Showing posts with label baby tres. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baby tres. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Blog Revival!

I've had numerous blogs in the past, since about 2003. Some of my former blogs were Adventures in Cavaland, Supertramp, Jazzy and the Chicken Coop....

Okay, so most of my blog names have been really off the wall and random, but hey, that's me. Well, a week ago a great online friend of mine, who also happens to be my kids' Internet Godmommy (Hi, Kristine!) decided it was time to start up blogging again! In a world where Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter rule, actually writing out our feelings, whether in long form or short, seems to have gone by the wayside. A lot of times my blog entries were like diary entries - here is what I did today and what I ate and who I talked to but sometimes my entries were actually meaningful and heartfelt. That's what blogging is all about. You can post anything on your blog! Wanna write a timeline of your events from the last week? Do it! Wanna write about that time when you were ten and got so embarrassed because you felt awkward in front of your first real crush? Do it! Facebook isn't about that. Facebook is all about the 'hey guys my toddler just took a crap on the toilet for the first time, look in the comments, there's a pic to prove it!'

I've never photographed my child's poo, just for the record. But Beth did once. Ewww. Pretty sure it was Maddy who smeared (my least fave word ever btw) poo all over her crib and Beth was totally that mom that posted about it. But, in Beth's defense, that was pretty epic and I didn't envy that clean up job at all. I did, however, post about the time I puked on top of puke and had to clean up all the puke while Timmy watched and commented about how I was pooping out my mouth. Pregnancy rules, by the way.

Anyway, Kristine suggested we post an update for all us old-schoolers, so here it is. For those that don't remember me from back in the SPF days, my name is Liza. I'm currently 36 and I live in West Michigan. Back in the SPF days I was single, then dating Chris, then engaged to Chris, and eventually married Chris. Now, I'm ten years married to Chris and we have three fantastically insane children - Timmy is nine, Natalie is seven, and Sammy is six. They are all wildly creative and horrifically gross and funny at the same time. I am a SAHM but plan to find a part time job once the school year starts. I am terrified. I have not had a job outside of this house (not counting the several years I did childcare at LaGrave CRC because that never felt like a job - that felt like going to church and entertaining children for a couple hours each week) since before Timmy was born. I don't have a degree and my former jobs and/or employers are nonexistent in my life. I suppose working as a panhandler could be an option, but I don't like people looking at me while I roast in the sun attempting to make the most feeble attempts of actually being in need. (Sorry, that might've been a bit mean)

Chris works for a pretty awesome place where he is the program coordinator in the refugee resettlement program. He's worked there since he was like four. Of course, Trump is trying to screw us all over in that area. Sigh. Timmy, going into 4th grade, is my athlete. He excels in soccer and cross country and also won the math award for his class in 3rd grade. Natalie is my reader and writer and won both awards for her class in 2nd grade and is heading into 3rd this fall. She's also pretty athletic herself and ran cross country and did great despite being smaller than everyone else in the race. She also loves basketball and soccer. Sammy is my Fan Man. He is six and going into 1st grade this fall and is all about science and math. He is super funny and really clever. We also have a snake, Lennon Fitness. We've had him since February 13, 2015. He's a ball python and super snuggly, I swear.

So...that's the basics. You can read in my blog from the last few years about anything else random and as I get back into this blogging thing, you'll get to know us all a bit better then.

PEACE!

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Just Kinda Wanted To Write

Sometimes I get in the mood where I wanna write whether or not anyone reads. I wanna remember what was going on in my life and be able to look back on it. A couple weeks ago my friend Shirley and I went out for coffee after drop off and we laughed and laughed as I reminisced about some of my entries from when my kids were babies/toddlers. Sadly, it was all puke related...why do I write so much about puke? Such is the life of a mom, I guess. Shirley is a writer too. I like that about her and I feel like it's one way we can connect.

So...what's been going on lately...

The kids are getting older. Duh. Timmy is in third grade now, Natalie in second, and Sammy in kindy. All three of my kids are super smart (and I know I'm biased, but they really are!) but sometimes they are way too much to handle. Timmy is incredibly defiant at times while Natalie is highly emotional. Sammy is a mix of the two and can be very clingy which makes drop off difficult sometimes. Today he did great though and didn't even have to say goodbye to me. Breanna and I watched from a distance as he lined up and went in all on his own. I guess from now on the trick is to just ignore the kid.

Lately I've been dealing with a lot of health issues...again. Story of my life, right? The major issue has been my back. The discs in my back have been bulging out in so many words. I've been going to PT for a few weeks and it helps, but not long term. I've been on my feet most of the last few days and I'm definitely paying for it now with pain shooting down both of my legs and the inability to stand up straight. I truly don't think anyone can understand how horrid back pain is until experiencing issues like this, sciatica, and SI Joint pain. I was in the ER 3 times in one week because of this pain. I have a pretty high pain tolerance after experiencing appendicitis, gall bladder attacks, kidney infections, a PE, and three labors and deliveries (thankfully medicated so the pain wasn't TOO bad...) but this pain has had me in tears and wishing I could be put down like a horse with a broken leg. I feel like an old lady some days and hate that people might think I'm being dramatic but like I said, until you've experienced it...

In other news, today was picture day. Sammy has taken after both of his grandfathers and his Uncle Nick with what I call "Chandleritis" - kid smiles so adorably when his picture is NOT being taken, but ask him to smile for a picture and you get a hot mess. Natalie looked so pretty like always though I wish her loose front tooth would've fallen out before her picture. Timmy battled us on wearing a nice shirt but in the end we compromised with him wearing it ONLY for the picture and letting him wear a t-shirt the rest of the day.

Soooo....that's about it for now. I know, super boring, but eh whatevs. Mom life isn't always exciting. Sometimes it's monotony and humdrum boredom.

Monday, July 13, 2015

Samuel is FOUR!

My Best Buddy, my Sweet Sammerson turned four today. FOUR. My baby is four. Where did the time go? Awhile back I mentioned that he is a sweet, sensitive kiddo who is always doing his best to make others feel better (even if he is the one that caused them pain). He's still that way and spends much of his time smooching me and telling me how much he loves me.

Here are some other random things about Sammy at FOUR! years old so I can remember what he was like when I read back on this.

~ He is quirky. It's the number one word I use to describe him. His arms and hands are his favorite toys - and as annoying as that is to me, at least the kid can entertain himself. He used to use his hands as fans, but now they are birds. We are desperately trying to break this habit of his and we're getting closer. He loves to pretend he's a fan and will flap his arms around and sometimes falls backwards onto the ground and says he's a broke fan. He asks people to turn him on and off by tapping his head. He will ask you to put new batteries into his hands. He will talk to anyone and everyone about fans. Helicopters have fans, boats have fans...anything that resembles a fan is a fan and he loves it. The way Timmy remembers what everyone drives, Sammy remembers what kinds of fans and air conditioners everyone has.

~ He LOVES kitties. And birdies. And doggies. And kitties. Black Kitty (OBK) and Gray Kitty (OGK) are his beloveds. He quite often pretends he's a cat named Meowtions. (Meowsions? Meowshuns?) He loves to chase birds at the park and at the beach. He definitely has a soft spot for animals.

~ He is very much like me in that he feels emotionally connected to music. I've never seen a chid his age cry because of a song making him feel sad or because it moves him. Twice, the song Ripples by Genesis has made him cry big dragon tears and just a few days ago, he heard a pretty classical piano piece that made him sob because it made him feel sad. I love this about him. I hope he's never afraid to show that things make him feel a certain way.

~ He is four and I still have no idea if he is right handed or left handed. More often than not I see him favor his left hand to eat, brush his teeth, or color, but he will often go back and forth so I'm still not sure. By six months old I knew Timmy was left handed and Natalie was right handed.

~ He still talks like a toddler at times. He's got a super cute way of saying certain words, like "blacelet" for bracelet, "ploblem" for problem, and his r sound is still a w sound. So cute.

~ He learned how to ride a bike without trainings wheels at just 3.5 years old - way ahead of the other two which totally surprised me! Tim and Nat were both four, but closer to five when they learned. He's quite athletic already, just like both of his siblings and his dad. Definitely doesn't get it from me!

~ He is slowly learning how to sign all of the letters of the alphabet. I figured if he loves to use his hands so much, he should do something useful with his quirks :) We'll soon be working on some other basic signs.

~ He is a big time hugger and snuggler. He loves to be cuddled.

That's about all I can think of right now. I'm just proud of the cutie pie he is and how he is totally unique. There's not a single kid out there like him!


Sunday, May 3, 2015

What's Going On

It's been awhile again, as I tend to with blogging...

Last we left off, my anxiety was through the roof. While I'd like to report that all is well, I can't - BUT I can tell you that my anxiety has greatly improved. I'm surrounded by amazing friends who do nothing but encourage me, support me, and build me up. I am so grateful for my "Brain Trust" and the ways they make me laugh,make me feel better, and pretty much just surround me with light and love. Of course I can't leave out my husband who has had to deal with my insanity over the last couple months :)

Life has gotten away with me. We had an amazing trip over spring break to TN and GA that I intended to blog about, and may still do. Timothy started soccer a few weeks ago and LOVES it. The Boy eats, sleeps, breathes soccer. He is definitely his father's son. He is naturally athletic and just can't get enough. Baby Girl has been doing amazing with her reading and does so well. She LOVES school and is sad that it's ending in a month. She adores her teacher and has made so many wonderful friends that I know she will miss over the summer. Thankfully her best friend's mom is part of my brain trust so they can't escape each other, haha. Sammy is growing fast and at three years old is the youngest of my three to learn how to ride a bike without training wheels! For a kid that does everything last minute, I can say I am overly impressed with how quickly he caught on to riding a bike.

I never in my life imagined how busy I'd be as a technical SAHM. Monday is basically the only day I have to myself at the moment, and when I say "to myself" I mean me and Sam. We're a team. But my gigs are winding down as well and I'm sad. I love the kids at Mars and at LaGrave. I will miss them over the summer and I really hope I will see them all again in the fall. I also love the relationships I've built with Kathy, Lynn, Sher, Jo, and Julie (my partners in crime, ROFL) as we've calmed the chaos.

Things haven't been completely easy with the kids, though. Timmy went through an anxious time while Chris was gone in NYC for work and Natalie is going through an intense phase of emotional distress which causes everyone in the house to be knocked for a loop. We are working through it and I know we'll come out on the other end in a better place. Until then, keep pulling for us! As for my husband and my brain trust (you know who you are!), keep praying, sending love and light, and buy me rolos. 

Friday, February 13, 2015

My Best Buddy

First, I want to thank everyone for their kind words on FB, in the comments, and in messages. I know so many people struggle with anxiety, depression, etc and if there wasn't such a stigma surrounding these disorders, more people would be willing to discuss their battles. I guess I'm just at the point where I can't hide it anymore. Writing has always been my outlet and maybe through my writing I can not only work through my own issues, but others might feel they can as well.

Now, on to My Best Buddy. That would be my Sammy. He's 3.5 now and for awhile we've always just called each other Best Buddy. He's been by my side since he was born unlike his older siblings, he's spent much of his toddler (and older) years having a lot of one on one time with me because the other two are in school. Timmy only had 17 months to himself before he had to share me. Natalie never got that time because Sammy came along when she was 22 months old. But Sammy has been enjoying one on one time with me since he was two, even if it was only for a few mornings a week. But now he has all day every day with me and we do everything together. He's my "baby" and I do a lot of talking to him throughout the day. Sometimes we talk about kitties and birdies and other times we talk about why we feel sad or why we feel angry or happy or upset, pretty much how I'm feeling on any given day because when my shadow is with me, I can't hide anything.

I woke up with anxiety tummy today, as I have for the last month. I'm at the end of my rope with this and I just can't do it anymore. After my shower this morning, I sat down on the steps and cried. Sammy was downstairs riding his bike and I heard him come running upstairs. He sits down with me, looks worried, and says, "Mommy, you crying?" He looks like he's about to cry too and says, "You have a tummy ache? I hug you. I make you feel better." We snuggle and he says, "Mommy, you feel better now?" And you know what? I do. My tummy isn't as anxious as it was before. I think I might even feel a little bit hungry, which I haven't really felt true hunger in days.

My Best Buddy is an amazing little person. He's already in tune to how people are feeling and wants to make people feel better. In fact, all of my kids are this way and I think it's because of all the people in the world I don't hide my feelings from, it's them. They've seen me at my worst - when I've been so mad over the littlest things where I have thrown toys and cursed and yelled and totally lost it in front of them - but then when I'm done, we all sit down and talk about it. I apologize for how I acted, explain how I was feeling and that it was NOT them and that sometimes I have very little control over how my body reacts to things. Other times they've seen me so down that I sit and cry for an hour. During that time my sweet little people rally around me and snuggle with me and draw me pictures and hug me and tell me they love me. My children are my support system and I can't imagine them not being with me. I'm only admitting this for the reason I stated above - I can't be the only one who has totally lost it on their kids and I can't be the only one who is an emotional wreck in front of their kids. It's how we work through it with our kids after all is said and done that is important. I am never afraid to apologize to my kids for things I have said and done around them or to them. I let them ask me any questions they want and I will always answer them honestly. I don't baby talk to my children and I don't blow smoke up their butts. For this, my children are incredibly in tune with their own feelings, and with people around them. In their short lives they've had to witness much more than most people have in their entire lives and they will continue to learn about other real life issues as they grow (not all including me, and honestly, this isn't an all the time thing. MOST of the time I'm a normal boring adult who wants to just sit and veg out in front of the TV and feed my kids mac n cheese.)

Anyway, so there's that. Just opening up here. I'm owning it. I'm owning my imperfections and my struggles. I am not going to hide anymore. I am going to force myself to be happy and to put myself out there and it's not to be faking it til I make it anymore. It's going to be because sitting at home feeling like crap is not going to change anything. I want to feel better and I want to get past this, so the only thing I can do is try. I remember a very early episode of The Simpsons - Lisa Gets the Blues. At the end of the episode, Marge has Lisa force a smile. Later Marge realizes she was wrong to make Lisa force herself to smile, but at the same time Lisa ended up feeling like smiling because she did. So it's a little bit of both - you don't have to fake your feelings, but trying to feel better just might work.

Peace.


Friday, January 30, 2015

Icy Lake Michigan

Last weekend we took the kids to Holland to check out the ice on Lake Michigan, and to have dinner at our usual place, Village Inn. We have a yearly tradition to go to Holland and swim in the summer and have dinner at Village Inn, so doing it in the winter was a lot of fun. We had their snow pants with us, but for some reason we didn't put the kids in them before venturing out to the Lake. It was brisk and everything was covered in ice, snow, and puddles. It was gorgeous! The kids had a blast walking on the ice and sliding down the side of the pier like penguins. They ended up soaked and Sam was the only one we had extra pants for. We stopped at Goodwill and got the big kids new jeans to wear and went to dinner. It was a really nice time and I hope it's a new yearly tradition for us as well :)











Thursday, January 29, 2015

Sammyisms - The PT Edition

On the first of the year, Sammy decided that maybe, just maybe, it is okay to pee somewhere other than his diaper or into a fan. It was actually a very easy process and even the issues we thought would be hard to overcome have been fairly easy. He had very few accidents since deciding he wanted to wear underwear.

Yesterday, I sat in the bathroom with Sammy while he did his business. We were in there for nearly 30 minutes. It was ridiculous. The entire time he narrated every little moment of his pooping experience. (I noticed his other Sammyism has to do with poop too. I'm seeing a trend.) "Mommy, that's my poophole. The poop goes down into that poophole. I'm pooping! The poop came out! *toots* My butt did that. Mommy, my butt pooped."

I can't believe just a couple months ago I was really concerned he'd never be potty trained. Now I'm concerned he'll never stop narrating his bodily functions. I'd say "life with boys" but Natalie is the one that said, "That's just the sound my butt makes" when she tooted once back when she was two. It's just kids. Kids are gross. And hilarious.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Sammyisms ~ The Kitty Edition

Sammy is obsessed with our cat, Abbey. I got Abbey when she was about a year old and she just recently turned 14, so she's been around for a long time. Lately he pretty much stalks the poor cat to the point that she has moved her living area to the basement. Don't worry, she's plenty warm. "Her" chair is under a heat vent and we moved the cat box down there for her.

Sam tries to carry her around, which displeases her greatly. He has battle wounds in the form of scratches from the many times he tries to pull her tail. During those rare moments when sunshine peeps through the windows in the living room, Abbey will pull up a spot on the rug and bathe herself. The other morning I caught Sam sitting in the sunshine, leg up in the air, pretending to bathe himself.

This morning he chased Abbey into the basement and I wanted him to come back upstairs, so I pretended to shut him in the basement. I heard him pitter-patter up the stairs to the door, where he started to meow to be let out. "Sammy kitty!" he said proudly.

A couple weeks ago, it was getting towards bedtime, so I sat at the table with Nat and Tim making necklaces and Sam ran into the corner of the dining room. It was quite obviously he was 'doing his business,' so I asked, "Sammy, are you pooping?"

"No. Sammy no pooping."

"Sammy IS pooping."

"No," he said, then he pointed to the cat. "Abbey pooping."

"Abbey is not pooping; Sammy is pooping."

"No, Abbey pooping in her pants."

Poor cat gets blamed for everything!

I tried to get a picture of Sam with Abbey, but with Abbey's obvious dislike of Sammy, it was next to impossible.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Admitting Defeat

I feel very defeated today. I am exhausted. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of nonstop chaos. School started, which meant a brand new school for Timmy, all day every day, and dealing with an overly tired five year old is definitely wearing thin on me. Natalie now goes to school three days a week, which isn't a huge deal. I'm frustrated with her because she went through almost the entire month of August and the first half of September without any accidents at all. The last week she has peed in her undies at least once a day again. If she were actually trying or felt bad when she had accidents I wouldn't be so upset, but she just doesn't try and she just doesn't care. She lies to me about it. So she gets a time out. I reiterate that the time out is for lying, not for the accident. She just doesn't care. Have I mentioned that age four is my least favorite age so far? Timmy was the worst child I had ever seen when he was 4. Now Natalie has his that age and I'm ready to run away forever. And Sammy? He refuses to wear diapers but pees on the floor. He rarely naps now and is unbearable when he doesn't. He has discovered how to voice his opinion and is getting physical. He pushes Tim and Nat and yells at everyone. He screeches that pteradatcyl screech any time he doesn't approve of something. My head is ready to explode by 5pm.

Then Chris was gone on a trip to the UP and then for work and while I am happy he got to have some time to himself to go hand out with friends and do something fun, I am incredibly jealous. When is it my turn? When do I get to go away for a week without kids? I never have. I'm fairly certain that the only time I have ever been able to be away from my kids over night (by myself) was when I was in the hospital last year. Oh boy, what a vacation that was! Almost dying, hopped up on incredibly strong drugs, and in constant and severe pain. Party time!

I joined the Moms Club in hopes of making new friends (which I have!) and being able to get out and do fun things with the kids but I haven't done anything! It's partly on me - when I am actually able to go do something with them I am just so exhausted and grouchy that I stay home so that no one has to deal with me being a whiny pile of over-tired mommy. Now I start a new "gig" tomorrow and help with childcare at a Bible study. I'm happy to help this and start saving some of my own money, but now I'm really feeling like I'm being spread too thin. I'm trying to help with things at Nat's preschool, I want to be involved with Timmy's school, and I feel very overwhelmed now.

What I want - a trip to a nice hotel (doesn't have to be overly fancy, just something with a clean tub, nice smelling towels, a comfy bed, a fridge, and an awesome TV with lots of channels. I want to be by myself - ALL ALONE - for like three nights. Somewhere with a continental breakfast and coffee available at all times. And not in Grand Rapids. I don't want to be close enough that if my kids want me I feel guilty being that close. I want to be far enough away that it wouldn't make sense for me to go home so that I don't feel as much guilt for being away from them. I want to watch movies and crap TV. I want to write. I want to crochet. I want to nap whenever I feel like napping. I want to take a walk by myself in an area where I'm unfamiliar so that it seems like an adventure.

*sigh*

I know, in 16 years my kids will theoretically be out of the house and then I'll get my break, right? Probably not. But I can dream!

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Long Lost Blogger

Yep, as usual life got going and I haven't update in ages. Let's see, what is going on here in Cavaland...

+ Timmy started kindergarten! He is having so much fun in his new class and has already made some new friends! He talks a lot about Eden (a friend from preschool!), Mussa, Ryan, and Riley. The days are long and he often comes home an emotional mess, but he is learning so much and his mind is such a sponge. He is sounding out words and trying to spell words on his own. Yesterday he spelled out a-b-l and said, "Look! I spelled apple!" Even though it wasn't even close to most people, I was really impressed by him trying to find the sounds in the word.

+ Natalie started MWF preschool This is going to be the year that will decide if I put her in kindergarten next year or in young 5s. The way she is going now, I can see her going straight into kindergarten, but it's so hard to say. She IS potty trained FINALLY but recently has been having random accidents again, but I remember Timmy doing that at 4. She loves school and has so many little friends to play with, her favorites being Megan, Kenzie, and Ki'ahir.

+ Sammy turned 2 over the summer and he is definitely taking the terrible twos very seriously lately. He is exerting his own will most of the time and yells NO to us a lot, but he is still a very sweet snuggler who jabbers nonstop.

+ We went to the UP with Tim and Nat in August. It was actually a lot of fun with very little issues! We hiked and went to Lake Superior but most of the time we spent our days being lazy at the cabin and enjoying the beautiful weather and scenery. Natalie loved collecting toads in a bucket while Timmy loved fishing and swimming with Chris. I enjoyed not having to chase a two year old, but did miss my Sammy. He spent that week with Grandpa and Grandma C getting to have his own special time being spoiled.

+ We said goodbye to Wriley last week. It was her time, as the saying goes. Her hips were getting really bad and her legs would go out from under her while she walked and her aggression was getting really bad. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done. Timmy and I were a mess. Every day now we talk about what Wriley and Cooper are doing in Doggy Heaven. We agree that they are usually swimming or eating.

+ I joined a Moms Club through an online friend who actually happens to live by me! I haven't been able to do much with the group yet because Chris was gone to the UP for a few days and then had a work conference for a few more, but I'm really hoping to be able to do some more things with them in October. The ladies are all really nice!

+ I'm starting a new "job" this week! On Thursday mornings I'll be helping with childcare at a church nearby while there is a Bible Study going on. It does pay AND I get to bring my kids with me! Awesome! It may not seem like much, but it's a start! It won't be long and I'll be heading back into the working (out of the home) world and will need some things to plump up my resume considering I haven't worked out of the home since 2008!

That's about all I can think of right now. I'll try to do individual posts about the kids and how they are doing eventually, but for now I am just trying to keep up on any updates!

BTW - I don't plan on making this blog be JUST about the kids - I have so many other things I want to write about - my struggles with weight loss and health troubles, things I like, crafts and what not...but for the most part I do just love writing about my kids and about parenting from the perspective of a flaky mom with her hands full most of the time. I hope people do continue to read even if it does get boring!

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Samuel at *Almost* 21 Months

This Boy. This Samuel Harrison. I cannot begin to even describe this little guy. He is one of the most laid back, mellow, affectionate little boys I have ever seen. Most of the time. The rest of the time, this kid is  climbing. Everything. EVERYTHING. He is HILARIOUS too - the way he rambles his gibberish, his expressions, the things that he does with toys...too much.

He is starting to talk a lot more and show likes and dislikes in all areas. He LOVES Yo Gabba Gabba (just like his bubba and sissy!) and can't get enough of Brobee. He loves to eat and would all day long if we let him. He loves animals and babies and his favorite toys are cars, Nat's My Little Ponies, Cabbage Patch Dolls, books, and anything small that he can just carry around all day with him.

Some of his words are: Bow-beh (Brobee), Goggy (Doggy), Bye, Hi, Mama/Mommy, Dada/Daddy, Nini (what he calls his doll), Baby, Jump, Gabba (For Yo Gabba), Abbey (our cat), No, Deez (Please), Muk (Milk), Boat, Shoes, Eat, Nana (Banana), Coat, Socks...lots of words! He also "sings" along with music in the car or on TV.

He is obsessed with light switches, shoes and socks, and Brobee. He is starting to play with the other two, but still more of a parallel playing style. He loves any toys that make music and light up and with lots of buttons to press.

He is about 25lbs and 32" tall. Squatty boy. His eyes are really hard to tell what color they are. They are dark blue on the outside with a ring of hazel in the middle. I bet he'll go dark the way Natalie did. It took her two years for her eye color to change to green. His eyes are so round and expressive and he knows how to roll them already.

Some big news in his life is that we are in the process of figuring out some food allergies. He spent the entire winter with a terrible case of Eczema on his face, legs, and bottom. Nothing would take care of it. He also had a chronic runny nose, nasty poos, and would be irritable at bedtime. I took him into the doctor last week and she was 99% convinced that he has a dairy allergy. We have completely cut any and all milk/dairy from his diet. He is actually on almost a Vegan diet because he doesn't like to eat a lot of meat so I have been looking up a lot of Vegan recipes. I'm also learning that there is milk or milk proteins in so many foods I'd have never suspected - which makes me wonder what else is being snuck into food that we don't know about. While all of this is a pain in the butt, it has really inspired me to really think about the foods we are putting in our bodies. I've started making a lot more things at home so that I know what is going into them. I made some almond butter that Timmy says is better than the store bought peanut butter we have. All that is in it is almonds and a pinch of salt! I also bought cashews and peanuts so that I can make some other things that are high in protein that I know my boys love. Natalie, on the other hand, can't stand any type of nut or nut product.

We've had to switch his diapers (he is now using 7th gen dipes, but I am considering switching back to cloth because those dipes are insanely expensive.). We can no longer use the soap and detergents that we have been with him. I made a fresh batch of laundry soap for the entire family so that we don't have to constantly sort out Sam's clothes. I plan on making a dryer ball out of wool yarn so that I can get rid of dryer sheets.

I also have to limit/cut out as many citrus and acidic foods as I can, like certain fruits and veggies. I am learning so much from my friends who have had to deal with food allergies - and I'm glad that my sister dealt with this as a parent because my nephew had a LOT of food allergies when he was small like Sam. I think he has since outgrown most of them but may still have a few allergies.

If anyone reading this has any advice, tips, recipes, etc for children with dairy allergies, I am all ears! Thanks!

And now I leave you with a few cute pics of Sammy.

Eating lunch with Brobee

Reading, one of his favorite things to do

Gotta have a Brobee shirt!

Wearing Timmy's shoes

Swinging at Riverside Park



Sunday, October 28, 2012

Where Have I Been?

Wow...I totally slacked on updating this thing! Part of me wants to just delete the whole thing but then I figure I'd eventually miss having a blog so I might as well keep it around for when I need to write. Right now Facebook took away my posting abilities because some "friend" decided to report two of my pics of the kids in the tub. There was NOTHING showing on these pics and what sucks that they were mobile pics that I don't have on my phone anymore so I'll never have those pictures back. FB already took away my video uploading abilities. What a bunch of crap.

Timothy and Natalie are both in preschool this year, just on different days. They love it and have so many friends and are doing really well. Timmy is 4.5 and Nat turned 3 in September. Samuel is now 15.5 months old and is the sweetest little munchkin. The only time he's really not content is when food is involved. He could eat and eat! He is really snuggly and really smart and is saying a lot of words these days.

Chris and I are doing well! He's super busy with work and I'm busy with the kids and being at the school nearly every day. I love it though. It keeps me from being too bored.

I guess the biggest thing that is going on in my life right now has to do with my mom - as usual. She has once again overdosed (she did this in May as well) in hopes of committing suicide. This time we are not letting her go back to living alone but getting her into an AFC home is not going to be easy especially if she decides to fight us. I'll be taking Abbey back to live with us (this will make the kids excited to have a cat again) which is probably going to be the hardest thing for Mom to deal with.

I sure hope to get back into the habit of writing in here again. I could always use a place to vent.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

FAIL! And Updates :)

Yep. I totally failed at blogging more frequently. OOPS. Oh well!

So what's new around here?

Hmm.

With Sammy: He will be seven months old on Monday! He is learning to sit, can roll from back to front, and gets on his hands and knees and rocks. It won't be long and he will be a mobile baby! Well, he is now but only in reverse.

He had his first (and my first) choking experience a couple weeks ago. I had to do the baby heimlich. Scary! Thankfully he was just fine and even laughed afterwards.

He loves to eat! His favorites are squash and pears. The only food I've come across that he really shows any dislike for is peas. He is the first of my babies to like the baby food meats LOL!

He had surgery recently to correct his Hypospadias. He did great and is all better now!

He is currently 17.5lbs and 28" long! Big boy! He just got his first big boy car seat as well - he has moved up to a MyRide!

With Natalie: Miss Noodles is as funny and feisty as ever. She loves to yell at us and constantly tells us to "stop it!" Though usually it's irrelevant to anything going on at the time. She also likes to say things are "scary" and she does it in this sad little tone.

She has starting showing an interest in the potty and has even had a few days where she's worn underwear! She still has accidents but has also started going pee in "Timmy's potty" as well. Such a big girl!

She counts all the time now and with help can count to twenty. She also knows her abc*s and can recognize probably half of the letters now. She loves to sing and dance and does both all day long. Her love right now is being a ballerina and will rip off her clothes and wear only a tutu and her ballet shoes for most of the day and will spin and spin saying that she is a ballerina. We've started calling her "Natalina Ballerina" after her favorite show and she answers to it.

She still loves Gabba. She also loves Bob the Builder. She adores her brothers "Baby Sammy Salmon" and "Hiffy" more than anything. She's been quite the daddy's girl lately too.

With Timmy: Timmy is still our silly almost FOUR! year old. He has days where he is nonstop naughty and days where he is so good and helpful. Some days I see a light at the end of the tunnel that the worst is over with his terrible toddler years and then other days all I wait for is the kids to be in bed and to sit with a glass of wine and unwind. He is so sensitive and emotional - I love that about him. He cares deeply for everyone and is so observant to so many things. He has a phenomenal photographic memory and while driving around town can recall where things are or were - things like where certain ArtPrize entries were located, like Steam Pig and the car that had all sorts of junk plastered all over it. The kids always ask about Steam Pig so I told them he moved to Arizona. Heaven forbid we ever actually go to Arizona and I have to explain why we can't go visit that blasted pig.

Timmy's love is Bob the Builder. He loves to go out and dig. I think it's because Timmy loves Bob so much that Natalie does too. She wants to do everything her brother does. In turn though, Timmy loves to do anything Natalie loves as well so lately he has taken to stripping down to his underwear and being a ballerina as well. They are inseparable best friends.

He is doing really well in preschool. He seems to be that kid who is friends with everyone including the teachers. His best friends still remain Lucas and Ryan. He constantly talks about them and recently drew pictures for them at home and made me mail them to his friends. He also talks a lot about Charlie A and Paige C. Recently he has mentioned Spencer and Sam as well.

He had a regression recently with using the potty but a trip to the doctor last week including a finger poke to check his blood glucose helped him get back on the right track. He went five days in a row with no accidents! This is huge considering there were some days when it would be one accident after the other. He really doesn't want to go back and have his finger poked again.

Timmy has learned how to write his name! T-i-M. Though sometimes it's upside, backwards, or mixed up - but he can do it!

With Wriley: She smells like crap and scares the kids. She annoys me but I still love her.

With Me & Chris: We got a new van! We will be getting rid of McCoy soon. We now have a 2003 Olds Silhouette. Power doors, heated leather seats, DVD/TV set up, and to me the most exciting thing is that it has sliders on BOTH sides, not just on the passenger side. We're moving up in the world! This is the most exciting thing I have to share about us, haha.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Puke & Packing Peanuts

My husband was in two Fantasy Football leagues this season, as he is every season for the last several years. This year he won one of the leagues and in this league, the winner receives a giant trophy.

Said trophy arrived in the mail today. It arrived in a big box. Coincidentally (or not?), this week in Timmy's preschool it was Box Week - they created things with boxes, hid in boxes, played in boxes, decorated boxes, etc. Well, Chris opened his trophy and inside was a delightful assortment of long pieces of paper, bubble wrap, and packing peanuts. The box was also the perfect size for not only a three-year old to fit inside, but also for a two-year old. Both Timmy and Natalie climbed in. It was fun for them, playing in the packing peanuts. They threw some up in the air, popped the bubbles on the bubble wrap, crinkled the paper, and enjoyed the fun that only toddlers can. (Except for maybe the bubble wrap - Chris and I both enjoyed that a little too much.) I was focusing on their fun and not on the mess they were making. Most of the contents did remain in the box, so Chris said, "I'll clean it up."

Today is Thursday, so Chris needed to go upstairs and change for basketball. I stayed downstairs with the kids and was rocking with Samuel. Samuel felt that during this time it would be appropriate to regurgitate his previous meal all over me. I was clearly not thinking when I went upstairs to change my clothes and get the puke off of me. Chris said, "I fear what they're doing down there," as we listened to the laughter and shrieks of delight coming from down below.

"I've learned to not fear it and just accept it," I told him.

I am pretty sure Chris regretted saying, "I'll clean it up."







BTW - Packing Peanuts are incredibly static-y. I mean, so much that when you put them in the trash they fly out the top and stick to the wall. This being said, Chris and I ate ham out of a bag for dinner and the kids had a fruit bar, an orange, and a banana.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Resolution Update

Well, we're four days into the new year and I'm doing pretty well! I even read a book! Granted it was 53 pages, but it was a book no less. And it had me bawling. I got it free on my phone and holy cow...tears. The Glass Case was basically about a young mother of three dealing with the loss of her own mother during a scary moment in her life.

I also started back up on MyFitnessPal (add me - mommy2tns - if you have an account!) and am getting a lot of encouragement from my fellow July PR mommies.

Sam is getting two teeth! He also was able to push his chest off the floor today. This is big since he's never really been into tummy time.

That's about it :)

Monday, December 19, 2011

Stress.

I have been under a lot of stress; family issues, personal issues, you name it. Christmas is closing in and I have such a mess of clutter down in the basement that I need to go through and get wrapped and so many projects I still need to undertake with very little time to do so.

Add to it that I came down with the flu or something equally sucky over the last few days. Fever of nearly 102, terrible head cold, body aches, the whole shebang. I've felt so terrible and while I'm slowly feeling better, I'm still not feeling great.

To top it off, the kids have been unbearable. They collapsed Natalie's SECOND crib tent this morning (thankfully Chris salvaged it), Timmy has been peeing in his underwear for no apparent reason, Natalie is going through a stubborn hitting phase, and neither of them listen at all anymore. I do realize it comes with the age, but with so much stress I've been dealing with, it doesn't help.

Chris hasn't been feeling great either, so thankfully my parents came to the rescue and took Timmy and Natalie for the night. I should have some time tomorrow to go through the things in the basement and maybe make a few things.

It got to the point today where I deactivated my facebook account before I vented something and regretted what I said. I'll probably reactivate it tomorrow or Wednesday when I'm feeling a little better. A break is good every so often.

I'm excited to start the New Year off right. I have so many new ideas and goals for 2012. First, I won't be doing 365 with Timmy and Natalie. I'll continue it with Sammy because for now I can still just snap away and he doesn't care. The other two are sick of pictures. I thought I'd also start a new 365 project where I take a picture of the same item every day. I already have this picked out but won't unveil anything until the New Year.

As far as weight loss goes, I'm at a stand still and not going to worry about it until the holidays are done. I did weigh myself today with the fear that I'd gained a ton but I was at 162.5 so I can't complain! Being sick helps I'm sure, haha!

Another goal for 2012 is going to be to actually blog more, spend less time on facebook and the computer all together, and to work hard at being the mommy and wife I've always wanted to be. I need to hold myself accountable and I need others to hold me accountable to keeping with my goals.

In other news, Sammy has started eating solids! This child lives to eat and loves to eat. He is constantly on the boob so I thought that I'd start him on solids and see if he was ready and boy was he! He polished off a whole thing of bananas at dinner tonight! He loves it. He's so funny! He opens his mouth as wide as it can go and sticks his tongue all the way out in anticipation of the next bite. He's so unlike Natalie in this sense where with her I had to force her mouth open and finally gave up and she didn't eat solids until she was nearly eight months old.

As much as I love the holidays, I am looking forward to being done with them this year. I can't wait to start fresh in 2012!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Baby Tres!

I just realized that I never actually announced Baby Tres' arrival on my blog!

Samuel Harrison was born on July 13, 2011, at 4:53pm. He weighed 6lbs 9oz and was 18" long.

To make a very long birth story relatively shorter, I'll attempt to give you the abridged version.

I had been having contractions on and off for several weeks - some that were incredibly intense and timeable and others that were just kind of annoying. I was also dealing with the issue that he was transverse up until the end and would constantly flip around.

On Monday, July 11, 2011, I started having regular contrax again that were lasting anywhere from 30-60 seconds and were about 3-7 minutes apart. They were getting more and more intense as time went on, so in the middle of the night, very early Tuesday morning, Chris and I headed into the hospital (G&G C came to stay with T&N).

I was dilated to 1-2 at that point and was told to do some walking, so that's what we did - walked. I was checked again and made it to a three, so we did some more walking, I had a bath, and they checked me again but I had made no progress. They monitored me for awhile but I wasn't making anymore progress, so they prepared to discharge me. At that point I was starting to feel really sick and had a terrible headache, like I had been drinking for days and had a killer hangover. They gave me a shot of Phenargan and sent me on my way. We got home around 7am on Tuesday the 12th and I was feeling terrible. I attempted to sleep for awhile but was still incredibly nauseous and felt like I couldn't breathe. I eventually threw up and could barely walk down the stairs so Chris brought me back to the ER.

Throughout the day the contractions continued but I was still making no progress so we decided to just do an induction. I was admitted to the hospital and wouldn't be leaving without my baby at that point, so there was relief there but I was really nervous about the induction. They started the pitocin around 7am on the 13th and by 4pm I was ready to push, but had to keep holding him in because my doc was trying to do two deliveries at once! Eventually we couldn't wait anymore so the back-up doc delivered my sweet son. At the time I didn't know, but he was born posterior. No wonder I wasn't making any progress!

He ended up with some pretty bad colic for several weeks, but regular trips to the chiropractor really helped him. He has these amazing chubby cheeks, eyes that have a slight slant to them (he looks slightly Asian LOL!) and the softest, fluffiest, tiniest bit of light brown hair.

He smiled at 7 weeks and now regularly smiles and laughs, especially if you make him clap his hands or you sing to him. He likes Pink Panther and Max and Ruby.

He is really upset at this moment, so I have to go and feed the little guy!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Bad Blogger.

I've been a bad blogger. I haven't updated in ages! I suppose I have a pretty cute excuse is my now three-month-old baby boy! I can't believe my Sammy is three months old! He is the sweetest little thing despite us having to deal with so many issues in those short months.

He had colic. Bad. We're talking nonstop screaming for hours without any consoling. Thankfully he has outgrown that. He is an entirely different baby now. He is pretty calm and just wants to be held for the most part. He is so snuggly and smile-y - even though he didn't start smiling til 7 weeks! He is a chunker which I LOVE. Timmy was a chunker, but not like this! Natalie never went through a chunky phase. She's still a peanut. We also had a ton of breastfeeding issues at first, like he wouldn't latch at all and we eventually were able to nurse with nipple shields but I am glad to see that is all behind us now!

Timmy is in preschool now! He is a very smart, funny, and clever boy. He loves to act out his fave TV shows and movies (WordWorld, The Brave Little Toaster, The Fox and the Hound Two) and could spend all day outside just riding his bike up and down the driveway. He comes up with the funniest things to say and he absolutely dotes on his baby brother. Natalie is still his best friend even though at preschool his best friends are Lucas and Ryan and at preschool pier his best friend is Elijah. His cousins Peter, Andrew, and Karson are his heroes. He still has his moments, but I'm happy to say that he is slowly outgrowing the terrible threes. He tries to help out even though sometimes it's not helpful at all. He is really big into pretending and role-playing - some of his funniest things to pretend are that he's a Jimmy John's delivery car.

If Natalie were old enough, she'd be going to preschool right along with Timmy. She is precocious, sassy, and downright hilarious. She is bossy and independent and knows just what she wants. She is still a free-spirited little monkey but her vocabulary has really exploded over the last few months. She's kinda hard to understand most of the time unless you know her, but boy oh boy does she talk and does she love to tell people what to do! Yet she's still incredibly affectionate, sweet, and snuggly. She loves to read and loves to play with her babies. She is a little girl who amazes me more and more each day.

So...that's about it with what's going on with the kiddos! They're crazy, sweet, and the reason I get up each day.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Thirty-Nine Weeks

I will be 39 weeks pregnant tomorrow. I haven't really been blogging because I figure most people don't want to read about the complaints I have had lately - everyone gets enough of that on facebook and elsewhere. I really don't mean to complain and I try my best to roll with things, but like the end of my pregnancy with Natalie, anxiety has really set it - only worse this time.

It started when there was the risk of facing a c-section due to Baby Boy's position. At 35 weeks we discovered he was transverse. I had a couple more ultrasounds and thankfully he has been staying head down for the most part since 37 weeks. I have also had contractions on and off daily for two weeks now. Sometimes they have become pretty strong and just a few minutes apart, but they always taper off especially if I am able to relax in bed and go to sleep. I did end up in labor and delivery once though - not for contractions, but for bleeding. Turns out the bleeding was just from being checked at my doctor's appointment, but it was still stressful nonetheless.

I am 2cm dilated and thick and have been for weeks now. I feel like the contractions I've endured have done nothing except cause me unnecessary pain, which is another reason I've been frustrated and anxious. I know that you can go from no progress at all to having a baby in just a few short hours, but knowing that my body isn't making the physical progress is frustrating. I also realize that I still have a week until my due date and all a due date is is an estimate - not an expiration date. I am just done. I've had severe hip pain and back pain over the last week, sometimes to the point that I cannot walk or lift my legs and the pain of even rolling over in bed brings me to tears. I've learned this is a condition called Pelvic Girdle Pain. I just do my best to make sure I don't overdo it the way I did on the 4th. Today my hips feel like they are dislocated, but it's not to the point where I can't walk.

I've been feeling so depressed and anxious lately. I've spent so many days in the last couple weeks stuck in crying jags that last for hours. It only takes one thing to set me off whether it's just a bad morning with the kids or the sudden thought that soon I'll have a newborn, a toddler, and a preschooler. I constantly find myself doubting my abilities as a mom and worrying about my relationship with all three kids. I worry that I'll be neglecting all of them for different reasons. I am afraid I won't be able to have that bonding time with Baby Boy because I'll be so busy taking care of Natalie and Timmy. It took me ten months to really start to feel like I had bonded with Natalie and that in itself was part of the cause of my PPD after she was born.

I'm starting on Zoloft to help ward off any strong feelings of depression. The funny thing is, I got the prescription filled two days ago and I've yet to take a pill because I simply haven't remembered. It isn't going to do me any good if it's sitting on the counter unopened. I've also been given the option to induce at the end of the week. It's entirely up to me. Part of me just wants to do the induction to be done with everything and to know that there is an end in sight. Even though knowing that I can plan the day of his (possible) birth, I am still leaning against doing an induction until I'm at least overdue. I still like the idea of possibly having a due date baby and at this point it's only a week away. Plus, there are so many risks involved with having an induction and I really want to avoid having pitocin if I don't have to have it. It is definitely something I am praying about and will have to see how I am feeling by my appointment on Wednesday.

It's not all bad though - knowing that this is most likely the last time I'll be pregnant (Lord willing) I am doing my best to enjoy the endless kicking and rolling from this boy. I know there will be times when I will feel "empty" after he is born. I felt that way so strongly after Timmy was born. I am really looking forward to newborn snuggles.

It is really fun watching Timmy talk to Baby Brother through my tummy and having him feel the baby kick. He is really excited for Baby Brother to come and play :)

I will just have to wait and see what this next week holds for us.

Friday, April 29, 2011

28 weeks!

I had my 28 week appointment this morning. Baby's hb was 146 and he was wiggling all over. He appears to be head down now and I hope he stays that way! I'm measuring right on still, so woo hoo!! Perhaps we have a normal-sized baby still baking in there! I asked Dr. VS about the bleeding I had earlier this week and he said it was most likely caused by the coughing and the pressure on my lady bits. The spotting is completely gone now, so yay!

I also saw the PA at my regular doctor's office yesterday about my cough. She said my lungs were clear and it's just coughing left over from bronchitis. She put me on Z-Pak and also told me take Sudafed (I got Walgreens brand...totally forgetting that we already had some at home...DOH!). I also picked up some iron pills and now I feel good and drugged. So far no change in my coughin, but hopefully soon.

I can't believe I'm getting so much closer to having this boy!! I can't wait to see his sweet little face.