Monday, September 29, 2008

Fantastic weekend...

After a tiring weekend of working and playing, all the while trying to get over the last bit of being sick, we ended up getting a lot accomplished. It took a full month of weekends, complete with random days each week, but we were finally able to finish our big fireplace removal project. Now it's all about gaining some semblance of order in a home full of chaos (at least until the next project begins)!

The kids have gotten over the bug that bit us all, and it's safe to say that they're both back to their normal selves once again. Isaiah finally figured out that he can crawl from point A to point B faster than if he sat in one place and cried until someone picked him up to move him. He's become quite the fast mover, even though it's still his "combat crawl." We still think he'd rather stand up and walk than crawl, but until he gets the strength, balance and coordination in his legs, he'll continue to be mobile on his belly.

Makenna has been picking up some habits that we've been dreading since her birth. Much like all kids her age, she loves to say the word "no," even when she really means yes! What started off as cute, has become an expletive of her attitude. Not only does she say "no," but somehow she's picked up "no way," and she says it with such authority. We don't even know where she picked that up from! She's also started with the word "why," but I think she just says that because she's heard it and she's repeating, not because she really wants to know why. I'm sure once she speaks more clearly, then the question will come out, only then she'll be waiting for an answer!


Getting the kids out for an early morning stroll...

Friday, September 26, 2008

Happy Friday!!!

Even though this turned out to be a short week for us, TGIF!!! Being sick, at home, and with two sick kids can be a lot more stressful than a full week of work, so with that, we welcome the weekend with open arms! The kids are getting better each day, and you can see it in their faces. Isaiah is allowing himself to get the much needed rest he deserves, and we're not fighting him on it either! He's much happier when he's rested, and when he's happy, we're relieved. Hopefully once this bug is completely gone, he'll be back to his normally chipper little self.

Makenna still pushes forward, drippy nose and all. Yesterday Nonno came by to do some prep-work before we paint this weekend, and Makenna wanted nothing but to help him out. He gave her some sandpaper and showed her what to do, and then from there, she went to town! She really enjoyed herself, and she knew exactly where and how to sand down the walls. She's being "groomed" early because we know there will be more and more projects in the near future that she can "help" with. Happy Friday and have a great weekend!

Isaiah practicing his combat crawl... The kids playing quietly together...
Makenna is Nonno's little helper...






Thursday, September 25, 2008

In good spirits

So both Enz & I are back at work today, and we're hoping that Grandma has an ok day with the kids. They seemed to be in good moods this morning, and we hope that they didn't get too used to having us both there for nearly a week. I'm sure seeing Grandma is a welcome change for the both of them anyway!

Isaiah seems to be getting better, although he's been waking up around midnight these past few nights. It was probably due to his congestion and inability to breathe with his pacifier in his mouth, but he's been pretty punctual with this new and random wake up time. Once he goes back down though, he's usually out until around 6am. So we're hoping that once this virus passes, he'll be back to his old schedule again.

Makenna continues to be on the up and up, despite the sound of her cough and the drip from her nose. Even through this illness, she still provides a great source of entertainment, and has really enjoyed having the both of us home at the same time.

The kids quietly enjoying some reading time together...


Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Still ill...

So I guess I can't claim to be Superman, because like everyone in the house, I too, fell victim to the bug. UGH! Not only was it tough to try and get some rest so that we could get better, but having to deal with two sick kids made it that much tougher. When it seemed like Makenna was on the downside of the bug, her cough came back in full force, and it did not sound pleasant. Over the last few days, Isaiah has been the epitome of a "mama's boy." Sure, we understand that he's not feeling well, in fact, he's probably got it the worst of all. But on top of all that, he developed a new and improved "needy" cry! One can only handle so much of this new sound before going bananas! I was able to get going and get to work today, but I'm not sure it'll be a full day since it seems that Enza got worse, AGAIN! I don't think she'll be able to handle both kids on her own, especially since she's not anywhere near 100%.

Enz called the doctor yesterday for some advice, and after a few minutes of talking, they suggested we bring Isaiah in, mainly because he's still a baby. They weren't so concerned with Makenna since she's older, but they figured they might as well see her too since she would be there with us anyway. It turned out they both had low grade fevers. Makenna was in great spirits, so after looking her over they let us know that she just had whatever virus is going around. Isaiah, on the other hand, developed a bit of wheezing in his chest, and even lost a little weight. They started him on an inhaler just to get him over the hump, so hopefully that'll help get rid of any discomfort in his chest. He'll just have to ride the remainder of the bug out, and then we should see his happy disposition back real soon =)

Isaiah loves Marino

Makenna rides her pup

Marino's been a big help keeping the kids entertained while they're under the weather...

Friday, September 19, 2008

Seen better days...

Well, the kids have definitely seen better days. It started off earlier this week when Makenna started showing us signs that her throat was bothering her, then it moved onto Isaiah and his congestion. Just when we thought we'd get through the week with fairly calm children, this wrench gets thrown into our gears, so to speak. To top it all off, Enz isn't feeling 100% either, which is a bummer because she just got over whatever bug was going around last week! I'll just wait patiently until my turn comes, but for now, I'll do my best to avoid it. We feel so badly for the kids when they're under the weather =( All they want is to be babied and be held, and with the both of us at work, it's up to Grandma to save the day! Here's to hoping that Grandma stays healthy too! Happy Friday!




Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Happy Hump Day!

So we've been pretty fortunate with the little big man these past few days. Not that I'm trying to jinx us or anything, but Isaiah's been a lot calmer, and less fussy, which has been very noticeable by everyone who's seen him. We really can't put our finger on exactly what it was that got him to this point, but whatever it was, we're 100% grateful! And that's not to say that he was so unmanageable that we couldn't handle it, he was just so sensitive about everything, and that made him extremely fussy. I think a lot had to do with his two front teeth coming in, and now that they've actually broken through the gums, he's a happier camper! Check the picture, it's written all over his face =) Of course we're hoping that his mellow streak continues, because that just makes it easier for us to deal with other things without having to worry about what's bugging the little big man...
We've started a "tradition" of sorts at our house on Tuesdays. Some of the cousins come by to hang out and bs a little, watch some wrestling (yes, it's real), and whatever else catches our eye. We've been doing this for a while now, but we never realized just how much the kids enjoy the company. This especially pertains to Makenna since her bedtime is later than Isaiah's, but for the time that he's awake, he enjoys hanging out too! Not too long ago, one of the cousins (Ailyn) went off to school, so her Tuesday outings came to a temporary halt. Last night, we were able to connect with her via video chat and it was almost like she was kickin' it with us. While we were all hanging out having dinner, Makenna sat in front of the computer and "chatted" with Ailyn! We couldn't believe that she was just sitting there, not even messing around with the laptop, but just keeping herself entertained with her aunt! Anything Ailyn would do, Makenna would repeat, and it was so fun to watch. We probably could've had Ailyn "babysit" Makenna through the chat window, because that's what it seemed like she was doing, and Kenna was having a blast! The funniest part was that the screen would go black after a few minutes of inactivity, and anytime that happened, Kenna had enough smarts to know to touch one of the keys or the touchpad to bring the picture back on the screen! This one's getting too smart for us.... Happy Wednesday!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Another short weekend...

Yet another weekend has come & gone fairly quickly, without much time to do anything, so is life... Much of the weekend was spent working on the house again, especially after tearing down the fireplace last week. It seems like the work will never end, but oh well! Can't wait until these kids are big enough to help out!

Both kids were in decent moods this weekend, although Isaiah takes the award for being "most dramatic." We're still not quite sure what sets him off when he has his little crying fits, but we do know that when he is cranky, Makenna's enthusiasm doesn't help calm him. We also know that his top two teeth are finally breaking through the gums, so it'll be a trip to see what he looks like with four teeth! On Sunday, while the girls were out shopping, Isaiah and I were deep into football, switching back & forth between all the games (you gotta love NFL Sunday Ticket). Can't really call it, but he didn't fuss much during the games. I'm not sure if it was because he was just watching TV, or if maybe in his developing little mind, he was really enjoying the game. Whatever it was, I hope it continues to develop, because I had a great time bonding with my little big man! Of course the Dolphins added another check mark in the Loss column, but for the local teams, Sunday was a good day... As for the Makalicious one, her personality just seems to develop more and more on a daily basis. Because the house is up in shambles at the moment, it's been a bit difficult to get in the spirit of the upcoming holidays as Enz loves to do so much (I think she's taken a cue from her sister). In the meantime, Enz decided to put up some decorations for Halloween, and right away, Makenna took notice. It didn't take long for her to distinguish between a ghost, a pumpkin, a witch, & a spider! Looks like Makenna might have gotten the Halloween bug from her auntie??

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Tale of the tape

Makenna had her 18 month doctor visit yesterday, and aside from the shot, she handled everything well. Her doctor was impressed at her current skill level, and was equally impressed at her growth. Ever since she became mobile, she's been a lot more active, and the way she grew changed as well. I think this is the first time that her three growth measurements have "evened out" with one another. Previously, her height was always in the lower percentile, while her weight was always in the higher end. Her head circumference has been big from day 1, so that's a given! Over the last few doctor visits, we've noticed that she had only gained a pound or two, and at one point, she even lost weight! Her height changed slightly over the last few visits, keeping her in the "short" classification. Hey, neither Enz nor myself are towering individuals, so it's safe to assume that Kenna's height would be average. Yesterday, though, she shot up a couple of inches, and that was a shock to the both of us!

That being said, here are Kenna's measurements:

Height: 32 inches, 75th percentile

Weight: 26.10 pounds, 75th percentile

Head Circumference: 42.75, 75th percentile

It's no doubt in anyone's mind, regardless of these numbers, that Kenna's growing up fast. Days seem to be a lot more fun since she's communicating a lot more, and imitating everyone & everything she sees! It won't be long until Isaiah's at that point!


Makenna's big girl dress

If I haven't already mentioned, the little big man finally said his first word, and it was a very important one: Dada! Sure it's still left up to interpretation, but when you hear it, it's unmistakable! It usually comes out when he's really hungry and we're taking way too long to get his food ready. It starts of as a bit of a whiny sound, but then it turns into "dada." Whenever we try to get him to say it, he looks at us like we're crazy, and then Makenna will say it over and over, as if to show us that she knows how to say it already. It could also be that she's showing her brother how to say it, but nevertheless, it's a great sound to hear from either one of them!

The Dolphins lost their first home game because Isaiah drooled all over his shirt...


Friday, September 05, 2008

Happy 7 months Isaiah!

It's hard to believe how quickly these months are flying by, but our little big man has hit the 7 month mark today.  And with this milestone he clearly said his first word:  Dada!  Then again, it wasn't as clear as Makenna says it, nor was it a full "dada," but more like a long and drawn out Daa...  Hey, I'll take it!  He's truly on the same schedule as his big sister, as that too, was her first word!  Happy 7 months to the little big guy, and Happy Friday!!

Thursday, September 04, 2008

Our silly children

Both Isaiah and Makenna never cease to amaze us with their developing personalities, regardless of how different they are from one another. The little big man will be 7 months old tomorrow, and thus far, he's pretty much on the same growth curve as Makenna was at that age (which wasn't too long ago). His top two front teeth are slowly making their presence felt, and these past few days have been tough for the little big guy =( Even through all the aches and pains, he still manages to come up with his mischievous grin every once in a while!

Makenna continues to amaze us with her quick learning abilities, and at the present time, she's really into imitating people's actions. Her vocabulary is increasing, and like I've mentioned before, she'll surprise us with a random word every now and then! Looks like we really need to buckle down on the offensive language, and learn to be more "G" rated, otherwise our little girl will have more words to practice! HA!



Monday, September 01, 2008

A day at the beach...

What started off as a potential first camping trip for our little family, turned out to be just a day trip to the beach and campsite with the rest of the family. And while the kids didn't quite understand the difference, both Enz & I knew what a full camping trip entailed, and we also knew that we were not prepared!

We got to the campsite in the early afternoon, and the kids were excited to be outdoors. The family had just arrived a little before us and they were still in the process of setting up, so we took the kids out to the beach for a little play time. Isaiah was clueless at this point, mainly because this was his first time at the beach! For the first part, he was in awe of his surroundings, but as the day progressed, he grew more and more fussy. At first we figured that he was just tired because he didn't take a good morning nap. Afterwards, we realized that his top teeth were really bothering him, and that his upper gums were irritated. We didn't come to that conclusion until later, and we dismissed his irritability as normal fussiness =( He had some good moments though, as you can see by his goofy smiles in these pictures, but for the most part, he wasn't his usual care-free self.... When he did calm down, he enjoyed himself, and we even took him out to the shore to get his feet wet. He wasn't too happy with the water temperature though....

Mommy and Isaiah are all smiles Finally a happy moment for Isaiah

For Makenna, it literally was just another day at the beach! She remembered the feel of sand through her toes, and loved sitting down in it and playing with it. When she finally got bored with just playing in the sand, we took her out to the water. At first, she was apprehensive about getting her feet wet, so much so, that she even ran away from the waves and started to cry. I don't blame her, the water was damn cold! After getting accustomed to the water temperature, she was like an adventurous little fish, and she wanted to go out further and further. It got to the point where she tired me out, so I handed her off to my cousins, and she continued to play in the water. Once she tired them out, it was my turn again, but we had to call it quits and take a break. After pulling Kenna away from the water, she began crying again! UGH! The afternoon went like this for a while as we all took turns playing with Kenna in the water. When she finally tired everyone out, grandma took over and played with her nearby in the sand. Not satisfied with building sand castles, Kenna took grandma by the hand and started walking out towards the water again! Since grandma's a pushover when it comes to her grandchildren, we had to warn her not to allow Kenna to go out to the water! We can't believe how sneaky this little one has become already!

All in all, it was a great little day trip for the family. It would've been nice to stay the whole weekend, but since we weren't 100% ready, we knew better. Maybe next year it'll be a different story, especially with the kids being a bit older. Until then, the memory of Isaiah's first trip to the beach will be a vivid one!

Kenna in the sand Kenna running from the waves....