It's Been A Busy Weekend

Talk about cramming a lot into one weekend! Saturday was our annual Pirogi Fest. My sister and I began this last year after we got our grandmother's recipe for pirogis. For those of you who don't know, pirogis are the equivalent of a ravioli. My favorites are the potato and cheese filled ones but we also make sauerkraut ones for my dad, Tim and Max. You can fill them with pretty much whatever you want, we've stuck to the traditional stuff because that's what we like and they're A LOT of work. We really got started on them around 10am and when I left at 1:15 to take the boys to a birthday party we had only finished 3/4 of the cheese and potato pirogis. You have to make the dough, let it sit a half hour, separate it into manageable portions and then roll it out, cut it into pieces, fill the pieces and close them so the filling can't come out. It works really well if you have a bunch of people and can do it assembly line style. In a couple of years, it will be really fun to do with my boys, but not just yet.

So we went to Emma's birthday party in the middle of the day and the boys had a ball. I wish I hadn't forgotten my camera because there we so many cute things going on. Like when Collin, Anjolie and Emma all crammed into a bucket full of water (the bucket was one of those things that you fill full of ice and drinks at a party) or when the kids played on the moon bounce or ran through the sprinkler. It wouldn't be a party without a couple of moments where I was a bit mortified though. The first one came shortly after Collin discovered the bucket of water. I was feeding Nick lunch when another boy came up to me and said "Does the little boy with the blond curly hair belong to you?" UH...NO??? You know its never good when a conversation begins that way. I said indeed he was mine and the little boy informed me that my son was removing his clothes. Sure enough, there was Collin naked from the waist down getting ready to step into the bucket. Great moment, everyone at the party is now looking at us. Oh, and did I mention that several of these people work with my mother? Can't wait to hear what they have to tell her when she goes to work tomorrow! I promptly took him to the car to change into a bathing suit. Ever the ring leader, the other kids followed suit and ran through the sprinkler until they turned blue. We changed back into regular clothes and Collin promptly had an accident. Only he didn't tell me. I just happened to spot him running to the car out of the corner of my eye. I ran after him hauling Nick along with me. Once I realized what had happened, I set Nick down to help change Collin. Nick hadn't left my hip all afternoon. Anytime I put him down or walked away for a second he freaked out and screamed bloody murder. For some odd reason, when I put him down in the street, he took off like a shot. Before you think I'm too bad a mom, Emma lives in a cul-de-sac and her neighbors were all at the party so there wasn't much danger of a car coming along. Unfortunately, the last pair of dry pants I had for Collin had somehow ended up under the wet bathing suit when Collin changed earlier so he had to borrow his brothers. 18 month pants still fit although they are way to short. He looked like he was wearing a pair of capris. Once we'd had some cake and opened presents we picked up Daddy and headed back to Aunt Bella's to actually eat pirogis. It was quite a feast. There was pirogis, kielbasa and green beans with spaetzel. We even had cupcakes and angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream for desert. I think my family overwhelmed Max's mom. She was enjoying a nice visit with my parents before we got there. As soon as we walked in the door chaos reigned until we left! My boys weren't bad, just active and kind of loud. We went home around 10ish so the boys crashed in the car on the way.

Sunday came bright and early. Bella, Max, Grammy and Grampa were meeting at our house at 7:30 to go to Hershey Park for the day. Unfortunately, Tim had to work night shift that night so he couldn't come with us. That's kind of OK though because it gives me an excuse to take the kids again later this summer. We had such a good time. No one thought we'd be there until the park closed at 10pm but we were. The first thing we went on was the Trailblazer roller coaster. It was way cooler than the one he could get on at Disney, and again, he LOVED it. Then we hit some kiddie rides. The swings were a hit, as were the airplanes. I took him on the kiddie version of the log flume. We waited an hour to get on the stupid thing and then 3 people from the head of the line, Collin fell asleep! I thought for sure he wake up getting in the boat. No. Then I thought for sure he'd wake up as the boat was moving, bumping and jarring us around some. Wrong again. And I was certain that when we went down the hill and got splashed with cold water he'd wake up. Nope, not even then. He slept through the whole thing! Then I found out he could go on the Coal Cracker so Bella, Max and I took him on that and as soon as we got off he wanted to go again. He loved that too. One of the last rides we went on was the Flying Falcon. There is some serious spinning going on on this ride. The ride is set up in 4 sets of falcons in a circle. They spin around in that circle. Then while your already spinning in a circle, the whole ride starts spinning in a circle and climbing high into the air. Its pretty wild and as soon as we started spinning Collin informed me that "This is really fun" and "This isn't scary at all!" Maybe not to you little dude. All I could think about the entire time I was on that ride was please don't break and please don't let my child fall out of this thing. I never would have had those thoughts before I had kids, I probably wouldn't have had them had I been on the ride alone. It was just scary to be up so high and be holding my son as we spin like crazy. We ended the night at Chocolate World for a trip through the factory and an ice cream sundae. Finally, at 10pm as the park was closing we began our trip home. The boys fell asleep in the car, however Nick screamed for about 10 minutes 3 different times, probably curing Bella and Max of any desire to ever give me a niece or nephew who doesn't have 4 legs. We got home around midnight and just crashed.

The boys slept until 7:30 and 8:00 which is unheard of, but given their weekend, totally understandable and completely appreciated. We just took it easy today and ran some errands to get out of the house while Tim slept. I took the boys to the mall to get Collin's 'fro tamed. We played at the little playground there for a while. Nick even enjoyed that. He was crawling through a tunnel when another child tried to go through too and I heard Collin say "Hey, watch out for my little brother!" I was so proud. I was even prouder when it was time to leave. I gave Collin his 5 minute warning and then when it was time to go I scooped Nick up, walked over to Collin and said "Time to go buddy". He stood up, grabbed my hand, walked over the the stroller, played a bit while I got Nick strapped in and then got in the stroller himself without any complaints. Sometimes he is just so well behaved. This evening after Daddy woke up we took the boys to the pool. The water was cold. Now I always think pool water around here is cold, but this was freezing. Even Tim declared it ice water. My boys could have cared less. Collin jumped right in and began playing happily. I helped Nick in and although he stayed close to the side of the pool or the step, he was as happy as he could be too. Neither one complained about being cold. They did, however, complain loudly when it was time to leave.

So there you have it, it took me a small book to write about our busy weekend and there is plenty more I could tell you but that's probably already more than you wanted to know. Hope your weekend was fun filled as well...

The Games they Play

I love watching my boys play together. Collin is really good with Nick and usually knows just what to do to make him smile. For instance when I'm having a hard time changing Nick's diaper, Collin will come give him belly farts. It distracts Nick and makes him laugh and I'm able to get the diaper on because he's finally stopped squirming. We were waiting for the pizza guy tonight and they were playing together so I got out the video camera. When they started this little game Nick was wearing pants.

Brotherly Love

Yesterday I put Nick down for a nap and he was fine for a few minutes but then he started crying. I let him go for a couple minutes to see if he would calm back down and go to sleep but Collin didn't like hearing his brother cry and went in to see him. I could hear him saying to his brother "it's OK Nicholas, I'm here. Don't cry, Collin's is here with you. It's OK". He was speaking very softly and trying to touch him through the rails in the crib. It was just so sweet and caring. It made me very proud of Collin.

Where does he get this stuff?

We had macaroni and cheese for dinner tonight because Tim has to work and it's just the boys and I and that's what Collin wanted. When I went downstairs to get the box of mac and cheese the boys were playing quite happily in the living room with Collin's trains. In the 45 seconds it took me to run down, grab the mac and cheese and run back up something happened and Nick was crying. I scooped him up and said "What's wrong Nick-Nick?" Like he's going to answer me, but Collin piped up with "Nick cracked his noggin on the train tracks!". Seriously? Cracked his noggin? I asked him if that was what he said and he told me it was. I have no idea where he learned such a thing but it was too funny. I just couldn't contain myself and burst out laughing. Nick was perfectly fine by the way. Whether or not he actually "cracked his noggin", the train tracks are thin and plastic so he couldn't have really hurt himself. I think he just wanted to be held. Then as we were eating dinner I asked Collin if he was going to get a bath with Nick-Nick. He told me he was and then "the Nickster will got to bed and I can watch Henry!" I don't think I've called Nick the Nickster but I suppose anything is possible. Collin must have heard it somewhere. It cracks me up that he refers to his brother as "the Nickster".

I love having two

When I got pregnant with Nick, I was very excited about having two kids but I had a lot of doubts at the same time. I wondered things like if I could love the second one as much as the first (I can) and if Collin would be really jealous (he's not) and if they would get along (they do) and mostly could I handle all the demands that come with two kids (I do pretty well most of the time). There were times when it was really hard to balance things, especially at first, but we all managed and even though there are still times when things are difficult, I love having two kids! Now that Nick is really starting to develop his own little personality and is able to interact with Collin, having two kids is really neat. Since Nick can now sit all by himself, and he's completly mobile, at bath time I stick both kids in the tub together and they LOVE it. Bath time used to invoke lots of whining and crying from Collin because its the start of our bedtime routine. Now it seems more like play time and they both seem to really enjoy themselves. It's really nice not to have to argue about it anymore. It's even nicer when we finish dinner and Collin looks at me and says "Mom, can I get a bath with Nick-Nick now?". I love watching them play together. Collin is very careing and far more willing to share with his brother than I ever thought he'd be, and Nick is fascinated by absolutely everything Collin does. He wants everything his brother has and tries very hard to do whatever it is Collin is doing. I thought I'd have to wait for them to reach a point where they pick on one another but I don't. The first thing Collin did in the bath tub the other night was dump a cup full of water over Nick's head. I'm not sure if he did it to make Nick cry or if he thought his brother would like it because he's recently discovered that he really likes pouring cups full of water over his own head. Whatever his rationale, I put a stop to that pretty quick. Nick definately does not like water being poured over his head, but neither did Collin at that age. He does however love playing with the squirt toys in the bath tub. Nick has also learned how to grab onto the side of the tub and pull himself up to standing, all while holding onto one of his toys. Talk about scary moments. More than once I've caught him just before he wacked his face on the side of the tub as he slipped. He is one very determined little fellow. If he's not walking before his first birthday I'll be very surprised.

My Boys

As we were driving to the airport I pointed out an airplane that was landing and Collin got upset and said "Wait plane, come back! You forgot us!". It was incredibly cute.

Tonight he was playing with playdoh and said "I made a heart for you Mommy, its for our family". I almost cried. (I seem to be a little overly emotional right now, everything makes me cry)

I think Nick is getting one of his top teeth because he's been pretty cranky and wants to be held all the time. Thank goodness for Tylenol because it makes him feel better. This week he seems to have learned lots of new things. He was crawling well before we left but now he is all over the place. There is no stopping him now. He's also pulling himself up to standing pretty easily and he waves anytime you say hello or goodbye. He got lots of practice doing that in Disney. I had such a good time watching him interact with Collin this week. When Collin had something he wanted he would lean over and try to take it. Being the sweetheart that he is, Collin would generally share with him. Just like his big brother, Nick can't stand for Collin to be asleep. If he fell asleep in the stroller, Nick would lean over and try to wake him up. Collin has done the same thing to Nick since we brought him home from the hospital.

Today was my first day back at work and while I had a good day, I missed my boys terribly. I spent an amazing week with them and it reminded me how much I miss by going to work every day. I don't think I'd make a very good stay at home mom but I would like to be home with them more than I am, even an extra day or two would be wonderful. There are some advantages to working full time, for instance I know where my kids are going every day and we have a routine that works for us (for the most part), my kids know what its like to get up early every day and go to a structured environment so hopefully school won't be too much of a shock, and we need my income. I can't help but wonder though if I could find a job that works around my husband's schedule and lets me be home more than I am. Part of me would really like to find that job, part of my likes the job I have and the people I work with, and part of me is just afraid of change. Someone at work told me today she was so glad I was back from vacation and that if I ever quit or suddenly wasn't there for a long time things would just fall apart. This isn't true, things wouldn't fall apart but it was a huge compliment and it made me feel good about myself and my job performance. I don't need a big important job to feel fulfilled but I do need to hear every once in a while that I'm doing a good job at whatever I'm doing. If I changed jobs or stayed home would I do a good job? I'm not sure. I am an admittedly lousy housekeeper but maybe if I had more time.... Maybe that's just my excuse, I never seem to have enough time for anything.

A couple more pictures

Collin asked to hold Nick tonight so I thought I'd take the opportunity to try to get some pictures of the two of them. These are the best of the ones I took.

Sibling Rivalry?

Last night we were putting the boys to bed. We took Nick into Collin's room and read them both some stories. Then it was time to turn out the light and sing night night songs. Collin pitched a temper tantrum. I thought back to a post Kayris left the other day about how she threw a temper tantrum in response to Johnny's tantrum and it stopped him dead in his tracks. So I tried it. And it worked. Sort of. Collin immediately stopped and said "Mommy stop crying, it's going to be OK!" Mission accomplished sort of. As soon as I started my "tantrum" Nick completely FREAKED out. He let out this scream that I can only describe as gut wrenching. It was like the way he shrieks when he gets his shots, only worse! At first I thought something must have happened to him so I quit what I was doing and paid attention to him and he started smiling and laughing again. Tim said to try it again so I did with the exact same results. Nick totally freaked again. I don't know if he was scared of the way I was behaving or mad about not being the center of attention anymore. Either way, I'll try the tantrum thing again, but not when Nick is around.

Just Me and My Boys

Tim is working an evening shift tonight so I had the kids all to myself. They were such angels! Collin asked for a peanut butter banana with strawberries and pretzels for dinner so that's what he got since I didn't have anything else planned and that's pretty healthy. Nick got his apple sauce which he eats like it is going out of style! I have to watch Collin very closely now that Nick is eating "real" foods because he asked for apple sauce too and while my back was turned he began feeding it to Nick. He also shared his sippy cup of watered down grape juice with his little brother. When I saw how he was sharing with his brother I was very proud and helped him hold the sippy cup for Nick. It took a few moments, but Nick did figure out how to suck on it so he got the juice and he REALLY liked it. He cried when I took it away but I don't want him to have a lot of juice. I fixed him a bottle instead which he tried very hard to hold himself. He's becoming very interested in what we are eating. Last night I had a popsicle while hold him and he literally threw himself at the popsicle trying to get it in his mouth. He really liked that too and I think, in addition to tasting good, it probably feels good on his little gums. He was really mad when it got down to the stick and I wouldn't let him have any more because I didn't want to choke him trying to get it in his mouth. At 7:15, I took the boys upstairs to get ready for bed. Nick played in his bouncy seat while I gave Collin a bath and got him into his jammies. Then we all read some stories and sang night night songs and tucked Collin into bed. Then it was time for Nick to take his bath. He really seems to enjoy those, he never fusses about it. I got him into his jammies, fed him again, sang more night night songs and put him to bed. Collin was still not asleep and asked very nicely if I would come back into his room. He actually asked "Mommy, please come back to my room". How could I say no to that? I went in, sang him one more round of night night songs, tucked him under the covers and said good night. That was it. There was no fussing, no crying, just "Night Night Mommy". By 8:15 both of my boys were sound asleep and I could not have been more proud of myself because bedtime doesn't normally go this well.

Brotherly Love

This morning we had turned the monitor off after I put Nick back to bed after feeding him at 4am. I was so exhausted that I didn't hear anything until 7:15. Tim said he heard Collin saying "Mommy" and talking to himself and playing for about a half hour before that. (I felt really bad that I didn't hear it, more on that later) The next thing I hear is "Hi Mommy! Wake up!" and I feel a hand on my cheek! Collin had finally managed to kill the gate that he's been torturing for the last 6 months and get out of his room. I gave him a hug and a kiss and told him we were getting up. Tim told me then that Collin had been up for a half hour already and, as I mentioned, I felt like the worst Mom in the world for not hearing him. Collin noticed and said "Mommy looks sad! It'll be OK Mommy". What a sweet little boy! Then he walked out of the room. I should have jumped out of bed and followed him but I was still really tired and trying to wake up. The next thing I hear is Nick screaming. That got me up and running. I walked into Nick's room, followed by Tim and Collin is standing in the crib with Nick saying "I didn't hurt Nick"! I picked Nick up (he seemed fine and stopped crying immediately) and Tim grabbed Collin out of the crib. Boy was Collin mad about it too. I'm going to have to put a safety know on Nick's door and shut it at night so the next time Collin manages a jail break, I'm sure Nick is safe from his big brother flipping himself into the crib. You should see him. Nick's rocker is close to the bed because the room is small and that's the only place it will fit. Collin stands on the arm-rest (the chair is of course rocking while he does this) grabs a hold of the side of the crib and leans over until he is able to flip himself into the crib. I watched him do it one day when Nick was not in the crib. He's banned from Nick's room unless I'm in there to make sure he doesn't do anything dangerous.

Lessons From The Dinner Table

Last night we made pasta Alfredo because I know its something Collin will eat. What's not to like about Alfredo sauce? In an attempt to get him to eat some vegetables, I asked Tim to toss some peas in the sauce too. It did eventually work. Collin ate all his pasta first and then, after a bit of coaxing, almost all of his peas. The lesson I learned was that I have to watch Collin like a hawk. He didn't sit at the table the entire time. When he finished his pasta, he got up and wandered around a bit. Nick was sitting in his bouncy seat on the floor right next to us so we could eat as a family. I should have been paying more attention to Collin because the next thing I knew Collin was standing by Nick telling me that Nick likes peas! I have no idea whether or not Collin actually managed to feed Nick a pea but he (Nick) was none the worse the wear for the experience. Collin and I had a long talk about how Nick is too little to eat what Collin eats and that the only thing Nick can eat is Mommy's milk or formula in a bottle. I don't think he really gets it. I did promise him that as soon as Nick is old enough to start eating real foods, Collin could help me feed him. I'll probably regret that statement latter because I can guarantee Collin won't forget I said it. As I was doing the dishes, I looked over and realized that Nick had a pea stuck to his face right next to his nose! I'm not sure if Collin tried to feed him another pea or if Collin dropped peas on Sadie and she shook them off and one landed on Nick. Whatever happened, Nick smiled through the whole thing. From now on, I will not take my eyes off Collin at dinner time.

So Far, So Good.....

We've been home from the hospital for just over a week now and we're starting to settle in quite nicely. Tim was off and Grandmom and Grandad were here to help this past week. Collin had a wonderful time with them. Grammy will be here this week to help me out and then I'm on my own. So far, we all seem to be adjusting very well. Collin finally held his brother for the first time yesterday (ok, so Nick was mostly propped up against Collin while one of us made sure he didn't fall off the couch, but still it was the closest we've come to actually holding him). Collin seemed to think it was pretty cool to hold his brother. Since then he's paid a little bit more attention to Nicholas. Collin has even come over and tried to tickle him. I think he's going to really enjoy being a big brother once Nicholas gets a little older.