CA '12: Downtown Disney Day

Our first day at Disneyland was the day that it was open the latest, so we decided to take an "off" day afterward.  We did not do this last year, and that second day was so exhausting.  The decision definitely paid off this year.

We spent our off day hanging out in our hotel and around Downtown Disney.  One of our favorite stops was at the Lego store.  We are a Lego family, definitely.  The boys, (including Andy,) were excited to see the building tables outside.  I loved how well they built together... there was only a little snatching legos from each other on this day.  I also loved how Ephram solved his height challenge to reach the legos in the middle of the table.

We left the Lego store with a find for each of the boys, some birthday presents for Andy, and a sleepy baby.  So, we decided we might as well head over to Build A Bear.

At Build A Bear, the boys picked out a puppy to make together.  It is a special "Downtown Disney" edition.  Since we were only making one, we let them chose a sound to put inside.  They chose a very appropriate bark.  They took turns using the stuffing pedal, each threw a heart inside, and scrubbed the dog down.  After much discussion, the dog was named "MickDog" and we chose a dog house for him to use.

We went to a restaurant for dinner that night and had one of those epically horrible parenting dinner experiences.  The restaurant was good, and tried to accomodate us.  But our children were all overwhelmed in different ways.  It was one of those nights that, in hindsight, we should have just cut our losses, asked for a box and left.  But we kept trying and thinking that it would get better.  Next time, I will know when to call it quits.

Luckily, all of us recovered nicely back in our room.  We settled down, watched a movie and played Legos.  Andy and Ephram had a fun round of play with MickDog as Ephram was readying for bed.  And just as we heard Charlie join in on the sleep-breathing, we heard the first of the fireworks for the Halloween Party at Disneyland that night.  Andy and I stepped out onto the balcony and watched the firework show.  Nobody does fireworks like Disney.  Then it was off to sleep for us too, because we were planning an early start for Day 2 in the parks!

CA '12: Disney Day 1

One of our primary reasons to go to California was for our annual family vacation.  Last year we had such a great time spending our three days at Disneyland, that we decided to repeat it this year.  But this time we decided to actually stay in one of the Disney hotels as well...  I figured, if there is any time to do that, it's when you have a baby that could use more frequent breaks from all of the stimulus in Disneyland... which isn't a bad idea for a toddler or an autistic child either.

So we checked into the Grand Californian on Day 3 of our California vacation this year.  Charlie was beside himself with excitement.

We were early and our room wasn't ready yet, so we headed straight into California Adventure.  An hour or two later we were joined by the Harris cousins, who were taking a break from the parks when we arrived.

The boys were really excited to see the giant ferris wheel.  Ephram especially, he is a Mickey-fanatic.  (They rode the ferris wheel later that night!)

But I think that the biggest hit was easily Cars Land.  What an awesome job Disney did bringing Radiator Springs to life.  The boys even got to see Lightening McQueen and Mater in action.

We had to participate in the parade fun.  The parade that day was the Play Parade, and it included lots of water... squirted at us.  Everyone seemed to enjoy it.

This was the ride of the day.  It was a Little Mermaid ride.  I think the kids did it three or four times in a row!

Meanwhile Ephram was having the time of his life running around outside with his dad and his cousin Evin.

The pier is really pretty.  We hadn't really gone to this part of the park last year.

We spent almost the entire time at California Adventure, heading to Disneyland just in time to see the fireworks.  It was a great first day!

CA '12: Getting There

The day after the Rowley's left, we left too... for California.

I must have been insane when I bought our tickets.  I scheduled us on an early flight that required Andy and I to wake up at 3am.

When you have a baby, a toddler and an autistic young child, you try to exercise as much control over travel arrangements as possible.  While flight schedules are fixed and rigid, I know my kids' schedule and when they tend to be happier and more compliant.  And that is this little window in the morning.  It's the window when Charlie's awake enough to be present, Ephram has eaten and isn't tired yet, and Macie is ready to doze off into her morning nap.  And I scheduled us on a flight as close to that window as possible.

And for Andy and I, the wake up was brutal.

But for the family, it worked well.  Getting through the airport was a breeze.  We boarded the plane and settled in for our flight.  I was armed like any mom in my situation would be with multiple activities, wipes, burp cloths, blankets, diapers and snacks.  Andy, Ephram, Macie and I shared a row and Charlie sat in the the row in front of us.  Everyone was excited.  (I didn't think Charlie's row-mates would appreciate my camera in their faces, so he isn't represented here.)

And all of that stuff I had ready to go?  I barely needed any of it.  Here's why.

That's us.  10 minutes into the flight.  Macie asleep on top of me, Ephram cuddled into me.  Charlie fell asleep about 15 minutes later... and they all slept until just before we landed.

Now, our experience obtaining a rental car and getting out of the airport was pretty crummy.  But I don't want to remember that, so I'm going to focus on this wonderful, perfect flight.  It couldn't have gone any better!

Fierce

And now, a break from our regular programming.

I was moved to tears tonight, and had to post this in order to document and remember it.

I have spent most of the night reviewing pictures from 2012 for an end of the year project, and it amazes me to look at the progress that each of my children have made this year. It has been a significant year for all three of them. I was especially moved by this picture of my tiny daughter in my arms, just shy of two weeks old. She has come so far in several months time and was so perfect even then, despite her fragility. We were in such a different reality at the moment captured here... but the entire year with her, whether scary or normalized, has been a blessed one. I feel so privileged to have experienced this miracle with her.

"Though she be but little, she is fierce." Shakespeare

Meet the Rowley's

My youngest sister, Liel, met, engaged and wed a man in the last year.  Most of my family met Will at Christmastime in 2011.  Alas, I was pregnant and we didn't travel to California for Christmas last year.  (And now that we have three kids, two with December birthdays that make the month even more hectic, that will be a rare occasion.)  They were engaged shortly after and got married this past April, just after Macie came home from the NICU.  Obviously, I wasn't able to take my preemie on a plane to attend.  I was sad to miss it, but so happy for my sister and new brother-in-law.

Liel has been pretty good about coming to see us here in Washington.  Actually, I think she and my brother are now tied for having visited us the most of all of our family members.  She and Will planned a trip to see us the first weekend of October.  Apparently, there was also a Grizzly Bear concert that they wanted to attend.  I had never heard of Grizzly Bear before, because I very rarely hear of any new musicians now... but, now that I know about them, I really like them too.

All of us, kids and parents, were excited for Liel and Will to come.  They were here for a few days and we mostly stayed home... Liel and Will did some sightseeing of their own in Seattle.  My kids loved them.  Ephram especially loved untying his Uncle Will's shoes.  I'm not sure that Will loved that, but he was a good sport about it.

We had a good visit with the Rowley's.  Liel seemed happy, and Will fit right in with us.  The kids missed them when they left, but it helped them to know we'd leave for California the next day.  Hopefully we will see them again soon!

A Fall Walk

I love fall.
It is my favorite season.
Hands down, no contest.
I love the colors, the smells, the feeling
The anticipation of an approaching holiday season.
Apple desserts,
And pumpkin too.

Every year I do my best to appreciate the beauty of what is happening outside.
And I try to make sure my kids do too.

This year was a bit more challenging,
With another tiny one's schedule to work around
And a big break from the changing leaves as we vacationed in California.

So we got outside the first chance we had.
And it was beautiful.

Macie at Six Months

Macie's sixth month was all about play.  As her personality expanded, she showed us how much she loved to be active.  No longer would she tolerate being put in a bouncy seat to sit and watch the rest of us.  She needed to have something to hold and to try to manipulate all of the time.  She worked very hard to control things with her hands and her feet, and to figure out how to get things that were just outside of her reach.  She perfected her aim at getting things into her mouth.  And her smiles broadened, her laughter increased in volume, she was just so much fun!

Stats:
Chronological age - 6 months
Adjusted age - 4 months

Weight: 14 lbs, 14.5 oz 27%
Height: 24.5" 7%
Head Circumference: 43.5 cm 82%

Yes, those percentages are for full-term baby girls.  So proud of my Macie for being on the full term charts still... and look at the difference in percentages for the head compared to weight and height.  Macie and Ephram both have big heads!

Last time I posted a growth chart for full term babies for weight, so I figured I would do that again.  She has jumped up to another colored line on the chart.

Since that time, they have also given me access to the preemie charts.  These are much more relevant to Macie... as she was born two months early, she could take 2-3 years to catch up to full term babies in growth (both physical and developmental.)  I had never seen these before, and it's nice to see that she was in a good range from the beginning.  Here is her weight chart, and a head circumference chart (for fun.)

Milestones: 

• Grab and play with toys - 24 weeks
• Push up to 90 degrees on tummy - 24 weeks
• Scooting while on her back - 24 weeks
• Sit well with support - 25 weeks
• Grab feet while on her back - 26 weeks

At six months Macie was in size 2 diapers and 3-6 month clothing, no change from five months.

Feeding:

Macie continued 100% breastfeeding during the month.  She ate on demand, and her number of feedings fluctuated from day to day.  She became very efficient, sometimes eating in 5 minutes or less.

Macie continued to take her Zantac at the same dosage to treat severe reflux.  She continued to struggle with a high frequency of spit-ups, some that were very large, but the Zantac worked to control the related pain and discomfort.

Sleeping:

Heaven.  That's the best word to describe how well Macie slept during her sixth month.  She took two naps a day - one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  Her naps would usually account for 5 hours of sleep during the day. 

At night I would put her to bed around 8:30pm.  At first she was waking once, around 1-2am, for milk and then sleeping until 9am.  Then, she started regularly sleeping all the way through for 10-11 hours!

Macie slept in the swing for her naps and at night.  During the day she slept with a blanket, and at night we used a sleep sack.

Favorite Activities: 

• Talking to people, dolls, mirrors, hands, feet and dogs.
• Hugging and cuddling dolls and blankets
• Sitting next to her brothers
• Taking a bath
• Sucking on her fingers (and her thumb every now and then)
• Listening to songs
• Playing on her back
• Being held

Least Favorite Activities: 

• Being immunized (she's one of those that gets a fever and is miserable for a day.)
• Not being able to grab or reach a toy that she wants.

Here are some pictures from her sixth month!