ikea run

some how we are two hours from an ikea again.  since we are planning on moving maddux into a twin bed after grandma leaves, we thought that we might take advantage of not having to take the kids with us and make a trip to ikea.  without the kids, we can remove the carseats from the van and get everything home much easier.  plus, matt and i would get a few hours with just the two of us.

we were planning on buying a new bed, dresser and bookshelf for the kids' rooms but worked through some other ideas on the drive and ended up getting patio furniture for the deck and some other miscellaneous items we had seen on past trips; including the picture shelf and hanging line seen below.  the picture shelf was something we took a picture of the last time we went to ikea and i was very excited to get it.  it will be fun to have an easy way to display the kids' artwork from now on.

and the kids really like seeing that art and pictures while we are eating.  they tell daddy all about new items during dinner.  love.

happy birthday to me

i was going to take everyone to the cleveland zoo but the forecast didn't look so great and i didn't want to get there only to have to leave right away.  instead we hung out at home and i read a book.  matt didn't get home until after midnight so he technically missed the whole day.  not the most exciting birthday, but it was nice to get some rest.

grandma brought these play-doh/clay flower set for the kids to make for me - the play-doh/clay was fragrant too.

my reflux was pretty bad so i made them dinner but didn't eat any myself.  grandma felt bad about not taking me out (she likes to have them sing and embarrass me) but i don't really like that sort of thing and we had eaten out almost every meal since she had arrived.

i think matt is planning on celebrating next weekend.  madelyn started crying when she realized the present she bought me with daddy wasn't wrapped and now i couldn't have it.  and mason was disappointed that i wasn't having a party.  i told them it was okay, mommy didn't want a party.  which, of course, was unimaginable to them!  love.

still not done

after leaving the museum, maddux fell asleep almost instantly in his car seat.  everyone was a little hungry and thirsty so we went to pick up smoothies (our new favorite on the go snack) before heading to the mall.  i waited in the car with maddux so that he could keep sleeping but the other two went in with grandma to order their own smoothies (yes, we have been that much recently).

there was a little hesitation about the mall since we didn't have the stroller, but i figured that we could always leave.  refreshed from his nap (once i was able to awaken him from his deep sleep), maddux enjoyed his smoothie riding in a cart at sears before walking the rest of the mall.

maddux wasn't too keen on holding hands, but he stayed right with us so it really wasn't a problem.  towards the end he chose to hold hands with mason and then madelyn.  he often prefers to hold their hands; i think it has to do with them being smaller and less of a reach.  mason was pretty excited so madelyn took this picture for us (i am holding mason's other hand).

and then i took one of madelyn and maddux walking with grandma.  i think grandma is telling maddux to smile in the picture which is why he is looking at her - he is a very good listener and didn't want to miss what she was saying.

after we (really, i) was done shopping we walked over to chili's for some dinner.  all three kids sat on one side of a booth seat and grandma and i sat in chairs on the other side.  i am just used to them sitting by each other and behaving, but we had customers and employees comment on how extremely well behaved they were.  again, proud mommy.  i know that it was a long day with lots of walking for them and a really long day for maddux.  love.

museum with grandma

we took grandma to the museum after my doctor appointment.  i went ahead and bought a family pass this time since we will go a few times a year and it will work places in fort myers and kansas city when we go visiting, not to mention museums we can day trip to around here this summer.

the kids were really glad to be back and we even found some items that we missed when we went with daddy and nana.  madelyn was a little scared to climb up and put her head in the dinosaur's mouth, but grandma reached in from the outside to wave a hand for her to see and then madelyn gave a brave smile - just long enough for the picture - before hustling back down.  the boys were willing, but not tall enough to be seen - yet.

madelyn and mason working hard to lift the weights on the pulley system.  it shows the difference between single, double and triple pulleys lifting the same weight.

before leaving all three kids (and mommy) took a turn being lifted by the hoover vacuum cleaner.  maddux had to literally be pulled away from it.  and mason, who wouldn't go near it last time, took a few 'rides'.

and then we went for a climb up the monument stairs.  it was much colder this time and we didn't stay up in the wind very long enjoying the view.  madelyn and mason did 'push-ups' the whole way up like they had seen some exercisers doing last time we were there.

did i mention that we did the whole museum without a stroller.  maddux did great!  especially when you consider that he had not had a nap either.  it makes me so proud that we can take our kids places where they can't touch everything (there is a whole historical section with 'do not touch' signs) and they stay with us and don't touch anything.  it was nice to not have the stroller.  (however, it was not intentional, i had just forgotten that it wasn't in the van!)  love.

29 weeks

sorry, i don't have a picture.  for some reason, i scheduled doctors appointments over spring break.  at least the weather wasn't nice or i would have been very upset.  i had a check-up and my second glucose test.  they were giving me a second test because maddux was so big they wanted to make extra sure that it wasn't from gestational diabetes.  (and the results showed that i am fine.)  it actually worked out good that grandma was here because i got to leave the kids at home and read by myself for an hour (they make you drink it in the office and wait the hour for your blood to be drawn).

my belly was measuring right at 29 weeks which was a relief after being told that i was measuring big last time (not too much of a relief since i didn't measure big with maddux).  baby's heart rate was good too.  nothing too exciting at this point.  my appointments will be every two weeks now so we are getting closer.  i am slowing down quite a bit and have a limp from hip pain when i first get up from sitting or laying down (i blame this on maddux' size because it is how my hips ached at the end of my pregnancy with him).  i get around just fine once i walk off the stiffness though.  an updated picture to come...  love.

crazy zoo hats

we picked grandma up from the airport this afternoon.  she could barely make it through snack time before she was giving out 'treasures'.  the kids all loved the crazy, animal, foam visors she brought for them to wear when we went to the zoo.

maddux with a giraffe

mason with a tiger

madelyn with a dolphin

grandma's visit (for my birthday) just happened to coincide with spring break and daddy's trip to san diego for a conference.  a where nana had beautiful, warm weather for her visit a few weeks ago, grandma got cold, rainy and gray weather for her visit.  oh well.  love.

eating a whole apple

all three kids were eating a whole apple at snack time.  i think this was maddux' first time with his own.  he has had bites off a whole apple many times, but i am pretty sure this was the first time he had one all to himself.  he ate half of it before i cut him off because he was eating seeds.  love.

15-month check-up

i finally got maddux in for his "15-month" well check, so what if he is almost 17-months...  in my defense, i couldn't schedule the appointment until they received his medical records from our old pediatrician.  for some reason i took an appointment right at lunch time.  it worked out much better than i ever would have thought but it was a risk. especially when i realized that it was spring break and i would have all three kids with me.

the kids like this pediatrician because of the animal cookies, lollipops and stickers.  i just realize more and more how special our pediatrician in wisconsin was - i knew she was special at the time, but it has been hard finding a replacement here.

anyway, here are maddux' stats...

height: 34-1/2 inches (99th percentile)
weight: 25.6 lbs (57th percentile)
head circumference: 19-3/4 inches (97th percentile)

long and lean.  the doctor said at this growth rate, he will be 6'3".  maddux also got three shots which i think upset madelyn more than him.  maddux passed out as soon as he got settled in his car seat and i thought it was funny the way his lollipop stick is hanging out of his mouth (he wasn't eating it, just 'holding' it on the ride home).

here are just a few more notes about maddux at this age.

- he loves wearing hats.  or i should probably say trying hats on.  he often wants to wear a winter hat when we get ready to take the kids to school and has a hard time seeing a hat and not trying it on.

 - he also has a hard time passing a bench or chair without having a seat.  i think he just likes how he can get up all by himself.

- he has pretty much stopped sitting in the booster chair at the table and sits on the bench with his brother and sister for meals and snacks.  i miss being able to strap him in, but he is getting better and better about not wandering around while eating.

- maddux likes to 'read' in the car and has such a studious expression.

- he has more and more 'words' and just delights in being able to repeat what i say or the animal noises we might make.  i think his favorite part is being understood.  he did say "pa-pa" for the first time last week while we were skyping; he watched me say it and then repeated the sound.  he is working on 'names' for madelyn, mason and himself.  his words for "mason" and "maddux" are very, very close and i can't distinguish between them yet.  he calls madelyn "sis" at her request - this is also what mason calls her or "mads".

- maddux often out eats all of us.  it is amazing how much food he can fit in his stomach!

- he still takes an afternoon nap, but i don't have very high hopes for him keeping it much past two.  some days he only naps 30 minutes, but usually it is two hours.

- maddux is a very good sharer and cleaner-upper.  he shares nicely when asked nicely and i have been working with madelyn and mason on not just snatching something from him when he shouldn't have it; generally, he will give it right back when they ask calmly with a "please".  and he loves finding things that can go in the trash can.

- maddux has no 'lovey' and does not suck his thumb.  i think he might grind his teeth and/or bite the tip of his right pointer finger when going to sleep though.

- after both grandmas visit this month, we are going to be moving maddux into a twin bed and getting the crib set up in madelyn's room.  maddux is very ready for the move.

- maddux will take you by the hand and lead you to what he wants.  or he will pat where he wants you to sit.

- he likes to sit on the little potty while i am going to the bathroom.

- overall, maddux is a lover of a boy.  i say that he 'obsessively' loves me (matt agrees).  if mason tries to sit on my lap, maddux will dive like he is sliding into home in an attempt to beat mason there.  i am trying to wean maddux a little, and he is getting better.  madelyn says that he is going to be in big trouble when the new baby comes.  maddux is already getting frustrated at my shrinking lap space.  mason had a similar transition pre-baby but i do think maddux might have a little more trouble.

we love our little man.  he loves being a 'big boy' and we look forward to watching him transition into 'big brother'!  love.

painting yard rocks

here is everyone painting the rocks that they dug up and washed.  madelyn painted a smiley face, mason painted each one a different color and maddux just tried to lick the paint off his brush.

and then we got out some toys.  mason gave maddux a cruise in the cozy coupe.  madelyn and mason played in the hose for a little bit (it was at least 80 out).  maddux thought it was hysterical!  he didn't want any part of it but he enjoyed watching them get wet.  (he cried when i sprayed some water on his toes - granted, it was pretty cold water.)

i had to take some video of maddux 'hitting' off the tee (this is how he always does it.  he screams when i try to help him or turn the bat).  i think pool might be more his game...  i also love how he doesn't want to put the bat down to pick up the ball and can't figure out a way to get it done. love.

outdoor fun

now that all that sick business was behind us, the kids and i played outside during nap time!  madelyn had school in the morning and i took mason and maddux to the library to return our books and get some new ones.  it was a gorgeous day!  it was going to be near 80 (a record breaking temperature for march in ohio) - actually got to 83/84 - and it was not going to be wasted inside!

it is actually a little embarrassing how excited i am to have some warmer weather.  i think it comes from living in an apartment last year.  we were inside so much or at a 'destination' of some sort for outside play that it seems like a luxury to just relax and play in the yard.

first the kids played 'soccer' in the backyard (mason hit a few balls off his baseball tee, but he wanted to run and kick with madelyn).

then they got the sandbox toys out (our sandbox is yet to be filled with sand since the move) and went to the empty lot next door to dig for rocks.

and then we took them into the driveway to wash them off in their bucket and set them out to dry.  the plan is to paint faces on them later in the week.  we actually talked about making some of them like easter eggs.

and since maddux was taking a monster nap (from 1:30 - 5:15) we colored and read library books on the back deck.  madelyn and mason were playing school story time with the books and lined them up all the way across the railing so that we could see all of the titles at once and took turns asking which book we should read next.

when maddux woke up he came out to join them while i fixed dinner.

i can't tell you how much i am looking forward to this summer!  i just love the fresh air and sunshine.  the warmer temperatures don't hurt much either.  love.

lost tooth

in big kid news, madelyn lost her first tooth today!  i thought that thing was never going to come out.  i don't remember my teeth hanging around so long, but maybe i just don't remember.  she is super excited but wants to wait on the tooth fairy so that she can take it for show and tell tomorrow at school first.

and don't think that she will miss the wiggling because the tooth right next to it started to wiggle a few days ago.  she is going to have a bigger hole in her smile in no time.  love.

sick day

poor mason got the same stomach bug madelyn had.  the worst part being that he feels fine and is hungry but can't keep down even water.  it just broke my heart to hear him crying for food but not wanting to give it to him. it is difficult to explain to a two year old that while he is hungry, if he eats he will throw up again.  he was even more upset when i told him that he couldn't go to swimming lessons that night.

all that throwing up does make one tired though, so he did take a little nap on the couch.    

maddux decided to start his afternoon nap on the couch too.

i spent almost the entire day sitting with him while he watched cartoons so that i could help him with his 'vomit bucket'.  he couldn't quite get the hurry-to-the-bathroom part and it was just neater to sit with him.  to keep him in one spot (remember he felt fine and was dancing all around), i let him watch as many cartoons as he wanted.  we read some books too but it made it more difficult for me to observe his throw-up cues.

madelyn and maddux were more than willing to support their brother by watching cartoons too.  i know, such love and sacrifice.

happy to say that it was just a 24 hour bug and he was perfectly healthy in the morning.  (i still had to keep him home from school - another difficult conversation.)  love.

first golf outing

matt was planning on getting in a quick round of golf before we picked madelyn up from school for an afternoon at the zoo with nana.  but when mason heard that daddy was going without him he broke into tears and ran to ask daddy to take him too.  much to his delight, daddy said, yes!  i dropped them off at the course before taking madelyn to school and as i was driving away, it occurred to me that i should have taken a picture of the boys' first big golf outing...

daddy even brought a few 'kid sized' clubs for mason to use and kept his score - a course record two strokes on every hole!

instead of a picture, here is some video of mason telling all about it with my prompting based on earlier tellings.  he cannot wait to go again!  love.

p.s. the video is from march 19 and mason had told these stories several times so his enthusiasm was waning a bit.  not to mention that he had been vomiting all morning and threw-up again about one minute after we finished making this video.

daddy's at work

daddy has been leaving for work well before the kids wake up in the morning and we often start the day discussing that daddy is already at work.  while he might not be with us during the day, the kids think about him a lot and we talk about how hard he works so that we can do fun things.

at school this week madelyn was asked if her daddy was a doctor and she said she told them, "no.  my daddy works with the doctors... and so i can go to school."  i just thought that it was sweet that she realizes daddy works hard for her.

zoo with nana

on nana's last day, we took her to the zoo.  we had taken her to the cleveland zoo last time (she had flown into cleveland so it made sense) so this was her first time at 'our' zoo.  madelyn had school in the morning and mason went off with daddy.  nana watched maddux while i had a few meetings and packed up a lunch for us to take.  (all three kids are wearing shirts from papa and nana.)

maddux fell asleep in the car on the way and nana said he looked like papa with his arms folded under his head after we put him in the stroller.

maddux and nana looking for 'hidden' animals in the mural.

i couldn't get both of them to look up at the same time - the tractor is just that interesting.

when we went last week, the merry-go-round was open after being covered up all season.  i told the kids that they could have a ride when nana came to visit.  and they did not forget.  i had a hard time waving and framing a picture.  madelyn is on the left in the first picture and madelyn, maddux and nana are in front of mason and matt in the second picture.

mason was done taking pictures by the time i tried to take the 'boys' shot on our way out.  you can see by the boys' rosy cheeks that sunscreen needs to become part of my routine again.  (mason had refused to change into shorts before leaving for the zoo.)

one side story - early in our visit to the zoo an older boy looked at maddux and doubled-over with laughter.  he thought that maddux' shirt was hysterical!  he was laughing so hard that it actually scared maddux a little.

after the zoo we dropped nana off at the airport.  both boys had fallen asleep, but madelyn was able to say good-bye.  we really lucked out with the weather.  it was so nice to be able to get out while matt had a few weekdays off and nana was visiting!  love.

mckinley museum

we were blessed with extremely beautiful weather during nana's visit.  it was the first time we have gotten to wear shorts!  it might not have been the best day for the museum but that is where we were headed.  i had been wanting to check out the president mckinley museum and library but we hadn't had a chance yet so today was the day.

the first thing when you walk into the exhibits is a robotic dinosaur.  mason liked it and was terrified by it equally.  it helped that the right side has cutouts so that you can see the inner-workings and better explain that it is not real.  let's just say that it isn't a 'creationist' exhibit.  we didn't spend a lot of time reading signs.

most of the museum is focused on ohio so it was actually interesting to get to know more about where we live now.  and there were lots of hands-on exhibits which the kids really loved.

maddux rolling fossil prints on foil sheets.

madelyn later told me that this was her favorite part; there was a diorama in a small window of the large animal skin 'tent' that had a child's voice telling about how they lived when you climbed inside the larger tent.

madelyn taking a multiple choice quiz on power

there is even a little toddler room which had all sorts of educational and fun toys.  we didn't stay too long but maddux really liked it.

once we got to the more historic part of the museum there was a volunteer who told us all about the pendulum clock tower workings behind us and offered to take a group picture.  it was nice of him to offer because i never think to ask.  madelyn was pretty taken with all of the different pendulums we saw at the museum (they had a huge one swinging in the lobby that had something to do with the rotation of the earth helping it to knock down small blocks that were surrounding it in a circle).

i should have taken more pictures because there were some neat things in the 'historic' part including an old town you could walk through.  mason was on a one track mission to find the trains once the volunteer mentioned that there was someone running them today.  and there were a lot of trains.  he was not disappointed.  madelyn said that she wanted to leave because this part of the museum made her 'sad'.  

she did try one more exhibit before we left.  hoover vacuums used to be manufactured in the town we live in and their old factory is right downtown and kept as a historic landmark (there is now a state college using the some of the buildings).  madelyn (and then daddy) were literally picked-up by the suction power of a hoover vacuum.  mason wouldn't even consider trying it.

it was such a beautiful day that we went up the stairs to the monument.  it isn't open during the week until summer so people were mainly there using the stairs for exercise.  the view from the top was nice though. i couldn't decide which picture was cuter.  (madelyn has a my little pony - applejack - clipped to her dress belt loop that she got at lunch.)

we finished up sooner than planned so we went to a park to play and walk some trails.  we did a lot of walking during nana's visit.  yesterday we walked to wendy's and back for lunch (about 3 miles) and then walked to the high school after dinner (almost 2 miles).

they were trying to slide together - it was madelyn's idea.

nana pushed maddux on the swing and tickled him while madelyn and mason checked out some of the larger play equipment.  mason hasn't used a 'baby' swing in more than a year but really, really wanted to today.

there is a large double bench swing (more like a gazebo that swings) and maddux would not sit still until no one was holding him.  he wanted to sit on his own.

madelyn and maddux had fun with the stroller during our walk.  he didn't realize to until almost the end that she was the one pushing him and thought that it was pretty funny to look up and see her.  he is 'hiding' from me (or her) in the picture.

it was a really nice day out.  we are just loving the spring weather!  love.