not-so-ezee 4 weeks

i've forgotten how hard it is to have a newborn. the sleep deprivation with the night feedings... so brutal! i thought it would be easier with the 2nd kid but it isn't. mik started doing the 1am feeding this past week and while it helps, it's still really hard. what's not helping is that i have a sore throat and cough and the coughing fits keep me up at night when i should be sleeping!  it's also super hard when maki is home all day with us (Fri-Sun) because mik is usually on maki watch 24/7 while i am with ezee 24/7. there is no break at all. my mom has been helping us a few days a week which is great but during week 3, she wasn't able to come so we had no help and i was losing my mind. it was also the week that ezee became fussy (growth spurt?), was on the boob non-stop and i got clogged ducts with flu-like symptons.  add all that to my post-partum night sweating, hormones, pelvic pain and cough (tmi - i pee when i cough!) and i am a volcano waiting to erupt. i actually had a few meltdowns already where i found myself just crying with the baby in my arms! mik's parents are helping with maki this weekend (my mom leaves today) so hopefully this weekend won't be as bad.

here are some ezee updates:

• sleeps in bassinet til 6 or 7am then i put him in bed with me
• spits up a lot! poor baby has reflux
• got a bad case of baby acne/dermatitis
• needs to do blood work - dr thinks he has inherited anemia from mama (sorry baby!)
• hates burping but farts/poops a lot
• because of the severity of the flu season, we are not taking him to crowded indoor places - only the occasional outdoor stuff (park, restaurants, around the neighborhood, etc) 
• eats a LOT!  his face is getting so fat!  :) 
• makes a lot of funny faces and i love it when he smiles.  i think he even laughed a couple of times!
• started cooing a little bit esp when nana (my mom) talks to him

in maki's world:

• my least favorite - the "no no no." he loves to say no to everything so i try not to ask him so it's a question but give him options so he doesn't say no
• been spending a lot of quality time with papa since i'm usually with the baby. it's bittersweet. i love that they are connecting so much better these days. maki has started to favor him sometimes over me which makes me happy but sad at the same time.
• he calls all robots "buzz" (from toy story)
• his favorite toys are very random - lately it's been a spatula from his kitchen toy, one part of the train track, a screw driver or a sand strainer.  he pretends they're swords even though they look nothing like one!
• his hair is getting so long but mik doesn't want to cut it
• he's had a lot of tantrums... i'm sure part of it is because of his age but part of it is also because of the new baby.  we have started 2-min timeouts and it breaks my heart to hear him cry. :(
• i miss maki so much... i don't get to spend as much time with him.  maybe 30 min before he leaves for daycare and then i give him a bath when he gets home. i put ezee to bed around 7:30 and then spend the rest of the night with maki until he goes to bed at 8:30. i don't know what i'll do once i start working bec i'll be getting home at 6:30. how do people do this?!!!
• friday mornings i started taking maki on a date. we went to an indoor playground last friday and it was so fun to hang out just the two of us. he was a little more clingy again to me after that. poor baby... sometimes when i have to nurse the baby or put him to bed, i can hear maki calling after me. :(
• he was really not into ezee but lately, he's been kissing his feet/head and acknowledges him.  definitely getting there... warming up to baby brother!  woohoo!
• he repeats all words we say...  except papa. for some reason, he calls mik "mom". hahahaha
• we've been waiting for him to say "lovey" and he finally said "wabee". oh no. i don't want him to be one of those kids who can't say the L letter!
• moved to 2-3 yr old class last week in daycare.  he's been coming home with new words so i think moving up a class has helped him a lot already.
• loves to stack blocks, play chase and scare people "rooooaaaaaahhhrrrrr"

mik has been working with my sister on a crossfit clothing line.  it's in the very early stages but i hope it takes off.  my sister is great at sales/marketing, mik is awesome at designing/production and they both LOVE crossfit.  something i can see them being very passionate about...

 here are some recent pics:

left: makidoodoo…right: papa (twinsies!)

customized books for maki

ate abbie reading to maki

the cousins' fave pasttime

hair style inspired by maki

"hooray! long live baby brothers!"

love sleeping next to this face

lost 6% of his birth weight but gained it all back and then some

love his little smile

with maxine and tita bam

the boys napping for the first time together in the car

ezee with cousin stella

proud papa and his boys

ezee with cousins kuka and ate jules

"gotta get my core workout when i can, with a social calendar as busy as mine"

ezee looks like a burrito

napping ON papa while mama gets her hair done

ezee hanging with his buddy malin (2 1/2 months older)

maki shooting an album cover with buddy maelle ;)

poor ezee has bad acne :(

maki's first friday date with mama at amy's indoor playground

this boy loves to put his feet on the table! nooooo

maki and kaz at travel town

so cute together those two!

they love looking at the trains

maki loves to stack blocks and tries to make it as high as possible

sleepy mama and her lil prince

here are a few entertaining videos:

maki's "dance" - spin until you fall

this video made me tear (maki is looking for "wowo" but grandpa is in the philippines for 5 weeks)

"what is this?  what's happening to me?" - ezee

cousin stella likes ezee's feet

maki loves to talk on the phone

rice! more rice! can't get enough rice - maki, true filipino

"whatchu talkin' about?" - ezee

 the music in our hearts

 well, he was born during the year of the snake after all...