eatthefrostingfirst

Today we completed our 4th annual march for babies. The March of Dimes became near and dear to us after oldest and Zachary were born at 28weeks almost 5 years ago. It is so hard to believe it has been 5 years. The day of the walk is always so much fun but means a lot to me personally as well. It is a day that I marvel in oldest'saccomplishments, reflect on the past and shed a tear for the loss of Zachary. Each year we run into old friends and familiar faces. Today I ran into Dr Steven Ringer, the director of Neonatology at BWH and a physician who means a great deal to our family. I met Dr Ringer when I was admitted at 22wks. He sat in my room and told Dear Husband and I the chances of survival if I gave birth to the boys that week. He then told us what would happen at 24 weeks and that he hoped to be sitting along side of me at 28weeks painting a very different picture for us. He, like others at the time, could not predict our outcome. I had already lost a lot of fluid with both o...

my night time TV shows are back! It's been a long time since I've seen McDreamy (must say, am not a fan of Nurse Rose) and am still trying to figure out LOST but at least my nights will now be spent watching mind provoking shows and not repeats of Jon and Kate plus 8 or browsing which stupid applications I can add to my FACEBOOK page (addicting in a sixteen year old kind of way) On a random note...2 weeks from today I will be in the Bahamas, dining in some over rated, overpriced restaurant at the Atlanits and missing my boys something fierce yet at the same time, enjoying every moment of ME time!

The sun is out! It's time for short sleeves, capris (because who wants to see thighs?) and flip flops (which, if given the opportunity, I would wear twelve months out of the year) It's time for afternoons at the park, grilling dinners, fresh summer melons and ice cream trips to Bubbling Brook and Crescent Ridge . The ladybugs are hanging out on my window screens. Butterflies are outside our steps. Oldest is sneezing, youngest is coughing Oh yea, it's also allergy season!!!

Oldest will officially start Kindergarten this Fall. At the age of barely 5. This would not have been my first choice for him if it wasn't for the ideal placement that ourtown has to offer. (I probably would've held him back and started Kindergarten at the age of six as I most likely will do with youngest ) Oldest has severe speech delays. His language has caught up dramatically and is now at an average 4 yr old level (LETS HEAR IT FOR AVERAGE!) His speech however, very delayed. More like a 3 year old (he and youngest often sound alike) This is mostly due to oldest having a trach for almost 2 years and not being able to even babble. Part is also due to his poor oral motor skills (lack of eating, moving the jaw muscles and something called dysarthria . He is also extremely shy and a very "young" almost 5 year old. Because of his shyness, his social skills are a little, shall I say, lacking and his fine and gross motor skills- also delayed. Nothing huge really but cle...

Today I went to drop oldest off at preschool. His school is attached to the public High School. I see a police car and the kids are evacuating. I know immediately what has happened. Another bomb threat. This apparently happened last week but in the afternoon so oldest wasn't immediately effected by the evacuation. Today they told us to pull over in the parking lot and they would keep us up to date on what was occurring. At the time, there was no mention of the threat. I still knew. I waited along side with the other parents while my two boys were crying in the car. They both wanted oldest to go to school and I think, personally, they were frightened by their routine being in disarray. I, too, was frightened. It's scary enough to hear about bomb threats happening in schools but now that I have my son attached to these threats, it's darned right nerve wracking. After a few minutes of waiting I decided to come home. I figured it probably was a threat and I wasn't going to...

I think youngest may be ready to give up naps. I really cant believe I'm even saying it out loud because, honestly, I think my children should nap till they're 10, or at least until they are able to entertain themselves enough for an hour to give mommy her down time that's so needed! We are on day two of H-E double hockey sticks and today isn't much better. Wednesdays oldest has back to back speech and feeding therapy so I'm there for two hrs. Thankfully I have my blessed sitter to watch youngest during this time. Two hours of entertaining him at therapy is not what I consider, well, fun. Today wonderful sitters calls to tell me she needed to have her tooth pulled and cant make it this afternoon. No big deal really. Youngest looks exhausted because he was up at 6am and I'm sure will have a good nap. I then can manage to entertain him while oldest is at therapy. It is now 30 minutes into nap time and youngest has done anything but that. He has sung every song he...

Honestly, today's one of those days that I just don't get paid enough to do this job. Oh wait, I don't get paid at all! I can never call in sick, I often don't get a full lunch hour, I never get a coffee break to meet a girlfriend and I'm constantly breaking up fights between my colleagues (otherwise known as oldest and youngest) Today is no exception. Oldest, now 4 1/2, has become very fresh. He has learned to talk back to his Mother and puts up a good tantrum. Youngest is learning from the best unfortunately. Everything is NO and he refuses to share. Today we had "Marcie and Me" school (A mommy and me class that we've done for about 2 yrs and youngest adores Marcie and loves his "school") Today he insisted to wear his Diego Rescue Pack. Who am I to argue? When I encourage him to show his friends he says "No show friends!" He was a grouch all morning and refused to participate..unlike him really. I bought him a new toy that he ha...

My boys are great sleepers. They've been sleeping through the night for a very long time yet I still am awoken 2-3 times a night (if not more) What is waking me? My third child. Codie; our cat. She is driving me bonkers. She meows every night at 3am and 5am and various times in between. Often she will bring her cat toys into the bedroom wanting to play. I took them away and she still comes meowing. I need to then move over so she can hop on the bed and lie next to me..butt in my face. She stays there for all of 5 minutes, climbs across my night table, knocking over whatever is in the way, and then is off. Leaving me, wide awake with a snoring husband. I, of course, cannot fall back to sleep easily (unlike Dear Husband who doesnt have a problem falling immediately back to sleep..that is, if was ever awoken!) I then make my way into the office to sleep on the couch because his snoring is driving me crazy. I got my cat 13 years ago and she was a constant companion for me in my single...

DIEGO WAS A HUGE HIT!!

I love: banana daquiris with maraschino cherries, pizza, all things chocolate as long as it doesn't contain nuts, summer fruit, and almost all kinds of cupcakes. I prefer: Cookie Monster over Elmo McDreamy over McSteamy 80's over the 90's email over the phone (I know, it's really anti social but it's such a great way to communicate!) I dont like spicy foods, shellfish, citrus fruits and pulp in my orange juice. My first concert was Air Supply I used to drive a VW Rabbit Diesel and had to plug my car into an outlet on cold Winter nights so it would start the next day I did extremely poor on my SAT's and failed the written part of my learners permit test I love to write and secretly hope to have anything published some day. I adore being a mother, Im extremely impatient, would love to have liposuction if it wasnt so risky and pricey and would leave my husband if George Clooney came knocking at my door. (Sorry, honey!) I've watched GREASE more tim...

We bought tickets for a Diego Live show. The boys love Dora and think Diego is okay so I thought we would give it a whirl. Youngest is out of the Sesame Era already and figured this may be a nice change of pace for a live show. We've been talking it up for weeks and the boys were excited. Until today. Until I learned that the Diego show does not consist of people dressed up in the Dora and Diego costumes but actual, live, people pretending to be Dora and Diego (think Lion King vs Sesame Street Live). There happens to be a picture of the cast in today's Boston Globe and think this may be a nice opportunity to prep the boys that this is what the show will look like. Youngest takes one look, points to the woman who is playing Dora and say's "What's this?" Calmly and in my fake, wont this be fun, voice say "that's Dora! and look..there's Baby Jaguar and..." SAY NO MORE! He only hears that the woman is Dora and he starts in. "NO DORA! I want...

Oldest had a pulmonary follow up apt today with his wonderful pulmonologist, Larry Rhein. Larry is just one of the few amazing physicians who has seen my oldest thrive medically. Although I adore seeing him, I thank the lord we only have to make the trek into Children's a few times a year now. The days of daily/nightly visits into Boston are a thing of the past and Im thankful for many reasons. The main reason, naturally, is our son is at home with us and no longer do we need to go "visit" him. Secondly, he is trach-less. No apparatus attached to him to schlep around. Thirdly, schlepping into Children's Hospital in Boston is, simply put, a pain in my ASS! Today was his six month follow up. Mind you, I was there two days ago with him for an audiology test. Nonetheless, we go in today, in the pouring rain. I pick oldest up early from school and it takes us exaclty 45 minutes to pull up to the Valet Service. I always valet because it's just much easier than maneuv...

10 more lbs. I keep saying I want to lose 10 more lbs. It's been almost 3 years since youngest was born so I dont think I can keep blaming these last 10 lbs on pregnancy. It's my own fault, I know. I gained 50lbs with both of my pregnancies and have no one to blame but myself for having the dreaded last 10 to lose. Even if it is 3 yrs later. To me, pregnancy was a license to eat. I even admit that I would go to Burger King drive thru because with both pregnancies I CRAVED BK Whoppers and then..yes, then, I would go to McDonalds for the fries bc as we all know, MCD's fries far surpass the BK ones. Ahh, those were the good ol' days. Eating and well, frankly, not caring. The lbs kept coming on and I blamed it all on the baby. After all, I was eating for two. I cant say Im eating for two anymore and the days of the two drive thru's are over but still, these 10 lbs seem to be here to stay. So when CAN I stop blaming it on the pregnancy??

I figured I would try to train both boys at the same time. After all, oldest is delayed and youngest, well, he is the youngest. So I try over Winter Vacation 6 months ago and within 24 hrs, he gets it. He tells me he needs to pee and he goes. He remains pretty dry yet refuses to do the big deed in the potty. That's okay. I read a lot and hear its pretty common so I dont push it. A few weeks go by, youngest is there. I brag to all who will listen. Oldest, not only does he not get it but really, just doesn't care to get it. Fast forward a few months and youngest regresses. He is now peeing in his pull ups, still not doing the deed, and takes a fit whenever I tell him he needs to sit (we arent into standing yet. Please, that's a whole other six months of work) I bribe with jellybeans. Hey, whatever works. Oldest...still not there. Still doesn't care. However, has a new found interest and now stares at his brother when he goes and needs to actually make sure there is pee...