Look what I can do!

Now that she is 4 months old, Suvi is doing so much more! After her doctor visit, we decided to let play in the exersaucer and jumperoo! She loves to "practice" standing and being a bit more independent. She can't really do too much in these yet, but she enjoys looking at herself in the mirror and twirling in circles. She is too short for the exersaucer, so she stands on one of my veterinary textbooks (with the Internet, I don't use them much any more!).

Just look at that face! She didn't really know what to do in the jumperoo! Markku is very jealous and wants to get in himself!

More exciting things happened two nights ago: I started Suvi on solid food! She had her first rice cereal. She is about 1 month younger than when I started Markku. I can tell the difference. He seemed to have better control of his tongue and was just dying to eat when we started him. Suvi is very excited and I can tell she likes it (see picture where she is eating her bib to get every last drop), but she spits most of it out.

Yummmmmm!

This stuff tastes great!

She is over her ear infection, but seems to still be a little congested. Cold? Allergies?? Markku is starting his 6th semester of swim classes! He is supposed to be in extreme water babies, but they only offer that class at night around traffic times. We already drive 30 minutes to get there, we don't need to add time with traffic delays. So, is still in advanced water babies and they will "teach up" to him. Today he was so excited to go to swimming that he ran and got his swim suit and started crying when we told him it wasn't time to leave yet! I am glad he enjoys it so much. He is really quite a good swimmer also. Now we have to see if we can start Suvi after she turns 6 months! (It is kind of expensive, so we'll see!). I will have to swim with her. It has been enjoyable having Markku swim by himself and just sit with Suvi in the waiting area!

4 months old

Suvi is 4 months old today! She had her check up and is a whopping 16 lbs 9.6 oz. Almost as big as Markku at this age (he was 17 lbs). She is in the 97% in weight and at 25 inches is in the 75-90% for height and 95% for head size (43 cm)! Everything went well and she got her 6 vaccines (yes, I said 6!) and so far is holding her own (I have been giving Tylenol). I am figuring out she needs to go to bed before Markku's bath-easier said than done, but it seems to make things much smoother. She almost always wakes up at least 3-4 times over the night. Our pedi says I can't sleep train her yet (not until 6 months) and that she is hungry at night so I have to nurse her (so Heikki gets to stay in bed while I get up). But we can start her on solids anytime now. I didn't today as we are having a hectic enough day, but will real soon!

Heikki found out Monday that he is going back down to First Officer (from Captain). This is causing us a great deal of stress as we are trying to figure out how to make it financially and he is so frustrated to move backwards in his career as well. But, there were several hundred pilots furlowed and many others who were downgraded and their wives are stay at home moms-so they are all in a worse position than we are. On top of all that, his company wants them to take an additional 6& pay cut! We are already losing about 40-50% of his salary and now they want to take even more. So no one, please no one who talks to me, ever complain about the price of an airline ticket and how they are gouging you etc. It costs a lot to fly a plane and with fuel prices, no one is profiting (except oil companies). The employees and their families are all suffering! And we don't even get great flight privileges anymore! Ok enough bad news.

Markku was such a great helper today. Yes, a 2 year old can help! He was playing with his trucks and making quite a mess while I was on the phone with an insurance company for about 20 minutes. I was just happy he was preoccupied so I could talk, and when I got off the phone and looked around, I didn't see any of his 100 trucks around. The cabinet door was even closed. I looked and looked and finally thought to check the cupboard where they are kept-they were all put back into the Tupperware container, lid put on and door closed. He cleaned up all by himself without me even asking. This may never happen again so I had to get it published! He also helped while I was weeding and placed the weeds into the garbage pail and then carried the broom back into the house! It did take 3 times as long as it would have taken me, but he wanted to help and did it! It was very sweet. We then went out to Marie Calendar's so we could get pie for dinner! It was as good an ending to a stressful day as we could imagine! (Cooking was not in the mix as we were tired, hungry and wanted pie!).

Promised Pics

OK so we hae had a tough week. Suvi is still sick (thanks a lot to 24 hour fitness where I am sure Markku picked up his virus and then passed on to Suvi) and kept us up the past 2 nights. I finally decided it was time to go to the doctor (Kiri took her as I waited until a work day unfortunately). Sure enough she has 2 ear infections! No wonder, the poor thing. I realized now that she has not been talking or laughing this week either! I feel so bad for not noticing, taking forever to get her to the doctor and for yelling at her last night when she kept me up! I was so tired, but so was she AND her ears hurt. I have no excuse and poor Suvi still manages to smile at us every day despite her pain and not feeling well. But I did manage to get a photo of those crazy thighs!

And her chubby arms:

And her adorable smile (a close up):

And her thoughtful look:

And her loving brother:

I cannot believe she is almost 4 months old! She is now rolling over so I find her in a different place from where I put her when I go into her room in the middle of the night! I am re-reading the sleep book by Dr. Ferber in hopes that if when her ear infection clears up, if she is still not sleeping through the night, I can start her "sleep training". I do not want to wait until she is 14-15 months old like I did Markku. I am exhausted trying to work, and be a wife, home maker and mom to two lively kids. You know, about 6 or 7 months ago a client came in and claimed she had no idea what her dog was doing-if he had diarrhea and vomiting, if he was eating, etc because she was a "busy mom of two!" Her dog had a horrible intestinal blockage that had perforated before she could really see that he was sick. (He died). I was so frustrated with her, but in my sleep deprived state, I am beginning to understand.... I hope I NEVER get to that point! Sleep Suvi, sleep!

The cutest giggles/yucky poop day

Suvi is laughing and giggling now and it is one of the sweetest sounds ever! I am trying to get it on video and then I will try to figure out how to download it. But for now, she stops talking and laughing when the camera comes out! And I will post a picture soon of how chubby she is, I promise! Better yet, she is in her own crib right now, freeing me up to blog! (But, she wakes up every 2-3 hours all night long still. I am soooooo tired, especially since going back to work. Thank goodness I only work 2 1/2 days a week!
Markku has taken to the potty-but not BEFORE he has to go, only after. So yesterday he disappeared for a time and was real quiet. Kiri went and hunted him down and found him in the bathroom, on the toilet, no diaper. Good right? Well not when the poop was in the diaper! I laughed and was glad I wasn't home. Until this am when I was in the shower and he did it again! He came running in my bathroom without pants on, poop dropping off all over the house and smeared all over him too! It was not so funny that time! I guess I better get a book on potty training soon.

"These kids are breaking me"

So the other day I went to the gym and was gone for 1 hr and 20 min. I left Suvi and Markku with Heikki-Markku was asleep for his nap when I left but Suvi would not sleep (what a surprise!). While I was gone I guess Suvi just cried and Heikki was unable to console her and then Markku woke up crying and wouldn't eat dinner. So Heikki leaves this message on my cell phone: "Where are you? These kids are breaking me. Come home now!!!" It was said in a very exasperated tone. When I got home I could hear Suvi screaming from outside. She was laying on her playmat (screaming) while Heikki was defrosting her milk and Markku was eating graham crackers for dinner. He was very mad and frustrated and said he was going to take a job in China! I tried hard not to laugh, picked up Suvi to make her a little happier and we got on with our night. Maybe now he understands my life a little better (except I watch the kids for much longer than 1 hr and 20 min!!).

Alone time with Suvi

So Markku is off with Mummo and Ukki on quite the adventure. Last night he actually babbled to me on the phone (the first time he tried to hold a conversation with me over the phone!). He was having a good time swimming and floating on the Lazy River and tonight he was at Sea World! I am not sure he even misses us...but he was excited to say hi to me and Suvi tonight on the phone!
It is so different coming home to only one baby who is only 3 months old. The house is much quieter, until Suvi sees me then she starts to babble like crazy! I think she is telling me all about her day. She just talks so much-Heikki is worried as his mom reports his sister Liisa was like this as a baby. And we know what she is like as an adult (her nickname in the family is Hurricane Liisa). I don't personally think it would be so bad...if she was like her Aunt Liisa she would really enjoy life and go and see the world and explore and have fun--all the things I never did. But of course she may also party and have crazy ideas about quitting her job and moving to South America!
Suvi is trying so hard to sit up these days-you can just see her trying and then falling over sideways! She sits in her high chair while we eat dinner. She does sleep a few short hours in her crib at night and for the occasional nap. But she gets up about 5 times a night if I let her sleep on her own! So I often give up after 1 or 2 wake ups and bring her to bed with me. I just need sleep these days! I am not sure what I do to make my babies not sleep....but at least Markku now sleeps a full night through (but Suvi please don't make me wait 15 months like Markku did to sleep through the night!)
I did fail at my endeavor to ride my bike to work this week. Thursday I realized I did not have a bungee cord to attach my breast pump to the bike so I drove, and then today I had to take in Tillie as she has been limping all week. I think she just has arthritis, but that must mean she is getting older and that makes me sad! I feel I have been neglecting her and Allie for the past 2 years. I hope to be able to change that real soon-but where does all this time come from?? I did however ride my bike to the eye doctor and to the gym this week and next week I will try to ride my bike to work again (Heikki went and bought me a bungee cord!).
It's getting late and I need to go and research a case from work on VIN (a website for veterinarians with tons of info...).