Tomorrow is J's last day of prekindergarten at her school. She has been going the last four weeks M-F, 8-12. She absolutely LOVES school. We are so happy that she enjoys it.
They have been doing all sorts of Kindergarten activities and learning new things:
writing all the letters of the alphabet (upper and lower case), numbers, names, & short sentences,
working in small groups,
Math games and puzzles,
art work, cutting, gluing (she enjoys gluing a lot),
playing on the playground, running around in the gym,
calendar time with weather, days of the week, & months of the year,
She has even met some new friends: her boyfriend B and her girlfriend Z! It is super cute to listen to her talk about her boyfriend B. Although I get that inner giggle inside I do realize it is a friend who happens to be a boy. And last but not least the icing on the cake... The kids are walking to the U.P. water park on Friday. They even get to wear their swimsuits to school! J thinks that is the coolest thing ever.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Where did May GO?
Phew! I don't know where the month of May went?! We were waiting and waiting for it to come and now it is almost over. Lots of things have happened in the B house in May. Here is a little recap (not in any particular order):
*Little O was baptized! We had a few family members come to town and celebrate with us. It was PERFECT. We enjoy having them visit and the kids LOVE having extra people to play with, esp. their Auntie A who is only a couple years older than J.
*J and E are riding bikes (with training wheels) like pros! J was doing a great job but E was ever so frustrating. Now he is getting it and can almost keep up with J.
*J started her physical therapy once a week and is working on getting her muscles stronger! She loves going to see her 'teacher' as she calls her. I think she really enjoys the extended one-on-one attention which is hard to come by in our home sometimes.
*N is getting more and more hair! She doesn't have quite enough to put in a full ponytail but my hope is that someday she will! Our kids tended not to have a whole lot of hair until they were 2 1/2 or 3. YIKES!
*O is rollin' all over the place. It started a month or so ago. He was rolling back to tummy and now he can go about 6 feet from his original place. It is crucial now that we watch where we are walking since you never know where he could be even though he is not crawling, yet.
*T passed his first year of medical school! We were super excited and nervous at the same time. I know that he is very intelligent and there is not a doubt in my mind that he will pass, but he seems to doubt himself. This block in particular was neuro-based (which apparently is difficult) and he took a night class that used a lot of his time that could have been spent studying. But long story short... HE PASSED and is a second year student now.
*E continues to try our patience every. single. day. We just don't get it. He simply fights and argues about everything. Even something fun like going outside to play. It is so frustrating sometimes.
*J is even more of a rock star at her letters. We are focusing now on upper- and lower-case letters, she still gets a little confused with when to use each appropriately.
*N is talking more and more everyday. She still does not speak in full sentences yet but she is able to communicate to us what she wants/ thinks. She is going to be one of the firecrackers in the family. She appears to be very expressive and opinionated even at her young age.
*O is a happy little guy who loves just watching what is going on. He can be on the floor or in his saucer for quite a while as long as he is able to see his big sisters and brother. Every now and then they will pop over to shake his hand, give him a toy, sing to him, or just talk to him and he gets so excited. He just screams and laughs. It is so nice (as a parent) to see the kids getting along and having so much fun together.
*Doctor time. I took a home-video of this since it is played so often I thought the kids may like to see it when they are older. J, E, & N all play that they are the doctors and O is the patient. He is a perfect little patient. He just lays their in all his glory while the three big kids ohhh and ahhh over him. He just eats it up. They check his ears, listen to his heart, give him shots, check his mouth (esp. since he has TWO new teeth!), and check his blood pressure. He is in good health just in case you were wondering.
Well I am sure you are slightly bored by now but that is about 1/3 of our month. Hopefully next month I will be better at updating. = )
*Little O was baptized! We had a few family members come to town and celebrate with us. It was PERFECT. We enjoy having them visit and the kids LOVE having extra people to play with, esp. their Auntie A who is only a couple years older than J.
*J and E are riding bikes (with training wheels) like pros! J was doing a great job but E was ever so frustrating. Now he is getting it and can almost keep up with J.
*J started her physical therapy once a week and is working on getting her muscles stronger! She loves going to see her 'teacher' as she calls her. I think she really enjoys the extended one-on-one attention which is hard to come by in our home sometimes.
*N is getting more and more hair! She doesn't have quite enough to put in a full ponytail but my hope is that someday she will! Our kids tended not to have a whole lot of hair until they were 2 1/2 or 3. YIKES!
*O is rollin' all over the place. It started a month or so ago. He was rolling back to tummy and now he can go about 6 feet from his original place. It is crucial now that we watch where we are walking since you never know where he could be even though he is not crawling, yet.
*T passed his first year of medical school! We were super excited and nervous at the same time. I know that he is very intelligent and there is not a doubt in my mind that he will pass, but he seems to doubt himself. This block in particular was neuro-based (which apparently is difficult) and he took a night class that used a lot of his time that could have been spent studying. But long story short... HE PASSED and is a second year student now.
*E continues to try our patience every. single. day. We just don't get it. He simply fights and argues about everything. Even something fun like going outside to play. It is so frustrating sometimes.
*J is even more of a rock star at her letters. We are focusing now on upper- and lower-case letters, she still gets a little confused with when to use each appropriately.
*N is talking more and more everyday. She still does not speak in full sentences yet but she is able to communicate to us what she wants/ thinks. She is going to be one of the firecrackers in the family. She appears to be very expressive and opinionated even at her young age.
*O is a happy little guy who loves just watching what is going on. He can be on the floor or in his saucer for quite a while as long as he is able to see his big sisters and brother. Every now and then they will pop over to shake his hand, give him a toy, sing to him, or just talk to him and he gets so excited. He just screams and laughs. It is so nice (as a parent) to see the kids getting along and having so much fun together.
*Doctor time. I took a home-video of this since it is played so often I thought the kids may like to see it when they are older. J, E, & N all play that they are the doctors and O is the patient. He is a perfect little patient. He just lays their in all his glory while the three big kids ohhh and ahhh over him. He just eats it up. They check his ears, listen to his heart, give him shots, check his mouth (esp. since he has TWO new teeth!), and check his blood pressure. He is in good health just in case you were wondering.
Well I am sure you are slightly bored by now but that is about 1/3 of our month. Hopefully next month I will be better at updating. = )
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
LONG day
Today was a trying day. We did not really have anything too important going on but the kids seemed to have a different idea of how things were going to be done, well E anyway. We went to Target this morning to get a couple odds and ends which ended by having to physically hold E in the cart and pay with one hand. Then we made it home and things were alright.
This afternoon J had an appointment and I took the boys with so T could study. (N stayed home and napped.) About 3 minutes into J’s appointment E started to misbehave. He did not want to be quiet, was grabbing toys, and playing with everything he could. He ended up getting away from me and jumped into a pit of balls. I was unable to get him out because he kept being just out of my reach. I finally grabbed his arm and picked him up. Thank goodness I brought the double stroller with me! I was able to buckle him in there and leave with him; after a battle and him head-butting me of course. J did amazing working with the specialist and enjoyed having an adult all to herself. = )
This afternoon J had an appointment and I took the boys with so T could study. (N stayed home and napped.) About 3 minutes into J’s appointment E started to misbehave. He did not want to be quiet, was grabbing toys, and playing with everything he could. He ended up getting away from me and jumped into a pit of balls. I was unable to get him out because he kept being just out of my reach. I finally grabbed his arm and picked him up. Thank goodness I brought the double stroller with me! I was able to buckle him in there and leave with him; after a battle and him head-butting me of course. J did amazing working with the specialist and enjoyed having an adult all to herself. = )
I took the boys for a 20-30 minute walk and then went back to check on J. She was done with her PT evaluation and ready to start her OT evaluation. E once again wanted to play with all the fun exciting things so we had to leave. This time we went out to the van and I fed O while E played with some of the toys. I was just about ready to go back inside when E informed me that he needed to poop. Oh great! I got everything set so we could go back inside: stroller out, O in his carseat, E’s sweatshirt back on, E in stroller, van locked, and we were off. Unfortunately, I was not fast enough and he had a minor accident. Of course I did not have the communal diaper bag with me I just had O’s diaper bag. So E had to wear a diaper home that was just a tad too small.
We made it back in perfect timing and J was just getting done. It turns out that she is a little behind her peers as far as gross motor skills are concerned (jumping, hopping, skipping, etc.) but her fine motor skills (writing, drawing, cutting, etc.) are a little ahead of her peers. The PT thought it would be a good idea for J to have therapy once a week all summer so when she starts school in the fall she won’t be too far behind. She does not think the classroom will be a problem but J may have a tough time in gym. The OT does not see a need for any therapy since she is a tad advanced for her age. *Bragging moment*: certain areas she is at a seven-year-old level!
I think J will have fun and enjoy this time. She does need to work on some of those skills and get a little stronger. She is just so petite and fragile.
I had been keeping T up to date via texting while I was there and on the way home he sent me a lovely text; wondering where we were and making sure I did not have a nervous breakdown. He is a funny one. After we got home we had a little snack, O went to sleep, and I took the three big kids outside to play for almost an hour. J is a rock star at biking (with training wheels!) and E was horrible at first but I think he is coming around. : / I don’t know if he didn’t understand or just didn’t care but E was so frustrating a few weeks ago when we got the bikes out. Now he seems to be on the right track though. I'll have to keep my fingers crossed!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
P90X Update
P90X seems to be going alright as of now! We have 2 weeks down and 11 to go. We are not very far into the program but I can already tell a difference. When we started the program there were exercises that I could not even imagine doing and I thought to myself: *Are you kidding me? I will never be able to do this/that!* I can proudly say that I am able to do most of those exercises now! I may not be able to do as many reps as the people on the DVDs but I can do some of them now. I have also noticed that I have more stamina. I probably should not even admit this but… I had a hard time doing jumping jacks for 30 seconds straight (try it and see if you can do it!) but in just 2 weeks I am now able to go for close to a minute. I am not trying to sell anyone on the product I am just stating my personal opinion. I have not noticed a drop in my weight or in inches anywhere on my body yet but I have hope that it will come later down the line. All in good time, right?! They also have good variety within the program. I have tried other exercise videos and they get so boring after a week or so but these make me want to do them every night!
One of the drawbacks that we did find is that you need to be dedicated both with time and finances. The time issue is alright for me because I work out at night after the kids all go to bed at 8ish. But for T he has had to do homework late one or two nights so he had to make up his workouts. The program itself is not that expensive (around $140) but we found after buying the program that there were a lot of things that we needed to buy in order to get better results. For example, they (P90X) said you could use weight lifting bands or dumbbells. We got the bands -because they were cheaper- and found that the dumbbells are actually better and you get more out of your workout. So we got some of those. Next we needed a push-up/ pull-up/ chin-up bar, whichever you would like to call it, but we only need to use it during one DVD (so far). Not to mention the need for: yoga blocks, yoga mats, heart rate monitors, & good shoes. We decided, actually I decided, that we are not going to get crazy about the food aspect of the program. P90X sends a brochure/book about what types of foods to eat, how much of each food group, recipes, and meal choices. I just don’t feel that it is realistic for us to use their food program.
1)The kids would not eat half of the meals so I would have to make extra meals for them.
2) The recipes call for food items that we don’t typically have on hand.
3) TIME. I just don’t know where I would get the extra time to measure everything meticulously to keep track of calories, number of servings for each food group, the size of each serving, etc.
I know that we may not get the best results that we could possibly get because of the diet aspect but we are making a conscience effort to watch what, how much, and when we eat.
One of the drawbacks that we did find is that you need to be dedicated both with time and finances. The time issue is alright for me because I work out at night after the kids all go to bed at 8ish. But for T he has had to do homework late one or two nights so he had to make up his workouts. The program itself is not that expensive (around $140) but we found after buying the program that there were a lot of things that we needed to buy in order to get better results. For example, they (P90X) said you could use weight lifting bands or dumbbells. We got the bands -because they were cheaper- and found that the dumbbells are actually better and you get more out of your workout. So we got some of those. Next we needed a push-up/ pull-up/ chin-up bar, whichever you would like to call it, but we only need to use it during one DVD (so far). Not to mention the need for: yoga blocks, yoga mats, heart rate monitors, & good shoes. We decided, actually I decided, that we are not going to get crazy about the food aspect of the program. P90X sends a brochure/book about what types of foods to eat, how much of each food group, recipes, and meal choices. I just don’t feel that it is realistic for us to use their food program.
1)The kids would not eat half of the meals so I would have to make extra meals for them.
2) The recipes call for food items that we don’t typically have on hand.
3) TIME. I just don’t know where I would get the extra time to measure everything meticulously to keep track of calories, number of servings for each food group, the size of each serving, etc.
I know that we may not get the best results that we could possibly get because of the diet aspect but we are making a conscience effort to watch what, how much, and when we eat.
*And my absolute FAVORITE part about P90X is that T and I are able to do it together! I know that sounds sappy but it is fun to do something together without the kids (don’t get me wrong I love my kidsies), but it is like a date every night. = )
Happy 2nd Birthday N!
Today is another special day in the B home. TWO years ago today I had the privilege of bringing my second daughter into this world. It is hard to believe she is 2 already! I could write a post about how fast time goes but I am sure you all know just as well as I do! So… April 7th, 2009 went a little like this:
We were scheduled to be induced that morning so I called Labor and Delivery at 6am and we were told to arrive at 7 or so. Woohoo they were not full so we were good to go. I made a quick phone call to our neighbors (the Js who just so happen to have had a baby 2 months prior so mommy E was home on maternity leave) to let them know the induction was a go. They were kind enough to watch/ take care of J and E while we were at the hospital. We got all our things ready, gave the kids kisses, and were off.
Once we arrived at the hospital we checked in and I got all hooked up. They started Pitocin and we were expecting things to progress quickly. We were wrong! After about 3 hours of Pitocin they finally called the doctor in because N ‘s head was so high they could not break my water (for fear that the cord would slip down before her head and cut off the life supply to her). My doctor finally broke my water around 11 and once again we expected things to pick up. I was contracting and labor felt like it was progressing but her head was not low enough to work on dilating the cervix. Eventually I dilated to 9.5 cm and we were ready to go. This is where her story gets good.
I pushed a few times (15 minutes or so) and her head was almost out and then panic set in. My doctor (who has 30+ years of medical experience was almost *sleeping* [old hat for him]) jumped off his chair, the nurse who was assisting me jumped on top of me and ripped the emergency cord out of the wall. My delivery room was FLOODED with medical personnel. Once N was born she was moved to the other side of the room and surrounded by nurses. My doctor was trying to get me to stop bleeding (sorry if that is TMI) while keeping a close eye on N. I vaguely recall him asking if the baby was moving. I was so out of it I just kept asking if the baby was a boy or girl? (We did not find out ahead of time!) And then I told T to go and take pictures! (Typical mommy I guess) He said he was going to stay out of the way. I got a couple shots in my leg and finally was able to sit up. And eventually see my baby GIRL from a distance.
I did not get to hold her or even get a good look at her before they rushed her off to the NICU. That was a scary moment for me because I had no idea what was going on! I was finally able to see her at about 9:30 or 10 that night when I hobbled down to the NICU so I could at least touch her on the day she was born.
So what went on during my state of absentmindedness? Over the course of time I learned what actually happened… N had SEVERE shoulder dystocia (Her shoulders were too big to come out). Our doctor had to make a split second decision: break her clavicle and have her born right now or push her back in and perform an emergency C-section within minutes. I guess that is what happens when the baby weighs 9lbs. 11ozs.! N was in the NICU for about 24 hours and then we came home the next day. After doing a bunch of research, after the fact and now that T is in medical school, we have learned more details that I am glad we did not know at the time. This could have been very dangerous and possibly deadly for N and/or myself. I guess that is one of the many reasons I went back to my OB doctor. He is fantastic!
So that is the condensed version of how ‘little’ N came into this world.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Happy 5th Birthday J!
I am proud to say the 5 years ago today my life changed FOREVER. I was given the gift of my daughter J. That day went a little like this:
It started as a typical morning; got up to go to the bathroom around 5ish and then back to bed. But wait, it felt like I was going to the bathroom more! In bed! What is going on here? I woke T up and told him about it and he just kind of laughed it off. We were clueless as to what was really going on here. After it happened a few more times we thought it would be a good idea to call the Labor & Delivery department of the hospital and make sure everything was alright. Turns out they wanted me to come in to be checked. Since J was not due until April 14th we did not have anything ready to go. I mean ANYTHING! We were rummaging through papers on the desk looking for the Lamaze packet that had a suggest list of things to bring to the hospital. We finally found that and packed a bag or two. We were running all over the place.
We made it to the hospital around 7:30ish. We admitted and then I was checked. They did a swab of the fluid to make sure that it was amniotic fluid and yep it sure was! J was on her way 2 ½ weeks early. SURPRISE! After sitting for about an hour or so T went out to our vehicle to get the rest of our stuff (or so I thought). Apparently there was some miscommunication and he thought he was supposed to go back home and get all the things that we forgot. So I sat there in the bed waiting for 15-20 minutes and he did not come back. After about 45 minutes of waiting I was getting a *little* mad and then after an hour I was mad. –Since our hospital (at the time) did not allow the use of cell phones I could not call him & if I would have called him from the room it would have been long distance or collect– Where the heck did he go? He finally (what seemed like hours to me) came back with all our things and then I found out what took him so long.
They started Pitocin and I was progressing; smooth and steady. We went for a walk (or two or three), rocked in a rocking chair, sat on one of the labor balls, and breathed through all the contractions. It did not seem like too long and next thing we knew J was here. She was born at 2:53 pm, weighed 6 lbs 8.3 ozs, and was 19 ¾ ins long. And she had a mop of RED curly hair! She was beautiful. My first experience as a parent began and it was perfect. We could not imagine our life without J, then or now. We love you ‘baby’ girl!
It started as a typical morning; got up to go to the bathroom around 5ish and then back to bed. But wait, it felt like I was going to the bathroom more! In bed! What is going on here? I woke T up and told him about it and he just kind of laughed it off. We were clueless as to what was really going on here. After it happened a few more times we thought it would be a good idea to call the Labor & Delivery department of the hospital and make sure everything was alright. Turns out they wanted me to come in to be checked. Since J was not due until April 14th we did not have anything ready to go. I mean ANYTHING! We were rummaging through papers on the desk looking for the Lamaze packet that had a suggest list of things to bring to the hospital. We finally found that and packed a bag or two. We were running all over the place.
We made it to the hospital around 7:30ish. We admitted and then I was checked. They did a swab of the fluid to make sure that it was amniotic fluid and yep it sure was! J was on her way 2 ½ weeks early. SURPRISE! After sitting for about an hour or so T went out to our vehicle to get the rest of our stuff (or so I thought). Apparently there was some miscommunication and he thought he was supposed to go back home and get all the things that we forgot. So I sat there in the bed waiting for 15-20 minutes and he did not come back. After about 45 minutes of waiting I was getting a *little* mad and then after an hour I was mad. –Since our hospital (at the time) did not allow the use of cell phones I could not call him & if I would have called him from the room it would have been long distance or collect– Where the heck did he go? He finally (what seemed like hours to me) came back with all our things and then I found out what took him so long.
They started Pitocin and I was progressing; smooth and steady. We went for a walk (or two or three), rocked in a rocking chair, sat on one of the labor balls, and breathed through all the contractions. It did not seem like too long and next thing we knew J was here. She was born at 2:53 pm, weighed 6 lbs 8.3 ozs, and was 19 ¾ ins long. And she had a mop of RED curly hair! She was beautiful. My first experience as a parent began and it was perfect. We could not imagine our life without J, then or now. We love you ‘baby’ girl!
Friday, March 25, 2011
P90X!
Time for the Xtreme! In the past I have generally lost my baby weight but this time I am getting a little restless. I am not large by any means but I am not the way I would like to be either. I think deep down inside every female has some sort of insecurity of how they look physically, regardless of whether they express it or not. SO… with that said, I am ready to say good-bye to my love handles! T and I decided to try P90X! It was hard for us to justify a gym membership anywhere since time is such a struggle for us. We decided that if we got P90X then we could do it TOGETHER after the kids go to bed. We started on Wednesday of this week and it seems to be going well. We are enjoying it so far. Many people spoke of how terribly hard it was and that it just destroys your body. I have been taking it in strides. I am pushing myself to the point that I can feel the ‘burn’ and working my body but not so hard that I feel like I am going to die. If I do that I know that I will not stick with the program and it would just be a waste of time and money. I really want this to be a positive experience for me. I honestly don’t care if I lose weight; I would just like to tone and strengthen. My poundage number is not important to me. I really enjoy the workouts too because the trainer (Tony I think his name is) does a great job of encouraging you while you are moving. He emphasizes that it does not matter if you finish the reps or how high you can get your legs up or whatever; what matters is that you are doing it! He also points out (in my words) during each video that ‘the people we are watching on tv are used to these routines’. It helps me remember that my form is not going to be perfect all the time and not every exercise or position is going to look great; but if I am trying that is all that matters. I will keep posting our progress and if we like or dislike anything, whether you want me to or not. = )
Mommy’s Weekend Away!
Many of you may know that I am addicted to my kids! I just LOVE them. It is not very often that I get a break from my kids, especially since I am a stay at home mommy. And to be quite honest when I don’t have my kids around I really don’t know what to do with myself. I am so used to doing 101 things at a time that I am almost lost when my hands are empty. Anyways. One of my friends got married so I toyed with the idea of going to the wedding with just little O (I can’t get rid of him yet since I am breast-feeding). T was not opposed to the idea of having the three big kids alone for the weekend and it worked out great with his school schedule since he was still technically on his ‘week 10 break’. So I left Friday (18th) around noonish and set out for the 5 hour drive. Little O was ready to go with a full tummy and a much needed nap. We made it to the cities for the weekend and I was able to see my entire immediate family and some of my extended family. I got to spend most of the day on Saturday with friends that I had not seen in years. It was GREAT! Then we had a nice brunch on Sunday and I was on my way home.
T’s weekend however was a little different than what he is used to. He was an amazing SUPER daddy. I had no doubt in my mind that he could handle everything and do wonderfully. However, I do think he was happy to see us Sunday night and he has a better understanding of how busy staying at home really is. Many people think that stay at home moms sit around all day and play. THAT IS NOT TRUE! Being a mommy (full-time) is honestly one of the hardest jobs, but it is by far the most rewarding too!
So all in all, it was fun to get away but it was great to come home and have my kiddsies give me oodles of loves!
I am not 100% sure but I think the big kids missed little O! = )
T’s weekend however was a little different than what he is used to. He was an amazing SUPER daddy. I had no doubt in my mind that he could handle everything and do wonderfully. However, I do think he was happy to see us Sunday night and he has a better understanding of how busy staying at home really is. Many people think that stay at home moms sit around all day and play. THAT IS NOT TRUE! Being a mommy (full-time) is honestly one of the hardest jobs, but it is by far the most rewarding too!
So all in all, it was fun to get away but it was great to come home and have my kiddsies give me oodles of loves!
I am not 100% sure but I think the big kids missed little O! = )
Monday Morning:
Decisions, decisions, decisions.
As a parent we have many decisions to make that will affect our children. Our HUGE decision right now is if we should send J to public or private school. We just don’t know what is best for her (and the siblings that are to follow). Here is why we are having a tough time…
1) We don’t know where we are going to be after the 2011-12 school year. We won’t know until December of this year where T’s 3 & 4 year of Medical school will be. Do we want to go through the work of getting her into a private school for only potentially a year here?
2) Private schools are expensive. I am going to look into how expensive they are in our area and see if we could even afford it.
3) Smaller class size with minimal children that would require special attention. I am sure some of you may be shaking your heads right now but hear me out. There are many children that have special needs or behaviors in the regular classroom that require extra time and attention from the teacher. I don’t want to appear mean but I feel that children with special needs are different. They will always be different and there is nothing that will change that. I do realize that it is important for my children to see other children that have special needs but I don’t want it to affect their education.
4) Food allergies. I struggle with this one a lot. There was just a segment on the TODAY show on NBC yesterday about this. There is one child at the school J will be attending that has a peanut allergy so the school is a ‘Nut-Free Zone’. I don’t think it is fair that all the children in the school have to make sure that every item they bring is ‘nut free’. That is a hassle and inconvenience for hundreds of families! If the child is that severely allergic than they should eat in their classroom with a friend or two and wear gloves around the school. We were told that if our child has peanut butter for breakfast they have to thoroughly wash their hands and faces before they come to school in the morning. Now I would not send my kid to school dirty regardless but I don’t think it is fair to put so much pressure on all the other parents.
These are just a few of my concerns. I just don’t know what we are going to do this fall. She will probably end up in a public school somewhere but I am just not sure yet. *sigh*
1) We don’t know where we are going to be after the 2011-12 school year. We won’t know until December of this year where T’s 3 & 4 year of Medical school will be. Do we want to go through the work of getting her into a private school for only potentially a year here?
2) Private schools are expensive. I am going to look into how expensive they are in our area and see if we could even afford it.
3) Smaller class size with minimal children that would require special attention. I am sure some of you may be shaking your heads right now but hear me out. There are many children that have special needs or behaviors in the regular classroom that require extra time and attention from the teacher. I don’t want to appear mean but I feel that children with special needs are different. They will always be different and there is nothing that will change that. I do realize that it is important for my children to see other children that have special needs but I don’t want it to affect their education.
4) Food allergies. I struggle with this one a lot. There was just a segment on the TODAY show on NBC yesterday about this. There is one child at the school J will be attending that has a peanut allergy so the school is a ‘Nut-Free Zone’. I don’t think it is fair that all the children in the school have to make sure that every item they bring is ‘nut free’. That is a hassle and inconvenience for hundreds of families! If the child is that severely allergic than they should eat in their classroom with a friend or two and wear gloves around the school. We were told that if our child has peanut butter for breakfast they have to thoroughly wash their hands and faces before they come to school in the morning. Now I would not send my kid to school dirty regardless but I don’t think it is fair to put so much pressure on all the other parents.
These are just a few of my concerns. I just don’t know what we are going to do this fall. She will probably end up in a public school somewhere but I am just not sure yet. *sigh*
Kindergarten Registration
The big day came for J! It was time for Kindergarten registration in our school district. She was so excited she could barely stand it. She got all dressed up in a skirt with tights and dress shoes. She looked so cute with her tight red curls bouncing around!
When we got to the school we had to wait in line to get the packets of information and the woman asked her if she could write her name on the name tag. J did not answer her too loudly but just picked up the marker and began to write. She is not perfect yet so I was expecting a minor melt down (as mentioned prior she tends to get upset when things are not perfect!) but she did just fine. Once we found a spot to sit she wanted to get up and go play with the other kids. So off she went! She did not even look back!!! Then it was time for the kids to go with the teachers while the parents stayed in the gymnasium. I thought she would be alright but then she seemed a little timid when I told her to go follow the teacher with the black shirt on. She looked back a couple times but ended up going along pretty quietly. After 45 minutes of adult information we were lead to the Kindergarten classrooms and she was having so much fun. They got to make an art project, have snack, listen to a story, and sing/learn a new song! All in 45 minutes!!! When we got home she was all excited to tell Daddy and E about her day (hour) at school. I think she is going to have so much fun.
When we got to the school we had to wait in line to get the packets of information and the woman asked her if she could write her name on the name tag. J did not answer her too loudly but just picked up the marker and began to write. She is not perfect yet so I was expecting a minor melt down (as mentioned prior she tends to get upset when things are not perfect!) but she did just fine. Once we found a spot to sit she wanted to get up and go play with the other kids. So off she went! She did not even look back!!! Then it was time for the kids to go with the teachers while the parents stayed in the gymnasium. I thought she would be alright but then she seemed a little timid when I told her to go follow the teacher with the black shirt on. She looked back a couple times but ended up going along pretty quietly. After 45 minutes of adult information we were lead to the Kindergarten classrooms and she was having so much fun. They got to make an art project, have snack, listen to a story, and sing/learn a new song! All in 45 minutes!!! When we got home she was all excited to tell Daddy and E about her day (hour) at school. I think she is going to have so much fun.
Here is her 'masterpiece':
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Week 10, again.
We love week 10 around here. This is T’s ‘vacation’ from Medical School. As long as T passes his block exams we get to see a whole lot of him during week 10! I do feel a little bad for him though. Since I can (usually) count on him having this time off I try to schedule a large amount of appointments during this week. Which makes our days revolve around schedules instead of being on ‘vacation’. It is so much easier for me to take one or two kids to an appointment than taking four by myself. And it is all about me, right?! Seriously though, I don’t mind taking all the kids if I had to but if I don’t have to than I would rather not.
Here is our week of appointments and activities:
Monday: O doctor in the am. J haircut in the afternoon. Oil change in the evening.
Tuesday: N 2 year pictures in the morning. B haircut in the afternoon.
Wednesday: J 5 year pictures after lunch.
Thursday: Grocery shopping in the morning. O 3 month pictures in the afternoon.
Friday: B and O leave for the weekend after lunch.
*O is a little stinker! He has become a strong thumb-sucker and sucks during the night. Only his left thumb though so he is getting a little flat on the back left side of his head. I met with a PT to see if there were any stretches or anything that could be done now so in a month or two we could possibly avoid a helmet. We are not opposed to a helmet but if we can avoid it that would be great!
*J got a little cut off the ends and a long layer added which makes her curls bounce even more.
*Oil change turned out well except we discovered that the car has a leak by the oil gasket. Doesn’t sound like a big deal but in order to fix it they have to take the gasket out, reseal it, and put it back. Still doesn’t sound too bad but runs around $200!
*N’s 2 year pictures turned out alright. She was not a huge fan of staying in the studio area and wanted to run around. The photographer did not realize that N would get attached to a teddy bear so her pictures are with a random teddy. O well. I was just happy that N was not crying/ screaming and smiled for her picture.
*I got my hair cut, actually trimmed, and enjoyed an hour or so without kiddsies. = ) It is fun to be an adult sometimes.
*J’s 5 year pictures turned out great! I was a little skeptical as to how they would turn out. She is at that awkward stage that for some reason she does not know how to smile. When you tell her to smile she makes a big smile, does not show her teeth, and closes her eyes. Not what I was looking for to remember her at 5. But she did wonderful and smiled beautifully. She had a good time being the center of attention for an hour or so. = )
Here is our week of appointments and activities:
Monday: O doctor in the am. J haircut in the afternoon. Oil change in the evening.
Tuesday: N 2 year pictures in the morning. B haircut in the afternoon.
Wednesday: J 5 year pictures after lunch.
Thursday: Grocery shopping in the morning. O 3 month pictures in the afternoon.
Friday: B and O leave for the weekend after lunch.
*O is a little stinker! He has become a strong thumb-sucker and sucks during the night. Only his left thumb though so he is getting a little flat on the back left side of his head. I met with a PT to see if there were any stretches or anything that could be done now so in a month or two we could possibly avoid a helmet. We are not opposed to a helmet but if we can avoid it that would be great!
*J got a little cut off the ends and a long layer added which makes her curls bounce even more.
*Oil change turned out well except we discovered that the car has a leak by the oil gasket. Doesn’t sound like a big deal but in order to fix it they have to take the gasket out, reseal it, and put it back. Still doesn’t sound too bad but runs around $200!
*N’s 2 year pictures turned out alright. She was not a huge fan of staying in the studio area and wanted to run around. The photographer did not realize that N would get attached to a teddy bear so her pictures are with a random teddy. O well. I was just happy that N was not crying/ screaming and smiled for her picture.
*I got my hair cut, actually trimmed, and enjoyed an hour or so without kiddsies. = ) It is fun to be an adult sometimes.
*J’s 5 year pictures turned out great! I was a little skeptical as to how they would turn out. She is at that awkward stage that for some reason she does not know how to smile. When you tell her to smile she makes a big smile, does not show her teeth, and closes her eyes. Not what I was looking for to remember her at 5. But she did wonderful and smiled beautifully. She had a good time being the center of attention for an hour or so. = )
Disney, Here we come (in July!)
BIG NEWS in the B home… We are going to Walt Disney World!!! The trip is all set. All we need to do is pack and get on the plane… in July! We are lucky that my mom is able to get the time off from work and wants to come with us on this journey. The kids are so excited to see and meet Mickey Mouse!
Here is what we have planned so far:
Day 1: Fly to FL and check-in at our resort. We are staying at the Disney Wilderness Lodge Resort. Then dinner at Chef Mickey’s so the kids will get to see Mickey on the FIRST day in FL.
Day 2: Magic Kingdom. Plus T and I are going to see a show that night.
Day 3: Magic Kingdom in the morning and Epcot in the afternoon and evening.
Day 4: Rest and relax at the resort! This resort has a beach (not to swim in though), 2 pools, a huge playground, and trails to walk on. Plus at night they have campfires with Chip and Dale along with an outdoor movie (Disney of course) under the stars!
Day 5: Animal Kingdom.
Day 6: Animal Kingdom in the morning. Hollywood Studios in the afternoon. We have lunch scheduled with Goliath (JoJo’s Circus), Leo, June (Little Einsteins), Handy Manny, and Special Agent Oso! Then dinner at ‘Ohana to end the night.
Day 7: Fly back to MN and drive back home.
We have been doing a ton of research and found out a lot of things online to help our vacation go a little smoother.
Strollers: We can travel with strollers on the airplane at NO CHARGE! At first we were just thinking about bringing wheels for O and N but then after doing research found that many parents suggest bringing strollers for kids even as old as 8! So we will be taking our double, single, and umbrella strollers. We were also debating if we should bring O’s infant carrier. We thought it may be too hot but then read a review that stated it was nice to have because if your infant falls asleep and you go to a sit-down restaurant then you can just bring in their seat and not have to wake-up your child (strollers are not permitted in restaurants, which makes sense).
Dinner reservations: If you want to eat at a sit-down restaurant you have to make reservations, which can be made up to 180 days in advance! We did not think it would be necessary to do so but we were just checking and there were quite a few restaurants that were already full for days that we are going to be there from 4pm to 8pm. After finding this out we decided to plan each day where we were going and what restaurants we would want to eat at while we were there. For example, one restaurant sounded good and had meals that we would have liked but then we read some reviews and several people commented that they were at said restaurant in February of this year and got FOOD POISONING! Hmm, no thanks. Next.
Dining Plan: We went back and forth about getting a meal plan while we are there and ultimately decided that the meal plan would be the best for us. We will each get 1-Quick service meal, 1-Sit-down meal, and 1-snack per day. By figuring out our restaurants ahead of time we were able to get the “biggest bang for our buck”. We chose sit-down restaurants that adult entrees were around $30-35. I will not go into specifics but this is going to be a great deal and hopefully save us a lot of money in the long run (I will have to let you know after our trip!). We could have got an extra meal per day but decided that we would save the money and just eat breakfast in our ‘home’.
Lodging: Since we have so many guests that will be on this trip it was hard to find proper accommodations. We could have stayed in a deluxe room but they did not honor a military discount for these rooms. We could have stayed in two hotel rooms but there was no guarantee that they would be adjoining or even on the same wing or floor. Or we could stay in a ‘home away from home’. We were able to get an apartment basically. It has a full kitchen (with a dishwasher), two bedrooms, living/sitting room (with a DVD player), full sized washer and dryer, and concierge service (which will get groceries for us if needed). We were able to get a military discount on this ‘home’ and saved substantially.
This will be the perfect way to end our summer before T goes back to Medical school and before J starts Kindergarten!
Here is what we have planned so far:
Day 1: Fly to FL and check-in at our resort. We are staying at the Disney Wilderness Lodge Resort. Then dinner at Chef Mickey’s so the kids will get to see Mickey on the FIRST day in FL.
Day 2: Magic Kingdom. Plus T and I are going to see a show that night.
Day 3: Magic Kingdom in the morning and Epcot in the afternoon and evening.
Day 4: Rest and relax at the resort! This resort has a beach (not to swim in though), 2 pools, a huge playground, and trails to walk on. Plus at night they have campfires with Chip and Dale along with an outdoor movie (Disney of course) under the stars!
Day 5: Animal Kingdom.
Day 6: Animal Kingdom in the morning. Hollywood Studios in the afternoon. We have lunch scheduled with Goliath (JoJo’s Circus), Leo, June (Little Einsteins), Handy Manny, and Special Agent Oso! Then dinner at ‘Ohana to end the night.
Day 7: Fly back to MN and drive back home.
We have been doing a ton of research and found out a lot of things online to help our vacation go a little smoother.
Strollers: We can travel with strollers on the airplane at NO CHARGE! At first we were just thinking about bringing wheels for O and N but then after doing research found that many parents suggest bringing strollers for kids even as old as 8! So we will be taking our double, single, and umbrella strollers. We were also debating if we should bring O’s infant carrier. We thought it may be too hot but then read a review that stated it was nice to have because if your infant falls asleep and you go to a sit-down restaurant then you can just bring in their seat and not have to wake-up your child (strollers are not permitted in restaurants, which makes sense).
Dinner reservations: If you want to eat at a sit-down restaurant you have to make reservations, which can be made up to 180 days in advance! We did not think it would be necessary to do so but we were just checking and there were quite a few restaurants that were already full for days that we are going to be there from 4pm to 8pm. After finding this out we decided to plan each day where we were going and what restaurants we would want to eat at while we were there. For example, one restaurant sounded good and had meals that we would have liked but then we read some reviews and several people commented that they were at said restaurant in February of this year and got FOOD POISONING! Hmm, no thanks. Next.
Dining Plan: We went back and forth about getting a meal plan while we are there and ultimately decided that the meal plan would be the best for us. We will each get 1-Quick service meal, 1-Sit-down meal, and 1-snack per day. By figuring out our restaurants ahead of time we were able to get the “biggest bang for our buck”. We chose sit-down restaurants that adult entrees were around $30-35. I will not go into specifics but this is going to be a great deal and hopefully save us a lot of money in the long run (I will have to let you know after our trip!). We could have got an extra meal per day but decided that we would save the money and just eat breakfast in our ‘home’.
Lodging: Since we have so many guests that will be on this trip it was hard to find proper accommodations. We could have stayed in a deluxe room but they did not honor a military discount for these rooms. We could have stayed in two hotel rooms but there was no guarantee that they would be adjoining or even on the same wing or floor. Or we could stay in a ‘home away from home’. We were able to get an apartment basically. It has a full kitchen (with a dishwasher), two bedrooms, living/sitting room (with a DVD player), full sized washer and dryer, and concierge service (which will get groceries for us if needed). We were able to get a military discount on this ‘home’ and saved substantially.
This will be the perfect way to end our summer before T goes back to Medical school and before J starts Kindergarten!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
getting ready!!!
In the B home lately it has been all about getting ready to go to school for J! She is so excited to start Kindergarten this fall it is unbelievable. However, since I have been in a Kindergarten classroom quite a bit, I know that there are a lot of things that she needs to work on and learn before she is ready. Here are a few…
*eating: with utensils, without a bib, cleaning her hands and face when she is done
*bathroom: wiping her bottom when she is done with #2, consistent hand washing
*playing: not crying when she doesn’t get her way, being patient when she doesn’t do something perfect the first time.
… and the list goes on. So (the inner teacher that I was educated to be) decided it would be important to work on these things now instead of throwing her into school this fall blind. We also felt that it would be ideal to get her up-to-date on some of the things that will be expected of her by the end of Kindergarten so she can perfect these things during the year. I printed off the standards and benchmarks for K from the public school website and she can do over half of them! Her weaknesses are in reading and writing; which makes sense to me because we have not really worked on these areas with her too much. I found some Kindergarten workbooks online and the kids LOVE them. Every day after I put N down for a nap we do a few pages. They feel so smart and enjoy showing T what they learned that day. E is enjoying the workbooks too although he is not too big on the writing yet. I don’t know if it is his age or if he just doesn’t care. J on the other hand loves learning how to write all the letters, UPPER and LOWER Case! The other day she wrote her name all by herself! No help from me or even looking at her name anywhere else. Some of the letters were backwards and spread out but hey SHE DID IT! I was so proud of our *little* girl! I absolutely can NOT believe she is going to be FIVE at the end of the month. Wowzers!!!! Some of the reasons I am trying so hard to get her a little ahead is because 1) she is easily frustrated and will shut-down resulting in a crying fit 2) she is pretty shy (probably since she did not go to daycare too long) and 3) she is a tad emotional sometimes and will be heartbroken if kids make fun or tease her. And let’s face it: kids are mean, regardless of how old they are. : ( We feel that school is sooooo important and want her to have a positive experience her first year. We want her to LOVE school!
*eating: with utensils, without a bib, cleaning her hands and face when she is done
*bathroom: wiping her bottom when she is done with #2, consistent hand washing
*playing: not crying when she doesn’t get her way, being patient when she doesn’t do something perfect the first time.
… and the list goes on. So (the inner teacher that I was educated to be) decided it would be important to work on these things now instead of throwing her into school this fall blind. We also felt that it would be ideal to get her up-to-date on some of the things that will be expected of her by the end of Kindergarten so she can perfect these things during the year. I printed off the standards and benchmarks for K from the public school website and she can do over half of them! Her weaknesses are in reading and writing; which makes sense to me because we have not really worked on these areas with her too much. I found some Kindergarten workbooks online and the kids LOVE them. Every day after I put N down for a nap we do a few pages. They feel so smart and enjoy showing T what they learned that day. E is enjoying the workbooks too although he is not too big on the writing yet. I don’t know if it is his age or if he just doesn’t care. J on the other hand loves learning how to write all the letters, UPPER and LOWER Case! The other day she wrote her name all by herself! No help from me or even looking at her name anywhere else. Some of the letters were backwards and spread out but hey SHE DID IT! I was so proud of our *little* girl! I absolutely can NOT believe she is going to be FIVE at the end of the month. Wowzers!!!! Some of the reasons I am trying so hard to get her a little ahead is because 1) she is easily frustrated and will shut-down resulting in a crying fit 2) she is pretty shy (probably since she did not go to daycare too long) and 3) she is a tad emotional sometimes and will be heartbroken if kids make fun or tease her. And let’s face it: kids are mean, regardless of how old they are. : ( We feel that school is sooooo important and want her to have a positive experience her first year. We want her to LOVE school!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
The Perfect Day
We are not big on celebrating holidays or birthdays in our home. We acknowledge them but don't go all out. Today just happened to be my Birthday and it was perfect! I got to play with the kids this morning and then after lunch headed off to the dentist with O. No cavities for this mommy! Woohoo! Then O had his two month check-up, Yup 2 months old already!!! He is growing by leaps and bounds. Here are his stats just in case you are curious... 14lbs 10 ozs (96th%ile), 23in (60th%ile), and 15 3/4in H.C. (40th%ile). I was a little surprised that his head circumference was such a 'low' %ile since E and N have big heads. Overall he is a healthy, strong little boy. What more could a mommy ask for? Then we came home and T helped each kid make me a birthday card. They were all so excited to show me which card they made. It was super cute! Then I got to open my Birthday gift! T made me homemade brownies; we just finished his cake a few days prior so we were a little caked-out! They were not just any ole brownie; they were TRIPLE~CHOCOLATE brownies topped with ice cream as well as chocolate & caramel syrup. A simply perfect day; It could not have been any better!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Potty Time!
Now I am a complete fan of not having to change diapers but not such a huge fan of potty training. When J was potty trained it was never ending. I honestly think we tried to push the issue and put more work on ourselves than was necessary. We tried for at least 6 months to get her potty trained. Then it was like magic overnight; she just decided she did not want to wear diapers anymore. E was a little the same way. We tried but then gave up after 3-4 weeks and just waited for him to be ready. Then one day he woke up and was potty trained. Now it is N’s turn. I have been avoiding this not only because I am not really feeling ready yet but because she is not even 2. However E decided tonight that N did not need a diaper anymore and told her to take it off. Since she is such a good listener she did just that. Next thing I know T tells N that if she doesn’t want to wear a diaper than she has to sit on the potty chair; which she was SUPER excited to do. After sitting for a few minutes, she stood up and said, “Done”. T looked in the potty chair and SHE WENT POTTY! Big deal in our home! J is so super-duper excited that now SHE gets to potty train N. She is all about it and has been begging us to let her potty train N for the last month or so. I guess whether I want to or not we are going to start potty training N! I sure hope she is a fast learner. = )
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Happy Birthday T!
One of my friends has an amazing cooking blog. She makes all sorts of fun foods, including delicious cakes! So… since T’s Birthday is today I thought it would be fitting to ‘steal’ some of her recipes and give it a go! The cake turned out amazing; moist, chocolaty, perfect! Then came the fondant. This was the exciting part for me. I had never worked with, let alone made, fondant. It was a lot of fun and (in my opinion) turned out nicely. Now if you look closely you will see lots of flaws but this is my first try! The finished product:
Happy Birthday T!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Special Treat
The kids and I made some fun Valentine treats today.
Simple Rice Krispie Bars with a little
food coloring and cookie cutters!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Somebody Said...
I got this as an email/forward many years ago and happen to come across it recently. I liked reading this and wanted to share with all my 'mommy' family and friends!
somebody doesn’t know that once you’re a mother, normal is history.
Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct…
somebody never took a three-year-old shopping.
Somebody said being a mother is boring…
somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver’s permit.
Somebody said if you’re a “good” mother, your child will “turn out good”…
somebody thinks a child comes with directions and a guarantee.
Somebody said “good” mothers never raise their voices…
somebody never came out the back door just in time to see her child hit a golf ball through the neighbor’s kitchen window.
Somebody said you don’t need an education to be a mother…
somebody never helped a fourth grader with his math.
Somebody said you can’t love the fifth child as much as you love the first…
somebody doesn’t have five children.
Somebody said a mother can find all the answers to her child-rearing questions in the books…
somebody never had a child stuff beans up his nose or in his ears.
Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery…
somebody never watched her “baby” get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten – or on a plane headed for military “boot camp”.
Somebody said a mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back...
somebody never organized seven giggling Brownies to sell cookies.
Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married…
somebody doesn’t know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a mother’s heartstrings.
Somebody said a mother’s job is done when her last child leaves home…
somebody never had grandchildren.
Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don’t need to tell her…
somebody isn’t a mother.
“The decision to have a child is to accept that your heart will forever walk outside of your body.”
Katherine Hadley
Somebody Said...
Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you’ve had a baby…somebody doesn’t know that once you’re a mother, normal is history.
Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct…
somebody never took a three-year-old shopping.
Somebody said being a mother is boring…
somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver’s permit.
Somebody said if you’re a “good” mother, your child will “turn out good”…
somebody thinks a child comes with directions and a guarantee.
Somebody said “good” mothers never raise their voices…
somebody never came out the back door just in time to see her child hit a golf ball through the neighbor’s kitchen window.
Somebody said you don’t need an education to be a mother…
somebody never helped a fourth grader with his math.
Somebody said you can’t love the fifth child as much as you love the first…
somebody doesn’t have five children.
Somebody said a mother can find all the answers to her child-rearing questions in the books…
somebody never had a child stuff beans up his nose or in his ears.
Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery…
somebody never watched her “baby” get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten – or on a plane headed for military “boot camp”.
Somebody said a mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back...
somebody never organized seven giggling Brownies to sell cookies.
Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married…
somebody doesn’t know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a mother’s heartstrings.
Somebody said a mother’s job is done when her last child leaves home…
somebody never had grandchildren.
Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don’t need to tell her…
somebody isn’t a mother.
“The decision to have a child is to accept that your heart will forever walk outside of your body.”
Katherine Hadley
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
date night!
As many of you know T and I don't go out on dates very often. Our idea of a date is watching a movie or playing a game after the kids go to bed. There are a couple reasons we tend not to go out: (1)we (generally) don't have anyone to watch the kids, (2) there is not a whole lot to do in our town, and (3) a baby-sitter is so stinkin' expensive (we figured it out one day and it would cost us $85 to go to a movie on a date!). Now that A moved back up here we had an opportunity to go out on a 'date' and she was free to watch the kids! YAY!! T had his Medical School Formal on Saturday night. We had a wonderful time with adults. It was especially fun for me to get dressed up and feel fancy. ; ) T even won an award! The Medical Class of 2014 nominated T as the 'Most Likely to Use a Gigantic Word that You Don't Know the Meaning of'. The perfect award for him in my opinion!
Last weekend A was down and she was able to watch the kids so we could go and find a dress for me! It was so much fun. T and I spent almost 3 HOURS shopping at the mall (with O). It really wasn't bad because O slept the whole time and we just pushed him. It actually was nice because then we didn't have to carry anything. Although we spent more time looking for a dress and accessories than I did wearing it on Saturday it was super fun. I think it is human nature to get caught up in life and not focus on your marriage occasionally (even though we try not to!). Sometimes I wonder how our dynamic or relationship will change when the kids leave us because they are such a HUGE part of our lives. Times like this remind me how much we truly love each other!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
to my future M.D.
I found this poem online and thought it was just perfect. I could see J writing something like this when she is older. She makes a special point to let T know that being a daddy is his most important job; not that he ever forgets but she just likes to be a little bossy!
My Daddy, M.D.
Whenever Daddy signs his name
he always writes MD.
So people all will know
that he belongs to me.
For MD means "My Daddy"
or something just the same.
And that is why he always puts
these letters in his name.
Some letters in his name are small
but these are not, you see.
He always makes them big like that
because he's so proud of me.
being a parent
I was very blessed and was able to become a mother at a young age (compared to some). There were many times that I felt sorry for myself or wanted to do things that I couldn't. Over the years I have come to realize that being a mommy is GREAT! I may not have designer clothes, the newest tech toys, a new car or go on fancy vacations, clubbing, etc. BUT I get to wake up everyday and see four beautiful faces look at me! They are all healthy, happy (most of the time), and full of love! What more could a girl ask for?! I used to dread the idea of having to get up in the middle of the night to take care of and feed a crying baby but now I LOVE IT! Sounds crazy right?! I get to snuggle, hold, rock, and cuddle little O and have him all to myself. As for the other kids: N drives us nuts lately but she is so 'happy go lucky' and brings laughter to our mouths and hearts everyday. She has some of the funniest expressions ever seen. E is a boy of few words but nothing is better than having him come up and wrap his arms around you! He loves to sneak up and give hugs. Although J is a perfectionist who gets frustrated easily, she is a great kid. She wrote her name the other day (after I made a game for her to practice and play: my teaching degree is put to good use even though I don't get a pay check!) and we were so proud of her. She did amazing and was so happy. In addition to all that we get to watch them grow and change while becoming little people. I am sure there are many challenges ahead of us as parents but we are so excited to see our children as young adults.
N's 'naughty' morning
Now let's just start by saying that T and I have always tried to avoid the 'n' word in our home (naughty)! But N was just down right naughty on Monday morning. Her afternoon nap could not come soon enough for me! I think the stage/age has come where she is developing herself more every day and is learning what she can and can NOT get away with. We have been a little relaxed with time-outs but now it is time to lay down the law! = ) Her morning went a little like this...
- During breakfast she did not get her yogurt right when she wanted it so she took her bowl of cereal (and milk) slowly lifted it about 9 inches above the table, looked at me to see if I was looking, and then proceeded to ssslllooowwlllyyy pour it ALL over the table. She was cleaned up and put in time-out. *I must mention that she was allowed another chance at breakfast sans milk in the cereal the second time around.
- We had an ice cream bucket of clothes soaking in the bathroom. N happened to sneak into the bathroom and somehow managed to dump the entire bucket, only about a gallon of water on the floor. Argh.
- After getting the bathroom floor cleaned up, I went into the kids' room to find her bottomless. No pants or diaper! This could have been much worse. She did not have any bodily fluid mishaps while she was diaper less. Woohoo!
- Now O pooped his diaper so of course I needed to change him. While changing his diaper N pulled out my chair at the table and pulled the candy bowl towards her. Some how, sneaking again, she managed to unwrap 4 Reese's Peanut Butter cups and shoved them in her mouth. She had all the wrappers on the table (thus how I know she consumed 4) and her mouth so full of peanut butter cups she could not close her lips. When I asked her what she was doing she just smiled and moaned, "MMMmmmm"! After cleaning her chocolate drool off her face and getting her down I watched her like a hawk until lunch.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
the honeymoon is over
I was very lucky when O was born that my mom was able to stay with us for a few days and help out. She left on a Tuesday and then T was done with his block exams Wednesday evening. I only had to take care of the four kids by myself for about 30 hours. Then T was home for over 3 weeks! I have to admit that he did most of the work while he was home, he more or less was SUPER DADDY! I really was able to rest and get my bearings back after having little O. Now this past Monday he went back to school, my honeymoon phase is over. Reality has set in and to be honest it is not as stressful as I thought it would be. We have great kids and they are very good helpers. Of course there have been a few episodes and tantrums but that has to be expected with kids. J and N love to help with baby O. E basically does his own thing and is fine with that. I think it is a boy thing. This is a great way for them to learn about being patient. They may have to wait a couple more minutes for more milk at a meal, solve a sharing problem amongst themselves, or help each other with a game, but overall these things won't harm them in the long run. As the kids get older I look and watch them grow into little people and I am completely amazed! I can't wait to see what they become some day.
new babies!
As mentioned prior T took on an aquarium project over his break from school; which is now his new hobby. He has been very diligent in getting the tank ready for his little friends to live in. Everything from researching about the levels of nitrate, nitrite, CO2, ammonia, pH, and several other components that he tests and checks every day (nothing is ever easy). So last Saturday was the turning point! He had the tank ready and everything was set so he could add fish. He got 2 Mickey Mouse Platties; a yellow one and dark orange/red one. They were doing great swimming around and having a good ole time the last few days. Well when T checked on his fish at lunch today he found more! For those of you that may not know MMPs are livebearers (when they give birth the babies are live, not eggs). And lucky for us... apparently each birthing episode can produce up to 60 'fry' and each pregnant fish can have five birthing episodes of off one insemination because they have a 'special' sac that can hold extra male goods that have not already been used. So long story short this one pregnant plattie can produce up to 300 fry! And in addition to that all the females that are born can get pregnant extremely easily as well. Oh boy! I am glad my hands are washed of this mess and I don't have to deal with all this fun.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
tidbits from our home
* About a week after O was born.
J: Mommy, are you still pregnant?
M: No, O is not in my tummy anymore so that means that I am not pregnant anymore.
J: Well then why do you still LOOK pregnant?
M: Thanks J!
I guess losing 25 lbs in a week is not enough for her!!!
* E (still sick this morning) was crying and asking why he was still sick. I don't want to be sick anymore. If only mommies had a magic wand that could make it all better : (
* N's most commonly spoke word is 'NNNnnnooooooooo!' The other night the big kids were playing animals and E wanted N to be a dog. He was telling her to bark and she looked at him then meowed. They went back and forth meowing and barking then all of the sudden she stood up yelled 'NNNooooo Me meow!' then got back on the floor and crawled away, meowing! I have to give the girl credit for not giving into peer pressure.
* O was getting his diaper changed the other day. I lifted his legs up so I could clean his little butt and next thing I knew he was peeing... all over his face! Poor little guy. Hilarious but I still felt sorry for him.
J: Mommy, are you still pregnant?
M: No, O is not in my tummy anymore so that means that I am not pregnant anymore.
J: Well then why do you still LOOK pregnant?
M: Thanks J!
I guess losing 25 lbs in a week is not enough for her!!!
* E (still sick this morning) was crying and asking why he was still sick. I don't want to be sick anymore. If only mommies had a magic wand that could make it all better : (
* N's most commonly spoke word is 'NNNnnnooooooooo!' The other night the big kids were playing animals and E wanted N to be a dog. He was telling her to bark and she looked at him then meowed. They went back and forth meowing and barking then all of the sudden she stood up yelled 'NNNooooo Me meow!' then got back on the floor and crawled away, meowing! I have to give the girl credit for not giving into peer pressure.
* O was getting his diaper changed the other day. I lifted his legs up so I could clean his little butt and next thing I knew he was peeing... all over his face! Poor little guy. Hilarious but I still felt sorry for him.
He is HERE!
Our Baby Boy is HERE!
The big story of little O:
On Tuesday (the 7th) I had an appointment and I asked my doctor what the plan was. He wanted to induce the 14th, I said that was a no go since T's tests would be taking place at that time. I asked if he had any plans on the 9th and if we could induce that day instead. After looking in the computer and talking back and forth we decided that the 9th would be a good day. After my appointment I called my mom and she made plans to be up here Wednesday night so she could watch the kids for us. (We did not tell anyone else at this point because last time we had to call a bunch of people and tell them that he was NOT born and that sucked so...)
The day. I got up showered and called the Labor and Delivery area of the hospital. They said they were FULL and I could not come in today. They may have an opening at about 10 or 11 and they would give me a call back. REALLY? Are you kidding me? were my exact thoughts. My mom was up here for a second time and no baby. What are the chances?! Then they called back about 30 minutes later and said that things had changed and I could come in! Woohoo. Maybe we will have a baby today after all. We got to the hospital about 7:30 and my doctor was in my room by 8:30 to break my water! He said he wanted to make sure that they did not have an option to send me home so he was very prompt.Thank You Dr. B. Labor progressed normally and everything was great. Actually surprisingly fast and somewhat painless. By about 1 pm I was in a little more pain and got a dose of Stadol before it would be too late. By 2 pm I was dilated to 6 cm and 100% effaced and by 2:30 we were ready to go...
The delivery process was almost unimaginable. I had 4 or 5 contractions that were spaced far enough apart that I felt refreshed for the next one. I remember talking back and forth with T, Dr. B, the Res. Dr., and the nurse; I have no clue what we talked about but I remember talking with them and being really relaxed. (Dr. B knew that T is a Medical student so they were chit chatting about that type of stuff during this phase as well.) There were a couple points that I was a little nervous that labor had completely stopped. I was in no pain and could not feel anything. Then a minute or so later it would be time to push again. Next thing I knew O was born and it was over. I guess after N's dramatic entrance into this world I was a little surprised that it was so 'easy'. Don't get me wrong labor and delivery is never easy and it hurts a lot, but this was pleasant compared to N. We were not too surprised when Dr. B said, "He is a big boy and he has red hair." T and I just looked at each other and laughed a little. O's hair color is just like his big sister's.
O is here and ready to go. After being cleaned up and everything checked out I got to hold him. After a couple minutes it was suggested that I try to feed him and see how he did. It was like magic; he instantly latched and nursed like a pro. Not even a fumble. And he has not changed; he now weighs over 11 lbs! He is such a great baby. We are truly blessed to have such a wonderful little guy come into our family. The only time he cries is when he is hungry, needs to burp, or is cold.
The kids got to meet their new little brother on Friday night when we got home from the hospital. The hospital was so full we had to double up in recovery rooms so we did not want to bring the kids up and disrupt the other new mother in the room. (I found out Friday morning that there were 16 babies in the nursery at that point!) Anyways... the kids love O to pieces! We have not seen any jealousy from any of the kids. I would have to say the worst things they have done is fight and argue about who is going to hold him first, next, and last or who held him the most.
It is a great feeling to have another piece to our family puzzle. Our little miracle fits right in!!! = )
The big story of little O:
On Tuesday (the 7th) I had an appointment and I asked my doctor what the plan was. He wanted to induce the 14th, I said that was a no go since T's tests would be taking place at that time. I asked if he had any plans on the 9th and if we could induce that day instead. After looking in the computer and talking back and forth we decided that the 9th would be a good day. After my appointment I called my mom and she made plans to be up here Wednesday night so she could watch the kids for us. (We did not tell anyone else at this point because last time we had to call a bunch of people and tell them that he was NOT born and that sucked so...)
The day. I got up showered and called the Labor and Delivery area of the hospital. They said they were FULL and I could not come in today. They may have an opening at about 10 or 11 and they would give me a call back. REALLY? Are you kidding me? were my exact thoughts. My mom was up here for a second time and no baby. What are the chances?! Then they called back about 30 minutes later and said that things had changed and I could come in! Woohoo. Maybe we will have a baby today after all. We got to the hospital about 7:30 and my doctor was in my room by 8:30 to break my water! He said he wanted to make sure that they did not have an option to send me home so he was very prompt.Thank You Dr. B. Labor progressed normally and everything was great. Actually surprisingly fast and somewhat painless. By about 1 pm I was in a little more pain and got a dose of Stadol before it would be too late. By 2 pm I was dilated to 6 cm and 100% effaced and by 2:30 we were ready to go...
The delivery process was almost unimaginable. I had 4 or 5 contractions that were spaced far enough apart that I felt refreshed for the next one. I remember talking back and forth with T, Dr. B, the Res. Dr., and the nurse; I have no clue what we talked about but I remember talking with them and being really relaxed. (Dr. B knew that T is a Medical student so they were chit chatting about that type of stuff during this phase as well.) There were a couple points that I was a little nervous that labor had completely stopped. I was in no pain and could not feel anything. Then a minute or so later it would be time to push again. Next thing I knew O was born and it was over. I guess after N's dramatic entrance into this world I was a little surprised that it was so 'easy'. Don't get me wrong labor and delivery is never easy and it hurts a lot, but this was pleasant compared to N. We were not too surprised when Dr. B said, "He is a big boy and he has red hair." T and I just looked at each other and laughed a little. O's hair color is just like his big sister's.
O is here and ready to go. After being cleaned up and everything checked out I got to hold him. After a couple minutes it was suggested that I try to feed him and see how he did. It was like magic; he instantly latched and nursed like a pro. Not even a fumble. And he has not changed; he now weighs over 11 lbs! He is such a great baby. We are truly blessed to have such a wonderful little guy come into our family. The only time he cries is when he is hungry, needs to burp, or is cold.
The kids got to meet their new little brother on Friday night when we got home from the hospital. The hospital was so full we had to double up in recovery rooms so we did not want to bring the kids up and disrupt the other new mother in the room. (I found out Friday morning that there were 16 babies in the nursery at that point!) Anyways... the kids love O to pieces! We have not seen any jealousy from any of the kids. I would have to say the worst things they have done is fight and argue about who is going to hold him first, next, and last or who held him the most.
It is a great feeling to have another piece to our family puzzle. Our little miracle fits right in!!! = )
just a little while...
So it has been a little while since my last post... We have had a busy home lately and to be honest I have not had time to blog and if I did have a chance I usually laid down and went to sleep. Sorry. Here is a quick recap of the last month or so:
*We were blessed with the birth of OMB on the 9th of December! He was born at 2:52 pm, weighed 8 lbs 11 oz, and was 22 in long at birth. (I'll make a separate post for the details on this special day!)
*Gma V was here when baby O was born and spent a few days with us plus we were able to celebrate Christmas with her before she went home.
*T studied his butt off and took his second set of block exams for Medical School just days after O was born. (And he PASSED so he gets to be home with the family for 3 WHOLE weeks!) This was a little stressful for us but we made it and they say, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger".
*Christmas day came and we did not even leave our home. We stayed in pjs all day long and enjoyed spending time together as a family. IT WAS PERFECT!
*Baking extravaganza! T wanted to make some Christmas cookies and candies for the holidays so he made a list of what he wanted to make. We *only* had 12 different sweet treats on the list!
*A couple days after Christmas we got to spend the evening with T's family. T's sister moved back up to the area (only 45 minutes or so away now!) so we were able to see them after she got settled a little. We are super excited to have her back up here and hope to be able to see her at least a couple times a month instead of a couple times a year!
*T and I decided to get an aquarium and set it up for the kids; well mainly T. I am NOT an animal person so I compromised with fish as long as I never have to take care of them. This project, still in progress, started about mid last week.
*HAPPY NEW YEAR! I celebrated New Year's Eve by falling asleep by 8:15 (at the latest). Spent another day of relaxation with the kids although T took the big kids to Petco to look at some fish and plants.
*Sunday Funday?! not here! We woke up this morning and E vomited while he was eating breakfast, on the kitchen table. Then I went into his room and apparently he vomited in bed and did not tell us. Later in the day J started vomiting and they have been back and forth ever since. It has been over 48 hours of both kids vomiting. They are so sad that they can't eat and that we quarantined them to their room so N and O don't get sick. We will have to load them up on calories when they start to feel better so they can gain back all the weight they lost.
*We were blessed with the birth of OMB on the 9th of December! He was born at 2:52 pm, weighed 8 lbs 11 oz, and was 22 in long at birth. (I'll make a separate post for the details on this special day!)
*Gma V was here when baby O was born and spent a few days with us plus we were able to celebrate Christmas with her before she went home.
*T studied his butt off and took his second set of block exams for Medical School just days after O was born. (And he PASSED so he gets to be home with the family for 3 WHOLE weeks!) This was a little stressful for us but we made it and they say, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger".
*Christmas day came and we did not even leave our home. We stayed in pjs all day long and enjoyed spending time together as a family. IT WAS PERFECT!
*Baking extravaganza! T wanted to make some Christmas cookies and candies for the holidays so he made a list of what he wanted to make. We *only* had 12 different sweet treats on the list!
*A couple days after Christmas we got to spend the evening with T's family. T's sister moved back up to the area (only 45 minutes or so away now!) so we were able to see them after she got settled a little. We are super excited to have her back up here and hope to be able to see her at least a couple times a month instead of a couple times a year!
*T and I decided to get an aquarium and set it up for the kids; well mainly T. I am NOT an animal person so I compromised with fish as long as I never have to take care of them. This project, still in progress, started about mid last week.
*HAPPY NEW YEAR! I celebrated New Year's Eve by falling asleep by 8:15 (at the latest). Spent another day of relaxation with the kids although T took the big kids to Petco to look at some fish and plants.
*Sunday Funday?! not here! We woke up this morning and E vomited while he was eating breakfast, on the kitchen table. Then I went into his room and apparently he vomited in bed and did not tell us. Later in the day J started vomiting and they have been back and forth ever since. It has been over 48 hours of both kids vomiting. They are so sad that they can't eat and that we quarantined them to their room so N and O don't get sick. We will have to load them up on calories when they start to feel better so they can gain back all the weight they lost.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)