Park-a-palooza

I read about this idea in Family Fun magazine and decided to modify it for our family's last day of summer vacation last Sunday.

When the kids woke up, in the middle of the living room floor (where I knew they would be headed to watch cartoons), there was a note explaining that today was PARK-A-PALOOZA and we would be going to not one, not two, but THREE parks.

There was also an envelope that they had to open. Inside, four dollar bills and a note that they each got $2, because our first stop would be the gas station where they could each buy themselves an "11 o'clock treat" (that is, a treat to be eaten at 11 AM!).

Then as soon as we had eaten breakfast, we loaded into the minivan with a pile of bottled waters and headed to a local park that we don't often go to. I told the kids we had 20 minutes to spend at each park. We spent a little longer, but it was nice to have this time limit set from the start because there was no whining when it was time to leave.

We went to two more parks, same drill, and had the BEST time. The kids made friends everywhere we went, they ran around and got sweaty and exhausted, and generally had a blast.

We stopped at Fazoli's on the way home and treated ourselves to lunck with lemonade and all the garlicky breadsticks we could eat. We will definitely do it again next year. Even though it seemed a little ridiculous that August 2 was the "end" of summer...

Peek-a-boo

Truck and I went to the doctor today for his 4-month check-up. He weighed in at 19 lbs (90th percentile) and is 26 inches tall (97th percentile). Official Truck Status was awarded! He was a champ for his shots. He slurped down the Tylenol, then let out a yelp when the nurse stuck him, but he was smiling by the time we were out in the waiting room. He fell asleep, not surprisingly, on the drive over to day care and hopefully will do a better job sleeping for them there today.

The best part of the doctor's appointment was when we were in the exam room and I was trying to keep him occupied while we waited for the doctor. I decided to lay him on the table and play some peek-a-boo. We had never played it before. He LOVED it. Every time I "appeared" and said peek-a-boo (from behind my hands), he laughed a full-body laugh. Mama, you are SO hilarious!

Truck at School

Truck had his first day of school today. It went great - much more smoothly than the first day of school for either of the other two back in the day. They looked at me funny when I said he would drink four 6 oz. bottles. Hello, he is a truck! He ended up eating only three, which was nice because #4 has to be formula. I am pumping to the max at work (three times a day, at 9:30, 12:30 and 3:30), and that results in about 18-20 oz. total. Plus he nurses in the morning first thing and then about 3 or 4 times before he goes to bed at night (6, 7:45, sometimes 8:30, and 9:15). Anyway, I am ok with him eating formula for whatever he wants beyond the first three bottles at school. He is getting plenty of breast milk!!

He didn't cry when we dropped him off, and he was smiling and looking around when Dad picked him up. I think he likes having all the new faces to look at, especially his new friends. He didn't sleep very well but he doesn't sleep very well anytime that I am not there putting him in bed (his naps for the past 2 weeks that he's been home with Dad have been sporadic).

Anyway, it was a successful first day. I am very proud of the little Truck.

The Squash is Seven

He's seven!!

Truck Update

Here is a picture of the Truck from today, age 3.5 months. No, he does not roll over, though he does occasionally pull his legs up as if he would. There's a lot of belly to roll over, so we are not holding our breath.

He chows on cereal two meals a day. I am not sure how many ounces he eats a day, since he's been almost exclusively breastfed up to now, but starting tomorrow, he'll be doing bottles of it, so we will see how much he drinks.

He sleeps from about 9:30 PM to 7 AM. After he wakes up, he eats, hangs out for about an hour, eats again, then takes a nap. He usually takes one long afternoon nap and several catnaps during the day.

He loves going swimming, having people make faces at him and getting tickled. He dislikes being strapped into his carseat or his stroller. He likes going for walks facing out in the Baby Bjorn. He is just starting to laugh.

Everyone in the family calls him Truck or, more often, Truck-o. His favorite song is one we made up called "The Troublesome Truck." Noodle and I know all the words.

Happy Moments

Really liking this quote today:

“Cherish all your happy moments: they make a fine cushion for old age.” – Christopher Morley

Going back to work tomorrow morning after being off since January (first bed rest, then maternity leave). Nuff said.

5,500 Miles

After 38 days and 5,500 miles on the road, the five of us are back from our epic adventure. We visited relatives all over the west coast and Colorado. We slept in more different beds than I can count. We were driven to wit's end by our three-year-old. We watched our two-month-old become a three-month-old. We spent a LOT of hours together in a minivan. I have listened to "Barbie and the Diamond Castle" at least five times and sortof know the words to the theme song sung by Katharine McPhee. My (now) seven-year-old learned to play Monopoly, Payday, Gin Rummy, Cribbage and Poker. My three-month-old can hold up his head and laugh.

It was the best month of my life. This was my favorite picture of the trip. Captured the sheer glee of Noodle, age 3.5!