Birthday moment on video

As you know, we have endless pictures of Zach since I am always more likely to grab my camera than the video camera. So fortunately my dad, who I think we'll start calling "Scorcese," had his video camera rolling most of Zach's birthday weekend. He also takes the time to download the footage and do something with it, something else I don't do often - I just realized I have 6 hours of video from the first three years of Zach's life to someday sit down and edit... yikes.

So thanks to Grandpa K, here is a short clip from our dinner at TGI Fridays - Zach's reaction to the birthday treat and singing. It ends with a close-up of a very "Zach" moment - his special method of carrying his cars around, in this case his many new Lightning McQueens, with his beloved Cowabungadee under his arm:

Check-ups

I had an experience today I've never had before - a fun visit to the pediatrician with Zach. We went in for his three-year "well child" visit, after preparing that morning by practicing with his doctor's kit, and reassuring him several times that he wasn't going to need any shots (whew).

Obviously the lack of shots is a big factor in making a doctor's visit more pleasant, but what made it fun was Zach himself. He was very curious about what was happening, and since he's not shy at all, was happily asking the nurse and doctor questions (everything from "what's that?" to "do you want to see my cars stickers?") and responding easily to their questions.

We had a few firsts - his first eye exam and hearing test. The nurse referred to both as games, which helped him get into the spirit. For the eye test, instead of the usual E eye chart, they used one with shapes. The nurse told him he was a pirate and had to cover one eye with the big black spoon-like instrument; so he did so while saying "ahoy matey!" He got through the entire test on his right eye, and about half of it with his left eye before he lost interest. Apparently that's pretty good; they usually don't really even try the test until the kids turn 4. We did learn his eyesight is about 20/30 in his right eye... I was happy to hear that considering his parents' vision.

Then the hearing test: they had him hold a device up to his ear and say "beep" when he heard the beep. He thought this was hilarious; I wish I'd had my camera since he was grinning away at the nurse. He passed that test with flying colors. The rest of the visit was fairly routine; I can't even remember what prompted the doctor to say "he is so cute... how can you ever say no to that face???" :)

So the stats: he weighs 31 lbs and is 37 inches tall. Both are right around the 50th percentile, which is where he's been for weight all along, and lower than the normal 60-75% he's been for height in the past. But not surprising... it's those short little legs of his! Since we've been home, he's been having a great time with his doctor's kit, which he was marginally interested in before today. I think I've gotten 27 shots today!

And the other check-up - my 24 week appointment was last week. Most was routine: weight, pee in a cup, get measured, blood pressure, etc etc. All good. Not routine was that we went over the 21-week ultrasound results. Happily, it was confirmed the placenta had indeed moved away from the cervix... goodbye threat of bedrest! And the baby looks great too, although the radiologist noted that our little guy's legs are not measuring comparably to his head. There was a lot of CYA-type language, including a reference that the disparity could be within the realm of normal depending on the height of the parents, and the suggestion that perhaps we could go in for another ultrasound in 4-6 weeks to see if the legs were growing at the same rate as everything else.

So... one of these lovely parent moments where the doctor looks at you and asks what you want to do. In her opinion - no big deal, the radiologist isn't a neonatal expert, the numbers are not that disparate, etc etc. But essentially - up to us. So while I admit we're not worried about this, we decided to take them up on the offer to see our boy again before May. So we've got another bonus ultrasound on the calendar in a couple weeks. :)

Also not routine was the dreaded glucose test for gestation diabetes (GD). For those of you who've never experienced this - consider yourself lucky. I know many many women who consider it no big deal, but I take three sips of the orange syrupy stuff and feel my stomach start moving around, ready to get rid of the offensive substance. So forcing the entire 10 oz down in 5 minutes is unpleasant at best. Since I had GD when I was pregnant with Zach, the statistics said I had about an 80% chance of having it again, despite having none of the usual risk factors. So it wasn't a great shock when I failed the test... although I couldn't help but hope I'd be the one to beat the odds!

My doctor and I had made a deal a long time ago that if I tested positive for GD again after the one-hour glucose test, I would not have to take the usual follow-up 3-hour test; instead we would just assume I had it again and get on with life. So that's what we're doing. I meet with the diabetes educator next week to get a refresher on the diet and finger-pricking process... not that I've been able to forget much! I keep reminding myself of the bright side: this diet is probably all that prevented me from gaining 60 lbs when pregnant with Zach! So carb counting, food journal, and finger pokes here we come!

25-week update from Baby Center.com:
Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. He's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

The never-ending birthday celebration

Perhaps it was appropriate - he turned three, and his birthday celebration lasted three days!

Zach started his actual birthday with a birthday cupcake (after he ate his oatmeal, of course), and opening a few gifts from us - see previous post. Then we headed to one of his favorite spots - Choo Choo Bob's - with our friends Wendy and Vincent. Scott met us for a birthday lunch at Wendy's, so Zach could have another treat, his beloved Frosty.

G&G Klicka arrived that afternoon, and we all piled in the car so Zach could enjoy some of the rides at the Mall of America. As you can see, he loved some...

While he was not so thrilled about others:

After that busy day, he got to spend Friday morning opening more presents from G&G Klicka and Uncle Andy/Aunt Stacey. Then, finally, he had time to play with all those toys!

We had to drag him out of the house that night for dinner at TGI Fridays, a destination we specifically picked so we could see his reaction to the servers singing to him. The picture doesn't do the moment justice; but his look of surprise and awe was worth it!

And then came Saturday - the day of his official birthday party. Guess what the theme was?

^ mmm... burgers and hot dogs!

Pinata time!

The younger kids had no idea what was going on, but had a good time taking a whack at Lightning McQueen anyway.

^ Zach, Kasey, and Vincent take their best shots

The rest of these pictures speak for themselves, but I shall call them "mmmm... cake!"

^ Zach and his birthday cake; Vincent, Kasey, Brady and Isak digging in

Some of the key remnants of his birthday: how many Lightning McQueens does a kid need?

Three

Three. Three years old. Three years have passed since the Sunday we went to the hospital at 7 AM to be induced. Unbelievable in some ways.

It's been interesting to reflect on how much Zach has changed in those three years, especially knowing in a few more months we'll be starting all over again, and changing Zach's and our lives drastically at the same time.

In the last year alone he has changed so much, become a little person with whom we have real conversations, and truly enjoy as a companion. Obviously the potty-training is a big example of how he's changed. But there are so many others too.

A year ago he rarely played by himself; now he is capable of entertaining himself for long periods of time, zooming his cars all over the house, creating races and conversations between them. And while his love of anything Cars is well-documented, he now has both the attention span and the interest to play games - Candyland, the memory game, Go Fish, dominoes, and Uno are current favorites. I'm still amazed that he is capable of understanding the game of Uno (we've moved on to the real rules now), even some of the basic strategy. And with those games comes the struggle to learn how to lose gracefully, a challenge I suspect we'll be working on for quite a while.

His energy level has changed dramatically; sitting still is obviously much more difficult than it has ever been. And you can see it in how his body has changed; any trace of baby fat is long gone. He's a lean mean machine these days. And that's because if given the chance, this boy wants to RUN! I still wonder how much that has to do with his lingering thrill in his ability to run after his broken leg, but I guess we'll never know. He hasn't lost his love for anything involving a ball, but he is also always up for a foot race or game of chase. And when Zach is "sitting" to play a game or something, he is not still; he's always hopping from foot to foot, wiggling an arm or leg, crawling around the board etc. Fidgeting!

In the rare moments he is sitting relatively still, his mouth is going at 100 mph. He truly is a chatterbox. And the things that come out of his mouth... I just hope I've captured some of the funnier ones on this blog so we can remind him of them at his college graduation or wedding. :) He is curious about everything, constantly asking why and "who's that?" He's always had a love of numbers and letters, which is now beginning to translate into basic word recognition and math-related questions - what's 2 plus 1? (Then he gets silly: yesterday he was asking me things like "what's mommy plus grapes?") He's starting to wonder about time, constantly asking me how long it will take us to get somewhere, or how many more minutes until I'm done cooking dinner. We have a calendar on the fridge to help him understand the bigger passages of time, which comes in handy when he's looking forward to something like the arrival of his grandparents or his birthday party.

It's also been interesting to watch how his interactions with kids have changed. He still plays best with older kids, but he's beginning to figure out what to do with kids his own age. Unfortunately, he generally expects others to play the same way he does, and gets very upset when they don't comply (ie Isak isn't playing cars the way I want him to!). Practice makes perfect I guess, as he's starting to learn that not everyone in the world is going to do as he says or wants! His nature is still fairly gentle, but he is showing more signs of aggressiveness - learning to love to tackle, grabbing friends by the arm to make them run faster with him, etc.

Our boy continues to be as outgoing as he has always been. He considers everyone a friend - adults, other kids, whoever. He will speak to just about anyone, with only rare moments of shyness. He has started asking other kids their names when out in public, which catches many of them by surprise. It also leaves us to try to explain to him why they didn't answer or walked away. So much for him to learn!

I mentioned earlier that my dad had sent us an hour-long video of Zach, from when he first began walking at 10 months, through our Thanksgiving together this last year. Don't worry, I won't post the whole thing, but I thought perhaps you'd enjoy this little "preview" he also sent us. I confess it made me weepy. There are so many little things I've forgotten - like exactly how chubby his little legs were when he first started wobbling around on them. And how he talked almost nonstop long before we could understand what he was saying. And the absolutely adorable way he used to say "ohhh-kay" instead of "yes". And that his laugh back before he even turned one sounds exactly like it sounds today.

My favorite thing that Zach started doing in the last year? That's easy - it's his own special way of declaring his feelings. He says "Mama/Daddy, you know what?... I love you." Well, you know what? We love you too buddy, and we cannot wait to see what adventures and special moments you experience in your fourth year. Happy third birthday!

Underwear

TMI Warning: if you are not a grandparent or a parent who has recently, is currently, or will soon be potty-training your child, this post is likely too much information for you.

Days in "big boy" underwear: 3
Number of accidents: 0!!!

^ Our little (Cars) underwear model

Zach has been amazing; clearly the proverbial lightbulb in his head has gone on. He only wears a diaper at night, which he uses at some point, but then can hold his first morning pee until we get him out of bed and to the potty. I was a little worried about #2, since some kids have problems with that, but so far so good. We could have skipped the week of pull-ups entirely! Now we just have to figure out how to wean away from the M&M rewards that he currently receives for #2s and staying dry over his nap.

We've had some funny moments along the way, not even counting all the goofy nonstop chatter Zach spouts when we're in a public bathroom (like the cheering I now receive when it's my turn: "Mama! You're going potty! Yay!!). One of the surprises has been that Zach has decided he likes using the big toilet - no insert needed. Originally we had this highly-padded comfortable-looking insert, since I thought who wouldn't want more cushiness while sitting on the toilet? But we discovered fairly quickly that particular insert was not well-designed for a boy... I'll leave it at that. So I went out and got him a less-padded seat, but one with a Cars theme on it (you're surprised, aren't you?). Well, after using it once or twice, Zach started telling us he just wanted to sit on the "big" toilet. Which is crazy to me, because of the way he sits...

We learned fairly quickly that the most splash-proof method was to have Zach lean forward as much as possible when peeing. That has evolved into him sitting practically straddling the toilet, with his legs spread as far as possible, holding on to the front of the seat. At one point, while sitting like this, he looked up at me and said "this is exercise for my butt!" I would think so - it looks horribly uncomfortable! But that's what he prefers over the Cars seat that he could just comfortably sit on... and it's working, so I'm not saying a word. It also makes using public toilets easier (although very gross, watching him hanging on to the front of the seat) since he's already used to a regular toilet. So needless to say, we're thrilled. And hopeful that he's conquered this far enough in advance that we can avoid any back-sliding when the baby is born.

But I do have to say, there are things I already miss about the old days. Diapers are darn convenient, as I learned today when I had to get Zach out of his carseat right after I put him in, so we could go back into Sams and rush across the store to the bathroom (we made it - whew).

I also miss the way we used to wake up in the morning. Before we would wake to him calling out in a happy, sing-song voice: maaahhhh-my, daaahhh-dy, the sun is on and it's time to get me out of my bed! Now we are shocked out of sleep by a panicked-sounding "Mommy! Daddy! I have to go potty!" It's an adrenaline rush every morning, which is not my favorite way to wake up. And then to hear that call at 3:37 AM this morning... ugh. I know I should be happy he's starting to wake us up when he has to go in the middle of the night, but knowing there are many sleepless nights in our not-too-distant future, I wouldn't have minded him using the diaper at night for a while. It'll be interesting to see if this continues, or if it was a one-time thing. And I honestly don't know which one to hope for!

9 Random Things

1. My sister-in-law Mandy recently blogged about our Christmas together in Montana. And I had to laugh, because she verified something I've been suspecting: that no one can really understand how much Zach wants to play cars until they've spent significant time with him. And after 6 days with Zach, Mandy, the mother of two school-aged girls, expressed her amazement at how much more obsessed he is with cars than her girls have ever been with anything. So it seems appropriate to include a picture of Zach wearing his new Lightning McQueen sweatshirt from G&G Willard, while playing a game of Cars dominoes.

2. Yesterday the temperature reached a whopping 30 degrees, so we decided to take advantage of the heat wave. We got all bundled up and waddled outside. I was full of enthusiasm - what do you want to do? Build a snowman? Go for a ride on the sled (which Zach calls a "sleigh"... hee hee)? Throw snowballs? Guess what Zach wanted to do? Don't overthink this one... go with the obvious. Yes, we played cars. Rather than romping through the snow, we remained on the dry driveway and played something we played in the summer, in the fall, and that we can just as easily play indoors. Oh well. He did have great rosy cheeks by the time it got dark!

3. Our little mimic is getting quite good; at times a little too good. I've mentioned before that I've learned to be careful what I say while driving; that boy is paying a lot of attention even if it may not seem like it! My general response to other drivers is to speak to them as if they were in the car with us; not necessarily swearing or even saying anything particularly negative, but it's something Zach has shown me I do without even realizing it. One day, Zach asked me why I said what I had said, and I did my best to explain it to him. And to Scott's great amusement, I heard it repeated back to me a couple days later: "Pay attention boys. Mama, I told them to pay attention because they were driving crazy. They weren't driving the way I wanted them to."

4. I also often hear my parenting efforts repeated back to me. I've been trying to help him consider the best way to handle a situation when two people want to do different things; say one wants to play Uno and the other wants to play dominoes. Recently I asked Zach to put his coat on, and he wanted to do something else... play cars, I would guess. So he stopped and said: mama, you want me to put my coat on, and I want to play cars. What are we going to do about that???

5. One of Zach's new favorite phrases? Darn tootin'! Guess who taught him that one? He finds endless opportunities to use it... do you like Lightning McQueen? Darn tootin! Do you have a Sammy the Sloth (while playing Diego Go Fish)? Darn tootin! Is it funny to hear out of the mouth of a not-quite three-year-old? Darn tootin!

6. We go to the library weekly to get new books and movies. And without fail, every week Zach picks out two or three of the new books as favorites, and we read them over and over again. A recent fave is a Dr. Seuss book that asks you profound questions like whether you'd rather have 6 legs or 164. I suspect this book is why Zach recently told me that he'd rather be a dog. If he was a dog, he'd say woof woof. But he'd have hands. And he'd be pink and blue. I, on the other hand, would be a green cat. There was no mention of hands for me though.

7. Zach has always assumed that any adult who comes into our home is a great friend who has come to play with him. So when a gentleman arrived to measure our upstairs for our new carpet (yippee!), Zach wanted to know if he could ask him if he wanted to see his toys. I tried to explain that he was working, just like when daddy goes to work he is there to do his job, not to play, but when the guy came back downstairs, you can imagine what came next. Fortunately the smoky, shaggy young guy played along for a few minutes. And after Zach watched him drive away in his purple mini-cooper, I expected a comment on the unusual car. Instead, he said Mama - he had a cool beard.

8. And speaking of carpet, I'm reminded of another Zach quirk, which I can't remember if I've blogged about before, and am too lazy to look. As the snow began to fall, and then get dirty and slushy, Zach has expressed his disgust over having snow and slush stuck to his shoes/boots. So now, every time we go somewhere, he asks "will they have a carpet?" Why? He wants to be sure they have a rug he can wipe his feet on when we go in.

9. My dad recently sent us a movie he made of all the video he has shot of Zach. More will be coming on that shortly, but I just had to mention a funny reaction Zach had while watching himself cavort on the tv. At one point little Zach was toddling around in a fuzzy sleeper with a dog and the number 28 on it. Immediately out of current Zach's mouth comes "Look - I'm Adrian Peterson!" For those non-NFL fans out there... #28 is indeed the Vikings star runningback.

A new year

We rang in the new year the way we celebrate many things these days - surrounded by friends and a whole bunch of kids under the age of 5. And trust me, I'm not complaining!

We hosted (the day after we returned from MT... it was a little crazy), with the ambitious goal of getting 7 kids to sleep in our house so their parents could enjoy some adults-only fun and maybe even manage to stay up until midnight. And believe it or not, we were successful!

By 9:30, Zach (almost 3) and Sawyer (coming up on 2) were both snoring away in Zach's room. The Bergum boys, ages 4.5 and nearing 3, had some fun sharing a room before they settled down and were out like lights. Kasey (almost 2) got her own room, while the Tanious brothers were in our room... with little Carter in Scott's closet! It took 4 pack-n-plays, but we got it done.

Then we adults enjoyed some more food and a few games... Catch Phrase is always a popular one; Taboo proved to be a challenge for some at this stage of the night; and we learned that The Newlywed Game is hopelessly outdated. We did learn some interesting things about each other (sorry, what happens at our house stays at our house), but most of the questions just made us laugh. What color slips were the wives wearing under their dresses? What's a slip?

Of course, since 3 of the 6 wives are pregnant (Jenny and the "other" Liz are due a week apart in late June), the night wasn't too crazy. But most of us managed to stay awake to actually watch the ball drop, before the warm snuggly kids were carried out for the cold ride home to their own beds. I can only imagine what our neighbors were thinking as they watched our friends lug their pack-n-plays, bundled sleeping kids, and other necessary kid gear out of our house!

It was a great way to welcome 2010, and we're looking forward to all the fun and changes that the new year will bring all of us!

Photo guide (from top to bottom, left to right):

- Brady and Zach bowling in the basement

- Carter, Nolan (in back) and Kasey checking out Zach's toys

- enjoying the appetizer spread

- Nolan and Carter loving Koskie's bed, as all small kids do

- Zach and Isak playing - what else - cars

- Sawyer trying on the role of big brother by holding Carter

- more food!

While he didn't get to stay up to watch the ball drop, Zach has been ringing in the new year a different (and better) way - by continuing his progress with the old "potty train." We've graduated to pull-ups (they have Lightning McQueen on them... can't beat that), hopefully just an interim stop before we move on to the revered big boy underwear. The two reasons we went with the pull-ups rather than straight to underwear are that Zach has wavering success with staying dry over his nap, and had been having little to no success with going #2 on the toilet. Neither of these is a unique phenomenon, of course, we just need to figure out the best way to handle both and keep our guy motivated!

And what is working so far? Food as reward, of course. He's been getting all sorts of treats - cupcakes, and his favorite - m&ms - when he wakes up from his nap dry and then goes to the bathroom. And today... the lure of "lots" of those yummy colorful chocolate candies worked to get him to poop on the toilet! WHOO HOO! Hopefully we'll be heading to Target soon for the Lightning McQueen underwear he's already picked out!