Posts filed under 'Family'
Wow. What happened? It’s been a busy while of things here lately.
April was… filled with birthdays! Happy birthday dad! Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday to Roby and Colin! Anna helped make cakes and blow out candles and open presents. Yeah cake!
Noah’s growing like a weed. Huge thunder thighs on the boy (check our pics on Flickr), but otherwise he’s just pretty large-ish like his sister was. Such a happy kid, though, full of smiles and smiles and more smiles. He generally behaves himself except right around Anna’s bedtime when he gets grumpy and starts to lose his little mind. Yeah, bedtimes are tough these days in the Enssle household!
Anna’s been doing well. She’s getting more and more used to Noah every day, and she’s even being really sweet and loving with him lately. (Though from time to time she does ask us when we’re going to get her a sister…). She’s pretty much adapted to preschool, and is doing well there, too. We just had her evaluation with the school district therapists and, contrary to our own expectations, we’re probably going to “mainstream” her and keep her at Burlington instead of Tiny Tim. The hope being that she’s enough of a social butterfly that she’ll work hard to emulate the other kids and what they’re all doing on the playground and in the classroom.
Meanwhile Tara’s been somehow managing to keep up with a sysiphean workload. She’s back to work part time, and balancing all the drama at work with Anna’s horseback riding, PT, OT, preschool, and daycare appointments. Oh, and the whole breastfeeding thing keeps her running on about 3-4 hours of sleep a night. I’d like to say I help out but it really seems like a drop in the bucket these days compared to her crazy schedule. (Thanks hon!)
Debbie joined us for a week, and it was wonderful. I think she had a great time with the grandkids, and she was an enormous help around the house. With her help we’ve finally got Noah’s room painted, curtains hung in the living room, some furniture re-arranged, and mostly caught up on laundry. Oh, and we ate well, too!
Work has been good for me. We’re busy! Very busy! Which is great in this economy, so I’m not complaining at all. Frankly, I’ve been spoiled of late, since Tara managed to let me sneak away for a couple days of camping and rock climbing with the guys from work, and then to a conference last week in Vegas. (‘Twas my first time in Vegas! Wow. It’s full of stars…). I owe her lots and lots of babysitting.
Max is annoyed at the dearth of lap real estate these days, but he’s getting by as best he can.
Well, enough said for now. Hopefully you’re all a little bit caught up. Really just the usual crazy insanity here.
May 9th, 2009
Happy birthday, dearest little one! Three years ago today you were born into this world.
I can’t even believe it. It seems like just yesterday. And it seems like ages ago, too. Granny and Papa are coming for a visit next week, and we’ll have a little party with family then.
But today you will open presents from your Grandad and smile.
Today Oma and Opa will come for brunch and give you hugs.
Today you will get to eat chocolate and “pinkalicious” ice cream.
Today we’ll take you out to Red Robin and get you a pink balloon.
Today your daddy and mommy will try their very best to make you laugh and giggle. Because that is the very best sound in the entire world.
Have a very happy birthday, my love!
And here’s wishing you many, many, many more.
March 15th, 2009
Just a quick note to let folks know I just posted some new photos on the Flickr site, including a short movie of Mr. Noah smiling!
Oh, and Anna’s been doing just great with her new cast (which is very, very pink!). Seriously. We’re all amazed at her positive attitude and she’s getting some really good therapy done. Her new therapist said that the cast might just make it all simpler for her, in a way, by removing the constant conflict in her mind about which hand to use for each and every task.
March 7th, 2009
So it has been awhile since we last posted. Pretty much everyone in the house has been sick! Anna had a suspected case of pneumonia and Neal, Noah and I have had colds. We’ve been using hand sanitizer like crazy, but I’m not sure how effective it is when the preschooler is running around sneezing and coughing on everyone and everything. Anna has yet another cold that has turned her into a sloppy, runny-nosed, weepy-eyed monster. I feel so badly for her, but the whining does grate on the nerves after awhile. She’s so generously passed this most recent cold on to her father, who is battling it with copious amounts of vitamin c and coldeeze lozenges.
We took Noah in to the doctor shortly after his 5-week milestone to make sure that his cold hadn’t turned into something more serious (namely, pneumonia). He weighed in at 11 lbs. 13 oz! Looking at him, it is hard to believe he is only 7 weeks old. He’s now wearing some 3-6 month clothing! Anyway, his cold hadn’t turned into anything more serious, but it certainly has proved to be long-lived. He still has a stuffy nose 2 weeks later!
We’re starting another round of intensive constraint therapy for Anna this week. Starting today we’ll be wearing a cast on her right arm to encourage her to use her left. I know it sounds strange to say it, but we are actually looking forward to this session, as Anna’s been more and more stubborn about using her left hand. We think she is in need of a “cognitive reset” that the casting seems to provide. Unfortunately, she’ll be casted on her birthday again this year (we were in Alabama last year at this time).
Speaking of birthdays, Anna will be 3 this month! It is so hard for me to believe that 3 years have passed since she was born. Lately we’ve been looking at lots of pictures and videos of when Anna was Noah’s age (Anna’s been curious about what she was like when she was a baby), and that has been a true walk down memory lane. With her third birthday comes the end of our early intervention home therapy services. She’ll be receiving therapy through the school district now, and starts at our neighborhood preschool two days after her birthday. We’re hoping that she fits in there and enjoys her two mornings per week.
Other than those developments, things are pretty “normal” (if you call having zero control and limited sleep “normal”). We’re learned a few things:
- You can sleep just about anywhere, and do so on a near nightly basis.
- You can sleep through just about anything if you are tired enough.
- You cannot please everyone all the time, so please the one that is screaming the loudest first.
- Bouncy seats, swings, and anything else that keep the baby quiet and sleeping are gifts from God.
- Changing diapers doesn’t seem nearly as critical and urgent for the second child as it did for the first.
We hope to post some pictures and videos in the near future. Noah is actually smiling now, which is such a joy to see.
March 4th, 2009
Mr. Noah is now just past his three-week-iversary. Doing well, doing all the things you’d expect a three-week-old boy to do (eating, pooping, having gas pains, sleeping during the day mostly and mostly not during the night, et cetera). I’ve just posted some new photos, including some from his first bath (!).
Tara and I are starting to get into a bit of a rhythm? Maybe? Well, okay maybe not. It’ll take awhile, I think. Thrice-weekly contributions of yummy delicious food from my co-workers are indeed helping, however. We weren’t great about cooking during the week with just one child, and with two it’s proving even more challenging. (Thanks Foraker!)
Meanwhile: I can’t believe I’m sick again? Not. Fair.
February 8th, 2009
So Debbie left for home and hearth in Kansas on Thursday, leaving us all alone! Sniff!
It’s definitely been a bit of a challenge, trying to coordinate all the demands of a new baby with the needs and wants of a very demanding almost-three-year-old. Tara’s spent the last two days at home with both of them, and it’s been a little hard. But she’s learning. She says the trick is that you just have get over the fact that there will be moments when one of them (and sometimes both of them) are just going to be upset and screaming about the lack of immediate attention. Obviously, I’m completely terrified of the day when I’ll have to manage both of the little buggers all alone myself!
Work for me has been a challenge too, mainly because of the sleep deprivation. Anna’s been up in the middle of the night for at least an hour or two every night since we brought Noah home. She’s caught a new cold, and I’m taking her in to the doctor this morning to get her ears checked since an ear infection is often the culprit when she’s up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. That being said, we’re also willing to admit that it might just be a combination of a cold + the psychological impact of the new baby that’s making sleep even more of a scarce commodity that usual.
Thanks to Debbie and the folks at work, though, for helping to keep our freezer stocked with food. Not having to worry so much about what’s for dinner is a godsend, since it’s probably going to take us awhile to figure out a new rhythm!
January 31st, 2009
Well, it’s back to work for me today. Boo. I’m really not sure I’m ready. I know Tara’s not ready for me to head back. But duty calls. We’ll have to see how things work with me running on only about four hours of sleep each night…
Meanwhile: Noah’s doing well. Working on getting his days and nights straight, but otherwise just doing the usual new baby things (i.e. sleeping, eating, eating, awake for 15 minutes, sleeping, eating, pooping, sleeping, eating, etc.). There are some new photos up on the Flickr site.
It was too snowy yesterday for us to get to Anna’s physical therapy appointment in the morning, and the riding center cancelled her hippotherapy because it was too cold (apparently even horses don’t like 7 degree weather!). So we spent the day hanging out with family.
Debbie’s been cooking up a storm before she leaves on Thursday, trying to stock our freezer. And the good folks at Foraker are chipping in too — at this rate we won’t have to cook anything until mid-March or so. Which is awesome, and for which we are exceedingly grateful!
Okay. Time for a quick nap before I have to hop in the shower and get ready to get Ms. Anna up and moving and off to daycare before I head in to work.
January 27th, 2009
I just posted a bunch of photos from way back in November and December. Good shots of folks at Christmases in both Kansas and Colorado.
There are also some new photos of Mr. Noah. You can always view Noah-specific photos on Flickr in his own, personal photo set.
Everyone here is doing well enough. Tara and I are splitting shifts and so far have managed to be able to do a good job of alternating really bad nights.
Oh, and Granny Debbie and Tara painted Anna’s room pink today (I got carpet cleaning duty). We thought she’d lose her mind with joy at the “pinkalicious-ness” of it all. Instead: “Hmmm. Hmmm. I’m… I’m really hungry. Can I have a treat?”
So much for trying to make the toddler happy!?
January 23rd, 2009
We took Noah to the doctor yesterday. He was doing so well that the doctor decided she didn’t need to see him until he was two months old! He’s regained all the weight he lost after birth, and have even gained an ounce!
Neal and I have worked out a “divide and conquer” strategy to deal with the newborn’s sleep schedule. I have first shift and Neal takes over after 2am. That seems to be working great where Noah is concerned. Now it seems we are having a bit of a problem with Ms. Anna’s sleep schedule. Last night she was up for about 3 hours in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. She needed some water, she needed to go potty, she was playing with her stuffed animals. You name it, if it didn’t involve sleeping, she was doing it. Hopefully tonight will be a better night…
Anna has started her hippotherapy, and has been doing great! We are working with her current physical therapist at the Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center. She’s ridden three times so far, and has had such a great time. We have some pictures of Anna riding her horse – we need to post them (Update: Here they are! Movies to follow soon!). She looks so tiny on the horse! Her therapist has her riding backwards, sideways, with no hands, etc. It is really great to watch her succeed.
We want to point out how thankful we are for Granny Debbie’s help!! She’s been an invaluable help during these chaotic times. She’s been cleaning, doing laundry, watching the babe while I take a shower, consoling the crying baby, etc. etc. Thank you, Mom!!
January 22nd, 2009
Well, it’s been a very rough couple of days for mom and dad. Noah’s doing just fine, but seems to get most fussy right around the time we manage to get Anna (quite fussy herself) down to sleep at night. Long story short: I don’t think either of us has gotten more than three or four hours of sleep the last two nights.
Which would be okay, probably, if we didn’t have to keep up with the toddler and could sleep the day away with the boy…
January 19th, 2009
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