Yo Ho! Trick or Treat!

Just off the shores of Never Land 

A hideaway at sea

A pirate band outwits the plans

Of Captain Hook and Smee

 The merry crew of Never Land Pirates

Through and through -- they're jolly buccaneers

 Join with Jake and the Never Land Pirates

Come along -- we need some volunteers!

Climb aboard, me hearties, and be a pirate true

Let's go!  With Jake and the Never Land Pirates

We'll set the course together.  Come on and join the crew!

Yes, I know that my pirate Izzy costume was pretty much a fail, but Henry appreciated my efforts.  And a big thanks goes to Baby Ezra (not pictured) who graced us with his candy corn self and braved the chilly weather with Baby Elgin.

I also want to remember that, tonight, Henry loved saying "Trick or Treat!" and thanked everyone for his candy.  When he was given multiple pieces, his eyes would light up, and he would turn to me and announce, "She gave me TWO PIECES!"  He also loved handing out candy when we were at our own house and even relinquished several boxes of Nerds, this year's favorite candy.  

When we were leaving one house, he grabbed my hand and said, "When we get home, I'm going to share my candy with you, Mama.  OK?"  

My sweet pirate.

Happy Halloween! Yo Ho!  Let's Go!

Good morning

Cory let me sleep in and took Henry to school on Tuesday.  I got to snuggle with little EW.

My heaven is snuggling with my babies.

A very special visit

Elgin met Granddaddy on Saturday.

It was a happy meeting, and I can't wait for them to hang out again.

Elgin proved to be a good listener, too.  His typically random left and right crosses and hooks became a choreographed affair, following Granddaddy's coaching.  

You should have heard the silly noises coming from these men.

Giving peas a chance

Henry refuses to eat most things at the beginning of each meal.  It's just part of his routine.  Tonight, he was making a huge deal out of not liking peas.  He did want more cube steak, though, which he could get after he ate his peas.  Oh, the drama...

 But what's funny is that he likes peas.  Do you see any look of distaste on this face?

I think he just likes to put up a fight.  He is incredibly strong willed, but, in the end, the hope of steak will win.

What he doesn't know...

Today, my oldest son's school was on lockdown while a man who attempted to shoot a police officer was being searched for in a three mile radius.  At first, I was calm, but then I started to get super antsy and anxious.  Daddy picked him up as soon as the lockdown was lifted.  He's fine.  We're all safe inside our home on the cold, rainy Friday evening.

I love my family.  I love my three boys so much.

Henry doesn't know that the campus was locked and no one was allowed to leave or enter or that there were parents whose hearts skipped beats every time a news bulletin flashed.  He doesn't know that Daddy had to speak with a police officer before entering the one open gate later in the afternoon.  He came home happy as could be, and his sweet face instantly washed away my fear.

We played "I Spy" and a pattern game and listened to a Halloween Party station on Pandora.  We watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," and had just a generally silly evening.  When H got out of the shower, he declared himself a kid monster who takes people's skin and throws it in the trash and leaves pull ups on the floor and doesn't cover his mouth when he coughs.  (Aside from the skin part, it was very endearing.)

He doesn't know that I held his sleeping little brother and paced the floor this afternoon.  What he does know is that he's comfortable--safe and happy.

I love my kid monster.  I love him.

Stats and more

Elgin's two month well visit today was, well... interesting. 

First, here are his stats from his weigh in and measurings: 

Elgin is in the 57th percentil for his weight of 12 pounds and 7 ounces, which is only an ounce off from my guess of 12 and a half pounds.  The nurse accused me of weighing him in the produce department before bringing him in.  Not so, but what an adorable picture my little Elgin would make as a mellon on a scale.

Secondly, his length remains in the 97th percentile at 24.5 inches.  He gained an inch and a half since his one month appointment!  Obviously, growing is going well.

And, as far as heads go, he is holding steady at the 79th percentile at 15.75 inches head circumference.  He's also holding his head itself fairly steady despite his distate of tummy time. 

Now for the interesting part--his poop.  I changed a poop diaper as soon as I got there, and then he pooped again while I was nuring him and waiting for Dr. Song.  (He does his pooping in the AM hours, which is nice when compared with Henry's preference for pooping all night.)  Dr. Song walked in and saw that Elgin was eating, so she progressed with her questions before doing an exam. 

Does he eat well?  Yes.
Do you feel like you produce enough milk?  Yes.  I over produce and have a whole lot in the freezer.
Does he spit up?  Some, but not much.  Not even everyday.
Does he pee well?  Yes.
Does he poop well?  Yes. 
Does he smile? Yes.
Does he follow a line of sight?  Yes.
Any concerns? Nope.  He's awesome.

Then, when Elgin was full, she placed him on the exam table and removed his diaper, knowing that she would see baby poop.  But, what she didn't know, and neither did I, was that she would see something else.

There it was.

Blood. 

Yep, blood in his diaper.  There was no skin irritation, so it clearly came from inside.  I said, "Oh, no.  Milk allergy?"  Her face said it all.  The nurse came back with a positive for blood test, and Dr. Song told me that I could cry if I needed to.  I said, "I don't need to cry.  I need a drink since my milk is no good, anyway."

All that stored milk--no good.  Pretty devastating.  Dr. Song quickly told me not to throw it away.  In the worst case scenario, I can donate it.

My new diet?  No dairy and no soy.  I'll do anything for my babies.  Anything.  Even give up tall glasses of milk with spaghetti.  Label scrutiny, almond milk, and no cheese pizza, here I come.  Frozen breast milk,  you stay put. This milk allergy better be a first year thing, and you will be used eventually and hopefully by my son.

I'm sad but thankful that he's healthy overall and that there is a fix--however diffuclt it may be.

Bye-bye Krispy Kreme celebratory donuts.

Acting

One of the many things that I love about Henry is his flare for drama.  Here he is carrying his beanbag back inside.  It's not heavy at all.

Whine and cry

Oh, how it pains me to hear the whining and crying that goes with this particular face...

There are plenty of times that Henry starts to whine, and I feel like my skin could crawl off my body and escape on its own.  It makes my ears hurt.  True, he was sick with a cold when I took the above pictures, but he was crying and whining because Cory wasn't playing hide and seek again after about ten rounds of pretending that he didn't know exactly where he was.  Sometimes I wonder if he whines more than is developmentally appropriate and if I project the stress of my everyday life on my son way too much.  Did I do irreversible damage?  It's true that whining is unacceptable to me.  Maybe my intolerance makes him whine more?   Is he whining more now that he's a big brother?  I can't really tell.  It's just saddening to me when tiny disappointments make him whine then escalate to a loud cry. I just know that I feel sad even after it's corrected, which usually means addressing an accompanying listening issue, which is also taxing and highly irritating.

Maybe it will end eventually.  I don't think he is this way all the time, and it's certainly amplified when he's with Daddy and me, so it's possibly a form of flattery--his way of saying that he's comfortable enough to let out his ugly feelings around us.  No matter what, I hope we'll be back to seeing a lot more of these faces that refill my tank.

I find myself praying more to help me to be a patient mother.  The last thing I want is for my sons to remember me mostly saying, "I can't understand you when you whine."  

Ahhhhh...

Bath time.

I loved this outfit on Henry, too

My phone missed his big grin that came right after the shutter.  Trust me.  He likes the outfit, too.

Yesterday in the front yard

I love the fall weather and shade trees. 

Two Months

Elgin turned two months old today.  We celebrated in Hughes Family fashion--Krispy Kreme coupled with toasts made with decaf coffee and milk.  It was H's first time to clink cups after a toast, so we got to do it several times, and Elgin is deserving of all the accolades.

Elgin celebrated in his own right by nursing just about every hour all day long.  I think he either knew that I was feeling some anxiety about the passing of time or he is growing even more.  We will find out his latest weight when we take him for his well visit on Thursday, but we got a mid-month weigh in back when I took him for his cold, and he was already almost up to twelve pounds.  He was solidly in three or three to six month clothing at the one month mark, and he's busting out of a few of those outfits already.

At two months, Elgin smiles when he wakes and likes to hang out a while before eating.  Eating has become somewhat of a challenge since he's already becoming easily distracted, something I wasn't expecting to happen for at least a couple more months.

He prefers to rest on my left shoulder, facing away from my face with his head tilted up, searching for lights.  He holds his head well in that position but defies our attempts at tummy time, giving us less than a minute before demanding we turn him on his back or that we hold him.  When held by Daddy, he elects to be cradled.

We bathe Elgin just about every night.  Or, rather, we let the warm water run over him.  He relishes it, and the relaxed look on his face makes warm water look divine.

Elgin delights in the changing station and watches his overhead solar system with great interest.  He, like his brother, seems to hold Saturn in high regard.  We often get his widest grins and most vocal coos, goos, agoos, oohs, aaaaaaaaas, and ahhhhhhss when he is lying atop his changing pad.  He spends much of his outdoor time wrapped in the moby, and I realize upon typing "moby," that I need to update on his many outings meant for partaking in the beautiful fall weather.  He loves it.  The air suits him, and he nestles close and is out for peaceful sleep in moments.  People comment that they don't know what he looks like awake, which is my goal.  Plus, back up some.  Germs!

Speaking of germs, he is out of the viral woods, at least his cold is over.  We are still diligent about hand washing, and I jump back when kids peer into his carrier on Henry's school days.  Henry has a new cold as of yesterday afternoon, so we'll see what happens next.  Elgin is loved dearly by his big brother, and the love and interest is openly returned, so I do feel some guilt about not letting H touch EW or EW touch H when one or the other is ill.

Elgin smiles a lot, but it's not something I often capture.  He is still a sleepy head, so I don't often pick up my camera before it's time for me to cuddle him back to sleep.  He makes his sleepiness known, and if caught early, he drifts to sleep with just a swaddle and some rocking with maybe one or two songs coupled with back pats.  Several times, I reluctantly let him put himself to sleep, and he really doesn't seem to mind.  I am shocked.  H totally minded.  And I sort of do.

Now for today's pics...

We love you, Elgin.  Cheers!

Field Trip!

Elgin and I escorted Henry on his annual fall field trip, making it to the farm just in time to hop on the hay ride with his classmates.

Different school but the same apple farm for a Friday field trip to pick up some apples and a pumpkin...

Henry and some buddies bounded through the corn maze without help from lagging moms (who ended up backtracking to catch them at the exit) but then asked me to go back through the maze with him.  I was flattered and happily accepted the invitation.  He was a confident navigator and got us through in record time, but I could have stayed in the field a little longer with my oldest boy grabbing my hand and yelling out direction choices.

Guzzling apple juice...

A small let's-go-home-peacefully-bribe...

No pics of Elgin.  Fall air coupled with a tight wrap meant that he slept through the whole field trip, both treks through the corn maze and all.