Owen got his classes today. The ride home he must have said, "WOW!" 20 times. He said the difference was absolutely amazing and he could even read the speed limit signs. He's super excited and now he's begging for sports glasses to use during soccer. I suppose that will be next. Owen had a good day. In addition to his glasses, he was chosen to have lunch w/ their special guest today at school, Tiny Glover, who is a performer/story teller. Each teacher chose one child from each class to eat lunch w/ him and Owen was it. He seems to get chosen for everything (lucky kid!) student council, special concerts, leading the class in activities, etc. It's been like that every school year for him. I hope life is always going to be that easy for him. I have a feeling it will be.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Basement soccer
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Another one bites the dust.....
15 month check up
weight - 22 pounds 8 ounces (30th %)
height - 32 inches (75th %)
head - 48 cm (75th5)
Henry's lost one pound in the last few weeks. And, he hasn't been eating ANYTHING! That was one of my questions to ask the pediatrician. For example, he ate 3 teeny tiny cheese stars for lunch. That's it. AND, he's not a huge snacker. He doesn't eat crackers, animal crackers, graham crackers. Never particularly liked them. He no longer will touch yogurt, avocado, bananas, apples, grapes, toast, grilled cheese, Cheerios. And, he doesn't like juice. I am COMPLETELY struggling w/ ideas. The pediatrician thinks that he didn't look well and still might be getting over his bronchiolitis from last week. She thought he looked pale. I'm supposed to bring him back if he doesn't start eating in a week or two.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Making my life easier....
Props to Henry and Emmett. For the past few weeks, I've been dragging Henry and Emmett to the gym in the AM and to the dreaded GYM DAYCARE! Emmett doesn't love it. He complains a bit and he is usually the oldest there. He spends most of the time chasing Henry around, protecting him from the dreaded 2 years who try to take toys from him and hit him (Mean! Mean! 2 year olds!) Henry never cries when I leave him. He smiles at the ladies and goes off to play. Isn't it weird that my 15 month old has never had any stranger anxiety? Especially considering that he is rarely left w/ anyone other then me and Eddie (and Sheila). I'm not sure the "care" is great. It's crowded. And, I'm not sure the kids are watched as closely as they should be. But, Henry and Emmett don't complain. And, so I can go work out and get my arse in shape. I think the ladies must love them, too, because they hugged both boys when they left today.
Changing Emmett's sleep schedule
PS Why does it seem that I am CONSTANTLY blogging about my kids sleep patterns???
PPS I still don't have the results back from the sleep studies yet. It's been 2 weeks. I should have them any day now.
And this.
Intertwined w/ one another. Brothers. Best buddies. Owen said he dreamt last night that he saved Emmett from a fire. He told him that he would always take care of him.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Surviving Winter Break
Last week was winter break for the kiddos. It is no wonder that our kids go to school until the end of June. They are out of school ALL THE TIME! Add snow days to the scheduled breaks and it seems as if they are home constantly. So, home all week last week for winter break. Remember that I packed the Wii up, banned the TV from regular use and was only allowing the kids to play on the computer for a half hour a day. It was going to be a LONG week. But, I'm pleased to report, that the kids actually PLAYED. And, we had a GREAT week. Owen went to soccer camp on Monday and Tuesday. When Emmett remembered that their was going to be no Wii, TV, or computer at our house, he joined Owen at soccer camp on Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday, Owen had soccer tournaments. They were a great break to our day and it was a lot of fun. The kids played outside, did puzzles, LEGOS, and get this??? They used their imaginations once again. The only tough day was Friday. The weather was nasty. No soccer. The kids were antsy. Unfortunately, since Henry was sick all week, I couldn't take the kids to the gym. But, I made it 4 evenings. Yeah!
BTW...Owen's spending a lot of time in goal for his teams. He's pretty good at it. He's certainly not going to be a goalie as he gets older (he's a striker by skill, I'm told), but for now, it's fun for him. I'm a little frightened w/ him in goal. He plays against 10 and 11 years some of which are bigger then me. I'm afraid he's going to lose his head. But, doesn't he look like a goalie in this photo?
Monday, February 23, 2009
I am releasing control.......
This week
This photo is of my boys unloading my groceries. They (seriously!) organize my groceries for me to put away. Very, very convenient...
My goals for the week: I'm cooking a handful of new recipes. I only work 8 hours in the next three weeks and so, I'm trying a handful of new recipes. I made Weight Watchers beef stew Friday and it was really, really good (8 points). Tonight is roast pork w/ sage and potatoes. Smells really good....I'll let you know how it turns out. I also have 3 bean chili (a Weight Watchers slow cooker recipe) and easy chicken dijon (WW again) on the schedule for the week.
I'd like to go to the gym 5-6 days this week. I made it 5 days last week. I was hoping to go this AM, but Henry loves his AM nap (doesn't take a PM nap) and slept from 915-1215. We didn't make it. The day care closes at 1 pm. Tomorrow I'll just have to wake him, because I meet w/ Ben, my personal trainer, at 11 AM. I've been going in the evening when Eddie gets home. Not my fave...but at least I'm there.
Henry's first sled ride..
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Henry wants to go outside!
Eddie went out to shovel the walkway today and Owen and Emmett went out to play. Henry decided that he wanted to go out and had me put a pair of gloves on him. That wasn't enough. He stood by the door. Begging. So, I decided to do it. We put his snowsuit on. Tried to put his boots on (they didn't fit) and headed out. We put him in a sled and the big boys pulled him in the snow for a long time. Not once did he ask to get out. He just hung out. Waiting to be pulled. Happy to be part of the gang.
The new 40!!!
My dear, dear friend, Amy, turned 40 this week and her hubby had a party for her on Saturday to celebrate. It was just her closest group of friends (there are 7 of us), food, drinks, and a "bar slut theme". Her hubby cooked all the great food, served drinks, and made the kids disappear (to grandma's.). It was so, so much fun! There's nothing like having a great group of friends. And, seriously...can you believe she's 40???
BTW...I picked up this cup for Amy at Spencer's that day. I took the boys to piano lessons and decided to swing in to Spencer's to try to find something for her (can you believe I took my boys in there???) As I'm walking in, I'm all don't look or read or touch or smell ANYTHING!! Look at the ground. Look at the ground. On our way out, there was a pair of dancing boobs that got Emmett's attention. He's all MOM! What is that? And, I'm all OUT of here. NOW!
The gang
My closest group of friends were at the party. Love you all, ladies! BTW...Amy had already lost the fishnet stocking, short shorts and high boots by this point. I have a great picture w/ her completely dressed that I would post, but I'm afraid she would KILL me!
BTW...one of the other gals in this group is turning 40 in April. Another turning 39 in April. Robin and I are the babies of the group (at 32 years old and holding). Robin is directly behind Amy.
Me as a bar slut. When I came down after getting ready, my boys were shocked. I can't remember the last time I've used a curling iron and put lipstick on (I live in lip gloss) and mascara. Emmett said, "Wow, mom! You look really cool!" Owen said, "Yeah....you look just like Sharpay." (from High School Musical). Not sure exactly how I resemble Sharpay except for she's always made up w/ lots of make-up on. Anyway, good times! I'd forgotten how fun it is to get dressed up.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Perspective...
One of the best parts of my mom being here was that she helped me changed my perspective about Henry. I needed a reality check. I got it. Now, I'm enjoying my little bugger more and more....
What did she do you ask? She reminded me over and over (and over and over and over) about how EASY Henry was. It got me thinking. He is easy. Why did I ever think he was tough? He smiles CONSTANTLY. He rarely cries. He gets into things...but not near what other kids get into. I don't have my cabinets locked and he RARELY gets into things. He listens (more often then not) when I say no. He doesn't dart or run from me. Yes, he does scream. But, only when he wants something. And, it's very specific. It's his form of communicating. He's happy ALL the time. He loves everyone. He sleeps all night most of the time. EASY. He's EASY. (thanks, mom).
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Clarification
On the mend...I think....
Sunday, February 15, 2009
My sick little guy...
Friday, February 13, 2009
You just might win.....
Breakfast food help
Henry has turned into a picky eater. My big boys are kind of picky although they eat lots of different foods. They eat what I cook for dinner every night, probably because they learned early on that they eat what I cook or they don't eat. Some of our dinner meals: chicken and polenta, tortellini soup, taco soup, chili, steak, round steak, potatoes, carrots, green beans, peas, beans, chicken and rice, teriyaki chicken, spaghetti, manicotti. And, I make everything from scratch. No canned spaghetti sauce for me. It's healthier (and cheaper) to do it from scratch and since I feed the kids M & M's the rest of the day, I like them to have a semi-healthy breakfast and dinner. But, they will only eat these foods, if I cook them. They love my chili...yours, they won't touch. So, they eat a variety of foods, but they are picky. Owen has a particular aversion to fruit and cold foods (except ice cream and popsicles). No yogurt, cheese, pudding, jelly, lunch meat, etc. Nothing cold. I make him soup for lunch everyday. And, there is no fruit he will eat. None. But, he doesn't mind vegetables so much. Anyway, I've been feeding Henry a larger variety of foods then my big boys, because he would eat it. But, no longer. And, I'm particularly stumped w/ breakfast foods. Normally, I would give him yogurt, blueberries, bananas, and a whole grain waffle. He will no longer touch yogurt, blueberries, or bananas. The waffle goes over so-so. He won't touch oatmeal. And, when I give him cereal w/ a little milk, he'll take a bite or two before dumping it. The only thing he eats well for breakfast now is scrambled eggs. I don't always have time in the AM to make them, so I need more suggestions. Do you have breakfast ideas: quick, fast, and healthy?
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Sleep Study.
Anyone that knows our family (even a little bit) knows that our boys are crummy sleepers. They both have different issues but they are equally troublesome. Our ENT recommended that Emmett have a sleep study last summer because he snored like an obese 80 year old smoker. And, just about the time that we had the sleep study scheduled last summer, he stopped snoring. So, I canceled it. Fast forward to now. Emmett snores intermittently. Not always, but when he does, it's loud and I can hear him stop breathing. He also sleeps a decent amount, but he ALWAYS seems tired. If I could lay down and take a nap w/ him every day, he would nap everyday. He's an extreme early bird. Goes to bed at 6 pm every night and rarely sleeps past 5 AM. Owen is the exact opposite (which pretty much describes their personalities in every way). He is an insomniac. He sleeps very little (for an 8 year old). He is up numerous times during the night. I don't think he demands a whole lot of sleep, because he never seems very tired. He fights bedtime EVERY single night. He functions quite well on 7-8 hours of sleep. This CAN NOT be normal for an 8 year old. Of course, he's far from a normal 8 year old. But in addition to all of this, he started wetting the bed again 2 years ago after NOT wetting the bed for 2 years. Weird, very weird. And, when all that started 2 years ago we saw a urologist, nephrologist, and psychologist (who said he was probably the happiest child she had ever met). The urologist said he had a meatal stenosis, which is essentially a webbing of the tip of the penis that will require surgery someday. But, she couldn't guarantee that the surgery would stop the bedwetting, so until he has to have it done, we're not doing it. Sorry, I'm digressing...the pediatrician said that kids can have bedwetting if they're having apneic episodes at night. So, that is why we scheduled sleep studies.
The day of the sleep studies we were to arrive at the clinic at 930 pm. Both of us had to go. One parent per patient. My mom stayed home w/ Henry for the night. As I said, Emmett goes to bed EARLY so keeping him up until 930 took so much effort. Owen never gets tired. He's up to 1130 pm at least a few times every month and would be fine staying up later. When Emmett is tired, he lays down and goes to sleep. Immediately. Wherever we are. So, it was an EFFORT to keep him awake. But, we did it. Once we got there they put each of us in separate rooms that are set up to look like bedrooms and put what seemed like a kajillion electrical probes on the kids. They had to have nasal cannula like probes in their nose (it measured CO2 output) and pulse oximetry probes on their fingers. They had to wear these things all night. Poor, uncomfortable kids. My night was not a good one. Our sleep technician was in our room what seemed like constantly. Emmett's probe came off constantly and they had to be reattached. At 330 AM, the technician woke me up and wanted me to change his pull up, because he said sometimes kids don't sleep well when they are wet. So, I changed him. The technician said it didn't help. We didn't let him go to bed until about 1015 that night, but he was up at 5 AM as always. The technician said that Emmett was really, really active in REM sleep and that's very unusual for children his age. He also said that he had a few respiratory episodes, but didn't really elaborate. There was also a camera in the room, so we were continuously watched. Kind of spooky. The whole test is scored based on the input from all of the probes. We won't have the results for two weeks. Eddie didn't have a lot of detail about Owen. His technician didn't give him any information and Eddie didn't ask any questions (MEN!). She did say that she could tell when Owen was dreaming. And, that it took him a while to fall asleep (not shocking....). We were out the door by 6 AM.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Good-bye, Mama.
My mom left early this AM and I spent the rest of the day, in between tears, trying to remember where my laundry room and dish soap is located. We had SUCH a wonderful time. And, I (and the boys) miss her already. I suspect Eddie misses her, too, because when she's here I don't call him at work a thousand times. And, I don't call every 5 minutes starting around 5 pm saying, "When ya coming home?" "When ya coming home?". We got TONS done while she was here. Between me and the boys, I squeezed in 7 doctor visits, 2 sleep studies (more on that later), 1 trip to the lab, 1 xray, 1 surgery (Owen's teeth pulled), 2 visits w/ my personal trainer, 2 days of volunteering in Owen and Emmett's classes, 1 car at the shop all day, 2 movies at the theater, one day w/ Eddie (alone!), 3 days of work, and 1 parent teacher conference. These are all glorious things done w/ out kiddos tagging along. Or, really nice to do (doctor's visits) w/ only one kiddo. In my mom's spare time, she completely cleaned my basement including going through every single tupperware, sorting, and making a garage sale pile. She scrubbed things that I'm not sure have ever been cleaned (like the top of our living room ceiling fan), and the bottoms of my boys mattresses. But, one of my fave things about having her here is sitting on the couch in the evening, watching TV and chatting. I love my mom. I'm so lucky.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Thawing out....
Bville is warming up, y'all.......a high of 49 degrees! WOW! Now, I know that this is not a warm up like many of you, my friends, are experiencing. Yes, yes I know. You in Fort Collins had three days last week of 65 degrees. Yes, I know St. Louis was 70 degrees today. I get it. But, the weather here stinks, remember? So, 49 degrees is something to get excited about. Owen had two soccer games today and in between I made the kids go outside briefly. It stinks though, because there is still SO MUCH snow that the kids can't really ride their bikes or run around. So, short of putting snow suits on there's not much the kids can do outside. STINKS! The best piece of news I can get from this so called warm up is that (hopefully) the worst part of winter is over. (hopefully) We will see grass soon. (hopefully) It won't be long before I can send my kids outside to play without them spending an hour getting dressed and undressed. One huge difference between the first child and third child: this was the first time Henry has touched snow. I am NOT putting him in a big snowsuit and dragging him outside. NOT A CHANCE! Of course, I did w/ Owen. I couldn't wait to see his reaction. Now, I'm old enough and wise enough to know that his time will come soon enough. And, he's certainly not missing what he doesn't know to miss.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
2 of my favorite people...
Amy took some wonderful photos of some of my favorite people today. This is one of my favorites. My boys like my mom like no other. I'm so lucky.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Kick for Nick
At the soccer center this weekend, they were having a soccer ball drive in honor of a soldier named Nick. This soldier was serving in Iraq and had a vision to bring soccer balls to Iraq for the children to play with. He gathered soccer balls and brought them and shortly after that was killed. His wife is carrying on his legacy by collecting soccer balls to send to Iraq. So, we brought a soccer ball for Owen's team to sign and donate. Being at the soccer center all day as we are, Henry saw the box of balls and wanted in. I put him in and he played for a while. The soldier's wife saw him in the box and asked if she could take photos of him and post those during her soccer drives coming up. Of course....who wouldn't want to donate a soccer ball when you see this cutie pie's face in the collection box?