The other reindeer

Connor is at such a fun age right now.

I really need to do better about documenting the cute things that he says and does.

Today's cannot be overlooked for forgotten.

I was feeding Declan in his room before getting ready to drop the boys off at the O'keefe's house while I ran to get my hair cut. I asked Connor to get dressed. He does this all by himself now and is extremely proud...especially of his ability to put on his socks. :)

Connor shouts out of his closet, "Mom, can I wear the green, Christmas shirt with a reindeer on it?"

I have absolutely no clue what he is talking about, but I respond, "Sure."

A few moments later, the door opens to Declan's room and Connor is struggling with the hood of the sweatshirt going over his head. He is otherwise naked.

My heart smiled.

"The reindeer goes in the front, Mom."

My precious son.



Underwear, socks, & pants were later added to this "festive" ensemble. Oh, and he changed the hat to his navy Nike hat with a white swoosh. :)

Declan kicks and kicks at 10 weeks

Uncle Hal 1935-2012

I've only ever had 2 uncles, but my "Uncle Hal" was often more like a grandfather because of the age/experience difference. I have so many fond memories...at their home in Austin: Easter egg hunts in the lawn, gathering eggs from the chickens, horseback rides on the property, shooting the potato canon, naps on their many window seats, many hours in the oldest, coolest, hot tub ever, the smell of mesquite trees, lady longhorn basketball games, and listening to many many stories. My uncle was a storyteller for sure.

Then there are memories at Lake LBJ...him driving the boat while we tubed, fishing, etc. etc.

I'll never forget out time at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. What fun. There was a sea of people and sometimes Nanny and I thought we needed a "leash" to keep him with us....too funny!

He never met a stranger, had the warmest heart, a wise soul, and an unforgettable voice. I will certainly miss the sound of his voice. He always made me feel beautiful and like a princess among a sea of boys.

He was always wearing burnt orange....all things Texas. I must credit both my aunt and uncle with teaching me how to "hook em" at a super early age. I knew what that symbol meant long before I knew "I love you", "peace", or "hang ten". It also makes my heart happy that Connor remembers everything...I showed him one time when he was 2 and he will still tell me occasionally, "Remember, Mom...hook it horns?" Close enough. He is a pro.

We never lived in close proximity, but we didn't have too....family was, is, and always will be important. Love extends over many miles. I hope that the Haralson family can feel our love from here as they celebrate his wonderful life. He is most certainly in a better place, he is no longer suffering, and I'll bet he is evening wearing burnt orange & white.

With his love of all things Texas in mind, this is how we chose to honor his memory....from his niece, nephews and our families...

D slept ALL NIGHT

I have a list of 20 things I should be doing other than this blog post, but documentation needs to be done too.

Declan was with my at the YMCA yesterday and Thursday from about 8:00 until 1:00 each day. I was doing a holiday photo shoot with my photographer friend, Kate for a bunch of the kiddos there. We did 40 sessions and I am exhausted with a TON of editing to do, Christmas cards (for others) in the works...haven't started ours yet...book cover comps due on Monday, a cover that needs to be finalized today, a logo for Kate that has to be done by Monday morning, samples and pricing book done for Monday...the list goes on and on. My body is trying to tell me to slow down a bit. I can't speak above a whisper, despite Connor's requests for me to "talk normal, Mom".

Anyway, all of this to say that Declan's timing couldn't have been better. I woke up just before 7:00 this morning (went to bed around 1:20) and quickly realized I never got up to feed him! I never heard him cry or even whimper. I quickly headed into his room to make sure he was breathing and I heard a little bit of movement in his crib. :) That is when I realized that the consequence for a sleeping baby is a soaking wet mom. Despite wearing breast pads, the front of my shirt was soaked and the throbbing began (sorry if that is too much information). I knew I had to wake him up to eat. I'm not going to lie, he got sprayed and at one point I thought he was drowning, but he pushed through. :) Happy guy also had a wet diaper....a very wet diaper that I realized soaked his jammies too....his big boy, 6 month, fleece, firetruck jammies. Yes, he is only 9 weeks old. They are big, but fit a lot better than they should! I changed his diap and his jammies while he was a super happy guy on the changing pad. I thought he would be up for a while, but after a little bit of rocking he got squirmy. I took that as his way of telling me he wanted to lay back down. I was right...he is out again.

His first morning in the "infant room" was so exciting I really don't think he slept at all. Then he didn't sleep in the afternoon either. He was even up until about 11:00 Wednesday night. This also wore me out! Yesterday, although he just took cat naps in the infant room, he crashed yesterday afternoon into the evening and obviously made up for it last night. I just hope he naps a little today too, or I'm going to have to be up way late tonight working instead.

Happy day...I hope he can do it again!!

Sweet Declan

I have GOT to go to bed.

I just have to share this sweet shot I snagged of my little 9 week old man at the very end of my YMCA holiday shoot with Kate.

Believe it or not, he was soooo tired he could barely keep his eyes open....and hungry too...

Vivian Ruth Trotter

She's here, she's here!

Vivian Ruth Trotter was born early this morning at 1:17 am. Weighing in at 7 pounds, 8 ounces and 18.5 inches long. Carrie was a rock-star (so I hear) and is the first Trotter woman not to require a c-section in 2 generations!

We are so happy for the new family and I can't wait to meet this little sweetheart at Christmas!
I absolutely adore that when I showed Connor this picture first thing this morning after he woke up, his comment was "She got out!" The visions I get of her escaping from Carrie are hysterical. Then tonight as I was telling my mom this story via Skype, he looked at me in all seriousness and said, "She had to get out, she was trapped in Aunt Carrie's belly." Oh, the mind of a 4 year old!

Portrait Innovations - 2012

So, I think I can take a decent picture of my kids... but I also took Connor for his baby pictures when he was about 6 weeks old and I wanted to follow suit with Declan. I have a bit of a complex about things being even with my two kids and I want Declan to have some pictures of just him. (No, I do not have this complex because there aren't any pictures of just me...there are plenty.) Of course I wanted 4 year old pictures of Connor too...and he is very photogenic, & I wanted some of the two of them together.

I really like Portrait Innovations, but I wish they would be really innovative and just give me a CD of high resolution images that I can take home and edit. If you aren't familiar with their setup, they take a bunch of pictures with a few backgrounds or outfits. Then you sit down and they help you narrow down the 100 or so pictures to about 50...they would love it if you would buy all 50 for about a bazillion dollars. Then there is me...I'm narrowing and narrowing. I really want to get to less than $100 and sometimes I seriously want to leave only purchasing the $14.99 special. (I've yet to be able to do that...I always at least get one extra sheet.) My problem with their pictures is that although they are good, they could be a lot better with a little bit of editing. They do not edit at all. I realize it would take way too long for them, but I would love to have the option myself.

Today I bought enough $155 after tax that I got the CD, one extra "decorator" (I just got a normal picture), and I'm expecting a hardback book in the mail that has lots of the pictures....even ones that I did not purchase. The CD is just low resolution pictures and they all say "Portrait Innovations" at the bottom. Nothing a little Photoshop won't fix. :) So, I just edited the low res versions and broke my cardinal rule (you don't up resolution & size of the original). Oh well. Here are some of my favorites. Granny, if you want to download & print them yourself, be warned that they might be a little bit blurry because of me breaking my rule. The smaller you print them, the better they'll look. I do have hard copies of many of these that I will be distributing. :)

Enjoy.... Nealon boys November 16, 2012.

 

This last one was also the last picture taken...poor buddy was hungry and tired. Considering the appointment was exactly 3 hours from when he last ate, I think he was more than a trooper!

Little D Update

I just wanted to provide a little update.

2 nights ago, Declan woke up 3 times to eat. Most days I've been up until midnight doing work stuff, so perhaps that why it seemed like more than usual....but he got up at midnight, 3:15 and 6:15. I was a zombie for a lot of yesterday (C was late for school...not a big deal, just had to feed him breakfast here.)

Then, Declan didn't sleep or eat much yesterday afternoon. He would "snack" and then take a little nap (10-15 minutes) but that was about it. Thankfully, he can be easily soothed most of the time and he even rested, awake, in a pillow "nest" I made him on the daybed in the office while I finished packaging some work. It didn't help that we had to run a few errands yesterday so anytime I thought he might actually stay asleep for a little while I would have to put him in the car seat, which typically wakes him up.

All of this to say that last night was AWESOME! He went to sleep following his bath and eating at around 9:30. I had to wake him up at 2:45 to eat (because I was making quite the mess...) Then he woke up at 6:30 to eat again. That is only 2 times, one of which was of my doing! He is now still asleep and it is 9:24...I am definitely calling this a victory and am thankful that Connor does not go to school on Fridays because I didn't have to jostle him into the car and he is still sleeping away! YAY, D!

Declan absolutely LOVES his changing pad. I'm very thankful he doesn't roll yet or even come close because I can still feel pretty safe leaving him unattended up there. Unfortunately it doesn't have the same effect if I just move the pad to a different space. He was up there for about 20-30 minutes last night before bath-time just as happy as a lark! He is also smiling so much more now. It just melts my heart. He specifically smiles a lot at his daddy. Brian says "chooey-chooey"...like a fake sneeze.

Here is a picture I took with my phone yesterday morning when he was in my lap. I still marvel that all the kid eats is breastmilk and he has become quite the little porker...my chunky monkey for sure! Check out these cheeks!!

A Daddy & his boys

Connor was snuggled with Brian on the couch and I passed off Declan to take advantage of this photo opportunity.

Brian wasn't so eager to cooperate...that is okay, I Photoshopped his head from one of the pictures where he doesn't look quite so annoyed (at me taking pictures, not the boys) and put it on one that was good of the little boys! Ha..I WIN...and I love this picture. :)

This also captures Declans love affair with our ceiling. We'll be glad when one of these days he finds us equally appealing, but until then I'm glad I have it documented.

For the record...I guess or ceilings are pretty entertaining. The living room is coffered with tan in the middle and there are several cutouts (above the dining room table and above the basement steps) and of course there are lights up there too...so I can't say I completely blame the kid...

Connor at school with friends

When I picked up Connor from school today, one of his teachers showed me a picture she had just taken of 4 of the kiddos. She said they were so proud of the structure they made together that they gathered around it and asked for her to take a picture with her iPad. I swear...technology and these kids today. Believe it or not, Connor asks to be photographed frequently. :)

Pre-K at the YMCA. Gracie, Cassicy, Connor & Sam

Declan video

This video will only be amusing to family...or those that simply love our little man without needing to be overly entertained. :)

He appears almost lifeless except for one movement...the kid loves his pacifier.

He also normally sleeps on his tummy, so this is a very vulnerable state for him!

Insta-Declan

my sweet sleeper

Good morning! 10.28.12

A few favorite Instagram pictures of the little guy.

snuggled up on a walk. He was pretty awake...

D was wide awake at 5:30 in the morning. I drug up the "bouncy" seat from the basement with one hand with D in my other since B was out of town. It worked. :)

Connor sweetness.

I am trying to remember and record some of the things Connor says these days, especially in reference to Declan.

I think I have mentioned it, but we are so proud of the little boy & big brother that he has become. Prior to Declan's arrival, I thought Connor would handle the change well because he has wanted a sibling for so long. With that in mind, I was also a little bit concerned about how he would handle the fact that this new sibling would require so much of my time and attention. A bit to my surprise, he has been so patient and understanding. There are many times he asks me for something or to help him with a task while I'm feeding D. I simply tell him what I'm doing and he says, "let me know when he is done...about how long?" Regardless what my response is, he takes it like a champ and waits patiently.

The other day in the car, Declan was fussing. I think he spit his pacifier out, or I was pushing him too far passed his eating time...I don't remember. Anyway, Connor leaned over in the car and said, "Don't worry 'little D', your big brother is right here. We will be home in just a few minutes." Melt.

This morning, Declan decided to be awake for a while after he ate at 7:00, so we came out into the living room, turned on the fire and I got him nestled into the "bouncy" seat (it doesn't bounce but vibrates and plays music). Around 8:00 he decided he wanted to go back to bed (at least that is what I decided after he fussed a bit and whenever I picked him up he closed his eyes). Connor woke up within 5 minutes and came out. He snuggled with me for a bit and I told him, "I know you are big now, but you will always be my 'baby'." His response: "Mom, be-nember, I'm the big brother now, now the baby." He'll understand eventually.

C is now going to Pre-K at the YMCA 3 days per week since we did not enroll him in the preschool program within the public schools (I just couldn't do 2 hours a day for 3 days a week...I would get nothing done and dragging D out in the freezing cold so often is not my idea of a good time). He went 2 days per week last year and then just dropped down to 1 day a week through the summer until 2 weeks ago. I had a conference with his teacher, Ms. Mary on Thursday. Although he hasn't been in her room for very long (only since he turned 4 and only for 2 weeks more frequently) she is pleased with his progress and said that his "sweetness" is a "breath of fresh air". Apparently she has a few "physical....aka 'violent'" boys and C distances himself and doesn't partake...proud mom. She has witnessed a noticeable increase in his interest in learning in the past few weeks and expects him to be more than ready for kindergarden next year. He will be evaluated for Kindergarden vs. D-K (developmental kindergarden) in April of 2013. It is still our decision whether to "red-shirt" him or send him since the cutoff date in Michigan is now November 1st. That magic cutoff date is moving up one month per year over the next few years until it is September 1st, I believe. It is about time they get in sync with the rest of the country (my perception...I don't really know what the whole country does). Both D-K and kindergarden are all day, every day, so I'm glad that Connor will already be used to being at "school" for an entire day. This year is the first year of all-day for both programs and apparently that has been the biggest adjustment for most kiddos in the program. The change was implemented for funding purposes.

At this point, I think we are leaning toward sending C to regular kindergarden next year. I feel like there are more options with this course. I personally think he is academically, socially, and physically ready for kindergarden even though he would be one of the younger kids for sure (but likely not the youngest). If he does well at the end of the year, then great...on to first grade. If not, then he could always do kindergarden again and he would be in the same place he would be if he'd done DK. With DK, the only step forward is regular kindergarden. Since C already plays with primarily older kids, it is hard to even imagine him being 2 whole years behind some of his buddies. Whatever...we'll see...he is certainly excited about the possibilities and is anxious to go to Ms. Mary's class so he can learn everything he needs to know so he can go to kindergarden next year. :)

He did get to do something for the first time this week....ride a school bus. Although Connor doesn't normally go to school on Wednesdays, the pre-K program was taking their first field trip, so he was also invited. The "Grow Up Great" planetarium was at the "downtown Y" and the kids got to take a YMCA school bus to the other location to experience the program. Since it wasn't actually C's day for school, Declan and I followed the bus in our car so it didn't throw off the numbers for the class (they have to have a certain number of adults for so many kids, etc). He had a lot of fun...probably equal amounts of fun on both the bus and in the "blue igloo". Declan was great on his 4 week birthday and didn't make a peep. :)

Pictures...lots

first brother bath 10.16.12

love his dimples...the left one is DEEP!

Connor loves to help bathe him. Now they always take a bath together!

Declan at 10:30 in the Ergo (front-pack) with me trying to get him to sleep...he looks tired, doesn't he?!

Excited for Halloween. This was the fall party preview. 10.21.12 :)

Playing in the leaves with Lucy Zagar. 10.22.12

lots of attempts at getting "our" 4 week picture. I love this little tush!

I should have used this one in the progression series...forgot about it

Brothers. Yesterday was the last day of our Indian Summer. 10.25.12

These are the mums in our side yard.

he is chunking up!

love that little face and those big brother toes!

I pretty much just love this picture...Connor's head included!

My happy, big, little man! 10.25.12

"Progression" COMPLETE

I should have taken the photo on Wednesday, but I was a day late. I didn't think about how challenging it would be to take the photo myself while holding a very awake Declan.

I am so happy to be his mommy and also so happy not to be pregnant any more!!

Batman & Robin

This is most definitely my favorite super hero duo!!
Photo taken prior to the neighborhood fall party on 10.20.12

TEST — Video

Fyi, you can't view any videos using Google Chrome as your web browser... After a LONG time trouble shooting last night and being so mad that ALL of the videos weren't working, I figured out they do work using Firefox. So, if they don't work for you, try a different browser.

Anyone know how to download a video from a blog or facebook? Connor's roll-over video is one that we lost when my computer crashed in 2009, but it is on here and on facebook... I would love to have the original file again but I'm not sure if that is possible. I can't figure out where the videos are stored in blogger.

The Boys' Stats

My wonderful mother started her journey south yesterday around noon. The boys had their first double doctor's appointment at 2:00. Although Declan decided to wake up every 2 hours the night before, he miraculously went from 10:15 until well after we got home from the doctor (around 3:30) to need to eat. (I tried to feed him before the appointment, but he just wasn't into it.) I am so thankful for our roll-with-the-punches kid!

Declan went first and weighed in at a whopping 8 pounds. This may not sound like much, but he was back up to his birth weight (7 lbs. 3 oz.) a week ago and put on 13 ounces in exactly 7 days! I know he is still a newborn, but he grows and changes every single day! He also gained 3/4" of length since he was born...now at 20.75". I realize that this is pretty variable because they could have a bent knee, etc., but just going off what is on paper. The line on his growth chart is basically straight up.

Connor-man has his 4 year old well-child checkup. He is a square....43 lbs. and 43" tall. Little man was great during his appointment even after he found out he would be getting 5...yes, 5 shots. Now during and after the shots was a bit of a different story, but I certainly couldn't blame the kid...he was a human pincushion.. :( We got hot fudge sundaes from McDonalds to help make him feel a little better, but he did limp for a good hour. :(

I am writing this on Thursday morning and Connor has school today. I'm going to Kate's for Declan's little photo shoot at 9:30 and then I have quite a few projects that need to be printed and shipped today. I'm not sure how I'm going to do it when Declan starts being awake a lot more. I guess only time will tell... Last night he decided to be awake from about 10:15 until midnight. He ate right before bed and then woke up again at 1:00, but I was able to just soothe him back to sleep. He woke up to eat at 3:00 and then again at 7:00, but didn't eat much then. The kid is a champ about being awake in his bed and not crying (I'm watching him on the monitor doing this right now.) Time for a shower and coffee before we get this day started.

Pictures to come. I did take a cute one of Declan laying in Connor's lap as "they" watched Special Agent Oso in our bed last night. Connor is such a sweet big brother. When he wakes up the first thing he says is "Where is Declan" and then says "Good morning, buddy. Did you sleep good?" Melt...

Projectile Poop...

So, I am pre-dating this post to when the event actually happened, even though I'm not documenting it until 10.13.12.

It was Monday morning. Brian had already left for work for the day, my dad was getting ready to leave to drive to Cincinnati and my mom was still downstairs.

Declan woke up, and it wasn't long before Connor retrieved his stool from his bathroom to "help" change his diaper. I can't even express how proud we are of our "big" guy for how he has dealt with the transition from being an only child to being a big brother. He has not shown any jealousy (so far) and absolutely adores his little brother. His first question when he wakes up is "Where is Declan?" and lets us know right away if he thinks he needs something, etc. He is great at fetching me things that I may need and only wants to run errands with me if Declan is going too. :)

Anyway, he wanted to help. He pulls the little singing monkey that hangs above the changing pad to help entertain Declan. When he appeared this time, I was about 1/2 finished changing him. I heard a little toot and thought it was just gas. When I turned on the lamp near the changing pad, I found a very small puddle of breastmilk poo...yellow and seedy (sorry if that is TMI). I didn't want him to lay in it (since I'd already taken his diaper off). As I was lifting his legs to scoot him up, it happened....rocket-fire, projectile poo shot all the way off the changing pad (it happened to happen at the exact moment I'd lifted his legs) and directly onto his big brother's new Batman jammies. I looked at Connor immediately. Yes, covered in poo. He looked back at me with a terrified look in his eyes and then let out a scream/cry. He stood on the stool, frozen in place, yet crying a pathetic, scared cry. It took everything in me not to burst into laughter, but I knew that wouldn't go over so well with him. I needed help.

Although you'd think at less than 2 weeks, you could leave a newborn on a changing pad for a few seconds, I've seen Declan kick so hard he almost rolls over. He was also still undiapered, so I didn't want it to happen again. But I couldn't exactly help Connor much. I grabbed some wipes and wiped off what I could while (though laughter) called for my mom and my dad. My mom said she heard Connor crying and then heard me call for her. She thought he'd thrown up...it was that kind of cry. By the time she got there (and my dad too) I had to explain (with as little smiling as possible) what had just happened. Connor thought his jammies were ruined. We all promised that they would be washed and just like new. Once we got him stripped down and Declan clean and changed I knew this was something that needed to be documented....blog worthy for sure.

My mom said that through 3 children of her own and 4 grandsons (Declan is #5) this was the first time she witnessed (the aftermath at least) of projectile poop. I was pretty impressed with the power of it all.

A few minutes later, Connor climbed back up and said (most seriously), "Declan, you need to say 'Sorry'." Of course I explained that it was an accident and not something he meant to do. Connor then told him it was okay....he now moves his stool to the other side when I change him...it is safer at his head!

11 Days Old.

A few pictures my talented neighbor took yesterday. He refused to go into his milk-coma state that he is typically in about 21 hours a day. We are going to try again on Thursday for some sleepy pictures. :)