Easter!!

We had a really nice Easter this year with the kids. Toomas took the big kids to the Easter vigil mass on "Easter Eve" (it was at 8:30 pm and lasted until 11 pm!). The church was dark and lit only by the candles that were held by everyone. There was a small procession outside in a single file line, with everyone holding their candles. I know from previous years that it is indeed very beautiful. I was sad to miss the mass, but I knew how long it would last and my concern was over Kaitlyn. Evan is EASY. I could have taken him for sure, but 8:30 is about Kaitlyn's bedtime and Toomas said that it was even hard for Erik to stay up *and attentive* for the whole 2.5 hours!

The kids and Toomas got home after 11 and crashed. Everyone slept in until 8:30 on Easter morning which was nice. This was just after I had fed Evan so the timing was perfect. We all headed down at about 8:45 with Evan content and sleeping.

Kaitlyn was really excited about Easter this year..but she kept forgetting her basket. She would go find a chocolate egg and just put down the previous one she had found. The Easter bunny left a few small gifts on the couch for the kids ( new underwear sets for all 4 kids, a book for Krista, a few Pokemon cards for Erik and a puzzle for Kaitlyn...and a DVD for everyone "Open Season".) It was a GORGEOUS day and we hunted outside for easter eggs after brunch. Kaitlyn was less interested in hunting outside only because she wanted to play on the swingset so badly. She had already collected her share of eggs in the house I guess. Erik and Krista had a lot of fun finding all the eggs outside...but Krista said it was "too easy"!! I guess the Easter bunny will have to step things up a bit and be sneakier next year!

We were really blessed with the gorgeous weather we had on Easter. It is STILL beautiful infact.. This is perfect for the landscapers now who are diligently working on our entry project. I'll have PLENTY more photos of that in step by step action! :)

I'm also thankful for the weather because Erik has his week long "green class" this week where they will be spending every day on a Farm this week. The weather really couldn't be nicer! Okay...I'll be back with the landscaping pictures shortly...

The Kids in the Yard and Recent Happenings...

Wow, the days are swirling by FAST! The weather has warmed up and spring is in the air. I suppose that is my excuse for not getting a post (or two) up here until today! Things have been hectic since Erik's birthday. I still have to post a recap of his group birthday party, but I'll save that for when I have a bit more time. In a nutshell it was a hit. In all he invited 7 boys (and only boys) so we decided to have it at an indoor play area (to save my sanity.... and my house). It was really great and he (and all the kids) had a blast. I have lots of pictures so stay tuned...

Things have just been so busy lately since the weather has finally taken a turn for the better. I've really been on the go non-stop. Lets see...I've mowed the lawn, high pressure cleaned each and every brick on the terrace, cleaned & brought up the patio furniture, Easter shopping, scrubbed the outdoor electric boxes (which were filthy), caught up on laundry, plus washed all of the winter coats to put in storage, hmmmm and of course all of this while nursing a growing little baby boy and chasing after Kaitlyn who has been running around in the yard in complete heaven!! Speaking of the yard...Kaitlyn got a tick yesterday. Let me tell you it isn't easy removing a tick from a 2 year old. I did manage to get most of the tick out, but there was a small trace remaining. This a.m. Toomas ran over to the local Generalist to have him take a look to see if the head was out. He said the head was removed (yay!), but there was a bit of the leg remaining and gave us a sterile needle if we wanted to try and get it out. Toomas said the doctor started to try to get the rest out, but then quickly gave up when he realized his competition. Kaitlyn is no push-over and if she doesn't want to do something, it isn't happening! He gave us a RX for a Lyme test which I may wait to do because we get SO many ticks around here. I think we probabally topped out at about 20 last season with all of us combined. It is a nightly ordeal around here doing tick checks at tubby time. Ahhh...the joys of nature! One of the downsides of haivng a forest lot, but we do love our view. I hate all of the ticks but it really goes with the terretory (literally).

And speaking of the house...BIG NEWS, our landscaper is in action!! Our entry and driveway will soon be done! I'll have a big entry on that soon...with photos of the process! We've been waiting nearly 2 years for this project so it is very exciting that it is now in motion! HOORAY!

Happy 7th Birthday to Erik!!

HAPPY SEVENTH BIRTHDAY ERIK!!!!

HAPPY 7th Birthday to my big boy Erik!! I can't believe he is seven years old today. It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating Krista's 7th Birthday! I'm so happy for Erik to be turning seven. He has matured and developed so much this year, and I am thrilled to see him mature. He entered "real" French school this year, and since that big change...it seems like there have been changes now on a daily basis! He looks so much older to me this year with his adult teeth on top..physically he is taller, stronger and leaner. He is turning into a little man now. He is such a darling, precious, smart and gentle little boy and I'm SOOOO thankful for him.

This year's birthday's theme (we always have a theme) is Pokemon. Pokemon is definately a big deal for Erik at the moment (and has been since September)..Card collecting is by far one of his favorite hobbies! Erik is such a smart little boy...always eager to learn facts or experience something new. He is also very organized and loves the idea of collecting things. He has excelled SO much in school this year as a result of his organization and discipline. I'd have to say that he is definately at the top of his class (maybe not first but not far behind!). He is only 1 of 2 students that has earned their "livre" --A book that is earned through a reward point system. The teacher gives out points to the children who excel in their daily work. After 10 points you earn a small card with a charater on it (farm animals and teddy bears mostly) and after 10 cards you earn a book (ie 100 points). One girl beat him to the first book---but he was only a few points behind and now the second child in the class to have earned his book! (Krista was the first to earn the book in her CP class by the way!!! Hard to contend with those eager girls!!). I'm very proud of how well Erik has done this year. He behaves VERY VERY well in class which isn't always easy when you are a boy full of energy! He is a very disciplined little guy---always opens his book bag when he gets home and is on top of his homework without me needing to bother him. His room is SPOTLESS! He hangs his clothes in his closet on his own, offers to help me clean up pretty often, and is generally just a WONDERFUL little guy.

Today is just GORGEOUS weather so we spent the lunch break outside on the swingset. I got some cute photos of all 4 of the kids together. I'll post those soon. Tonight Toomas will come home early from work and I'll take Erik to his favorite store to pick out a gift. I've always taken the kids alone on their special day to the store of their choice for a 10 Euro gift! It sure makes them happy to get to chose their own gift AND spend some time alone with Mommy. Erik will be in for a surprise tonight because his BIG gift is a new speed mountain bike! It is really NEAT! His current bike is really only up to 6 years maxium so he is really a giant on it! I can't wait for him to see his shiny new bike that Daddy shopped for and picked out for him. What fun that will be. After the gift opening we'll order pizza (we love our pizza around here!!!) and then have his Pokemon birthday cake! Should be a fun fun day for everyone! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY SWEET ERIK!!!! My how you've grown! Here are a few photos of Erik over the years!! Here he is over the 7 years...a photo of each birthday! :)

First Birthday 2003

Second Birthday 2004

Third Birthday 2005

Fourth Birthday 2006

Fifth Birthday 2007

Sixth Birthday 2008

Seventh Birthday 2009

Evan's 2 Month Doc's Appt. and Kaitlyn's Vaccines

Look how he's grown!!!


















Evan visited our long standing Pediatrician last week. We've been with this doctor coming up on TEN years now! The secretary is still the same, the office is still the same...in fact everything is still the same. I have a 2 (nearly 3 year old) and I'm back for monthly newborn well-baby visits. It smells oddly like 2002 all over again. Deja-vu with Krista and Erik at these SAME ages exactly. For these visits Krista and Erik are of course in school, so I just can't help but feeling 10 years younger---okay well not physically feeling (my back won't let me do that)...but feeling that I've been thrown back in time with Krista and Erik duplicates. Kaitlyn is a darker haired Krista and Evan is a lighter complexion version of Erik. Evan is also a well rounded little baby, just as my little Erik was at this age. At home when I pull out the old photo albums it seems SO odd to see Krista and Erik at these same ages...Often Kaitlyn is wearing a dress or outfit that Krista wore in the pictures. Poor little Kaitlyn sees the baby, the outfit and sreams "It's ME!"...I'm sure she feels a bit confused to see herself in those photos---in a different back yard, a different kitchen, a different decade! She is sure however, that it IS indeed her in those old photos and the baby is indeed Mommy with baby Evan.

Okay...back on track. We had our well baby visit last week and TWO rounds of vaccines for both Kaitlyn and Evan. Kaitlyn had her MMR booster and the first of the Hep B series. Evan had the new Infanrix Quinta which boasts SIX vaccines in one--hep B, Hib, Polio, tetanus, pertussus and diptheria all in one! He also had a round of Prevnar. He did really well with the first of his first shots..He didn't even cry for the Infanrix, but he did SCREAM for the Prevnar. Evidently it really burns to administer. I nursed him afterwards and he calmed down easily. When we got home I gave him a paracetamol suppository. About 5-6 hours post injection he developed a bright red, raised and warm spot around the injection site for the Infanrix. It was HOT to touch and he was in a lot of pain. I gave him a second round of paracetamol and applied ice to his leg for about a half hour. I had set my alarm for 4 hours to give him more paracetamol but it didn't go off!! Imagine my surprise when I woke up 7 hours and 30 minutes later to a sleeping Evan!! He is in the bassinet next to my bed so I peeped in and he was snoozing away. I did wake him because I was bursting at the seams to feed him and he ate and went back to bed. In the morning he wa 100% himself and the leg redness was gone. That was his BIGGEST sleep ever and since the vaccine he has done 6 or 7 hour nights consistantly. I'm wondering if it was a sleep vaccine! He did great though and hopefully it will go as smoothly next month for the same shots.

On the weight front Evan is very big. Our doctor actually said he has NEVER seen such a weight gain in such a short amount of time. Evan gained TWO kg in 6 weeks even. YES, TWO kg!!! He went from 4400 grams to 6400 grams in only 6 weeks. This is about a pound a week. He just really took off and the doctor showed me that he is outside the chart now. He said the breastfeeding is really a huge success...but he did seem a little amazed by the enormous weight gain. He hinted at it being TOO MUCH...Oh well what can I do. I feed on demand and that is why I have the good milk supply that I have. Evan WAS eating every 3-4 hours around the clock for most of that month though so now that he is doing 7 hour (+) stretches at night I'm sure the gain will slow a bit and he'll fall back in the normal range!! :) He has now grown 6 cm also (he was 59 cm at the appt). He looked healthy as can be and is a real little charmer now...talking, smiling and laughing even *the laughiing started this weekend!

Kaitlyn did really well also ONCE she had her clothes off. It took both Toomas and the doctor to undress her!!! She screamed!! Once she had her clothes off she sat amazingly still on the examining table and watched those shots go right into her arm as if she were mezmerized by the proceedure itself. The doctor commented on how she didn't even move one single centimeter..This may be due to the fact that the secretary, upon hearing her crying brough in a huge bowl of gummy candy that Kaitlyn got to hold during the shots. On a down note her eczema seemed to kick into full gear again after the shots. The doctor put bandaid over both shots and we didn't remove them that night because she was afraid to do so..in the morning when I took them off she had raised red bandaid marks on her arms from where she reacted to the adhesive. It is still there over a week later. She also had some patches on the back of her leg and was scratching a lot. Kaitlyn has always had these reactions after her shots.. I was hoping with age it would be better...and infact it is a bit better. She had a much stronger reaction at her 12 and 18 month boosters.
















So that is the doc's update for this month.... Look how much Evan has grown!! I've posted a picture of him in his tubby at home for the first time (1 week old) and now a photo from last week (2 months). What a change. I'm afraid the days are now numbered for this little tubby!!!

Krista's Regional Competition

Krista is now more than 1/2 way through her Duo season with Charlotte! I can't believe it is going so fast! They are doing well for being (by far) the youngest in their category. Here they are doing their routine for the Regional competition. They were up against some 12 year olds!! They came in third and received medals and got to go up on the podium. Next compeition is on April 5th (about 2.5 hours from here). If they come in 1st place there they will be going to the French National compeition. GO GIRLS!!!

Also here are a few pictures of Krista in her competition leotard..It is really beautiful---and was embellished by her trainer...which took MONTHS to complete! :) Thanks Iza!

Enjoy the video!

I love this song!

I just wanted to post this video because I FINALLY found out who sings this song and the name of it. "Je ne veux qu'elle" by Marc Lavoine. I just LOVE their voices together....so amazing! I have heard this song SO many times over the last few years and I have been so anxious to find out who sings it! Hooray, at last I know! The video was amazing also...such a neat idea about paths crossing. Very cool!

Smile!!!

Here's the happy boy!

Mama's little SWEETIE Pie!!

I LOVE my little Evan... I just can't get enough of this little guy!! Look at those big puppy dog eyes! Come on...Aaaaawwww :) I have a strong feeling this little boy is going to get EVERYTHING he wants from his Mommy. How could you say No to that face?! These were from last week *8 weeks old*.

I have been slacking a bit on the blog and have quite a few posts to catch up on so bear with me. I have some pictures I just adore for today so I'll post these first. Upcoming posts will be following! I already have 3 in mind: Evan's 2 month doctor's appointment from Friday, Krista's Regional Gymnastics Competition and a video of Evan cooing and smiling! Stay tuned! I'll be back with more :)

Evan is TWO Months Old Today!

Oh my how time is flying...and all the better that way! Life is good with Evan. All the hard work of the newborn days is paying off...he is smiling, SLEEPING and generally being a great little, laid back man! This month was a great one in the social front. He loves seeing Krista or Erik's face and will always light up for them. It is precious! He is most smiley in the mornings after he has slept. I love the quiet time with him full of precious exchanges in the wee hours of the morning when the house is quiet.

He is also sleeping more and more with each passing day. This past week he went for two 6 hour (plus) stretches. One night was 6:15 minutes and the other was just over six. How do I know this so precicely? Well my Itzbeen told me so. I'll save that for another post. Anyway, he is a SLEEPER. Hooray for sleepers! I've never really had a sleeper this early on so I'm just thrilled (and rested!). Evan has his 2 month pediatrician appt this Friday so we'll see about his length, but I can already tell you that he's broken the 6 kg mark. I can't belive he is continuing to gain so quickly!

I also started (just last week) something that I've NEVER done before with the previous 3 kiddos... a pacifier. Why? Well it is based on two factors. The first is that sometimes I just am NOT available as his pacifier. This is mostly when I have to wake him to pack him and Kaitlyn in the car to get the kids from school or Krista to the gym. I always feed him before we set off on an errand so I know he isn't hungry, but he just wants to suck to get back to sleep or settle down. When I'm driving I am completely helpless. Instead of letting the little man cry it out I decided to try a pacifier. Did it work? Well answer to the question is one word--- MAGIC!! It worked like a charm. So now I never leave the house without it. I actually went to the basement to my stash of baby supplies from 10 years ago! I had a set of unused Avent pacifiers that were purchased in Germany when they still used Deutch Marks! They were 6-12 month size but I just wanted to try it out to see if it would be a hit before I bought a smaller size. So yesterday we took a trip to our baby store and bought some 0-6 month sized Nuk and Avent pacifiers, and a clip for the carseat to attach it to. I've NEVER had a pacifier baby so this is all new to me (and a little fun). I have to admit he looked darn cute with his pacifier in his mouth..a real poster baby!

The second reason for me introducing the pacifier is that he is HUGE. The boy is literally off the weight charts for his age (okay he's still on the chart but BARELY at 97%!!). He is 6,050 grams as of mid week (over 13 lbs ). He is gaining like a champ (over 5 pounds already) and a little pacifier time won't hurt him one bit. I'm NOT planning on it becoming a bad habit for him, but rather just a fill-in for the car or other times when I'm not available as a human pacifier :) A 4th time Mom needs the occaional "crutch" for sure.

Okay well here are a few recent pics of our mini-Man. Stay tuned for an update from his pediatric visit on Friday.

Look Who's Blogging!!!

Gotta check out the hottest, latest 9 year old blog!!!

Teddy Bear Spa!!!

Yes, Krista Marie has her OWN blog! She loves doing it and is very talented. She is asking for a camera for her birthday and an external hard drive! She has the old laptop in her room but needs storage space for all those photos she's planning on taking. Just you wait until June...her blog will be MUCH better than mine! :)

Krista and Evan--A great big sister!

Just a few shots of the eldest and youngest!!! It is really great having a 9 year old around to rock Evan. She loves it too...just as long as he doesn't throw up on her. SHE HATES THAT! She also loves pushing his stroller...a girl's dream come true! And who wouldn't love staring down at that little face all bundled up in his stroller?!.

Visit with Sharon and kids!!

We had a fun afternoon with Sharon and the crew! Can't believe when I met Sharon way back in '99 that we only had ONE child between the two of us (She was very pregnant with Ronnie) and NOW we have 7 kids between the two of us! What a crew!

My little love..

I just love this sweet sleeping face!! Here's my little man today at 7.5 weeks. One of my favorite pics of him...It just captures who he is.

Great news on the communication front...As I mentioned, Evan has been smiling since 5 weeks but nothing "magical" yet, you know, just the occasional smile and grin. Well today he woke up and hasn't stopped smiling :) We played for a good hour, just talking at smiling at one another...he is also vocalizing so much now too. A lot of "Aaahhs" and such. It is SO fun!

1 Month Update

----Considering we're already 1/2way through, we better get going on the 1 Month Update. At One Month Evan is a precious little man!! He is growing absolutely faster than the wind at the moment, and it continues to amaze me how quickly he is changing. This morning when I weighed him he was 5,660grams. So in pounds this is roughly 12 1/2 lbs. In only 6weeks he has gained over 4 pounds (2,160 kg in 6 weeks!!!!). Pretty amazing to me that this is possible!!! Socially he is maturing as well, although the smiles aren't coming as much as I'd like!! He started with the occasional smile at 5 weeks on the dot, and has been smiling more and more since then; however he isn't what I would call a "smiley" baby yet. Kaitlyn and Erik were both SMILEY, SMILEY little babies from 4 weeks onwards and I was hoping for a repeat! Of course he is still a little charmer with his sweet faces and engaging stare...and I'll more than gladly settle for the occasional grin! What Evan DOES love to do is stand up and talk.Yup, ever since he was 5 weeks old he has decided that when he is awake, standing is a lot more fun than lying down. He LOVES when I hold him up and he puts pressure on his legs. I know that he probabally shouldn't put too much pressure on his legs just yet, but he WANTS to. He flexes his little legs and gets SO excited when he knows he is standing on his own. He purses his little lips and coos in delight! In respect to feedings...well this is still a persistant and frustrating issue. He eats about every 2.5 or 3.5 hours during the day and about every 3-4.5 hours at night. He always has one 4.5 hour stretch at night which is great. He is STILL a VERY LOUD NURSER. He makes all sorts of clicks and slurping sounds... and for the life of me I can't figure out why he isn't latching properly. It had been suggested to me that with time this would improve but at 6 weeks (almost 7) he still is a LOUD, messy nurser. And with this loud nursing, he gets a lot of air in his tummy, has a lot of gas and throws up quite a bit. Some of his spitting I could classify as "projectile" vomiting, but since he is growing so well there is nothing to do! He is growing like a champ and that is the bottom line as far as any of the lactation consultants or the pediatrician is concerned. I'm constantly frustrated with this bad latch, but as long as he is growing I can't really complain. Hopefully he will start to latch on better soon so I can nurse without all of the sound effects and all of that air.. OTHERWISE, things are going really well. Everyone loves him so much and he is really just a very sweet little boy. I can't wait to see more of his personality as the weeks progress!!