Should I be worried?

Here I am, downstairs at the computer, and both boys are upstairs... and oddly enough, I trust them. Should I be worried? I will have to periodically check on them, but they love playing with each other, running in circles, chasing each other. Then they will go up to their bedroom and Jack will climb in and out of the cribs, throwing out blankets, stuffed animals, etc., while Dex throws them back into the cribs, and they'll jump up and down on the spare mattress that we keep on the floor.

It's Tuesday and it's snowing - AGAIN. After last week's snowstorm (at least two feet of snow) I've seen more than enough snow to last me this winter. We're semi-housebound for the day, but it isn't too bad being at home because we had a playdate this morning with Rachel and her boys, Edward and Alex. I talked to her about life and raising a family in the UK, and how she's adjusting to life in the States. Interesting.

So we had a nice long weekend together... it started rough because last Thursday Javier got a flat tire on 78W Express on his way home from work, and I was concerned about his safety. Fortunately the first tow company I called gave me the number for the Rte 78 State Police, so there was at least a police officer making sure he was safe. Extra scary because there's no real shoulder on the road with all the snow we've had and people drive like maniacs on that road.

Friday, while Javier's car was getting repaired, we went to Liberty Science Center - after the hoopla to get in (waiting in line behind a field trip for the security screening, buying tickets from a woefully understaffed ticket counter...) - we had lunch first. Cafeteria was surprisingly good, and for some reason I still get a kick out of the boys eating independently - Jack had a turkey burger and Declan a grilled cheese. Then we went to a kiddie section (up to age 5) and the boys could have stayed there all day. Declan was OBSESSED with the music mallets and refused to put them down for anything. It was amusing, but scary, because neither Javier nor I was looking forward to having to take them away from him. Fortunately, probably after close to an hour playing with these mallets, Declan was lured to a rice table, where there was gallons of rice to pour and scoop and play with. Jack liked the rice too, but he was also very into the ball-contraption thingys. The ball goes up due to some force of energy instigated by the child, and then goes down a series of slides back to the ball pit. Good stuff.

The rest of the museum had activities and learning centers geared toward older kids, but it was a wonderful open space for the boys to run around and push lots of buttons. The highlight was a giant nose that gave an enormous sneeze as you walked by and shot out a puff of air - but it was sudden and forceful, so very surprising. It scared the heck out of Jack - so much that he started crying and wouldn't go near it, even if Javier was carrying him. And for days afterwards, Jack keeps telling me that big sneezes are scary. We were worried about nightmares, but alas, we seem to be OK. (Jack is in the habit of waking up once a night, calling for me, and then being reassured and goes back to sleep. He usually goes right back to sleep. I, however, am up for awhile. Sigh.)

Saturday I had to look at rugs at Home Depot. While Declan slept in the car, Jack and I went into the store. Pretty uneventful except when Jack spilled his water all over the floor. Then since Declan was still sleeping we decided to go to a new mall - we went to Bridgewater Commons for the first time - and we went for a very nice lunch at McCormick and Schmick's seafood restaurant. We let the boys run around for awhile after that, but they were both running in different directions and not listening so well (who could blame them, I guess...) so we probably only lasted another hour after lunch. Then we took them to Border's Bookstore, where they again ran around like maniacs. It was very hard to convince them that they could not open the toys on the shelves.

Sunday morning, I took Jack to Nate's birthday party, with another stop at Home Depot on the way there to return the rug samples. The party was at My Gym, and it was a great chance for Jack to run around and get some exercise with his friends, while I got to chat with my own friends. It's so funny that these kids, who have known each other since they were 7 months old, are now so independent. Jack participated in all of the instructor-led activities with little guidance from me, and when it was time for lunch, Jack found his own spot at the lunch table and dug into his pizza and juice box without much help from me. Good stuff!! Sunday afternoon I was zonked so while Javier went to the gym and to church, Jack went outside to play in the snow with Sophie MacMillan and Declan and I hung out inside. Declan is not a big fan of the snow just yet - maybe next year!

Monday (yesterday) was Presidents' Day and our 3rd anniversary. We spent the morning organizing the house and Javier was pulling together all the necessary documentation for refinancing the house and for our tax appointment this Friday. Then we brought the boys down to Mom and Dad's and the best part of my weekend - Javier and I took the rest of the day for ourselves. We went to The Frog and The Peach for lunch - we had a fantastic lunch of beet salad, oysters, fried calamari, striped bass, scallops, and for dessert, pistachio cake and chocolate cake with hot melted chocolate in the middle. Yummm! It was a relaxing two hour lunch - such a wonderful treat! Then we did a few errands, walked around Princeton, and didn't go back to pick up the boys until 7 or so.

Such a good weekend!!

It's hard to keep busy and get out and about during the winter. Yesterday it poured rain for most of the day, but we managed to stay sane because in the morning we had a contractor come by to give an estimate for the sunporch and mudroom - and Jack loves when we have visitors now. He'll say: "Look Mama! A people!" and then I'll tell him it's a 'man' or something like that, and Jack will say "Hi Man!". Declan is the opposite when strangers come by - he immediately wants to be picked up and held, as if he's afraid that this new person is a babysitter and I may leave him. After Declan's nap yesterday, I dragged us all to the gym. I wasn't even too keen on working out (although I'm so glad I did) but it was more the opportunity to bring the boys to an open space where there were some new toys. Both seemed pretty happy to go off and explore when I dropped them off which was really nice.

Today the weather was a bit nicer - still freezing, but having the sun out makes all the difference. We stayed pretty busy - first we had a playdate at Edward's house (Edward is in Jack's class, also has a younger brother about Declan's age, and I really like the mom, Rachel) - so nice to hang out in a kid-friendly house. And as a bonus, they had a bouncy castle in the basement (which Declan was terrified of...) and a riding-sized Thomas the Train on tracks that went around in circles that Jack absolutely loved. He stayed down there even when we all came upstairs. He didn't come up until the pizza arrived.

We got home around 1ish, and Declan went right down for his nap, and Jack and I vegged out for awhile in the basement. When we got antsy, we went upstairs to bake cupcakes - letting Jack pour in the ingredients, stir it up, and then fill in the cupcake papers. While he was doing that, the heating guys came to look at our humidifier on the furnace (it's dead... how much money do we need to put into our heating system to make it work right?) and I had Jack call him "Mr. Joe". And Jack was so excited talking away "Mr Joe! We're making cupcakes!" and when he was leaving "Mr. Joe! We're going to the gym!" but really funny, he would sometimes call him "Uncle Joe"...

We did the gym again this afternoon and the boys did great, I got in a wonderful workout. They ran into the playspace when we got there, and then Declan turned to look at me, and I could tell he was contemplating coming back to me, or exploring some more, and fortunately the lure of push/rider toys was stronger. When I picked them up an hour later they were still playing happily, and the babysitters told me that neither boy cried or got upset at all during my absence. It was a good break because before the gym I was starting to go a bit crazy - Jack keeps yelling "MINE!" when he wants to do something by himself (put on his shoes, open his yogurt...) and Declan was just super clingy after his nap. We were all rejuvenated after the trip to the Y.

Notable parts of today:
(1) Our second day of no accidents with the potty training! we've had "no accident days" before, but these recent successes are refreshing because after a few accidents over the weekend I was starting to wonder if I started it too soon.
(2) Declan and Jack had a good-sized dinner - mac n cheese, scrambled eggs, and pastrami. And just as I was in the kitchen, smiling because the boys had a good dinner, smiling because Jack was being silly and making Declan laugh like crazy, I heard an enormous burp and Jack saying "uh oh. Mama. Look at Declan." and there was Declan, with his dinner thrown up all over him. Sigh. Into the tub (all three of us, since I was still grungy from the gym. The boys were thrilled with the novelty of mommy in the tub with them.)
(3) Really good parts of the day - this morning, having breakfast with Jack while Declan slept in, enjoying my cup of coffee and chatting with Jack; Singing "Here is the Beehive" with the boys - they would laugh like crazy when I would Bzzzzzzz and tickle them. Declan runs away and then runs back for more tickles, but he runs back in a defensive position and already throws himself to the ground in anticipation. Laughing the whole time. It's great.

Time for the big boy bed!

We've been lucky that Jack has loved his crib for almost three years... he's definitely the last of his peers to be in a crib, but I've never even considered moving him out of the crib that he loves - and more importantly, sleeps so well in! But this past week he's mastered climbing in and out of the crib, and since he and Declan are in the same room, he also climbs in and out of Declan's crib. Last week I woke up, heard them playing happily in their room, decided to take a quick shower before taking them out of the cribs. When I went in to get them, they were both in Declan's crib, rolling around, jumping and laughing. And when Declan wakes up from his nap, Jack runs up there at top speed and gets in the crib with Declan so that they can play together. It's really too cute.

Then tonight we put the boys down to bed while they were still fairly awake and wired... we sang our songs, Declan was juggling his normal 4 pacis, we had the stars and moon nightlight on, and when I left there were no tears. About 5 minutes later, I heard Declan start to cry and then I heard footsteps, which I assumed were Javier's. And all of the sudden I hear this little voice saying "Hi Mama. Whatchoo doing?" - and there's Jack, in his favorite blue star pajamas. I was shell shocked, and called Javier up from the basement. (And loving that Declan likes having Jack in the same room, so cried when Jack left... I interpreted this as them enjoying sharing the room and finding some comfort in it...) Javier did a great stern speech to Jack about staying in his crib, commanded Jack to get upstairs, and while Jack was on the stairs and couldn't see us, Javier and I both started laughing. Then Javier put his stern face back on and followed Jack up to his crib, telling him to stay in bed. About 10 minutes later I heard Javier go back upstairs (he had the video monitor on) and give another stern speech. I found out later that Jack had again climbed out of his crib, climbed into Declan's crib, and when he heard Javier coming up the stairs was trying to escape Declan's crib again. I'm laughing just thinking about it.

So we've been looking at "big boy" beds for awhile now... time to act. We're going to get a bunk bed set that can be used as two twin beds until the boys are big enough for bunks. Then Baby Three will get the furniture that's currently in the boys room, with a crib that will be a toddler bed and then ultimately converted to a full bed for her "big girl" bed. Sigh. Doesn't seem possible. So far away and yet I know I'm going to blink and that day will be here.

For now I will just savor that the boys are in the same room, usually go down to bed nicely, and enjoy each other's company.

The Little Things...

Everyday I realize that little things that I do with the boys are a big deal in the sense that this time we have together is so precious and so fleeting. And because they're the little things, they are so easy to forget. So here are the past two days... just so I don't forget what the everyday was like...

Yesterday was a rough morning since Declan was up for an hour and a half in the middle of the night, protesting being in his crib. In his fury he would throw his pacifiers over the edge and then lean over and cry "paaa-ci. paaaa-ci." I was on the floor on a mattress that we keep in the room (the boys are in the same room now!) so that we can reassure Jack if/when he wakes up. Amazingly, Jack slept through the crying (as he does most of the time). We've learned that if Declan is crying and we're not in the room, Jack tries to reassure Dex, and will sometimes end up getting more upset himself. So we let Declan cry it out, but stick around so Jack knows he doesn't have to take control of the situation.

Yesterday morning we did our grocery shopping - fairly successful although also slightly stressful because I was letting Jack walk (run) up and down the aisles, and I felt like I must have said "no touching!" about a thousand times. We did lunch (turkey dogs - a surefire hit) and then Declan took his nap. I made sure to put him down awake and he went down without a protest.

After nap, we went to the Livingston Mall to meet up with Irene, Conner, Jake, Gail and Devon. We entertained the boys in Barnes and Noble for awhile - playing at the train table, dancing on the stage, playing with the noisy books - and then we took them to the food court for dinner. (Applebees closed! Say it isn't so!) Five boys in the food court was chaos, but fun. We were getting some crazy looks because the boys were running after each other in circles and such, but really... too cute. (Before kids, this scene may have made me crazy...) Carvel for dessert - Jack loved the ice cream, Dex had no interest.

At home I was able to make the "adult dinner" while the boys watched a show, and then when Javier got home we let the boys watch a show on the computer, while he and I watched Jeopardy and had a nice steak dinner. Boys went down fairly easy, although they get really hyper right before bedtime. They start jumping on the mattress and yelling "hic-boom!" and crashing onto the floor or into each other. Usually it's a wrestling match to get Declan into pajamas, and these days Jack puts on his "Lightening McQueen skivvies" (pull ups for bed - we're potty training!) - and then it's a story and the same five songs - Twinkle Twinkle, You are My Sunshine, Daisy, Tender Shepard, Our Father."

After a time lapse...

... I would love to write everything that has been going on these past few months, but it would never get finished. Sigh.

Highlights: I'm pregnant! (4.5 months now, so this is not news...) We went to Cape May for vacation (morning sickness proved challenging), Jack started school in September, trick-or-treating in October, family trip to Miami in November. Panic about the swine flu and getting vaccinated (which culminated in a 2.5 hour wait at a clinic, and the boys catching a mild version of some sort of flu anyway.) Music classes. Birthday parties.

It's a rainy Sunday, and we are recovering from yet another sickness. Jack and I both had a stomach bug - it was our first experience with projectile vomiting in the middle of the night. Thursday night - after a birthday party at school (cupcakes) and a day with Nana (pizza for lunch, pumpkin cake for dessert, lemonade in between, a lolly pop post-Santa, Chicken Holiday for dinner) - Jack threw up about 10pm all over his crib. So we comfort him, strip him, Javier cleans and re-pjs him, I strip the bed and throw everything in the wash, shower myself, and we all climb into our bed - and Jack gets sick again. I comfort and clean Jack, Javier strips our bed, remakes our bed, Jack's crib, and pulls out a mattress and makes that up so we can sleep on Jack's floor and be close by. Then Jack proceeded to throw up 3 more times, but we were able to catch it early enough to prevent bed stripping, just minor clean up, comforting, and sitting in the chair holding him upright for awhile. And then somewhere along the line I got sick too. Sigh.

So now we're all feeling mostly better (with a minor setback for Jack last night after dinner) and we've had quite a productive weekend. Accomplishments:
(1) We got our Christmas Tree and it's set up
(2) We moved Declan's crib into Jack's room - the boys are officially sharing a room!
(3) Shelves hung in the bathroom
(4) Jack pooped in the potty for the first time today!!! I can't believe it. Major breakthrough, I'm so proud of him! (I do not think we are close to full time underwear yet, but I think we're on our way!)

In the past few months Jack has progressed leaps and bounds in talking and listening. (He just asked me for water - "water please!" and told me that "screwdrivers are for grownups" - Javier leaving his tools out. Sigh.) He's so cute because he usually says "No thank you" instead of just "no" - like when I ask him if he's done eating "no thank you", does he want to go to bed - "no thank you". Some of the talking is challenging because now he thinks because he can say/ask it, it should happen automatically. "Come to the kitchen with me." "More syrup please." and then he's not too happy if/when we say no.

Declan is a charmer when he chooses to be, with his big smiles that take up his whole face. He's going through a super-clingy stage, which is sweet sometimes and challenging at others. But he's become a champion sleeper and eater, and when he's well-rested and well-fed, he's just as sweet as can be. Right now I'm trying to work with him on some vocabulary - he says "Up", and has shown interest in animals. He also says "Imma map" (I'm the map), "Bah-pah" (backpack), and "Paaa" (Paci).

AND! Baby Three Update! We found out earlier this week that Baby Three is a girl - oh my! I'm thrilled, but I really mean it that I would have been equally thrilled with a boy. It was nice though to tell the people who were hoping for a girl - primarily the grandmothers who told me at Thanksgiving that they wanted a girl. It will be great, I was feeling slightly overwhelmed at something "new" but I think whether girl/boy, kids are pretty much the same for the first few years. So we'll see. But very exciting!

OK - off to do more Christmas preparations - decorating, shopping, making albums, creating cards, etc.

This Past Week: A Good Playdate; LBI; Hoboken with the Fam

From last Tuesday until now (Sunday night) we've been busy - in a very good way. This past Tuesday I had to connect with Irene to borrow her Pack N Play, so we met at a great park in Chatham. Declan fell asleep on the way to the park which meant I only had to contend with following one child, easy-peasy. Declan transfers from the car to the stroller, which is wonderful. After playing for about an hour, we went to downtown Madison and took the boys for pizza. Yes, four kids: 2 two-year olds, and 2 one-year olds. And we survived. It was actually one of those great moments of "Wow. We've reached that point where we can take the kids for pizza for lunch." And then afterwards, we walked to an ice cream shop and the boys hung out on a bench and ate their ice cream until it became soup.

Wednesday we left for LBI! I pretty much had to do all of our packing that morning - 2 Pack N Plays and bedding (including two blankies, lovies, pillows, etc.), booster seat, double stroller, train set and miscellaneous toys, cooler with dinner for everyone that night (earning my keep!), beach bag, clothes, diapers, swim diapers.... phew! We left around 11:30 and happily Declan was asleep by the time we finished at the gas station in downtown Summit. Declan slept all the way to LBI - just about 2 hours - a few times he'd sort of wake up, but then I'd put on the Jack Johnson CD and he'd fall back asleep. I love that CD. Jack was a darling - was awake for about 1.5 hours, happy as could be, and then he passed out with about 30 minutes left in the ride.

We got there just before 2pm, fed the boys their lunch, unloaded the car and headed to the beach. Both boys were wary of the water and the loud crashing of the waves. Jack was scared but when I held him and went to the water's edge he was OK. Then when I told him the waves say "CRASH" he seemed to like that, and soon we were saying "Crash!" and "Come on waves!" and jumping over the waves. And then Jack was tugging us into the water to jump the waves, and he liked to crouch down and put his hands in the water as it flowed in and out. Declan was very happy to be held a bit away from the water's edge. The water was beautiful and I was able to swim out and jump in the waves and do some bodysurfing - something I haven't done in years. I felt so happy and free - as I always do in the ocean when the water's warm and the waves are big - it was amazing. Back at the house we set up toys in the living room, and the boys played inside and out and about on the porch. I love that beach house. BBQ skirt steak for dinner, boys ate with the grown ups and they were so good, eating what we ate - skirt steak and salad. Jack loves salad which for some reason cracks me up. I slept in a room with the two boys in pack n plays, Declan joined me in bed somewhere around 3am.

Thursday was constant rain - a trial with two toddlers in a non-baby-proof house, with limited diversions. But the boys were great - we had their shows on TV, read books, played with them outside on the covered side of the porch.... but ugh. What a day. Around 3pm, mom and I took the boys for a ride around the island and they both fell asleep so we got to explore and search for our favorite houses.

Happy Birthday Jake and Nina!

Yesterday we had two first birthday parties - one at 10:30am in Madison, NJ and one at 2pm in Norwalk, CT. As Jack would say, "a busy busy day".

After our typical weekend breakfast (eggs, bacon, english muffins, coffee) we headed out to the Rodin household for Jake's bday party. It's been awhile since the playgroup crowd had a birthday party, so it was good to have everyone together on a weekend, and this time all of the husbands came as well, which somehow made it more festive. Irene rented a big moon-bouncer-thingy and the back deck was filled with a ball pit, a train table, and a sandbox. It was just fun having all of the kids together, the food was dee-lish, cupcakes were beautiful, and beer, wine, and coffee for the adults. Perfect!

We left Irene's just before 12:30 to head to Norwalk - happily both boys fell asleep in the car almost immediately, Javier and I made a pit stop at Dunkin Donuts, and we had a beautiful drive and some quiet time together. When we hit I-95 and CT, the trip was less fun - I-95 is the pits - too much volume, not enough lanes. Must remember to take the Merritt Parkway. It took us close to an hour to go 16 miles. Pitiful.

Noel and Maria were having Nina's party at Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk - a beautiful park with lots of shade on the Long Island Sound. It took us awhile to find the party (I forgot the invitation - sigh) but once we got together with the party, it was great to see the DeGuzman Family. They always do such a thoughtful job with their parties - Maria had put together pails for each of the kids with bubbles, beach balls, and snacks. It was also a wonderful party - with a playground in the shade right by the party tent - and we took a trip out to the pier with the boys (a bit steamy hot, and a few drunk fishermen who made me nervous).

When Declan started to get fussy we decided it would be best to head back to NJ, as opposed to wait until the kids' bedtime. Right after we said our goodbyes and packed up the stroller, Declan threw up all over the grass (and me). He was not a happy camper. So we went straight to the car, got him cleaned up and changed into his third outfit of the day (he peed all over the first one in the ride up, threw up on the second one) and hit the road. Somewhere along the Merritt Parkway near Greenwich Declan threw up again (sad) so we pulled over into a rest area and cleaned him up again, putting him back into the now dry peed on outfit, and used up almost all of our baby wipes. Somewhere along the Cross County Parkway Declan threw up again, so we pulled into an outdoor mall that was sketchy at best (I think we were in Yonkers somewhere) - where we finished the wipes, Javier and Jack went to buy Declan fresh clothes, and then I watched the boys while Javier went in search of new wipes. Watching two stir-crazy boys playing in a parked car in a sketchy parking lot is not fun. Jack got into my mascara while I was pacing outside the car with Declan, and I had no wipes.

When Javier returned (it was almost 7pm at this point) we decided to re-locate to the Westchester Mall, even though it was north and we wanted to go South. We wanted to see how Declan's stomach was going to behave, and we didn't want to get stuck in the Bronx or on the George Washington Bridge with a sick kid, and I didn't want to stay in our current location. So we had a Vargas Family Outing at the Westchester Mall where the boys ran around and Declan seemed to be doing much better. We left the mall at 9pm, and the boys fell asleep about 20 minutes into the ride, at which point I took my first easy breath of the day. Somehow Javier and I stayed in good spirits through the traffic, the vomiting, and the detours, which makes me happy. We got home around 10:15, transferred the boys to their beds (thank goodness they both transfer well) and I collapsed.

A busy, busy day.