Eric now has two teeth! They appeared over the weekend, and he's been chewing on everything in sight. He's been a bit cranky, but he's not crying all day like some other babies I know. His teeth have come in a little later than Anneli's did. Anneli is very excited about his teeth; she likes to remind us that he has two teeth now. :)
Anneli's tantrums have mostly gone away, although there are some flare-ups here and there. She had one on Sunday because she did not want to take a nap. (She eventually fell asleep.) I do blame her behavior on my parents, who coddle her and basically undermine me. I've talked to them about enforcing the rules when I'm not at home (and also not bending the rules because she cries), but that will take some time.
Eric is still growing... big, fat roly-poly baby. I squeeze him into one of Anneli's old fleeze footie pajamas (size 12 mons) and had a hard time zipping him up. I had to take him out and put him in one of own pajamas that actually fit properly. He is the size of a one-year-old; imagine having to carry a one-year-old everywhere. He no longer wants to lie back in the tub; he kicks angrily and wants to sit up. I end up with water all down the front of my clothes. We've been showing him how to take steps, and he can swing his legs when we hold him up. I think we get more of a workout than he does.
We've not really solved the poop issue. He still doesn't poop every day. It happens every 4-5 days, which I guess is regular...? Enormous, adult-size poop. Gross. He had one yesterday, so we'll see when it happens again.
9/29/2011
8/09/2011
Milestone: Eric 6 months & other stuff...
Weight: 20 lbs. 4 oz. (90th percentile)
Height: 26 in.
Head: 17.5 in.
Chest: 18.25 in.
I'm not surprised that he gained weight, but geez... 20 pounds?! The doctor was not concerned with his weight, as he is on breastmilk. He did ask me if anyone in the family has a big head (I don't know what constitutes "big"), as he measured Eric's head twice to confirm the measurement.
Anneli has not been eating for the last two days. She starts to cry and gags when I try to get her to eat. Today, she did eat a little at lunch--about half of what she normally eats--but I was thankful for that and didn't push it. She came home and had a half cup of milk and some Doritos, so I hope this means she's getting her appetite back. We've had a tough go of her behavior this past week, but I think she's just acting out for two reasons: (1) she is jealous of the time and attention I give to Eric, and (2) she misses her grandparents (my parents). As to reason 1, I've been trying to give her more individual attention when Eric is asleep, but Eric is not a heavy sleeper, so that gives me at most 30-45 minutes I can spend with her, if I don't have to pump. It's difficult to work in time with her when I have so many things I need to do (laundry, cleaning, cooking...). (I'm on the computer right now because she said she would rather watch an episode of Backyardigans than read with me. And if you know how much she hates Backyardigans, you know how surprising this decision is.) As for reason 2, she has been telling my parents that she's been "waiting too much" for them to return. My mom will be back in two and a half weeks, my dad another week after, so the planets will realign in her universe in short order.
But she has been well-behaved today, so I caved and bought her a My Little Pony book. (We had some time to kill before the doctor's appointment, so we stopped at Barnes & Noble.) She's taken a liking to My Little Pony (the strange reincarnation of the '80s show), and it's pretty harmless so I let her indulge.
7/29/2011
7/28/2011
Some funny things:
Anneli recognizes the Aquabats now, ha! Except she can't really pronounce it very well, calling them "acrobats."
Anneli has this obsession with smelling her hands after she touches something. o_O So this morning, I was lying in bed with her, when she sniffed her hand. I said, "You need to see a psychotherapist." She responded, "What, shopping?" She must have thought I said "retail therapy." :)
Last night, while playing with her dad, Anneli called him "Max." She immediately realized her mistake and bashfully covered her mouth as she giggled.
Anneli recognizes the Aquabats now, ha! Except she can't really pronounce it very well, calling them "acrobats."
Anneli has this obsession with smelling her hands after she touches something. o_O So this morning, I was lying in bed with her, when she sniffed her hand. I said, "You need to see a psychotherapist." She responded, "What, shopping?" She must have thought I said "retail therapy." :)
Last night, while playing with her dad, Anneli called him "Max." She immediately realized her mistake and bashfully covered her mouth as she giggled.
7/27/2011
A little bit of a change here... I've decided to add Eric to this blog, so I don't have to update one for each of them. Not only is it easier with just one blog, but it makes more sense since their lives are so intertwined.
So today Anneli and I had another knock-down-drag-out screaming match. She got angry when I wouldn't change the channel on the TV; she started stomping her feet and threw herself on the floor. I told her to go to her room, and she got up and smacked my stomach. She continued screaming as she ran away from me, but I eventually dragged her to her room. She kept screaming, so I told her I wouldn't talk to her until she had calmed down. At that point, she claimed she was hungry; she repeated that several times until she realized I wasn't buying it. I left her in her room for five minutes. When I went up, she had calmed down considerably and was just lying on her bed. We talked about what happened and why I had gotten angry. I took away her pig and blanket for the night. She wanted to cry in response, but I told her I would keep them an extra day if she started crying again. A little harsh I admit, but those two things are the only things I can use against her. The threat of losing them keeps her in check. At bedtime, she looked like she was going to cry again, so I lay in bed with her until she fell asleep. She was out in 15 minutes, a record for her. Hopefully she'll be better tomorrow...
Eric must be going through a growth spurt because he's a bottomless pit; he is constantly hungry! Today, he had 5 oz. at 6:00 pm, but he was crying for more by 7:30 pm. I fed him some cereal (probably 3 tbsp.) and 4 oz. of milk; it must have been barely enough because he wanted more. I'm still producing more milk than he can keep up with, so I don't worry about having enough. (I think two freezers entirely filled with milk should give you an idea of why I don't worry.) If only selling breastmilk weren't illegal... I could be rich!
So today Anneli and I had another knock-down-drag-out screaming match. She got angry when I wouldn't change the channel on the TV; she started stomping her feet and threw herself on the floor. I told her to go to her room, and she got up and smacked my stomach. She continued screaming as she ran away from me, but I eventually dragged her to her room. She kept screaming, so I told her I wouldn't talk to her until she had calmed down. At that point, she claimed she was hungry; she repeated that several times until she realized I wasn't buying it. I left her in her room for five minutes. When I went up, she had calmed down considerably and was just lying on her bed. We talked about what happened and why I had gotten angry. I took away her pig and blanket for the night. She wanted to cry in response, but I told her I would keep them an extra day if she started crying again. A little harsh I admit, but those two things are the only things I can use against her. The threat of losing them keeps her in check. At bedtime, she looked like she was going to cry again, so I lay in bed with her until she fell asleep. She was out in 15 minutes, a record for her. Hopefully she'll be better tomorrow...
Eric must be going through a growth spurt because he's a bottomless pit; he is constantly hungry! Today, he had 5 oz. at 6:00 pm, but he was crying for more by 7:30 pm. I fed him some cereal (probably 3 tbsp.) and 4 oz. of milk; it must have been barely enough because he wanted more. I'm still producing more milk than he can keep up with, so I don't worry about having enough. (I think two freezers entirely filled with milk should give you an idea of why I don't worry.) If only selling breastmilk weren't illegal... I could be rich!
7/13/2011
The last few days have been especially trying. Anneli has been unusually weepy--she cries at the drop of a hat. I'm not sure why she's crying, and I don't really know how to handle it. I wonder if she is now feeling jealous of the attention I give Eric.
This morning, I had reprimanded Anneli for her early morning crying fit. Later, as I was getting Eric into the car seat, Anneli walked up and said, "Umma, you are being nice to Eric." I nodded. Then she said, "Umma, you should be nice to Anneli, too." She almost seemed embarrassed by her statement, but she repeated it when I asked her what she meant.
I need to spend some time with just Anneli, but it's difficult to get away from Eric...
This morning, I had reprimanded Anneli for her early morning crying fit. Later, as I was getting Eric into the car seat, Anneli walked up and said, "Umma, you are being nice to Eric." I nodded. Then she said, "Umma, you should be nice to Anneli, too." She almost seemed embarrassed by her statement, but she repeated it when I asked her what she meant.
I need to spend some time with just Anneli, but it's difficult to get away from Eric...
7/09/2011
Milestone: Eric 5 months
Eric is now able to roll himself over (but only in one direction). He has been working really hard on accomplishing this, and it's been funny to watch him. He survived a trip to NY (and gave me lots of poop, to boot).
His weight gain seems to have plateaued for now, but he must be close to 20lbs. now! He's just all sorts of fat, especially his legs. My mom asked if he was able to roll over yet (before he was able to do it), and when I said no, my dad chimed in, "Because he's fat!" :)
Compared to Anneli, Eric is very vocal, and very loud. Anneli's vocalizations were soft and feminine, but Eric tends to screech, blabber, and gurgle. He blows raspberries when he's angry, he yells when he's tired, he giggles hysterically when Anneli talks to him. It's fun to see the differences between the two kids, and I wonder if Eric is more vocal because he has another baby talking to him.
I've also been having a little fun with Eric. I put Anneli's Hello Kitty hairband on him. He's so cute! One day, I will show that picture to his fiancee, and he will hate me for it.
His weight gain seems to have plateaued for now, but he must be close to 20lbs. now! He's just all sorts of fat, especially his legs. My mom asked if he was able to roll over yet (before he was able to do it), and when I said no, my dad chimed in, "Because he's fat!" :)
Compared to Anneli, Eric is very vocal, and very loud. Anneli's vocalizations were soft and feminine, but Eric tends to screech, blabber, and gurgle. He blows raspberries when he's angry, he yells when he's tired, he giggles hysterically when Anneli talks to him. It's fun to see the differences between the two kids, and I wonder if Eric is more vocal because he has another baby talking to him.
I've also been having a little fun with Eric. I put Anneli's Hello Kitty hairband on him. He's so cute! One day, I will show that picture to his fiancee, and he will hate me for it.
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