Way to go Riles!

Riley slept 5-6 hours in a row for the last few nights. It was so nice getting that much sleep! She woke up last night at her usual 2am and 6am, but I'm hoping she doesn't revert back to that.

Showing off those thighs! She has a nice rolls on them!

Wearing a dress.

Playing at the Park

I'm ashamed to say that I took the kids to the park for the first time a few days ago. It was rather hot that day and the temperature hit 92 degrees. When we first arrived, I set all of the kids down. I forgot the camera in the car, and I figured Ethan and Mia would run straight for the playground equipment. I was gone for 10 seconds and in that time, Ethan and Mia threw mulch all over Riley. Ethan was also trying to put it in her mouth. Poor baby!

The playground was more for older children, but Ethan and Mia still had fun just being outside. I went down the slide with them a couple of times. I had Riley in the baby bjorn, so it was a little awkward trying to fit through the slide opening. They weren't the biggest fans of the slide. They both were a little scared of it. They did like climbing up the stairs to get to the slides. There's an elementary school close to our house, so I think we'll try that playground next.

Riley with mulch.

Ethan on the slide. He wouldn't go down by himself, though.

Mia trying to get a drink.

Pick me up!

Playing.

Still playing.

Mia's hanging out.

Checking it out.

This is fun, kind of!

Another Note to Self

It wasn't a fluke that Ethan got the cap off the mederma tube a few days ago. He knows how to take caps off now! Add vacuuming to my list of things to do.

Note to Self

Do not leave cans of pop close to the edge of the table. Ethan can now reach. Add mopping the floor to my list of things to do! He sure had fun guzzling my pop, though!

Forgot

I forgot to mention that Ethan and Mia have done awesome without their bottles. It was extremely easy, actually. They'll kind of whine if they see a bottle, but they've never cried for one. We could have done it much sooner!

17 Months Old

Our kids are growing up so fast. I can't believe they're almost 1 1/2 years old! They are busy as ever and keep Mike and me jumping. Every time I turn around, they're into something. We've been spending a lot of time outside. We live outside of city limits on an acreage. It's nice and peaceful out here. The downside is the bugs. Something is biting Ethan and Mia. They're nasty little bugs that draw blood. They like to bite their scalps and face. They leave me alone. I've tried mosquito spray, but it doesn't work. We also have chiggers out here that are equally as nasty. Again, Ethan gets the majority of the bites. I'm going to have to postpone their pictures again. I was going to have them done the week Ethan had stitches and now, the kids have bug bites all over their faces and necks! Maybe next month! Ethan and Mia take one nap during the day. They go to sleep around noon and will sleep a good hour. Occasionally, they'll take a late-afternoon nap, but it's becoming rare. They go to bed around 9:30pm and will sleep until 9am. The more they play outside, the better and longer they sleep!

Ethan hasn't really said any new words. He still talks jibberish, but not nearly as much as he used to. He now does this really high-pitched squeaking noise that can be kind of annoying. He's such a smart little boy. He knows exactly how to push our buttons! He's constantly testing us. Let's just say he's starting to spend a lot of time in time-out. I think the terrible two's are starting early for him. He's starting to hit, bite, and pull hair quite a bit (all on purpose.) He's always saying, "no, no, no" to us. Ethan is constantly on the move. He doesn't sit still all day. It amazes me how much energy he has. I know when he's getting tired because that's the only time he'll sit by me. He likes his feet and back rubbed when he's tired. He can be so sweet! His absolute favorite thing to do is to go outside. He's so good and busy out there. He likes to play with the rocks, play in the dirt, and walk around with gardening tools. He's such a little boy! He can now run pretty fast, which he does when he's trying to get away from us. If he sees us coming to put him down for a nap, he runs the opposite way. I try not to laugh, but it's funny! He also darts for our bedroom if the door is left open and for the baby gate if open. Ethan has been sleeping through the night for awhile now. The only time he doesn't is when we're away from home.

Mia hasn't said any new words either. Every time one of us leave the room and come back in, she says, "hi da." It's really cute. It sure puts a smile on your face! Mia doesn't test us nearly as much, but she does occasionally. Mike's put Mia in time-out a few times, but I haven't had to. She's very easy. Though, she's still super clingy. If I leave the room, she follows me whining. This can get old really fast! She loves to be carried around and she's happy as a clam if you're doing that. She loves to sit on my lap and will sit on the couch with me while I'm feeding Riley. She is walking really well and is trying to run a little bit. Going outside is also one of Mia's favorite things to do. She loves playing with the rocks and mulch, both of which she sticks in her mouth. Another one of her favorites is getting into the dog food. She's very tricky and quiet about it. Most of the time, you don't even know she's in the dog room. She also likes to put dog food in her mouth. Yuck! Mia sleeps through the night on a consistent basis, even when we're away from home. The only time she'll wake up is if she's not feeling well. Mia has been having issues with her left eye. It's been tracking outward for some time now. At first, it was only when she was day dreaming. Then, it also started doing it when she's tired. Now, it's also doing it when she focuses on something far away. She had an appointment with her eye doctor last week that I totally forgot about. I was so mad at myself! Her eye doctor is scheduling 2-3 weeks out, so she will go in early-June. Their last eye check-up went well. Both kids' vision was fine, which I'm thankful for! I hope we figure this eye thing out!

One of Ethan's obsessions - toilet plungers.

Eating Uncle Mark's & Dad's birthday cake.

Eating birthday cake.

Eating birthday cake.

Playing in the sandbox. It kept him busy for a good hour!

Totally busted!

Feeding the baby.

Upside down!

Feeding the baby.

Up from their naps.

Up from their naps.

Ready to get out!

Hi Mom!

Sleeping angel!

Pretty blue eyes.

All gone.

Ethan enjoying his new present.

The kids had a blast.

Enjoying the sandbox.

What a Chunk!

Our little chubby weighed in at 10 pounds 15 ounces. That puts her in the 75th percentile for weight. She is 22 inches long, which puts her at the 50th percentile for length. Her head is 15 inches and that puts her at the 75th percentile. (Are we going to have another big-headed baby?) I have a feeling she's going to be chubby like Ethan. Mia has always been in the 15-20th percentile for weight. Ethan has been in the 75th-90th percentile. She had her 2 month shots today. The doctor said Riley looks great and to keep doing what we're doing.

2 Months Old!

Riley is 2 months old today! She has been smiling quite a bit lately. She usually is in a good mood in the mornings and smiles a lot then. Riley usually sticks her tongue out when she smiles, which cracks me up. She is still breastfeeding quite a bit. She's like clockwork and wakes up at 2am and 6am every night to eat. She also eats off and on all day. We've been giving her about a bottle a day. I have to go back to work in a few weeks, so we want to make sure she doesn't throw a fit when she has to have a bottle. She's doing better with them. Though, she's not a fan!

She loves to be carried around so she can look at things and will fuss when she's put down. Riley is awake for most of the day, which amazes me. I guess she doesn't need much sleep. She still isn't a big fan of her swing or bouncy chair. She does love her baby bjorn, so we use that a lot. She will nap in her baby bjorn but will wake up immediately if I set her down. What a stinker!

She's starting to sleep in her crib a little more, which I'm thankful for. She usually is asleep by 11pm and will sleep in her crib until the 2am feeding. She'll sometimes sleep in her crib after that feeding. I've noticed when it's chilly at night, she doesn't like sleeping in her crib.

She has her 2 month check-up on Tuesday. I'm really curious to see what she weighs. She's really gotten chunky in the last couple of weeks. She has a double chin and big rolls on her thighs. She's all ready starting to grow out of her newborn clothes. She's been in size 1 diapers for the past couple of weeks. It's amazing how fast they grow and change!

Mia is starting to warm up to Riley a little more. She's been giving her tons of kisses lately. It's really sweet. She also likes to rub her head a lot. I still have to watch her because she can be a little rough. Ethan is having a harder time with Riley. Riley is awake a lot more and requires even more attention and Ethan doesn't like that at all. He tries to hit her quite a bit. Last week, Ethan came up to Riley while I was feeding her. I wasn't paying much attention to what he was doing and Riley started kicking like mad and screaming. I looked down and Ethan had her foot in his mouth. The blanket was covering her foot, but he still left little teeth marks. Poor Riley! Riley is going to be one tough little girl with these older siblings!

Looking a little startled.

Smiley Riley.

Half-smile.

Like my double chin?

Looking around.

Pretty relaxed.

Her hair looks red in the sunlight.

In a good mood.

Kicking on the couch.

Smiling at Mom.

She's got a mullet!

What Does It Cost to Have a Baby?

Being in the healthcare industry, I'm always curious as to what hospitals charge for things. I asked for an itemized copy of my bill from when I was hospitalized for those 2 1/2 weeks. Here are some of the charges:

-ultrasound: $228.00
-Magnesium Sulfate (to stop contractions): one bag is $227.50
-Ampicillin (an antibiotic): one bag is: $41.40
-Lidocaine: one vial is $150.00
-Normal Saline for an IV: one bag is $113.80
-Lactated Ringers for an IV: one bag is $42.00
-CBC: $127.00
-IV tubing: $153.00
-foley catheter: $192.00
-Colace: $2.03
-Fentanyl (for epidural): $150.67
-Ropivacaine (for epidural): $151.88
-heplock: $27.75
-hematocrit: $59.00
-Terbutaline (to stop contractions): one shot is $152.14
-one night on high-risk OB: $1,149.00
-one night in L & D: $1,174.00
-prenatal vitamin: one pill is $8.26
-Ambien: one pill is $8.31
-compression stockings: one pair is $437.00
-to test for fetal lung maturity: $258.00
-Pitocin (to speed up contractions): one bag is $236.50
-Rhogam shot: $262.00
-vaginal delivery: $2,194.00
-Ibuprofen (400mg): $8.32
-TDaP immunization: $184.21
-Erythromycin (antibiotic ointment for baby's eyes): $8.87
-Vitamin K shot: $153.15
-one night for Riley in hospital: $894.00
-hearing screen: $67.00
-total bilirubin: $108.00
-newborn screen: $150.00

That's a grand total of $32,044.46 for me and $1,488.02 for Riley. When Ethan and Mia were in the NICU, their average total per day was $4,200.00, and for both of them, their bill was $175,000 for 20 days. It's much cheaper to keep people pregnant than deliver early and baby goes to the NICU!

Mother's Day Pictures

Digging my screwdriver in the mud.

Splashing in the mud.

Mia decides to join in.

Who knew a mud puddle could be this much fun?

Showing off the damage.

He had a blast.

She couldn't figure out why I didn't want to pick her up?

Here's a half-smile. As soon as I get the camera out, she stops smiling!