Here we are, the end of August already.  Maybe that means that cooler weather is to come... although I'm sure not too soon.   It's still in the triple digits here in Phoenix - supposed to be 110 or more today.  Which means, we are still prisoners to the indoors.  Harder when you have two children than when you are a single adult.  I feel like we've been telling Brie forever "we will do it when it's cooler" in response to her requests to go to the park, ride her bike, play outside, etc, etc, etc.  I am happy to go to the city pool with her, since that's the only thing we can comfortably do outdoors.  I feel a bit of cabin fever - I imagine what others might feel during the winter in cold places...

 

My dad prompted me to write an update... noting that I hadn't posted anything much in quite a while.  Sorry for that.  I find I'm not at the computer all that often, and finding a quiet moment when I can actually sit down and type is quite difficult to find.  So, let's see what we've been up to.  Finley is now 8 months old, and Brianna is, well, still 3.  Amazing how time passes so quickly.  Finley is still performing his military crawl to get around (very quickly!) - I've found he can actually crawl "properly", but it isn't fast enough for him, so he always ends up on his belly.  He pulls up on everything, "cruises" around the furniture, and can take some steps assisted.  Still not letting go on his own, yet, though.  He is quite mobile, and I don't really remember Brie getting into as much as he is getting into, but then again, we had much less "stuff" when she was this age.  Her toys/crafts/markers/etc are everywhere, and he is so curious about that.  I often find him chewing on a piece of chalk, remnants of a tattoo she applied to herself, marker, etc.  I have to be pretty careful to scan the floors whenever he is down, as he is at the age to put everything in his mouth.  Fortunately he doesn't seem to try to swallow anything... just tasting. :)

 

Turns out Finley wasn't teething - he was actually sick.  The not sleeping and runny nose progressed to a full-blown chest cold... so bad that I actually took him to the doctor (strange for me!).  They gave him some steroids, both in shot form and oral to take home, and it seemed to clear up pretty quickly.  So, still no teeth, and I can't feel anything coming.  I will have to look back at when Brie started teething, because I have no memory of that.  I'm happy to not have teeth, as F is still breastfeeding furiously, especially at night, and from what I hear, teeth can cause some serious pain.  He is eating quite well (solids, that is) also, though... eating most everything we eat.  I love my food grinder!  Haven't found much he doesn't like... other than maybe squash and carrots.  Doesn't seem to like those orange things.  Everything else seems to get his approval.  He definitely isn't having trouble keeping his weight up!

 

Josh and I escaped last weekend for a surprise weekend away.  Josh surprised me for my birthday (belated, because I've been working so many weekends) by making reservations at the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale - a totally cool (way too cool for us! :)) hotel, retro 50's chic, for Saturday night.  His parents took the kids, and we spent Saturday at the mall, out to lunch, then hanging by the pool (with some cool refreshments!), where they had a DJ playing.  The hotel room was awesome - open floorplan with a freestanding tub in the middle of the room. You can check out pictures of the rooms and the hotel on their website.  Then Saturday night Josh had made us reservations at the restraurant - Trader Vic's... so it was great, we never had to leave the hotel grounds.  Dinner was yummy and we just had a blast.  Sunday was back to the pool in the morning after a wonderful breakfast, also at the hotel.  It was so nice to get away, recharge our batteries, and remember what it's like to be a couple first, parents second.  Usually it's the other way around.  Thanks Josh!

 

Life around here has been busy, as you may have gathered.  we've been having fun, and Brianna is well established now in her new preschool, which is only MWF for a couple hours.  She seems to really enjoy it, though, and has been working on her reading and writing, learning letters.  Exciting stuff.  We also hired a new nanny to take Josh's mom's place in watching the kids while I work during the week - it became a bit much for her, with a full-time job and two children to watch on her day off.  The nanny started this week... I didn'ttalk to her after, because Josh relieved her before I got home, but it sounded like it went well.  How nice to have someone show up here in the morning and be herewhen we come home - what a change from a 45 minute round trip to drop them off and pick them up!  Hopefully it works out!

 

Posting a few recent pictures...

We have had some serious sleep issues in the past week.  Finley decided that the second I left the room after putting him down for night/nap sleep, he would scream like a banshee (spelling?). After trying to make him feel better the first few times, I just decided we would let him cry it out.  Apparently, like Brie, he is quite strong-willed.  We went through a few nights of hours of crying... once at bedtime, and then numerous times throughout the night.  I was amazed that BRianna either didn't wake up or at least didn't get up!  I was sure that he was just experiencing separation anxiety - since he's about at that age.  So, I started sending Josh in (poor Josh, as he has to get up to work early in the morning), which didn't really help.  Finley got quite mad when Josh walked in rather than me.  I found that breastfeeding didn't really help either, as he would eat and fall asleep, but then the moment I put him down, he was crying again.  So, no use feeding him time after time.  I decided once a night was enough.  It was a rough few nights, crying and crying.  Then, I thought I would try, just try, Hyland's Teething Tablets... even if he wasn't teething, just to get him to sleep.  I can't feel any teeth, but I know the babies can feel them even before we feel buds.  I went to Sprouts and got a pack (the woman working there highly recommended them, as I have heard from others also).  I thought "yeah right, like this will help."  Well, last night right before I fed him (about 8), I gave him two tablets.  Fed him, put him down, around 8:30.  One little cry and then he was asleep.  Wow! I thought for sure that wouldn't last.  It did!  Right up until 4:45 this morning!  That's great!  I gave him two more, fed him again, and then put him back down. Again, one little cry and then back to sleep.  Until 6:30.  Amazing.  I have to admit, I was not entirely comfortable giving him the tablets because the ingredients list Belladonna, which you can check out online.  Essentially, it's a sedative.  However, our amazing midwife, who is up on her homeopathic remedies, says that in homeopathy, the plant isn't actually in there, it works differently than that (still can't get my head entirely around homeopathy).  So, no risk.  Okay, well, I know it works, so now we'll stick with it.  Oh, and I didn't mention, Finley woke up talking this morning, rather than crying.  Yay!  He has a bit of a runny nose today, so I do think it's probably teeth.  I tell you, I will stick with Hyland's and now think maybe I should start Brianna on their Calms Forte for KIds, maybe it will calm her down? Is it bad to drug your toddler? :)

Brianna finished her summer program at her old school last week, and doesn't start at her new school (preschool) until this coming Wednesday.  So, we've had a jam-packed week of family time and fun activities... it was hard the first day, getting used to having her here all day, but we've done some fun stuff and it's actually been pretty nice having her around.  Though, I'm sure she will enjoy starting school agan so she will have more friends to hang out with.  Mom and Finley get old after a while! Monday we went to the city pool after hanging about the house all morning... Tuesday we met a friend of hers at the city pool in the morning, yesterday (Wed) we had a friend of hers over and all of us went to the Phoenix Children's Museum. T oday I was supposed to work but they didn't need me, so we're going to go to the Arizona Museum of NAtural History to see dinosaurs.

 

I've decided that maybe it wouldn't be too bad to move somewhere with rain and snow.  At least you can suit up and go out in that weather.  Arizona summers never really bothered me too much until I had kids... now I feel a bit like I'm in jail since we can't go outside.  Brie has been asking for ages to fly her kite, ride her bike, play at the park... it's just too hot.  If we lived somewhere with snow, we could suit up and play in the snow.  Here, there's nothing else to take off to get cool in the hot summers!!!