Up 1.5 lbs and 2 inches

OK, first of all, Kim is a saintly woman. Peter had a well-baby check today, and I called Kim to see if she wanted to do something fun today after his appointment. We had planned to meet up in the late morning after Peter's appointment and Kim's OB appointment, and have a picnic lunch together, but it turned out that Kim's appointment was actually for lunchtime, so Kim offered to meet me at Peter's doctor's office and play with Jack and Thomas while I took Peter in. I thought it would be a quick in-and-out with Peter since usually we don't have much of a wait, and he was just being weighed and measured (no shots), so we'd get the appointment out of the way quickly and then get right on to having fun (my original intention :) ).

Well, the dr's office was a total madhouse. They were backed up like crazy from walk-in patients (even though we had a fairly early appointment), so we had been waiting for over an hour before the dr even saw us. Kim took Jack and Thomas on walks up and down the stairs, outside, hunting for "bad tanks", etc., and they had a great time with her while Peter and I waited. Then we all went to the lake and the boys played on the playground and then we fed (or hurled, in Jack's case) bread at the ducks. It was great to see Kim (she looks great, and no I'm not just saying that) spend time with her (Jack cried when her car pulled away in the parking lot), and she was such a huge help wrangling the boys in the dr's office.

I'm so stinkin' excited about being an aunt to baby Michael! I can't wait to meet him. It's strange to think how imminent his arrival is -- any hour or day now. It's also strange to think about how much so many different lives and families will change by his journey from inside Kim's tummy to the outside world. C'mon baby Michael, we've been waiting for you for almost 10 months now -- don't keep us waiting much longer!

Peter continues to grow well -- he's 10lb 1oz and about 2 inches taller than he was 4 weeks ago! I can tell he's getting chubbier cheeks and chins (there are 2 now), and arms and legs, but it's reassuring to see the numbers actually reflect how well he's doing. He's also smiling more (especially after having his hair shampooed and combed), and cooing a little. His hair is crazy (Jack says "His hair looks like a lady!" and both he and Thomas say it's "Wooshy Bushy" :)), but I'm loathe to cut it just yet. I secretly enjoy it when strangers comment about his mop of hair -- without his hair, he's kind of like any other newborn, but with it he's like a rock star. "Look at that baby's hair, Mommy!" "Was he born with all that hair?" "Do you gel it?". It's kind of fun :).

All in all, we're doing well. David and I are being run a little ragged, but we're a good team. It won't be long before Peter is 2 and 3 months old, and not so brand new, and things will be easier, and I will miss his "newness" and tiny-ness. That is another little reason that I'm excited about baby Michael coming -- I'm sure he will look and feel so tiny compared to Peter!

Well done, good and faithful Macchiato

She served us very well these past 6 1/2 years, and now she has found a new home! What a huge relief to have the whole advertising, showing, negotiating process behind us. Truthfully, it went pretty smoothly ... we listed her on craiglist (which I was doubtful would work, but David said his co-workers kept suggesting it, plus it was free). And a few days later we had a serious looker who turned into our buyer. Hooray! Thank you for the thoughts and prayers, this was a big item on our to-do list before refinancing our house, and now it's done!!

Dagwood Bumstead...

is what you get when David does Peter's hair!

Stay tuned for Christopher Walken, which is what you get when I do his hair :).

Lord of the Dance...

should be David's new nickname. He has perfected a bopping-bouncing-swaying move that seems to calm Peter down, even when he's at his maddest. I can't quite get it right (even after David's careful instruction), so Peter usually ends up mad at me during his nightly fussing, unless I'm feeding him. Kim was kind enough to lend us baby Michael's swing to see if that would help, but Peter (so far) hasn't been too enthralled. He seems to prefer more of an up-and-down bouncing motion rather than back and forth, or even side to side. I do think David enjoys being the one with "the touch" for calming Peter down. :). It's also good exercise, and Peter is an excellent personal trainer, because as soon as you slow down or stop bouncing (and Peter does like it pretty fast), he starts squawking and we're spurred on. Most nights we probably do a couple of hours of this dance, so at least we're getting our workout in!

I suppose you could call Peter colicky -- since from what I understand, his fussing every night for the same time period is classic colic. This week I'm going to try and find something called "Gripe Water" which apparently has natural stuff like chamomile, ginger, etc. that's supposed to make babies' tummies feel better. I've heard great things about it, so maybe that will help. I really can't complain, though, because his colic is very predictable, and it's only 4 hours or so (thank goodness it's not all day!), and he usually conks out by midnight. I think the hardest part for me is having to work so hard at soothing Peter *right* after Jack and Thomas get in bed. Many nights I don't get a break from the big boys' antics and the baby boy's antics. And the physical tiredness from walking and bouncing him, plus getting to bed a little later than I'd like makes me pretty darn tired the next day. And being tired makes it harder for me to be patient and cheerful for Jack and Thomas. I know all of this is good for me, and it's very good practice at being loving and patient with my family when I'm feeling tired and like there's not enough of me to go around. I'm being asked to die to myself a little more, and that's not easy, but it is good. And I am very happy.

We had a serious buyer come out and look at my little white car today!! He made us a great offer, pending a good smog check tomorrow. So if you can spare a prayer that this sale goes through smoothly, we'd appreciate it.

Happy 4th of July!

We did it!

We survived a trip to 2 grocery stores this morning! It was actually kind of nice to get out of the house, and also to feel like I'm capable of handling all 3 kids on an outing by myself :). First, we went to the grocery store that has awesome produce prices, and I put Peter in a baby carrier that I bought recently -- so far I think it's going to be one of my favorite carriers. Thomas went into the shopping cart seat and Jack walked. Peter slept the whole time, and both Jack and Thomas were very well behaved. Then we went to Stater Brothers for non-produce stuff, and Peter went back into the carrier and slept soundly while Jack and Thomas sat in a two-seater cart. The boys were so good that I bought them some Hot Wheels fruit snacks that they enjoyed in the car after we were done. After we put the groceries away, the boys played in the pool and used big paintbrushes to "paint" with water on the concrete. I thought they would get bored with this pretty fast, but they actually loved it! Jack was writing letters and Thomas loved filling a cup with water for his brush (and dumping it out, and refilling it, over and over).

This Friday morning we're planning to go to a 4th of July parade near our neighborhood park. People enter their golf carts in the parade (and they deocrate them up) and then they throw candy at the crowd. And there are horses in the parade, some fire trucks, and maybe even some tractors if we're lucky.

My 3 brave boys

Yesterday was Peter's circumcision, and I took the boys with me because I assumed we would be in the waiting room while Peter was in the treatment room. Not so much ... we all ended up in the treatment room, and Jack and Thomas got to watch the entire procedure. I explained what they were going to do, and Jack and Thomas seemed fine with it, so I decided to let them stay and see how it went. Of course, had they become nervous or scared, I would have walked them outside, but they were totally fine and Jack was actually very interested in what all the surgical tools did, what the doctor was doing at each step of the way, etc. The dr was very impressed -- he said that most dads refuse to watch the procedure because they get a little light-headed! I suppose part of it is that I consider it a minor procedure, and didn't make a big deal about it, so the boys followed suit. Peter actually slept through most of the circumcision, so it really was no big deal.

And... he weighs 9lb 7oz now! So he's gained almost a pound in a little under 3 weeks -- pretty good! He seems to be eating and sleeping well, but it's always reassuring to see his weight going up as proof that he's thriving. He's gotten into a pattern of sleeping about 6 hours a night, although I think the only reason he sleeps for this long is because he cries and fusses from about 7-11PM nonstop and wears himself out! The only thing that seems to calm him down during his evening fussing is constant motion. We've tried a pacifier, slings, and baby carriers, but none of these seem to help when he's really mad at night. So, we may invest in a baby swing to see if that helps. Even if we can put him in there for 15 minutes while our arms get a break, that would be awesome. The evening fussing routine is definitely tiring (especially after a long day keeping up with Jack and Thomas), but I really can't complain too much. If nothing else, my legs will get nice and toned from all the pacing around the house, and my arms will be super buff from rocking a 9lb weight for hours on end :).

Other than that, I'm doing pretty well. I've been keeping up on the household chores pretty well, and I decided to take care of all my week's baking today so I can have one "hot kitchen" day and then not have to worry about turning on the oven during the rest of the week. It's supposed to be in the 90s this week, so hopefully my strategy will help keep the house a little bit cooler. Today I made rice pudding, french bread, cinnamon raisin bread, and granola. And tomorrow is grocery shopping day, and I think I am going to brave the store tomorrow with the 3 boys. David is going to run to Costco for some bulk items since it's close to his work, and I'm going to take care of the local stuff tomorrow. Wish me luck!!