Fall

Ok, I know it is winter here in lovely Michigan, but I am really looking forward to winter being over. I was looking at my pictures and found these that I took on my birthday in October. I just felt like sharing :)

I love the picture below. I don't mind the snow, it is pretty, fun to play in, but it gets difficult with 2 little boys. It makes for a few trips to the car to get everything and everyone in :) I am getting excited about all the things we can do this spring and summer. We have a pool, but are getting rid of it....I know, sad right!? I do love the pool but it takes so much time and money to keep it going. We don't have that big of a back yard either. With the pool gone, we will have a lot more room. And Eric's parents have a pool, so we will be there! I am already thinking of a sand box, a swing set, a garden for me, sleeping in tents, oh the possibilities.

I'm not a fan of winter colds. I had bronchitis the other week and now Oliver has himself a nice little cold. I feel so bad for him. He just looks up at you with sad puppy eyes. He is sleeping a lot and that is fine with me. He seems to be a little better today, so we will let the sleeping continue. I do have more pictures of the boys, but I'm not very good at uploading them to the computer. I really need to get better at that.

I got more hours at work which is nice. The job I have has nothing to do with my degree, but it is a job and my family needs it right now. My job is hard. I found out yesterday that I sprained my chest, yes, you read that right! I didn't know that was possible. But believe me, it is! It is not the most pleasant thing in the world. It will heal on it's own. It makes picking up the boys a little difficult, especially Jamie. Oh, my tailbone still hurts! I am just falling apart :) I plan on relaxing as much as I can this weekend. I am also planning on playing a lot with Jamie!

Go Pack Go!

I may live in Michigan, but I am from Wisconsin and therefore, I am a huge Packer fan. And, they just happen to be going to the Superbowl!! It is an exciting day for us. Jamie loves to watch football. He kept shouting, go pack go and yay touchdown! Even Oliver likes it. I know, he is only 4 months old but, he watches it and gets all excited....he talks more, kicks his legs :) We are going to have to get some updated Packer gear over here. I said in the beginning of the season that if they went to the superbowl, then I would get an Aaron Rodgers jersey (their QB).

Anyway, things are going well for us.....a little tough, but we will get through it. Eric has been working long hours and I am finally working full weeks. I miss being home with the boys, but my family needs me to work right now. The boys are growing like crazy! Jamie had to go to the ER the other week, poor kid. He tripped on some toys he was playing with and hit his eyebrow on the banister :( I was at work when that happened...I don't think I could have handled that. He didn't need stitches thankfully. They just put some liquid skin stuff on it. He didn't even have a bruise or a bump! Then, last week I took him in to see the doctor about his ear. He had tubes put in last May, but he was pulling at his left ear and saying that it hurt for a few days. I would rather be safe than sorry. His ears were clear and everything looked fine. I just figured it was bugging him because he is getting all 4 of his two year molars right now. This morning that same ear was draining....so, time for some drops and hopefully that clears things up. They weighed him last week and he is an even 35 pounds! I couldn't believe that. At his 2 year check-up which was the beginning of October, he was 32 pounds.....and he had been that weight for a few months. Oliver saw the doctor a couple of weeks ago and was 16 pounds and almost 27 inches. He had been crying hard, like something was hurting him. He had fluid in his ears so I'm thinking that was his issue. The doc suggested that we take a break from the rice cereal. I knew that wasn't the issue, just because the screaming had started before the cereal, but we tried it. Taking the cereal out, added another bottle to his schedule, and even a couple 10 ounce bottles. Then, all of sudden, the screaming stopped. We have been back on the cereal and oatmeal for while now. He loves it! I even gave him some peas the other day. We also started Jamie on food when he was 4 months old. I can't keep up with the formula! I only gave him a little bit and he did fine. He didn't spit anything up and didn't cry anymore than usual. He has his 4 month check-up next week.

I think it is time for a little snack and then bed in a bit. I have bronchitis and really enjoy my extra sleep! I had to see the doc last week also....man, sometimes I feel like we live there! I went on Thursday and she wrote me a note to be excused from work that day and Friday....I didn't even go in there looking for that, I just wanted help with my breathing! I did enjoy the time off and I really needed it. I got some nice naps in and extra sleep at night and that helped. Tomorrow at work will be a little rough, but I'll get by! The more I move, the more my chest hurts and the whole breathing issue comes into play. But, I got some inhalers and those will be close by :) Have a good night all!

Guilt

I have been feeling a lot of guilt ever since I started my new hours at work and tonight, I felt it even more. I am very thankful that I got more hours, I now get between 20 and 24 hours a week. I work for 2 hours a night, twice a week and then from 11:30 to 3:30 (most of the times, I am home by 3:30)....but, I am gone during lunch now and when Jamie goes down for a nap. I also have something on Wednesday nights at our church....that means 3 days in a row after Jamie wakes up from his nap, it is almost time to leave again. Tonight I got home from church and put him to bed right away....I feel so bad. But why? Our family needs to me work, I want to work, but I am having such a hard time being away from them. I wanted to cry tonight....and still do. I'm not going to quit my job at all, but I just wish it wasn't so hard right now. It is hard not seeing my boys or Eric. Jamie is going through this stage where he calls/whines "mommy" all the time and that breaks my heart when I have to leave. These new hours also just came up one week. So, Jamie went from having me home all day one week, to hardly at all the next. I look forward to the weekends even more now, even though they seem to go by sooo fast. I know things will get better, but when?

Christmas Vacation

Christmas Vacation....that is what I'm calling my time away from my blog. Things have been so crazy here. I needed time to think. Our family is struggling and that kills me. I know what we are going through will only make us stronger and better, but it sucks right now! I'm hoping that things are finally turning around. I got more hours at work and things are going well at work for Eric. But you know what, I'm not going to dwell on the bad things right now. I will focus on what is most important and that is my boys. I will do a Christmas post soon :)

Oliver is now 3 months old and is growing like a weed! He is 16 pounds....crazy, right?! We have to measure his height again at home. According to the nurse, he hasn't grown in a month...yeah right! He is maxing out his 6 month sleepers. I had to bring out the 9 and 12 month clothes tonight. He is wearing some 12 month shirts, but most of those won't fit for another month. At least I hope he can make it that long!

I love this picture of the boys. Jamie is such a good big brother. He always wants to help. Back to Oliver! He is smiling all the time. He has the biggest smile and the biggest brown eyes I have ever seen! I'm so happy that I got a brown-eyed baby :) He is such a wiggle butt also, a mover and a groover. I can't believe some of the things he is doing already. The other day, I sat him on the couch, kind of half laying down and sitting. I was standing by him and he pulled himself forward and sat there for a few seconds before falling back on the pillow. He has been doing that a lot. He is sleeping through the night and has been for over a month now. He eats around 8 or 9 and then is down until 9 the next morning. Both boys sleep well! He also eats like a little piggy. In the morning, I make him some cereal or oatmeal with about 2 1/2 ounces of apple juice and water (he doesn't like the cereal with formula and neither did Jamie) and then either a 6 or 8 ounce bottle after that. He has 8 ounce bottle during the day and sometimes he throw in a 10 ounce bottle. I can't believe it! I am now charting everything he eats this month and when we go in for his 4 month check-up at the end of this month, I can show the doc and tell her we are starting him on food...haha! We actually started Jamie on food at 4 months also. I know that is super early, but the formula wasn't cutting it anymore. And the doctor said we could.

Jamie is such a precious boy. Don't get me wrong, we do have our issues with him, he is 2! I feel bad for him right now because his 2 year molars are coming in. He has 3 of those babies coming in right now. He does really well when he is teething. He has never gotten one tooth in at a time. I'm happy about that though, get it over with! The molars don't seem to be bothering him that much. He gets a little extra cranky during the day. We are still working on the potty training deal, but not as much as I would like. I think that once he goes potty on his potty chair, he will be so excited and will want to keep doing it. The hard part is getting to that point. I think I'm going to make that one of my new year's resolutions....to work harder and get him potty trained.

My little Packer's fan.....who happen to be in the playoffs!

I love this picture....man, I say that a lot! I have a picture of myself around the same age that is very similar to this one. Jamie is talking up a storm. He is also getting easier to understand. He loves to play music and sing. He really enjoyed watching the marching bands in the Rose Parade and during the Rose Bowl. He then started to play music and told me, "play band mommy." I get such a kick out of him. Oh, we out the boys in their new room. Well, Oliver is still sleeping in our room. Their old room is now the play room. We finally moved Jamie's race car bed over last weekend. He is such a big boy, sleeping in a big boy bed. He has truck sheets and a blanket for it, along with his baby blankets and about a hundred Micky Mouse! Ok, he only has 4 in there right now :)

Look at those chubby cheeks!

How many takes does it take to get a good Christmas picture?! 17! I hear my bed calling my name, so I think I'm going to give in :)