What a week

What a week the Marlers have had. Andrew and Ian both have (had) ear infections so they haven't been in the best of moods. Luckily, Hannah and I have fought off the germs and didn't get sick . To top things off, we found a kitchen faucet leak. I guess it's been happening for awhile and we didn't know, because the wood underneath and behind it got damaged and moldy. So, we had to have someone come out and remove all of the mold. Our kitchen sink and dishwasher has been unaccessible for a few days because they sectioned it off with plastic. We're hoping we can get the kitchen faucet replaced monday or tuesday so we can start using our sink again. Thankfully, Papi and Wee Granny have come to visit and help us. They arrived on wednesday and will be leaving on tuesday. They've really been helpful with watching Hannah and Ian. Wee Granny has even taken over the night time feedings of Hannah so Andrew and I could sleep. We've been able to get almost 8 straight hours of sleep. Wow! I can't remember the last time that's happened. We also got to have two date nights, we saw Ocean's Thirteen and Harry Potter and had fondue (Traci's favorite) saturday night! We're hoping to go see another movie but it depends on how Andrew feels.

Hannah is still doing good and eating about 3 ounces every 3 hours. Ian is still his terrible two's self. He's so very cute but is having more and more tantrums (may also be because he's been sick). He's still saying "Go Away" to us much to our dislike. He loves his little sister though and is helping us as much as he can. He's also held her and feed her a bottle with Granny's help.

New pictures from this week have been posted.

Short Update

Hannah is showing her dimples when she smiles now. She’s going to have a beautiful smile, just like her brother. Hannah is also starting to get comfortable in her bassinet and often will put her hands behind her head or under her cheek while she sleeps. She’s a very active sleeper, again just like her brother.

Ian and Daddy have been sick. We're hoping the girls stay healthy so that someone can keep making bottles and washing burp cloths.

Hannah's a week old now

Our little princess is a week old now. Her cone head is starting to go away and she's filling up alittle bit more now. Her double eyelids are starting to come out now as well as eyelashes. We're really hoping she has the same beautiful eyes as her big brother. She eats every 3 hours on the dot. She wakes up, gives us a few warning cries and then screams to feed her right now. She poops and pees just fine so no worries there. When she's awake she's very curious and looks all over the place. Her neck is also getting stronger and she moves her head from side to side occasionally when she sleeps. She's been a great baby and Ian is really loving her. He's still helping with bottles and wants to be there when we change her. He's also starting to kiss her now and touch her. We're still working on the gentle touches and not shaking the bassinet when she's sleeping.

The advantage of me not working is I get to take pictures and post them more frequently than I have been. I added more photos and a two videos of Ian and his train set. Check them out.

We wanted to say thank you to everyone for your congrats and nice words. In addition, thank you to all who sent Ian and Hannah gifts. They sure are loved.

Ian turns two

Ian turned two on sunday. We didn't get to celebrate since Hannah and I were still in the hospital so we had a mini celebration tonight. We'll probably go to Disneyland later in the year when Hannah is alittle bit bigger to celebrate Ian's birthday as well. Ian's big gift this year was a train set. We set up the table and part of the set while he was at daycare. When he got home, he didn't see it right away and we were about to get him to go wash his hands and eat dinner and then he saw the balloons. He had to take a closer look and then he saw the train set. He got so excited. "Twain" "Twain" (he can't pronoune his r's sometimes) He forgot all about washing his hands and there was no chance of getting him away from it. He played with it for a bit and then the Burnettes came over and he and Zoe were playing with it together. Ian later opened a present from Zoe. It was a Backyardigans guitar! He loved it and wouldn't let go of it. He wouldn't even share it with Zoe. We couldn't get him to open up the rest of his presents, so we'll spread it out over the next few days. Ian ended up not really eating dinner tonight. He was too excited about his new presents and then his friend Zoe being there. After Zoe left, we had cake. Ian was more interested in the sprinkles than the cake. He kept picking off the sprinkles and eating it. We then lit the 2 candle and he wanted to touch the flame. We were able to stop him and get him to blow out his candle with alittle help from daddy. So even though we didn't get to celebrate Ian's birthday on the actual day, I think he had a good birthday overall. He got a train set but most importantly he got a new sister.

Ian had his two year check-up on tuesday. Here's his latest stats:

Weight: 32.2 lbs (90th percentile)

Height: 35 inches (70th percentile)

Head Circumference: 19 1/2 (90th percentile)

The doctor said Ian is developing physically and mentally just fine. Ian did have an ear infection and a sinus infection the last two months, but overall he's been healthy. He can say over 50 words, make 2 to 3 word phrases, walks, runs, jumps, kicks, throws, eats adult foods, follows commands when he wants, and like a typical two year old, everything is "mine".

Speaking of things Ian says, he told Mommy the other day "go away". Must have learned that in day care. Some of the cuter things he says though are "come on", "beep beep" (for us to move), "get up", he tries to count up to 3, and he'll repeat any word we ask him to say.

He loves to go outside and play with the hose and go in the swimming pool. He's enjoying the Two's room at day care and continues to have fun at the Music & Me class at daycare and SoccerTots. His favorite food is Mac n Cheese and rice. Ian's favorite TV shows are still Elmo and Backyardigans. He's starting to play with his cars more and enjoys reading a book with daddy before bed. His favorite book right now is the Baby's First 100 Words book. He likes to say the words for the picture we're pointing to or point to the picture when we ask where it is.

Ian is definitely going through the terrible twos. We're dreading it but we also love to see how much Ian is growing and showing his personality. We're excited to see how Ian is going to handle being a big brother. He already likes getting the bottle for "sissy" and watching her sleep. We know he'll be great. Then on to potty training...

Announcing Hannah Elizabeth Marler

Hannah Elizabeth Marler decided to join us two weeks early. She was born on saturday, July 14 (one day before her brother's birthday) at 18:40pm PST. She was a big baby at 8 lbs, 8 ounces and 20 1/2 inches. Ian was 7 lbs, 2 ounces. She has alittle skin tag on her butt and her ankles curve inward a bit, but the doctors say it's nothing serious. Other than those things, she is doing great. Her APGAR test was 9 out of 9. She's not jaundiced either. When she was first born, I thought her mouth was alittle crooked and she didn't open her right eye too much but the doctors said it was probably because she was smooshed up against the placenta while in the womb. I'm guessing that's correct because that's how I always saw her in the ultrasounds. It's her 3rd day and she's evened out now. She is such a beautiful baby who looks totally like Ian when he was first born. I can't tell if she has single or double eyelids yet, but I sure hope she gets her brother's beautiful eyes and long eye lashes. Hannah also has no problem in the pooping, peeing, or farting department. I've decided to bottle feed her exclusively. I thought it would be better for all of us if I didn't try to breastfeed again. It was much too stressful and exhausting for me. So far, it has been the right decision. There is absolutely no stress with feedings. We just pop open a bottle of the ready to feed formula and both daddy and Ian get to help with the feeding.

Ian was initially scared to see Hannah and mommy in the hospital. As soon as he came in to my hospital room, he wanted to leave. He wouldn't kiss the baby or touch her. Only today (tuesday) has he started to touch her. He is starting to be ok with the baby being around. He brings us a bottle when we ask and he gets excited to see her. We just have to train him to be gentle and quiet now.

I posted the pictures we've taken over the last few days. I have to cut this short now, Hannah wants to eat right now. I'll update the web page tomorrow with Ian's updates.

Twenty three months!

Wow, Ian is 23 months now and right around the corner, he'll be 2. As I'm preparing for the new baby, I've been pulling out old pictures of Ian, his old onesies, bottles, blankets, and buying newborn diapers. I really can't remember Ian that small. We're still trying to prepare him for the new baby. We point out babies when we're out and that mommy is going to have a baby. We also told him the next room is for baby sister. We still expect him to be a bit jealous when the baby first comes, but we're hoping he'll get over it.

Ian is transitioning to the Two's room in daycare. His buddy at school, Liam, got transitioned there, so Ian should be soon. We're looking forward to him moving to the Two's room, we're starting to think that he's outgrowing the Toddler B room. I know it's hard to believe, but Ian is still the tallest in the Toddler B room. He's still a bit clingy in the mornings, but he still enjoys daycare when we're not there and is happy when we pick him up. We keep signing him up for Music and Me class every friday and according to the teacher, he loves singing and dancing.

His favorite friend by far is Zoe. He also likes Zoe's dad a lot, Dave. Every time the door bell rings or someone knocks, he asks for Zoe or Dave. This makes me happy because if I go in to labor at night, Ian's going to Zoe's house and I feel much better knowing that Ian is comfortable with them. He likes Zoe so much now that he doesn't get mad if she's in his personal space and he's actually hugging her back now. They get along really good when they play. I'm frequently trying to teach Ian to share with Zoe though. Luckily, Zoe puts up with him and gives in to him.

I added the pictures we took in June, not much though. Kim, Zoe's mom, took some really cute pictures of Ian and Zoe and I'll see if I can get a copy of them to show all of you. I added a video I took of Ian this past weekend. He loves to sing "The Wheels on the Bus" song and do the movements. I always forget to record it, but I finally did this weekend. I also stole (sorry Burnettes) two vidoes of Ian at Zoe's sandbox. He had a really good time with the sandbox.

Time for alittle bit of bragging on Ian. We have such a smart kid. He knows how to eat corn on the cob without us even telling him how. The teachers at school always say he's a smart kid. He's always paying attention to everything and watching what we do and remembering things. Tonight, we met Daddy at a restaurant and without me saying anything, he spotted Daddy's car. We then went to a store afterward that he's only been to once, and he remembered they have toys there. He has selective listening or following of orders. We'll tell that we need to change his diaper. He sometimes will hear us and go to his room and other times he "pretends" not to hear us.

Ian's been very good with bedtime lately. He's getting in to the habit of falling asleep between 8:30 and 9:15. He'll tell us "night night" and ask for milk then go crawl in to his bed. He'll finish his milk, give us the cup, and then roll over, pull the blanket over him and fall asleep. He occasionally wakes up in the middle of the night but will also surprise us and sleep through the whole night. We're really hoping he'll keep that up.

Still loves Elmo videos but we recently got him hooked on Backyardigans. I feel bad for letting him watch TV, but he really enjoys the singing and dancing in Backyardigans and he's actually learning from Elmo.

I'm getting pretty sleepy, so I need to stop rambling but I do want to finish with this. Overall, Ian is a very happy child right now who loves to play, sing, and be outside. We feel really lucky to have such a great kid and we can't wait to see what his sister is like. We know she'll be just as awesome.

p.s. I updated the Parent's Corner blog and check out the videos and pictures added.