Manic Mommy Monday ~ So What If I Make Travel Sized Babies?

Welcome to Manic Mommy Monday hosted by The Gnome's Mom! Every week we link up posts that are updates about us and what is going on in our lives. Everyone is welcome to link up (scroll down to find the linky) and you can find more information on the main Manic Mommy Monday page. 

Jaron
Jaron had his follow-up visit with the GI doctor. I came home and cried while I made up some Make-Ahead Oatmeal Smoothies.

He's fine, I'm frustrated.

Sweet Avocado Frozen Yogurt, Yum!

At Jaron's 15 month Well Baby Check he was diagnosed with Failure To Thrive. The only symptom he has is being little. Developmentally he's above average in verbal, social, fine & gross motor skills, he doesn't look sick or un-healthy in any way. His height and his head circumference are between 45-50 percentile on the CDC charts. His bones don't show, he's just doesn't weigh a lot. Like most toddlers, he has people who comment on how big he is for his age as well as people who coo over how tiny he is.

I didn't feel like he had any problems, but I couldn't deny that he had only gained 8oz in the 3 months since his 12 month appt. So we agreed to see Dr. S, a GI (Gastrointestinalogist).

It took us 6 weeks to get an appointment and in that time Jaron gained 1.5lbs.

Dr. S still ordered an x-ray and urine and stool samples (can't say how thankful I am that Jaron decided to potty train when he did, made getting those samples so much easier!). He told us to try and up Jaron's calorie intake and asked to see us again in 6 weeks to see where we were.

Upping the calories was interesting, Jaron just wasn't interested. We tried milkshakes - he would drink a few sips and then nothing else. We finally started giving him some juice again, just to keep him hydrated, he won't drink much of anything besides juice, breastmilk, and milkshakes IF he's in the mood.

In the past 6 weeks he gained a total of 3 ounces. Dr. S was not impressed.

Granted, I guess I could've tried harder. But I really don't think anything is wrong. It's hard to be motivated to fix all these special meals when I know that tiny kids run in our family, when there are NO other factors that indicate that anything is wrong. (His urine, stool, and xrays came back normal.)

I guess I'm motivated now. I have exactly 8 weeks to pack 2 lbs onto Jaron's little frame. If he doesn't gain 2 lbs by then Dr. S wants to do an endoscopy and extensive bloodwork. On the upside, he wants to draw the blood while Jaron is under anesthesia for the endoscopy.

We'll see what happens, I still don't think anything is wrong, but I doubt myself. I also know that there is wisdom in going through the process of ruling out other causes for him not gaining; I am just terrified of letting them put him under general anesthesia. I need to find out if I'll be able to stay with him or not, if I can I'll feel a whole lot better.

 Prayer and thoughts are appreciated, as well as quick, easy, tasty high-calorie snack ideas. We tried avocado, but have to sneak it in (plus they're pricey), he does eat quite a a bit of cheese and whole-milk yogurt.

This was before he stood up...

Aedyn
Aedyn has a had a pretty good week, despite trying to run straight through a sliding glass door at a friend's baby shower this past weekend. The funniest and saddest thing that's happened in awhile, poor kid. He would've laughed it off if he had been awake, but he was about 3 minutes out of a very deep nap, and really not sure what happened.

Between stunts like that and his climbing adventures this week, I'm just waiting for our first ER trip.









Us

Jake and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary this week by  going to dinner at The Melting Pot. Delicious, but a lot of work! We'll probably go back for a cheese or dessert course, but I doubt going for a full meal will happen again. It was still a great experience! And of course, we didn't get any pictures of us...just the food...



If you want to hear more about my 2 (not always) sleeping babies and the rest of the family you can follow us on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter!

Raising My Husband's Son

Sometime soon I'll share the story about what happened during the 7 years between when Jake and I first met and when we got married, but suffice it to say that I had a lot of time to think about my decision.

Call it my upbringing that caused me to turn down any boy who asked me out if I didn't think I could marry them. Or call it my personality that doesn't want to waste time on relationships that aren't going anywhere. Either way when I met Jake I was 15 and had already had an idea of what I wanted my husband to be like for years. Doesn't every girl?

Any guy who asked me out had to be able to withstand and meet my high standards. And I looked for two main things.

1) Am I ok with him treating me the same way he treats his mother and his sister(s)?

2) Am I ok with my son turning out just like his father?

Now no man is perfect, but the answer to both questions was a definite yes when it came to Jake

Now I'm wondering if #2 was the right one.

My husband is strong-willed, determined, passionate, and artistic. He has had 33 years to turn those aspects into a personality that many people admire.

33 years.

Aedyn is 3. That means that I have another 30 years to go!

And it's wearing me out. Taking the raw drives and personality facets and helping guide them into a man who can look in the mirror and be content and proud of who he is and what he does, is a lot of work!

I would never trade my husband or child for anyone else in the world, but sometimes when Aedyn's in the midst of testing limits (for 23rd time that day) I wonder if they couldn't have at least a small amount of blah or boring in their personalities...

I have a new respect and appreciation for my mother-in-law right now...and I guess if she survived the original then I can survive version 2.0!

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Just A Thousand Words About Climbing Trees

Can Boys Just Be Boys?

I'm sitting here rehashing something that went on today. Wondering if I'm letting things slide or if another mother was really so uptight that her kid couldn't play for 3 minutes at a time without her running to his rescue. A rescue that he didn't really seem to need.

Here's the story.

Today I took the boys to Chick-fil-a. Aedyn loves the playplace there and it looked like rain (and who can turn down CFA?). Aedyn had been playing for a few minutes, I was in the dining room watching through the glass, but had a bit of a blind spot from a pillar. I still felt like I had a good feel of what was going on.

I noticed that a couple of moms started following what was going on pretty closely and overheard, Mom A say "I think he just hit him." I couldn't see what they were talking about and tried to see Aedyn, their boys were on the ground and I saw Aedyn come down the slide. So I figured they must not have been talking about him.

Then I saw Boy B kick Boy A. Mom B knocks on the glass and shakes a finger. No biggie, it was handled. Then Boy A takes of running and giggling as Aedyn ran after him. Both were screaming and having a good time. Mom A jumps up and runs to the door and opens it and lunges in. She didn't do anything and I wasn't really sure what it was all about.

Boy B climbs into the bottom of the slide and is just sitting there. Boy A climbs over him and heads up the slide with Aedyn behind him. Boy A kind of lays down or maybe slips and Aedyn goes to crawl over him.

Mom A jumps up and says something to the effect of "He's pulling his hair!" Note: she just said it to the air I guess, but I know it wasn't directed to me. Maybe Aedyn did, but it just looked like little boys all climbing over each other to me. If he did pull his hair then I highly doubt it was intentional and more of a "I'm falling and need something to hold on to" reflex. (But I could be wrong, my child is no angel.)

Mom A then grabs Boy A and brings him out. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you play in there if that little boy is in there." Boy A was not upset, crying, or seemingly anyway affected by the "hair pulling." He was just upset that she'd brought him out.

**NOTE: Aedyn was the youngest and the smallest of all three boys and Mom A refused to allowed Boy A to take of his shoes, which is a RULE for the safety of all of them.**

Of course Boy A was back in there in a matter of seconds. The boys continued to chase each other and play. It was about equal with which ones were running and which ones were chasing. If they weren't playing like that then Boy A was following Aedyn and they were driving together, smiling, and laughing the whole time.

But anytime they came down to the floor level Mom A would jump up and run into the play area. I was and am confused. Her child was obviously not in any distress that he saw, he was definitely not afraid of being around Aedyn, in fact he seemed to like him a lot. They were just being boys. Mom B kept an eye on things, but never made a move to enter the play area or seemed worried.

We do have an issue with Aedyn hugging everyone whether they want to be hugged or not and it's normal that I'll have to go in and remind he a few times to ask people if they want hugs before he gives one. He can get pretty rough when people try to get away instead of hugging them back, but that's why I watch him closely.

In my opinion, if you choose to let your kid play in an area like that then you have to be able to accept the consequences of that choice and know that kids are going to be kids. That doesn't mean let your kid get beat up, but if he doesn't seem to be bothered by it, let them work it out between them.

I have pulled Aedyn out when there are bigger kids playing roughly and pushing him down, he is young and little. But if the kids are close to his age and size I try to let him handle it. For the most part he does a great job and will ignore whatever he doesn't like or go play somewhere else, but occasionally I do have to intervene.

Boys will be boys is an excuse for a lot of bullying these days, but it didn't used to be. Boys are contact driven, they're high energy. They're boys...and they will be boys.

What are your thoughts? Was Mom A just a helicopter parent to my more free-range style? Am I missing something? Feel free to let me know if you disagree with how I handle things. I'd really like hear what everyone thinks about this!

Your Son Wants to Breastfeed?

By now nearly everyone has heard about the Breastmilk Baby. If you fall outside nearly everyone, this is a doll who starts to make sucking movements when held near a sensor in a halter top that a little girl would wear.

Jake and I talked about it briefly when it first made headlines a few months ago. Neither of us had a problem with the doll, but we agree that $80 for a toy just wasn't going to happen in our family. Then I said, "But would you have a problem getting it for Aedyn? (If it wasn't $80)"  He just looked at me.

I get his point. We have boys. Boys either A. Bring the baby to Mama to eat, or B. Give the baby a bottle.

Once they are taught.

Before that they learn by following an example.

Which is why my 22 month old (at the time) asked to hold his newborn brother and then proceeded to pull up his shirt and say "Baby need eat." and why he tried to nurse his Buzz Lightyear doll.

Now that he's starting to understand that Papa doesn't feed the baby, he does things differently.

First he tried to help me undress because "Baby Jaron need eat", and I was asked to let Buzz Lightyear "eat." Then he settled for helping Jaron eat by holding my breast for him. Now he just waits impatiently until Jaron is ready to get down and start playing again.

But my point is, doll or no doll, boy or girl, children are going to emulate what they see their parents do. And yes, I'm proud that my son wants to breastfeed.

Written as a part of the Breastfeeding Blog Hop hosted by Jen at Life With Levi.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Big Green Tractor

Not as big as they would like, but given the size of our yard it'll do for now.

Boys to Men

I've often thought about writing my boys a letter, but never actually sat down and done it. So, finally, thanks to the Breastfeeding Blog Hop, I am.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My boys,

You are such wonderful little men already, I pray that as you grow up you will never lose or change who you are for anyone or anything. I hope that you will learn to accept all people, respect them, and be comfortable around everyone, from the homeless man on the side of the road to the President of the United States.

I hope you never feel like you have to apologize for who you are. I hope that you learn to express yourself and your opinions tactfully, but without glossing over the truth.

I hope that in every dealing, business or personal, that you act with the utmost integrity and honesty. I hope that you become princes among men. Know that everything you do affects someone else, while this may not change your actions, it will increase your awareness of those around you and help you make your decisions carefully.

I hope that you find someone who respects you to share your life with. When you do, treat her like the lady she is. No matter how feminist her views, you open the door for her. Not because she can't, but because she shouldn't have too. She should be worth your life, and she should know that. Don't waste time on anyone who will not let you be her prince, and when you find the one who is your match, defend that relationship above all else.

Follow through on your promises. Verbal, handshake, or signed contract. Promises to friends and vows to your wife. Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Be men of your word.

On one hand it seems so silly to be writing all these things now. Jaron, you're only 10 months old, laying here in my lap and looking so tiny. Aedyn, laying among your toys and watching Robin Hood, learn to defend those who have no defense.

Boys, you will be men all too soon. These things that I hope and pray for you, are not only hopes and prayers, they are expectations. I expect you to be and become men of excellence. You have no excuse. Your profession, dreams, and desires, they are unique to each of you. They may change once or multiple times. But your core values and foundation, that will stay with you forever.

Learn from your Papa, he is a wonderful example to you. Stay close to God and listen to His voice.

I love you forever, to infinity and beyond,
Mommy

Why Won't He Do that for Me?

My dad and I took the boys to Chick-fil-a tonight. As per usual Aedyn ate his meal and then took off for the playplace. It was a great night for it. Instead of being filled by school-age kids running around and knocking the preschoolers and toddlers over, the kids were all around the same age. Two - Four-year-olds, with one girl slightly older.

THIS is my life...he wanted a game...

We're sitting at our table watching them all through the glass wall along with about 5 other moms who's kids are in there. This older girl gets the undivided attention of all the rest, about 7 or 8 kids. She then proceeds to instruct them all to sit on the lowest two steps of the play area. Which they do immediately and without complaint or arguing.

Then, they all sat still and watch her perform cheers for them! They stayed sitting still for a good 5 minutes, maybe more.

How did she do it???? I wish I'd gotten a picture of all of them sitting still like they were, but taking pics of other people's kids...it's a grey area.

The other moms were amazed as well. Apparently Aedyn's not the only child who makes a practice of running all over the place and not listening, who knew?!?

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Stream of Consciousness Sunday ~ Living a Song

Wow, this really was a stream of consciousness today...something different than my usual for sure!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I've read Dr. Suess 3 times, Bible Stories too.

I've kissed, I've sung, I've said sweet dreams.

Now I'm standing here looking at myself.

There's macaroni in my hair and

Matchbox cars in the pocket of my jeans.

And I wouldn't change a thing.

My two little boys,

getting bigger everyday.

All too soon a kiss and cuddle won't do much of anything.

But tonight I'm their superhero...

And everyday I feel like I'm living in a song.

Something too precious and sweet to be real life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes only.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.
• Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
• Add the Stream of Consciousness Sunday badge to your post.
• Link up your post.
• Visit your fellow bloggers and show some love.

Share your thoughts and come join me on Google+, Facebook, and/or Twitter!

Wordless Wednesdays ~ Sleeping Puppy Dog Tails

The way they wallow all over each other without either of them waking up truly amazes me sometimes...and it's both of them, not just Aedyn!

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Beat the Rush...for the bathroom

I live in a one bathroom house with 3 men. Only one of them is still in diapers.

It's not an uncommon occurrence in our house for me to see my husband pick up a book and take two steps; at that point I have jumped up and run to the bathroom yelling, "Wait just a sec!" and "Aedyn do you need to go potty?" Because it will be at least 20 - 30 min before the toilet will be free.

It's better now than it was about 9 months ago though. I was 8 months pregnant, Aedyn was newly potty trained and still very close to the point that when he said "potty" you had half a second to help him, or he was already going. I swore that I would never again live in a one bathroom house.

The fact that this house only had one bathroom was not a big deal for us when we decided to buy it. We were aware that it might be crowded around teethbrushing time, but we knew that we would mostly likely outgrow the place before any girl children would be old enough to hog the mirror.  Neither Jake or I thought about having a newly potty trained toddler who has decided he's big enough to use the big potty all the time combined with a VERY pregnant woman in addition to general usage.

At that point Aedyn refused to use a little potty chair, he HAD to be on the big potty. That's still his preference, but now if he sees Papa on the toilet he'll use the little potty. My lack of pregnancy has also helped manage crowd control a little better as well.

We still have our hang ups, but who doesn't? I'm sure that with potty training Jaron only about a year away even two bathrooms won't seem like enough some days, but we will live...my carpet on  the other hand, may not.

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Say hello to the Walking Jungle Gym

Maybe I was meant to be a mom of boys. Nothing pleases me more than when my two ragamuffins climb all over me.


I've done work with Aedyn literally sitting on top of my head, his feet on either of my shoulders, and him holding onto my bangs shouting "I drive Mommy!" While I may answer in my mind, "Yeah, you drive Mommy nuts!" I can't imagine life any other way. I help him stand on my shoulders like a circus performer and hope that he doesn't trust me enough to just jump without warning. We have tickle fights and "I get you!" matches. Not a day goes by where he hasn't at some point wound up sitting on my shoulders, I might add that I rarely put him there, he just finds the opportunity to climb up there himself.

Week in Review - Where the picture does the talking for me.

AFTERNOONS WITH PAPA

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Baseball games, Flash Mobs, and a Tweetup

We took the boys to their first baseball game yesterday! A historic milestone in the life of a boy!

Ok, let's stop right there. We ACTUALLY took the boys to a Tweetup hosted by Get Social Brevard to be part of a flash mob that just happened to be scheduled between innings 3 and 4 during the Thursday night game at our regional baseball stadium.

Separating the Boys from the...Girls?

Aedyn decided he wanted to do some artwork/crafts today. Now he normally will draw or write, but today he actually asked to do a project kit I had in our school box (where we store all of our paper, scissors, etc.). then he asked to paint. So we did. They weren't big projects, but he actually paid attention and enjoyed them for about 15 minutes each. When you're a very active 2 year-old little boy that's a big deal!

It got me started thinking about when I might try to actually schedule in some structured "learning time." Even as I thought that, I corrected myself in my head. He's 2. Pretty much everything he does is learning time!

Jake and I have discussed and rediscussed schooling. Pre-school or not? 2-day, 3-day, or 5day? Kindergarten? Kindergarten isn't compulsory in many states. Un-schooling? Home schooling? Curriculum is definitely not cheap! Private school? Pretty pricey going that route too. Public School? Magnet school? Montessori? Charter school?