Our Daughters Have Wings

2009 Revisited...and what's on tap for 2010

The rules: Post the first sentence of the first blog entry for every month of 2009. My comments are after each one!

January:  Mmm, best tasting 'medicine' I've ever had!  So...I'm sitting here ENJOYING my first glass of wine in a VERY long time.  Remember, I was still nursing Nicholas when I got pg with this baby, so it's been over a YEAR since I've had any alcohol... a year ago I was suffering from constant contractions and worrying...just how long Christopher was going to stay in - not realizing we'd eventually have to induce labor!

February: Because I've been asked...we registered again! Several people have asked me if I've registered.  I admitted that I thought that was something that you only do for your first (or in our case, first living) child.  So many people have asked me about it...I thought that maybe it'd be a good idea.  Oh, wow.  Thinking about the gadgets/things we'd need with Christopher, when really all we NEEDED was diapers.  Oh well!

March:  Thank you Sara!  On Friday, my friend Sara (Noah & Dylan's mom) stopped over with 'a few things' for me, from what she said on the phone.  Nicholas is STILL wearing most of those clothes...and now Christopher is too!

April:  A brother is a friend given by Nature ~ Jean Baptiste Legouve.  I know a lot of people have been waiting to see pictures of the boys together.  I wish we had more of them together in those early days.  Oh, hindsight is 20/20.

May: We're going green...one bum at a time!  As many people already know, when I decided to become a SAHM (Stay-at-home-mom) we knew we needed to think of more ways to scrimp and save.  Still using the Fuzzi-Bunz, though we have only medium sized ones now!

June:  Overdue for an update.  Wow, I can't believe it's been SO long since I posted.  I guess this is something that's going to continue to happen, especially the busier we get, right?

July:  Long overdue updates...pictures too!  WOW!  Time sure flies when you're having fun...and you have two living children to tend to!  I can't believe it's already July 13!  That's just AMAZING to me.  See June!  LOL!  Christopher was 3 months old!

August:   Long over due updates; #1: Our trip to Cincy...I was putting off blogging about our family trip to Cincinnati (over 4th of July weekend) and here it is, over a month later already...so it seems I have a lot of catching up to do.  I OBVIOUSLY need to come up with a new post title for when I need updates!  We had a BUSY summer but we had SO much fun!

September:  Top 10 Signs that you're a parent of a child with food allergies... This was shared by a friend of mine from Scotland...interesting how it doesn't matter *which* side of the pond you are...food allergies are the same no matter what.  Ahh...the life of a parent of a child with food allergies.  Always staying on your toes.  Always.

October:   Please vote for my boys - GAP Casting Call contest!  Hi Everyone!  Pleading for votes for the contest...never heard anything from GAP...think that is a bad sign?

November: November already?? Updates, and lots of photos, including Halloween!  Needless to say, I can hardly believe that it's November!  Part of the reason why is b/c I had JUST launched Two Angels Photography and was busy with portfolio-building shoots! 

December:  December 2009 already?  I can't believe how quickly 2009 has flown by...I will turn 34 in just 23 short days.  Amazing how fast time flies the older you get.  And I STILL can't believe it's already 201o!  So much has happened in 2009 - Christopher's arrival...Nicholas turning 2, and now my photo biz...time seems to be flying by the older we get/the more that we have going on.

On tap for 2010?

• Potty training for Nicholas
• Look into a preschool for Nicholas
• Do a mini-session with my kids every 6 weeks, at least
• Capture more snapshots of my boys
• Make a photo book of Christopher's first year
• Try to catch up on my scrapbooking
• Earn a profit from Two Angels Photography
• Take a family vacation in Michigan - Silver Lake, maybe?

Thankful...

Three years ago, I had a difficult time finding something to be thankful for.  We had just lost our daughters, and I was pretty down... what a difference 3 years can make.

We have SO much to be thankful for.

That we got to meet our beautiful daughters.  Some parents don't get the chance to do that with their angel babies.

That we were blessed with our beautiful sons.

That our marriage has endured enormous trials in such a short time.

That we have a wonderful support network of friends (online and in real life) and family.

 

November already?? Updates, and lots of photos, including Halloween!!

Needless to say, I can hardly believe that it's November!  

Halloween Recap:

On October 24th, LAPOM held their annual Halloween party at Northfork Farms in Webberville.  Despite the blustery weather, and the rain that wouldn't let up, we had a good time!  We didn't put Christopher in his costume, b/c I ended up putting him in the Ergo the whole time we were there.  He LOVES being carried like that!

They had a petting zoo with teeny tiny piglets, bunnies (that Nicholas loved to pet), and other animals like cats (my allergies were in check), goats, and donkeys.  Nicholas even got to ride a pony named Brownie.  It was his first pony ride and he LOVED it!  He giggled the entire time!  In the picture, he's asking to go around again!  

On Halloween day, we carved our pumpkins.  We stripped him of his shirt in case he wanted to stick his hands into the 'guts' of the pumpkins, but of course, he didn't want to do that.  He wanted to use the spoon!  He kept saying, "Daddy's cleaning pumpkins".  It was so cute!

 

Then, we baked pizza for dinner, and took them trick-or-treating to a few houses.  In case you don't remember, Christopher was the banana to Nicholas' monkey!

  

These two pictures are kind of grainy - that's the 'noise' I got b/c I was shooting at such a high ISO setting...it was getting dark, fast!

 
 

Nicholas was carrying TWO pumpkin buckets - and I had to yell out from where I was standing with Christopher, "one is for his brother!"  We all know that Christopher's bucket was really for me and Nick, right? ;-)

Nicholas can't have most of his treats, so it's good that we didn't go to too many houses, since Nick and I really don't need any extra candy!Here are our Jack-o'-Lanterns.  Nicholas' first, then Christopher's.

 

What's been going on here since my last post?

Well, let's see.  Nicholas likes to sing, a lot!  He knows "The Ants Go Marching...", "Old MacDonald", "Row, Row, Row Your Boat", "ABCs", "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe", "When You're Happy and You Know It", "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" (we're working on the hand signs to go with it), and of course, I'm working on the MSU Fight Song with him!  In true Spartan fashion, he loves to say, "Fight, Fight, Go Team Fight!"

Lately, he's taken to ordering me around.  Specifically, instructing me whom to call on the phone, so he can talk to them.  We've called Grandma & Grandpa D, Nana, Aunt Monica, Auntie Rita, Miss Christie, Auntie Kati, and Heidi specifically.  If we don't get them live, then he likes to leave them messages in his little sing-song voice.

Christopher's been a busy boy too!  Just this week, he's gotten into a sitting position by himself (for the first time) and he's rolling and crawling all OVER the place!

We also figured out that he doesn't like to be fed...he likes to feed HIMSELF.  Yes, at only 7 months, the boy can maneuver a spoon into his mouth!  TOTALLY opposite of Nicholas!  Nicholas LOVED to be fed, even until recently!

Daylight Savings was a lot of fun - the boys got up VERY early the first few days and on top of that, they had a bit of a cold, so that wasn't too much fun.  We're doing better, though.That's all for now...I'll try to update more frequently this month!

Please support us! FAAN Walk for Food Allergy 2009, Metro Detroit

On Saturday, Nick, Nicholas, Christopher, my sister, and I will be walking in the Metro Detroit Walk for Food Allergy at Kensington Metro Park.

Please, if you can, visit our Team K page and make a contribution, big or small.  Anything you can share will help.

I'll post pics soon of our special shirts that I designed (with my sister's help) for the walk - they're very cute!

Team K Page - FAAN Walk for Food Allergy 2009

Nicholas' 2nd Birthday

I can't believe it.

My beautiful baby boy is not a baby anymore.  He's officially two years old.

Yesterday, I called my best friend, his "Auntie" Rita and left her a message.  I was thinking to myself that 2 years ago, I was in labor with Nicholas and she was flying back from a trip to visit her family in the Seattle area.

Time certainly has flown by these last two years.

It's been AMAZING to watch him grow.  Sometimes, when he does the things he does, I can hardly believe he's my child.  And then he has a temper tantrum, and I KNOW he's my child! ;o)

He's talking SO much these days.  If you say a word once in front of him, he'll repeat it at some point.  He even uses his manners.  Most days, he'll say "Thank You!" in his sing-song voice, when you give him his breakfast, or a toy he'd like to play with.  We're still working on "No Thank You" instead of just "No..." and I'm sure one of these mornings he'll surprise me with that.

If I had to count up ALL of the words he says, I'm sure it'd be close to 100 or more.

He can count up to 20.  Now that he can do that, it's time to teach him how to count in Italian!  He also has taken to counting backwards lately...from 10 down.  Must be from watching "Special Agent OSO" on Playhouse Disney.

He's FASCINATED with shoes with laces.  Again, probably from Special Agent OSO.  The GREAT thing about his OSO addiction is that I can *usually* get him to do something by singing the "Three Special Steps" song.  USUALLY.

What else is new with him?  We got him a Medic Alert bracelet.  You can see it in some of the photos that I've posted.  We go to the pediatrician on Friday and then return to the allergist later this month.

Today was a WONDERFUL day.

It started off with Nicholas greeting me with a HUGE smile and a "Hi!"  Still no "Hi Mommy"...I don't know if I've shared this but he's stopped calling me Mommy.  He knows that I'm Mommy - he just refuses to call me that.  Sometimes he calls me "Dee" and we *think* it's from Christina but we're not 100% sure.

We had breakfast, and then my sister stopped by and surprised him with birthday balloons (which he LOVES) and some presents.

We then opened a present from his birthday buddy - it's his friend Colton and MY friend Lori that live in Maryland, almost in Delaware.  He LOVED his gift!

Tonight, we went to dinner at Red Robin. They have a GREAT allergy menu that tells you what foods you can safely have, depending on your allergy, so we like it there.  It can be a bit loud at times, but when you've got a defiant toddler, that's not always so bad!

We followed up dinner with a trip to St. Patrick's Church, to say hello to our Mosaic Grief Group friends.  They had a meeting tonight and we couldn't stay, so we stopped by and they were able to say hello to the birthday boy.

Tomorrow, we're hosting a Birthday Playgroup with some of my friends and their children (also Nicholas' buddies) and on Sunday we'll celebrate with our families.

I'll post some pictures tomorrow!  It's a bit late and I need to get to bed!

All about the threes.

Today is the thirteenth of September.  And today marks three years, three weeks, and three days since we met Angelina and said goodbye, all at the same time.

In being SO busy with LAPOM, Nicholas' upcoming birthday celebrations, and my growing Christopher, it seems as though time FLIES, but at the same time, I can hardly believe SO much time has passed since that fateful month of August 2006.

I think of my girls EVERY day.  I miss them EVERY day.  And EVERY day, I give my boys a hug, knowing how blessed I truly am.

Walk for Food Allergy, Detroit MI

As you probably know if you're a follower of this blog, my oldest son, Nicholas, has a severe food allergy - to eggs.

In July 2008, I joined FAAN (Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network) in order to better educate myself, and to receive info about Food Allergies, such as alerts/recalls.

On Saturday, October 3, 2009, our family is participating in the FAAN Walk for Food Allergy: Moving Toward A Cure, in order to help raise funds to find a cure for food allergies and to educate others about its impact.

The walk is taking place at Kensington Metro Park, in Milford MI.  Check in is at 9am, and the walk begins at 10am.

We'd love to have you join our team and walk with us! If you can't join us, please consider assisting us with our fund raising efforts.Any amount large or small, helps us reach our team goal. Contributions are tax-deductible! Will you please help us?

My Personal Page - Donate Here or Join our Team!

Wrote another page in my Mommy Book...

Today was interesting. 

Started out with quite a few tantrums from my soon to be two-year old that thinks he needs to go outside in his PJs or half-dressed.I finally got him to eat some breakfast, and then we were off to go grocery shopping. 

I got one of those fun little carts with the car, so he could play while I was shopping, and it seemed to do well.  Christopher dozed on and off in the store.  It was a good trip, overall.

We get out to the car and I start to load things up.  You are probably realizing where I'm going with this...I put Christopher in, then put Nicholas in, then was loading the groceries when a store employee asked me if she could take my cart for me.  I said, "sure" and shut the back door.

And then I saw that the doors were locked.  And my key was on the front seat.  And Nicholas was eating cheese crackers. Luckily, my phone was in my pocket.

My first thought was "please don't choke while I call for help."  Then, I called Nick and asked him to call AAA.  You see, my wallet was in the car too, so I didn't have the number.  I do now - it's programmed into my phone.

He let them know that there were two kids under 2 in the car, and they were VERY fast getting to us.  Of course, it seems like forever when you're waiting there, watching your kids from outside of your van.

Needless to say, I've learned that I'll clip my keys to my belt loops and will keep my phone on me at all times, just in case.

I'm VERY proud of myself - I didn't panic.  Instead, I thought to myself - "Well, everyone does it once, right?" and then realized that this was my 'once'.

Top 10 Signs that you're a parent of a child with food allergies...

This was shared by a friend of mine from Scotland...interesting how it doesn't matter *which* side of the pond you are...food allergies are the same no matter what.

So this is for all my friends that have kiddos with food allergies...and for the ones without, so that they can see what we have to think about round the clock.

I think #6, #5, and #1 are my favorites.  #1 for sure!

10. You pack your toaster when you go on vacation.
9. The dog starts scratching and your four year old asks if "she's had a change in her diet recently."
8. You secretly wonder if Mr. Peanut is the spawn of Satan.
7. You bring a folder of research with you when you go out to eat.
6. Your child thinks that every birthday party is BYOCC:  Bring Your Own Cup Cake.
5. You are relieved to find out that the mysterious object your toddler put in his mouth at the park was only a rock.
4. You can read a food label and actually  KNOW what those 15 letter words mean.
3. You have to have friends who eat "normal" food taste anything that you bake b/c it all tastes great to you now.
2. You know what xanthum gum is, and you're not afraid to use it.
1. It's actually LESS stressful to volunteer to make holiday dinners than go to someone else's house.

Long over due updates; #4: CJK Update!

Check back here tomorrow - we have his 4mo well baby visit in the AM!  Here's a teaser photo for the meantime:
 

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UPDATE!  We had his well-baby visit this morning (thank you Monica for coming down and watching Nicholas so I only had to take in one child...) and Christopher is SO big!!!

He's 18lbs, 2oz!  And he's 27" long.  He's at the 90th percentile or higher for everything!  Keep in mind that Nicholas is only 33" tall and is 26lbs.  And he'll be TWO in a month!

The pedi was VERY impressed with his gross motor skills (rolling from tummy to back, pushing up, spinning in circles - both on his belly and his back) and said his fine motor skills were just fine.

We have a referral to see a pediatric orthopedist about his right foot - he has something called Metatarsus Adductus, which is where the bones in the foot turn in - aka, "crooked foot".  She didn't think it was too big of a problem but you do notice it more when he's bearing his weight/standing up.  So we'll see what the orthopedist says.

I'm a bit behind in my photos/videos, so once I finish getting them uploaded, I'll share them.  In the meantime, here's another teaser - not too shabby, eh?

 

My approach with Christopher is SO different than it was with Nicholas.  He's put himself on a sort of 'routine' so we just go with the flow.  I guess you could say I am sort of into 'attachment parenting' now (click on link for more info: Attachment Parenting by Dr. Sears)

I also am continuing to cloth diaper with Christopher (they're SO easy to use and SO economical - how could I NOT?)  Most of the time, though, I don't have to worry about changing poopy diapers.  Why, you ask?  Well, because Christopher also goes pee & poop on the potty.  Yes, I did say that my 4.5mos old goes on the potty.  It started as a kind of joke, b/c he'd poop right before bed every night, and I didn't want him to dirty his clean, nighttime diaper or poop in the tub, so I sat him on the potty and he pooped.  Well, then he did it the next time.  So in the last month or so, I've only had to change a handful of poopy diapers!  He'll also pee on the potty too.  It's not really a common practice in the US, but in other countries, where disposable diapers are not the norm, it's quite common.

And, of course I'm still breastfeeding.  A lot of people have suggested that I start him on food (tried some cereal last week out of desperation and he spit it out) and that I should give him formula so he'll go back to sleeping through the night (STTN) but why would I do that, when my body is made to make what he needs?  And if I'm having to get up at night, well, then, he's doing what ALL breastfed babies do...increasing my supply.  It's simple economics - the supply/demand relationship.  If the demand increases, then the supply increases...so I'll keep getting up with him (though it's MUCH easier now that I have him in our bed most nights).

Anyway...I've got to run, so more updates will be seen here shortly!

Edited to Add (ETA): Video from our trip to Cincy - he's quite a little talker!