Been a While!

Well, I know it's been a while since I've blogged, so I'm going to post a quick update for our last few weeks.

1. Vivi turned 3!! Kyle was out of town, so I took Vivi to Chuck E Cheese. She ate almost a whole pizza (yikes!!!) and stuffed coins in all of the slots of the games - had a great time! She doesn't go often enough to understand the joy of trading in your precious tickets earned at every game for the - excuse the language - crap crap - before you go home (that's been intentional on my part...I hate that stuff). SO, we found a nice family and passed our tickets to them. They had older kids and were enthusiastic about the extra tickets. Yay! I don't remember what else we did that day. Hm.. oh yeah! We went to the toy store! That's right! She got a digital camera for her birthday. She's had a great time with it so far. I chuckled one day when I saw her taking a picture of Cheer Bear who she had propped up with a book facing the back door. There's a pic of that on dropshots. Oh - I also let her pick out her clothes and my clothes on her birthday! She picked a pink shirt and white skirt for herself, and red shirt and green capris for me. I know, I know...some of you may think that I ought to let her pick her clothes every day. Sorry...I'm just not that fun. She wouldn't necessarily pick seasonally appropriate attire..and I just don't want to go down that road just yet. I'm not up for fights every day in that dept. SO, I usually give her two choices. It works for now.

Speaking of birthdays, we had her party a week or so ago at New Bern Gymnastics Studio. Both of her grandmothers came into town and all of her friends came to her party! They tumbled and played and jumped and rolled! It was a lot of fun. There are some pics on dropshots of her party. Her cake was cute - a pink and green monogrammed purse! We didn't have a 'theme' for her party, but the decorations and food were pink and green. Watermelon and cantaloupe, ham and spinach pinwheels, strawberry bagels, and her purse cake were served with pink and green balloons and crepe paper in the background.

At her three year old doctor check, they asked several things to determine how her motor skills, language, etc are developing. My favorite question was when the doc asked me if she was using scissors well. My first thought was, well, no, it has honestly never occurred to me to give my two and a half year old scissors to practice cutting things with since I have a newborn in the house. So, Vivi probably couldn't pass the three year old scissor test, but I think she's doing okay. I have since gotten the kid scissors out of 'hiding' and we've practiced cutting some dotted lines on paper. I think she's doing well. But I'm still nervous about having scissors and a three year old loose in the house...with a baby...and a dog. Silly me. And don't worry - we have strict rules about scissor use. Never walk with them...only use them on paper...etc.

2. Bryton has had a hard time. After he fussed at me for about a week, I took him to the doc who gave him a couple of different antibiotics to help his eye goo (yucky snotty stuff coming out of his eye possibly due to a blocked tear duct). One was a gel that you had to squeeze out of the tube and put a half-inch ribbon in his eye 4 times a day. That's a lot of fun to do to a wiggly 5 month old with long eyelashes. The other was an oral antibiotic. Both were to help clear up any eye infection or skin infection that could be irritating his poor little eye. He did well for a couple of days, but I think the oral antibiotic started to upset his stomach some. So, he was a little unsettled the rest of the week that he was on that, but overall seemed to be feeling better. After we had finished the rounds of both medicines, he seemed to feel pretty good for a few days. But, this past week, he just had bouts of fussing fits that were just so uncharacteristic of him. He would usually stop crying after you picked him up, but I found it difficult to do several of our daily activities while holding an almost 20 lb child. Anyway, his eye looks a whole lot better, but his lower gum line looks suspicious...I don't feel any teeth yet, but have a feeling that they aren't far off. He's drooling up a storm, too. Yick. I don't like baby drool; although, it isn't as bad as other yuckies babies can put on ya...

Note - following paragraph may be a little TMI...

So anyway, it's been a rough week for mama and Bryton. Vivi has been on good behavior though...thanks V! Kyle was also working nights the past couple of weeks...that means he was home a little bit in the morning, but gone until midnight-ish...so usually by 7 - I was done! Bryton doesn't usually get up until 9 or 10, and Kyle was gone shortly after that for work...so even though he was working less hours, I think we'd rather go back to the old schedule of having him home around 6 or 6:30. Anyway....V would be settling down for the night, but B would be fussing about something...and by 7 pm, I didn't care what he was fussing about anymore. Bryton spent some time in his room by himself. Usually while I was getting V put down to bed, or folding clothes, cleaning the kitchen, etc. In trying to figure out why he's starting now, I have a few ideas. It has just thrown me because he really didn't fuss much at all the first 4-5 months of his life. Only in the past month has he started having a problem with things. Maybe it's teeth? Maybe he's more aware of what he wants and feels that he gets a 'vote' in the Buchina household already? Or, maybe it's milk...I have noticed that my milk production has slowed down...possibly due to a decrease the amount of calories I'm eating (trying to get the last pound of pregnancy weight gone...it's been hanging on for dear life). I am now convinced that while exclusively nursing a baby, eating fewer calories decreases your milk supply before taking the pounds off. And, now that I think about it, I lost 7-8 pounds in about a four to six weeks after I stopped nursing Vivi...without really trying or doing anything different. Which, I know, is odd because 'exclusively nursing a baby uses 600 calories a day.' Well, if you aren't eating, your body is going to rebel on you and stop making milk instead of using your current...post-pregnancy body...to make the milk. During his fussy weeks, he was eating differently...stopping during a feeding and looking at me with a frowny face...then starting to eat again...then stopping a few seconds later and protesting again. And really - I know my production had decreased. So, I'm going to have to just give in I think because I really do want to nurse him until he's at least a year. I've been eating more the past 3-4 days and pumping after every feeding (getting to be a pain...but if it keeps the milk coming, I'll do it)...and I'm getting more milk. I have to keep telling myself that I'll have my body to myself one day....and that Bryton's our last baby (long, sad, but necessary story there) so I'll just have to keep it up a little longer and then it's just me for the rest of my days.

3. Funny things around the house? Vivi has been telling us that she needs some privacy. She'll go run to the potty and I'll go check on her and she'll say "I just need some privacy right now." Wish granted, little girl.

She has also gone from not only telling me what she wants, but what I want to. Like, she'll offer me a bite of her apple, and I'll say, "No thanks, Vivi...I don't want any apple right now." She'll respond in a sing song voice, "Yes, you do-oo." It's funny.

I know there are other funny things she's said lately...but can't think of anything specific to write. I'll be better about this in my next blog.

Kyle had a man-to-man talk with Bryton tonight. He was fussing tonight after we'd put Vivi to bed. We are still bathing him in the kitchen sink (in his bathtub) so in order to bathe him, the sink has to be cleaned out. So, while getting the clean dished unloaded to put the dirty ones from the sink into the dishwasher in order to make room for Bryton to get bathed, he was just laying on the floor a-wailing. He didn't want to be in his jumper or his Bumbo chair...didn't want to necessarily be held...just wanted to fuss. Seemed tired to me. But what do I know? Anyway, Kyle told him during his bath, "You know what they do with dogs who just keep barking and barking and barking and don't stop? They take them to the pound...or they shoot 'em!" Ha! I laughed. (ok...don't go calling CPS on us...Kyle wouldn't really shoot him...or take him to the pound)

4. Break!
With Kyle working nights for the past couple of weeks and Bryton fussing so much, I was really in desire of some quiet time. On Saturday afternoon, both of the kids were napping (at the same time...we're working on that one) and Kyle told me to leave. Not being able to decide what to do (something cheap or free is hard to figure out), I decided to just do some online shopping at Ann Taylor Loft, where I had a gift card (from mom for my birthday! thanks!). I looked online and saw that there was an Ann Taylor Loft store in Greenville...a hour away! So, I went to Greenville - had some nice quiet time! No ABC songs in the car, no diaper bag in hand...it was nice. I used my gift card (and more) at Ann Taylor Loft and also stopped at Once Upon a Child (near Loft...saw it as I was driving by). I found a cute pink winter coat for Vivi - NWT (for you non-ebayers, NWT means New With Tags) for $10 and one for Bryton for $10. They buy baby gear and sell it. If you are looking for used baby stuff near us, this is a good place. They had 5 exersaucers for around 30 each, pack and plays (didn't look at those prices), baby papasan seats, jumpers, boppys, etc. And clothes galore! It was very well organized, but you still had to pick through stuff. I mean, all of the clothes were by size and color and item...(i.e. all of the 12 month jeans were together...next to the 12 month khaki pants...next to the 12 month jog sets, etc), but I wouldn't have been able to pick through anything with V and/or B with me. But, was able to get a couple of things going there solo. They buy baby stuff, too...no consignment...they just buy things outright. Anyway, I headed back from Greenville and enjoyed a yummy juicy Kyle-grilled chicken breast for dinner. I didn't have to fix it or clean up after it and it tasted great.

Anyway, that's about all I can think of to say right now. I know that the 3 of you who read my blog are just dying for more...but my brain is gone for the night. I have to get it in gear for tomorrow...in case B has another 'week.'