Pics of Arlan...

Here's our little monkey. He's getting big, and is spending more of his time awake during the day, which is nice. He is liking this bouncy chair, and is starting to kick his legs a bit while in it. His favourite place to sleep is the bassinet, which is GREAT, and the car seat is #2, which is also great. This pic is Arlan having a snooze outside yesterday morning. I also tried to get a couple shots of his smiles ... they didn't capture quite as well as I would've liked, but here they are. And of course, with his big brother who is helping him keep his soosie in his mouth :-) Landon is quite the helper these days, which is wonderful for mommy (as long as mommy keeps a VERY close eye...heh heh).

Summerstock

Landon had a fun time on Thursday. First, we went to the airport to get Jenay - which in itself was very exciting. Then we took the c-train downtown -- even MORE exciting. Once there we had a picnic supper and watched Danika in GREASE. It was lots of fun. Mostly Landon just ran around the grass, he was a dirty monkey by the time we got home. Arlan, as usual, was wonderful -- he hung out in the stroller for the first 45 minutes or so, then had a snack, then was quiet the rest of the time on mommy's shoulder. As long as we have a soosie he's usually pretty darned happy!

Loving my cousins

Landon had so much fun with his cousins...he got to show off his new sandbox, and run around squealing with Izzy. Plus Aunty Liz read lots of stories to the kids too, which Landon really enjoyed as well. He's still trying to catch up on his sleep, but he had a fun 4 days with Thomson and Isabel, that's for sure!!

hot days of August

We have been having some nice hot weather here ... Uncle Rob would enjoy Calgary weather this week if he felt it wasn't hot enough last week! We've been managing to keep the house fairly cool, thankfully. Gotta love how the evenings cool down here.

We have brought our bassinet up to our room now, and Arlan has slept in there the past 2 nights. The first night was a bit rough ... he was up twice to eat, and now that I'm used to only one overnight meal that was hard on me!! LOL But last night he slept until 5 am for his snack ... although I bounced out of bed about half a dozen times to check on him over the course of the night. But he snacked and then went back to sleep nicely until 9 am. It's nice to have our bed back - we can roll around and no worries about laying on Arlan or waking him up by our movements. He naps in there too in the afternoons, although in the mornings and evenings I usually have him outside with us (it's so beautiful out these days - and he doesn't sleep that long then anyways, usually only 45 minutes or so). He's SO different than Landon was at this age!! LOL He cries a lot louder than Landon did too....

We went to watch a friends daughter in Summerstock downtown on Thursday -- she was in GREASE. It was very good, although our seat was on the grass off to the side, so our view wasn't always that great, plus we were taking turns chasing Landon around. We had a surprise too with Jenay needing a pick-up from the airport on her arrival from Korea -- we picked her up and dragged her along to the play too. We rode downtown on the c-train which Landon LOVED!! But by the time we got home we were all bagged, and the house was boiling hot to boot. ugh But we got ourselves cooled off and in bed and saved our sanity (now remember, that's the night Arlan was up twice, so I was still plenty tired yesterday!! heh heh).

Jenay was here for a few hours yesterday morning before being whisked off by her family ... she's back in Canada for a wedding this month, but hopefully we'll get a chance to see her once more on her way back out. That's our benefit for living so close to the airport -- people really have to search for an excuse NOT to see us when flying into or out of Calgary!! Ha Ha

Other than that, we've just been enjoying the weather. Landon is still having trouble settling down for his naps, although it's getting a bit better. We're working on getting him settling down better at night too, although that's taking longer. I usually stand in his room reminding him to close his eyes and relax and take deep breaths... Last night he was doing nice deep breaths, and on his exhale he asks me to 'siiiiiiiiing soooooooongs' I couldn't answer for several minutes because I was laughing so hard! But he's getting better sleeps again (finally) and hopefully we'll get him rested up and back on routine soon. He'd better, Allison is coming for a visit this weekend!! LOL

And even better news -- Aunty Yvonne is coming to visit too, next weekend (22 - 25). Very excited to see her. I can't wait to introduce little baby Arlan. Grandma L will be jealous of aunty's visit I'm sure - she's wanting to come up for a visit again too but that darned harvesting thing is interfering. Ah well ... hopefully they'll be able to make it up if there's any lull in the activity, or else very shortly after harvest is done. Little Arlan is just a-growin!! Which reminds me...I should get some pics uploaded, so I'll quit typing now! until next time...

Returning to normal ... ahhhhh

We are getting back to normal again, I think. At least I feel more normal. Likely to do with getting this mastitis under control (no more pain, just another 6 days of antibiotics!!). Plus I got some clothes washed and we had a good sleep last night, and yada yada yada. Oh yeah, and having my first full day with the boys and no John under my belt, so I know I'll survive it now (although it might not always be fun).

This morning we got our trees and flowers watered, and the pool set up for Landon in the backyard. I'm using his old turtle sandbox for a pool as the blow-up pool has sprung so many leaks it's time to retire it. He helped me lots, and Arlan squawked and squawked until he finally had a snooze in the car seat outside. That was nice because then Landon and I could have a picnic lunch out on the grass.

Landon has been plenty cute these days. He's loving the orange kitty that Grandma Pat sent to Arlan. So much so that he treats it like his baby. He tells me the kitty is crying, then wraps it up, puts it in the bassinet to sleep, and will even feeds the kitty by holding it up to his chest. Cracks me up and melts my heart. Today Landon told me he loved Arlan *so Sweet* heh heh Don't know if he understands the full meaning, but at least he has a positive attitude towards Arlan. He also wants to see Arlan lots (as Arlan still sleeps so much, I think Landon wants to check that he's still alive or something) and today wanted to hold Arlan. Last night he even tried to pick Arlan up out of the bassinet!!!!! Thankfully we were right there, and Landon isn't nearly strong enough to pick Arlan up anyways! *sigh*

I had my post-partum check-up today -- all is healed up and good. No signs of thrush or yeast infections (from antibiotics) which is good. Arlan introduced himself by having a HUGE crap in the doctor's office ... thank gawd I had a change of clothes there for him. Nice, hey? heh heh

So I'm off to try to get Landon to nap now that Arlan is down. I'm sure Arlan will wake up as soon as Landon goes down...that IS the way isn't it? I am tempting fate though, as I've put Arlan down in his crib :-/ We'll just see how the day goes ... after all, John will be home in 3 hours, what can go so wrong in three hours (DON'T answer that....it's rhetorical!). Until next time....

My house is peaceful again ...

Liz, Rob and the kids left yesterday morning for Saskatoon. They were here a day longer than anticipated thanks to Hertz providing such ridiculously poor service when they went to pick up their car on Sunday morning. So Landon got one more day to play with his cousins - which he took full advantage of. Landon and Izzy were too priceless -- they'd run and chase and squeal to no end. Thomson wasn't too interested in playing with Landon ... I guess he's just too small for him ... he'd usually be complaining about how Landon wasn't playing right (i.e. tattling on their hiding locations while playing hide-n-seek, or not building the train tracks right, etc). In a few more years they'll likely figure it out. But Landon LOVED having his cousins here -- holy moly! So much excitement for one little boy. I think by tomorrow we may have his routine back ... it's been a bit mucky as far as sleep schedules and meals go, but we're getting there.

Arlan's doing pretty well. His sleep was quite disturbed too with all the ruckus going on, but I think he's bounced back all right (since he didn't have a schedule to begin with, who's to really know??). But he's eating like a piggy, and gassy as can be :-/ I have mastitis and am on antibiotics, which I think are upsetting his poor tummy even more than it usually is. But his pooping seems to be getting more regular and less frequent, which makes it easier for us to deal with his poor upsets. He's having a good sleeping day today - which is a blessing!!! (Landon too - he's napping, something he refused to do yesterday ... can you say OVERTIRED?).

Yes, mastitis for me. It's usually a sign that you're doing too much ... which was likely true in getting ready for visitors. Now we are settling down again, and finding our routine with John back to work today. I have been on antibiotics since Sat, and am no longer sore, so that's good (no abcess to worry about). I just hope neither Arlan nor I get thrush or yeast infections from the antibiotics!

Landon is officially SOOTHER FREE! YES YES YES!! I must say, it was a lot easier than I thought it would be ... especially since Izzy still has a soother I thought Landon would want his back. But John and I worked to prepare him over the past few weeks (since giving Arlan a soother at 3 weeks we've been telling Landon that soothers are for babies). He has asked for it occassionally, but when we say soothers are for babies he replies "soothers are for Arlan". So that's good.

Landon is breaking his final 2-year-molar as well. Phew! I'll be glad when it comes on through ... I'm hoping it does this time anyways. That particular tooth made a bit of an appearance awhile back and receded, so hopefully this is the final debut :-)

So that's a quick overview of the past days. The weekend was exhausting (too many kids too young when you have a newborn & mastitis to boot), but we're all recovering :-) I will try to find some time for pics in the next few days too.....until next time....

Wow - little sleeper :-)

Gotta love a night like last night. Well except maybe the last 45 minutes that Arlan was awake as he was screaming his poor fool head off. When I can remember to just go with the flow, it's actually kind of cute to look at his screaming little face -- his mouth is as wide as it can go and he just bellers. Of course, mostly I'm trying to shut him up as the sound is enough to wake the dead!
But once he got to sleep at 10:30, he slept until 5 am (quietly too I might add, not so much of this grunting / squirminess ... unless I was just so tired I didn't notice...). He was up to eat (and poop of course), then back to sleep from 6 - 9:30!!! Needless to say I feel much more rested today than I have for the past couple of weeks (since the last time Arlan slept so well!!). And it was cute because he was snuggled right up to me. ... I guess he must've squirmed some because I put him to sleep in the middle of the bed. *shrug*

So I'm feeling pretty well rested today, which is good as we have a busy weekend coming up with Liz, Rob and the kidlets coming tomorrow thru to Sunday. We are looking forward to that. I haven't even mentioned it to Landon yet because he'd drive us nuts asking when they're getting here if he knew!! He already asks every single day when "grandpa grandpa" is coming to visit. EVERY DAY!! Then he asks if grandma is coming to visit. I think he wants more Reese's Pieces! heh heh

On another WONDERFUL note -- Landon has gone to bed the past 2 nights WITHOUT a soother!! YAYAYAYAY He has only one left, hidden away in the stroller, should disaster strike, but I'm thinking with 2 nights under our belt we will just have to stick to our guns :-) He also still had a 'broken soosie' ... one that he had chewed the nipple off of leaving only a stump. We gave that to him both nights, the first night he just tossed it. Last night when I told him he didn't need a soosie because they're for babies, he handed me that stumpy-soother and told me to give it to Arlan. So I took it and put it in Arlan's room. I sincerely hope that that's the end of soothers ... Landon was breaking the bank on soother purchases, chewing through new ones in only a few days. And he's definitely old enough to be without a soother ... I had been putting this off because I didn't want to take away a comfort for him with a new baby arriving. But it was past due I think....
Of course, Landon told me yesterday his mouth hurts -- we are thinking he's getting his last 2-year molar. I hope so - then we'll be done this teething thing for him and we can prepare to Arlan's teething expeditions!! Hopefully Arlan will hold out until 6 or 7 months like Landon did - especially since he's a chewer on the nipple ... *shiver*

So I should get going ... I'm enjoying some relative peace with Landon playing nicely and Arlan snoozing in his crib (he went to sleep on his own in there ... YAY). I probably won't post until after Liz and the fam leaves ... Sunday or Monday.

quick stats update

We went to see the doc today. Arlan HAS been eating like a piggy :-) He weighs in at 11 pounds, 5 ounces ... almost 3 pounds over birth weight, and almost 2 pounds in 3 weeks!! Piggy!! LOL He's also over 24" long! No wonder he's outgrowing the 3 month clothes so quickly :-D
All else is well - he's still a bit jaundiced, but the doc still has no concerns with that. So he's a healthy little eater and that's that.

I also went to a movie today - Mama Mia! It was okay, Arlan ate during the movie (as opposed to the other movies where he slept through them) but he was still very good.

Speaking of eating ... it's time for another feeding for Arlan. Until next time...

Finally I feel a bit more human!

Saturday was a fun day, but it sure tuckered me out!!
Trish and I went for pedicures on Sat afternoon -- my first trip out of the house without any kids in a LONG time! It was nice :-) John had it pretty easy I think ... Arlan slept almost all the time we were gone, and Landon went down for a nap for a good part of it too. It was such a treat to get out and have a good visit with Trish and not be nursing / answering questions / opening juiceboxes, etc....

Then I took the boys to Iden's 2nd birthday party. That was a lot of fun, but tiring!! Landon had a blast playing with the kids, and eating hamburgers and cake. Arlan ate lots too while we were there, which is likely why it was so tiring for me :-/ We came home at 8, and all three of us were snuggled in bed by 10 pm!!

Last night wasn't as rosy though - I tried to put Landon to bed while John was in the basement (had a guy here to estimate mudding and taping) ... MISTAKE!! Arlan started screaming, then Landon got all wound up and I had a POUNDING headache that Tylenol wouldn't even touch -- with both kids yowling I was ready to run away VERY quickly!! Finally Landon shut up after I threatened him to within an inch of his life, and with some help from John we got Arlan calmed down and sleeping by 11. I was asleep at exactly 11:01:15 I'm sure!!
The good news is that Arlan seems to be sleeping longer periods at night. Usually at least 3 or 4 hours of sleep, sometimes a bit longer. He's a noisy sleeper -- much noisier than Landon was at this young age ... he grunts and squirms and farts all night long. I am starting to think he'll be in his own room at an earlier age than Landon was too ... although I don't want to jinx that possibility!! Landon moved into his own room at about 6 1/2 to 7 months I think it was. Maybe Arlan will be earlier -- he does seem to sleep on his own a lot better thus far, so maybe it'll be easier? He's already napping in his crib occassionally, so we'll see.

But - little tummies are rumbly, so I need to get going.... 6-week doc appt tomorrow, so stats update will come soon...

A-drywallin' Days at the Keller House!

John has been working like a beaver in the basement, and has gotten quite a bit of drywalling done. It's starting to look like rooms :-) He has rented a drywall hoist which has been a lifesaver for the ceiling and top sheets on the walls. So today the ceiling will be completed, the bedroom and the main room will be 90% done. The bathroom and the staircase, as well as the bulkhead at the bottom of the stairs, remain to be done. It's amazing what some walls will do for the look of the place....

John's work means that I've had some good practise with both boys full-time. It's been fine though, since Arlan is starting to settle down a bit and not nurse quite as often. So Landon gets some mommy-time back :-) We've spent time outside quite a bit as the weather's been so nice. Gotta' LOVE that sandbox!! LOL Plus we've gone to the park a bit, and Landon loves to climb climb climb all over the play-structure ... my poor heart!

Today I'm going with Trish to get a pedicure ... I'll take Arlan, hope he sleeps for the entire thing. Then me and the boys are going to a birthday party later in the day which should be fun. I hope it doesn't rain for the party so the kids can run off steam in Steph's backyard!

That's the post from here for now...

Love that sprinkler

Yesterday was a hot one, so we set up the sprinkler for Landon. At first he wasn't too sure about going through the water, but once he got started ... He ran and ran and ran until he was shivering. Then he played on the cover of the sand box (the tarp) because it was warm. I hadn't tried his sunsuit on yet this year, but was pleased that it still fits him. Oh yeah, and Landon had the added pleasure of no diaper for his sprinkler-running ... you could tell that it was a new sensation to have nothing between him and his clothes *ahem*. But he was good with it, no accidents, and when he came in the house he peed on his pot. YAY He peed on his pot again today too. Maybe, just maybe ... *shrug*

Arlan and I went to a movie again today ... we saw Get Smart (well I saw it, Arlan snoozed through almost the entire thing, waking up during the last 10 minutes or so to eat :-D). I like these movie-Tuesdays ... only one more available to me, then John goes back to work :-/ Ah well, I'll go next week likely too ... it'll be a long Tuesday though, as we have Arlan's 6-week check-up in the morning too.

John is likely going to rent the drywall hoist either tonight or tomorrow and get working on drywalling the basement (!!). Wowsers ... it's really coming along, much more than I thought it would be at this point. Drywalling will be a big step ... after that it starts to feel like 'finishing' work. And I guess we'll have to make some choices on stuff like flooring, wall colours, and light fixtures. So far I've avoided all decision-making. But we just may get the basement done for Xmas ... YAY!!

That's the news from here. Oh yeah, that's Arlan's one-month picture. Too cute. Love that little stinker! Tomorrow afternoon is Cdn Baby Photographers too, so we'll get pics of Arlan, and Arlan with Landon and maybe even mom with the boys (dad too probably!!). Looking forward to that...

Thank you Grandpa

I just wanted to post to thank Grandpa for introducing me to Reese's Peanut Butter cups -- YUM YUM! I made sure I studied the packaging so that I'd recognize one if I ever saw it again. And guess what -- there they are, sitting on the shelves in the grocery check-out line. I never knew what all those things were before!!! So now when mommy's busy trying to unload the grocery cart, I can be busy grabbing all of the Reese's Peanut Butter cups off of the shelves. Now if I can just figure out how to convince mommy to let me keep the ones I reach :-/

I'm off to jump on something now. Bye bye. Landon

Poor gassy baby

Poor gassy Arlan - I think there's a post titled very similarly for Landon back when I began blogging too!! LOL Arlan is such a reluctant burper, it takes like 20 - 30 minutes to effectively burp him. Very tiring on mommy!! Especially when he wants to fall asleep nursing all the time! The end result is a lot of gas working it's way out the other end. That has made for some relatively sleepless nights the past couple of nights. Arlan doesn't really wake up fully, and isn't yet hungry, but grunts and squirms and wiggles. The soother brings some relief to him, but it is short-lived. After a while of that, he can usually pass what needs to be passed, then he's hungry and I'm up to feed him. Then we go through the whole thing again. I am getting a couple of hours at a stretch, but it is so tiring! Ah well...

Landon had a fun visit with Aunty Jenay yesterday -- and so did John and I have a good visit too. This morning she's off to Korea again, but Landon asked for her as soon as he got up. He was so disappointed that she wasn't still here. Poor guy. He's at the store with dad right now (he calls every store 'stupidstore' now ... even if they aren't going to Superstore!! LOL).

And Arlan managed to fall asleep on his own in his crib for a short nap this morning - very nice. He's awake now though, and probably hungry too. So I guess I'll go rescue him. But at least he isn't screaming to be fed - he seems to have left that trick back at about week 2 (thankfully). But I'll go get him before he reintroduces it!! Until next time....

our monk?

I cut Landon's bangs yesterday ... the first time I've cut hair since I cut off my Wendy Walker's hair at about age 6. The results of both haircuts are surprisingly similar actually. John thinks Landon looks like a monk! LOL I made only one snip ... I held his bangs up and snipped them straight across. It's a teensy bit short ... *sigh* Maybe I'll have to just keep taking him to get his hair cut at Beaners!! LOL

I went out to a movie today ... the Stars and Strollers movie was Wall-E. It was actually pretty good -- and it was nice to get out for the afternoon. I went with the neighbour, we had a good visit too. Arlan was very good - he woke up when the movie started (after 20 minutes of trailers), ate and then slept for the rest of the movie and the shopping that followed. Of course now tonight he's eating non-stop to make up for 'lost' time, but that's ok with me.

And Arlan's looking for food again, so I'm off. Until next time....

More pics!

Here is Landon holding Arlan for the first time ... as you can tell he wasn't all that thrilled. He asks frequently to 'carry' the baby, but he never really likes holding the baby!!

Arlan has been enjoying the bjorn, which is great for me. We can spend some time outside (as it has been very nice), and I even managed to vaccuum the living room yesterday with Arlan in the bjorn (he fell asleep quite nicely). For anyone who knows Landon -- he STILL hates the vaccuum, has since the first time it was turned on, and he'd never have allowed me to vaccuum even with him in the bjorn without wailing his head off!! LOL These two are SO different :-)


Here's a pic of mom with her boys - yes, Arlan was hungry and is trying to eat from his brother!! No wonder Landon never wants to hold him!! LOL And a picture of Arlan enjoying some tummy time. Again - so different from Landon who always hollered at the top of his lungs for tummy time until he was about 4 months old :-/ And I love Arlan's little outfit here ... I had to wear it on him at least once (it's getting small already) even though it is completely impractical for a newborn (yes I bought the damned thing ... ).

New Sandbox for Landon

Landon is overjoyed with his new sandbox. He was very busy helping John to build it, pulling back sod, filling in holes John just made, etc. And then the best part -- "Marker" was here last night to help fill it with sand. That was an instant hit :-) With mom too, as I hope Landon will find HOURS of fun in that sandbox!! LOL

I think we're alone now....

Well, everyone's gone home again, and it's just the 4 of us. John is busy working on a sandbox for the backyard, while me and the little boys hang out. Arlan gave me a rough night last night, so I'm not doing too much of anything today. Just trying out some lunar nursing tea that Juli sent to me ... it's supposed to help relieve infant gas, and our little guy is a gassy one, so we'll see if it helps :-)

Landon decided last night that we obviously weren't paying enough attention to him, so he found a pencil and went to work! He was very proud of himself, running downstairs "drew circle!!! drew circle!!!". On the wall! He also showed me how he drew on the 'paper' (he opened a word document on the computer ... I don't know how exactly ... and since it looked like paper he drew on it -> could I really give him sh!t for that?). So John and I had to erase the walls all the way down the stairs from the bonus room, and clean the computer monitor, and the window blinds (that must've taken some patience on Landon's part!). Little monkey!!! But it's all cleaned up now -I'm just glad it was a pencil, not a pen or a marker.

So our days are kind of slow-going right now, and I like that. Arlan didn't sleep well last night, so hopefully I'll get a good nap in this afternoon, and maybe we'll have some good nights ahead of us again. That's really all the news from here.....

9 pounds, 8 ounces already

Arlan has gained a full pound over his birth weight ... we were at the doc yesterday. Little piggy! And on the verge of a 3-week growth spurt, whenever that's going to hit :-/ He's doing well though - still a bit jaundiced but the doc wasn't at all concerned about it (it's due to the bruise on his head healing ... now that it's pretty much gone the jaundice should disappear shortly). So he's healthy :-) And last night he let me get some sleep which was nice (the night before was a LONG one...Arlan was up from 1:30 until 5 am :-( ) -> last night I was up to feed him twice, but he went back to sleep nicely when he was done eating. I sure hope to have more of those kinds of nights!!

Grandma and Grandpa Leisle are up for a visit until Fri or Sat, and Brian and Uncle Neville are here until tomorrow afternoon. It's been a full house, but it's been fun. These folks are taking care of themselves for the most part, so I get to visit when I can. And Landon loves having everyone around too!

That's the news from here for today - I'll try to get some pics taken and then post soon.

Fun days of summer...

Arlan is starting to take in the world around him a bit more. Here's a pic of him playing on the playmat - he was actually checking out his reflection in the mirror hanging there...sort of :-) We get a couple of doses of happy awake time during the day, which is nice. It gives Landon a chance to check Arlan out too ... he likes to lay on a blanket on the floor with Arlan when he gets a chance. He'd also like to poke his eyes for some reason ... but so far we've managed to spare Arlan's sight! Landon does give Arlan kisses on the head though, which is very nice.

Landon has been a cute monkey too. Hopefully that's a sign that he's settling in okay with this big brother thing. Here he's pointing and clicking the remote control at John and John points and clicks the camera at him. It was pretty funny.

Tonight John was singing Landon songs when he put him to bed. They play a game where John will start a song and Landon will say 'yes' or 'no' if he wants to hear it. John had run through his repertoire of songs hearing a 'no' for each one, and said to Landon that he just didn't know what song to sing. Landon looked right at him and said clear as a bell "Purple Haze". He loves rock and roll, dancing around like a lunatic to the radio too. I have scary glimpses of the future.......

Oh yeah, and Landon got another 2-year molar ... his top right one. Only one left to come in (the other top one). Could explain why this runny nose hung on for so long. He seems much better today - although he was sure chewing his fingers tonight. But if he's done popping teeth for awhile, maybe his soothers will last a bit longer. I look forward to the day we toss soothers out for Landon. I'm hoping when he sees Arlan with a soother (which I'm looking forward to introducing as he LOVES to suck!!) that he'll equate soothers with babies and not want one anymore. Hey - I can dream can't I?

Tomorrow Brian and Uncle Neville arrive to take in Stampede festivities for a couple of days. Plus my mom and dad are coming for a few days too (dad may just get dragged down to Stampede too!!). Plus, John gets basement inspections (electrical, plumbing and framing), and Arlan has a dr appt in the morning. It's going to be a big day - I hope Arlan sleeps well tonight. Poor stinker was gassy from about 5 am this morning, then I missed my afternoon nap, so I'm hoping hoping hoping for at least one good stretch tonight....*fingers crossed*

Brothers - just hangin' out

Here are some pics of the boys from July 1. Landon continues to be curious about Arlan, and is actually pretty gentle with him. So when Arlan was 'playing' on the floor, Landon was right in there like a dirty shirt. Landon also enjoys playing with the play mat -- thinking it's a perfect surface for train driving. And of course, here's a pic of my big boy. He is quickly perfecting his many different looks to get him out of trouble. Sometimes it is so hard not to smile and/or laugh when he's making puppy-dog eyes, or his 'oh pretty please eyes'.

Arlan's growing like a weed!

I saw a lactation consultant today, and all is good on the nursing front. Soreness is disappearing and I got some tips to make sure it stays gone. Arlan's been wonderful all day - starting by only getting up once to eat overnight (and for only 45 minutes at that), and then sleeping nicely all day long. I am enjoying being able to nap with him in the afternoons, while I can -- his schedule definitely isn't in synch with Landon's ... Landon naps at 1, Arlan has his nice 2 hour nap at 3 or 4 :-/ But while John's home, I nap!

I got some shopping in today at Toys R Us -- spent the gift card for Arlan (a mirror for the car, some toys for the car seat, and a teething key ring), some stuff we needed (washcloths, diapers), and 2 puzzles for Landon -- a Thomas puzzle and a Cars puzzle. So he's been very busy doing puzzles since he discovered those. He LOVES puzzles!! These are the 24 piece size, just perfect for him right now. Any bigger and I think he'd get too frustrated. But at least we have some variation in puzzles -- the single Thomas puzzle we had before was getting worn out quickly!! LOL

And Arlan got weighed today (hence the title of this post). He's 9 pounds, 4 ounces already! So he's more than gained back his birth weight .... All this nursing is paying off! And I'm wondering if the tips the consultant gave me today aren't helping his nursing sessions as he has been satisfied quicker while feeding today. Either that or he's just waiting to feed like a maniac all night long *shrug* We'll take it as it comes I guess.

Anyways - that's the bit of news from here today.

A few minutes for a quick post...

Maybe, just maybe, a few minutes for a post while Arlan snoozes in the bouncy chair.

Arlan is turning out to be a very different baby than Landon was. From the first day, when he peed and pooped before he even got his first diaper on (Landon waited 2 full days for this much-anticipated event), and he nursed nursed nursed his first 24 hours (while Landon couldn't have cared less at that time). He continues to show us how different he is - by sleeping wherever we put him; by sleeping through the 'startles' (where his arms fly out); by nursing a bit more frequently (esp overnight) and definitely with more appetite than Landon; by not screaming his way through his second bath (Landon screamed for many, many baths); and by falling asleep in the car or his stroller when we go out (which means we can go out without screaming-meemie baby!). Overall he is much easier than Landon was at this age - partly due to my increased confidence -> and overall acceptance at having a baby. With Landon it was such a life-style shocker, with Arlan it's just what's gotta be done. I don't find it as hard to nurse (except maybe that third time overnight ... that's a tough one!), even when it's quite frequent, and the crying and stuff isn't as bothersome.
And thank goodness he's a bit easier than Landon. I can't imagine moms who have the 'easy' one first, then get a more demanding baby when they already have an older one to take care of too! Landon has been very good - he's quite accepting that Arlan is part of his family. When we all are together (or even when it's just Landon mom and dad) he will repeat "Landon, mommy, daddy, and Arlan" ... he usually includes Arlan. Except when it's just "Landon and mommy" which I'm sure he'd like to see happen more often than it does these days! lol But he's been pretty patient, and with John's help I can usually get some time to spend with just Landon throughout the day, and we always have at least 10 - 15 minutes at night before he goes to sleep.

What have we been doing? Well, mostly I've been hanging out at home with Arlan. I've ventured a couple of walks, to the park, to the mailbox, around the block, but nothing too spectacular. I did some maternity clothes shopping last week - nice light jammies for these hot days. Tomorrow I'm going to see a lactation consultant, just to make sure the soreness I'm experiencing is normal, and if it's not then find a way to get it fixed. Arlan will get weighed while we're there too - so we'll get an update. I'm sure he's getting lots to eat though - he certainly dines often enough - and he feels heavier (mind you, that could be lack of sleep making me weaker! LOL).

We also managed to check out some fireworks for Canada Day. Landon was quite enthralled with the whole show. It was a late night, but luckily he's good at late nights LOL We went to Airdrie, as I didn't want to contend with downtown Calgary and I didn't know where else there would be fireworks in Calgary (if anywhere). There was a park there that Landon played at (with the 40,000 other kids) for about an hour while waiting for fireworks. Of course Arlan got hungry just before the fireworks display, but I just plunked my butt on the grass with a view of the show and fed him (gotta' love breastfeeding!). Other than that Arlan slept the entire time - in his stroller -- gotta' love that too!
All the way home, Landon was asking for more fireworks ... by the time we got home he had his head wrapped around the idea that "fireworks aaallll done."

John's been working on the basement - hoping to be ready for inspection in a week or so. It's looking pretty good. And we're thinking through some stuff for the backyard ... like a sandbox. Now that we have 2 boys, I think a sandbox is a must have! lol So we'll see if we can get that built, and maybe get the garden shed up too. I'm not holding my breath, but as Arlan gets older and even easier, and as long as John will let Landon 'help' him, we just might get both of those projects done before John goes back to work. We'll see...

Anyways, I don't want to push my luck, so here's the long post of what we've been up to. Hopefully I'll get another chance soon, and maybe with some more pics....

It's so hard to get on here!!

Sorry it's taking so long, but if Arlan isn't on me, Landon wants to be!!
So a quick post, as Arlan's already calling for me.
Here are some pics of Landon having fun in his pool on the weekend. He was showing off for Aunty Trish and Phil :-) It was soooo hot that day, he loved the pool. Thank goodness, as Arlan hit his 10 day growth spurt on the weekend and nursed nursed nursed!
Here's a pic from last week as well ... mom with her boys. Landon always wants mom in the morning, so he crawled up on the couch beside us.
Things are settling in a bit more now - I can usually get a good morning snuggle in with Landon without too much trouble. And Arlan is getting a bit better at letting me have some sleep at night.
Anyways - Arlan's still calling, so until next time....

One week, and counting...

Well, we've made it through the first week of adjustment with Arlan. He's pretty darned cute -albeit in a loud, demanding sort of way. He's much more content than Landon was in some ways though - he'll sleep somewhere other than on us, and when he's awake he's more content to watch a mobile or stare at the window or just listen to Landon be rambunctious! But I'm thankful for that - I can actually put Arlan down and do something while he's napping! LOL Which means I get to spend some time with Landon too - which is very important.
So all things are going pretty well I think. Dr appt on Tues - Arlan's healthy which is good. Mom's healing well, which is a blessing. Nursing is going pretty well -- a bit sore, but overall pretty good. I'm getting a bit of sleep, with Arlan doing his cluster feeding into the early morning hours and then giving me some time off. Now if he would just quit yowling every time we change his diapers! LOL

Landon is adjusting pretty well we think. He is jealous at times - who wouldn't be? A couple of times a day he demands that I put the baby down to play with him, and thankfully with Arlan's demeanor I can usually comply - unless I'm nursing. John and Landon are having fun though - playing in the backyard, going to the store, even doing some stuff in the basement. If it wasn't for the G-D mosquitoes, I don't think we'd have to do anything to entertain Landon! But they are so bad at times that even Landon comes running in the house "Bad mosquitoes!". The picture of him running below is Landon running from the "noisy lawnmower" (even though John and the mower are on the other side of the fence). And he's been enjoying his little swing / slide structure more and more too, which is nice. He's even started to sit in the swing a bit, although he doesn't like it as much as he likes the swing at the park. John's trying to teach him to pump his feet to swing himself - I hope he succeeds because 20 minutes of standing there pushing Landon on the swing ... we'll let's just say I'd rather be relaxing!

Landon's a BIG BROTHER

Arlan Jarrett Keller came absolutely RACING into our lives on Wed morning, June 18. Here are the stats:

Born 10:16 am June 18, 2008

Weight: 8 pounds, 8.5 ounces

Length: 20.5" (exactly the same as Landon)

The story behind RACING?

At my doc appt on Tues, I was 1 cm dilated. So the waiting game had really begun. John and I spent the evening with Landon, and making final preps, waiting waiting waiting ('oh, maybe that was a contraction). Then we went to bed.

I woke at 6:10 to go pee (of course). When I laid back down I though "hmm, that might've been a contraction". About 10 minutes later, same thing. John and I started discussing if he'd go into work or stay home, knowing we didn't have to decide on that until 7:30. I was thinking I'd let Landon sleep until 9:30, get him ready to go to Ricki's, and we'd go from there. The contractions began to be noticeable shortly before 7, so I knew it was the real thing. We got up at 7 and I was already talking that we may have to wake Landon by 9, no, maybe by 8:30. Almost immediately my contractions went from 10 minutes to 4 or 5 minutes within 1 or 2 contractions. We made our calls (my mom, Ricki & Trish who would be watching Landon throughout the day, John to his work). By now I'm saying we'll get Landon up no later than 8.

So we got Landon up, I spent a few minutes with just him (kind of 'good-bye' to the 'just us' times....). We got him dressed and in the car and over to Ricki's by ~8:30 and were at the hospital at 9. I thinking we hit triage at about 9:10, I was 6 cm dilated. I requested an epidural when we walked through the doors ... no such luck. By the time they could assess me, get me into a delivery room, and request an anesthesiologist ... no time. Arlan likely would've arrived quicker had the dr arrived sooner to break my waters. Three pushes and BAM! A beautiful, squawling baby boy. 10:16 am ... I hadn't even been admitted until ~9:30 (I was one of those moms who was in the delivery room while dad was admitting me!!).

We came home Thurs morning. John and Landon came to the hospital to pick us up. Landon took the baby in stride ... even offered Arlan his puppy blanket in the car, and insisted on having his hand on Arlan's head while we were driving (in newborn fashion, Arlan's neck was cranked right over, poor thing). The day's since haven't necessarily been all that glorious for Landon - it's a tough adjustment. But Grandma and Grandpa came for a quick visit to spoil Landon, and John's off work for a few weeks to spend time with him too. He is mostly jealous of Arlan when he first gets up -- he's very used to having mommy in the mornings. And I've been trying hard to find time for Landon every day. The first couple of days were pretty good - Arlan ate, pooped and slept. Now Arlan's a bit more demanding ( I say that tongue-in-cheek ... that kid can WAIL), eating what feels like non-stop, and it's harder to get that time with Landon. But we're adjusting ... stories on the couch beside mommy, lots of kisses, and I try to get in to see him before he goes to sleep at night for at least a couple of minutes.

Hopefully in a couple of weeks we'll all be better adjusted -- John to his new domestic duties, me being healed up, Arlan to opening his frickin' mouth when he latches on, and Landon to sharing mommy a bit more.

So that's really that ... LONG post as I've been off for awhile, and who knows when I'll get this chance again :-/

Belly pics...

Here are a couple of belly pics from tonight. The belly is definitely a biggun! lol I'm ready for baby to come, hopefully the baby is ready soon too :-)

Fun at the Science Centre

Landon had a blast running around the Science Centre last Friday. The most fun was the 'perspective room' seen here. He ran and ran and ran! Of course, I don't expect anything less than full-tilt running with him these days...

No baby yet...

just a post to report on dr appt. No baby yet!
Baby is low and ready to go. Should be any day now. Heartbeat at 142. My BP still great at 101/70. We're busy doing 'last minute' things all the time ... trying to prepare but it's hard when you don't know when baby's coming.
But I'm off for a snoozers before I miss my chance and Landon wakes up. He's still got a runny nose, but slept well last night so hopefully a runny nose is all that it will be :-/ He had a blast this morning playing outside, it's a beautiful day here. I love the nice weather too - so nice to enjoy coffee on the deck in the morning!

No Baby Yet...

Sorry for taking so long to post - esp for those watching this waiting for baby news!

We've had a good week. Went swimming again with Landon last Wed, he had fun and I do enjoy just relaxing in the water a bit :-) We'll see if I can find the energy to take him again this week.

Thursday I had a good visit with Amy - she was up staying at Ricki's. Landon had fun playing too - Keaton has tons of trucks so Landon was well entertained!

Friday we went to the Science Centre, met Heidi and the boys there. It was an absolute ZOO again, so we spent most of our time in the Children's Museum. I really like the place, but it was overwhelming for me, let alone for the little ones :-/ There are so many school groups there all the time, and usually older kids, all running like mad. Maybe the weekends would be better....

Uncle Bob and Aunty Rosemary were here for the weekend ... we had a wonderful visit! Sat night they went to watch John play -- the new back-up singer has really added to the band and I guess they sounded great. Sunday we had a pretty low-key day. We walked down to the Northern Hills Summerfest for pancake breakfast, but we were too late :-/ So we walked on back home, as all the bouncy castles and everything were soooooooooo lined up it just wouldn't have been worth the wait for Landon - who may or may not have liked them. But it was a nice walk nonetheless. The weather is finally nicer, so we spent much of our time outside, either playing with Landon in the back or whatever. And we all had nice snoozes in the afternoon too. They went back to Saskatoon today, and Landon was soooo sad to see them go. He LOVED having them here for a visit. He could say Uncle Bob very clearly, and Aunty Rosemary was improving quickly throughout the weekend too (to 'Anty rrsmary' by today).

And we're still just a waiting for baby to decide to come along. We were hoping for yesterday - since we had babysitters here for Landon - but baby didn't cooperate. So we'll just have to see. I have dr appt tomorrow, so we'll see if there's any 'action' down there yet.

that really is the news. Oh yeah - we have a gopher living under our driveway; I discovered him today. Hopefully we can get rid of him - I really don't want a gopher living here ... :-/ Maybe we'll have to borrow a cat for a few days or something!!

So, just because I don't post, don't be assuming we're having a baby. I'm just really super tired these days, and I'm trying to do things with Landon every day so that I'm not just sitting here waiting. Now that the weather's nicer, Landon and I were outside all day today. Hopefully this weather holds, I'm so sick of rain.

And I'm hoping Landon doesn't get too sick - he woke up with a cough last night a couple of times - a real barking cough, and you could hear the congestion in his throat and chest. He woke up much better today, although he was a bit out of sorts. He had a good nap. He has a runny nose, and it seemed to get worse tonight. I gave him decongestant, and we'll see how he sleeps. Hopefully well. His eyes were watery tonight too, I sure hope it's not allergies .... we'll have to see what the next few days bring. Poor kid.

That's the news for now....

Doc Update...

No news thus far. Baby is where it's supposed to be. All signs still good. Next week is the internal, so we'll know if there's any action on that front at that time. Assuming there's no action before then ... Today I'm feeling that I'll likely have the baby next week -- 18 or 19. Mostly because I refuse to envision me going to the due date (or heaven forbid beyond my due date of June 22), and also because my mom and dad have a short trip to Regina planned for the 19, so of course we'll have the baby then!! LOL
It's raining here again ... of course. I'm VERY sick of rain. Hopefully we'll have a nicer July to make up for this. I don't need (or want) 30+ weather, 20 is fine, just get rid of the rain!! Poor Landon - all cabin-fevered and half nuts. We'll go swimming again tomorrow morning, and have a visit with Ricki and Amy planned for Thurs morning, and a trip to the Science Centre with Heidi and boys booked for Friday morning - so even if the rain keeps up we'll be getting out of the house. I'll most definitely be napping after those events!! LOL I'll relax on the weekend and let John play with Landon...

Today I was buying 'bring home' outfits, a girl one and a boy one. I asked Landon if he thought he was going to have a little brother or a little sister. He looked at me very solemnly, shook his head, and said "no little brother. no little sister". Guess it's a good thing the stork didn't arrive today ... we have a few more days to convince him it's ok to have a little brother or sister :-/

Well, I'm off to make supper. Marc is in town for a visit, and the boys should be home soon. Until next time....

Where do the days go?

Landon and I did go swimming on Wed, and he really enjoyed it. I will try to go again next week, assuming no baby and that we're feeling good. It was nice for me too, just sitting in the water while Landon played and splashed around. He has me concerned though - he was going up to all of the girls and giving them kisses....*sigh* He also says that some toys are 'girls toys' when he doesn't want to play with them, just like things he can't have are 'daddys' or 'mommys' things. Heh heh Funny how those things get entrenched so young. I've been trying to use this to my advantage with things like 'soothers are baby toys' and stuff like that!!

We got the Amby bed, the bassinet, the swing and the bouncy chairs out and washed up last night. I've been bugging John, and last night I think he understood that I meant him to get them up NOW (as in this baby is going to come soon man, get this sh!t done!! LOL). Poor John - I think he finally had the realization last night that we're having a baby VERY soon (I had that realization about a month ago and have been panicking ever since!). I wasn't feeling well, and finally he asked if I was going into labour. When I answered that I was starting to wonder that myself, he 'got it'. Any day now ... 10 days to ultrasound due date, 2 weeks to dr due date.

Landon has been handling the rainy weather pretty well ... as well as any 2-year-old who's couped up inside while wanting to play outside. Yesterday Stephanie and Iden came for a visit - it was so nice to have them. Iden and Landon played very well together. It took Landon a little bit of coaxing to share all of his toys - whatever Iden had Landon wanted, even if he hadn't played with it in ~3 months or so. But he really enjoyed having a friend over, and I REALLY enjoyed getting a chance for a visit with Steph.
Tonight I think Landon and I will make chocolate chip cookies again ... or rather, he can eat the cookie dough and I'll make cookies! LOL Then we'll have to figure out what sort of fun we'll have tomorrow to beat the cabin-fever crazies..........

Belly Pics and Doc update...

Here are some pics of the belly from today. According to the doc, I'm 37 weeks, 2 days. According to the ultrasound I'm 38 weeks. Only time will tell...

So my bp is still crazy low (explains why I'm dizzy when I lie down, when I sit up etc) at 106/63 today. Baby's heartbeat was 144 bpm. My ultrasound showed everything is really good (amniotic fluid, etc), the baby is 3.6 kg right now (just over 7.5 pounds ... not quite as scary as the 8 pounds the ultrasound tech mentioned -> maybe she meant estimated weight at due date???). So all is ticking along quite fine. I'm having more and more trouble sleeping, even my afternoon snoozes are disrupted now (those used to be undisturbed). I just can't get comfortable, and when I finally do fall asleep I wake up frequently because I've rolled over to an uncomfortable position. but I can't complain too much - Landon's still napping for ~2 hours in the afternoon, so I get a chance to lay down and rest if nothing else. The heartburn hasn't been too bad - actually I haven't had heartburn at night since I stopped brushing my teeth before going to bed (I know....eeeewwww). I think that might've been the source ...

So the countdown is on ... I definitely feel more like "c'mon out kid, let's get this show on the road" this time, whereas with Landon he could've stayed snuggled in there for awhile longer as far as I was concerned :-) Funny how a person's outlook changes.

Now if we could get some sunnyshiny days so that my cabin-fevered kid quits driving us nuts! Tomorrow we're going swimming, so hopefully that'll help.....

Camera Hide n Seek

We haven't been able to get many photos of Landon over the past couple of months because he's been sooo interested in seeing what's on the camera he won't stand in front of it. That has changed the past few days though, as now Landon thinks the camera is a game, and he plays hide n seek with it! Esp if I'm at the computer (where I've spent a fair amount of time the past few days). He gives me the camera, then runs to the futon and hides, waiting for the flash. Then he'll run back, wait for a pic to be taken, and run back to hide again. So we've managed to get some cute pics once again ... here's a few to share.