Cash Musings on Christmas

Mommy: "Cash, what are you going to ask Santa for Christmas this year?"
Cash: "Hmmmm (thinks for a while)...Trick or Treat!"


Second attempt, a few days later...
Mommy: "Cash, did you think about what you're going to ask Santa for today at school?"
Cash: "Hmmmm (another long while of thinking, this time with finger on chin)...Presents!"
Mommy: "What kind of presents?"
Cash:"...Good presents!"

2.5 Years

12/12/12 marks Cash's half birthday to a big 2.5 year old.  I like half birthdays - they're a fun little way to celebrate a little milestone especially since almost every day during these toddler years we get another milestone out of Cash.  From 2 to 2.5, Cash has gained a lot of independence, both naturally and by his own making.  He now likes to dress himself right down to his socks and shoes, pull up his own pull-ups, brush his teeth, change out the dvds when he watches movies and the list goes on and on.   Sometimes we still try to do things for him but Cash will quickly let us know that it's "my turn" or that something we're trying to do with him or dress him in is "too baby" and we back off.  He's a big boy now and everyone needs to know it.

We don't have his well check up until tomorrow but I can already tell he's gone through a recent growth spurt as all of his pants are too short.  We're finally solidly in 2T clothes.  He's still skinny and weighs around 26lbs but we recently had a chat with his pediatrician and we think we've finally figured out the root of his non-eating and have a plan to work with it.  Mainly it has to do with his strong-willed little personality so we're learning how to change some of the parenting "techniques" that we thought were fairly universal but never worked for us and are adapting some of the ways we talk to him and discipline him so that he will hear and accept it better.  Overall though, he does seem to eat a little better when we make it less of a battle and more of a laid back experience with some dessert bribery sprinkled in the mix.

Ross and I think that it's awesome that he's strong-willed.  Because on top of that, he's assertive, confident, a daredevil, funny, social, and extremely charismatic.  When he walks into his schoolroom every day, all of this friends turn and yell "Cash" with big smiles on their faces like they've been waiting for him to show up so the party can start.  He's a sweet, sweet boy too - right now his favorite thing to demand is a "hug and a kiss" from daddy and mommy before he leaves for the day and we happily heed to that demand.

We are just weeks away from Cash being our one and only to Cash being a big brother, one of two little boys.  Cash makes our hearts so full that it's hard to imagine that there will be room for another one in the mix.  But just knowing how amazing Cash is and how much he has taught us about being parents and finding the joy and laughter in every situation makes me realize that because we have so much love for Cash that we will have the same for Austin. And Austin will be extra lucky because he'll have all that extra love from such an amazing little boy like his big brother, Cash. 

35 Weeks

Stick a fork in me, I'm well done.  And don't let the work out clothes fool you - I basically went to the gym this morning, walked on the treadmill for 15 minutes and promptly froze my Y membership for three months.

Here's Cash and me, one day over 35 weeks.  Cash is real excited about it, until we mention Baby Austin, then he generally doesn't want to talk about the situation.   I haven't written an Austin post in awhile but there have been quite a few developments on the baby front, as one would expect with just a little over a month left.  Probably the biggest one is that, just like big brother, Austin is breech and doesn't seem to want to turn.  Even though everything I've read on the Internet about consecutive breech presentations indicates that essentially there is some sort of uterine/pelvic structural issue involved that makes babies more comfortable head up, my midwives seem relatively unconcerned and think he will turn on his own.  I remain skeptical.  So much so that I'm currently going to a chiropractor who is using the Webster Technique to try to get Austin to turn.  With Cash I tried acupuncture and moxibustion and it was, for lack of a better term, a bust. so I figure I'll give the chiropractor a try.  Basically he cracks my pelvis to realign it and then works on a few trigger points on my belly.  I'm fairly certain that Austin didn't turn after the first visit but I have another one tomorrow so maybe that will get him moving along.

If Austin doesn't turn, we'll probably try a Version at 38 weeks with the doctor associated with my midwifery practice.  I explained my history with Versions from Cash (how he didn't turn the first time but promptly did the second when I was given a spinal) however I was informed that they don't administer spinals for Versions no matter what but that I could maybe be given a shot to relax during it if I wanted.  I think I will want.  I also kind of doubt that I'll be able to get multiple goes at it this time around so we are really keeping our fingers crossed that the chiropractor and natural stuff works because I'm not so sure about my ability to relax enough without anesthesia to get the Version to work.

Austin moves A LOT!  I'm not sure why I notice it more this time - maybe little Austin's head is harder - but he darts that thing back and forth across my upper abdomen so much that it gets hard to breathe.  He's also a hip kicker, specifically the right one.  He gets the hiccups at least once a day like Cash did and those are always amusing.

We pretty much have everything in place for his arrival except doing a mass cleaning of the house and buying a supply of newborn diapers.  We've been told that Austin is on the smaller side like Cash was so I'll probably need a Costco box of the newborn size.  Last time around we figured, like with most babies, that size 1 would work and bought that size in bulk only to have to go out and promptly buy newborn size right after Cash was born.

Thanxmas 2012

We were lucky that I wasn't quite far along enough in this pregnancy to be banned from flying for the Thanksgiving holidays, so off to Texas we went for the annual Thanxmas celebration.  We were especially thankful that Charlie, Fiona and Lucy were able to make the trip this year and Cash and Lucy got in some good cousin time and bonded over a mutual love of Cheerios.  Wednesday night was the annual Christmas celebration with the Young/Melone family with manicotti, sausage and peppers and then a mass opening of presents that was fun and ridiculous at the same time:

On Thursday we went to Aunt Melinda and Uncle Alan's for Thanksgiving.  I think the highlight for Cash wasn't the food (which he ate practically none of) but his cousin Addison's pink jeep that drove around and also which earned him the nickname of "Crash" for his "driving technique" of pushing the gas while looking everywhere but forward.

I didn't get any pictures but one of Cash's favorite things to do was climb up and give his Beep Beep Baba hugs and kisses.  He's big on giving a "hug and a kiss" right now and is always up to climb around so it was a win/win for him.

We had a great time and can't wait to bring Austin with us next year!