Visits from Kristin and the Schrutt Family and Isaac's 2nd ER visit

We had a very full week! "Aunt" Kristin who was in DC for business and added on an extra night so she could cuddle with Isaac and meet Caitlin. Both fell in love with her instantly, Caitlin gave her lots of smiles and when Isaac gave her his hundredth hug, she said "thanks for the sugar, sugar" and now that is Isaac's favorite catch phrase of the week.

Kristin left Wednesday morning and then Aunt Jen, Uncle Max, Jaden, Talia and Arielle came in from Colorado. Bill found them a basement apartment for rent on Lincoln Park just a few blocks away so they had their own space, but were within walking distance so we could spend lots of time together. It was SO much fun to watch all the cousins hang out, now that Isaac is old enough to actually play with them. Jaden and Talia (7 and 5) were so patient and wonderful with Isaac even though he is younger, and Arielle (2.5) and Isaac were inseparable. We LOVED having them here and were very said when they left. Here are some pictures of playtime around the house, at the park, and at Eastern Market.

We also took a big field trip to the monuments. We did a LOT of walking, but the kids were total troopers. Even though we went to the top of the Washington Monument, the White House and World War II Memorial, I think the metro was the universal favorite attraction for all the kids.

Remember in my last post when I said Bill told me that with a little boy I would be seeing a lot worse than a split lip? Well, who know he meant that I would literally be seeing it - in the same week?!? Isaac decided to jump on top of a yoga ball and ride it into the radiator, smashing his head. When it happened he cried (not as much as with the lip!) and I scooped him up thinking he just banged his back - until I pulled my hand away from his head and realized it was covered with blood. Thankfully Jen and Max were there because while I comforted Isaac, they were able to check out the damage and we all decided that we needed a trip to Children's ER. Bill came home from work and Jen, Max and the kids babysat Caitlin and we headed to Children's. Two hours later, and about a hundred trips up and down the elevator to entertain Isaac who was acting totally fine, he got THREE STAPLES in his head - and DIDN'T EVEN CRY!! I must say, I was as impressed with myself - because I didn't freak out or pass out when I saw the blood! We have some really gross pics, but I'll just post this one so you can see what we were working with. In any event, he got the staples out yesterday and didn't cry then either - all is well, and I'm hoping this is the worst, at least for now!

Cesi and Caitlin Chatting About Food ;)

Adorable video of Cesi talking to Caitlin - you may get a little seasick because she's on the swing, but I couldn't resist posting it. Enjoy :)

Love the Fall Weather

So we are settling into a routine, I LOVE being home in this weather. To be honest, I was a little uncertain about being home for maternity leave this time around because I remember how anxious I got toward the end with Isaac, but I genuinely believe that a lot of that was due to the fact that it was February and it was cold and dark and he was almost 6 months and needed more stimulation than I could give him. His sister is also a LOT more easygoing than he was, which makes it more enjoyable being home with her. She is sleeping pretty good- we put her in the swing around 8 after Isaac goes to sleep and she chills/sleeps until we wake her to go upstairs at around 11. I feed her and she sleeps until about 3:30, and then wakes up again around 6. Not a full night's sleep, but definitely tolerable. Another big difference is having Cesi around, which as I've said repeatedly on this blog, is a Godsend. She and Isaac usually take off on their own adventures in the morning but they come home for his nap and usually spend the afternoons with us, which is great. The weather has been gorgeous and we have spent a lot of time outside, taking Willy for walks (yes, the dog is actually getting walked!), wandering around Capitol Hill and the parks, and just generally enjoying being outside. Caitlin and I took a field trip with Isaac and Cesi to the zoo on Wednesday. She slept through most of it, but Isaac had a blast.

She got dressed up and joined me for Yom Kippur services on Sunday while Bill and Isaac had a playdate. I was hesitant to take her after my experience with Isaac at her age, but she was great, slept through the whole thing in the Bjorn!

Sunday night's performance notwithstanding, Bill is having fun indoctrinating both kids about the best football team around - Isaac has a great Go Giants cheer available on command and Caitlin looked cute in her Giants gear and both hung out patiently watching football with Bill Sunday.

Some cute pics from the week:

Lots of park time, and one bad fall leading to a split lip (gross). I freaked out a little but Bill lectured me that he didn't need stitches and that I needed to toughen up because with a little boy we would be seeing a lot worse ... uy. Someone got us a "booboo bunny" as a gift which we keep in the freezer and somewhere along the way I convinced Isaac that any injury could be cured by holding the booboo bunny on it for a little while. So now any time he gets hurt, as soon as he stops crying he announces that he needs the booboo bunny and genuinely believes he is better after holding it on - impressive, right??

Finally, we had a quick but fun visit with the Kruse family who came back in town for a few days and Colin and Isaac had the best time running around and playing. Unfortunately we didn't have the camera for most of it, but you can tell from their smiles that they had a great time. We miss the Kruse family :(

Caitlin's Weeks 4-5

I've given some thought to posting separately for Isaac and Caitlin and decided against it for two reasons - 1 lots of their experiences are together and thus a lot of the pictures contain both kids and 2 there are only so many hours of the day, and I'm too tired. So...she may be bitter years from now that she doesn't have every detail of her life meticulously chronicled in a blog all her own, but she can add it to the list of other things I'll do between now and then that she will need to discuss with her therapist ;)
Case in point - here are two cute pics of Isaac putting the pacifier in Caitlin's mouth to stop her from crying and pushing her in the swing.

As a compromise, I will give each of them their own paragraph though.
Isaac -- is such a little boy, the things that come out of his mouth constantly amaze me. He speaks in full sentences and we have actual conversations, and he even responds appropriately (sometimes) to questions. For example, I got him dressed yesterday and he stood up and said "I look super-cute" and grinned, and we opened the front door and he said "It's kinda chilly out there". He also mimics a lot of what we say - for example we were waiting for Bill this morning and he looked up the stairs and said "Bill, are you coming?" and when Caitlin was crying in the car he said "Don't cry baby girl" to her and to me he said "She needs a pacifier." He's not all sunshine and rainbows though, he is very liberal with the use of the word "no" and while he does say sorry right after, he does his share of pushing and grabbing toys out of other kids' hands. He has also learned the use of the possessive tense - and whenever anyone tries to play with his toys, he reminds them that they are "Isaac's" toys. Overall we're still having more good days than bad, but my first full day alone with the two of them is tomorrow - wish me luck!! Here are some cute pics of Isaac - helping Bill put together his new kitchen, on our picnic to the park by the airport to watch the planes land, playing peek-a-boo in Caitlin's carseat and sharing the cake we got for Cesi to celebrate her 1-year anniversary with our family.

Caitlin and I have been busy over the last few weeks. We're taking lots of walks outside enjoying the beginning of fall. She LOVES being outside and I need the exercise to get rid of the baby weight. She's definitely growing (weighed in at 10 pounds 12.5 ounces at her one month checkup!) and changing daily. She has started to have a lot more awake and alert times and gives us lots of smiles and coos. She's even starting to notice toys, and actually spent some time hanging on the playmat before freaking out when she realized no one was holding her! We went to a post-natal yoga class together this week, and while she decided she needed to eat midway through, I did get to enjoy the first half of it! I'm having lots of fun dressing her in the adorable outfits everyone got her, and so is Cesi (check out the hairbow below!). Here's Caitlin on the playmat, the yoga mat, and just some generally cute pictures of her from the last couple of weeks.

We had a great visit with the Andersons in New Jersey, including a trip to the Subaru dealership where we bought a new SUV (very necessary!!). It was great to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Ray-Ray for a few days and also to go to the Jersey Shore. Great-Grandma Jo volunteered to babysit Caitlin while Bill, Isaac and I went to the beach for a few hours. The weather was beautiful, but the waves were huge, so Isaac was too scared to go into the ocean. We brought him home for naptime and Bill and I got to enjoy some quiet time on the beach with no little ones, which we were very grateful for!! Afterward we had a nice family dinner where Caitlin got to meet the rest of the Anderson family. Much to Isaac's (and my) delight, Grandma Roberta then came to DC a few days later to help me out with the kids when Bill went to California for work. Grandpa joined her a couple days later, and they babysat both kids when Bill and I enjoyed our first night out at the Jimmy Buffett concert - lots of fun for all :)