Quick Update

As always, we have been busy in the Musselman household. Luke is finally home for a few weeks after two months of constant travel. During this time, he did business in South Carolina, California, Washington, Canada, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Taiwan. I'm sure I missed a place or two, but I should get some credit for trying to remember his schedule. While Luke traveled all over the world, I have been busy taking care of the kids and trying to get back into the swing of things at work.

Avery is doing great. Tomorrow, she will be 21 months old. She talks nonstop and amazes us every day. At 21 months, Avery:

• knows how to put on her own shoes and socks.
• consistently says "please" and "thank you"
• is obsessed with stamps and asks to ride the carousel at the mall just so she can get her hand stamped.
• drinks really well out of a cup.
• loves her baby and sock monkey.
• learned the word, "no". I'm not sure how we avoided it for so long, but I would like it to go away.
• still has a love affair with cereal. It is the first thing she asks for when she wakes up in the morning.
• prefers showers over baths.
• can read the words, "Elmo", "Mama" and "Daddy".

Logan has had a rough month. He cannot seem to get healthy. The doctor's office jokes that we should have a frequent visitor card since we are there so often. Today, Logan was back in the pediatrician's office with another double ear infection and upper respiratory infection. The pediatrician has recommended a visit to the ENT and told us to expect tubes. On the plus side, Logan is a trooper and has stayed a pretty happy, calm baby throughout all of this sickness.

At four months, Logan:

• is still my little man. At his four month WCC, he measured 24" (25-50%) and weighed 11 lbs, 12 oz (5%).
• wears 0-3 and 3-6 month clothes.
• sleeps eight to ten hours a night and takes two to three naps a day.
• loves to smile and coo.
• loves playing in the bath and kicking in the water.
• could look at his hands for hours.
• found his feet.
• is not a big eater. He prefers to stare and smile at mama instead of eating while he nurses.
• started rice cereal. He hates it.

Another Week, Another Sickness

The past month has been a month of sickness for the Musselman family. This week has been no different. I feel like we simply donate our money to daycare since the kids can never seem to go and my boss probably wonders why I bothered to come back to work.

On Tuesday, Logan developed a nasty cough. By Thursday morning, the cough started to worry me so I called his pediatrician and took him in for an office visit. After a physical exam and a fun nose-swab test, we learned that Logan has a double ear infection and RSV. For those of you who have never heard of RSV, it is a respiratory virus that can be very dangerous for infants. It is heartbreaking to see my little guy so sick. He can't breathe, can't sleep and doesn't want to eat. Because RSV is so contagious, he has to be out of daycare for a week. This means more time off of work for me and Luke. Ugh. It never ends.

Luckily Logan is an incredibly relaxed baby. Right now, as long as someone is holding him, he is happy. Honestly, the only times we hear him fussing are when he tries to nurse or during his breathing treatment. When he does sleep, it is usually in his swing because lying flat seems to bother him. The pediatrician told us that day five is usually the worst. For Logan, we think that is tomorrow. Here's hoping we are on the downhill slide of his illness from then on.

Cancun

A few months ago, Luke and I decided we needed to plan a trip together to get out of the cold Missouri winter. We took a trip to Cancun and had a great time! I missed my babies like crazy and honestly admit that the idea of the trip was much better when it was just an idea. Actually leaving the kids was heartbreaking. With that said, Luke and I enjoyed some quality couple time with lots of sleep and relaxing in the warm sun. It's a little sad, but we were in bed most nights by 9 pm.

We took less than ten pictures on the entire trip. Enjoy!

-

View from our room at night.

Luke's parents were in Riveria Maya so we met for dinner.

My AMAZING chocolate martini.

Snow Day

Just when I decided to go back to work, Columbia got their second biggest snowfall on record. By the time the snow stopped falling, we had over twenty inches of snow on the ground. I guess the powers that be wanted to give the Musselman family a taste of what's to come in Wisconsin.

Because of the massive snowfall, everything in Columbia was shut down for days. Luckily, we have the Chief of Police on our street so our street always gets cleared. Unfrotunately, it was too cold outside to enjoy the snow so we had to keep Avery entertained inside. By the time her school opened back up, she was beyond happy to get dropped off!

-

Back To Reality

Today was my first "official" day back at work. I say this loosely because there was little I could do other than sit at home, sort through e-mails and talk to my co-workers. I now have to send my computer back to headquarters to get a "refresh" for my return from leave so it will likely be next week before I can really get back to my job. For the new year, I have a new boss and I'm excited to get to know her.


Luckily, my mom was kind enough to come to Columbia for the next couple weeks so I can hold off taking Logan to day care. Today, it was nice being able to leave my home office whenever I wanted to give Logan kisses or get a little cuddle time. I'm sure I will be a mess the first time I have to drop my little man off at day care. The decision to go back to work so soon was tough, but was something I needed to do.
-
Part of the reason I decided to return to work at this time is because of some exciting, yet scary family news. Luke and I have made the tough decision to be closer to his job and move to Milwaukee, WI sometime this year. Thankfully, Luke's company is relocating us, but we will wait to make the official move until our house sells. I am excited for what this new adventure has in store for our family, but will miss being close to family and friends and am dreading the cold winters.
-
In other news, we set up Avery's big girl bed and furniture this weekend. She is so excited to be in her new bed. This morning, Luke found her jumping on her bed and talking to her sock monkey when he went in to wake her up. I hate than my baby girl is growing up so fast, but am incredibly proud of her as well.

With Avery's move into a big girl bed, Logan finally got a real crib. As of now, he still shares his room with the office, but we hope to remedy that this weekend. Side Note: I promise we don't neglect poor Logan, we just planned on waiting until we move to decorate and set up another nursery.
-

Maybe Logan's room will be put together soon. Poor guy.

Over the next couple days, we are supposed to get Missouri's winter storm of the decade. Governer Jay Nixon has called in the Missouri National Guard. We are expected to get half an inch of ice tonight and then 16-24 inches of snow tomorrow and tomorrow night. If this happens, the city will shut down for days. Because of the winter storm threat, Luke's flight was cancelled tomorrow so he had to fly out to LA this evening. Poor guy...

Avery helping Daddy shovel after the last snowfall.

I am currently watching the latest ridiculous installment of The Bachelor as winter storm warnings flash across the bottom of my TV screen. As I watch the previews for the upcoming episodes, I want to be the next Bachelorette. The clothes, the dates, the trips, Luke wouldn't mind, would he? I can dream, but for now, I will continue enjoying my nightly Guinness beer (to stimulate my breast milk production) while I hold and stare at my sweet Logan.

Two Months

My sweet little man is two months old today. The past two months have been so much fun with Logan. I love spending my days playing, feeding and cuddling with him. Unfortunately, next week is my last week at home. I'm dreading going back to work, but we made the decision to keep Avery in daycare during my leave so it's time for me to start bringing home a paycheck again.

Logan went to the doctor at six weeks instead of two months. At six weeks, his weight was 9 lbs., 5 oz. and his height was 21.75". For both height and weight, he was in the 25-50%.

At two months, Logan:

• sleeps seven to eight hours at night.


• nurses every three to four hours during the day.
  
• LOVES women.


• gives lots of smiles when mama talks to him.


• likes to cuddle.


• prefers taking baths without his infant bath so he can splash and kick.


• likes his bouncy seat.


• is a good sport when Avery hugs, kisses and plays with him.

Avery, Luke and I fall more in love with Logan every day. I still can't believe I have been blessed with two healthy, beautiful children. Like every other mother on earth, I truly believe I have two of the most perfect children. Life is good!

Musselman/Chamberlain/O'Sullivan Family Photos

For Christmas, Luke and I arranged to have a photographer, Jaclyn Jezik, take pictures of the extended Musselman family. It was so fun to be able to capture some great photos of everyone while we were together. Mike and Coby's dog, Dozer, even joined us for a few pictures. Enjoy some of my favorites.
-

18 Months

Avery recently turned 18 months. To commemorate the occasion, Luke and I watched some old home videos. By doing this, we realized two things. 1: We are TERRIBLE at taking videos. Seriously, we have two videos from Avery's first two weeks of life and then didn't take another video for four months. This happened again after her first birthday. I told Luke I would be better from now on, but am not getting my hopes up. 2: Since Avery's first birthday, she has turned into a full-fledged toddler. She's actually more like 1 going on 13, but that is for another post.

-

At Avery's 18 month appointment, she was 22 lbs, 4 oz and 31.75" tall. She is in the 10-25% for both weight and height and continues to be in the 95% for head circumference. We keep telling ourselves her head size is due to her huge brain, but we both know it is really Luke's fault since he can barely find hats that fit.

-

At 18 months, Avery's personality has really developed. She is feisty and opinionated, sweet and loving. She is talking up a storm and recently started saying two word phrases. Her favorites are commands like, "Daddy sit.", "I sit." and "More please.". She knows all of her body parts and can point out about ten different animals in her animal book. She can also make monkey, cow, dog and cat sounds. Avery still loves to eat. Her teachers joke that eating is her favorite subject! Sometimes I think she eats more than I do. Good thing she seems to have a decent metabolism. In the past couple months, Avery has also learned to LOVE the TV and iPad. Her favorite TV show is The Backyardigans. It's kind of sad, but she giggles and dances when she hears the TV "on" noise or sees the guide on the TV pop up. Avery loves her baby brother and is such a good helper. She likes to help give Logan baths and change his diaper as well as play with him and hug on him. We just have to watch her closely because she sometimes likes to hug a little tight. Finally, like a typical girl, Avery has already gotten picky about her shoes and clothes. She likes to pick out her shirts and shoes in the morning. It's funny because I often hear Luke and Avery fighting over what she is going to wear. Unfortunately, she has almost outgrown her favorite shirt. I tried to find another one, but didn't have any luck. Oh, well! She has to learn about disappointment sometime, right?

-

Wearing her favorite shirt

Loving on Logan. He's thrilled...