Change of subject: Landon and I observed the first of two Montessori schools we are considering for Samuel next year. It was a positive experience, and I think we're both leaning towards enrolling Samuel, but I'm feeling a little sad about him being in school five mornings a week. If we decide to go through with the Montessori school, instead of leaving him where he is now, this will be the first of five-day school weeks for him until he graduates high-school. Although I'll miss him in the mornings, I know he will do well, and Samuel is the type of kid that would thrive with this routine at the right school. I've been gradually preparing Samuel for this transition now since he was 18 months old. First with "Parents' Time Off" sessions at the community center, then preschool two days a week. I never wanted him (or me) to have the traumatic first-day experience, so I chose to gradually transition him, which went well, and to this day, he's never cried when I've left him! Still, these decisions aren't made lightly for me. After giving this a lot of thought, I'm hoping the decision we make will feel right in the end.
Losing Sleep, Making Decisions
Change of subject: Landon and I observed the first of two Montessori schools we are considering for Samuel next year. It was a positive experience, and I think we're both leaning towards enrolling Samuel, but I'm feeling a little sad about him being in school five mornings a week. If we decide to go through with the Montessori school, instead of leaving him where he is now, this will be the first of five-day school weeks for him until he graduates high-school. Although I'll miss him in the mornings, I know he will do well, and Samuel is the type of kid that would thrive with this routine at the right school. I've been gradually preparing Samuel for this transition now since he was 18 months old. First with "Parents' Time Off" sessions at the community center, then preschool two days a week. I never wanted him (or me) to have the traumatic first-day experience, so I chose to gradually transition him, which went well, and to this day, he's never cried when I've left him! Still, these decisions aren't made lightly for me. After giving this a lot of thought, I'm hoping the decision we make will feel right in the end.
A Memory from Our First House
Samuel was 13 months when this video was taken. Landon is playing tunes with some of his friends from sessions around Portland.
Juniper, the Good Sleeper?
February Book-Club
Co-sleeping

Juniper is 11 weeks old already! She's sleeping pretty well at night now, and for the most part has a pretty consistent schedule during the day that she's fallen into naturally. When she wakes up in the morning, she has about 20 minutes of happy time, then gets fussy & is ready for her morning nap. Usually, I no sooner get her to sleep and it's time to get out the door to take Samuel to school or to start our day. Juniper takes her naps most of the time on the go or in her swing. I still haven't used her crib yet, except to let her look at the mobile every once in awhile. Speaking of her unused crib brings me to the subject of co-sleeping.
Co-sleeping has worked out great so far for us. We kept Samuel in our bed until he was about 16 months, then when we bought this house, we purchased him a twin mattress & cute new bedding at Pottery Barn. We figured since we were buying a new house that it would be a good time to transition him to his new room (ever try sleeping with a 16 month old? it's not easy!). At that time, we started laying with him until he fell asleep, then would go in during the night and lay with him when he woke up. Samuel was never a good sleeper, so we would end up going in there several times a night. Landon was usually pretty good about only staying in there until he fell back asleep, then he'd return to our room. Me, I'd fall asleep and wake up in the morning in Samuel's bed. It's only been now that Samuel has turned 3 that he's started sleeping through the night. Of course, when he's sick, everything changes, but when he's well, he's sleeping through the night on a regular basis now--finally! Landon told him awhile back that he can get up when the sun comes up, so sometimes I hear him get up to check at 5am, then go back to bed. Most mornings, he lays with his curtain slightly opened and waits for the sun. Sure enough, the minute he sees the sun peaking through his curtains, he walks down the stairs and announces a little too energetically at 7 in the morning, "The sun is up, DADDY!"
Then there is Juniper. She seems to be a much better sleeper so far than Samuel was. Samuel would get up 6 to 8 times a night until he was well over a year old. On a good night, Juniper wakes up around 5am for a feeding. On a not-so-good night, she's up three or four times. Overall she's sleeping much more soundly than Samuel. I'm wondering if she'll continue to sleep better if I transition her to her crib or co-sleeper, or if she's only sleeping so soundly because she's right next to me in bed. One thing that makes transitioning her to the crib a little challenging is that I would have to physically get up out of bed to go and get her and then either bring her back to bed to nurse her or sit upright & awake. If I bring her back to bed, we'll be co-sleeping the rest of the night, as I'll fall back asleep, so it seems like it would defeat the purpose of having her in her crib. Really, what's the point if she ends up back in my bed a couple of hours later? So, I'm not going to worry about all that right now, because I love co-sleeping, and I really only have these early years for a fleeting second and then they'll be gone. When I think about that, it makes me want to forget about transitioning her altogether and focus on enjoying this time with my little co-sleeper. Plus, I can't deny the fact that co-sleeping WORKS. Juniper and I both sleep better (I'm not waking up worrying if she's still breathing or warm enough), and I can go back to sleep as soon as Juniper wakes up for a feeding as we've mastered side-line nursing.
Part of me wonders if there is a magic window where transitioning your baby from your bed to the crib might save you a year or two of multiple night-wakings. Of course, the term "magic window" insinuates there is one catchall formula that works for all children, and being an advocate for attachment parenting, I believe you have to work instinctively at establishing individual techniques for each child. I found that Samuel at a certain point was waking up at night to nurse because he was in the habit of doing so, not because he was hungry. It was at this time that we transitioned him to his own twin bed & I decided to stop nursing shortly thereafter. Of course, right now, Juniper is waking up to nurse because she IS hungry. My hope is that she will continue to be a good sleeper through all the upcoming developmental stages, but my fear is that by co-sleeping, she might eventually develop the habit of nursing off and on all night, and being a human pacifier can be exhausting!
Postpartum
Becoming a Pumping Mom
Declining Unwanted Catalogs
******************
An update on Samuel:
I took Samuel to the doctor this morning for a follow-up visit. His fever has gone way down, and so far hasn't reappeared. He slept a lot yesterday, and seems to be feeling much better this morning. Yesterday morning he was pretty ill, so this is definitely a good sign. The swelling in his neck has not diminished yet, but the doctor is encouraged to see him feeling better this morning. We are going to take him in again next week to have the swelling looked at again, but hopefully by then it will have gone away. Meanwhile, I'm trying to get Samuel to take probiotics through yogurt as well as supplementing acidophilus in his food to offset the antibiotics.
Update on Samuel


Continued Illness
More Primaries
Window Sash Restoration
Here is a short video of a conversation between Landon and Samuel while I was getting some coffee in Starbucks. Samuel is doing better and better at having a conversation.
Landon and his Dad worked on the first of the south window sashes we plan to restore on the south side of the house today. Little by little, we plan to restore all 33 windows in our house. They are working on the first one right now, which will be the hardest, as it was literally falling apart and had to be completely disassembled, stripped down, and reglued. Once Landon gets all the supplies together & figures out the best process for restoring a window sash, which he's pretty much done with the one he's working on now, they will go quickly. With each one Landon pulls out, we'll have a new working window that is properly glazed and functional, which will keep our house warmer, and each one will have new sash cords, varnish on the inside, and paint on the exterior. I think it's important to restore houses to their original condition, and original windows add a great deal of charm to an early 20th century house. I've been told by the experts that window sashes are as good as the new vinyl ones when they've been properly glazed & maintained. So, the plan is to work on window sashes off and on over the next few years until all 33 have been restored. Right now, we hope to get the south windows (which are the worst) finished this summer.
Karli
Warmer Weather
Metro

Samuel's friend from playgroup, Ben, turned 3 today. We had fun at his party, which was at a bowling alley. Samuel enjoyed bowling for the first time & playing the games in the small arcade area.
It was beautiful & sunny today. After purchasing some shelves @ Costco, we got our basement straightened up, and I ran some hazardous waste out to Metro, as well as 140 pounds of junk that I unfortunately had to add to the mountain of garbage there. Fortunately, that pile is sorted by hand, and anything that can be recycled is put aside. I'd never been out to Metro before, and was impressed with how efficiently they run things there. They are also friendly & helpful. I have to admit, however, that I was a little dismayed at seeing the mountains upon mountains of garbagethere , and felt guilty adding to the pile. Makes me want to recycle and reuse more than we do.
Edamame
Post-Vaccination Day
Juniper slept a lot last night and today, most likely a response to her vaccinations yesterday. She hasn't had any other side effects, just lots of sleep. Samuel's actually still fighting this virus he's had. His fever comes and goes at random, and there have been a few nights where he's awoken from a deep sleep crying, and when I go into his room, I realize he has fevered up again. This virus has given him a light body rash, diarrea, and sore neck muscles. Poor guy. He's also coming down with a new cold. Juniper, too. I'm hoping he gets over this virus soon, because I hate to see it come and go like it has for so long.
Happy 3rd Birthday, Ian!
Vaccinations
Another Winter Illness
The gravel was delivered today. The chimney & fireplace are clean. The gutters & roof will be cleaned later this week. Last night, Landon was able to move our red twig dogwood, which is extremely pervasive, and was planted too close to our fence line. He moved it before it had developed too much of an extensive root system, and since it is quite hearty, I don't expect it to have any set-backs. As shown in the jpg. that I hyperlinked above, it has beautiful red twigs during its dormant season, and beautiful creamy white flowers and lush foliage during the summer & fall. It's now in the corner of our backyard, and will make a beautiful focal point. I have a vine maple on each side of the dogwood.
My crocuses are in bloom, and with the sun we've had the past couple of days, I'm sensing spring in the air!
9 Weeks Old

It's been a whirlwind around here lately, and I feel like I'm swimming in the sea of things to get done. I was able to schedule our chimney cleaning for tomorrow, as well as leave messages with several contractors to get our gutters & roof cleaned. Landon called to get a load of 3/4" gravel delivered tomorrow for the street parking in front of our house. Only the center of our street is paved, and the part of the street where we park along the curb is getting pretty muddy. I'm glad I made a little headway on my list of things to do today, but I still have a ways to go before I'm caught up.
P.S. Thank-you for the adorable outfit (pictured above) for Juniper, Erin!
Samuel Turns Three
Little Deer Shoes
An Experience with Fine Wine
3 Years and 2 Months


Peri's Ponchos

8 Weeks
Juniper is 8 weeks old today. She is holding her head up now & has discovered her hands. She will sometimes look at them now and touch her fingers together. She loves to watch Samuel & I'm starting to see the first glimpses of sibling interaction. Samuel is a protective big brother, and is often saying things like, "Mommy, she wants her pacifier" or "Mommy, she needs to nurse right now." It's been such a relief to move beyond the adjustment phase from those early weeks, and to see Samuel move from acting out to being a big brother. For those of you still in those early weeks, it does get easier! Hang in there!
P.S. In the photo above, Juniper is wearing Smartwool Booties, and I really love them! The merino wool keeps her feet toasty warm, and they stay on her feet, despite her constant kicks! A great investment for a winter baby!
Creative Entrepreneurs
In this week's Willamette Week, there's a story of a young man, Michael Chorazak, whose business idea came when he was out on a walk one evening in NW Portland and caught a drift of the smell of burning wood. Only the creative mind takes a thought like, "I've always loved the smell of a campfire" to "I wonder if anyone's ever made a candle that smells like that." Sure enough, he found that no one was making candles that smelled of campfires, so Hotwicks was born, and he even quit his day job at Nike to make it happen. Hop on over to this new candlemaker's website and check out his work. The Portland Tribune came out with a story on Hotwicks this week as well.
On another note, Move On is organizing watch parties for Super Tuesday. I've had a hard time figuring out whether to vote for Clinton or Obama, but I've finally decided on Obama. The polls are starting to turn in his favor, so I'm hopeful about his prospects. Tune in tomorrow night for coverage on the primaries, and make a party out of it if you can!
Sunday
Yesterday, we spent the morning doing grocery shopping & getting supplies for Samuel's party next weekend--he's going to be THREE already! We're all excited, and looking forward to celebrating his 3rd birthday. What a treat it was to pass through Garden Home on our way to Target and see a small snow storm passing through. Everything was white, and there was about one or two inches on the ground. I stopped at one of my favorite drive-through coffee shops, Espresso Works (they serve Stumptown and the owner is really sweet), and Juniper and I sat in the car while Samuel and Landon got out and played in the snow. About 5 to 7 minutes later, Samuel started screaming. His hands had finally become too cold for comfort, but boy did he have fun throwing those snowballs. We got him into the car & warmed up in no time. It was such a pretty morning in Garden Home with all the white, barren trees & falling snow. We really hope to get up to Mount Hood next year so Samuel can experience snow on a more regular basis, as we only get a good snowstorm here in the valley every other year or so.
--Karli
Saturday Afternoon
Karli
