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.

Time Outs Work!

So for months now (maybe longer...) I've been wondering where my perfect "time out" place would be. And I was even more perplexed when my friends would tell me that their child would just sit on the "naughty step" or stand in the corner for as long as they were in trouble. This baffled me, because I couldn't imagine a child just staying in one spot - I was convinced I needed a contained space so Jack/Declan would be in official "time out". I didn't want to use the cribs since I want good associations, and I contemplated the upstairs hallway with the gate shut and all doors closed (the "time out" corridor...) but the few times I tried this with Jack, he was pleased as could be, just running back and forth.

So the other day, Jack was playing really rough and whacked me and I'd had it. I marched him over to the bottom step and told him "no hitting!", and that he was to stay on the step because he was in trouble for hitting. And he did. I walked out of the room with my back to him and a big grin on my face because I was in complete disbelief that he was actually doing what I told him to do, and knew that there were consequences to his actions. I stayed in the dining room, smiling, and I put on a stern face when I would check in on him just staying on his step, maybe I'd say "no hitting!" again, and then I'd retreat back to the dining room and smile at this turning point.

Earlier today Jack pushed Declan (hard, in the head, they were competing for magnets on the fridge) and Javier put Jack in time out on the step and left him in the living room. Jack sat on the step totally subdued, and when I looked in on him he said "no pushing." and even when I left he stayed on the step and kept repeating "no pushing." After two minutes I went in and he said "Sorry Mama." And I told him he had to say sorry to Declan, and he did. Victory!

Today was a wonderful Saturday, spent mostly at home. We went out this morning to look at screen doors, but other than that, we puttered in the yard and the house while the boys napped at various times throughout the afternoon. Jack climbed his first tree (see photo, it's more of a tree-bush type thing, but still he had to navigate his way up the branch and down the branch). Declan still loves to tear apart the kitchen, he takes out all of the tupperware, and all of the dishtowels. Lately after he takes all of the dishtowels out of their drawer, he climbs into the drawer and plays with the drawers above him - see photo.

The one rough spot of the day - found a (deer) tick on Jack today. Ew. Fortunately I'm getting better at removing them. A few weeks ago I found two on Declan during bathtime, and I started sweating and my heart started pounding. This time it was more like "Sigh. Where are the tweezers?" I now have tweezers in the downstairs bathroom for this purpose. Those Tweezerman tweezers aren't cheap, but man are they good for pulling out ticks!

A Mid Summer's Week

Just a regular summer week, but every day the boys continue to surprise me and make me laugh. They also make me want to scream, but I make sure that I don't sit down and blog in those moments.... Lately I'll be in another room and hear them both laughing together, and the joy is contagious. Of course then I check in on what they are doing and see them wrestling on the couch and I lose my mind.

This week Casa Vargas has been plagued with bronchitis (or so we think...) - both boys are on antibiotics in case it's bacterial, but it's most likely viral - especially since they both have it. These kids have no sense of "ownership" in that they share everything - sippy cups, toys, baths, viruses. I have a terrible sore throat, but so far it's skipping Javier.

TGIF - today we went to Ossining, NY for a bookclub reunion. My old NYC bookclub has essentially disbanded (but we may have revived it today!) but we all got together with the kids at Stacey's pool. Declan is not a fan of the water - he pulls his "cling monkey" move - and Jack is a fish, albeit one who can not yet swim. It's a matter of time with Jack - he can blow bubbles, kick his legs, and paddle his arms. He'll pull it together soon. We had a nice picnic lunch by the pool, and I was able to play games with Jack in the water while Declan played by the chairs (no real interest in the water) and then Dec took a nice long nap in the stroller. It was great to see the girls, but the ride back was a bit long, traffic on the Tappan Zee and then again on the GSP. I tried to get off early, only to find myself in the middle of Newark, thank goodness for GPS. And throughout, I was sporadically holding my iPhone up for the boys so they could watch a Backyardigans show. I don't know who out of the three of us was most relieved to pull into the garage.

So a general catch up of the boys:
- Both are obsessed with the Backyardigans. Jack can quote segments of episodes, and likes to take out all 5 Backyardigan stuffed animals to re-enact scenes. Some of the most common: "Hey, Lifeguard Dude!", "Whoa! What was that!?", "Hey Mama, wanna race? Well, actually, no.", "Yip! Yip! Yip! Dancing the polka!" and probably the cutest, he goes through a few knock knock jokes from one of the episodes. The Backyardigans are pretty much the only thing guaranteed to stop a crying jag from either boy. I am in debt to the creator of the Backyardigans. And, of all the kiddie shows, I find it the most amusing. Lucky me.

- Jack is a jumping machine. Unfortunately, he likes to stand on the arms of the couch and jump down onto the seat area. He's also a climbing machine, and will knock over his Jack Chair and use it to climb up and walk down.

- Declan is borderline running. He and Jack will chase each other in circles around the house and laugh their heads off.

- Declan can't stand to see the tupperware put away in the cabinet. I probably put it away 6 - 10 times a day (one of my least favorite things to do) and as soon as Declan notices that the kitchen floor is uncluttered, he goes to the cabinet and pulls it all out again. I just cook dinner in a landmine of tupperware and pray that while the boys are chasing each other in circles that neither of them slips.

- Jack can recite "Good Night Moon" by heart. This was his favorite book until a few days ago, replaced by "The Very Quiet Cricket". The other day I was scolding him to not spit out his juice all over the floor, and he just smiled and said "Spittlebug!" He has the bugs memorized. I love that he calls the dragonfly the "dragon butterfly".

- Declan is a book fiend in general, and will shamelessly go up to anyone, take their hand, put a book in it, and expect to be read to. At the end of the book (which comes quickly since Declan turns the pages faster than they can be read) Declan will flip the book over, pick up the readers hand, and place the book back in the hand, ready for round two. Round three. Round four. Round... and so on.

- Jack continues to be a great sleeper. Declan is not a great sleeper. And unfortunately this is not resolved by bringing him in bed with us, he still frets and cries a bit. I don't know if it's molars coming in, a sore throat like mine, or something else.

- Jack talks, but limited. He did answer the phone the other day when Myriam called and I was in the shower, and he kept her on the phone for 10 minutes before I came down and saw what he was doing. He more has canned phrases "ketchup on eggs please" and the such. He can also sing songs from beginning to end, but I'm not sure he knows exactly what he's singing. Our favorite game is to sing a song, alternating verses. This is especially useful in the car.

- Ah, the car. Declan does not like to be put in the car. I'm hoping this will pass, as I know it's not uncommon. Right now, about 70% of the time, Declan will arch his back and refuse to sit in his seat. He also protests diaper changes.

Pictures: Watching a show (obsessed, I tell you), reading with Daddy

Today it was back to the routine after a wonderful trip to Chicago. (More on Chicago in another post.... but in a sentence, the boys were amazing the whole trip.) We had quite a full day:

As soon as both boys were awake (Declan spent the whole night in his crib, had to pat him down once...) I put them in clothes and gave them breakfast to go - yogurt drink in the sippy cups and cheerios - and we drove downtown to drop off my car for servicing. Once the car was dropped off and I had the boys in the stroller (about 8:30am), we walked to Dunkin Donuts where I got my coffee and breakfast, and munchkins for the boys. Declan looked so thrilled when I gave him his munchkin, and I found out later it's because he thought it was a ball. Then we went to the park while it was still early and cool. The boys played at the park for awhile while I had my breakfast. Jack loves the wobbly bridge and sings "I'm the grumpy ol' troll! Who lives under the bridge...". (Dora reference.) Declan is getting braver - he'll go down a slide now, but he still doesn't like to walk up/down slanted surfaces. He'll crawl up and go feet first on the down. An older Chinese woman was there with her granddaughter and she asked if Declan was 8 or 9 months old (because he was crawling) and when I told her 14 months, she said "Oh, slow walker, eh?" Up comes the mommy defensiveness. No, he's practically running, he's just cautious on slanted surfaces.

We walked home from the park, and the boys continued to play outside in the yard while I picked up sticks from the storms while we were gone. They played in the sandbox and with their cars. I can't wait until the fence gets installed. Then we went inside for snacks and a show while I tried to track down surveyors for the fence installation.

After the boys woke up from their naps, (during which time, I was talking with surveyors and looking for property markers) I fed them some pasta, packed a pool bag, and we walked downtown to pick up the car. We got to the car about 4:30pm, and then we were off to the pool. It was a little harrowing in the locker room trying to get both boys in their swimmie diapers and bathing suits, and then getting my own suit on and making sure we had everything as we made our way to the pool. I told Jack he had to stay close to me and listen to me or we'd have to go, and I wasn't sure if her understood, but perhaps he did because he was really good and stayed by me and listened to all of my instructions.

The baby pool at the Summit Aquatic Center is awesome - lots of waterfalls and fountains for the kids to play in. Jack was in heaven right away - he started copying other bigger kids who were walking on their hands while their legs floated behind them. He did this and looked at me and said "I'm swimming!" - I'm sure it felt like swimming and he was so happy to be moving around in the water. When Jack wasn't crawling on his hands, he was jumping up and down and practicing blowing bubbles. Declan was really happy at first, he enjoyed sitting down and splashing and watching all of the kids, but then he got splashed and just wanted to be held. He morphed into the little Declan cling monkey that I love so much. When Declan got tired of the pool, I held him with a towel over him for warmth while Jack continued to jump around.

After swimming, the locker room was a hassle again, Declan kept trying to leave the locker room when I was only half dressed. But totally worth it. Jack kept asking to go on the slide so we went to the playground once we were all dressed, and we stayed at the pool until about 6. Once home, the boys played upstairs while I cleaned up and fixed their dinner. They ate at 7 (eggs, spinach pancakes, sweet potato pancakes, pears) - then Javier came home. The boys watched two episodes of the Backyardigans while Javier and I ate. Then into the bath - the routine: Javier strips Jack and has him use the potty, I strip Declan and put in his ear plugs, Javier bathes both boys while I lay out PJs and pull together last minute items (books, pacifiers), then I put Declan down and Javier puts Jack to bed.

Ahhhhh. Such a good day. Good to be home.

What was I thinking??

So I took a "mommy break" on Friday night and went to a party to celebrate Nora's birthday - left at 8:30, with Javier still up with the boys (Thank you Honey!) What a good time, but I didn't walk in the door until 2:30am... and Saturday morning when I woke up, I had a hangover, something I haven't felt since before my pregnancy with Jack. Ugh!!! Not a good feeling! So sadly my Saturday with the family was shot, but I don't think that will be happening again any time soon, if at all. (Bwa-ha-ha!!!) I bought Advil at Costco today and Javier asked if I had plans with Nora this weekend... he really can be amusing at times.

Boys are doing great. Jack has been obsessed with his Austin stuffed animal, he pretty much had it in his arms all day, saying "Hey! Lifeguard Dude! Hooo Daddy!" (a reference to Backyardigans "Surfs Up" episode) He made me proud today - peed twice in the potty! - but I still don't think we're close to potty training because he's not at the point of communicating the urge - nor does he have the desire.

Declan is a darling, but he's stubborn. Until last night, Declan could fall asleep anywhere except for his crib. And I mean anywhere. Usually in my arms. On Friday, Irene and Liz and their kids came over, and Declan fell asleep in my arms while we were having a conversation. When I tried to move him up to his crib, he cried and screamed like crazy. Later, after I fed the kids lunch, I took the boys to the grocery store and Declan fell asleep sitting in the front of the cart while eating a piece of bread. His head was bobbing down and to the sides... I couldn't believe it. He has a nice comfy crib that he doesn't sleep in with pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, and yet he can sleep in a metal cart sitting up. Then he would wake up and cry so I had to finish my grocery shopping carrying a sleeping Declan in one arm, pushing the cart with the other. Not easy...

So on Saturday night I stayed in his room with him while he spent two hours trying to get comfortable in his crib. He didn't cry because I was there, and he was exhausted, but he couldn't get comfortable - finally he fell asleep. Last night I couldn't do the two hour stint (the "shuffle" as Irene and I like to call it) so I put Declan down sleepy and he was asleep after only 5 minutes of crying - hooray! Tonight he fell asleep within a minute or two... so here's hoping!

This morning I went on a nice long walk with the boys, fed them lunch, and then took them off to Costco where they were so cute sitting side by side in the cart (and Declan didn't fall asleep this time!) - and squeezed in some cleaning and organizing... A productive day.

Good Weekend with an Exciting Finish

8:46 am and it's dark, thundering, and pouring rain - what to do all day with these kids? Right now they are watching The Backyardigans - The Great Tea Party - requested by Jack. His communication is improving daily so for the most part it reduces his frustrations - he used to get upset if I put on an episode he didn't want. And this morning when I asked him if he wanted ketchup on his eggs (as if I needed to ask) he said "yes please". When he wants something he points at it and says "please."

We have music class at 11:15, and then??? Perhaps use the weather as an excuse to let them watch more TV than usual and to get things done around the house.

We had a great, relaxing weekend. It felt extra-long since Javier was home sick from work last Thursday and Friday. Friday we took Declan to get fitted for his new big boy shoes - he's in a size 6 already, hard to believe. On Saturday we went down to the Mercer County Masters Gardeners Open Garden to look at their composters and shade garadens. The drive down was slightly stressful since Declan was over-tired but not going to sleep. He'd whine and Jack would join him, or Declan would be almost asleep and Jack would whine and Declan would start wailing. Since it took longer than we expected, we picked up sandwiches on the way, met mom and dad at the gardens, and had a picnic in one of the most beautiful, peaceful, and serene places that I've seen. We were in the middle of a horse farm, on picnic benches in the shade, next to a beautiful garden. It was so quiet - no cars- refreshing breezes - we couldn't've had a better day. After letting the boys run around the garden a bit and figuring out which composter we should get, we headed over to visit the horses. Jack was patting the horses (with moms help and encouragement, naturally) and even though I know I did the same as a kid, I was so worried that I didn't know the horse and that he would just take a chomp out of Jack. Didn't happen...

We were thinking about heading as a group to Lambertville, but I didn't think the boys could make it, and it's not the most child-friendly town (no strollers in many of the stores full of breakable art...)- so Mom and Dad were nice enough to switch cars with us and take the boys to East Windsor while Javier and I went on to Lambertville. We strolled around the town looking at furniture and art, and I think I found a console table for the living room, though the logistics of going back down there are a bit daunting. But it's these little moments without the kids that Javier and I turn into dates, and it's so nice to walk around a pretty town, holding hands, and puttering in unusual stores. We wrapped up our visit with a drink at the Canal Side Bar, sitting outside and people watching. We left around 5, and were back in East Windsor to have dinner with the boys - funny how I miss them after just a few short hours.

Sunday we hung out in East Windsor - our typical big breakfast - and then we hung out in the yard doing some gardening work while the boys played. Jack got on the riding mower with Dad to do the lawn, and as he went around the yard, Jack would wave at us. Mom was rocking Declan on the front porch, and somehow he slept through the noisy ruckus of lawn mowers, weed wackers, and such. Mrs. Lashomb came by to say hello to the boys and was telling us all about her recent visit to Poland. While she and mom were on the front porch with Declan, Javier and I were digging in the front garden, and I saw Jack in the garage sitting on the riding mower. All of the sudden the mower started up in the garage, sounding so loud and scary, and I jumped up to see Jack on the mower, somehow he started it. In that split second I screamed "Jack!" and was moving over in my bare feet (and wondering if I was going to lose a toe or two) to get Jack to safety when Javier jumped in front of me and grabbed Jack off the seat of the mower, which stopped the mower. The mower has a safety feature that stops when when there's no weight on the seat. The whole thing happened and was over in seconds, but it took awhile for my limbs to stop shaking. Dad came running outside saying that when he heard the mower start he knew it was Jack. Sigh. And Declan snoozed through the hoopla.

We were back in Summit early enough on Sunday to enjoy some quiet time at the house and unwind before the start of a new week. Javier made stuffed poblano peppers for dinner (hot, hot, hot!) and while we finished our dinner, the boys went next door to play with Sophie and Tucker MacMillan, leaving Javier and I 10 minutes of peace and quiet to finish dinner. Everybody was happy...

Pat-Catters and Brubbers

The title here is in reference to "Jackenese" spoken in our house - it's so funny that as Jack talks more and more, we have to be more alert about listening and translating. Pat-catter = caterpillar, brubber - brother, and he substitutes "m" for "n", so knees = mees (head, shoulders, mees and toes) and phone = foam (a foam! a foam is ringing!)

We're doing great. We had a busy, fun week. Tuesday was our Music Together class, Wednesday we did "art playgroup" at Jodi's house, and Thursday we had a tree service come to prune and take down some trees - Declan and Jack played on the back porch and were fascinated with the tree crew climbing the trees and all of the loud power saws. A live show. Then, last Friday I had a wonderful day with the boys running errands. Yes, errands and wonderful day in the same sentence! Declan fell asleep in the car and somehow I managed to transfer him into the stroller without waking him up, so Jack and I went to Target and Osk Kosh, and he just trotted along beside me, keeping me company. Then when Declan woke up I took the boys for pizza - Jack in the booth next to the window and Declan in a highchair - and then we went grocery shopping, the boys riding in the car in the front of the cart. A quick pit stop at Toys R Us to buy more balls for the ball pit. They were wonderful company and we accomplished so much, and it was such an empowering feeling to be able to run in and out of stores with two kids.

And, speaking of empowering, yesterday was the first time we really did the "babysitter" thing - meaning a non-family member watching the boys while Javier and I went into the city to have lunch with Jess and Brett. Shelby MacMillan from next door came over from 11-3, and the boys did great, and I feel like I had a real date with my husband. Awesome. We met Jess and Brett at Mercadito in the east village and ordered the all you can eat tacos, which were declicious, and I had two margaritas which made me loopy. But it just felt great to be out and free on a warm beautiful day, eating good food and drink with old friends, laughing. When we got home the boys hadn't napped yet so we had the added benefit of all being able to rest for awhile.

Declan is really coming into his own. I think the ear surgery has really helped him, he's not as clingy and doesn't whine as much, which I think is an indicator that he just feels better in general. Overall he's such a happy kid and just toddles around after Jack (and sometimes Jack follows him around) - and he's becoming a good sleeper which makes me so happy. At night I give Dec a bottle (maybe 4 oz, soon going to switch this to a sippy cup) and then pop in the pacifier (I've given in on this one) and we read "Goodnight Moon" two times, then switch off the light and we cuddle for a few renditions of "I've Been Working on the Railroad" while he gets sleepy, and then I put him in his crib and as I leave he picks up his head and cries for about 5 seconds after I walk out the door - then he's down for the night.

Today mom is coming - she'll watch Jack while I take Dec to get fitted for ear plugs - and then I'm looking forward to doing a couple of projects around the house (hanging pictures, putting away winter clothes) and doing some work for the hospital.

The Every Day Stuff...

Time is flying by and when I realize it's been a month since my last entry, I'm a little sad because there are so many little beautiful things that we've done, that the boys have said that I've already forgotten. I have to accept that I can never capture it all, but I can certainly do better at capturing the everyday.

Right now it's 9pm, and Jack and Javier are on the couch - Jack is just wearing his jeans, head on pillow, blanket on, hands behind his head, watching TV. Add 35 years and it's Javier. Declan is asleep - in his own crib! - which is a wonderful milestone. He was in bed with us for a looooong time, refusing to go in his crib, and I wasn't pushing the issue because his ears were being problematic with fluid behind the eardrums.

So we're wrapping up a wonderful, normal, long weekend. Javier took off last Friday and we took Declan in the morning to get tubes in his ears. It was a long process getting to this point, three visits to the ENT , an audiology test, and Dr. Cambria telling me "These are not normal ears." And then even when I was convinced, we had to get Javier - who's uber-cautious - on board. So he watched the procedure done online and came onboard. Anyways... Friday morning we went in, we arrived at 6:30 for a 7:15am appointment. Javier went in with Dec while they gave him the anesthesia, and then we went to the waiting room. Javier went down for coffee, and in that time, Dr. LeBenger came out to say they were done (and pulled a lot of thick, goopy fluid out of his ears), and Declan woke up for the anesthesia. When I got back to him in the post-op area (I couldn't wait to hold him) a nurse was holding him with several nurses around her, and they all told me how cute he was. I held him and popped the paci back in his mouth, and he was back to sleep, sweet as can be. We were back at our house by 8:15, mom and Jack were still upstairs cuddling in bed and waking up. The rest of Friday was great - we had a pancake breakfast and then took the boys to the zoo. I even got in a rest in the afternoon, and was able to hang out with mom before she headed back home.

Saturday morning we hung out in the backyard, and I love our yard. It's shady so it's always comfortable. While the boys played in the sandbox, Javier and I started our major spring cleaning, getting the patio and back porch in order. (Fast forward to tonight, Monday night, and we're all done! It's a beautiful outdoor living space! Hooray!) I can't really remember much about Saturday (sad, right?) but we did all sit down for breakfast and lunch together (bacon and eggs in the a.m., sandwiches for lunch) and we did go to Wholefoods - a typical Vargas family outing- at some point in the afternoon. Saturday night was a major deal in that I put Declan in his crib at bedtime - he'd been on a crib strike - and although he cried, he eventually went to sleep within 20 minutes. (He did fall asleep sitting up, which I feel awful about, but fall asleep he did.) In the middle of the night he woke up and I brought him back into bed with us, without even thinking about it. We're all weaning ourselves into the new sleep situation.

Sunday - yesterday - and I'm still struggling to remember! - we had a nice slow morning. I went for a pedicure (hallelujah! I can wear flip flops with pride again!) and came home to Javier bbq-ing cheeseburgers, super yum. Then Javier took Jack to the Y to go swimming - Jack can now blow bubbles in the water - and Dec and I hung out at the house (ear plugs need to be made before he can go in the water) and he watched shows while I read. Then both boys took a nap, I read more, and Jav went to the Home Depot in search of some sort of doo-hickey to fix some of the sprinkler heads that we have. Sunday eve we went to the MacMillans for a Memorial Day BBQ, and caught up with all of the neighbors, including the Reilly's (lovely, lovely couple going through the recent loss of the 25 year old son) and the Tregers (odd, odd couple, won't even touch the situation here...). There were a lot of people there, in Jack and Declan's usual stomping ground, and I think Jack was thrown for a loop to see so many people in "his" play area. The boys personalities really shone through. Jack hung back for a few minutes before he would go into the MacMillan yard, and Declan just walked right into the crowd and started mixing it up with the 10 year old boys playing basketball. My sweet, sweet boys. The boys exhausted themselves, came home to watch a show and wind down (Dora and the Penguin) - then into the bath and bed. I patted Declan down - he went into his crib with less resistance - and - he slept through the night in his crib!!!! This is big. I have to be careful not to have too-high expectations for tonight, but let's face it, I'm hoping it's a trend.

Today we had another family pancake breakfast, and then took the boys to the park. Jack is fearless and I can't get over the difference from last fall at the park to now. He can climb anything, and slides that I thought looked scary last summer seem normal now. What a worry wart I was! Jack and Jav shot a few hoops while Declan fell asleep. But a memory of each boy: Jack climbing up the "rope pyramid" all by himself, and Declan wearing a baseball cap backwards while he toddled into the mulch. Declicious. Then a nice long drive around town while Declan slept, and Jack was just a prince looking out the window, commenting on the trees and cars and colored flowers. Home for a brief rest and lunch together, and then off to do errands - Best Buy and Toys R Us. Declan slept in my arms at Best Buy (his days are numbered, he's getting heavy!) while Jack ran around, up and down the aisles, thrilled with the number of buttons to push - particularly the alarm clock area. He's really good at staying near us (mostly) and will follow us when we yell "Jack Jack! This way!" and he'll pretty much skid to a stop, turn 180 degrees, and follow us. Toys R Us, I ran in to buy the supplies for a new ball pit. So exciting! While Jack napped, we finished up our spring clean up outside and I feel like we have a gorgeous outdoor living space now. We had a delicious lamb bbq for dinner, and we ate on our newly scrubbed screened in porch, while the boys played at our feet in their new ball pit. Awesome.

Now Dec is asleep in his crib (I can't say hooray enough about this...), Javier has Jack up in the shower, and I'm getting ready to wind down for the night. Tempted to look at vacation houses online, but think I'll save that for tomorrow.

What the Boys Can Do

I haven't been the best about tracking the milestones lately, but these kids are changing like crazy, and it's wonderful. I figure I'll capture it now so I have a rough time frame of what's been going on in the Vargas household.

Right now, Jack is dancing like crazy to the "scrub, scrub, scrub" song on TV (a Blues Clues snippet) - The guy on the TV says "where are your toes?" and Jack crouches down and tells him "dis is toes". Then he does his nose. ("Dis is nose".) And then the wrists - where Jack flaps his hands and says "deez wists! deez wists!". He also does this when we're in the mall - he runs as fast as he can, flapping his hands, saying "wists! wists!". Ah, but this is not what I meant to write about what the boys can do...

Declan can wave bye-bye (he did this out of the blue one day when we finished lunch with the Lederman family and were saying our goodbyes), he claps when he hears "hooray!" or we finish singing a song - he claps by holding his right hand steady and makes the left hand do all the work, and he can make good sounds by tapping his hand against his mouth while saying "ahhhhhhhhh".

Declan is also starting to walk! It's baby steps, which is appropriate, I guess... He really loves to walk with a push toy of some sort, and gets really frustrated when his clear path is blocked (by a wall, for example) and he can't go any further. So it's really cute but also trying when I have to deal with the fit he has when there's a road block. Jack did this too. In fact, I'm constantly amazed by all of the things Declan does that Jack did at the same age.

Declan is also very proficient at climbing the stairs. He's pretty stealth about it too - we'll be in the basement and I'll see him one second, and then the next thing I know I hear the door slam at the top of the stairs and Declan will be no where in sight. A little scary, actually, but it's nice that he's so good at it. (Not that I can count on this, I know...)

Declan is also SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!! FINALLY! He's gone through a series of ear infections so for a long time I was bringing him into bed with us since it was taking so long to get him back to sleep at night. But about a week and a half ago, we let him cry it out again when falling asleep. And when he got good at this (falling asleep in less than 5 minutes, which probably took about 4 nights) then we let him cry himself back to sleep in the middle of the night. We had one rough night where he cried for about an hour in the middle of the night (going in every 10 minutes to give him pats and love), but I was refusing to bring him into bed with us (a slippery slope) and ever since then Declan goes down well and sleeps through the night. It's wonderful.

Jack has had amazing steps as well. He's peed in the potty several times - we're not even close to formal potty training yet - but he knows what the potty is for and makes an honest effort every time we put him on it. The trick is to have him try at the right time (since I don't think he fully understands the urge to go, and how to communicate it) - if I notice his diaper is dry when I change him, then I'll take him to his potty and he'll usually go. He also has started telling us when his diaper is dirty. So we're making progress.

Jack can pick out all of the letters and most of the numbers. He can count to 10 no problem, and the other day he shocked me by out the the blue saying "uno, dos, tres..." - he can sometimes make it to "diez" - although he usually forgets "siete", but really, who's counting? (No pun intended!) I'm so proud of him.

Jack's Best Comment

Ugh. We're working on a dearth of sleep this week. Declan is fully recovered from his ear infections and diaper rash, but he's still not sleeping on his own. We want to let him "cry it out" to get used to sleeping on his own (and through the night again!) but now there's something up with Jack. No fever, no ear infection, no strep, but he's cranky and not eating or sleeping well. He's up and crying in the middle of the night. I don't think it's nightmares because he's cranky and crying during the afternoons as well. We'll see. I'm hoping he'll feel better today and we can get on some sort of routine.

Monday we went to the Rodin's house, thank goodness for Irene and her boys. Conner is just a few months older than Jack, Jake is just a few months younger than Declan, and Irene is wonderfully relaxed and refreshing, a good friend to be keeping company with.

Jack is talking more than ever, but it's so funny because he's a labeler and an aper. We were watching TV as a family and a Claritan commercial came on - the picture was blurry and there was a woman with big hair and Jack said "Troll". It was hilarious. ("Troll" comes from Dora, naturally.) What's going to be scary is when he says things like that in public, I wonder if I'm going to be horrified or want to laugh.

Despite the lack of sleep, both boys are good. Declan is just cute and smiley - provided he's getting his way, which means I pick him up when he wants it. (Although he's playing on his own now at the train table, and Jack is catching up on the sleep that he missed out on last night.) Jack last night at the doctor couldn't be cuter. When he saw me shake her hand, he went up and took her hand and shook it. And then he just sat in a big person's seat while she examined him, looked in his ears and eyes. When she went to listen to his chest, he took the stethoscope from her and put it on his belly and chest. He was just so cute. I guess Jack had a cute day yesterday because he was also amazing in his music class.

Back to Writing After a Bit of a Break

I may only have a few minutes to write, but I won't try and catch up the past 4 months. Right now it's Saturday evening, 6pm, Javier is sleeping on the couch with Declan sleeping on top of him, and Jack is just waking up from his nap. Needless to say, we haven't quite adjusted to day lights saving time yet. I'm a little sad because it's too bad we're not on an earlier schedule. I'd be pretty psyched to be putting the boys down to bed at 7pm, but looks like it will more likely be 9pm. The boys are napping later and going to bed later... it's nice because they see more of Javier when he gets home from work, but it also means there's no down time in the evenings.

This past week Declan has been sick with an ear infection - had to go to the doctor 3 times this week - Mon, Wed, and Fri, but finally he seems to be getting better. At least the fever is gone, but now the antibiotics he's on are screwing up his digestive system enough, that we're dealing with diaper rash. Boo. Fortunately I've been getting a lot of help this week from Mom (and Dad!) - went down to EW on Monday after the doctor, spent the night, and then back on Wednesday - Friday, so I could spend Thursday in NYC.

Thursday was great - I haven't been away from the boys for that length of time since Declan was born - left at 8:45am, and arrived back home at 7:15pm. I must admit, by the time I was leaving the city, I was so so ready to see the boys, it was like a weight in my heart. The whole drive home I could only think of how much I wanted to see them. Crazy. It's just that I'm not used to being away from them. I know that people can get used to anything (afterall, this is what it would be like if I went to work everyday and that I would get used to it) - but it made me appreciate the time with the boys, challenges, ear infections, no personal space and all. I had a great day though - got my hair cut and highlighted and I feel like the old me - it's so nice not to have to defer to the default pony tail. Today I got out of the shower and my hair was done. Hooray!

Today we went to Ikea - a full day and we could have spent more time there if the boys were game. We had lunch and strolled around for awhile, buying shelves for the laundry room, checking out the kids furnature. Jack fell asleep on the way home (around 2:30) woke up when we transferred him from the car to the bed, and went down til just about now. Going up to get him now, it'll be nice to spend some quiet time with him while Jav has Declan, since when Declan's awake, he's pretty commanding for my time.