Cole has some breathing issues…so when he gets a cold we have to do nightly breathing treatments. He is getting so used to it that I just tell him it’s time and he climbs up, gets his mask and turns on the nebulizer. We watch Yo Gabba Gabba while he gets his meds and he will usually sit through most of it holding the mask himself…so cute!

Today we went to our town’s annual Memorial Day Parade. It’s perfect for our boys…marching bands, trucks, tractors and candy! (They are also sporting their new summer haircuts.)

Annalee slept the whole time, and apparently was having some pleasant dreams.

Cole was old enough this time to want to go after the candy. We were right at the end of the parade route and so lots of people were unloading the rest of their stash. By the end we were just picking it up so it didn’t get left in the street.

If you’ve talked to me recently, I’ve probably told you about our new stroller. It is a monster. Having three little kids I already feel like we attract a lot of attention…I get told all day long, “wow, you really have your hands full.” Now people point me out to each other and I hear stroller comments. Yes, it’s giant and heavy and long, but it’s functional and I love it.

I can’t believe our little Annalee is five weeks old already! I have been seriously slacking in the picture taking. Sorry, poor 3rd child--I know your Aunt Lindsey will be able to commiserate someday. I’ve always heard the transition from 2 to 3 is the toughest, and I must say it’s a big adjustment…it’s generally total chaos at our house these days. We are getting out and about a little easier and I’m pretty sure we’ll all live through these next few months.

Annalee didn’t love her first bath like the boys did…she screamed the whole time.

She may also be our first thumb-sucker. You can’t really tell in the picture, but she is actually holding her thumb in with the other hand. She’s pretty good with a binky these days though.

These are just a few pics I took today when I realized I didn’t have all that many good ones from the last few weeks (at least not with her eyes open). Notice the awesome pink and black lovey that Aunt Rebecca made for her…yes, I’m using it as a blanket for now.

I love this one, but I wish she didn’t have her binky in! I have to point out her shirt. We were shopping one day while I was still pregnant and Jack saw this shirt. He insisted that his little sister would love it and that we had to buy it for her. How could I resist? (It’s a monkey holding an ice cream cone)

Annalee Nalani Taylor

After many, many doctor visits and ultrasounds and lots of worry, she's here and she's perfect! We went in for induction Monday morning and at 6:28pm Annalee Nalani was born. 6lbs 4oz, 19.25". Pretty good size for a baby we were so worried would be super teeny tiny! It seems she made up some time the last few weeks, going from <3rd percentile for months, to 11th on the last 2 scans, to pretty normal size at birth. Labor went really fast again, once it got started...5cm to baby in about 2 hours and 1 push! Our doctor made it in time to deliver this time. Some of you will be interested to know I did get a working epidural ;-)!

She is a fantastically mellow baby so far (knock on wood) and her brothers absolutely adore her. Jack was almost in tears after leaving the hospital the first night, telling grandma "I didn't even get to hold her!" The next day he did get to hold her and kept telling me "Mama, I just love her so much!" Cole constantly wants to know where the baby is and to continuously give her hugs and kisses. So far she's been very tolerant. We are so grateful she's here and healthy and like Jack, we all "just love her so much!"

Butterfly House

I know, I know....two posts in two days?!? Don't expect a repeat anytime soon.

Our town has a really cool garden that turns one of its greenhouses into a butterfly house every year. We’ve missed it every year we’ve been here until today (and now I’m kicking myself). They don’t stress out about the kids trying to touch the butterflies…

Cole wasn’t so sure about these weird bugs at first…

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Jack actually got pretty good at getting them to crawl onto his finger.

Cole did eventually warm up a bit, but didn’t really want to get too close.

Cole was actually more interested in yelling at the canaries than looking at the butterflies.

This was the first one Jack caught all by himself. After that he was hooked!

We will definitely be going back in the next few weeks! (As long as this baby stays put a little longer!)

Dentist

The boys went to the dentist for the first time last week.  It was just supposed to be Jack, but the hygienist said they recommend starting a 1 year old and she had time to do them both.  I’ve been prepping Jack for awhile…showing him the office when we drive by, talking about what would happen and reading books about the dentist.  The dentist book we’ve read the most was a Little Critter one.  On the way into the office he started talking about how the nurse was going to be a bunny.  He was pretty disappointed when not one member of the staff was any kind of animal!  The hygienist did offer to wear bunny ears though. 

Jack  did great and even let them attempt x-rays (the bite wings were still a bit big to get in his mouth without making him gag).  He climbed right up in the chair and let them examine and clean his teeth without me even needing to hold his hand!

I warned them Cole would probably not cooperate…it was naptime, he wasn’t feeling great, and he screams bloody murder when Matt and I brush his teeth.  They tried anyway…I think they might have touched a tooth or two with the flouride brush.  He took one look at the dentist and burst into tears (while on my lap).

We had a massive snowstorm a few weeks ago resulting in a giant mountain of snow next to the garage from the snowplow we have come clear the driveway. Matt took Jack out to build a fort, which Jack thought was wonderful. He’s been sad that the snow is melting because he wants “my snow fort to stay and stay.”

Jack turned 3 almost two weeks ago! He requested a monster cake. I’m can’t decide exactly what it looks like (tiger clown monster? striped boar? Matt suggested angler fish…) But Jack called it a “monster lion” and I think was happy with it. He loved getting to pick what we had for dinner (macaroni and cheese) and opening his presents and cards. (He’s randomly told me on several occasions days and weeks later that he “just really loves balloons and my birthday cards”) I really can’t believe he’s 3! Or that he’s only 3…hasn’t he been around forever?

Both boys have really been getting into the dress ups lately. Jack loves to put on the cowboy stuff and ride his horse, and fix all mama’s owies in the doctor’s white coat. He also like to just put on the cowboy hat and walk around saying “howdy partner”. Cole really likes all the hats. He likes the cowboy best too, but Jack is not great at sharing it all the time, so he’s content with the others.

That pretty much sums things up lately. I spend a lot of time at the doctor and the boys have been amazingly adaptable. So far things look good and I will most likely deliver sometime in April. I can’t believe how soon this baby is going to be here!

Caution, loooong post

Well I’m a little slow posting anything lately…it’s been an eventful couple months. We didn’t do much prep for Christmas around here because we were heading out to Utah. We did finally break out the decorations when Jack started singing “no little Christmas tree to light up the world” very sadly around the house. We even ended up making a special trip to the store for a star to go on top at his insistence. We made Christmas treats and the boys thought helping was lots of fun!

We made it to Utah and, once everyone stopped throwing up, we had a great time. Jack and Cole had both been sick in the days leading up to our going, but seemed fine. I was flying out with them and then Matt was joining us at the end of the week. Well, Jack started throwing up again as the plane was landing in Salt Lake. I was covered, he was covered, the diaper bag was covered and they had sent my stroller to baggage claim instead of to the gate. After a very kind flight attendant helped me off the plane and up the ramp, we stood, smelling up the place, while they figured out how to get us to baggage claim. (I had a carseat, two diaper bags, a sick two year old and a grumpy,tired 14 month old…we weren’t going anywhere under our own power.) We made it to my parents and the boys spent the next three days throwing up. Then my parents spent another 3 days sick….I’m sure they were super glad we came early! My poor mom had fallen and broken her hip a few weeks prior to our coming, which just added a whole new level of fun to being sick for her.

Christmas eve we were feeling pretty good and Matt flew in. We headed up to his aunt and uncle’s to see them and Matt cousins’ families and his Grandma.

Christmas morning the boys got more than their fair share of toys. Jack had asked for a batman costume and got lots of dress ups. We had to coax him to try them on at the time, but now he really likes them! (and it’s a good thing, because Santa’s elves put a lot of time into some of them…no I didn’t make them all). Cole would have been perfectly happy with just this ball toy, but has really liked all the new stuff.

Jack LOVES his new easel and literally spends hours on it. The first day we got it out he spent 2 1/2 HOURS painting. He’s not bad, either…some of what he creates is identifiable…he sure didn’t get that from me.

Cole is learning to ham it up for the camera. This boy seriously cracks me up. He is talking up a storm these days. He goes around singing “bow-wow, bow-wow, bow- wow-wow-wow” all day. (It’s a wiggles song), and likes to bring me things when he knows the name. ie shoe, sock, shirt, ball. He hands them to me, tells me what they are, then just giggles and runs away. It’s really cute. He’s also started climbing up on things…hopefully he doesn’t generalize that to climbing out of his crib any time soon.

In other news…we found out in January that Matt will be doing his Sports Medicine fellowship year in Kalamazoo starting in July. It’s about 2 1/2 hours southwest of here, which will definitely make for an easier move. It’s the one place we went with him when he was interviewing and we all liked it, so we are excited.

This baby of ours will be coming soon, and as some of you know is very small. She’s been below the third %ile the last few ultrasounds. She is considered IUGR (intra uterine growth restricted)), but we don’t know why. I’m being monitored very closely for possible problems (meaning I live at the doctor’s office) and probably won’t be able to carry her all the way to 40 weeks. We are hoping to make it to 37 without complications and then will probably induce as she will likely grow better outside me once her lungs are mature. We are so lucky to live somewhere that so many people are willing to help out and watch our boys while I go for 2-3 appointments a week (some of them looong). We are really, really grateful!

Wow, that turned out to be a much longer post than I intended…it was my first attempt with Live Writer (thanks for the tip Rebecca!!) The pics are sized a little funny, but I’ll figure it out eventually.