Smiling and reaching

Thomas is full of smiles these days, especially for his family. He loves to smile at his older brothers who are still enamored with him. Thomas is also starting to hold onto objects and slowly but surely grasp toys on his activity mat. He takes the bottle when needed and is a champion at falling asleep. Yay for Thomas!

Advent 2011

The boys had lots of fun making their advent wreath at church. They want to light out every night!

Thomas' 2 month stats

So at two months old (or maybe 9 weeks by the time we got an appointment), Thomas was:
Weight: 11 lb 13.2 oz, 55%
Height: 24 in, 86%
Head circumference: 40 cm, 52%

Fairly average, but he is on the tall side...maybe that's why he's outgrowing all those sleepers - especially in the feet!

Ornaments

Sam and Andrew had a great time painting little wooden birdhouses to make new ornaments for our tree this year.

Advent 2011

The boys had lots of fun making their advent wreath at church. They want to light it every night!

On the move

Thomas is turning to the side every chance he gets and has now proven to me three times that he can roll over. I guess he wants to take charge on his own tummy time! Other favorite pastimes include sucking on his knuckles, smiling at his mobile and letting just about anyone hold him to make him happy. He's definitely recognizing voices now and loves to get attention from his older brothers. He's still having one or two 4-hour naps a day or night and then eats every two to three hours the rest of the day. 

Flip!

Last night I woke up to hear odd noises coming from Thomas through the monitor. They were like the sounds he makes when he's uncomfortable, but they were just a bit more panicky so I rushed upstairs. He had flipped himself onto his stomach and was against the side of the crib. He's only 9 weeks old!! Looks like we have an active one...

Tilting to the side

Thomas is 2 months old now. He is fabulous at tracking people and loves to give big grins to anyone nearby, particularly his brothers. He's also turning to his side when lying on a flat surface, though not rolling all the way over yet. He still loves his changing table with mobile. It's right next to our aquarium and he will watch the bubbles go up for long periods of time. Since he wasn't rolling yet we could leave him there for up to 45 minutes at a time and he'd be happy, listening to the daily noises around him. He's such a laid-back baby. He loves to be held and will quiet down almost immediately when picked up by just about anyone. He will often sleep in his crib, but sometimes it takes his swing to get him back to sleep in the wee hours of the morning. He's still getting up three times a night to nurse and only stays awake for one to two hours at a time. That's what he's like right now!

Mixed Metaphors - a Genetic Deficiency?

Okay - Christine has long asserted that she mixes her metaphors all the time because it was something her dad did.  Her contention is that she learned the saying incorrectly growing up, hence it isn't her fault when she says that she has "Ears like a hawk", mixing the sayings "Ears like a bat" and "Eyes like a hawk".

So how does one explain three year old Andrew today? After I made him and his brother clean up the living room, he told me, "Daddy - it's as clean as a whistle blows."   Is he mixing up "clean as a whistle" and "blowing the whistle"?  Coincidence?  Only time will tell....

Puppies

On the way to preschool this morning, Sam pointed out a dog walking around the back seat of the car in front of us. I said that was a poodle, a kind of dog that has hair not fur. I followed up with the fact that the dog I had when I was growing up was half poodle and half cocker spaniel, so it wasn't quite as big as that dog. There was a pause and silence in the car. Then Sam asked "Was it the front half or the back half?" I had to stop laughing to explain I meant the mom was a spaniel and the dad a poodle...not that the back half was the poodle and front half the spaniel. :) I love the way kids think sometimes.

Happy brothers

Andrew was climbing chairs while waiting for the doctor and getting in trouble. Sam offered he sit on his lap to help him sit still. It worked really well! Yay for happy brothers.

Are you a girl or a boy?

Andrew came up to Mommy and Grandma in the kitchen. He asked Mommy "Are you a girl or a boy?" Mommy said, "I'm a girl." Andrew then asked Grandma, in clear careful words, "Are you a girl or a boy?" Grandma patiently answered "I'm a girl." Andrew instantly burst into tears. Mommy bewilderingly knelt down and hugged him. She tried to figure it out but couldn't quite understand what was so wrong with Mommy being a girl. Then it dawned on her. She looked at Daddy and said "Did you tell him the boys were going to the basketball game and the girls were staying home?" Daddy said yes, that was what he had said. Mommy turned to the sobbing boy in her lap and said "Would you like to stay home with Mommy and Grandma tomorrow instead of going to the game?" Andrew sobbed out a "Yes" and Mommy give him a big hug and said he could most certainly stay home if he wanted. He recovered and life was better, but the adults had a laugh over his extreme reaction to the answer to "Are you a girl or a boy?"

Body of Christ...Cup of ?

The boys greatly enjoy pretending to serve communion at home. Andrew was 2 3/4 years old when at lunch time he handed me a piece of his sandwich bread and said "Bread of Heaven." He said it perfectly but it took me a while to figure out what he was saying. It's not what I expected my two-year old to be saying. I just overheard Andrew after he brushed teeth with his Daddy in the bathroom. He usually likes a sip of water afterwards and I heard him say "Cup of Celebration." It took me a moment to figure out what he meant and I realized he was misquoting "Cup of Salvation" from the Eucharist. It cracks me and has me wondering if I'm raising two priests. :) Or maybe I'm just raising two kids who mix up words since Sam was singing "Bring back my Body to me, to me." (Think My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean).

Thomas is a good sleeper

Gentleman baby

We came up with nicknames for each of our babies when they were newborns. Sam was our Gerber baby for uncanny resemblance to that well known company visage. Andrew was our Scrappy baby because his hair stuck straight up, he had big eyes and a little chin and just looked scrappy! Thomas, I have decided, is our gentleman baby because he is just so well-mannered. He is always dapper-looking as his hair not only seems to comb itself, but it parts itself as well. He only cries when appropriate (hungry, wet, tired) and is easily satisfied if any of those wrongs are righted. In general, he enjoys hanging out watching his brothers or his mobile or the aquarium. He's almost always content in the Ergo baby carrier, either awake or asleep. He doesn't seem to like his car seat much, but other than that he's completely easy going. What a blessing for a third baby!

Not quite what I meant

In the final month of my pregnancy with Thomas I was getting out all the baby clothes and putting the crib together. I talked with Sam and Andrew about what it would be like when the baby came and they had lots of fun helping in the preparation (especially the allen wrenches for the crib). At one point, a pair of little baby shoes was on our coffee table. Andrew found them and asked what they were. I said they were shoes for Sunshine. He paused quizzically, then looked at my belly, looked at the shoes, and looked at my belly again. Then he asked, "How will we get them in there, Mommy?" I had to laugh and explain the baby doesn't wear them in utero...only after he comes out.

Sandy?

We were driving recently and I can't even remember what I was talking about with Sam, but I said something about San Diego. It was quiet for a moment and then he said, "Why do they call it Sandy?" Too funny that he's known we live in San Diego for all these months but thought it was Sandy Ego...

Smiley face

Thomas has definitely started to smile at us at 6 weeks of age. He's got an adorable dimple in his right cheek and it's great to see his whole face light up. I'm still working on getting a great photo of it - he usually gets mesmerized by the camera and stops smiling.

Thomas' 1 month stats

Thomas just had his one month check up and all is well. Here are his stats:
Weight 10 lb 6 oz, 66%
Height 22.75 in, 88%
Head circumference 39 cm, 68%

Corn Bread Pancakes!

When Christine and I first started dating, I would often invite her over to my house for breakfast. One of my favorite things to make was corn-bread pancakes - a recipe passed along to me from my father.  The recipe was simple:

Buy a box of Jiffy Corn Bread for 25 cents and follow the directions.

Little did I imagine that Christine thought I actually made them from scratch!  She only discovered my secret after we were already married.

But there are a couple things to keep in mind that will make your pancakes AWESOME as opposed to just yummy.

#1 - Be sure to use real butter - both in the recipe and on top of the pancakes.
#2 - Use at least 2% milk - none of that non-fat stuff.
#3 - I find that two eggs are better than one suggested by the box recipe.
#4 - After you mix all the ingredients together (liquids and package), leave the kitchen for 5 minutes.  The batter will thicken significantly.  Add a little more milk to the mix.
#5 - Corn bread pancakes will be smaller than regular pancakes as the batter does not hold together as well.
#6 - Get the pan hot first and make a small 2 inch pancake to validate the temperature. #7 - Real Maple syrup and butter is a great compliment to these pancakes.  However, I have to admit that I have come to love Christine's version as well - vanilla yogurt and fresh fruit on top.

Hope you enjoy them too!  -- Dave

Thomas' birth

With the excitement of the third baby, I haven't had much time to post updates so I'm going to play catch up. Thomas arrived one day before his due date in an easy delivery (as far as they go). Despite being turned away the night before, my labor did start in earnest early one Monday morning. While Grandma and Grandpa B got Sam and Andrew ready for the preschool, Dave and I headed out to the hospital. I had the unfortunate coincidence of a nosebleed starting as my labor intensified. I was going to wait to head out, but as Dave put it, I had "the look" of labor beginning in earnest so we left. I was indeed admitted around 9am and delivered at 1pm exactly. Thomas came out with a wonderfully full head of hair and at a healthy 8 lb 13 oz and 21.5 inches long. His head circumference was 35.5 cm. He was healthy, latched right away, and unlike his older two brothers, had no need for the NICU! Within an hour he was visited by Sam and Andrew who were thrilled to meet him. Recovery was so good for me and Thomas was so healthy we decided to leave the hospital after 24 hours. There's nothing like sleeping in your own bed and we were overjoyed to have a family dinner at home with the older boys.

The New Family Blog

We've finally reached a point where it makes more sense to have one blog about our family of five rather than individual blogs for the children. So here it is! We use it to remember the various amusing and heartwarming goings on of our family and you can use it to keep up with our latest news. Feel free to become a follower or just check back from time to time.

~The Cartas

Welcome, Sunshine

Sam is very happy to become the 'biggest' brother now and has been enthusiastically helping with the care of his new little brother, Thomas, who arrived two weeks ago. Sunshine was his in-utero nickname, but now Sam is proud to announce his brother was named after the famous tank engine.

However, upon learning that it was a new brother, not sister, Sam stuck his lips out and said "I wanted it to be a girl." Andrew heard this and enthusiastically said "I like boys." :)

Welcome, Sunshine

Andrew was thrilled to meet his new little brother two weeks ago. He arrived in labor and delivery to visit Thomas 1 hour after he was born. Upon learning that it was a new brother, not sister, Sam stuck his lips out and said "I wanted it to be a girl." Andrew heard this and enthusiastically said "I like boys." :) Andrew also started playing "This little piggy..." immediately on Thomas' little toes that were sticking out. We had to stop the last little piggy from running all the way home, though, until we have more time to talk about how to be gentle around little babies. Andrew seems to be enjoying the big brother role and insists on just calling Thomas "Sunshine" (his in-utero nickname) for now.

Andrew at nearly 3 years old

It's been a while since I blogged, so I have several updates on Andrew and what he's like just a month before his third birthday.

First of all, this kid is a talker! He is extremely verbal and amazes me with his command of not just vocabulary but grammar as well. He's mastered his past tense and plurals for the most part and I think after being corrected about the few parts he gets wrong, he really does remember the next time.

That's probably due in part to his amazing memorization skills. He's been reciting grace at dinner time for about 6 months now ("Bless us O Lord, in these thy gifts...") and never fails to amuse me with the special voice he adopts for such renditions. I still need to catch it on video... He's also well on his way to memorizing the Lord's Prayer we say at bedtime as well, with "trespasses" among the words he nails every time. He's also singing songs from memory and definitely has most if not all of our Curious George books memorized. It's just amazing to see in this little guy 33 inches tall. :)

Andrew also adores his big brother. They were the best of buddies over the summer as we had time off from coop preschool and they were each other's primary playmates. Sam does a pretty good job of playing nicely with Andrew and I've noticed in particularly recently that Sam manages Andrew quite well. Andrew will still tend to cry or kick when he gets upset, but Sam can usually talk him down from it and distract him in a way that leads them both back towards cooperative play. It's pretty neat to see.

Andrew's dexterity has also improved a lot. He can put together the little Lego pieces and cut out pictures like Sam and put on his own clothes when properly inspired. Despite some concerns about putting his socks on the wrong feet, he does quite well putting on his own socks and shoes.

He's also very adept at expressing his emotions. We visited my family in the Bay Area in August and one particular conversation sticks in my mind. We saw my brother in the street as he was getting ready to leave for work and his sons waving from the sidewalk. Andrew saw his cousins and said "I'm so glad to see them!" Then he saw his uncle and I explained he would come say hello but then he has to leave for work and Andrew said "That makes me so sad." His stories now often recount how he was sad and happy by various things.

Lastly, Andrew seems to be quite the thrill-seeker. He loves swinging super high in the swings and even though some of the 4-D shows at Legoland scare him, he requests to see them over and over. It works well since Sam usually doesn't want to try something new for the first time and Andrew is usually happy to jump out in front. We'll see what happens once Andrew is big enough to ride the roller coasters...

Drawing!

Sam has just started drawing pictures of things. He takes great delight on drawing pictures of Daddy and hot air balloons, though a recent addition was fireworks. Here is a masterpiece he drew at his aunt and uncles that shows Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, and Eeyore. I love it and am so glad to see the creativity he has.

Improve Your Productivity Blog

Hello Friends,

 

I know many of you through working with my company, Telaeris. Others will know me during my prior years with Cubic Corp.  Or maybe it was from college, playing ultimate frisbee (disc, for those in the know), basketball, or even ballroom dancing.  I'm writing to you because I think what we at Telaeris are doing will be valuable and that you might be interested in following along.

We started Telaeris with a simple idea: use RFID technology to make businesses more efficient. Though we have expanded the technologies we use, the idea of improving productivity is still at the heart of what we do. There's a programming idea out there called D-R-Y. It means "Don't Repeat Yourself."   Improving productivity is like that. If you have to do the same thing over and over, make it as efficient as possible.  Get back to the important stuff in life. Create. Build. Play.

So in this spirit, we are re-launching our company blog at:   http://blog.telaeris.com

We will mostly be talking about productivity and sharing tips to make you more efficient.  How to not to get stuck or waste time on things that should be simple. We'll certainly talk about some of the technologies Telaeris knows, but we will also include lots of good stuff about building a business and what we are learning about marketing and sales. Things you might have had to learn from the school of hard knocks and wish you didn't. And boy, let me tell you, we have had our share of knocks.

We would love it if you would follow us. You can add us to an RSS feed such as Google Reader, or alternatively, follow us through one of the social channels: Twitter, Facebook,  LinkedIn, or YouTube. Anyone out there use Google Plus yet?

Lastly, if you have ideas or want to submit lessons you have learned, we would love to share those as well. Connect with us and we'll connect with you. Please pass it along to anyone that might appreciate it. And hopefully, we can make the world just a little bit easier for everyone.

    -- Dave

PS. In the next couple weeks, we will be releasing a free e-book called Productivity for People written by an uncle of mine who has since passed away. Even if you choose not to follow us, I'd highly recommend stopping by the blog to download it – it is really a great read!

David.Carta@Telaeris.com
Phone: 619-940-6533

Telaeris - Tracking Systems

Improve Your Efficiency

 

Imagination

Sam has a wonderful and vivid imagination at age 4.25. He spread his books all over the floor and I said he needed to put them back on the bookshelf by the end of the night or they would go on time out. He said "You know why I was doing it?". I said "No." He said "I thought we could use them if the roof collapsed to make a big tower to hold up the roof." Not a bad idea but I assured him the possibility of the roof collapsing before it was time to put away the books was not so likely...

Sharing a room with brother

After a couple of escapades of climbing out of his crib, Andrew is slowly moving into the twin bed in Sam's room. On our recent trip to Tahoe and Oakland they did a great job of sharing a room (despite Andrew's falling off the end of the bed at Tahoe...ooops!). So, when we returned, we continued the momentum by giving Andrew a bed (with railings) in the room with Sam. He's been sleeping there every night since and though they talked for quite a while the first night, it seems to be working marvelously. Andrew just moves around a bit and then drifts off to sleep while Sam either looks at books or listens to music for a bit longer. They don't seem to bother each other in the mornings, though Andrew hasn't yet figured out he can come over into our bed once it's light, like Sam now does. I still put him to nap in his crib but will change that soon. Next we move his clothes downstairs and stop referring to the upstairs room as Andrew's and the downstairs one as Sam's. Sam is taking it all very well and seems to enjoy the company. Sam is excited to have his clothes move into drawers under his bed so he can get himself dressed in the morning and for bed. We are blessed to have two boys who enjoy each other so much.

Delightful 4 year old

Sam turned 4 in January and is just growing into a delightful little boy. He still has moments of tantrumy crying, but they are becoming fewer and far between as he becomes more mature and capable of communication and problem solving. He plays quite happily and well with Andrew, their favorite game right now being "firefighter", involving the couch, chair, cushions and some "help" cries and saving each other. He is getting better at swimming at the pool and learning to ride his new bike. The other night he loved surprising Daddy by going downstairs and getting into pajamas all by himself (even putting dirty clothes in the hamper!). He loves his new velcro shoes he can put on himself and he was even quite a brave little boy at his second dentist appointment (four xrays and a thorough cleaning won him a Toy Story viewing). He and Andrew started sharing a room after coming back from a vacation in Lake Tahoe and Oakland and they are doing wonderfully. He stays up a little past Andrew either flipping through books or listening to music, but it seems to suit each of them just fine. Sam has certainly made a couple of friends at preschool who he enjoys being around and for whom he made special valentines. He even showed real signs of unprompted empathy when he hoped they wouldn't miss him too much during our vacation. My favorite recent memory of him was during our stay at Tahoe. It had snowed 18 inches overnight and we awoke to a wonderful blanket of soft, fluffy snow. We donned our snow gear and opened the sliding door to quite a wall of snow. I told the boys to wait while I tamped down stairs for them to climb up. Instead, Sam leaned forward and did a full-body plant right into the snowbank. I pulled him back and he was rather shocked at the cold snow on his face. When I later asked him why he did that, he said he just wanted to see if the snow was hard or soft. Now that's quite a way to find out!

Nativity scene

Sam arranged the nativity scene so the wise men would be close to baby Jesus as this Christmas season draws to a close.  How precious.