Wrapping up 2014.

The weeks keep disappearing without me finding the time to catch up on this thing.  I think about writing all the time, but then I think about how long it's been since my last entry and how much "catching up" there'd be to write, and before I know it I've found myself laying in bed watching late night TV instead.  These three little cherubs of mine.. and I choose the word cherubs solely because I've got myself some chunky little babies.. they keep me awfully busy these days!

 Without opening another browser and checking my blog page I'm not exactly sure when my last entry was.  I think it was shortly after Halloween.. mid November ish?  When Amelia fooled us the first time thinking her sleep patterns were changing.  Spoiler alert.. they weren't!  We had about a week or so of hit or miss decent sleep and then it all went to crap again.  We did see a GI doctor, who confirmed her reflux, and also confirmed that she is already on the max dosage of medication for her weight, so that didn't help us much.  I gave up dairy (I may have mentioned this last time.. it is miserable), which didn't really make any difference, but I've kept up with it anyway in fear that reintroducing it would cause some kind of regression.  She just wasn't a great sleeper..  However, two days before Christmas she slept through the night.  12 hours.  First time ever that long.  Our Christmas gift! And, she has since repeated that almost every night.  Sleep has never felt so good.  Honestly.  But, I'm sure now because I've made this public knowledge, she'll revert back to waking every two hours... dear God I hope not!

I reminded myself earlier why it is that I started this blog.. to remember the little things that my kids do that make me smile (or scream).. the things that will slip my mind in the days/weeks/years to come.  These kids are changing so quickly.  I love it and hate it at the same time.  I love seeing their personalities ever evolving, and seeing them each becoming more and more independent, but I also wish they'd stay little for longer.. I know even on my longest days time truly is getting away from me.  So, I really do want to try and make a more conscious effort to write more often.  Even if it's just short spurts.  

 December came and went in a flash.    I returned back to work, which was hard, but not as hard as I expected.  Adult time was really nice.. and, because my boys stay up until 8 and Amelia.. well for a while she was still waking up several times a night,  I didn't really feel like I was "absent" that much.  Chrismas came so fast.. thinking and shopping and wrapping for three kids is a lot more difficult than I expected it to be.. especially when you can't actually get out to any stores.  We also never went to see Santa. Oops.  I guess that part works in Ojo's favor.. I probably saved him from another blackmail photo of him screaming on the lap of a stranger!  I did feel a little guilty about not taking them though, since it was Amelia's first Christmas, but I quickly got over it.  The stress and anxiety I would have gotten just trying to take them wasn't worth it.. I'm sure Aidan would have puked in the car, Owen would have screamed and refused to go near him, let alone on his lap, and Amelia probably would have had some kind of crazy outburst, too.  No thanks.  Maybe next year.

Christmas day was pretty successful.  The kids enjoyed their gifts.  Mostly.  I was clearly way more excited then they were considering I was up more than an hour before them.  Everyone went to bed late on Christmas eve, thanks to our attic visitor (squirrel or something), which meant they slept in later, go figure.  The first 3 minutes of Christmas morning went great.. both kids immediately opened a gift.. and then it all kinda went to crap for a bit.  Owen wanted the gift that Aidan opened (a toy microwave), but Aidan wasn't letting it go, and Daddy and I both kept trying to explain that there are many more gifts to open, but at that point both kids were crying, no one wanted to open more gifts, and Momma was thinking.. and I did all this work for...??? Ha.  But, once the morning meltdown subsided, things got more pleasant.  Aidan has a small obsession with Elmo... his favorite gifts were this little Elmo guy that he sleeps with now and another Elmo that sings and plays the drums.

  Owen doesn't really have a favorite.. he likes it all.  He got a toy cash register, that he INSISTS on calling a computers.. with the s.. he also loves his talking Woody doll that my Mom had gotten him.. he is now called "woody 2" since he has 2 woody dolls that sleep with him in his crib.  No!  No more crib!  We bought him a Nemo bedding set and converted his crib into a toddler bed.  So far that transition has been going really well.  The first day we converted it and he went down for a nap he went missing twice.. once I saw him just standing next to his bed looking all around.. like, "Hey.. can I really get out of this now?!".. the second time he was no longer in the view of the monitor.. so eye-in-the-sky (as we call the monitor) said "OJO! Back in bed!!!".. and I saw him come running and jump back in.. but, since then he has done really well! 

Funny story.. Owen has started "mimicking" our bedtime/naptime routines with him on his bear guy.  It is hysterical!  The first time I saw him do it, I was with him putting laundry away in his room.  He laid bear guy into his bed, and said "Go to sleep, Bear.. no tears, no crying".. turned on his space heater, and then his sound machine and walked out of the room.. then, he proceeded to come back in, and say, "Bear! No crying!"  And then he'd pick him up and go over to his rocking chair and sing "oh oh Ojo" to him (side note, Daddy sings Eric Church's Springsteen to Owen every night and changes the chorus to oh oh ojo).. then, back in bed, sound machine back on, and back out the door.  He kept doing this over and over and you could see after about the 5th time he was starting to get frustrated.  It just made me laugh to see him replicate this.  Could have been worse!! I was waiting for him to call his bear a pain in the ass, since that seems to be a phrase he overheard and one he enjoys repeating.. all. the. time.  I'm a pain in the ass.  Dad's a pain in the ass.  Aidan.  His toys.  The dog.  Yea.. we're working on correcting that one... this Momma needs to be more careful about what she says around little ears!!!

Santa also brought him a potty.. and we've had 3 successful "pees" on the potty!  I'm really hoping that we'll have him potty trained by springtime.  And, ironically, Aidan watches him like a hawk when he's on the potty.. I wonder if maybe Aidan will end up taking an interest earlier because he's seeing his brother do it!  Seriously.. just the idea of not having to change 3 poop diapers back to back every single morning makes me SO excited to think about :)

They also got a playhouse from my parents.. I think they ask to go outside every day!  The first night they got it, they played outside with "the guys" (Alex & Liam) and some flashlights.  The playhouse came with a little grey phone.. needless to say Owen has also confiscated that and added it to his must have items in his bed.  I think this kid may be a hoarder one day.  The number of things in his bed, I swear!

 Their cute new hats were part of their gift from J's  parents.  Owen loves wearing a hat.. and he's also obsessed with putting on gloves, too... otherwise he just tells me "my fingers are cold, Mommmm!" Aidan's hat is just a little big, so it kept falling down in front of his eyes and then he was tripping.  This kid and his unsteadiness!  We took him to an ENT a few weeks ago to see if they had any suggestions for his severe motion sickness in the car.  The appointment was kind of annoying.  The Dr was not my favorite.. argued with me over carseat laws which really ticked me off because he kept telling me to turn him around forward facing when state law is RFing until at least 2.. but, I digress.  Turns out Aidan failed a hearing test in both ears.. significantly impaired, they said.  And, this is likely because he has fluid in both ears.  Our old Ped told me a few times that he had fluid in his ears at past visits, but said it was never infected.  I miss my old ped.  Sigh.  Anyway, we have a follow up in Feb and if there is still residual fluid in there then they recommend putting tubes in.  The Dr said the fluid in his ears could be contributing to motion sickness, his poor balance and could lead to speech issues in the future.  That's why I'm not so sure about this diagnosis because my Aidan.. he talks like a champ!! Seriously.  SO much more than Owen did!  I think he talks more at almost 18mo than Owen did when he turned 2.  We'll see what they say.. I, personally, think maybe the fluid was just residual from them being sick in November.

November illness!  I totally forgot to mention that.  Ugh, worst 3 weeks ever.  We even missed Thanksgiving.  They each had croup.  It was scary.  Legit.  Owen got it first.. but, in him it was more of a sore throat/raspy voice and a wet cough.. Aidan got the croup cough.. ya know, the one that sounds like a seal barking.  The first morning he got it I jumped out of bed thinking there was a dog barking outside.. so much so that even Chunk started growling at the door.  Wasn't until breakfast time when I heard Aidan do it again that I realized it was him.  And then, Miss Amelia got it, too.  Ugh.  3 weeks of little sleep for everyone and LOTS of stress for Mommy and Daddy trying to juggle 3 sick kids.  I hope so much that's the only illness that plagues us this Winter.. but, I also know the reality is that's unlikely.  One can dream.

Miss Amelia.  My pretty little lady.  We really need to work on calling her Amelia, and NOT Miss Amelia, as Owen thinks that's her new name.  He refers to her as either Miss Amelia or "my sister".  He is so very sweet with her... when she was in her Christmas dress, he came over and told me "Mom, Miss Amelia is a princess"...!  Melt.  The other night we had gone out with my in-laws to celebrate Aunt Nicole and Poppop's birthdays.. Amelia was an angel the entire time, until the drive home where she SCREAMED practically the whole ride.  Owen patted her arm the entire time and sang to her.. he sand Oh Oh Ojo.. then he sang ABCs.. then he sang Santa Clause is Coming to Town and Frosty.. nearly the whole drive.. he just continued patting her arm and singing.  Seriously.  He is such a sweet, sweet boy.. he definitely has Daddy's sensitivity and kindness in him.  Aidan is a lot more like me.. tougher on the outside!  He's got that charming side, too.. but it just takes some time for you to be privy enough to see it.  Amelia.. I haven't quite figured her out yet.  She LOVES to be close to someone.. hold her and cuddle her and snuggle her and she is happy as anything.  She will smile and coo and giggle all day long.  Even when she's been screaming crying refusing to sleep.. as soon as I walk into that room, she immediately stops and lights up and starts smiling at me.  She loves the affection.  But, she's also quite particular at times, too!

So, here we are.. January 2015.  Heading back to work tomorrow after 2 weeks off, and having only been back for 3 weeks prior.  Reality.  Like I said earlier.. I really do enjoy the adult conversation.. but I'll miss them during the day.  I'll miss nursing Amelia.  I'll miss laughing at the silly things Ojo says throughout the day.  Or the random hugs from either of my boys.. the 57 books that Aidan will bring me to read.. the quiet time rocking Amelia before her nap.. I'll miss them.  But, 3 days goes quick!