Redemption....

awww...Bonny-love must have sensed my sad mama vibes.

He woke up crying and had leaked through his diaper, so I got him some clean jammies and fed him a bottle to help calm him down while Jon changed his bed...I'm sure it was all a show, put on entirely for my benefit - to remind me I AM important (read: still the mommy).


Way to get in some late-night snuggles to make your mommy feel better, buddy!

Mama loves you!

It was bound to happen...

We were late getting the boys from daycare...Jon usually picks up the boys in the evenings and I guess he got caught up at work - I never asked the full story. He tried to call me, but I was in a meeting, so he called his parents and they got there to pick them up, but they were a couple of minutes late.

Hopefully we won't get charged because it was our first offense. I guess I will be doing the walk of shame tomorrow when I do the morning drop-off.

Continuing to work late tonight after I heard what had happened and coming home to sleeping babies gave me my first undeniable dose of 'working mom' guilt. I've worked late and come home to sleeping babies before, but for some reason it really bothers me today, given the chain of events.

Jon says it's all fine. We got them and they are home and safe and everything is fine. So why am I still so miserable about it?

Sigh...

Super Sunday, Super Frame Sale...

Thanks to the good people at Michael's for having frames 40-50% OFF this week. I bought 11 frames, including one 16x16 and one 18x20, and spent no more than $13 on any one of them...Michael's is even taking 40-50% off of the CLEARANCE prices for frames that are already marked down - an AWESOME deal.

This helped me frame all our prints from Studio One (they came in!!!) that are going in our house, as well as frame the pix we have to hand out as gifts to our god-parents for the Christening...G-parents, if you are reading this, sorry to blow the surprise.

In addition to getting all the framing done today, Jon and I spent a lazy Sunday morning hanging out in bed playing with the boys after their morning bottles. It is a tradition that we just love - especially now that the boys are really noticing each other. It was a really great time this morning.

I LOVE Sundays...

Our ENT Visit...

Brewer was such a good little boy on our visit to the ENT. I was so proud of him.

He only cried a little when Dr. Jones checked his ears, which of course had fluid in them.

The diagnosis was something like 'persistent effusion'. Basically, Brewer is prone to ear infections. Given the large amounts of problems he has had in such a short span of time at a young age, it looks like we can either do the tubes or we can basically have a revolving door to the doctor's office.

First we saw the doctor, who examined little Brew. Then we went back out in the waiting room until the audiologist called us for a hearing test. The first test was one where they blew air into his ears to see if it moved his eardrums...No dice. Not to hard to understand, given that he had so much fluid behind them. The second test was to check the movement of his eardrums given different frequencies of sound. His right ear failed miserably. His left ear barely passed. The audiologist said that he probably passed in his left because that was the ear that had ruptured, so it had less fluid in it than the other. She said he can hear, but that its really muffled so to make sure that he is looking at us when we talk to him, because if we have his attention visually, we know he is trying to listen to us. Poor baby fell asleep in the middle of the screening. He was just 'spent'.

Then we saw the doctor again. He reassured us that because Brew passed his newborn screening, his poor scores on the hearing tests are likely to be temporary and that his hearing will go back to normal once his tubes are in. We'll find out at a follow-up testing four weeks after his tubes go in.

After we met with Dr. Jones, his nurse came in and scheduled the surgery and the follow-up appointment. All in all, it was a really good experience and the people couldn't have been nicer.

Brewer's surgery is three weeks from today. In the meantime, they want to keep him comfortable, so they said if he starts to look like he has an infection, to let them know and they'll call him in a course of antibiotics - SO nice.

One thing Dr. Jones mentioned when examining B's throat and mouth is that his frenulum (the underside of his tongue) is extended. This can sometimes cause issues with speech and with feeding. I'm going to ask the pediatrician about it at their 6 month appointment.

So, that's the update. All in all, I'd say it went well. I'm glad to be home for the weekend now so I can stay home and snuggle my little sweeties.

To take my mind off of the ENT

Some cute video - One of Bon playing with his dad...


One of Brewer getting ready to sleep...


One of Bon being cute before dinner - try not to puke at the over-gushiness of mommy...

Anticipation...

Brewer's ENT appointment is Thursday. I'm so nervous for my little buddy. I hope it goes well. I don't mind if he has to get tubes, I'm just nervous for his hearing and I hate that I have no idea what to expect...anybody out there got a story to share on what happened their first visit to the ENT?

As a little background, poor little Brew has had 3 ear infections and a ruptured eardrum in the last 2 mos. Since he is not yet 5 mos old, all that activity has earned him an express trip to the ENT....

Well, stories anyone?

Super Sunday, Super Sick...

Urgh...I won't bore you/gross you out with the details, but I am the third in the house to come down with this awful tummy bug. I think the beginning of the end was when Bon threw up ON me (read ALL OVER me) when I picked him up from day care on Friday (where he hadn't been sick all day until I showed up...) and I had to drive home covered in his puke...

Ironically, that's the last time he threw up. For me, I was darned sick a short 24 hours later.

On to this Sunday's products. I have been living on Zofran and Gatorade, and I try to talk about something every week that makes my life better, so this is what you are going to get - LOL.

If you haven't been prescribed Zofran for the nausea and vomiting associated with your tummy bugs, ask for it by name next time! Zofran and I got up-close and personal while I was pregnant and now I know the Z and I will be friends for many years to come. Bon's doctor prescribed him liquid Z when we took him in last week with this bug - Dr. S. is good people. :)

When it comes to Gatorade, well I can't say enough about it...I think you already know how great it is. It tastes way better than the Pedialyte poor Bonny had to drink.

Lastly, Johnson's Bedtime Bath...I just took a long soak in a warm bath full of it. We are about to find out if it works as good on mommies as it does on babies.

In other news, Brewer finally started flipping backward and forward today like his brother, so we now officially have two little acrobats. Bon is also a certified creeper. He is a riot. We'll have to get video of it posted here soon.

Jon's been a lifesaver, taking care of me and being a auperdad with the boys - I guess he knows how miserable he was just a few short days ago...I really appreciate it.

Granny was awesome today, too. She helped with their solids at lunchtime and made sure they had a bath this evening. Thanks Granny!

Wish me a good night's sleep, everyone!

The Last Man Standing...

Is Brewer. I fell victim to the evil tummy-bug last night. Jon and Bon are recovered. I am ill - so far Brewer is fine...I hope he stays that way, or at least has the decency to get sick SOON so we can get it over with together.

March Madness

Last night, Brewer cheered Gonzaga on to victory - he was babbling at the TV so much, it was hilarious, but as soon as I turned the camera on him, he clammed up! I guess he's trying to keep his bracket choices on the down-low...



Mommy will provide an update this weekend on how her and Daddy's picks are panning out...so far, Mommy regrets not picking Michigan over Clemson - I was really tempted to, but I let the rankings sucker me in...

And Now...

It's Bon who is the latest victim of 'the sickness'...he's been to the pediatrician this afternoon and is on pedialyte and anti-nausea meds. He threw up - again - all over me and is finally lying down now sleeping...I wonder when Brewer and I will fall ill. We are bound to be next...

Poor Jon...

Tonight we went to a St. Paddy's day party at the boys' Great-Grandmother's place. It was fun, but Jon had to go home early because he was sick. He's in bed now, miserable, debating whether or not to go to the 24 hour clinic. I hope he feels better soon. :(

8:30 and all is quiet...

ALL of my boys are in bed. I came home and found poor Brew gripy as all get out. He felt a little warm - I think it's teething - so I gave him some Tylenol and a cold bottle and he passed right out. Within an hour, Bonham followed suit. Poor Jon has been on call for the past week for work and was practically falling asleep in his dinner, so he went on to bed after he ate, too. I'm noticing a trend, I am afraid...

Super Sunday, Souper Meal...

Moms on the go who don't have time to cook elaborate meals, or who have never been interested in cooking...start peeling labels.

No, not on your beer bottles like the old-bygone college days. On your soup cans!

I made the Chicken Pot Pie recipe on the inside of the Campbell's Cream of Onion Soup can's label tonight and it was great. Now mind you, I did change the veggie mix to match what I had on-hand, but otherwise I followed it and it was simple and FAST! (think 30 minute meals)

I was telling one of my online pals about a recipe book made up entirely of recipes from the sides of boxes and cans and decided I would look it up exactly and post a link to it here. Looks like it is in short supply...



Keep in mind that other similar books specific to certain products like Bisquick or Campbells Soup are just a google search away!

Hopefully this will help some of my readers who aspire to do more in the kitchen!

Happy Cooking! If you make something awesome, come back and let us know.

Ready for our close-up...

Today the boys had their first professional pictures done. They were so great the whole time. They even got Easter pictures with a live bunny. The folks at Studio One were so great - helpful, kind, and they adored the boys...They even told us not to be surprised if we see our boys hanging on our wall soon. They are about to order new prints for their store and we gave them permission to use pictures of the boys in their advertising - that would be soo cool!

After pictures, we went out to lunch and then went home. I fed the boys while Jon went to pick up our new TV...our other one had 'had it' and I agonized over pulling the trigger on buying one for a year - well, we finally got a good enough deal on one, and I have to say...

It's WONDERFUL! I'll be watching some serious TV while I fold laundry tonight after the boys go to sleep. I've never seen such an amazing picture.

In one for the 'awesome daddy' books, when Jon went out to pick up the TV, he grabbed the boys a copy of Pinnochio for their DVD collection. He is SUCH a thoughtful dad.

All in all, it was a really fun, uneventful day. I am hoping that we'll have another similarly wonderful low-key day tomorrow.

And now, what you are really all waiting for....

I know you are all anxious to see pictures, so here are a couple of our favorites from the shoot today. I'll post more when we get the retouched copies back.

Enjoy!

Way Back Whensday...

The boys were born five months ago yesterday, which means five months ago today, they looked like this....




WILD!


They are so much fun and getting better everyday.


On Monday, we spent the day with Aunt JennJenn and her girls, the boys' twin cousins. We went shopping and out for cupcakes and the boys were perfect angels ALL DAY...Aunt JJ says her friends and Uncle Kevin will never believe it when she tells them how good the boys are. They got alot of OOOhs and AAAAhs, but hey, what else is new!?


The boys are really getting bigger - FAST - they are enjoying eating baby food, though it looks like Brewer is not going to be a green bean fan any time soon.


Brew has an appointment with the ENT week after next. I just hope he stays well until then - he is teething like crazy.


Bon is adorable, as always, and the picture of health. He totally mashed his bottle for me tonight.


Right now, the boys are both asleep, Bon in the bouncer and Brew on the floor. Daddy is at work and mommy is enjoying having her babies in the room with her.


Encouraging poor sleep habits? Maybe. Selfish? Definitely, but I don't care. The are only this little for a little while and I want to enjoy my babies. On that note - catch ya later! I'm off to snuggle on the Brew... :)


Join Cheryl at Twinfatuation to play along with Way Back Whensday!

Super Sunday...(oops)

did you miss it? or did it just sneak past you...

I was busy with my family visiting from out of town...and guess what? We went to the zoo. again. We had my sister and her husband and my Lili-pie (their daughter) along with my sister-in-law and my two nieces and we all went to the zoo on my membership...we had to pay for one person - the rest of us were all covered on our membership. I won't bore you with how smelly the petting zoo was or how cute the prairie dogs were or how we took our picture in front of the Komodo Dragon. again.

I guess my point, if I want to turn this into a belated Super Sunday post, would be to strongly endorse season passes to family friendly activities like the zoo or your local children's museum. It's great to have a pre-paid activity you can go do that doesn't mean extra money out of yout pocket when you are tired of staring at the four walls of your living room or doing laps around your local shopping mall. These passes are also so economical - our Zoo membership has already paid for itself, and it's only March! I can't wait to go back to see the Red Panda when that exhibit opens!

The most fun part was sharing the zoo with Lili - she had never been there before and she was so cute, running around as fast as her little 15 month old legs would carry her.

I promise I will get back in the groove of our regularly scheduled Super Sunday post this coming weekend. I will give more updates on our weekend and my visit with the family tomorrow. Today I took the day off and we spent the day having fun - me, the boys, my sister-in-law and the girls. Needless to say, I am EXHAUSTED. Jon is already lying here next to me...snoring like a freight train.

Much love to all of you, and as a tease....something to look forward to....BUNNY PICTURES next weekend.

See ya tomorrow!

Mommy of the Year(ish)

Wow - my first blog award. Thanks to Jen over at http://seanandemma.blogspot.com/ for picking me!

As a condition of the award, I am to blog the following:

the rules:1. admit that ONE thing you feel awful about involving being a mom. get it off your shoulders. once you've written it down, you are NO LONGER allowed to feel bad. it's over with, it's in the past. remember, you're a good mom!

I feel bad that the boys are often asleep or nearly asleep when I get home during the week. I know I get up and spend hours with them in the morning every morning, and that they don't get home too much before I do, that one day they will stop going to bed at 7 pm, blah, blah...but right now it is just hard. Don't know if just writing it here will make me feel better, but I will give it a shot.


2. to remind yourself that you ARE a good mom, list SEVEN things you love about your kids, you love doing with your kids, or that your kids love about you. these are the things to remind yourself of EVERY DAY that you rock!
1) I love Brewer's giggles. They melt my heart.
2) I love watching Bonham 'work out' on the mat. He is SO strong for such a little boy. It cracks me up.
3) I love hearing myself say 'my sons this' and 'my sons that'...at one point in life ( a very very long point in my life) I was afraid I would never be able to say those words...
4) I love that my kids seem happier when I come into the room.
5) I love it when people tell me what gorgeous boys they are.
6) I love that the boys have special attachments to me and their dad.
7) I love listening to Jon talk to them. It's hilarious and so sweet at the same time the way he relates to the boys.

3. send this to FIVE other moms of the year that deserve forgiveness and a reminder that they, too, are the best moms they can be!!! remember to send them a note to let them know you've selected them, and add a link to the person who nominated you!

Jen
Stacey
Brenda
Lorie
Kelly
Jo

Brewer is taking a trip!

to the Ear-Nose-Throat doctor...

We saw the pediatrician today for our post-antibiotic appointment. Brew has been feeling horrible - congested, coughing, etc, so I knew it would not be good.

Mommy's intuition was right! The old infection never quite went away and as soon as we quit the antibiotic, it flared back up.

So, Brew got a shot of a new antibiotic and a prescription to take it orally for 10 days. The pediatrician's office is making an appointment for him with the specialist sometime in the next two weeks.

I can tell the poor little guy is miserable. He's only eaten 3 bottles in the last 24 hours. I really hope the antibiotics give him some relief soon.

On the Bonham front, the doc looked in his ears and they look great, so thank goodness for that!

We met some really nice ladies and their babies and grandbabies today in the waiting room. Bon was flirting big time...poor Brew slept the whole time. He barely even woke up for the doctor. That shot he got sure woke him up!

The boys were fawned and fussed over alot. I love it when people tell me they are beautiful. I know they are, but I am their mom, so I am biased.

I am so excited for the weekend to be here. We are going to have such fun with our family coming into town on Sunday. We can hardly wait!

Well, I had a late night at work because I missed the morning for the appointmnet. I am exhausted. I am going to head to bed, but I wanted to update everyone on how Brew is doing.

deuces!

Update on Grandpa Bob

My dad will be going home from the hospital tomorrow! YAY! He had surgery today and they put in four stents to open up his artery, which was 99% blocked.

He says he feels like a huge weight was lifted off of his chest. We are all very happy, relieved and thankful. I am so glad for my boys that they have many more days to share with their Grandpa.

Thank you to everyone who prayed for us and thought of us during this time. Please continue to keep dad's continued well-being in your thoughts and prayers. We love you, Grandpa & Grandma.

I'm sorry about postponing my entry that I promised on Sunday, but all that is going on with the family has really taken it out of me. Maybe tomorrow night we'll get back on track.

Sweet Dreams, Dad!

love y'all!

Prayers for Grandpa

My dad, Grandpa Bob to the boys, is in the hospital. He had a heart attack, but is doing ok for now.

Tomorrow morning they will look to see the extent of the damage and they will take steps to fix any blockage issues he has. It could be as simple as putting in some new stints (G-Bob has some that are a few years old) to hold open the aretery, or he could need by-pass surgery, which they will do immediately if they find it is needed.

The boys and I and Jon love you very very much, Grandpa, and we are praying for you and for Grandma Pat. We love you both and we just hope that everything goes as well as it possibly can tomorrow.

Hang in there! We will be here for you, whatever we can do, we will.

If you are the praying kind, please say a prayer for our family. Good vibes and all other well-intended sentiments are much appreciated, too.

xoxo

Super Sunday - What a Wonderful World (Wide Web)...

Today's Super Sunday is all about some of my favorite online finds! I love blogging, shopping online, cruising the internet for support as a MoM and looking for tips, tricks and tools to help me simplify my life.

In the last few weeks, I have discovered a few great websites. They are:


http://www.mommytrackd.com/

http://www.mabelslabels.com/

http://www.theorganizedparent.com/




'mommytrackd' is a great website for moms who work outside the home. It has great community groups and forums and a wonderful on-line store full of great organizational tools and cute gear (pssst! search for promo codes online because they are STACKABLE! I used 3 different promo codes on my order and got it for almost half price!).



I got a few things here including the doorganizer - to help me remember my keys, phone, etc., in the morning, and the 'eat sheet' to help with meal planning and grocery lists, and a dayplanner. I also got the cute little 'see Mom work' mousepad for my office desk. It makes me smile everytime I look at it.



There are wonderful writers on the 'mommytrackd' site who write regular columns about their experiences and observations. Among them, Christie Mellor who wrote The Three Martini Play Date and Stefanie Wilder-Taylor who wrote Sippy Cups are not for Chardonnay and Naptime is the New Happy Hour.




There are also lots of fun forums where other moms write in and share their post-baby career experiences. Issues like work-life balance, keeping up with male colleagues, organizing your life, taking extended leaves, and rejoining the workforce after being a stay-at-home mom are all addressed with sensitivity and laughter. If you are a mom working outside the home or a stay-at-home mom thinking about rejoining the work force, I highly recommend this site.





The other two sites, 'mabel's labels' and 'the organized parent' are fantastic as well...

I ordered some 'mama cards' from mabel's labels. They are like business cards for moms - they'll be great for handing out at Gymboree class, kid's parties and other family oriented functions where I want to exchange info, but don't want to go around handing out my business card. I can't wait for them to come in. Below is a picture of the sample - just to give you an idea.(Note: You can only use one promo code at a time on this website, but I have it on good authority that the ability to 'stack' multiple promotion codes is coming to Mabel's soon.)











I found 'the organized parent' website by searching for the 'Life.doc' organizer that was out of stock on 'mommytrackd'. (I ordered it - I'll let you know how it is when it comes in...)


I ordered a few other things from this website in addition to the 'Life.doc' organizer - a babysitter info pad, and a childcare info book to fill out and leave in your home for caregivers, etc...I am anxiously waiting fot the items to come in. I love getting organized. It makes me feel accomplished to look around and see so much done at the end of the day.


To that end, I hope you guys enjoy checking out these sites. Be sure and let me know what you think...I have had a long day of organizing and planning for the week and I am wiped out, so I am signing off for now. Tomorrow, I will blog about today's humorous adventures in organization and efficiency (with pictures). Stay Tuned!