New Year!

Hi all (I don't think anybody is reading though, ha). I've been busy working and trying to make more meals at home from scratch, less preservatives and ingredients and taste so much better. My boys are growing like weeds, my Lil E turned 2 in December, I remember the day he was born like it was yesterday, it was a very scary time in our lives. He is still tiny though, weighs 24 pounds and is 32 1/2 inches tall. He is starting to say so many more words, but I know it's not at that level that he should be, but he sure does try his little heart out. He is also our little dare devil, he stands on things and leaps off of them, scares the beejuzus out of me, but I let him because boys will boys and he will get hurt. He has his good days and bad days with eating. Sometimes he'll eat his 3 meals and snacks and other days he'll barely eat any Cheerios. Nestle's Carnation Instant Breakfast has been our friend lately and when he doesn't want to eat, we just whip him up a glass and know that he is getting some kind of nutrients and vitamins. He has surprised us recently though by eating a whole In n Out cheeseburger (only fast food we eat) and then the other night eating 2 ribs, leaving the only just a clean bone. I love this little booger so much. I'll be participating in this years March of Dimes walk in April in honor of my Lil E. Little brother V is 9 1/2 months old now. This child is on the fast track, he has been crawling since he was 6 months and 2 weeks after that he was pulling himself to stand up. He is a champion couch surfer but for the past few weeks has been letting go and standing unassisted for a significant amount of time. He has also taken a step here and there, but never more than one, although I'm sure he wishes he could run already. V also got his first 2 teeth at Christmas time (just like big brother did the year prior). Unfortunately he bit twice and I told him No, he can't bite Mama and he got upset. Ever since then he has refused to breastfeed. I was worried about him getting teeth too, that I was hoping he would get them after he turned 1 like Lil E but no such luck. I'm still pumping, but I'm not getting nearly as much milk as I was when he was still nursing. I know that my days of breastfeeding altogether and are slowly coming to an end. He'll be 1 in just 2 1/2 months so it just came a few months earlier than anticipated, and I guess it makes it a little easier that he self weaned instead of having to deal with that later. SD has been doing alright. Some big things happened at her momma's house but she couldn't speak of it, but did say it wasn't good. Oh well, we all know what that's like in a relationship, we all have our ups and downs. School has been a real struggle for her, but she is trying her hardest. The school Winter Formal is coming up here in a few days and she was asked by a good friend of hers at school. He's a nice boy and I think he likes her, but according to her, she doesn't see him like that. Either she really doesn't or she does not want to admit to us that she does. I've been frequenting a lot of food blogs recently and have gotten many great recipes from them. I've perfected making my own dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls and pizza dough (yeast is my friend now, it wasn't at first). So we make our own pizzas. I've been trying to do some freezer cooking but that's been a little difficult for me. And with my beloved crockpot broken it's make cooking even tougher for me but I've been managing. Last night I made these amazing Lemon Sugar Cookies courtesy of Two Peas & Their Pod . Link to their recipe is below as well. I made the recipe exactly as hers describes it. It's not to much of a lemon flavor, but just enough to know that it's a lemon cookie and perfect balance with the sugar. http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/lemon-sugar-cookies/

Halloween

This year it was a little more fun for Lil E since he is almost 2 and can walk around. He did amazing, loved to be out walking, enjoyed the costumes and going door to door and most of all, his first ever tootsie pop. Only one costume got him and one house was super scary (if it wasn't for him, they would have scared us really good). V stayed home with daddy and passed out candies. Dad said they sat out in the driveway and V is in jumper and everyone just adored him. Both boys were dressed in their Hawaiian outfits that Grandma sent them (they have 2 each and I'm sure they'll get more). D was trying to dress as a vocaloid but was missing stuff. She had a good time trick or treating with me and Lil E. Other than that things have been going great. D's been struggling in school, but it is a hardcore curriculum at the Charter school she is attending. I commend for even attempting that because I don't know how I would have fared. This girl is growing like a weed, she towers over me and especially when I am wearing flats. Lil E has been learning new things everyday. He is trying to talk. We are coming up to his final preemie check ups, last eye appointment next week (unless they find something wrong), last preemie well check up at our local Children's Hospital to make sure he is progressing properly and doesn't require any further interventions. V is the muscle man, he went from rolling over to crawling to pulling himself to stand in a one and half week time span. He is trying so hard to walk. He does not want to sit when he pulls himself to stand, he starts crying because his poor little guys tire out or he ends up falling straight back and thumping his head on the ground. Other than that, we are trucking along. I've been venturing out in the world of baking and trying out new dinner entrees. I've been checking out food blogs have gotten some really good recipes from a lot of them and the family has been enjoying them as well. I don't know how I find time to do all of this with the 2 little's, but I do it. I want our family to eat less processed foods and slowly but surely we are getting there.

Long overdue....

It is very difficult to find the time to update my blog with two boys under 2 and a teenager that just started high school. So much to update on and so little time. Lets break down here. First off SD: Started High School - has been struggling a little with her Latin class but she is really trying. Had a rough start in the friends department, but everyone there wants to be there and is very friendly so she made friends in no time. She is now way taller than me. Spent the summer with her mom, had her ups & downs just like she does at out home but it's to be expected. Baby Boy #1 He is such a handful and such a mama's boy and almost 2 years old already. Dad can not come near me because here he comes. He is learning how to talk and almost everyday he learns a new word. I love how he says "Oh no" and has learned certain body parts and he will say I love you when he feels like it. He is starting to recognize certain letters in the alphabet and numbers. Still co-sleeping with us, not what we planned but we are making the best of it. A couple of weeks ago he got his first bump on his forehead; ran smack into the corner of a wall. I freaked out a little bit but he recovered just fine from it. He adores his baby brother and gets so excited when he sees him becoming more mobile. The first I propped him up on the sofa to sit he was beside himself. I can't wait for them to actually get to run around and play together. My sister came over with her kids and my nephew who is 4 just ran around the house chasing #1 and they were just giggling. It just melted my heart. We are amazed everyday at how big he is now compared to when he was born and was in an incubator. Those were the hardest times of our lives but I wouldn't change it for a minute because he was one amazing little guy that we all just adore (even when he will not stop whining). His favorite movie right now is Cars 1 & 2. Loves to say, Speed, I am Speed & do his fake sneeze like one of the cars in the movie. He knows when the parts are coming up too that little stinker. Baby Boy #2 I can't believe he is already going to be 7 months old. He is progressing so fast that I just want him to slow down and be a baby for just a little bit, but alas, he can not wait to play with his older brother who seems to have so much fun running around the house. Which is why he started "crawling" (pulling himself forward with just his arms and dragging his legs). He quickly progressed to full on crawling. Before that he would attempt to put himself in a sitting position, he would hold himself up with one arm and do a half sit. I can say that he is fully sitting up, he'll topple over, but for the most part can hold himself up. And the past week and a half he gone from pulling himself up to his knees, to pulling himself up to a full standing position. This is pretty dangerous for him because he still is not that strong and can not support his weight for very long (18 lbs. 3 oz) so he lands up letting go and falling straight back. I just hear a thud, then a wail and I have to run and pick him up because of course he does all this while I am trying to cook dinner or take a quick restroom break (because that's all I get now a days). I know this is bad, but oh how this kid loves to watch television, but only the cartoons. They both watch PBS all day and CARS 1 & 2. I have my good days and my bad days. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed but I always feel blessed with my babies. I love them so much and wouldn't trade them for anything. Is it hard having them close together, you betcha, but it's not the end of the world and they are going to be best buds growing up. I thank God everyday for blessing me with not one but two amazing little miracles.

So much going on..

I can't believe it's been almost 6 months since my last post. So much has changed and is continuing to change. SD-She just graduated from Jr. High and will be a Freshman in High School this Fall. I can hardly believe it. At her graduation she received a medal for the top female in History. She has had a lot of ups and a lot of downs. I think it comes with the territory of being a teenager. She had her first boyfriend and experienced her first break up. I told her that maybe it was best if she didn't have a boyfriend just yet (this one was without our permission). She can have friends that are boys and hang out with friends but we prefer she hold off on getting serious with anyone. She got a cell phone and then got it taken away (both by her mom). She was sending inappropriate text messages. Her Dad and I felt she was still a little too young for a phone anyways. She did awesome in school academically. She is a great big sister to her brothers and is a great help with them. I try not to make her do too much though. Baby E is now 18 months old. He got his first teeth around Christmas time, 2 weeks after his first birthday. He started walking on his own in the beginning of March. I got to spend a lot of time with him as I was on Disability/Maternity leave from mid-December through the end of May. This boy tested me with his tantrums, he's gotten better. He just started saying please (I thought he was saying pretty, oops). The mama and dada's come and go, he will go through spurts of saying them. He is almost saying brother, who he now adores (most of the time). He is always giving him kisses and tries to be genle but will get upset at times and try to hit him. When the baby and I came home from the hospital (which incidentally was the first time I had spent away from baby E) he was angry. He did not want to have anything to do with me or the baby. It took him a couple of days. Baby E is for sure my happy go lucky boy who does crazy stuff, and is also our little fiery guy who gets so angry sometimes. He's fallen off the little step out on the patio, face first, only done that once, fallen numerous times off of our bed. I love my little monkey though, he is amazing. Baby V, born March 29, 2012 at 1:55 AM via c-section.I had gone in on the 27th because I had been having contractions all night. I was not dilated they gave me a shot to stop the contractions and sent me home. I slept the rest of the morning and into the afternoon. I had some mild contractions but nothing compared to the previous evening. Dad left to go play his disc golf, I made some tuna for dinner, while in the midst of chopping stuff the contractions started again. I held out until about 10PM then called for my parents to come and watch SD and baby E. They arrived about 11 and we left shortly after. After checking in at the ER they sent me up to L&D. Had me change into a gown, hooked me up to a monitor. After 20 minutes they checked and I was 4cm dilated. On Dr. said she would be delivering my baby. They gave me another shot to stop the contractions so it wouldn't be so painful, got the IV (on the 2nd try might I add). Everything happened so quickly and he was here a mere 2 hours after arriving at the hospital. He weighted 6lbs 8oz and was 19in long. I can't believe he is already going to be 3 months old and has already doubled his weight. He is such a happy, calm baby. He started cooing a few weeks ago and is so strong; he pushes off his feet to scoot forward already and holds his head up like a champ (since he was born, but had his wobbly moments). It's amazing how our little family of 3 has grown to 5 so quickly. On the momma front, I had some issues with my gallbladder and landed up having to have it removed last Friday. I had gallstones. In my ultrasound report it was also noted that I have a mass lesion on one of my kidneys. Waiting on the insurance to approve the CT scan so we can get the ball rolling on this new find. Hopefully it's nothing, but if it is we will deal with it best we can. But for now, I am working and enjoying my time with my babies, because who knows how long I have.

Halloween

It was our first Halloween going out as a family, none of my sisters and their kids joined us and I have to say, I rather enjoyed it. It was very tiresome for me as I am 17 weeks pregnant and DBF walks super fast (doesn't help that I'm only 5'1").
Bonus daughter was dressed as an old housewife, hair up in soft rollers, pajamas and robe. It was very original and everyone thought she looked cute. Baby E was a dragon, and was absolutely adorable. We had some practice runs in his costume, as he hated it the first couple of times we put him in it. He did wonderful at a Halloween party on Saturday and again on Halloween for his first experience trick or treating. He fell asleep midway, but when he woke up, it was dark and you could hear the kids being loud and he wanted to see everything. All in all, he had a good experience for his first Halloween. His first Christmas was spent in an incubator, so this year will have to be extra special for him. And I can't believe that he will be 11 months old in 8 days. He has gone from being a tiny 3.8 lb baby to a 22 lb healthy baby who is just an absolute joy to be with. His kisses are the best and I can't wait until he starts to talk.
I do have to mention, bonus daughter did an outstanding job this past quarter in her 8th grade year, 3.7 GPA, first time ever. She is doing so good and we are so very proud of her. She has come a long way.

Once again M.I.A.

but with good reason. Life has been moving fast as lightening. I can't believe that little E is already 10 months old and so happy and full of energy. Who would of thought our tiny little baby would grow so quickly and so well. He did have a little minor procedure due to mommy and daddy not cleaning his boy parts properly. Let's just say, we will never, ever make that mistake again. Little E has been full on crawling for over a month now and as soon he mastered that, a few days later he was pulling himself to a standing position. He walks along the sofa and tries to walk along the walls but that proves to be a bit trickier. He loves to get into the cords and chew on them and push the buttons on the cable box but for some reason hasn't touched the speaker box, which is weird, but also very good that he does not do that.
Dear bonus daughter has been doing very well considering she had some trouble in school last month with another girl. She handled herself well and came through the situation proving she is not to be bullied. She had her first concert last night and due to Little E's not feeling well after his doctor's visit I had to miss it, what a bummer. She has been doing well this quarter in school, I'm very proud of how much she has improved, she will have 4 A's and 2 B's and she has earned some credits for when she gets to high school. We are looking at possibly enrolling her at a charter school rather than a public high school. They are just not the greatest here in our area.
I have finally have an official due date for the newest addition to our family, 4-10-12, making 14w3d today. This pregnancy looks like it will be even difficult than the last. I already have to take the 3 hr GTT as I failed the 1 hr and it's pretty early in the pregnancy still. I have a complete previa that we hope moves it's way up as the weeks progress. I have the possibility of having a second PPROM (Preterm Premature Rupture of the Membranes) due to the bi-corneate ute and don't forget that I have PCOS as well. The fact that we even conceived this child is a miracle in itself, having it born healthy is going to be a job.
I'll try to keep everyone posted, but I'm not really sure that anyone reads this blog, it's at least for my records.

Big News......

Oh my dear lord in heaven, my son just turned 8 months old on the 10th, the bonus daughter turned 13 on the 13th and on the 12th I took a HPT and found out I am having my 2nd child. I will go in to the dr. tomorrow and find out the EDD. Excited and nervous (to say the least).
I picked up the bonus d on Saturday morning at 9:30 AM almost an hour and half away from our home. I was on time, yee haw!!!! No matter how hard I try I am always 10-15 minutes late, oops, oh well. I guess BM has been complaining about me being late, oh well, get over it, like you've never been late, ha. DSD wasn't feeling very well when I picked her up, kept saying her stomach hurt. It's hard to tell what it is with her though, she doesn't quite know how to explain the kind of pain that she has. I will say, all she had for breakfast was a donut, that her grandma had bought her, WTH kind of breakfast is that. I make us some plain ole quesadilla's for lunch, and she eats one, says she feels a little better. She goes to lay down and takes a nap, they had her up at 6:30 AM to go garage/yard saling. When she wakes her stomach is still bothering her, poor baby. By this time I had already started her b-day dinner and I was hoping she would get to enjoy it. We drove to the Cheese.cake Fac.tory as she wanted a cheesecake as her "b-day cake". She chose the Red Velvet Cheesecake. Shortly after we returned, she threw up. Went back to lay down and a few hours later threw up again. Needless to say she did not eat her dinner, nor did we cut into her cake. I went to get her some Pepto and she took that and went to bed for the night.
The next morning she woke up refreshed and feeling much better. We took it easy on the eating though and I had her eat a couple pieces of dry toast and some juice. She also got to go to the movies with her daddy, they went to see that new planet of the apes movie, I'm not interested in it, so me and baby stayed home. When they got back we headed to my parents house for my mom's b-day bbq, her actual b-day is today, Happy Birthday Mom! I was so glad that my niece and nephews got along so well with DSD, my niece usually starts to bicker with her.
I finally got around to telling DBF that we were going to be adding to our family on Monday evening. We are keeping it a secret until we are further along to 1. make sure there are no complications and 2. just because we still have the lil at only being 8 months old. We know this is going to be tough for us, but I ultimately believe it is what is best for our current lil, he will have a playmate close in age and they will get to hang and do everything together. Believe, I know that they will have their bickering as well, but with DSD being 13 already, she won't be around for that much longer, shoot, in 5 years she will be graduating High School and our lil will barely be going into Kinder.
School starts Monday for DSD, we got all her school shopping done last night. I was tired, to say the least after 2 hours walking around a store. I am so glad we got everything she needed there though, it was awesome. We even got a few things for the lil and a dress for mommy and some shorts for daddy.