Such a ham!

I love fresh out of the bath happy babies!

He's on the move!

Watch out, Jackson! Your toys and snack are no longer safe! Your baby brother, Parker, learned how to crawl today!!

Another long overdue update

So yet again it's been way too long since Anna or I have updated the blog. So much has happened in the past month, I'll try to hit the highlights.

Family:
• Relay for Life was last weekend and we all had a blast. Congratulations to her team for raising almost $12000 thus far!
• Trip to PA to see Mommaw for Mother's Day
• Ryan and Anna had their first movie date thanks to Ryan's parents watching the boys. First movie we've seen in theaters in years. The Avengers which was awesome!

Ryan:
• Travelled to Fairfax/Baltimore for a week for a new work project. Got even less sleep then when he was at home, but overall was a great trip. Also didn't get to see the shuttle arrive :(
• Got promoted to Senior Consultant

Anna:
• Her wrist surgery didn't really do much, but we did eventually confirm that she also broke her wrist. That's pretty much healed up now, but the wrist is still a problem.
• Injured her knee last week. Nothing is broken but she has an MRI on Thursday thinking she tore her ACL, and possibly damaged her intra-patellar tendon.
• Is in the middle of a crazy semester reading well over 100 books. Did get all A's again last semester.
• Finished getting her practicum all set up--graduation is in sight!

Jackson:
• Transitioned to a toddler bed last week. The first two days were bad be abuse he kept falling out and that taught him not to want to sleep in it. But then we got a bed rail and he sleeps perfectly in his bed.
• Isn't really liking gymnastics this session, but swim isn't too bad.
• Learning lots of new words. The best is saying "I love you"
• Loves to dance and wants to become a firefighter, all thanks to Barney.
• First trip to the dentist which was a huge success.
• Switched from whole to skim milk. We had to figure out how to properly thicken it but otherwise it's been a smooth transition.

Parker:
• Went to a dermatologist and found out he doesn't have any food allergies--it's actually severe atopic dermatitis that has been the problem all along. He's a completely new baby now and has been sleeping the night for a while now.
• Can ask for kisses (only from his mommy of course).
• Started table foods: especially likes cereal bars and wagon wheels. Like Jackson though he's not real picky.
• May be starting to cut teeth and pull to standing.

Cats:
• Iza has cancer (small cell lymphoma) but its very treatable. She's doing well.
• "Elmo" is the outdoor cat that has been by recently. Might be a stray but he loves Jackson--and Jackson loves him and gave him his name.
And now a few pics:

Getting so Big!

Wow! My little boys are getting so big! Jackson rode in the toddler cart the other day at Target and tonight he got so excited when it was time to "talk to Jesus" (say prayers). Parker has really become much more engaged and active with his toys. In this post's picture he was taking his toy apart!!
Ryan leaves early Monday morning to go out of town until Thursday for business. Needless to say, I'm a little nervous! Prayers are more than welcome for my sanity!!

With love,
Anna

A perfect Easter

This easter weekend has been perfect. We enjoyed meeting the Easter bunny, going to an egg hunt, and going to church service on Easter. We also enjoyed sharing Easter gifts, dressing up, decorating eggs, and having dinner with Mema and Grandpa. We learned all about Jesus's sacrifice for us and his amazing resurrection.

After an exciting weekend, Parker needed a nap!

With love,
Anna

Temper tantrums and final exams

Jackson has started throwing terrible temper tantrums. Today, he spent the majority of the day screaming "NOOOOOOO!" and flailing around on the ground. It is so hard not to laugh when he screams and throws himself on top of Ryan. Alas, I keep most oy chuckles to myself. The saddest part for me was having Ryan ask me, "so does this mean that the fun is over?" I'm convinced it returns some day, but for now, life is filled with temper tantrums and dramatic little boy fits. The picture on today's blog is Jackson finally sitting quietly watching basketball. This was after an eternity of screaming.

Another big piece of news: miss iza has been at the vet hospital since Friday. She's very sick with early kidney failure, but she is doing much better on special food, medicine, and fluids hopefully she'll come home tomorrow.

In other news, I finish my last two classes of this semester this week. I have a big project and a final exam both due on Wednesday. Thankfully, the end is in sight!!

With love,
Anna

Wonderful Day at the Office

I had the most amazing day t work today. I was subbing at the Northwest Akron branch, and I had a dad and a youn boy approach the circulation desk to find out if the 5 year old could get his first library card!! I had a wonderful time helping him get his jest library card, have a tour around the library, learn how JFIC books are organized (by author's last name) and choose some books. I even gave him an awesome book suggestion that he "had to have" before he left the library... A nonfiction!! :)

What a great day at the library!! :)

With love,
Anna

Short and Sweet

Just a quick update so you know we're still alive...

Jackson had a good day at school then enjoyed going down the slide on the big kids playground in our complex. He and Daddy were quite muddy afterwards, but it was still fun.

Parker ran around town with Mommy today on errands and really enjoyed the short walk (cut short because Jackson yet again wasn't into it).

While Parker napped Anna walked with a friend to a nearby nail salon for a manicure, then got some new business cards made. All this in prep for her OLC (library) conference tomorrow which she is über excited about.

And Ryan had a very productive day at work.

A perfect day

Today was just about as perfect as it can get...

We started out by going to the zoo. It meant pushing the boys naps back but it was just too nice a day to pass up. The boys shared the double stroller and got out for a bit as well. Jackson's favorite part was feeding the goats, while Parker just enjoyed watching everything (and getting a small stuffed elephant as souvenir of his first real zoo trip).

After the zoo we went to O'Charley's for lunch. Parker ended up only getting a 20 minute nap (normally his morning nap is 2.5 hours), but he and Jackson were absolutely great at lunch. We also had a wonderful server who knew how to handle families with small children. So it meant that Mommy and Daddy got to enjoy their lunches too!

Next we went to the park--like I said, it was a gorgeous day. Parker enjoyed his first swing ride, see-sawing with Jackson, and sitting on the slide. Jackson just loved being outdoors and climbing on everything.

We soon left and both boys were quick and easy to go down for naps, giving Mommy time for a nap and Daddy time to get some chores done and rest. After naps we played outside until Mema and Grandpa came over for a grill-out. Again the boys did great during the meal and we all had fun hanging out.

Soon enough the boys went to bed and Anna and Ryan got a date night (two weeks running). We watched "The Accidental Husband" which was a good light comedy before finally calling it a day.

Now we just need to figure out how to make everyday just like this day. 😃

Happy Birthday Parker!

Here is yesterday's belated post...

Parker turned 8 months old on Friday. He had a really wonderful day. Ryan played Mr Mom hung out with Parker all day while Anna worked on 3 essays for her final for one class.

Parker took Daddy out to the grocery store and Babies-R-Us and both boys were very well behaved. Parker also did a great job sleeping: he went down for his nap without any fussing, took a nap in the car after dinner, and finally went to bed without fussing. Somehow even getting to bed at 1:00am turned into both parents getting 7 hours of sleep straight!

Anna also went to the faculty meeting at her school yesterday where she was able to present a wonderful idea she has. Okay--thats an understatement--it's actually a totally awesome amazing idea that well save to tell you about at another date.

Now we're off to the zoo to celebrate St Patty's Day and enjoy this beautiful weather.

Long Overdue Update

Hello everyone,

Sorry it has been so long since we've updated things. Life has been just crazy as you'll find out shortly. First off, this blog comes to you from Ryan--I'm making an effort to be more involved in helping keep this blog up-to-date. So without further ado, here's a recap of the past couple of weeks...

Anna had major wrist surgery on Feb 15. While Anna was in the OR, Ryan was in the ER--he slipped on black ice that morning and fractured his left shoulder. Recovery has been really tough for us both but we're slowly getting better. We're very thankful to our family and friends who have been able to help us out during these challenging times.

We've all been passing around a virus of some sort for the past couple of weeks. Jackson and Anna have been fighting 103 fevers and now Parker is starting to catch it. Ryan has luckily not gotten it that bad and Anna is hopefully coming over the hump.

Jackson is cutting 8 teeth right now: 2 in each section. That is just making all his illness that much worse, but soon he'll have a full mouth of chompers.

Now that we've removed tomatoes from Parker's diet he's doing much better--he's like a whole new baby. He's sleeping the night more often and going to sleep on his own in his crib. There's still room for improvement but his sleep training is going well.

Anna's grad school has been going well. Since I'm writing this I get to brag: at her "career night" she interviewed with the top 6 groups for a practicum position and all 6 offered her their spots! I'm so proud of Anna and it was a great affirmation for her.

Lastly, we both got iPhones! Anna said she wanted one and talked me onto it too. I am so thankful she did because I love it. I also love that Verizon decided to give us unlimited data for the same price as 2gb. Even better though is that I'm updating the blog from my iPhone!

Best wishes to all and stay tuned!

Jackson's Ear Tube Surgery

Today, Jackson had ear tubes put in at Akron Childrens. The surgery was delayed an hour, but luckily the procedure was over so quickly it didn't matter. In fact, his doctor made it to the waiting room before we did! Jackson did a great job, and he was most excited by his get well Elmo balloon!

With love,
Anna

Parker's 7 Month Update!

Parker turned 7 months old on the 16th. This month marked a real turning point for Parker as we seemed to finally make progress with his food allergies. After seeing an allergist and doing more food elimination trials on our own, we determined he's allergic to dairy and egg (already known) and shellfish and tomatoes (the hereto unknown culprits). Since cutting all that out, he's like a totally new baby. He now weighs about 19 pounds and still has no teeth. He currently eats solids and nurses about 4-5 times a day each. We also did sleep training with him this month. We used a method prescribed by our pediatrician, which isn't quite the traditional cry-it-out like we did with Jackson, but is akin to it. We had to a) teach him to fall asleep not in our arms, b) fall asleep not while nursing and c) soothe himself back to sleep during the night. The first couple of nights took about 75 minutes of him crying and us coming in to soothe him every 5 minutes, after those hard couple of days we are getting the benefit. He now goes to sleep by 8:30 (as does Jackson) after no more than 30 minutes of crying--but usually it's much less than that.

Here is our 'What to Expect...' developmental update:

By 7 months you're baby should be able to...
1. Feed self a cracker...haven't let him yet
2. Razz...YES!
3. Coo or babble when happy...Check!
4. Smile often when interacting with you...Check

Will probably be able to...
1. Sit without support...Check
2. Bear some weight on legs when held upright...Check
3. Object if you try to take a toy away...Check
4. Work to get a toy that is out of reach...Check
5. Look for dropped object...Check
6. Rake with fingers an object and pick it up with fist...Check
7. Turn in direction of voice...Check
8. Babble...kind of
9. Play peek-a-boo...Check

May possibly be able to...
1. Creep or crawl...Creep only
2. Pass a cube from one hand to the other...Check
3. Stand holding on to someone or something...Not yet

May even be able to...
1. Pull up to standing position from sitting...No
2. Get into sitting position from stomach...No
3. Play patty-cake or wave bye-bye...No
4. Use pinser grasp...No
5. Cruise along furniture...No
6. Say mama or dada indiscriminately...No

It's amazing how many big changes have happened over the last month. It really does feel like we have a completely new baby--one that is always happy, loves giving and getting affection, and loves being a younger brother. We can't wait to see what the next month brings, especially now that we'll be well-rested for it!

With love,
Anna and Ryan

Jackson's 20 month Update

Jackson turned 20 months at the end of January, and I am just getting around to giving his update. Oops.

At his last appointment, Jackson weighed about 24 pounds and measures approximately 30 inches! He had 6 teeth (4 on top, 2 on bottom) at his 20 month birthday. He eats a variety of foods (pretty much anything he can get his hands on) and only drinks thickened whole milk from a straw sippy cup. He sleeps about 12 hours at night and takes one approximately 2 hour nap per day. He attends Calico three days a week, and he loves singing songs and playing in their gym. He is taking gymnastics at the YMCA right now and loves it!

Here is his "Second Year at a Glance" update:

Most 18-20 month olds will probably be able to...
1. Run... Check!
2. Bend over to pick up a toy and not fall... Check!
3. Climb....Super Duper Check!
4. Play pretend games....check!
5. Imitate behaviors (such as feeding a doll)...check!
6. Feed themselves with a spoon and fork...Check!
7. Say 10-20 words...not yet :(

Half of all toddlers will be able to...
1. Walk up steps...Check!
2. Kick a ball...Check!
3. Take off clothes without help...Check!
4. Draw a straight line...I dunno, I've never tried
5. Brush teeth with help...Check!
6. Say 20-50 words...nope
7. Combine words...nope
8. Identify two pictures by naming...Check!

Some toddlers may be able to...
1. Balance on one foot while holding on...Check!
2. Take off clothes...Check
3. Name 6 body parts...can point to them
4. Identify 4 pictures by naming...no
5. Say 50+ words...no
6. Form short sentences...no
7. Ask "why?" and "what's that?" questions...no

A few toddlers may be able to...
1. Walk down stairs holding on...CHECK!
2. Wash and dry hands...CHECK!
3. Build a tower of 6 cubes...CHECK!
4. Show some signs of potty readiness (e.g. announce a poop in progress)...no
5. Speak in full sentences...no

Overall, Jackson is ahead of schedule for his gross and fine motor skills. However, he is delayed in his language development. He is getting tubes put in on Tuesday and we're hoping this will help him begin talking in the next few months.

With love,
Anna

Why I Love My Life

With love,
Anna

Check out this great blog!

Hi everyone!

I've really gotten into reading other people's blogs recently, and this is one of my favorites! She offers great advice on her blog, has a beautiful family, and seems to be a mother that I feel a "kindred heart" with. Hope you love it as much as I do!

http://www.journeyofparenthood.com/2012/02/revamp-and-giveaway.html

With love,
Anna

Parker's 6 month update!

Hi everyone! I am stealing this idea from a couple of other blogs I've recently read. Here are developmental updates on my little men!

Happy 6 month Birthday, Parker!

These are the developmental milestones listed in "What to Expect The First Year"

Should be Able to...
1. keep head level with body when pulled to sitting... YUP!
2. say "ah-goo" or similar vowel-consonant combinations...YUP!

Will probably be able to...
1. bear some weight on legs when held upright...YUP!
2. Sit without support... YUP! (for short periods of time before he tumbles over)
3. Turn in the direction of a voice... YUP!
4. razz (make a wet razzing sound)...YUP!

May possibly be able to...
1. stand holding on to someone or something... Yup!
2. object if you try to take a toy away...I'm pretty sure yup. We just started seeing this towards the end of the 5th month/beginning of 6th.
3. Work to get a toy that's out of reach...YUP! We've seen it a few times.
4. pass a cube or other object from one hand to another... I think so. Maybe, but I haven't particularly noted it.
5. Look for dropped object...not that I've noticed.
6. Rake with fingers a tiny object and pick it up in fist... I haven't tried anything small yet. I'll try it with supervision and see!
7. Babble, combining vowels and consonants such as ga-ga-ga, ba-ba-ba, ma-ma-ma, da-da-da... YUP! I haven't heard it every day by any means, but I have heard the ga and ba sounds more than a few times.
8. Feed self cracker or other finger food...Well, we discovered yup to this one by accident. Jackson gave his little brother a cracker and Parker ate part of it. Needless to say, it is not something I would have given him normally. :)

May even be able to...
1. creep or crawl...YUP! We have seen a little creeping. It is more like a uncoordinated crawl, but he has moved a few inches before towards toys!
2. Pull up to standing from sitting...Nope.
3. Get into a sitting position from stomach...Nope.
4. Pick up tiny object with any part of thumb and finger...Nope.
5. say "mama" or "dad" indiscriminately...Nope.

Food wise he's eating solids 2 to 3 times a day. I usually mix his fruits and veggies with some type of cereal...he seems to like them better that way. Feedings are usually hit or miss. We're still working on a good eating schedule. Other than that, he's still primarily breastfed. Thankfully, the number of times he is nursing is finally beginning to decrease!He currently weights 18.5 pounds!

We are beginning sleep training this month. We've had two good nights so far, and a few really bad ones. The really bad ones were when he was sick with a sore throat and ear infection, so I'll cut him some slack!

Jackson's update will hopefully be posted tomorrow! I can't believe my baby Jackson is already 20 months old!!

With love,
Anna

Not For the Faint of Heart

Warning! Tonight's blog is not for the faint of heart. It's not for anyone who reads my posts and thinks that I have it all together. Because tonight the truth comes out: I don't have it all together. In fact, I'm not even sure I have "it" all in the same zip code.

The last little bit has been pretty rough for me. I love my kids. I love Jackson and Parker more than anything in the world. However, there are times when I really question whether I'm cut out for being a mom. If the me from five years ago saw me now, I'm pretty sure she'd be disappointed.

I always thought I'd be the cool mom. I always thought I'd be the one having play dates at the park, sipping a Starbucks at the library story time (away from the books, I swear), and dressing my kids in super cute, eclectic outfits just like mine.

The truth is: I'm lucky to get myself and the boys out the door before 10am with clothes on. Most of the time, I'm not quite sure the clothes match and at least one of my kids (or me) has Pop Tart, milk, or spit up on our clothes. Usually, I just wipe it off, run out the door, and hope for the best.

Really? This is what life is like?

I never thought I'd be up until 11:30 at night scrubbing fish juice off my stove, picking up toys before I trip on them, or worst yet, crying as I get rid of Jackson's first high chair. (He is graduating to a booster seat at the table).

Why am I crying? Because I see my kids childhood flying by and I am not the mother I want to be. Instead of being the cool one, the eclectic one, the one that best fits my personality, I'm the mom who secretly spends every moment out in public praying my kids don't make any noise and looking at my watch counting the hours until bedtime so I can (hopefully!) finish my grad school work due at midnight.

What is my life like right now? A blur.

For heaven's sake, I just want to be able to stop and smell the roses. If I can't have roses, I'd at least like to appreciate the smell of spit up before it's gone.

With love (and a heavy heart),
Anna

Celebrations in Atlanta and Settling Back in at Home

At the beginning of January, our little family took a wonderful trip to Atlanta to see my family and celebrate my birthday. The boys had their first plane ride, and thankfully, they did great! There were only a few, short-lived moments when we were "That Family" with the screaming kids. :)

Seeing my family was amazing. It's always surprising to me just how much I miss them and miss being in Georgia. We had a wonderful time hanging out, letting the boys play, watching Jackson bark at Moose (their big dog), and eating lots of delicious food. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to diet for months to get rid of all of the carb heavy meals I ate.

It was really special because it was the first time my family got to see Jackson really walking and the first time my sisters got to meet Parker. Of course, they loved covering both of the boys in attention and spending some QT with their nephews. My sisters are really spectacular Aunties, and of course, my parents are stunning grandparents. My boys are really lucky to have such a loving family.

We also had lunch with some of the wonderful nurses and OT that worked with Jackson in the NICU. I'm so thankful for the impact they made in our life and for taking such good care of my precious Jackson when I couldn't. I really couldn't have asked for anything better. There is no where in the world I would have rather sent Jackson than to Northside.

Coming home was difficult. Of course, I was excited to see my kitties, but leaving Georgia was tough. Once we got home, my school semester started full swing, Ryan started working on a new project (although he isn't nose deep in it yet), and of course, poor Jackson got sick. He's been sick for awhile now with ear infections and a really yucky virus. Hopefully, he's finally on the mend. He spent a long afternoon with Ryan at the ER after almost a week of seeing our pediatrician and thankfully, we were reassured that he just has an awful virus that he is struggling to kick. As much as I hate my beloved being sick, I'm thankful that he doesn't have anything more serious.

I also saw an endocrinologist once we got home. He believes that I have Hashimoto Disease which is an auto-immune disease that attacks the thyroid. As many of you remember, I've been struggling with thyroid disease since I delivered Jackson. For now, we're going to continue adjusting my dose of Synthroid and keep having follow-up visits. In June, we'll consider other options.

In other major news, Parker had his 6 month check up! The doctor says he is developmentally ahead of his actual age (yay!) and weighs 18.5 pounds! He's a chunky monkey! He has crawled a few inches (once), rolled over, makes lots of noises, blows raspberries, and grabs at toys! He's also sitting assisted and has even sat for a few minutes unassisted (but I stay close by because he tends to fall over once he's tired and doesn't catch himself). For a little boy, he's doing great! (Boys are typically a little further behind).

That's our family! My camera hasn't been functioning recently (I lost my camera battery charger...or more accurately, I'm pretty sure Jackson hid it when Ryan wasn't watching and now we can't find it) so I don't have any new pictures. Ryan did just buy me a new camera, so hopefully it'll arrive soon and I can take some pictures!

With love,
Anna