lol yep I am still here!

It's um...been a while. A long while....almost 3 months. It doesn't seem that long but 4 boys keeps a girl busy! And exhausted, phew!

A few recaps:

Family - We are great! It has been a l.o.n.g. winter with all the germs going around but I think we survived, HOORAY!!! We ended it with a bang by having a icky stomach virus Easter weekend and the week following. I had it and it was awful! I stayed home all day on Easter...it was not safe to leave the house, ugh! Gavin is registered for Kindergarten...how is he old enough for that?! He is taking a break from drums :-( This makes us sad but he seemed to be ready and was losing interest. He wants to do swimming and possibly soccer this year. He is currently obsessed with Angry Birds....so much so that we had to limit his screen time to twice a day. He would wake up and not say good morning but 'Can I play a game?" um..no you may not! Sheesh! Kaleb is a riot! The things this kid says cracks me up! He is all boy and seems to have entered his Terrible THREE's a few months early because everything is no and he just ignores you instead of following directions. However, he quickly makes up for it with his awesome cuddling skills and sweet voice. Jakob is still very passionate about daily life, lol His speech is getting much better which makes it that much more fun to see more of his personality verbally and understand him better. He will continue with his speech therapy for articulation. He is an instigator...he always has been the first provoke someone but this character trait continues to thrive ;-) He still does his own thing most of the time. Now that his speech is getting better, I have noticed Gavin and him playing together more often but Jakob definitely marches to his own beat, I love that!

These 3 boys drive me insane most days but I love them with all my heart :-) I miss them when I am away from them but some days can't get out of the house fast enough when I am home :-P They make us laugh constantly with the things they say or come up with. Such a blessing to watch them grow up together and hear them laughing...I am pretty sure there I is no better sound in the world!

Marcin is currently in Las Vegas for the weekend celebrating a friends upcoming wedding. I am not at all bitter that he is in Vegas and I am home with 3 adorable boys...not bitter one bit ;-) I am also not bitter that it was monsoon weather in Delaware this morning along with dreary, cloudy day while he calls to tell me that they are going to lay out by the pool because it is THE perfect day. hmph. He deserves it....he works hard at the office AND at home. I am so glad that he went and I hope he has fun!

I am super, super excited with my surgery results!!! Seriously, I still stare at my midsection and can't believe it is mine. It hasn't looked this flat since my Freshman year in college. I have gone shopping a couple of times and it was actually an enjoyable experience. Usually I would go shopping and go directly to area that had loose fittings tops and pants at least a size larger to accommodate my midsection. What a HUGE sigh of relief (And fun feeling) to have clothes fit properly. Seriously...amazing. I was terrified to do the surgery and the mommy guilt was bad pre-surgery. A few days afterwards I thought I would never feel normal again and began to wonder if I made the right decision. 3 months out and barely any swelling left.....mommy guilt gone and I am 100% confident it was a good decision :-) I still can't feel my stomach (think C-section incision numbness but entire stomach...weird!) and some may question whether I am related to Frankenstein if they saw the hip to hip scar I have, working on that with silicone strips. I imagine it will fade with time.

After much discussion, we have decided to move. Initially we thought we would stay in our house and send boys to private school Gavin currently attends for preschool. However, that would be around $20k PER year, ouch. As we all know, tuition will only go UP through the years so it will get higher. I love the school, truly I do but that is a lot of money that could be going into college savings. There are two very good public districts in Delaware....Red Clay, the one that Marcin works in,  in the Pike Creek/Hockessin/Greenville area and Appo district which is south of us. Or actually the neighborhood directly beside us. Seriously...the district line runs between our developments. When we bought our house...we anticipated 2 children and liked to think we could swing private with two...still a lot of money but a bit more doable. As you know, we have 3 children not 2, so the crappy district we are in is not going to work. We have been in contact with a realtor and watching the market in both of these school districts. Red Clay is more ideal because Marcin's office and work functions are in that area. This area also has less inventory and a lot of interest which results in the home costs being more than where we currently live. Same builder of our home is in that area....same model of our current home is $50-80k more in that area simply because of location. Just to give you an idea.

We have looked at 2 homes so far...one was too old. The other price was too high considering it would need new roof AND windows within the next 5 years or so. Again, no rush but I have become a little obsessive about it for a few reasons...1) it is FUN to look at houses whether to picture your family in that house or to make fun of the 'decor' 2) what if I am not looking and I miss THE house?! 3) I want to learn about different aspects on houses such as heating elements, septic vs. public, plumbing pipes, etc. Our first two homes have been new construction and while I drive Marcin crazy with all my questions...how else to learn, right? 4) I am just nosey and want to see how other people live lol Interesting stuff....seriously. Someone had a barn door hung above their fire place mantle, another had their kitchen island wallpapered and another had a fireplace IN their kitchen island...I am still curious why that is needed.

That is all in our world, nothing exciting....just life. I would say I will try to do a better job blogging but I am too busy looking at houses and doing drive bys to see if the backyard is decent or not. No, seriously...I will try but my life is hectic. And to think when I had ONE child, I thought life was hectic...little did I know LOL Happy weekend everyone!

 

oh man..we are in for it! TODDLER BEDS!

The other day Marcin mentioned making the transition to toddler beds for J&K. Originally we wanted to wait as long as possible for this transition, for obvious reasons hehe However, due to my surgery I cannot lift anything really for 5-6 weeks. I want to think I will able to before then but I am guessing probably now. And even I can, not the best idea since there is a lot of healing going on that I can't even see. Anywho, I told Marcin I thought it would be a sensible idea because I won't need help every during week getting lil guys in/out of beds at nap times. Kaleb has already been climbing in and out of his crib. Jakob will swing a leg over but thats it.

 

So this morning while Gavin and I sat on couch snuggling watching Care Bears and J&K ran around/watched tv/sat/fought/laughed/etc., Marcin got started on feeding the monitor through the wall although didnt' quite work but it is safey from reach of little hands. Eventually we all went upstairs to 'help' :-) Eh hem...I sat on the glider and supervised (see? I am being a good patient today) Marcin & Gavin put Jakob's toddler rail on first...at first I think Jakob was upset because he started yelling and pointing at his bed like it was broken. Then we explained it was his 'big boy' bed and he was excited when he realized the endless opportunities this presented him with.

In fact he was so excited, he decided to take off his pajamas, find a bucket for his head and run around like a crazy child! lol He is such a silly kid!!

Kaleb was also excited by Jakob's new bed...Kaleb always wants to climb in Jakob's bed. I do not understand the fascination of it. As you may have guessed, when Kaleb saw Jakob's toddler bed he wanted to 'lay down tooooooo.' Jakob complied at first. Then Jakob decided no one was allowed in his bed. Period. I just hope he stays in it and sleeps during nap and night time!

Marcin then tells Kaleb that its his turn to get a big boy bed too! Kaleb's eyes get really big and he says, "I AM SO EXCITED!" He truly was excited, he was jumping around like a monkey and couldn't wait to get in his new bed!
Gavin was a great helper with both beds, such a little man :-)

Kaleb was not nearly as possessive over his new bed. He invited everyone to come lay down and tuck their toes :-)

I am not certain how this will go...could be good or really bad :/ I REALLY hope it does signify an end to naps. I have a feeling it may for a week or so until they adjust. I also hope it doesn't result in super early morning wake ups.

These guys are in their owns rooms....we went back and forth on this when I was pregnant with them. I was pretty adamant about them having their own rooms. I was terrified, regardless of how many say they get used to each other, that they would wake one another up. We also had the space so I figured why stress over it. At the time we had two spare rooms upstairs, one was being used as a guest room. Thankfully we were also in the process of finishing our basement and we had put an extra room down there. That room became the new guest room and J&K got the two rooms upstairs.

Wish us luck!
 

First follow up AND I got out of house, YIPPEE!!!!

Sadly I have not been out of my house since I got home last Saturday. Clearly, I haven't missed much but a lot of grey skies and rain, ugh! I was anxious to get to my follow up with plastic surgeon because I had a lot of questions.

I really like the plastic surgeon, he is great but he wasn't too helpful in the post-op area. He just said I would be in a lot of pain and take my med. I like for things to be more specific than that. For example, the shower confusion. The nurse at hospital said I could not take a shower for at least a couple of weeks (ICK!) but on my discharge papers, the doc said I could shower. It seemed to be routine to get an antibiotic after surgery to prevent any infections but I didn't get that either.
My only instructions at discharge were 1) I can shower 2) empty grenades 3-4 times a day 3) open binder a few times a day for 10 minutes or so 4) rest, alot. um....ok.

So that is that I have been doing. Except for the shower part...I tried that once, it hurt. I won't be doing that again for a few days. Not to mention it was too much work with the drainage tubes going every which a way, not being able to bend to wash some places, etc. Overall, just a pita. So I will just continue with my sink bath and get Marcin to help me wash my hair. I tried the No Rinse Shampoo....very interesting stuff. Worked pretty well....my hair looked clean for about 2 days. not bad.

At my follow up today, the nurse Dana was SUPER helpful! I asked her where she was a week ago and why she is not doing rounds at the hospital to help out the patients! She said she is currently putting together a post-op packet. I told her I would be happy to help because I feel I have learned a lot the past week that could be helpful to others. She gave me her email....I hope she is prepared for my email LOL

So Dana took stitches out of my new belly button. That was weird...being that my entire stomach is numb and tingly ( IF you have had a c/s, remember the numbness around c/s scar? think of that but all over your midsection, weird.) I don't like to touch it because it freaks me out to know I am touching it but can't feel it.

I digress....she then proceeded to hold one end of the tube close to my stomach and then squeeze all the way down the tube to the grenade.UM WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! lol it did not hurt me but seeing her do it made it hurt. She explained I should have been doing this all week. I told her no one told me to do that. She also said I could let the grenades just hang down....currently they are safety pinned to my binder. They are not something I feel should just be 'hanging' down....what if one comes out? what if I get wrapped up in them while I sleep? the tubes are as long as my legs! I told her that was not a good idea for me but good to know :-P

I inquired about showering..she said that yes absolutely I could shower. THANK YOU!

Back pain....comes with the territory. She had some ideas for sitting and propping legs up, blah blah blah. I have already tried those things...did/does not work. I will deal with it and thank god for percocets!

She gave me a fancy new binder...it is super sexy too!!! Blogger isn't letting me insert a pic but picture this.....nude color biker shorts that go from bottom of chest to top of knees. S.E.X.Y. This is soooooo much more comfy than the other binder the hospital gave me. I am loving Dana at this point! lol

She said to keep on my pain meds as I need them...I told her that is about 2 every 4 hours. She suggested I alternate with 800mg tylenol with the percocets. hmmmm....maybe next week ;-)

I go back to see her next week to have my drainage tubes/grenades taken out. HOORAY!!! YIPPEE!!!! WOO HOO!!!! I hate these darn things....always in my way and stress me out! She said to keep them in as long as I tolerate them, up to 10-14 days. I asked her what the point of the drains were, she explained that the area of my surgery is so large and will produce too much fluid for my body to absorb, the drains help with that. Some surgeons do not do the drains but the fluids will then build up in your body and you have to go to doc to get them drained. YUCK!  *sigh* so one more week with the darn drains. One week down....I can do this!

I was thinking this morning, I feel the best in the mornings, that overall this experience has not been awful. It is a temporary inconvenience and fortunately we have fantastic family and friends helping us out. I wouldn't want to do it again by any means but I know some people who are considering this surgery and on a scale of 1-10, I would put it around a 5. It is tolerable.

Maybe....just maybe I will post my before and after pics. If you want to see, I will happily email them to you but I am not ready for them to be in blogger world just yet :-P
 

b.o.r.i.n.g.

6 days post-op...I am over it! LOL The first two days were fun and nice, now I am ready to be recovered and move on.
Unfortunately that is not the way it works *sigh*

I over did it yesterday. I have been taking 2 percocets every 4 hours...they knock me out and I hate that drug induced foggy head. So yesterday I thought I would try taking 1 perc every 4 hours. Big mistake. I felt ok until the afternoon and then it felt like doc had inserted a full sheet of metal in place of my stomach. The numbness was painful and my back was killing me, so back to 2 percocets I went. 2 hours later and I felt fantastic, except for the back pain. That doesn't really stop...in retrospect, I should have rented a walker with tennis balls for a few days.

I had a slight anxiety attack last night when I realized I didn't have enough meds to get me to my follow up appt tomorrow =0 I called doc office this morning completely prepared to beg for them because when I had my c/s, they would not give me anymore. Told me to take 3 motrin. hmph...I need more than 3 motrin. The nurse listened to my winded explanation and said, "Of course we can give you more but you need to come pick up the script. We cannot call in a narcotics script." I told her my husband would be there to pick it up. She is an angel I tell ya lol

So 6 days post-op....overall physically I feel pretty good except my back. Mentally I am sad because I can't play or snuggle with my boys. Nor can I really snuggle with hubby. This dreary grey weather outside doesn't exactly cheer a girl up either. oh well. I'd rather be stuck inside on a day like this instead of a nice, sunny warm June day.

I am still being a recluse upstairs in our sitting room. On the plus side, this darn room is actually getting some use! who knew?! hehe We have an extra love seat up here and it has been perfect for me to sit with my computer, cell, drinks, magazines, meds, water, etc. I have been downstairs a few times but I realize it is better if I stay upstairs for a few reasons:
1) I rest more upstairs
2) I feel like I should be helping when I am downstairs. I can't really help so then that becomes guilt that I can't help
3) I hate telling the boys I can't pick them up or play with them
4) it's quiet up here. I am thinking these pain meds amplify noises or something lol

I can still hear them all downstairs...the boys laughing, Jakob yelling no because he didnt' get his way or wants to do something himself. They don't really miss me that much which I am fine with....sort of. If they missed alot then they would be crying for me all the time and that would drive anyone crazy. Plus I am so glad that as tired as they probably are (And won't admit to me), my dad and Gay get to spend some time with the kids and bond with them. The boys are having a great time with them. They leave on Friday....I am not sure who will be the saddest? them? the kids? me? marcin? lol

I have completed a photobook and 2 calendars! I have 2 more photobooks to finish up...I think I can do that by end of week, HOORAY!!! it is easy to pick out pictures while in my percocet haze...hard to type or see letters very clearly. They all run together hehe

I received a fantastic surprise when I got home from hospital and another one yesterday. My friend Keeley picked the perfect time to send my birthday gift...a box of goodies and these awesome headbands that I've wanted since I visited her in April! As a matter of fact I need to order some for a couple of belated birthday gifts :/ They do not slip at all!
http://www.sweatybands.com/

My other friend Meg sent me some super cute and comfy pj pants with a People Magazine. Now some may be thinking...a magazine? I was so excited for this magazine! I gave up long ago on reading magazines....they end up at the bottom of the mail pile unread. I actually got to read ALL of this one! As soon as they drainage tubes are taken out, I will be wearing my comfy pj pants! HOORAY!!!!

ok time for some online shopping before I forget what I need to look for! EK!!! thanks for reading my random thoughts ;-D
 

4 days post surgery !

I did it...I actually went through with it. There were a few moments when I was scared to death and wanted to back out. For those of you who aren't aware, I had a procedure last Friday....an abdominoplasty with liposuction to be exact. Also known as a tummy tuck.

Over the past 2 years I have gone back and forth on this surgery. It terrified me, the mom guilt was ridiculous, the amount of money was ridiculous, the recovery & all the help we would need (i.e. inconveniencing others) and it was something all for me. After my 2nd consult with surgeon, I scheduled surgery. This was during summer. Boy that time flew by and before I knew it it was January....then January 10, then the big day, ACK! The plastic surgeon told me numerous times the recovery would be much worse than a c-section and it was by far the worst recovery out of all the surgeries he does. Lovely. I have had 2 c/s and some days felt I would rather not know what I was getting myself into but then after the surgery, I was thankful for my c/s experience...those surgeries have definitely made it easier to cope with this recovery.

So doc cut me hip to hip below bikini line, ouch! I have a drainage tube attached to a grenade looking container on each hip for excess fluid, yuck! I have to wear a binder around my abdomen (just like I did after c/s) and empty out the hand grenades :/ Overall, 4 days post-op I feel pretty good. I am still taking 2 percocets every 4 hours, going to try and cut back to one tomorrow. I have a check up with doc on Thursday and again next week to hopefully get the tubes taken out. They are annoying.


I havent seen the boys and gotten any cuddles in FOUR days....man I miss those little guys :-( Saturday I came home with Marcin and my dad and Gay took boys in basement while I snuck upstairs to my room. I have been hiding out since. They don't seem to miss me too much, at least I get to hear those sweet laughs and Gavin talking nonstop. I am really worried about them accidentally pulling on the drainage tubes. I believe Gavin would be ok but the lil guys worry me. I decided today to be a recluse for one more day :-P Hopefully I can catch up on my hugs and kisses tomorrow!

I thought I would have been much more productive while sitting on my butt for a few days. I have finished one out of 3 photo books I need to do. I need to complete one photo calendar and clean out my inbox. I want to watch a good movie but I have yet to find one that holds my interest :-( I tried '10 Years'.....nope. I then tried "Young Adults" with Charlize Theoron...nope. I was really hopeful Breaking Dawn part 2 would be on DVD by now *sigh* IF you have any suggestions, send them my way! Or some good tv series you have been watching :-)

Thanks!

Christmas = SUCCESS! 13 days......

Even though I felt like I would never get everything done for 'Santa' we did it and the boys were so excited!!

J&K were happy just ripping open the wrapping paper :-P And even more happy when they saw the fun toy inside lol Their favorite gifts were some Hess trucks and Mr. Potato Head :-)

Gavin first opened his electric guitar stand but couldn't find his guitar. Santa had hid it behind tree, hehe He finally discovered it and was over the moon! He also got his speaker, wire and guitar. He has played it every day since Christmas....strumming along singing a song. So stinkin' cute!!! He has also inquired if he can take guitar lessons at drum school :-) Fortunately for him, his drum teacher also plays guitar so it looks like we will be learning guitar for a bit. Although I like the drums better....they require more energy.

Marcin and I got a few things for each other but we decided we needed to concentrate on the kiddos. I was pretty proud of myself because from Santa each kid got 4-5 items (Well except Gavin since his guitar required some accessories). I have been Christmas shopping since summer :-) All of their gifts were excellent condition second hand gifts and I saved a lot of money! Yep even the guitar, amp and huge 20 inch Ride cymbal gavin received.

It was a good holiday! Now to get ready for New Years....you know us, we go all out with a huge party to attend, formal wear, hotel, etc. HA HA! kidding....we will be home with the kids :-) I plan to cook some steaks, lobster tail, hoppin' johns, cornbread and something sweet for dessert. I really hope I make it to midnight but that is always hard to tell. Then its my birthday, WOO HOO!!!! I am having a difficult time processing the fact that I am turning 35...its just strange. I don't feel 35 but then again I am not certain what 35 should feel like. Of course I am always tired but I blame that on my children because their endless energy is exhausting!

13 days until my Christmas and birthday gift for next 10 years or so....the tummy tuck! Best.Gift.Ever. :-D I had my pre-op appt a couple of days ago. I didn't expect much from this appt because I had two consults so I could ask my 1,001 questions/stresses/concerns. The plastic surgeon is great....very nice, straight forward and laid back. I like this in a doctor. I get to pre-op, they have me undress down to bra/underwear and give me this paper half shirt to put on...really? whats the point? LOL not to mention it was FREEZING!! I ask for a blanket but thankfully Doc was coming right in, whew! Seriously, I had goosebumps! This was how appt went:

Doc: How are you?
Me: good!
Doc: I need to take two pictures of midsection. I will cut from hip to hip, take out this pocket of skin/fat, pull skin down, reposition belly button, lipo flanks and home you go. Here is painkiller script. Any questions?
Me: (Deer in headlights look on my face) Um........I was nervous for this appt today, can you give me anything for nerves day of or before?
Doc: Do you like wine?
Me: Yes
Doc: That's all I can give you, he says while laughing. ( I am not sure what is so funny since its ME going under knife!)

I continue to bombard him with more questions that I already know answer too but I need the reassurance that the answers are all the same LOL They are. I'll be down for the count for at least a week, 2 drainage tubes for 10-14 days, not able to stand up straight or lay flat for at least a week, may take longer to lay flat. He said out of all he cosmetic surgeries he does, this is the most painful recovery. Lovely. Although I told him I would rather expect the worst and be pleasantly surprised if its better than I anticipate. It makes sense that the recovery would be rough....midsection is a huge part of the body that the body relies on for many things. I am as ready as I am going to be.

One of my top concerns are the boys....I am going to miss them. I know I will be here and see them but I won't be able to cuddle, pick them up for kisses or play alot. Mom guilt 150% *Sigh* Such as life :-) Wish me luck, pray for me....whatever you do, please keep us in your thoughts!!


 

finally...ready for Christmas!!

I honestly did not think we would get here! All I need is a pack of C batteries and a bottle of wine, good to go!

I got the rest of my baking finished up yesterday....sugar cookies, peanut butter blossom (YUM!!!), red velvet bundt cake and mini oreo cheesecake (Thank you pinterest....seriously if you are an Oreo lover, you will love, love, love these things!) Run to the store, get the ingredients and make them before the ever popular News Years resolution to eat healthy, LOL http://www.threesquarechef.com/2011/06/mini-oreo-cheesecakes.html

We got all the gifts wrapped last night...clean up house over next couple of days, work on bathroom and wait for the Big Guy to come visit :-)

When Gavin was born we decided we would stay in Delaware for Christmas instead of traveling. It is hectic enough to travel, let alone over the Christmas holidays so we felt this was a great idea. Especially after J&K were born...home it is! Pre-kids we would alternate Thanksgiving and Christmas with our families. It makes me sad not to have my family with me during the holiday but my prince charming was in Delaware....whats a girl to do?! :-)

Growing up our Christmas celebration was we were able to open one gift on Christmas Eve. Leave out the cookies and beer for Santa. Santa came while we slept and all of our gifts were laid out around the tree, couch, somewhere was designated for our things. I had two younger brothers so we each had our 'section' hehe Then we would spend the day going from house to house eating, playing pollyanna, etc. I did not like the going from house to house part. I wanted to stay home and play with my new stuff, hmph It was always so rushed on an already busy day.

As an adult, this didn't change much until I got married and adopted some new Christmas traditions. Obviously, Marcin's family does things a little differently than mine does. I guess you could say Santa comes while you are eating Christmas Eve dinner :-) We all go to my In-laws house, eat dinner and then open all the presents. They don't open anymore presents on Christmas day, all are opened on Christmas Eve. He also told me they didn't do stockings :-( My Christmas stocking was always my favorite thing to go through...this is where the good stuff always was!!!

Now as a parent, Marcin and I had to come to a compromise on this because as you can see Santa visits each family at different times :-) So we developed our own Christmas traditions, as most married couples probably do. We go to church and chase our children around, then Marcin's parents house for Christmas Eve dinner, take lots of pictures and open all gifts that Santa bring there. We tell the kids we have to hurry to get home because Santa will be coming to our house next! We come home, put out the cookies and vodka/beer/milk and leave Santa a short note thanking him for all his hard work and gifts, get kids in bed and get to work! Some wrapped gifts under the tree, a few things not wrapped but by the tree such as an electric guitar and cymbal, fill the stockings up with goodies and sleep, aahhhhh.

Kids wake up, open up presents, play, play, play, play, play, play and play some more. Take lots of pictures. Last year we had the family over to our house for brunch. We loved this because we didn't have to pack up the kids and rush anywhere. They are able to play with their new toys and family can come see the rest of their Santa gifts.

Now that I have gotten everything done, I am excited to see these sweet faces light up over their gifts and the idea of Santa. I need to enjoy this while I can until they figure out whats going on, like I did and used to sneak downstairs in middle of night to find someone else placing gifts under the tree. (Sorry dad...you probably didn't know I was doing this lol)