The Army Crawl

Thursday, May 29, 2008

AJ is now getting around by doing the army crawl. He pulls himself all over using his upper body. I can't believe how efficient this mode of transportation has become for him in just a matter of days. I turn my head for a few seconds and when I turn back, I have to look around the room to find him. I guess this means that we have to step up the baby proofing throughout the house. We really didn't ever have to do much of that with Michael because he was never one to get into things that he wasn't supposed to. I have a feeling that AJ will be quite the opposite and will constantly be keeping us on our toes. I just hope that Frank and I can manage to stay one step ahead of him...at least some of the time! Attached is a picture of our mischievous one moving all about. As you can see, he has taken quite a liking to Michael's cars (much to Michael's dismay!)

Dendrophobia

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Did you know that Dendrophobia is the fear of trees? Ok, so I didn’t know either. That is…until I decided to look up exactly what it is that I think my son has.

We were on our way to a friend’s house last week for Playgroup and Michael decided that he didn’t want to walk by the trees to get to their backyard. At first I didn’t understand what the problem was. Then, I saw the fear in his eyes as he stood watching the branches of the tree swaying in front of him. I would normally have picked him up, but I just so happened to be holding our snacks, the backpack, my keys and 22-pound AJ at the moment so I grabbed his hand and reassured him that the trees were nice. He looked at me, looked back at the trees warily and then said to me, “trees get you” over and over. I realized that I was not going to convince him that those trees were not about to get him, so I tried to put my body between him and the tree as best as I could and gently nudged him down the small pathway to our friend’s backyard. As soon as he got inside their back gate and saw the balloons celebrating one of his friend’s 2nd birthday, he quickly ran in to claim a balloon for himself and forgot all about those scary trees!

I’m not sure what triggered this new behavior – maybe a dream, something he saw on tv (although he only watches cartoons/kids’ programming) or maybe something that we read in a book. Whatever it was, we will start working on showing him how nice trees are!

Time Out

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Michael never ceases to amaze me. This afternoon he was playing with AJ and got a bit rough and tapped AJ lightly on the head with a toy. I think that he did this to get my attention because I was busy cleaning up after lunch. I went over to him , told him that we don't do this and proceeded to take the toy away from him. I then went back to the sink to finish the dishes. About two minutes later, I turned around to check on the boys and found Michael sitting as still and quiet as a statue in the corner of the sunroom facing the wall. He put himself in time out! Can you believe it? He continued to sit there for another minute and then got up and went to play. He is such an easy-going, obedient child.

Although, I should warn you...you never get two of these! I can tell you now...AJ is a spunky one already! :-)

Sweet Dreams

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

My favorite time of the day is nighttime, specifically bedtime. I look forward to each of the boy’s bedtime routines. When it’s time for bed, Michael will choose a few books and we cuddle up on the couch and I’ll read to him. Once we’re done reading, we head upstairs to his bedroom and sit in the rocking chair while singing the ABC song together. At that moment I realize that he is such a miracle and sometimes can’t believe how far he has come. After that, we pray and he climbs into his little fire engine bed and I tuck him in with his blue dog and blankie. He’s such a good boy and goes right to sleep.

As soon as Michael is in bed, I start feeding AJ. He is quite the mommy’s boy and loves his last feeding of the day. He gets so comfy that I usually have to wake him up a few times to make sure he is getting a full feeding. Once he’s done eating, he snuggles up and falls right to sleep. That is such a special time – there is nothing like the smell of a baby, the warmth of his tiny body and the sound of his heavy breathing against my neck. I can’t help but just sit there and hold him for a while. Then, I take him upstairs and pray with him. I pray for a peaceful night’s sleep. I thank God for blessing me with two little angels. I also thank God for giving me another beautiful day with my boys and more good health for them.

I appreciate these moments and try to remember each and every detail knowing that they go by so quickly. My boys are growing up a little more each day. Sometimes this makes me sad but I also realize that with each new milestone that they reach, there are so many new and exciting memories that we are creating together.

When you sit with your kids at the end of each day, are you enjoying and appreciating each moment you have with them?

A Special Mother's Day

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

A day that started out as a little bit of a bummer turned out to be great. Frank had to work from 7am until 10pm with a two hour break in between – just long enough to catch a nap. Frank made sure to bring me home a card and some flowers to make sure that I felt special, but it was tough knowing that he had to go back to work. I anticipated a quiet day with just me and the boys. We had just gotten home from church when a friend of mine called and asked if we would like to join her and her family for a fun day at the Philly Zoo! I was so excited. I have been wanting to take the boys to the zoo for a long time now and have not had the opportunity!

I gave Michael an early lunch and put both boys down for a nap before our big adventure. By early afternoon, we packed up and headed out. Both of the boys had so much fun. The weather was great, so we did the outside exhibits. We were able to see some elephants, giraffes, zebras, monkeys, rhinos, hippos, lions and tigers – just to name a few!

Our friends were so thoughtful to include us in their special family outing. Again, I am feeling really blessed to have such amazing friends!

This turned out to be an extra special day! We can’t wait to go back again sometime when Frank can join us. Michael will love showing daddy all the animals that he saw!

I hope all of you mothers had a very special day!

Friends

Saturday, May 10, 2008

This past weekend, I was reminded of what a wonderful circle of friends I have and how thankful I am for them. We have become so close and have shared some really awesome experiences together and have been there for each other whenever any of us go through difficult times. They have stuck with me throughout the good and the bad and are always there to support me.

The past few months we started planning girls’ nights where we leave the kids with our amazing husbands and meet up to eat, play games, talk, etc. This past Friday was one of those designated nights. I had been planning on going for weeks, but by Friday wasn’t sure I still wanted to go because I had been having a rough week. Knowing how much fun I usually have, Frank encouraged me to go. I have to admit that he’s usually always right, so I listened to him and dragged myself to my friend’s house to meet up with ‘the gang’. As soon as I got there, I was immediately glad that I had gone. They are always so supportive, loving, caring, fun, not to mention hilarious! I am so thankful for all of them. I had a great time and felt so much better by the time I left. I am so glad that I have a husband who encourages me to get out and have fun and friends who will always be there for me.

So the next time you feel like I did, call on the friends that you trust and get out and have some fun. Friends and laughter are the best medicine on a gloomy day!

Sitting Up

My big bundle of joy, AJ, has finally decided that sitting up is pretty cool. Maybe he’ll try doing it more often! Yay!!!!






Our Day at the Park

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Last Saturday was such a beautiful day that we decided to take the kids to the park. We had a really great time. It was wonderful to see the boys playing and having fun together. The boys enjoy each other so much. Here are a few pics from our day at the park.