Sleeping at night....yeah!!!

It has been a busy busy summer... festivals, fairs, beaches and pool, many birthdays and BBQs... there has been a lot going on in our lives this summer. And as a result, we suspect that Evan isn't getting enough sleep. Haley can sleep through a lot and has the daytime to catch up. Evan hasn't been able to catch up on lost sleep. And as a result, I believe it caused him to wake in the middle of the night. It may have happened because the thunder would shake the house around 2-3am. But it rapidly became a habit for Evan.

And how tiring it became... Evan wakes at 2am and wants to come into our bed. So I go in and lay down on the couch for about a minute... then he goes back to bed. And then Haley would wake about 4-5am to eat. It left me tired and irritable... A couple folks have told me that an overtired child has problems 'unwinding' even while sleeping and will wake at night.

But Sunday night was the first night in MANY nights that Evan slept through the night again. AND last night was the first full night that Haley slept through the night. We've had many nights where she'd wake but would be satisfied by her 'binky' more then food. So her late night feedings have been eliminated!!! I just hope it continues into night 2....

Haley's Christening

July 18th we had Haley's Christening. It was a nerve racking experience... why because my l have a wonderful family!! Considering the Christening was in the middle of the summer and a little last minute, we were blessed by the many friends and family members that came from near and far... we had people come from as close at Groton CT and other parts of CT. AND we also had family coming from Toronto and California!!! We had about 45 people and a beautiful day!!

The ceremony was held at Sacred Heart Church here in Groton. And of course, my dad performed the ceremony. It was such a blessing to have Haley christened by her grandfather. I stood there and looked around the church. The pews were filled with my cousins, aunts, uncles in-laws and friends... and then I saw Evan sitting in that front pew with Emma on one side and Emily on the other. My dad at the baptismal fountain and Dan by my side and Haley in my arms... and I felt such joy and felt very blessed!!

The ceremony itself was nice. Erin (my cousin's daughter) and my niece Abbey did the readings. And my cousin Sigrid is the godmother and my nephew Wes is the godfather. Haley slept through most of the event. However she did wake up during the 'water on the head'. But she didn't cry!! I think she enjoyed it :) I don't know but maybe the water was warm because she likes her baths when warm water is poured on her. And as the ceremony continued, we looked over at Evan.... and poor kid was so tired he fell asleep on his cousin's shoulder. It was very cute but not captured on film.

Afterwards, we all headed over to the homestead and had a reception at the house. AND it was such a beautiful day that we finally got to enjoy and utilize our "party deck". Unfortunately, we didn't have the umbrella up on the table ... therefore, we didn't have a lot of shade that afternoon. Most of the family did what they could to stay in the shade...The kids (ranging in age from 1-14 not including Haley) enjoyed time outside in the sand box, blowing bubbles, playing baseball, playing "golf", playing in the water table and just running around on the 'rock'. The adults enjoyed good food from Mirch Masala and some other foods.

All in all it was a great day. Haley enjoyed meeting more family. And I couldn't stop but glow when everyone commented on how good Haley was. She is a great baby.... she likes to sleep :) She's starting to smile and many got to enjoy and share in her smiles.

The sad part of the day is that I was running around so much and getting the food out, cleaning up, getting the cake and tea and everything else... I really didn't get to talk to anyone. I didn't get to really talk with my cousin who flew in from CA. Or my cousins and their families who drove from Toronto nor my family from NJ (some it was the first time at my house) nor any other family from MA or even here in CT.... but I do think everyone had fun and I would do it again... but glad I don't have to do that much preparing again....

Haley and her godparents Sigrid and Wes

Check out more photos... click here...

3 Months already?!!!

Well, Little Miss Haley is 3 months old. Technically, she is entering 3 Months and 2 weeks (almost 3.5 months old). And what a princess she is. Being the "second" child, one can't help but "compare" her to Evan. And just like Evan, she's such a good baby. Haley is almost sleeping through the night. We haven't had consistency but she goes 5-6 hours at night in between feedings :) Now I have to train myself to feed her around 10-11pm and we'll all get a good night's sleep :)

Everyone asks "how much does she weigh" or "how big is she"? And I don't know :( We were so nervous with Evan and his rough start to life, that we weighed him every week. We haven't done that with Haley. Back on June 8, she weighed about 8lbs and 12oz. Now she is in her clothes marked 8-12lbs and she is rapidly growing out of those clothes. I am guessing she is about 10-11lbs. Haley likes to 'stretch' out like she did in the womb... and that makes some of her clothes small... her body is getting longer/taller and her feet are getting too big for those 'blanket sleepers'... she she has moved up in size in those.

Last week began another milestone for Haley. She had already started to follow us with her eyes (with much interest). She began giving smiles (to those who smiled first) a week or two ago. And if you catch her in the right mood, she'll be so happy that she smiles AND blows bubbles.

As Haley is beginning to blow bubbles, I have noticed another trend. She is beginning to drool more... what does this mean? Well, it's a sign of teething!!! Evan had his first painful teething experience around 4.5 months old. He experienced the pain b/f the tooth cut the skin. And Evan cut his first tooth 2 days after his 6 month birthday. So it wouldn't surprise me if Haley does it at the same time... or sooner. She is already tending to 'bite down' on her pacifier... I better go buy some teethers!!!

Going hand in hand with teething and blowing bubbles, Haley is beginning to "talk". OK... it is only cooing for now but what a great thing. She like to 'talk' to her brother. And he gets a kick out of the attention she shows him. And she loves to watch him and 'talk' with him. She must realize that he is different than mom and dad...

Now that Haley is 3 months old, she is no longer considered a "newborn" but just an infant. And she is now getting stronger in holding her head up and her neck steady. Sure she is still wobbly but for a baby born 7 weeks early, Haley is doing GREAT!!!

More to come on the weekend adventures...

4th of July Weekend

I hope everyone had a Happy 4th of July!! It was a busy and fun weekend in our house. As some of you know, the 4th is Dan's birthday. It's not a milestone this year, so he requested a small celebration if anything.

So on Saturday morning, we accidentally attended the 4th of July Parade. We were heading to the grocery store but found the parade. And we are glad we did... next year, we'll get there earlier and on purpose. This was the first parade for the kids and the first one for Dan and I since we were kids. The first sign that we knew Evan was going to enjoy the parade... CANDY... that's right. Candy is thrown from certain 'floats' and the kids race out into the street and grab the candy. Evan wasn't the quickest in this race but the cute twin girls next to us were nice enough to share when they got extras. Afterall, we are trying to teach Evan NOT to run out into the street and NOT to eat off the ground!! No wonder he was confused :) Dan took photos on his phone and we are trying to figure out the best way to get them off w/o emailing each photo.

To celebrate Dan's birthday, we had a small BBQ at our house with his parents and my dad and my uncle. And it was fun. Nothing fancy, just burgers and dogs and some yummy ribs... and of course corn on the cob :) Dan didn't want anything for his birthday except an ice cream cake... and it had to be a Dairy Queen cake... the great thing about ice cream cakes is that they are yummy... bad thing is they are usually frozen solid!! Luckily we had a wonderful day and the cake was perfect.... just took some doing in cutting it.

And a lesson learned... we introduced Sparklers to Evan this year. He's very aware of the danger of fire and "hot"... but wanted to try the sparkler on his own... as the disapproving grandparents looked on, the novice parents let their first born learn about the dangers first hand... DON'T worry, no one was hurt!! except my tablecloth!! But he learned and didn't want to hold them again... but he wanted his daddy to "do it again"... do Daddy may have enjoyed the next couple ones lit up :)

So after our adventurous Saturday and day full of firsts, we spent some time at the Annual SubFest ... yes, held at the SubBase. We got to truly use our new stroller for the first time. It's a great stroller I found and bought off Craigslist... and it's a great way to keep your toddler happy and confined :) Sure we could've used the 'monkey' leash but thought we needed something for those time Evan gets tired. So we bought a 'Sit n Stand' Stroller.

It was just an OK Sub Fest... but then again, I'm not into rides (and apparently neither is Evan) and I don't like the games b/c I think it's overpriced and the prizes are 'cheap'... and I've always thought it was 'rigged' to loose. BUT that's the fun part, right? If you've been reading my blog, you may have learned that Evan is not a fan of eating ice cream. He loves the idea but can't seem to stand the cold. But at the Sub Fest, we taught Evan to 'bite the ice cream with his lips' and not use his teeth. And the result was this....

Dan and I lost our ice cream cones to our son.... he wanted BOTH. But we did determine he likes soft serve ice cream and prefers vanilla over chocolate... and the sprinkles are a must.... as is the waffled sugar cones.

All in all it was a great weekend.... I love spending time together as a family!!!

Beach Day

So far so good... the summer has started and we made it to the beach today. As this is Dan's Birthday weekend, I wanted to allow him some 'fun' time without the kids... actually golfing time. So while Joel took him out for a day of golfing, my friend Jen and I took the kids to the beach. And I have to say I am happy with the results.

The day was slightly cloudy but a nice breeze and temps in the high 70's made for a good time at the beach. Jen held Evan's hand as we found our place in the sand. And Evan loves the pretty girls, so he did pretty much whatever Jen wanted :)

I brought a little hut for Haley like this one Evan used years ago. But since she was sleeping so soundly when we arrived, I opted to lug the car seat over. This posed the issue of having to use the beach umbrella. This was my second time using it and I really need to build some upper body strength. Because this was the second time it's flown and fallen. I bought this anchoring thing but you have to be REALLY strong to screw it into the sand... apparently I am NOT strong enough.

Evan enjoyed almost all aspects of Eastern Point Beach. He played in the sand using his golf balls. He would toss his balls into a sand hole that remained from the previous visitor and he'd jump for joy... like a hole in one. He's walk down to the water's edge to fill his bucket but only get about 1/3 full (he didn't want to step into the water b/c it was too cold). And he even got to play on the play scape. Enough to tire a toddler out!!!

Then when the rumbling of the thunder began, we decided to return home. After all, it had been 2 hrs since we arrived and we had no desire to get soaked with Haley there.... and it was slowly becoming obvious that we had a tired toddler on our hands. In fact, has we walked back to the car, Evan pushed Haley in the stroller with much pride on his face. THEN, he realized that we were going back to the car and "LEAVING " the beach. Evan didn't like that concept at all. It's a good thing I had Jen with me and to stay with Haley as I chased Evan down the path back towards the beach! And it took much talking and a promise of an ice cream cone when we get home.

Lucky for me, Evan was much delighted with Jen's presence and her attention, that he forgot about the ice cream cone. Instead, he took Jen around back to show her his new water table... and to teach her to shoot baskets in his hoop!

The kids are sleeping now and recharging for the the events of the evening. My goal for the summer was to make sure I utilize my surroundings and enjoy the fun things close to home. And with the 4th of July weekend upon us, we have many things to choose from. This weekend is the annual Subfest held at the sub base. Dan got free tickets from work, so we'll be going either tonight or Sunday. We opted NOT to attend the night of the fireworks to avoid the large anticipated crowd. AND we are also going to TRY to attend the 4th of July parade. That should be interesting. I mean to see Evan's reaction to the bands, the floats, the sights and the sounds!!

So I sure hope you are all enjoying your long holiday weekend.