I know it shouldn't be a big deal, but to me it seems huge! My house is a mess and I can't seem to get caught up. I was all organized and cleaned and then we had visitors for the entire holiday weekend. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE to have guests, but I need to learn to relax about what entails after the fact. Someday - maybe......
We had an awesome weekend. My best friend and her family were down. The kids played, the husbands hung out and we shopped, scrap booked and chatted. It was a very good weekend. I wish A and I were closer, I would love to be able to hang out with her more often.
Ian's speech therapy just isn't going as well as I think it should be right now. Although, I guess I have nothing to base it on, no previous experience or anything. In two weeks the therapist from the school district is coming out to do an evaluation during his regular therapy time. The State totally stops therapy when he turns three, which sadly, is in a few months. So, crossing my fingers that everything will go well and he'll qualify for therapy through the school district.
Ethan and Aidan now share a room. It's fine since they are both in school now. Although next year will be interesting because Ethan will have to leave about 40 minutes earlier than Aidan. My boys NEED their sleep. Some nights they still want to be messing around, like tonight and it makes me think maybe we shouldn't have let them be together. In the end I think they will have good memories and in a few years I think Ethan will be requesting to have a room to himself again. In the meantime I get to have the spare room and make one room in the house look "girly". While I did go out and get a duvet cover with flowers on it they are blue! Well, I did that because the walls were already painted blue, so I figured I just go with the theme. Hey, at least I did get some flowers. :)
September 6, 2007
August 31, 2007
Busy, real quick....
First week of school - EXCELLENT!!! Aidan loves the bus and loves school. Both boys take off every morning on the bus without even a glance at me. :( Anyway, it's good to start the new school year off good and it's good having two of the three in school all day. :)
Having some friends down for the weekend, so I need to finish cleaning and get some laundry done.
Having some friends down for the weekend, so I need to finish cleaning and get some laundry done.
August 27, 2007
Can it be????
I really have a child that just started 2nd grade!?! Sure is, Ethan arrived just 45 minutes late on his first day home. Not bad compared to the problems we had at the beginning of last year with the buses. He seemed very excited. I'm happy that there a couple of friends in his class from 1st grade. I always worry about my Ethan, he's just so shy. I was a bad mommy. : Ethan picked out Transformers binder, folder and notebook. I got a note from the teacher today that he can't use them because they are holding guns. EEEEKKKK!!! I didn't even realize they had guns in their hands, the boys just really liked the movie and wanted the folders, etc. for school. Now, of course, I already feel as though I have a black mark against us. Oh well, what can I do???
Aidan doesn't start until Wednesday and he is just going nuts. Today he proceeded to pick on, tease and whatever else he could think of to torture Ian. Tomorrow I'm hoping his little buddy can come over for a few hours for a play date and keep him occupied. Otherwise I think we'll have to go to the park or something for awhile after the gym.
I feel like we are just moving back into our house. I spend all day Saturday getting Ian set up in his new room (Aidan's old room). His new little bed is so cute! He actually slept in it all night last night - yeah Ian!!! I'm sure I just jinxed myself and tonight will be hell! Anyway, I worked Sunday, so I didn't get a whole lot done yesterday. Today after my morning trip to the gym I came right home and moved all the furniture into Ethan and Aidan's new room (Ian's old room). SO MUCH WORK!!! Although, it's nice that we will now have an actual spare bedroom for visitors. The boys are so excited to sleep in their new bunk beds tonight. Ian shows no excitement for his new "big boy" bed, as a matter of fact he was looking for his crib - uh-oh!
Soccer starts this week. So, Aidan is on Monday's and Wednesday's. Ethan has practice on Thursday's and games on Saturday mornings. I am now working Sunday's (still) and then Tuesday and Wednesday nights instead of Thursday's. So, it's busy, busy, busy. Why can't they have sports when school is out? It just seem so much busier to have extras when school is in session. I'd better just suck it up because it will be like this until Halloween.
Aidan doesn't start until Wednesday and he is just going nuts. Today he proceeded to pick on, tease and whatever else he could think of to torture Ian. Tomorrow I'm hoping his little buddy can come over for a few hours for a play date and keep him occupied. Otherwise I think we'll have to go to the park or something for awhile after the gym.
I feel like we are just moving back into our house. I spend all day Saturday getting Ian set up in his new room (Aidan's old room). His new little bed is so cute! He actually slept in it all night last night - yeah Ian!!! I'm sure I just jinxed myself and tonight will be hell! Anyway, I worked Sunday, so I didn't get a whole lot done yesterday. Today after my morning trip to the gym I came right home and moved all the furniture into Ethan and Aidan's new room (Ian's old room). SO MUCH WORK!!! Although, it's nice that we will now have an actual spare bedroom for visitors. The boys are so excited to sleep in their new bunk beds tonight. Ian shows no excitement for his new "big boy" bed, as a matter of fact he was looking for his crib - uh-oh!
Soccer starts this week. So, Aidan is on Monday's and Wednesday's. Ethan has practice on Thursday's and games on Saturday mornings. I am now working Sunday's (still) and then Tuesday and Wednesday nights instead of Thursday's. So, it's busy, busy, busy. Why can't they have sports when school is out? It just seem so much busier to have extras when school is in session. I'd better just suck it up because it will be like this until Halloween.
August 22, 2007
Whew.....
MIL has left the building......er, house. Actually it was a very nice visit with her here. The kids loved spending time with Nana, and of course getting presents. On Friday I was able to go out from 11:30 am until almost 5:00 running errands and doing some shopping all by myself! It's so nice to be able to really look at everything and try stuff on without whining, fighting, screaming, running, etc. After I returned from my day Nick's aunt had joined us. I love her, she is really good to us - BUT, she just comes in and takes over my house. She always brings tons of food and cooks/makes things that we are not so fond of, so that was a LONG two days.
We made it to I*kea, I was really excited as I hadn't been there in over a year! I can't believe how close I live and don't go there very often. Wait, yes I do, I don't dare go there by myself with the kids. Anyway, we spent probably four or five hours there! Nana bought Ethan and Aidan an early Christmas present - bunk beds. They are so excited, they have been asking for bunk beds for awhile. I would've liked to have done it earlier into summer, as I wanted them to get used to sharing a room before school started. We also got Ian a big boy (toddler) bed. He sleeps so good in his crib that I'm still not sure I want to transition him to a big boy bed yet. He had a great time climbing around on all the beds while we were there, we'll see if the excited holds up when we get the rooms all switched around. Because not only is the crib going away, he's moving to another room! His room is the biggest of the three boys' rooms, so since Ethan and Aidan will be sharing we will move them into that room. We are going to move Ian to Aidan's room and them Ethan's room with be a spare/office.
So, now it looks like a tornado went through my house. I've got to get everything cleaned and back to order - fun. : Why is it you clean before visitors and then there seems to be even more cleaning after they leave?
We made it to I*kea, I was really excited as I hadn't been there in over a year! I can't believe how close I live and don't go there very often. Wait, yes I do, I don't dare go there by myself with the kids. Anyway, we spent probably four or five hours there! Nana bought Ethan and Aidan an early Christmas present - bunk beds. They are so excited, they have been asking for bunk beds for awhile. I would've liked to have done it earlier into summer, as I wanted them to get used to sharing a room before school started. We also got Ian a big boy (toddler) bed. He sleeps so good in his crib that I'm still not sure I want to transition him to a big boy bed yet. He had a great time climbing around on all the beds while we were there, we'll see if the excited holds up when we get the rooms all switched around. Because not only is the crib going away, he's moving to another room! His room is the biggest of the three boys' rooms, so since Ethan and Aidan will be sharing we will move them into that room. We are going to move Ian to Aidan's room and them Ethan's room with be a spare/office.
So, now it looks like a tornado went through my house. I've got to get everything cleaned and back to order - fun. : Why is it you clean before visitors and then there seems to be even more cleaning after they leave?
August 16, 2007
It's that time of year
Time for my MIL to visit us. We fly her up once a year so she can see her grandchildren. We get along now, after 11 years of marriage, but I still get anxious about her visiting. I just still feel like I'm on eggshells alot, why is it so hard?
I take this class twice a week at the gym called Barbell Strength, to get 2 of the 3 days of weight training I need. Anyway, on Tuesday we did lunges during the class where we put a towel under the foot that extends and I am so sore! I feel like I should do them everyday at home. Maybe it will help get rid of the fat on my thighs. Is it even possible to get rid of that pesky fat on ones thighs?
So, I think there is a chance of rain all weekend - ick! We wanted to take MIL down to the city for one of the days, but I don't think that will be happening. I had went with some friends back in May down to Navy Pier and had such a wonderful time. It was the first time I actually made it there while in the city and I would like to take the kids. We'll see, maybe.
I've got to get the bathrooms cleaned, sheets changed and vacuum still before MIL arrives later today. So, I guess I should quit stalling by messing on the computer and get to work!
I take this class twice a week at the gym called Barbell Strength, to get 2 of the 3 days of weight training I need. Anyway, on Tuesday we did lunges during the class where we put a towel under the foot that extends and I am so sore! I feel like I should do them everyday at home. Maybe it will help get rid of the fat on my thighs. Is it even possible to get rid of that pesky fat on ones thighs?
So, I think there is a chance of rain all weekend - ick! We wanted to take MIL down to the city for one of the days, but I don't think that will be happening. I had went with some friends back in May down to Navy Pier and had such a wonderful time. It was the first time I actually made it there while in the city and I would like to take the kids. We'll see, maybe.
I've got to get the bathrooms cleaned, sheets changed and vacuum still before MIL arrives later today. So, I guess I should quit stalling by messing on the computer and get to work!
August 13, 2007
Is it time for school?
I am so ready for this summer to be over! The boys are driving each other CRAZY! Two weeks from today and school it back in session, I think they are as ready as I am. I know Aidan is ready to jump out of his skin he's so darn excited to start kindergarten already. :)
They have just been fighting so much lately. I think they are just tired of being with each other so much. Aidan's had a few playdates, with a couple more coming up and that helps so much. Nick's mom is coming on Thursday evening until next Tuesday for a visit, so that will help fill some time also. It's been harder to play outside all day since it has been so stinking hot! I have always been a big summer person, but this heat is so tiring - BRING ON FALL!
The first weekend of August the boys had their first trip up to Wisconsin Dells. Ian stayed with Nana and Papa and a great time being the center of attention for a change. My sister had a gift certificate for Atlantis hotel. We got discounted tickets from there to Mt. Olympus. We spent all day, until 10 pm at that park. It was so nice, it was just a mini amusement park. It has roller coasters, go karts, water rides/slides, indoor water rides/slides and all kinds of other things to do. Once Ethan had a taste of the go karts he wanted to do nothing else, he loved being able to drive. Jeez, he sure does take after his father. :)
We went back to our hotel that night, Nick took Ethan, Aidan and Ashely for a swim while my sister and I rested and waited for the pizza we ordered - very LATE dinner. The kids ate and crashed within minutes. They had so much FUN! The next day Nick left around 11 am to go for a motorcycle ride. So, my sister and I let the kids swim for awhile at the hotel. Our hotel had three pools with a few water slides (for kids). It was perfect, a little cloudy so it wasn't very hot. We decided to head out and get some lunch and stop at the outlet mall. We had really great timing, right as we got the mall the rain started. The kids did really well spending a couple hours shopping. I was surprised at how eager the boys were to try on clothes for back to school. Since they did so well, at the end we stopped at Build A Bear and they got to try it for the first time. Ethan picked out a dog and Aidan pick a monkey to build. They were way more into than I thought they would be, of course they wanted to pick out every accessory possible. I let them pick one "cheap" outfit and told them they would have to save their own money to buy more items.
Next time we'll have to go for a whole weekend so we can fit in some mini golf - my favorite! :)
I've been really good about not being on the computer a whole lot lately. I've finally got things in my life organized, including my house. I'm hoping now to get caught up on some scrapbooking. I feel really good about maintaining a clean house, laundry up to date, my exercise classes and my little part-time job. I really thought Nick was going to pressure me into quiting, I know he would really like that, but it does help give me some sanity and get me out of the house a little, so for know I'm keeping it.
I have to admit, I really have been getting the itch to go back to work. You know, like a job using my degree in some sort of fashion. But, I remember that Ethan and Aidan will both be in school all day in a couple of weeks and I will get some one on one time with Ian. I know I will enjoy that and I need to because I will only get this chance and I know how fast it will go by. Work will always be there, my kids will only be this age once so I'm still enjoying and putting work off a little while longer.
Speaking of staying on top of things, I heard the dryer buzzer.....................
They have just been fighting so much lately. I think they are just tired of being with each other so much. Aidan's had a few playdates, with a couple more coming up and that helps so much. Nick's mom is coming on Thursday evening until next Tuesday for a visit, so that will help fill some time also. It's been harder to play outside all day since it has been so stinking hot! I have always been a big summer person, but this heat is so tiring - BRING ON FALL!
The first weekend of August the boys had their first trip up to Wisconsin Dells. Ian stayed with Nana and Papa and a great time being the center of attention for a change. My sister had a gift certificate for Atlantis hotel. We got discounted tickets from there to Mt. Olympus. We spent all day, until 10 pm at that park. It was so nice, it was just a mini amusement park. It has roller coasters, go karts, water rides/slides, indoor water rides/slides and all kinds of other things to do. Once Ethan had a taste of the go karts he wanted to do nothing else, he loved being able to drive. Jeez, he sure does take after his father. :)
We went back to our hotel that night, Nick took Ethan, Aidan and Ashely for a swim while my sister and I rested and waited for the pizza we ordered - very LATE dinner. The kids ate and crashed within minutes. They had so much FUN! The next day Nick left around 11 am to go for a motorcycle ride. So, my sister and I let the kids swim for awhile at the hotel. Our hotel had three pools with a few water slides (for kids). It was perfect, a little cloudy so it wasn't very hot. We decided to head out and get some lunch and stop at the outlet mall. We had really great timing, right as we got the mall the rain started. The kids did really well spending a couple hours shopping. I was surprised at how eager the boys were to try on clothes for back to school. Since they did so well, at the end we stopped at Build A Bear and they got to try it for the first time. Ethan picked out a dog and Aidan pick a monkey to build. They were way more into than I thought they would be, of course they wanted to pick out every accessory possible. I let them pick one "cheap" outfit and told them they would have to save their own money to buy more items.
Next time we'll have to go for a whole weekend so we can fit in some mini golf - my favorite! :)
I've been really good about not being on the computer a whole lot lately. I've finally got things in my life organized, including my house. I'm hoping now to get caught up on some scrapbooking. I feel really good about maintaining a clean house, laundry up to date, my exercise classes and my little part-time job. I really thought Nick was going to pressure me into quiting, I know he would really like that, but it does help give me some sanity and get me out of the house a little, so for know I'm keeping it.
I have to admit, I really have been getting the itch to go back to work. You know, like a job using my degree in some sort of fashion. But, I remember that Ethan and Aidan will both be in school all day in a couple of weeks and I will get some one on one time with Ian. I know I will enjoy that and I need to because I will only get this chance and I know how fast it will go by. Work will always be there, my kids will only be this age once so I'm still enjoying and putting work off a little while longer.
Speaking of staying on top of things, I heard the dryer buzzer.....................
August 1, 2007
Giving it another try - maybe?
So, today has been one year since I last blogged - pathetic! I thought maybe I would try and start up again.
Life is crazy busy, but I guess I should expect nothing less with three children. At the end of the month Ethan starts second grade and Aidan starts kindergarten. Ian isn't old enough to start preschool, so I get a year of some just mommy and Ian time throughout the day. :) Aidan is so excited about starting school, he's been asking for months if it is August yet. Now I can give him a count down until it starts. I have almost all the schools supplies already. Just a few odds an ends needed. It just amazes me some of the supplies that are requested. Ethan has Post It notes on his list, I know he won't be using them. We do pay a good amount in taxes I would think that it would be sufficient to give the teachers supplies instead of putting them on the students supply list - grrrr!
I always think of so many things to blog about and then when I sit down to do it my mind draws a blank, very frustrating.
Over this last year we did lose a very special family member - Thunder. We had to put him down in March because the cancer was just eating him up. He stopped eating, stopped being social, so very sad. It still seems so fresh to me, I miss him so much. I never thought I would feel this way, I said "he's just a dog", but he wasn't he was my first baby. As I laid on the floor the other day and remembered how he would run over and want to lay with me as if he was so little. He was as big as I am, but would lay next to me and I would rub his belly. Everyone keeps asking when we are getting another dog, I just don't think I can.
Today is HOT, HOT, HOT! I'm going to get my exercise in before it's too unbearable and then I'm going to brave the grocery store with all three boys - wish me lots of LUCK!
Life is crazy busy, but I guess I should expect nothing less with three children. At the end of the month Ethan starts second grade and Aidan starts kindergarten. Ian isn't old enough to start preschool, so I get a year of some just mommy and Ian time throughout the day. :) Aidan is so excited about starting school, he's been asking for months if it is August yet. Now I can give him a count down until it starts. I have almost all the schools supplies already. Just a few odds an ends needed. It just amazes me some of the supplies that are requested. Ethan has Post It notes on his list, I know he won't be using them. We do pay a good amount in taxes I would think that it would be sufficient to give the teachers supplies instead of putting them on the students supply list - grrrr!
I always think of so many things to blog about and then when I sit down to do it my mind draws a blank, very frustrating.
Over this last year we did lose a very special family member - Thunder. We had to put him down in March because the cancer was just eating him up. He stopped eating, stopped being social, so very sad. It still seems so fresh to me, I miss him so much. I never thought I would feel this way, I said "he's just a dog", but he wasn't he was my first baby. As I laid on the floor the other day and remembered how he would run over and want to lay with me as if he was so little. He was as big as I am, but would lay next to me and I would rub his belly. Everyone keeps asking when we are getting another dog, I just don't think I can.
Today is HOT, HOT, HOT! I'm going to get my exercise in before it's too unbearable and then I'm going to brave the grocery store with all three boys - wish me lots of LUCK!
August 1, 2006
Keep on trukin'
Wow, life is BUSY! On July 9th Nick started working nights for a special project. I can't wait for it to be over. It really seems to have thrown life off with him working different hours. He is working at least 12 hours a day, usually 14! He should really leave the office before anyone comes in, the problem is he doesn't and everyone comes to him with their problems. I miss him and can't wait for our life to get back to "normal".
Two weekends ago I took the boys up to their grandparents for the weekend. Nick and I went into the city on Friday for the Bon Jovi/Nickelback concert. WOW! is all I can say. :) Bon Jovi just rocked, the best concert I've ever seen! Nickelback was really good too. But, being a Bon Jovi fan since the 8th grade, I was just so excited to see them. Jon is soooooooo HOT!!! Much shorter than I thought, but so gorgeous and comes across as very humble. They did two encores with several songs in each one, I so didn't want that evening to end. Nick and I stayed at the Hiton and when we got back to our room we had a bottle of wine, champagne and chocolate covered strawberries - YUM! My wonderful husband booked the romance package to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. The next day we went around sight seeing in downtown Chicago and did a little shopping - duh! Then we headed home for a short motorcycle ride, which we ended up being caught in some unplanned rain. That night we went to dinner with some friends and to see a band. On Sunday we didn't head up to get the boys until the afternoon. As much as I love my boys, it was such a wonderful weekend with just Nick and I. :)
Next week we are taking the kids, with some friends, to Six Flags. The boys will just love it, I know it's not Disney World, but I have doubt about how much fun they will have. Hopefully the temperatures will drop a bit so it's more enjoyable.
At the end of the month Nick's grandma turns 90 and his family is having a big party for her. Nick's mom and grandparents will come in from Arizona to Wisconsin for the party. The party is up in LaCrosse, where they are from, which is quite a drive for us. Since they will be coming into Chicago the week before for a visit just Nick was planning on heading up for the party. He wants to hang out with his cousin, do some jet skiing and other things. I was going to hang back with the boys. Ian just wouldn't fare well with the drive. He can barely make it the 1 1/2 hour trip to my parents, let alone over a 3 hour trip. Well, now Nick said they are all making comments about things to do with the boys up there that weekend. I told him I would go, but if he wants to still just go by himself I'm ok with that too. But, he has to make sure that they know that HE wanted to come alone, that it wasn't me. I don't need to start a whole new feud with him mom, we are finally headed in the right direction.
Also, at the end of the month Ethan starts 1st grade!!! Wow, I can't believe it! I just finished getting his school supplies - I know early. I was going to slowly get them as I saw things on sale, but people are swarming and getting all their school supplies now. So, I decided I had better get on the bandwagon. I've kept all my receipts to get price adjustments or take things back if they go on sale.
In September Nick and I are going with my best friend and her husband to Vegas for 5 nights!! We are both celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversaries - yeah and congrats to us!! I am so excited and ready for a little vacation. I am so thankful for my parents, they are coming to our house to stay with the kids. Ethan and Aidan won't miss any school and will still be able to play with all their friends. :)
I have so much more to write about, but waiting almost three months before updating my blog will require several entries. See ya......
Two weekends ago I took the boys up to their grandparents for the weekend. Nick and I went into the city on Friday for the Bon Jovi/Nickelback concert. WOW! is all I can say. :) Bon Jovi just rocked, the best concert I've ever seen! Nickelback was really good too. But, being a Bon Jovi fan since the 8th grade, I was just so excited to see them. Jon is soooooooo HOT!!! Much shorter than I thought, but so gorgeous and comes across as very humble. They did two encores with several songs in each one, I so didn't want that evening to end. Nick and I stayed at the Hiton and when we got back to our room we had a bottle of wine, champagne and chocolate covered strawberries - YUM! My wonderful husband booked the romance package to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. The next day we went around sight seeing in downtown Chicago and did a little shopping - duh! Then we headed home for a short motorcycle ride, which we ended up being caught in some unplanned rain. That night we went to dinner with some friends and to see a band. On Sunday we didn't head up to get the boys until the afternoon. As much as I love my boys, it was such a wonderful weekend with just Nick and I. :)
Next week we are taking the kids, with some friends, to Six Flags. The boys will just love it, I know it's not Disney World, but I have doubt about how much fun they will have. Hopefully the temperatures will drop a bit so it's more enjoyable.
At the end of the month Nick's grandma turns 90 and his family is having a big party for her. Nick's mom and grandparents will come in from Arizona to Wisconsin for the party. The party is up in LaCrosse, where they are from, which is quite a drive for us. Since they will be coming into Chicago the week before for a visit just Nick was planning on heading up for the party. He wants to hang out with his cousin, do some jet skiing and other things. I was going to hang back with the boys. Ian just wouldn't fare well with the drive. He can barely make it the 1 1/2 hour trip to my parents, let alone over a 3 hour trip. Well, now Nick said they are all making comments about things to do with the boys up there that weekend. I told him I would go, but if he wants to still just go by himself I'm ok with that too. But, he has to make sure that they know that HE wanted to come alone, that it wasn't me. I don't need to start a whole new feud with him mom, we are finally headed in the right direction.
Also, at the end of the month Ethan starts 1st grade!!! Wow, I can't believe it! I just finished getting his school supplies - I know early. I was going to slowly get them as I saw things on sale, but people are swarming and getting all their school supplies now. So, I decided I had better get on the bandwagon. I've kept all my receipts to get price adjustments or take things back if they go on sale.
In September Nick and I are going with my best friend and her husband to Vegas for 5 nights!! We are both celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversaries - yeah and congrats to us!! I am so excited and ready for a little vacation. I am so thankful for my parents, they are coming to our house to stay with the kids. Ethan and Aidan won't miss any school and will still be able to play with all their friends. :)
I have so much more to write about, but waiting almost three months before updating my blog will require several entries. See ya......
May 10, 2006
Has it really been 6 years???
Yesterday marked the six year anniversary of Ethan's surgery. My beautiful first born baby boy was diagnosed at two weeks old with Saggital Stenosis. In laymen's term that means that his skull fused shut early going down the center of his skull. Many people always assumed that meant his soft spots closed early, when actually they were still open. I didn't know this until I went through all of this, but when we are born the skull is in three sections. It is open down the center and on each side of the skull. It closes around our teen years when our brains are done growing.
When Ethan was born he didn't have a cone head at all. But, he had this "knot" on the top of his head. When the pediatrician first examined him in the hospital she thought it was ""molding" just from delivery. When I took him in to the ped's office for his first visit at two weeks old I told her that he still had the lump on the top of his head. She said she could tell and wanted to send him for an x-ray. She mentioned the stenosis, but didn't go into a lot of detail at that time. She wanted to wait until the x-ray came back. Of course the X-ray tech said she couldn't tell anything, it would be sent to the radiologist to review. Less than a week later I got a call from the pediatrician. She explained that the x-ray showed signs of early closure, but we would have to take him down to Children's Hospital for a CT Scan and see a neurosurgeon. I was a complete and total wreck. Nick was calm, telling me not to get upset as we didn't know anything for sure. But, any mother would understand just having had their first baby. My hormones were still out of whack and hello, my first born!
Within a week we went and had the CT. Thankfully we didn't have to wait long before meeting with the Neurosurgeon. He met with us in the office asking what brought us, I kinda felt like saying "duh, you don't know?". So, we explained the story up until that point. He then took out the CT to show us. It was in amazing, great detail. It looked like a picture from a book. Anyway, he didn't even have to point it out to us, you could clearly tell that his skull fused shut down the entire center of his head. I couldn't hold in my tears, they started flowing like a river. Dr. K is such a wonderful, caring doctor. He explained that I did nothing wrong. They don't know what causes this problem. They find that it's most commonly found in first born sons. And, it happens in 1 in 1,000 births. So, we scheduled the surgery. Ethan and Nick have the exact same blood type, so Nick went to the Red Cross and donated blood in case they would need it for the surgery. It would be 6 1/2 weeks later, the longest time ever! I cried every day until his surgery, so scared something would happen to the wonderful, beautiful person who just entered my life. Here is a picture the morning of his surgery, you can see how the part is kind of flat and not rounded.
Why have the surgery you ask? Well, if he didn't have the surgery his head would grow in a very deformed shape. And, they don't know if not having the surgery causing any pressure on the brain since it's not able to push the skull in the direction it's supposed to do.
I have never shared these pictures with anyone. I didn't even want Nick to take pictures, but I'm so glad he did. It just seemed like the most awful thing that could happen, I didn't want pictures to remember it. But, I'm glad now that we have them and will be able to share them with Ethan. I'm sharing them on here in case someone else it searching for information, I am glad to share my story.
When they came to take my baby to surgery I completely lost control of myself. They didn't even take him down on a gurney since he was so small. The nurse came and got him, that was the hardest thing I ever did was hand him over to her. I'm sure everyone in that room thought I was a freak. There were a ton of children just getting tubes for their ears. It was an assembly line. Then there was us and another couple with a newborn who was going in for heart surgery. They led us to the waiting area and said they would call with updates. It was expected to take like 3 hours. I went and pumped and tried to read a magazine. All I could do was watch the stupid clock. 1 1/2 hours later the surgeon came into the waiting room and my heart stopped. All I could think of was the worst if he was the one to come to us. He came out right away since I had been so upset. The surgery went great and they were already done. We were told we would be able to see him in an hour. So, I made all the calls and anxiously awaited holding my baby again.
His recovery was remarkable. He didn't need anything more than Tylenol for pain. I think the hardest thing for him was he was able to suck his thumb due to the splints holding his IV's in place. He didn't have a lot of swelling. When his little face started to show swelling we would flip him to his other side and that seemed to help keep the swelling down significantly. He did so much better than mom. :) He healed so quickly, I was so amazed. I will share a few other pictures with you showing how they cut, etc. It looks pretty awful, but it really wasn't that bad. If anyone is going through this or knows someone I would be glad to share more information, answer any questions, or just provide support to someone else going through the same thing.
When Ethan was born he didn't have a cone head at all. But, he had this "knot" on the top of his head. When the pediatrician first examined him in the hospital she thought it was ""molding" just from delivery. When I took him in to the ped's office for his first visit at two weeks old I told her that he still had the lump on the top of his head. She said she could tell and wanted to send him for an x-ray. She mentioned the stenosis, but didn't go into a lot of detail at that time. She wanted to wait until the x-ray came back. Of course the X-ray tech said she couldn't tell anything, it would be sent to the radiologist to review. Less than a week later I got a call from the pediatrician. She explained that the x-ray showed signs of early closure, but we would have to take him down to Children's Hospital for a CT Scan and see a neurosurgeon. I was a complete and total wreck. Nick was calm, telling me not to get upset as we didn't know anything for sure. But, any mother would understand just having had their first baby. My hormones were still out of whack and hello, my first born!
Within a week we went and had the CT. Thankfully we didn't have to wait long before meeting with the Neurosurgeon. He met with us in the office asking what brought us, I kinda felt like saying "duh, you don't know?". So, we explained the story up until that point. He then took out the CT to show us. It was in amazing, great detail. It looked like a picture from a book. Anyway, he didn't even have to point it out to us, you could clearly tell that his skull fused shut down the entire center of his head. I couldn't hold in my tears, they started flowing like a river. Dr. K is such a wonderful, caring doctor. He explained that I did nothing wrong. They don't know what causes this problem. They find that it's most commonly found in first born sons. And, it happens in 1 in 1,000 births. So, we scheduled the surgery. Ethan and Nick have the exact same blood type, so Nick went to the Red Cross and donated blood in case they would need it for the surgery. It would be 6 1/2 weeks later, the longest time ever! I cried every day until his surgery, so scared something would happen to the wonderful, beautiful person who just entered my life. Here is a picture the morning of his surgery, you can see how the part is kind of flat and not rounded.
Why have the surgery you ask? Well, if he didn't have the surgery his head would grow in a very deformed shape. And, they don't know if not having the surgery causing any pressure on the brain since it's not able to push the skull in the direction it's supposed to do.I have never shared these pictures with anyone. I didn't even want Nick to take pictures, but I'm so glad he did. It just seemed like the most awful thing that could happen, I didn't want pictures to remember it. But, I'm glad now that we have them and will be able to share them with Ethan. I'm sharing them on here in case someone else it searching for information, I am glad to share my story.
When they came to take my baby to surgery I completely lost control of myself. They didn't even take him down on a gurney since he was so small. The nurse came and got him, that was the hardest thing I ever did was hand him over to her. I'm sure everyone in that room thought I was a freak. There were a ton of children just getting tubes for their ears. It was an assembly line. Then there was us and another couple with a newborn who was going in for heart surgery. They led us to the waiting area and said they would call with updates. It was expected to take like 3 hours. I went and pumped and tried to read a magazine. All I could do was watch the stupid clock. 1 1/2 hours later the surgeon came into the waiting room and my heart stopped. All I could think of was the worst if he was the one to come to us. He came out right away since I had been so upset. The surgery went great and they were already done. We were told we would be able to see him in an hour. So, I made all the calls and anxiously awaited holding my baby again.
His recovery was remarkable. He didn't need anything more than Tylenol for pain. I think the hardest thing for him was he was able to suck his thumb due to the splints holding his IV's in place. He didn't have a lot of swelling. When his little face started to show swelling we would flip him to his other side and that seemed to help keep the swelling down significantly. He did so much better than mom. :) He healed so quickly, I was so amazed. I will share a few other pictures with you showing how they cut, etc. It looks pretty awful, but it really wasn't that bad. If anyone is going through this or knows someone I would be glad to share more information, answer any questions, or just provide support to someone else going through the same thing.
March 28, 2006
Surgery, Girls weekend and more
I'm done saying how long it's been since I've posted and giving the reasons. While I would like to post more often, I can only post when I can squeeze it in these days.
Aidan had his four year check-up in February. While we were there I asked his doctor to check to see if his one testicle descended all the way down on it's own. The other one had already come down. I hoped it would to save any further problems and more visits to the urologist. Sadly, she still couldn't get it down. So, we followed through with our visit to the urologist. My neighbor asked me the morning of his appointment if he was going to need surgery for the problem. I brushed it off because last year the urologist didn't seem concerned at all. He said Aidan had a retractable testicle and that many kids end up with no problems from it, that eventually the testicle comes down on by itself.
I was blown away by being told he's going to have to have surgery and not just on one testicle but both of them! The one that has already descended doesn't fall into the scrotum like it's supposed to, it falls to the side towards his leg. The other one, the retractable one, has started to go back up into his body. :( The other horrible news he gave me is that he is now at a higher risk for testicular cancer. His surgery is scheduled for May 11th and thankfully it's an outpatient procedure. He'll have it done on Thursday and be back at preschool on Tuesday. He just won't be able to ride the bikes at school, which won't make him happy, but at least he'll bounce right back. :)
Now, Ethan, who went for his six year check-up a couple of weeks ago. Last year his doctor did an x-ray of his aednoids and tonsils. The x-ray showed his adenoids to be slightly enlarged and his tonsils very enlarged. I've noticed the last few months that he snores. It's amazing because he sounds like an adult snoring. So, she checked (not by x-ray) and said his tonsils are still very large. She was more concerned due to the snoring. So, on our way to visit with an ENT. In the meantime I saw a good friend at a party. She said her daughter, who just turned five, had tubes put in and they removed her adenoids. They said her tonsils are enlarged too. But, they said that between 4-6 they are larger in size. So, I was holding out some hope.
We me with the ENT, which I must say was extremely good with Ethan. Anyway, he suggested we remove his tonsils and adenoids. He said that they are enlarged and that there should have been some impovement between this year and last year and there wasn't any improvement. He said a big problem is that his sleep in being interrupted throughout the night. This would explain why some mornings it is near impossible to get him up for school when he went to bed at his normal time. Nick had his out when he was a kid. I asked him to ask his mom why and if it made a difference. I really don't want to put Ethan through the surgery if he doesn't really need it, you know.
I had such easy, wonderful pregnancy and deliveries. But, I can't seem to product good stock (:)) for the life of me. : I feel like I'm being bombarded with one thing after another, I really need a break from it.
While elective, my surgery is still scheduled for the beginning of June. I'm very excited and may even be moving it up a couple of weeks sooner. Nick just started a new position, so we're waiting to see what the rest of his group's vacation time is like for the summer.
At the beginning of the month I went back to Ohio to visit my good friend for a girls weekend. Her birthday was coming up and a friend of hers had just celebrated a birthday, so they planned on renting a limo for a girls night out. I left Friday morning after putting Ethan on the bus to school. Nick dropped me at the airport after that and went home for his boys weekend. :) I got to Ohio in the early afternoon and M and I caught up on our lives. He ex came and picked up their kids to take them for a couple of hours. So, I took M out for a birthday dinner - Chinese - YUM!! Nick won't eat it, so I'm always up when someone else wants to go out for some. We hit Old Navy on the way home, I am also always up for shopping! We had a pretty quiet night, just relaxing and catching up.
Saturday we went and did some shopping and had lunch. It was pouring rain all morning. Thankfully the afternoon hit and the sun came out, beautiful day. M's mom came to babysit the kids that night, so I was able to catch up with her as well since I hadn't seen her in two years. M has a great mom, it was so good to see her. Then it was like time flew, we had to get ready as the limo was picking us up first! We made a couple of stops to pick up the rest of the girls and to dinner we headed. We were going to eat at The Cheesecake Factory, well upon arriving (they won't take reservations) we found it to be a 2 1/2 hour wait! We had a very good limo driver, he made some calls and told us the wait times at all the other surrounding restaurants. 1 1/2 was the earliest we were getting in somewhere. We were ok with that, but ready to get the night started. So, we ended up at a little "seat yourself" Mexican restaurant. I also love Mexican, so I was ok with eating there to get things rolling. We still walked over to The Cheesecake Factory for some dessert.
We went to a place for martinis. I have never had one, but M - who by the way never drank- assured me that I had to try the caramel Appletini. I have to admit I wasn't a fan, a little to strong for my taste. But, was worth the stop and the conversation. From there we headed out to some clubs. We were treated to some VIP treatment. :) But, it was hard looking down at the very young crowd below the VIP section. A lot of the bars there have 18 and up age limit. So, while I'm not old, being surrounded by 18 year olds made me feel a bit archaic. We had a fabulous time. We were only supposed to have the limo until 1:00 am, but we came - er stumbled - through the door at 3:00 am! I haven't done that in I don't know how long. Sunday we were able to catch a quick lunch before I headed to the airport. It was such a wonderful weekend, but I was glad to head back home to my boys. :)
Aidan had his four year check-up in February. While we were there I asked his doctor to check to see if his one testicle descended all the way down on it's own. The other one had already come down. I hoped it would to save any further problems and more visits to the urologist. Sadly, she still couldn't get it down. So, we followed through with our visit to the urologist. My neighbor asked me the morning of his appointment if he was going to need surgery for the problem. I brushed it off because last year the urologist didn't seem concerned at all. He said Aidan had a retractable testicle and that many kids end up with no problems from it, that eventually the testicle comes down on by itself.
I was blown away by being told he's going to have to have surgery and not just on one testicle but both of them! The one that has already descended doesn't fall into the scrotum like it's supposed to, it falls to the side towards his leg. The other one, the retractable one, has started to go back up into his body. :( The other horrible news he gave me is that he is now at a higher risk for testicular cancer. His surgery is scheduled for May 11th and thankfully it's an outpatient procedure. He'll have it done on Thursday and be back at preschool on Tuesday. He just won't be able to ride the bikes at school, which won't make him happy, but at least he'll bounce right back. :)
Now, Ethan, who went for his six year check-up a couple of weeks ago. Last year his doctor did an x-ray of his aednoids and tonsils. The x-ray showed his adenoids to be slightly enlarged and his tonsils very enlarged. I've noticed the last few months that he snores. It's amazing because he sounds like an adult snoring. So, she checked (not by x-ray) and said his tonsils are still very large. She was more concerned due to the snoring. So, on our way to visit with an ENT. In the meantime I saw a good friend at a party. She said her daughter, who just turned five, had tubes put in and they removed her adenoids. They said her tonsils are enlarged too. But, they said that between 4-6 they are larger in size. So, I was holding out some hope.
We me with the ENT, which I must say was extremely good with Ethan. Anyway, he suggested we remove his tonsils and adenoids. He said that they are enlarged and that there should have been some impovement between this year and last year and there wasn't any improvement. He said a big problem is that his sleep in being interrupted throughout the night. This would explain why some mornings it is near impossible to get him up for school when he went to bed at his normal time. Nick had his out when he was a kid. I asked him to ask his mom why and if it made a difference. I really don't want to put Ethan through the surgery if he doesn't really need it, you know.
I had such easy, wonderful pregnancy and deliveries. But, I can't seem to product good stock (:)) for the life of me. : I feel like I'm being bombarded with one thing after another, I really need a break from it.
While elective, my surgery is still scheduled for the beginning of June. I'm very excited and may even be moving it up a couple of weeks sooner. Nick just started a new position, so we're waiting to see what the rest of his group's vacation time is like for the summer.
At the beginning of the month I went back to Ohio to visit my good friend for a girls weekend. Her birthday was coming up and a friend of hers had just celebrated a birthday, so they planned on renting a limo for a girls night out. I left Friday morning after putting Ethan on the bus to school. Nick dropped me at the airport after that and went home for his boys weekend. :) I got to Ohio in the early afternoon and M and I caught up on our lives. He ex came and picked up their kids to take them for a couple of hours. So, I took M out for a birthday dinner - Chinese - YUM!! Nick won't eat it, so I'm always up when someone else wants to go out for some. We hit Old Navy on the way home, I am also always up for shopping! We had a pretty quiet night, just relaxing and catching up.
Saturday we went and did some shopping and had lunch. It was pouring rain all morning. Thankfully the afternoon hit and the sun came out, beautiful day. M's mom came to babysit the kids that night, so I was able to catch up with her as well since I hadn't seen her in two years. M has a great mom, it was so good to see her. Then it was like time flew, we had to get ready as the limo was picking us up first! We made a couple of stops to pick up the rest of the girls and to dinner we headed. We were going to eat at The Cheesecake Factory, well upon arriving (they won't take reservations) we found it to be a 2 1/2 hour wait! We had a very good limo driver, he made some calls and told us the wait times at all the other surrounding restaurants. 1 1/2 was the earliest we were getting in somewhere. We were ok with that, but ready to get the night started. So, we ended up at a little "seat yourself" Mexican restaurant. I also love Mexican, so I was ok with eating there to get things rolling. We still walked over to The Cheesecake Factory for some dessert.
We went to a place for martinis. I have never had one, but M - who by the way never drank- assured me that I had to try the caramel Appletini. I have to admit I wasn't a fan, a little to strong for my taste. But, was worth the stop and the conversation. From there we headed out to some clubs. We were treated to some VIP treatment. :) But, it was hard looking down at the very young crowd below the VIP section. A lot of the bars there have 18 and up age limit. So, while I'm not old, being surrounded by 18 year olds made me feel a bit archaic. We had a fabulous time. We were only supposed to have the limo until 1:00 am, but we came - er stumbled - through the door at 3:00 am! I haven't done that in I don't know how long. Sunday we were able to catch a quick lunch before I headed to the airport. It was such a wonderful weekend, but I was glad to head back home to my boys. :)
February 27, 2006
Disney World Part Two - the Conclusion
Posted 3/6/06
After having a great day on Tuesday at MGM, my Inlaw's decided to take Wednesday off and just hang out. We took our boys and went to Chef Mickey's at the The Contemporary for a late morning breakfast with the characters. Having a meal with the characters is a bit pricey, but so worth it. I highly recommend it to any family going, it creates some great memories. :) Not only that the food was GREAT! I can't say how surprised I was at how good the food was for a buffet. You would've thought they made the food just for you and put it out there when they saw you coming, wonderful! At our breakfast we were joined throughout by Chip and Dale, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Pluto. It was nice that they kept coming back around, we got autographs and lots of pictures. By the end of breakfast Aidan was blowing kisses to Minnie Mouse, so cute. :) Below is a family picture outside of The Contemporary before we got on the boat back to the resort.
After our breakfast we met up with everyone else and checked out The Wilderness Lodge. It was very beautiful. We were going to stay there, but BIL has 5 kids so I guess the cost was way more than what the IL's paid at Fort Wilderness. I think I would've liked the Wilderness Lodge a bit better - maybe some other time. It was a "restful" day.
Thursday we were up early to head to The Magic Kingdom. This was the busiest of all the parks. But, still for the time of year we went we moved easily through with a double stroller and the lines weren't that long. We really needed two days at the Magic Kingdom, I guess we learned a lot about what to do on our next visit. :) Aidan was very excited about going on the Buzz Lightyear ride, sadly it was down for refurbishing - WTF!!! So, we have to go back another time just for this ride. We didn't even make it through the whole park. Ethan was tall enough to go on Space mountain, one of my favorites. He didn't make a peep on the whole ride. I didn't think he liked it, but he wanted to go again. We watched two parades at the Magic Kindgom and the fire works. I think I was most surprised by Aidan riding Thunder Mountain. He was just tall enough to go on that one, and I thought he was going to cry like a baby to get off. We've had bad experiences on the kiddie roller coasters, there was no way he was going to make it through a big one. Well, he thought it was great, even threw his hands up in the air. It was so cute! We managed to do some shopping at the end of the night to get some memorabilia. It was a long day, but one of the best.
Here we are with Mr. & Mrs. Incredible. The boys were a little disappointed that Dash wasn't there too.
Friday we made our last day to Epcot. My IL's kept saying that it was the best park to go to at Disney. It was a great park, but I think the lowest on the list for my kids. I think it's more of a park for older kids and especially adults. My niece and nephew were so psyched about going to Test Track, but alas another ride down. I guess the down side of going at a slow time at Disney. But, we made up for it by several rides on Soarin' - great ride! Very long wait, 1 1/2 hours, we did a couple Fast Passes on this one. Ethan loved, loved, loved Mission Space. Sadly, it made me sick to my stomach. I could feel it spinning in circles - blah. Ethan rode it four times!
Aidan in Bruce's mouth ("Fish are friends, not food").
There is so much I'm not putting in here, but I've been trying to complete this since the end of February and I really want to move onto other things. And I want to post more often without writing a book. :)
After having a great day on Tuesday at MGM, my Inlaw's decided to take Wednesday off and just hang out. We took our boys and went to Chef Mickey's at the The Contemporary for a late morning breakfast with the characters. Having a meal with the characters is a bit pricey, but so worth it. I highly recommend it to any family going, it creates some great memories. :) Not only that the food was GREAT! I can't say how surprised I was at how good the food was for a buffet. You would've thought they made the food just for you and put it out there when they saw you coming, wonderful! At our breakfast we were joined throughout by Chip and Dale, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Pluto. It was nice that they kept coming back around, we got autographs and lots of pictures. By the end of breakfast Aidan was blowing kisses to Minnie Mouse, so cute. :) Below is a family picture outside of The Contemporary before we got on the boat back to the resort.
After our breakfast we met up with everyone else and checked out The Wilderness Lodge. It was very beautiful. We were going to stay there, but BIL has 5 kids so I guess the cost was way more than what the IL's paid at Fort Wilderness. I think I would've liked the Wilderness Lodge a bit better - maybe some other time. It was a "restful" day.
Thursday we were up early to head to The Magic Kingdom. This was the busiest of all the parks. But, still for the time of year we went we moved easily through with a double stroller and the lines weren't that long. We really needed two days at the Magic Kingdom, I guess we learned a lot about what to do on our next visit. :) Aidan was very excited about going on the Buzz Lightyear ride, sadly it was down for refurbishing - WTF!!! So, we have to go back another time just for this ride. We didn't even make it through the whole park. Ethan was tall enough to go on Space mountain, one of my favorites. He didn't make a peep on the whole ride. I didn't think he liked it, but he wanted to go again. We watched two parades at the Magic Kindgom and the fire works. I think I was most surprised by Aidan riding Thunder Mountain. He was just tall enough to go on that one, and I thought he was going to cry like a baby to get off. We've had bad experiences on the kiddie roller coasters, there was no way he was going to make it through a big one. Well, he thought it was great, even threw his hands up in the air. It was so cute! We managed to do some shopping at the end of the night to get some memorabilia. It was a long day, but one of the best.
Here we are with Mr. & Mrs. Incredible. The boys were a little disappointed that Dash wasn't there too.
Friday we made our last day to Epcot. My IL's kept saying that it was the best park to go to at Disney. It was a great park, but I think the lowest on the list for my kids. I think it's more of a park for older kids and especially adults. My niece and nephew were so psyched about going to Test Track, but alas another ride down. I guess the down side of going at a slow time at Disney. But, we made up for it by several rides on Soarin' - great ride! Very long wait, 1 1/2 hours, we did a couple Fast Passes on this one. Ethan loved, loved, loved Mission Space. Sadly, it made me sick to my stomach. I could feel it spinning in circles - blah. Ethan rode it four times!
Aidan in Bruce's mouth ("Fish are friends, not food").
There is so much I'm not putting in here, but I've been trying to complete this since the end of February and I really want to move onto other things. And I want to post more often without writing a book. :)
February 8, 2006
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AIDAN!!!
My beautiful, handsome little boy is four years old today! I am amazed at how fast time goes by, my babies are just growing to quickly.
Now, he won't actually be four until 11:10 tonight. :) It was around this time I headed to the doctors office because I noticed some blood when I used the bathroom. The doctor informed me that I was 4 cm! No contractions, at least none that I was feeling. :) I was told to go home and relax and see if I could time some contractions. I called Nick and told him to come home, my mom was getting ready to catch a flight to come and take care of Ethan for us. It was a Friday and I was due to be induced on Monday. So, I called my good friend M to ask her to take Ethan until my mom got in. Things moved pretty quickly after that; we dropped Ethan off and got checked into the hospital at about 7:30 pm. I couldn't have an epidural right away because Aidan was still "floating", they wanted him to come down more. An hour later I got my beloved epi!! :) So, the waiting began. My mom's flight got in a little after nine, she collected her luggage and took a taxi over to the hospital. At 10:50 pm I was 6 cm and my doctor decided to break my water. After that Nick went down to the lobby to meet up with my mom and they barely got back in time for Aidan's birth! I went from 6 to 10 cm in less than 20 minutes. The nurse laid me flat and wouldn't empty my bladder because it was holding Aidan's head in - yikes! My doctor got there and I delivered him in one contraction. He came out screaming and hasn't stopped. :)
I will never forget that night, I was so happy to meet Aidan and see how perfect he was, he was a huge welcome to our family.
Here is a picture of him today, he wanted to "clean" the bowl after I got done making his cake. :)
Well, I tried to upload the pictures, but not having any luck, I'll try later.
Now, he won't actually be four until 11:10 tonight. :) It was around this time I headed to the doctors office because I noticed some blood when I used the bathroom. The doctor informed me that I was 4 cm! No contractions, at least none that I was feeling. :) I was told to go home and relax and see if I could time some contractions. I called Nick and told him to come home, my mom was getting ready to catch a flight to come and take care of Ethan for us. It was a Friday and I was due to be induced on Monday. So, I called my good friend M to ask her to take Ethan until my mom got in. Things moved pretty quickly after that; we dropped Ethan off and got checked into the hospital at about 7:30 pm. I couldn't have an epidural right away because Aidan was still "floating", they wanted him to come down more. An hour later I got my beloved epi!! :) So, the waiting began. My mom's flight got in a little after nine, she collected her luggage and took a taxi over to the hospital. At 10:50 pm I was 6 cm and my doctor decided to break my water. After that Nick went down to the lobby to meet up with my mom and they barely got back in time for Aidan's birth! I went from 6 to 10 cm in less than 20 minutes. The nurse laid me flat and wouldn't empty my bladder because it was holding Aidan's head in - yikes! My doctor got there and I delivered him in one contraction. He came out screaming and hasn't stopped. :)
I will never forget that night, I was so happy to meet Aidan and see how perfect he was, he was a huge welcome to our family.
Here is a picture of him today, he wanted to "clean" the bowl after I got done making his cake. :)
Well, I tried to upload the pictures, but not having any luck, I'll try later.
February 1, 2006
Disneyworld Vacation Part One
WOW!!! In one word I think that is how I would sum up our trip. It was so fun and exciting. I LOVED seeing Disneyworld through the eyes of my boys.
We left on Sunday the 22nd, very early. Our flight left at 9:20 am from O'Hare, so Nick and I were up at the butt crack of dawn - 4:30 am to be exact. We actually left the house by 6:30 providing us plenty of time to get the car to parking and get over to the airport and through security. It went very smoothly. The plane ride went very well too! :) Once Ian fell asleep I got to read a book! I love, love, love to read, but rarely find time these days so it was a very special treat for me. Thanks to the ladies over at Moosejulie, I picked up My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. Very good book, I am anxiously awaiting to finish reading it.
First plane ride. :)
Back to the trip, we arrived in sunny,warm Florida late in the morning. We caught our Magical Express bus to the Fort Wilderness Resort. If you ever plan a trip to Disneyworld I highly recommend taking the resort route. They sent us these special luggage tags, so we didn't have to pick up our luggage the resort picked them up and got them to our cabin for us. We got checked in and got our golf cart to get around the resort and headed for something to eat after checking in with the rest of the family. I forgot to mention that Nick's dad and stepmom paid for our trip (aside from plane tickets) and his brother and his family joined us at the resort. We were the only ones who chose to fly, there was NO WAY I was going to drive to Florida with three small children.
The resort was very nice and the people working there were SUPER friendly. Every night they had a Disney movie playing and Chip and Dale would come before hand for a sing along. The boys thought that was so great.
Our first stop was Monday to the Animal Kingdom. It was really humid, so my efforts to straighten my hair were worthless. By the time we got to the part it was frizz central. When we got into the park we came across Lilo and Stitch. Aidan was a little shy off the bat, but Ethan went up and got their autograph and a picture with them. We went on a safari tour that was just awesome. The boys thought it was so much fun and they got to see all kinds of animals. There were 5 week old baby elephants playing, so very cute!
Day two, Tuesday, we went to MGM. The great Buzz Lightyear was there, Aidan's favorite super hero. :) We got rained on a bit, but not for very long and it stayed warm. :) We ate, or I should say the boys (Nick and I packed sandwiches) got to eat at Pizza Planet and play some games. We saw the Muppet Show, lots of fun, even Ian liked that show. I can't believe the old guys in the balcony are still around. :p We went to the Bugs Life show, but I wasn't able to stay since Ian started screaming. We stayed outside and watched the waterfall. We met quite a few characters and got their autographs at MGM. It's not how things used to be. You now have to wait until their scheduled time to get a picture and autograph. Ian was so excited to see Chip and Dale, the whole trip they were the only ones he would let hold him. Thankfully we saw them at all the parks and they were at our breakfast with the characters too. He would just scream and cry when we had to leave them.
I will have to end this for now, laundry duties are screaming at me. :) Part two to follow soon.
We left on Sunday the 22nd, very early. Our flight left at 9:20 am from O'Hare, so Nick and I were up at the butt crack of dawn - 4:30 am to be exact. We actually left the house by 6:30 providing us plenty of time to get the car to parking and get over to the airport and through security. It went very smoothly. The plane ride went very well too! :) Once Ian fell asleep I got to read a book! I love, love, love to read, but rarely find time these days so it was a very special treat for me. Thanks to the ladies over at Moosejulie, I picked up My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. Very good book, I am anxiously awaiting to finish reading it.
First plane ride. :)
Back to the trip, we arrived in sunny,warm Florida late in the morning. We caught our Magical Express bus to the Fort Wilderness Resort. If you ever plan a trip to Disneyworld I highly recommend taking the resort route. They sent us these special luggage tags, so we didn't have to pick up our luggage the resort picked them up and got them to our cabin for us. We got checked in and got our golf cart to get around the resort and headed for something to eat after checking in with the rest of the family. I forgot to mention that Nick's dad and stepmom paid for our trip (aside from plane tickets) and his brother and his family joined us at the resort. We were the only ones who chose to fly, there was NO WAY I was going to drive to Florida with three small children.
The resort was very nice and the people working there were SUPER friendly. Every night they had a Disney movie playing and Chip and Dale would come before hand for a sing along. The boys thought that was so great.
Our first stop was Monday to the Animal Kingdom. It was really humid, so my efforts to straighten my hair were worthless. By the time we got to the part it was frizz central. When we got into the park we came across Lilo and Stitch. Aidan was a little shy off the bat, but Ethan went up and got their autograph and a picture with them. We went on a safari tour that was just awesome. The boys thought it was so much fun and they got to see all kinds of animals. There were 5 week old baby elephants playing, so very cute!
Day two, Tuesday, we went to MGM. The great Buzz Lightyear was there, Aidan's favorite super hero. :) We got rained on a bit, but not for very long and it stayed warm. :) We ate, or I should say the boys (Nick and I packed sandwiches) got to eat at Pizza Planet and play some games. We saw the Muppet Show, lots of fun, even Ian liked that show. I can't believe the old guys in the balcony are still around. :p We went to the Bugs Life show, but I wasn't able to stay since Ian started screaming. We stayed outside and watched the waterfall. We met quite a few characters and got their autographs at MGM. It's not how things used to be. You now have to wait until their scheduled time to get a picture and autograph. Ian was so excited to see Chip and Dale, the whole trip they were the only ones he would let hold him. Thankfully we saw them at all the parks and they were at our breakfast with the characters too. He would just scream and cry when we had to leave them.
I will have to end this for now, laundry duties are screaming at me. :) Part two to follow soon.
January 30, 2006
Still here :)
If anyone out there is still checking my blog, I'm still here. Christmas was very busy, many family gatherings and many illnesses. Anyway, we just returned from a vacation to Walt Disney World. I will be posting soon with lots of pictures. :)
December 21, 2005
The Check-up
Yesterday was Ian's big one year check-up. I was concerned about putting him on the scale. We had done a weight check in between his 9 month and 12 month and he did gain a few ounces. But since his weight check in November he had decided he wasn't that interested in drinking formula. The only bottle he really would drink was his bedtime bottle. While most people are excited about their children giving up a bottle by themselves, I was concerned.
Thankfully, he did gain a little more weight. He went from 16 lbs 14 oz to 17 lbs 4 oz. He is still very small for a 12 month old and his ped is a little concerned because he's not moving up the scale for weight. As a matter of fact he's starting to drop on the scale. He fell below 5% for weight, is that even possible?? Now, believe me, he certainly doesn't look that skinny. He does look like a little peanut, but not like he's starving! She's not quite as concerned because he's still going up the scale for height and head circumference. Although, he's only 27 1/2 inches, like I said a little peanut. His ped suggested we try getting him to drink Pediasure since he'll drink out of a sippy cup. This morning was our first try and he liked it, but didn't drink the whole can. We are starting out just trying a can a day. So, I'm hoping he'll finish it with his lunch.
Aside from his weight he is doing outstanding! Healthy and happy. :) Couldn't ask for more right? I still have to post some birthday pictures. The batteries in the camera died and I need to get some more. I promise to do that soon, I've just been picking some extra hours up at working helping out because it's sooooo busy.
His birthday party was a lot of fun, even though a few important people couldn't make it. I didn't do a theme. I felt a little bad, but after the other two boys I know he really could care less and with it being so close to Christmas I was all about what I found on sale. :) Anyway, I ordered his cake from Super*Target. It had Pooh on it and came with his own matching little smash cake. :) Although, he had no interest at all in smashing it. He was actually very neat and clean about eating his cake, despite our efforts to get him to dig in to the cake. Only his face and hands got dirty.
He received some wonderful birthday presents, even though he didn't need anything. Not in need of clothes or toys. So, it was nice that grandparents gave bonds. Especially now when he really could care less about what he gets. I think his older brothers were more interested in his new toys than he was, oh well. :)
Ian is such a happy little boy. I love when he gets up in his crib and is just chattering away and I go into to see him just smiling at me. It makes my heart just feel like bursting! He loves when I sing "You are My Sunshine" to him. I'm so glad he doesn't know good singing yet - LOL! He is crawling and pulling up, but no steps yet. He will let go of things and be standing by himself, but as soon as he realizes that he drops to his knees. Both Ethan and Aidan walked a week after their first birthday, but I don't think Ian will be walking that soon. I'm actually hoping he does walk a little later. We are going to Disneyworld next month and I would rather he start walking after we get back. I could go on and on about my little peanut, I just love him so much!
He is napping, so I've got to jump on it to get some things done right now. After all those shots yesterday he's pretty clingy, so I'm not getting much done while he's up.
Later.....
Thankfully, he did gain a little more weight. He went from 16 lbs 14 oz to 17 lbs 4 oz. He is still very small for a 12 month old and his ped is a little concerned because he's not moving up the scale for weight. As a matter of fact he's starting to drop on the scale. He fell below 5% for weight, is that even possible?? Now, believe me, he certainly doesn't look that skinny. He does look like a little peanut, but not like he's starving! She's not quite as concerned because he's still going up the scale for height and head circumference. Although, he's only 27 1/2 inches, like I said a little peanut. His ped suggested we try getting him to drink Pediasure since he'll drink out of a sippy cup. This morning was our first try and he liked it, but didn't drink the whole can. We are starting out just trying a can a day. So, I'm hoping he'll finish it with his lunch.
Aside from his weight he is doing outstanding! Healthy and happy. :) Couldn't ask for more right? I still have to post some birthday pictures. The batteries in the camera died and I need to get some more. I promise to do that soon, I've just been picking some extra hours up at working helping out because it's sooooo busy.
His birthday party was a lot of fun, even though a few important people couldn't make it. I didn't do a theme. I felt a little bad, but after the other two boys I know he really could care less and with it being so close to Christmas I was all about what I found on sale. :) Anyway, I ordered his cake from Super*Target. It had Pooh on it and came with his own matching little smash cake. :) Although, he had no interest at all in smashing it. He was actually very neat and clean about eating his cake, despite our efforts to get him to dig in to the cake. Only his face and hands got dirty.
He received some wonderful birthday presents, even though he didn't need anything. Not in need of clothes or toys. So, it was nice that grandparents gave bonds. Especially now when he really could care less about what he gets. I think his older brothers were more interested in his new toys than he was, oh well. :)
Ian is such a happy little boy. I love when he gets up in his crib and is just chattering away and I go into to see him just smiling at me. It makes my heart just feel like bursting! He loves when I sing "You are My Sunshine" to him. I'm so glad he doesn't know good singing yet - LOL! He is crawling and pulling up, but no steps yet. He will let go of things and be standing by himself, but as soon as he realizes that he drops to his knees. Both Ethan and Aidan walked a week after their first birthday, but I don't think Ian will be walking that soon. I'm actually hoping he does walk a little later. We are going to Disneyworld next month and I would rather he start walking after we get back. I could go on and on about my little peanut, I just love him so much!
He is napping, so I've got to jump on it to get some things done right now. After all those shots yesterday he's pretty clingy, so I'm not getting much done while he's up.
Later.....
December 19, 2005
Happy Birthday Ian!!!
Not that he can read it, but I wanted to post a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my baby, Ian. I can't believe you are already a year old, it's so bittersweet. :) I love you so very much and can't imagine our lives without your smiling little face to see every single day.
I will be posting more tomorrow, as he goes for his one year check-up so I'll have some stats and hopefully post some pictures from his birthday party we had over the weekend.
I will be posting more tomorrow, as he goes for his one year check-up so I'll have some stats and hopefully post some pictures from his birthday party we had over the weekend.
December 9, 2005
Tis the season
Wow, I can't believe it's been a month since I posted. I know I say it all the time, but time just goes by to fast! My favorite season is upon us - fast! I just love Christmas and am a little sad that it's almost already here and going to be gone.
I have been working three days (guess I should say nights) week and enjoying it greatly. It's just a nice escape. I love my family dearly, but it's nice to get away. I was approached the other night about taking a promotion, which I don't think that I will. I haven't gotten all the information about what the entire job would require. I just don't think that I would be able to do the hours. I was a bit put off because the HR person made a comment basically stating if enough money is offered most people will do anything. Well, I wasn't rude or anything, but when we sit down to talk about it all I am going to inform her that they won't be able to pay me enough to put my kids into daycare. And, if they could pay me that much I would just then chose to go back to work in the field I was working in when I quit to stay home. I don't want to sound bitchy or ungrateful, but people just shouldn't always assume things about others. While I do admit that it does sound appealing, I just don't think it will/can happen. I think I was so excited at first because I so miss being out in the work force. N and I sat down and discussed it a bit and he reminded me of a few important things that put things back into perspective for me. :)
Today is Ethan's last day of school for two weeks, what am I going to do!!!! When he's just had a day off him and Aidan are just fighting. We do have a few playdates set up with the neighbor thankfully. It's going to be nice so that way Santa can get some presents wrapped so he's not up all night wrapping presents on Christmas Eve. I decided to stop going so overboard on the presents for the kids, they just don't need that much and I don't want them to be ungrateful and greedy. But, last night at work I kind of panicked a little thinking that I really didn't get them much at all, so I will be going through things today to evaluate if I need to get more.
I'm feeling a little sad these past few weeks. My baby is going to be a year old on Monday. While it's always exciting it's so bittersweet to me. He's my last baby, so I have just not been 100% joyed about this milestone. I waited to the very last minute to put his birthday party together this Saturday. I just kept thinking if I don't plan it he can't turn one - right? He just such a ray of sunshine and will have a wonderful time. ;) Ian is growing so fast, he goes next week for his one year check-up and I hoping he's gained a good amount of weight. He's about given up the bottle, all on his own. He wants to eat whatever we are eating, which he has been for almost the last three weeks. It's funny because when I had Ethan, I wouldn't let him have a bite of table food until he actually turned one. Funny how much more relaxed you become with each child. But, Ian will follow the boys when they sit down to have a snack and he pulls himself up and screams at them until they share. The only bottle he's enjoying and drinking these days are his bedtime bottle. Which is odd for me because Ethan and Aidan never took a bedtime bottle. When they turned a year I just stopped giving them a bottle and replaced it with sippy cups with no problems at all. I'm thinking Ian is just not going to give up that bedtime bottle, any advice out there at all?
Nick finally put all of our old pictures on the computer from our old one that crashed and we were looking at a bunch of pictures last night. I cried seeing pictures of Ethan as a baby, but I just loved looking back at them. And, it just floors me as to how much Ian looks like him. It's a good think that everything is dated! :) Here's a picture of Ethan when him and Ian were almost the same age as Ian (in the pictures in the previous post).
If anyone is still out there reading my blog I promise I will be back much sooner. :)
I have been working three days (guess I should say nights) week and enjoying it greatly. It's just a nice escape. I love my family dearly, but it's nice to get away. I was approached the other night about taking a promotion, which I don't think that I will. I haven't gotten all the information about what the entire job would require. I just don't think that I would be able to do the hours. I was a bit put off because the HR person made a comment basically stating if enough money is offered most people will do anything. Well, I wasn't rude or anything, but when we sit down to talk about it all I am going to inform her that they won't be able to pay me enough to put my kids into daycare. And, if they could pay me that much I would just then chose to go back to work in the field I was working in when I quit to stay home. I don't want to sound bitchy or ungrateful, but people just shouldn't always assume things about others. While I do admit that it does sound appealing, I just don't think it will/can happen. I think I was so excited at first because I so miss being out in the work force. N and I sat down and discussed it a bit and he reminded me of a few important things that put things back into perspective for me. :)
Today is Ethan's last day of school for two weeks, what am I going to do!!!! When he's just had a day off him and Aidan are just fighting. We do have a few playdates set up with the neighbor thankfully. It's going to be nice so that way Santa can get some presents wrapped so he's not up all night wrapping presents on Christmas Eve. I decided to stop going so overboard on the presents for the kids, they just don't need that much and I don't want them to be ungrateful and greedy. But, last night at work I kind of panicked a little thinking that I really didn't get them much at all, so I will be going through things today to evaluate if I need to get more.
I'm feeling a little sad these past few weeks. My baby is going to be a year old on Monday. While it's always exciting it's so bittersweet to me. He's my last baby, so I have just not been 100% joyed about this milestone. I waited to the very last minute to put his birthday party together this Saturday. I just kept thinking if I don't plan it he can't turn one - right? He just such a ray of sunshine and will have a wonderful time. ;) Ian is growing so fast, he goes next week for his one year check-up and I hoping he's gained a good amount of weight. He's about given up the bottle, all on his own. He wants to eat whatever we are eating, which he has been for almost the last three weeks. It's funny because when I had Ethan, I wouldn't let him have a bite of table food until he actually turned one. Funny how much more relaxed you become with each child. But, Ian will follow the boys when they sit down to have a snack and he pulls himself up and screams at them until they share. The only bottle he's enjoying and drinking these days are his bedtime bottle. Which is odd for me because Ethan and Aidan never took a bedtime bottle. When they turned a year I just stopped giving them a bottle and replaced it with sippy cups with no problems at all. I'm thinking Ian is just not going to give up that bedtime bottle, any advice out there at all?
Nick finally put all of our old pictures on the computer from our old one that crashed and we were looking at a bunch of pictures last night. I cried seeing pictures of Ethan as a baby, but I just loved looking back at them. And, it just floors me as to how much Ian looks like him. It's a good think that everything is dated! :) Here's a picture of Ethan when him and Ian were almost the same age as Ian (in the pictures in the previous post).
If anyone is still out there reading my blog I promise I will be back much sooner. :)
November 17, 2005
November 9, 2005
A little of this, a little of that
Hormones suck!!! I can't take birth control pills because they make me crazy. Not that I would need to for birth control, don't have to worry about that one anymore. :) But, at least prior to kids it eased the bleeding and hormonal fluctuations every month. Since having kids the pill just doesn't agree with me. I am having major ups and downs every month, anyone else have this problem? For example, I know I ovulated within the last couple of days. Now there has been a big drop in my hormones, I can feel it. I get all anxious, no appetite, feel sick, etc. And I just know around the corner will be the irritability- yuck! I try to eat a good diet and exercise on a regular basis which "they" say is supposed to help alleviate PMS symptoms, but I don't seem to get any relief. Anyone have any other suggestions or tips?
I can't believe how nice the weather has been lately. It's been so nice not having to bundle the kids up. I wish winter would just stay this way; jeans and a sweater or sweatshirt. I'm dreading having to add another half an hour to my time of trying to get out of the house because of all the bundling.
Julie asked how I like working at T*arget and I have to say that I really enjoy it. I worked there for about 9 months before I had gotten pregnant with Ian. At first I had felt a little guilty doing it because I felt as though I was wasting my degree. But, it didn't take that long for those feelings to disappear. It is just so nice to get out of the house three nights a week. I usually work two nights during the week and then one weekend day. I get to get out of the house and be around other adults and make some of my own "funny" money. There are quite a few teenagers working there which can sometimes make me feel a little old. But, the T*arget where I work has quite a few other women who are in the same boat as I am, so I have also made some good friends. :) And of course as I keep saying a big bonus is all the walking around I do there when I work. I know it's not a lot, but since I started I have already lost 3 pounds - yeah!
Ian now has three teeth, his beautiful gummy smile is being filled with teeth! He is rounding to 11 months, just becoming a toddler way to fast. :( He is such a happy little baby. Although, right now my good little sleeper isn't being so good about going down for naps and bedtime. Once I can get him down he sleeps good, but getting him down is quite an ordeal lately. As I said with the other two boys, this to shall pass.
I am so happy to say that Aidan has made it through two colds and fevers and hasn't had problems with his Asthma. I'm very thankful that the plan the allergist put him on is working so far. I hope we continue to have this great success. I think when his nose starts running I'm not biting my nails off with worry. He is enjoys preschool so much, I wish he was able to go every day. I am trying to pick a date to have a playdate for him with these cute little twin boys in his class. He will just be so thrilled that he gets to have his very own playdate.
Ethan is doing outstanding in school. He got his first report card, very bittersweet for me. And, I had his first teacher conference. He is doing very good in school, got all good reports. He is even a little ahead of the curve when it comes to writing. I have to give that credit to the preschool. I think them opening their program to everyday for the 4-5 year olds made a huge difference. JMO. Now he is working on reading. :) He seems to be picking it up very quickly. He's such a smarter, like his daddy. He makes me so proud! :)
I have a big pile of stuff that I have GOT to get listed on Ebay TODAY! I have been procrastinating on everything lately. I get my butt in gear, so I suppose this wonderful, boring post should come to an end. Have a good one. :)
I can't believe how nice the weather has been lately. It's been so nice not having to bundle the kids up. I wish winter would just stay this way; jeans and a sweater or sweatshirt. I'm dreading having to add another half an hour to my time of trying to get out of the house because of all the bundling.
Julie asked how I like working at T*arget and I have to say that I really enjoy it. I worked there for about 9 months before I had gotten pregnant with Ian. At first I had felt a little guilty doing it because I felt as though I was wasting my degree. But, it didn't take that long for those feelings to disappear. It is just so nice to get out of the house three nights a week. I usually work two nights during the week and then one weekend day. I get to get out of the house and be around other adults and make some of my own "funny" money. There are quite a few teenagers working there which can sometimes make me feel a little old. But, the T*arget where I work has quite a few other women who are in the same boat as I am, so I have also made some good friends. :) And of course as I keep saying a big bonus is all the walking around I do there when I work. I know it's not a lot, but since I started I have already lost 3 pounds - yeah!
Ian now has three teeth, his beautiful gummy smile is being filled with teeth! He is rounding to 11 months, just becoming a toddler way to fast. :( He is such a happy little baby. Although, right now my good little sleeper isn't being so good about going down for naps and bedtime. Once I can get him down he sleeps good, but getting him down is quite an ordeal lately. As I said with the other two boys, this to shall pass.
I am so happy to say that Aidan has made it through two colds and fevers and hasn't had problems with his Asthma. I'm very thankful that the plan the allergist put him on is working so far. I hope we continue to have this great success. I think when his nose starts running I'm not biting my nails off with worry. He is enjoys preschool so much, I wish he was able to go every day. I am trying to pick a date to have a playdate for him with these cute little twin boys in his class. He will just be so thrilled that he gets to have his very own playdate.
Ethan is doing outstanding in school. He got his first report card, very bittersweet for me. And, I had his first teacher conference. He is doing very good in school, got all good reports. He is even a little ahead of the curve when it comes to writing. I have to give that credit to the preschool. I think them opening their program to everyday for the 4-5 year olds made a huge difference. JMO. Now he is working on reading. :) He seems to be picking it up very quickly. He's such a smarter, like his daddy. He makes me so proud! :)
I have a big pile of stuff that I have GOT to get listed on Ebay TODAY! I have been procrastinating on everything lately. I get my butt in gear, so I suppose this wonderful, boring post should come to an end. Have a good one. :)
November 2, 2005
Halloween
Just wanted to share a quick picture of me and the boys on Halloween, a post to follow soon. :)
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