Just a couple of photos

Not much to report. Kyra had a rough day -- not sure if it's Daniel running around like a wild man all day and keeping her from napping well or the trip to the Children's Museum and Michael's art supply... although it started before those trips. Maybe it's gas -- that seems to be the general answer for all fussiness. We had two car trips of crying and then much later a 3+ hour nap. I think she was exhausted by her antics and my schedule. Again, as long as you don't plan anything at all, raising kids is a cinch... okay maybe not but we planners have a tougher time, I think! I love this outfit though and had to share a picture.

Daniel enjoyed the art supplies we got. We got a box of stuff for gluing on paper and some paint and stamps and stickers... yes, I plan to spend more time at home -- cleaning up artwork!! Here's a photo of Daniel mimicing Mel Gibson's makeup in Braveheart!

Bunny Bathtime

A cute picture of Kyra in her bunny towel. Last night went pretty well. She's been doing a 6 hour stint between feedings (~5 hours of sleep, ~6 hours beginning to beginning of feedings). That's pretty good but she sometimes feels like she should stay awake for some time after that feeding. Given the timing, that's about 2 or 3am. Not really when Mommy wants to stay up and play. We'll work on that, though. Last night it was only an hour and fifteen minutes.

Today went well. We only ventured out once, though, to the grocery store. I've come to grips with the fact that all goes well with kids as long as you have no specific plans or expectations. Tomorrow we plan to meet friends at the new KidsQuest Children's Museum... we'll see how things go. I'll try not to lock the kids in the car or anything.

Kyra's good when she wakes up in places, though. She doesn't cry. Last night we were ambitious and went to church -- not only did we go but we sat in the church -- this is the confidence we gained from a great experience at Kyra's baptism. It actually went quite well. Daniel had one meltdown about half way through and after I promised him blueberries if he behaved, the rest went pretty well too. Kyra woke up part way through but was quiet (with a pacifier). The reason we normally sit in the cry room is because when Daniel used to wake up during Mass, he would cry -- everytime. Every kid is different they say -- oh yeah, and we're not supposed to compare them.

Progress...

Kyra's really starting to perk up and be much more alert. This is the closest picture of a smile I've been able to get! I think we've figured out why she has been such a wreck at night with Carolyn and my mom... she has decided that the bottle isn't for her. She'll take an ounce or so without much fight but then fights it and screams and continues to scream because she's still hungry. Yesterday we tried some bottles during the day and had the same reaction... so the question is how to get her back on bottles since I'm supposed to be starting back to work next week. I'll be home much of the time but sometimes out for networking sessions and meetings.

Regarding work, I've been swamped the last two weeks. Of course when you plan to take some time off, things get busy. I can't complain because the business is great but feel a bit chaotic and want to make sure I've got my act together for my clients.

My mom's here through Sunday then we're on our own!

Baptism

Yesterday was Kyra's baptism. The grandparents and Aunt Ra Ra were here for the occasion. Her godparents are Matt's friend Dave Certo and his wife Meghan who were also in town. Daniel sat through mass wonderfully -- we should sit in the church (rather than the cry room) more often! Kyra slept through most of it and jumped a mile when the cold water was poured on her head -- but didn't wake up! She did great also. We had dinner at a more casual place than last time to accommodate Daniel who ate potato latkes and carrots and was just a doll! Overall, a perfect day! Click the Flickr link at the lower right corner of this page to see pictures.

More Photos

We've recently connected our blog/website to a site called Flickr where we can share more photos with you. To see these photos, click the Flickr link at the bottom right corner of the website. Enjoy!

Well, better...

Last night Kyra did exactly what I wanted... well, sort of. She was up from 8:30 pm until 11pm -- which was great except that she was fussy and flailing her arms so it was a 3 hour struggle rather than a peaceful evening. That being said, I fed her at 11pm and then Grandma took the 3am where she was a complete angel and then again at 7am. So, it's what I had wanted and expected but not an easy evening.

Otherwise, Daniel is warming up a lot to her. He has asked to hold her -- here's a picture. He doesn't really understand that he needs to be gentle as he tries to lie down on her and was knocking on her head this morning... but he knows "Baby Kyra" is his sister.

Any ideas?

Kyra's doing really well. She's awake a lot more -- just not always when we want her to be! The past two days, she's been awake from 7:30 am until about 11am. Yesterday, she then slept most of the afternoon and evening and was up from midnight until 3 am with Grandma. Not fussy or upset, just awake. Mom got the easy feeding at 3 am since she was already tired and ready to crash. So today we're trying to figure out how to keep her awake between 6 pm and 10 pm in hopes that she will be so tired that her night wakings will be kept to 45 minutes or an hour... But I've found that when babies want to sleep, you can't do much to keep them up -- we'll attempt, though.

Olympics

Kyra seems to have mastered the distance pooping event. This morning with Grandma, her poop flew approximately 4 feet... Thought you'd all enjoy the imagery. Be thankful you only have that rather than the cleanup!

Growing, sleeping, bathing

Kyra went to the doctor for her 1 month checkup on Wed. and weighs 10 lbs. 10 oz. so she's having no trouble growing. I think Daniel was 11 lbs + at his 1 month. She's 90th percentile in height and weight which simply means that she's proportional. All else looks good.

Doesn't she look peaceful? Let me share some stories! She has greeted Grandma Bomberger with a couple of wierd nights. Grandma's first night here, Kyra had me up for 1.5 hours so Grandma jumped in to put her to bed. Last night, she started a screaming fit (for who knows what reason) at 9-ish and we finally broke down and took her for a drive around 10pm. She promptly fell asleep and slept until 2am. She hadn't really eaten since 6pm although did some suckling around 9pm in my fruitless attempt to put her to sleep. Regardless, that means at least 5 hours between feedings and probably more like 8 hours and 4 hours of straight sleep. We need to figure out how to tucker her out without the screaming fit. Too bad she can't run around yet like Daniel! We'll see how she fares tonight given that she slept most of the day.

Our other fun event was an attempt to do both kids' baths simultaneously -- mistake number 1. Daniel started out not wanting to take a bath and was crying. Then we put Kyra in her tub in the bathroom, too, and she started crying -- she's cried for every bath to date. Her crying increased Daniel's crying and he wanted to get out... so bathtime tonight lasted 5 minutes so that Grandma and Mom could keep our sanity. Probably won't try that again anytime soon. When will Kyra be big enough to bathe in the big tub with Daniel?

3.5 week picture

I finally got a picture that I feel really shows off Kyra's eyes! She was intently looking out the window here.

Super Bowl

Of course we watched the Seahawks in the Super Bowl but the game festivities started out so poorly that the result was inevitable. Of course, me being a huge Jermoe Bettis fan, I can't feel too badly about the outcome. (Hopefully no one from Seattle reads this -- I'll probably be hunted down for that statement.) I remember my first game at ND where Bettis carried 3 Indiana defensive men into the endzone. It was great. Anyway, within 5 minutes of entering our friend's house for the Super Bowl party, Daniel fell on a step between the kitchen and living room and split open his lip. It was his first 'bleeder' so we panicked a little but he recovered quickly and was off playing for the entire game. Kyra slept until half-time and then was up for 4+ hours after that. The night, though, was great. We've actually had three good nights in a row. Hopefully, that comment doesn't jinx us!

3 week picture