Thursday, May 29, 2008

Update on the kids...

It's been almost a full week since I've posted anything new here, and it's not for a lack of trying! Since last weekend was Memorial Day weekend, I opted to take the entire week off to help get things squared away at home. Besides, this week is also Enza's last week at home before returning to the daily grind, so it was nice to be home and spend time together with the family (although the weather wasn't anything to write home about).

The kids have been on their best behavior, with Isaiah still doing his best to sleep throughout the entire night. His acid reflux has settled to a point where it's fairly predictable, and he's not as fussy as he has been previously (he still has his ups and downs every now and then). For now, he continues to eat and sleep on schedule, so that's been somewhat of a relief. We took him for a checkup with a GI specialist yesterday, and everything seems to be OK. He'll go back in six weeks to get reassessed, but the specialist thinks that he'll eventually outgrow his reflux, much like Makenna did. We're keeping our fingers crossed! Here are Zae's measurements as of yesterday: he is 24.25 inches long, he weighs 16 pounds, 3 ounces, and his head circumference is 42.5 centimeters. All in all, a big and healthy boy!



Kenna has been testing her boundaries while I've been home, and I can see why she's worn Enza's patience thin! Kenna seems to be at that stage where she's developed "selective hearing," only hearing the things she wants to. Go figure! Not sure if she got the stubbornness from me or Enz, but nevertheless, it's challenging! Aside from the rebellion, she's really become a keen listener, and understands a lot more than we give her credit for. She understands a lot of the things we tell her, and we rarely need to repeat things for her (except when she's in selective hearing mode). Her latest trick is feeding herself with her own fork. She's developing more coordination in her arms and hands, and she's able to pick up food on her fork to feed herself. Then, she either claps happily or smiles from ear to ear to let you know she's pleased with herself!

Friday, May 23, 2008

So this weather we're experiencing is all a bit wacky. Just the other week, we were sitting at home in 100 degree heat with the babies in nothing but their diapers. Even the hot weather wasn't enough to bring the two down, as they enjoyed being dressed in less, happily doing whatever.

How quickly things change. Now we've got average temps, and the other morning, Enz found it cold enough in the house to justify turning on the heater for a bit! That doesn't really matter, as it really makes no difference to the little ones.

Isaiah has been taking to his schedule pretty well, and that's making things a lot easier for us parents! His only real outbursts come when he's hungry, and now that he's on his schedule, his feeding times are almost predictable. It's about time! Makenna, on the other hand, has been a bit of a pill as of late. She's still going through a big teething phase, as we can see her molars almost all the way up through her gums. OUCH! She's also picked up a cold, or allergies, and has been extremely needy over the last couple of days. There's also a new sound she makes when she wants something, and she'll keep making this "uh-uh-uh" noise until she gets her way. How annoying is that?! It's hard not to give in to her neediness, but that sound can really work one's nerves. Oh well, just another stepping stone in parenthood! Have a great Memorial Day weekend!!



Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Hump Day

The kids continue to develop their own personalities, and it's fun to watch them interact with one another. Isaiah has really taken a liking to his big sister, and will focus intently on her when she comes near him. Her babbling makes him laugh in a way that even we can't make him, so we know they've got that special bond. Makenna has always shown love for her little brother, and will still "feel his pain" every once in a while when he's crying. Now that Zae's out of his swing (the thing wouldn't rock anymore, even with new batteries), Kenna finds joy in getting up close and personal with him. Happy Wednesday!

Does my shirt read COOL or DROOL JUST LIKE DADDY?!

Makenna tries her luck as a hair stylist
Makenna has that "fob squat" position mastered, as she shows Isaiah new tricks!

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Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Kids in chairs

Day by day, we continue to help Isaiah out with his development. He's been sleeping through the night for a few weeks now, and what I mean by that is that he's not waking up in the middle of the night expecting to eat. He'll still wake up crying every now and then, as he searches for his pacifier, but other than that, the nighttime feedings are history! He's been fairly active in his activity center, doing full turns when nobody's watching, and has found the ability to move things with his hands. Although his coordination is still a work in progress, we notice him playing with the different toys on the activity center, anxiously trying to pull them all into his mouth! He gets an occasional helping hand from his big sister, who will happily help her little bro shove everything in his mouth!

We started Isaiah in Makenna's bebe pod this weekend, and he loves the new view. I know that there was a big stink about these "sitting aides" in the news some time ago, but unlike the parents who had issues with this chair, we don't use it as a babysitter. I don't mean to go off on a tangent, but there was a case where a father put his baby in this seat on top of the dining room table. Not only that, he was doing something else, probably assuming that the baby was OK. The baby tipped over the chair and off the table, landing on his head. OUCH! Not sure what happened to the child, but the parents sued the makers of the chair. In my opinion, it was more parental negligence than faulty design, but I'm not a lawyer. I'm not saying that our kids won't ever get injured like that, but I am saying that we're not dumb enough to leave the kids unattended in a situation like that. Might as well just throw them in the back of the truck when we go somewhere. That's safe, right?

WHEW! Now that I got that off my chest, here's a pic of our "twins" in their chairs. Big sister Makenna couldn't let Isaiah hog the spotlight, so she had to pose on her favorite chair as well. She's getting more and more excited as Isaiah gets bigger. I bet she can't wait until he gets mobile so she can show him "the way," or at least corrupt him! Enjoy!



Monday, May 19, 2008

Fun on the weekend...

This past weekend was fairly warm, and we did our best to keep the kids on the cooler side. We took a trip to the mall to run some errands, and the kids enjoyed being out of the house. It wasn't crowded at all, and Kenna decided that she wanted to be free from the confines of the stroller. Not only did she want out of it, she wanted to be in control of it! I think she's at that phase where she wants to push on things and move stuff, just to show how "independent" she's becoming...

Little Zae is still full of smiles, and the more people see him, the more we hear, "look at those cheeks!" We recall people saying the same about Kenna, and while she still has those famous facial features, they're not as prominent as Zae's cheeks. He's still giving us a bit of a problem with his erratic sleeping patterns, and we hope to get a lock on that soon, as Enz prepares to rejoin the working world in the next couple of weeks.

We also attended the baptism of a family friend, and being there made us realize just how quickly time is passing. It wasn't too long ago that none of us had kids, but now it seems that everyone has at least two! Go figure! At the reception, a few of the kids were running around and playing together. While Enza was trying to feed Makenna, she noticed that Kenna was only interested in what the kids were doing, so she let her loose. These kids were a few years older than Kenna, and I'm assuming that she was the youngest of the bunch, but that didn't matter as Kenna did her best to keep up with the group. While she wasn't able to communicate with the bunch, she just went about and did her best to imitate what they were doing and follow them around. At one point, when she couldn't keep up, she just did her own thing, and went around socializing with anyone who would pay attention to her. So fun to watch!



Friday, May 16, 2008

It's Friday, and it's HOT!

Wow, it's been pretty warm these last couple of days! The weatherman wasn't lying when he said the temperature would be going up, especially yesterday. The kids don't know any better yet, so a hot day is just another day to them. But seeing them all bundled up in a layer or two makes us sweat, so with the kids, we let it all hang out! And even though neither one of them showed signs of letting the heat bring them down, they both seemed a bit spunkier in their diapers. Kenna loved being splashed with cold water from a squirt bottle, but not so much for Isaiah. Can't wait to get these two in swimming lessons! Happy HOT Friday!


Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Bubbly Wednesday

Here's a short video to get you through the day. Makenna has recently found excitement with bubbles, you can hear it in her screams! Happy Hump Day, enjoy!!!

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Bring on the pain...

Mother's Day weekend came & went, just about as fast as these kids are growing! We initially planned to do our own celebration with Mommy on Saturday, but had to change things up because of the little ones, mainly Isaiah. We recently took him to a GI specialist to help clear things up with his stomach issues, and while it seemed that Zay was on the downswing with one thing, another issue popped up, which kept us questioning what's going on in the little guy's insides?

Nevertheless, things finally started to pick up for Zay, and he's feeling much, much better now. What a relief! It's hard to sit back and watch helplessly as the kids sit there in pain. There's not much we can do but wait it out and hope things get better. Luckily they did, so far, and the little guy is back to his smiley self once again!

Kenna's been a handful as well, cutting new teeth almost daily. Her eating habits have changed as she tries to get through the pain of her molars & canines breaking through her gums. Watching her walk around, you'd think she was bulimic since her hands and fingers are always in her mouth! For now, it's almost as if she's on a liquid diet because water & milk are the only things she enjoys consuming. We know she's hungry, and we know she loves to eat, but it's as if the pain is overruling her hunger. She's also had her share of tantrums, probably because she's hungry, but it's a vicious cycle. She's grumpy because she's hungry, and she's hungry because she won't eat, and she won't eat because she's in pain-UGH! It's tough trying to remain patient and calm with her. But we know better, and we're hoping that her pain & irritation will subside soon... Aside from all that, she still runs around the house, without a care in the world!

Which brings us back to Mother's Day. We had a great time celebrating on our own with our little family on Saturday. On Sunday, we were able to split our time to accommodate both of our families, morning/brunch with the Camero's & afternoon/dinner with the Aveni's. It was time well spent with both Grandma & Nonna on their special day. The kids had a blast for both events, and were exhausted by the time we got them home!

Friday, May 09, 2008

Happy Friday and Happy Mother's Day!!!

The kids wanted to show everyone how happy and grateful they are for having such a wonderful Mommy. Even though they can really give her a hard time every now and then, they know that they can easily make her day by flashing their beautiful smiles! Happy Mother's Day Mommy, and a special Mother's Day wish to all the other moms out there! Have a great weekend!


Thursday, May 08, 2008

Fun stuff...

Well, it seems that Isaiah is pretty much on the same track as Makenna, development-wise. He just hit the 3 month mark this week, so we decided to see if he was ready for the activity center. We did the same for Kenna at about the same timeframe, so we're using her milestones as guides for the little guy. At first he was a bit confused, but then again, so was Makenna. He just sat there and stared blankly at all the cool toys to play with. It took him a while, but eventually he was able to reach out for a couple of the toys, just to see what they do. We're slowly breaking him into his activity center, and he's doing well keeping his head balanced. His legs are fairly strong and he's able to hold himself up steadily. Once he gains more coordination in his arms and hands, he'll be reaching for all the toys. For now, it's just a work in progress!


When Kenna saw the activity center reappear out of nowhere, she went crazy! Her eyes lit up, almost as if she was getting reacquainted with a long lost friend! As she made her way around the activity center, she played with each toy the same way she did when it was her turn "way back when!" Of course, now it was all about being on the outside, while watching Isaiah struggle to make sense of what he was sitting in. It was fun watching Kenna play with Zay, as if she was "showing him the ropes."


If there's one thing Makenna loves, it's books. She'll probably be a nerd when she gets older, but like they say, a mind is a terrible thing to waste! I guess she's really picked up on the actions that go along with reading. Here's a short video clip I caught of Kenna as she attempts to read one of her books. Check out the intonation of her voice as she "reads" different things. She's also a wiz at turning the pages. Even the way she holds her book makes you wonder if she really knows what she's doing...

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

All knowing big sister

As I've said in previous posts, Makenna has really gotten into her role of big sister, and it shows. She'll always make sure Isaiah knows she's around by constantly getting in his face, but he doesn't mind it much. He's at that stage where he likes to observe everything, and it must be a trip for him to see this other baby "all up in his grill!" That being said, here's a short video of a typical scene in our home. Anytime we put Isaiah in his swing, big sister Makenna decides it's time for her to share some knowledge with her little bro. Enjoy!

Monday, May 05, 2008

Monday, Monday...

How quickly the weekend passes! We spent most of the time running errands, and doing stuff around the house, nothing exciting. The kids didn't seem to mind, although they probably don't know any better just yet.

For the most part, the weekend was good for Isaiah. It seems that he's gotten over the hump with his acid reflux, and we're still keeping our fingers crossed in hopes that he's seen the worst of it. His new meds have allowed him to eat & sleep more comfortably, which allows us to sleep more comfortably! The extra rest is most evident in Enz, who has managed to maintain her cool through Isaiah's restless week. Good job mommy! Now that he's a bit more agreeable, he's taken to his schedule rather easily, and we pride ourselves in being able to recognize his signs. Isaiah continues to grow aware of his surroundings, and will coo loudly when he's happy. He's really been into observing his active sister as she runs around the house looking for things to get into. Isaiah will even flash you a smile once he recognizes your face!

Makenna's been a little spitfire, then again, that's nothing new. She did, however, say DADDY as clear as day! Talk about a great feeling! She's already mastered saying Dada a long time ago, but yesterday, she surprised the both of us when she said it! She says something that sounds like Isaiah, but hey, half the adults we know can't even say Isaiah correctly anyway, so Makenna's version is just as good! She never really mastered saying mama because she went straight to calling Enz, "mom!"



This past weekend, we noticed just how much the two have bonded. Whenever we put Zay in his swing, or any place where Makenna can reach him, she'll always go over and "talk" to him. It doesn't sound like much, but whatever it is she's saying catches Zay's attention and he listens. He could be sleeping soundly, then she'll wake him up with her chatter, and he'll just stare at her, like he understands. He doesn't mind much, especially if it's his sister that wakes him. It looks as if they're forming the foundation of their brother/sister bond. That or they're plotting against us!




Friday, May 02, 2008

Happy Friday!!!

For most of us, this week went by pretty quickly, but for Enz this was not the case. Being at home with two kids is more than a job in itself, it's an adventure! A great majority of our friends and family know exactly what I'm talking about, and having two little rugrats to look after can really test a person's nerves. That's not to say that our kids are little hellraisers, at least not yet, but even a child with a calm disposition can prove to have a "dark side." Basically what I'm trying to say is that raising children is a full-time job!

This week has been a difficult one for Isaiah, which was a true test for Enza. We couldn't figure out why he was so fussy, or why he wasn't eating & sleeping like before. We didn't know if it was an ear infection, or if he was getting sick, or if he just didn't like sleeping in his crib. Whatever the case, he was not a happy little boy. And being extra fussy didn't allow for Enz to get any rest whatsoever. She took Zay to the doctor yesterday and he determined that Zay's acid reflux was possibly "flaring up" causing major discomfort. Poor guy =( The doctor prescribed yet another medication to help with this problem, and told us that if he doesn't get any better by next week, he should see a specialist. Needless to say, the meds worked wonders last night, and Zay made it through about 9 hours before waking up hungry! WHEW! Of course we're not expecting him to be 100% just yet, so we're keeping our fingers crossed in hopes that everything settles down over the next couple of nights.

That being said, everything else was fine with the "little" guy. Zay will be hitting the 3 month mark next Monday, and it's hard to believe how quickly he's growing. Yesterday he weighed 15 pounds & 6 ounces, so you know he's not going hungry! At this rate, he'll catch up to Makenna in no time. Makenna continues to be her outgoing little self. She's at that stage where she's really learning things quickly, and she's doing a lot of imitation. We don't know where she got this from, but she's learning how to whistle. She's also learning how to jump, or so she thinks she is. She'll do most of her "tricks" when she's asked, but like many other kids, she'll get shy if she's put on the spot. Watching her tend to her little brother is also entertaining, and at times, she'll sit there and "chat" with him while he's in his swing. Lately Isaiah has been paying more attention to his big sister, and will follow her with his eyes as she runs around the room. When she's up in his face, he stares intently as she talks away, almost as if he understands her. It's almost as if they're planning their strategy for the future, when they can both play together. That's when the fun will really begin! Happy Friday and have a great weekend!