this is precisely the reason i could do it all over and have another baby. it is absolutely the best thing ever to see them interacting like this, as brothers. even better, but not caught on film, is that f. then took his cape off and let k. be a super hero too. completely unsolicited!! that just melts my heart because f. makes it known that m. is his favorite.
(don't panic - this is not a prego announcement.)
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
new tricks
there are some new tricks going on here that are so cute i just needed to document for myself if nothing else.
m. has been picking things up from the floor and bringing them to me. but just to make sure i really know its for me, he will walk up to me, lift my hand and put it in the open palm position before placing the object in my hand. so i respond thank you, and then hand him the sock, block, towel, toy, etc. back. he responds by grabbing my hand, putting it in the open palm position again and placing the object back in my hand. this can go on for hours with a toddler. its a wonder i get anything done around here!
k.'s latest trick is called hoarding. it really doesnt matter what he hoards, just so long as he has a collection. in the bath he greedily collects all the foam letters, looking around to be sure his brothers are not at arms length. and the real treat, if poor m. has what he wants he uses brute force to get it. on several occasions this week he has pulled m. down from a standing position to have a better grab at whatever m. is carrying off. i predict k. will walk soon just to keep up; as we do not tolerate this particular method of "hoarding" toys.
f. has been making his own board games during free-play art session at school. each day he comes home with a new one full of tiny pieces and elaborate rules (which apparantly exist only in his head). pretty soon he is going to catch on that these games disappear each night. not to worry, they are just replenished the very next school day. [and eventually j. might catch on that i blame him for anything that disappears in this household] today f. came home with a board game and the pieces were old bottle lids (LOADS of old bottle lids). this kid will never need a wii, he will just make his own out of some old trash and a bit of construction paper.
m. has been picking things up from the floor and bringing them to me. but just to make sure i really know its for me, he will walk up to me, lift my hand and put it in the open palm position before placing the object in my hand. so i respond thank you, and then hand him the sock, block, towel, toy, etc. back. he responds by grabbing my hand, putting it in the open palm position again and placing the object back in my hand. this can go on for hours with a toddler. its a wonder i get anything done around here!
k.'s latest trick is called hoarding. it really doesnt matter what he hoards, just so long as he has a collection. in the bath he greedily collects all the foam letters, looking around to be sure his brothers are not at arms length. and the real treat, if poor m. has what he wants he uses brute force to get it. on several occasions this week he has pulled m. down from a standing position to have a better grab at whatever m. is carrying off. i predict k. will walk soon just to keep up; as we do not tolerate this particular method of "hoarding" toys.
f. has been making his own board games during free-play art session at school. each day he comes home with a new one full of tiny pieces and elaborate rules (which apparantly exist only in his head). pretty soon he is going to catch on that these games disappear each night. not to worry, they are just replenished the very next school day. [and eventually j. might catch on that i blame him for anything that disappears in this household] today f. came home with a board game and the pieces were old bottle lids (LOADS of old bottle lids). this kid will never need a wii, he will just make his own out of some old trash and a bit of construction paper.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
surrounded by boys
today while f. and i were in the grocery store, i was asked by the checker "don't you have another child too?" before i could even answer f. responded for me "yes, she has soo many boys. all boys. lots of boys. you see there is me - f., then m. and k. and my daddy too. see thats a lot of boys."
i cant think of any better way...
i cant think of any better way...
vacation all i ever wanted
is it too much to ask for a night away with your hubby without getting sick?! i mean really!! jon and i both came down with severe head colds - how romantical for our one night away without kids.
we agreed on our ride home that our last good vacation was in disney when fin was not yet 3. at this point i am almost afraid to even dare plan another vacation.
at least we got to sleep in. and that is all i have to say about that.
we agreed on our ride home that our last good vacation was in disney when fin was not yet 3. at this point i am almost afraid to even dare plan another vacation.
at least we got to sleep in. and that is all i have to say about that.
Friday, January 25, 2008
bedhead
there is some debate happening over here about whether or not k. needs a haircut. i just can not bring myself to do it just yet. this was the picture this morning, a little bedhead is just heart warming...
Thursday, January 24, 2008
jonas
f: pleeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaseeeeeeee, pleasssssssssseeeeeeeeeee, pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaseeeeeeeeee, mommy can my name be jonas instead of fin?
m: umm, how about just for today?
f: moooooooooooommmmmmm, how about my name will just be jonas on the days that i don't have school?
m: umm, ok?!?!
(who the f is jonas?)
m: umm, how about just for today?
f: moooooooooooommmmmmm, how about my name will just be jonas on the days that i don't have school?
m: umm, ok?!?!
(who the f is jonas?)
Sunday, January 20, 2008
texas-sized quandry
as you probably know by now, j. has a job that sucks. his agency was rated the worst government agency of all those surveyed. in fact the results at his agency were so ridiculously poor that they were not included in the final findings "as they would unfairly skew" the overall ratings. its bad, really bad.
he has been forced into this management position by some absurd process whereby they asked for volunteers and when shockingly no one volunteered they automatically take the person with the least seniority and slap them in the position. this makes perfect sense, right??!! take the person with the least experience and make them the boss of the people who have been with the agency for decades - literally!! the beauty of this is that they are not paying him anymore - even though his duties have dramatically increased. in the true bureaucratic fashion, they are putting him in this position for 120 days, then he goes back to his old job for 1 day, then back to the hell job for another 120 days. why, you ask would they do something so silly? well, its because when done this way, he can never petition for an increase in pay because you have to be in the position for 1 consecutive year. lovely, huh?
what is worse, formerly there were 6 people in this position - concurrently. now it is just j. - 1 person last i checked. that is the ultra fine workings of our government, the leading nation in the world right? its stupid. he is miserable. he brings home work all the time. they call him at home on his days off. they call him when his children are hospitalized. they wouldn't let him work from home 2 days when i was on bedrest. the list is endless.
so it was with all this in mind, when jon took a proactive step and applied for a job...........................
in texas! at first i thought, whatever, let him apply at least it is a positive step and maybe it will make him feel better about things. then he started looking online at houses and getting more serious about it. every so often he would call me over to the computer to look at a beautiful home that would easily cost over $1 million here that is like $300K there. and i think, oh thats nice. but my family and friends are here. we have real roots here. i don't even own a pair of boots - i can't live in texas.
weeks passed, and it sort of became a joke - moving to texas. then on friday, they called for an interview. holy sh*t - i truly didnt think that was going to happen. i am caught between a rock and a hard place. i want to be supportive and i know the pain of going to a job that you hate day in and day out. at the same time, i am a marylander, born and raised. i am living a texas-sized quandry.
he has been forced into this management position by some absurd process whereby they asked for volunteers and when shockingly no one volunteered they automatically take the person with the least seniority and slap them in the position. this makes perfect sense, right??!! take the person with the least experience and make them the boss of the people who have been with the agency for decades - literally!! the beauty of this is that they are not paying him anymore - even though his duties have dramatically increased. in the true bureaucratic fashion, they are putting him in this position for 120 days, then he goes back to his old job for 1 day, then back to the hell job for another 120 days. why, you ask would they do something so silly? well, its because when done this way, he can never petition for an increase in pay because you have to be in the position for 1 consecutive year. lovely, huh?
what is worse, formerly there were 6 people in this position - concurrently. now it is just j. - 1 person last i checked. that is the ultra fine workings of our government, the leading nation in the world right? its stupid. he is miserable. he brings home work all the time. they call him at home on his days off. they call him when his children are hospitalized. they wouldn't let him work from home 2 days when i was on bedrest. the list is endless.
so it was with all this in mind, when jon took a proactive step and applied for a job...........................
in texas! at first i thought, whatever, let him apply at least it is a positive step and maybe it will make him feel better about things. then he started looking online at houses and getting more serious about it. every so often he would call me over to the computer to look at a beautiful home that would easily cost over $1 million here that is like $300K there. and i think, oh thats nice. but my family and friends are here. we have real roots here. i don't even own a pair of boots - i can't live in texas.
weeks passed, and it sort of became a joke - moving to texas. then on friday, they called for an interview. holy sh*t - i truly didnt think that was going to happen. i am caught between a rock and a hard place. i want to be supportive and i know the pain of going to a job that you hate day in and day out. at the same time, i am a marylander, born and raised. i am living a texas-sized quandry.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
potty humor
will someone please explain to me why on earth my 4 year old found this hilarious?!?!?
fyi - its a clean pull-up!
fyi - its a clean pull-up!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
old stomping grounds
i went to visit a mom tonight who is in the hospital on bedrest. r. is such a sweet girl and has a great spirit. i am trying to remember if i was that positive when i was in her position - i have an easier time remembering the hard parts of those 5 weeks. i am hoping she can keep those babies cooking in there as long as possible and avoid a prolonged nicu stay. every day in that dreadful bed is so worth it on the other end. hang in there r.!
there is the weird feeling that comes over me when i point my car in the direction of AAMC. all of the sudden i am aware of my breathing and swallowing and can feel my heart pounding out of my chest. i do hope at some point that will go away. i met up with the nicu social worker to host a support meeting tonight for current nicu families. unfortunately, it wasnt well attended - but she has some big ideas in the wings and i am hoping they can come to fruition. the whole bedrest/nicu experience has had such a profound impact on me and i really want to find a way to make it easier for those families who find themselves residents of my old stomping grounds.
there is the weird feeling that comes over me when i point my car in the direction of AAMC. all of the sudden i am aware of my breathing and swallowing and can feel my heart pounding out of my chest. i do hope at some point that will go away. i met up with the nicu social worker to host a support meeting tonight for current nicu families. unfortunately, it wasnt well attended - but she has some big ideas in the wings and i am hoping they can come to fruition. the whole bedrest/nicu experience has had such a profound impact on me and i really want to find a way to make it easier for those families who find themselves residents of my old stomping grounds.
Monday, January 7, 2008
coincidence, you decide...
it was crazy morning here as usual. trying to get three kids dressed, fed and out the door to meet the bus takes some coordination. over the last week or so, max and keegan have decided to sleep until 8am. now dont get me wrong, this was wonderful during the school break when we had no place to be by any particular time. however, i must start putting coats on kids and doing the shuttle race to the minivan by 8:15. so they were happily sleeping when i woke them up at 7:45 this morning. max was all to happy to be up and about. but keegan likes to sleep - he was a cranky fellow all morning. he would burst into tears if any of us just looked at him the wrong way. but a routine is a routine. so i got the boys dressed, fed them and started the shuttle to the minivan. all the while keegan was less than happy. i felt bad for him, but was anxious for him to get with the program. so we finally got fin on the bus and came home to let the boys play until naptime. keegan was still a crank fest. so at 9am i decided it was naptime. and since keegan was the cranky one, i figured i would take him to the bedroom first. when i returned to the playroom to get max for his nap a funny thing happened. max stood up and gave me a round of applause. you decide, coincidence or not?!?!
Saturday, January 5, 2008
rites of passage
i really can not believe how quickly my boys are growing up - all three of them. fin has gotten very self sufficient and now gets himself dressed all on his own. granted, he needs some help in the "this matches that" department. its a big step for him and he loves picking out what he is going to wear each day. he even sets his clothes out for the next day each night before he goes to bed. the other thing he has learned how to do by himself is turn on the tv and find cartoons - this is not as heartwarming. he has a way of disappearing amid the chaos and tuning out in front of the tv in the basement. we might have to unplug that one else he will soon be a couch potato.
max and keegan are growing up too. today they had their first grilled cheese sandwich! i dont know why this feels like such a big deal to me, but i was so excited that they ate it and seemed to enjoy it. feeding them has been a challenge lately especially since max had this last bug. ever since he has become very particular about what he eats. we had been skating by with the ease of store bought jars of baby food. but now he turns his head away or better yet spits it out all over himself. frankly i will be happy to move away from baby food, but was having a difficult time passing on anything with texture of any sort. we seem to have turned a corner where that is concerned. yay! now if i could just get fin to eat something other than nutters and jelly it will be a good day.
max and keegan are growing up too. today they had their first grilled cheese sandwich! i dont know why this feels like such a big deal to me, but i was so excited that they ate it and seemed to enjoy it. feeding them has been a challenge lately especially since max had this last bug. ever since he has become very particular about what he eats. we had been skating by with the ease of store bought jars of baby food. but now he turns his head away or better yet spits it out all over himself. frankly i will be happy to move away from baby food, but was having a difficult time passing on anything with texture of any sort. we seem to have turned a corner where that is concerned. yay! now if i could just get fin to eat something other than nutters and jelly it will be a good day.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
cross one more thing off the list
each time we take k to the pediatrician there is talk about how big his head is. the last few times there has been a bit of concern and talk about hydrocephalus and the curve it is growing on which not so much as a curve as a spike on the growth charts.
we had an appointment with the neurologist just before the holidays, and he agreed to just order a ultrasound to rule things out once and for all. thankfully, k got a clean bill of health this morning after his ultrasound.
off course, there was a heart attack moment when the technician said she was going to get the doctor to show him the pictures. when she saw the look of sheer panic on my face she assured me that she wanted verify with the radiologist that she had gotten good pictures because she doesnt do a lot of head ultrasounds. we were lucky that his fontanel is still open, given his adjusted age - which pays off sometimes! when the tech came back from seeing the doctor she said he asked her to pass along that everything looked great and that our doctor would get a report to that effect in a few days. once we hear from him we can put this behind us for good and just chalk the big head up to genes. ahh!!
we had an appointment with the neurologist just before the holidays, and he agreed to just order a ultrasound to rule things out once and for all. thankfully, k got a clean bill of health this morning after his ultrasound.
off course, there was a heart attack moment when the technician said she was going to get the doctor to show him the pictures. when she saw the look of sheer panic on my face she assured me that she wanted verify with the radiologist that she had gotten good pictures because she doesnt do a lot of head ultrasounds. we were lucky that his fontanel is still open, given his adjusted age - which pays off sometimes! when the tech came back from seeing the doctor she said he asked her to pass along that everything looked great and that our doctor would get a report to that effect in a few days. once we hear from him we can put this behind us for good and just chalk the big head up to genes. ahh!!
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
what better way to ring in the new year
what better way to ring in the new year than with projectile vomit?!?! not even alcohol induced! poor max has some sort of bug, that i am sure will hit more of us before it moves on. still, its better than last year when we rang in the new year with dual blood transfusions. and hey, maybe i will catch it and lose some weight that is certainly part of my new years resolutions!
nonetheless, the party was on and we rung in the new year last night with my best friend from high school and her family. max slept through the entire soirée which was amazing because between their 4 kids and our awake 2 it was a raucous evening. you know you are getting old when a rousing game of hide and seek sounds noisy to you. of course the festivities were wrapped up by 10:30 as the oldest child was 10. i was in bed asleep before midnight. it was a great night and i am so thankful that my friend has moved back into the area - hopefully her husbands tour of duty will keep them here for a few years. happy new year!
nonetheless, the party was on and we rung in the new year last night with my best friend from high school and her family. max slept through the entire soirée which was amazing because between their 4 kids and our awake 2 it was a raucous evening. you know you are getting old when a rousing game of hide and seek sounds noisy to you. of course the festivities were wrapped up by 10:30 as the oldest child was 10. i was in bed asleep before midnight. it was a great night and i am so thankful that my friend has moved back into the area - hopefully her husbands tour of duty will keep them here for a few years. happy new year!
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