Rice Cereal

Daphne tried rice cereal for the first time yesterday. Click on the video to see Tyler give her the first bite. I don't think Daphne actually swallowed any of the cereal we gave her. I think she just kept pushing it out of her mouth with her tongue. She was amused at first but eventually started crying for her bottle. Daphne's pediatrician said she could start solids at 5 months so we'll probably keep trying a little of the rice cereal every day until she decides she wants to eat it.

Memorial Day Weekend

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day! There really should be more 3-day holiday weekends throughout the year...

Frisbee golf

Calvin

Luke, Dane, Devin, and Tyler

Clara and Viola

Keep away

Tyler, Bebe, and Jack

Daphne can sleep anywhere!

Batter up!

Wiffle ball

Elaine, Teresa, and Renee

Chutes and Ladders

Upset about losing to Daddy even though he still beat Mommy

Excited about beating Mommy and Daddy

Tyler got a strong dose of the Hulett competitive streak. He threw a full out tantrum when Michael beat both Tyler and me at Chutes and Ladders. Tyler kept shrieking, "I wanted to win!" We somehow managed to calm Tyler down and convinced him to play again. Tyler won the second game. A few times during the game he said, "I'm going to leave Daddy in the dust." Where does a 3-year old learn such smack talk?

Swinging

Tyler and Viola in February 2010

Tyler and Viola in May 2012. My how they grow!

Daphne sat in the swing for a little bit but
decided she was not comfortable enough just yet.

Tyler giggled as he spun in circles.

"I love my baby sister!"

Tyler is starting to bond with Daphne more now that she is smiling at him and laughing in response to him. Daphne loves to watch Tyler in action. Almost daily lately Tyler has been saying things like, "I love (or like) Daphne (or her)." or "I love (or like) having a baby sister." He also likes to give her kisses on the head and has started asking if he can hug her. It's really sweet to see the two of them interacting.

Bust a Move

Tyler is quite the Ramones fan! He is facing the TV while dancing because he likes to watch his reflection.

Hangin' Out

Mmmm... this dress is yummy!

After I took Daphne's belly shot
Tyler said, "Mom, take my picture.
Babies don't smile."

Proof that babies do smile!

Dozer Day

We had lots of dusty fun at Dozer Day! The video below is from the dump truck ride. You can sort of make out Michael and Greg waving from the back of the dump truck near the cab. Tyler and Allen were too short to be seen in the video.

Tyler loved playing with all the trucks in the sand area!
He particularly loved this concrete mixer.

Daphne did her own version of "dozing" for a good part of the day.

Watching the boys try to hula hoop was hysterical.
Both of them flapped their arms quite a bit.

Allen drove a bulldozer and two backhoes with the help
of an operator. Tyler was too scared to try it himself but
did enjoy watching.

Tiny Feet

This is the Mother's Day card that Daphne "made" for me at daycare. Too precious!

Daddy Time

Roseola

Sacked out on the couch on Saturday

Tyler has roseola, which is a viral rash that is mild and harmless but contagious. He had a fever on and off between Wednesday night and Saturday morning. He has also been fussy and hasn't had much appetite. We thought he turned a corner when he woke up on Saturday because the fever went away and he rested a bunch (he napped from 11:30 to 3:00 after sleeping in until 8:45!). So we actually got out and about yesterday since it was Mother's Day. Then yesterday evening we noticed he had a rash on his face, neck, and shoulders. The rash seemed a little worse today (it spread to his arms and legs) plus Tyler voluntarily wanted to go take a nap instead of eat lunch. So we saw the doctor this afternoon and found out about roseola. There is no treatment for it and it clears up on its own. The good news is that Tyler will probably only have the rash, which is non-itchy, for another day or two and then be fine. We're just crossing our fingers that Daphne doesn't catch it.

Basketball

Tyler is taking a basketball class and he loves it! There are only four half-hour classes but it's a great introduction to basketball. I'm really impressed with how well Tyler has been following directions. It is also a hoot to see 3- to 5-year olds running around somewhat chaotically.

Mother's Day

Michael and the kids took me out to breakfast for Mother's Day and then we took a stroll through Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden. Then later we grilled and had dinner on the back patio. It was a perfect day!

Tyler wanted to race back and forth across this field repeatedly.

Awwwww....

Tyler leaning in to "gently" kiss Daphne
on the head (that's how he describes it!)

Rolling Over

On Friday Daphne rolled over from her tummy to her back for the first time. I thought it was a fluke because she rolled as I was setting her on her tummy. But she did it again later in the day and then I caught a subsequent roll on video.

"My" Daphne

Apparently the following conversation took place at daycare today:
Ms. Kristina: Guess who I just visited?
Tyler: Who?
Ms. Kristina: A beautiful baby named Daphne.
Tyler: That's my Daphne!

Our Garage "Helpers"

Tyler and Daphne hung out in the garage/driveway/front yard on Sunday while Michael and I hung new shelves. House projects take forever with 2 little ones underfoot!!!!

Tyler wanted to help and was quite excited
to be tasked with handing screws to Daddy.

Daphne was fairly content hanging out in the swing.

Tyler mostly played and kept finding new things to break out.
He wanted to wear his helmet long after he was done with his bike.

Impromptu Hallway Nap

Daphne fell asleep in the hallway while watching me dry my hair. She ended up napping there for a good half hour!

Napping?

Tyler showed me a bunch of what he calls “tricks” that he likes to do on the hood of his car bed. They are variations of him sliding down off the hood and climbing up onto the hood. I asked him, “Is this what you do when you are supposed to be napping?” and he said, “Yeah.”

Daphne's 4-Month Check-Up

Daphne had her 4-month well-child doctor’s visit on Friday. Here are the stats:

• Weight: 15 lb 8 oz (83rd percentile)
• Length: 2’ 3/4” (64th percentile)
• Head Circumference: 16-1/4” (55th percentile)

We already knew Daphne is a little chunk, but the numbers confirmed it. Her pediatrician said we should cap her formula at 30 ounces per day. I had calculated that worst case she has been having 32 ounces per day: one 7 - 8 oz. bottle first thing in the morning and four 5 -6 oz. bottles throughout the day. Other recent Daphne developments:

• She started laughing last week. I discovered this when I tickled her under her chin.
• Daphne is using her hands more. She likes to grab my hair, her clothes/bib, and bottle. She can hold her bottle briefly if I position her hands right. She will also grasp small toys if you place them nearby.
• She loves to watch Tyler. Thank goodness for this built-in entertainment.
• Daphne is sleeping 11 to 11-1/2 hours per night. I love sleep!
• She is a good baby but a little fussier than Tyler was. She likes to fight falling asleep and will cry. She does calm down when you hold her just right though. She also gets fussy during feedings and sometimes needs the pacifier for a while in the middle of a bottle to calm down before drinking more.
• Daphne loves the pacifier but also likes to suck her thumb.

Back to Work

Maternity leave is over! I went back to work part time (3 days/week) this past week. I was so exhausted by the end of the week and somehow managed to squeeze in a 2-hour nap on Friday afternoon because I got both Tyler and Daphne to nap at the same time. Dealing with the garage mess after our trip didn’t help get me off to a rested start for the week. But work went well and the kids did great. The change was small for Tyler since he has been going to school 2 days/week while I was on maternity leave. Daphne’s teachers said she was very cheerful and liked all the activity in the infant room.

If you can't read Tyler's shirt in the photo, it says,
"Anarchy in the pre-K". (courtesy of Tia Janina)

The Garage

When we got back from Texas last Saturday we arrived at home to find that the 4-cabinet shelving unit installed in our garage by a previous homeowner had fallen off the wall onto our washer and dryer. Other than the shelving unit itself, which turned out to have a flimsy support on the back, the only casualties were a jar of busted paint and a pair of Michael’s athletic shorts. Luckily a paint can lodged in the middle bore most of the weight and the open cabinet door on the right missed dislodging the gas line from our hot water heater. However, after relocating all the contents of the shelves to the center of the garage I managed to break one of the fluorescent tubular bulbs from the bottom of the shelves. We had to evacuate the garage and air it out to get rid of all the toxic mercury fumes and I spent a few hours cleaning up the mess and discarding anything that may have been contaminated (e.g. scrub brushes) because they couldn’t be easily wiped down with disinfectant. Needless to say, we have spent a good deal of time in the garage last weekend and this weekend trying to fix the mess!

The photos don't do the mess justice. There was a ton of
little stuff inside the cabinets. The paint from the busted jar
also leaked inside the dryer door but did wash off.

The cabinet door is resting on the
gas line to the hot water heater!

Tyler has enjoyed poking around the garage
and playing in the driveway while we work.

Daphne loved her cousins' portable swing so
much that we bought her one on craigslist
last weekend. Plus, the vibration mechanism
in our bouncer is pretty much shot.

Texas Trip

The Hulett grandkids: Daphne, Tyler, Noah, and Damon

PawPaw with his grandkids

Extended Hulett and Protzman families

Texas Trip

We made the most of our trip to Texas despite the circumstances. We have told Tyler that Nana is in heaven but he is far too young to understand. Click on last photo for album of entire trip.