Mama, I need.....

This is what Gavin's says all day, lol! "Mama, I need to watch Super Why." "Mama, I need to eat peanut butter crackers!" "Mama, I need to play with my toys!" "Mama I need to go outside and play" "Mama I need to go to the store" "Mama I need to go to (insert everyone he knows names) house!"

We both LOVE hearing him talk so much, he says the funniest things!

We were going to meet the MoM last week and we drove past a farm, Gavin saw the silo and he got very excited and said "MAMA I NEED TO CLIMB THAT!!!" I told him we couldn't climb that because it was too tall. He thought about it for a second and said, "It's very dangerous maybe we climb another one."

Watching him with Jakob and Kaleb makes me so happy, he is so great with them and loves to make them laugh and give them kisses. I keep trying to explain to him that the babies don't know how to crawl, walk and talk. And he will try to teach them or if he wants them to roll over, he will say "Come on, roll over! You can do it!" And if they don't do it quick enough for him, he will give them some assistance :-D

I cannot believe he is going  to be 3 in just three and half months! I remember him being J&K's size so clearly. And going through all Gavin's baby clothes to see what will fit J&K brings back so many of those wonderful memories. It is amazing how quickly they grow and learn because I look at J&K now and then I look at Gavin talking away and think that in just 2 short years J&K will be a little person like Gavin. I am looking forward to seeing their personalities develop and the 3 brothers playing, loving and arguing together hehe

I have four very amazing guys in my life :-D

MMMM pizza :-D

Gavin LOVES pizza! Gavin was eating pizza for lunch and he wanted to see Kaleb. So Kaleb and I came to sit by Gavin and Kaleb starts eyeing Gavin's slice of pizza. Gavin being the sweet big brother that he is, shares his pizza with Kaleb..actually Gavin was all done with it but we like to view it as sharing ;-)

Kaleb was thoroughly enjoying his pizza and I would imagine the hard crust felt wonderful on his sore gums!

oh man...let the teething begin!

I was not prepared for this..I assumed that since Gavin didn't cut his first tooth until close to 9 months that Jakob and Kaleb would start teething are around that time as well. Wrong!

I noticed something a little sharp the other day when Kaleb was eating my finger off and I looked in his mouth and sure enough...bottom tooth peeking through =0  Of course that explains a lot of his recent not wanting to eat behaviors, I've been thinking he had ear infection or his reflux was flaring up...nope just a tooth :-P

My dad and Marcin said he was teething because he has been chewing on things nonstop the past couple of months but I refused to say he was teething. I remember when Gavin was a baby, I felt like I said the child was teething for 6 months! But yet I never saw a tooth until 9 months! Granted I know the teeth can push for a while before showing but still, I just wasn't going to do it this time around lol

I would have to guess that Kaleb's other bottom tooth is right behind this one, poor little guy :-( I know it bothers him but so far he is still sleeping pretty well at night. His naps are hit or miss but if he has some tylenol for some relief, he is usually fine.

Now I am anxious to see when Jakob will get a tooth!!! He is starting to not want to eat, chewing on his fingers and putting more things in his mouth which isn't normal behavior for him. So I guess it is only a matter of time!

And isn't ironic that Kaleb is getting his first tooth while Gavin is working on the last 2 molars (THANK GOODNESS!!!). So we just need to get through two more little ones teething and we will be done with teething, I have to say I am looking forward to it. I dont like teething...I hate seeing my babies hurting :-(

New carseat guidelines.... I like!

"Under the new guidelines, issued today, NHTSA is advising parents and caregivers to keep children in each restraint type, including rear-facing, forward-facing and booster seats, for as long as possible before moving them up to the next type of seat."

When Gavin turned one, everyone was excited because then he could turn around in his carseat to forward facing. From what I had read, this wasn't happening because it was safer to keep them rear facing as long as possible and in a 5-point harness. We kept Gavin  rear facing until he was 1.5 years old, we would have kept him longer but he reached the maximum height limit for his seat rear facing. Even before he reached the limit, he looked cramped and was pretty much sitting indian style in his carseat but if we were to get in an accident I'd rather he have 2 broken legs than a broken neck : /

We plan to do the same with Jakob and Kaleb, yes it is more convenient and fun to see kids facing forward but I'd rather be safe and inconvenienced :-)

I am glad to see the AAP releasing these new guidelines, hopefully many parents will listen and keep their kids even safer!

http://www.nhtsa.gov/About+NHTSA/Press+Releases/2011/NHTSA+Releases+New+Child+Seat+Guidelines

Happy St. Patty's Day!!!

I know I am day early but chances are I will get busy tomorrow and forget :-P I am told I am half Irish or a quarter or something like that...regardless there is some Irish here somewhere lol

We used to always go to Savannah to celebrate St. Patty's Day...very big Irish population there and very big party for St. Pattys day. So much fun from the parade to the 2-3 days of drinking, eating and hanging out with friends!!! Oh and let's not forget the endless hours of people watching....oh the things people will do lol
Savannah is like a mini mardi gras during St. Patty's Day celebration, although it has been tamed down over the years, still so much fun if you ever get a chance to go...but book your hotel far, far in advance if you want to stay downtown. One day I hope we can take all the boys to see the parade and spend much needed time with our family in the south, miss y'all!

all 3 smiling...it was tough but I got it!!!

J&K 6 month stats :-D

The babies had their 6 months appt today! I took everyone with me by myself and I am so very proud of the fabulous job Gavin did. I didn't expect him to be crazy but he usually gets restless in the doctors office. We were in there for about an hour and he listened so well. The babies weren't big fans of having their ears checked so they cried and Gavin ran over to them both times, gave them kisses and said "its ok teddy bear, its ok" So stinkin' cute!!! And then they each got 2 shots (we will go back in a month or so for the other two) and didn't cry at all lol

And their 6 month stats are:

Jakob

18lb (55%)

26.5inches (50%)

Kaleb

22lb (95%)

28inches (95%)

Gavin's stats at 6 months

19lbs (80%)

28 inches (95%)




Does the hair remind you of anyone else? lol



We love our big boys :-)



Family picture session slideshow :-D

Erin, the photographer, really caught some great moments with our family!!! Now we have to decide which ones to order...that is going to be tough :-)

Www.erinfarrellphotography.com/slideshows/michalski

black out...

Alot of people gave me a hard time and laughed about the fact that I blocked out every ray of sunshine from Gavin's room when he started napping in his room. We installed blinds and black out curtains but that wasn't enough...couldn't stop there because he still wasn't napping all that great. He would do his 40 minute thing, wake up...see the rays of sunshine peeking thru the top of the curtain rod/ window and be up *sigh* So I decided to 'fix it' lol It was just temporary and no one goes in his room so it didn't matter to us...I found some dark colored hand towels and put them over the top of his curtain rod to block those last few sun rays getting in his room. What do you think happened?

Yep...he started napping better and everyone continued to make fun of me. So what...he was napping during day and I was getting some 'me' time.

Over the weekend, Marcin and I were discussing why Kaleb just can't seem to get thru the 40 minute cycle. And Marcin suggested, much to my surprise (he was one of those making fun of my black out stuff) that there is too much light coming in Kaleb's room in the mornings. I agree because his room has all sun until about noon and then it switches to Jakob's room after.

So I put some towels over Kaleb's curtain rod too.

Jakob has been refusing to nap after 2:30...which for a child who goes to bed at 6:30/7:00, this is quite a long time to be up. He wasn't cranky but still we know he could use a nap in there. And then he was also waking at 5:00/5:30...could this be from being overtired? possibly

So I decided to put some towels over Jakob's curtain rod too :-D

And wouldn't you know....Jakob and Kaleb have napped incredibly well today! They are both going on a 1.5 hour stretch for their afternoon nap.

While my 'black out' ideas may look and seem silly....it seems to work and we have happy babies because they are well rested, Works for us! Oh and it doesn't hurt that I get a much needed break from the 3 little munchkins ;-)

Birthday traditions

We thought it would be fun to have birthday traditions for the boys :-) I had two ideas, one of which I stole from Keeley but she doesn't seem to remember this conversation....maybe I dreamt it up but whichever I give her credit for the idea lol

The first tradition I thought would be fun is a special birthday plate. Needless to say, I bought 3 plates so Jakob and Kaleb could have their own. Their birthday plate is only for use on their special day :-) I purchased these off Etsy from http://www.etsy.com/shop/thewildbaby, one of my very favorite websites for cute stuff like this! The seller was super easy to work it and a southern girl, I mean really....you can't beat that :-D

The second tradition that I would like to do is a special little birthday cake for the boys. I know they will have the big cake at their parties but the party won't always fall on their actual birthday. So my thinking is a small cake just for them that they can eat it all if they want (we will just have to prepare for the sugar high that will follow lol). The cake can be something they are interested in that year like trucks, trains, movie/tv characters, etc.

Nothing big but just some fun stuff so when they grow up, they will remember their birthdays as special days not just another passing day. I am a big fan of birthdays and always remind Marcin a week or so leading up to my birthday that that is the day I get whatever I want for 24 hours :-) At first he thought it was annoying but then his birthday comes around and suddenly he likes the idea even more lol

Birthdays are special days and should be celebrated however that person would like whether it be a huge party or just something simple at home, don't you think?

Some more pictures from Erin Farrell!

I have been checking her blog the past few days because I was anxiously awaiting them to be posted lol The rest should be ready by end of this week, I cannot wait to see those!! And I also cannot wait to decide which ones we want to put around the house....we still have all Gavin's pictures up and not many Jakob and Kaleb :-( We are getting there!
Check out Erin's Blog...http://www.theblog.erinfarrellphotography.com/

So its not just my kids lol

About 3 weeks ago...Kaleb suddenly didn't want to eat during the day. Then not long after that Jakob started doing the same. I tried to remember Gavin at 6 months and wouldn't you know...he did the same thing. He went from 36oz/day to about 20. We thought it was reflux which could have been playing a part in it but I have a feeling there were other factors as well.

A couple weeks after Kaleb started refusing to eat (you have seen his pictures....the kids like his food!) I took him to pediatrician to make sure he didn't have ear infection. Ears were perfect. Doc was not concerned since he was not losing weight hehe. He mentioned it could be teeth starting to push on gums. I still worried of course :-P

So Marcin and I have just been winging it and letting them eat what they want...most of the time. As long as it doesn't effect their napping or night sleeping :-P But is started messing with nap time and we can't have that!

Then I got a message from a friend today who has a 5 month son and she said her son was pretty much refusing to eat during day...hmmm this sounds familiar :-P

So I have my own theory that obviously my boys aren't the only ones that experience this. It could be reflux flaring up, thats always possible. It could be teeth pushing or cutting (but I doubt the cutting because gavin didn't cut a tooth til 9 months). And while we have started solids they aren't eating that much to affect their appetites like this. I think its just plain old distraction. Obviously in this fun world there are SO many other things baby's would rather be doing than sitting still and eating = 0

We try all the tricks.....tv, holding them differently, different rooms, dangling a toy in front for them to play with, etc. Every day something different works...it is rarely the same thing.

Many days I think this usually wouldn't be such a worry to me but there are TWO of them :-) I try to keep them on a similiar schedule throughout the day. If I have 2 babies eating a couple ounces here and couples there....their naps will be all screwed up and I will be feeding babies all.day.long. I just can't do that. Gavin only has so much patience :-P As you can all know...me and my type A personality need routine and structure.

So I was just happy to hear that its just not my kids that do this :-)

Happy 6 Months to our sweet littlest babies!

How is it possible that Jakob and Kaleb are 6 months old? I remember when I was pregnant, Marcin and I said we just need to make it to 6 months and stay sane lol WE MADE IT BABE!!! The first 3 months were definitely the hardest but after that we all started to adjust to the two new precious lives in our family. As crazy as our house is, I wouldn't have it any other way! Now that we have 3 kids to keep up with, I realize just how much time I had when it was just Gavin :-D What did I do with all that free time?!

Jakob and Kaleb's personalities are definitely starting to show, they show us more and more each day! They are both little comedians!

Kaleb is the big cuddly bear. He got some catch up vaccinations last week and weighed in at {eh hem} 22 LBS! And is already wearing mostly 12 month clothes, geez! So much for him sharing any of Gavin's baby clothes :-P He loves to watch us until we look at him and then will give us the biggest grin! He is more of a brute, he is rough with toys...slapping at them, pulling, grabbing, throwing toys down, etc. He loves the jumper! You would think he would have a big belly laugh but his laughs/giggles are more on the quiet side, sort of like he is laughing to himself and only he gets the joke:-) He will sometimes roll from tummy to back but I think he's got too much weight to get from one side to the other, hehe. And he recently discovered his toes, loves them!

Jakob is the mover which might explain why he is a few pounds less than Kaleb, lol! He also got the catch up vaccination last week and weighed 17lbs! He is able to wear Gavin's baby clothes, thankfully! Saving money is always good :-) He is constantly moving his legs or swimming in place, loves to stand up, just figured out how to roll from tummy to back. He seems to be more gentle..he will touch something before playing with it, doesn't really throw/drop toys- he keeps a good hold on them,etc. He also loves the jumper :-) Jakob's entire face smiles when he smiles and he has the cutest loud giggles! Also a big fan of his toes :-)

Jakob and Kaleb are awesome sleepers, just like their Big Brother! They sleep thru the night and take good naps :) There are some rough days here and there but overall, they are awesome, laid back babies. When I was pregnant I was seriously worried how these babies would be. You know how they say if you have a easy first baby, the 2nd (and 3rd in our case) will not be so easy? So much for that....all three of our babies are wonderful and laidback, thankfully!

They both love their Big Brother Gavin, Gavin loves to jump around to make them laugh, talk to them, show them how to hold things and plays his instruments for them. They already watch him with such fascination in their eyes, I know I am trouble when they start imitating Gavin :-)
The babies have also started to notice each other more which has to be one of the cutest things! Usually one will be in jumper and one in exersaucer, they love to see each other jumping around. When they are laying or doing tummy time on floor, someone is always grabbing the other hands, ears, nose, heads, toes, arms....any body part that is available. So cute!

Look at how much Jakob and Kaleb have grown in the past 6 months, I still cannot believe they are 6 months. I feel like they will be 1 year old the next time I turn around. They are all growing too fast, I love to watch them grow and learn new skills but couldn't it slow down  just a bit?

1 week old



1 week old



Who said you don't take as many pictures of the 2nd (and 3rd) child? lol

18 days....

And it will officially be spring! Let's hope Mother Nature works with us and the weather feels like spring too!! I am tired of sick kids ( I am sure they are too!), staying indoors and the cold : / The Bradford Pear tree in our front yard has some buds on it...love it!!!

So today while trying to figure out a good activity for busy body Gavin, I remembered Gavin's Ciocia (Polish for Aunt) gave him some fun colored cookie dough a while back, PERFECT! He had a blast cutting out shapes and making his own shapes! Not to mention it got me at least an hour of entertainment, can't beat that!

Gavin is very proud of his cookies and eating his lunch so he can eat some cookies :-)