Boys vs Girls

Okay, in the last 7 or so months I have learned a lot about the difference between girls and boys. As a mother of 2 girls and now a son, I am amazed at how even in infancy boy babies are just different (and not all in a good way).

* We all know men are smellier than woman (for the most part). Well, that starts right away. Boy babies are smellier. Their poop smells worse. They fart all the time. They seem too burp more and think its funny. Pierce is only 7 months and I am fearful that the smells are just going to get worse as he gets older and bigger.

* Boys come equipped with their own personal bath toy. Yep, I am talking about their penises. Or, as Emerson calls it, Pierce's "sprayer". She came up with that on her own folks! I had no clue that baby boys played with their goods at such a young age. Pierce has been enjoying himself for quite some time now. As soon as that diaper comes off and I stick him in his tub, he knows right where to grab. I'm sure he is going to kill me for publishing this on the world wide web later. Oh, I am deathly afraid of the first time I take his diaper off and find..... (you know).

*On the positive side, boys are SO sweet. Pierce is definitely a mama's boy and I LOVE IT! He loves to snuggle and prefers me over anyone. If I have been gone, the second I walk through the door he starts squealing for me to hold him. I hope that lasts forever! No, seriously, boys seem to have more of a sweet demeanor about them than girls when they are babies. Not to say that girls aren't just as fun. Don't get me wrong, I love my girls to pieces.

*Boys are louder. I swear, Pierce was born with one heck of a set of lungs. I have had this ear pain in both my ears for nearly 2 months (already had 2 rounds of antibiotics) and I am starting to wonder if he has permanently damaged my ear drums. Now, this could totally be due to the fact he has learned how to scream from his sisters. Nonetheless, he is LOUD and my ears hurt.

*Okay, this could be just that Pierce is my 3rd child and I'm exhausted, but I find it much easier to let him cry sometimes. I don't know if it is the mentality, "toughen up, your a boy" or "please stop crying, you kids are driving me nuts". Either way, I feel a little guilty. With the girls, even now, I feel so bad when they cry. With Pierce, not AS much. I still feel bad, but not AS bad. That is not to say that I let him cry for hours upon hours. But I do find myself telling him, "Pierce, that's enough." Please note, I said "tell" because I would never yell at him at this age. Maybe in a month or so. Just kidding!

*BOYS ARE FLIRTS!!!! Pierce has a way with the ladies. He smiles and coos at almost every woman that approaches him, whether or not they are complete strangers. In fact, he and the paint lady at Lowe's have formed a special bond as of late. That is kind of pathetic, it just goes to show you how often I go to Lowe's. The only places I seem to venture out to lately are Lowe's, Target, or Hobby Lobby. Yes, I lead a pretty exciting life!

I am sure this knowledge is not going to be newsworthy, but it probably would have helped to know some of this stuff before I gave birth to a boy. I'm pretty sure that I would not have taken notice to any of these differences if he was my first born. But considering I was already accustomed to raising girls, these little nuances were a little bit bigger than just XX vs XY. All in all, it is still an incredible joy to be his mother and I wouldn't change him for the world!

Supernanny would be so proud!

SNEAK PEEK OF WEDDING PHOTOS - more to come as soon as I get them

I am so, so, so glad that Pierce did AWESOME with the cry-it-out method!!! It only took 3 nights to completely extinguish the crying. I was shocked. And, in those 3 nights he probably cried less than 2o minutes. Knowing this now, I wish I would have done this months ago. I feel like a new woman. I'm not really getting that many more hours of sleep but the sleep I am getting is uninterrupted. And, I have at least 2 times during the day where I can lay him down in his crib to nap and I can get stuff done. What a relief! He is such a big boy. He turned 7 months on the 29th. I can't believe it. He's even holding his own bottle now - which helps tremendously. I was counting the days until he could feed himself. That just gives me 20 minutes x 4 times a day that I have 2 free hands to fold clothes or wash dishes.

Back to the whole sleep issue. I did not sleep train Emerson when she was a baby because, let's face it, she was just plain spoiled. I picked her up at the slightest whimper. With Reagan, I wasn't about to make that mistake twice so I started sleep training her at 2 months and she is the best little sleeper. With Pierce, I had every intention on sleep training him early as well but couldn't because of his reflux. When he outgrew his wedge, I was terrified to put him in his room, afraid I wouldn't hear him if he were to choke. So, he slept in bed with us - me, Jamie, and Emerson (yes, most nights Emerson would make her way into our bed and I never took her back to her own room - another big no-no!). So when he started rolling over on his tummy to sleep on his own, I knew it was time for his own bed but I procrastinated until Jamie put his foot down. What can I say, I hate to hear my children cry and Pierce is my last baby, he is going to be a mama's-boy. I mean, who would want to see this beautiful smile turn upside down? By the way, he loves to swing outside with his sisters on their swing set from Santa.

Well, if we were going to kick Pierce out of our bed than Emerson needed to go too! Too bad that hasn't gone as smoothly. But, I am proud to say that we have not caved and she has slept in her bed all night the last 3 nights. Wahoo! I seem to wake up feeling a little more energized and with a few less neck and back aches.

2010 seems to be the year where I stop letting my kids "run the show" so to speak. I admit, I have been kind of a push-over and not really a stickler for rules. I am still really laid back when it comes to parenting, but having a 3rd child really added to my stress level and I'm not as lenient as I once was. Emerson is sent to her room, Reagan sits in time out, and sometimes Pierce has to cry when I have ANOTHER load of laundry to do and can't hold him. I mean really, I think Supernanny would be so proud. A few weeks ago she would have ripped me to shreds. Maybe it has something to do with having a four year-old who now talks back to me or child entering the terrible twos or a baby who cries whenever he can't see me. Sometimes I just want to lock myself in my room and never come out. There are lots of those days, but there are many more filled with pure joy. I also have a four year-old that is absolutely brilliant and an almost two year-old that is just as smart and adorable as she imitates everything her big sister does and a baby who just loves to snuggle.

Emerson is going back to school tomorrow after Jamie and I decided to keep her home the month of January to give her little body some R&R after her procedures. I think she is excited but she is worried she is going to miss me too much. Isn't that so sweet!?! I am having reservations because I am worried about her immune system and all the germs that come with preschoolers. I let her play in the play area at the mall 2 weeks ago and she got a stomach virus....that traveled throughout the house- so NOT fun! It seems her body can't fight off anything. And the last thing we need is to be constantly taking all 3 kids to the pediatrician every week - that can get expensive quick. I am, however, looking for those 2 days a week with just the babies. It's weird, the difference between 2 and 3 kids is tremendous. But if you were to throw a 4th in there I don't think it would be all that much harder. No, don't get any ideas. I have no desire to have 4 children.

Okay, here I am typing away instead of going to bed. I have found myself these last few nights (of which I finally have all the kids in bed before 9) staying up late doing not much of anything. Instead, I need to be catching up on some much needed zzzzz's. So, I'm off to dreamland - hopefully filled with pleasant ones.

Finally Recovered

Well, I think I may have finally recovered from last weekend's festivities. Heather is now officially Mr. Tyler Lyons Jones. It has a nice ring to it don't you think!?! What a beautiful wedding it was too! I had the best time and Heather was gorgeous. Emerson made the CUTEST flower girl EVER and was such a ham. I really think she thought the whole shindig was all for her. We are really looking forward to doing it all again September 18th when Michele gets married.

We were fortunate enough to have a night sans any kiddos the night of the wedding and I could really enjoy myself. I didn't have to worry about drinking one too many glasses of champagne because I knew I was going to get to sleep in. Boy, was that a great feeling!!! We enjoyed that so much that Jamie and I have decided to take a weekend at the W Hotel in February. CAN'T WAIT. I typically am not one for dancing but I found myself having a blast on the dance floor with a great group of girls. Heather has some great friends that she has had since grade school and I just think that is so cool that they are still best friends. That is truly a rarity to have such genuine friendships. It was weird, for a couple of hours I was not in mommy-mode and was able to let loose. I felt free. Not to say that I don't LOVE every second of being a mom, but I really needed some time without any kids.

The next day we celebrated Emerson's 4th birthday with family and friends. Yep, she turned 4. I can't believe it. She is growing way too fast. She is so bright and has such a sweet spirit. I really hit the jackpot with her! She is already talking about turning 5 and having another party. Poor thing doesn't realize and year isn't just next weekend. However, for me it may seem like time will pass that quickly. Next on my mommy agenda is to plan Reagan's 2nd birthday party.

Speaking of Reagan, you won't believe what she has been doing. Drum roll please.......using the big girl potty. I have done nothing as far as potty training, gosh she is only 21 months. I thought I still had a good 6 months at least to even consider starting it. She has done it all on her own. For now we are still keeping her in diapers and going to gradually transition but she knows exactly what to do. So glad I can check that off my to-do list. GO REAGS!

The time has come that I need to sleep train Pierce but I am procrastinating because there is going to be many, many tears from both my little man and me. My husband will be the first to tell you that our kids have me trained. I admit that I give in way too easily because I hate to see any of them cry. I am horrible at discipline and I know sleep training Pierce is going to be pure torture. Wish me luck and the strength not to cave.

A quick update on Emerson. Her biopsies came back normal-Great! They still don't know where she is bleeding from (and yes, as of today we are still seeing blood)-BAD! Jamie and I have decided to put a hold on all the testing unless we see a decline in her health. The pediatrician agrees and as long as Emerson maintains her weight and her hemoglobin levels don't dangerously drop we are going to stop torturing the poor child. I really don't have enough confidence with the medical professionals these days to find the answer and I am unwilling for Emerson to be treated like a lab rat. Hopefully everything will work out for the best. At this point that is all I can do.

I May Need to Rethink My Last Blog Title

Well, the New Year has not started off on the right foot and we didn't really end 2009 that great either. All 5 of us are sick.....fun times. 5 co-pays later, along with 8 prescriptions and 2 steroid shots, this nasty little bug we passed around got pretty expensive. The worst part is feeling awful all the while having to take care of 3 sick babies. Why is it that when I am sick all I want to do is sleep the day and night away, but my sick children do not want to sleep AT ALL!?!? I am just hoping that this isn't a sign of what 2010 has in store for the Luna family. On a positive note, it looks like we are going to meet our family deductible for medical insurance pretty early this year! Emerson is scheduled for ANOTHER colonoscopy/endoscopy this Friday. They are still searching for the source of the GI bleed which is causing her anemia and bloody diarrhea. Unfortunately they are suspecting she may have Crohn's disease. However, I am hoping they are wrong like they have been about pretty much everything else. Last Monday they did a Meckel scan where she had to be put to sleep and be scanned for an hour after they injected her with some dye to look for diverticulitis....but yet again found nothing. I just want the testing to stop because I just don't know how much more my sweet baby girl can take. Every time they put her to sleep she just gets so sick. If I could, I would take away all her pain and fear and undergo all the testing for her. I wish she was old enough to understand that we don't want her to go through all this but it is in her best interest. And I know I should be grateful that she is not battling cancer or some other horrible life threatening illness, but my heart still breaks for her.

In other news, Pierce had his 6 month check-up. I am in shock that my sweet, sweet boy is already 6 months but so excited. I really love the 6-9 month age range. SO FUN! Pierce is such a happy baby and is a real big flirt. Poor little guy is going to have to have some testing done too. It just never ends with 3 kids I guess. Anyway, the doctor is not pleased with his growth patterns and feels that his reflux is starting to prevent him from thriving like he should. I have to take him tomorrow to get a bunch a blood work done (definitely going to have us both in tears) and we started increasing his calorie intake by mixing less water with his formula. I will take him back at the end of the week to check his weight and reevaluate from there. His spitting up has been quite colorful these days between the pink amoxicillan and green beans we tried before he got sick. Thank goodness we only have carpet in the bedrooms! At least he is not bothered by the reflux which is a relief. In fact, the pediatrician said some babies are happy spitters and do fine to where there are no concerns. It is when it starts to affect their weight gain that it becomes an issue. He is rolling over more and more and last night was the first night I found he had rolled onto his tummy to sleep. He outgrew his tucker wedge/sling for reflux and is now in bed with us. Some people may judge, but with the amount he is spitting up I don't feel comfortable putting him in his room yet. Throughout the night I am frequently having to wipe up spit up and put his pacifier back in. It is so much easier to have him right next to me than walking across to the other side of the house several times a night (not to mention the fact that he would wake up his sisters). We are working on him sitting but he is not a big fan because it just makes the reflux worse, which is weird because it should help it. He is also not a big fan of eating solids either. He refuses to eat rice cereal (I don't blame him) and was not thrilled about green beans. Both the girls were so eager to start solids so it is a little strange that he is not interested.

We had a great Christmas! We stayed home this year because the thought of traveling with the kids was a little scary. It turned out fabulous. We just enjoyed our time together and spent most of the weekend in pajamas relaxing. Pierce was pretty much clueless as to be expected and only wanted to eat the tissue paper from his gifts. Reagan was still a little overwhelmed this year but was very excited about all her new Dora toys. And Emerson was beyond ecstatic! This was the first year I think she really understood the whole concept which made it SO fun for me. Upon Emerson's request, Santa brought the kids a swing set and the girls are having a ton of fun swinging and sliding. It is great for me too because I can sit and watch from inside where it is warm! Santa had me in mind too when purchasing this gift. It has been a little too cold to let Pierce swing but I am sure he is going to love it too.

I hope everyone had a great holiday season. I will try my best to keep you updated on Emerson's test results as soon as we know anything. The next few weeks are going to be a little bit hectic with Emerson's birthday and Heather's wedding. We are really excited to have some FUN distraction away from all the doctor visits and testing!

Bring On the New Year!

Well, 2009 has definitely been a busy year. Giving birth to our third child in four years really ages you. When I look at mine and Jamie's engagement picture taken five years ago, I am reminded just how stressful and exhausting raising babies and toddlers can be. Lets just say it looks like at least ten years should have passed instead of only five. In 2010 I will enter the last years of my twenties when I turn 29 but I feel so much older. I am keenly aware that 2010 will be the year I need to start using eye cream. Don't get me wrong, my 3 beautiful children are worth every single wrinkle and gray hair!

How do I know 2010 is going to be different than 2009. Most importantly, I will not be pregnant or giving birth. I will not have to even worry about getting pregnant (Jamie got a vasectomy right after Pierce was born). What a relief!

Second, our tax rebate is going to increase from last year with another added dependent....woohoo!!!! Jamie and I are going on a mini vacation. Well, more like a local getaway to a hotel for some much need R&R. If we have the energy we will probably throw in a Mavs game and treat ourselves to overpriced food at a couple of fancy restaurants. I think we deserve it. Who know, we may get really wild and crazy and go to a movie...haha. Oh how things have changed in such a short time. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Third, both my sisters are getting married. The kids will get 2 new uncles this year! Good thing the girls already just adore them both! We are so excited for both of them. I think it is time for the kids to have some cousins!

Fourth, I will be drinking this year on New Year's Eve!!!!! And, staying up past the ball drop.

Things I will HAVE to do in 2010:

~potty-train Reagan (fun times...insert huge amounts of sarcasm)

~teach Pierce how to self soothe and sleep in his crib (probably going to be the hardest thing I will do in 2010 because most likely I am going to have to let him cry-it-out)

~send Reagan to MDO - I can't wait! I won't know what to do with just Pierce...shopping sounds good. No, better yet - SLEEP!

~somehow figure out how to take all three kiddos to the neighborhood pool in the summer

~baby proof the house

~find more ME time or I WILL go insane

~have more date nights or Jamie and I will forget that we once knew how to have fun together

Things I HOPE will happen in 2010:

~Pierce's reflux will resolve itself

~Emerson's doctors will gain wisdom and figure out the source of her illness - my ONLY Christmas wish this year

~establish more routine and better sleep schedules for everyone

~I will miraculously wake up one morning with the motivation and skill to become a good cook

~a special mommy and Emmy trip to San Antonio to visit my grandparents and go to Sea Worl

~have time to finish decorating the kids' rooms

~frame and find places for the professional pictures taken over the last year

~win the lottery - gosh, these kids are expensive!

I hope everyone has a great Christmas! I am definitely grateful for my 3 perfect blessings this holiday season. I predict 2010 is going to be filled with lots of joy! Just watching my children grow and learn and love is pure happiness.

Hallelujah

I found a new pediatrician that I just love!!! I can't tell you how relieved I feel to finally have someone listen to my concerns and be empathetic. She is also a young mother of a little girl the exact same age as Reagan and can really relate to many issues we are going through. She spent a good hour with Pierce at his appointment and answered all of my questions. She never made me feel as though she was in a rush to get to her other patients. She never made me feel ignorant. She validated my concerns. She related my situation to issues she experienced with her own daughter. She was very personable and truly seemed as though she cared about her patients. At one point she just held Pierce and loved on him because she thought he was so sweet and cute (well, who wouldn't think that!?!). The nurses were great! The front staff was friendly and accommodating. The office was very kid friendly. In the waiting room there was a beautiful fish tank with LIVE fishes (not fake like the other office) and all the exam room doors were wrapped with Christmas paper. I could not have felt better about the appointment. In fact, I left feeling reassured and relieved. She even called herself (just like she said she would) later that day to tell me she had received some of the test results that Pierce has already had done. AMAZING!

I also want to mention a few cute things Emerson said/did this week that I don't want to forget. She is becoming quite creative!

The other night she got soap in her eye while washing her hair (she cried even though she uses Johnson & Johnson's No Tear formula) and asked me "what do we do to make my eye stop burning?" I told her we needed to wash it out with clean water. She responds "no, I don't think that will work. I think I need a piece of chocolate to make my eye feel better." Creative and quite manipulative don't you think!?! Because she was so cute I gave her a piece a chocolate. The crying immediately stops and she says "yep, my eye feels much better." OMG. I think I may be in for some trouble.

Then, this morning Pierce woke up crying for his bottle and Emerson asks "Mommy, why does Pierce cry so much?" He really doesn't cry that much but for a 3 year-old it may seems like all the time. I tell her that "babies just cry sometimes and that usually he is trying to tell us something because they can't talk yet. This morning he was telling us that he was hungry." Again she disagrees with me and says "no, that's not it. I think he cries because he wants me to play with him and make him laugh." And you know what, she may be right. She is great with him and always seems to be able to make him laugh. And he just adores her right back. It is such a great feeling to watch your kids love and adore each other. I am so blessed.

I just love that the ABC Family channel has a ton of Christmas movies airing during the whole month of December. We were all watching Santa Claus 3 with Tim Allen and Emerson got so upset that they were referring to his character as Mr. Claus. I mean she would not let it go. "Mommy, why are they calling him Mr. Claus? His name is Santa. Why does he have 2 names?" I mean, this went on and on and on. No answer I gave her was sufficient. I have a feeling she may figure out the whole "Santa" thing before most kids. I can just see it now, upset parents calling me because their kids are distraught after Emerson breaks the news that Santa is not REAL. She is so observant that she may realize that one Santa looks a little different from another Santa. And then will come the questions. I better be prepared and come up with some clever answers.

We did go see Santa this year. The past 2 years Emerson wanted NOTHING to do with him. This year she was eager to tell him she wanted a swing set. We got a picture of all the kids on his lap and the expressions on Reagan and Pierce's faces are PRICELESS!!!! At least there was no crying. Hope you enjoy the photo, we definitely got a good laugh out of it. I guess it was worth the outrageous $16 fee.

Introducing Tayla and Allah and Quinda and LOTS more.

So, I am sure you are confused by the title. I promised I would talk about Emerson in my next blog and update you about what is going on in her life. Tayla and others (too many to count and all with names I have never heard of) are Emerson's imaginary friends. Evidently having imaginary friends is a sign of high intelligence. Well, I sure hope so because recently I saw an episode of Oprah featuring a 7 year-old schizophrenic whose early symptoms included hundreds of imaginary friends with weird names. Keeping my fingers crossed.....just kidding. At least she can entertain herself. This year was especially hard coming up with Christmas gift ideas because she spends most of her time playing and talking with her imaginary friends. One of the crafts Emerson brought home from MDO was a turkey that the teachers wrote all the things Emerson was thankful for on each feather. There were five feathers: mommy and daddy, brother and sister, Tayla, apples, my red ladybug. I couldn't stop laughing and proceeded to call Jamie at work. I really don't know why she put apples and her red ladybug. She rarely eats apples and the red ladybug is some random stuffed animal she hardly plays with. It just makes you wonder what is going in her head.

It is hard to imagine that in about 6 weeks my little girl is going to be 4. I still have such a vivid memory of the day she was born as if it were yesterday. She has brought me so much joy and I don't know what my life would look like without her. The main thing I am thankful for this year aside from welcoming Pierce into our lives to complete our family is the peace of mind I received at Children's 2 weeks ago. Contrary to what we have been told over the last 9 months, anemia is actually very common in 2-3 year-olds because they are such picky eaters. And Emerson is not only a picky eater but she eats like a bird, snacking on a few bites here and there throughout the day. Among her favorite things to eat are strawberries, yogurt, chicken nuggets, ice cream and her main food group is CHOCOLATE (just like her daddy). I can't even get her to eat macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cereal, hot dogs, spaghetti o's, all of which most children love. She refuses to eat anything that appears to have orange cheese on it and she won't touch anything that has different items mixed together such as a casserole. It makes cooking dinner very limited. And the bad part is her sister is starting to become really picky too. Hopefully this phase will pass soon because the only iron you have is from the foods you eat. The hematologist told us to put her back on iron therapy for at least another 3 months and we will check her hemoglobin levels again then. In the mean time I will be trying my best to increase the amount of iron-rich foods she is getting. Fortunately this week she tried iron fortified cream of wheat and loved it....YAY! She won't eat any sandwiches so I was trying to come up with a way to get her to eat Iron Kids bread and bought Nutella (the chocolate spread). I know it is mostly sugar and sounds nasty but she liked it and got her iron from the bread. We are taking baby steps.

So, a few other things about Emerson right before she turns 4:

~she fights sleep more than any child I have ever seen (I think she stopped napping at 18 months)

~she still comes to sleep in our bed with us in the middle of the night (totally my fault for allowing this to happen for so long)

~she ADORES her aunts and future uncles

~she LOVES to sing and dance (crazy freestyle but hated ballet/tap class)

~she is such a big helper when it comes to her sister and brother

~her best friends are boys

~she is starting to become interested in Disney princesses

~she has a remarkable memory (she remembers exact word-for-word conversations that happened months ago)

~she is terrified of doctors (who could blame her?)

~she doesn't appear to have a clue about volume control

~she LOVES baths where she "practices her glides" she learned in swim lessons

~she is still my snuggle-bug

I am amazed daily at just how smart and observant she is. I am so proud of the independent, sweet, caring, helpful and well-behaved little girl she has become. And I can't wait to see what is in store for all of us at age 4!