update

- I used the tent thing outside all afternoon. It was awesome. Kept Declan shaded and out of the somewhat nasty wind going on today.

Auntie Kerry came by for a visit this afternoon. Mika kept her entertained outside with bubbles, slides, ladybugs, spiders, and more. Poor Auntie Kerry - she got the full-on toddler assault. Uncle Damon stopped by after work with supper for us and was not given a moments rest between Declan and Mika. They both love Uncle Damon and Auntie Kerry to bits. Declan fell asleep on Uncle Damon's shoulder.

spring fun

Another good weekend. We were in St. Albert by 09:00 for the Cosmo Tot sale - picked up one of those Little Tikes cars for Mika for dirt cheap as well as a half dome tent thing. I thought the tent would be the size of an oversize change pad with a little half dome at the top for keeping an infant shaded, but its this huge thing. A score and a half, really. Very quick and easy to setup and will come in handy for things like Heritage Days or picnics in the park - heck, will be good for the backyard. After Mika had sufficiently checked out her new goods, she went for a nap, got up, and we went over to Nana's to celebrate her birthday. Nana filled the kids with ice cream cake then we all headed over to Parkallen Park so the kids could play and play they did.
Sunday was rainy and cold and Mika was thrilled to finally wear her new rain slicker that Baba gave her for Easter. She played outside for awhile and then we headed off to the toy store for water. ToysRus sells wee 'spill-proof' bottles of water and I haven't seen them elsewhere yet. Of course, Mika came out of there with more toys - the last thing that she needs. She's currently really into the Backyardigans (thanks dave) and they had the plush characters on sale. Mika picked out Pablo the Penguin and he has been in her arms since we got home. Due to her knife obsession, we also grabbed some plastic fruits and veggies for Mika to 'slice'. They're the kind that are split in half and joined by velcro - she loves them. Oh, and a wee broom and dustpan. Mika loves to cleanup and I'm all for supporting it. She's already swept the floor twice today. Yay!
Looks to be another nice day today - maybe I can get the lilacs planted in the front.

more mobility?

Declan just rolled from his tummy to his back. On purpose, it would seem. What's this kid trying to do to me? We're supposed to be enjoying his lack of mobility until at least 6 months. He just can't wait to keep up to his sister and run, dance, and jump all day long.

mobility

Declan has started combat crawling. Put him in bed for a nap this morning and when I checked on him, he was about 2 feet and 90 degrees from where he was put down. When Mika and I went to get him up, he had made it all the way to the foot of the bed.

Discoveries

Mika seems to have grasped the gender concept. She was telling me last night that she is a girl, but Daddy is a boy - followed by Mama is a girl and Declan is a boy.

When she woke the other morning, I was feeding Declan. I moved the two of us into her room so that we could all hang out while Declan finished his pre-breakfast snack. Mika decided she needed to feed her kitty. She grabbed her pillow (a wee pink checkered one that my great-granny made for me when I was a baby), arranged kitty on her back on the pillow, pulled up her shirt, and tried to latch the kitty on. Then it was time for confusion and angst as Mika had a fit that her chest had yet to develop. She basically had a breakdown over her chest size. A quote from the episode: "Mama! Mama! Where's Mika's boobs? Kitty's hungry, mama! Where's Mika's boobs?"

Oi.

How to shoo your Mama

I missed out on shooting the earlier shooing with the arm movements...meh.

Herding Cats

Mika loves to keep the cats in check. She's gentle, but firm. She recently mastered the 'fvsht' and 'pfsht' scat darn cat sounds complete with the pointing-finger arm sweep to show what direction the cat is supposed to scat or the startling foot stomp as required. Mika loves the cats - even though she sometimes shows it by holding onto one of their tails as they both run screeching around the house.

Pound a day rise?

I took Declan in to the local health clinic for his shots the day after his checkup. The digital scale there said that his weight was at 15lbs. 11oz. - Almost a full pound more than the old triple beam at the Dr.'s office. Hrm. Feels like a tonne, anyway.

Mika and I have a ball with Declan during the day. He provides a much needed focal point for Mika's more wrangly moments. She and I take turns trying to make him smile or trying to see if he'll grab for a toy. Mika was feeling generous today and gave Declan a pair of socks that she no longer wears. She gently placed them on his head.

Wardrobe

Mika not only insists on choosing what she wears, but often what everyone else in the house wears too. If she is present when we are dressing, it's non-stop harassment: "No Mama! Not dat shirt, the black one. Daddy! Wear socks! Mika get Daddy socks. I get Daddy socks." - and off she goes to pick out his socks. She decides what shoes and coat that Daddy and/or I need. This morning she demanded to pick Declan's clothes: "Let Mika do it! I pick his outfit!" and so she did.

"It is done."

Bye Mr. Vonnegut. I'll miss you.

"I was a victim of a series of accidents, as are we all."

Malachi Constant, aka Unk, aka the Space Wanderer
The Sirens Of Titan
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

...and he's cute too!

Declan had his 2 month checkup today. His nasal stuffiness is due to some swelling because of the lack of humidity. I guess the new humidifier we bought isn't quite enough - hmph. Anyway, as summer gets closer, his nose should get better.
Declan's weight and height are off the chart at 14 lbs. 13 oz. (Mika was about 11 lbs at this age) and 24 3/4 inches respectively. His head circumference is 41cm - I think in the 90th or 90-something percentile. It's confirmed - he's massive. Still going strong as a breastfed-only baby. No bottles for this guy so far - he's drinks from the tap thanks.

Happy 2-Month Birthday, Declan!

I can't believe how large Declan is. I'm used to wee Mika who still wears size 18 months at 25.5 months old and still wears size 6 shoes. Declan is in size 6 months clothes. Some of the 3-6 month stuff still fits, but mostly it's 6-9 - due to his girth.
DC is still a very cuddly and sweet guy. He smiles all the time and is constantly tracking Mika. That's probably more of a survival instinct. :)
Declan continues to eat very well. If he smells food, he needs to eat. At suppertime, I eat with one hand while holding DC in feeding position with the other. Challenging.
No official updated stats as his checkup was rescheduled. Just trust me that he is too tall for his own good and weighs about 2.3 tonnes.

I absolutely adore him. The smell of his breath is addictive.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Mika's ear tubes have both fallen out. We knew that the right one was out for some time and the left has made it's escape now too. There is now a hole in the left eardrum that the doc suspects is from the drum bursting, so no more tubes for Mika. Her right ear is full of fluid. The left one drains because of the hole. There is now a question of how well she can actually hear, so we went for a hearing test while we were there. Mika was uncooperative (big surprise), but the audiologist (is that correct?) said that she could tell from the responses that she got from Mika that her hearing is within the normal range despite holes and fluid. Mika sure looked cute sitting at the table in the "sound room" with big headphones on. She looked like she was busy mixing her debut album or something.
Anyway, we have to go back in a few weeks for another hearing test and checkup on the right ear's fluid buildup. We're also supposed to help Mika perform the tests by playing at home (when you hear a sound, put a block in the box kind of thing). The thing about that is that Mika is more than capable of doing the tasks that are asked of her - she's simply too shy and chooses not to when faced with strangers in strange situations. I really doubt we can help her get over that in two to three weeks time.

Mika has to wear a neoprene headband during her baths now so that water does not get into her left ear. We'll have to carry it around in her diaper bag too as she tends to end up bathing when we go out visiting. In the past 10 days or so, she has had baths with her cousins Jackson and Lucas as well as with her friends Ava and Evan. I'm pretty sure that she won't bathe over at Baba's on Sunday, but might want to hop in the tub with Lucas again on Monday when we visit Nana for Easter. Mika and Lucas like to have baths together - it's all about the splashing and covering Nana's bathroom floor in 5cm of water. Plus if Saoirse comes over, Mika might try getting her into the tub for splash-o-rama fun as well. Obviously, the headband will have to be worn for swimming too.

(No) Home For A Rest

Mika is finally staying home with me instead of going to daycare! It's been two days, but feels like two weeks - despite how that sounds, I'm loving it. Yesterday was a model day, today almost the opposite. 'Almost' because we had a delightful visit with Auntie Kim. She hadn't seen the new place or met Declan and happened to be heading to our side of town today. After both kids waking with a bang at 7:30 this morning, both being fussy all morning, Declan having interrupted sleeps, and Mika refusing to even consider napping (hi kris! sound familiar? :)), it sure was awesome to have someone drop by in the early afternoon. Mika eventually warmed up after she replied "No, I'm too shy." when I asked her if she was going to say hello to Auntie Kim. Declan was gifted with 3 awesome books (Lionel and the Book of Beasts, The Eleventh Hour, and In The Days of Dinosaurs - dragons, a good mystery, and dinosaurs - good stuff!) and some fancy home-made welcome booties. Auntie Kim decorated them with blue ribbon and various silver charms - including skateboards right at the front - she covered the soles in silver foil that bear his name, birthdate, birth weight, and astrological sign. Very much like the ones she made for Mika when she was born and very cool. Mika said that she would like Auntie Kim to come back for tea again sometime and we hope that she does.
On Monday, the kids' schedules were almost perfectly in sync. One woke as the other went to sleep. One would cry while the other was content, etc.

Wednesday is Mika's appointment with the ear specialist to arrange for more surgery to have her ear tubes replaced. Ugh.