Where did January go?

I feel like it was just christmas but then again, Christmas seems like it was so long ago. Does that make sense?! And the Hallmark holiday, Valentines Day is coming up! We don't normally do much for Valentines' day. We will get the boys something silly and we may go out to dinner the weekend before or after but definitely NOT on Valentines Day. I just don't get what is romantic about going to a restaurant filled to capacity with strangers....not my idea of being romantic :-P And I guess being the mom of 3 small kids, my ideas of romance have changed! I am happy with a movie, big bowl of popcorn, cuddle time and quiet :-)

Most of this month, I feel like I have spent at the doctors office : / We have seen 2 ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat) docs, pulmonologist and pediatrician. And we are seeing allergist/asthma doc Monday. We saw 2nd ENT to get 2nd opinion on Jakob's adenoids. I know it is 'just adenoids' and seems to be a frequently done surgery but we don't want him having surgery if he doesn't need it. Right now Jakob is scheduled to have his tubes replaced and adenoids removed february 20. I really hope this helps the little guy. He doesn't act like it bothers him but I am guessing after 5 months of dealing with this, it has become his norm : / If that doesn't help, I guess our next step would a Gastro doc to see if it is indeed his reflux and as everyone keeps talking about. There are two things that are continuous brought up with the doctors......adenoids or reflux. I don't feel like it is his reflux. He has been off reflux meds since 12 months and eats great, drinks great. I don't see any signs of regular reflux or silence reflux. Keep him in your prayers that he does well with surgery and recovery!

The other day, Jakob had a 9:00 a.m. appt at pediatric hospital about 30 minutes from our house and on way to inlaws house. So I figured I would take Gavin and Kaleb to their house while Jakob and I went to doctor. LOL what a stressful morning that was! I have a new appreciation for the moms who do this every morning whether to get kids to daycare/school, etc. I had to wake everyone up. They do no like to eat as soon as they get up..well Kaleb likes a snack first then he will come back for breakfast later. I managed to get them all awake and down stairs by 6:45. Then getting everyone dressed, fed and in car by 7:30. We were pulling out of driveway at 7:35, not bad :-) But my goodness it was stressful! And then of course the morning traffic (which I do NOT miss at all!!!). We got to the doctors office 15 minutes ahead of our appt time but sheesh, not fun! I have to say, I am not looking forward to getting everyone ready next school year when Gavin is in school 5 mornings a week! But then I think, eventually I will have to do so no time like the present, right? At least next year, J&K will be a bit more independent and I won't have to coral them to keep them from running out in the street while getting everyone in car :-P

My dad is coming to visit us this Sunday, YAY!!!! Can't wait to see him and Gavin is already counting down the days til 'Pop Pop & Gigi come to see me on airplane!" {Gigi~ we explained that you have to stay home to help Kiki with school and basketbal but he insists that you are still coming. We will miss you and send you videos!} We were also asked to join some friend in Virginia Beach for vaca this summer, FUN!!!! We went there last year for vacation and it was perfect for families with younger kids! We are excited to go again! Even though there will be only 3 women, 3 men and 6 children under the age of 4....don't worry, we will have plenty of wine, fruity drinks and beer, hehe!!!

I feel like I had a lot to say but now my brain is shutting down since the boys are all in bed for their naps lol I am still getting up at 5:30 for my exercise! Thank goodness because I sure can't say I have been eating that well the past week *Sigh* I have done better this week but last week I just couldn't get myself together. So right now, I have lost 16 lbs. I would like to lose 9lbs more to reach my goal weight, I can do that....if I stay with it. And I better do it before the weather warms up and we start grilling more often and all the yummy spring/summer food starts cooking! I am running out of clothes that fit so if you see me wearing the same thing often...don't judge please lol I REALLY want some boots but I have a big problem with 1) I am indecisive on brown or black 2) will I really wear them that much to justify spending money on them? Because if I get boots, I need skinny jeans because my other ones are now too big (this is good!). And then I think well it should be warmer soon and I get to go shop for all the cute spring and summer clothes! ugh decisions....decisions. I still need skinny jeans because I like to wear them with flats. But I still want to lose 9 more pounds *Sigh* I think what it comes down to is this......I need to go shopping for ME!  Anyone want to take me shopping and coordinate outfits and shoes for me? :-)

I will leave you with this blog link, I love this blog. I love the way she writes and talks about things and this pretty much fits to a tee what happens when you become a mom or parent in general :-) I am in a little mushy mood today so this really fits my mood.....the boys are growing and doing much lately and I feel like they will be in college before I know it.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-belkin/advice-new-mother_b_1227363.html?ref=parents&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009

These boys....crack me up!

Seriously, it is so much fun at our house! It is crazy and loud but so much fun, especially lately! Gavin seems to be adjusting to being 3 years old. The first 6 months of the 3's were challenging :-P J&K are playing chase, baseball, basketball, tee ball, catch and are so much more active. Gavin is loving this because he has full time play partners. Of course, there is still the fighting and taking of toys but I am guessing that will be always be the case :-P

For Christmas, Ciocia (Aunt in Polish) got sleeping bags for the boys! Well actually they were completely sold out so gift cards and we ordered them a couple weeks ago. There was a choice of a rhinoceros or lion. I let Gavin have the first pick, being that the rhinoceros had a green background, green being his favorite color, he picked the rhino. I then asked him which one for Kaleb, he picked the lion. So I asked which one for Jakob, he picked the lion for him also. The sleeping bags finally arrived last week....Gavin has taken every nap and gone to sleep for bedtime in his sleeping bag. It has also become a good bargaining chip when he doesn't want to listen lol Now if only he would learn how to zip himself up in the sleeping bag, we would be good. He needs our help for that part :-P

Aren't they cute? Pottery barn :-) Gavin is also thrilled it has his name on it. This has been another of his lastest favorite things, items with his name on it. He is also pretty good at writing his name :-) Quite often at our house Gavin has to share....just about everything. So when he sees something with HIS name on it, he says that is his and he doesn't have to share. I will give him that. Poor kid can't catch a break when he is playing with something....either Jakob or Kaleb (or both) are coming over to bother him or try to take it away from him. This is obviously frustrating to him...and me, and Marcin :-P So the other day I had a brilliant idea! I had an extra storage bag, I wrote Gavin's name on it and I explained to him that it was his special bag. During the day, if there are certain toys he wants to play with by himself and keep to himself then he must keep them in that bag. The toys can change daily of what goes in the bag. But I just feel like he needs something of his own that he doesn't have to share. Believe me....we talk about sharing ALL DAY LONG at our house. But at the same time, the boys also need to know that they have their own things. Does this make sense? eh it does to me lol

Jakob is very very silly!!! He has become such a lovable little guy...he will run up and hug your legs, wrap his arms around your neck and give you a big open mouth drooly kiss (EW but still cute!). And he get so jealous when someone else is sitting myself or Marcin, he must run up and make himself comfy as well :-) Lately Jakob's favorite game is peek a boo...he loves it! And he loves to play it while hiding in the pantry. Or behind the curtains (as if we can't see his feet!). Yesterday I caught him on camera,

Where is Jakob?!?!

THERE HE IS!!!! lol

And then of course, Kaleb had to come see what all the fuss was about, so he pushed Jakob further in the pantry to make room for himself :-P

We are in so much trouble! LOL

3 half or 5 half days?!

*sigh* Registration for Pre-4 preschool started today. Marcin and I discussed and we decided to sign Gavin up for 5 half days. There is also the option for 3 half days. He has been doing 2 half days this year for 3 y/o preschool. Initially the school only offered 3 half or 3 full days, so we were set on 3 half days. But then the school acquired another school so they are offering a couple different more options, like 5 half days. When I first saw this....I immediately thought, 5 half days would be good.
Marcin is fine with the 5 half days. I keep going back and forth between the 3 half days and the 5 half days.

We decided on 5 half days because:

1) We felt it might make full day kindergarten transition a bit easier for both Gavin AND me :-P

2) He is July baby so he is on the younger side. We are open to the fact that he may not be ready for Kindergarten at 5 y/o. So we also thought going 5 days at 4 may help him learn the skills he would need to Kindergarten....mainly the sitting still and focusing parts :-P

3) I will have two 2 y/o's at home.

I want 3 days because:

1) I will miss him, plain and simple.

I can still change my mind........I feel like the 5 half days is the right thing but then I am sad :-(

Very fun and productive weekend! Love that!

Jakob update....last Tuesday I took him to get an xray of his chest to see if his lungs were clear and also an xray of his throat to see if his adenoids were swollen which could cause his mouth breathing. Wednesday, nurse calls and said doc reviewed the xrays and that Jakob's adenoids were large and we needed to take him to ENT doc.I had an appt. already made with ENT but I couldn't get in until 2/8 :/ I called on the chance that maybe I could get in earlier, they just happened to have one the next afternoon. So I am scrambling to get a copy of the xray to take with me. I finally feel some relief because I feel like we are on the right track and have an answer. Jakob and I go to the ENT on Thursday. The ENT doc asked why we are there. I explain that he has been breathing through his mouth since mid-september and coughing for the past 2 months. Jakob sounds like he is on the verge of an asthma attack after running around for 15 minutes and can't catch his breath. Also that his right tube has fallen out and he has had two ear infections in his right ear since then. The doc says to me that Jakob's adenoids are NOT swollen. wth?! He showed me the xray and walked me through it. He said that on the xray his adenoids look normal. That is not to say that they are not irritated and could be causing his mouth breathing but that would not show up on an xray. He suggested we get the right tube replaced ( I am calling tomorrow to hopefully schedule that). He said he could take the adenoids out while Jakob is under for the tube replacement but the surgery is a little more envasive than the ear tube. He wasn't 100% that it is the adenoids causing our issues. He also suggested we make an appt. with a pulmonologist at A.I.. I told him that I had already planned on it and that we also had an appointment with an asthmas/allergy specialist in a couple of weeks. He agreed with me that it sounded like a good plan since he can't say that it is absolutely the adenoids. *sigh* So on 1/23 we see the pulmonologist and 1/30 the asthmas/allergist. I really hope they can give us some sort of answer. We just don't think that this is normal for him to have such trouble breathing all the time. It doesn't slow him down much...he keeps up with Gavin and Kaleb just fine!

Marcin took off work Friday so we could all go to the Please Touch Museum in Philly. We had never been but we got a great deal off Living Social for 4 tickets so we figured why not :-) While I was waiting in line to purchase one more ticket, the family behind me asked if I needed an extra ticket. I said yes. She replied that they had one. They had also purchased the 4 tickets from Living Social and only needed 3. So we checked in together and they gave us their extra ticket. :-D How nice was that?! I retract my previous statement that I don't find many nice people in the North East. In the past month or so, it seems I have only run into nice, friendly people...I love it! Marcin and I were prepared for a crazy morning at the museum. Three kids....two of us, need I say more? It was eh hem....challenging but fun :-) We seemed to get in our mode and kept up with everyone. I had a few mild anxiety attacks when I couldn't see someone right away but it was ok. The boys seemed to have a lot of fun. It will be even more fun in a couple of years when J&K are better listeners and will stay by us instead of running in opposite directions :-P

Saturday we got a lot of cleaning done around the house and I feel SO MUCH BETTER!!!! Marcin and I cleaned and got all of the laundry washed/dried/folded and almost all of it put away! this is huge!!! Hopefully I won't have to do another load of laundry for two whole days, VACATION! lol Then I got to take a nap after all my hard work and we went on a double date with some friends of ours. They suggested a Cuban restaurant we hadn't been to and was only 10-15 minutes from our house! It was delicious!!! I have seen signs for it and everytime I saw the signs, I always thought of this place that Marcin took me to when I first moved here. I had no idea how to get back there though!! I knew it was somewhere around Lums Pond State Park and it was a random restaurant overlooking a marina with million dollar yachts and huge boats. I remember thinking what a strange state Delaware was....I am out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by million dollar yachts. Trust me...it does not appear to be a place where these types of boat are kept. I saw similiar yachts in Nice, France and Monte Carlo...now there, I expected to see yachts with helipads :-P It was fun to have an adult night out with our friends! We get together with the kids but well.....5 kids running around doesn't leave much time for adult talk :-)

Sunday we finished our cleaning and putting away laundry. Gavin was in a really good mood today which always makes for a pleasant day. The boys played with play doh for at least 30 minutes...maybe more. And they were quiet...this was really odd for me lol It was fun to watch them though, so cute playing together!

It makes me so happy to have a clean house!!!! It really needed a good cleaning. The office is still a disaster...thank goodness it has doors LOL Maybe we will get around to it tomorrow while Marcin is home. We are planning to go shopping for a full size mattress set for Gavin BIG boy bed :-) He says he needs one as he is too big for his toddler bed.

It is late and I have to get up at 5:30 a.m. for my early morning work out! I managed to get up all last week! It is the getting up that is the tough part...once I am up, I am good! lol Wish me luck!

More ear infections and other updates :-)

First I have some exciting news!!!! My friend, Keeley, asked me to be the Godmother to her son Owen! I am so excited and feel so honored she asked me :-) I am really hoping to be able to make it to his baptism in Chicago. I am due for a visit for many reasons!! We haven't seen each in about 2 years....we have been busy with babies!

I am 98% sure that Gavin's ear infection is not gone....he did two weeks of antibiotics. Last Friday I noticed drainage from his right ear (he does not have tubes) and then on Saturday he had drainage from left ear. A mild fever and snotty *sigh.* Jakob had an ear recheck a week ago and his ears were fine. Two days he starts pulling on his right ear (the ear the tube fell out of), mild fever, snotty and still pulling on ear. I thought maybe it was teething and/or cold. Kaleb is fine, I would think after a week of being around Jakob, sharing sippy cups, drool, etc. that if it were a cold...Kaleb would be snotty too. So Gavin and Jakob will be going back to the pediatrician tomorrow. I called over the weekend to get Gavin started on meds so he has two days of antibiotics.

When I had Jakob at the doc Monday, we had a little heart to heart about Jakob's mouth breathing. I am not happy with our pediatrician's answers or the ENT doctor's answer, neither are concerned. I think it is great that doctors don't get worked up over things but at some point, concerns need to be addressed. I explained to our doc that after 15-20 minutes of playing Jakob starts to sounds like he is on the verge of an asthma attack....wheezing, can't catch his breath, coughing. He sounds terrible...this is not normal. I am concerned. So our pediatrician suggests that since I think it is asthma, he could prescribe an asthma medication and see if its helps. I have two big issues with 1) he is not an asthma specialist 2) 'since I think it is asthma...I am most certainly not a doctor! wth?! I shared these issues with him in a more tactful manner but seriously....he has clearly reached his limits, admit it and move on! Instead he continues to tell how children are not normally diagnosed with asthma this young, blah, blah. I told him I still was not happy with that answer and what about x-rays for adenoids. (thanks to some FB friends, I learned quite a bit!). He said that sounded great to get a throat x-ray and chest x-ray. Gee thanks.....now where is my copay? That works for me....we should have the x-rays in time for the asthma/allergist doctor I made an appt with for 1/30. Hopefully we can get some answers there. If not, we will move onto a pulmonologist. I am very glad that our pediatrician has added a new doc that I really like because the main doc is not making me happy right now :-P

We finally got all Christmas decor taken down and put away, sheesh!! It is much more fun putting it up! I was also able to get some closets organized. Next on my list is the office! It is a disaster, along with the laundry room. The laundry room is always a disaster. I always wish that one day I will open the door to either room and it will magically be clean and stay that way :-D A girl can dream. House is cleaner....at least when the boys are sleeping. I swear they are awake for 15 minutes and its like a hurricane came through!

I attempted to cut J&K's hair last week. I have tried this before with just scissors to trim it around their ears and back of neck. It makes me nervous but I want to at least try to see if I can get good at it for now, otherwise it will be $25-30 for them every 4-5 weeks. Thats adds up after a few hair cuts. Soooo.......here are my first attempts with clippers. I am not very good at blending the back but I think I did ok.....

Kaleb has normal hair, except for the dramatic sweep on the front lol He had a part from the day he was born and his hair always goes that way!! He would not sit still for anything....I had to feed him mini reese's peanut butter cups to get him to sit still :-P

Jakob has fine, whispy hair and felt like I was trying to give a bunny a hair cut! I thought for sure he would fight me and give me a hard time but he sat really still, except for when he threw his back while I was using the clippers which resulted in a rectangle shape in the back of his head. So I had to cut that a lil bit shorter than I had planned. Turned out ok.

Practice makes perfect right? I will try again. If I don't figure it out by the time they start preschool, then I will take them to the barber that cuts Gavin's hair, LOL

We haven't been doing anything exciting. Just playing with the boys. Gavin hasn't felt so great but he has been very loveable lately :-) The other day he was cutting out volcanoes and I was folding laundry. He says to me, "Mommy, I miss you!!! Come cuddle with me!" um ok....how can I resist that?! This was followed by a night of big hugs and him telling me "Mommy, I love you so very much!" Melt my heart :-D He is learning so much at school and coming home with all these new sayings and things I haven't heard before. I love it!!! I think he is done with napping...which is fine. He has been napping since he doesn't feel great but once he is better, he probably will stop. He will still have 'rest' time in his room. A friend had a great suggestion for rest time. She got 7 bins (one for each day of the week) and put in puzzles, matching games, sequencing, lacing...quiet activities for her son to do during his 'resting' time. I thought this was a great idea!! I have a few quiet activities already and a few others I was able to get at Target toy clearance sale :-) I will post pics when I get them altogether, I think he is going to enjoy it!

Jakob is a cuddle monster! He absolutely loves to give hugs....I am talking wrap his little arms tightly around your neck and hold on for dear life, type of hugs! And kisses...open mouth, drool kisses but it's a starting point :-) He is gesturing for things he wants, signing a couple words, loves to play peek a boo with anyone who will amuse him, dancing as soon as he hears a beat, plays chase with you. Tonight he was putting the basketball in the basket. Then Gavin got out his tee ball stand, ball and bat. He watched Gavin do it a couple times and decided he wanted to try....he did a great job!

Kaleb is getting more and more adventerous! He discovered Gavin's step stool and carries it around to where he wants to climb. Whether it is in the kitchen to see whats on countertop, a table he needs to climb onto, the couch, etc. He has no problem climbing on the playset outside...he climbs right to the top and loves to slide! He will sometimes go down on his bottom, sometimes on his tummy with head OR feet first...aye yay yay!!! The kid has no fear! He is constantly on the go like Gavin was at his age :-) Gavin wasn't a climber though. I am not used to the climbing! He also loves to play chase. Usually all of the boys are running around the house in circles screaming and laughing.....best sound in the world!
Kaleb is also discovering many new foods and he is loving that!! There isn't much he won't try....he will try it and if he doesn't like it, it comes back out. For example, last night we had some friends over and I cooked ribs. I had a couple on my plate sitting by Kaleb....he starts reaching for them. I gave him one....

He LOVED it!!!! He had another one for dinner tonight and cleaned it to the bone!!! He is too funny! It is so unusual for us to have a child that will eat anything! Gavin was never like it and still won't try new things unless we bribe him with something. He is becoming quite demanding and bossy with his wants/needs, very cute!

The boys are having more and more fun together! They still have 'disagreements' throughout the day but the good times make it all better! I need to get to bed....I am getting up at 5:30 a.m. tomorrow so I can get my workout in before everyone wakes up. I did it last week and I was so proud of myself!!! I am also starting story time at the library tomorrow with J&K. At first I was going to take Jakob for the first session and then Kaleb but then a friend suggested I alternate weeks...I think I willl do that instead!

Have a good week!!! and if you made it this far, thanks :-)

what a day!! lol

And it's only 12:30! Jakob and Kaleb did not sleep well last night...I woke up this morning and I wasn't even sure who I heard crying! Marcin and I decided it was both of them at different times, lol The life with multiples!

Gavin has taken to sleeping in til about 8:00 lately...works for me!! It doesn't work when we need to be in the car by 8:30 to get him to school. So J&K slept til about 7:45, I got Gavin up...crammed breakfast down everyone's throats, changed clothes, shoes, coats, etc. We are finally ready and its later then I would like. Jakob is ready to go. As I am getting Kaleb ready with is coat, Jakob comes by...I get a whiff, phew!! He needs a new diaper. I hurry to change him. Then don't you know, as soon as I get Jakob dressed again...Kaleb walks by and sure enough, change him too. Finally we get everyone in the car and I forgot my cell phone. I turn around for that. On the way to school, someone who did not even bother to stop at the stop sign out of their development, pulls out in front of me. I was able to pass them and as I am passing, the guys starts moving over into MY lane to run me off the road!!! WTH?! Finally get Gavin to school, the teacher sees the frantic look on my face and bless her heart, comes out to help me with Gavin :-)

{Random thought} An old song that always reminds me of when Marcin and I met, Steve Holy's song "Good Morning Beautiful" came on this morning after I took Gavin to school. It brought back lots of fun memories and I still can't believe this year will be 10 years that I met him. craziness!!!

Jakob, Kaleb and I were meeting a friend for a playdate at a house I've never been before. The address seemed familiar and pretty straight forward. hmph...GPS took me the wrong way. It was very simple but welcome to my day....So we get there and it was a lot of fun! J&K had a blast and I got to meet some new people :-) This was my first playdate without Gavin.... I felt like I was missing limb. A few times my heart stopped because I couldn't see him, then I remembered he was school, DUH! lol

We leave to go pick Gavin up from school. It is freezing outside and super windy = gross! With J&K rear facing, it is easier for me to put them in their seats from the back of the swagger wagon. So I park the double stroller, put on the brake so it won't roll away, and start the process of getting these in their seats. Jakob wanted none of it! He is screaming, Kaleb is giggling because he is trying to run away. Gavin is laughing hysterically too....apparently he and Kaleb were in on this together! I turn around to get the stroller...IT IS GONE!!!! It has rolled halfway across the parking lot. A lady who is at least 30 weeks pregnant has chased my stroller across the parking lot. I wanted to take her out to lunch for chasing my stroller that pregnant and it being blustering cold outside! Stupid wind blew it...I know I put the brake on the stroller!! I always triple check because I worry about it rollling away while I am getting one of the twins in the car.

Needless to say...I am staying home for rest of day. It is safer that way! Looking forward to everyone napping so I can get myself back together! :-)