{Lately}

Here the latest news on the what's been going on lately with our crew:

1.  I am sick again.  I feel like a broken record.  One day I will be healthy and be able to breathe out of my nose and possibly not cough every two minutes.  I didn't know it was possible to blow my nose as much as I have the last three days.  I just had to stop and blow four times during the time it took me to write this little paragraph. I know I am old when I google "how to boost immune system". I walk around with toilet paper up my nose. 

 

2. Ben choked again last night.  He starts turning red, stares at me in pure panic and no sound is coming from his mouth.  Thens he sobs uncontrollably when the ordeal is over.  Maybe it is because my finger is all the way down his throat.  At least I think he is choking, and I don't feel that I can wait and see or it might be with a terrible consquence.  It was on a wheat thin and the actual piece I fished out wasn't that big.  So I don't know why he is choking.  I decided to book a pediatrian appointment for tomorrow to discuss what is going on with him.  I can't handle the fear and panic anymore that I experience when Ben eats.  Something is off and I am about to keel over in anxiety and sadness for him.

3.  We went to my uncle's funeral yesterday.  It was a sad day for my family, especially my grandmother.  We brought the kids to Victoria and tried to keep them happy and quiet during the service (a full mass).  Since that didn't work AT ALL, we realized there was a cry room (thank you Catholics!) and my sister and I scooted all three kids in there.  They had a ball.  Which is hard to type since I know it was such a sad occasion, but they had a room all to themselves to scream, cry, run, babble, jump, fall, and toddle.  My sister and I felt like we were run over by a truck afterward, but at least we didn't disrupt the service and we could see/hear it all.  And even in the midst of so much sadness, the kiddos were there to brighten everyone's day...

4. Luke's birthday invite was sent out about a week ago and we are ready to get our party on!  He is having it with his friend Greta this year since their birthdays are just a day apart and over half the guests are the same for both of them.  It is at a jump place and we hope they will have a bouncing good time!

5.  Luke and Ben fight all the time.  Unless we are outside.  We are outside a lot. 

6.  Luke is loving baseball right now!  Which makes Chat so, so, so happy.  He went and bought a bunch of wiffle balls at Academy and put them in a big bucket.  Luke will put one after the other on the tee and just swing away.  We think he took at least 130 swings the other night.  I think these are the moments Chat dreamed about when he heard he was having sons.

7.  Ben loves baseball too.  (Cue happy dance from Chat)

8.  Luke has finally got the hang of pooping in the potty!  He has been peeing in the potty fabulously for several months.  He is in underwear all the time except for nighttime and some naps (if I think he drank a lot or feel he might sleep a long time).  But pooping has been harder.  But he is doing much better and he has come a long way.  It is amazing at what the promise of a sour gummy worm can do for a 2 year old!

9. We have a few trips planned in the coming months and I am super excited!  One by myself with some friends (to Kerrville to visit Lindsay!), one with the kiddos and Chat (road trip to Jackson, Mississippi - say prayers) and one with just Chat to Napa in April.  All of them are overdue and I can't wait! 

10.  Boys are so dirty.  At least my boys are!  If there is mud or dirt in the area, they will find it.

 

11.  I feel that the last few months have been a rather hard season for us.  Lots of sickness, Ben's choking issues, moving my grandmother to Houston, my uncle's death.  It has been taking its toll on my parents and that is hard to watch.  I am ready for the spring to bring health, peace and comfort and a little fun a long with it. 

{Treasure}

What is the saying?  Someone's trash is someone else's treasure.  Okay, maybe it isn't trash when you pay $90 for it, but this bouncehouse we got from our neighbors is the best used item we have bought to date! 

 

 

The boys love it and we got it for a fraction of the price you can buy it new.  I have come to realize that I should never buy anything new again now that I have two growing sons in the house.  The boys get ahold of everything and somehow destroy it within minutes.  We should have never bought a new couch with toddlers/babies.  We should have never painted the walls inside the house.  We should have never refinished our hard wood floors.  We should never buy toys new.  Ever.  Which is a total change of mind for me.  I like things new and crisp and in a shiny new package or wrapping.  Maybe when they go to college I can get nice things again. 

 

We do hope it will last for a few years while the kiddos are young and we can have lots of fun with it at the house.  It took us about 5 minutes to set this thing up...fabulous!

Okay, I am hearing the pitter patter of Ben trying to find me.  Oh yes!  Here he is.  He can always find me in seconds no matter where I am in the house.  He has a crazy momdar...

P.S. Ben seems to be fine after our crazy weekend.  He is back to his normal, smiling, sweet self.  He is back to eating well too.  As you can tell from our after-school-snack yesterday.  The boy loves him some frozen yogurt with sprinkles (although he is making a funny face due to it being so cooooooold)!  Yes, he was double-spooning.  That's how we roll.

 

{ER Visit}

It seems as though we are starting out 2013 like we did in 2012...at the hospital.  This weekend Ben ended up at the ER at Texas Children's Hospital again.  Luckily, only for a few hours and he is back to his normal self today.  It started Saturday morning...

Chat left the house Saturday morning around 9:00 am to go coach baseball.  The boys and I were going to hang out and then go up around 11:00 so they could run around on the bases and have some fun.  Around 10:15, we were watching a movie on the couch and Luke wanted an apple.  I cut him some slices and we were all vegging out.  Ben wanted some of his apple, so I let him gnaw on a slice.  Then things went downhill.  He started choking on a piece and looked at me in pure panic.  Within a few seconds he got it down, but was a bit upset.  I calmed him down and thought he was doing better.  But over the next 10 minutes, I could just tell something was wrong.  He was swallowing often and I could hear it loudly.  It sounded like there was something in his throat.  He would just try to swallow and swallow and swallow.  He started drooling like crazy.  His entire shirt got soaked within that 10 minutes or so.  He started making weird gagging noises.  He also started getting upset.  He would cry and cry, but then just lay down on my lap and be very, very still.  And then start crying again.  I start to panic at this point.

You can see the drool in this picture..

My entire family was out of town and I couldn't reach Chat.  I decided to call my pediatrician's office to see what I should do.  Luckily our pediatrician was actually in the office that morning and got on the phone.  She said "go to the ER now".  She explained that a piece of apple could be stuck somewhere down the esophagus and you just don't know where it could move.  I have been shaking for about 20 minutes now worried like crazy over Ben.  I somehow get us all together and get the kids in the car (Luke was with us since I couldn't find anyone to watch him) and we head to the medical center.  I finally get ahold of Chat and he meets me there to get Luke.

We get to the hospital and go through the process.  We get called back to registration within about 10 minutes and wait for them to process the paperwork.  At this time, Ben starts vomiting.  We both get drenched in vomit and he is making these weird faces and keeps vomiting.  It is like his body was trying to expel whatever was in his throat.  I start screaming for help because he seems to be choking more.  He finally stops for a bit and we get into a room.  More vomit, etc.  He then seems to perk up.  I stop hearing the swallowing sound, he stops vomiting and he is not crying as much.  They send us to get a check and neck xray to make sure it is out.  The xrays come back clear and after making him drink some juice and waiting some time to make sure he doesn't throw it up, we are sent home with orders to come back if he exhibits anymore of these signs.

Getting x-rayed...

We go home and Ben sleeps for 3 1/2 hours.  I guess crying for two to three hours tuckered him out.  He woke up, ate a little banana and was in good spirits.  I tried feeding him dinner around 7:00 pm and he didn't eat, but I didn't think much of it.  By 8:00, the four of us were all piled on our bed watching TV enjoying just being together.  Ben was in a great mood and having fun.  Then all of a sudden, he starts vomiting all over the bed.  All three of us got it all over us.  Chat changed and put Luke in the bath to get the vomit off of him.  I get Ben off the bed and calm him down because I think it startled him.  He gets over it and starts smiling and playing once again.

 

Acting like nothing happened...

I look back at our discharge papers and it says "If there is unexplained vomiting you must bring him back". I called the pediatrician's office and they page our doctor. She calls back and says she is giving him one more chance. If he throws up one more time, we have to go back to the ER. She was concerned about the possibility of the piece of food aspirating, etc. I put Ben down for bed after a little bit of water.  I am worried sick wondering if he was okay to go to sleep, but my pediatrician reassured me that he wouldn't just stop breathing.  I cry a little to Chat because I am so worried and we all go to bed.   

Luckily the night was uneventful.  I set our alarms so we could wake up and check on Ben.  He slept decent and we all woke up fine in the morning.  He seemed a bit off all day Sunday.  He wouldn't eat, was drinking excessively, was tired and not having any wet diapers.  I start to panic once again and text with the pediatrician.  I decide to bring him in today if he doesn't eat again.

We woke up and went to our favorite breakfast spot and put pancakes and eggs in front of Ben and he went to town.  YAY!!!  He has been eating, drinking, acting normal all day.  It has been wonderful and we are so relieved. 

I still worry so much about Ben and wondering why we keep having issues with him.  We barely had been to the doctor for Luke at this age and with Ben we keep ending up in the hospital.  I love this little boy so much and don't know what I would do if something happened we couldn't fix or get help.  I am so thankful that everything turned out okay.  Being back at that hospital and all the feelings it brought back had me in tears.  I having been praying and giving thanks that he is okay and back in our arms and home and that nothing more serious happened.  I am exhausted after watching him so closely all weekend and being in constant worry.  So it is early to bed tonight and hoping for a wonderul and SAFE Tuesday.

{My Kids Are Pruny}

Thank God for baths.   Really.  I don't know what I would have done today without them. Ben isn't himself.  He wasn't himself this morning.  He wasn't himself last night as he cried throughout the night and laid on me in the wee hours of the morning, dare I try to roll him off and try to get an hour or two of sleep. Boy I learned my lesson on that one.  He is sad, mad, upset, and overall pissed off. 

Other than a little diaper rash, I don't see what could be the problem. But I tell ya, there is a problem. And he is letting me know about.  Loudly.

I am about to put my head in the oven. 

The only thing that is making this baby stop crying is a bubbly bath with his brother. So they have taken several and their fingers and toes are little prunes.  But it worked!  The crying stopped occasionaly and I actually got a smile from him.

It worked so well.  Until it didn't...

 

Here's to a glass of wine tonight and a bag of cookies with my name on it.  I hope tomorrow is a better day for him and me. 

{A Few Firsts}

A first piggy back ride...

A first wedgie....aka a shining, mature moment for this mama!  Ha!

(The best moment ever was when he had to run to our floor-length mirror after I did this so he could see what was going on back there!)

A first time for brothers not to be fighting while sitting in the same chair...

(and no, my pictures will never be clear again because my children are ALWAYS in motion)

I think it might be time to get a bigger chair -- or maybe two chairs???

 

A first time for me to try to do a "project" while have two crazy boys!

It already seems to be much easier when there was just one.  I might be done with this in a few years.

Here is a quick preview...

Happy Monday!

{Ordinary "Extraordinary" Days}

I got my new 2013 calendar in the mail this past week and I am beyond excited!  I still use a paper calendar and I know how out-dated that makes me, but I just can't go to technology for this one thing.  I spent a whopping $13 on it and when it arrived from Amazon, I got giddy.  I got out my pencil and quickly start writing in all of our trips, to-do's and commitments.  There is something about a new calendar that I love. 

 

 

Since we are back into our normal routine, it feels good.  The ordinary can feel extraordinary when you haven't had it for awhile.  I am trying to make that ring true for more of this year.  I want our ordinary days to count, feel important, and to be fullfilling without having to do extra/buy more.  Let's see if I can keep this attitude up :). 

Luke went back to school yesterday and both boys will be in it tomorrow.  We have our activities resuming this week so that means Luke has swim class and Ben has music.  This will be Ben's first music class to be signed up for and I am very excited!  It is sometimes hard to do the things for your second child that you did with your first at such a young age.  It took us a year, but I finally feel like I have the time and energy.  So we start Friday!  This guy seems excited...

 

It has been raining a lot these past few weeks, so we have spent much of our days inside. The kids get pretty disappointed they can't go outside to play, but we find things to do.  Luke is really into washing his hands, washing his trains and making ice cream in the bathtub.  He will stand on his stool at the bathroom sink for over 30 minutes playing in the water and bubbles with his trains.  I really am so thankful he can play independently so well.

 

 

But our little Benny boy is getting into some trouble when he tries to do what his big brother does.  He loves climbing on chairs and stools.  He got his very own "Ben" stool for his birthday from my sister.  It is so hard to keep him off of this darn stool and away from the bathroom counter!

 

 

It is not a secret that Luke is not a crafty kid.  He will bring home his artwork from school and it clearly shows that.  It will be a large piece of paper with maybe one scribble on it.  His teachers tell us that they have to sit him away from his friends and really have to encourage him to color/paint/etc.  He just really wants to play poor guy!  Well the other day, the boys' new shoes arrived and I had their empty shoe boxes.  We decided to color and label them so they could each have a box to put their trains in.  I have never seen Luke spend so much time on an art project.  He colored his little heart out!  Guess the magic word for everything is "TRAIN".  You would have think I would have figured that out by now :).

 

 

Chat's grandmother from Oregon was here for over a week after Christmas.  It was wonderful to have to here and spend time with the boys.  I think Ben really liked it too :). 

 

 

He is so into books right now.  He always get this book and follows me all around the house with it mooing.  It is his absolute favorite book right now.  I really love the stage he is at right now.

 

Well thats about it for our ordinary/extraordinary days.  The boys are both napping at the same time (yahoo!!!!) so I feel a good 30 minute power nap on the couch coming on.  Let's hope I can fall asleep before the buzz of the laundry timer calls my name. 

 



{NYE}

Since having kids, I don't think we have spent one NYE out on the town.  We typically are at home, at a relative's house or at a friend's house.  This year I was solo since Chat was working nights, so I loaded up the two boys and headed to a pizza and champagne party at the our friend's the King's house.  It was a blast!  The kids played, the parents drank (responsibly :), we all danced and we went home happy and ready to ring in the new year from the comfort of our beds.

{The Moms...love these girls!}

 

{The Bebes}
Yes Ben is sobbing.

 

{Fun!}

 

 

Oh and we had a dancing fool!  Ben actually had a hard night that has turned into a hard few days.  He just isn't himself and I am not sure what is going on with him.  I am guessing teething or maybe his ears?  Don't you hate that battle of should or should I not take him to the doctor because he might or might not have an ear infection?  Ugh.  Anyhoo, he was upset a lot at the party unless he was dancing.  "Thriller" came on and it perked this guy right up!  This was a bit later on in the party, but he will still dancing up a storm...

 

 

We were out till about 9:00 pm and then headed home so I could get Ben to bed.  I am thankful I have friends that are in the same boat as us with small kiddos so we can all still enjoy the night.  The other dads are so quick to help me with the two boys if I get overloaded and that means the world to me.  The families make it easy to be a mom on these crazy nights! 

 

We are getting back to normal around here and looking forward to next week when school and all of our activities start back up.  Tomorrow I am bringing Ben to try out a music class and then we have a birthday party this weekend as well as a dedication at church.  I am hoping we continue to be well so we can attend everything.  Fingers crossed!

 

 

{A New Year}

A new year. 

It seems so overwhelming, but also so insignificant in our daily life.  Little boys don't seem to notice that another number is at the end of the year and so we just continue on.  But at the same time, I know that in many ways, it is a big deal. It signifies that times are moving forward and that our lives are always changing.  This year might be the same in many ways for us -- the same house, the same number of people in our little family, the same schedule for the boys, the same job for Chat, etc.  But there are some changes on the horizon later in 2013 that might not be huge, but will be significant.  I hope that 2013 is a good year.  For me.  For us.  For everyone. 

I am not one to really post or even think really about new year's resolutions.  But I do think it is nice to reflect and possibly plan on what you want differently or the same for that matter for the coming year.

Rather than resolutions, here are a few things I want to focus on:

1.  Organization and decluttering of our tiny house
2.  Continuing to run
3.  Less buying of unecessary things
4.  Try to find some time to learn more about sewing and/or photography
5.  Less TV time for the boys
6.  Pray more

My main goal is to being present when at home with the boys.  I try to do many things at once -- answer that email, doing dishes, trying to talk on the phone -- all the while trying to parent and engage Luke and Ben.  And it just doesn't work.  Sometimes I need to do it.  How else will I get anything done?  But I need to set time to be very present with both Luke and Ben each day. Where they are not competing for my attention.  I think everyone, myself included, will be very happy.

So goodbye 2012.  It was a hard, wonderful, fun year.  I think I got less sleep in 2012 than any other year ever.  So I hope 2013 brings lots of sleep, lots of smiles, maybe a couple of date nights with Chat and, of course, wonderful days with my two little guys. 

Cheers!