Baby Falcon #3

That's right! As everyone now knows (thanks for the awesome picture below!), we are expecting another little one next June!

We found out really early again, around 4 weeks. I had a feeling I might be pregnant (nothing specific, just a hunch), but since I was breastfeeing full time, I figured there really wasn't much chance. So when the test was positive, I couldn't help but laugh!

We told Audrey right away. She immediately understood, which is fun because she was still too young to grasp when I was pregnant with JJ. She said right away that she wants a sister. What if it's a boy, I asked. "But I already have a brother". Haha. I told her she might get another brother and she said, "to steal my Legos?". Apparently she feels that brothers are thieves! She tried to be very gentle around me and tells me she doesn't want to hurt our baby. Such a sweet sister. She is so much more involved with her baby cousin Liam than she was when Joshua was an infant, so I'm very excited to see her when we bring our new baby home.

I'm feeling great so far, just tired! I think that's part of having two kids, though. Plus I've been tired during all of my pregnancies so this is nothing new! I'll be glad when the weather warms up and we can get outside more, because staying in the house makes me feel even more sleepy. Other than exhaustion, I have pretty much no pregnancy symptoms. I forget I'm pregnant all the time! I had some food aversions early on and basic lack of appetite but no real nausea or throwing up. I have had two appointments so far, but they didn't give me the sonogram picture unfortunately. I'm sure you can imagine what it looks like though! I have my 20 week ultrasound next month, so we will get a good look at him/her then. I've got a bump already but I kind of never really lost it after Joshua was born, so it's hard to say where the baby is in there. Here is a picture of me at 13 weeks.

Like always, We aren't finding out the sex. Either way, we already have lots of clothes and gear to get us through! All I need to buy is another full set cloth diapers since Joshua still has 2 more years in his. JJ will be 18 months when the new baby comes home, so he will still be in his crib. The baby will sleep in the cosleeper/our bed for at least 6 months and then we will reassess the bed situation. If JJ is ready for a twin at that point (he'll be 2) we will go ahead and do that and use the crib for the baby. If not, we will just buy another crib. 

 

So that about sums up everything there is to know at this point. We can't wait for another little Falcon to rouse up some chaos with the siblings!!

Bedtime Negotiations

We've been struggling with bedtime. We're back to the bedtime negotiations, which include, but are not limited to:
I need water
I don't like that book I want a different book
I have to pee
I have to poop
I want another book
I need my earrings out
I want different jammies
I need more water
I need bedtime kisses
I need three kisses not two because I'm three not two
I don't want the covers
I want the covers
Only a little covers
I'm hungry
My hair hurts
Look at my finger
I need a bandaid
I have to pee again
I don't want any covers (again)
I need to cuddle
But don't touch me
Don't touch my stuff either
Don't look at me
I want the covers (again)
I need my friends (stuffed animals)
I need more friends
I need more water
I DON'T WANT THE COVERS

Each time we leave the room, she reminds that we forgot to give her goodnight kisses for that goodnight session. We can only give her the specific number of kisses that she assigns for that incident. Too many or too few is NOT OK.

This goes on for about 25 minutes AFTER LIGHTS OUT, on a normal night. Tonight was only 10 minutes, consisting of her yelling downstairs, "What's Liam doing?", "Who is your mom" "Who is my mom" "What month are we in" and of course, "I'm not tired" and "I want the covers". I finally just told her to reach down and grab them and pull them up and go to sleep, to which she responded, "Alright Mom!" and that was it.

Good Night.

December

Moving toward the end of the year, already. How so fast? Baby JJ will be one in a few days, but he still feels like a baby to me. He is so cuddly and loves to be held, plus he isn't walking so its easy for me to hold on to this last bit of babyhood with him. I know soon he will be a Toddler and this phase will be over, so I am enjoying these moments.

 

We went and picked put our Christmas tree this weekend. Of course Audrey picked the biggest one! We had to get something a little shorter but it is plenty fat. Once it drops and settles, it will be huge. She and I went to pick up some more lights, and while we were at the store I asked her how she wanted to decorate the tree. So you wonder, what happens when you ask a three year old girl how she would like to decorate? Well, you get purple, pink, and lots of glitter of course. It's actually really cute and I am so happy she can help us with things like this now. We went shopping together this weekend, just the two of us. She is such a big girl now and instead of sitting in the cart, she wants to walk. She has finally grown out of her "running" stage so I can trust her to stay with me while we walk. She even picked up her own basket and put her ornaments in there, and yesterday she picked out a toy for JJ for his birthday. She says it is very special and he will really like it. I know he will. :)

 

She's saying funny things every day. Today in the car she asked (Frantically), "Do I look so pretty? I forgot to look in the mirror at home!". I was shocked! I never talk about my appearance and I've never caught her checking herself out in the mirror before, so I'm not really sure where this came from. Later she came up to me and said, "Look at this booger!" while holding out her hand. Um, no thanks. She is so funny. She's asserting herself and demanding independence more and more every day. She doesn't want me to pick out her clothes. This is fine with me, I don't mind if she doesn't match (well, it DOES bother me, but I let her do it anyways), but the one problem is that she only wants to wear dresses. She only has a couple of long sleeve dresses, so we either have to layer shirts underneath or sweaters on top. I'm sure her teachers are wondering why I send her to school looking like she's headed to Sunday School, but I can't help it. If she wants to dress up, so be it.

Thanksgiving was nice this year. We spent some of the day at Cheryle's with Rachel, Gabe, Lauren, and Liam. Then we headed over to Josh's cousin Jill's house where we had dinner and spent the rest of the evening. The kids had fun but man were they worn out by the end! The next day we went to my dad's house for more gathering and eating. I love the holidays. Although it can be exhausting, I enjoy spending time with all of the family, and of course all the food. :)

We are all looking forward to celebrating Joshua's first birthday next week and of course, more celebrations for Christmas and New Years. More updates to come!

Poor Baby JJ!

He's so neglected on here! Poor second child. I was scrolling through my recent posts when I realized I hadn't updated about him in months. :( 

He is, of course, doing great. He's just a month away from his first birthday (OMG) and he is busy as can be! Crawling everywhere, and he also likes to "bear crawl" on his hands and feet with his butt in the air. He is nowhere close to walking! He won't even stand up unassisted - even though I know he can. I set him down on his feet the other day and let go. He stood there for a second, turned toward Audrey, and took a step before sitting down. This was the first and only time he has stood up unassisted and I haven't been able to get him to do it again. I think he's just too lazy! haha. I try not to get into comparison mode (Audrey was walking at 10 months) and remind myself that they are so different and he will walk when he feels like it.

He "talks" a lot. He says mama, dada, doggie, uh-oh, and he can "rawr" like a lion. He nods yes and no. He eats everything we eat, with the exception of peanut butter. I haven't tried it yet, but probably will shortly after he turns one. He's still breastfeeding, but I also give him whole milk in a sippy cup throughout the day. He prefers nursing to the sippy cup, but we will be weaned by the end of the year I predict. He's not been the best nurser, and our time is just coming to a close. It makes me a little sad, but for various reasons, I'm ready to be done for now.

He was sleeping through the night for a while there after we moved him into the bedroom he now shares with Audrey. I couldn't believe when we put him in the crib in there that he slept straight through the first night! He did that for a couple of months but then around 9 months he started waking again. He currently wakes once or twice a night to eat. I predict that will stop too once we aren't nursing anymore. He naps like a champ...one to two hours in the morning and 2-3 in the afternoon. This is sooooo nice. Audrey NEVER did this (40 mins twice a day..ugh!) so I figure his willingness to let me rest during the day makes up for his night waking. I don't mind it at all!

He has six teeth. Four up top and two on the bottom. He has been a pretty easy teether, some minor crankiness but almost no drool and it didn't come with ear infections like it always did with Audrey. He knows how to use those few teeth, though! We went through a rough patch where he would bite me while nursing...not cool. That stopped, but he still bites occasionally. He doesn't do it out of malice, but because he's just getting used to having them and using them for what they're intended! In addition to the biting thing, our sweet, gentle boy has quite a temper. He's very emotional overall, actually. He YELLS at us, he throws things (then looks at us to see our reaction), he gets too rough when we're playing and he hits, and when he gets upset, he throws the saddest, most pathetic Break-Your-Heart face at us and usually ends up getting his way. He does NOT like to be told no, it immediately induces tears.

 

 

Most of the time, though, he's a happy and easy going guy. He likes to eat, he loves his smoothies, and he laughs for much of the day. He thinks Audrey is the most entertaining thing in the world! He likes to cuddle and he dances to any music he hears. He is starting to warm up to his cousin Liam, but at first he DID NOT like him. I think he realized (quickly) that Liam is a little baby and he isn't anymore.



Conversations with Audrey, #2

I have posted some of these on Facebook but I really need a way to remember them...to the blog they go!

Introducing me to her preschool friend on a field trip:
"This is my best friend named Mama. She's so pretty because she's my mama."

At the dinner table during her first week of preschool:
"I'm the prettiest girl at preschool."

Woke up crying one night, so I ran in and asked if she had a bad dream? Did she need to use the bathroom?
"No. I just need cuddles."

Sliding down the stairs on her bottom:
"This is not safe. This is not safe."

Hearing the ice cream truck come down the street:
"Mama!! Do you have any money for me?"

This is an old one, but definitely worth remembering. As I started picking up the living room one afternoon:
"We have somebody comin over?"

 

She cracks me up every day so I am trying to make a better effort to write down everything she says and share it with you all!

Third Birthday

Look at me. Behind again on the blog! Audrey's birthday was last month and it sure was a lot of fun, so here are some of the details!

Her mima (grandma Maria) came in to help us celebrate, so of course the highlight there for Audrey was that she got to go to the TRAIN station. Her favorite. We celebrated Sunday afternoon with lots of friends and family, food, drinks, cake, and fun. Audrey said she wanted a pink and purple birthday party, so that's what we went with. Of course, I failed to get any pictures of the cake or decorations or anything else so you'll just have to trust me. We repainted the lemonade stand from Audrey's first birthday party and turned it into a tattoo stand so the kids has something fun to do during the party.

This was Josh's third year building something for Audrey. The first year was the lemonade stand, last year was the kitchen, and this year was a little outdoor bench. It was pretty easy (I think?) and it turned out really cute. We have been enjoying sitting outside and reading books and eating snacks on it.

Audrey's actual birthday was the day after the party, so she went to school as usual. We took cupcakes to her class for a small celebration. She was sooooo proud and excited to have us there. The first thing she said was "That's my Dada!". Then she told everyone who we were (JJ was her "baby").

After school we grabbed lunch and headed over to the playground since it was such a perfect day outside. Audrey loved running and swinging with mima and her daddy!

Later on that day we went out for ice cream to finish off the celebrations. Audrey had her first banana split! She was thrilled and devoured it and also helped us with our milkshakes. JJ even got to sneak a taste here and there, so it was fun for everyone.

 

  Look how far we have come in three years. She looks the same, but so different. I always wondered what she would be like at three years old. She's a challenge, for sure, but so loving, kind, gentle, and sweet that I often forget the frustrating moments. She says JJ, daddy, and I are her best friends. How lucky we are!

  Her birthday present from us was a scooter. Two of her friends got scooters for their birthdays recently, so she's been talking about wanting one for a while. She was so happy and has been having a blast with it!!

Preparing for Preschool

Well, our little girl is starting preschool in a few days. Eeek! I am so excited, for different reasons. The biggest reason is that I'm excited to see her in this new role...I'm excited to see her surrounded by kids her age. I know how much she loves playing with other kids and how she lights up when we have friends over or go to people's houses. I'm excited to see her learning and see how her vocabulary expands. I'm excited to see how she reacts to being away from me. I think she will love it and won't even notice I'm gone!

I'm also excited for myself and for JJ. I think Audrey is quite bored at home lately. We play a lot together, go outside, playdates, playground, etc, but I think she's just tired of being with us. I'm excited to have her out of the house for a few hours so that JJ and I can have some one on one time together. Our days often consist of "The Audrey Show" and that's it, so JJ gets the backseat a lot. I also cannot wait to go grocery shopping with only one child! I can hardly remember how nice that was...

I'm curious to see how the learning part goes at preschool. I was reading over the "skills" that they work on in the 3's class, and Audrey already knows many of them. She knows her colors, shapes, letters, can count to 30 and recognize the numbers, she can recognize her name, understands one to one correspondence, knows her nursery rhymes.. I predict the biggest obstacle for her will be engaging with the teachers. She is shy when she first meets people, and when she's uncomfortable she won't talk, so her speaking skills might be an issue there. She's also very stubborn and when she doesn't want to do something, she just won't do it. There's no getting around that. I know it might be different with other adults whom she deems more respectable than me, so hopefully that's the case.

Of course I will post pictures and updates to let you all know how the big day goes! I won't cry....I'll try not to, anyways.

Minivan Mom

That's me. A minivan mom....soccer mom....dorky mom. How did this happen?

We outgrew my SUV the day JJ was born. The car is great and I loved driving it, but it is narrow and couldn't fit three carseats across (if that day ever comes). It can't even fit two car seats and a third person in the back, so really it only seats 4 people...this is a problem. We knew we wanted something that could fit more people but we also wanted more storage in the back. My SUV could hardly even fit my stroller and when I had the stroller I couldn't have anything else. On top of having lots of seating and lots of storage, we wanted to be able to take Josie with us. These three requirements left us with either a minivan or a Suburban. A large SUV with a third row meant no trunk/storage and no space for the dog. The choice between a minivan and a suburban was kind of tough. Obviously a Suburban is the "cool" choice, but not practical at all. The gas alone would kill us. Plus, they are so high that I'd have trouble getting myself into the car...and what about the kids?!! haha I can't imagine myself driving one of those.

So the minivan it was. We researched them online and found features we wanted and things we liked and didn't like. Then we went out and looked at some in our price range. I liked the Nissan Quest but ultimately we found the Chrystler Town & Country that had everything we wanted and more. I drove it home that day! We planned on trading in the SUV but they weren't giving us as much as we had hoped, so we are keeping it for now. We still may sell it but we're not sure right now. Its been nice for Josh to drive it.

As dorky as a minivan is, I have to admit that I LOVE IT. I am so happy with the purchase. I love being able to hit a button while we are walking to the car and the door opens and Audrey can jump right it. No more struggling to get her wrangled into the car while I get JJ and groceries and everything else in there at the same time. We went to New York with Josh's family and we were all able to fit comfortably, with our luggage, for the 6 hour trip. And we got to watch movies while we drove! I love having the stow and go space under the floor boards in the back. The seats can fold down in there, but I use it to store an emergency blanket and diapers and car toys. It keeps everything looking neater and cleaner than having it strewn about the floor. I'm still getting used to driving a bigger and longer car than I'm used to, but its been almost two months and I LOVE it!

Family Visits

We've had a busy month...a busy summer, actually. I've got more updates than I can even write out, but I'll try over the course of the next couple of weeks.

We are blessed with such an amazing family, but so many of them live far away. Fortunately, some of them were able to make it out this way recently and we got to catch up and spend quality time together.

First up was David, Debbie, and Iliana (Josh's dad, stepmom, and sister). We haven't seen them since they came out in 2011 when Audrey was about 7 months old, so a lot has changed! They were here for a week, during which we took a few days and drove up to New York so we could meet some of the extended family. We had a lot of fun and the kids were really good about all the traveling. I think they just loved all the extra attention! Audrey loved hanging out with the girl cousins and playing hide and seek!

We got to meet Josh's grandma and grandpa for the first time. They are getting older and Josh's grandma's health has been worsening, so this visit was especially important. Unfortunately, she was hospitalized while we were there, so we didn't get to spend a lot of time with her, but I think it meant a lot to Josh to be there.

After our New York trip, we came home and rested for a bit and the next day we went to the zoo with the whole family! Maile (sister in law) was in DC for a work conference and she brought Marcelo, so Maria came down as well to spend time with him since they are so far away in California. We all had a great time watching the kids together. Marcelo was a very watchful cousin and Audrey was just in love with him. They were definitely more excited about each other than about any of the animals.

 

 

 

 

The Hernandez's left the following day, and then we went out to dinner with the whole Falcon clan before Maria, Maile, and Marcelo went up to Jersey. The very smart hostess at the restaurant put us in the far corner so we wouldn't disturb the rest of the guests, haha! Lots of fun and laughter but by the end Audrey was running laps around the place and we knew it was time to go...

 

The next day my mom came in town and she was here for almost two weeks. We had Lauren's baby shower that weekend (great turnout!) so mom helped me a ton with getting things ready, setting up, and cleaning up. While she was here, we took a short trip to Ocean City since she hasn't been to the beach in a few years. The weather was perfect - sunny, warm but not too hot. We even got a special treat when the tide came in and made a little pool where the kids could swim and play. Audrey made a new friend and they had fun pulling each other on the boogie board.

 

 

The rest of the time mom was here we pretty much just hung out, took trips to the playground and the fabric store (mom's and my playground). We helped Lauren go through her baby stuff, and we had a short visit with Grandma Dot. Mostly, it was good to see Mom and the babies playing together and really getting a chance to get to know each other. I know its hard on everyone being so far away and these little short trips are few and far between, but the quality time we get together during them is wonderful.

 

I think my favorite part of all of it was when mom treated Josh and I to a date night! She babysat the kids while Josh and I went into Arlington and had dinner at Stephen's restaurant. Stephen was such a gracious host and he really hooked us up with food that was to die for and drinks that kept us happy. :) It was AMAZING to be out to a nice dinner, in nice clothes...and just relax. No rush, no worrying, just us and some good conversation. I felt so rejuvenated afterwards. It was the first date we've had since I can't remember when.. years I think. We want to start doing it more often but its hard to find a sitter, they're so expensive!! For now I'll just keep trying to get Mom and Maria to move here. :)

It was a busy and hectic and crazy month that left us all exhausted and worn out but it was so worth it to be able to see everyone that we haven't seen in so long and probably won't see for a while again. Next time we will try to take better pictures where everyone is actually looking at the camera at the same time. :)