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....