Fancy Nancy

I know a bunch of you know what Fancy Nancy is already. We've had the book for a while for Lucy, and she just recently really started liking it. As I'm reading, she likes to complete the end of each phrase, and I just love how she says words like "chauffeur" and "Merci" in her little froggy voice.

I couldn't pick from these two videos, so here they both are:





And look how cute this link is!

Sleeping arrangements

Levi has been sleeping in a pack n play in our room since he was born. But with his poor sleep over the past few months, we are probably getting even less sleep because of the shared room. I love the idea of kids sharing a room, but when they're babies and/or not sleeping well, the logistics can be difficult! I didn't want to move Levi into Lucy's room (just next door to ours) while he's sleeping like this (i.e., not sleeping). And of course I didn't want to move him into Nate's room because 1) Nate isn't a wonderful sleeper to begin with, and 2) it's on a different floor than our room. So yesterday we moved Lucy's bed up into Nate's room, and they'll share for a few months (or however long it takes for Levi to sleep through the night consistently). Levi slept in the pack n play in Lucy's room, and we'll set up the crib in there for him this week. As for nap time during the day, when all three kids have a "rest time," I will try putting Lucy into our bed so Nate can still have alone time in his room.

Jon and I were anticipating a long evening as Nate and Lucy adjusted to the new arrangement. But it wasn't as bad/long as I thought it might be, and both kids were asleep within an hour or so. (In fact, I think Nate fell asleep first.) I love that this is inadvertently teaching them a "life skill." It will be nice when we go places (e.g., Mimi & Grandpa's) or when they sleep over at friends' houses, because it won't be foreign to sleep with someone else in the room.

OK, random post, I know. :)

Snippet

I painted my nails red before Jon and I went to a 30th birthday party last night (adults only--it was so fun!). Lucy saw them and asked, "Mama, why'd you paint yourself?" I told her just because it was fun and I was going to a party. So today she asked if she could have her nails painted just like Mama. I'd painted her nails once before in a barely-there pink, but this time she wanted to go all out. So cute!

Oh, and I didn't get a good picture of it, but Levi looked so cute for the 0.3 seconds his hair stayed put when I wet it down the other day (pic below). You can also see he's wearing a shirt, shorts, and shoes that used to be Nate's... When Jon cleaned out our whole garage over Labor Day weekend, he discovered a big box of Nate's baby clothes size 9 months and 12 months--just in time for Levi! I had been wondering where some of Nate's baby things went that I hadn't found yet. :)

Big girl pajamas

Lucy is sooooo sensitive to tight-fitting clothes (around the arms, wrists, waist, ankles, neck, etc.) and is apt to throw multiple daily fits about certain articles of clothing. Well--most articles of clothing. That includes pajamas. So I was proud of myself when I realized she could wear gowns to bed. (It took me a long time to figure this out--don't know why.) We picked one up today at the Carter's store on sale; when Lucy tried it on in the store and I asked her if it bothered her, she triumphantly declared no! I quickly washed and dried it so she she could wear it tonight. We put it on tonight for bed, and what do you know? She threw a fit (seemed like the shoulder seam/underarm area was the culprit). Great. She got over it, but still--goodness gracious, child!

Regarding the "tactile sensitivity," I do think Lucy has some sort of sensory issue regarding stuff touching her. Her aversions go beyond normal 2-year-old tantrums. So I've looked into "brushing therapy"; I'm going to get a brush this next week and try it, because I don't know how many more clothing-related tantrums we can take!

The big 2-7

Happy birthday, Greg!

Can it be true that you are growing up? :)

First day

Tomorrow is the first day of school. Nate's signed up to take the bus in the mornings again, and last week I signed the IEP addendum paperwork for his new daily schedule:

8:30-9:00 IBI classroom (special ed)
9:00-12:00 Preschool Connections ("regular" class!)
12:00-1:30 Lunch, recess, work time in IBI (special ed)

I'm hopeful that the number of transitions will be OK for him, and I'm so excited about the "full time inclusion" in the neurotypical class. Preschool Connections, run by the Parks and Recreations department, doesn't start until 9/16, so the first four days of school will be different from this. We'll see if that's detrimental....

I'm nervous. I'm nervous because of how badly Nate was behaving toward the end of the school year (May-July). I had thought it was classroom related, but by golly the bad behavior has continued straight through the summer. The disrespectful attitude. The whining. The blatant disobedience. So I'm nervous because he is out from under my supervision at school, and I can't discipline immediately when it is called for. I'm going to pray with him each morning before he leaves, but I'm still nervous!

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 2:14
Do all things without complaining and disputing,

Proverbs 20:11
Even a child is known by his deeds,

Video equality

Levi was featured yesterday, so here are Nate and Luce:

Nate the amazing reader:



And the only recent video I have of Lucy:

Video

Levi almost clapping. :)

Levi/reflux update

I took Levi to the doctor yesterday morning (he wanted to check Levi's ears to rule out infection), and the doc thought this new trouble might not be the Prevacid but teething. If that is so, then it is some MONSTER teething. Just in case, I have stopped the Prevacid and am giving Levi his old Zantac dose until this night-time craziness stops. Then I will try the Prevacid one more time and see what happens.

This week's pictures:

Skirt fun

Skirts are pretty much the easiest clothing item to make, I think. I made this pink/green one a few weeks ago, and the jean/print skirt I finished over the weekend. For that one, I cut up an old pair of capris, used the existing waistband and zipper (after cinching the waistband to make it a bit smaller), and cut a few more panels in a fabric I like. I sewed the panels together and finished it off with a bias hem.

A monster named Reflux

Back when Levi was in the hospital at 7 weeks with that virus, they did an upper GI and found he had reflux. He has been on Zantac ever since, with good results. When he was about 6 months, I thought he didn't need the Zantac anymore; he wasn't fussy before the dose was due, and we were about to start solid foods, which sometimes helps naturally. So I stopped the Zantac, but after a month, the symptoms were back with a vengeance. (I figure it took that long for the damage to reoccur.) I started the Zantac again, but I fear it was now too little, too late. That month of no medicine did too much damage, and now he was waking up a ton at night, crying in pain. I tried letting him cry it out for several nights, but he would cry and cry and cry literally for hours, never going back to sleep unless I fed him. (I know--that isn't crying it out! But I think everyone would agree that letting him cry for 3 hours is too much; I only did that once.) This has been going on now for a couple of months, so I asked the doc for a stronger medicine. I started Levi on prevacid last Wednesday with high hopes. The first night was a normal night. The second night was a dream. He woke up crying at a normal time, but I let him cry and he went back to sleep, not waking to eat until 4:45. (This is not good for a normal 9 month old, but considering how things had been going, this was GREAT.) The third night was awful--way worse than even the "normal" way things had been going. I put him to bed at 7:00, and he awoke crying at 9:00, 9:30, 10:00, 10:30, fed him at 11:00, awoke at 1:00 and cried on and off for hours, awoke much more and fed a couple more times but by that time it all just runs together. The fourth night (last night) was the same (awful). When he wakes up at 9:00 p.m. and 9:30 and 10:00, I know it's going to be a bad night--so much so that I just dread even going to bed myself, because I know I won't get any sleep.

The Prevacid was supposed to make things better, not worse. I'll call the doctor tomorrow. So far, what I've seen online is that Prevacid has some milk ingredients in it that might bother some kids, and it also seems to cause gassiness in general. I'm not sure if that's what's going on with Levi, but whatever it is, I just want some sleep!

Bedroom decorating

I've been thinking about making my first quilt. I've been dreaming of different fabric combinations and thinking that the quilt should go on our bed, and I will redo our bedroom around it. (I've never decorated our bedroom in this house; it's the last room to be addressed! But I was inspired recently by friends.) I think the quilt will be quite busy/crazy/happy, and then I'll make the rest of the room soft and calm. Here are the 12 fabrics for the quilt (mostly reds, greens, teals, and blues, with some yellow. Most from Heather Bailey, and one each from Valori Wells, Anna Griffin, and Anna Maria Horner):



And the colors I'm going to sample for the walls:

Glidden's Barely Jade
Behr's April Mist, Tide Pools, or premium plus Frosted Jade

I'm hoping for a muted teal/bluish grey/jade. Those colors might end up being completely not what I want, but that's where I'm starting.

And the different styles of chandeliers/lights I would love to try if Jon can stand to part with the ceiling fan:



I'm also going to try rearranging the furniture and put the bed up against a different wall. I already have 4 panels of white curtains I will put up behind the bed (like Sara and others have done--except there really is an unused window/sliding door where mine will go. Yay--I get to take down those vertical blinds!).

I've ordered some of the fabrics for the quilt. I'm waiting for a bit more Paypal money before I order the rest, and then I will get started!

Pictures

I took the kids to Kiddie Kandids yesterday on a bit of a whim, with no appointment. Lack of appointment has never been a problem for us before, but this time there was an hour-and-a-half wait. I had dressed, matched, brushed, and primped all the kids for this; I wasn't about to turn around and go home, so we had lots of time to kill. We walked through Target, where N and L each got to pick something from the dollar bins. We ate the lunch I had brought in the seating area in Target. We walked through Target some more. We rode the carousel (at the Spectrum). We went into the pet store. Man, an hour and a half is a long time with three kids, especially when you're trying to keep them and their clothes clean! So, we made it to our picture time exactly at the same time everyone's energy was depleted and Levi was ready for his nap... great! Regardless, we ended up with at least a couple of cute pictures (several cute ones of Levi and one picture of all three kids where all three were a) looking at the camera, b) not crying, and c) not scared). Here are the two I bought.

The hair

I love that Levi has the same hair Nate did. It sticks straight up. Here is a side-by-side comparison:






















Nate was 10 and a half months in these pictures. Levi is 9 months now, so he still has time to catch up to the extreme length. :)
















A brother picture from today:

A visit to Daddy

On Friday, the kids and I packed up to visit Jon at work and go out to lunch. Since he's up in Long Beach, it's a bit of a drive, so this was a special occasion.

Packed up and ready to go (with snacks):


This is a typical amount of traffic for mid day. We're almost there!


Finally arrived!



Daddy!

Pants redo

Mama gave me these pants that were too big for her. (I know, skinny lady!)

Here's the before:



And here are the after pictures. I made the new bottom/cuff reversible, and it attaches with buttons.




I wish I knew how to take the pants in a little bit around the top and thigh sections... anyone?

Sitting

Back home

Levi and I had a wonderful few days in Florida. The flights out there and back were just fine; I was able to give Levi my full attention so he did pretty well. The two full days on the beach were heavenly! We didn't do anything but relax, read (I read an entire book for my book club), nap, and eat at the condo. Thank you, Mama and Nannie!!

So much to do

I'm doing laundry, groceries, list-writing, bills, organizing, and packing in preparation for my little trip on Wednesday. Oh, and praying Levi travels well! :)

Nap time delight

You know you have the crafting bug bad when the sight of this makes you extremely happy.



Fresh, new thread. Nap time. Heavenly.

School time

Now that Nate is done with school, our days are lazier, slower, more relaxed. But I also remember that Nate loves routine and schedule, knowing what to expect. So I have instituted "school time" each morning around 9:00. (I picked this time because Levi is usually taking his morning nap by then.) We're all usually still in our PJs. So far, we have colored, practiced cutting with scissors, traced letters and numbers (while holding the crayon the proper way), made snowflakes, and learned the names and the pictures of the first 10 presidents (I knew Nate would love those flashcards I picked up in Target's dollar bin). Then, after school time, the three of us play Lincoln Logs together. It has become a fun routine and a great start to the day!

"New" chairs

Jon rescued these chairs from work a long time ago. I sanded and painted one in the same green as our kitchen, but the paint never seemed to dry. It's still sticky. So I made a chair pad and little slipcover for the back, and hey, that tacky paint helps the pad to stay put. :) With the addition of part of our old living room rug, our back porch is turning into an inviting place! (Wouldn't some strings of white Christmas lights, a plant, and a cool chandelier or lantern look great?)

So excited!

Over the weekend, a crazy plan was hashed out and actually came to fruition. . . In 9 days, Levi and I are flying to Florida for two and a half days with my mom and two of her friends! Jon thought that was an awfully long way to travel for just two days of "vacation," but I will only have one child with me. I'm thinking the travel days will almost be a break. :) Three friends are watching Nate and Lucy during the day on the three business days I'll be gone. I'm so excited!

"No no, that's not how goes..."

Lucy doing a rhyme... her own way. (Mama, I do not need your help.)



Some cute words lately:

Helicopter is "hopcopter"
McDonald's is "Miss Donald's"
Napkin is "mackin"
Bulldozer is "Elbow-zer"

My husband

Jon preached a couple of Sundays ago in church and did a great job. I was so proud of how much he studied and how well he presented the message. Here's a link if you want to listen!

Winding down and gearing up

Nate's school year is done tomorrow. I'm glad about this for several reasons, the biggest one being he has not been behaving well at school. He'll have a great few days and then a bad day where he blatantly disobeys his teachers. We are disciplining at home for this, reading lots of Proverbs and Philippians 4:13, but the bad days are still happening. I remember this happening to a much lesser degree last year toward June-July, and then having the whole month of August at home with him really seemed to help get him back on track. I think part of the problem is how his days are split between school and home, teachers and parents. Understandably, his teachers aren't as strict as we are, and they don't have the time/resources to address his poor behavior adequately the first time it happens. So this next month will be a discipline boot camp. :)

I'm also gearing up for a fun-filled month, with lots of pool days and maybe even a few trips to the beach. Nate loves the beach (we go on Sunday evenings during July-August with church), so we'll see if I can brave it by myself with three kids. Three mobile kids. Hmm...maybe not. :) I also would love to check out Adventure City, though considering our experience at the OC Fair last weekend, perhaps only Lucy will ride the rides. :)

And so it begins

Officially mobile. And once again, I look at our messy, small-chokable-toy-infested house with new eyes. :)

Another pattern

I added another pattern to my Etsy shop over the weekend. Lucy wore this outfit to the beach last night and was so cute I could hardly stand it. (I'm allowed to say that about my daughter on my own, private blog, right?) I definitely have patterns on the brain right now; I've been dreaming up several different ideas each day. If only I had more than an hour or so a day to do the work! :)

Test results

I took Lucy last week to get the bloodwork done that would determine whether or not she has celiac disease. The answer, with 95% accuracy anyway, is no! No celiac! That is great news. I'm still going to eliminate gluten from her diet, as it solved the problem of the symptoms she was having, but it's still nice to know that she doesn't have a lifetime disease like celiac.