11 months!

Wow! Mason, it's been almost a year since you've been born. I can hardly believe you are 11 months old already. Time is flying faster than I ever remember it with Allison and Preston.

Let's see what you've been up to this month.

• You are still wearing 12 month clothes. Some 12-18 month clothes and a few 18 month clothes. Nana and Aunt Cassie bought you tons of new clothes for Christmas, so you are set for awhile!
• Mason, you still only have 2 teeth, but they are not stopping you from trying and eating new foods.
• You had your first ear infection this past month and when you didn't seem to be getting better before New Years Eve, we took you back to the doctor and found out it had turned into two ear infections. They put you on a different antibiotic, which cleared up both ears a week later. Just like your older brother, Amoxocillan tastes good, but doesn't do anything for you.
• You are practically running now, forget walking. You are even walking better in shoes.
• You are in to everything even more. I have had to put outlet covers in all the outlets, which I NEVER had to do with your sister and brother. As a matter of fact, I still had the box of covers, unopened, from my baby shower for Allison. I think maybe because you are bored at home all day, you just have to get into it all!
• We celebrated your first Christmas and New Year this past month. You never messed with the Christmas tree and only got into the gifts once or twice, you just wanted to carry them around. On Christmas morning, you weren't really into opening your gifts. You liked playing with the paper and boxes, and liked sitting and walking on the boxes. We had to open all your gifts, your siblings didn't mind though! Hopefully by your birthday next month you will be ready to tear into the paper!
• You will NOT eat baby food anymore. Maybe a few bites, but that's it. You want to feed yourself and we're having a hard time finding things that you will eat, mainly because of textures I think. But, you do eat scrambled eggs, toast, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches, fruit loops, cheerios, and a few other things. You love spaghetti, but can't feed it to yourself just yet, it's hard to pick up. You also still love mashed potatoes, and will let me feed those to you. You are also still eating yogurt and pudding. Today we tried chicken noodle soup with curly noodles so you could pick them up and you did like that, so maybe we found something else for you to eat.
• You have found your voice; you babble ALL the time, but not only that, you have started screaming (shrieking actually) all the time. Not in anger, but just screaming. You do scream when you are mad, but mostly you just scream because you are happy or trying to keep up with your siblings or trying to get someones attention, it's so high pitched that sometimes we just have to leave the room to get a break. ha!
• You have still been having trouble sleeping at night. You usually wake up screaming and the only way I can get you back to sleep it to pick you up and take you into our bed. Once you finally fall back asleep, I usually carry you back to your bed and there you stay until the morning. Once in awhile you will sleep through the night again, and a few times you wouldn't go back to sleep until I fed you a bottle. So, either you are growing or not getting enough to eat before bed, not sure which, but it's been like this since your ear infection. Hopefully it's just a phase and you will outgrow it soon, I do miss my sleep!
• You still have your big beautiful blue eyes and gorgeous dimple in your left cheek. I think (and hope) they are both here to stay forever.

Mason, next month we will be celebrating your first birthday and I still just can't believe it. We are starting to plan your party and think about how to celebrate your first year of life. You have brought so much joy into the hearts of all of us; especially your siblings who, some days, can't stop kissing you and loving on you. I can't imagine my life without you. I knew having 3 kids would be a lot of work, and exhausting, but didn't ever think about how much happiness it would bring to all of us. It definitely outweighs any negative worries we may have. I never really even complain when you are up all night or sleeping with us in our bed because I know all too soon you will be running around and not needing all the cuddles I can give you.

Happy 11 month birthday sweet boy, I love you!

See those two teeth on bottom?!

6 years ago today

6 years ago today I had just given birth to my second child, my first son, Preston David. He was born at 5:26 am and was very healthy, weighing in at a whopping 8 pounds 6 ounces. He was 20 inches long. I totally expected him to look like Allison did when she was born, and he didn't. He was so much bigger (almost 2 pounds bigger) and didn't look at all like I expected him to. I am not sure that I thought he was so beautiful when I first saw him... But, after he was bathed and brought back to me when I got moved into my own room, I couldn't believe how cute he actually was. I remember thinking "Oh, he is cute". What a relief; my kids are cute!

Today, he is as healthy and handsome but is tall and solid. He weighs over 60 pounds and towers over everyone in his class. He is almost as tall as Allison, and those who don't think they are twins can't believe he's only in kindergarten. He's always been off the charts, over 100th percentile to his peers, but again, it's solid. He's going to be great at sports if that is the route he chooses.

We have been through a lot with Preston. He definitely is the definition of a middle child, even before Mason was born. Preston is a handful. He's impulsive and hyper-active. But, he is a lover...he loves to cuddle and tell me he loves me. Turns out, he is very smart, too. He's just a boy and doesn't always apply it. He is funny and witty and just says the darnest things sometimes. We laugh because we just don't know where he gets the things he says. Oh, and he doesn't forget anything...he has the best darn memory, which isn't always a good thing. haha.

I can't believe it's been already 6 years since he's joined our family. So much has happened and changed in those 6 years and Preston is pretty easy-going. He doesn't really complain about much and is always very remorseful when he does something he shouldn't. He loves to be praised and encouraged and talks a lot. He's very animated; always using his eyebrows when he talks, it's so funny to have a conversation with him.

We had his birthday party on Saturday. This year he decided he wanted to have a bowling party, which we had not yet done. We tried a new bowling alley that I have never been to. It is always nice not to have to cook or clean so I think it's definitely worth the money. Preston had a great time; he had lots of fun with his 8 friends from school. He got lots of great gifts, including many Nerf guns and a Nerf dart tag set. I guess people really do know him, haha. He also got lots of money, which we took him to the store today and he spent half of it. He doesn't really need anything so hopefully I can get him to keep the rest of it until there is something he really wants.

Today the kids didn't have school because it's Martin Luther King Jr. day, so I took the day off so we could all spend the day together. We didn't do much at all, spent most of the day in our pjs. Then, we finally all got dressed and went to Toys R Us. We took a stroll around the mall and then went to Red Robin to eat dinner, where they sang to Preston. The kids love going there on their birthday. Preston got a free ice-cream sundae and shared it with his sister, just like she did on her birthday. He also received a free ice-cream creation from Coldstone Creamery and has 7 days to use that. So, we will be going there sometime this week for ice-cream. It's my favorite place and I was looking forward to it today until I remembered he'd get a free ice-cream with dinner. Oh well...later this week.

For now, I will leave you with some pictures of Preston throughout the years, a stroll down the last 6 years with my sweet and funny son.

Until next time.

Excuse This House

Some houses try to hide the fact

That children shelter there,

Ours boasts it quite openly,

The signs are everywhere.

For smears are on the windows,

Little smudges are on the doors.

I should apologize, I guess,

For toys strewn on the floor.

But I sat down with my children

And we played and laughed and read.

And if the doorbell doesn't shine,

Their eyes will shine instead.

For when at times I'm forced to choose

The one job or the other,

I'd like to cook and clean and scrub,

But first I'll be a mother.

Author Unknown

Big events around our house

Ok, so maybe not big events to you, my reader(s), but they are big news to us.

First, Allison lost her first baby tooth last night! It has been loose for a few weeks now and she was constantly playing with it. It was even twisted a little, which made it a bit uncomfortable for her to eat certain things. The other day she made it bleed, so I had a feeling it was on it's last leg so to speak. Well, last night, I let her have an ice-cream drumstick for a snack and as she was biting into it, she yelled and said "Um, is this a nut or is this my tooth?" and handed me an itsy-bitsy baby tooth. I said, "I think it's your tooth, open your mouth!"

Sure enough, it was her tooth. I didn't realize how tiny her teeth were, I'm used to seeing them all together, not just one. Well, we put it in a Ziploc baggy and she insisted on taking it to school today. I don't know why, she's probably one of the last kids in her class to have lost a first tooth, but she wanted to take it to show everyone, she was so excited! Tonight, she is planning on putting it under her pillow for the tooth fairy...now, what does a first tooth go for these days?

Here's a picture, from my cell phone, so it's not the greatest, but it was the closest thing to me, and Mason was sleeping on my chest.

(bottom tooth, center)

In other news, Mason is such a big boy these days. You can barely see it in this picture (my new cell phone does not have a flash, what's up with that?), but, he can now drink out of a straw.

Things are much easier these days, when we are out and about and decide to stop and get something to eat, we know that even though we didn't pack anything but a bottle for Mason, he will be able to eat. He loves mashed potatoes, grilled cheese, scrambled eggs and peanut butter sandwiches. He'll also eat spaghetti, mac & cheese and any type of noodle. Now that he can drink out of a straw, I can order him white milk and he's so happy. I've introduced him to milk already because he is constantly stealing the older kids' sippy cups and drinking whatever it is in their cups, and since he seemed to like milk, I give it to him every once in awhile so that I can get him used to it, since he will be off formula in about a month.

(By the way, yes, Allison and Preston still drink out of sippy cups when they insist on taking their drinks out of the dining room, since I don't want them to spill anything on my carpet. For the most part, they drink out of big-kid cups at meals).

So, yes, Mason is a big boy, we can order him things off of menus and give him white milk with a straw. Traveling is easier nowadays.

And, for Preston, he's turning 6 in 6 days...I can't believe it! I remember him like Mason's age. I remember his first hair cut, his first birthday party, his first day of pre-school.

Now, he's going to be 6! We're having a bowling party on Saturday and his theme this year is Bakugan. For those of you out there with boys, you either know what I'm talking about or will know soon. So, I'm guessing this year, he will get a ton of Bakugan toys as he did last year with Transformers. OY, I need a bigger basement!

More updates to come later!

Until next time,

2010 - New Year's Resolutions

I know, I'm a little late in getting this post out...can't imagine why!


Oh, and in case you're counting, this is my 100th post; fitting, isn't it?


I don't usually make New Year's Resolutions, but this year, I want to set some attainable goals that I think I can handle. Now, I can't make them too easy, or it wouldn't be challenging, but I also wanted to be realistic.


Here goes:


1. I need to practice patience with my kids. Seriously, sometimes I yell and scream like a crazy woman, ahem, like my mother did, and I certainly don't want to be like that. I really have been trying to make an effort this year so far, for instance, I now warn the kids that I am going to start screaming and yelling before I do, so at least they have an honest chance of stopping whatever bad thing they are doing. So far, if I stop for a second and think about trying to stay calm, I have been finding it easier to calmly talk to my children in a manner that is more acceptable and have even found that when I act rational and calm, they are a bit more attentive in listening to what I have to say. It's working, it's a long road, but we're working on it.


2. I need to set some alone time for David and myself. I mean, forget "me time", I need to focus on us before I can relax and enjoy me. We are going to make a real effort to having a date-night, at least once a month. It will be a challenge because a) we'll need to find a babysitter, which costs money and b) we'll need to find the money to go out and do things. As you know, David has been unemployed off and on for almost 2 years, so money is very tight for us right now. And, before you go judging him, unemployment is more than a part-time job at McDonald's...so, he does when he can, when he can and tries to pick up as much side work as he possibly can. Hey, we haven't lost the house, yet.


3. I want to start going to church more regularly. Don't judge me, I think I only went 3 times in 2009. It is hard because I married someone who doesn't go to church and has no desire. My kids go to a Catholic school and do go to church every Friday as a school. But, come Sunday, I'm so tired, trying to catch up with housework and usually busy doing the family thing that I make up excuses not to go. I should go. I want to go, not necessarily by myself, but I could if I had to. I feel better about myself when I go. I am Catholic, that's how I was raised, but I hear about all these other wonderful churches from other people and they have such strong church families and communities, I don't feel that when I go to my church. Is it wrong if I go to one church but send my kids to another? Don't answer that...just a rhetorical question. Anyhow, I'm going to try to get there at least once a month...I already didn't make it yet this past Sunday.


I have lots of other things on my list...but I think these 3 are most important right now, and are enough of a challenge that I think I will feel accomplished when I get something checked off.


Anyhow, I know I'm late in posting this, and I've seen some posts out there already with resolutions for 2010, but what are yours?

2009 -A Pictoral Review

I saw another blogger do this and even though my 2009 review post was done, I wanted to do one with pictures, imagine that! Looking for a (decent) picture of all three kids from each month turned out to be a little bit of a challenge. I am going to make a real effort to get a picture of all three of them together (where they are looking at the camera) each month this coming year.

January (Notice there are only two children as Mason wasn't born yet!)

February


March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December