2007 Coming To A Close.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I know we sure did. It was great having everyone together. My parents, Chris's parents and Chris's brother Ben and girlfriend Kendall. The food and company were great and we hope it becomes a tradition for everyone to come here for Christmas year after year. In a selfish way it was nice not to be the ones traveling but we were happy to open up our home for the family to get together.

I am thankful for many things this year.
* I am thankful for the health of my family even though it was a roller coaster ride for us this year
* I am thankful my mom has done so well with her cancer surgery and treatment and we are on the road to recovery.
* I am thankful for all the caring friends and family that helped us out when Aaron was in the NICU after his birth. We couldn't have been with him as much had you not been there for us.
* I am thankful for my wonderful children that are growing up so fast and are so smart. They are a joy, most days, and I love to see them grow and achieve new things. They have been very adapting to the new things that this year has brought and have been helpful in so many ways.
* I am thankful for Meghan who loves to learn new things and has been a great big sister to her sister and brother. She is so creative and at times stubborn but is always there to help you out.
* I am thankful for Katie who more quiet and reserved than her sister but is such a generous spirit to all her know her. She is always playing with her brothers and is thinking of others. She makes me so proud. But even though she comes off as quiet most days, once riled up there is no shutting her up.
* I am thankful for Ryan. Who would have thought I could love this little boy so much. He is such a sweetheart and so smart compared to his sisters at this age. The things he comes up with are just amazing. And even after he and I have had a tough day together, he still wants to give me a hug and kiss before I go to work.
* I am thankful for Aaron. Even though he was a huge surprise in our lives I am so grateful he is here. He will always be our bump in the road so to speak as every day is a new challenge with him. But of course I couldn't live without him now.
* And finally I am thankful for my loving husband. I could not be the person I am without him by my side. He is the calm and I am the storm and I love him dearly. I am a better mom with him around and a better person too. He is so strong and there with me every step of the way. I would be lost without him.

I hope each of you remember what you are thankful for this year. It has been such a whirl wind for us and we have weathered it all. I pray that 2008 will be better, but we will take what God gives.



God Bless you and your families in the new year!
Bring it on 2008!


Happy New Year from the Andreachis!

Merry Christmas from the Andreachis!

Ryan strikes again

So we are still working on potty training and Ryan is doing fairly well. Well this morning I was going to give him a bath with Aaron and told him to sit on the potty first. He did for 5 minutes and couldn't go. I said get in the tub then to which he replyed " Mom I think my pecker is broken." Yes this is what Chris has taught our son to call his penis. Nice!

BROKE!

The inhumanity of it all!! The week of Christmas, the craziest at the Andreachi household and my espresso machine decides to break! UGH!!!!! How am I to get through Christmas with no espresso every morning. And the day after we replace all our appliances. Seriously??? I am so bummed. :(

Alas! The wall is crumbling.

So for the last six months Chris and I have been trying to get Meghan and Katie to read the Harry Potter books. Especially Meghan cause we feel she would really like them. I even offered to read them to her. I have gotten nothing but a little girl who digs her heals in to any suggestion her mom might have. Katie of course didn't want to cause her sister didn't want to. We have watched the first two movies only by force and know both the girls enjoyed them.

School started and we found that a number of kids in her class are reading the books. Meghan still refuses. Even her good friend across the street has read them all. Nope, not Meghan. Every time we mention it, nope not going to do it.

Anyway since Meghan's birthday, where a number of her friends were discussing the books and she had no clue, I could see her getting a tad interested here and there. Then yesterday her friend was talking about wanting the Harry Potter 5 movie for Christmas and Chris and I started talking to her about it. Once we got home I thought, I will try again and bring it up to Meghan. So I said to her, "Are you figuring out now that you are feeling left out by not reading Harry Potter?" Her answer was yes. So I asked her if she might want to start reading the books. She then asked if I would read them to her. Of course. So tonight we started reading book one and I told her that she could continue on her own and when she wanted me to read to her again I would pick up where she left off.

Caught her reading more of the book tonight after everyone got home from dance. I am so excited that finally she has decided that maybe it is a good idea to read those books and maybe her mom isn't so stupid after all. :) It is the little feats in life.

On the other hand the three year old needs to be thrown in a snow bank. HA!

Thus begins the week of chaos!

So I am very excited for Christmas this year but somehow I need to make it through this weeek. There is still some baking to do and a ton of cleaning and to add chaos to the mix is the delivery of our new appliances on Monday and then our new fridge on Tues. Plus we need to get someone in here to shave off about a 1/2 inch of our cupboard lip so our new fridge will fit. I am so excited for the new fridge. It is HUGE! The old one is going in the basement and the stove is going in our garage for the hope that someday Chris's brother will come get it. Fingers crossed.

In addition to that there are haircuts for the whols family and yet another doctor's appt for Aaron. Lunch for mom with a friend and first reconciliation for Katie on Thurs at church. Oh and 5 nights of work for mom before everyone arrives. I might need a vacation before the fun begins.

Chris and I took the girls to see Scrooge the musical yesterday at the Community theatre. We had invited the neighbor girls to go along and it was so much fun. Ryan got his playdate too as he plays with the neighbor girls' sister. The production was wonderful and I think the best I have seen there in a long time. The guy that played Scrooge was so comical and right for that role and he couldn't have done a better job.

So I am off to start my list of fun for the week. Hope everyone has a great week whether you are done and ready for Christmas or just starting. Enjoy every moment.

God Bless.

For my friend Andrea

For my friend Andrea who lost her girls this past October. God Bless her and her family!

I thought of you all, I closed my eyes and prayed to God today.
I asked what makes a Mother and I know I heard Him say,"A Mother has a baby."This we know is true.
"But God can you be a Mother when your baby's not with you?"
"Yes you can!", He replied with confidence in His voice,"I give many women babies,when they leave is not their choice.
"Some I send for a lifetime and other's for a day. And some I send to feel your womb but there's no need to stay."
" I just don't understand this God, I want my baby here."
He took a breath and cleared His throat and then I saw a tear.
"I wish I could show you what your child is doing today.
"If you could see your child smile with other children and say,
'We go to earth to learn our lessons of love and life and fear.My Mommy loved me oh so much I got to come straight here.
'I feel so lucky to have a Mom who had so much love for me I learned my lesson very quick My Mommy set me free.
'I miss my Mommy oh so much but I visit her each day.When she goes to sleep on her pillow's where I lay.
'I stroke her hair and kiss her cheek and whisper in her ear,"Mommy don't be sad today I'm your baby and I'm here." '
"So you see my dear sweet one, your children are OK.
"Your babies are here in my home and this is where they'll stay.
"They'll wait for you with me until your lesson is through.And on that day that you come homet hey'll be at the gates for you.
So now you see what makes a Mother. It's the feeling in your heart. It's the love you had so much of right from the very start.
Though some on earth may not realize that you are a Mother until their time is done. They'll be up here with me one day and know you're the best one.

Written with love for all the Mother's missing their babies

by Jennifer Wasik

Kids' Favorites for 2007

Meghan’s Favorites 2007

Color: Blue
Book: Aquamarine
Cartoon: SpongeBob
Friends: MiKayla, Alicia, Kathryn, Brena, Lauren, Kaitlyn
Animal: Wolves
Class: Art
Thing to do: Explore new places
Activity: Arts and Crafts
Sport: Swimming
Toy: Patches the cat
Movie: The Incredibiles
Magazine: Nickelodeon
Comic: Garfield
Number: 9
Outside Activity: Playing with Barbies in the swimming pool
Game: Tag and Twister
Food: Pizza


Katie’s Favorites 2007
Color: Purple
Book: Junie B Jones books and Captain Underpants books
Cartoon: SpongeBob
Show: iCarly
Friends: Marissa, April, Sunday, Cora, Lauren and Jaye
Animal: Horse
Class: Art
Thing to do: Makes Arts and Crafts
Activity: Read Captain Underpants
Sport: Swimming
Toy: Bratz dolls
Number: 1000
Outside Activity: Play in the snow
Game: Whonu

Ryan’s Favorite’s 2007

Cartoon: Dora the Explorer
Color: Brown
Food: Circle Cheese
Drink: Water
Animal: Piggy, Lauren’s
Game: Hungry Hippos
Book: Sea Animals Book
Number: 2
Movie: Dora save the mermaid movie
Friends: Lauren, Jaye, Noelle, KatieMeghan
Likes to go to the doctor, swim in the big pool, bubble baths, trampoline

Aaron's Favorite for 2007

MOM, MOM, MOM!

Oh how I hate the dentist!

SO Chris is in the process of getting deductions taken care of for next year's insurance etc. So I called the dentist office to get a rough estimate on how much it will cost to get Ryan's teeth fixed. He has a huge crater on one molar and 2-3 cavities on a couple of other molars. Yes, we brush his teeth! Anyway they tell us to come in like the next day ( His previous appt is like Jan 23rd, that's the soonest they could originally get him in). So yesterday I take him in, the office smells like urine or something, all these kids are running around ( Children's dentist office) and all the hygenists are like bubbly. Gag! We go back and our girl starts telling me how to take of Ryan's teeth like he's my first kid and I really have no clue. The dentist comes in and lays out what we will do. Since he is at an uncooperative age we will have to take him to Meritcare, knock him out and fix his teeth. Yeah! But the soonest they can get that done is March 31st!!! Yikes! The crater in is molar is HUGE! Anyway the dentist portion is at least $1100 and then we have to pay Meritcare same day surgery on top of that. Of course insurance will cover most of the expense, but we just got through a year of huge medical bills. Always something I guess.

So I plan on taking Ryan in for the same day surgery class through Meritcare so he isn't completely shocked when I take him up there. At least all the work will be done at once and they will be putting sealants on the remaining molars. The one with the huge hole? That gets a crown. A 3 year old with a crown. Lovely! The dentist said he may have just had weak enamel on that tooth and it just didn't grow properly. And he has really deep grooves in the other molars. That he inherits from Chris. Poor baby!

Yep, you got it! Power struggle!

So I was right to contain my excitement over Ryan's success yesterday. He peed this morning and I checked him an hour a half later, wet. An hour and half after that, wet. An hour after that, wet! So I think he may be peeing his pants because I refused to give him a sucker this morning. Oh how I love this boy of mine!

Aaron's Article!

I am posting this as you cannot access Aaron's article without purchasing it now. Too bad I can't get the pictures posted too. :(


Shaping up baby12/03/2007 - Erin Hemme-Froslie
To ward off curious stares, sometimes Aaron Andreachi wears a T-shirt that states: “Don’t mind me. I’m just reshaping my head.”
The 9-month-old has been wearing a helmet since October to treat a flattened spot on the right side of his skull.
“You get a lot of stares, but it’s not big deal,” says Aaron’s mother, Jennifer Andreachi.
The American Academy of Pediatrics kicked off its “Back to Sleep” campaign in 1992 to prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Placing babies on their backs to sleep saves lives, but it has an unintended consequence. Since then pediatricians have seen an increase in the number of babies who develop asymmetrical skulls, a condition called plagiocephaly.
Because a baby’s head is still soft and pliable, some newborns develop a flattening of the head when placed on their backs.
Most of the time, the flattening is harmless and easily treated with simple stretches to strengthen neck muscles, said Dr. Christopher Tiongson, a MeritCare pediatrician. Occasionally, a baby will have to wear a molding helmet to round out the skull.
The asymmetry doesn’t affect brain development.
Tiongson said about 5 percent of babies develop a noticeable asymmetry or flatness.
“We’re good about telling people to lay their babies on their backs, but we also need to remember to stress tummy time and mixing head positions so they’re not always lying on the same side,” he says.
Babies born too early and those with tightened neck muscles are at a higher risk of being diagnosed with the condition, Tiongson says. Premature babies often have delayed muscle development so they take longer to sit up and roll over, two skills that reduce the chance of developing plagiocephaly. Tightened neck muscles restrict head movement.
At Aaron’s 2-month checkup, everything appeared normal, his mother says. But over the next month she observed that her young son never looked to his left. Aaron also had a noticeable flat area on the right side of his skull.
Chris and Jennifer Andreachi say they never treated Aaron any differently than their other three children. They placed him on his back when putting him to sleep. He spent time in a bouncy chair, swing and car seat.
By the time he was 4 months old, Aaron was diagnosed with tightened neck muscle that caused his head to tilt to one side.
A physical therapist worked with the infant and coached the Andreachis to stretch Aaron’s neck muscles.
Chris and Jennifer Andreachi learned how to gently roll his head to each side while holding his shoulders steady. They increased the amount of supervised time he spent on his tummy each day and positioned toys on his left side, encouraging him to look in that direction.
“Stretching his neck every diaper change got old,” Chris Andreachi says.
After a few months of physical therapy, Aaron’s neck muscle loosened but his plagiocephaly had not gone away. To help reshape his skull, doctors recommended a helmet. He has been wearing it for 22 hours a day since Oct. 1 and will continue to wear it for another month or two, his mother says.
The helmet doesn’t look all that different from one worn while riding a bike. The Andreachis decorate it with seasonal stickers, the most recent depicting snowmen, sleds and “Merry Christmas” motifs. They wash it daily.
And even if the helmet draws a few curious stares, it serves a secondary purpose, Jennifer says.
“Now that he’s crawling and walking, it’s kind of nice,” she says. “He doesn’t have as many bangs and bruises.”
Most babies’ flattened skulls will round out naturally by the time they’re 6 months old if they spend adequate amounts of time on their tummies and lay on both sides of their heads, Tiongson says. If not, a helmet may be prescribed.
“Studies show that if parents are vigilant about head positioning, those kids likely do as well as they would with a helmet,” he says.
As a result, a lot of times the helmets are not covered by insurance, he says.
Two or three cases a year, however, require a helmet because the babies’ heads are so flat that they naturally roll in that direction.
Still, parents shouldn’t let the fear of plagiocephaly stop them from placing their babies on their backs to sleep. The risk of SIDS is too great.
“It’s relatively too dangerous to stop doing that,” Tiongson says.
Tips to prevent flattening of head
Pediatricians recommend placing babies on their backs to sleep, but you can usually prevent flattening from occurring by taking a few simple preventive steps:
- Hold your baby upright when he or she is awake.
- During close supervision, place your baby on his or her tummy to play. Make sure both you and the baby are in the same room and both awake when doing this.
- When you place your baby on his or her back to sleep, change the direction your baby’s head faces. Or, alternate which end of the crib you place the baby’s head – this will cause the baby to look both left and right, which helps round the head.
- It also may help to change the position of the crib or the location of interesting objects, such as mobiles. That way, your baby won’t consistently look in one direction.
Once your baby is old enough to sit up, head flattening becomes less of a concern.
Source: www.mayoclinic.com
Readers can reach Forum reporter Erin Hemme Froslie at (701) 241-5534

Success!

Ryan has peed on the potty 4 times today and quickly too, not that sit there for an hour kind of thing! I would get excited but tomorrow will probably be a let down. But a little HOPE....Yeah!

Three is worse than two!

Friday morning Aaron had a doctor appt with Dr Klava for his helmet. I had the day all planned out. Chris would take the girls to school, I would drop Ryan off at Kids Kingdom, then Aaron and I would go to his appt, then to lunch with my friend Penny. On my way home I would pick up Ryan.

Well we started off on the wrong foot. We woke Ryan up and he was crabby. Chris left with the girls which pissed Ryan off. SO I got him dressed and ready to go and told him he was going to Kids Kingdom. That set off a tantrum. He didn't want to go. So I load them up, drive there and open Ryan's door to find he had peed all over himself. (we are still in the process of potty training). I had no change of clothes ( His pull up most have been put on wrong or shifted or something) so I am screaming at him and throwing my own tantrum in the parking lot. It is 8:40 and I have to go downtown yet for the Dr appt. SO I drive home, grab pants, call the doctor and get downtown by 9:05. I change Ryan in the van, it's 5 below, he's mad cause he is cold and we get to the appt by 9:10. That goes well and we finish up and get out to the van where I once again tell him he is going to Kids Kingdom. More screaming and crying. I call Chris who had a dr appt that morning and ask him what I should do. I am NOT taking Ryan to lunch with me. So Chris says he will take him to the office and I can pick him up after lunch. Well in the middle of my lunch Chris calls and says Jeff is taking the office out to lunch and Ryan is going with to Paradiso. That's fine.

I pick him up and tell him he is going to sit on the potty when he gets home.
"I don't like sitting on the potty."
I tell him, "well I don't like when you pee your pants."
He says, " Well I don't like when you take me to Kids Kingdom."
"well I didn't, did I?"

What a smuck! And me fighting with a three year old. Ugh!

And then he peed on the potty twice for me that afternoon. I don't get it!

Aaron's article in the paper!

http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=185050&section=valleyrr

Here's the link to Aaron's article in the paper! Hope you like it. We were happy to do it!

Top Ten Medical Terms of 2007!

NICU - Aaron spent twelve days in the Meritcare’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit after he was born. He was transferred there within 3 hours of his birth.
Respiratory Distress Syndrome – Aaron was born at 37 weeks after a fast descent delivery. Upon delivery he started to labor while breathing and was given oxygen. When examined later by the pediatrician it was decided that Aaron be transferred to the NICU. I had only held him for 10 minutes. Chris only got to hold him while carrying him to the nursery.
Surfactant – A natural soapy (fatty) substance found in mature lungs. It acts as a lubricant in the lungs to help them expand more easily and to keep the air sacs from collapsing. Artificial surfactant is occasionally given to premature babies until they are able to make their own. Aaron was given 3-4 does of this to help his lungs.
Ativan – Used to help sedate baby if needed. Aaron received this a bit while he was on the ventilator so he wouldn’t fight the tube.
CPAP and Nasal Canula – Continuous Positive Airway Pressure – A small amount of continuous pressure provided by a ventilator to help keep lung sacs open while the baby breathes on their own. The baby does all the breathing on their own and the CPAP machine supports each of the baby’s breaths. Aaron was initially placed on the CPAP, but did not do well, so they moved him to the ventilator. Once he was extubated and off the ventilator he was put on oxygen through a nasal canula. He struggled on just the oxygen and was placed back on the CPAP for a few days till he could breathe better on his own.
Ventilator – A machine that provides oxygen and pressure to open air sacs of the lungs and gives a certain number of breaths every minute to help the baby breathe. Aaron was intubated at about 2 am the morning after his birth and remained on the ventilator for 4 days.
Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) – An IV solution given to babies who cannot get enough nutrition eating normally. TPN fluids contain sugar, salts, electrolytes, minerals and vitamins that your child needs to grow and heal. Aaron was on this for at least a week, till he was able to tolerate all his feedings. He received breast milk when he was able to through a feeding tube in his mouth, then one through his nose. The nasal tube was taken out the day before he was brought home. He had started eating well and gaining weight.
Torticollis – At about 3 months we noticed Aaron only liked to look to his right. We began repositioning him and keeping the interesting things to his left. At 4 months he was diagnosed with torticollis or wryneck, which is the tightening of the sternocleidomastoid muscle, and was sent to physical therapy.
Plagiocephaly – Aaron also developed a case of Plagiocephaly meaning oblique head. The back right side of his head had flattened due to the torticollis and a combination of being slightly preterm and on a ventilator and CPAP while in the NICU.
Cranial Cap – Dr Klava decided that Aaron had a football shaped head rather than a Charlie Brown. He prescribed helmet therapy and Aaron was fitted for a Cranial Cap. They made a casting of his head, and from the negative made him his plastic helmet, which he has been wearing for 22 hours a day since October 1st. The helmet provides gentle pressure on the areas of Aaron’s head that have grown, allowing for growth on the right side that is flat. We are generally attempting to reshape his head. We were denied coverage for Aarons helmet when we initially submitted for coverage. BSBC felt that head circumference and hair growth would either resolve or cover the plagiocephaly. A letter from Dr Klava claiming medical necessity was also met with denial. I had asked Shanna his PT for a letter for my appeal packet. Somehow it was sent to BCBS and they reviewed it and decided to pay. Of the $2,360 we don’t owe a cent!

When it rains it pours!

So as many of you know this past year has been a rollercoaster of medical issues for our family. Mainly Aaron of course. Well a couple of days ago we discovered that one of Ryan's 2 yr old molars looked like it was rotting. So we went to the dentist today to find he has weak enamel and that at least 3 of his teeth need work. So we have been referred to a pediatric dentist who will look them over and then schedule when they will be fixed. Because of his age though he will have to go to the hospital and be put under. Oh JOY! I can't tell you how thrilled I am. He apparently must be genetically predisposed to have weak enamel. Thankfully it's not from the care we have given him. I feel bad enough for Aaron's flat head!

Speaking of Aaron his article in the Forum should be published on Monday. The photographer is coming out today to take some pictures of him. Of course he is having a crabby day! We are pretty excited though about the article. We hope it will raise more awareness of plagiocephaly and how to prevent it.

Don't touch my chicken!

Ryan has a prominent rooster tail most days. Depends really on how he sleeps on his hair. Well I was patting it down one day and he told me "Don't touch my chicken!"
Then yesterday he fell off the couch onto his head. Chris asked if he had hurt his head, He said, "No but I hurt my chicken!"

The great big turkey!

Chris was sitting on the couch and Ryan was crawling over him as usual. He started digging through the cushions and found a missing car. So he gets down and tells Chris to get up. "Daddy get up, get up Daddy! Don't sit there like a turkey!" Where does he get these things?

Grounded????

Yes, believe it or not, Katie finally got herself grounded. I went up in her room, which I try never to do, and it was a pit as usual. So I start picking up and find that she had opened this watch making kit with beads and it was all over her bedroom floor under her bed. I had asked her to wait for me to help. So I spent most of yesterday picking up little beads and crap and threw away a whole bag full of trash. SO no TV till Thurs and she loses a buck off her allowance this month. Man was I mad at her.

We started another puzzle on the table we use for holidays - as our girls and the neighbor girls call it - and I think Chris and I are the only ones that do them any more. Chris swears he hates puzzles, but I catch him doing them more than not.

Katie's dance performance went well on Sat and it is fun to see how much they have improved from the first dance performance we went too 4 years ago. Meghan of course didn't want to be there. BooHOO! Wait till she has a soccer game or something we all have to stand and watch. At least the dance performance is inside.

Aaron is loving his food these days and begs for everything we are eating. It is nice that he can eat at the table with us as a family. He is going to love Thanksgiving.

I think that's it for me today. Cheers!

Real live Mexicans!

Today I was called by both Meghan and Katie's teachers at around 2:30 or so. There are many roofing companies in town repairing roofs from the September hail storm we had in Fargo. Well many of those roofing companies have employed illegal aliens and the Fargo police department has been working on catching said aliens and deporting them.

Well in the course of doing that today the school was notified that some of the illegal aliens had run from the jobsites toward Centennial school and onto the grounds. The school was locked down and the grounds searched. According to the district though the school is required to contact all parents of students riding the bus or walking home.

I was fine sending the girls on the bus. Katie was upset at the time her teacher called, but during the conversation with her teacher the school was notified, that all was well and the police department had deem the area safe.

So I met the girls when they got off the bus and Meghan told me that some real live Mexicans had come onto the school grounds while they were at recess. She was all excited about it. Real live Mexicans huh? Kind of made me chuckle at how kids describe things. The police department did send out some extra patrol so that was good.

Katie is off to her first slumber party at her friend April's house. It is a spa party and I am sure she will get all dolled up to go to bed. We have her dance recital tomorrow so I do hope she gets some sleep. Ha! Right!

My thoughtful child!

So the girls have their annual book fair this week that they each have a coupon to get a free book. I allowed them each to take $5 to spend as well. Meghan took an additional $2 to donate to the Northwood School Library. They lost their books to the tornado that hit the town this last summer. And for some reason I didn't mention it to Katie. Chris and I had already sent in some money to help out.

Well Katie comes home from school and shows me her books. I asked her if she had any extra money left and she said "No I gave it to the Northwood school cause they lost all their books in the tornado." I was so proud of her for deciding on her own to do that. Just goes to show you that they do learn some things from their parents examples. She has always been a giver and I am really proud of her for doing that.

There's a Lizard in my Tub!

Now I know this could evoke a lot of curious questions in your head. Is it real? What is a lizard doing in her tub? Chris says there's a lizard in my bed too but we won't get into that!

So Meghan's class earns points for being well behaved in class. They save up these points and about 3 times a year they have an auction where they get to spend these points. Well she brought home a grocery bag full of stuff the other day and in there is a toy lizard that is suppose to grow to 3 feet! So she of course wants to grow the lizard.

Saturday comes and we all gather in their bathroom, thinking this will be a quick thing, and Chris starts running the tub. I start asking about the directions and what not. Meghan has thrown them away of course. So I start digging in her trash to find that the lizard takes 3 to 7 DAYS to grow to 3 feet. So scratch using their tub and now it is residing in my tub. Saturday can't come fast enough.

They check that thing every chance they get. Personally I don't think it will hit 3 feet, but if it does, my question is how long does it take to dry out and go back to normal? Dang thing could be in there till Christmas!

Could this kid get any funnier?

So Ryan loves the Bob 95 FM commercials. It is a country radio station in town and they have 3 commercials out with this puppet like guy. His head is round like a bobber would be. Their slogan is Turn your Knob to Bob. One of the commercials is to the Chicken Dance, the next is to Phonomena?? and now the Christmas one is to Jingle Bells. Well at dinner the other night he is belting out the Jingle Bell one complete with the YeeHaw at the end and I tell him "Bob sit down and eat!" To which he replies " I'M NOT FRICKIN' BOB!" at the top of his lungs. Yes, chalk another one up to me for great parenting!
Jen

Ryan's Three!

Wow has three years really flown by since we had Ryan? It seems unreal, that and the fact that we have Aaron now too. Ryan is such a great little boy. He loves playing with his sisters and loves his little brother too. He tries to tell jokes and his favorite is the Impatient cow joke, although he has only gotten the punch line right once. We still laugh though.

He is a huge fan of Dora and she has taught him alot. He is very descriptive and his speech and we think that comes from Dora.

His favorite things are cars, trains, singing Barbie dolls, playing the piano and jumping on the trampoline. He likes bubble baths but hates things that are hot and loud.

We have a had a few scares with him this year that I am sure will send me to an early grave. But overall he has had a great year and he has grown and matured so much.

More Ryan thoughts!

So the UPS guy comes yesterday. Ryan says, The box man is here!

Chris gets a lot of boxes for computers.

So much flying through my head!

So this has been a busy week for sure. All kids went to the Dr's for their flu shots. Three out of 4 got checkups and they are all doing well. Meghan is still sitting in the 10th percentile for height, but that is OK too. She is growing up though. Ryan is doing well too. The Dr feels when he is emotionally ready he will potty train, and has the capability but just has to want too. Yeah! Got him on there this morning and he went, but I am not holding my breath. He does say when he is 3 he will use the potty and that he will be a big boy. Let's hope.

Aaron is doing well too. He is the biggest of them all at this age. He is in the 50th percentile for height and 54th for weight or something like that. I worry about him cause he is my last and has so many issues. I did talk about autism with the doctor and she feels he is right on track socially. Babbling and loving to be held. I am just a worrier I guess. He did spend 15 minutes the other day watching the washer and dryer spin. Hmmm Fun! We went and had his helmet checked too and had a little adjustment done. His head seems to be doing just fine. Yeah!

3 out of 4 got haircuts this week too. Aaron had his first official and I was such a bad mom and forgot to get his hair. I remembered on the way home and luckily Stacy had a chunk saved. With 4 kids I just have a hard time keeping track of it all. Especially when we are all together. Yikes.

Conferences for the girls went well on Monday. Both are reading beyond their grade which is a relief. While Meghan is super confident about her abilities, Katie is not so much so. She is a chatter box though when not around her sister. I think Meghan just tends to dominate.

They are off from school today and I think they just get tired of playing with Ryan. He misses them so much when they are gone. I know they need alone time too, but mom needs to keep her sanity too and get something done. Just seems like I am always cleaning or something. I so just want to play with them too. Doesn't help that I am sick with something in my throat. Spares them from me yelling I suppose.

A friend of mine called this week to tell me she was pregnant. While excited for her, I understand that this was not planned and what she was feeling. I felt the same way with Aaron and was in denial for months. If I would tell someone they would be So excited and I would just cringe, because I was not. I knew when he was born I would feel differently, but at the same time I just was not happy to be pregnant. My friend is feeling the same way. This was not planned and when you are over 35 that brings new risks and worries. I told her it was OK to not be happy. She has the right to feel that way. I wish for her that others will respect that. I know I would have appreciated it. I know when she has her baby she will feel so differently. I know I never would have traded Aaron for anything. He is my baby and he gets so excited to see me when I come home. Makes me forget everything else in the world.

So this weekend brings Ryan's third birthday. Man did that time fly. He is having a Dora cake, cause he just loves Dora! She has taught him alot!

Aaron will be 9 months on Tues and his/our interview with the Forum was supposed to be Monday but has been postponed till the 26th. I am a little miffed over that but I suppose I will get over it. We want to raise awareness about the plagiocephaly. He is my 4th and I did nothing different with him than the others, yet we are dealing with the plagio. I wish I knew to be more conscious of it. Might have changed things, might not have but I think there is a need to keep parents informed. Repositioning aggressively can alleviate the need for the helmet.

So that is my ramble for the day. Now I need that nap.
Jen

Meghan's nine!!!!

Wow, nine years old. Can't believe she is nine. We had her birthday/sleepover last night and it went pretty well. They are old enough now, where they just go off on their own and do stuff. I do have to say I am not ready for her to grow up. One little girl came later and as soon as she arrived the mood changed. This girl has a cell phone, some sort of girly product business, an Ipod and proceded to tell us her favorite movie was Mean Girls and she watches Grey's Anatomy. I was floored. Once she arrived the drama seemed to come into play. She did leave earlier than the rest this morning and once gone the rest started playing school and Twister and girl stuff. It is hard for me to understand why a parent would let their daughter grow up this fast. Yikes!

Overall the party was good. Today we just kicked back and worked on a puzzle. Chris is watching the last Bison game and Katie and Ryan are playing dog. Go figure. I am working on going through all the pictures from the week as well as the plagiocephaly info for Aaron's interview with the Forum next Monday. I was planning on posting more pics on his Caringbridge site but they seem to be having troubles today.

Chris bonked me in the mouth last night with Aaron's helmet, Don't ask me how, and now I have a cold sore there. I am not thrilled.
Anyway here's a picture of my 9 year old.

Halloween 2007~Happy Feet!

What great weather we had this Halloween. It wasn't as warm as it had been on Tues, but still a nice night to be out trick or treating. And thankfully my husband was home this year. Last year he was in Paris, France on business.

In the morning I went to breakfast with Meghan at her classroom. I got to see her decorated pumpkin which she had done like a cat. I also got to see some of the reading projects the class has been working on and the plants they are growing.

Chris went to her class Halloween party and she wore her Pirate costume from last year.

I took the boys to the Children's Museum and Ryan had a blast. He dressed as a pilot, Aaron as a scarecrow. I didn't get pumpkin pictures again cause Aaron was throwing a fit and wouldn't settle down. So off we went for home.

After lunch I dropped Ryan off at Kids Kingdom and left him in a tantrum, cause he didn't want to stay, and Aaron and I went to Katie's Halloween party. She went as a leopard and was very cute. Aaron threw another fit, so we left early and went and got Ryan who NOW didn't want to leave. We picked the girls up from school and went home.

I let Aaron nap and skipped going to Chris's office. Mummy dogs for supper and then we all got in our penguin costumes to go out. First stop was to our friends Oscar and Jan's house, then up to NDSU to visit my friend Tanie at work. After that it was to visit Tanie's husband Brad, Harrington's, Brenan's and then around our neighborhood.

We were a huge hit as penguins and I am so glad we were able to do it. Ryan did the culdesac with the girls and I and then we dropped him off home with dad and Aaron. The girls and I did about 4 more culdesacs before heading home. It was a great night to be out for sure.

Here are more pictures of us.

Aaron in his penguin costume. Will post the other kids later.

Smart Boy and more!

So we were having dinner yesterday and talking about the hospital for some reason and Ryan starts saying " mommy you were in hospital." I said yes, and can you remember why I was in the hospital? "You had baby Aaron." I though smart boy. Then he says " Yeah and you gave me a block puzzle." Which I did. I was amazed he remembered all of that. Chris said even he couldn't remembe what I had given him at the hospital, but somehow Ryan did.

We have been trying to pottytrain Ryan and he hasn't wanted to play along, so we dropped it and have been asking him here and there. If he says no, that is ok but we mention it to keep it in his mind. Last Sat at the pumpkin patch he told me that when he is a big boy, he will pee in the potty. I said, when you are 3 you will be a big boy. Yes, he said, when he is 3 he will pee in the potty. So we have been going with that. SO this Sat he decided to sit on the potty. Did for 3 minutes and went about his business. Yesterday he sat for Chris before bed. This morning I went to change him and he hadn't peed so I said, lets sit for 5 minutes. I left him to go upstairs to get his clothes and by the time I reached his room he called out that he had peed. So we are taking it one step at a time but I find this encouraging.

SO this is Halloween week. The costumes are done, except my hood and buttons and holes on my gangster costume. I plan on doing that today and getting it all cleaned up. Meghan is having her slumber party for her birthday on Friday night, so there is a lot to do for that. This time of year always seems to kill me with Halloween, three days later Meghan's birthday and 8 days after that Ryan's birthday. And I actually think 4 kids is kicking my ass. I am so tired all the time and never seem to get what I want accomplished. UGH!

I found out this morning that a good friend of mine lost the twin girls she was carrying. They had twin to twin transfusion and she was supposed to go the RI for a treatment and the twins passed on Sat. I can't imagine the pain she is going through and I don't know where she got the strength to deliver those babies. I always told Chris if we ever lost one in utero, I wouldn't be able to deliver it. I thank God for all my healthy kids, even if they drive me insane sometimes. I pray she and her husband will find the strength to try again. She is great with kids and I so would love to see her have her own. God Bless her and her family.

Well that is all for today. Aaron is already down for his morning nap as he woke up early. He has finally at 8 months learned to roll onto his stomach and has been sleeping that way, but the pressure from his helmet bothers him I think and he wakes up screaming. Anyway I best be going.

Pray for my friend... Jen

Aaron's all set for Halloween!

Aaron's moving on!

So yesterday I put Aaron in his new toy which allows him to stand in the middle of a ring. I placed him looking out the window away from me. I looked up at him from the computer 2 minutes later and he was facing me. OMG! He has learned to move along furniture. AH! I am not ready for that!

Sewing update!

As of today at 2:40 PM I have completely finished Chris's costume, Ryan's, and Meghan's. Aaron's hood is done, but not the body, Katie's body is done, but not the hood. My work costume is done, except for the button holes and buttons. So all that is left is a leopard costume for Katie for dance and school, Katie's penguin hood and Aaron's penguin body. I'm getting there. UGH! Only seven more days to Halloween.

Another day...

So yesterday we started having our roof replaced. The boys and I ran out for Aaron's appt and by the time we got back there was a big crane in our driveway delivering shingles. Ryan says "Mommy, they're breaking our house!" I thought it was so cute. I told the owners and they laughed. Our roofers are really nice and the dad of the company came to our door last night and said, "Yeah I like what you did with my sign." The girls while decorating for Halloween put a huge spider on the front. He had come by and saw it and took a picture of it. Showed it to me on his cell phone.

Off to feed Aaron and sew more costumes. By the time I am done I will have sewn 8 costumes. Yes, I know, insane.
Jen

Catch up on the Andreachi Family

So I started this in June and as you can see I didn't get very far. So I need to play a little catch up. This summer was a chaotic on and this moved fast.

In June Aaron was diagnosed with Torticollis and went to Physical Therapy for 5 sessions to help resolve that. Torticollis means wry neck and he would only look off to his right rather than turn his head left. All of his experiences can be found on his website
www.caringbridge.org/visit/aaronandreachi
When we finished the PT we decided that his plagiocephaly had not resolved itself regardless of repositioning etc and he was sent to Dr Klava for and evaluation. Dr Klava decided he should get a cranio cap to reshape his head and that started a whole new ordeal. Again info can be found on his website.
Aaron is doing really well with the helmet therapy and he has had it for 3 weeks and doesn't seem to mind it much.

Ryan has grown a lot this summer in more ways the one. He speaks so clearly and is very intelligent in his words. Loves to play with his sisters and have them help him. And he understands them so much. He is a very active boy and we call him Buckshot cause he is every where. He loves Dora and watches it endlessly if you let him. He also enjoys playing with his little brother. I can't wait to see them both running around next summer. He continues to give his mother heart attacks and I swear he will be the death of me. The latest was hanging onto the railing of an escalator and it started pulling him up. He couldn't hold on of course but he was close to being wedged between the escalator and the railing on the 2nd floor of the Mall of America. Chris assures me he would have never gotten between there and fallen or had been able to hang on and go over the railing, but I deathly afraid of heights and always worry one of my kids will plummet to their deaths.

The girls are doing well too. They both did swim lessons. Katie passed and Meghan was really close. Meghan had art classes this summer and Katie did a performing arts program. The both went to Grandma's house this summer on both sides of the family and loved that. I think both sets of grandparents were tired when they left.

School started in Aug and Meghan and Katie are doing well in 3rd and 2nd grade. They like their teachers and I like that they are busy.

My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in Aug on Aaron's half birthday. That has been a struggle for us all. Us because we can't be there and her cause it was not what she expected to be doing this fall. Her diagnosis is good. They did a lumpectomy in Aug and she finished her radiation in Sept. She is doing 4 rounds of chemo as a preventative measure and then hopefully we will be clear of cancer. We were fortunate it was caught early and that it hadn't gone in her lymph nodes.

Katie was also in a near death accident this fall while crossing in front of the school bus. A car decided they didn't want to wait for the bus and decided to pass. Katie didn't see the car, the driver started honking and thankfully Meghan and Katie stopped crossing. And then the car proceeded on it's merry way. I wrote a letter to the editor of the Forum thanking the driver for being so considerate. OK that was a little bit of sarcasm there. She is fine and thankfully the driver did his job and protected my kids.

In Sept we had a hail storm that left golf ball sized holes in our yard and everywhere else. So as I type this our roof is being replaced. We are thankful to Mother Nature since we were going to have to have it replaced in a few years anyway. Cross that off our list. Yeah!

So that is a little catch up. I am going to try harder to update at least once a week. HA!
Don't forget to check out Aaron's website.

Ryan's thoughts!

So I am starting this blog so I can keep track of the funny things my kids do. I am afraid I won't remember all the stories when I'm old so this is a way to share and keep them in the family.

Story 1: So Ryan is into repeating everything these days and is very discriptive in his speech. He says " Daddy what you doing?"
Chris: "I'm scratching my nuts."
Ryan: "You're scratching your nuts? Oh man!"