They call me Little Dude, a Tommy guest post.

Hi! Allow me to introduce myself. I'm the latest and greatest addition to the crib. I'm Tommy, but you can call me Little Dude, like mommy does, if you want. I kinda like it. I haven't been around too long, but I'm digging all the attention I get. My big sister Tori gives me kisses, like, 1,000 times per day. And lots of people come over to visit me.

My Grandma and Grandpa were just here. I'm named after my Grandpa. He's pretty cool, and he says he will take me for a motorcycle ride one of these days. When I can talk, I'm going to tell him I need a leather jacket. All the cool babies are wearing them.

My Grandma is super fun too. She spent a lot of time with my big sisters. They got to ride bikes and do lots of stuff that looked so fun. I can't wait until I'm a big kid!

Here's another picture of Grandma with my big sisters Dani and Tori. They didn't sit still for long.

My Grandpa was a really good snuggler. I like to sleep alot. He had a good belly to sleep on. He likes to sleep too. I think I heard him snoring sometimes when I was sleeping on him.

There was so much to do when Grandma and Grandpa were here! So many people came over to the house to see us. It was really tiring to meet so many people! I needed a nap after they went to the airport. For old folks, they really keep a baby on his toes!

Well, this is Little Dude, signing off. Hope you liked my first guest post. Come visit me!

One Month!

Mr. Tom, aka Little Dude is one month old!

He's the biggest of the three! Ten pounds, ten ounces! I don't know where he's putting it, as he's a skinny little bean. Must be the balls. That's my guess.

He had his first "tummy time" tonight. He was a super champ! The hardest part was keeping Tori from trampeling him. I tried to get Dani to lay with him for a picture, but she kept insisting that she didn't need tummy time and being generally bratty.

Big Man's mom has been here for two weeks helping out. She's taking off tomorrow and my folks are flying in for the week. Woo hoo!

Go Bears!

I was hoping to get a family pic while each of was dressed in our Bears garb during Football Sunday. Unfortunately, the kids conspired to sleep in shifts so we never had all three awake all day. But, even little Tommy was decked out in Blue and Orange!

A little snuggletime.

And, arguing over a call wtih Daddy!

Someday we'll have a good enough family pic to print!

Sloppy kisses!

I gave Tommy a bath tonight and put him in a chair for some photos. Then he was mobbed by his adoring sisters.

First Tori hopped up to give him some sugar.

Then Dani decided to help.

And then, DOUBLE KISSES!

Big Sisters Rock!

We have some VERY attentive big sisters in this house. Tommy gets kissed about 470 times per day, and Dani is always trying to stroke his cheeks and head and tell me how soft he is. Tori likes to kiss him so much that she tries to dive-bomb the couch when he's on it, and is happy to kiss his legs or whatever she can reach.

The girls got to watch Mickey on mommy's laptop last night--they just sat at the table like little grown ups, drinking their milk and sitting quietly. It was adorable!

Dani, who's 2 1/2 going on 12, likes to take a more hands on approach and is always asking to feed Tommy.

Life is good, family-wise.

Our city is devastated from flooding, but luckily we didn't have any damage at home or my office. They did evacuate the street behind mine last night. Pics to follow when I'm ready to feel bummed out about the situation. A friend of mine lost her house. Everything. Just horrible.

Silly things they say and do.

This little Angel scared the pants off of me today. I'm sitting at the laptop at the dining room table, and I hear Tori walk over and sit down. Dani says, "Mommy look at Tori". I look down and see dark red liquid all over Tori's face, hands and front of her shirt, and my heart stops in my chest. Then I see a white ketchup packet in one hand and realize that she wasn't mortally wounded. And I wonder why I'm getting gray hairs!

She's just so darn cute!

And from our oldest today, "Mommy, every day I wake up and grow bigger and bigger like a flower. But flowers can't talk."

Tommy comes home.

We came home from the hospital on Friday afternoon. Big Man got me settled and went to get the kids. I was eagerly anticipating their reaction, both to Tommy and to me. Both kids ran in yelling "mommy" and "baby" (in Tori's case) and "Tommy" in Dani's case.

It was love at first sight for Dani. Many kisses were administered.

And then Tori started to cry. (She is cutting some teeth.) Then Dani started to cry. Dani told me, "Tommy makes me feel sad. I need to watch TV to feel happy again." (She hadn't had a nap, but could have been working her master manipulation skills on this one.) So they all got to watch TV and I figured we were in for some crazy transition time.

A little while later, it was time to feed Tommy, so I asked Dani if she wanted to do it. Super excited, she was (perhaps because the Mickey episode we had put on was over)! Even Tori had to come over to see what all the excitement was.

Tori had the opportunity to give Tommy a closer inspection and approved, or so it seemed.

Tori was fine with Tommy until we put his formula in one of her bottles this morning. Then she screamed bloody murder and basically didn't stop. She flailed and wailed and was just generally angry at the world each time he was fed. It was pretty sad, because there wasn't really much we could do about it--and she refused to be held or comforted, preferring instead to stomp off of fling herself on the floor screaming. I wasn't expecting this type of response--when we brought Tori home, Dani was jealous of the holding and lap time and wanted to be on my lap too and be held more often, etc. Tori was just clearly upset that Tommy was here.

Hoping tomorrow's a better day for poor little Tori!

Number 3.

That sounds a little cold, number 3...it's Tommy's birth story and it's kind of surreal, so grab a cold one, and let me tel you about the day Tommy was born, well what I remember about it anyway. It's a complete haze.

I waddle down to the operating room, and climb on the table. The docs begin to prepare me for the spinal, and they administer it. With the last two kids, I couldn't feel my legs by the time someone lifted them onto the operating table. Not so with this one. I still had a lot of feeling. I mentioned it and the doc said it can take a while to kick in. They said they were going to start with the catheter, which I felt going in. I mentioned it but everyone assured me the spinal would continue to progress.

A few minutes later they start the procedure, and I'm feeling more than I think I should. With the last two c-sections, I only felt pressure; this time I felt cutting, and dull to moderate pain. I told the doc, and that's where my memory kind of drops off. Apparently I needed loads of narcotics throughout the delivery because the spinal meds weren't enough. I was somewhat of a drooling idiot.

I remember waking up at one point and asking where my husband was, and was asked whether I heard the baby crying (I hadn't yet) and was told he was in the baby room with the nurse--which was, by the way, about 7 feet from me and visible if I could have focused on anything.
Here I am drooling on myself while daddy enjoys Tommy time. He was born at 12:10pm; 8 pounds, 4 ounces and 19 inches long. I was in recovery until almost 4pm as they tried to get my pain under control, and I tried to talk in sentences. It was, hands down, the hardest delivery of the three.
But the end result is our little man! He has bluish-grey eyes just like mommy, and even if the odds are they won't last, it's still nice to see them. Another strong baby--he can lift up his head already. The women in the nursery said he was a bit of a chow hound all night long, and he's got a really calm demeanor. And, unlike Dani and Tori, he has hardly any hair.

Dani and Tori got to see him on Skype last night which was sweet. I can't wait until they meet him in person. Welcome to our family, Tommy.

Dress Up: two ways, a Dani guest post.

Some days, I like to dress up like a pretty princess, and play with all the jewelry in my jewelry box. I like to dress daddy up too!

But other days, it's fun to run around the house and pretend I'm a Chicago Bear!

Did you know that tomorrow I'm going to be a big sister again? And I helped mommy find my old Chicago Bears onesie so Tommy can wear it and look just like me!

We're going to have lots of fun, Tori, Tommy, and I...since we're going to outnumber mommy and daddy!

More Tori stats! 15 months!

Little Tori, or maybe we should say not-so-little Tori had a doctor's appointment today for her 15 month checkup. Little Hoss apparently handled a shot in each arm without crying. She's 30.5" tall and weighs 24 pounds, 12 ounces. She's quickly catching up to Dani!

She is rockin' the cuteness these days!

Summertime, and the living is easy.

We love lazy summer weekends. Sleeping a little later. Enjoying the AC on a humid day. Dips in the pool. Family dinners and sweet summer veggies.

Dani and Tori really enjoyed some sweet corn tonight.

Tori can handle her own corn and can clean an ear like a pro--not bad for a kid with 8 teeth!

Someone spent some time playing pirate with daddy.

And Tori decided that the changing table was her new fort.

We're in the final countdown to baby number 3. It sounds silly, but I just want to eke out every last moment with Dani and Tori while we are a family of four. In a week, it all changes for them and their needs and wants are going to have to be balanced with the more pressing needs of baby Tommy, and a recovering-from-surgery mommy. I'm sure they'll grow to enjoy it eventually, but I know it's going to be a rocky first few weeks for them, and us too.

I got out the baby heartbeat monitor this weekend, and Dani was scared of it at first yesterday. She wanted to try it again today and was pretty excited to listen to Tommy's heartbeat. We listened to how quick it was, and then she listened to daddy's much slower heartbeat to compare. She looked adorable with her little headphones standing at my belly listening, and whispering to her little brother, "Hi Tommy," like for the first time, the abstract concept of her baby brother had indeed become real to her.

Dani 1, Mommy 0.

Another amusing conversation in my house tonight:

Big Man is in the kitchen making dinner.

I'm sitting on the stairs while Dani and Tori run around.

I realize that Tori ran past me a moment ago and is unattended in the bathroom.

Me: Damn it, where is Tori? (as I start to walk to the bathroom with Dani behind me.)

Big Man: Watch your mouth, mommy.

I walk into the bathroom and Tori is at the potty, just about to dive her hands in.

Me: Noooooo Tori, NO!

Dani: (laughing) hee hee Tori
Me: (scooping Tori up and taking her to the sink to wash her hands) It's NOT FUNNY Dani!

Dani: It is a little funny, Mommy.

OWNED BY MY 2 YEAR OLD!

My conversation with Dani this afternoon:

Dani: I am going to get married.

Me: Who are you going to marry?

Dani: Daddy.

Me: Daddy will be a good husband.

Dani: Daddy IS a good husband.

Dani reminded me no fewer than 27 times tonight, "Daddy is a good husband."

Given the day I had, Big Man really needed to be talked up, so Dani did him a solid.

Where are you going my little ones?

Last night, I fed the girls dinner at their little tykes table, which meant that Tori sat in a chair at a table for the first time. I took a few pictures, and when I went to upload them to the computer, I saw that Big Man had taken a number of photos as well. Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones working overtime, but I was just a little blown away by how big they looked.

I took this one of Tori, sitting like a big girl, eating a tomato. It was so sweet to see her climb in the chair and sit like a big girl across from Dani to eat. She was trying to use a spoon and making a huge, adorable mess.

The rest of the pictures, the ones Big Man took, looked like this one. The first thing I thought of when I looked it was Dani's first day of school. I actually got a little choked up (damn hormones). Dani's got her backpack on, paper in hand, and looks like she can conquer the world. But she's not 5, headed to kindergarten, she's 2! It just really gave me pause. It seems like only minutes ago she was just a little blip on an ultrasound. And now she's a chatty little powerhouse.

Tori's trying like heck to catch up with her and it seems like every day there's a new word and something new she can do. Tonight she held up their Mickey Mouse nightlight and announced "Mickey". She also learned to climb into the overstuffed chair, a task that she tried, and failed at, yesterday. When did my two babies turn into kids??

It's called a skull.

We are tearing through the summer here, with only 3 weeks to go until Tommy-time! I'm seriously doubting that I'm going to make it the distance, although I hope I can, as we've already scheduled help and flights and time off and such beginning on the 15th, and it would be chaos to have it happen early.

The kids are keeping us entertained. Tori's finally showing an interest in talking to the rest of us. So, there are lots of "hi daddy" and "hi mommy" and other cute things that she is starting to come out with. And, she continues to be little miss mischief. The second you blink, she's into a cabinet, or trying to climb something, or trying to eat something she shouldn't be. She'd definitely the reason that cabinet locks were invent, and probably baby leashes too. She's such a silly little kid--and is often stomping around with a giggly little dance, until she gets pissed (oops, I'm not supposed to say that out loud, because Dani repeats it) I mean upset, and then she flings herself onto the floor screaming and kicking. She did it tonight and Dani suggested, "Mommy call the doctor for Tori. She scream her head off."

Dani, on the other hand is so terribly two. She is adorable and snuggly, and then adamantly defiant and whiny all in one breath. I can't leave the house without "Mommy, I need a BIG kiss and a BIG hug," followed by tears of "Don't go mommy. Don't go to work." It makes it hard to leave. And, she's always trying to boss Tori around, leaning in her face and saying NO TORI, and other angry commands, despite the fact that I'm constantly reminding her to be polite.

She also talks up a storm, and is so creative. The littlest thing can turn into a story for her. And some of the things she comes out with...yesterday it was, "I have a head bone. It's very hard. It's called a skull." She told us this randomly during breakfast.

She also loves dressing up--here she is in a party dress someone gave her, dancing like a ballerina princess. She also loves sitting at my makeup table and telling me, "I love makeup!" while playing with my brushes and trying to draw on her face when I'm not looking. It's pretty adorable. She's our little charmer when we take her out, saying "hello" and "excuse me" to people in the store, exiting by telling everyone goodbye, and just being pretty damn personable.

It's pretty fun, this mommy thing. I'll be happy when we can meet Tommy, and certainly am looking forward to never being pregnant again. Ever.

Cute things my kids say.

Tonight Dani asked, "Mommy can I go in the TV and say hi to Mickey Mouse?"

Sisters.

Now that Tori's getting bigger, she and Dani are playing and interacting more. That often means more yelling at each other or trying to grab each other's toys. There's lots of "NO TORI" and Tori yelling "DADADA" in response and shrieking at the top of her lungs.

But there's also tons of laughing, running and general silliness. Dani will, literally, run in circles around Tori, while Tori shrieks with Glee. They both "talk" on the phone. Dani is actually somewhat capable of carrying on a brief telephone conversation with grandma and grandpa before she decides it's more fun to push the buttons on the phone than talk.

They usually aren't too far apart when they're in the playroom, and are generally cracking each other up.

Tori is unquestionably Daddy's girl. No matter what we are doing, she's always keeping an eye out for Daddy. Yesterday, I had her in the pool while Big Man was doing some yardwork, and she kept yelling "DA or Daddy" and would fuss until I brought her to the edge of the pool where she could watch him work. It's pretty adorable. And she's now giving kisses. Not the halfhearted Dani-kiss, (Dani puts her cheek next to yours and kisses the air) but adorable puckery smooches. Even Big Man describes it as the cutest thing ever.

Dani's very excited about baby Tommy. She is now announcing to people, "We're having a BABY." And, she tells me that she is going to feed him and burp him and change his diapers. I think she's the perfect age to be a helper and not really jealous. Tori, on the other hand, is going to have a problem I predict. She's starting to be a bit of a biter, and she really will flail at you if she gets angry...I think we are going to have our hands full. Plus, given the fact that she can now climb anything and everything, the new baby distraction will allow her to get in to way more stuff than she can now...dreading that! Seriously, it's often the cuteness factor that saves her from trouble!

So big!

Everyone around these parts is getting SO BIG!

First, my 34+ week belly is about to require it's own zip code, it's so big. I'm exhausted and cranky and hot! I've been doing a terrible job with updates because I'm just so darn tired.

But so many awesome things have happened this summer! Big Man was promoted to Lieutenant, and his hours changed to 3-11pm, so he's home for the night, and not exhausted all the time. We need a few hours of child care a day, but our super-star sitter, Miss Ruth, is a lifesaver. The kids go to her house for a few hours of fun every day and she feeds them an early dinner so that when tired mommy picks them up after work, I don't have to come home and cook.

Dani is talking nonstop. The kid is amazingly creative, telling stories all the time, pretending to be characters and just is tons of fun. She is already telling me that when Tommy comes, she is going to feed him and hold him and burp him. She keeps asking when we can unzip my belly to get him.

Tori is still our little handful. I thought Dani was a silly, happy baby, but Tori is exponentially more so. She's always smiling and laughing, and getting in to something. If you turn your back, she will have swiped something off a shelf, or will be in the cat's water bowl or just doing something she shouldn't be--and she laughs like heck when caught. When she swipes the phone, or remote or something she shouldn't have, and you notice she shrieks with glee and sprints away as fast as she can.

She makes tons of animal noises, and says a few little words, like hi, daddy, mommy, kitty and a handful of others. But she understands a ton and can follow commands, when she wants to. She also reacts with a fiery, screamy rage when you stop her from doing something she wants to do, often sitting on her butt and screaming bloody murder. I'm sure my neighbors appreciate that.

Fortunately for her, she's really cute. It's her saving grace lots of days. They keep us entertained, and I can only imagine the trouble they get into when Tommy gets here!

A traitor among us.

We played a practical joke on Big Man this morning: He was not as amused as I was.

GO BEARS!

Family visit. Schu's in the house!

My parents, brother Todd and his family came to visit for the long weekend. We had a family reunion with my Dad's family, and it was great to see family members that I hadn't seen in many, many years. Everyone came. It was great!

The kids enjoyed their time with grandma and grandpa, and Uncle Todd, Aunt Amy and baby Peter. Grandma rocks Dani on the hammock:

Grandpa sits on Dani's lap!Big Man and Amy were taking the pics and Tori was napping, but we got some of the family! Too bad we didn't think about a group pic before we left the party!

Dani had lots of sillytime with Grandpa.

Tori tried to outrun Grandma, but she's pretty quick for an old broad!

Lots of laughs were had by all!

As Dani likes to say, "I love my family." Although it's much cuter when she says it...