Life with the Schoolers

2 Steps Forward, 1.9 Steps Back

2012-02-13T12:32:00.000-08:00

Evan is definitely unpredictable. Just when we begin to think a new normal has been established he quickly changes things up on us and proves that we are oh so wrong. Last week we had 3 glorious nights of sleep. He was only waking up once to eat and one other time which he self soothed himself back to sleep relatively quickly on his own. I finally began getting longer stretches of sleep and my body was loving it.

Friday night though he mixed things up on his again. He's now back to waking multiple times (although we are still only feeding him once). Sometimes he's up for only 10 minutes or so, other times he is up for over an hour. This morning he was up for the day at 3:45am absolutely refusing to go back to sleep. He goes from shrieking in his crib to squealing when we pick him up (after leaving him for awhile to try and work it out on his own). We can't help but think he's working one over on us.

It's frustrating because it feels like we're never making any progress. But at the same time I remind myself that at least he's able to fall asleep on his own. At this age with Lucas we were still rocking to sleep - a process that sometimes took hours. But it's hard. I'm tired.

Evan talks

2012-02-06T14:43:00.000-08:00

About a month ago, Lucas would ask Baby Evan a question and then wait for an answer. When he wouldn't hear it right away (not too many 4 month olds talk in complete sentences yet) he'd ask again. So Mike and I would answer for Baby Evan, typically in a higher pitched voice so Lucas would know we were answering for him. Lucas loved it.

Now Lucas will answer for Baby Evan and he also will raise his voice up higher when he's being Baby Evan. It's so cute. Lucas will oftentimes have a conversation with Baby Evan and he's the only one talking. This kid cracks me up.

Compliments

2012-02-06T14:41:00.000-08:00

Lucas freely gives out compliments. I love it. There's something so sweet and touching about my 2.5 year old saying, "I like your shirt, Mommy" or "I like your hair."

The Great Sickness 2012

2012-02-02T09:59:00.000-08:00

The Great Sickness of 2012 has descended upon the Schooler household. The first one hit was Lucas. Lucas woke up on Friday with a high fever. We kept him home from day care. The fever remained for 4 days despite Tylenol. He would barely eat and the few times he did eat he would throw up. He would drink fluids though so he didn't get dehydrated.

It was so sad to see Lucas sick. He didn't have his usual energy. His cough was horrible. He was congested and not sleeping well at night, waking up crying from coughing. We had some relaxing days where we would cuddle up on the couch and watch TV. Lucas was in heaven watching TV. Normally he only watches 20-30 minutes every few days so the chance to watch it multiple times in a day was a real treat for him.

By Tuesday his fever was gone but he's still congested and coughing. Finally last night he slept through the entire night without waking up. Although he's still not feeling well. The first thing he told me this morning was, "Mommy, I'm still sick."

I knew it wouldn't be too long before I caught what he had. Tuesday night I started with the fever. I had the chills and then the sweating, extreme heat. I had a fever of 103. I stayed home Wednesday, came in to work Thursday morning before going back home. I have the body aches, cough, congestion, the works. Now I know how poor Lucas felt. This is awful.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Evan and Mike remain germ free.

New Toy

2012-01-27T09:55:00.000-08:00

Lucas' exersaucer was loaned out to my godson, Fritz, to use but now that he's outgrown it, we got it back. Lucas was excited to see the arrival of a "new" toy in the house and likes to help Evan play with it.

Evan enjoys being in there and I like how he can be upright and watch us instead of always being on his back on the ground.

Happy 4 Month Birthday Evan!

2012-01-21T09:32:00.000-08:00

My baby is 4 months already. Time is going by way too quickly for my liking. Evan has left all trace of a newborn behind and he is all baby now. He's so strong and pushes against anyone who holds him so he can look around and check everything out. He's great at holding himself up when on his tummy. He gets really close to rolling over but he's not quite there yet.

Lucas still adores his baby brother. He always wants to hug or kiss him. He mimics the "baby" voice we use when talking to Evan. In the morning if Evan is still in his crib, Lucas goes running in and sticks his hands through the slat to rub his bed or belly.

Evan started going to Jalila with Lucas this month since I went back to work. Lucas loves having his brother there with him. Jalila and Evan have gotten to know each other and are doing really well together. I feel very comfortable knowing he is in good hands. Evan takes the bottle willingly from Jalila but he still prefers to nurse. As soon as he sees me in the afternoon, even if he's just eaten a big bottle, he immediately wants to nurse. I'm grateful that I'm producing more milk than he takes in each day at day care.

Evan doesn't mind the car as much as he used to. For the first few months of his life he'd scream on any car ride over 5-10 minutes. It made going places with him difficult. Now he'll tolerate the car for longer stretches although after about 25 minutes he'll start to fuss. But he has learned to fall asleep in the car which he wouldn't do before. I'm still not brave enough to tackle a long road trip with him but I have hope that he'll get there eventually.

Evan still has blonde hair and blue eyes. I love how he's chubbed up a bit with the most kissable chubby cheeks. He regularly smiles for his family and we've even gotten him to laugh when we make silly faces at him. Baby laughter is the best.

At his 4 month doctor's appointment he weighed in at 16lb 11 oz which is the 83rd percentile. He's tall measuring 2'3" which is the 97th percentile. His head circumference is in the 75th percentile.

Sleep is still a struggle. We've got him down to only eating twice at night. Most nights he still wakes up at least one additional time, rough nights even more. We're trying to teach him to self soothe and it seems to be working, albeit slower than we'd like. He is no longer swaddled at night and instead sleeps in a sleep sack. For naps though he is still swaddled and that seems to help him sleep better.

We're going to try and start solids with him as he is very interested in eating food when he sees us eating. We'll see how he does.

Evan is in size 3 diapers. His footed pajamas are 6 months but those are barely fitting him now. He'll be in 9 months within another week or so, I'm guessing. His other clothes are 3-6 months but he's begun to outgrow some of those as well. It's hard to believe that he will soon be wearing 6-12 months.

I love this age. It seems like every day he learns something new. I can't wait to see what each day brings.

Reading books with Grandma

2012-01-18T08:56:00.000-08:00

Lucas loves it when Grandma comes over. Most days when she arrives she has a new book or two to give to Lucas. Lucas immediately wants to sit down on the couch and have Grandma read him the new books.

Hanging out in bed

2012-01-18T08:54:00.000-08:00

Lucas loves to have Baby Evan lie on his bed. He will sit there and read books to Baby Evan.

Lucas will even let Baby Evan lie on his special blankie.

He's such an awesome big brother.

Reaching for toys

2012-01-17T08:50:00.001-08:00

Evan has learned how to use his hands. He now is able to reach for his toys when he's lying under his play mat.

Fresh from the bath

2012-01-16T08:48:00.000-08:00

Daddy and Evan right after a bath:

Daddy and Lucas right after a bath (many, many months ago!):

Piggyback

2012-01-15T08:46:00.000-08:00

Lucas enjoys giving Baby Evan a piggyback ride. He runs all around the house giving Evan a ride.

Holding Evan

2012-01-14T09:53:00.000-08:00

Lucas is always asking to hold Baby Evan and give him a big squeeze.

Mike's response to Lucas

2012-01-14T09:42:00.000-08:00

The Thomas theme song came on and Mike started dancing. Lucas got mad and told him to stop. Mike responded by saying, "Lucas your daddy is an excellent dancer and I need to share my talent with the world. When music starts I've got to dance."

I love that man.

Go Mustangs!

2012-01-13T21:50:00.000-08:00

This afternoon we took Lucas to see our girls basketball team play. Lucas loves to see the "big guys" we teach and was very excited to watch the game. He didn't like the buzzer that kept going off. He said it was too loud.

Evan was into the game as well. His eyes were huge as he stared at the court watching the girls.

After the game we let Lucas run around on the court and he was surrounded by all the players. They played ball with him. He was in heaven.

Night 1 Without a Swaddle

2012-01-12T10:45:00.001-08:00

Evan has resisted the swaddle since he was first born. He needed to be swaddled though because otherwise his flailing arms would wake him up. Whenever I would go into his room to feed him at night he would always have at least one arm, if not two out though. Finally last night we decided to try him sleeping without a swaddle and just a sleep sack.

When I put him in the crib after nursing him, he was awake. I was watching him on the video monitor. His arms were moving around everywhere, he kept lifting up his legs. I thought for sure he was going to start crying any minute. But he surprised me and went to sleep on his own. He woke twice at night to feed both at his usual times.

I think sleeping without a swaddle was a success! Now we'll have to see how he does at nap times...

New Years Tradition

2012-01-01T21:18:00.000-08:00

Every New Years Day for as long as I can remember my family has had dinner at Benihana. It's a Burke Family Tradition. This was Lucas' third year participating and Evan's first.

Lucas loves Benihana. He loves watching the chef cook in front of him. He would clap whenever the chef did any sort of tricks and he'd make sure we all clapped as well.

Evan took it all in. He wasn't content in his car seat for long. He wanted to be held so he could be closer to the action. He was watching all of us eat, looking like he wanted some as well.

I think Lucas' favorite part of the meal was the ice cream for dessert.

Lucas' love of books

2011-12-30T10:30:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned it countless times before but I'm saying it again: Lucas loves books. He adores having books read to him and he also enjoys "reading" books himself. Lucas is just as excited to get a new book as he is a new toy. He talks about the stories from his books. He requests us to read certain books to him. I love it.

Today he wanted to have a stack of books put on his table so he could sit there and read each one. He will entertain himself for so long doing this. I hope he will always have a love of books.

Playing Trains with Lucas

2011-12-29T10:27:00.000-08:00

Evan is really noticing Lucas playing now. Mike held Evan up to Lucas' train table so he could watch Lucas playing trains. Evan was fascinated to watch everything up close. I have a feeling this little guy is going to be wanting Lucas to share his toys before too long!

Reading in Bed

2011-12-28T10:08:00.000-08:00

One of Lucas' favorite parts of our Christmas break was reading in bed. Once he woke up in the morning we'd walk into his room and bring him some milk. He would immediately ask for some books to read. We'd stack a bunch of books on his bed and he'd sit there for at least half hour reading each book. We love how much he adores reading. Plus it's a nice way to transition into the day.

Time with Family

2011-12-26T21:55:00.000-08:00

The day after Christmas was great. In addition to Grandma and Grandpa Schooler visiting, Uncle Jay come up as well. Lucas adores his Uncle Jay. Maybe it's because he's always willing to play with him. Lucas convinced Uncle Jay to take him on a wagon ride, play trains, and play ball.

Both of our boys loved spending all day with their grandparents. They were spoiled by them as well with lots of Christmas gifts.

Uncle Jay bonded with Evan as well - his godson.

Christmas Day

2011-12-25T21:44:00.000-08:00

Like last year Mike and I hosted Christmas dinner at our house. We were excited to be able to cook a big meal for our families once again. Lucas helped us set the tables.

He then waited patiently for our guests to arrive.

He must have known that the arrival of Grandma and Grandpa Burke would mean more presents for him!

We were happy that Grandpa Schooler and Grandma Dawn made the long drive up to visit with us as well. Evan enjoyed getting loving from both of his grandmas.

I got the best Christmas present this year (albeit 3 months early):

Christmas Morning

2011-12-25T20:40:00.000-08:00

Lucas didn't sleep well last night. I think we might have scared him talking up the whole Santa bit. We heard him talking to himself quite a few times throughout the night and he was up early this morning. When we went into his room he immediately asked if Santa was out in our living room. I think he thought that Santa not only brings presents, he hangs out and waits there for you. Lucas was down to get presents from Santa but he did not want to hang out with Santa. We reassured him that Santa just left presents and ate his cookies when he came but that he was gone. Lucas didn't mind coming out of his room then. Lucas walked out and just stared at the presents under the tree.

He then immediately walked over to the plate of crumbs and empty milk glass Santa left.

Santa spoiled Lucas. He had so many gifts to open!

He had a hard time deciding between opening up more gifts or starting to play with the gifts he opened. Baby Evan got a few things too but he was pretty content to just sit back and watch Lucas.

Both boys enjoyed looking in their stockings.

Christmas morning was so much fun with little children. I can't wait until next year when Evan can participate more.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T19:13:00.000-08:00

We went to my parent's house for dinner on Christmas Eve. Evan decided to wear a Christmas themed outfit.

Lucas wanted to sport his daddy's headband for part of the evening.

Lucas was thrilled to see that he had a stocking over at his grandparent's house.

He loved finding chocolate in there!

Evan was a trooper, staying up past his bedtime. He got plenty of cuddles from Grandma.

Lucas helped him look in his stocking and he got a few toys as well.

Cookies for Santa

2011-12-24T19:10:00.000-08:00

Lucas helped me make cookies for Santa this morning. We made Oatmeal Scotchies. Lucas was such a good helper.

He even helped taste the butterscotch chips before we mixed them in.

Happy 3 Month Birthday Evan!

2011-12-21T19:21:00.000-08:00

These 3 months have flown by. I think I'm going to say that every month. I really can't believe that my squishy newborn is replaced with a full fledged baby. Evan is a big guy. He probably weighs 16 pounds now. He's wearing size 3-6 months in clothing and 6 months in footed pajamas. I find it hard to believe though that some of his onesies are getting tight on him. He's growing so fast. He wears size 3 in diapers.

This past month Evan has slowly found a schedule that works for him. He takes 2 shorter naps in the morning (30-60 minutes). He goes down for a longer afternoon nap somewhere between 12:30 and 1pm. This is awesome because Lucas naps at 1pm so Mike and I are loving the beauty of the dual nap. Evan will usually nap for 3 hours, sometimes even a bit longer. Most days he'll wake up once halfway through, want to eat and then immediately go back to sleep. His bedtime is between 5:30 and 6pm. If we keep him up any later he becomes really fussy and is difficult to put down. The nights have been pretty awful lately, perhaps it is the 3 month growth spurt or maybe not. Whatever it is has been rough! He's eating at least 3 times if not more during the night. He'll only sleep about an hour or so before waking again. Mike and I take turns going into his room. Once we pick him up he's usually pretty content to fall back to sleep in our arms. It's getting him to stay sleeping in the crib that's the problem. He used to not wake until 11pm or so for his first feeding but lately that's getting earlier and earlier with one night waking at 8:45! We're hoping this phase passes soon.

Evan is a chatty boy and loves to talk. He will readily offer up smiles to his mommy, daddy, or big brother. When he hears one of our voices he'll look for where we are. He's definitely become more aware of his surroundings lately and takes everything in. He is enthralled with Lucas' toys, especially those that have lots of lights on them.

He's a strong little guy and is constantly doing crunches to try and sit up. He is always moving and you have to watch him when you are holding him because he lunges forward very quickly. Evan has great head control now.

This month has been bittersweet for me because it's also been a reminder that soon I'll be returning to work. I know he'll be in the best possible hands with Jalila and he'll get to spend the day with his big brother but still it's hard to think that I'll have to leave him for such a long part of the day.

He truly completes our family though. I feel so content when I look at my two beautiful boys. I couldn't imagine a more perfect family. I am so blessed.

New Pajamas

2011-12-16T19:09:00.000-08:00

Evan got some new pajamas from Jalila for Christmas. She's so sweet to have bought not only Lucas but also Evan a gift for Christmas.

Mobile

2011-12-13T15:18:00.000-08:00

I put up the mobile over Evan's crib yesterday. Evan loves to lay down underneath it and look at the birds move around. Lucas wanted to see it too so I put him into the crib with Evan and he immediately went to lie down next to his baby brother. He was even happy to show Evan how to change the song that played as well.

Sleeping Evan

2011-12-13T15:13:00.000-08:00

I think what I will miss most about maternity leave is holding a sleeping Evan. I just love looking down at his sleepy face when he's in my arms.

Bath time

2011-12-13T15:10:00.001-08:00

Evan still loves taking a bath.

As soon as his body hits that warm water a smile peaks out. I can't resist taking pictures of him.

Helping Evan

2011-12-11T15:07:00.000-08:00

Lucas adores his brother. Evan got a Christmas gift from a friend and Lucas helped him open it. It was a wooden puzzle. Lucas adores puzzles but he knew that this puzzle was Evan's. Quite a few times since that puzzle was opened, Lucas will bring the puzzle over to Evan and "help" him do the puzzle. It's so cute.

Lucas and Cameron

2011-12-10T12:45:00.000-08:00

Lucas hung out with his good friend Cameron at a Christmas party this weekend. Cameron was very sweet and even shared his cheese with Lucas. These two boys are so cute together (and brother Oliver too). They play together at day care as well.

Frozen Yogurt

2011-12-09T12:41:00.000-08:00

Mike and I work hard to show Lucas that he is special. Because Evan is a newborn he does require a lot of our time and attention and we don't want Lucas to ever feel he's second best or not as important anymore. One way we do that is by spending time with him one on one. Today I left Evan home with Mike and went to pick Lucas from day care. On the way home we stopped for frozen yogurt (or ice cream as Lucas calls it). It was nice to spend a little time alone with the big dude.

Monterey

2011-12-04T21:42:00.000-08:00

This weekend we headed to Monterey for a short overnight trip. It was our first time traveling with both boys and we quickly realized that you need a lot of stuff when traveling overnight with two kids!

Our first stop was the Dennis the Menace playground. This is an awesome playground. Lucas had a blast. They have an old steam train that you can climb up on which Lucas loved.

There were slides and lots of things to climb on.

Lucas loved running across the creaky bridge.

Lucas took a little tumble on a slide and to make him feel better Daddy bought him his first snow cone.

After playing at the park we headed to the hotel to check in and meet up with my parents who joined us. We then headed out to Fisherman's Wharf for dinner.

Both boys slept great in the hotel. In fact Evan slept the best he ever has. He only woke up once to feed and then went back to sleep until the morning. I'm thinking we need to move into that hotel because we haven't seen another night like that!
After breakfast at the hotel we headed over to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Lucas liked looking at the large tanks but none kept his interest for too long.

He LOVED touching everything though.

There was a tunnel area where you could see the tide come in over your heads. Lucas loved watching it and didn't want to leave.

We had beautiful, clear weather for our trip. It was awesome to see the beautiful blue skies. Evan slept during our whole trip to the aquarium in the Moby wrap.

After some more exploring at the aquarium we headed out to lunch where Evan finally woke up.

We then headed home. Evan is not a huge fan of the car and screamed for close to an hour before he fell asleep. Lucas, our little trooper, was sleeping (even with the screaming) within 15 minutes.

Evan's Smile

2011-11-30T09:36:00.000-08:00

Evan is really showing us his personality now.

He loves to talk and will talk back to us if we mimic the sounds he makes.

He freely gives his smiles to mom, dad, but especially for Lucas. Evan's face lights up when he sees his big brother. I love it.

Wagon Ride

2011-11-26T14:12:00.000-08:00

Helping feed Evan

2011-11-25T14:11:00.000-08:00

Mike was feeding baby Evan a bottle and Lucas immediately climbed up onto the couch to help out. He's very hands on with his little brother.

Lucas the Sous Chef

2011-11-25T14:08:00.000-08:00

Lucas helped Mike make his lunch today. Lucas wanted to eat a cheese quesadilla. He helped put the cheese in between the tortilla.

After Mike cut the quesadilla into little strips which Lucas put on his plate.

Lucas didn't need any help eating the quesadilla. He wolfed that thing down in no time.

Thanksgiving Art Projects

2011-11-25T14:06:00.000-08:00

Lucas has been busy at Jalila's doing lots of art projects.

Play Mat

2011-11-25T14:05:00.000-08:00

Lucas wanted to check out why Evan enjoys lying under his play mat so much...

Happy Thanksgiving...

2011-11-24T14:01:00.000-08:00

from our two turkeys!

Casamiento

2011-11-22T13:57:00.000-08:00

My mom makes an excellent Salvadoran dish of beans and rice called casamiento. We eat it with avocado, sour cream, hot sauce, and roll it up in a tortilla. Lucas loves casamiento. It's probably one of his favorite foods. Lucas will ask for a "roll up" which means he wants us to roll up some of the casamiento in a tortilla for him. I love how he pronounces it "casameento" too.

Happy 2 Month Birthday Evan!

2011-11-21T13:47:00.000-08:00

It's crazy how fast these 2 months have gone by. Evan is growing up too quickly. It's been a lot of fun seeing him change this past month. Evan has discovered his voice and loves to use it.

We're beginning to see his preferred schedule now. He cat naps in the morning for only about 30 minutes once or twice. He usually takes a longer 2-3 hour nap around 1pm. Depending on when he wakes up from that nap he may take one more nap around 4pm before going to bed around 6pm.

Sleep is still a struggle. He no longer screams at night though which is nice. He is still waking at least 3 times to eat, sometimes every 2 hours so many more times. For some of the feedings he'll go right back to sleep whereas with others he'll be up for awhile and need to be rocked or bounced into a deep sleep before we can leave him in the crib. Unfortunately he is an early riser around 5 or 5:30am because he has to go to the bathroom. Sometimes we're able to put him in the swing and he'll continue sleeping until 7 but those mornings are few and far in between.

He's wearing 3-6 months in clothing and size 2 in diapers although I think the next pack I buy will probably be size 3 since they are already beginning to get tight on him. He's a big boy. At his 2 month appointment he weighed 14 pounds 11 ounces (97th percentile) and he is 25.5 inches (99th percentile). His head is right in the 50th percentile. I keep thinking he's bigger than Lucas was at this age, maybe because he was bigger at birth but Lucas was actually a little heavier at 2 months but Evan is an inch longer.

He's discovering the world around him. He loves lying under his play mat and looking at the star light up. He's also discovered ceiling lights and loves to stare at them.

Lucas still loves being a big brother and always wants to kiss Evan and give him a big squeeze. It's really cute. I can't wait until they can play together.

I'm trying to savor each moment because I know this is the last time I'll have a baby at this age but at the same time I'm so eager for him to grow and learn new things. Even though I'm not sleeping a whole lot these days, I'm handling it pretty well. I think having perspective in knowing that this stage will pass has helped.

Fun on the Tracks

2011-11-19T16:30:00.000-08:00

After our fire station fun, we headed to some unused railroad tracks to take some family photos. Eli scored big today with Lucas. Fire station in the morning, train tracks in the afternoon - two of Lucas' favorite things.

There were some abandoned freight cars on one track which Lucas loved checking out.

When we first got there, Lucas would not walk on the train tracks and kept telling us to stop doing it because a train was coming.

He's a smart boy and he's right, it's not safe to walk on train tracks. We had to keep reassuring him that these tracks weren't being used before he would warm up to the idea of walking on them.

We loved exploring though and got some fun pictures that we are excited to frame.

I even stopped to nurse Evan on the tracks. He didn't mind one bit.

He was a bit fussy today and wasn't in a smiley mood. But that's OK. The result is one of my favorite shots of him screaming.

What a fun time we had and it gave us just what we wanted for this year...not your typical Christmas photo! I can't wait to get our cards that we've ordered.

We are so grateful to Eli for always being willing to take photos of us. Lucas always looks forward to seeing him and runs up and gives him huge hugs.

A Boy and His Fire Truck

2011-11-19T16:12:00.000-08:00

I've said it many times but I'll still say it again, we're so thankful to have met Eli. Not only has he become a close friend, he's also an amazing photographer. When he heard that Lucas loves fire trucks, he arranged a special surprise for our boy. Eli works with the Alameda County Fire Department as their photographer and he arranged for Lucas to get up close and personal with a fire truck at one of their stations.

When we pulled up to the station, we saw a fire truck sitting out just waiting for Lucas to climb all over it. Lucas had free reign and immediately undertook the challenge of climbing up into the front seat.

It took him awhile but he finally made it up.

What's a boy to do when he gets up on a fire truck? Drive it of course!

Lucas even got to wear the headset.

Lucas loved sitting up in front.

Lucas enjoyed looking out the station doors as well.

There was plenty of time to climb and explore the fire truck.

Eli, once again, let Lucas play with his camera and take a picture of Mike and I. It always freaks me out when Eli hands over his camera to Lucas. I'm afraid Lucas is going to drop it and break it!

After having fun outside Lucas got to go inside the fire station and meet the firemen. They gave him a sticker badge and a hat. Lucas was sad when we had to leave. What a great way to spend a morning!

Agoo!

2011-11-18T18:49:00.000-08:00

Evan is finding his voice these days and loves to share it with us. One of his favorite "words" is Agoo which he says frequently. Lucas loves listening to Evan. The other day Lucas asked me why Evan didn't say "Bless you" after he sneezed and I told him that Baby Evan can't talk yet. Lucas immediately replied, "Yes he can. He says Agoo!"

Put Baby Evan On My Pillow

2011-11-18T18:45:00.000-08:00

If Evan is awake before Lucas then we usually take him into Lucas' room to say good morning to Lucas when he wakes up. I love seeing the huge smile on Lucas' face when he sees that his baby brother came in to say good morning to him as well. This morning when we walked into Lucas' room, Lucas immediately asked us to put Baby Evan on his pillow. Lucas loves his pillow with the train pillowcase so the fact that he was willing to share it with Baby Evan was really sweet.

Helping out with Evan

2011-11-13T19:07:00.000-08:00

Lucas loves Baby Evan and always wants to help out when Evan is unhappy. If Evan is crying Lucas will quickly look around for a pacifier and want to stick it in Evan's mouth. Unfortunately Lucas doesn't realize that that doesn't always work to stop Evan's crying but the thought definitely counts.

Napping Evan

2011-11-13T19:00:00.000-08:00

There are some days when Evan is fussy and will not nap longer than 20-30 minutes in the crib or swing. On those days I take out the Moby wrap and he naps in there. He loves how it bundles him up tightly against me. I love that it will almost always guarantee me a nap out of him. The only downside is that he likes me to keep moving and the minute I sit down he will start stirring.

Enough trains?

2011-11-12T18:56:00.000-08:00

Think Lucas has enough Thomas trains?

He doesn't. Whenever he sees a new one he always tells us that "we have to pay for that one."

Lookalike Brothers

2011-11-12T18:55:00.000-08:00

Mike and I think the boys look really similar, especially when we compare Evan to this picture of Lucas when he was almost 3 months old.

Amtrak Adventure

2011-11-11T18:41:00.000-08:00

Whenever we do a fun outing we tell Lucas we're going on an adventure. Lucas gets so excited when he hears we're going out on an adventure and he's always curious to know what it will be. Today we went on a great adventure. We headed out early and headed to the Amtrak station. Lucas was so excited when he saw us arrive at the train station. He knew immediately that we were going on a different type of train and actually remembered seeing them from a few weeks ago when we went to dinner with his Grandma and Grandpa Schooler at Jack London Square.

He was so excited waiting at the train station for our train.

Once we were on the train Lucas was glued to the window looking at everything. He kept saying, "Oh my goodness!" It was so cute.

Evan slept the entire ride up to Sacramento. He's not as into trains as Lucas is.

Once we got up to Sacramento we walked over to the California State Railroad Museum. This place is awesome. There were large trains everywhere to look at. Lucas ran around to each one excitedly.

There are lots of trains that you can climb on as well which Lucas loved.

Upstairs in the museum is a huge area where there are all sorts of Thomas train tables set up that the kids could play with. Lucas was in heaven! We had a hard time prying him away from there. After we left the museum we took a walk around Old Town and had lunch.

The train ride back was fun as well. Evan even woke up for the ride home.

It was a long day but so much fun. I have a feeling we'll be heading back there before too long.

Bath time for Evan

2011-11-07T18:38:00.000-08:00

Evan loves the bath. We can usually get a smile out of him when he's in the bath.

As soon as he gets in that warm water he immediately calms down. He loves being in there. Lucas enjoys helping out and will regularly ask if he can pull up a chair to the counter and watch.

Poor Evan hates it when we take him out of the bath and his lower lip immediately begins to pout and he will cry. We have a water baby on our hands.

Brotherly Love

2011-11-06T18:34:00.000-08:00

Lucas adores his baby brother.

Whenever he sees him he is always asking to give him a hug or a kiss. His face lights up when he first sees him in the morning.

Lucas regularly asks to hold him as well.

Lucas includes Baby Evan in everything and when Evan is crying Lucas gets so concerned. He will ask if Evan needs his pacifier or his blankie. I hope my boys will always remain as close and loving as they are right now.

Date with Lucas

2011-11-05T19:59:00.001-07:00

Tonight my parents offered to watch Evan so Mike and I could take Lucas out to dinner and for a treat. We have been really lucky in that Lucas loves his baby brother and doesn't show any sign of jealousy towards him. In fact it's quite the opposite. Lucas is always including him in our activities and talks about him all the time. He always wants to hug and kiss him as well.

But it was really nice to share some quality one on one time with our big boy. We were happy to have this opportunity. We were doubly blessed in that my parents even paid for our dinner and gave us some extra money to take Lucas to the toy store (where he picked out a couple of new Thomas trains - what else?).

We really enjoyed spending this time with Lucas. It was also incredibly easy to only take one kid out!

Drunk Girls

2011-11-04T19:54:00.000-07:00

Lucas loves to sing and listen to music. In the car he likes to sing along to songs he knows or play the drums with his hands. It's really cute. We've never been the type of family to put in a CD of kids' songs while driving in the car. Lucas just listens to whatever we like and he really seems to enjoy it.

Mike has a CD by a group called LCD Soundsystems. Lucas really enjoys listening to this CD when he drives with his Daddy.

Today I picked up Lucas from day care. As we were driving home Lucas told me, "I want Drunk Girls, Mommy." Thankfully I knew he was referring to a title of a song by LCD Soundsystems otherwise I would have been really concerned. I laughed and told him that that song was in Daddy's car but not in my car. Lucas then told me (with quite a bit of despair in his voice), "But Mommy, I NEED Drunk Girls."

Hopefully he doesn't start repeating these things at day care. We might have CPS called on us...

Evan vs. The Swaddle

2011-11-02T13:47:00.001-07:00

Evan needs to be swaddled to sleep well whether it's a nap or at night. If his arms aren't kept down he'll constantly have them flying around up by his head and wake himself up. The problem is keeping him swaddled. We've tried using regular receiving blankets but he'll get out of those pretty quickly. We then moved on to expensive Swaddle blankets but those were no match for him. Next we tried the SwaddleMe blankets that we used with Lucas. The velcro was no match for our strong boy and he'd break those open. Finally we moved on to the Miracle Blanket after reading the reviews on it. We figured since it pins the arms down at the sides with extra fabric that that would do the trick. Not so much. Each time I got up with Evan last night his arms were completely out and flailing around every where. In Evan vs. The Swaddle Evan is undefeated. Not sure what we'll try next...

Who's that?

2011-11-01T08:37:00.000-07:00

Lucas woke up early this morning and kept calling for us. I didn't think he was going to go back to sleep and I didn't want him to wake up Evan. I went into his room and asked him if he wanted to come lie in bed with me. I carried him back into our bedroom and laid him down on my pillow. He didn't sleep but would snuggle up to me, which I loved. Soon though he looked over to the other side of the bed and noticed Mike sleeping there. He turned to me and asked, "Who's that?" I had to suppress a laugh and told him it was Daddy. We've never brought Lucas into our bed so I guess he didn't realize that we sleep in the same bed. It was so cute for him to ask who that was and didn't seem scared about noticing another person in the bed.

Trick or Treating

2011-10-31T20:31:00.000-07:00

I always loved Trick or Treating as a kid but it is even more fun to take your own kids trick or treating. I had an absolute blast last night seeing Halloween through Lucas' eyes. Lucas was a little apprehensive about going up to the first house but once he realized he was getting candy at each house he got very excited.

He was so cute and would say "Trick or Treat" when someone opened the door. Then he was a polite boy and would say thank you and Happy Halloween after he got his candy. After he left each house he would tell us, "Let's go to a couple more houses."

When we got home he was so excited to check out all the candy he received.

We definitely had to limit how much he ate when we got home because he wanted to eat all of it!

Evan came along Trick or Treating but he was snoozing happily in the Moby wrap so he missed out on getting candy (not that he can eat it anyway!). I can't wait until next year when both boys will be able to participate in walking up to the houses.

Halloween at Jalila's

2011-10-31T20:19:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to pick up Lucas at day care today because I knew all of the kids would be dressed up in their costumes. It is so cute to see all of them. Unfortunately there was a horrible glare so the picture didn't come out so well.

Jalila's adorable daughter, Ayah, was there to do some face painting with the kids. I was surprised that Lucas stood still long enough for her to draw on his cheeks!

Then there was some time for coloring. Lucas told me he was drawing Thomas.

Evan came along to see everyone. It's important that he gets to know all of the kids because he will be playing with them every day once I go back to work. Jalila's husband loves babies and was happy to snuggle sleeping Evan.

We feel so lucky to have found a day care provider who gives our boys so much love.

The parents tried to get a group shot of all the kids with Jalila. It was so difficult though. The kids were all looking in every direction.

Halloween

2011-10-31T20:12:00.000-07:00

Halloween was so much fun this year.

Evan was a tiger. He even tolerated the hat for a little bit.

"Roar!"

Mike and I let Lucas pick out his costume this year. Of course he picked one that had a car. We were wondering exactly what he was. He's the driver of Lightning McQueen but doesn't the car drive itself in the movie? There's no driver? Oh well, Lucas was the cutest race car driver I've ever seen.

The headset didn't stay on too long but he did keep the hat on for quite awhile. Sunday afternoon we went to our friend's house for a Halloween party. Lucas headed straight for the Thomas train table to play, naturally.

Evan's First Mohawk

2011-10-31T20:08:00.000-07:00

Mike styled Evan's small bit of hair into a small mohawk.

It's hard to see since he has such a small amount of hair but he still looks pretty cute.

Halloween at Fairyland

2011-10-29T20:35:00.000-07:00

We are members of Children's Fairyland and we just love to go there. Lucas gets so excited whenever we tell him we are headed there. Today they had a Halloween celebration there. Each kid was given a little punch card and there were treat stations set up throughout the park where the kids would turn in their punch card and in turn get a little treat. Lucas loved it. He got candy, ice cream, popcorn, an icee amongst other things.

Lucas and Evan didn't dress up in their costumes but we did dress them in Halloween appropriate wear. It was so much fun to see all the kids running around to the different treat stations.

Lucas had a blast riding on the train and the Ferris Wheel. I was so impressed that Lucas didn't mind riding on the Ferris Wheel by himself. He got right into line on his own and when it was his turn just climbed right up. He was so cute waving to us as he passed us.

Evan slept most of the time. Next year he'll enjoy it more.

Evan's Tummy

2011-10-29T08:31:00.000-07:00

As Evan gets older he's beginning to get chubby. I love to kiss his bare tummy.

I caught him mid-yawn.

Lucas' Art Work

2011-10-27T19:28:00.000-07:00

Lucas has been busy at Jalila's doing all sorts of art work. Here are just a few of his latest creations.

Evan's First Date

2011-10-27T19:26:00.000-07:00

Evan had his first date today - with an older woman too. Lydia was born one month earlier than Evan. She came over to play today. What's ironic is that the majority of the morning Evan was the one screaming and crying and Lydia was sweet and mellow but when I went to take the picture it was the opposite.

Napping in the Hammock

2011-10-26T19:20:00.000-07:00

Lucas the Ham

2011-10-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

Lucas is such a ham. Whenever he sees the camera he will happily say "Cheese!" and allow you to take his picture but then immediately wants to see it after. Then he'll ask you to do it again. I love it because I get to capture this adorable boy.

Evan hasn't caught on to that. He will just sleep right through the picture taking.

Baby Acne

2011-10-23T19:16:00.000-07:00

Evan's baby acne is slowly clearing up.

Here's a picture of Lucas wearing the same outfit (about a month older though).

Evan's First Bottle

2011-10-23T19:14:00.000-07:00

Evan got his first bottle today. He took it like a champ. He's a messy eater and gets milk everywhere but he does that with nursing too. I was happy that he didn't have any problem with the bottle because there are a few days that I have to go in to work while out on maternity leave and Evan will be with my mom. I wanted to make sure he would eat from the bottle without any trouble and he will!

Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-10-23T16:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we headed to the Clayton Valley Pumpkin Farm with Grandma and Grandpa. Lucas had been looking forward to going all week. Mike was pretty excited as well.

We started off playing in the kid area. Lucas loved dropping the balls inside the tubes and seeing where they came out.

He enjoyed climbing on the bales of hay and then throwing the balls down to whomever would catch it.

Grandpa joined in on the fun as well. Lucas was happy to have him up there.

Lucas checked out the maze but wasn't too sure about it. He did make one run through with Daddy by his side though.

Lucas loved wandering around all of the pumpkins.

When we told him to pick one out he grabbed the first one he saw. Mission accomplished.

Grandpa took Lucas on a train ride. Lucas apparently thought it was too loud because he covered his ears the entire time. It was quite humorous.

There was time for a quick ride on the "Cool Bus" before we headed home.

If you are wondering where Baby Evan was this whole time, he was sleeping soundly in the Ergo. I didn't want to disturb him and take him out to have him pose with some pumpkins. Next year he'll enjoy the pumpkin patch, I'm sure.

Evan meets Grandma and Grandpa Schooler

2011-10-23T16:38:00.000-07:00

We were so excited to have Mike's Dad and Stepmom drive up for the weekend to meet Evan. Evan was quite excited to meet another set of grandparents. He was happy to get the gifts they brought up with them as well including an adorable Little Brother shirt.

Lucas was happy to see his grandparents as well. They didn't forget about him and brought Lucas some presents as well including some pretty cool freight cars for his Thomas train set. They definitely know how to pick the right gifts for their first grandson!

They took some time to read Lucas some stories Sunday morning before they had to make the long drive home. It was a short visit but we were so happy they came and we look forward to seeing them again!

Happy One Month Birthday Evan!

2011-10-21T16:33:00.000-07:00

Evan is one month old already. This month has gone by so quickly. He is a sweet boy and we love having him as the youngest member of our family. Nights have improved a little bit but he's still up to eat at least 3 times a night. Some nights that's all he'll be up which isn't too bad but other nights he'll also wake up a few other times and need to be rocked (or bounced) to sleep.

During the day he's awake about an hour at a time before going back down for a nap. If I watch the clock and catch his sleep cues then he's pretty easy to get down for a nap (what a difference from how Lucas was!) but if I miss my window then it takes awhile. He nurses like a champ and is growing so much. He's almost out of his 0-3 month clothing already and he's wearing size 2 in diapers now.

We've seen a few smiles here and there just this week so we are excited to see more of them. He's also beginning to coo and talk to us which is awesome. I love hearing his little voice.

Lucas and his brother

2011-10-21T10:20:00.000-07:00

Lucas really loves Evan. He doesn't show much signs of jealousy yet. He loves to look at Evan when they are riding in the car together, or when we are using the double stroller. Lucas always wants to kiss Baby Evan on the head and he gets very concerned when Evan is crying.

It warms my heart how Lucas has accepted Evan as his brother and part of his family. I hope their relationship will only continue to grow stronger.

Company in the bathroom

2011-10-21T10:17:00.000-07:00

We've been trying to encourage Lucas to use the potty and as a result he's interested in watching us use the bathroom. He also really likes to flush the toilet so we let him do that. I do miss the days of being able to pee in privacy though.

A few days ago while I was going to the bathroom, Lucas told me that "you have a gina." I had to laugh and then tell him that yes, I do. I'm glad he's finally moved past the stage of wanting to know where my male anatomical parts are.

Call the Fashion Police...

2011-10-18T20:00:00.000-07:00

Daddy is back to his crazy non-matching ways again!

I think Evan was relieved the duck pants were given away after Lucas outgrew them..

Double Bob

2011-10-16T19:54:00.000-07:00

The first second baby purchase we made was to buy a Double Bob. We love our single Bob Revolution stroller and use it all the time whether it's to take Lucas out for a run, family walks around the neighborhood, or walks up to Trader Joe's/Starbucks/Safeway/Noah's Bagels, etc. We were excited to finally use it this morning. We loaded the boys up and headed out. Lucas loved riding next to his brother.

Our walk took us to Noah's Bagels for breakfast. Then we walked along the canal trail and came out by Trader Joe's to pick up a few items. I stopped outside to nurse Evan and Lucas drank some juice. He was very proud of the mustache he got.

We then headed to our local park where Lucas burned some energy on the playground.

All in all we walked about 4 miles and had a great morning outside. It was a great way to spend a weekend morning.

I love how easy it is to push the Double Bob but that thing is a beast. It's quite large and I can't imagine using it as a stroller when I go shopping or run errands. It's too big and bulky and way too heavy to be lifting in and out of the car! But for use on walks/runs around home it's perfect.

Go Mustaches!

2011-10-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

This morning we headed into Oakland to watch our students' football game. Lucas was very excited to watch the big kids play ball. We figured since we were going to a football game, Lucas should wear a jersey. The only one he has is a Minnesota jersey that was sent to him from his cousins Steve and Cindy when he was just a baby. He looked so cute in it.

We brought along lunch to eat while we watched the game.

Lucas had a blast watching the game. On the way to the game we were telling Lucas that we were going to be yelling, "Go Mustangs!" When we got to the game we asked Lucas to yell for the students on the field and he proceeded to yell "Go Mustaches!" Close enough.

Saturday morning

2011-10-15T14:45:00.000-07:00

We had a relaxing Saturday morning. With both of our boys awake, Mike crawled into bed with Lucas to read him a story (a Thomas one, naturally). Evan wanted to listen as well.

What really warms my heart is how often Lucas shows his love for his baby brother. He wanted to give Evan a kiss on the head. It's so sweet. He really loves his brother.

Tummy Sleeper

2011-10-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

Evan definitely prefers to sleep on his tummy. He hates being swaddled (we do it anyway though) and his best sleep is always when he's on his tummy in someone's arms. I put him down briefly on the couch on his tummy and he curled up and was sound asleep in no time. I'm too paranoid to leave him like that though so we always put him to sleep on his back. I think though we'd be getting a lot longer stretches of sleep from him if we let him sleep on his tummy though. Oh well.

Grandparent Love

2011-10-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

Evan is just as adored as Lucas is. He already has his grandparents wrapped around his finger. My parents are always eager to come over and spend time with their two favorite grandsons. Evan is quite content to spend an hour or so snuggled up in someone's arms.

He only fusses when it's time to eat again.

Lucas always looks forward to their visits. He is one spoiled little boy and knows that Grandma and Grandpa usually have some little treat for him whether it's a new book or a toy. He also likes how Grandma is always baking him chocolate chip cookies or letting him eat cake. She definitely indulges his sweet tooth.

Grandma Love

2011-10-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

My mom offered to babysit one morning so I could run out to get a manicure and a pedicure. I was thrilled to have a little time to myself and to indulge in a little pampering. I think in addition to treating me to some much needed relaxation time she also wanted some time alone to snuggle with her second grandson. I can't really blame her...

Evan at 2 Weeks

2011-10-06T11:40:00.000-07:00

Today we had Evan's 2 week appointment with his pediatrician. Our little chunker is now 10lbs 12oz! He's 22 inches long so he's gained an inch since birth.

Loving Lucas Even More

2011-10-05T20:20:00.000-07:00

Before I had Evan I wondered how I was going to be able to love another child as much as I loved Lucas. But once I held Evan in my arms I didn't have to wonder any more. Your heart just grows. What I was surprised to discover though was that my love for Lucas grew even more now that Evan has joined our family. I didn't think it was possible to love him more than I did already but I do. He is my first born and my sweet, precious boy. He is such a blessing in my life and I'm so proud to be able to call myself his Mama.

Open Eyes

2011-10-05T20:17:00.000-07:00

We don't get to see these beautiful blue eyes too much yet since he's sleeping a lot. So whenever he's awake I always try and snap a picture of them.

Visit to Grandma and Grandpa's House

2011-10-05T20:14:00.000-07:00

Evan enjoyed his first visit to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Grandma and Grandpa were thrilled to have him over and were fighting over who got to hold him.

Reading to Evan

2011-10-05T20:11:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about Lucas is his love of books. He adores having books read to him (he even has quite a few memorized and will "read" them to us). He also really enjoys reading the books himself. He'll turn the pages and tell us what is going on in each picture. Lucas gets as excited with a new book as he does with a new toy. I hope he always has this love of books.

We're hoping Evan will share in Lucas' love of books. We're starting him off early by reading to him at the same time that we read to Lucas.

Evan on the Island of Sodor

2011-10-05T20:06:00.000-07:00

Lucas adores his baby brother. It warms my heart to hear him refer to Evan as his brother. It's so cute. Lucas enjoys holding Evan.

Lucas also was willing to share his beloved Thomas the Train Table with Evan. He told Mike to put Evan on the Island of Sodor and Lucas played trains all around him while Evan slept soundly. Sharing trains is a huge thing for Lucas. We were very impressed.

Sleepy Evan

2011-10-05T19:56:00.000-07:00

During the day Evan is a pretty easy baby. He is very different from how Lucas was at this age. He is still really sleepy and isn't awake for long periods of time at all. He'll sleep pretty much anywhere whether it's his bouncy chair, the swing, or his favorite - on top of someone's chest.

Evan will sleep through Lucas loudly playing right next to him as well.

Mike enjoys reading him a bedtime story.

He loves to have his hands up by his head when he sleeps.

Unfortunately nights are a whole other story. Every evening it takes a good 2+ hours to get him down for the night. He is unhappy, fights sleep, and will scream for a good portion of the time. Nothing seems to soothe him. Some nights I just give in and let him sleep unswaddled on my chest for the first part of the night while I lie on the couch getting very little sleep. The later part of the night he is up every hour and a half to eat but usually go back down without too much effort.

Lucas and Eli

2011-10-02T14:31:00.000-07:00

Lucas adores Eli. He gets so excited when Eli takes our pictures. He totally turns on the charm for him and as a result we get some amazing pictures of Lucas.

Playing with Daddy:

I think a huge reason why Lucas adores Eli is because Eli always lets Lucas take pictures with his camera. Lucas loves pushing the button and seeing his pictures. Eli is so patient with Lucas and will let him take as many pictures as he wants.

You probably won't be too surprised to see what Lucas was taking pictures of:

Pictures with Eli

2011-09-28T14:13:00.000-07:00

We were so grateful to our good friend Eli to come out and take some photos of the new addition to our family. We always love working with him and we adore the images he captured of the new addition to our family.

Evan - One Week Old

2011-09-28T13:54:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe it's been one week since Evan joined our family. Our family feels so complete now that he's a part of it. Even though it's only been a short week since he's been with us, I can't imagine our lives without him.

Evan is a great eater. He nurses frequently and seems to be growing right before our eyes. He doesn't fit in any of his newborn clothes anymore. He's wearing size 0-3 months. He never wore newborn diapers - he started off in size 1. For the most part he's a mellow baby and doesn't cry too often. When he does cry it's usually because he's hungry or has some gas. Once one of those needs are met then he's content once again.

Unfortunately he sleeps for longer stretches during the day and is up more frequently at night, which is difficult. We're trying to switch his days and nights so he'll sleep longer at night. I'm having a hard time adjusting to being up multiple times at night and not sleeping as much.

We've nicknamed him Stinky. He is constantly dirtying his diapers about 20 minutes after falling asleep. He continues to sleep through it though so we just leave him until he wakes up before changing him - hence the nickname Stinky.

His jaundice finally has cleared up so he's no longer as yellow skinned as he was. Poor little guy had to go back to the lab multiple times for heel pricks to test his levels.

Lucas loves his baby brother. He gets very concerned when Evan cries. He always wants to kiss him, touch him, or give him a hug. I love hearing him refer to his baby brother. He includes Evan when he talks to us about where we're going or what we are going to do.

Matilda has accepted Evan much better than she did with Lucas. She is happy to sit near him when he's sleeping. She doesn't mind his crying too much. I think she's probably glad that he leaves her alone. Soon enough he'll be terrorizing her like Lucas does.

I've recovered from the delivery much faster this time around. I feel dramatically different at one week out than I did with Lucas. I'm already itching to start working out again but I know I have to wait a few more weeks. I'm struggling to balance everything in life. It's hard to function on little sleep and deal with an active toddler in addition to a newborn. I'm grateful for all of our friends that have brought over meals for us as we haven't had to worry about cooking since coming home. I try and take on one task a day whether it's a load or two of laundry, paying bills, or whatever else that needs to get done around the house. I'm hoping I find the right balance soon of resting and also taking care of my family.

Lucas holding Evan for the first time

2011-09-23T22:13:00.000-07:00

Once we got home from the hospital Lucas got his first chance to hold Evan. He was very eager to do it. Unfortunately Evan was hungry so he didn't want to stay and cuddle with Lucas for too long. The novelty of holding his baby brother for the first time didn't last long for Lucas either.

Lucas visiting with Evan

2011-09-22T22:05:00.000-07:00

Lucas got to meet his new baby brother the day he was born. But it was a short visit since Evan was in the NICU. The next day when Evan was rooming in with me Lucas came to see his brother again. I was so happy to see my big boy - it was really hard to be away from him in the hospital. Lucas climbed up into the bed with me to check out Evan.

After looking at him for a few minutes Lucas wanted to hop down and check out my hospital room. He was quite pleased when he found a juice box leftover from my lunch.

He watched Daddy change Evan's diaper. Lucas was very concerned when Evan was crying.

This was also Uncle Joe and Aunt Michelle's first visit to see Evan. Lucas of course made sure they gave him plenty of attention as well.

NICU

2011-09-22T18:48:00.000-07:00

Evan had to spend 24 hours in the NICU for observations of a possible infection. I got a fever during labor and delivery and Evan was born with one as well. They wanted to give him antibiotics and make sure he didn't have an infection. I was so grateful that we got to keep him with us for an hour after he was born before they took him. Once he went to the NICU it was 4 hours before I got the opportunity to make it down there to see him. We had to wait until my left side was no longer numb and also for the shift change of nurses. It was a long 4 hours.

I hated seeing him in there. He had an IV in his arm and all sorts of wires plugged into machines to monitor him. It broke my heart to see my boy like that. I was grateful though that I did get to see him and I was able to nurse him again. I made it very clear to all of the nurses that I was planning on exclusively breastfeeding so I didn't want him to have any formula. Lucas was able to come into the NICU that evening as well as my parents to meet Evan.

Mike went home that evening to put Lucas to bed and I stayed in my recovery room. The nurses would call me every 2-3 hours when Evan was ready to eat and I would walk down the hall to the NICU and nurse him, cuddle him, sing to him as he fell back to sleep. Seeing him there broke my heart though and I was so grateful that he only had a short stay in the NICU. It felt so wrong to be apart from my baby.

We only took one picture of him from the NICU and it was from the first time I held him after going to see him.

Evan's Birth Story - Mom's Point of View

2011-09-21T18:59:00.000-07:00

Tuesday morning I woke up and was still having regular contractions. They ranged anywhere from 8-10 minutes apart. I began to wonder if maybe this was it. Considering the contractions have been going on since yesterday afternoon I thought it was a strong possibility. It was hot outside so Mike and I headed to the mall to walk a few laps. As we were walking my contractions were getting closer together (5-7 minutes apart) and every other contraction was really painful. We picked up a pretzel at the mall before heading home and calling Labor and Delivery.

Labor and Delivery told me to come in so at 1pm we headed out. As we walked into the hospital I got tears in my eyes. I couldn't believe that this might really be it and potentially the next time we walked out of those doors we'd be a family of four. Our lives would be changed forever. Even though I've had 9 months to get used to the idea it was only really hitting home now.

We were sent to triage where they hooked me up to a fetal monitor as well as a contraction monitor. The monitor registered that I was having regular contractions but they still weren't extremely painful. I was able to breathe through them although I wasn't talking when I had them. The midwife checked me and I was still 3cm only now I was 90% effaced. She stripped my membranes once again. She was on the fence about whether or not to admit me. She did a fluid checked and that looked good. She decided to continue to monitor me for a little longer before making a decision. As she left, Mike and I resigned ourselves that we were probably going to be going home since even though my contractions were close together they weren't strong enough to be considered active labor. I began to look forward to getting some sleep in my own bed. The midwife returned around 3:15 and informed us that she was admitting us. When we first got there, Evan had a drop in his heart rate that concerned her and she wanted to err on the side of caution and just admit us since I was having contractions and it was past my due date.

We headed into Labor and Delivery Room 8 which was much nicer than the room I was in last time. We had an amazing nurse who got us settled. They decided to let me labor on my own for a bit to see if the contractions strengthened. The contractions quickly got more painful. I had to really concentrate on relaxing through them and not tensing up. Unfortunately though while they were regular in coming every 3-4 minutes, they were only lasting about a minute. When I was checked at 8pm I was still only 3cm which was disheartening. They started me on a low dosage of pitocin to see if that would ramp things up. The pitocin definitely brought on stronger, painful contractions that were lasting longer. At this point I was hungry and tired. I hadn't eaten lunch except for that pretzel at the mall. Plus the night before I didn't sleep well. I decided to get the epidural so I could get some rest.

The epidural definitely took the edge off the contractions but it didn't completely numb me. I would still feel the contractions on my right side. In the beginning I would just feel the peak of them for about 20 seconds and the pain wasn't too bad. But after an hour or so I would feel the entire contraction (only on my right side though - such a strange feeling) so I'd have to press the button for more pain relief. The nurse had me lie on my side to see if the medicine would travel to my right side but it didn't work.

It was a long night and unfortunately one in which I didn't get much sleep. I was able to rest a bit and the epidural definitely helped with that but sleeping wasn't an option. My labor was progressing really slowly. I was only dilated about 1cm every 2 hours or so. Finally at 4am I was 9.5cm - progress! The last .5cm was an anterior lip of my cervix that was being stubborn and wouldn't stretch out. I was checked every 1-2 hours and things stayed the same. They increased my pitocin to see if that helped. My midwife was wonderful and was hopeful that eventually it would move out of the way and I'd dilate to 10cm. It was at this point that I developed a fever that steadily would increase every hour or so. They started me on antibiotics.

Finally at 10am the OB came in to check me and determined that it hadn't changed. She began discussing the option of a c-section. She explained that my labor was not typical at all since it was progressing so slowly and that the baby was still stuck at -1 station and hadn't moved down further into my pelvis. His head, while it was down, was slightly turned making a wider part of his head trying to make it through my pelvis. The OB stated that perhaps he was a bigger baby than Lucas and couldn't fit through my pelvis and that was why he wasn't coming down further and I wasn't getting to 10cm. She went over the risks of a c-section and the recovery. The doctor inserted an internal contraction monitor to try and see if the contractions were truly strong enough because if they weren't that would explain why I wasn't dilated fully. But if they were (which they determined they were) then it would be further proof that perhaps he just wasn't fitting through.

She left Mike and I and decided she'd be back at 11am and we'd make a decision then. I broke down crying. I never envisioned needing a c-section. I knew that if that was the final decision because it was safest for the baby then I'd be OK with it but I hated having to be in the hospital longer after recovery and away from Lucas. I hated that I wouldn't be able to hold/lift up Lucas once I got home. But we resigned ourselves that this was probably the road ahead of us.

At 11am the doctor and midwife returned to check me. I was *finally* at 10cm; however, Evan was still at -1 station. He hadn't moved down further. We discussed what to do at this point. We all decided that they didn't want me to push for too long only to end up in a c-section. I did a practice push while the doctor inserted her hand on Evan's head to see if he moved at all. She said he did move slightly. I knew I couldn't opt for the c-section without at least trying to push him out. But knowing I pushed with Lucas for over 3 hours, I wasn't too hopeful. The doctor left me with the midwife at 11:10 and said she'd be back at 11:30 to see if any progress had been made.

I began pushing and immediately realized that it hurt (that darn epidural that didn't numb me completely). The nurse, midwife, and Mike were all telling me I was doing a great job and making progress but I didn't believe them. I thought they were just being encouraging so I'd actually try hard. After a few pushes I kept asking why it was hurting so much and everyone was telling me because the baby was coming. At 11:15 Mike told me that the baby was really coming, that I was doing it. He also told me they were getting the room ready for a delivery. I looked around and noticed he was right. I couldn't believe it. After a few more pushes, many in which I was told to stop pushing midway through while the midwife coaxed his head out, Evan Oscar Schooler was born at 11:23am and placed on my chest. I immediately burst into tears of joy, of disbelief, of happiness.

I couldn't believe he was here and that I pushed him out in 13 minutes. To go from thinking I was going to have a c-section to holding my baby in my arms 23 minutes later was shocking. Mike and I were both crying and staring in awe at our little guy.

Because I had a fever, Evan did as well. A NICU nurse was there for the delivery and we could all tell by feeling him that he was warm. She did say that we could hold him and bond with him for an hour but that he would need to go to the NICU for observation and to receive antibiotics. I got to hold Evan on my chest for over 30 minutes before they took him to get weighed. We were all curious as to his size since he seemed like a big boy.

I was shocked when I learned he was 9 pounds, 7 ounces and 21 inches long. I didn't expect such a big baby!

Mike and I were amazed at how similar he looks to Lucas.

His hair is lighter and in some light looks like it has a reddish tint to it. His eyes are blue but a deeper shade of blue than Lucas' are now. We got to spend a glorious hour with him before they took him over to the NICU. I will say that for most of that hour I kept staring at him and saying that I couldn't believe it. He was here, in my arms, and I pushed him out.

Such a tease

2011-09-20T02:19:00.000-07:00

The little dude is following in big dude's footsteps of teasing his parents about when he's planning on making his entrance. Yesterday morning I have 4 super strong contractions 5 minutes apart as I was getting ready to go to my doctor's appointment. They stopped me in my tracks. I had to breathe through them. I called Mike to put him on standby at work. He decided to come home just in case.

I headed in to my doctor's appointment and found that I was 3cm dilated and ready to go according to my doctor. After that I headed in for acupuncture where during the hour and a half treatment I had several strong contractions. As soon as I left acupuncture I felt immense downward pressure and I began having regular contractions 6-8 minutes apart. These contractions lasted well into the evening.

Some of them were pretty strong, some were milder but it was the longest stretch of regular contractions I've had. I decided to try and sleep while I still could get some rest around 9pm. I would get woken up every hour with a painful contraction only to find that they didn't progress into anything further. Now it's 2am and I'm awake, not from contractions, but because I have pregnancy insomnia.

I just learned of a one day nurse's strike set to take place this Thursday. Now I'm hoping the little dude will stay nice and cozy until at least Friday as I would rather not deal with a hospital with nurses on strike. If he's anything like his brother, that won't be a problem.

Happy Due Date!

2011-09-19T07:07:00.000-07:00

Today is my due date - I'm 40 weeks pregnant. Once again my OB has proven that he's crazy when he tells me there's no way I'm making it to my due date. With Lucas and now with the little dude, I've proven him wrong. Knowing how comfortable Lucas was baking away, I don't think we'll be seeing this guy anytime soon either.

I've definitely reached maximum capacity. Only a few of my maternity clothes fit me these days so I recycle a lot of outfits. My hands and feet are really swollen which is probably the worst pregnancy related symptom. But I'm still enjoying my pregnancy and trying to savor every last moment. However you look at it, we're probably looking at having our baby boy in our arms in about a week. I can't believe it.

Lucas regularly refers to the Baby In the Tummy and will give my tummy hugs and kisses. When he got back from the store yesterday he came running inside to share the stickers he got there with me and he had one also for the Baby In The Tummy. It's really cute. I hope he'll embrace his little brother as much as he embraces my large tummy!

Stop Playing That!

2011-09-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

I called Lucas sweetie tonight to which he replied, "You called me Sweetie. Stop playing that, I'm Lucas!"

Family Day of Fun

2011-09-18T08:48:00.001-07:00

Mike and I are really enjoying spending our last few days as a family of 3. We are soaking up all of the Lucas alone time we can get. Weekends are devoted to doing fun family activities which is awesome.

Yesterday we went out to breakfast and then visited the Lindsay Wildlife Museum. It had been a few months since we'd been there last so we were excited to take Lucas back. Lucas loved looking in the window at the owls and other birds. He made his daddy proud by loudly exclaiming, "Hey, there's an eagle!" when he spotted one as well.

Lucas ran around from exhibit to exhibit checking everything out. He was so into it. We then headed into the Discovery Room for kids and Lucas had fun sitting down playing with the puzzles and other activities.

Our little bookworm spotted the bookshelf and immediately went over and started picking out books to read.

Each bug book he brought over, he told us was "Bugs for Lunch" which is the name of a bug book he has at home that we bought him in Lake Tahoe. He found one of his favorites "Goodnight Moon" and read that as well. I remember when he was just a baby and hated that book. Now it's one of his favorites.

Lucas enjoyed playing with the bird puppet.

He liked sitting on the rocking horse as well.

After visiting the museum we headed over to the park next door and Lucas had a blast on the swings, going down the slides, and even climbing up the tall ladder. We were very impressed with this as our boy is not normally an adventurous climber at the park.

We headed home for a nap (for Mommy, Lucas refused to nap for us). In the afternoon we knew we had to get him out of the house again otherwise it would be a long afternoon with a cranky toddler who didn't sleep. Mike had been promising him another ride on the BART train so we packed up and headed out.

Lucas adores being on BART. He gets so excited when the train pulls up to the platform. He is constantly saying "Chug a Chug a Choo Choo!" or "All aboard!"

He loves looking out the window and seeing all of the cars on the freeway. He makes friends with all of the other passengers sitting near him.

We headed into Berkeley to have dinner before coming back. On the way home the train was a bit crowded so Lucas didn't get a window seat. He was leaning over a seat excitedly talking about all of the cars he was seeing on the freeway. I told him not to yell in the passenger's ear (he was leaning over right where someone was sitting). Our polite boy quickly said, "Excuse me" to the man who was sitting there. The man then told Lucas, "Not to worry about it" and Lucas quickly replied, "I didn't." That got a laugh out of those who heard it. Cheeky little guy.

We had such a fun family day out. I love seeing things through Lucas' eyes and experiencing the world around us in a whole different way.

Baths and Showers

2011-09-17T19:08:00.000-07:00

Lucas loves taking baths and showers. He adores being naked and getting all soapy. Yesterday when he was taking a bath he would lie on his stomach and say he was swimming in the bathtub. It was so cute to watch him "swimming" in the bath. I loved watching his cute little butt poking out of the bubbles.

This morning I was in the shower while Lucas and Mike were out for a run. When they got home Lucas came running into the bathroom and told me to get out of the shower because it was "Lucas and Daddy's turn." As I said, the child his loves baths and showers.