Hi there...well, it's been a while. I feel like I start every post off like that. I have an excuse though! My last post explained that we were putting our house on the market and hoping to move to Littleton. Well, in the last 5 months we listed our house, bought a new one, and moved....all with a baby and a toddler in tow. It's been a fun ride! We are thrilled with our new digs....a great house on the golf course in Littleton, golf cart driving distance from the country club we joined. It was bank-owned and an unbelievable deal, so we just couldn't resist. Plus we just loved it - it *feels* like the type of home you see your kids growing up in. We are trying to get settled and still figure out the sleeping arrangements (Kenzie & Brandt are sharing rooms until we get the basement finished), but it still is just wonderful. One of the highlights is a great firepit out back where we can roast hot dogs and s'mores and just hang out. We also have a great family next door (the Kneppers) with kids similar ages, and that is wonderful to have friends for the kids to play with. Now we just need to sell our old house!
Kenzie is enjoying having the summer off from school and doing a lot of camps. She has done 2 church camps and is going to do a theater camp and zoo camp in the next couple weeks. She also has been doing swim team and taken a couple vacations. What a lucky girl! She heads back to school on August 15 - it is amazing how it flies by.
Brandt has been still struggling with weight gain, so we went to an endocrinologist to see if it is growth hormone related. That was negative, so next was a GI specialist. She did find signs of a possible problem called EoE, which is basically an allergic reaction of the esophagus to some sort of food which causes irritation and difficulty swallowing. He has to go under anesthesia on August 11th to do an endoscopy of his esophagus and stomach to fully diagnose the condition, and if it is diagnosed, he will have to have full allergy tests to determine what is causing it. Poor little guy! Like he hasn't been through enough already. The good news is that he has not had any trouble with breathing and he is fully off of the steroids for the summer. Now that we have found a home for Saxon and moved into a completely dog-free house (he's allergic), we will decide if he needs to do steroids again in the fall or not. We might just try it without and see how he does.
Colton is growing like a little weed and is 16lbs now at 8 months. That's only 7lbs less than his older brother! Colton's in the 5th percentile though so he's not huge, but he's growing and doing more and more every day. His favorite things are rolling around on the floor and "walking" in his excer-saucer that lets him go around the center table in a circle. He seems to be trying to crawl - getting on his stomach and trying to "ooch" where he wants to go. It won't be long! He's an extremely chill little baby....we are always getting comments from people who say, "Wow, I didn't hear a peep out of your baby the entire time!" He's eating solid foods and loving all of it - there really hasn't been much but turkey in a jar that he didn't like. We'll start him on soft finger foods soon - I think he's ready.
Next week we are headed to California for Jason's 40th. We are going to Pebble Beach for him to play on his actual birthday, and then to Napa for the weekend to explore as many wineries as we can possibly fit in. We are looking forward to a little rest and relaxation....not to mention a little (or a lot of) wine! Happy birthday, baby!!!
Friday, July 22, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Colton's first Walt Disney World trip!
Yes, I know....we might seem crazy! We took Colton (11 weeks), Brandt (almost 2), and Kenzie (8) to Disney World for 4 nights last week. They were actually great! Colton was a little high-stress just in all the "stuff" we needed to have with us, but other than that....he was a totally chill little guy and completely "went with the flow" the entire time. Brandt, on the other hand, was a little handful. He is definitely in his "terrible two's" - wanting to charge off and do everything his sister does, but does not comprehend any explanation as to why he can't do something. He sure did enjoy the rides so much more though - there was a lot of finger pointing and "ooh's" and "ahh's" coming from him. Kenzie, of course, had an AWESOME time as usual....she's our fearless roller coaster queen. She and I enjoyed some quality time together one night when Epcot was open late and Jason took the boys back to the room. This was my first time to not be pregnant at WDW in a few years, so I was definitely enjoying having my energy back there! I also enjoyed being able to have a margarita. :-) We had a great trip and took some cute pictures, and we think we'll go back in November 2012 when Colton's 2, Brandt will be almost 4, and Kenzie will be 10. As long as Brandt has outgrown his crying on the plane stage.....last night's flight was miserable. Of course, at that point, it will be Colton in that stage. Lucky us!
We just enjoyed a nice visit with Jason's mom, who the kids call "Grandmary". She came to visit for a long weekend and see Colton for the first time. Her husband Dorsey requires a lot of assistance, so she doesn't make it up here often. It was nice to spend time with her and watch her enjoy the kiddos.
We also are putting our house back up on the market soon. We just rented a storage unit and moved a bunch of stuff out of the house to "de-clutter" it, and we're hoping to sell it and move by end of summer so Kenzie can start at her new elementary in Littleton. We officially joined the country club there, so we're truly committed to moving to that area. Now we just need to make it happen!
Not much else going on around here - just getting through life with 3 kids now! It's been a definite change, but I'm enjoying it, and so thankful that they're pretty easy kids. I have to keep reminding myself to enjoy these stages, although sometimes difficult, because we'll never have them at this age again.
We just enjoyed a nice visit with Jason's mom, who the kids call "Grandmary". She came to visit for a long weekend and see Colton for the first time. Her husband Dorsey requires a lot of assistance, so she doesn't make it up here often. It was nice to spend time with her and watch her enjoy the kiddos.
We also are putting our house back up on the market soon. We just rented a storage unit and moved a bunch of stuff out of the house to "de-clutter" it, and we're hoping to sell it and move by end of summer so Kenzie can start at her new elementary in Littleton. We officially joined the country club there, so we're truly committed to moving to that area. Now we just need to make it happen!
Not much else going on around here - just getting through life with 3 kids now! It's been a definite change, but I'm enjoying it, and so thankful that they're pretty easy kids. I have to keep reminding myself to enjoy these stages, although sometimes difficult, because we'll never have them at this age again.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Happy New Year!
Wow, time has been flying by. Colton hit 8 weeks this week and had his 2 month appointment. He weighed barely over 11 lbs and was 23.5 inches long. Woo hoo, big boy! It is so nice to finally have a baby who is in the higher percentiles on weight....45th% to be exact. The little guy eats like a champ and is an awesome sleeper. He sleeps solidly from his 10pm feeding to 7 or 8am every day. The only "hiccup" we've had with him so far is we have him on the Enfamil "Gentlease" formula that is a lower lactose version, as he was having some problems with the regular formula after I switched from breastmilk. He was just noticeably fussy and irritable after his feedings with a hard tummy, so it was probably gas. he's been much better with this formula, so we're sticking to it. It's just a little bit more expensive - is the only downside. Other than that, he's an extremely easy-going baby and smiles a lot now. His older siblings dote on him, and I have to admit I can't wait until he's a little older and can really play with them.
Brandt also went to the pediatrician with us this week, as they have been following his weight gain closely. Unfortunately he lost weight from the last visit 6 weeks ago. UGH! Poor little guy is still only 20 lbs. at almost 2. We are trying to "fatten" him up, and put a renewed emphasis on fatty foods. I went last night and bought him cheesecake, high-fat ice cream, and cinnamon rolls that are made by Cinnabon. It seems so wrong to be purposely searching out the highest fat options, but at the same time, we hope it works. We've tried the adding butter and cheese to everything strategy, but we are hoping the fatty desserts will do the trick, as they have that magic ingredient called SUGAR that every kid loves. We'll see how it goes. Brandt also has a double-whammy in that the allergy test that the pulmonary specialist did on him came back positive for an allergy to dogs. Allergies and asthma are closely linked, and it's somewhat likely that is what has been causing his breathing problems. We'll know more when we go to the specialist again on Feb. 10th, but it's looking like we may have to have a dog-free environment for Brandt growing up....at least while he's a child. We're hoping he outgrows it some day.
Mackenzie has been awesome as usual. She got a really cool electric guitar that she's totally into now, and is about to start taking guitar lessons. What a cutie! I keep thinking she'll be my little Taylor Swift singer-songwriter. We just had someone else the other day comment on how she should be in voice lessons because she has a great voice. She obviously didn't get it from me! She really does love to sing and entertain, and so far she's really picking up guitar quickly. Who knows - this could be one of those defining moments that we look back on...."Well she got her first guitar when she was 8, and the rest was history..."
Jason and I are looking forward to a few upcoming trips we'll have this year. I accomplished enough sales at my company in 2010 to win a trip to St. Maarten in April. We'll be staying at the Westin there, which happens to be on the same little bay as the hotel that Jason and I stayed at in 2006 when we went before. We're hoping to be able to explore the island more this time, as last time we spent most of the time scuba diving, as I was getting my open water certification there. We are also going to stay a few extra days in St. Barths, as we haven't been there before and it's a ferry ride away from St. Maarten. We figure since my company is paying to get us there, might as well take advantage of it and extend the trip a little. In addition to that trip, we're going to take a long weekend at the end of July for Jason's 40th birthday. I just booked the hotels for us to go to Pebble Beach and then Napa Valley. He'll play the famed Pebble Beach golf course on his actual birthday (which he's always wanted to do), and then we'll go to Napa for a few days and stay at an awesome resort there and visit wineries. It's going to be wonderful. You only turn 40 once!
Well I better run, as we are going to celebrate our 3 year anniversary tonight. It's a bit early (12 days), but our old nanny Mary is in town to visit and has offered to let us have a night to ourselves. We're going to stay at the Brown Palace where we had our wedding reception, and enjoy a romantic dinner there together. It'll be our first night away from Colton, but I know he'll be OK, especially since he's become such a good sleeper. 3 years sure has flown by, but at the same time, with 2 kids since then....a lot sure has happened. :-) I've loved every minute of it.
Brandt also went to the pediatrician with us this week, as they have been following his weight gain closely. Unfortunately he lost weight from the last visit 6 weeks ago. UGH! Poor little guy is still only 20 lbs. at almost 2. We are trying to "fatten" him up, and put a renewed emphasis on fatty foods. I went last night and bought him cheesecake, high-fat ice cream, and cinnamon rolls that are made by Cinnabon. It seems so wrong to be purposely searching out the highest fat options, but at the same time, we hope it works. We've tried the adding butter and cheese to everything strategy, but we are hoping the fatty desserts will do the trick, as they have that magic ingredient called SUGAR that every kid loves. We'll see how it goes. Brandt also has a double-whammy in that the allergy test that the pulmonary specialist did on him came back positive for an allergy to dogs. Allergies and asthma are closely linked, and it's somewhat likely that is what has been causing his breathing problems. We'll know more when we go to the specialist again on Feb. 10th, but it's looking like we may have to have a dog-free environment for Brandt growing up....at least while he's a child. We're hoping he outgrows it some day.
Mackenzie has been awesome as usual. She got a really cool electric guitar that she's totally into now, and is about to start taking guitar lessons. What a cutie! I keep thinking she'll be my little Taylor Swift singer-songwriter. We just had someone else the other day comment on how she should be in voice lessons because she has a great voice. She obviously didn't get it from me! She really does love to sing and entertain, and so far she's really picking up guitar quickly. Who knows - this could be one of those defining moments that we look back on...."Well she got her first guitar when she was 8, and the rest was history..."
Jason and I are looking forward to a few upcoming trips we'll have this year. I accomplished enough sales at my company in 2010 to win a trip to St. Maarten in April. We'll be staying at the Westin there, which happens to be on the same little bay as the hotel that Jason and I stayed at in 2006 when we went before. We're hoping to be able to explore the island more this time, as last time we spent most of the time scuba diving, as I was getting my open water certification there. We are also going to stay a few extra days in St. Barths, as we haven't been there before and it's a ferry ride away from St. Maarten. We figure since my company is paying to get us there, might as well take advantage of it and extend the trip a little. In addition to that trip, we're going to take a long weekend at the end of July for Jason's 40th birthday. I just booked the hotels for us to go to Pebble Beach and then Napa Valley. He'll play the famed Pebble Beach golf course on his actual birthday (which he's always wanted to do), and then we'll go to Napa for a few days and stay at an awesome resort there and visit wineries. It's going to be wonderful. You only turn 40 once!
Well I better run, as we are going to celebrate our 3 year anniversary tonight. It's a bit early (12 days), but our old nanny Mary is in town to visit and has offered to let us have a night to ourselves. We're going to stay at the Brown Palace where we had our wedding reception, and enjoy a romantic dinner there together. It'll be our first night away from Colton, but I know he'll be OK, especially since he's become such a good sleeper. 3 years sure has flown by, but at the same time, with 2 kids since then....a lot sure has happened. :-) I've loved every minute of it.
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