catalog of ailments

This winter has been especially brutal in the Blake household. I have tried maintaining a positive attitude about all the illness that we have suffered, thinking it's just because the kids are all little or because we are exposed to new strains of viruses now that we live in a new area...
But this weekend just about broke me. Seriously. I'm done. My right eye is infected and was swollen shut for a day and a half. When I could finally open my eye, I quickly realized that the gelatinous red pus that was supposed to pass for my eyeball was best left unseen, and proceeded to close it much of the day (especially when children were present). This latest ailment got me thinking about how ill we have been since the new year and the results are staggering.

Since January 1, 2009 I have had bronchitis and pneumonia. Alex had a ear infection, bronchitis and a virus that caused him to run a fever for a couple days. Devin and Isabel also shared that virus, each getting ill a few days after the other rallied. Devin also had an ear infection and a stomach virus. Isabel had two ear infections and ear tube surgery, and now I have an eye infection. I am amazed not only at the volume of illness that we have faced, but also at the one name that is not part of this list. With the rest of us fighting various plagues (and looking rather nasty at times, I might add) Andy comes through unscathed. I don't know how he does it, but I am damn jealous.

three miles

It has been a long time coming, but today I ran three miles. If someone had told me back in the summer of 2007 when I first got pregnant with Isabel that it would be nearly a year after her birth before I was running pretty normally again, I would have been very skeptical. But factor in the schedules and illnesses of three little kids (whose needs always come before mama's), a broken leg and pneumonia, and the timing doesn't seem as unlikely.
I am thrilled. I am finally starting to feel, and look, like myself again. Yippieeee!!

Lent

Devin missed school on Ash Wednesday because he was sick. When I explained to him that Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, he asked me if it was the time that all the candy was taken away (so clearly they have been talking about giving up things for Lent at school). I told Devin that people chose to give things up for Lent because Jesus made such a big sacrifice for us, and we all take a turn sacrificing something for him for the forty days until Easter.
Devin has decided to give up treats for Lent. In Devin's mind, treats include pretty much anything sweet except fruit. So that means no candy, no cookies, no cupcakes, no ice cream, etc... until Easter morning. I wasn't sure if he understood the impact that this would have on his world, so I asked him a couple times if this was what he really wanted to do, and he was certain. Then I reminded him (again!) that once he choose something to give up he has to follow through all the way until Easter. We compromised a bit, and decided that he would give up all treats except for birthday treats, since we have a couple birthdays to celebrate between now and Easter. As a sign of solidarity, I told Devin that I would give up treats also. Then he talked Alex into doing it too, although I know Alex does not understand at all, and expect that there will be a fall from grace on his part. =)
Devin first realized the impact of his decision when the pharmacist at Target offered him a lollipop while filling his prescription, and I reminded him that he gave up treats. The lollipop conversation was repeated at the bank yesterday and at the hair salon today. After school today Devin told me that he didn't have his snack at school because he had gummies from the estimation jar (and I heard mention of rice crispy treats from the student star of the week). I reminded him what he decided to give up for Lent, and I could tell he was starting to think that this sacrifice thing was a bum deal. I feel his pain (since my chocolate cravings are getting out of hand), but I think this will be a good learning experience for him.
What I am surprised at is how often 'treats' are offered to little kids. I never really thought about it before, but in the span of just three days, Devin was offered three lollipops from businesses, candy and a baked good at school and a cookie as part of his 'kids plate' dinner (we ate out tonight). No wonder we have a childhood obesity problem in the United States. Even parents like Andy and I who limit the fast food, deny the soda and treat dessert as an occasional thing still can't manage all the junk food available. Unbelievable!
I think it will be a long forty days for Devin, but I am sure that he can do it!!

valentine's day

I think it was my sister who asked the question, "When did Valentines day turn into Halloween?". I couldn't agree more. Last year at Valentines day I was shocked to realize that Devin was the only kid in his preschool class who handed out only paper valentines. No candy in special Valentines Day packaging, no valentines with the special cut-out to hold a lollipop, not even the candy hearts with the little sayings on them. He had Pirates of the Caribbean paper valentines, and I thought they were cool since they came with tattoos. Man, was I out of the loop.
This year, Alex's teacher asked that we all bring in non-food items for the kids to have a "goody bag" for Valentine's Day. One of the moms expressed her disappointment that he kid would miss out on all the good candy and fun associated with Valentine's Day, but I was thrilled. When we were kids, Valentine's Day had little to do with candy. My parents would give us each a small heart-shaped box of candy, but we never got candy from all our friends. The excitement was around which cool valentine your good friends selected for you. We would get the occasional candy hearts with sayings on them, but no one really ever ate them; I just read them to see if any cute boys gave me one that said "Be Mine" or "You're Cute".
However, for today's valentine exchange the kids were instructed not to put names in the 'To:' field, so that they could simply drop a valentine from each kid in each kids bag. Alex has picked specific valentines for all his buddies, but couldn't give them out that way, and Devin wound up getting two of his own valentines in his collection bag. So much for seeing if your friends picked good valentines for you, and forget about a note from a potential crush!
So when did Valentine's Day become all about the candy and not about a nice note from someone who cares about you? I'm not sure, but this is one case where I miss the way things were.

determination and a lesson learned

My brother Billy has this plaque on his wall that says, "You miss 100% of the shots you never take." I like this. It certainly reflects the competitive spirit that I think he and I share. It's simple really; if you don't try something you will never succeed at it. For as much as teachers may have said that Billy lacked focus in school, his focus and determination when it came to team sports was unyielding. I think that his successes were pretty impressive as well, both then and now.

I myself am more of an individual sports person. I have played a number of team sports and see a lot of value in them. I probably would still play volleyball if I knew of a co-ed league that needed a setter. But triathlon has become my sport, and I am starting to think about races this summer after a couple years off (pregnancy and a new baby followed by a broken leg will do that to you). I was running pretty regularly before the holidays and was pleased with my 'post broken ankle' progress. Then I spent a month being sick and going to the gym was a rare occurrence for me. But I am feeling better and actually getting back into it. Or so I thought. Today I decided to run again. I did half an hour on the bike and thought I would just hop on the treadmill for a mile. Clearly the lung capacity required when running far exceeds that of cycling, because I felt like hell. Seriously. When I got to the point where my chest just hurt and I sounded like I was going to pass out, I decided I wasn't going to make the full mile running. When I told Andy about this he was really encouraging and didn't say, "Why are you running? You're recovering from pneumonia, moron!", which I am fairly certain he was thinking. I know I pushed it. I know I need more time, but like the lesson from my brother's plaque, you don't know what you can do if you don't try.

love and trust

A week ago Devin was goofing around at the table during lunch and he flipped over his chair. Luckily he was fine, but he cracked the one of the spindles on the back of the chair. Andy and I were more concerned that he was okay, and neither of us yelled at him. We didn't need to. Devin was so devastated that he broke the chair that he cried multiple times during lunch.
Later that day I was getting ready to go out when Devin came into the bathroom and asked me if I still loved him even though he broke the chair. I was a little surprised at his question, and knew I needed to give it my full attention. I turned off my hair dryer and got down on my knees to look him in the eyes when I said, "Oh Devin, I will always love you. There is nothing that you can do that will ever make me stop loving you. Even when you make me angry I still love you."

And then I took it a step further. I thought about something that I learned in a training session about preventing child abuse; abusers will tell kids that they shouldn't tell their parents about what transpired because their parents won't love them anymore. So I told Devin that no matter what anyone said or did I would always love him. In a way I'm a little mad that this sweet moment with my little boy questioning how love works was, for me, tainted by something ugly, but I felt like I had to use this opportunity while I had his attention. Child sexual abuse is something that terrifies me. To volunteer in the Charlotte area Catholic schools or the church you need to take a training course on child sexual abuse and part of the course includes interviews with two sexual predators who talk about grooming their target victims (and the victims families) to build trust. It's horrifying. While we certainly learned some of the warning signs of abuse and some ideas about preventing it, the best defense that they articulated was communication; when a child thought something strange or inappropriate was happening and told their parents about it before it got to the point of abuse. So here I am, with my five and a half year old boy, trying to build his confidence that he can truly tell me anything.

Yesterday Devin and I were at the baptism of our friends daughter (while Andy was managing nap time for Alex and Isabel) and Devin kept wiggling and talking in church. After the hand signals failed me, I gave him my best 'You're Gonna Get It Mister' glare and motioned again for him to be quiet. When there was a break in the service Devin leaned over and whispered to me, "Mom, you'll always love me, right?" I chuckled, kissed him on the head and whispered, "Yes, Devin. I will always love you."

Alex

Alex, oh Alex. I love Alex. To be honest, I adore Alex. He has such a big, fun personality and he's hilarious. He really is. I'm probably too soft on him because I have such a sweet spot for him. Therefore, it's my own doing when he doesn't listen to me. I know this, and I am working pretty hard to change it.
Today when I picked Alex up from school (wearing his winter hat in a way that made his ears stick out), he literally jumped up and down when he saw me. Isabel was asleep in the car, and Alex climbed into his seat and pretended to sleep immediately. So he's sitting there with his eyes closed and a big smile on his face (because he thinks he's pulling one over on me) as I talked to Reid, the little boy we carpool with. Alex suddenly awoke when our conversation got interesting, after all he wanted to talk about the song that he sang in school today too! After we dropped Reid off, Alex got out of his car seat and into the booster that Reid was riding in, despite my telling him not to. I scolded him, but didn't yell because Izzy was sleeping. Sometimes scolding seems effective, and I think that he genuinely wants to be a good boy, but today he wasn't too bothered by what I was saying. We pulled into the garage and immediately Alex was out of his seat and Isabel was awake. I asked him if he woke her up (a major no-no) and he denied it. I asked if he was lying and he said he wasn't. I made him look me in the eyes and answer me. And I had no idea if he told me the truth, and no proof either way. In reality, she would have woken up shortly because the car wasn't moving, but I really wanted to know if he was being honest and I was really frustrated. Alex knew I was angry and he cried.
So we made our way into the house; Alex insisting that he didn't lie and he didn't wake Isabel, me frustrated that I didn't know if I was letting him get away with naughty behavior or not. Once inside, I was busy putting things away and Alex and Iz were playing. When I started to listen to what he was saying, I realized that he had just taken off Isabel's shoes and put them away, and he was in the process of putting her vest on the hook with his own. Not only had he put his things away like he's supposed to, but he also took care of his little sister.
And this is why I struggle with Alex. One minute he's being a little shit and I'm mad at him, the next he's being a total sweetheart and I just love to see that side of him.

genetics

Genetic composition is a funny thing. Isabel looks just like Andy. Everyone who sees her says so, and it's true. She has his coloring without a doubt, and she already has more hair than him (hehe) but the clincher is her huge chocolate brown eyes. She is absolutely Andy's baby girl. Some people ask me if it bothers me that she doesn't resemble me, but I think she's beautiful and would change nothing about her. Well, maybe not nothing. We went for her nine month checkup this week and despite all the good news about our healthy little one, we are headed to the Ear/Nose/Throat specialist on Monday to talk about getting ear tubes for Iz. It's not a huge surprise, since Devin and I have both been through it and because she has had a bunch of ear infections, but I'm a little disappointed. My beautiful baby appears to be a genetic replica of her father. And what is my genetic contribution to this little one? The bum ears. The eustachian tubes that don't drain properly to be exact. I like to think that I have a couple characteristics that would be a real benefit to my children. Andy says he hopes they get my natural athletic ability (he's jealous that I throw a tighter spiral than him), and Devin has my coloring, which I love (side note: combine that with huge eyes like his father and he's one lucky little boy). Alex is always singing, and I like to think that I have an positive contribution there also. But Isabel, well so far she has my ears.
Let's just hope she gets my ankles too.

Happy New Year!!

The funny thing about the holiday season is that no matter how fun and enjoyable it is, it's also such a time suck. Seriously. Buy presents, wrap presents, take pictures for Christmas cards, order, assemble and send Christmas cards, put up a tree; decorations; nativity scene; outside lights, hang stockings, read Christmas stories. Then add the social things, like class parties, making treats for class parties and spending time with friends and family. It's a lot. There are so many good and fun things that go into the holidays (and it truly is my favorite time of the year), but it's a lot. No wonder I haven't written in my blog since mid-November!!

This year we decided to drive to Chicago for Christmas (or rather the airlines decided when they raised airfare and started charging for every checked bag. Can you imagine how many checked bags and car seats a family of five with three small kids has?). Santa came the day before we made the trip, which was really fun. Devin was so excited that he was up at 3:10am looking down the stairs for presents under the tree. We held the boys off until about 6:30am and then the crazy shredding of wrapping paper began. They were done by the time Isabel awoke, and she had more fun trying to eat the bows than paying any attention to the presents. We spent most of the day in our jammies playing with the kids toys before we started loading up the car for our big trip. Over the mountains and through the fields (roughly 820 miles) to Grandmother's house we go.
So we loaded up a bunch of clothes, presents, books and countless snacks and left our 65 degree home at 7:30am. An hour and a half into our trip Devin vomited in his seat. I think it's safe to say that he gets car sick. Despite our auspicious beginning (and a big laugh about seven hours into the trip when Devin casually mentioned that his seat was stinky) we made it to my parent's house in just under fourteen hours (with a negative 70 degree temperature change). We were prepared to spend the night in a motel somewhere along the way, but the boys were motivated to get to Grandma and Grandpa's house and Isabel was a dream traveller as long as she had the company of a parent in the back seat.
We had a wonderful time in Chicago. We spent almost all of our time with one family or another, and really enjoyed our visit. There were they typical scheduling issues that cropped up (and the not-so-typical plumbing issue at my parents house), and unfortunately 3/5 of the Blake family got sick, but overall it was a good visit. Devin cried profusely when we had to leave his cousins, and it served as a good reminder why we visit. Yes, it's a long drive. Yes, we often get sick while there. Yes, there are tight quarters when you add five additional people to any household. But it is also among our favorite things to do, and something that our kids always look forward to - spending time with our families.
After a week and a half, we made it back to our house at 10:30pm on New Years Eve after another 13.5 hours in the car (this time without vomit). We tucked the kids into bed, unpacked the car and collapsed on the couch in time to ring in the New Year. I think we were both asleep within an hour of the beginning of 2009, but we have all year to celebrate. In some ways I am sad that the holidays are over, but I think we are all glad to be getting back to normal. Tomorrow all the Blake boys will be off to school and work, and Isabel and I will be running errands and getting the house back in shape (hopefully). Not particularly exciting, but sometimes the normal routine is a good thing.

Peace and happiness to all in the new year.

perfect day

Sometimes we have these amazing picture perfect days that remind us why we have made the choices that we have made. One of these days was on Tuesday when we took a family trip to the zoo. Andy had the day off of work and the boys were off from school, so we made a day of it. We drove the hour+ to the zoo in Columbia while Isabel napped in the car and the boys watched a movie. The day was beautiful; sunny and fall-like (or football game weather, as I like to call it) and everyone in the family was excited. The boys were obsessed with doing it all. We saw the trainers feeding the sea lions, we watched the lion cubs playing, we fed the giraffes , we saw penguins and more cool birds than I could ever name. Other than a minor scuffle over the map (which was quickly alleviated by obtaining a second map), the boys were well behaved. Isabel was absolutely content to be pushed around in the stroller and watch her brothers run around.
My friends in different situations sometimes comment that they can't imagine having three little kids, but this what we wanted. I often miss our friends and family in the North, but I absolutely love the weather here. Andy sometimes wonders if he should have pursued something more entrepreneurial than banking, but his job has afforded us a lifestyle that we love.
Devin's favorite part of the day was seeing the elephants, Alex's was the tigers, and I am pretty confident that Andy's was seeing the penguins. My favorite part was spending the beautiful day outside with my family. I can't imagine anything better.

big girl!

It's official. Isabel is a big girl. Well, let me clarify... she is still a baby but she has made huge strides this week. First of all, she can officially feed herself. Granted, at least half of what we put on her tray lands on the floor, but the other half goes in her mouth, and that makes her a very happy little girl. Second, she is mobile. She can get anywhere she wants to go within about a six foot radius, although how she gets there resembles more of an inchworm than a proper crawl. Third, she can push herself up to a seated position. It's pretty wild to walk into her room to get her out of the crib and see her sitting there looking for you. I think we will need to lower the crib mattress again.
But here is the biggest news - Izzy finally cut a tooth! It's not visible yet, but I felt it today. She seems to be in a fair amount of pain, so I hope she'll get a bunch of teeth now and just get through it all at once. My baby is getting big!

laundry boy

I have a cold. It knocked me down hard on Sunday and I am still losing the fight. So taking care of two little ones (Dev is at school) seems like a daunting task today. However Alex has been wonderful. In fact, Alex decided that he was running low on underwear (he has three pairs), so he proceeded to empty all the hampers for me. That means that Alex threw all the clothes out of the hampers (in his room, Devin's room and my room) onto the stairs and played in them until he eventually got them all down to the first floor. Then he loaded the clothes onto his blanket and dragged them into the laundry room for me. I love that he took this chore on all by himself, and figured out a way to get it done. Now if I could only teach him how to work the washer...

I ran!

I know it's not really that monumental to most people, since men and women have been running since the dawn of time and all... but I ran yesterday for the first time since July 5th when I broke my ankle during a run.
My physical therapy folks advised that I should start slow by alternating walking and jogging on the treadmill and eventually build up to the three or so miles I was running before the break (then I can go back to running outside, which is the ultimate goal). So I ran a quarter mile or more at a time, and made it almost a mile and a half before Isabel decided she was done in child watch. The best part is that I had NO PAIN afterward. I was good about icing my ankle that afternoon, but I didn't even need to take motrin or anything! Yippieeeee!
I am so excited.

i love face book

OK, I have a new addiction. It's Face Book, or FB for those in the know. I was hesitant to join at first, because between my email, texting and blogging, I just felt like I didn't need another method to contact people (and another place where I could fall behind on messages...). But it is just the easiest way to connect with friends. Not only have I reconnected with many many people from my past, but I also find it easier to stay close to the people that I miss. I think the coolest example is this: Annie (in MA) posted something vague about "John's surprise" and it sparked a lot of curiosity. When she finally posted what the surprise was, Joanne (in Vegas) commented on it, as did Andy (in my home...) and other friends. Normally I would have missed out on what Joanne had to say, and trust me that is something you don't want to miss! So in a way FB gives people in disparate places a method to easily communicate. You can write a proper message to someone, or just dash off a quick note. You can easily comment on what other people post, be it a picture, a comment, a status update. Also, uploading pictures to FB is a breeze. It's incredibly fast. Don't get me wrong, I can post pictures here, but it takes a while. I have far more pictures posted there (tempted yet?).
Plus, I am one of those people who likes to play mindless games on the laptop when I am relaxing in front of the TV. FB has provided a whole new category of games for me to attempt.

Enough of my singing the praises. If you don't have a FB account, get one. And send me a "friend" request. You won't regret it.

Isabel update

Now Isabel has a full blown cold in addition to everything else. You know how it is, snot running down her face, nose completely congested so she has to breathe through her mouth. That poses a real issue when she tries to do things like nurse or drink a bottle or suck on a binki.

So Isabel is totally snotty, has ear infections, hives, diarrhea and a bonus of diaper rash. Should be a fun weekend. Poor baby!

best laid plans

It's pretty amazing how quickly things can change. I woke to rain this morning and quickly decided that Isabel and I would have a mellow day at home while the boys were at school. I figured that we'd get lots of play time and I could knock a few thing off my ever-growing "to do" list while Izzy napped. But then I noticed the nasty bumpy rash on Izzy's tummy and legs...
She has been on amoxicillin for her ears since the 9th, but I thought any reaction to the antibiotics would have surfaced within days. Plus she had been on amoxicillin for her previous ear infection without any issues. So I thought it might be chicken pox (side note: Devin contracted chicken pox when he was two despite being vaccinated a year before. I completely mistook the spots for mosquito bites, since he only had about ten of them. Then I felt like a complete moron when I brought him to the doctor thinking he had a flu when he clearly had chicken pox).
But Isabel is indeed allergic to penicillin (amoxicillin being a form of penicillin) and the hives were our proof. She's on benadryl for the itchy hives (it will take a few days for the amoxicillin to get out of her system) and will start a new type of antibiotic tomorrow because her ears haven't cleared yet. In fact, the doc suggested that we keep her pumped full of motrin and tylenol for her ear pain and recommended probiotics for the accompanying loose bowels that the variety of antibiotics will bring. So Isabel has ear infections, hives and diarrhea with a bonus of diaper rash. We are pumping this little one full of so many meds it's crazy. Poor little baby!
I am hopeful that I can tackle a couple things on my list this weekend. We will see...

Isabel's wave

I came down from upstairs and Isabel was playing on the floor with Andy. When she saw me her face just absolutely lit up and she started waving to me! First it was a full arm wave and then she alternated that with a simple hand wave (think squishing fingers through playdough) . This continued for a couple minutes. Can my little princess be communicating already?

I did it!

I managed to pull off an Andy Blake quality meal for Andy's birthday. I made a yummy salad of greens with strawberries, slivered almonds and gorgonzola, marinated filet mignon (Andy grilled it for me) with horseradish sauce and cheesy jalapeno grits. We finished it off with a Triple Chocolate Cheesecake that was soooo rich! All of the recipes were provided by Andy (courtesy of Bobby Flay and Cooking Light), so I knew he's like them... but more importantly I executed. It wasn't easy though. Andy makes it look easy, but it's really not. At least it's not easy for me.
Happy Birthday Sweetheart!!

wonderful weekend

We had the best weekend. Bill and Belinda came to town for Isabel's baptism (they are her godparents) and it was really great. We all enjoyed their company; whether Bill and Andy were drinking beers and talking politics (and not agreeing, of course) or Alex was dancing with Aunt Belinda, or Devin was reading to Aunt Belinda, or both boys were 'sumo-wrestling' Uncle Billy... it was great. I wished their kids could have joined us, but I think it was wonderful to have them to ourselves too. It really gave my boys and Isabel time to get to know them better (since when the cousins are around the aunts and uncles don't stand a chance!) and it gave us some time to talk and catch up once my little ones were in bed. I miss having them around.
Isabel's baptism was great. She was really good in church and look adorable, of course (pictures to follow!). Afterward we had a really nice party with our friends, and I was so glad that our so many people were willing and able to join us. When the boys were baptized in Massachusetts, we always had our "chosen family" of friends (whom we have known for a long time) around us. Given that we have not been here all that long, I was glad that we had good friends to celebrate with us.
Devin started school today at St. Matthews. He was excited about going, but tired from the busy weekend. I really hope that everything goes well!

triumph of Achilles

My ankle was feeling really good. I had started back with yoga and was planning to start easing my way into running (first run/walk on the treadmill and build up slowly). I was still doing PT every day, but only going in once per week. In fact, I was feeling so good that I decided to wear heels to church last week (I have been wearing gym shoes or flip flops since I got the boot off). Clearly I wasn't ready, and the next day my Achilles started hurting. Not a constant pain, but a fierce twinge that would nearly make me stumble. This was new; my Achilles had been fine throughout the whole break, the boot and the PT.
I gave it a week of continued PT and some exercise, and nothing seemed to help. Ugh!! So I called my therapist and he suggested that I ease up on the ankle. Stretch, ice and rest. I am so frustrated! It has been almost three months since I broke the ankle and I am so ready to get back to a normal workout routine. I truly believe that I am a kinder person and a more patient mom (and genuinely more pleasant) when I work out regularly.

I know I need to give it time, but my patience is wearing thin. =(

the answer?

I think it's almost a little spooky. Understand, I had thought countless times about writing a post about how comfortable I felt in the Catholic church again, and how that feeling surprised me. I'm not sure what compelled me to finally write the post, maybe the homily on Sunday about gratitude? or maybe I just finally had the time to put those thoughts into words. Regardless... we got a call today letting us know that they have a kindergarten spot for Devin at St. Matthews. Was that some sort of godly response to my post? Did I pass some kind of test of devotion? Or is it just some unexplainable coincidence?

Whatever is it, we are thrilled!

finding my religion

A couple months after we moved to Charlotte we joined the Catholic church. In New England we were members of the Congregational Church, which is Christian but much more liberal than the Catholic church (female pastors, married pastors, accepting of homosexuals, etc). This was a good fit for our family, and we were genuinely happy there. When we came to Charlotte, we realized that there are far fewer Congregationalist parishes here, and we found many more fundamentalist groups. Since I grew up Catholic, joining St. Matt's is not a great leap for me. However, Andy was raised Eastern Orthodox and his exposure to Catholicism came in grammar school when he attended Immaculate Heart of Mary and was forced to sit in the very last pew during school masses because he was a heathen (although I don't think they ever actually called him that). I would be lying (and good Catholics don't lie) if I didn't mention that initially we joined the church because St. Matt's has a great school and we were skeptical about the quality of the public education offered.
Given his experience, Andy was understandably dubious about joining the church, but agreed to do so because he values his children's education. And then the rules began... in order to protect against people doing exactly what we were (joining the church for the school) you had to be parishioners in good standing for three months to get priority acceptance to St. Matthews. In order to prove that you were active parishioners you had to go to church every week. It makes sense for the church to do that; I understand it. Now we were committed. I started going to church weekly with one or both of the boys, and even Andy joined us sometimes. I sang the familiar songs and listened to the familiar readings and responded all the times I was supposed to respond, and something interesting happened. I really liked it. I felt like I was where I was supposed to be. Now I understand that twelve years of Catholic schooling (and countless Sunday masses from the time I was a baby) can certainly contribute to the comfort I felt, but I felt it. I felt it more than I ever did at the other churches we attended.
But we did not get Devin into St. Matthew's for kindergarten; he is on the wait list. Things did not go according to our plan, and we are frustrated about that. It is especially frustrating for Andy who still does not feel accepted into the church and sometimes doesn't see an upside to our joining. But I do. This morning at church the boys brought to the altar the pennies (and quarters and dimes and nickels) that they have been saving over the last three months for "kids who don't have a house". Devin sang "Alleluia" and Alex made the sign of the cross (backwards, and with his left hand). They were quiet and respectful during mass and I was able to listen to the homily about being thankful for what you have regardless of what others may have. That seems to be a theme in my life lately - being thankful. I do not take for granted the wonderful man I married or the three beautiful kids that we have together. I am so grateful for our lifestyle; the fact that I can stay home to care for our kids, that we have a beautiful home and enough of what we need to be comfortable.
Today at church Alex thanked God that my leg was getting better and Devin thanked God for green trees. And then I thanked God for them.

Devin meets Devin

Last night we met Devin Hester, who signed our Devin's Tshirt. The boys also met Tom Thayer (for you old school Bears fans), who kindly gave them each a piece of candy. Leave it to my kids to mooch food from the football hall-of-famer.

All about Alex

Alex is a trip. At three years old he already has such a big personality and he's just funny. Tonight at dinner he was eating mango (which he told his teacher is his favorite food) when he suddenly said, "That's what I'm talking about..." - complete with the head nod. It was hilarious.
He is finally out of pull-ups, even at night! Alex is so proud of himself and really feels like a big boy. The other morning (after he successfully made it through the night keeping his very last pull-up dry) I was changing Isabel on the floor in the family room while Alex was getting dressed there too. I went to put Izzy's clothes in the laundry room hamper and came back to find her laying on her tummy with Alex's pull-up on her head like a crown (after all she is the princess, right). After I scolded Alex and told him to remove the pull-up from her head, I immediately called Andy to laugh about his latest escapade. At least the pull-up was dry.
Alex is a very determined little guy, which is a blessing and a curse. I love that he is able to button his own clothes and write his name and actually shoot a basket on the real hoop outside, but that means that we have to always leave extra time getting ready in the morning so that Alex can do every little task on his own (it's a good thing we are up before dawn for Devin's school after all!). And when Alex struggles to complete a task that he thinks he should have mastered, he gets so incredibly frustrated. I think it is amazing that he is already writing his name, but today when he made his 'e' backwards he scribbled out the entire thing.
Alex is still always singing, and his latest favorites are the Hokey Pokey or the love song from High School Musical ("What I've Been Looking For" for those of you in the know). He picks up on music so quickly that Andy and I have to be careful about what we play around him. The other day I caught him singing a couple verses of "Talk Dirty to Me" by Poison (courtesy of Guitar Hero, of course). Somehow I don't think that would go over well with the preschool staff. =)

all better

I saw my ortho yesterday and I am very happy to say that I am no longer in his care. My ankle break is completely healed and everything looks great. He anticipates that it will be a couple months before I am feeling completely normal, since I am still healing the ankle sprain, but the break looks fine. Now it's just PT to get my strength and balance back. Woohooooo!!!!
I am psyched.

into the swing of things

I'm not really sure about this school thing. People think that parents love school since it means that their kids are out of the house (and happy about it!) for hours on end, but so far school has been kind of a pain for me (and after all, it's all about me, right?). See, Devin has to be out of the house by 6:45 am to get to school on time. 6:45 AM!!!! Those who know Devin well know that he is like me in the morning, which means that he is in a total fog in the morning. While he has been doing well with his 6:00 am wake up call, he's not quite the same sweet kid in the afternoons that I am used to. I know he's tired, we all are. So, since school has started our morning starts an hour earlier than it did before, which just hurts. Now factor in also that Alex and Isabel take afternoon naps and you would think that I have little reason to complain. However, this summer I was lucky enough to get their naps to coincide most days, and Devin would have a "quiet time" while they were napping, thus buying me about an hour most days to relax or catch up on email, write in my blog, etc. Now, when I am able to get the two little ones down for a nap, I have to go out to meet Devin's bus. Since Devin starts school before dawn, he eats lunch at 10:30 am (seriously) so he's typically starving when he gets off the bus. So Devin eats a snack and by the time he's done Alex is awake.
Now the boys do go to bed a little earlier, but Isabel is not following their lead. So in total since school started I get up an hour earlier, lose my break in the middle of the day and my evening is equally long. How is the fourteen to fifteen hour day better than the summer?
I'm sure that the routine will improve once I get into the swing of things more and can figure out how to get some down time during the day. Otherwise I'll be counting the days until summer vacation more than the boys!

baby bling

Isabel is five months old now, and to celebrate her fifth month birthday we gave each other gifts. Isabel has given her parents the gift of sleep. I almost hate to mention it because I don't want to jinx myself, but Isabel has been sleeping ten to twelve hours a night without needing too much help from Andy or I for almost a week (with one very painful exception the night before Devin started school). Yippiieeee!
And we gave Izzy the gift of pierced ears. While she was not thrilled with them at the time of piercing... I am confident that she will grow to love her "pretty ears" as much as her cousin Kaley did as a little girl.

She is just so cute. I know I sound like Devin (who constantly gushes about his little sister), but Isabel is such a happy, smiley baby that you can't help but be taken with her.

This photo was taken minutes after Isabel woke up in the morning. It's hard to be grumpy in the morning when you wake up to such a big smile. I love it!!

growing up

Devin had his first day of school yesterday. It was an early morning, made more so my Isabel's hour long binki issues the night before, but he left the house with a huge smile on his face and looking adorable in his little uniform. He loved school. He came home singing new songs and telling me all about the rules (and about the girl who went on yellow her first day!) and asking if he could buy his lunch in the cafeteria. So school was great. The bus ride home was not. Devin's bus driver resembles a defensive lineman and when he yelled at the noisy kids at the back of the bus to sit down, he made quite an impression on the little kindergartner in the front row. Add to that new situation the fact that Dev was tired and hungry and I think a little overwhelmed by his first day, and we have the recipe for tears. Luckily he held it together until he got off the bus, but he told me that he was scared of his bus driver. We agreed to try the bus another couple times and if it doesn't work we will figure something else out. He told me that when school was over he just wanted me. That of course just pulled on the heart strings, but given that both Isabel and Alex were napping while I was waiting for the bus to come... he just might need to take one for the team. I am hopeful that after a couple times he will get more comfortable.


Earlier today I asked Andy to water my flowers. I didn't ask Devin to do it because we were headed out shortly and I knew if he watered the plants he would wind up soaking wet. A few minutes later I looked out the window to see Andy spraying both boys with the hose... best laid plans, right? So Andy walked over to talk to the neighbor and a minute later I saw Devin sneaking up behind him with a bucket of water. I couldn't see the actual attack, but later when Andy entire back side was dripping wet, I knew Devin was successful. now all three Blake boys needed to change clothes before we left, but I had to laugh - Devin is learning the art of payback. Between that and school, my little man is getting all grown up!!

the sweetest thing

I got the boot off my ankle and started PT on Monday - truly a momentous day in the Blake household. The therapist warned me that I would experience good days and bad days over the coming weeks (as far as strength and flexibility are concerned) and said that I have to be very careful not to overdo it. The good news is that when she evaluated me, she said that my flexibility was already much better than she had expected based on my break. So I have been diligent about my exercises (and about elevation and ice), and I am slowly building my strength. I've even tried swimming a couple laps at the pool. It will be a long road back but I'm so excited to be at this point!
On Monday morning when I was getting ready to go to PT, Alex came into my bathroom and noticed that I wasn't wearing my boot. When I told him that the doctor said I didn't need to wear it anymore he got so excited that he ran up to me and hugged me saying, "Thank you Mommy!" I'm not sure if he is truly grateful that this impediment to his "normal" is finally gone, or if he just recognizes that this is a pretty significant thing for our family and doesn't have the words to express his excitement, but it was the sweetest thing. I love that little man.

heinously overdue photos

I apologize that it has been ages since I have posted photos to my blog. I hope these are worth the wait.

The 4th of July parade.

The best part was climbing on the fire truck and getting sprayed by the fire hose at the end.

Life on the couch with a broken ankle.

Izzy the Builder.

I love that naked little bum. Nothing says summer like eating a snack in my birthday suit!!
Isabel loves her grandma. The Blake family.

ankle update

We are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I get out of the boot in three days. Three days!! I am so excited. Andy keeps warning me that it will not be the pure bliss (and full functionality) that I envision, but I am excited nonetheless. When I got off the crutches and started walking on the boot I limped along for a couple days until I was able to sustain weight on my leg. I know that I will be sore and hobbling for a couple days, but I am hopeful that with physical therapy and persistence I will rebound quickly.
Our summer is slowly coming to an end. Devin starts Kindergarten next week. They stagger the kids start dates so each day 5-8 kids come in for a full school day and once all the kids have done that they bring everyone in together. So, he will go Friday the 22nd, and won't be back until the following Friday the 29th. I'm a little excited about the extra week, since I am kind of sad about him going to school five full days. My little man is growing up!
Isabel slept eleven hours the other night. Wooooooohooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is not consistent yet, but she is really starting to stretch out her overnight feedings. I am ecstatic.

BTW - this is officially my 100th post. Can you believe it?

crutch-free

I am officially crutch free. I have a couple weeks left in the boot and then I start physical therapy. My ankle flexibility is non-existent and I'm pretty sore, but I am so glad to be off the crutches! Actually, I think we are all thrilled. The boys are ready for Mom to be back at full force, and Andy is excited to have some help at night. We're finally getting closer to normal.

my sweet baby girl

O.k.
So she is making us a little crazy with the eating at night thing. I realize that we may have been spoiled by Devin and Alex, who slept eight hours straight by about three months old. But we are all very ready for Isabel to sleep through the night and she is instead getting up every three to four hours! Ugh!
But I still absolutely adore this little baby girl. We had her four month check up yesterday and she is getting big. She is 25 inches long and 13 lbs 11 oz. She is still pretty long and skinny, but the doctor said that she is doing great. Now if we could just get her to sleep...

pros and cons

There are a few good things that have come from my ankle break. For one, being in a cast and unable to walk has really lifted the pressure that I was feeling about getting back in shape after having Izzy. Now when I go to the pool, I really don't feel self-conscious about the extra baby weight at all (granted, I'm not in a bathing suit anyway since I can't swim). We live in an area where there are a lot of very fit 'soccer moms', which can be a little disheartening post-partum. Now I'm not really all that worried about it because there is nothing I can do.
Also, it has forced the boys to really step up and help me. Devin can now get most of his breakfast on his own (he needs help with the milk for his cereal) and Alex will hear me coming down the stairs and call out, "Mommy do you need help?". Then he will come over and carry my crutches down for me. They have always had 'jobs' to do, like take out the recycling, put away clean silverware, clean up their toys, but this has taken things to a new level.
The biggest down side of breaking my ankle isn't really the injury (although I am a little concerned about my skinny little peg leg, and about my lack of ankle flexibility) but the impact that is has on Andy. Isabel has been getting up to feed twice each night for the last couple weeks. That means that Andy has to either feed her or bring her to me and then put her back to bed once I'm done feeding and changing her. Plus, he needs to get up every time she loses her binki and needs help. For that reason alone I hope that I am able to get off the crutches at my appointment next week - so I can carry Isabel and let Andy get a decent night's sleep for a change.

thank goodness for Mom

My mom is such an amazing help. I don't know how we would have made it through Andy being out of town without her. The first day Devin spiked a fever and that night he threw up. It was actually kind of funny. At 3:00 am he came running down the hall crying and throwing up into a bucket. When he got to my bed (because I can't get around very well with the broken ankle) he handed me the bucket and said that his tummy didn't feel good (which I had clearly guessed already). Once we got his face wiped and my mom cleaned out the bucket, he was sitting on the floor waiting for me to get him some Motrin and he started singing, "Everybody dance now...". There was one more vomiting episode in the morning, but by the afternoon he was eating like crazy and playing basketball. However, the second vomiting episode coincided closely with me nursing Isabel and Alex splitting his lip. I needed three sets of hands and two functioning legs to manage it. Thank goodness I had Mom here. Then later Alex whacked himself in the eye with a hard plastic bat, so he looks like a boxer, or like social services should be called on his parents. Andy is back and my Dad is here too, so we have a better ratio going for the next few days. The kids are all loving the extra attention and affection from Grandma and Grandpa, and I think my parents are enjoying the little ones (especially that smiley little Isabel!).

Izzy's weight class

Andy and I are convinced that Isabel is trying to "make weight" like a boxer or a wrestler. She's trying to go from lightweight to heavyweight in a short amount of time, and eating like a machine to achieve this. The last couple days she has been eating every other hour during the day, and every three or four hours at night. This comes after she gave us a little taste of what life could be like by sleeping nine hours one night. What a tease! Needless to say, Andy is thrilled about the increase in nighttime feedings, since he has to either feed Izzy or bring her to me every time (and has to get up to give her the binki countless time each night after his crazy long day of working and taking care of the kids and the house). Her full cheeks and chubby legs sure are cute though. =)

we're getting by

Everyone is asking how we are doing, so I thought I'd post a quick update. All things considered we are doing really well. I am able to get around more now that my pain has significantly subsided and I am getting much better on crutches. Andy is unbelievably busy taking care of breakfast and dinner every day, doing laundry, bathing everyone (much as he is nervous bathing the little slippery baby, he thinks he's a better candidate for the job than I), cleaning up the kitchen, putting the kids to bed and carrying Isabel anywhere that she needs to go. Oh, and he's working full time too. The boys are both being very helpful, but their help is sometimes terrifying. Today Devin got a band-aid from the bathroom cabinet for Alex. When I went to the bathroom a little later I discovered that he reached the band-aid by climbing on a stool that he put on top of the toilet. While I have to give him props for his ingenuity, I clearly have to review with him which items are acceptable for climbing.
The person most enjoying my lack of mobility is Isabel. She loves hanging out on the couch with Mom. She even takes all her naps on the couch, since I can't carry her while I'm on crutches. Any guilt that I was feeling about her getting shuttled around to all the boys things and spending too much time in her car seat is long gone, since she is getting more time with me than I ever thought my third child could get. I think we are both enjoying that though.
I am extremely grateful to my friends who have been absolutely wonderful about helping us. We have friends who are driving my kids to camp and swim lessons, bringing us dinner, inviting the boys over to play, picking up groceries for us, and even coming over to help me get Izzy into the car when I need to go somewhere. While Andy and I both feel bad about being so needy, we recognize that we truly cannot manage on our own right now. Even though we have babysitters coming daily to help with lunch and things around the house, we still rely heavily on our friends, and we feel so lucky to have made some wonderful friends in such a short amount of time.
We are calling in reinforcements this weekend though - Grandma is coming! Andy has to travel next week, so my Mom moved her trip up (she and Dad were planning to come later in the week) and has extended her stay until I am (hopefully!) off crutches. I hope that she is able to give Andy a little breather, since he has been pulled in a lot of directions lately and he definitely needs (and deserves) some down time. I know that I'm not the only one counting the days until I go to the ortho again.

four weeks

Sometimes four weeks seems like it passes so quickly, and other times it feels like an eternity. I wonder how fast the next four weeks will go by, since I need to stay off my ankle the whole time. The doctor put me in a boot (that I can remove only to shower) and told me to use my crutches and don't put any weight on my leg for four weeks. Then I will get to wear the boot for two more weeks when I can start walking on that foot. So I will spend the remainder of the summer in a hot, sweaty boot, hobbling on crutches for most of the time.
As my mom put it, I guess it was time for me to slow down.

unbelievable

Maybe I tempted fate, or jinxed myself. See, I mentioned that we had an easy July ahead of us, with no vacations, no big house projects, no real plans other than my parent's visit later this month... but July will be anything but easy now. Yesterday (in an attempt to return to a normal fitness routine and get in shape again) I went for a run. I was less than half a mile from the house when I fell. My foot came down on an uneven part of the pavement (where the street meets the curb) and my ankle twisted and I went down hard. I limped about a block before I waved down a passing car and asked for a ride home (thank goodness we are in a friendly neighborhood!). Within half an hour the outside of my ankle was the size of a tennis ball. We waited a couple hours (but followed the ice/elevation/motrin protocol) before going to the ER. So a couple Xrays later we found out that I broke it. To be specific, I have a hairline fracture of the fibula. They immobilized my leg, gave me pain meds and crutches, and told me to stay off of it until I can get in to see an Ortho (hopefully Monday!). The ER doc thinks that I will either be in a walking cast or a boot for a few weeks. I just know that taking care of two kids and an infant while on crutches seems impossible. At this point I am not a whole lot of help with anyone other than Isabel, and that is because she is very content to hang out on the couch with me. Andy has been wonderful and our friends and neighbors have been very helpful. However, this will be a challenging week.

amazing photos of my boys

The last morning of our trip I grabbed my boys and my camera and headed down to the beach. The result was a series of the most amazing pictures of Devin and Alex. Some of the pictures are just cute, and some of them really show the close, fun-loving relationship that these little guys share. Here are my favorites.

three months old

Isabel is three months old.
I know that she is still a little baby, but this feels so big to me. When Devin was three months old I went back to work, which was difficult for me. The only thing that kept me sane was knowing that our friend Kristen was taking wonderful care of him.















I am really enjoying Isabel as a little baby. I guess it's because I know that she is my last baby, but I am in no hurry for her to grow up. That being said, I love the stage that she is in right now. When she sees me or Andy or the boys she absolutely lights up. Like Alex, she smiles with her whole face, and she just gurgles and laughs; it's adorable.



I can't decide which of my babies is cutest in this picture. They all seem to have a little something sweet about them.

vacation photos

We had a wonderful time on vacation. The boys went from the beach to the pool to mini-golfing and back to the beach. It was pretty much a kid's paradise. I think the adults enjoyed themselves too. After working much of Father's Day, Andy decided to leave his Blackberry at the condo when we went to the beach (woohoo!). He also played a little golf, but not as much as I would have thought. Aunt Jo read two books and I managed to watch a couple movies and go for a few runs. But we mostly hung out on the beach playing in the water with our two little fish. Izzy was such an easy-going baby. She chilled in the tent on the beach with us every day with few complaints. She's such a sweet girl.

In this picture the kids are all hanging out in Alex's bed in the morning. Devin and Alex shared a room and loved climbing into a bed together to watch TV in the morning.







Some pictures of us playing on the beach.













This picture provides a glimpse of the gear required to take care of three small kids on the beach. We have a tent for Izzy, but both boys are napping in the tent in this shot.
















Beach front dining. There's nothing finer...

Happy Birthday Devin!!

Can you believe that I have a five year old now? Seriously. Five years old.

Devin loved being at the beach for his birthday and asked if we could spend his birthday at the beach every year. Wouldn't that be nice. Happy birthday Devin! And Happy Father's Day to Andy too. The last time Andy shared Father's Day with Devin's birthday was the day that Dev was born... and what a life changing day that was. Happy birthday you big five year old boy! I love you.

I miss my friends!

We had a wonderful visit with Annie and Loretta. It was so great to spend time together and to catch up. I loved introducing Isabel to her 'Aunt Mo' and I really enjoyed spending time with Annie for a few days (it felt too short!). Of course we have stayed in touch via phone and email, but there is nothing like spending time together. The only thing our weekend was missing was John (and Caroline, of course). We are really looking forward to seeing them in August.
The boys talked about Loretta for days after she left, and Devin wanted to call her to make sure that she knew we are coming to in August "so she won't miss us so much." How cute is that? Even Andy commented numerous times that it was a great visit and that he misses the Tarnuzzers a lot. It is hard to be far away from such good friends.

This week was mayhem. Between getting ready for our beach vacation and having contractors working on the kitchen for days, things have been a little crazy. The kitchen looks great though. We still have some cleaning to do (since every cabinet gets nasty when counter tops are being replaced) and the dust is still settling from them cutting the island wall and the granite for the cook top, but I am quite pleased with our updates. We have some detail work to do, like re-grouting the line between the counter tops and the back splash and touch-up painting, but that will happen later. July shouldn't be too busy for us, so we will probably tackle those projects then. Aunt Jo arrives tonight (fingers crossed, since she has already been delayed) and we head to the beach tomorrow. We are all excited. The boys already have their back packs in the car and have been 'helping' Andy and I get ready since this afternoon. They can't wait. I am hopeful that there will be some R&R for us this week, although juggling three kids on the beach may not allow for that. =)

Summer is here!!

The boys finished school two weeks ago and our summer season is fully underway, complete with hot the weather and with me taking on three kids for the next three months. So far we have been doing great, but I have had a lot of help. Last week Andy's family visited and the boys were thrilled to have the extra attention. Andy and I even managed a date night too! This week has been all about the pool (especially since the temperature has been in the high 80's and 90's) and getting ready for Annie and Loretta to visit (on Friday - can't wait!). Next week our kitchen work will commence. We are replacing our counter tops with granite, changing the island configuration, adding a hood and running a gas line for a new gas cook top. The following week we are going to the beach (woohoo!) and the week after that the boys go to day camp at their preschool. After that the Shaffer's (Phil, Karen & Samantha) will visit us right before the 4th of July. This will be a very busy month; it's a good busy though, with all kinds of fun things happening.
Today we are planning to take the boys to a triple-A baseball game (Pawtucket Red Sox vs. Charlotte Knights), weather permitting. The game is at 7:15, so I hope it won't be too crazy hot by then. We'll see. This morning we are headed to the gym for a Mommy yoga class (the boys will go to childcare, but this class is one of three weekly pre/post natal classes offered at our gym where the instructor makes modifications for growing bellies and babies are welcome to stay in the gym near Mom while she works out. How cool is that?). After my workout I will likely take the kids to the outdoor water park at the gym for an hour or so. They love it! It has a shallow area with some little slides and a huge spray area that both boys can use, and then there is a lap pool with two sets of water slides that Devin can use.
Isabel and I mostly hang out in the shade, but I have put her little feet in the water a couple times. Izzy is doing great and sleeping a full six hours at a time most nights. We are nowhere near having a predictable schedule yet, which makes for some difficult planning sometimes (like yesterday morning when I wanted to swim before Andy went to work. Our neighborhood pool opens at six am for adults only lap time and I planned to get my first swim in after nursing Izzy, but she slept until after seven!), but she is great.
I now have Alex in my lap while I type, Devin is standing next to me with a book ready for "story-time" and Izzy is starting to stir in her crib. My time is officially up!

not such a big girl

Isabel had her two month check up (already she's two months old!) and she is doing great! She is 10lbs 5oz and 23.25 inches. She no longer looks like a newborn at all, and everyone comments on how long she is (75th percentile... not bad). Since I am in no hurry for this baby to grow up, I am a little sad that she's already getting so big. But I am absolutely thrilled that she is healthy, of course. When I got home I checked the boys' growth stats, and realized that she is not that big compared to her brothers. When Alex was two months old he was the exact same length as Izzy, but he was two and a half pounds heavier (many of you remember those amazing rolls in his thighs, I'm sure) and at two months Devin was 3/4 of an inch longer (24 inches) but he was three and a half pounds heavier. So she's not such a big girl after all. =)

Speaking of big girls, today is Loretta's third birthday! Happy Birthday Retta!!! Devin and Alex wanted to call her this morning to sing, but I knew Loretta would be at daycare and then I completely forgot to call this evening. The boys will be anxious and excited to call tomorrow, so I hope the Tarnuzzers are ready for an early morning phone call complete with some enthusiastic singing! We love Loretta in this house.

anniversaries

This is a week of anniversaries for us. First was our wedding anniversary (our seventh). Sometimes I can't believe all that Andy and I have done, been through and accomplished in a mere seven years. We're on our third house, third child, third job for me (if you count staying home as a job - which I certainly do!) and third job for Andy (which is an accomplishment in itself, since he was changing jobs far more frequently before our wedding). With the multitude of things that need to happen and people who need something from us in our daily lives I think we sometimes lose our focus on the love that brought us to this place, and I am glad for a chance to regain that focus. Plus we get a date night, and I'm always happy for a reason to spend some additional quality time (i.e. kid-free time!) with Andy. =)
The second anniversary that we recognize this week was the third anniversary of Brianna's death. My sister and my family in Illinois maintained their tradition of sending off notes to Brianna on helium balloons. Annie and John maintained the tradition that we started of participating in the 5k road race to benefit Children's Hospital in Boston. And I think I have found a new tradition. I spent some time alone with my thoughts while walking in a beautiful wooded park near our house. It gave me a chance to really reflect on Brianna's life and all the wonderful things that it brought to my family and to many of the people in our lives who were touched by Brianna in some way.
I also watched our wedding video for the first time in ages. It was so wonderful to see all the images of our families at such a fun and celebratory time, but also it is among the only videos I have of Brianna. There are scenes of her walking Andy's parents down the aisle, dancing and hamming it up for the camera and even trying to touch one of the chickens that escaped their pen during our reception (very brave!). But the image of Brianna that touches me most from the wedding is one of her cuddling Andy as he was holding her. Then she smiled at me and said, "Maybe I'll marry Uncle Andy."

I miss you Punkin, and love you forever.

dream baby

Isabel is still a wonderful baby. The last couple nights she has been sleeping five and a half or six hours a stretch! If only we could keep her brothers in bed then Andy and I wouldn't be so exhausted... but she's doing great. She started smiling a couple weeks ago and has been stealing all of our hearts with her little smiles and gurgles. It is truly adorable.

I loved this series of pictures and couldn't pick just one to post, since they each are cute in their own way.

This one is my favorite.

Tummy Troubles and misc...

We think that the dream baby has tummy troubles. It started a week and a half ago, but really got intense this weekend. Izzy would start nursing and then a couple minutes later she'd drop the latch and start screaming, arching her bad and hitting me. This would happen once or twice an evening. Not exactly a fun way to end the day. It was clearly upsetting for her and rather stressful for Andy and I. I took her to the doctor yesterday and they think she may have a mild case of reflux. They likened it to heartburn, which doesn't sound like fun at all. So Izzy is taking a low dose of Zantac and so far it seems to be helping.
Tomorrow Devin has the follow up appointment for his eye. It looks so much better already. I hope he gets the all clear to go swimming soon, since our neighborhood pool opened early this year and he is already asking to go. Not that we won't have ample opportunity to swim this summer, if I can figure out how to get them to the pool while keeping Izzy out of the sun. I can't believe that we only have three more days of school (actually one more day for Alex). I'm not sure if I'm ready to have these hooligans all to myself all summer long. In some ways I am looking forward to it, since we all enjoy mornings where we don't have to hurry out of the house. However, on these lovely schedule-free days the boys often get tired of entertaining themselves by late afternoon and they start getting "creative". Which means that I am counting the minutes until reinforcements (i.e. Andy) arrive. I guess that is where the margarita machine comes in handy. =)

Happy Mother's Day!

What a wonderful day! My day started with a sleep in morning (other than nursing Isabel at 5:45 am, of course). Then the men in my life woke me at 8:30 with breakfast in bed. Devin, Alex and I devoured Andy's creme brulee french toast, chicken apple sausage and the fresh cut strawberries and bananas. The only thing I didn't share with the boys was my coffee. =) Each of my children presented me with presents (even though Andy and I said we wouldn't do presents for Mother's/Father's day this year. His argument was that the gifts weren't from him...) and I love them all. After breakfast was digested I jogged down to the neighborhood fitness center to lift, came home for a shower and left for church with Devin. Those of you with three small children (or with a baby of any age) know that getting a workout and a shower in the same morning is an unbelievable luxury! After church, Devin and I went to lunch and did a little shopping (since he needed a new bathing suit and none of my shorts fit me yet). When we came home and I puttered around the house, played outside with the boys and held my little girl a lot (Izzy is going through a growth spurt. She nursed seven times today and had two bottles. Wow!)
This day was more relaxing and fun than I had anticipated. I have to thank my kids and my amazing husband who made it all happen! I am one lucky Mama.

Pirate Devin

Devin's surgery went well. The doctor said that it really couldn't have gone better. Other than the vomiting in the car on the way home, he did great. He had to wear an eye patch yesterday, and that really bothered him. We tried to talk up the whole pirate angle, but that only appeased him for a while before he decided that he really wanted the patch off.

There were tears, but he was much better this morning when the doctor said he was doing well and only needed to wear the plastic eye shield at bedtime. His eye is red from the trauma of surgery, but the doc says it should look better within a couple weeks. He doesn't seem bothered at all about it now.

quick update on goals

Hi there,
Aunt Jo and Eileen are here and we are having a great time. Since I would rather spend my "leisure" time with them than online, I'm just doing a quick update on goals.

Here is how I did on my goals for last week:
1) Finish Alex's thank you notes - done!
2) Clean bathrooms & vacuum before my sister and Aunt Jo arrive - done & done!
3) Catch up on email - blew that off again
4) Get some exercise - two walks, one pilates tape and one run! woohoo!!
5) Assemble and print labels for Isabel's announcements - done and sent
6) Get through to Alex about his behavior at school - we had a better week this week, so maybe?

This next week I want to get more exercise and catch up on email. Other than that I'm planning on laying low, what with company here and Devin's surgery and all. Dev is having eye surgery on Wednesday to remove a red bump (that the doctor likened to a mole) from the white part of his eye. Hopefully things will go well and the pathology report will come back with good news. =)

closure

It's official. We no longer own a house in Massachusetts. This was supposed to happen months ago, but we ran into an issue with the title and had to wait for the builder and the Shrewsbury conservation committee to sort things out. Luckily Wachovia was great about it and continued to reimburse our mortgage until the close, and the close finally happened today.
Andy and I are both breathing a sigh of relief. It's a little strange though to know that the house there is no longer ours. We really are Southerners now.