Nico is a month old!

Nicolas is already 4 weeks old! We continue our tradition of celebrating each month with dessert until he turns one. Nathan had cakes and Noah had pies. Nico will get cupcakes. Of course, his mother enjoys it before him. Here's a pic of Nico with his first cupcake.

Okay so his mother couldn't just decide on one cupcake!

Noah starts potty training himself...

Noah decided this week that he will start potty training. He's doing pretty well too. He tells me when he needs to pee. It's so exciting to see him pee in the toilet. I still think of him as a baby. I never thought I'd be so excited about pee! It is my goal to have him potty trained while I'm on maternity leave. However, I'm not quite ready. I haven't pursued it much since I have my hands full with nursing Nico and Nathan's new school. Plus, it's just been too hot to stay home and potty training him in public is too much work. I'm such a bad mother. I really should push him because he seems ready. I'm content if he's trained by age 3.

Noah seems to be ready for a lot of things. He really wants to go to preschool but he's too young for most of them and because he's not potty trained, they charge an arm and a leg. He knows his alphabets and he can count to 20 all by himself. He can recognize letters and even write some of them. Nathan brings home some of his work from school and Noah listens in and picks it up quickly. I have enrolled him in a class at the rec center just to keep his interest up.

On a side note, Nate no longer wears pull ups at night. When he was potty trained at 3, he was wearing underwear even at night. Then winter came and he started wetting his bed so we started to use pull ups. We never bothered switching back. Finally, Erdy and I got on top of things and started training him to get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night if he needed to. After a few accidents, he is finally trained! Yippee...one down, two more to go. My little boys are growing up so fast...

We went to the circus!

We had a blast at the circus. Nate and Noah were excited to see the animals, especially the elephants, horses and tigers. All I kept hearing Noah say was "Wow!" over and over. Nate could barely keep himself in his chair. He was jumping up and down and cheering as he saw the horses come out. Erdy and I enjoyed watching the boys' reaction to everything. It was so neat to see them so excited about every little thing. It was worth it to see the boys enjoy themselves!

Nathan's first day of school

Nathan started school today. I was a bit concerned because he was going to start in a new school where he didn't know anyone. All this week I was trying to get him excited about school but he kept whining that he didn't want to go. And he would talk about his old school and his previous teachers and all the friends he had there.

I thought today would be difficult for him. Thank goodness it wasn't. I drove him to school and he was eager to go to his classroom. I hung out for awhile just in case but he kept waving bye to me like he wanted me to leave already.

It was sad yet also happy to see him so independent. He looked all grown up in his uniform. So many mothers drove away with a tear in their eye (including me) as their child started school. Many children were crying too. I'm just so glad it wasn't mine!

Happy Birthday Nathan!

Today Nathan turned 4. Oh gosh, I have a four year old son. Birthdays are such a big deal to me...I figure it's the only day out of the entire year when it's your special day. I guess I got that from my mom who threw me surprise parties year after year (I always acted surprise everytime so I don't ruin her fun!)

Nate woke up and saw a whole bunch of gifts in the living room. He got some really cool stuff. Of course, we gave him tons of horses to add to his collection. He got books about horses from Noah and Nicolas. Lola gave him a vtech digital camera. After opening all his presents, we headed off to IHOP where I actually let him eat a Banana Foster pancake with a scoop of ice cream for breakfast! We don't let the kids have too much sugar so that's a real treat!

When I asked Nathan what he wanted to do for his birthday, he said he wanted to ride a horse. Well I knew that would be difficult so I thought of the next best thing...we rode the merry-go-round at the arena green in San Jose. Nate and Noah had such a blast that we rode it twice. They also played in the park for awhile. Next was lunch at Benihana. Nathan loves to watch the chef cook. That is probably the only time that he actually stays in his seat during the entire meal. Then we were off to Chuck E. Cheese. After playing their games, they had ice cream again. What lucky kids!

Then we were off to buy Nate's cake. He wanted cupcakes that looks like one big cake so that is what he got. I was actually really surprised...it tasted pretty good. Auntie Abby came over with more gifts and a bouquet of balloons. He spent the night playing with all the new toys he got. He ended the night sugar high and pooped. What a great way to spend your birthday.

New diet restrictions

Because I had gestational diabetes throughout most of my pregnancy, I had to stay away from sweets. This was very difficult because I have such a sweet tooth. As soon as I gave birth to Nicolas, I asked my nurse for apple juice. I missed drinking soda and apple juice and eating ice cream (although, I must admit, I did sneak some here and there). Now that I don't have the diabetes, I have gone wild with food. I have stuffed myself silly of watermelon.

Now Nicolas has set some diet restrictions on me since I am nursing him. One of the other things I missed drinking is orangina. So when I went to Trader Joe's I bought myself a bottle. Poor Nico had such bad gas. Here's what I found out so far: I can't have carbonated drinks. Gosh darnet...there's goes my coke. No spicy food either and I have to limit my watermelon. Oh well...what you do for your children!

Nicolas is two weeks old!

I took Nico to his first doctor's appointment. The greatest news is that he passed his newborn screening. As most of you know, Nathan has a minor blood disorder which he got from Erdy and me. Luckily, Nico does not have Hemoglobin H. He has also gained a whole pound. He currently weighs 7lbs, 5oz. which puts him in the 14th percentile! Yippee!!! Let's hope he stays on the percentile chart. Nate and Noah fell off the percentile chart when they became mobile.

Nico is a great sleeper. I have to set my alarm at night to make sure he doesn't go the entire night without a feeding. He is pretty easy-going and I'm crossing my finger that he stays that way.

Boys will be boys...

On Monday, we went to a park in Palo Alto. I ended up having to stay in the van to nurse while Erdy took the boys to the park. They were playing pretty well together according to Erdy until they started chasing some birds. Nathan got upset that Noah was teasing the birds. So he took a twig and started running after Noah. He accidentally poked Noah in the eye. You would think Noah would start crying...nope, he just kept on playing. Luckily, Erdy saw it happen and looked at Noah's eye. Erdy wanted Noah seen at Kaiser. I didn't think it was a big deal. His eye was a little pink from where it was irritated. Erdy didn't want to take any chances so I did ended up taking him to Kaiser.

It turns out that his eye was scratched but luckily nothing else was injured. Whew! The doctor gave me some drops for him to prevent an infection. Thank goodness Noah is not at all bothered by his eye. The scratch should heal on its own and go away within a week.

Meanwhile, we really laid it hard on Nathan. We told him he needed to be more gentle and to use his words instead of lashing out.. Noah and Nathan has been playing rough lately. They claim they're super heroes. And where the heck do they get this from??? We have no idea. Boys will be boys...we try to take into consideration the adjustment they're going through. Erdy has returned to work but as soon as he comes home from work, Erdy takes the boys to the park to let out all their energy. It pays off around 8:30pm when they are in deep sleep!

It's our anniversary!

Today we celebrated our 6th year anniversary! How crazy is that? Erdy and I have been together for eleven years. Most of you has heard me say this...if someone predicted back then that I would end up marrying my college roommate's brother...I would tell them they're crazy....and if they said I would marry him and end up with three boys...I would tell them they're insane! It's funny how life works out.

It has been a tradition to watch our wedding video. There is a photo montage of us growing up. We were in hysterics to see Erdy's baby pictures. Noah is his exact replica. Nathan actually thought they were pictures of him. I, on the other hand, see my baby pictures resembling Nicolas. That's wishful thinking...everyone always comments on how the boys look exactly like Erdy!

We didn't get to do much, having a newborn and all. We did take the family out to Benihana for lunch. We figured it would entertain the boys and we can actually eat in peace. It worked! The boys sat in their chair the entire time and they were very amused. Every time we take them there, we have to order for each of them their own chicken fried rice. They just love it. Then of course we had to go out for ice cream. We ended the day renting a movie and relaxing while all three boys slept. Happy Anniversary to us!

Nico is 9 days old!

Nicolas is already 9 days old. Where does time go? So far everyone has gotten into the new routine. It's like Nico has been with us all along. He just fits right in. Nate and Noah just adores him. They wake up in the morning and run to his bassinet to give him a kiss. They're constantly wanting to hold him. It's so cute. We are always nearby watching nervously to make sure they don't get rough with him.

Erdy has taken time off so he's able to spend some time with the older boys. They have spent a day at Santa Cruz at their favorite place..the beach. They have also gone swimming several times and they have visited Chuck E. Cheese. They go to the park everyday. Erdy is getting use to this life style..he doesn't want to go back to work. I don't think the kids want him to go back either. And to be honest, it's been nice to be pampered a little more than usual. I don't know what I'll do next week when he goes back to work and I have all three kids.

At my baby shower, the best advice given to me was to enjoy the moments because they grow up too fast. So it's been a humorous phrase we use around here...we try to remember that when Nate runs through the house tracking dirt after we just finished mopping the floor or when Noah pours his milk into his dinner plate and the late night feedings with Nico. I am trying to enjoy the moments and stay sane. My doctor sent me a congratulations note and at the bottom it says, "the days are long but the years are short." How true that is.

We are overwhelmed with the well wishes we've received....from flowers, balloons, edible bouquets, cards, personal gifts and goodies. Thank you to all of our friends, family, Erdy's co-workers and SCS volunteers. We are so lucky to have your love and support.

Nicolas' birth story

It was Tuesday, July 29, 2008 and I had a scheduled doctor's appointment. I woke up at 7:30am and I knew I was in labor. Throughout the night, I was having contractions but I was still able to sleep through them. My appointment was at 11am so I managed to squeeze a couple of errands beforehand. Yes, I went to my favorite place...Target..I knew I wouldn't be able to go there for awhile! I was driving through the strong contractions. As it got stronger, I decided to call Erdy to come take me to my appointment. Luckily, he was only working in Mountain View so he was able to come home right away.

I went to my appointment and my doctor determined that I was at 4cm. Labor and Delivery was full so they were thinking of sending me to Santa Teresa or Redwood City. Fortunately, because it was my third child, they weren't comfortable having me drive that far away. So after waiting for a room, I was examined again and I was still at 4 cm and the first doctor gave me the option of hanging out for awhile to see if I progress or I could go home. Erdy and I decided to stay. That was at 1pm. After an hour and a half, I was checked again and I was still at 4cm. This time the second doctor was leaning on sending me home. She asked me to walk around for an hour. So Erdy and I walked the entire third floor of Kaiser. Erdy thought we must have walked at least 2 miles. He was so proud of me, walking through all my contractions. I returned to my room at 3:30pm when I was supposed to be checked again. At this point, I was so hungry after watching my sister eat meatloaf from the cafeteria. It looked so good that I was willing to be sent home so I can eat. By 4:30pm, the third doctor came in and told me that the resident doctor was uncomfortable sending me home since I may dilate quickly. We were there to stay. They finally gave me the IV. I knew it would take awhile to get all the fluids in me before I can have my epidural. Meanwhile, the pain was intense.

My epidural was finally placed at 6:30pm. The anesthesiologist was getting ready to insert the needle when I informed him that I was having a contraction. He said, "Oh good then you won't feel this." I literally felt like I was stabbed in my back. He jammed that needle in me. My body was in shock. Erdy's hands were stinging from my nails digging into his hands. The new thing is that I had the control of the dosage of epidural. I was started out at the lowest dose and I had a button to press whenever I felt like I needed more of it. The epidural instantly took into effect and I was very comfortable.

At that point, I was at 5cm. I told Erdy to head home so he can get the other two kids settled into bed. I thought it would take awhile. He was hesistant but I convinced him to go. I was now comfortable with my new bestfriend, the epidural. I was even able to nap for a bit. But all of a sudden, the epidural didn't take on my right hand side. I started to feel the pain and pressure again and I was shaking so much from being in total pain. I panicked and kept pressing my epidural button. I even asked the nurse why the epidural wasn't getting stronger. I later learned that I can only press it once every 12 minutes so that I won't overdose.

Since I was in so much pain, the doctor decided to check me again. Within 30 minutes, I was at 7 1/2 cm. I had my sister call Erdy to let him know to start heading back to the hospital. Ten minutes later, I was at 9cm and within seconds I was at 10, ready to push. My sister called Erdy again to tell him to rush back. He happened to be at Popeye's ordering his popcorn shrimp that he had been wanting all day. They labored me down so that we can wait for him. He came running in and I began to push. I pushed three times with two nurses in the room. I noticed one of the nurses left but thought she was called away. My nurse told me to stop pushing and yelled for my sister to push the emergency button in the room. I felt something slippery going through me and the nurse caught the baby as the doctors came running in.

Nico decided to make a very early entrance. He came right out without any help. He wasn't even crowning yet. I didn't even push him out. He just came out on his own. So he will be forever remembered by my nurse Trena who ended up delivering him. After three pushes in ten minutes, Nicolas Jacob Ayende Barlahan was born at 8:58pm. He weighed 6.5 lbs and was 19 inches long.