Andrew is 4 Months!

Andrew is 4 months old today...wow how time flies. He also had his four month check up today and I was interested to see what his stats were, particularly in comparison with Clark at four months. I think they look a lot alike, but I was pretty sure their stats would be very different....and they were!

Andrew at 4 months:

Weight: 14 lbs. 7 oz. (30%)
Height: 26 inches (88%)
Head Circ: 16 1/2 cm (45%)

Clark at 4 months:

Weight: 19 lbs. 14 oz. (97%)
Height: 27 1/2 inches (97%)
Head Circ: 17 cm (75%)

I am realizing now just how HUGE Clark really was and is. The one thing I was surprised about is that Clark was 1 1/2 inches longer than Andrew. It has always seemed like Andrew is longer than Clark was, but maybe that is because Clark was just big all the way around, so it seemed more proportional at the time. When they said Andrew was in the 30th percentile for weight, I got worried that maybe I am not feeding him enough. I asked the doctor if I should start cereal now since he is 4 months and his weight is a little low, and the doctor said I can if I want to but that he is doing great and his weight is normal and fine and shouldn't factor in to whether or not I should start him on cereal. I felt relieved and then laughed at myself for being a little bit psycho about the whole thing. It has actually been a nice relief having a baby that is still easy to carry around. Clark was breaking my back by this age. Andrew is definitely not as serious about getting down to business during feeding time...he likes to talk and eat at the same time. It is fun to see these little differences in their personalities. Before I had Andrew it was so difficult to imagine having a child different than Clark, but I am so glad that each child is so unique and different, because it makes the experiences of life that much more enjoyable, challenging, and interesting. I love my little guy.

Clark = ADHD?

So, the husband of the nursery leader straight up asked Tanner a few weeks ago if Clark had ADHD...seriously. In the husband's defense, he has no children and hence, probably doesn't realize that this is not something you just throw out there in a casual conversation. Tanner said that no, he doesn't think Clark has ADHD. He is just a very active 2 year old boy who ALSO likes to sit and very attentively read story after story :-)

When Tanner told me, I laughed and then got a teeny weeny bit angry. It seems to me these days (and I could be wrong I will admit) that when there is a child who is very active and sociable, there are people who automatically think there is something wrong. Why is that? I do think there are legitimate cases of ADHD that have nothing to do with the parenting style of the parents. Let me repeat, I do think there are legitimate cases of ADHD. However, I also think there are more and more children walking around looking like ZOMBIES because they are drugged up on medication because their parents don't want to have to deal with ummmm...the actual parenting of an active child. And I have the stats to back it up. I read an article that showed prescriptions for ADHD meds have increased 500 percent since 1991. Yep, you read me right, 500% in 10 years (I think the article was published in 2000...who knows what the stats are now!). That's just ridiculous. See this article. I really liked the quote from the doctor who said:

The significant increase in stimulant medication prescribed to children has raised concerns that our society is choosing quick-fix remedies to treat ADHD. "How we deal with our kids' problems reflects our thinking and a much larger problem in our culture."

The purpose of this blog is not to judge anyone who has a child with ADHD...I don't know which cases are legitimate or not and I would just prefer to think that any child who is on medication for ADHD actually has it. But clearly, there is a problem as a whole, and it makes me angry at parents and health care providers who frankly just choose not to do their job and think that a pill will solve all of their problems and/or do all the work for them. I don't know who those parents and health care providers are, and I probably never will. I can only worry about my children and my ability to parent effectively and who I choose as my own health care provider. But it makes me angry that it has become so common a thing that a parent can be asked "Does he have ADHD?" in the same way someone would ask "Does he have a cold?"
It's just ridiculous....and sad.

Now to the lighter side of things. Clark is cute...here are some pics I have snapped of him over the last couple of days.
Clark likes to draw all over his hands when coloring with markers, and then when he is done, he looks up and says "Mom, OH NO!" I think he just likes the trip to the bathroom to wash it all off. Gotta love washable markers. Notice the markings are all on his right hand, which means he was writing with his LEFT hand. Yay for lefties! Except that the next day, he did the same thing on his left hand. Darn it.

Who knew that a lamp shade could also function quite well as a hat!

Story time with dad in bed. Love the foot on the knee.

Graduation Day!

If you didn't know my family, and I told you that I have a sister who just received her second Masters degree in Library Science after receiving her first Masters degree in Accounting, you would probably think that she looked like this:
But, she doesn't. She looks like this:
She is gorgeous and she is truly amazing. I don't know how she accomplished the feat of a second masters while taking care of 4 children, one of whom she gave birth to while in the program. She is an inspiration to me on so many levels. It was fun and definitely an adventure going up to New Jersey to see her graduate from Rutgers. We had bonding bro time (yes, we are sisters but we call each other bros...don't mess!), and just all around fun memories were made. Trish, you da bomb librarian!

Who's Who?

Clark at 3 Months

Andrew at 3 1/2 months

I experience Deja Vu quite frequently because they looks so much alike. Andrew has different mannerisms and he is thinner than Clark was at this stage, but their faces and their hair are so similar.

Happy 29th Birthday!

Today was Tanner's birthday, and we are all happy to celebrate the fact that he is still in his 20s! I must admit I have not done a great job for Tanner's birthday in the last few years as evidenced by the fact that there was no blog for it last year (I think blogger must have eaten it), and the year before that his birthday fell on Mother's Day, and let's just say he got the short end of the stick. I think the last birthday I remember of his was when we were dating and I made this crazy Curry recipe to show off my cooking prowess and then I invited all of his friends to go see an IMAX. It is kind of a joke between us that I did a lot of things while we were dating to 'market' myself (I'm no dummy), but have since slacked off since we've gotten married (who doesn't?) But this year I decided I would try to be better since it is his LAST year in his twenties. I bought him a lot of good useful presents like work clothes, and also some fun ones like Wii Madden Football. He also received MarioKart Wii from Mel and Trish, and a certificate to a spa for a massage courtesy of my parents and myself. Clark and I made a cake together for him during the day, and we had fun doing it, although Clark decided after I let him lick the beaters that he wanted more and he dipped the beater back in the cake mix.


While it was Tanner's day, the focus turned to Clark (as it usually does no matter what day it is) and his cuteness in helping Tanner open his presents.


Happy Birthday Tanner! We love you!

It's Time...

For Andrew to move to his own room. Now that he is sleeping well and only getting up once during the night, it was time to move him out of our room. I seem to wake up pretty easily when I hear him move around when he is right next to our bed, and it doesn't seem like I get enough sleep as it is only then to wake up throughout the night when he is sleeping soundly and just shifting in his sleep. We set up his crib this last weekend, and the first thing Clark said when he walked in and saw it was "Clarkie's crib!" Andrew seems to like the new arrangement and I know I enjoy sleeping more soundly at night!

Day Out With Thomas

Two weeks ago, we spent the day with Thomas at the B&O Railroad station in Baltimore. I was invited to go with some friends that we have still in Williamsburg, and we had a lot of fun. It was also CRAZY trying to keep up with Clark while keeping Andrew happy all by myself in that kind of environment, but it was still fun. I think Clark's first love is still his cars, but Thomas definitely is a close second. He actually got a little freaked out when he saw the Thomas train up close and personal. It didn't surprise me because I think eyes on a train are a little freaky myself. Clark has only recently started really showing emotions of fear and being shy and I find it humorous and cute. I usually laugh, which he probably doesn't appreciate very much.



He loved playing with the trains at the tables, but it is a bit ridiculous to expect dozens of toddlers to play nicely around these tables. Clark did pretty good considering, but he really likes to hoard the trains.

Happy Happy Mother's Day!

So I was going to try really hard not to brag about how great my Mother's Day was...but I realized I was going to fail miserably...so why try?

Tanner came home with flowers for me yesterday, which if you know Tanner, you would know that it is a big deal, because he hates giving flowers because "they just die." They are beautiful and they have white lilies in them (my favorite) and they smell divine.

This morning Tanner cooked breakfast while I slept in a little bit. He sent Clark in to get me for breakfast, but I didn't know that, so when Clark came in and said "Mommy, beckfast." I said "Go ask Dadda, he'll get you some." Then he said "Momma, DOWN!" I relented and got up, and brought him to the kitchen to get something for him, and Tanner had the table ready. Tanner let me know that he sent Clark in to get me for breakfast, and I realized that he had done the job right, and I just was a little slow. Clark even tried to help out this morning by putting on a tie by himself!Church was good...just enough sap and cheese, but not too much. They did the regular rose thing for the mom's, but in addition, they had an ice cream sundae party for us after church in the cultural hall, which I quite enjoyed actually, especially since we have a family in our ward that owns a frozen custard shop in downtown Vienna, and they provided the ice cream. YUM!

We came home and Clark, Andrew, and I took naps while Dad busily prepared dinner. He made roasted chicken with mashies and stuffing. It was really really good. It was even better because I didn't have to clean up.

Tanner then surprised me with.....Shoes (Gasp!).

Adorable shoes! Now, of course my Mother's Day is a happy one as long as I have my husband and children by my side, but my husband bought me cute shoes y'all...and so it means I had a Happy Happy Mother's Day!

Tagged

I was tagged by my sister Tricia.

3 Joys

1. My family
   
2. Springtime
   
3. Sleep

3 Fears

1. The deep end of the pool (yes, it still kinda freaks me out a little....why is it so much darker than the rest of the pool?)
   
2. That I will die while my kids are young
   
3. That I am not fulfilling my potential or getting the most out of life
   

3 Goals

1. To keep my house consistently clean
   
2. To have a pregnancy without being sick or having any complications...that is more of a wish than a goal really.
   
3. To travel the world with my husband and kids

3 Current Obsessions/Collections

1. Television
   
2. Snow globes
   
3. Starburst Candy
   

3 Random Surprising Facts About Me

1. I love sports, especially the NFL and NCAA Men's Basketball and Football...I also enjoy sport shows on ESPN including Around The Horn, PTI, and E360.
   
2. I have cut Tanner's hair ever since we got married even though I have no skill whatsoever, and we usually end up having to practically buzz it because I just can never quite get it right. I thought after a year or two he would decide it wasn't worth it and would just go get it done at a hair place, but we are now going on 5 1/2 years of this, and I still have no skill!
   
3. I went to the Florida State High School Tennis Competition my senior year of high school. We got schooled in the first round, but the team we played ended up winning the whole thing, so I like to think we came in second. ;-)
   

Moments In Motherhood

At one point yesterday, the left shoulder of my shirt was covered in spit up, and the right shoulder of my shirt was covered in snot. I changed my shirt.

Last night we were out eating dinner with our brother-in-law Spencer, who was in town. Clark decided to hop down and go and steal some chips from a guy's meal at a neighboring table while the guy was still sitting there eating his meal. NICE.

On the way home from dinner, I reached back and patted Clark's leg feeling sorry for him because it was late and he looked so tired. When I went to take my hand off, he hurried and grabbed my hand and made me put it back on his leg.

Clark got shy for the first time (I'm serious, I can't ever remember him being shy until this moment) in front of the missionaries when we asked him to recite the first article of faith for them. It was cute.

Just before sitting down to write this blog, I put Clark down for a nap. Andrew had already been sleeping for a little while, and I had literally sat down and written two sentences, when I heard him crying.

Every time I finish feeding and burping Andrew, he gives me the BIGGEST, CUTEST smiles ever...as if to say "Thanks for the meal mom!"

Clark and I were laying in his bed reading the other night when he leaned over and poked the mole that is just underneath my right eye and said "soccer ball". Okay Random, but I thought it was really funny. I taught him how to say "mole" even though I hate that word, and now he says "Soccer ball mole."

I really love the cute, sweet, and fun moments in Motherhood, and sometimes think I could do without the mean, gross, and trying aspects of mothering. But then I realize that how would I continue to be able to fully appreciate the great moments, if there weren't any not so great ones?

Exceptions To The Rule

One of the things I really like about living in this part of Virginia is that it is such a melting pot of different people and cultures. I feel like a minority on a regular basis while I am out and about, and not just because I am dragging a two year old and a 3 month old along with me, although that also makes me stick out like a sore thumb. There are a lot of Asians and Indians (as in people from India...not Native Americans) here and I quite enjoy the diversity.

Today, I hauled Clark and Andrew to Home Depot with me to pick up the rest of the blinds for our house that we are renting. The story of why we are installing blinds in a place that we are renting is for another post...a ranting post. But, I was happy because the kids were being really good during all my errand running.

On my way out of Home Depot there was a van that was blocking where my car was parked so that I wouldn't be able to back out. But I didn't worry about it because the van was running and there were two men in it. As I passed the van and stopped at the car, the van pulled up so that I was no longer blocked. One of the men got out and came around and walked up to Clark, who was still sitting in the cart. He made a motion to me as if asking if he could pick up Clark. I could tell he was foreign, and I realized he couldn't speak English. He looked like a very nice man and he was probably in his late 50s or early 60s so I figured I could 'take him' if it came to that. I said okay, and he lifted Clark out of the cart. Clark of course loved him immediately, as he does all strangers (I am still not quite sure how to handle that....should I be happy or terrified?). He stood next to the cart with him tickling him and laughing with him while I started loading the blinds into the car. Yeah, I thought it was a little strange, but I really felt fine about it. The next thing I know, the other man has gotten out of the van and quickly walks up to me and starts apologizing for his friend:

"Ma'am, I am so sorry for my friend here. He has just moved here from Europe, and does not know that you do not touch other people's children here."

He begins to help me finish loading my trunk with the rest of the blinds. He also takes my cart back to the cart holder place thingy.

Me: "It's okay. I was totally fine with it as long as he didn't start running away with him!" I say in a totally joking way. He starts to laugh.

Him: "Oh no, he would never do that. Where we are from, we do this kind of thing, but he does not know you do not do this here."

Me: "Well, I wish we were nicer here. I really appreciate your help. Where are you both originally from?"

Him (sheepishly): "We are from Iran. The trouble place."

Me: "Wow, you are a long way from home. Welcome!"

They both helped put Clark into the car, and it looked like Clark had just made that man's day laughing and playing with him for those few moments. I looked at him straight in the eye and said "Thank you". He just smiled back, but I know he understood. They left, and on my way home thinking about this small little experience, I have to admit I got a little teary. If it hadn't been raining, I would have asked these guys for their life stories right there in the parking lot. I am sure it would have been fascinating.

One thing I do know is that I will never think of Iran as I did before. You know Axis of Evil and all that. These guys somehow made it to America and are clearly happy to be here. So obviously they are no lovers of Ahmadinejad and his khaki jackets. It just reminded me how Iran is made up of the good and the bad, just like we are here in the U.S. I found it interesting that he originally stated that they were from Europe and only when I pressed him on where they are actually from did he admit they were from Iran. I wonder how much flak they have received from people here because of where they are from. I know I will never forget that this guy, who didn't speak a lick of English, jumped out of his car to come help me, made my child giggle and laugh, and all in all made my day a little brighter. I found myself feeling a little embarrassed about our own culture and how 'hands off' we are and was trying my darndest to be the exception to the stereotype that can be so true of us Americans, just as they were trying to show that they are the exception to the 'trouble place' that is Iran. I feel like we both succeeded.

Now, if I could just figure out how to make the exceptions the rule.