And the laughs keep coming...

We really don't know what it is, but the kids must know something because they both enjoy wearing Makenna's pull-ups on their heads! What started off as something to keep Makenna entertained while potty training, turned out to be a big fashion statement in her eyes. For Isaiah, he's just following the antics of his silly big sister! So in a sense it's true, we are raising a couple of clowns =) Gotta love these kids!!!

Makenna's upbeat and trendy fashion sense...

Isaiah models the young boy's line of Makenna's fashion headgear...

Elmo lovers

As we near the end of the first month of 2009, we can't help but be a bit perplexed on how quickly time is passing. Not really so much on this new year, but that our little big man will be a year old in about a week and a half! Not only that, but Makenna will be reaching another milestone and will be turning two in about 6 weeks! It almost makes me feel old when I use the cliché "they grow up so fast." Nevertheless, they'll still be our little babies no matter how quickly they grow, how mature they seem, or how big they get!

This past weekend, we went out dancing with "Uncle Ricky" and "Auntie Gina" in celebration of both of their birthdays. Auntie Emily & Auntie Yelena watched the little munchkins while we were out. Kenna has always been the easy one when it comes to babysitting, and this time was no exception. Since the evening started a little later, we were able to put Isaiah down before we left. We figured he'd be down for the count by the time the night got started, leaving the two with Makenna. Something happened with little Zae man later that night, and he wasn't having a good time at all. When we checked in after midnight, Emily told us that Zae wouldn't go back to sleep and that he was having a hard time soothing himself. We were almost ready to call it a night, but Emily assured us that they could handle it. We stayed out for a couple more hours or so, and when we got home, Isaiah was asleep in Yelena's arms, wrapped up like a big baby =) They finally got him to relax and fall asleep, but they didn't want to put him down for fear he'd wake up again. So they just held onto him, and he looked SOOOO peaceful! Good lookin' out guys, you did a great job! He woke up Saturday morning, a little later than his usual 5:30am, and he was in a terrific mood - go figure! The rest of the weekend was cake, and even though he's still battling a runny nose & congestion, he was in great spirits!

Isaiah chillin' on the Elmo chair

Makenna reppin' her latest in Elmo fashion

Our two little clowns

As always, our two little ones continue to keep us on our toes. Isaiah loves to roam around the house on his own, and Makenna will usually follow him and tell him "no no Zae" when he's not supposed to do something. That is, unless it's also something that she wants to do and she's not supposed to, then we don't hear a thing, and that's when we have to go and find what they've gotten into! Ahhh, the joys of parenthood! Can't complain though, mainly because nobody will listen =)

Makenna's been a great big sister, and Isaiah has really taken to her as of late. It seems like she's the only one who can get him to laugh the way he does, but on the same note, she's the one who can really get him annoyed! Sibling love or sibling rivalry-whatever it is, they've got it. Lately, all Makenna has to do to get the little man to laugh is to put one of her pull-ups on her head like a beanie, and he'll just have a field day cracking up! Makenna enjoys making Isaiah laugh, but again, she doesn't know when enough is enough and will get him to the point where she pisses him off! It's so fun to watch, at least until Isaiah gets mad!

Happy Tuesday!

Back to the grind on this sunny Tuesday morning, and it's hard to believe that it's supposed to rain for the remainder of the week! We've had such a nice run of great weather, we almost forgot that we're still in the heart of winter. We took advantage of the sunny weather along with our extra day off, and took the kids to the park for a little "fun time!" Normally we take the double stroller with us, and Isaiah gets stuck in the back seat, so half of his view is of the back of Makenna's head. This time, we brought the single stroller for the little man, and he felt like a king in it! He had a BLAST being in it by himself with the wind in his face. We didn't get but 10 feet and he was already shrieking with delight! Kinda hard to believe since all we were doing was pushing him in the stroller. What a funny little man we have! Makenna had the liberty of being out on her own, without the confines of the stroller. She ran freely on the grass, and had a great time on the jungle gym - all by herself! It's fun to watch Kenna play, because she does so in such a manner that she has absolutely no care in the world. Ahhh, what I wouldn't give to be so care-free again!

Isaiah's been a bit on the picky side with his eating again, and for us that could only mean one thing - he's teething again. We're not quite sure which teeth are coming in, but we've been finding him with his hands in his mouth when he's not eating. When he does decide to eat, he's really temperamental and only wants to feed himself. He does enjoy when Makenna feeds him, almost like they're bonding, but he gets tired of that too. Makenna, on the other hand, doesn't know when to stop feeding him, and will almost force the spoon in his mouth! Aside from his teething woes, he's still not grasping the whole walking thing. We've caught him on occasion, standing up by himself, but he just can't seem to figure out how to get started! If we help him out, he'll take a few steps on his own, but then he gets frustrated and immediately gets back down to crawling. So now he's up to about 4-5 steps unassisted. We're not trying to rush him into walking, but we know he has it in him, and we can see that he wants to follow Kenna everywhere!

This weekend we introduced Makenna to her "big girl bed." She was SO excited at first, and was going around saying "bed" all day! We figured she was ready for it because she was starting to look a little cramped in her crib. After we set it up, the excitement was still there as she crawled and jumped around on the mattress. When it came time to put her down for the night, she sang a different tune. It was almost as if her security blanket had been taken from her. Gone were the four secure walls of her humble abode, and in it's place was this foreign, full-size, big girl bed. It was like everything she had grown to understand had been taken from her! Poor thing! Enz did her best to calm her down, but even after reading her a bedtime story, she wasn't convinced, and she called out for me. After reading to her from one of her favorite books (Ramona the Pest), I was able to talk to her and tell her how lucky she was to be in a big girl bed. I don't know what it was that I said to her, but she was sold! It could be that she finally got tired or just wanted me to be quiet already, but whatever it was, it made her so happy to be in that bed! Of course, now she only wants me to put her down at night, but I'm sure that'll change pretty soon!

Kenna showing her brother some love...

Isaiah's new smile when he sees the camera...
Makenna in her "big girl" bed

Feeling Better

It seems that our mysterious little bug is finally passing, and everything is slowly going back to normal in the Camero household. Though Isaiah still has a little congestion, his cough has died down to where it sounds almost like an everyday, "clear your throat" kind of cough as opposed to the violent barking sound a few days back. He's been in a better mood and it shows when he's playing with his sister. Makenna's gotten her appetite back, and loves to eat again, especially when we're all eating at the same time! Enza has conquered her bout with pink eye, and her irritating cough has somewhat subsided. I've been fortunate thus far, and keep my fingers crossed that I stay healthy. Although I'm bound to get sick sometime, it's been a blessing that at least one of us stayed on the up-and-up these past couple of weeks! The best part is that the weather has been exceptional, so I'm sure that had a lot to do with everyone starting to feel better! Even though it's still technically the winter season, we hope the weather remains favorable until everyone is back to 100%. Happy Hump Day!

Isaiah is getting better daily...

Makenna throws a munch now that her appetite has returned...

Croup?

So it's getting to a point where we have to stop and ask ourselves, "when will this madness end?" The bug that's been finding comfort in the Camero household struck again, this time taking Isaiah down with a case of Croup. You may be asking yourself the same question I was the other night, "what the heck is croup?"

What is Croup?

Now that you know what croup is, here's what happened to the little man. Saturday night, Enz & I were enjoying a quiet night at home with a little bit of Wii competition. We stayed in for our anniversary, mainly because Enz was still trying to get over her sinus infection. Right around midnight, we heard Isaiah fussing around in his room, and he didn't sound like he was comfortable. After going in to check on him, I heard him cough rather violently and had Enza come in the room so she could hear it. When we picked him up he was breathing heavily, almost as if he was having difficulty, and he was also wheezing. We gave him his inhaler, which seemed to help him calm down and breathe a little easier, but his cough was keeping him from relaxing.

Enza immediately contacted the on-call advice nurse, and she automatically mentioned that it could be croup, judging solely on what Enz told her. She recommeded that we sit Isaiah in the bathroom with the hot water running so that the steam would help his breathing. It helped for the most part, and after about 20 minutes of the steam, the nurse called back to check on Isaiah. She listened to his breathing and coughing over the phone and then suggested we take him into the Emergency Room.

At 1:30am, we drove Isaiah over to the hospital, and they treated him for croup. He received a dose of prednizone to help reduce the effects of his restricted airway, some tylenol for his fever which was around the 101-102 degree mark, and a 20 minute cold-air treatment, which did wonders for his breathing. By the time we left the hospital it was a little after 4am - not a fun way to spend a Saturday night/Sunday morning. We brought the little man home, and he was able to rest easy for the remainder of the night/morning. Yesterday, he was in a terrific mood and we were all pretty surprised to say the least. His cough has gotten a little better, though they say that the symptoms typically last about 5-7 days. Now we're doing our best to keep Makenna from getting it. That's near impossible the way these two play together, but if she does catch it, we'll be that much more informed about it. Happy Monday!

Isaiah's "OH NO" pose...

Makenna cheeses it up as she teaches Isaiah the alphabet...

Happy Friday

It was a bit of a scary thing with the little man last night; something that I hoped would never occur even though the doctor mentioned that it was normal and that it may happen. During one of his crying fits, Isaiah held his breath and literally passed out. I was a bit shocked that it happened, and kinda freaked out when I saw him fall backwards in slow motion onto his back. He didn't hurt himself, which was a good thing, and he snapped out of it almost immediately which was an even better thing. Whew!

I've mentioned that Isaiah's been in a great mood as of late, but yesterday was an exception. A bug has been lingering in our home these last couple of weeks, and it seems that Isaiah's caught it again. That explains why he was so clingy when Enz left for work yesterday. Auntie Gina watched the kids and she said Isaiah cried in the morning, but finally mellowed out later. When I got home, he was pretty chipper, even though he missed his afternoon nap. The kids played together quietly while I got things ready for the evening. It wasn't until Makenna had to go to the bathroom that it started to unravel. When I left Isaiah to play by himself in the family room, he threw a fit. Sometimes when he cries hard he'll hold his breath, and this time was the clencher. UGH!

Later on in the evening, something set Isaiah off, and he ended up holding his breath again. This time Enza was home so she got to witness another close call. Although he didn't pass out a second time, he did hold his breath again, so much so that his lips turned blue. By that time he was exhausted and he had no problems getting to sleep for the night. We'll keep an eye on him, and hope that he doesn't continue this freaky little habit. I don't care how "normal" the doctor says it is among children his age, it's still scary! Happy Friday!

First hump day of 2009

So seven days into the new year, and a bug still lingers in our home. Enz has been off for a couple of days trying to recuperate, but having to deal with the kids at the same time is keeping her tired. The good news out of all of this is that the kids are actually behaving well, for the most part. It probably helps that they've gotten a lot of new toys and gadgets to help keep them entertained, so a big "thank you" is in order to everyone's thoughtfulness this past Christmas!

Not that I'm trying to jinx anything, but Isaiah has done a complete turnaround. While there are still times where only his mommy can bring him comfort, he has learned to somewhat remain in a really great mood! We've been waiting and waiting, and thought this stage would never come, but thank God it has! He has shown more interest in his toys, and will happily play by himself for longer periods of time without being needy or crying for mommy to pick him up every time he sees her. Of course he still has his moments, but those are coming less frequently now. It's almost as if he's reached some mysterious level of independence or something, but whatever it is, it's very much welcome! Currently at the 11 month mark, we realized that this was the exact age Makenna was when Isaiah was born, WHAT A TRIP!!!

Makenna has also proven that she has moved on to bigger and better things. Although she still has strong ties to Elmo and Barney, she's developed more of an interest in Dora and The Backyardigans. I guess with the Backyardigans, she's drawn to the dancing and singing more than anything, and when she watches, she does her best to dance along with the characters. We're seriously ready to put her in a dance class, because it seems like she's ready to tear it up! She's definitely got the ability, so let's see if she has the desire to learn it on a different level. I'm beginning to wonder if she'll dominate the class since she's got such a strong and independent personality. Can't wait to see that!

Isaiah's little "heartbreaker" grin...

Makenna getting into daddy's clothes...

Welcome 2009!

First and foremost, Happy New Year! I realize that we're already into the 5th day of the year, yet this is the first post of 2009. 2008 was a terrific year for us, as we welcomed Isaiah Daelen into our family, and also saw Makenna hit the big 1-year old milestone! It's been a wonderful journey watching the two grow up together, and it's been fun to see how their personalities mesh as they continue to develop. When first starting this blog, my intent was to take everyone on a journey through Makenna's first year of life, her ups and downs, along with our trials and tribulations as we learned firsthand exactly what it took to be parents! Little did I know that shortly after Makenna was with us, that I'd have to include our little man into the mix!!! We were just as surprised as everyone else when we shared our news. And so, after reaching my initial goal of Makenna's first year, I opted to continue the same tradition for Isaiah, and took everyone on an extended voyage through his first year! Of course, since the two go hand in hand, it was only natural that I keep Makenna in the loop as well!

That being said, we can hardly believe that Isaiah will be reaching the 1-year mark exactly one month from today. Happy 11 months Isaiah! This holiday season, both Enza & I took time off, and being around the kids 24/7, we've noticed just how much our little man has developed, and how his own little personality has become much more noticeable. He still has his quirks, and will still cry every now and then when he can't see his mommy, but lately, he's been in daddy-mode which makes me smile =) He's not far from walking on his own, and has taken two steps by himself on at least a couple of occasions. That's all we need right now, is two fully mobile children and then we'll definitely be on our toes! Makenna has noticed the change in Isaiah, and has really gotten into her big sister role. When she sees him doing something that he's not supposed to do, she'll tell him "Zae Zae No!" But on the same note, she'll get him to play with her by doing something that neither one of them should be doing, like playing with the curtains. When we catch them, she'll automatically throw Isaiah under the bus, like we're supposed to believe he did it on his own! Hahahaha, she's a little sneaky one! It's also hard to believe that she's only two months shy of her second birthday! Seriously, where has all the time gone???

This should be a good year for the two of them, as they both reach major milestones in their lives. And since we don't have any other surprises at the moment, at least I don't think we do, it'll be nice to enjoy just the two of them. The thought of expanding our family is still up for debate, but for now, the five of us works just fine! For any of you trying to read deeply into that last statement, don't forget, Marino makes 5 =)

Isaiah's been in a really good mood since the holidays...

Makenna, in training... (she's gonna hate me later on for posting this pic!)
our little troublemakers...