Growing Up

  So...time slows down, when? It has to sometime, right?

  I missed posting in the month of May, where two pretty big days took place!

  First of all, this cute guy turned one! I can't believe this. He's now 13 months and walking! He took his first steps at 12 months old, but now he's walking around a lot more. Still in that wobbly/drunk walking phase, but it's getting better!

     Gabe loves: Eating. Gabe is the complete opposite of his brother when it comes to food. We practically have to bribe Alex to eat, but this chunk eats everything in site. He moved over to whole milk without a problem and will eat fruits, vegetables, and pretty much any table food we give him. It's such a nice change! He also loves babbling and talking, getting into everything, and super loves his dad. Sometimes I think he prefers daddy's company! He is really the most cuddly/huggy baby and will give so many hugs and kisses.

    Another big day- this one turned 3! Three is harder than two so far with the attitude and temper, but it's also so much fun!  Alex learns at such a rapid pace, remembers everything he learns, and loves to play. He's learning phonics and already can read some. He loves music and singing, and runs around the house all day singing nursery songs and playing games. He's also a super sweet big brother (most of the time). He loves Gabe and is always trying to help him. When Gabe gets hurt for any reason, Alex cries too and tries to comfort him. I just love it. Alex sure is a joy to be around!

   Since Alex's birthday fell on a holiday, we decided to take a short trip to San Antonio, where the boys had their first hotel experience. Surprisingly, they both did wonderfully. Gabe was in the pack n' play between the beds, and come bedtime, he plopped down and went right to sleep. No crying or fussing beforehand, even though we were right there. Alex insisted on sharing a bed with dad, so he and Gary shared a bed while I had my own. Everyone fell right to sleep! Maybe it was the stormy weather outside (puts the boys to sleep), but it was nice. Anyway, it was a fun trip and thankfully the storm was only through the night. Alex loved visiting the Alamo (last time we went, I was pregnant with Gabe), and kept saying, "rememer (remember) the Alamo!". He also loved riding the fancy alligator (elevator) in our hotel. It included a lot of walking, boat rides on the San Antonio River  (our hotel was also on the river), and some shopping.

     Also, I ended up leaving my job. It was nothing wrong with the job, of course, but it was me feeling a little too overwhelmed with the schedule. It was a 40 minute commute one way and full-time. It was actually a fun job, but right now it was just too much. Although I was able to see the boys, the hours were really hard on Alex. Every single evening included exhausted screaming and crying. Mornings he was crying because we were up early. He loved, loved school, but he just wasn't emotionally ready for so many hours of it. Gabe adjusted fine, but still wasn't really napping all that long during the nap time. Plus, as a full time student, it was hard keeping up with my studies. In the end, it was best to leave. I'm teaching some piano for the summer in the home, but that's about it.

    About school real quick, I decided to change my major. I'll still be teaching, but it's no longer Interdisciplinary K-8. Instead I'll be doing science education, specializing in biology. I thought it would be really fun to put my passion of science into it, so there you go!

   Well, that's about it! Welcome, summer!

Beautiful April

   This is seriously the best time of the year! I love how green it has been around here, and I am in awe just when I drive places! My favorite part of spring around here are our beautiful bluebonnets! They really are the best!

We've also been getting a lot of storms (nothing compared to our summer storms), but they've still been wonderful!

Anyway, we are doing well. Gabe and Alex and adjusting really well to school, and Alex really gets upset when he realized it's not a school day (but feels better when he learns he gets the whole day with us!). Gabe is much better at drop off as he just quickly goes to his toys to play in his room.

Work has been going pretty well too. The kids are finally adjusting to me, and I FINALLY have a permanent assistant, which has been marvelous. I can finally find the freedom to lesson plan more, and get my classroom organized. Plus, I can finally get their pictures and art projects up on the wall. That part has been great!

We did go through a couple of illnesses in the past month or so, but are doing better. Alex had to take a few days off school because he wasn't feeling well. I got him out of bed Wednesday morning to realize he was so warm. I took his temp which was 101. I ended up getting an appointment with his doctor that day, so I took him in. His temperature had spiked to almost 104 when we were there, and they immediately gave him some Motrin and ran some tests. Turns out it was strep and an ear infection. Poor guy. I knew he was always asking for water and saying his throat hurt too, so I'm glad we were able to get the antibiotics going. He's doing much better now!

Anyway, that's about it for now!

Yearly Update

    Okay, like a month and a half, but close enough.

    Lots of changes going on here! Baby Gabey will be 11 months in a couple of days. ELEVEN MONTHS! Who/why/how/where/when did this happen?! This is much too fast.

   So, Gabe:

• Eats everything. Seriously, this kid LOVES to eat! There is nothing he will turn down.
• Is adorably chunky (probably due to the above)
• Loves to clap his hands, follow his brother everywhere, and climb
• Cruises on everything and gets into pretty much everything
• Loves to babble and "talk". Dada, Nana, Baba
• Is such a cuddle monkey (my favorite)!!! He is so affectionate and sweet and will give you kisses all day if you let him. Melt!

  Alex:

• Will be 3 soon!! But I'm in denial
• Discovered Thomas and Friends and anything train related is pretty much his favorite thing ever. He'll put his train in front and line up all cars and other trains behind it
• Still sleeps with his blankie
• Talks SO MUCH still
• Is getting into imaginative play
• Can spend all day outside if you let him
• Adores his dad and always wants to play with him
• Is also ridiculously and adorably cuddly

   Gary and I are doing well too! Gary is doing great with his job and enjoys doing a carpool now instead of public transportation (to save gas/mileage). I too got a job teaching PreK at a private preschool-kindergarten program. It was a hard decision because I LOVE staying at home. And though we don't really need the extra money, I think I mostly did it for me. Being home for 3 years made me kinda itchy to get back into working. I decided to apply for jobs, but every night when I'd go to bed, I'd laugh at myself for even considering it. However, interviews happened and things got real. So, I decided to go for it. I get to take Alex and Gabe with me, and they're just down the hall. Alex has a lot of fun with his class and often cries when it's time to leave (that's also due to being exhausted). Gabe knows now when I put him in his classroom that I will be leaving him, so naturally he cries. However, his teachers are great at redirection and he's instantly having fun. Best part is I get to see them and visit them regularly. Many of the staff members (including the owners and director) have their kids there too, so they all understand!

     I think the hardest part isn't necessarily me working and doing more each day, but the guilt of no longer staying home. Often times I wonder if this really was a good choice for the boys. If staying home is what was best. But I remind myself that I have to take care of myself too. They get to come with me and I get to see them regularly and checkup on their progress. I'm literally RIGHT THERE, so that makes it a bit easier. Anyway, I have a crazy/rowdy class, but it will eventually simmer down when I'm there a little longer. They're just being extra testy because I'm new, which is expected.

Well, that be the update!

Growths and Changes

     As mentioned in the previous post, Gary has started his new job. So far he is loving it. He enjoys having his own office and co-workers he gets along with. The commute was a little hard at first, but after he found a carpool that leaves from our area straight down to his job, it has been much smoother.

      Gabe is 9 months old now and all over the place. Crawling, standing, and getting into everything he can. I really love this age, though it definitely keeps me on my feet. At his 9 month checkup, we discovered he is now in the 28th percentile for weight (18.7 lbs.), which is great considering he was off the charts completely at 4 months. He is only nursed twice each day now, and that's starting to fade as well. I thought I'd be more together about it all, but it's been harder than expected to end the nursing relationship. The guilt hits no matter what. But I know he is going to be just fine. As for his appetite, he is a good eater! He will eat anything given to him. Table food, baby food, snacks, etc.. He LOVES food. I don't remember Alex being this obsessed with food, ever. So, that has been awesome. As for his occupational therapy, he is doing so well, it's about time to fade and end services. Their goal is to get to a year old, and during that time, help transition him to a sippy cup. However, we were told he is now pretty typical and may not requalify for services after we stop since he basically has no more issues with his mouth. What's interesting, though, is my mom sent a picture of me as a baby, and I had the same thing going on with my tongue! It was just slightly larger than normal, but as I grew, it fit better in my mouth. I never had feeding issues, though, or long term problems except I had to have 4 braces when I was a child (which also could have been because I sucked my thumb until 4th grade). My grandmother on my mom's side had the same thing as a baby. So weird! But normal and nothing to worry about.

     Alex is doing well too. I can't believe he's going to be three soon. He still talks all the time and constantly wants us to repeat what he's saying. It can get exhausting, but I know it's his way of learning how to say things correctly, so we go with it. He's also getting a little more defiant and stubborn, but of course that's expected at this age. However, he is so much fun to play with. He's starting to get into imaginative play, and is also starting to play with his brother. They don't always get along, but he has his sweet big brother moments. I love seeing them both in his room, and Alex sharing his toys and trying to talk to him. He also loves being outside and going places, and especially is obsessed with one on one time with either me or Gary. We always try and each have our own time with him without Gabe in the way, just to give him that attention he needs. Often times I feel guilty at the end of the day and wonder if I was a good enough mom to him. If I paid enough attention. I always feel bad when he says things like, "mommy Alex time," or "no more phone, mommy," or, "bye, Baby Gabe." Breaks my heart. He's still my little first baby.

     As for me, I'm doing well for the most part. I really dislike this time of year, as I get seasonal depression in February. So, it's always a rough month for me, and it's been rough this year too. Once spring rolls around I usually do much better. I purchased a rower I now use to workout on so I don't overdo my joints with running. I'm also trying to eat better, as I really need to lose weight. I'm also still putting in about 20 hours each week of study for my school, and I feel like I can't brain in some of my courses, including math. I feel like since I've had Gabe, I just can't get anything to work upstairs. It's so frustrating at times. I've been working with an endocrinologist to help level out my hormones, especially my thyroid. I'm tired of feeling like my brain is broken and I'm fighting everyday just to get a clear thought. Thankfully I have a ton of support, including my educational mentors, and of course from Gary who is always willing to help me when I need it. I still have a lot of good in my life, and I need to focus on that. I also need to better focus on letting go of constant mom guilt and learn to take care of myself and my needs.

   Anyway, that's our personal updates. The weather has already been warming up, so I've been taking the boys to parks, and we still go to our regular playdates just to get out and socialize while enjoying the warmer temps.

Playing in the backyard

Hiking at Walnut Creek Metropolitan park

Playing at Old Settler's park

Collecting sticks on a hike

Doing what he does best (getting into things)

Strapped on during a hike

Playing in his Pack n Play outside

Woodchips!

Me and my little dude in the morning

Alex playing with the dogs at Red Bud Isle park

Family Updates (New Job, Gabe Evaluation, Etc.)

 So, this cute little dude is now ALMOST crawling. He does an army crawl, but every now and then will toss some knees in there. But anyway, he is all over the place! Sometimes I forget how fast he is, and I have to remind myself to make sure the floor is clear from anything he can choke on. I can't believe we're already getting to this phase. It just doesn't make sense! He's still my tiny baby.

Alex is still being a little chatterbox. Sometimes I wonder when the actual "terrible threes" kick in, because lately it seems he's been more defiant as usual. Plus, more screaming and tantrums. He can definitely be a handful at times! Nap time is on and off. He knows it's quiet time in his room, so he'll actually say, "bye, Mom" if I peek in there. Sometimes he'll fall asleep, but mostly doesn't. This means he is mega crabby by dinner time. Let's just say bedtime can't come any faster some days! Besides that, I LOVE playing with this kid. He is getting into imaginative play and loves to build and construct things. He's really starting to get into the "boy-ish" things like cars, trucks, everything space related, and dinosaurs. 

As for me, I've been busy too! When we moved into our house, we unpacked a lot of things, but still had a lot of things stored away. It got kind of ridiculous, so the past 3-4 days, I've been completely organizing. Our walk-in closet is finally walkable and spacious, and both of the boys' closets are finally organized and cleared out. I also organized the walk-in pantry, laundry room, and the rest of the house. It feels SO good to finally have those things done. Now Gary just wants to reorganize the garage and get his tools in better order. He has shelving, but everything needs to be better organized. 

Speaking of Gary, he has accepted a new position! Some months ago, Golfsmith filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. To add, they were very hush about what was going to happen to people. Then suddenly they closed over 30 stores and had a lot of people laid off. Gary works at the headquarters, but there was still a lot of uncertainty.  Finally it was news that Dick's Sporting Goods bought them.  Gary had no choice but to put out his resume to be safe. Then, he was offered a retention bonus if he stayed until June, although they could lay him off anytime before that. We stopped the job search for a bit, but fasted and prayed last Sunday we would know what to do. The following day, he received a few calls, wanting an interview. The week was busy, but on Friday he accepted a new position as a senior developer for Texas Association of Counties. Not only will he be getting his own office, he gets the county pension, which is a pretty amazing deal. The benefits are what really motivated him to accept (besides a higher pay). So, he is excited about this new job! Prayer works!

And for the final update, we finally got some answers about Gabe. Although his weight has gone up and he's been great, we still had an appointment with ECI (Early Childhood Intervention). They did a full evaluation and he scored high on everything but eating. We were told he eats like a 3 month old and works really hard for his milk, using his jaw. Because of this, he qualifies for OT services, which will be happening twice each month. So, my lactation consultant was right when she concluded his latch was just weak, which is why he couldn't draw enough milk from me. It's likely they were due to the ties he had in his mouth. I'm also taking him to get a CST session to help his muscles as well, and getting his tongue re-assessed, just in case it's still tied in some way. Whew, what a journey though. Hopefully with enough therapy, we will get this fixed. A speech therapist may be in the future, but for now, we're just doing the OT.

Well, that's about it for now! Time to get these kids down for a nap!

Six Months and Family Updates

I used to be so good at this blogging thing, but not so much lately!

Fall is finally here in Texas as the weather has now dropped to the 70's. We have been getting thunderstorms for over a week now, so lots of rain as usual! For Halloween (thankfully no rain that night), Gabe and I handed out candy while Gary took Alex trick-or-treating for his first time! He had a blast. Of course, after his pumpkin filled up, Gary just had to whip out a garbage bag for more candy. Um, he got A LOT. Thankfully, Gary took a ton of it to work to spread among his co-workers (or himself, I don't know), so I didn't eat a whole lot. Okay, I did. But, well, not THAT much. Maybe. Anyway, our neighborhood was huge on Halloween. I noticed a lot of the neighbors actually sat on their porch and/or driveway instead of being inside for people to knock on the door. Gary said he did knock on a few doors, but mostly everyone was out. So, I followed the tradition and Gabe and I sat outside in the nice weather to hand out candy. That's friendly Texas for you.

"Helping" me hand out candy. More like being cute to attract more people!

Little Ninja Turtle

There was a regional LWB (Ladies with Babies) Halloween party, so this is where we're at!

This kid melts me

My cute Leonardo!

Besides Halloween and the 1,000 festivities that went on around here, we have been enjoying this time of year. I have been teaching piano in our home during the evenings when Gary is home. I don't go later than 7:15, so at I have time to get the boys into bed. It actually works out great because Gary takes the boys into their bedrooms and plays with them. Alex LOVES having that time with his dad. It's a great way for him to spend time with the boys and he's loving it. I'm also loving teaching as well. I had always wanted to teach piano from home, but I just needed the home part. Teaching from a keyboard in an apartment just didn't seem to appeal to me. Plus, with the small space, there would've been nowhere for the boys to go.  But this works out really well.

Well, a milestone has been reached here too! Gabe turned 6 months old! I'm still in disbelief this year has been FLYING by. Alex's first year felt like foreeeverrr. Probably because I was new to everything. Plus, I went from working full-time to staying at home, AND I felt more isolated. That was kind of a hard year for me. I didn't really have a close connection of friends/moms in the area, so I spent a lot of time at home. When Alex got a little older, we were able to go out more and it really starting getting easier close to a year old. But this time around, I have such a big connection of friends and support; plus, having a 2 year old makes the days go by pretty quickly with the baby.

6 Months!

Pretty much how the crib sleeping is!

Scooting around after his toys!

So, about Gabe. Two weeks ago he fell off the growth chart. He went from the 20th percentile to completely off. We had already doubled our supplementation, but now we had to triple. I still really am not certain why he's never been able to get enough milk from me, but my primary goal was to get him to gain weight, even if it meant even more formula. He had another weight check yesterday (2 week gap), and he gained an entire pound. So we're finally getting back on track. I nurse him first for about 10 minutes, then give him a bottle until he's filled up, which is about 5 ounces. I felt a little bummed at first, but reminded myself it doesn't always have to be all or nothing. According to my lactation consultant, it could be possible my supply is fine, but he may have low muscle tone in his face. He still leaks from a bottle, and he's on level 1 nipples, so it's entirely possible. I'm going to have him evaluated by a specialist to see if there's anything we need to do. Otherwise, it's likely it is my supply after all and my hypothyroidism is very likely behind it (studies show that even treated hypothyroidism leads to low milk because we don't produce enough oxytocin).

Besides all that, he's doing great! He's all smiles and LOVES to play. He sleeps 12 hours at night and naps 1-2 times each day, depending on what's going on in the mornings. He can scoot forward with his knees, but no sign of crawling or sitting up just yet. He's not super early like his brother was!

Anyway, Alex's checkup is in a few weeks, so we'll see how he's doing from there! Alex talks SO MUCH. I mean, a lot. Like, seriously kid, give it a break. But I love it. The only headache-worthy stuff is when he wants me to repeat things. He will not quit until I repeat what he says, no matter what or where I am. But he knows his ABC's, colors, shapes, letters, and can count to 40. He sings a lot, and drags his Cookie Monster around everywhere like it's his "baby". Feeds him, grooms him, runs with him, you name it. Love this fun kid.

Helping mommy exercise! Well, Cookie Monster is exercising too. 

Okay, time to end this. Until next time!

Home!

     When our family first moved to Texas, we knew we wanted to buy a house sometime down the road. I contacted my uncle, who works real estate, and asked for some hookups. He found us a local agent, by invitation only, who contacted us. We had been pretty early in our apartment lease, so we told her it would be almost a year before we needed to move further.

    Well, the year FLEW by, and as if on cue, she and our lender contacted us and asked if we were still interested. We honestly at that point decided we were going to just rent, since we didn't quite have the down payment we wanted. However, our lender was absolutely fantastic with making it happen. The home buying process for us was a breeze! We honestly had a really great team.

    There were a few areas on our mind, and the house hunting officially began. Linda showed us a selection of homes one day, and then a couple the next. Gary and I discussed which ones we liked best. We were also sent links to homes that fit our criteria. One afternoon, I browsed a couple of homes she sent us, picked a couple of favorites, and sent them over to Gary. He knew immediately which one he liked, and that afternoon, we went to check it out. We knew then we wanted to make an offer. The homes go so quickly!

    That evening, we received word our offer was accepted!

  So, here we are! We closed on the day we wanted to close, and moved in that week, which was a month ago. We still have some boxes that need to be unpacked, but we're settled for the most part. We're in a beautiful community in Hutto, Texas. Hutto is the countryside Northeast of Austin. This is where you see farmlands and stretches of beautiful, green land. There are fields behind our backyard, so we do see bunnies and other critters, but we immediately hired pest control services too, you know, since we don't want critters inside our property. We love how green and quiet it is here, and also love how we can see the stars so well at night.

   We currently have been working hard to get our lawn and grass taken care of. The bachelor living here before us didn't seem to do regular lawn maintenance. I don't think he actually lived here that often. We had water coming out of our a/c unit the day after we moved in, only to learn he hadn't done regular maintenance on that either. Thankfully after a few Youtube videos, Gary was able to fix and take care of it. Besides that, we were told our house was the cleanest walk-through that had been done in a long time, which was good news for us. As for the lawn, Gary's been working hard to de-thatch the grass while I've been working on the landscaping. I've mulched and and landscaped the trees planted in our front yard and have been working on the hedges as well. We have nothing in the backyard, so once the grass is greener and looking better, I'll start the gardening and landscaping back there as well. I still like the open space for the kids and dog though, so I won't go too crazy.

Anyway, we love it here. It's so quiet, our neighbors are super friendly, and our ward is great. As a mom of two littles, I often found it hard in an apartment to keep things clean and organized all the time. I feel I can do a better job here in our home with more space. Sure, it's never going to be perfect because, well, I like to find that balance between housework and spending time with the children, but it's really great to care of something that we OWN now.

The family is doing well too. I find it easier now that Gabe's getting a little bigger, so I can keep him entertained on his play mat and/or his exersaucer, and Alex has more room to run around and play. They're both healthy too. Alex is still tiny at 22-23 lbs and has a checkup soon. They might mention his weight, but I don't know how to make him eat more since he's ridiculously picky. I do my best! Little Gabe has gained almost 3 pounds in the last month (he's 14 lbs now). He had a moment where he wasn't gaining, so after finding the right amount of supplementation plus adding in a couple of dream feeds at night, he's jumped up. He's about 95 percent breastfed now and the rest is supplement. That balance seems to work just fine. And now that he's older, he's more efficient at nursing, so our sessions are 10-15 minutes now instead of 45 minutes or so.

Anyway, that's our update for now! Boys are asleep so it's ME time!!

My handsome kid!!

These two can spend all day in the backyard

We have a BEAUTIFUL view from our backyard and kitchen. These are some wicked storm clouds.

Here's a shot of our house in the rain

Alex received this gift from his uncle Devonn and aunt Carla on his first birthday. He finally gets to use it!

This is a great way to keep him entertained and cool when he wants to play outside

My sleeping baby

Hanging out

Just finished mulching- now to add flowers!

On our drive this morning to the grocery store. The big Texas sky! It takes about 15-20 minutes to drive to town or to the grocery store.

My blue-eyed beauty. He and his brother definitely do NOT look alike!