Three year olds are great!

Ryan is pretty much potty trained now. Yeah! We still have some pooping issues but that always seems to take longer to learn. He did do it on his own for me yesterday and then Chris sent him in the bathroom last night to go pee. Chris checked on him a few minutes later to find him standing up and trying to hit the toilet. Nice!! He did get most of it in, so I guess he is a typical male. But it didn't end there. Chris got everything cleaned up and Ryan wanted to stay and sit on the big potty. A few minutes later we hear him yelling and yep, he had pooped on his own. Guess we will be in those underwear sooner than we thought. Yeah!!!!!!

Ryan has also become quite the computer wizard as well. He loves to play Spongebob and go on Nick Jr.com. He knows how to go on my computer, click on Internet Explorer and find the website he wants in the pull down menu or in my favorites box. The kids is just plain smart. While he is playing I will come over once and awhile, minimize his game and check my email. Well the other day I came over, minimized his game and before I could stop him he pushes this button on my keyboard and up pops my Outlook Express box. I said, "How did you know to do that?" He shrugs. Smart boy. Chris had bought me a new keyboard a couple of weeks ago and it has a button marked mail on it that will pull up Outlook Express. There is also a Search and Web button too. He must have through trial & error discovered how they work. Chris didn't even know they were there.

So anyway that is how smart my three year old is now.

Meghan on the other hand is 5 boxes away from her goal of 200 boxes for girl scout cookies. And that is without the boxes she will get from Chris's work. Plus there are 16 more days to sell and quite a few other people we haven't talked to yet. Go Meghan!!!

Katie is feeling better and no one else has gotten sick. Yeah! I need to go pack for my weekend now. Oh I suppose I will bring the kids to school first. Whatever!

Pray for me!

I got home from work last night and I see your Bissel sitting out.
"Chris, why is the Bissel out?"
"You have a sick kid!"
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
I cannot have puking kids in my house! I so need to to get out of here.
So...
#1 Pray that no more kids puke in my house
#2 Pray I don't start puking
#3 Pray that if any more kids puke in my house, they do it after I leave on Friday
#4 Pray Ryan doesn't get sick so he can have his surgery on Monday
#5 And pray that I will let Katie out of her room some day soon. She is sequestered in there till I bleach and disinfect everything in the house

And yes, you're right, Jen CANNOT handle puking!
Go Pray now!

One Year Ago Today!

One year ago today we were able to bring Aaron home to our family. I know it was a busy day too. Chris had gone up to the hospital really early & I went up when he got home. Katie had a dance recital in the afternoon and I went to that. Chris took Meghan to a Girls Scout event and Ryan went to the old neighbor's house. We both waited all day long for the pediatrician to call so we could give our consent for Aaron's circ. We knew he had to stay for at least 4 hours after that so they could make sure he was good to go.

So we dropped the kids off at a friends house and went up to the hospital at 5:30. He had had his circ and they were just waiting for him to pee. I nursed him, signed papers and we started packing things up. The nurse checked him again and we were good to go. Man were we excited because he hadn't told the kids we were bringing him home that day. Ryan hadn't even met him yet.

So we were driving home at about 9:10 that night and stopped to pick up the kids. It was snowing lightly and it was beautiful. The kids got in the van and didn't even notice Aaron in his carseat. Finally Meghan did and yelled out. Katie just sat and smiled and stared at him the whole way home. Ryan too was baby struck. And boy were we all excited to have him home.

My new motto!

I have a habit of trying to do for everyone. I, like most people, like when others are happy. It is very hard for me when my efforts go unappreciated. But that is something I have to deal with. So when I was at work on Thursday night I decided it was time for my weekly fortune cookie. This was my fortune.

It is impossible to please everybody.

Please yourself first.

I kid you not, that is what my fortune was. I find it quite fitting after the week I have had and I hope it helps me to remember that I can't make everyone happy. That of course won't stop me from trying but it may make the sting hurt a little less when I don't succeed. I am an overachiever and I don;t take failure well. I see it in Meghan too and I hope I can keep her from turning completely into me. Yes, my desire to help others and make them happy is a great asset, but I don't want to see her hurt too badly if she doesn't succeed.

So on to living with my new motto! Hope you all remember it as well.

Is winter ever going to end??

Seriously, it was 28 below when I took the kids to school today with wind chill warnings to boot! I didn't want to go out and the boys have been less than thrilled to take their sisters to school for like the last couple of weeks. I almost pray they sleep in so I can sneak off to school without them and be back in like 3 minutes. SHHHH! It is blasted cold out!

And I feel bad for the poor Schwan's man and the mail lady, although I lucked out today and we had a package delivered so she came to my door with my mail instead of me going out. Yeah!

Just a little warmer, please????

Girl's Night Away!

As I sit here and listen to Aaron screeching at me again for the umpteenth time today I think about Feb 29th! Why do you ask? Cause I get to get out of town for at least 36 hours without my kids or my husband. Now I haven't been away from my kids overnight, unless I was giving birth to them in at least 4 years. It could be 5 years, but I can't remember. And in thinking further Chris and I haven't been away from the kids overnight, unless I was in the hospital in at least 6 years. That seems really SAD!

So Feb 29th is the date! Chris is taking the day off to stay home with the kids so I can go to the cities with some friends from work, go shopping, go out to eat and see the Drag Show at the Gay 90's! We are staying at a hotel in downtown Minneapolis and get free breakfast the next morning. Then it is more shopping and visiting with friends then home. I am so pumped that I will have a responsibility free weekend! Hurray!

But I think my next goal will have to be finding a time when Chris and I can get away for an overnight. I think sometime in June will be nice. We definitely deserve it!

Happy Valentines Day!

Look what the kids and I woke up to this morning??

Chris had picked them up yesterday on his way home from work and hid them in his bathroom downstairs, then tied them on this morning. What an exciting thing to find this morning. It looks so cool.

Ryan and I are going to work on the rest of the Valentines when Aaron goes down for his nap.

So to everyone a Happy Valentines Day from the Andreachis!

Birthday Party Pictures!

Happy Birthday Aaron!

Happy Birthday to my dear little Aaron!

One year old today as of 3:46 PM

He weighed in at 8 pounds, 5 ounces and was 21 inches long.

I am currently waiting for his birthday party to begin. Birthday boy is napping and I am looking at the clock and just realized at this exact time last year I had just found out that Aaron was going to be admitted into the NICU. What a terrifying thought that was. We had been so fortunate to have 3 healthy children and never thought for a moment that our fourth wouldn't be healthy at birth. It sure does bring you back to reality and how fragile life is.

But enough of that. Aaron is officially one and is a toddler now. No more baby for him. He loves his mom and dad and laughs at his siblings daily. He screams for attention and always knows when I am on the phone. For some reason he thinks he has to scream to get our attention. HMMM! Maybe cause he does have to.

I am so thankful for our family and all it brings.

God Bless them all!

Happy 1st Birthday Aaron!

Why I love Gymboree!

So many of you know, I shop Gymboree for my kids. I used to work there for 4 years and of course spent more money there than I made, but my kids were well dressed.

Yes, Gymboree clothes are more expensive than other brands, but if you shop the sales the right way and combine that with coupons, you walk out of the store with gorgeous clothes and a lot of them. And we are not only talking quantity, but quality clothes. Aaron's clothes are outfits that Ryan wore and they still look brand new. Same with the girls. I have a pair of skorts that the girls wore each for 3 summers and they still look great.

So why do I profess my love for Gymboree today? Well I bought a onesies that said 1st Birthday on it for Aaron during Gymbuck redemption. So instead of paying $14.50 for it I got it for less than $7.00 with discounts. I bought it for Aaron's 1 year pictures in which he would be smashing a birthday cake. I knew it would get trashed with chocolate, blue, red and yellow frosting but then when was he going to really wear it again, right? Well today we went and took those pictures and the onesie was covered in frosting, I threw it in a plastic bag with the jeans and socks and went home. Three hours after the pictures I threw it in the laundry tub with some Tide and hot water and scrubbed it for maybe 2 minutes. The thing in now hanging to dry, looking perfectly new and ready for him to wear tomorrow. There is not a stain on it!

Yeah Gymboree!

Pictures of Aaron's head from October till February

October Pictures







December Pictures






February Pictures

Aaron's Helmet Update

So we just got back from from Aaron's appt with Dr. Klava. I brought some pictures with me along with my camera with pictures from this morning's bath to show his doctor. It is easier to see his head with his hair wet, so thus the reason for the pictures. There was also an orthist at his appointment so that info could be relayed back to Aaron's orthist, Amy.

We all thought Aaron's head has changed quite a bit and we are very happy with those results. I asked about continuing in hopes of getting the remaining flat area to round out and Dr. Klava said that his fontanel spot is beginning to become rigid and closing and that won't allow for much more growth. He feels Aaron is at about 90% round and yes, we could obtain that final 10% or we might not. Since I am his mom and the most picky about his head shape I wanted to leave his helmet on a little longer to see if we could get a little more roundness. Dr Klava said he is onboard to try a little longer to see if we can achieve that final 10%. Aaron's helmet still fits him well and will allow for more growth so that is not a concern. If the helmet wasn't fitting well and we were looking at having to remold for another helmet, then he would have suggested not continuing. I agreed.

So for now Aaron will continue to wear his helmet every day. We will continue that for another two months then wean him off of it. Aaron will see Dr. Klava again at the end of May for a final evaluation. So hopefully by the middle of April Aaron will be helmet free.

I will post some pictures here once Chris fixes my computer. I am limping along on his laptop now. Ugh!

Dr. Klava also asked if we would be willing to be a resource to other parents that have children going through this. Some are also having insurance issues as we did. We are more than happy to help out in that capacity. I am still looking at writing a letter to our State Senators and Health commissioners in hopes that BCBS will cover these helmets again. I have gathered a lot of great resources over then last couple of months.

We were also happy to see Aaron's physical therapist working today. She was thrilled to see his progress and how well he is walking now.

Off to work on my bracelet. *See previous post*

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Happy Anniversary to Chris and I. Eleven Years, who would have thought? :)

Chris and I have letters we wrote on our wedding night that we were supposed to open last year on our tenth. Well we didn't cause things were so crazy last year and actually I think I was pretty pissed off at him on our anniversary. Well we talked about doing it this year and I both think we are pretty nervous about what we wrote that cold night 11 years ago. So they may just sit in the lock box for another year or ten or so. Maybe when we are old and grey and sometime before we lose our eyesight we will dig them out and read them. Not today though.

To celebrate we will probably go to dinner or see a movie next Sunday night. Tonight I am working of course. February at the club is really slow and I have the last week of the month off so I usually work on our anniversary. I did give Chris his present this morning. I got him a puzzle. It is the front page of the New York Times on the day of our wedding. I figured we could work on it together. Chris got me beads to make Aaron's name on my bracelet for the kids. Of course now I have to find time to put that together. This weekend perhaps.

Well must go. Aaron has a Doctor appt for his helmet.

In 9 years...

So today I got the girls off to school and got the boys dressed and off we went to the mall to run a couple of errands. As some of you know I used to work at Gymboree and when we go to the mall we are usually going to Gymboree. It is like a second home to me and my kids and I feel comfortable with my kids in that store as I do with them at home.

As usual I grab a few candies from the gumball machines and off to Gymboree we go. Ryan knows to take them and eat them while watching the videos, Aaron gets cuddled by the employees and mom gets to shop. Well for some reason today both boys decided to be hellions and if one wasn't whining and crying the other was. Ryan laid on the floor and just bawled so many times, I swear he was broken. And when he wasn't crying he was taking clothes off the racks and putting them on my stroller. Aaron was throwing his nuk and food and I swear I could have smacked them both. It was just a disaster. So I hurried up and got my stuff and as we were leaving Michelle the GM was laughing at me as she said "I have NEVER seen any of your kids act like that."

Now as embarrasing and annoying as it was to have both boys acting out, it made me feel good that in the 9 years I have been in that store, this was the first time my kids really acted out and I was glad to shove them out the door.

And of course if I was smart I would have gone straight home but unfortunately for me I had to go to Hallmark for Valentines cards and a gift and spent the 20 minutes there finding cards with Ryan again bawling on the floor. Everyone was staring at me but hey, I just went about my business, got my stuff and got out of there. And did it end there???? Nope. Ryan cried all the way down the hall of the mall till we got to the other end. I was so tired by the time I got home. I even called Chris while walking down the hall with crying Ryan and asked him if we could switch jobs for the day. Since I am typing this you can see I didn't get taken up on that offer.

So another day of parenting woes. *Sigh*

What did I get myself into??

So what did I get myself into? I ask this question a dozen times a day. I volunteered to run Katie's DI group, so she would have a DI group and I am so frustrated I don't know what to do. Every Thurs I wake up with dread cause I have to run another meeting. They have to write a play based on a historical event that they have changed. What to choose is beyond me.

And then last night I find myself sitting in a group of Girl Scout troop leaders going through Cookie Training for Meghan's troop. I was like a deer in the headlights. I have no idea what they are talking about and to find a quiet moment to read through the info is an entirely too huge of a task to tackle.

So today is another day and I will try to decipher all the info I have been given. This is why I do the PTA Newsletter and will till they fire me, cause I can sit at home, not deal with people, do my work and send it out all from the sweet confines of my home. Bah Humbug!