Sleepless Nights

NEVER DID GET PICTURES UP, BUT THOUGHT I'D GO AHEAD AND POST!

*Yawn* That's what you hear around the Chandler home these days. A lot. For 2+ weeks, Hank has not been sleeping. Our good sleeper, the one -- from birth -- you could lay down and would go to sleep all on his own, has been waking 3 and 4 and 5 and 6+ times a night. And, Lord, I am weary.



Rewind a couple of weeks, Hank started at the new sitter (she whipped him right into a schedule, btw) and was kind of fussy in the evenings and wasn't sleeping great. We thought it was just adjusting to the change. Then that Friday, Milo woke from his nap crying and saying his ear hurt. Put 2 + 2 together, and got both boys to the pediatrician that afternoon. Sure enough, BOTH of them had ear infections in their right ear.



Both got prescriptions for amoxicillin -- Milo bounced right back; Hank not so much. By Day 3 of amoxicillin and Hank getting worse, he got a new prescription for omnicef and both boys got an adjustment at our friend's, the chiropractor's, office. Fast foward one week, and here we are still not sleeping.



But Hank went back to the pediatrician today. No more infection, but the doc thinks he probably still has fluid in his ears that's causing pressure and pain when he lays down. So Benedryl and Motrin it is (which, btw, we've been doing -- and he's been waking up anyway!!!). Also, the doc thinks Hank's teeth are bothering him. He hasn't cut any yet, but they could still be an issue.



Oh, and Baby Boy is still husky. ;) 24 lbs, 9 oz. And the Big Boy is now 39" and 37 lbs. Getting bigger, these boys.



Anyway, let's talk fun. Two weekends ago (the weekend of the ear infection discovery), we all trekked out to St. Charles for Festival of the Little Hills, a huge craft and food event. Great fun was had by all (especially as evidenced by Hank), and we even got a little Christmas shopping accomplished.



And this past weekend, we had our first-ever yard sale. We're calling it a success -- made enough to buy our family a Wii (I was overruled -- I thought we should be practical and buy a new mattress for Milo's bed. But whatever.), and sent the rest to Goodwill. Not that this was actually *fun*, but it was a good thing to rid our house of all the useless junk....ahem, *priceless treasures*...that we didn't need to hang on to.



Gramme, Milo, Hank and I did have fun yesterday, though, as we headed to Grant's Farm after church. (Which Milo keeps calling "Transform" as in "Transformers".) ;) We rode the train, a carousel, watched part of 2 shows, fed baby goats and geese and swans and llamas, and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Some pictures for proof:

Milo-isms: The Animal Edition

- Mama? You see this boo boo? This one here on my leg?
-Yes, Milo. How'd you get that boo boo?
- From a rhino.
- A rhino? Where on earth did you see a rhino?
- Yeah, a bunch of little rhinos came and stepped on my leg.
- Really? Where were you?
- The zoo.
- The zoo? You went to the zoo without me?
- Yeah, the zoo, but you weren't with me. I was at the zoo and a bunch of little rhinos stepped on my leg. That's how I got that boo boo.

Driving by Grant's Farm yesterday afternoon:
- Milo, look! There are some deer and some elk.
- Yeah! Deer and elk!...........But where's the tiger?
- A tiger? They don't have a tiger at Grant's Farm -- he'd eat all the deer and elk. Tigers eat other animals.
- NOOOOOO! Tigers don't eat other animals! They eat pancakes........LOOK, MAMA! THERE'S THE TIGER!
- Really? You saw a tiger in Grant's Farm?
- Yeah! He was down that hill. He's gonna come to our house and eat pancakes.

We had breakfast for dinner last night, and as Aaron was cooking pancakes, Milo came in the kitchen. But know there was no more tiger talk since our earlier conversation -- a converstion that Aaron wasn't privy to. ;)
- Daddy? What time is the tiger coming to our house?
- Tiger? What tiger, Milo?
- The tiger at Grant's Farm. He's coming over for pancakes.

Gotta love emerging imaginations! :)

Oh my! Where has the time gone?!

Oh my word! I can't believe it's been so long since we've posted! Let's see. Where have we been?
First up: Arkansas over the 4th of July

We spent a fabulous long weekend with the French Family at the Farm. Thanks to Auntie April and Uncle Adam for housing us, and to Aunties Brenda and Debi and Uncle Brad for feeding and entertaining us! (We missed you, Jackie! <3) align="center">

Plus we managed to get a photo that serves as Hank's 5 month portrait:

And, on the way home, Hank *almost* got to enjoy his first trip to Lamberts. However, with over an hour wait, we decided to skip it. But as a consolation, we ate Lamberts rolls in the car. Look closely -- Hank liked it! :)

Next: Pensacola Beach

Milo, Hank, Gramme and I hit the road in the middle of July and drove(!!!) to meet some of the Frenches at Pensacola Beach, FL. But we made it. Had to stop every couple of hours, and split the 12 hour trip into 2 days there and back, but it was ok. And while we were there, it was fabulous!

Here are some highlights:

Sunrise from the Boardwalk
Sunset view from our deck
The 2009 French Family Beachbums

And we're counting this one as Hank's 6 month portrait. :)

For a complete set, you can click here (you don't need a Facebook account to view them).

What else?

Let's start with Baby Boy.

Hank is getting up on his hands and knees and rocking, even moving backwards. Every once in a while, he makes a bit of forward progress, but I'm betting just any day now, we'll have a crawler. He had his 6 month check-up last week, and is now 23lbs, 13.5oz (still over 95%), 28.5" (90%, and he was 50% up until now), and I can't remember his head circumference, but it remained at 90%. So, yeah. He's still big. ;)

Oh, and he's big enough to not use the baby tub anymore. A pic of Hank & Milo sharing their first bath:

Speaking of big, let's talk about the Big Boy.

Milo is fully and completely potty trained (well, except night, but I'm not concerned about that), and even standing up to pee. Good times. Actually, I'm not complaining at.all. It's been a loooooong time coming! He's still loving preschool, and has two friends, Cody and Andrew. Well, I actually think he has more friends than that, but those are the only two kids that he knows their names. ;)

Aaron's band, Funky Butt Brass Band, is going great guns. They released their first CD, Cut the Body Loose, and opened for a reknowned New Orleans musician, Dr. John & Lower 911, here in St. Louis last night. If you'd like a CD, they are $15, and you can just let us know -- we'll get it to you. Or you can download here: http://www.digstation.com/AlbumDetails.aspx?albumID=ALB000033134

As for me, well, here I am. Really having a hard time getting my head back into *life*. And really, really yearning for more time with the boys. If you're of a praying mind, I would appreciate prayers for a door (or window!) to open that would allow me to work part time. Of course, this would mean we'd have to find insurance on our own, so it is kind of a big prayer. ;) But, really, we're all pretty good right now.

And what's coming up? Let's see. We're going (and taking the boys) to TWO Cardinals games next week. And we're really looking forward to Aunties Jackie and Iris, and Uncle Ken, and Ryan and Kendra coming in town for a visit next weekend! Also, Milo starts the Fall session of preschool -- thankfully he's in the same class and has the same teacher, so there won't be too much transition. And Hank begins at the new sitter soon, too.

What's new with all of you?