The past week has been crazy at the Pfantz household. Last Friday night, I went to Des Moines for the night so my family and I could take my kids to night eyes. Ryan came home, got Drake and went out into the tractor. Ryan took Drake with him so he wasn't cooped up in the house all day/night. He could get out and run a little when Ryan got out. It was great intentions. Until, once when Drake was trying to get out of the tractor, Drake caught his paw on the grates of the steps and broke his foot. Of course, Ryan didn't think it was that bad and waited until the next Monday to take him to the vet. They said he broke two bones in his foot. They could try to set it and cast it or do surgery with pins. We opted to try and set it first and see if it works. So far, I think it is working. Even with his cast, he is starting to put more weight on it, so that is good news!
Then came Wednesday night. Ryan and Evan were carving pumpkins. I was cleaning pumpkin seeds/putting dishes in the dishwasher. Bria came along and started getting the silverware out of the dishwasher. That would be fine, but she was grabbing knives. So I asked Evan to come shut the door for me since my hands were disgusting. As Evan tried to shut it, Bria kept her arm in. Evan continued to push and push as he was frustrated it wouldn't close and didn't know why. Bria began crying so I grabbed her quickly. As I grabbed and pulled her out, it dislocated her elbow. I didn't know that at the time. I did feel a pop but didn't know what that pop was from...me or her or the dishwasher. We fed Bria dinner, she ate, but she wouldn't use her arm. We went off to urgent care. They couldn't tell what was wrong and didn't have an x-ray. They thought we could wait until the morning but gave us a sling so she would move her arm. So the next day, I took Bria to the doctor. After nearly 2 1/2 hours, most of that just waiting to be seen by the doctor, we discovered her elbow was dislocated. The doctor popped it back in and 5 minutes later she was using it again. I am so glad it was such an easy fix. It could have been so much worse. I hated the doctor though. He made me feel like the worst mother in the world. I was standing 6 inches away from Bria when it happened so it's not that I was being neglectful.
Friday, Bria woke up with pink eye. I'm glad it was Friday because my mom has them and I didn't have to take a day off. Luckily, I had medicine. Today, Evan woke up with Pink eye. I had to take a day off. I HATE missing school. It's just so much work to be gone/get caught up on what a sub doesn't get done. I am thankful the subs are there though.
Just a few quick updates on the kids. BRIA IS FINALLY WALKING! She actually started walking about a month ago. It still looks so funny seeing her walking around. I love it. Once she started, she progressed really fast. She's pretty sturdy on her feet already! She is trying to talk to much too. She says quite a few words. Sometimes I have to think really hard about what she is saying though to figure it out.
Evan is about the same. He is such a happy camper. I started a bad habit of letting him cuddle with me until Ryan comes to bed. Now he wants to do it every night. I would love that, but I have to limit it to 1-2 times a week.
Sunday, I had a random idea. All of the sudden I decided to take out the dinning room table and put all of Evan and Bria's toys in there and make a little playroom. I absolutely love it. We never used that table except for birthday parties. So now we are actually utilizing that space. It also makes or living room seem bigger and less messy!
Until next time...
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Quick update
I obviously can't seem to find time to blog anymore. I have been crazy busy at school and at home. Now that I'm back to work, I want to spend all of my available time with my kids, therefore, my blog is going to be hit and miss. So here's a quick update of what's going on in the Pfantz house hold.
Bria: Bria is trying to talk so much. She will nearly imitate almost anything you say. She is really getting good at just saying a few words that she knows how to use to get what she wants. It is so nice when kids start to talk. It's easier to figure out what they want! As far as walking, she's still not doing it. She could though. If Ryan and I get on complete opposite sides of the room (we're talking 10+ feet apart) Bria will walk to the other person. She might fall once, stand back up and continue. She's just not willing to do it on her own without us cheering her on yet. I know, it will come with time.
Evan: Evan just had his 4th birthday. I can't believe it. It was nice to have all of our family come for the event. We had a pirate birthday. We got pirate hats for all the kids (6 of them) and even, somehow, managed to get a picture with all 6 kids in a hat (considering 4 of them are 1 or under). Evan is such a smart cookie. People keep asking me why he isn't in pres-school. I just can justify spending the money when he knows everything he would learn in preschool. He even knows somethings Kindergartners would do. Why is that? I do my job. Not as a teacher, but as a mother. It kills me how there are parents out there that don't work with their kids. I know lives get busy, but it's what's best for your kids.
Me: I just had my 10 year high school reunion. How to do you get 600+ people together? I have no idea. There were other activities planned, but due to other engagements, we only went to the night activity. It was at People's in Des Moines. It was nice to see some people that I hadn't seen in awhile.
Ryan: Ryan (and sometimes me ;) ) has been working really hard to get the trees ready. This will be our first year of selling Christmas trees. Ryan is so excited. You would not believe the amount of machinery we need to sell trees. So our living room as been the "set-up" place for these items. I'm kind of tired of it all hanging out in my house and really wish Ryan would get it out! Soon enough, soon enough.
That was quick. Until next time...
Bria: Bria is trying to talk so much. She will nearly imitate almost anything you say. She is really getting good at just saying a few words that she knows how to use to get what she wants. It is so nice when kids start to talk. It's easier to figure out what they want! As far as walking, she's still not doing it. She could though. If Ryan and I get on complete opposite sides of the room (we're talking 10+ feet apart) Bria will walk to the other person. She might fall once, stand back up and continue. She's just not willing to do it on her own without us cheering her on yet. I know, it will come with time.
Evan: Evan just had his 4th birthday. I can't believe it. It was nice to have all of our family come for the event. We had a pirate birthday. We got pirate hats for all the kids (6 of them) and even, somehow, managed to get a picture with all 6 kids in a hat (considering 4 of them are 1 or under). Evan is such a smart cookie. People keep asking me why he isn't in pres-school. I just can justify spending the money when he knows everything he would learn in preschool. He even knows somethings Kindergartners would do. Why is that? I do my job. Not as a teacher, but as a mother. It kills me how there are parents out there that don't work with their kids. I know lives get busy, but it's what's best for your kids.
Me: I just had my 10 year high school reunion. How to do you get 600+ people together? I have no idea. There were other activities planned, but due to other engagements, we only went to the night activity. It was at People's in Des Moines. It was nice to see some people that I hadn't seen in awhile.
Ryan: Ryan (and sometimes me ;) ) has been working really hard to get the trees ready. This will be our first year of selling Christmas trees. Ryan is so excited. You would not believe the amount of machinery we need to sell trees. So our living room as been the "set-up" place for these items. I'm kind of tired of it all hanging out in my house and really wish Ryan would get it out! Soon enough, soon enough.
That was quick. Until next time...
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Back at it
I just realized I have neglected the blog. It has almost been a month since I last posted. The last post was so sad so I need to lighten things up a bit.
It has been a crazy and hectic month since last time. I have to mention my Gran and then things won't be so sad anymore. We had an amazing turn out for her visitation. Many were confused as to why we weren't doing a funeral, but she didn't want one so we were giving her her wish. The next day we had a burial just with her close family. It was a great service. There was a floral arrangement that had ribbons that said "mother", "sister," "wife," "grandmother," and so on. She was all of those things. My mom took the Mom one and I was given the grandmother one. I didn't want to just take it because I wasn't the only grandchild, but I was touched it was given to me. Growing up, we were SO close. I stole my mom's and made a keepsake for her and myself. I framed a rose from the arrangement for each of it and put the ribbon over the flower. It is perfect. I cut grandmother to make it say Gran. She wasn't my grandmother, she was my Gran.
Now on to good news. Even though my Gran passing was very difficult, something very good came of it. I have a cousin who I haven't seen since I was 10, at least. She has always lived in the area but there have been so many family issues we haven't been able to stay in touch. Amazingly, Gran's death brought us all back together. Lauren hung out with us the night of the visitation, came the funeral and is even planning on attending Evan's 4th birthday in a week. It is good to have her back in the family and I am sure she is feeling the same way. We are all excited things are working out this time!
School has started back up. I have 23 cute ones this year. It is going to be an amazing year but it will be more difficult with so many. I am really going to have to work hard to stay on top of things better than normal so I can do my best for these kiddos!
Next weekend is Evan's 4th birthday!!!! AGH! I CANNOT believe he is going to be 4. Every year I feel the same. That next age sounds crazy and so old. We are having a pirate party. We have hats for all the kids, a pinata and am having a cute cake made my Cherry Darling Cakes (Jennifer Pelfrey). She is so reasonable and will do anything you want! I bought a pirate ship that came with a treasure chest that will be on his cake. I know it is going to be very cute!
I just realized, I never mentioned my anniversary present from Ryan! After nearly two months without my ring and me having to get upset and the jewelers, I finally got it. Ryan surprised me and bought me a matching band for the other side of my ring for our 5 year anniversary. I had mentioned it to him a long time ago, more so as a joke, but he did it! I was very surprised and I love it! It was very hard to get used to wearing a ring again, but it's like new again, and I love it!
Hopefully, I can stay on top of things better now that things are starting to settle a little bit!
Until next time...
It has been a crazy and hectic month since last time. I have to mention my Gran and then things won't be so sad anymore. We had an amazing turn out for her visitation. Many were confused as to why we weren't doing a funeral, but she didn't want one so we were giving her her wish. The next day we had a burial just with her close family. It was a great service. There was a floral arrangement that had ribbons that said "mother", "sister," "wife," "grandmother," and so on. She was all of those things. My mom took the Mom one and I was given the grandmother one. I didn't want to just take it because I wasn't the only grandchild, but I was touched it was given to me. Growing up, we were SO close. I stole my mom's and made a keepsake for her and myself. I framed a rose from the arrangement for each of it and put the ribbon over the flower. It is perfect. I cut grandmother to make it say Gran. She wasn't my grandmother, she was my Gran.
Now on to good news. Even though my Gran passing was very difficult, something very good came of it. I have a cousin who I haven't seen since I was 10, at least. She has always lived in the area but there have been so many family issues we haven't been able to stay in touch. Amazingly, Gran's death brought us all back together. Lauren hung out with us the night of the visitation, came the funeral and is even planning on attending Evan's 4th birthday in a week. It is good to have her back in the family and I am sure she is feeling the same way. We are all excited things are working out this time!
School has started back up. I have 23 cute ones this year. It is going to be an amazing year but it will be more difficult with so many. I am really going to have to work hard to stay on top of things better than normal so I can do my best for these kiddos!
Next weekend is Evan's 4th birthday!!!! AGH! I CANNOT believe he is going to be 4. Every year I feel the same. That next age sounds crazy and so old. We are having a pirate party. We have hats for all the kids, a pinata and am having a cute cake made my Cherry Darling Cakes (Jennifer Pelfrey). She is so reasonable and will do anything you want! I bought a pirate ship that came with a treasure chest that will be on his cake. I know it is going to be very cute!
I just realized, I never mentioned my anniversary present from Ryan! After nearly two months without my ring and me having to get upset and the jewelers, I finally got it. Ryan surprised me and bought me a matching band for the other side of my ring for our 5 year anniversary. I had mentioned it to him a long time ago, more so as a joke, but he did it! I was very surprised and I love it! It was very hard to get used to wearing a ring again, but it's like new again, and I love it!
Hopefully, I can stay on top of things better now that things are starting to settle a little bit!
Until next time...
Monday, August 8, 2011
A tribute to the greatest Gran that ever lived...
Well, it finally happened. Around 1:30 yesterday afternoon, my grandma finally passed. It has been a long nearly 5 months that she was in hospice. There was a lot of ups and down, but God finally stopped the inevitable and returned her to her husband. I am so sad because she is gone. I have so many fond memories. She was essentially my only grandparent at all. I'm thankful I was so close to her. I am glad her suffering is over now and she has returned home to other loved ones.
Back in March when my grandma entered hospice, I offered to make a video of pictures for her funeral. I'm so glad I had it 90% done because it was hard to finish now that she has passed. Luckily, it is done. I have added the link if you are interested in seeing it. It will be shown at the visitation.
If any family and friends are interested, her visitation will be Wednesday from 5-7 at Hamilton's on SW 9th street.
Here is the link: A tribute
I love you and miss you, Gran. Rest in peace.
Until next time...
Back in March when my grandma entered hospice, I offered to make a video of pictures for her funeral. I'm so glad I had it 90% done because it was hard to finish now that she has passed. Luckily, it is done. I have added the link if you are interested in seeing it. It will be shown at the visitation.
If any family and friends are interested, her visitation will be Wednesday from 5-7 at Hamilton's on SW 9th street.
Here is the link: A tribute
I love you and miss you, Gran. Rest in peace.
Until next time...
Friday, July 22, 2011
My favorite...
A lot of people would say that their favorite part of raising a child is when they are a baby. You can hold them all the time. They sleep...a lot. There's nothing better than holding your infant while they sleep, occasionally giving a grin while dreaming. I agree, I love this stage. Next to that I love it when they are between 1 and 2. It is amazing the things that they are learning and picking up by watching you. Bria is at that stage. She moves a lot and there are times I just want her to stop because I can't catch a break between cleaning house, doing laundry, getting lunch/dinner ready, etc. You know, the typical "Mom" stuff. But even with all that said, I just love to watch Bria. She is just so funny. At nearly 14 months, here are some of the new things I have seen her doing:
She will now grab shoes, no matter who's they are and try to put them on her feet. She figured out what they are for.
Any time she hears music, no matter what kind, she busts a move. I call it her little seizure because she has everything wiggling at the same time. :)
She is using forks and plates. Although, most of the time she just hold the fork, she tries a lot and occasionally will get lucky and get something on it.
She LOVES stairs. If we are getting ready to go somewhere, we go upstairs to change her diaper. When we come back down, we won't put the gate up because we are leaving. If I have to put her down in the kitchen to gather, it's like she just knows the gate isn't up and makes a run for it. Many times, she will already be upstairs before we realize where she has gone. She gets the biggest kick out of it. She is almost getting the idea of turning around to go feet first when coming down.
If I ask her, she can tell me where her eyes and her mouth are. If I ask her where her eyes are, she will play peek-a-boo. If I ask her where her mouth is, she will make the Indian noise.
She is still eating a lot, sometimes far more that what Evan eats at a meal.
She is just starting to let go of things while standing. She will stand for a couple of seconds, realize what she is doing and then grab on to the couch again. At least she's moving in the right direction.
She says Uh-Oh to EVERYTHING. It is too cute.
She tests me a lot. She will go to see if the pantry is open. She will open the door, if it opens for her, she will look at me like, "Are you going to come lock this on me like you always do?' They same is with the dog food. She will go over to it and sit and then just wave and smile and me. If I turn my back, she starts reaching for the food. I'll turn to look at her again and she will wave and smile. She knows she's not supposed to but just can't resist the urge. I don't want to pick it up because I want her to learn to leave it alone and that it is for the dog.
Overall, she is the best little girl I could have ever asked for.
Now to Evan, he's quite an amazing little boy as well. We recently went to the dentist. This was his first visit ever. He is sometimes scared of things at first. They took him to his own room all by himself while I was getting my teeth cleaned. I was so amazed. He did all by himself and they all said he was the best little boy. I was so proud of him.
We recently did a "stay-cation". Ryan wanted to go somewhere, but I decided with Bria still so little I didn't really want to travel. Besides, we went to Florida not too long ago. While on our Staycation, Ryan and Evan painted Evan's club house. It's not a much better blue than the purple it was before. What were the previous owners thinking...purple with boys? Anyway, Ryan and Evan also camped out in our yard. It was quite the experience, from what I hear. Bria and I slept comfortably in our beds, IN the house! :) Finally, last Friday, we had an Evan day and took him to Adventureland. We left Bria with G-ma and G-pa. I was very surprised by how much we could actually do with a 3 year old. We did most of the rides other than the roller coasters. Evan was having so much fun and did some really fast rides that made me feel about half sick. I think Evan just enjoyed having some alone time with both mommy and daddy. Which, he is going to need from time to time. I think it will get easier on him once Bria gets a little older and a little more independent.
Lastly, I'm so excited that my brother got engaged. Christine is an amazing girl and perfect for my brother. It's quite amazing they ever met considering she is from Virginia! I am so excited to welcome her to our family and cannot wait for the big day which will be October of 2012!
Until next time...
She will now grab shoes, no matter who's they are and try to put them on her feet. She figured out what they are for.
Any time she hears music, no matter what kind, she busts a move. I call it her little seizure because she has everything wiggling at the same time. :)
She is using forks and plates. Although, most of the time she just hold the fork, she tries a lot and occasionally will get lucky and get something on it.
She LOVES stairs. If we are getting ready to go somewhere, we go upstairs to change her diaper. When we come back down, we won't put the gate up because we are leaving. If I have to put her down in the kitchen to gather, it's like she just knows the gate isn't up and makes a run for it. Many times, she will already be upstairs before we realize where she has gone. She gets the biggest kick out of it. She is almost getting the idea of turning around to go feet first when coming down.
If I ask her, she can tell me where her eyes and her mouth are. If I ask her where her eyes are, she will play peek-a-boo. If I ask her where her mouth is, she will make the Indian noise.
She is still eating a lot, sometimes far more that what Evan eats at a meal.
She is just starting to let go of things while standing. She will stand for a couple of seconds, realize what she is doing and then grab on to the couch again. At least she's moving in the right direction.
She says Uh-Oh to EVERYTHING. It is too cute.
She tests me a lot. She will go to see if the pantry is open. She will open the door, if it opens for her, she will look at me like, "Are you going to come lock this on me like you always do?' They same is with the dog food. She will go over to it and sit and then just wave and smile and me. If I turn my back, she starts reaching for the food. I'll turn to look at her again and she will wave and smile. She knows she's not supposed to but just can't resist the urge. I don't want to pick it up because I want her to learn to leave it alone and that it is for the dog.
Overall, she is the best little girl I could have ever asked for.
Now to Evan, he's quite an amazing little boy as well. We recently went to the dentist. This was his first visit ever. He is sometimes scared of things at first. They took him to his own room all by himself while I was getting my teeth cleaned. I was so amazed. He did all by himself and they all said he was the best little boy. I was so proud of him.
We recently did a "stay-cation". Ryan wanted to go somewhere, but I decided with Bria still so little I didn't really want to travel. Besides, we went to Florida not too long ago. While on our Staycation, Ryan and Evan painted Evan's club house. It's not a much better blue than the purple it was before. What were the previous owners thinking...purple with boys? Anyway, Ryan and Evan also camped out in our yard. It was quite the experience, from what I hear. Bria and I slept comfortably in our beds, IN the house! :) Finally, last Friday, we had an Evan day and took him to Adventureland. We left Bria with G-ma and G-pa. I was very surprised by how much we could actually do with a 3 year old. We did most of the rides other than the roller coasters. Evan was having so much fun and did some really fast rides that made me feel about half sick. I think Evan just enjoyed having some alone time with both mommy and daddy. Which, he is going to need from time to time. I think it will get easier on him once Bria gets a little older and a little more independent.
Lastly, I'm so excited that my brother got engaged. Christine is an amazing girl and perfect for my brother. It's quite amazing they ever met considering she is from Virginia! I am so excited to welcome her to our family and cannot wait for the big day which will be October of 2012!
Until next time...
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Long time, no see!
Things have been CRAZY in the Pfantz household. Since the middle of June, we have literally been busy every weekend. I had a bachelorette party one weekend, Rose Festival the next, a wedding the following weekend, followed by our anniversary, then another wedding. Next weekend we have yet another wedding then I think we might actually be free that weekend. Knowing us, something will come up though.
Back to our anniversary. We just celebrated our 5th anniversary. I cannot believe it has been that long already. It has been an amazing 5 years. Especially since we have to beautiful children. Ryan got me a gift. I know what it is, but am not letting the cat out of the bag until I get it. I was supposed to get it on our anniversary but something happened and now I have to wait until the 15th of July. It has been very hard waiting...
The kids have been great as usual. Evan went through a funk recently where he was mean and nasty all of the time. I don't know if I just came down on him or what but he finally broke out of that. Since we broke that he has been his amazing little self again. Last night, he decided to play America's Got Talent. He LOVES that show. He got out his microphone and started singing songs to us. Ryan and I would occasionally give him an X just for fun. After he would perform we would have to give our feedback just like the show. He was having so much fun and was wanting to play it again this morning. It's just not the same when I am the only judge!
Bria had a rough week last week. She got bit by something. Her eye started to swell but it wasn't that bad. After her nap, her eye was nearly swollen shut. I loaded up the kids and raced to Urgent Care to have her looked at. It was so bad. The next day it looked even worse. Through it all though, she never fussed once. She was a very happy little girl. I was very lucky for that!
This past weekend, my parents watched the kids while Ryan and I went to a wedding. My dad needed to run the camper since we haven't used it this year. So what does he decide to do? He loads Evan up and takes him for ice cream in a big old camper. Then that night, they "camped" out in the drive way. Evan loved every minute of it. I think G-pa did too. The next night, Daddy had to camp out with Evan. Evan tried to convince my dad and Ryan that they could all sleep out there and G-pa would be in the middle, but they didn't go for it! I wonder why! :)
That's all of our updates for now. Until next time...
Back to our anniversary. We just celebrated our 5th anniversary. I cannot believe it has been that long already. It has been an amazing 5 years. Especially since we have to beautiful children. Ryan got me a gift. I know what it is, but am not letting the cat out of the bag until I get it. I was supposed to get it on our anniversary but something happened and now I have to wait until the 15th of July. It has been very hard waiting...
The kids have been great as usual. Evan went through a funk recently where he was mean and nasty all of the time. I don't know if I just came down on him or what but he finally broke out of that. Since we broke that he has been his amazing little self again. Last night, he decided to play America's Got Talent. He LOVES that show. He got out his microphone and started singing songs to us. Ryan and I would occasionally give him an X just for fun. After he would perform we would have to give our feedback just like the show. He was having so much fun and was wanting to play it again this morning. It's just not the same when I am the only judge!
Bria had a rough week last week. She got bit by something. Her eye started to swell but it wasn't that bad. After her nap, her eye was nearly swollen shut. I loaded up the kids and raced to Urgent Care to have her looked at. It was so bad. The next day it looked even worse. Through it all though, she never fussed once. She was a very happy little girl. I was very lucky for that!
This past weekend, my parents watched the kids while Ryan and I went to a wedding. My dad needed to run the camper since we haven't used it this year. So what does he decide to do? He loads Evan up and takes him for ice cream in a big old camper. Then that night, they "camped" out in the drive way. Evan loved every minute of it. I think G-pa did too. The next night, Daddy had to camp out with Evan. Evan tried to convince my dad and Ryan that they could all sleep out there and G-pa would be in the middle, but they didn't go for it! I wonder why! :)
That's all of our updates for now. Until next time...
Thursday, June 16, 2011
The key to success
They key to success when it comes to three year olds and swimming lessons is they should not be by themselves. I didn't think it would work from the beginning but I gave it a fair chance. It didn't. Good news, today, when we joined a class with 6 other 3 year old, Evan was in Heaven! He loved every minute of it. He was doing everything the teacher asked him; the same stuff she had asked him the day before. It's amazing what a little peer modeling can do for a kid!
TODAY WAS SUCH A BETTER DAY!
Until next time...
TODAY WAS SUCH A BETTER DAY!
Until next time...
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Swim class = NIGHTMARE
I am a little upset with the Marshalltown Aquatic center. I have to vent a little bit to get it off my chest. I was looking for fun things for us to do this year. Last year, because we had Bria, Evan was unable to do much. Bria was just too little and it was too hard to go many places when I had to worry about how and were I would feed her. So, we stayed home. We would walk to the playground, play in our kiddie pool in the back yard but that was the extent of it. The years before we would go to Tot time at the aquatic center and swim for an hour. Evan loved it but I just couldn't do that with a newborn.
So this year I decided I was going to try and make it up to him. Evan is a little social butterfly so I signed him up for the 3 year old swimming class. It's not so much to teach swimming, but to get them comfortable and familiar with the water. I was so excited about it. It's a two week long class and that's it. So we showed up on Monday and Evan was all alone. I thought it was strange how they would do that...how could it be cost effective? I'm not one to say much so I let it go. He didn't do a whole lot for his teacher. So, I do what I do best and I talked with Evan about how he needs to listen and pay attention. Tuesday...SO MUCH BETTER! He was doing more, he was having fun, he was listening!
Then came today. Evan did absolutely NOTHING. The only thing that was wet was from his thighs down. He just stood there. The teacher kept trying to get him to do a few things but he refused. So of course, I told Evan how I was so sad that he didn't listen. Because he didn't "please" me, it turned into a nightmare, He cried and cried and cried. We were going to have lunch with daddy, but instead we went straight home. Maybe part of it was he woke up at 5 and even though I kept sending him back to bed, he kept periodically coming back in to check and see if it was time to get up. I can't blame it all on him being tired.
I originally thought they just did one-on-one for smaller classes. Yesterday, when I showed up there were 6 little ones in a group. So it's the fact that no one else signed up for the same time as me. I would think they would have notified me to see if that is OK or if I wanted to join another group. I don't work in the summer, I'm flexible. Being on his own is not working. He wants other kids there. I think if he had other kids around and saw what they were doing, he would be doing everything right there with them. Instead, I'm getting frustrated, the teacher (who doesn't show it) has to be getting frustrated and Evan is just floating along doing nothing and bored to death.
What do I do????? I e-mailed the office to see if we can join another class but who knows if that will happen. The bad thing is no one else locally offers classes to kids this young so this is the only option I have until Evan is school aged. Anyone have any tricks up their sleeves?
It was so bad, I just want to cry with Evan...
Until next time...
So this year I decided I was going to try and make it up to him. Evan is a little social butterfly so I signed him up for the 3 year old swimming class. It's not so much to teach swimming, but to get them comfortable and familiar with the water. I was so excited about it. It's a two week long class and that's it. So we showed up on Monday and Evan was all alone. I thought it was strange how they would do that...how could it be cost effective? I'm not one to say much so I let it go. He didn't do a whole lot for his teacher. So, I do what I do best and I talked with Evan about how he needs to listen and pay attention. Tuesday...SO MUCH BETTER! He was doing more, he was having fun, he was listening!
Then came today. Evan did absolutely NOTHING. The only thing that was wet was from his thighs down. He just stood there. The teacher kept trying to get him to do a few things but he refused. So of course, I told Evan how I was so sad that he didn't listen. Because he didn't "please" me, it turned into a nightmare, He cried and cried and cried. We were going to have lunch with daddy, but instead we went straight home. Maybe part of it was he woke up at 5 and even though I kept sending him back to bed, he kept periodically coming back in to check and see if it was time to get up. I can't blame it all on him being tired.
I originally thought they just did one-on-one for smaller classes. Yesterday, when I showed up there were 6 little ones in a group. So it's the fact that no one else signed up for the same time as me. I would think they would have notified me to see if that is OK or if I wanted to join another group. I don't work in the summer, I'm flexible. Being on his own is not working. He wants other kids there. I think if he had other kids around and saw what they were doing, he would be doing everything right there with them. Instead, I'm getting frustrated, the teacher (who doesn't show it) has to be getting frustrated and Evan is just floating along doing nothing and bored to death.
What do I do????? I e-mailed the office to see if we can join another class but who knows if that will happen. The bad thing is no one else locally offers classes to kids this young so this is the only option I have until Evan is school aged. Anyone have any tricks up their sleeves?
It was so bad, I just want to cry with Evan...
Until next time...
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Bria is 1!
I cannot believe it! Bria is 1 year old today. The past year went by so fast. She is such an amazing girl. She has no idea how much she is loved by all her family!
On Sunday, we celebrated her birthday. We had over 20 people over in our house. I've been hinting at a new house so maybe that will help. That was a lot of people in our little house but we made the best of it! Ryan smoke some pork loin like he has done every year for Evan's birthday. Like always, it was delicious. That really helps me out that he does that because then all I have to worry about is a salad, potatoes and a bread. Make it a lot easier for me! So we all ate a fabulous dinner. Then opened presents. Being a girl, Bria got a LOT of new and ADORABLE clothes. She is very fashionable at 1 year old! It's too much fun for mommy though! ;) She got a picnic toy set and a tea party toy set. Soon, I'm sure Bria will like them, but for right now, Evan is really enjoying them! Bria also got a cute rocking horse. G-Ma and G-Pa must have thought we needed two and that they couldn't share Evan's because we have another one! I like giving them a hard time. They will enjoy each having one of their own! The last present Bria got was a Bitty Baby (made by American Girl). Bria was cute when she opened up. Her face lit up and she wanted to play with it so badly. She likes how the eyes blink and she keeps feeling the eyes. She was also giving baby lots of kisses! It was adorable! We also got quite a bit of money that we will put towards Bria's college fund. Smart parents, I know. ;)
After we opened presents we moved onto the cake. A girl from work started a cake business and made Bria's. It was adorable, matched my theme perfectly and it was delicious. When Bria was given her individual cake she started off really slow. I didn't think she was going to get that messy. After a few minutes she proved me wrong! She was a mess. The cake was a disaster and cake was EVERYWHERE. Oh well, you only live once! I was fun to see her having so much fun eating her cake. After this, Bria had had enough. Unfortunately, she had woken up early from her nap so she got grumpy a little early. I put her down around 8:15 and she slept hard until 8:30 the next day. She was all partied out!
Here are some of the things Bria can do/likes at a year old:
Eating only table food - she has been doing this for nearly 3 months. She LOVES table food because she does not want to be fed.
She has 5 (almost 6) teeth.
She is crawling! OK she just started this today and it is really slow going, but she's doing it! Before she army crawled EVERYWHERE!
She can get herself back to the sitting position and she thinks she is hot stuff that she can do it. She will do it over and over and over again and cheer herself on while she does it. Quite cute.
She can start crawling while she is sitting.
Now that I'm off for the summer she is sleeping nearly 12 hours. While working I always had to wake her up at the 11 hour mark.
Bria is trying so hard to pull herself up. If something is low enough, she is successful.
Bria doesn't talk a whole lot. She says the traditional mama, dada, baba, ect. But she isn't a babbler like most babies.
Bria likes to scream (only at dinner time of course).
Bria is a Mommy's girl! :) I like this.
Bria loves to have small toys to play with. She likes to have things in her had all the time. I gave her an old cell phone and you would think that is the greatest toy ever!
Bria likes to cuddle.
Of course, mommy loves her more than she will ever know!
HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY BRIA!
Until next time...
On Sunday, we celebrated her birthday. We had over 20 people over in our house. I've been hinting at a new house so maybe that will help. That was a lot of people in our little house but we made the best of it! Ryan smoke some pork loin like he has done every year for Evan's birthday. Like always, it was delicious. That really helps me out that he does that because then all I have to worry about is a salad, potatoes and a bread. Make it a lot easier for me! So we all ate a fabulous dinner. Then opened presents. Being a girl, Bria got a LOT of new and ADORABLE clothes. She is very fashionable at 1 year old! It's too much fun for mommy though! ;) She got a picnic toy set and a tea party toy set. Soon, I'm sure Bria will like them, but for right now, Evan is really enjoying them! Bria also got a cute rocking horse. G-Ma and G-Pa must have thought we needed two and that they couldn't share Evan's because we have another one! I like giving them a hard time. They will enjoy each having one of their own! The last present Bria got was a Bitty Baby (made by American Girl). Bria was cute when she opened up. Her face lit up and she wanted to play with it so badly. She likes how the eyes blink and she keeps feeling the eyes. She was also giving baby lots of kisses! It was adorable! We also got quite a bit of money that we will put towards Bria's college fund. Smart parents, I know. ;)
After we opened presents we moved onto the cake. A girl from work started a cake business and made Bria's. It was adorable, matched my theme perfectly and it was delicious. When Bria was given her individual cake she started off really slow. I didn't think she was going to get that messy. After a few minutes she proved me wrong! She was a mess. The cake was a disaster and cake was EVERYWHERE. Oh well, you only live once! I was fun to see her having so much fun eating her cake. After this, Bria had had enough. Unfortunately, she had woken up early from her nap so she got grumpy a little early. I put her down around 8:15 and she slept hard until 8:30 the next day. She was all partied out!
Here are some of the things Bria can do/likes at a year old:
Eating only table food - she has been doing this for nearly 3 months. She LOVES table food because she does not want to be fed.
She has 5 (almost 6) teeth.
She is crawling! OK she just started this today and it is really slow going, but she's doing it! Before she army crawled EVERYWHERE!
She can get herself back to the sitting position and she thinks she is hot stuff that she can do it. She will do it over and over and over again and cheer herself on while she does it. Quite cute.
She can start crawling while she is sitting.
Now that I'm off for the summer she is sleeping nearly 12 hours. While working I always had to wake her up at the 11 hour mark.
Bria is trying so hard to pull herself up. If something is low enough, she is successful.
Bria doesn't talk a whole lot. She says the traditional mama, dada, baba, ect. But she isn't a babbler like most babies.
Bria likes to scream (only at dinner time of course).
Bria is a Mommy's girl! :) I like this.
Bria loves to have small toys to play with. She likes to have things in her had all the time. I gave her an old cell phone and you would think that is the greatest toy ever!
Bria likes to cuddle.
Of course, mommy loves her more than she will ever know!
HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY BRIA!
Until next time...
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Seriously???
MY DAUGHTER WILL BE ONE TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY! I cannot believe it. It's like she's not a baby anymore! She is such an amazing little girl! I cannot imagine my life without her! We have been working hard on starting/finishing some house projects. It always seems that we try to get one more project started and finished before a big birthday party. With Bria's birthday being in the spring and the crappy weather we have had, that has made it a little more challenging. Luckily, we didn't take on too much so we don't have unfinished work. We decided to put up lattice work under our deck. It used to be open and you would not believe the junk that accumulated under your deck. By putting up lattice, we now won't have stuff accumulate nor will we see the mess. We already have up the lattice work and it looks SO much nicer already. We are going to put a smaller scaled flower bed in front on both sides of the deck. Of course that will be my job. With it being this late, I don't know how much will actually get done this year, but hopefully we will at least have the landscaping part done. I am so excited for her party. I am getting a cake make by Jennifer Pelfrey. She works at my school but makes AMAZINGLY CUTE cakes on the side. I have never tasted her cakes, but from everything I have seen they are so cute! I'm not really having one theme to Bria's party. It's more like a spring theme. Lots of pinks, purples, greens and flowers. I got some cute plates and will get the balloons to match. I know it will be perfect!
Bria is STILL NOT CRAWLING. It drives me crazy. She is a pretty content little girl but doesn't like to be alone. This means I don't get much done. I will admit, since she can army crawl, she is much happier because she can explore a little bit. I keep thinking any day now because she will get up on all fours and start to move her arms. I swear my heart drops every time she does that because I keep thinking this is the time! It's going to happen. Then she drops to her belly and continues to army crawl. The good news is she is getting up an all fours more and more frequently. So maybe any day now? I know Evan started crawling a little late. He was about 10 months. Bria has taken late to a whole new level! :)
Evan is such a fun and loving little boy. He is always on the go! I swear this kid is a genius! Since he was two years old, he has been able to name his letters, shapes, colors, numbers, count to 20 (we tend to skip 13 or 14 though). This summer, I'm hoping to teach him his letter sounds. I know that seems awfully advanced for a 3 year old, but I'm not kidding, he is already so interested in it. He is constantly asking what does this start with? He learns so fast so I'm sure after a couple of weeks of working on it he will have it down. That's about how long it took him to learn his letters!
I am so excited. We only have 5 more days of school. I will then have two more work days. So 12 days from now it will officially be SUMMER! I can't wait to spend time with my kids. It will be so much fun to be around them and do things with them all the time! Especially getting outside!
Until next time...
Bria is STILL NOT CRAWLING. It drives me crazy. She is a pretty content little girl but doesn't like to be alone. This means I don't get much done. I will admit, since she can army crawl, she is much happier because she can explore a little bit. I keep thinking any day now because she will get up on all fours and start to move her arms. I swear my heart drops every time she does that because I keep thinking this is the time! It's going to happen. Then she drops to her belly and continues to army crawl. The good news is she is getting up an all fours more and more frequently. So maybe any day now? I know Evan started crawling a little late. He was about 10 months. Bria has taken late to a whole new level! :)
Evan is such a fun and loving little boy. He is always on the go! I swear this kid is a genius! Since he was two years old, he has been able to name his letters, shapes, colors, numbers, count to 20 (we tend to skip 13 or 14 though). This summer, I'm hoping to teach him his letter sounds. I know that seems awfully advanced for a 3 year old, but I'm not kidding, he is already so interested in it. He is constantly asking what does this start with? He learns so fast so I'm sure after a couple of weeks of working on it he will have it down. That's about how long it took him to learn his letters!
I am so excited. We only have 5 more days of school. I will then have two more work days. So 12 days from now it will officially be SUMMER! I can't wait to spend time with my kids. It will be so much fun to be around them and do things with them all the time! Especially getting outside!
Until next time...
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Joys of napping
Sometimes I think Evan is at the age where he can stop taking naps. He is never grouchy at our scheduled "nap time." (I'm BIG into schedules for the kids. You name it, it has a designated time). I know not everyone is like that but I honestly think it makes parenting a little easier. When one of the kids starts to fuss or get grouchy, all I have to do is look at the clock and I immediately know what is wrong and fix it without having to guess. So back to Evan. Occasionally, I will let Evan stay up instead of napping. I always pay for that choice. It never fails, about 6:30, the tired stick has hit him and I am being punished until 8:30 (which is his bedtime), if we make it to then. Today, at his babysitters, Evan was the movie picker. That is a BIG deal. When you are the movie picker you get to pick the movie that everyone else has to watch during rest time. Well, if Evan is the movie picker, that usually means NO NAP. He gets too excited and wants to watch the movie. Well, tonight was absolute chaos. From about 6:30 until 8:00 (I couldn't take it any longer), Evan cried. I had set up the pool so he could play earlier. He got out his tools and helped Daddy with the deck. He played football. Yet, when it was time to clean up, this is what I heard in the middle of all his screaming and tantrum throwing. "I never get to do anything. I never, never, never get to do anything I want. I didn't do anything tonight. It's not fair." Oh geez. So apparently, I'm a bad mom and I made him sit in the middle of the yard with Bria while I went around and played all night. I had so much fun playing tonight! :) I know it's just him being three and trying to see what he can get by with but it is so tiring.
On to Bria. Bria is STILL not crawling. I tell you, that is one lazy girl! Tonight I actually thought she was going to take the leap into crawling. She was up on all fours and then lifted her arms to do the motion but then immediately went down to her army crawl. At one point I even saw her get up on all fours but then straighten her legs so she was on her feet. I was completely shocked. Maybe we'll skip to walking? Doubt it.
Bria's first birthday is coming up in 3 weeks from today actually. It just doesn't seem right! She's not a baby anymore! I've had fun planning her party. I got invitations out today. I have the decorations bought. Ryan's in charge of cooking because he will smoke something. I'm sitting pretty good. Of course, I'll have to clean like crazy. It's horrible of me, but I am holding off doing a whole lot of cleaning because I'll do it again in a week or so. I'm keeping things picked up and am spot cleaning. I'm just too lazy to do it when I'm going to do a DEEP cleaning soon. (See my previous post about someday.)
Lot's of exciting things going on! Only 10 more days of school and then it's summer. I can't wait to spend all my time with my kids!
Until next time...
On to Bria. Bria is STILL not crawling. I tell you, that is one lazy girl! Tonight I actually thought she was going to take the leap into crawling. She was up on all fours and then lifted her arms to do the motion but then immediately went down to her army crawl. At one point I even saw her get up on all fours but then straighten her legs so she was on her feet. I was completely shocked. Maybe we'll skip to walking? Doubt it.
Bria's first birthday is coming up in 3 weeks from today actually. It just doesn't seem right! She's not a baby anymore! I've had fun planning her party. I got invitations out today. I have the decorations bought. Ryan's in charge of cooking because he will smoke something. I'm sitting pretty good. Of course, I'll have to clean like crazy. It's horrible of me, but I am holding off doing a whole lot of cleaning because I'll do it again in a week or so. I'm keeping things picked up and am spot cleaning. I'm just too lazy to do it when I'm going to do a DEEP cleaning soon. (See my previous post about someday.)
Lot's of exciting things going on! Only 10 more days of school and then it's summer. I can't wait to spend all my time with my kids!
Until next time...
Monday, April 25, 2011
Wonderful times...
This past weekend was a really nice weekend. I didn't get a moment to sit and do nothing yet I still enjoyed it.
Thursday and Friday we did not have school. I spent my time A) digging up mom's plants so my school can sell them to make money. I am the PTO president and we are trying to make money for the classrooms/kids. Lot of work. Thanks to my mom for donating all the plants. She was talking and mentioned she was going to just throw them away so I of course snatched them up so we could make some mulah! :) My time was also spent B) taking my kids to the doctor. Thursday evening I though Bria was getting pink eye but I decided to wait until morning to take her to urgent care. Friday morning when we woke up, Evan's eyes were completely matted shut. He could not open them at all. It took me nearly 15 minutes taking a warm cloth and then finally practically ripping them open before he was able to open his eyes again. He was not a happy camper. Bria, who I originally was concerned about, only had a few eye boogers. Needless to say, they both had pink eye and we got it taken care of. Since we were there, I had the doctors look at Bria again. I'm not kidding when I say she has had a cough/runny nose/rattle in her breathing since November. There have been times when it goes away briefly but then it comes back full force. I have probably taken her to the doctor 6 or more times this winter and every time they tell me it is just a bad cold. I don't want to hear that!!! I want medicine so it will go away! I'm tired of having her feel this way! Poor thing!
Saturday morning we went and visited my Grandma. The hospice facility has done a really good job of nursing her back to health. She is not healthy, but she is more alert recently than she has been in a long time. She is still recognizing everyone but lives in the past. She is constantly talking about her sister who has been gone for nearly 3 years now. She occasionally talks about her mom as well. Her spirits are up and it is nice to see her that way even if she isn't in reality anymore. The rest of the day we had our Easter celebration with my side of the family. We dyed eggs, had an egg hunt, had dinner. Over all it was a very nice time. Although it was still on the chilly side, Evan loved being able to get outside and play a little bit. He drove his Jeep around G-Ma and G-pa's yard. It was cute. Of course, G-pa gave him lots of Tractor (a little mower) ride.
Sunday, we got up bright and early so we could head back home and make it for 8:30 mass. Not fun getting up early. The kids were so good in church. Bria occasionally was trying to sing when the congregation would sing. Very funny. After church, we had a very nice brunch with Ryan's family. After brunch, the kids got to open their presents. Ryan's mom found HUGE eggs and stuffed the eggs with all the kid's presents. It was very cute and the kids loved how the eggs were so big. Then, of course, we had another egg hunt. Evan and Avery loved it! Their baskets were full. But then didn't have much competition. Next year there will be 5 egg hunters so there will be competition!!
Overall, it was a fabulous long weekend. Even though I was so busy, I felt refreshed when I went back to work today. Wonderful feeling! On another note 21 DAYS LEFT OF SCHOOL!!!
Until next time...
Thursday and Friday we did not have school. I spent my time A) digging up mom's plants so my school can sell them to make money. I am the PTO president and we are trying to make money for the classrooms/kids. Lot of work. Thanks to my mom for donating all the plants. She was talking and mentioned she was going to just throw them away so I of course snatched them up so we could make some mulah! :) My time was also spent B) taking my kids to the doctor. Thursday evening I though Bria was getting pink eye but I decided to wait until morning to take her to urgent care. Friday morning when we woke up, Evan's eyes were completely matted shut. He could not open them at all. It took me nearly 15 minutes taking a warm cloth and then finally practically ripping them open before he was able to open his eyes again. He was not a happy camper. Bria, who I originally was concerned about, only had a few eye boogers. Needless to say, they both had pink eye and we got it taken care of. Since we were there, I had the doctors look at Bria again. I'm not kidding when I say she has had a cough/runny nose/rattle in her breathing since November. There have been times when it goes away briefly but then it comes back full force. I have probably taken her to the doctor 6 or more times this winter and every time they tell me it is just a bad cold. I don't want to hear that!!! I want medicine so it will go away! I'm tired of having her feel this way! Poor thing!
Saturday morning we went and visited my Grandma. The hospice facility has done a really good job of nursing her back to health. She is not healthy, but she is more alert recently than she has been in a long time. She is still recognizing everyone but lives in the past. She is constantly talking about her sister who has been gone for nearly 3 years now. She occasionally talks about her mom as well. Her spirits are up and it is nice to see her that way even if she isn't in reality anymore. The rest of the day we had our Easter celebration with my side of the family. We dyed eggs, had an egg hunt, had dinner. Over all it was a very nice time. Although it was still on the chilly side, Evan loved being able to get outside and play a little bit. He drove his Jeep around G-Ma and G-pa's yard. It was cute. Of course, G-pa gave him lots of Tractor (a little mower) ride.
Sunday, we got up bright and early so we could head back home and make it for 8:30 mass. Not fun getting up early. The kids were so good in church. Bria occasionally was trying to sing when the congregation would sing. Very funny. After church, we had a very nice brunch with Ryan's family. After brunch, the kids got to open their presents. Ryan's mom found HUGE eggs and stuffed the eggs with all the kid's presents. It was very cute and the kids loved how the eggs were so big. Then, of course, we had another egg hunt. Evan and Avery loved it! Their baskets were full. But then didn't have much competition. Next year there will be 5 egg hunters so there will be competition!!
Overall, it was a fabulous long weekend. Even though I was so busy, I felt refreshed when I went back to work today. Wonderful feeling! On another note 21 DAYS LEFT OF SCHOOL!!!
Until next time...
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Full of somedays...
#1 Someday I want to learn how to keep my house clean. I get on cleaning spells and have the house spotless for a couple weeks. Then I get lazy. Of course no one else in the house is going to do anything about it (men - ;) ) So everything just piles up for me until my house looks like a tornado ripped through it and I'm back to my huge job of cleaning. Why can't I just do a little bit here and there so it never pile up on me?
#2 Someday I want to be organized. Why is it that I am (somewhat) organized at school but can't be at home? If you ask me where something is at school, chances are I will find it. Ask me where something is at home...well...see #1.
#3 Someday I want a new house. We are saving like crazy. I purposely buy nothing new for this house because I have intentions of building that house. We need new furniture but I don't want to buy new furniture until I have my dream house. My intentions would to be building our new house right now. But Ryan has different intentions than me. If we waited a couple more years, we could have our current house paid off and really save so we could have most of the money for the new house. I can see the benefit of that. But when you live in a house that has NO STORAGE...see #1. Maybe that's my problem! :)
#4 Someday I want to burst out of my shell. I am so darn shy. One minute I will think I am getting better and then I fall back into my habits of not saying anything. Sometimes I feel people think I am mean or don't like them. That's not it. I'm just challenged. If you get me started on a topic, I'll open up and talk. Frustrating. Just to make it clear...I don't hate anyone. :) This shy thing makes it extremely challenging for my job. Parents want talkative teachers with them. That's not me. I try to talk to them but doesn't always work out the way I want it to. They just need to know that I am VERY TALKATIVE with the kids. I love the kids and that is why I became a teacher.
#5 Someday I want my kids not to be lazy. They only seem to be lazy the first 12 months of life. After that, they grow out of it. Bria is still NOT CRAWLING. I know it will come, but jeez! We are nearly 10 1/2 months and she doesn't consistently get up on all fours. At least I got her through the stage of hating to do tummy time. That was a real treat when she would scream bloody murder because I put her on her tummy. She will roll all over the place and turn in circles but that's it. It's coming....I know it it. In a couple months I will look back and this and say, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!?!?!?"
#6 Someday I want to loose weight. I have changed my eating habits...for the most part. There are somethings I will NOT give up. I have been doing P90X for 2 months now. I haven't dropped a SINGLE pound! I have firmed up. I will give them credit for that. Ryan told me P90X isn't meant to loose weight but to gain more muscle mass. I can tell I am stronger. But some of the work outs we have to do...I should be loosing some weight. Honestly, I am now the same weight and size I was before I got pregnant with Evan. So I shouldn't be complaining. Why does society do this to women where they never feel good enough? I know what's happening and I can't change my image of it! URGH!
Until next time...
#2 Someday I want to be organized. Why is it that I am (somewhat) organized at school but can't be at home? If you ask me where something is at school, chances are I will find it. Ask me where something is at home...well...see #1.
#3 Someday I want a new house. We are saving like crazy. I purposely buy nothing new for this house because I have intentions of building that house. We need new furniture but I don't want to buy new furniture until I have my dream house. My intentions would to be building our new house right now. But Ryan has different intentions than me. If we waited a couple more years, we could have our current house paid off and really save so we could have most of the money for the new house. I can see the benefit of that. But when you live in a house that has NO STORAGE...see #1. Maybe that's my problem! :)
#4 Someday I want to burst out of my shell. I am so darn shy. One minute I will think I am getting better and then I fall back into my habits of not saying anything. Sometimes I feel people think I am mean or don't like them. That's not it. I'm just challenged. If you get me started on a topic, I'll open up and talk. Frustrating. Just to make it clear...I don't hate anyone. :) This shy thing makes it extremely challenging for my job. Parents want talkative teachers with them. That's not me. I try to talk to them but doesn't always work out the way I want it to. They just need to know that I am VERY TALKATIVE with the kids. I love the kids and that is why I became a teacher.
#5 Someday I want my kids not to be lazy. They only seem to be lazy the first 12 months of life. After that, they grow out of it. Bria is still NOT CRAWLING. I know it will come, but jeez! We are nearly 10 1/2 months and she doesn't consistently get up on all fours. At least I got her through the stage of hating to do tummy time. That was a real treat when she would scream bloody murder because I put her on her tummy. She will roll all over the place and turn in circles but that's it. It's coming....I know it it. In a couple months I will look back and this and say, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!?!?!?"
#6 Someday I want to loose weight. I have changed my eating habits...for the most part. There are somethings I will NOT give up. I have been doing P90X for 2 months now. I haven't dropped a SINGLE pound! I have firmed up. I will give them credit for that. Ryan told me P90X isn't meant to loose weight but to gain more muscle mass. I can tell I am stronger. But some of the work outs we have to do...I should be loosing some weight. Honestly, I am now the same weight and size I was before I got pregnant with Evan. So I shouldn't be complaining. Why does society do this to women where they never feel good enough? I know what's happening and I can't change my image of it! URGH!
Until next time...
Thursday, March 31, 2011
10 months?!?!
I know mom's say it all the time...but where has time gone? My baby girl is 10 months! That means in two months we will be celebrating her first birthday. I just find it crazy! She is working so hard on crawling right now but is getting no where. She finally decided that she can roll. She has been able to do it for a long time because she always rolls in her crib. She prefers to sleep on her belly even though I always put her on her back. When we would wake her up, she is always on her tummy. Silly thing. But now she is rolling everywhere. She can get up on all fours but can't stay long. I honestly think she would prefer to walk because she loves to stand. She can't stand on her own though yet. If I put her next to something, she will hold on and stand forever. She just can't decide what she wants to do!
My grandma is still here. They moved her to a hospice facility last Wednesday. I visited her then for what I thought might be the last time but she is just hanging on. I went and saw her on Saturday and we were so amazed! When we got there, she greeted us because she was walking down the hallway. Not a sight you see in a hospice facility! She was living in a different time though. She was talking about how she spent the previous night in a hotel and went roller skating all day until we got there. It was so hard not to laugh but it was so nice to see her in a "good place." It didn't last long because she has basically slept ever since. It is almost like it was her last rally.
My mom has been slowly trying to get things arranged so when it does happen, things will be easy. I took on creating a movie of her life from pictures and music. I almost have it done. It has been hard because it brings tears to my eyes to see who she was long ago to the shell she is today. It's mean to say, but that is basically what is left. She used to be laughing, joking, loving, and fun. Now she is just there. Every once in awhile we get a glimpse of her and we cherish those moments.
My grandma is still here. They moved her to a hospice facility last Wednesday. I visited her then for what I thought might be the last time but she is just hanging on. I went and saw her on Saturday and we were so amazed! When we got there, she greeted us because she was walking down the hallway. Not a sight you see in a hospice facility! She was living in a different time though. She was talking about how she spent the previous night in a hotel and went roller skating all day until we got there. It was so hard not to laugh but it was so nice to see her in a "good place." It didn't last long because she has basically slept ever since. It is almost like it was her last rally.
My mom has been slowly trying to get things arranged so when it does happen, things will be easy. I took on creating a movie of her life from pictures and music. I almost have it done. It has been hard because it brings tears to my eyes to see who she was long ago to the shell she is today. It's mean to say, but that is basically what is left. She used to be laughing, joking, loving, and fun. Now she is just there. Every once in awhile we get a glimpse of her and we cherish those moments.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Just when you think things are getting better
I swear I started this blog to remember the small things with my kids. However, for the meantime, my grandmother seems to have taken control of it.
Yesterday, I could have sworn we were heading in the right direction. My grandma was more alert. She was joking, the Renal Failure wasn't as bad.
Today, we were hit with the word you never want to hear. Hospice. I just can't believe we are there. She has pneumonia. They are not going to treat it but rather let it take it's course. She also has a b12 deficiency. They could give her a lot of shots to boost that up but she would have to be able to eat a balanced diet to keep it up and she can't and won't do that. Her body is just shutting down. The good thing is we don't have to move her. She gets to go back to her apartment (which is already an assisted living facility) and they will do hospice care there. So now it is just a matter of time. My only hope is she is not in any pain when the time comes.
Gran, I love you with all my heart. I will always remember spending EVERY Saturday night with you. I remember having you, troy, me, as well as a 30 lb dog all in the same bed. And at the time, Troy and I thought that was the greatest thing on earth. I will also remember getting to spend every day with you in the summer. The only thing we would do was swim, lay out at the pool and eat watermelon. We always had a contest to see who would be the tannest by the end of the summer. Bad competition but yet a fond memory. There are so many more, but those are some of the funnest. Love you lots.
Yesterday, I could have sworn we were heading in the right direction. My grandma was more alert. She was joking, the Renal Failure wasn't as bad.
Today, we were hit with the word you never want to hear. Hospice. I just can't believe we are there. She has pneumonia. They are not going to treat it but rather let it take it's course. She also has a b12 deficiency. They could give her a lot of shots to boost that up but she would have to be able to eat a balanced diet to keep it up and she can't and won't do that. Her body is just shutting down. The good thing is we don't have to move her. She gets to go back to her apartment (which is already an assisted living facility) and they will do hospice care there. So now it is just a matter of time. My only hope is she is not in any pain when the time comes.
Gran, I love you with all my heart. I will always remember spending EVERY Saturday night with you. I remember having you, troy, me, as well as a 30 lb dog all in the same bed. And at the time, Troy and I thought that was the greatest thing on earth. I will also remember getting to spend every day with you in the summer. The only thing we would do was swim, lay out at the pool and eat watermelon. We always had a contest to see who would be the tannest by the end of the summer. Bad competition but yet a fond memory. There are so many more, but those are some of the funnest. Love you lots.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
An update...
Yesterday, we all went down to visit my grandma in the hospital. She was not happy to be there. With her Alzheimer's disease, she doesn't understand what's going on. She knows my mom makes a lot of decisions. Therefore, she blames my mom. I think I was getting blamed by some association yesterday. Simply because I'm my mother's daughter. My grandma didn't seem to want to have much to do with me or my family. Unwilling to talk or converse, I took it as a grain of salt knowing it's the disease and not really her.
There is a positive update though. The initial thought as of Friday was that she was in stage 4 Renal Failure. Now they don't think it is to that stage yet. She is in the early stages of it rather than the later. So that is great news. They are trying to get a hold of her eating since she eats nothing all day. So she is the hospital until she is eating a healthier diet. But some not so great news is now she is battling pneumonia. Not what an weak, older woman needs to deal with. So I will just continue to hope and pray that she gets better. Although I wish she didn't have it, I will take early stages of Renal failure over stage 4. We still don't know when she will be released from the hospital but we are hopeful that it will be later this week!
On to Miss Bria. I am amazing how strong she is getting. Just in the last day or so, now she is getting up on all fours and will rock. I think we are still weeks away from crawling but it is a step in the right direction since she wasn't doing ANYTHING for the longest time!
Evan cracks me up. We have been doing P90X lately. Because Ryan does it with his shirt off, Evan thinks it has to be off whenever we do it. He even tries to get me to take mine off...but that isn't happening. :) He gets so excited when we are doing it. He's crazy to like working out! The joys of being 3 1/2.
I hope to continue to have good news as the week progresses!
There is a positive update though. The initial thought as of Friday was that she was in stage 4 Renal Failure. Now they don't think it is to that stage yet. She is in the early stages of it rather than the later. So that is great news. They are trying to get a hold of her eating since she eats nothing all day. So she is the hospital until she is eating a healthier diet. But some not so great news is now she is battling pneumonia. Not what an weak, older woman needs to deal with. So I will just continue to hope and pray that she gets better. Although I wish she didn't have it, I will take early stages of Renal failure over stage 4. We still don't know when she will be released from the hospital but we are hopeful that it will be later this week!
On to Miss Bria. I am amazing how strong she is getting. Just in the last day or so, now she is getting up on all fours and will rock. I think we are still weeks away from crawling but it is a step in the right direction since she wasn't doing ANYTHING for the longest time!
Evan cracks me up. We have been doing P90X lately. Because Ryan does it with his shirt off, Evan thinks it has to be off whenever we do it. He even tries to get me to take mine off...but that isn't happening. :) He gets so excited when we are doing it. He's crazy to like working out! The joys of being 3 1/2.
I hope to continue to have good news as the week progresses!
Friday, March 18, 2011
New to this...
So many people are starting blogs these days, but I'm not quite sure I get it. How is blogging much different than Facebook? Yes, you can write more than your status updates. Other than this, what's different? I remember back in the day (not so long ago) everyone had LiveJournal. That was before Facebook though so it made more sense.
The one thing I do look forward to is writing details down to remember important, fun, funny, exciting, and memorable "small things" in life. Would anyone have any interest in what I have to say? In the end, I am starting this for me. :)
My thoughts for today...very mixed.
One of our "small things" today was Bria actually got up on all fours and stayed there for about 30 seconds. She had gotten up before but immediately went down. So staying up for a longer time was big! I must have really lazy kids. I remember Evan never attempted to crawl until he was 10 months. Bria is right on track with that. We went to the doctor for Bria's 9 month check-up. I was talking to the doctor about this and told her how I thought Bria was lazy. The doctor laughed and said she just thought Bria was content...that's just a nice way of saying she's lazy. :)
On to the sadder news. My grandmother has been battling Alzheimer's for about 2 years now. We moved her to a facility in DSM that specialized in this. She has been doing fine but suddenly in the last six months, she started to slip physically. This is a woman who was slalom water skiing about 5 years ago. Huge difference from then to today. I guess aging is a bi*ch. (Excuse my language). In the last few weeks, anytime my mom took her out of her apartment, my grandmother got shaky and couldn't walk anymore. She would immediately sit down and would break out in a sweat. Monday, my mom took her to the doctor and found out it was the lack of nutrients. (I could have told her that). My grandmother now had to drink 3 ensures a day. They also wanted to see her back on Friday (today) so they could do an ultrasound on her organs. The problem is, my grandma would drink them and immediately get sick from it. Not pleasant. So today, they went to the doctor and did the ultrasound. Long story short, they think because she is not getting the nutrients, she is going into Renal Failure.
The options: Dialysis or kidney transplant. My grandma is a candidate for neither.
So we think it is up to God now.
I have so many mixed emotions about all of this. Growing up, I was SO close to my grandmother. For the longest time I lived four houses away from her. Almost no one gets that benefit. We were like best friends. When her Alzheimer's disease hit, it was almost as if I had lost her then. Today, she isn't who she was five years ago. I feel as if I have already suffered that loss, but I'm going to have to suffer it again. I don't want her to be in any more pain. She is suffering right now. She's so unhappy and doesn't understand nor does she have the capability. She has been admitted to the hospital tonight so we will find out more tomorrow. This will be what the rest of my weekend is consumed by. And I'm OK with that. We don't have a time line or anything. I don't mind giving up my weekend if it means I will get a few last moments with her. You just never know when it will be your last....
The one thing I do look forward to is writing details down to remember important, fun, funny, exciting, and memorable "small things" in life. Would anyone have any interest in what I have to say? In the end, I am starting this for me. :)
My thoughts for today...very mixed.
One of our "small things" today was Bria actually got up on all fours and stayed there for about 30 seconds. She had gotten up before but immediately went down. So staying up for a longer time was big! I must have really lazy kids. I remember Evan never attempted to crawl until he was 10 months. Bria is right on track with that. We went to the doctor for Bria's 9 month check-up. I was talking to the doctor about this and told her how I thought Bria was lazy. The doctor laughed and said she just thought Bria was content...that's just a nice way of saying she's lazy. :)
On to the sadder news. My grandmother has been battling Alzheimer's for about 2 years now. We moved her to a facility in DSM that specialized in this. She has been doing fine but suddenly in the last six months, she started to slip physically. This is a woman who was slalom water skiing about 5 years ago. Huge difference from then to today. I guess aging is a bi*ch. (Excuse my language). In the last few weeks, anytime my mom took her out of her apartment, my grandmother got shaky and couldn't walk anymore. She would immediately sit down and would break out in a sweat. Monday, my mom took her to the doctor and found out it was the lack of nutrients. (I could have told her that). My grandmother now had to drink 3 ensures a day. They also wanted to see her back on Friday (today) so they could do an ultrasound on her organs. The problem is, my grandma would drink them and immediately get sick from it. Not pleasant. So today, they went to the doctor and did the ultrasound. Long story short, they think because she is not getting the nutrients, she is going into Renal Failure.
The options: Dialysis or kidney transplant. My grandma is a candidate for neither.
So we think it is up to God now.
I have so many mixed emotions about all of this. Growing up, I was SO close to my grandmother. For the longest time I lived four houses away from her. Almost no one gets that benefit. We were like best friends. When her Alzheimer's disease hit, it was almost as if I had lost her then. Today, she isn't who she was five years ago. I feel as if I have already suffered that loss, but I'm going to have to suffer it again. I don't want her to be in any more pain. She is suffering right now. She's so unhappy and doesn't understand nor does she have the capability. She has been admitted to the hospital tonight so we will find out more tomorrow. This will be what the rest of my weekend is consumed by. And I'm OK with that. We don't have a time line or anything. I don't mind giving up my weekend if it means I will get a few last moments with her. You just never know when it will be your last....
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