Any Other Rachel: November 2017

Sunday, November 19, 2017

I have a bad memory

I want to write all about our trip to Virginia, but I don't have my daily journal in front of me, so I probably won't remember enough details.

The flight out was good. The kids both did very well. We only had 55 minutes to make our connection in Chicago (well, less. It was 55 minutes til the next plane left). So I had to hustle Bertie across the airport. We had a long way between gates. The second flight was pretty bumpy. And of course, on that one, he needed to go to the bathroom 3 times. (Three times in 2 hours.) I felt bad for him though. He really needed to poop. And it was when it was bumpy and the flight attendant was serving drinks. I push the call button, and she moved for us, but it was just a little too late (just a skid mark, but he never has accidents).

My mom has a port-a-crib for Bronwyn (in the room where I was sleeping) and a twin bed for Bertram. Bronwyn slept well overall, especially after I moved her crib into the walk in closet. She was sleeping for 8-9 hours a night! Bertram did so-so. Every night at bed time, he would start a chorus of "I want to go home". He was really sad, and I felt very sad for him. We gave him melatonin most nights, to help him settle. Once he was asleep, he did fairly well. But he did wake up early quite a bit.

While we were there, I started and stopped eating wheat. It seems to be what is upsetting Bron. She gets rashy and gassy. (Being wheat free is really annoying.) So I found different gluten-free things to eat.

The weather was dreary for most of the trip. Drizzle, rain, and a lot of cold. So we didn't get outside as much as I would have liked. Usually we do a lot of walking, but hardly did any this time.

We got to see my Nanny a couple of times, and two of my aunts. We did a fair amount of shopping. I got to hang out with my sister a lot, and see her new house(I can't believe my little sister is a homeowner).

Aaron flew out after a week to hang out too. We took Bertram to the trampoline park one day. I am very out of shape. He had fun, but he's still not jumping.

The flights home were fine. We had to get up at 4am, but other than that there were no issues. Both kids did fairly well. Bertie slept for an hour or 2. He had a small melt down, but he's 3 and a half, and sitting still that long is no fun.

Since we've been home, his sleep patterns haven't been very good. He's very tired and will be asleep by 8 every night, but he'll wake up between 5-6 and not go back to sleep. Then he is really tired throughout the day, but won't nap. And then is a really grump. Hopefully, he'll get back into the rhythm soon.

Bronwyn is 4 months old today. She is sleeping 7-9 hours at night, and naps throughout the day (not really on any schedule yet). She rolls over both ways. She likes sitting in the bumbo seat, and holds her head up well. She pushes up onto her arms when laying on her tummy. She loves smiling. She doesn't laugh much (only Rebecca has made her laugh so far). She doesn't vocalize much either. She loves sucking on her fingers, or thumb. Her eyes are starting to become a grey/brown/green. I think she looks more like me, at least for now. She is still a great nurser. And I'll probably wait until 6 months to start introducing food (unless she really shows interest earlier).

Bertram has gotten really interested in maps. He loves geography. He can name all the states and most (or all) the capitals. He knows some of the countries/continents, and oceans. He also likes the solar system. He knows all the planets, some of the moons, and some dwarf planets. He knows a lot of sight words, but isn't sounding out words yet. He watches a lot of youtube videos about these subjects. He likes Phineas and Ferb, SpongeBob, and Teen Titans Go. (Though, we really only watch Phineas and Ferb regularly). He loves reading, and we go to the library every two or three weeks. He still can't really say "S" sounds. (Mississippi sound like Mi-i-i-ppi). He likes a lot of different foods, lately he's been into cheeseburgers and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. He loves Bronwyn, and being a big brother.

I have to say, as hard as it is sometimes, I really love being these kids mom. I think about a third sometimes (already). And, I'd love to have another. But I think two might be our number. Our house is fairly small, and there is a lot of expense that comes with a third (bigger car, traveling gets harder and costlier). Plus, I worry about Bronwyn becoming a middle child. As a middle child, I can say it's not a great place in the birth order. However, I love my little sister, and can't imagine how things would be without her. It's still up in the air, and there is time to decide. But that's where I'm at currently.