! Caden and Cole S. had lots of fun sledding, they found that the snowtube and flying saucer definately gave them the most speed down the hill. As always Rob had to build a wall 'o snow to keep the kids from flying into the road! He and Brendan had fun sledding with the kids, but there are already discussions in finding a real sledding hill which would be more fun for them! I think they forget that this is the perfect size for the 3 year olds to walk up themselves! Although sledding more than 5 seconds down our front yard might be worth the extra work of pulling the kids back up a big hill! Enjoy the pictures of our day in the snow!

Cole loved swatting at the snow, making it fly up in the air.. until the wind blew it back in his face at least!

Charlotte reaches for Cole... help! we gotta get out of this crazy snow gear!

Kowabunga! Caden flies down the hill!

Cole S. flies after him... I must say, Cole's hat makes me smile everytime I see him!

Caden checks to make sure the coast is clear

Cole gives the best smile his frozen little lips can muster!

Rob takes Cole on a quick walk to keep him from getting too bored watching the big kids

Whoohooo!! They liked going at the same time so they could crash at the bottom!....Boys!

Cole gets to try out the speed of the hill.. Mommy just can't pull fast enough!

They crashed into the wall 'o snow, and Cole got covered! Look what Daddy did to me!

Cole heads for the driveway.. I'm outta here!

34 Week Baby Belly

34 Weeks! Well, we all know the baby would be fine if he/she was born now.. look at me! haha! that is when I was born.

It's hard to believe only 6 weeks to go!! Well.. maybe for you! Not for me! I feel like I'm going to drop this kid any second! Ugh! Totally out of commission! I didn't feel this way with the boys until a couple days before I delivered, actually Cole was early enough I never felt this way! But hopefully the kidd-O stays in a bit longer for all the schedules to align with maternity leave and Rob getting out of school! Plus! I really like February's birthstone! Amethyst! it matches the boys birthstones better than January's Garnet!

34 Week Baby Belly

34 Week Cole Belly

34 Week Caden Belly

Success!!

Last night all four of us slept a full nights sleep! Well, except for about 3 bathroom breaks by me.. but not a peep from Cole! Hopefully I haven't spoken too soon! 2 nights wasn't bad! Good thing our new habits only happened for about 2 or 3 weeks! I've heard of many "ferberizing" that lasted quite awhile.. not only in days it took, but as well as the number of hours of crying. No fun..

I don't necessarily believe or I should say we've never had to go through the steps of ferberizing a baby from night time awakenings. Thankfully Rob is great and by the time the kids were 8 months old we decided they didn't need the night-time feedings so Rob would go in as comfort so I wouldn't be there as a tease with the milk-supply. They soon learned that Daddy had nothing for them as far as food goes and both boys began sleeping through the night within weeks with no tears involved. Hopefully it'll be that easy with new baby!

13-10-1-...

Nope.. not a locker combination... how long Cole cried last night! When we (meaning Rob who does the dirty work!) At 1:47AM Cole woke up, after a quick hug and stating that it was night-night time Cole cried for 13 minutes.. Hooray! This was going so well!! Until 10 minutes later when he began crying again... same reassurance from Dad, and 10 minutes of crying. A few minutes later it began again! Repeat of Good ole Dad, and one minute later the crying ceased... except the one minute of crying repeated in one minute intervals for at least 7 or 8 cycles.. I ended up losing track. But the next thing I remember is waking up to no crying and a sleeping Cole. Overall he was up for a little over an hour.. but at least he slept 'til 7:45! All that crying will wear you out! and I'm surprised he doesn't have a sore throat from all the screaming! We'll see how tonight goes! Thankfully he doesn't hold grudges and he's happily playing this morning!

No One Year Olds Allowed...

Rob had some work to do outside today, gathering up branches that had fallen during the ice storm and making a brush pile in the garden to get a burn permit sometime in the near future so as to burn those and a large collection of other branches and brush we've gathered over the past year or more. Caden got bundled up in his snow gear to "help". Meanwhile Cole went and got his boots and put them on... but when they left without him.. well, you can see how he felt about that! I missed the picture where he was kneeling against the door pressed against it banging! Once he got over being mad he followed them from window to window as they walked around the house dragging branches to the backyard. It really was sad! But while the big kids were out we played cars and tools and even fit in some grilling and kitchen play time before they came back in, all without Caden pushing Cole aside deciding he was playing with it first! But boy was he excited to see them come back!

Wait for meeeee!! Come baaaack!

Cole points to Rob and Caden out the window.. hey, what are they doing out there without me?!

35 minutes...

35 minutes may not sound like a very long time, but when it is loud screaming and crying being emitted from a 19-month old in the early morning hours it seems like a lifetime. Is it called ferberizing when its a toddler?

It all started a few weeks ago when Cole was waking up around 5. No harm done, he didn't want to go back in his crib so we brought him into our bed.. being lazy we didn't want to get up just yet. It wasn't every day so how bad could it be? Well.. 5 o'clock turned into 4 o'clock, into 3 o'clock into.... finally it was becoming more than an occasional wake-up, more of an everyday thing anytime between 1AM and 4AM... We came to our senses pretty early on and decided with the new baby coming we shouldn't do the bed thing.. we'd just bring him down to the couch, since even dead asleep on our shoulder in the rocking chair he would not transition back to his crib without waking up and wanting (screaming) to be held again. So downstairs we'd go.. I should say Rob would go.. I did contribute a few shifts, but it was difficult with the baby sitting on the bladder and needing frequent position changes. Needless to say we weren't helping the situation, as Cole was still sleeping with/on one of us for part of the night, transitioning him back into his crib at some point.. but sound asleep.

Last night after an hour and a half on the couch, then bringing Cole back upstairs to his crib and Cole waking up and crying to be held again.. Rob decided that it was time to cut the cord. He would check in on him every 10 minutes or so (at my request to tell him we loved him and weren't abandoning him, but it was time to sleep!... I would have done it myself but I would have picked him up.. I'm a sucker!) he at last stopped screaming bloody murder and slowed to a few whines then fell asleep. That was finally at 4:30. At 5:30 he woke up again, but I brought him downstairs, turned on all the lights and made sure we were not going to catnap!

So I am sure we'll have a few more nights of this, hopefully not more.. and I feel so bad for other parents who have done this, as I am sure 35 minutes is short comparatively to other experiences.

Thankfully Caden is a great sleeper and slept through the whole ordeal. Caden wasn't much of a good sleeper when he was a baby, and needed to be held to go to sleep, but once he finally slept through the night at 9 months he's rarely woken up since unless he was sick, had to go to the bathroom or his covers came off. Cole on the other hand was an excellent sleeper as a baby! In fact he probably slept 80% of his first 3 months of life! He also didn't sleep through the night until 9 months, but they were quick and easy wake-ups. Since then he hasn't been horrible, but we definitely go through occasions of a couple weeks at a time where he'll wake up at night, before he would always "grow out of it" this time though it was only getting worse!

So good luck to us! Let's hope he's sweet dreaming soon!

Oh.. and Happy New Year everyone! We don't do the resolution thing, since we can't keep them.. so I can't be very inspiring on that front!