Blogging Wednesday? Let's try it.

It's Wednesday, which I think I will designate as "Blog Day" from here on out to get back into a writing pattern. Wednesday is the morning I have the most free time, since Vegas and Little Man are both in school for full days and I don't usually have errands midweek.

Little Man is chugging along post-Botox injection. It was a quick and easy appointment, albeit long because the doctor is over two hours away. His PT says she's seen some minor improvements in his foot and ankle, but the muscle is still so tight that you can actually see the bone poking the skin up on the top of his foot. We're hoping to get in for a serial casting appointment sooner rather than later, and we also have Botox appointments every three months to keep the muscles from tensing up.

And in other exciting (erm, I guess?) news, we switched diaper brands for Little Man. We'd been sticking with the brand Medicaid used to provide him and they were... well, cheap. I mean, not cheap, cause adult diapers are not cheap. But cheapest and they seemed to do their job. Well after several months of wet mornings and shredded diapers we decided to try a new brand. I don't know why I'm shocked they're so drastically better, but I really didn't think an extra five to ten dollars an order would improve the quality so much. I don't think many of you are in a position where you are looking for adult diapers but if you are, I'd recommend Slimline Tranquility.

Vegas and Little Man are both in school now. Little Man could care less, Vegas is pumped. Most especially because he can ride the school bus two days a week. The days he has full days in his private school are my favorite (so much glorious free time!), and he loves them too, but really nothing compares to the wonderfulness that is a bus ride with his neighborhood best bud. And thank goodness for that kid, because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to get Vegas on the bus at all that first day of school! Now I'm lucky if I get a wave before he runs up to the driver and aide to say 'goo-mornin', how you today?!'

Cheeseball and I are adjusting to the quiet time at home. We have our living room completely gated off to keep the boys from running crazy when we don't want them to, but on the days its just us I try to let him roam free to discover what parts of my house need better childproofing. Spoiler alert, it's the Tupperware drawer and the toilet bowl. He's really into socks and shoes right now too so I am spending a lot of the morning helping him put them off and on again. He had a meeting with Infants and Toddlers last week about his speech development, and we got the great news that his speech has improved so much that he will probably not need therapy after this school year. He's going to be observed and monitored a few times until Christmas, but the OT was really impressed by his progress over the summer!

And as for me - I'm suddenly back in school too! I woke up the other day and couldn't let go of the idea of going back to school to relearn ASL and possibly get my interpreting certification. [dearest Hubs, so sorry I decided this at two am and woke you up for a serious discussion of this idea ;)] I know myself well enough to take it slow and not overcommit to a program I may not be as passionate about in six months time, so for right now I'm just starting with some basic classes. With my theater schedule and the kids I have to decide if this is something I want to make a priority - especially as it would become very expensive to commute to a school that would be able to help me achieve my ultimate goals. This semester will be a good way to decide what I want to do and what I can handle. Either way, I'm super excited about being back in a classroom again for the first time in... nine years!? Wow.

And that's as much update as I can squeeze in before I have to make lunches and get the kiddo down for a nap.

School Daze

Two weeks left until school starts. I'm waiting with baited breath... It's not just my kids that thrive on routine!!

Little Man will be in school full time. We haven't started the fight yet, but I am already predicting a tough year for him/us. His behavior has gotten really intense this summer. I use "intense" because he's not "bad", it's not a purposeful choice. He's just frustrated all the time and overreacts at the drop of a hat, and it manifests as huge blow-out tantrums for hours on hours. His hitting has gotten bad enough that he's managed to bruise himself a few times and now he's starting to lash out at his brothers if they get in his way. So once school is back in session I plan to call for an IEP to request not only the PT that they've taken away and he desperately needs again, but a behavioral therapist/ABA as well. If necessary, I want him bussed to a school that can provide more intensive help. It's been awhile since I've been this worried about him, and I think he's at a pretty critical point where if we don't get him help soon, he will fall into really bad patterns that I won't be able to break.

Vegas will be on a weird school schedule. 3 days a week of full day private school, 2 days a week of half-days at public school. He qualified for public school five days a week, but we decided he needed to stay his private school where he has made such huge improvements and is so comfortable. He's basically going to the local school for speech therapy and for specials like music and PE. He also got a waiver to go to the same school as Little Man, so they will ride the bus together two days a week! I'm probably going to explode from cute that first day.

And Cheeseball and I are staying home full time. Lots of quality one on one bonding and we're probably going to sign up for Mommy and Me gymnastics and swimming lessons. Cheeseball has so much energy and is very different developmentally than Vegas was at 2 years old. I think he'll really love the attention and the classes, he loves being a big kid and exploring so it will be right up his alley.

My favorite part of school starting again is that I plan to get more serious about taking care of my physical and mental health. More writing, more exercising, more meal-planning and cleaning (which actually is not work for me, I love it and it keeps my emotions more level). An organized home and healthy body is my ultimate dream. To get that started I signed up for a meal kit delivery service and some online subscriptions to keep the diapers and milk coming regularly. Plus I even splurged for a couple fun phone apps for exercise plans and good music. 

Just two more weeks. TWO WEEKS! For now... I have to go figure out how to lock the blinds to prevent the kids from looking directly into the sun.

Raising A Slytherpuff

A few weeks ago I picked Vegas up from school and asked his teacher how his day went.

"Oh it was fine. He had a little issue with defiance during circle time. He's definitely figured out he's three!"

Oh he's three alright. Every morning we wake up and after we get dressed, he comes down and makes breakfast for the whole family. He can use the Keurig and make coffee, pushes the buttons on the microwave for my breakfast sandwich, and makes sure the baby gets his toast and bananas. He smiles at Cheeseball and says "goo mo Baybee! (good morning Baby!) and his most used phrase is "Bank you!" His favorite thing to do is smush his little body between Hubs and I as we're kissing hello or goodbye and steal a bunch of group hugs and kisses. His second favorite thing to do is to wrestle-hug Little Man until he's shoved off after a few minutes. It's so adorable it never fails to make me smile. He's got impeccable manners (thanks partly to "You're Welcome" from Moana, but I'll take full credit in public) and cleans up messes like a champ. He loves to giggle, dance, mimic, and cuddle and he's a general all around sweetheart. Combined with his love of delicious food and big belly laughes, I have pre-sorted him into the Hufflepuff house for sure. We'll have to see when his Hogwarts letter comes in a few years.

Well.

Unless I forget to let him push down the lever for the toaster. Or I butter his toast for him. Or convince him he needs to wear a shirt to go to school. And so on, and so on. Then he flips to Slytherin so fast your head spins. He has a stubborn streak a mile wide, not unlike his momma, and he has been known to look at me with a gleam in his eye as he takes a toy from Cheeseball and holds it above his head while the baby screams. He can fake cry and he also can loudly scream "NO I DO IT!!!" We can have nights where time out lasts off and on for hours, the minute he gets out he winds up again for another crazy tantrum or pushing his brothers around. Sometimes when I pick him up from school, he hides on the playground until his teachers and I can corral him, and then he sulks the entire way to the car and does the dead man's drop until I'm sweating, frustrated, dragging him in one arm and Cheeseball on my hip in the gentlest way you can drag an angry toddler. Insert eye roll here.

He's my Slytherpuff. My kid with a huge heart and even bigger personality. Maybe he's a typical three year old, but I have a feeling he's it's going to be a wild adventure with this kiddo... and I can't wait.

Most of the time.

Welcome Back

Here I am! I'm alive! I'm back!

The silence was a combination of things. My old laptop crapped out on me, for one. And for two, my lawyer advised against writing for awhile while we dealt with some legal things.

Today I have a new laptop. And as of one week ago, I have no more legal things. So welcome back to our home!

If you need to catch up on the most basic details - here goes;

Hubs and I are celebrating 5 years of marriage in November. He's still amazing. He's still the most sane person in this house.

Little Man turns 9 in July *gulp*, which is not scaring me at all, not one little bit. We've had a couple health scares recently - a shunt surgery last September to move the shunt and unclog it, and our first very-big-very-scary seizure last month. The seizure lasted 2 hours before we were able to get it under control, and we spent an overnight in the hospital while trying to figure out what happened. Docs decided it was probably a result of the damage his brain suffered from his seizures as a baby, brought on by the beginning of puberty *gulp*. He's now on anti-seizure meds and has an official epilepsy diagnosis. Other than that, he's pretty much coasting along Little Man style. Nothing has really changed in his mental/social development, although he is working really hard at school to use an iPad for communication. He is officially a giant gangly boy!

Little Man shopping with me at Wegmans - I love the Caroline Carts!

Vegas turns 4 in August! It has been amazing watching him grow and change over the last year. Until a few months ago we were fairly positive he had apraxia of speech, a condition where he couldn't use his mouth muscles to form certain sounds. Now that diagnosis is a little more uncertain, because his speech has just exploded!! He started preschool in December unable to say any words, and now we can't stop him trying out new sounds and supplementing those with his sign language! He still takes speech therapy once a week because his words are very unclear and this jump in language is so sudden, but I have a feeling he'll be just fine in a year or so!! In addition to the preschool (which he loves) he goes to gymnastics once a week and his gross motor skills are also improving a ton. My cautious little toddler is starting to become a braver and stronger little boy. He's a total ham, and tests my patience every day. But dang he's cute...

Vegas saying "Cheeeeeese"

And finally - the baby! It's been so long since I've written, he doesn't even have a blog name! So introducing - Cheeseball! Cheeseball is going to be 2 years old in September. He is a snuggly, smiley, lovebug, and a definite Daddy's boy. He's got some serious shy-guy stranger anxiety going on which he's slooooowly outgrowing, but if Daddy is around he needs to be within eyeshot or it is a total meltdown. With all the focus on Little Man's health and Vegas' speech, we were slower to notice that Cheeseball's speech development is also behind. But by 18 months we realized it was time to get him into a Infants and Toddlers evaluation, which put him at about 11-12 months in speech skills. Nothing too major, especially with two strong and silent big brothers. So we start him in speech therapy this summer and hope for some progress by next year. We plan to start him in gymnastics too, because he's a huge daredevil - so much more curious and into climbing than his big brothers were, I know he will be my first kid to get stitches at this rate!

We don't call him "Cheeseball" for nuthin'

So there ya go! That's the quickest update I can jam into one easy-to-read post. I have a ton of other more detailed posts to write in the next few weeks. Some things I've been dying to put pen to paper about forever, and some others just to have to look back on for our family.

It's good to be back!

The Course of True Love

Now that the mess of Christmas is behind us (or still on the kitchen table *cough*Hubs*cough*), we are working hard to get the house and the kids on a normal schedule again. 

Christmas Morning!

Both boys were spoiled rotten for Christmas - even though Vegas was not having anything to do with opening presents. His first gift was a stuffed tiger chair, and the shock of unwrapping his gift and seeing the tiger staring back at him was too much for him. Any time after that when someone would bring him a gift, he went running!

Nope. NOPE. Don't wanna touch this.

By the time Christmas Day ended both boys were in full on meltdowns and ready for bed. Luckily my in-laws live super close so bed was a quick drive away. Never underestimate the peace that comes of a daily schedule. Change is bad, change is bad!

Christmas Night!
Ignore my terrible posture, I was slightly distracted by the screams.
Also, yes, Little Man had an outfit change.
No it wasn't planned.
(Oh also, I got a haircut!)

After Christmas and New Years and a million events and parties, Hubs had to go back to work and I went back to house-management. We all have clean clothes again and the kitchen is a lot less crunchy when you walk. And my ear is constantly warm from being on the phone 24/7 with all of these doctors/therapists/VIPs.

Little Man's therapy schedule was the first big item on the agenda. He's still doing once a week home therapy, a full day at school, and every other week he has behavioral therapy. He finally bounced back from the plague that hit the house around Thanksgiving, and we're hoping that will help get him back on track with his other long term goals too. During the school day he is wearing cotton splints on his hands for certain activities to help him remember to keep his hands by his side (instead of on his ears). This is (understandably) very annoying for him and makes him very angry, so it's definitely not something we want to have to have him do forever.  He also discovered over vacation that because he'd been so good about not taking off his diaper at night, we'd stopped taping his waist and ankles. He has lost all the progress he made on the diaper department, and we are back to nightly duct tape. Unfortunately, he's taken to getting into it during the day too - hence the Christmas outfit change - and even been doing it at school. Ugh. 

Everyone is looking slightly to the left because that's where the Target photographer held the iPhone.
Can't win em all.
Merry Christmas.

Our other big news is that Vegas met with Infants and Toddlers over winter break and is now going to have his very own IFSP. We contacted them because he still has no words and doesn't really babble much. He went to his big test yesterday at Little Man's school, and passed... or I guess failed?... with flying colors. Speech therapy it is! He is at 7 months expressive language and 12 months receptive language, which means he has the 25% delay in development that qualifies him for therapy from the county. Other than his speech delay, he is on track everywhere else - I definitely have my hands full with this smart and curious little guy. But I have no problems with him being in speech therapy, and I'm not worried or freaking out about it (much). I know having a non-verbal sibling and being home with only me most of the time probably contributes to his delay, and so I think this will be very helpful. I'm not looking forward to squeezing in another therapist to the schedule, but we'll make it work. We've been down the Infants and Toddlers road before, and I have a lot of faith in the program and in early intervention. 

Vegas' First Day at Hogwarts.
Er... I mean preschool testing!

So don't take it personally if I seem frazzled in the next few months. It's because I am. Two kids in therapy, two shows at our local community theater, running a household, and possibly taking up a new 'job'. It's all going to be a caffeine-fueled blur. If you are one of those people that likes to help - I graciously accept k-cups and Mountain Dew.

Family Weekend

This past weekend we won a free trip to Williamsburg from a timeshare company and headed out there for a great couple of days with the boys. Since we are very wary of flying with Little Man, we're always excited when we can take him places within driving distance. Although considering we drove to Wisconsin last winter, driving distance is actually a pretty loose term.

The stipulation of winning a "free" stay at the condo meant we had to listen to a timeshare lecture, which ate a good chunk of one of our days in Williamsburg. Despite that though, we managed to go out to dinner as a family, spend a full day walking the streets of colonial Williamsburg, visit the outlets, and even take advantage of the giant jacuzzi tub we had in the condo! Well... Hubs and the boys did. I sat on the sidelines and laughed at boy's swimtime.

Our major worry heading in to the weekend was what to do with Little Man at night. At home we have our routines and our safety measures in place for him, but hotels are a whole different ballgame. Luckily Hubs' parents had come up with a fairly ingenious solution for when they watched Little Man while we were in Las Vegas, and so we decided to try it on a larger scale at the condo since it was a 2-bedroom unit.

Bed Jail!

The baby gate/playyard went around the entire bed, and we kept it snug using the end tables on either side of the bed. Surprisingly enough Little Man didn't try to get out of bed or even move the end tables to release the gate, which weren't expecting at all! So he stayed in the 2nd bedroom all night and kept to his usual schedule. Hurray and score one for us!

Vegas was another story. He was not pleased with his sleep option - a pack n play in the living room. The first night he cried for several hours while we tried everything we knew how to get him to relax and sleep, and even after finally getting him down he woke up once or twice during the night. That did mean that the next night he was so exhausted it only took a half-hour to get him to bed, but man were we exhausted after night one! We were shocked it was Vegas and not Little Man who kept us up all night, but kids are always surprising little beasts so go figure!

All in all it was a really fun weekend away, despite a little rain and Little Man's refusal to pose for photo ops.

Cold and rain didn't phase him!

Not a fan of the forced photo. Sigh.

The day after we got back we decided the weather was perfect pumpkin patch/apple buying weather, so we headed to a local farm to grab a wagon full of autumn.

Not exaggerating, a wagon full.

The boys probably had more fun here than Williamsburg because we let them explore at their own pace - although Vegas seemed unsure of what to do with all of his freedom...

Perplexed

Little Man was just pleased we let him wander around and clamp his hands over his ears as much as he wanted. It's the little things in life.

Dance like nobody is watching

And while Hubs got in a cute photo or two, I got shafted again with photo ops. Oh well, I'll have beautiful memories, right?

JUST HOLD STILL AND ACT LIKE PINTEREST KIDS!

After the pumpkin patch we headed over to a local winery with my in-laws and then had them over for chili dinner. I don't think we could have crammed any more activities into the weekend!!

By Monday morning we were exhausted and had to use the conveniently placed national holiday to recuperate from all the vacationing. We binge-watched Survivor and caught up on the DVR while eating leftover chili. 

It was really one of the best family weekends we've had yet. Sometimes I can't believe how lucky I am to have these boys and marvel at how much my life has changed in just a few years. We are all so, so lucky.

"It's Probably Not Cancer" and how we switched pediatricians

Before Vegas was born, we knew that having a good local pediatrician would be crucial. We couldn't use Little Man's - she was not only over two hours away, she also had terrible availability. So we toured an office on the recommendation of friends and absolutely loved it. It wasn't perfect, this ped was still a half hour's drive from us. But we figured it would all work out in the end and we were fairly used to driving to any appointment so it was decided - New Ped would see Vegas and eventually we'd transfer Little Man there as well.

Flash forward to the day we arrive home from the hospital... New Ped didn't have privileges at our hospital so we called to set up the newborn visit for sometime in the next few days. I was very anxious to get the all-clear on Vegas despite all the assurances he was practically perfect in every way, and New Ped had promised to see him herself ASAP.

"We're sorry, we don't have any availability for at least three weeks."

Three weeks? But this was the newborn check!  He would be practically ancient by then! And if there was a brain bleed, it would go undetected for three weeks? Hell no. 

We begged, we pleaded, we repeated the assurances we'd received only a couple of weeks prior. But the receptionist was rude as hell firm - no visits were available.

So we called another pediatrician, this one was between Hubs' office and the house, an ideal location but we'd never met them. He could see Vegas the next day for his newborn check. We were sold.

New New Pediatrician's office was a little more ancient classic. It was in a bigger building with a lot of other doctors, and these pediatricians had been practicing for a lot longer than New Ped. This didn't really bother me much, most of his wisdom was the kind of stuff I'd grown up hearing at my own doctor's visits, and I could relate. He was a friendly doctor, great with Vegas, and he said it would be fine to switch Little Man to him as well.

After we brought in Little Man though, he quickly realized that he was not equipped to handle a kid with disabilities this intense. Although he did say we could continue with his practice, his actions suggested he was uncomfortable with the situation. He refused to even give Little Man a flu shot because he was unsure of the protocol for kids with shunts. We decided after that visit that Little Man would continue with a New New New Pediatrician, and we'd keep Vegas with New New Ped.  Still following?  Good. You're doing better than I thought you would!

Back to Vegas' story - New New Ped was now very cautious with Vegas' health after seeing his big brother. Within his first few weeks, we'd already been directed to a see a specialist about Vegas' feet (slightly bowed from his position in the womb), and another specialist about his pretty intense baby acne.  A few months after that, we were told that Vegas' head was above average sized and he would need to be brought in for extra appointments, our heads needed to be measured and averaged, and then we'd possibly see a third specialist at Children's Hospital.  A couple months later and we were finally told that he just has a big head - but now his "slow development" was concerning. Vegas was already 9 months old and not playing patty-cake.

I think that day was when I finally realized this pediatrician - despite his good nature and great location - was not going to work out. I knew there was nothing wrong with my littlest. He didn't play patty-cake because I don't play patty-cake with him. No, he didn't stand already - but he was slower to walk and so I wasn't worried in the slightest. Until New New Ped told me to worry that is. I didn't have any options for a new ped that I liked and trusted in the area though, so we just stayed with New New Ped because it was convenient. I figured if I found someone we'd eventually switch, but I was not in a big hurry.

With birthdays and vacations keeping us busy all summer, Vegas was late for his 1 year checkup. We went in and he needed his four vaccinations and a blood test for iron levels. The nurse suggested we do the blood test first, and it would be a quick finger prick.

The finger prick took forever, he was slow to start bleeding and it felt like that vial couldn't fill up fast enough. He was hysterically crying and it was breaking my heart to hold him down. Eventually she'd gotten enough blood and she gave him a bandaid and left the room to drop off the vial.

Suddenly Vegas' finger started to bleed for real - all down his arm, the table, and the floor. He was struggling and screaming and I couldn't keep a grip on him on the exam table. I screamed for someone to help me and no one came, even though I had seen a group of nurses hanging out just outside the door.  After what felt like an eternity but was probably only a minute or two, the nurse came back and helped me calm him down and bandaged him back up.  But I was totally thrown, and the shots that followed didn't do anything to calm me down.

We got home and I called Hubs to let him know he was in charge for the next blood draw, and I that I hated the nurses. Even then I was still not "done" with New New Ped, but we were definitely going to be looking for a new doctor sooner rather than later. I was angry, but not angry enough.

That is, I wasn't angry enough until the next day. Hubs called me while I was at a class and told me that New New Ped called him at home around 5 pm. He had gotten the results of Vegas' blood draw and he'd "never seen anything like it before", it was extremely abnormal. He wanted Vegas' in for a redraw in a week, because even his colleagues were confused by these results.

He did want to assure us that it was "probably not cancer though".  This was an issue with red blood cells, so yeah, he didn't think it was cancer.  But it was definitely urgent, and we needed to be in soon.

That is when I went from angry, to Mama Bear furious.  Calling a family at home as they sit down to dinner to inform them of this kind of news? News that you probably had all day, that you waited til end of business day to call to talk about?  News that is "urgent", but we will wait a week to see what happens?! And where in the WORLD did the "c" word come from?!  I am no medical doctor, but even I know that an abnormal red blood cell count doesn't bring cancer to the front of the pack of medical issues you're having, and you're talking to the very frightened family of a one year old!?!? OVER THE PHONE?!

By the next morning we'd switched Vegas to New New New Ped, the lovely but not local doctor we'd found for Little Man. Between 8 am and 11 am, they'd called New New Ped, gotten the lab results, gotten Vegas' records released, reread the lab results, and confirmed with me that they felt it was a faulty test and human error - not a horrible blood problem. Possibly anemia. They wanted to do a retest to confirm that, because they didn't trust this test at all, but it was nothing to panic over. And that was that.

I wish we'd started seeing a new doctor sooner. I should have trusted my gut and switched the minute I realized that this guy was not a good fit for our family. Lesson learned the hard way.

Little Man and Vegas, healthy and probably cancer free.
Seriously, eff that doctor.

Little Man Hates Dentist, Vegas Loves Food

Little Man's dental appointment has been pushed back so many times it's embarrassing.  The first time we tried to take him was over a year ago, and while filling out the medical form I naively added "by the way, he has a shunt" line to the medical issues part.  Turns out with a shunt that they don't clean your teeth without prior approval from a doctor.  Whoops.  So his teeth were counted, looked fine, and I called it a dentist win.  I rescheduled and canceled several times because every time the appointment came up again, I'd forgotten to talk to his neurosurgeon.  After intense prodding from his social worker this summer, I re-re-re-scheduled the visit, only to forget again.  Sensing a theme?  But this time I got on the phone with neurology and got everything taken care of in less than an hour. Except it was 1 hour after his appointment time.  Sigh.

So finally yesterday was the big day!  We got to the dentist, and of course we had been mislabeled as a regular ole kid who can get his teeth cleaned by a nice little old lady.  After a gentle reminder (and 30 minutes), we got a strapping young doctor and strong dental hygienist who could help me pin the kid down while his teeth were cleaned. I still got kicked in the kidney several times, as I was designated "hand-holder". On the bright side, he was given a thumbs up on the clean, straight teeth. Then I was warned that six-year molars are on their way.  Yikes!

We raced back home to get Little Man off to kindergarten, which meant Vegas skipped lunch while Little Man ate a danish in the car. Mom points for that one, I know. I quickly realized that Vegas was not enjoying watching Little Man eat and not having lunch, but since Vegas is a little on the messy side, I was S.O.L. on what to feed him as we drove. A half-hour of wailing later, I caved and tossed an applesauce squeeze to him in a church parking lot.  I figured, what the hell, he'll either be covered in applesauce or get a bite to eat. Surprisingly enough, he grasped the squeeze and sip solo concept pretty fast, ate the whole thing, and was dying for more.  Two more parking lot pull overs later and he fell asleep as we pulled into Little Man's school.  Of course.

When we got home from dropping off Little Man, Vegas ate a hard boiled egg, 1/4 cup of olives, a cheesestick, and half a mango before passing out again.  That kid can eat!!

Today we are finally off to get the last few issues in my car looked at before I never shop at that dealership again.  I've had so much trouble with them I could scream.  And I have, several times. Wish us luck!

My Darling "Baby Vegas"

My littlest "bug-bug", Baby Vegas,

This morning you woke up cheerful - you always do.  You love to rock back on forth on your chubby little feet and give me a big grin to start the day.

We had a big breakfast of oatmeal and yogurt, and I turned on my phone to play some music from the Disney station on Pandora.  The first song that came on was "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, and I cried because I knew your uncle was watching over you and wishing you a Happy Birthday.  I don't have the song saved on my phone and had never heard it on the Disney station before... so I knew it was him right away.  I had called your grandma last night missing him so much with your birthday coming up - he would have loved learning about you and being your friend.  I watch you growing into your name (your real name, my little Vegas), and I laugh sometimes at how much you honor him without any prompting necessary.

You are my explorer, you are the little boy who doesn't quite understand "no" yet.  You are sunshine and big hearty belly laughs.  You are my healing.  You are the spitting image of your Daddy, with a smidge of Mommy thrown in.  I have never loved any baby boy quite the way I love you, you are unique and special and brilliant.

Some days I can't put you first, some days it is all about your brother - and you already seem to understand this and accept it.  You already watch out for him, and you make sure his DVDs never stop and he always has a wrestling buddy.  You want to do everything he does - eat what he eats, drink from his cups, watch his movies.  You are patient and loving when he cries, and a bit of a pest when he is calm.  In other words - you are a great little brother, and it makes my heart grow six sizes when I watch you two together.

Every month as you grow up and get bigger, I think that I want to keep you this way forever.  I want you to always be snuggly and sweet and innocent and beautiful forever.  Then every time you change, and every time you surprise me with a new milestone - I know I can't wait to watch you become a little toddler, and soon a little boy, and then a little man.  I am so proud of you Baby Vegas.  Today you are not a baby any longer, and even though that breaks my heart a little... this next year is going to be magical.  I love you oh-so-much Vegas.  I am so glad I get to be your Mommy.  Happy Birthday buddy!

Love You Forever -
Mommy

Now What Do We Do For The Rest Of Summer?

Little Man had his last day of summer camp yesterday.  I was thrilled at the idea of getting a few extra minutes of sleep in the morning, but then reality set in - the kids wake up whether there is camp or not!  My alarm didn't go off this morning, but I still woke up at 7:15 on the dot to get everyone downstairs and our day started.

We only have two weeks until school starts, but I am not really looking forward to the weekdays. I know I won't get nearly as much done during the day. I also know that too much contact between Little Man and Vegas gives Little Man a case of the "ohmygodshutthatkidup".  Especially now that Vegas can babble and follow Little Man all around the house.  I don't know who to feel sorry for - the big kid who needs quiet and alone time without being overstimulated by a squealing toddler, or the little kid who thinks everything his big brother does is awesome and he wants to be right next to him all day long.

Speaking of toddler, Vegas is almost one year old!  Just in the last few weeks he's been making physical leaps - he now uses his Thomas train as a walker to toddle all over the house, stands alone for a few minutes at a time, and has mastered the sippy cup!  I found out the last one when I heard the familiar sound of milk being tugged out of a sippy, and realized it was Vegas taking a big gulp out of Little Man's milk cup. Whoops.  So yesterday we started weaning him off formula and I don't think there is going to be a problem there at all.  He loves his nighttime bottle, but I think that is more of a comfort thing than a nourishment at this point.  He eats so much food now too, and he has no dislikes yet - so his diet is pretty varied and healthy. I've also felt pretty strongly throughout his babyhood that I would let him help guide me in what he was ready to eat and how much he'd like - no rushing him into solids and when he was hungry, we'd eat.  He really preferred/could best handle purees for the longest time and just now has started being able to swallow and tolerate firmer chunks of food. I feel like we've gone from 0-60 in food options overnight!!!  Yesterday for dinner he had avocado, banana, broccoli, carrots, lima beans, and rice cakes and a half cup of water!

This was after a nectarine massacre.
Did you know it is really hard to peel a nectarine?!

Last month we found a sweet portrait deal online for a 16x16 gallery canvas and 40% off any additional sheets of photos for only $16.  So we scheduled some first year photos for Vegas, since Little Man is... less than enthusiastic about photo shoots (plus he will get school photos in a few weeks).  On the other hand, Vegas is always serious and contemplative when in a new place, so it was still really tough to get some smiles and poses out of him.  But we persevered and got several cute shots of him that should be here just in time for his giant birthday bash!! I can't wait to show them off -I'm such a proud momma.

A photo of the website storing previews of photos.
I'm so tech savvy.
 

We had arranged for the end of the photo shoot to be a cake smash. Vegas was not at all amused. He was very grossed out by the idea of smashing his hands into cake, and just tried to run away the entire time.  I tried to "help" by placing his hands in the cake and swiping some frosting on his lip.  No dice - now he was just dirty and trying to run away. Oh well - we've got another chance for cake photos at his party.  Little Man was such a pro at his cake smash, I think I got spoiled.

He was seriously the cutest cake smasher I've ever seen.

And that about wraps up the last couple of weeks.  Vegas' eczema cleared up with the medicated cream they gave us.  I was diagnosed with TMJ six minutes after walking into the ENT's office.  Little Man has been healthy and has the best suntan out of all of us - he looks like a little Coppertone baby commercial.  Camp kept him outside and wore him out every day, and I think it was a great experience for him.

Time to get back to organized chaos...

Someone Said The Magic Words!

Parenthood 102: A Lesson In Humility. When things are going smoothly, you can count on disaster striking quickly to put you in your place. It doesn't have to be an epic disaster, or even anything you can't bounce back from in a couple hours or days - but it always arrives right after that secret little thought you have. You know the one.  "Everything is going so well right now..."  Even if you're smart enough to not say the words out loud, just thinking them is a challenge to the powers that be, and they don't take kindly to challenges...

It started slow. I thought the words and then suddenly Vegas was waking up more during the night. Nothing we couldn't handle, and his wake ups are normally of the put-the-binky-back-in-and-lay-him-back-down variety.  But then the wakeups segued into harder-to-put-to-sleeps, nap-skipping, and a couple wake-up-screaming-until-you-rock-or-feed-me-back-to-sleeps.  We've attributed it to teething, since the poor kid is drooling worse than a St. Bernard right now, and four teeth seem to be poking through on top. Again, nothing major, but a little more exhausting than normal.  I thought the words again.

Then yesterday the little patches of eczema on Vegas' feet started morphing into little red blisters. We had a follow-up appointment to measure his head circumference again that morning (he still has a large head), and while he was cleared for that particular issue (whew!), the blisters had his ped worried. He wanted us to see a dermatologist "sooner rather than later", and so we squeezed in a time slot the next morning.  That of course meant that we had to split up, with Hubs taking Little Man to his therapy up north two hours away, and I would take Vegas to the dermatologist. Stressful, again, but we've got this.  Right?  I thought the words again, albeit a little less confidently.

I noticed as I was driving home from the checkup that my ear was starting to ache. The closer I got to home the more it felt like a giant needle stabbing me.  I got Vegas inside and waited for Hubs and Little Man to get home from camp and downed a glass of water and one of the giant ibuprofen left over from pregnancy recovery.  The pain seemed to dull a little so we decided to go ahead with our dinner plans and popped over to our friend's house for the night.  

As one of our friends put it - "Hanging out with friends changes so much as we get older." There was the usual wine and pizza we've loved for the last ten years, but really the evening was filled with relaxing and playing with all the kids.  Little Man was in rare form and managed to spill applesauce and red wine on two separate friends, and steal an unattended slice of pizza from a third - all while in complete control of the television. No one seemed too mad, but it was one of those parenting moments where I just wanted to face-palm and hide. Luckily Vegas was his usual serious but cuddly self, and so I used him as a distraction.  My ear started to hurt again though so I popped a few extra strength aspirin and drank half a bottle of wine. Self-medicating works, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.  I dimly thought the words for the last time as I dozed a little on the way home, with my kids sleeping peacefully in the back of my newish van.  

We got home around 11 and tossed the kids in bed before passing out.  At 3:30 AM, my ear pain woke me up from a deep sleep. After tossing back another ibuprofen, I realized quickly that this ear pain was going from bad to absolutely intolerable, and we called my mother-in-law over to watch the kids so I could go to the ER.  Yep, it was that kind of bad.

Got checked in and out in a flash, they couldn't see anything wrong with my ear but I got an antibiotic and a prescription for (surprise!) ibuprofen. Also an appointment to see an ENT on Monday, enjoy the weekend! Before I left they offered me a stronger painkiller for the road, so Hubs decided to cancel the Little Man's appointment so I could take that and pass out for the day while he took care of Vegas' derm appointment. Can I get an amen for an amazing husband?

Vegas' appointment, as relayed from the Hubs, wasn't too scary.  They took a culture of his ankle rash and threw around a couple ideas for what it could be - but no diagnosis yet.  He has to take bleach baths once a day and has a prescription lotion for now, and a followup appointment in a week.  She did mention that he will probably have a chronic skin condition with flareups for the foreseeable future, since he's had the eczema for so long.  Sigh.  Keep us in your prayers that the culture comes back boring and quickly curable!

And to round it all out, Little Man has had an upset stomach all day, my ear still hurts despite the medicine (although not ER worthy pain) and now there is some neck and shoulder pain involved, and next week Hubs is out of town again while all the followups and appointments and summer camp are still happening!

Repeat after me: I will never even think the phrase "Everything is going so well right now", ever again.

Next class?
Parenting 103: Why Do My Children Sleep Best In A Carseat As We Pull Into The Driveway?

Upward Mobility

Today was officially the last day of school for Little Man.  He finishes Kindergarten and next year starts Kindergarten: The Sequel.  I think I mentioned in our last post that we are holding him back a year, and I don't regret the idea one bit.  He has plenty of years of sitting at a desk and learning life skills ahead of him, and I think one more year of free play and using social skills in a smaller group setting will be extremely beneficial.

No more baby chub.  Well, for him anyway, I've still got mine.

Next week he starts his special camp program!  They are going to have swimming and water park days, tons of arts and crafts (which he really likes), and hopefully it will just wear him out so he sleeps better at night.

With Baby Vegas' sensitive skin, I think it is going to be a challenge to find a good sunscreen for this summer, so it might be a lot of indoor/shady time for us while big brother is off having a blast.  The poor kid can't even crawl on the carpet without leggings on because his knees stay bright red for days. That doesn't stop him though - once this kid learned to crawl he was outta here!  Every few minutes I'm grabbing him away from something he isn't supposed to be touching.  Nothing dangerous, we've been baby-proofed for Little Man forever.  Just your average VCR slot (yep we still have a VHS player!), coffee table drawer, stack of DVDs kind of thing.  We did have to go out and purchase baby gates for the stairs - by the time we moved into this place Little Man was not at an age where we worried about them too much.  Plus after my townhouse which had floating stairs, every other staircase seemed tame.

"What do you WANT Tiny Noisy Thing?!"

Little Man and our dog Sandy are not big fans of Vegas' new skills.  Both of them hate being bothered while they are doin' their own thing - and Vegas wants all the cuddles.  He thinks anyone at floor level is fair game.  Luckily he has Max, our evil cat, to follow around and squeeze.  Max is surprisingly tolerant of a twenty pound baby "petting" him all the time.  The two of them are two peas in a pod, and it's adorable.

VICTORY!  She is too tired to move!!

Max doesn't respect nap time.  

Little Man's bus just pulled up, so it is officially Summertime.  I can't wait!

IEP Update and Christening Photos!

School is nearly out and we've just had Little Man's last IEP meeting!  We received a list last week of new goals for Little Man, and it was pretty intense - most of them are completely new goals since he met almost of his goals this year.  All of the new goals make sense and we are excited to think of him meeting any of them!! We kept a few goals like 'toilet training' and 'participating in classroom routines', and added things like 'sitting and attending to classroom activities' and 'sorting and matching blocks/colors'.  This new IEP is gearing him up for eventually heading into the first grade classroom where he will have to sit at a desk for longer periods of time, and be able to follow along to group instruction.

The only hiccup in the process has been that his PT recommended reducing his therapy to once a month (down from once a week this year).  While I agree that gross motor skills are his strongest right now, I definitely don't think such a drastic reduction in therapy is good for him.  He still has a significant limp and turns out his feet while he walks, and has trouble balancing himself when he wears his backpack.  We mentioned this at our meeting and they let us keep the once a week for now, even though we agreed that every other week would've probably been fine.  But apparently the process for changing it was all-or-nothing*, and since we were disagreeing with the recommendation now, we had to keep the previous amount set on the last one.  Oh well!

Eating a ham and swiss sandwich.  So proud of him for trying a new food (and thanking my lucky stars I can alternate lunches between this and his usual PB&J)

*Little Man's PT was out of town during this meeting and so we couldn't make the changes without her present to accept them.

Last weekend was also Vegas' christening!  We were so happy to have him christened in the same church my husband's entire family has attended for ages! He was a little angel during the service, and because he was the only baby being baptized he was pretty much the star of the sermon.  Granted, I have no experience with baptisms, but this one seemed pretty special to me.  Afterwards my mother-in-law planned a great luncheon for everyone and we had enough leftovers that I didn't have to cook for days.  A double win!

I Googled "Baby Christening Outfit".  It came with a jaunty little hat.  The bib/shoes were a gift from Grandma!

A little sleepy.  The organ music kept him up.

Little Man stayed home during the service with his first not-family babysitter!  My mother-in-law's good friend who has worked with special needs kids for many years came and sat with him for the couple hours we were gone.  He was apparently very behaved as well!  Maybe we just need to spend more time in churches?

3/4 of the family.  1/2 if you count the dog and cat (which Hubs certainly does)

 

When camp starts in a couple weeks we will have to relearn our morning routine, and I'm already kind of dreading it.  I have to drive Little Man to a drop off site, and pick him up there as well - drop off is earlier than we leave for school, and pickup is earlier than he usually gets home.  So we'll be waking up earlier, feeling groggier, and having less time for errands/quiet time at home.  I'm trying to psych myself up for this by noting that this will force me to get dressed and out in the world every day, and so maybe I'll get tons more done... But we'll see how that works.  I foresee a lot of coffee in my future.

Speaking of coffee... Back to the daily grind for me - Vegas is starting to get more and more mobile (he's crawling all over the place now!) and causing a little more trouble than he did even a few weeks ago.  The poor cat and dog have been lovingly squeezed multiple times today, and everything is now fair game for touching and nomming on.

"Look Ma!  I'm gonna do the splits!"

Just Being "Normal"

I am nervous to write the words down - but things are going suspiciously great right now.

LIFE IS GOOD!

Well enough that I feel good writing about it without worrying I'll jinx it somehow.  Little Man comes home from school every day nice and exhausted and ready to relax with us.  We've gotten into a great routine where he walks over to the dinner table when he gets hungry and we sit down to dinner together.  He goes to bed by 9:30 and stays in his room semi-quietly until we get up together for a bath before school at 7:30 in the morning. We've manufactured a new duct-tape belt and anklet set that prevents diaper removal that has been working for over a month.  He's progressed in his usage of the iPad to make some choices with food or television.  He's been more affectionate and open with us and his extended family.

Super fancy duct tape system.  And serious bed-head.

The only thing out of the norm we've done recently has been a "quick" (Hahah- with travel it was a 6 hour day) appointment for a baseline MRI for Little Man. His neurosurgeon assured me that Little Man wouldn't need sedation for the procedure, and I assured him that if he thought he'd get Little Man sitting still for ten minutes that he was batshit crazy.  We were both wrong I guess, because Little Man did manage to get his MRI done without sedation, he just needed Hubs laying across his chest in the machine with him. Which sounds like it would be really stressful and scary, and maybe it was - but Hubs took it like a champ and said it "wasn't that bad".  He did admit that stuffing two people in an MRI machine, one of those people wiggling and screaming bloody murder, was possibly a little claustrophobic.  Still, better than we expected for sure.

My big kid, looking little for a moment.

After the MRI was an appointment with his surgeon turn back on the shunt.  I didn't realize that they technically don't turn it off before the MRI starts, they just adjust it afterwards since the machine changes the magnetic setting of his shunt. The appointment was quick and easy, although when the doctor read the MRI he said that Little Man's baseline still shows more fluid than normal around his brain.  Basically his new MRI looked very similar to the one he had during his shunt failure in 2011, which was a little disconcerting to me. The doctor didn't seem overly concerned but he did tell us that if the shunt failed again there would be no real way to tell unless Little Man displayed symptoms (ie; another year of nightly vomiting episodes).  Of course, that morning before the MRI we'd noticed Little Man's breath was a little gross, and he spent the weekend afterwards being sick and pukey, so we're on high alert wondering if everything is okay with his shunt.  But he went to school today and seems to be on the upswing, so I think it might have just been a bug.  *Crossing fingers*

Doesn't that sound like life is totally normal and great?   I guess maybe my baseline for what is normal might also be a little skewed.   But the MRI was genuinely nothing but an expensive and fancy checkup, because things are going *deep breath and holding* really well.

Not to be left out, Baby Vegas is also doing fabulous.  He's been eating two or three meals of puree a day now, and loves him some puffs and rice crackers.  He doesn't crawl anywhere, he usually scoots on his butt until he reaches whatever he wants - which lately is the laptop cord or the television remote.  During the time Little Man is at school we watch our two favorite shows, The Daily Show and Colbert Report, and then turn off the tv for a long morning nap.  After we wake up we just hang out and play quietly together all day long. His face just lights up whenever he sees his Daddy come home from work or hears him on the phone, and he definitely has him wrapped around his chubby little finger.  He rarely cries or fusses, and I only know he's teething because he has had the worst runny nose for the last few weeks. Oh and the two teeth that have shown up!   He sleeps through the night from 9:30 to 7:30, every so often having a night where he wakes up and fusses for his pacifier to be put back in. It has been a marvelously normal and average babyhood so far for this little guy, and I'm loving every minute of it.  I love being home with him, watching him grow and learn. I love being the Mommy to two amazing little boys. 

Shopping, everyone does it.

Yes - Life is (our) normal.  We're doing great.  I'm trying to enjoy this time without worrying that the other shoe is going to drop and things will go back to crazy.  But if you'll excuse me, I have no time to worry right now, it's naptime over here!

Age Ain't Nothing But A Number

Time keeps plodding along despite my attempts at slowing it down.  The little baby Vegas I held in my arms 8 months ago is now a chunky, giggling 8 month old.  Even more shocking though... my Little Man is a few months away from being 6 years old.  SIX!  It takes my breath away any time I say that out loud.  The usual "he's still my baby" thoughts fly through my head, followed by... "Holy shit, soon he's going to be too big to be a baby."

I guess I just mean that it's no longer "acceptable" for me to carry him into a grocery store without shoes on, knowing he's going to take them off in the cart anyways.  Or for him to melt down in the middle of the mall. Or to watch a DVD and eat food from home at a restaurant so he doesn't scream bloody murder.  All these little things that are tolerated for parents with toddlers are things that more and more invite a frown or concerned looks from "well-meaning" outsiders.  I feel their stares on my back and I want to blurt out - HEY!  We're good parents!  We know this is a shitty parenting technique!  But it is the only thing getting us through this hour, this day, this week of crazy.  Cut us some slack?  

He's not a baby anymore, right, I know. We're making it possible for him to enjoy this outing, or this event that is probably more stressful than it is fun for us.  And he might look like a "big kid"... but yeah... I guess he's still my baby.

Speaking of family outings, Easter this year was really special.  We spent time with both our extended families and had our annual beer-tasting.  I even got my life together enough to make the boys Easter baskets with all their favorite things in them.  I am not a particularly religious person, so we don't do church and dress-up - but the boys got cleaned up for the family dinners and had brand new outfits for their first Easter as brothers.  

Baskets and Sunday outfits

I'm so proud of both boys for being well-behaved and freakin' adorable all weekend.  

Gotta catch this guy when you can...

This weekend coming up is our annual Day Out With Thomas - it will be Little Man's third and Vegas' first!!  I've seen Thomas the Tank Engine "live" more often than I've seen any of my favorite bands or Broadway musicals.  Sigh.  Parenthood is awesome kids, everyone should do it.

Back to the grind - chicken nuggets don't microwave themselves ya know!

Hashtag Real Talk

Little Man is finally back in school after a million snow days.  We got notice from the county that he will be in school til the end of June making up the missed days, which is actually a good thing.  The kid just thrives on schedule and being active!  Once school lets out he will start a special needs summer camp, because our county has claimed it is the best alternative to having very little ESY (extended school year) funding for any kids over preschool age. It's only four days a week, but he will get whatever therapy he qualifies for there (I assume very little), and it will keep him very busy.  He sleeps so much better if he is up early and plays hard all day, so I'm very happy we have a plan in place for summer. Originally camp was off the table for him since we thought it would be much too expensive, but now that I have read the paperwork properly (oops) it has gone from "astronomically priced" to just "slightly more expensive than an ideal summer camp".  I've been working like a madwoman trying to find funding from the county and private companies to help offset the cost, but we don't qualify for much.  I won't go into how angry I am that I am going to pay an arm and a leg for a summer program because the county is being cheap.  Actually that's all I really have to say - I'm pissed about it.  But I'm not going to let that stop me from putting him into the program because I think that will be his best opportunity for growth this summer.  

Vegas is 6 months old, and growing like a weed!  He wears size 6-9 months in pajamas because he's so long (26 inches) and right now he is filling out and weighs about 18 lbs.  His doctor had us come in for a follow-up on his head circumference because he went through a head-growthspurt, but it normalized and now his head is just right.  I was strangely calm about waiting the month in between appointments after the initial freakout on my birthday. But looking at Vegas, he is just so on-track developmentally that I never thought that there would be a problem.  He is hitting all his milestones and very emotionally engaged.  Sometimes I just look at him and get weepy thinking about how fast this baby will 'grow up' compared to my first sweetheart.  Vegas is already making the sign for milk whenever he gets hungry, and he's able to play games with us and relate so well.  Things that Little Man took so long to do, and sometimes still can't do.  

Hubs and I have had many talks lately about how strange it will be to have a little person around that is able to listen and repeat things, and eventually communicate more complex wants than simply food and TV.  How weird it will be as Vegas grows and surpasses the level that his big brother is at. We've discussed how we will have to parent Vegas who will be able to understand things like time-outs and reason (and bribes), and how one day he will ask us why he is treated differently than Little Man.  We want to be the best parents that we can be - as I assume most parents do.  But really everything we know about parenting has been about what works for our one-in-a-million kiddo. Our kid that doesn't fit in any box or diagnosis, who struggles with so many things but has surprised us with his achievements over and over again.  To be clear though, we don't ever discuss all this and think that parenting Vegas will be so much easier or better - just different.

My love for Little Man is unconditional.  If he never communicates well with us or becomes potty trained (but please baby Jesus, help us potty train this child!), it won't lessen how much I love his snuggles, his laugh, and his cold little feet in my lap. It won't change that he is my first true love, the little man who taught me everything I know about selflessness and made me a Mommy for the first time. But can we real-talk here?Things are tough with him right now, really really tough.  It's hard to wake up every morning raving about this unconditional love I feel for him when I'm cleaning up another spilled diaper, or giving a third bath that day, or encouraging him to eat something besides his safe foods.  It is much easier to rave on Facebook about the smiles from Vegas and how he is tasting solid foods for the first time, than it is to try and get my five year old to stop and pose for a picture after he's screamed for 45 endless minutes. Without stopping.  Have I mentioned there seems to be no earthly reason?

As we go through this rough patch with Little Man, I know it will all settle down eventually.  We've gone through some crazy months of things before, and they always iron themselves out.  I think it is especially hard this time because things are so simple with Vegas right now that it almost magnifies the issues Little Man is having.  I'm sure there will be times in the future where this situation is reversed.  But right now I think we just need the support of family and friends, and maybe a little luck.

 This took forever to edit.  I had a lot I wanted to get across and am still not sure I did it all justice. Sorry if the train-of-thought is chaotic!

I've got NO problems with the rain

Seriously, none.  If it rained for a week instead of snowing one more day, I'm one hundred percent okay with that.  Having Little Man at home and off his normal school schedule is a train wreck waiting to happen. Plus the cleanup is a little ridiculous...

Our evil beloved cat Maximus is just waiting to be squeezed

And check out those teeth marks on the back of the toy box.  Yep, that used to be up in his room before we realized he was slowly crushing the plastic into sharp points.

Baby Vegas' face has slowly been healing up the past few days.  I mentioned his eczema a few posts ago, which had been kind of awful at his last doctor's appointment.  It must have been itching him because suddenly he woke up one morning covered in scratches and it looked terrible.

This wasn't even the worst it ended up looking. Ughhh!

We started using Aquaphor on the advice of his pediatrician and it has worked miracles!  His face has completely cleared up and he is back to having cute chubby baby cheeks again - no steroids necessary. It is a double bonus because we are planning on starting solids in the next few days.  The pediatrician also warned that eczema was one of those possible indicators of allergic reaction to foods, so I am glad we're starting with a clean slate.  He has had a tiny bite of carrot puree and he absolutely hated the experience (or possibly carrots) so it hasn't been a crazy rush to push solids.  As Hubs said, "If that face is what solid food tastes like, I'd never eat again."

I let Hubs take the photos and he missed the best faces.
Next time Mommy gets the camera!

This past weekend was insanely busy. Friday we headed to Babies R Us looking for two big ticket items after trading in two expired car seats we'd been holding onto for the trade-in sale.  If Vegas was a few months younger I think we would've gotten the 4Moms rocker thing, it was so mesmerizing Hubs could not walk away from the demo.  Instead we got a Graco MyRide 70 for my car, and a jogging stroller for the springtime that with clearance and coupons we ended up getting for half-price!  We always underestimate how long it takes us to pick out any baby item, and so our "quick trip" ended up being closer to 3 hours!! We looked at our watches and realized we'd have to drop everything and race home to meet Little Man's school bus! Luckily my amazing father-in-law was home and dropped what he was doing to pick up Little Man... Having family live so close is awesome, I don't know what we'd do without them.

Then Saturday was one of my favorite couple's baby shower, and we took both boys.  Vegas was a big hit, and loved getting loved on by all the mommas at the party.  He is such a quiet and observant little guy, he just sat on laps and looked around until he fell asleep.  Little Man on the other hand pretty much stayed in the corner watching his DVD with Hubs (he is such a champ). We made it three hours before Little Man's DVD player died and then he was done with the party - which was to be expected and we were very proud of him.

Originally thought we'd head to a Superbowl party on Sunday, but Little Man was so worn out from the day before we didn't want to push it.  He spent a lot of the morning tantruming and feeling out-of-sorts, and had a couple of meltdowns before we ended up convincing him it was time for a late nap.  The only tough part about trying to socialize him more is that sometimes we push him too hard and we end up paying for it the next day.  Huge changes in routine just don't sit well with him.  Which brings us full circle to my first point - I'll take weeks of rain over random days off of school for snow ANYTIME.  This kid loves his routine, and Momma loves her sanity!