New Blog!

I know, I've pretty much fallen off from updating this blog.  Work, kids, and a food blog will do that to you. 

As much fun as I have with my food blog, I needed a place to write about my parenting with all of the love and craziness that goes with that. 

So, please come and take a peek and if you like it, subscribe or like it on Facebook!

Hope all is well with you!

http://makingitasmom.blogspot.com/
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Easter and the Lordy Lordy.......

Just so you know, I am supposed to be washing my floors, yet here I sit.  I figured it was time to update.  The floors can wait... shoot, they've waited a couple of weeks already, what's one more hour?

Easter came and went and I don't even have a picture of the kids.  How is that possible?  Me, Miss Fancy Camera, just doesn't seem to like to pull it out for the holidays.  It's a shame really.  I mean, it won't be like my childhood where by the time I came around there it was almost like cameras weren't allowed in front of children anymore, hence the complete lack of pics of me as a child.  No, Adam and Ava will have plenty of snapshots to see how they grew.  But holidays and birthdays?  Mama falls down on the job.  Part of it is my camera is a monster and not fun to carry around.  Not to mention how I still need to master the manual setting on it, so there's a lot of "Oh hold on, I need to take that one again" going on.

So, this Easter was like Christmas (and Adam's birthday.... and Thanksgiving......and Mother's Day.....) and only documented in our minds.

I didn't even get to do the baskets I had wanted to do.  Jimi spent the night at my ILs to be with Umo Nabeel and Abe left early in the morning with Adam to go drop off Nabeel at the airport and then go to church.  I realized half way through the morning that I still have the baskets in the closet.  Considering Jimi went to his mom's right after church, it wasn't worth doing for just Adam.  So, baskets will be presented on Thursday when Jimi comes back.  This year I got Adam an Elmo basket.  I'm sure that thing will be dragged around the house for weeks to come.

Sandy and the family were in town for 2 weeks, which was both nice and a little bit stressful (I feel safe saying that since I know Sandy never reads either one of my blogs....lol).  Adam and his cousin John started out well, but the rest of the visit was a lot of fighting between the two and Sandy and I breaking them up.  Adam didn't understand he has to share the toys he is used to having for himself at Tata's house and John still isn't the best at sharing himself (unless asked by the child, and then he will happily, but Adam didn't seem to catch that detail).  They did ok at the end, but by the time they left, my nerves were happy to have my calm back.  I was worried that Adam would have trouble sharing in other settings, like with my friend Lindsay who watches them on Thursdays, and the daycare at the gym, but he went back to his normal self.  I'll be glad when he's older and can just play with John.

It was great seeing Sandy and I miss her when she's not here.  When she's here, it's as if she's never gone.  I wish they lived closer, but I think she will be staying in her little neck of the country.  I don't blame her.... Michigan isn't for the faint of heart.  Cold winters and cold economy.  But we have the lakes.... or they train us in childhood to say to perk ourselves up about where we live....lol.

Well, I quit my job.  Not my current-current job, but my old job.  Thank the lord.  Oh, how good it feels to be out of that hell hole.  I wasn't planning on doing it until September, but we had all received layoff notices and I decided it wasn't worth my time waiting for them to recall me, just for me to quit anyway.  So, I went in last week and signed the paper.  I'm sure the old bosses will call or get in contact with me once they hear, but I hope it's for a while.  I don't want to speak to them.  They made my life (and the lives of so many) so hard and I don't wish to speak to them anytime soon.  My new job is a dream and I'm treated like a true professional.  I work 2 mornings a week which is perfect.  Just enough to get out of the house and make money, but not too much where I can't be with the kids.  I love it.

Ava is on the cusp of crawling (I'm sure I probably wrote that in the last blog entry too, but it's still true).  She gets up on hands and knees and rocks back and forth.  She will roll like a champ to where ever she needs to go, so she's a girl on the move.  She's a joy and so happy.  If she's crying, it's usually a poopy dipe, hungry tummy or she's offended that you left the room.  No teeth yet, which surprises me.  She's able to sit up, but only for short periods of time and someone has to be right there.  I'll admit that I don't think to put her sitting up because I worry that Adam will topple her over.  So, she probably gets carried more and lays down more than Adam did at that age.  I checked the blog and he was crawling already and putting himself into a seated position at this age.  So, poor baby girl is a little behind.  Not that it's a competition, but man, it's hard not to compare.  I'm sure Ava will be just fine and cruising around before I know it.  And then I will miss being able to put her down to check the laundry without her getting into trouble.

Jimi's baseball teams are off and running.  Yes, I said teams.  Abe signed him up for 2 teams, one home and one travel.  It's going to be a baseball-filled summer.  Abe is coaching his home team, so he's gone a lot.  But he loves it, so I'm cool with it (for the most part).  We are all going to go to Cooperstown this summer for a tournament, so that will be fun (hopefully!).   I don't know who is more excited, Abe or Jimi.

Oh and as for the Lordy Lordy part, I turn 40 tomorrow.  Yeah, shut up about how I look great for my age and how 40 is the new 30.  It's old and I'm getting old.  I think my playgroup friends will make me give back my membership card now that I'm 2 decades away from many of them.  Ugh.  I wonder what Abe's got in store for me.  I secretly would love a party, but I know that ain't happening.   Oh well, I'll be happy with what I get.  Well, except for the increasingly occurring wrinkles and gray hair.     That I can live without.

6 Month Stats and Spring is Here(?)

How on earth do I have a 2 1/2 year old and a 6 month old already?  Time just keeps on going and I'm scrambling to keep up. 

Adam is in such a fun age right now.  Well, as I write this, I hear him yelling at his sister for touching his things and then her crying... so, hold on....  Ok, things are under control, for the moment.

Back to Adam- his amount of learning and knowledge truly boggles my mind.  He is a real toddler now.  He sings his favorite songs in the car (Itsy Bitsy Spider and C is for Cookie), counts steps as he goes up them, tells me that D is for drum (and says 'duh') and tells me that he loves me ("Love you too, babe" which he gets from me and Abe).  He also has the less desirable toddler things, like telling me "no!" a lot, bossing us around and crying if I don't let him watch his Elmo.  He's always chattering to me and if I don't respond with a full reply ("Yes honey, that IS a pink bunny"), he keeps repeating it over and over, like mommy must be deaf AND dumb.   Hey, maybe she is at this point.

He went through a bit of a hitting and pushing phase with friends and even stranger kids.  It was quite embarrassing to me, even though people reassured me that it was developmentally normal.  Why was it that Adam was often times the ONLY kid acting that way.  Sure, a lot of the kids he played with were a bit younger and girls (who seem to be less aggressive), but ugh.  I'd get sick with worry about bringing him somewhere and people thinking he was "that kid" who was out of control.  One particular experience left me in tears in the parking lot when he pushed down and pulled the hair of a friend's little girl, not once, but twice.  So, I got hard-core with him and told him that if he acts that way, we WILL leave where we are.  I will give him one time out for a lesser infraction, like starting to act rowdy and then remind him about us leaving his friends if he acts up.  This seems to have worked really well, especially in smaller settings.  I've also realized that he just can't handle large, open, free-for-all settings where the kids are just running around.  It's too stimulating and too tempting for him to get crazy.  So, we say no to those invites until he's a bit older and can control himself more.  But I'm fine with that and happy with our accomplishments in this area.  People still invite us to things, so we must not be that bad!

We are working on potty training, too.  I never thought we'd be able to work on this considering how hard it is to get a toddler to do anything, but it's working.  We have good days and bad days, but Adam is well on his way to being out of diapers.  Maybe by this summer.  We do have to get some enzyme cleaner, though, since there are a LOT of accidents some days.  Fun times.

Adam got a big haircut, much to mom's dismay.  Adam's always had long hair and it was part of his identity for me.  So when Abe brought him down from his shower and offered to clip his long bangs, I didn't want to say no.  Little did I know that Abe could not only cut his bangs SUPER short, but from temple to temple.  Think Dumb and Dumber.  I am a little embarrassed by how badly I freaked out.  But I got it fixed and then as a surprise while Abe was in France, I cut it short.  Not buzz cut short, but short for Adam.  And it's growing on me. 

Now on my smiley girl.  She is such a delight.  So happy, so giggly, so always-loving-life.  Well, almost always.  She has her fair share of tears, especially when mommy leaves the room.  But overall, she's a kiss of sunshine.  She is rolling like a champ and is able to scoot over to where she wants to be.  She's had her first solids, but doesn't take to it like her brother did, so I'm not pushing them.  She will eat when she's ready. She kind of gets up on hands and knees, so I see crawling in our near future.  Then I will have to figure out how to deal with gates to keep her in, but where I don't have to be opening them all the time for Adam.  We'll see.  Abe is convinced that we don't need gates at all and I admit the idea of having them up again makes me twitch, but safety is safety. 

We finally got Ava a crib and squeezed it into Adam's room.  Surprisingly, there's still room for them to play.  The only problem is that Ava doesn't want to sleep in it.  For the last couple of weeks, she's been in bed with me because she outgrew her bassinet.  That meant that Abe had to go sleep with Adam (or in Jimi's room when he's not here), so she's used to mama.  I plan on getting her used to it so I can have my husband back.  Boy, I will be so glad when all of these sleep issues are done... like in 10 years...lol.  Adam still wakes up every night from bad dreams, so I don't see it ending soon.

Jimi is doing well and baseball season is back upon us.  It's going to be a busy summer with him being on 2 teams.  We will be going to Cooperstown this year, a dream of Abe's.  So it will be fun.  I've asked Abe not to be a full-time coach this year since I will be alone with 2 little ones so much, and while he was a bit disappointed, he agreed.  If we ever move closer to Jimi, it might not be as much of a problem.  We were supposed to be all moved by this summer and the house isn't even on the market, so I'm sure we will be here all summer.

Spring is here, but you'd be hard pressed to find evidence of it.  We had about a week of warmer weather and everyone came out of their cocoons.  But then the winter gods decided they weren't ready to leave, so we've had 30s again.  My garlic sprouted, so there is a glimmer of a garden, but damn, I can't stand the cold.  I can't wait until we can just step outside without having to bundle up.  But you know the story... then I'll complaining about how hot it is. 

Abe and I finally got a date night the other night.  I'm not joking when I say that it was probably our 4th in our 3 years of marriage, with the 3 others being out anniversaries.   We left the kids with his parents and headed to the casino.  We didn't gamble, but enjoyed walking around and had a couple of drinks and a nice dinner.  It felt like old times.  We really need to get out more without the kids and remember what it's like to be a couple. 

I revamped my food blog and love it.  I love adding new recipes to it.  I would like more traffic, but don't know right now how to accomplish it.  It does have almost 200 fans on facebook, so that's not too shabby.

Ok, here's Ava's stats so I can remember them.  She's growing like a weed.

6 month-  Weight-16 lbs (51%)
                Height- 26 inches (61%)
                Head- 43 1/2 inches (71%)

How They Grow (Ava- 4 Months)

I can't believe how time flies the second time you have a child.

I remember with Adam feeling like time went slowly and that I couldn't wait for him to get to the next level, next milestone, next birthday.  I couldn't wait until I could pack up his clothes at each size and move onto the next size.  Hurry, little boy, hurry and show me the next thing you will learn and do!

Now I realize that you really should hope that things slow down.  It actually chokes me up a bit to think how fast things go and once they are passed, they are in the past forever.  So, here we have a little boy who once was just learning to crawl and say his first word, who now runs, climbs, does stairs without the railing and while holding his big-boy glass of water and talks in full sentences (and talks and talks and talks....).

We have an almost teenager who has a mustache already... and who hates it and doesn't believe me when I tell him that the other boys in his class are so jealous right now.  Who is aware enough about how the world works to explain to Abe why I got mad when Abe told me he was tired ("Dad, she doesn't complain when she gets up with the baby and is tired.   So, she doesn't want to hear you complain.").

And now I have a newborn girl who isn't a newborn anymore.  She's an infant who giggles and coos and smiles so brightly that you think your eyes might need sunglasses. She greets every day with a big long stretch after her swaddle is opened and one of those winning smiles.  She's a beauty and I'm so proud to say she came from me (and with her dark beauty, you'd never know it).

Adam and Ava are quite the pair.  I'm getting over my fear of Adam hurting her while I'm out of the room.  He still takes a swipe at her hair sometimes when he is told to stop doing something, like hugging her too hard.  But those times are becoming more rare because a) I think he's used to her being around and b) I'm better at defusing his frustrated feelings.  He loves to make her giggle and she loves to look at his face. 

Ava had her 4 month doctor's appointment and has grown nicely.  She clocked in at 14 pound, 9 ounces (72%), 25 1/4 inches long (80%)and has a head circumference of 41 1/2 inches (97+%).  They only issue was that she has thrush, which explained pain I was having while nursing her.  She was prescribed an antifungal liquid to give her 4 times a day.  I felt better after just one day.  Thank god.

Exciting news... Ava rolled today!  I feel like I was writing this for Adam just yesterday, so I checked when it was- March 2009.  Boy, times flies.  And of course, just like her brother, she squawks every time she does it.  Silly girl.

Christmas Already?!

Ask those who have known me a long time- I don't get all goo-goo over Christmas, like most people I know.  Sure, it's great to get together with friends and family, eat great food and watch the kids open their presents (and maybe get a few nice ones yourself!).  But there was a time when I almost hated Christmas.

Growing up, my Christmases were far from Norman Rockwell-esque.  They were, in fact, pretty traumatic.  Lots of fighting between my parents, screaming matches followed by silent treatments and one or both parents having a little too much to drink.  Sure, I have nice memories too, but the time of the year seemed to be filled with stress.  Heck, even the Christmas tree resulted in many fights between my parents, who each felt their way of decorating it was the right way. So, little surprise that I didn't walk away with an innate love for the holiday.

Then I started dating and married Abe.  Knowing his family for 16 years now, I have been to many of their holidays as Sandy's friend.  But being part of the family as Abe's wife really made me feel what Christmas probably is supposed to feel.  People getting together to share in the holiday, with the occasional tense moment that is easily resolved over a glass of wine and a piece of pie.  Add the joy of all of the grandchildren opening presents with the entire event conducted by Abe himself, and it's a great time.

So, here we are with Thanksgiving in a few days.  I'm hosting it for the first time in my life since Abe's mom is still in the hospital.  It will be interesting to see how my first turkey turns out. 

I'm excited that Abe's sister, Sandy and her daughter, Allison, are flying out today for the week.  She wasn't planning this trip, but her mom's accident made her want to be near.  She will be staying with us, which will be fun.  Sandy and I have known each other most of our adult lives and it's such a natural relationship.  This will be the first time she sees Ava, too.

Besides Thanksgiving, the other thing that brings Christmas officially is the Christmas card. I neglected to send one out last year, so I'll have to be on my game this time around. I'll have to get all of the kids together for a picture, so I get them printed.  This year I decided to go with Shutterfly.com Christmas cards. I like the selection of card designs and have been happy with their products in the past.  Let's hope I get them done in time!

Ava's 2 Month and That Damn Head

My little button has grown.  She had her 2 month appointment this week and has gained 2 pounds since birth.  Not bad at all.  Her official stats are as follows (this is more for my record keeping than your reading interest.  But hey, if you get off on baby growth stats, here you go...):

Weight- 12.5 lbs (75%)
Height- 22 3/4 inches (44%)
Head- 39.5 inches (97+%)

I had so hoped that Ava would avoid the huge melons my side of the family calls heads.  It's one thing for Adam to have it; as a man, a large head might seem handsome.  But for a woman?  Um, large head= bobble head.  Adam's head has been above the 97th percentile since birth. Ava's, at birth, was in the 50th percentile (probably helped in her super easy delivery... that and Adam's, um, huge head...).  Somehow from September to now her head has grown to the 97+%.  So, she too is cursed with the ginormous head, probably the only thing I've genetically contributed to either child.  Oh, that and Adam's got my butt chin.

Ava had a good visit and is in excellent condition.  I did bring up our concern that Ava tends to only turn her head to the right and resists being turned to the left.  People reassured me that babies do that, but I just wanted to make sure.  I remember several kids on my parenting message board needing helmets because of this issue.  Sure enough, the doctor, who initially also reassured me that babies do that, decided that maybe Ava was a bit stiff, and prescribed 8 weeks of physical therapy.  Ugh.  Just what I didn't want to hear.   I was really hoping she'd tell me everything was fine and that I had been reading too many message boards.  But it's good that it will get taken care of early.  I still don't even know if it's really torticollis... Abe and I spent much of Friday turning her head to the left and saying "See!  She can turn to the left!".   But when you'd let go, there she'd go, right back to the right.  So, who knows.  On the advice of someone, I referred her to Early Intervention through the state to see if she qualifies for in-home therapy.  That way I'm not doing her therapy while wrestling my 2 year old.  

Abe's parents came home from the Middle East last week.  They had been gone 6 months and had missed things like Ava's birth and Adam's 2nd birthday.  They go over to Palestine and Jordan every year to take care of Abe's uncle and see my mother-in-law's family in Jordan.  Usually they are gone 4 months or so, but this year they stayed an entire 6 months.  We missed them and were glad to have them home.

It was exciting to see their first reaction to Ava.  It was almost like she was being born again.  They were thrilled to see her.  She is most likely their last grandchild.  Now they have great-grandchildren to look forward to in the next 10 years.  My mother's oldest great-grandchild is in kindergarten already.  Time sure does fly.  I most likely will not see great-grandchildren unless I either live a very long time (great motivation to take care of myself!) or my kids start having kids early (which I hope they don't).  Jimi is my best bet.  His mom will probably see great-grandchildren and maybe even great-great-grandchildren if she lives long enough, considering she had him so young (23).  When you wait until I had kids (37), you don't get that kind of luxury.  I can't even imagine having kids at that age, though, so that's another story.

Something terrible happened this week.  My mother-in-law fell off of her porch and broke her hip.  What's worse is that she was on her way to see us after we had pressured her to come to dinner to celebrate Jimi's birthday (he turned 12 on Saturday!).  She had surgery yesterday and is now recovering.   The doctor thinks she will be able to walk in a few days.  I'm hoping this will be the push she needs to get her knees fixed.  She's had terrible knees ever since I've known her and they are completely shot.  She is terrified to have surgery and always resisted, even if it meant she was in pain and couldn't walk.  One doctor told her that she'd have to lose weight to have the surgery, so that was it in her mind- how could she lose weight without exercising and how could she exercise without being able to move?  But Abe talked to one of her surgeons from yesterday and he says that she is a candidate for knee replacement and mentioned that he's done people heavier than her.  So, I'm hoping that she will reconsider so she will be pain-free. 

But, first things first, she has to recover from the hip surgery.  Hopefully, her recovery goes well and she's back to normal functioning soon.  Abe and Jimi visited her yesterday at the hospital and she was in good spirits, so that's good news.  I will bring the kids to see her when she's released from the hospital and can come home.