tonight’s funnies

Well, hello!

tonight… I let William barricade himself in the kitchen with play dough. I am in the other room and I overhear, “and he took the bread, broke it in half, and told them to eat”; then I hear “and he gave them juice”

that crazy kid is re-creating holy communion with his play dough!

super-cute or super-sacrilegious? you be the judge…

tonight, I was scratching my calf because well, it itched. Ryan walked over and started scratching my calf as well. thanks, kiddo!

did I mention he is in the “mimic everything that everyone does” stage? no? well, there it is.

tonight, William threw a monster cry fit when it was time for him to go to bed and I am D-O-N-E with his little fits waking up Ryan. my solution? I let him cry it out in the garage. (and for the record, I tried this once a few months ago but I put him on the back porch – Mike said that was not good because someone might hear him and call the police). it totally worked! he came back in totally fine.

tonight, I had to put eye drops in the eyes of two people in my house. wanna guess who got eye drops? not me. not William. wanna guess who threw a bigger fit about it? not Ryan.

look out, corporate America!

I’ve have my tie ready! My experience? Well, mostly there’s eating, sleeping, smiling, and playing. I can stick my hand in my mouth 20 different ways and I’m fluent in squeals. My mom says I have to get a job… so here I am. Do you have any positions available?

cereal? yes, please.

R started cereal a couple of weeks ago. It’s going well – can’t you tell?

Do you see my hand at the bottom of this picture holding R’s two hands down? That’s what we have to do every time he eats. The kid sticks his fists in his mouth ALL THE TIME, even when eating! At least it’s not boring – ha!

5 months

Well, the actual taking of the pictures was a little more timely than the posting of the pictures. Nevertheless… ladies and gentlemen, I present Ryan. and his rolls.
 
(I always forget to do these until the evening and by then the light is just plain stinky – oh well.)

fist. in mouth. all the time.


   





I am always a little surprised when I look closely at his head and see all the fuzz. Will was completely, and I mean completely, bald until about 18 months. Looks like Ryan may not have the same fate :)

Updates? Eats like a champ. Started on rice cereal. Smiles and grins and puts his fists in his mouth all the time. Rolls from his stomach to his back. Sleeping between 10 and 11 hours at night. Thinks that William is the most hilarious thing ever. Grasping at everything and putting it in his mouth. About to bust out of his 6 month clothes and size 2 diapers – we have to move up soon! Squeals and giggles and coos like it’s going out of style.

Such a beautiful, laid back, easy going baby. We are so blessed!

ahhh, picnic.

We headed to the park last Sunday evening, thanks to the brilliant suggestion of Emily, and because we were there a little early (I KNOW… early? Don’t ask - I have no idea how it happened.) I wanted to take come pics of my boys.

Here is Mike’s idea of what his best pose with the boys would be (and this TOTALLY makes the list as #321)


Ryan was not impressed by my photo skills

A little baseball. Can you tell that Mike is teaching Will how to lift his leg when he throws and hits? He’s trying, he’s really trying! (And this picture just qualified as #320 on the list)

And of course, what every 3 year old boy should do with their father at the park. love it.

chillin’ Bumpo-style

Oh! Hey, mom! Me? Oh, you know… just chillin’ in my PURPLE (not pink) Bumpo chair 


Not now, mom. Can’t talk. I’m busy…

… watching the OLYMPICS!!!! Go Bode! U-S-A! U-S-A!

(I knew you’d be proud.)

stats

4 month check-up for R on Friday:

over the whole RSV thing – all looks great!

weight – 15lbs 8 oz.!!!! believe it or not, this only puts him in the 75th percentile

height – 25 inches, 50th percentile

head – forgot the #, but in the 75th percentile

drools constantly. always smiling and laughing. can put his fist completely in his mouth. sleeping ~10 hours at night. 2 naps a day

sweet, sweet boy – love you!

4 months

Frank Sinatra has NOTHIN’ on this kiddo. Ryan is the new face of “ol’ blue eyes”

 

 

 

 

the outtake: he had just finished eating (apparently, quite a large meal for such a little guy…)

#323 and counting!

I am working on a list. partly for mike - to let him know how much he is loved. and partly for me – to remind me how blessed I am and to never, ever take anything for granted!

Reason #323 can be summed up in one word:

eyes

exhibit #1, as seen in the previous post

exhibit #2, as seen in the previous post

my two beautiful boys have the most gorgeous blue eyes thanks to their father! love you!

bye, bye breathing treatments!

Went to the dr. today to check on R’s RSV – whoo hoo!
no wheezing = no more breathing treatments;
still has a cough that could linger on another week;
has lost 5 oz. because he is not eating as well, but let’s be honest, he had a little to spare!
go back in 10 days for a re-check on his weight and his 4-month (yikes!) check-up/vaccines.

Hello, love!
 

W is having a Valentine’s Day party at his school on Friday. He signed up to bring candy (because he likes candy) and I signed him up for cookies (because, honestly, I want him to have cutie cookies for his party and how can I ensure that the cutie cookies are present unless I make them?!);
before Friday, I need to make his shirt (“heartbreaker”), make cookies (easy when you buy the pre-made dough!), and get Valentine cards together for his little friends! 
I also want to do a little cute shirt for R – just ‘cuz.

Doesn’t everyone need a good wolf/lion/whatever hat?

memos and elephants

Hey mom! What’s up?!
Me? Oh, nothin’. Just chillin’.


RSV? Whatchoo talkin’ ‘bout?
Must have missed that memo…

Mom, take it easy! No problem! Besides, how can you not smile when you are wearing elephants?!

Happy Wednesday!

a stream…

… of consciousness (by the way, in 4th grade I won my school’s spelling bee and advanced to the district competition – I got knocked out on the word conscientious! how is a 9 yr old supposed to know that word?! )

LOOK at this gorgeous boy!! Eli was born Saturday, 1/30 – a few weeks early but completely and wonderfully healthy! Congratulations Nick and Emily!!!!

Ryan has RSV – doing ok but on breathing treatments – someone forgot to tell him how sick babies are supposed to act – giggling and cooing, then cough, cough, cough; here are our “supplies”

Will started his new school today – didn’t want to leave so I guessed he liked it – only hiccup was that he ate two lunches (the school didn’t realize eh brought a lunchbox and served him their meal also!)

my employer’s policy on sick days makes no sense – my days are all gone bec. of maternity leave and so now, if I don’t want to have my pay docked, I have to be out at least three consecutive days to qualify for leave pool – sure! I’ll take three days off work so I WON’T loose money

will someone please fix the problem with the cost of prescription drugs? we have really decent insurance and man, am I glad we do!! but what about people who don’t have insurance? I am immensely grateful for sooooo many things!

I have a sticky note sitting right here of some super-cute projects I have seen on blogs/websites that I am dying to try – maybe tomorrow? one of them is a necklace from washers and ribbon. hhhmmmmm…

also have some photo projects I need to attend to

and do our taxes

and make a valentine’s shirt for Ryan – is Will to old to have one too? anyone seen a cute idea for a “big boy” valentine’s shirt?

we were at Ikea a couple of weekends ago and bought some solid pine mini-dressers that we are going to be using as nightstands by the bed – bought the stain a week ago but then, well, the world went crazy for a few days

speaking of… I finally feel calm again today – of course that is easy when I don’t have to go to work

Mike and I are determined to loose weight! I am going shopping for our e-mealz menu tomorrow and we are going to join the Snap Fitness up the street from the house just until summer – the plan is to take turns in the evenings and one person stay here while the other goes to work out, then switch – we’ll see! they have a great deal and it  is too good not to at least try it

and look at this! I was going through a bunch of flies the other day and found it – we took Will to Oktoberfest in Addison when he was about 9 months old – I made lederhosen for him! oh my gosh!!! I forgot how cute and round he was – he has changed so much!

found this one too! Will looks miserable! it was soooo cold that morning!

and just so no one feels left out: (Hello, Ryan!)

really?!?!?! (this is mostly whining – beware…)

Here is a summary of my last 36 hours, starting 10:30am on Thursday:

- get an e-mail (NOT a phone call) from the owner/director of William’s preschool saying they are CLOSING and want everyone to attend the school’s other location in Allen starting MONDAY (yes! that is 2 days notice)

{FREAK OUT!}

- realize we cannot transfer to the other location because it would mean at LEAST an hour round trip in the am and pm to the school

{FREAK OUT!}

- remember a friend had told me about her daughter’s school, call them, they have a spot open – PRAISE THE LORD!

- call Mike, explain everything, a little less freaking out

- leave school in the pm, Mike leaves work early to pick up William, we take him to the new place to see it, feel comfortable, etc. because we have to start there on MONDAY!

- vacuum cleaner issues (remind me about this later – a story which needs it’s own time)

- go eat dinner with Nick and Em, deal with sorta-sick, super-tired baby at dinner, eat a few wings, go home

- have a mentioned it was pouring rain most of this day? no? well it just made things that much easier…

- Mike puts Will to bed, I get Ryan down, then I go to the grocery store because awesome-me agreed earlier in the week to make taco soup and chocolate candies for work on Friday

- come home: bottles, lunches, chocolate candies, pack for school, bed.

- this morning: overslept. awesome. no shower. ew. that’s right.

- baby has gunk – suction a bunch of boogers from his nose at 6am

- make coffee: when I fill up my mug to take to work, all that comes out of the pot is water (ours is stainless and you can’t see into it)… I FORGOT TO PUT THE COFFEE IN THE COFFEE MAKER!

- super late to work. get there and realize it is “bring your dad to school day” and park 2 miles from the school; haul aforementioned chocolate candies and crock pot for soup 2 miles into school

- have I mentioned it was pouring rain all morning? did I fail to tell you it was 35 degrees? no? well, again, it really helped everything tremendously.

- made it through work. plan was to leave early, get Will, go play at the new school for a bit, then get Ryan and head home. um, no.

- Ryan’s sitter calls me at 3:15 saying he had a slight fever. I tell her I’m on my way. new plan: get Ryan first and drag him around in and out of cars/rain for the rest of the afternoon. call pediatrican. can’t get there before they close today, they say to call the on-call dr Sat am.

- get Will at his school. cry with the ladies there that he is leaving (apparently, all the other parents have 3 extra hours a day for driving around and are moving to the other location.). load up.

- go to new school. Will plays, Ryan poops, I change a diaper, Will pees on himself a bit while using the toilet at the new school. and it is still raining outside. and 32 degrees.

- ah, home. Ryan is so tired he goes to bed. Will hangs out with milk, Goldfish crackers, and Tigger and Pooh on tv. I develop a ridiculously awesome headache.

- Will pooped. not in the toilet. enough said.

- Will and I share a bagel for dinner ‘cause I am super-mom. Mike comes home with beer and wine (he has a 6th sense) and amuses Will (God bless that man!). Ryan wakes up and takes half of a bottle, coughing the whole time. both boys to bed. I am here typing. and now I am done.

- Here’s to a new day.

3 months - such a fattie!

Ryan was three months old last week - the pictures were made on time - edited and posted is a whole 'nother story!

(disclaimer: the lighting in these pics is pretty stinky - I can only do them in the evenings now and well, it is January and still dark by 5:30! Looking forward to more daylight during the day!)

Here is our sweet boy:



And his sweet face:


And the outtake - he looks even chubbier from a lower angle!:


EXTREME close-up!



And of course, my favorite part!


I can't wait till the weather is warmer and you can see those cute things in his shorts and rompers!

Ryan is weighing in at about 13 pounds - there are rolls everywhere and I absolutely love it!!!! He is laughing and grinning all the time. He will coo in response to your voice, just like he is having a totally normal conversation with you. The karate kid can kick his legs up in the hair and flip them to the side, almost getting himself rolled to his side - he hasn't made it over completely yet, but I think it is coming soon! He's a fantastic eater and is sleeping from about 8 or 9pm to 6:30am. We wake him up for his last feeding around 10, but he's right back asleep afterwards like it never even happened.
Napping is a little more hit and miss - the adjustment to being full time with the sitter has not enhanced his napping and he is a little crabby in the evenings, but I know he will adjust soon and we'll get our routine settled down again!

Our little family is so very blessed - love to all!!

last week, freezing cold, lazy, failed experiment, and morning chaos

I'm sort of a list person, so here goes:

1. We made it through last week! Thanks to Mom and Emily, Ryan was well cared for and made my transition back to work soooo much easier! It was seriously freezing, however, and it was NOT fun to return to carpool duty OUTSIDE in the teens and twenties! ha!

2. On the subject of last week, it wiped. me. out. I was so dead on Friday and I was such a lazy bum all weekend! Besides it was too cold to go anywhere! And I have proof:


Instead, we did a little of this:


and a little of this:


3. Mike had to work Saturday so I got a smidge of an inkling of an urge to do something and decided enough was enough. I was going to put William in his underwear and just let him wet himself - surely THAT would get him to use the potty all the time. He put on his Sesame Street underwear, and parked himself on front of the TV on top of a vinyl tablecloth I had spread on the floor. (let's face it - I was hopeful, but not super-optimistic). Sure enough, about 30 minutes in, he had wet himself and we got him all changed and I thought, okay, one more time. When I saw him waddle around the corner another 30 minutes later, I knew we were in trouble. Use your imagination and decide why a toddler not wearing a diaper might walk bowl-legged and avoid eye contact - mmm hmm - poo. I labeled the experiment a failure and returned him promptly to his diaper-wearing self.

4. Saturday night was the Cowboy game and I had dressed Will in his Romo jersey that day. Mike bought this for him for his birthday (Will's, not Mike's) and for each of the games since the birthday when Will was wearing the jersey, the Cowboys have won. Do you sense where this might be going? So of course, he was wearing it for game day. Mike asked if it had been washed between all the wearings. At first, I was offended. But then, I realized it is not completely outside the realm of possibility for our house.
The Cowboys were doing great, but it was definitely Will's bed time. So when Will came in to give good night hugs and kisses after Mike had put his pajamas on him and brushed his teeth, I really wasn't surprised to see him wearing his Romo jersey and his monkey pajama pants. Mike's exact words were, "What?! We're not going to stop the streak now!" and so that is why William slept in his Cowboy jersey.

5. Yesterday, I FINALLY got to some sewing projects I had been meaning to finish for several months. And by sewing projects, I mean lots of straight lines. We don't always get along, my sewing machine and I. I thought I had really messed up the tension, but all I needed was different thread - go figure! LOVE me a zig-zag stitch! And oh yeah, Ryan is THREE MONTHS OLD!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT! He is an absolute angel and so sweet! He laughs all the time and just grins like it is going out of style! Such a sweet baby!

5. This morning was a marathon. Mike had to work early and I had to get both boys to their places complete with first-visit stuff for Ryan and all the Monday things that you moms know have to accompany the child. We made it and I am so proud of myself. We remembered everything and I was only a little bit late to work!
Ryan was so good for Fredes today and Will had a great day as well. Mike was off early, so we went to Chili's for dinner, ran a couple of errands, and now I need to get to bed.
This is our new normal. By my (conservative) estimate we will need at least 2 hours every morning - from the time I wake up to the time we walk out the door. And that is assuming that lunches, bottles, and clothes are all prepared the night before! yikes! The good news is that most mornings, Mike can take Will so I just have to get myself and Ryan out the door. Say a little prayer at 6:50 tomorrow morning :) - that will be the mad last-minute scramble before we hit the road!

This has been lots of rambling, but like I said, all part of the new normal! So blessed we are! (more of this yoda-like speech I will use, I think)

Happy Monday! (and yes, I'll get Ryan's 3 months pics up tomorrow!)

we're like this:

the Preston boys and Dr. Poole

I was counting the other day all the visits we have made to the pediatrician in the past couple of months.

Let's see, William had his seasonal flu shot at the beginning of October (that's one, one dr. visit - muah, ah, ah, ahhhhh).

Then Dr. Poole saw Ryan in the hospital - twice! (that's three, three dr. visits - muah, ah, ah, ahhhhhh).

And of course, Ryan had a 2-day and a 2-week check-up. (up to five now!).

At some point in the middle of this, William went in for the first part of his H1N1 shot (six!).

Ryan had a cold at about 6 weeks so we went in just to make sure all was okay (seven dr. visits - muah, ah, ah, ahhhhh).

Then we were back for Ryan's 2 month check-up (EIGHT!).

Then William had a cold that I was SURE had developed into an ear infection cuz they always do (NINE) but of course, it hadn't!

William had a 3-year check-up, but we got to combine that with the second part of the H1N1 shot (TEN). [a sidenote: when we went for the yearly check-up, dr. poole was looking at Will's ears and remarked, "they look a little bit inflamed" That's right! he goes in for a check-up and comes out with an antibiotic prescription for an ear infection! and it's not the first time it has happened...]

And finally (I hope!) we went today for the cold/RSV/what is this? visit

That is ELEVEN doctor visits in the past couple of months. We (well, actually, United Health Insurance) are keeping this place afloat!!!

In all seriousness however, we are so very grateful. There has been nothing dramatic and everyone seems to be healthy as soon as Ryan gets over his icky stuff. I have been off work and was able to get the boys there quickly. The office is super-close to the house and everyone there is just so wonderful!

Here's to springtime soon!

sick baby

poor Ryan - he has some icky, phlegmy (seriously?! how do you spell that word?!) stuff in his throat and because of his age and the RSV-time-of-year, we went to see Dr. Poole today (again!!! more on that to come!).
Good news: it is not RSV
Bad news: it is not RSV... yet

Doctor said his lungs, chest, and ears are all clear and look wonderful. But then again, she said it might just be starting up. We were sent home with all the signs of RSV to watch for and the list of the 4 different doctors that are available on call for Dr. Poole's patients during Thur/Fri holidays and the weekend.

Here's hoping we don't need them!!!

Christmas in pictures

visual highlights of our Christmas: