Easter 2011

After last year's Easter fiasco whereby we all got dressed up, went to church, and the boys acted like fools, we decided to not attend church on Easter. Plus, with Gracie being a newborn and me having very little sleep, it was best for everyone to not go. We did go out to Nonna and Papa's house to open Easter baskets, eat, and hunt for eggs!

Easter morning

The Easter bunny came! Andrew was completely thrilled and so excited about the bunny. Austin is questioning the feasibility of a bunny coming in the house with baskets. It is a little hard to believe to be honest. I mean, how does a bunny carry baskets? That didn't mean Austin didn't love opening his to see what was inside!

Grace is 1 month old!

Andrew loves having his picture taken with Gracie!

ADHD guest post

Ever since Austin was diagnosed with ADHD I've looked on the web searching for any tips from other parents on things that have worked (or haven't) for their child particularly as it relates to behavior issues. While Austin does have some inattention problems, his is mostly the impulsive behavior side of ADHD. I found a mom's view of ADHD a year or so ago and submitted a guest post a few months ago about behavior plans and it was posted today!

First few weeks

Grace was born 3 1/2 weeks ago. So far, things have been quite hectic. While we were in the hospital, we insisted Grace's bilirubin level be checked the day before we left the hospital. She was already getting yellow and both Austin and Andrew were jaundiced before leaving the hospital. We wanted to be prepared to stay an extra day if needed and didn't want to find out last minute if we needed to stay. The level on that day was 10 something and they rechecked it the next day before we left. At that time it was 12 something. It had to be closer to 13 before we stayed over or before they recommended home therapy.

We followed up with the pediatrician the day after we got home from the hospital. At that time, her level spiked to close to 18 and home health came out with a bili bed. Grace spent 2 days on the bed (just as Austin had done 7 years ago when he was born) and her level dropped to 12. We had to follow up with the pediatrician the next day and it spiked again. Thus began our saga of doctor's visits, heel sticks, and copays for the first few weeks after Grace was born. Luckily, Grace turned the corner today and her level was back down around 12. No more doctor's visits for us any time soon! Here are a few pics from her time on the bed.

Austin's birthday weekend

Austin turned 7 on Friday, April 1st. Gene went to school to have lunch with him and I signed up to be the mystery reader for the day. (Austin's class has a mystery reader every Friday after lunch.) We also let Austin pick where we would go for dinner that night, our first dining out experience as a family of 5. Of course, he picked Chinese, his favorite.

Yesterday, we had a bowling party for Austin and a few of his friends. This was the best money I've ever spent on a birthday party. All we had to do was show up with cupcakes and they handled the rest! The kids had a great time bowling and eating hot dogs and cupcakes.

Today, we had family over for lunch and cupcakes and to open gifts. Overall, Austin had a wonderful birthday weekend!