I'm dreaming of Hunters

I was doing very well and getting fabulously fit until about November.  The kids got sick. The holidays happened. The kids were still sick. I started eating cow products again. Birthdays happened.  The kids are still sick.  I haven't gotten to the gym much the last two months.  I know it's all excuses because if I was dedicated I would go at night when Chris got home since I can't bring the kiddos with me when they are sick.  But seriously, who wants to go to the gym at night in the cold after the kids are in bed when you really just want to be in bed too?  Not me. I'm not that good.

Lately, I've been coveting a pair of boots.  I first noticed them on a preschool mom, then my friend Tracy got a pair for Christmas.  I am lusting after them big time.  I showed them to Chris and he basically said I was crazy. I'm not a trendy girl. I don't care about name brands or labels, but I am seriously obsessed with these boots.  Obsessions like these don't come often for me, I assure you!  Angelina Jolie wore a red pair in Mr. & Mrs Smith. Hello, they are that cool they scored her Brad Pitt!

In an effort to get myself back in the game I struck a deal with Hubby.  When I lose 15 more pounds I can buy my boots. I flipping can't wait.  He then proceeded to tell me that by the time I can get the boots they won't be in style anymore. He assures me that the meaning I drew from that isn't what he intended. (I believe him. Sort of.)

We're still here!

I feel like it's been ages since I've written about something besides birthdays.  Yes, I didn't write a post about Than's first birthday. Maybe that makes me a bad mommy, but seriously we've been crazy over here.  We're moving this weekend and weren't sure where until a few days ago! We ended up finding a nice house the next town over that I am sure will make a lovely home.  The location isn't ideal, the kitchen leaves much to be desired, but the space is great. The kids will have a playroom and a fenced in backyard to play in. I think those two things outrank location and a dishwasher any day!

Than had his 1 year well visit today.  He had three shots and has been mighty cranky today. I'm just praying it's the shots (which he normally handles fine) and not another dreaded sickness. We've had a few healthy days so I'm sure we've reached our limit for the month.  He weighed 21 pounds 12 ounces and was 30 1/2 inches tall.   I feel like he lost weight since his 9 month appointment. He was a little fatty for a while there when we switched to soy formula, but for the life of me I can't find his 9 month statistics anywhere.  They just switched to electronic files at the pedi's office and his 9 month visit info wasn't there. She wasn't worried. He's in the 73% for height and 23% for weight. I could have screwed that up by a few percentiles, but basically he's long and skinny.  Hubs and I were saying the other day how much he has thinned out and looks like a little boy now instead of a baby.  He's officially a toddler so I guess it fits, except that he does no toddling.  He isn't close to walking and I am okay with that. He gets into enough trouble crawling and cruising so I don't think we're missing much.  He says Mama, Dada, Hi and Bu-Bye.  It's pretty cute. He says baby, but only when prompted so I don't think that officially counts.  He's doing great. My most favorite thing is the way the boys interact with each other.  When "talk" to each other from their cribs.  They laugh so much.  Than gets a huge smile and laughs whenever he sees Charlie. They truly enjoy one another. I love it!

I called Early Intervention today for Charlie.  I talked to his pediatrician at his two year visit because his speech seems a little off.  He talks - a lot! But we don't always understand what he's saying.  Nobody seems worried that he won't catch up, but if we can give him some extra help, why not?  They should be calling me back within two days, so we'll see!

Ellie is doing fine. Sleeping has become an issue for her lately (yes, again).  She just wakes up whaling for me or Chris.  It's terrifying to wake up to and when there isn't anything wrong it gets old pretty quick.  Do I need to remind anyone how cranky I am when woken up at night?  It's not my thing. At all.  I try to be sweet and nice and sympathetic, but I'm not.  I feel horrible about it when I replay the previous nights events in my head when I wake up in the morning.  To get a decent nights sleep she either has to be in bed with us or one of us ends up falling asleep in her bed.  It needs to stop. Now. And I'm sure there are plenty of co-sleepers out there that are just like "let her sleep with you if that's what she needs." But I am not and I won't. It's just (for us) a horrible habit to get into. It does no good for Chris or I.  It's not happening. So I need a solution. Any advice?  On a positive note, day time accidents are officially a thing of the past. Yay!

Hmmm... what else is going on in the armpit of the country?  Nothing much really. The house is a half packed up disaster area.  Chris and I have been pretty proactive in the preparing for the move department so I think this weekend should go fairly smooth.  We have movers coming for a few hours on Saturday to move the big stuff.  I'll post some pictures when we're settled, which could take a while.  For now, here are some pictures from Than's first birthday.

Peek-a-boo!

Vegan Pancakes - His favorite!

Happy 5th Birthday, Ellie!!

Dear Ellie,

When you were born, the doctors told us that most kids with HLHS that experience problems have them in the first five years of life.  Today at 4:31 p.m. you will be 5 years old.  You have no idea right now, but I hope in the future I can find the words to explain to you how monumental this day is for me.  You woke up a lot last night so Daddy ended up putting you in bed with us. Maybe it was the anticipation of your big day? You spent the night digging your knees in my stomach and pulling my hair.  I may be one grumpy Momma in the middle of the night, but I am profoundly grateful that you are here to steal my pillow and elbow me while I try to sleep.

We have a fun filled day today. It was suppose to start with your birthday party at school, but the snow, freezing rain and two hour delay put a stop to that.  At 11:30 we have your birthday party at Bounce U, followed by your five year check up with Dr. Sarah and then we get to sing to you tonight after dinner with cupcakes and presents!  I can't wait!!

At 10:45 a.m. while we were getting on our socks and shoes to leave for your party, you noticed Charlie had already started to open one of your presents.  You finished the job and were excited to be the new owner of Chutes and Ladders... I'm not going to lie, I am pretty excited to play that game with you later because it was my favorite as a kid! I hope you get hours of enjoyment out of it.

At 11:30 we had your birthday party at Bounce U in Cherry Hill.  We went in the first play room.  You had a great time jumping in the bounce houses with your friends.  Your guest list included: Audrey, Sam, Jules, Matt, Nicholas, Dane, Shay, Lilah, Elliot, Katerina, Sammy, Stevie, Jenna, Gigi, and your BFF Molly.  In the second bounce room you continued to have some fun with your friends. There was a big blow up slide that you were nervous to go down.  After going down a few times with one of the staff members you decided to go with just your friends, holding hands with Jenna and Sammy.  After that we were off to eat pizza and have cake.  You lit up when your friends sang you Happy Birthday.

As soon as we got home you opened a few presents before I dragged you off to your five year well visit with Dr. Sarah.  She was very pleased with your development. You weighed in at 32 pounds and you were 40 inches tall.  You had to get two shots, but were brave and didn't cry at all.  Dr. Sarah let us know you wouldn't need anymore scheduled shots until you were 11, except for your yearly flu shot!  On the way out, you grabbed a pink lollipop and we were on our way back home so you could open the rest of the presents from your friends.

After Daddy and I finished opening and sorting all of your presents we had dinner and sang Happy Birthday to you again, just the five of us.  You opened your presents.  I think your favorite was a tie between your Hello Kitty rain boots from Charlie or your T-Rex excavation kit from MiMi.  Daddy is going to help you with that this weekend!

Ellie, I hope we gave you the perfect 5th birthday.  We are so blessed to have you in our lives.  I am so proud to be your Momma.

Love,
Me

xoxo

Laundry Day!!

My normal laundry day is Thursday. I babysit and have no where to go, so I spend parts of the day at my dining room table folding and sorting.  This week is very busy. We have Ellie's birthday tomorrow, Than's is Wednesday and we're also hosting our preschool play date here at the house.  I am babysitting Wednesday, Thursday & Friday this week as well.  In between wrangling the kids I also have to pack, though we still don't know where we are going.  Yikes!!

Since my week is already full,  today will be laundry day... I know things are pretty wild and crazy over here, right?  To make things even more exciting I may even go to... wait for it... BJ's before taking Ellie to Tae Kwon Do. Seriously, I don't know if we can handle much more excitement over here!

On a positive note I think it's safe to say (totally disrespecting the jinx here) that Charlie is healthy, Ellie is healthy and aside from an occasional runny nose Than is pretty healthy as well.  Nothing like a party tomorrow at a germ infested bouncy play place to put an end to that though.

Until tomorrow, my friends!