Sitting in his dad's chair with a sign taped to the door. He told me he was "testing." Funny little kid.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Test Room
St.Joseph is having their Iowa Testing this week for grades first through sixth. Jack must have seen some signs on some of the testing rooms because today this is where I found him---
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Jack's Basketball
The girls have been to enough of Jack's basketball games to repeat "Jack's basketball" on the mornings we are going to watch him play. Jack is getting better at the game. He has shot the ball, but not made a basket during the game yet--that is a goal of his! After his game today, we went to Steak-N-Shake for some "chicken and french fries" and of course, ice cream. The kids were pretty well behaved. Then, we went to the library so the kids could play in the Discovery Works. There are two areas of Discovery Works and one area is for kids older than five, but they have to have a parent with them, so I could never take Jack in with the girls. John and Jack played together and I think Jack's favorite thing was making paper airplanes!
A few pictures of Grandmom and Granddad walking with the kids (and Carter) last week.
Steak-N-Shake
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Good-Bye Epi-Pen, Hello Peanut Butter
Jack is peanut allergy-free! What a nice thing to say and hear! We took him to see an allergist after his 5th birthday to see if he was outgrowing, or outgrew his allergy. Since he had a positive skin test at age two, his new allergist drew his titer for peanut allergy, rather than repeating the skin test. Jack was not a fan of the blood draw a few weeks ago, but there were no tears. After the blood draw, however, he told me he couldn't put on his coat because he couldn't bend his arm...typical male, right!
After his blood draw he called his Mimi and Grandmom to tell them about the allergy appointment and it was funny to hear him talk about it in his own words. I think he left a message to Mimi and she called me back laughing at him. "Hi Mimi. I was very brave getting my blood taken out. And if I don't have a H-I-V-E, then I can have P-E-A-N. Call us back. Our number is 440-961-0096. Thanks, Love you Jack." (Before the appointment, he asked me a million questions about the skin testing because that is what I thought they would do, not the titer.) Afterwards, Jack had quite a few questions about the blood drawn. He asked me some questions that I really thought were interesting coming from a 5 year-old. "Where does the blood go?" (Tube) "How do they know it is my blood?" (label the tube) "Where does it go?" (lab) "Does the blood actually get mailed out, like with the mailman, or does it go through the computer?"
His titer came back about three weeks later and the nurse said it was low enough for a food ingestion challenge in the office. At his level, about 85-90% of kids will pass the oral challenge. Since my parents were visiting and there was a cancellation, we scheduled the appointment for today. The girls would never make it, because it lasts 4-5 hours. Jack and I got there at 8:15 and we left at 1:15. Every 15 minutes they came in a gave Jack a little bit of peanut butter. He started out with a little dab on the inside of his cheek on a Q-tip to a dose of 6 crackers with peanut butter. He ate a total of 2 TBS of peanut butter. Every 15 minutes, the nurse would come in, check for a rash, listen to his chest and then give him more. He loved the peanut butter! On his second to last "dose" he choked on some water and some of the chewed crackers came up. Because of this, we had to wait an extra 20 minutes to make sure it wasn't the start of a reaction, then repeat that dose. Therefore, we were in the office a little longer. Jack and I played UNO, mailbox, wrote words on flash cards, colored and read...all in one little exam room. It was totally worth it because he is not allergic and we don't have to worry about epi-pens, benadryl, and WOW butter.
On the way home, I let Jack pick a peanut butter candy bar. He had no idea what he was missing! He called his Aunt Julie to ask if he should pick out a snickers bar, or Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. Julie suggested the Reese's and he ate both Reese's cups on the way home! He ate a peanut butter sandwich for lunch, peanut butter with celery for a snack and wanted another peanut butter sandwich for dinner, but I suggested we eat something else.
We are excited for him and relieved to be done with the allergy. And really, no one should have to go through life without ever eating a Reese's cup, right?
After his blood draw he called his Mimi and Grandmom to tell them about the allergy appointment and it was funny to hear him talk about it in his own words. I think he left a message to Mimi and she called me back laughing at him. "Hi Mimi. I was very brave getting my blood taken out. And if I don't have a H-I-V-E, then I can have P-E-A-N. Call us back. Our number is 440-961-0096. Thanks, Love you Jack." (Before the appointment, he asked me a million questions about the skin testing because that is what I thought they would do, not the titer.) Afterwards, Jack had quite a few questions about the blood drawn. He asked me some questions that I really thought were interesting coming from a 5 year-old. "Where does the blood go?" (Tube) "How do they know it is my blood?" (label the tube) "Where does it go?" (lab) "Does the blood actually get mailed out, like with the mailman, or does it go through the computer?"
His titer came back about three weeks later and the nurse said it was low enough for a food ingestion challenge in the office. At his level, about 85-90% of kids will pass the oral challenge. Since my parents were visiting and there was a cancellation, we scheduled the appointment for today. The girls would never make it, because it lasts 4-5 hours. Jack and I got there at 8:15 and we left at 1:15. Every 15 minutes they came in a gave Jack a little bit of peanut butter. He started out with a little dab on the inside of his cheek on a Q-tip to a dose of 6 crackers with peanut butter. He ate a total of 2 TBS of peanut butter. Every 15 minutes, the nurse would come in, check for a rash, listen to his chest and then give him more. He loved the peanut butter! On his second to last "dose" he choked on some water and some of the chewed crackers came up. Because of this, we had to wait an extra 20 minutes to make sure it wasn't the start of a reaction, then repeat that dose. Therefore, we were in the office a little longer. Jack and I played UNO, mailbox, wrote words on flash cards, colored and read...all in one little exam room. It was totally worth it because he is not allergic and we don't have to worry about epi-pens, benadryl, and WOW butter.
On the way home, I let Jack pick a peanut butter candy bar. He had no idea what he was missing! He called his Aunt Julie to ask if he should pick out a snickers bar, or Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. Julie suggested the Reese's and he ate both Reese's cups on the way home! He ate a peanut butter sandwich for lunch, peanut butter with celery for a snack and wanted another peanut butter sandwich for dinner, but I suggested we eat something else.
We are excited for him and relieved to be done with the allergy. And really, no one should have to go through life without ever eating a Reese's cup, right?
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
I Surrender...
You won...This is the first time in two-and-a-half years that I have said that...and I will say it...for now.
A few pictures of "No naps"
Went to bed with: Duct-taped diapers, onesies, fleece hooded shirt, leggings.
This is what I found:
The show is not over. I still have one more trick up my sleeve. I ordered them tonight and they should be here in a few days. I hesitated because they sell for $25 each...times three...but it is all worth not potty training or giving up naps.
Sleep sacks--zipped up backwards is my last effort...and if you can weasel yourselves out of these, I guess I will be potty training or giving up naps...or wearing footed PJs backwards all day!
A few pictures of "No naps"
Went to bed with: Duct-taped diapers, onesies, fleece hooded shirt, leggings.
This is what I found:
Party Time. Everything out of the cribs...
Elizabeth was asleep naked...first time she has gotten her onesie off and I have never seen her take off a shirt...I won't even talk about how the diaper with duct tape came off
Anna...everything was taken off, but then she decided to put her pants back on...backwards and inside-out. Again...the diaper is a mystery to me.
Kate asleep. The only one who couldn't quite get off the onesie or diaper. Half-way got off the shirt.
She looks like she gave the shirt a good effort! "stuck" she told me.
I still love my little girls...
Watching "Mickey's House" as they call Mickey Mouse.
The show is not over. I still have one more trick up my sleeve. I ordered them tonight and they should be here in a few days. I hesitated because they sell for $25 each...times three...but it is all worth not potty training or giving up naps.
Sleep sacks--zipped up backwards is my last effort...and if you can weasel yourselves out of these, I guess I will be potty training or giving up naps...or wearing footed PJs backwards all day!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Library Story Time and Birthday Party
I am slowly earning some independence back. Baby steps. We celebrate our successes. On Thursday I took the girls to story time at the library. Thirty minutes of songs, books and dancing. Sounds like fun, right? Well, I took Jack to these beginning at nine months and the girls didn't make one until they were 2.5 years old. We did OK, as in, I think we can go back again. Kate was the hardest. She has NO fear of ANYTHING (strangers, chairs, heights, etc.) and I had to tell her a few times to sit on her bottom instead of stand up on the chairs, climb up to the stereo and push the play button for the music and just walk around and point at things and name them. Elizabeth was glued to my lap which made controlling Kate hard, and Anna, as usual was pretty good sitting next to me. But, most importantly, we made it through and the leader was tolerant of me (because of the three, I think) and only had to ask Kate to sit down a few times.
I took the girls to Jack's basketball game on yesterday morning. 9 am game time and I made it there with all the kids dressed and fed on time. The girls did OK in the stroller. They went through two pieces of gum and a box of raisins ("time-wasters" as my sister Sarah calls them)...but hey, we made it through!
We also went to our neighbors today for her nephew's 3rd birthday party. Kristen called us last minute this morning to come over and since John was working all day, I thought it would be worth the try. Hey, we are only a driveway apart, so at the very least, we walk home if it is a disaster. Jack made a card for Jude and picked out a few of his cars and books to give him since I didn't want to show up empty-handed. At noon we walked in and we left around 3pm. I fed the kids over there, they ate cake and sang to Jude and played with Helen and her toys. The goody bags were a HUGE hit. Wine always helps, too. It was actually...OK. Our neighbors are SO sweet. I think we are so blessed to have them next door.
Because of the party, "no naps" turned into a true statement today which will translate into an earlier bedtime and I can live with that!
Next on the list is Ash Wednesday mass. I can honestly say there is no way I can make it through mass alone with the girls--although they are getting better--communion would not happen without a second person. Jack and John have been sitting in the congregation to help Jack learn how to sit still and be quiet during mass and I have been in the cry room with the girls. This has been working OK for us on Sundays. Back to Ash Wednesday. Stephanie (my other neighbor across the street) has told me she would help me on Wednesday. The girls know here fairly well as 'Mrs. Conner' (Mrs. O'Conner) because she comes over a few days a week once we get the older kids on the bus and has a cup of coffee with me in the mornings and will help me feed and dress the girls before going home. Her three kids are all in school at St. Joseph's (kdg, first grade and second grade). Because she has three kids in 2.5 years, she understands the demands of close-aged children and is the first to help me out--brought Jack's glasses to school when he forgot them one day, brought me a gallon of milk one day, brought me a cake mix one day and she has learned of my diet coke habit...and has brought me a diet coke from McDonalds a few times. Her kids come over once a week and Jack plays at their house once a week, too. Again, this set of neighbors couldn't be nicer. How lucky are we?
Just a few pictures of the kids playing together this afternoon after the party.
I took the girls to Jack's basketball game on yesterday morning. 9 am game time and I made it there with all the kids dressed and fed on time. The girls did OK in the stroller. They went through two pieces of gum and a box of raisins ("time-wasters" as my sister Sarah calls them)...but hey, we made it through!
We also went to our neighbors today for her nephew's 3rd birthday party. Kristen called us last minute this morning to come over and since John was working all day, I thought it would be worth the try. Hey, we are only a driveway apart, so at the very least, we walk home if it is a disaster. Jack made a card for Jude and picked out a few of his cars and books to give him since I didn't want to show up empty-handed. At noon we walked in and we left around 3pm. I fed the kids over there, they ate cake and sang to Jude and played with Helen and her toys. The goody bags were a HUGE hit. Wine always helps, too. It was actually...OK. Our neighbors are SO sweet. I think we are so blessed to have them next door.
Because of the party, "no naps" turned into a true statement today which will translate into an earlier bedtime and I can live with that!
Next on the list is Ash Wednesday mass. I can honestly say there is no way I can make it through mass alone with the girls--although they are getting better--communion would not happen without a second person. Jack and John have been sitting in the congregation to help Jack learn how to sit still and be quiet during mass and I have been in the cry room with the girls. This has been working OK for us on Sundays. Back to Ash Wednesday. Stephanie (my other neighbor across the street) has told me she would help me on Wednesday. The girls know here fairly well as 'Mrs. Conner' (Mrs. O'Conner) because she comes over a few days a week once we get the older kids on the bus and has a cup of coffee with me in the mornings and will help me feed and dress the girls before going home. Her three kids are all in school at St. Joseph's (kdg, first grade and second grade). Because she has three kids in 2.5 years, she understands the demands of close-aged children and is the first to help me out--brought Jack's glasses to school when he forgot them one day, brought me a gallon of milk one day, brought me a cake mix one day and she has learned of my diet coke habit...and has brought me a diet coke from McDonalds a few times. Her kids come over once a week and Jack plays at their house once a week, too. Again, this set of neighbors couldn't be nicer. How lucky are we?
Just a few pictures of the kids playing together this afternoon after the party.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Kate's Outburst at Church and More
The girls have been talking a ton. They put words together and make sentences. They also like to point and show me objects they know how to say. Commonly, I hear, "Telephone, mama. Telephone." They also use each other by name and will tell me what the other girl(s) are doing. Elizabeth knows her colors, Anna and Kate don't, but we are working on it. All three can sing their ABCs for the most part. Anna loves to sing and will sing along with her Toddler Tunes VHS tape more so than the other two. They all dance to the music. They are learning how to count and will count with help to ten.
A few weeks ago, while sitting in the cry room, Kate pointed to an infant out in the congregation and shouted, "Lexi, Mama, Lexi." Lexi is my niece that the girls absolutely love. We were there visiting her for her first birthday in January. Kate has a little lisp. When she says Lexi's name, it sounds like she is saying, "Sexi." It is funny...except during mass when she is shouting, "Sexi Mama, Sexi."
All I have to say is thank goodness for cry room walls.
My biggest challenge with them right now is naps...or "no naps" as they like to tell me when we start to head upstairs. I fear they are winning this battle...
They have this fascination with taking off their diapers instead of sleeping. This all began when I put them in the same room for naps because they can climb out of pack-n-plays and not their cribs. I had to put away the pack-n-plays away in the guest rooms (I have to say it is nice to get rid of these), but the trade-off
was same-room napping. The girls have a big party in their rooms and sometimes fall asleep, sometimes not, i.e. "no naps." During this time, Elizabeth introduced the idea of taking off her diaper to Kate and Anna and it was so fun...until they wet in their cribs. So, I put a onesie on them. This worked for a few weeks until one of them figured out they could still get the diaper off...with the onesie still snapped and taught the other two. Someone told me to try pull-ups instead of diapers with the onesie, but I modified this to diaper, under-bunders ("bunders" per the girls), onesie, and pants. This worked for a week and they somehow figured out how to take off the underwear and diaper all the while keeping their onesie snapped. Then, they would put back on their pants, fall asleep and wet their beds. I now use tape on their diapers for naps along with a onesie and so far this has kept their diaper on. The tape is a pain, however, for me to do. At night, we use one piece PJs that I put on backwards so they can't get them off. I have ordered sleep sacks that I plan to use (zipped up backwards) for night and naps. I am also hoping when we travel, they won't be able to climb out of the pack-n-plays with these on--we will see. I know you are all thinking I should just potty-train them and I would have a month ago, trust me, but we are planning a trip to Disney in April and I can't do it before that trip. Can you imagine three two-and-a-half year olds, newly potty-trained, 16 hour car ride, long days spent at Disney and Sea World...not worth it.
Just a few pictures...after dinner, before baths...they were waiting for me to finish cleaning up the dinner mess.
A few weeks ago, while sitting in the cry room, Kate pointed to an infant out in the congregation and shouted, "Lexi, Mama, Lexi." Lexi is my niece that the girls absolutely love. We were there visiting her for her first birthday in January. Kate has a little lisp. When she says Lexi's name, it sounds like she is saying, "Sexi." It is funny...except during mass when she is shouting, "Sexi Mama, Sexi."
All I have to say is thank goodness for cry room walls.
My biggest challenge with them right now is naps...or "no naps" as they like to tell me when we start to head upstairs. I fear they are winning this battle...
They have this fascination with taking off their diapers instead of sleeping. This all began when I put them in the same room for naps because they can climb out of pack-n-plays and not their cribs. I had to put away the pack-n-plays away in the guest rooms (I have to say it is nice to get rid of these), but the trade-off
was same-room napping. The girls have a big party in their rooms and sometimes fall asleep, sometimes not, i.e. "no naps." During this time, Elizabeth introduced the idea of taking off her diaper to Kate and Anna and it was so fun...until they wet in their cribs. So, I put a onesie on them. This worked for a few weeks until one of them figured out they could still get the diaper off...with the onesie still snapped and taught the other two. Someone told me to try pull-ups instead of diapers with the onesie, but I modified this to diaper, under-bunders ("bunders" per the girls), onesie, and pants. This worked for a week and they somehow figured out how to take off the underwear and diaper all the while keeping their onesie snapped. Then, they would put back on their pants, fall asleep and wet their beds. I now use tape on their diapers for naps along with a onesie and so far this has kept their diaper on. The tape is a pain, however, for me to do. At night, we use one piece PJs that I put on backwards so they can't get them off. I have ordered sleep sacks that I plan to use (zipped up backwards) for night and naps. I am also hoping when we travel, they won't be able to climb out of the pack-n-plays with these on--we will see. I know you are all thinking I should just potty-train them and I would have a month ago, trust me, but we are planning a trip to Disney in April and I can't do it before that trip. Can you imagine three two-and-a-half year olds, newly potty-trained, 16 hour car ride, long days spent at Disney and Sea World...not worth it.
Just a few pictures...after dinner, before baths...they were waiting for me to finish cleaning up the dinner mess.
I seriously don't know how she was able to fit in this cart. I watched her climb in thinking the whole time she wouldn't be able to get in, but she did. And she was able to climb out by helself.
Kate realized it was funny for Lizzy to sit in the cart, so she moved this chair over and sat on it backwards to be like her sister.
The girls love the magna-tiles
Not sure what Kate was doing, I think taking a picture?
Anna loves to "read" books and point to the pictures
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Valentine's Party
February 14, 2012
Jack's Valentine's Day party at school. I couldn't attend, but another mom sent me some pictures.
Jack's Valentine's Day party at school. I couldn't attend, but another mom sent me some pictures.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Sunday Brunch
We count our blessing every time our kids get to spend quality time with my grandparents. Mimi and I met at St. Charles with the Fraziers, Aunt Cindy, Mary and John, Grandmother and Grandfather, and my parents with the kids. My mom graciously offered to make brunch today after mass. And this was after watching our kids all day yesterday while I was at Erin's Confirmation and John was home studying for the Ohio Bar. I am still trying to decide how she got everything done! She really went overboard, as usual. Egg quiches, three different types of waffles with chopped fruit and whipped cream, apple crisp, bacon, cheesy potatoes, mini fruit pies and my dad made a large pot of spaghetti and meatballs. It was all very good and everyone had enough to eat. The time spent with everyone was priceless. These are the moments we will all cherish.
Grandfather has been drilling for oil so long, that according to one of my cousins, he must be very wealthy. This is the first time the girls played and laughed at Grandfather.
Kate and Grandmother
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