Ollieworld

Sullivan, (sometimes) Kenzie, (sometimes) Dave and I packed up and moved out to the Oliver's for the week. Maggie and Jeff went to Costa Rica with some friends and I volunteered to watch her kids. What a week it has been. The first four nights were difficult as Sullivan had a hard time settling in to the pack and play I had set up in Maggie and Jeff's closet. There are different noises and things going on our here, so I can't fault him for the transition, but it made for long days. The final two nights went much better. The week was filled with lots of fun, a little frustration; hours of playing, minutes of discipline; tons of sweets, and a few veggies.

Anna is a pistol, she is 100% two, but is also the sweetest little girl in the city. She has her favorite activities, like taking tubbys, requesting candy (at 8am), strolling here baby, and talking to Sully. The first thing she would say in the morning as I would take her out of her crib was "Hi Sully!" in the sweetest morning voice I have ever heard. It was almost like she was instantly happy when she realized that yes, Sullivan was still here, for the most part. At times she would get a bit territorial with me and want me to hold her when I had Sully, but fortunately, she was easily coaxed into another activity. She has been missing her mama and daddy, drawing them in pictures, requesting me to draw them in pictures, and saying "mama bye bye, daddy bye bye" every morning. She will be so excited when Maggie is the one to get her tomorrow morning.

Isaac was a champ. He is the best big cousin in the world. He loves having Sully here and takes advantage of it every second of the day. The only way I could get him to go anywhere with anyone was to send Sullivan along. He picks him up, sings to him, talks to him, plays the ipad with him, takes tubbys with him, and sits as close as he can to him at the dinner table. This morning it was only Isaac and Sullivan eating breakfast before Isaac had school (Anna was still sleeping), and Isaac said, "Suzie!! Sylvan just said '5 plus 5 equals ten!'" He was so proud of him. I told Isaac his parents would be home tonight and he got really quiet. I asked what was up and he said, "but I'm not ready for you guys to go home yet." We have been brainstorming about ways to spend more time together on a regular basis ;).

I taught Isaac a couple of small things this week that he is so excited to show his parents. He learned that the short hand on my watch tells you what hour it is, he isn't quite there with the longer hand, but we are working on it. I also showed him how to change the garbage can bag. It is actually really fun! You pull out the new bag, put your hands just so, and wiggle wiggle shake shake until it is fully expanded. He was so proud of himself when he was able to do it all by himself yesterday. I told him that could be his new chore, he liked the sound of that.

Dave and my mom were also a big helps this week. Dave came out every evening through bed time at least, and stayed over night on the weekend. Its amazing how just one other person makes the job so much more doable. We took all three kids swimming on Sunday at the gym and it was a lot of work, probably worth it in the end, but a lot of work. We both want more kids, so this week was great practice. My mom was the chauffeur, carting the kids to school, Miss Jaspers, music class, and even took Isaac to the Children's Museum in Brookings with Cappy and Owen on Friday. Big thanks to both of them for keeping me sane :).

I had a dream last night that I did weeks and weeks of training and just completed a somewhat impossible feat, I had climbed this incredible mountain. People were stopping me in streets asking about my experience and wondered what my inspiration was. I woke up wondering what inspired that dream, then I remembered what my week was like and realized the irony. I have successfully completed the climb and Im almost home.

Here are a few photos from the fun and busy week.

Tubby time

Anna and Sully rocking.

Anna banana.

Breakfast

Playing ball.

Snack time with my main 4 year old.

Sweet Sullivan.

Best Buddys. 

1:1

Maggie and Jeff were hoping to schedule a winter trip last fall, but were having a hard time with child care, so I willingly volunteered, considering I feel like Isaac and Anna are more like siblings to Sully rather than cousins. In anticipation of a busy week ahead, I made sure to spend lots of quiet quality time with Sullivan yesterday, before heading over to the Oliver's.

Mag and Jeff left early this morning, we are strapped in for a wild and (hopefully not) sleepless week ahead. Dave will help when he can, and my mom will, too. I will blog when I get home, and life returns to our normal. 

Below is a picture of Sullivan practicing some tummy time in our quiet little house.

Weaning Woes

Life in the Munce Household has taken a recent wrong turn, in the sleep department, that is. We had recently mastered sleeping through the night and then I decided to throw Sully for a loop by weaning him from breastfeeding. What a challenge this has been! I had mentally and emotionally prepared to start weaning at the first of the year in hopes to be done around the first week in February (Sullivan will be about 8 months old). I have lots of milk frozen in our freezer, so Im anticipating that we will get a bit more time out of it if I stretch it out (formula and breast milk cocktails). With a little help from a (very generous) friend (Leanne, I love ya), I should have no problems making it until Sullivan is about one year old. Although the thought of giving him at least 50 percent breast milk does give me great peace of mind, it has been majorly emotional for me, not to mention the physical hurdles as well.

I pondered wether or not to even blog about such a personal topic, but like the rest of my topics, I wanted to put my thoughts and feelings in writing.

When I was pregnant, the way I planned to feed Sullivan was a no brainer; nurse, nurse, nurse! for at least 6 months, then I will wean. Six months came and went and there was no way I was ready to stop. It is so convenient, no preparation needed. Oh yes, and the bond everyone talks about, how remarkable that is. The sweet sound of my little baby sighing, completely relaxed with his arms spread out above his head, satisfaction with every gulp he takes. These are the things I will miss the most. Tears are rolling down my face as I type. Sullivan has actually made the transition to the bottle quite well. It does help that Dave has given him one a few times each week since he has been about one month old. That part is a relief. But I think he misses me, which explains why we have spent most of the nights awake together since I have started the process. I am down to one feeding in the day time, and nursing when he needs to at night. I think I will be on target as far as my anticipated final date is concerned. With the approaching of the final date comes excitement for 'freedom,' but also sadness for what I will miss.

I will end this somewhat sad entry with a few happy things. I am thankful that I have been able to nurse Sullivan, that I didn't have any major setbacks, and that it came so easy for both of us. I'm happy that by the time I am completely done nursing, we will be through the majority of the flu season. I am grateful for a friend (one of my favorites) with a baby about Sullivan's age who is helping me to double my milk supply (do you have any idea what it costs to FedEx milk from Minneapolis to Sioux Falls in a short enough time to keep it frozen? Wow! Dave, don't quit your day job :)).   I feel a sense of accomplishment in Sullivan's numerous thigh, knee, and foot rolls, and the cellulite in his tummy, arms, and neck, and last, but not least, his chubby cheeks.

Below are a few pictures of my chubby baby, all thanks to me :).

Staycation

There is no question that our lives have been nonstop since Sullivan's arrival. It may be more accurate to say that our lives have been nonstop since we met. It seems like we have been in a hurry to get to everything. We had our first date, engagement, wedding, and a pregnancy all within one year. Wow, what a year that was. Unfortunately that pregnancy didn't pan out as we had anticipated, which was devastating at the time, but now that we have Sully, we can't imagine it any other way. It has been great to go go go, but I find myself looking forward to downtime as much as anything else these days.

Dave had the latter half of this week off and after our New York experience, there was no way in heck I was going anywhere. So, we stayed put. It has been a great week to catch up. We have done some enjoyable family things, such as coffee dates, dates with both of Sullivan's grandmas, two stroller rides (while the weather stayed mild), two dates with each other (sans Sully), and even a trip to Mitchell to see Sully's Great Grandpa (where we discovered tooth # 5 and 6, he almost has a mouth full!). We were also able to do some maintenance things that repeatedly fall to the bottom of list, such as servicing both cars, work competencies, a flu shot for Sully, and loads of laundry. Yes, I can think of more enjoyable ways to spend my time, but it is a great feeling to cross some things off of the old 'to do' list.

It has been great to have Dave around for the daily grind. Although I know he hates to hear it, I think we will have more staycations in our future, as long as we have babies, that is. I have had a great week and actually look forward to the next one.

Below are some photos from the week.

Mmmmm, apples.

Sully in his hand me down jammies,
thanks, Isaac and and Anna!

All bundled up to take Kenzie for a walk. 

Sullivan and Great Grandpa Wally admiring each other. 

Smiles for Grandma Helen.

Bath time for our big boy.

7/12ths and NYE

What a year it has been.

I have spent most the last week reflecting on the past year. There have been many great joys and sorrows, tears of happiness, just plain tears, vacations, adventures, and growth. I have been able to reconnect with old wonderful friends, in spite of my new side kick, something I am so grateful for. I have spent the majority of the year with friends and family, the people who know me better than I know myself sometimes. I am so thankful for all of these experiences.

I feel as though I have been given everything I could have asked for. I was pregnant for the first half of the year. Although some of those days seemed never ending, at the end, we were given this beautiful perfect little boy. I didn't anticipate it at the time, but that little boy would insist on nightly (at least once) dates with me until just this last week. I was unable to let him 'cry it out,' I just couldn't stand to see him sad, in fact, I still cant. I may be creating a monster by spoiling him with my time and attention, but I just cant get enough of him. By having Sullivan, I made Dave a father at the ripe young age of 50. Although I cannot believe he is 50, I can. He has a level of maturity that I don't even have. He is so good with Sullivan, he loves him so much, and Sully has no idea what kind of brightness he has brought to his daddy's life. Dave has dealt with a lot of loss and sadness in his years, and I feel like Sullivan's personality holds just the opposite amount of joy and happiness. It is like Dave has turned the corner, and all that is left for him are good things. I love Dave so much, and I am so thankful for a great man and a great marriage. I have such a feeling of peace.

We were lucky enough to take a few vacations before and after Sullivan's arrival. I was able to get a few girls weekends out of the year with a little help from Maggie and Lauren...I owe them a million thank yous. It was nice to get away and to spend time with the friends who mean so much to me, but it is so great to get home, too. I enjoyed a quick, but very fulfilling weekend to Minneapolis with Maggie and my mom, something that I will cherish for years to come (cherish your mother, says the woman in Hawaii, remember, mom?!) Well, I do just that. With the passing of her mother in November, we were quickly reminded of just how fragile and valuable our relationship is. She is quite the woman and we are lucky to have her in such good health, and such a short drive away.

Most of our days are spent with the Olivers. Although Sullivan's arrival has made it a bit harder to get up and go, he has not put a damper on my relationship with Isaac and Anna (and their mama), my favorite little 4 and 2 year old in the world. Isaac is so good to Sully, sitting him up in his lap and letting him watch him play the DS, dancing around him, or just snuggling him. Anna has not been quite as easy to transition, but she has definitely come around. She and Sullivan facetime most mornings. Sullivan always gets the biggest grin on his face when he sees Isaac and Anna. We are so lucky for these relationships. Having a twin (sister) is one of the best things that has ever happened to me.

I only have a couple of resolutions for the New Year, although they are not huge, I hope they are life changing. I will nurture and treasure my relationships with my friends and family, I will do my best to not take them for granted. And, I will make more time for my nuclear family. Dave and I spent Saturday night eating take out sushi and watching a movie. That was the best night we had in weeks, I plan to schedule one of those in at least biweekly (hope he is on board)!

Last, but not least, Sullivan is 7 months old today. Below is a picture of him, right now as he naps. Kenzie, close by like usual.

Life at the Munce's

Happy New Year, everyone, I hope this year is just as good as the last (maybe even better)!

Sullivan's Apartment

A good friend of mine who lives in St Louis was remodeling her basement around the same time we were doing ours (2 winters ago), she had an 18 month old at the time. When I had gone to visit she showed me what I thought was the coolest little idea. She built her daughter, Sam, an apartment under their stairs. We had a similar layout, so I knew this would work for us as well when time time came around.

Needless to say, the time has come. We are challenged with a space issue in our house. This house is perfect right now, but as the toys increase, Sully becomes more mobile, and we eventually start talking about number 2, we are going to run into big time space problems. With that said, we love it here. As the Christmas toys started coming, I remembered my friend, Stacy's, apartment idea. It was perfect. What great way to store all of those toys and books! So, I went to work, finding just the right things to make it homey and a perfect space for Sullivan. Although he is a bit small now, I know he will grow to love it.

Hopefully Sam and her little brother, Tommy can come to see your apartment someday, Sullivan :).

Welcome to your new home, Sully!

Sully's address (same as ours, except "Suite #2").

Sully's foyer.

Sully's coat hanger.

Sullivan's things, a view from above. 

Sullivan in his apartment with his assets.  

Daddy could hardly wait to hang out in Sully's apartment
According to Dave, the only thing missing is surround sound. 

Munce Christmas Greetings

As previously promised, here is our Christmas photo and letter for 2012.

Thanks to Melissa McClure, our favorite San Diego photographer for the fabulous photo, to Maggie Oliver, (one of) our favorite sisters for doing the excellent graphics on the photo, and to Dave Munce, my favorite husband for writing the thoughtful letter.

Another year down, many more to go.