My Grandmother Reincarnate*

Poor little Claire is fighting a cold and sounds like she has emphysema. I took her to the doctor (twice this week!) since her breathing sounds so terrible but her oxygen levels were perfect, her lungs are clear (at least after she receives a breathing treatment), and blood work pointed to only a mild virus, so she's actually doing fine. She's a "happy wheezer" according to the doctor. I'm not making that up...that's the actual term they use, though she is a fairly happy baby and she definitely is wheezing.

Today was gorgeous so Claire got to go for a walk. Here she is decked out in a cute hat that actually fits. It was handed down to us by one of my friends (from one melon-headed baby to another).

Then we walked up to Alex's daycare to get him. I had the single stroller and had planned on putting Claire in the Ergo carrier while Alex rode in the stroller, but he insisted on being in the Ergo. Ever since I made the mistake of walking up to get him the day we had 40-50 MPH wind gusts and I stopped by a looming, and apparently very scary, hedge to soothe him as he screamed bloody murder, he's terrified of riding in the stroller past those bushes.

*My maternal grandmother ALWAYS had a lit cigarette (OK, well, only when she was awake) and, as far as I can remember at least, couldn't laugh without coughing. She laugh-coughed a lot, just like our little munchkin.

Happy Birthday, Nana!

Our 30-Second Update

1. Both kids seem to be well right now (can you believe it??).



2. Claire has two teeth on the bottom and the top two are beginning to come through.



3. Every time Claire starts to cut a tooth, her sleep is disturbed and she wakes up very early (4 or 5 AM, which is fine if you’re my dad, but most normal people are still sleeping at that hour).



4. Claire isn’t crawling yet, but she’s rolling all over the place and trying to get up on all fours. Every day she gets a little bit closer to being mobile and making Alex’s (and Mommy’s) life miserable.



5. Alex & Claire are hilarious and very cute (see video) and make me laugh every day.



6. I weaned Claire last week and returned my rented pump this past Monday!



7. I’m training for the Monument Avenue 10K (will be running it with my brother) and have a group run every Saturday morning, but I injured myself last weekend and haven’t run since then. I’m hoping to get back into it tomorrow.



8. Gromit is bored out of his mind since I won’t take him to doggy daycare anymore and since I haven’t run with him in over a week.



9. Dave is still really busy at work and Capital One’s stock price has fallen to less than $9/share, but at least he still has a job (for now).



10. I’m having minor surgery April 17 but won’t be able to lift either kid for six weeks. We’re trying to get Claire into Alex’s daycare temporarily, but we won’t know for sure whether they have a spot for her until April 1. If they don’t have room, our plan is to have Dave take some vacation time, hire a sitter, and beg our family to help us out here and there.

Today's Photos of the Kids

Just wanted to post something quick since it’s been a while and share some photos from today. Things have calmed down considerably around here (aside from Alex’s current cold/fever and Claire’s teething, which left me a tired, frazzled mama by late afternoon). Now things are just normal crazy instead of insanely crazy!
Gromit wishing someone would throw the ball so he could fetch. He misses doggy daycare.

Claire, right after she got up for the day at a semi-normal hour, after partying (uh, that is, suffering from teething?) in her crib at a not-so-normal hour (1 AM - 3 AM).

Alex, ready to go outside (or so he thought). Yeah, that’s sans pants, but to his credit, he was reaching for his coat.

Love the Locks!

Our niece Virginia chopped off her hair a few weeks ago so she could donate it to Locks of Love. Way to go, Virginia!