So, admittedly, keeping up with this blog hasn't been as easy as I originally thought. Working full time, having two toddler boys, and a husband who is a varsity wrestling coach (in addtion to his day job) makes for about 3 minutes and 45 seconds of alone time per day. Which I try to spend at least 2 minutes of that 3 minutes and 45 seconds on the treadmill. Anyways, I did want to jot down a few quick highlights from the holidays (for my own memories more so than anything else). We had a great Christmas. Nico was very in to Christmas this year! But despite the massive quantities of gifts under the tree on Christmas morning he was still disappointed because Santa did not stick around to personally give him his presents. He came downstairs and the first thing out of his mouth was "where's Santa?" I should have thought about how I had been prepping Nico all this time for Christmas stating "Santa is bringing you toys" and how that could be interpreted in his 3 year old mind! So, we promptly explained that Santa had so many toys to deliver that he couldn't stick around and once Nic became engrossed in opening presents, Santa's lack of presence was soon forgotten. Next year I will be sure to explain that Santa just stops by to drop off the presents and doesn't stay...Noah also had fun, he would giggle and laugh tearing off the wrapping paper and loved all of his toys that play music. He is definitely a musical kiddo.
Nic is definitely getting very observant, very curious, and very smart. I can't help but be impressed by him sometimes. Like last week driving down the street, he pointed at a house all light up with Christmas lights, and stated "Mommy look at the beautiful decorations. That one is humungous." And I couldn't help but respond "nice use of the word decorations." His vocabulary has definitely exploded. At times, it is like having a conversation with a little adult. But at other times, there is still a lot of silly talk/potty talk, etc. that reminds me despite the extensive vocabulary, he is still very much a baby!
So my final note on Christmas. Nic and I were at Christmas eve mass and it was getting near bedtime. I was trying to keep him entertained with a coloring book and crayons while he laid on the floor of the church and I worried about what the rest of the congregation was thinking, when the following conversation ensued:
Nico- "Mommy, where's Jesus?"
Mommy- "He's all around us."
Nico - looking all over the church, "But I don't see him. Where is he?"
Mommy - "He's everywhere."
What a strange and wonderful conversation to be having with my 3 year old. We may not see him, but I truly believe He is everywhere. Merry Christmas.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
Bee Careful
So Nico got his first bee sting tonight and he was not a happy camper. It was horrible. He stepped on a bee and it stung his big toe. Now Nic is not a wimp by any means. He also fell down the basement steps this week (which was a heart stopping, gut wrenching, awful sound to listen to as I sat in the family room and Danny and him were on their way downstairs, Danny behind Nic of course so D could do nothing but watch in horror). With tumbling ALL the way down the steps he cried for about 2 minutes. The bee sting however was a different story. He cried for about an hour. I tried an old remedy of meat tenderizer mixed with water to make a little sav to put on it but he was having none of that. He was also having none of the ice that Danny offered. The only thing that helped the bee sting was putting a towel on his foot (random) and watching cartooons. After about a half hour of resting he was up and about and back to his normal self.
Bee sting included it's been a strange week. Noah was sick last weekend with a 102 fever and I took him to the doctor on Monday. He was diagnosed with croup and an ear infection. Well, the meds he was put on for both of those diagnoses interfered with his sleep and gave him some serious explosive diarrhea. He also all but stopped eating and for a kid who I normally describe at meal time as having a "feeding frenzy" this was quite peculiar. So we went back to the doctor on Wed. only to discover he now had thrush in his mouth and throat (most likely from the antibiotic)....more meds and a few days later and he is finally on the mend. It was a tough week though. I had flashbacks to when he first arrived. Waking up every 1-2hours during the night, crying, couldn't put him down, just wanting to be held non-stop, etc. I'm glad he's feeling better.
Despite the illnesses and mishaps we still managed to have some fun these past two weeks. We ventured up to the Natural History Museum last week, D took the boys to Browns training camp this past weekend, we visited the French Creek Nature Center in Sheffield, D and I got away for date night at the Quarry Hill winery last Saturday night (thanks Nonnie for watching the boys), I then frequented the winery for a second time on Sunday for lunch with my friend Stephanie, and finally yesterday we spent the day at Put-In-Bay. On the way over Nic was a little overwhelmed by the ferry but on the way back he loved it. While ove there we rented a golf cart and toured around the island, had lunch, played at a park, and walked down by the water. All that and we still made it back home in time for bath, books, and bed.
It's funny how just being on the lake instantly relaxes me. I could have fallen asleep driving around in the golf cart. My dream home is still on or near the lake. I tell D this quite often. I also told D if it doesn't happen before the kids are grown, when they are grown and out of the house, we'll sell this place and find a nice little condo on the lake for just the two of us.
Not sure what adventures are in store this weekend, Nic is so used to going on daily excursions now, that each day when he first wakes up, the first thing he says is "Where's me going?" Hmmmm....I'm sure we'll think of somewhere little man.
Bee sting included it's been a strange week. Noah was sick last weekend with a 102 fever and I took him to the doctor on Monday. He was diagnosed with croup and an ear infection. Well, the meds he was put on for both of those diagnoses interfered with his sleep and gave him some serious explosive diarrhea. He also all but stopped eating and for a kid who I normally describe at meal time as having a "feeding frenzy" this was quite peculiar. So we went back to the doctor on Wed. only to discover he now had thrush in his mouth and throat (most likely from the antibiotic)....more meds and a few days later and he is finally on the mend. It was a tough week though. I had flashbacks to when he first arrived. Waking up every 1-2hours during the night, crying, couldn't put him down, just wanting to be held non-stop, etc. I'm glad he's feeling better.
Despite the illnesses and mishaps we still managed to have some fun these past two weeks. We ventured up to the Natural History Museum last week, D took the boys to Browns training camp this past weekend, we visited the French Creek Nature Center in Sheffield, D and I got away for date night at the Quarry Hill winery last Saturday night (thanks Nonnie for watching the boys), I then frequented the winery for a second time on Sunday for lunch with my friend Stephanie, and finally yesterday we spent the day at Put-In-Bay. On the way over Nic was a little overwhelmed by the ferry but on the way back he loved it. While ove there we rented a golf cart and toured around the island, had lunch, played at a park, and walked down by the water. All that and we still made it back home in time for bath, books, and bed.
It's funny how just being on the lake instantly relaxes me. I could have fallen asleep driving around in the golf cart. My dream home is still on or near the lake. I tell D this quite often. I also told D if it doesn't happen before the kids are grown, when they are grown and out of the house, we'll sell this place and find a nice little condo on the lake for just the two of us.
Not sure what adventures are in store this weekend, Nic is so used to going on daily excursions now, that each day when he first wakes up, the first thing he says is "Where's me going?" Hmmmm....I'm sure we'll think of somewhere little man.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Sleep Training
Well I am once again home with a sleeping Noah while Danny and Nico are out and about. Isn't this just where I was the other day when I was writing? Rachel (D's sister) hosted a birthday party for his mom tonight and Noah and I left about 7:30. By my standards he was starting to "lose it." By other peoples standards he was probably a "little fussy." But other people don't live the sleep training nightmare (no pun intended) we've lived for the past 6 weeks.
So Noah arrived home exactly six weeks ago today. He spent the first night up crying "omma" for his foster mother (which was literally heart wrenching to listen to) and sleeping on and off for about an hour at a time in our bed. He came home from Korea used to sleeping in bed with his foster mom, with a bottle in his mouth, and on a mattress on the floor. So putting him in a crib any time soon after his arrival was not happening. So we put a mattress on the floor in his room next to his crib and spent the next week or so, shuffling back and forth between his floor and our bed. I use the term "we" loosely as for the first week Danny couldn't even look at Noah without Noah crying, let alone go near him, and I couldn't even put Noah down without Noah crying.
So began our affair with sleep deprivation. You honestly forget how hard the sleep deprivation thing is. Nico is just 2 years old and didn't sleep through the night until well after his first birthday but it seemed so long ago that I didn't remember how tough it was! Well Noah has made it his job to remind us! There was one night during the first 2 weeks that Danny literally slept in 4 different rooms, based on where I was moving throughout the night with Noah. It was that bad!
So we've had some hard habits to break. Like Noah, Nico spent the first 9 months in bed with us, so I wasn't scared off by the co-sleeping thing. And in all honesty was happy that Noah had someone to cuddle with and take care of him. It is much, much better than the alternative of having him in a crib in an orphanage....But the other habit, the bottle in the mouth was a definite no-no. No child of mine was going to have bottle rot and have to get caps put on his teeth!!!
So for about the past two weeks we've finally been working on the sleep training thing and I am happy to report that he is sound asleep in his crib, no bottle in his mouth, no screaming, and I even laid him down drowsy! Once Noah stopped having night terrors (periods where he would scream for 2 hours straight during the night and nothing would soothe him and it was as if he was looking straight through us) and literally pulling his own hair out (from the stress I would guess) and I started to observe all of the signs that he was adjusting well, we slowly got rid of the bottle (it helped knowing that he eats like a horse and didn't really need the little "hits" (as I call them) of formula throughout the night)and started to let him cry a bit in his crib.
The first few nights were rough but I think the most he cried was 40 minutes (with me going in after 20). He is typically waking up 1x a night now and in some cases puts himself back to sleep and in others I just go in and check on him, reassure him, etc. Then he wakes up at 520 a.m. for good. Yep, 520 everyday. And we used to think Nico's 6 a.m. body alarm was bad!
We are definitely getting there though. I never would have guessed six weeks ago, as I stumbled around in the dark, tripping over the dog, swearing, and fumbling for formula that Noah would be sleeping 9.5 hours and just waking up once at this point. Not bad. Now if only we could get the nap thing down...
So Noah arrived home exactly six weeks ago today. He spent the first night up crying "omma" for his foster mother (which was literally heart wrenching to listen to) and sleeping on and off for about an hour at a time in our bed. He came home from Korea used to sleeping in bed with his foster mom, with a bottle in his mouth, and on a mattress on the floor. So putting him in a crib any time soon after his arrival was not happening. So we put a mattress on the floor in his room next to his crib and spent the next week or so, shuffling back and forth between his floor and our bed. I use the term "we" loosely as for the first week Danny couldn't even look at Noah without Noah crying, let alone go near him, and I couldn't even put Noah down without Noah crying.
So began our affair with sleep deprivation. You honestly forget how hard the sleep deprivation thing is. Nico is just 2 years old and didn't sleep through the night until well after his first birthday but it seemed so long ago that I didn't remember how tough it was! Well Noah has made it his job to remind us! There was one night during the first 2 weeks that Danny literally slept in 4 different rooms, based on where I was moving throughout the night with Noah. It was that bad!
So we've had some hard habits to break. Like Noah, Nico spent the first 9 months in bed with us, so I wasn't scared off by the co-sleeping thing. And in all honesty was happy that Noah had someone to cuddle with and take care of him. It is much, much better than the alternative of having him in a crib in an orphanage....But the other habit, the bottle in the mouth was a definite no-no. No child of mine was going to have bottle rot and have to get caps put on his teeth!!!
So for about the past two weeks we've finally been working on the sleep training thing and I am happy to report that he is sound asleep in his crib, no bottle in his mouth, no screaming, and I even laid him down drowsy! Once Noah stopped having night terrors (periods where he would scream for 2 hours straight during the night and nothing would soothe him and it was as if he was looking straight through us) and literally pulling his own hair out (from the stress I would guess) and I started to observe all of the signs that he was adjusting well, we slowly got rid of the bottle (it helped knowing that he eats like a horse and didn't really need the little "hits" (as I call them) of formula throughout the night)and started to let him cry a bit in his crib.
The first few nights were rough but I think the most he cried was 40 minutes (with me going in after 20). He is typically waking up 1x a night now and in some cases puts himself back to sleep and in others I just go in and check on him, reassure him, etc. Then he wakes up at 520 a.m. for good. Yep, 520 everyday. And we used to think Nico's 6 a.m. body alarm was bad!
We are definitely getting there though. I never would have guessed six weeks ago, as I stumbled around in the dark, tripping over the dog, swearing, and fumbling for formula that Noah would be sleeping 9.5 hours and just waking up once at this point. Not bad. Now if only we could get the nap thing down...
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Cleveland Children's Museum
So I am still off on maternity leave and Danny, the boys and I have been having many an adventure. Noah, who was born on July 15, 2009 in Seoul, Korea, arrived home to us on June 17th, 2010. After about 2 really tough transition weeks, we have finally started to get in to a good routine, and I now feel that we are having the summer together that I envisioned!
Last week we took trips to the Cleveland Zoo, Memphis Kiddie Park (which Nico proclaimed was "Awesome!"), the Body Exhibit, and today was my ideal family day- we spent the morning at the Cleveland Children's Museum and then had lunch at Tommy's (at Coventry). For those of you not familiar with Tommy's, it is a vegetarian's dream restaurant! After perusing the menu, I promptly declared to Danny that I could go to Tommy's every day for a year and find something new to order! That's a lot for vegetarian, who is used to dining out with a veggie burger as her only option!
Nico kept asking "Where's Tommy?" the whole time we were there, since D and I both made a big deal out of going to Tommy's. I'm sure Nico thought we were going to a friend's house to play. He was slightly disappointed when we told him Tommy was probably in the kitchen of the restaurant cooking. Ha.
But enough about me and my eating habits! The Children's Museum was wonderful. It is perfect for kids around Nico's age. It's so neat to see the difference from when we took him there last summer. This summer he is quickly approaching 3 years of age, and he noticeably did a lot more pretend play than last year. His favorite place to play was the grocery store, crusing around with his cart, shopping, and also playing cashier. Noah also seemed to like it too, though I don't know that that is truly a reflection of the Museum. He'd pretty much be happy with any room to crawl around in!
Tonight, Danny and Nico headed back down to Cleveland to watch the Tribe take on (and hopefully beat) the Yankees! Nico took his glove in hopes of catching A-Rod's 600th home run hit. I don't know that even the thought of Nico and Danny catching a ball worth (potentially) $100,000 could make me root for A-Rod to hit a home run.
Danny just texted me that "Nico is doing well, but he is mad that he can't hit." Apparently, Nic kept wanting to run out on to the field and take his turn at bat! Any and all games (but especially golf) that involve hitting a ball are Nic's forte. I hope they are having a wonderful time but head on home soon.
Noah is sound asleep and I am off to enjoy a few moments of peace and quiet. Hoping tomorrow brings more summertime fun!
Last week we took trips to the Cleveland Zoo, Memphis Kiddie Park (which Nico proclaimed was "Awesome!"), the Body Exhibit, and today was my ideal family day- we spent the morning at the Cleveland Children's Museum and then had lunch at Tommy's (at Coventry). For those of you not familiar with Tommy's, it is a vegetarian's dream restaurant! After perusing the menu, I promptly declared to Danny that I could go to Tommy's every day for a year and find something new to order! That's a lot for vegetarian, who is used to dining out with a veggie burger as her only option!
Nico kept asking "Where's Tommy?" the whole time we were there, since D and I both made a big deal out of going to Tommy's. I'm sure Nico thought we were going to a friend's house to play. He was slightly disappointed when we told him Tommy was probably in the kitchen of the restaurant cooking. Ha.
But enough about me and my eating habits! The Children's Museum was wonderful. It is perfect for kids around Nico's age. It's so neat to see the difference from when we took him there last summer. This summer he is quickly approaching 3 years of age, and he noticeably did a lot more pretend play than last year. His favorite place to play was the grocery store, crusing around with his cart, shopping, and also playing cashier. Noah also seemed to like it too, though I don't know that that is truly a reflection of the Museum. He'd pretty much be happy with any room to crawl around in!
Tonight, Danny and Nico headed back down to Cleveland to watch the Tribe take on (and hopefully beat) the Yankees! Nico took his glove in hopes of catching A-Rod's 600th home run hit. I don't know that even the thought of Nico and Danny catching a ball worth (potentially) $100,000 could make me root for A-Rod to hit a home run.
Danny just texted me that "Nico is doing well, but he is mad that he can't hit." Apparently, Nic kept wanting to run out on to the field and take his turn at bat! Any and all games (but especially golf) that involve hitting a ball are Nic's forte. I hope they are having a wonderful time but head on home soon.
Noah is sound asleep and I am off to enjoy a few moments of peace and quiet. Hoping tomorrow brings more summertime fun!
July 27, 2010
Well I finally did it and joined the millions of bloggers out there! I'm starting this blog really as my own journal to chronicle the adventures of my two little men.
As any ambitious mother might do, when Nico, our first son was born in October 2007 I started a journal to capture all of the moments I didn't want to forget. Well, considering I haven't written in the journal since January, I don't think I'm doing a very good job keeping up with that! And now that we've added our new baby boy, Noah, to the mix, I might as well throw in the towel on journal writing.
I'm hoping this new format of blogging will keep me motivated to write (which I so enjoy doing) and maybe incidentally entertain a few family and friends with some stories about our two little guys!
As any ambitious mother might do, when Nico, our first son was born in October 2007 I started a journal to capture all of the moments I didn't want to forget. Well, considering I haven't written in the journal since January, I don't think I'm doing a very good job keeping up with that! And now that we've added our new baby boy, Noah, to the mix, I might as well throw in the towel on journal writing.
I'm hoping this new format of blogging will keep me motivated to write (which I so enjoy doing) and maybe incidentally entertain a few family and friends with some stories about our two little guys!
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