Some girls are just born with glitter in their veins...

And that, of course, would be my daughter. Once Kylie mastered all her letters and writing them, I knew it was time for some sight words, but all the game-type items I found were a little too advanced and a little too pricey. So, I thought to myself, hey...I can do that! I went to work on the computer. The whole thing took only 20 minutes or so. I downloaded the pre-primer dolche sight words and then used power point to make a bingo game. Then came the fun part. Ky and I took a trip to Michael's where she picked out wooden hearts for her chips and a whole bunch of bling to put on them. She spent the rest of that afternoon painting and blinging her game, from stickers to gems, to paint, and she even colored most of the cards also. She's played the game everyday since we put the finishing touches on it. Of course, her favorite part is picking out which heart she wants to put on her board when she actually has one of the sight words. I'm just glad she's found a fun way to learn...

Beck has been all over the board lately. We finally found a bottle that he doesn't mind taking (The First Years Breastflow), but we can still only get him to take no more than 3 ounces at a time. He's nursing at night once, and in the morning once, and for the time being I'm pumping once in the afternoon just to slow down my supply so I can begin the stopping process all together. The only problem is, this isn't really enough to satisfy him during the day so he's become a little fussy, and he's def. more clingy than usual too, starting to whine the minute I set him down. I'm trying really hard to be patient, because I know we'll figure it out soon. I did get him to take some milk this morning out of his sippy, which he seemed to enjoy a little more than a bottle, but it truly seems like each day he prefers something else.

This weekend, we had a bunch of my friends over from high school, ate hot dogs and hamburgers, and just enjoyed catching up since its been so long and we're getting so old. It was so wonderful to see everyone and a huge THANK YOU goes out to my wonderful hubby who 'catered the event' so to speak...cooking everything and watching both the kids most the night. On Sunday, we went to church, and then I headed to Canton with my parents and Kylie. We had a blast having some mommy and daughter time and we def. enjoyed the beautiful weather.

Update on Beck

Well, the good news is that since Beck started this reflux medicine, things have been going much better. He's now napping normally and sleeping through the night, except getting up once to eat and then falling back to sleep. Somehow, he's managed to get in the habit of pooping between 2 am and 3 am EVERY night! So, I'm not sure if he gets up because he's hungry, or just because he's dirty. But the questionable news is that he usually isn't so 'regular' in his bowel movements, so now i'm not sure if its the medicine making him feel better or if he was just a little blocked up to begin with. But, do you ever really know? The prescription we filled is for a month, so I think I'm planning on giving it to him for at least that long and then maybe we'll reassess. Whatever they put him on, he only takes 1 ml twice a day, but the stuff is awful, and he hates it, poor guy. Now he starts making nasty faces before I even get the dropper in his mouth.

I'm starting to feel that itch again...haha, no, not for another baby, but to ween the one I have now. Beck has decided to boycott one side altogether, so he's made me quite lopsided, not to mention that now I'm pumping at least twice a day on the side he refuses to nurse on! What fun! And its so close to swimming time, and I know I'm not going to like nursing in this Texas heat. We talked to the doc about it at Beck's last appointment, and he reassured me that the boy isn't going to starve, and that its going to be tough, but I just need to get over it. I'm thinking maybe next weekend, but we'll see. Anytime I start to think about it, I remember how frustrated I got five weeks ago when I tried....and it makes me want to not ever go down that path again.

The pic I posted, doesn't do the moment justice. But I came out of my bedroom on one of the early mornings when both kids were up by 6:30. And I saw Ky and Beck just chilling on the couch, watching cartoons and holding hands. It was one of the few moments Beck isn't all over the place. He was very still, and very content. They stayed in this position long enough for me to grab my camera and snap a couple shots, and then some. AMAZING moments like these make me feel so blessed to have two babies. I know they will always have each other to look out for.

praying for an answer...

It has been one of those weeks. You know, where you wake up and think to yourself..."just make it to bedtime". Beck has not been sleeping well all week. Going to bed, only to wake up a half hour later screaming. When he wasn't getting up at night (which he was doing 5-6 times), I was laying in bed WAITING for him to get up, because I knew it was only a matter of time.

We had his doctor appointment today, so we went in with a lot of questions, hoping the pediatrician could find what the E.R. doctor couldn't last weekend. After a long Q&A session, the doc is thinking reflux. I am weary of this for many reasons, the most important one being that this means daily medicine for who knows how long. But, the truth is, he has lost almost a pound since his last month check up (due to no interest in eating solids, and probably a decreased interest in nursing), and we need to try SOMETHING! So with that in mind, he had his first dose tonight, and I'm curious to see how it goes. Fingers crossed that this is the answer.

On a side note, I have come to the realization (at least for me) that it doesn't matter how many children you have, you always feel uncertain about the choices you make. Do you take him to the ER? Do you put him on medicine? Do you let him cry himself to sleep? Beck is such a different child than Kylie was. I had no problem letting Ky cry, because that's what she did...almost all day, every day. But Beck is so laid back that I almost can't stand to hear him in there screaming like he does. Who know how much of this is the fact that in the back of my head, I know he's my last one, and therefore the need to comfort might be just a little bit more intense. Not to mention the fact that I stay home now. THIS is what I do. All this being said...I believe (with a little forethought) that the baby stage is the easiest. I dread having to make decisions when it comes to my babies later down the road. Babies are easy: you feed them, you protect them, you love them. But later.....When to let Ky date? What to do if I disapprove of Beck's choice in friends? Just to name a few....the thought alone is enough to make me whimper. But, like everything else, we'll take it one day at a time, one step at a time. It's just sometimes the amount of responsibility I have as a parent really slaps me in the face and says, "Yes, you have the power to truly impact what kind of person this little child will be."

Trip to the E.R....all for nothing...

Jason came home early Friday to make Kylie's 'week of the child' family cookout at her school, only to find out he came at the very end of it, which is a pretty big bummer. But he and Ky were both home by 11, so we had a lot of time to hang out. The two of them are becoming pretty close now that the weather is warming up. They both spent most of the afternoon in the backyard working on the flowerbeds and grass.

We were planning to have a picnic in the park Sunday after church, which got cancelled due to the rain (boo!) but we're hoping to try again soon. Instead, our friends Hayley and Michael came over with their two kiddos, Gabe and Addie. Kylie had so much fun walking Addie around now that she's mobile. And as always, she loves having Gabe by her side every step of the way. Ky and Gabe were able to make and roll out their own dough for personal pizzas Jason made them, which they loved, except for when they started putting their feet in it. Yuck! But hey, they're the ones that ate them! Addie ate enough for lunch to feed a whole country, and then quickly gulped down some brownie too! Here are some pics of the fun time we had with great friends!

All day Sunday Beck seemed a little fussy, needing held more than normal and not napping as much. We thought it was just because his schedule was off, but we were wrong. I finally got him to fall asleep around 9:30 and then he woke up an hour later screaming. Seeing as he just got over an ear infection and stopped taking his medicine, I figured it must be his ears. He screamed almost non-stop until 3:30 in the morning, when I finally decided to take him to the ER. It was just so not like him and I was worried. An hour later, turns out, they found nothing. No temp, no infection, no gunk in his ears, chest, nose, or throat. Long story short, he must have just been teething, or had a stomach ache. He did seem more gassy than usual. I finally got him to crash around 5 am, and he slept 2 1/2 hours before waking up, this time, totally happy. It really was the strangest thing! And there's nothing like taking a kid to the ER and have the diagnosis of: well baby. That's a lot of money down the drain, but you never know. And something was def. hurting him, whatever it was. If it's teething, I hope they cut soon. Teeth seem to bother him more than they ever did Ky, but I don't feel or see any new ones coming through.

Oh well, I'm just hoping for more sleep tonight, or else we'll be heading to the pediatrician tomorrow.

Kylie has her second soccer class today, and she can't wait to go! I'm so excited that it's going so well!!!! Here are some pics of her and her friend Sydney from practice last week! And a couple pictures of us celebrating Beck's 1/2 bday! My big boy is officially 6 months old!!! and he LOVED trying a little bit of the cupcake icing!

Beck Vs. the Penguin

Lately, Beck has been pretty much ATTACKING his penguin toy he got for Christmas. Boys are so different than girls!!! I can't even get Beck to pay attention long enough to eat, and I feel like he's always looking for the next things to get into. Lately, its been hair. It seems like from the minute I pick him up from his crib in the morning, to the minute I lay him down at night, he is always pulling at my hair. And if its not my hair, its his sisters. Today is his half birthday! So, Kylie and I have decided to celebrate, by stopping at Annie's bakery and picking up some cupcakes (yes, we'll use any excuse we can to celebrate SOMETHING..AND eat cupcakes)! But seriously, I can't believe how fast time is flying by. And to think, I'm already half way done with my stint as a stay at home mom....(tear)

Kylie has been enjoying the nice weather, playing outside almost all day after school until I make her come in for dinner and a bath. Its so nice that she's able to play by herself, although sometimes I wonder what goes through her head when she's in her own little world...

like son, like mom...

Beck hit his second round of sickness this past week. He woke up all congested on Wednesday. I held out hope that it was just a cold, then called the doctor in the afternoon, only to find out that they're closed Wed. afternoons and booked an appointment for Thursday morning. Turns out he had an ear infection. They put him on amoxicilan and some nasty stuff to help his ear. Whatever the later is, its nasty, giving him pretty bad poops...and I'm SOOO sick of doing 8 loads of laundry just to get his clothes clean that he keeps pooping out of, but I guess the medicine must be working because he was already feeling better by Friday night. Fun thing is, I went to bed feeling stuffed up Friday night, and woke up feeling awful Saturday morning. Beck must have given me whatever he had. So, I ended up going to one of the fast ER care places and finding out that I had both an inner and outer ear infection. They put me on meds too, and I'm only hoping this is as far as it goes. I don't really want J or Ky ending up with it. NO FUN!!!! All in all, I think we spent over $400, thanks to J's new insurance change (boo!) and many sleepless nights. But hey, I guess it comes with the territory.

The weekend was pretty productive, even with the sickness looming. We got a lot of work done outside and we were able to run a few errands too. Here are some pics from hanging out over the weekend and such! There are also a few pics of the house. They yard still needs some work, but its coming along nicely!

Hoppy Easter!

Easter was a busy weekend filled with egg hunts, church, and hangin' at Nana's house. We started the celebration with Kylie's easter egg hunt at school. My parents joined me for the chaos since Jason was out of town for work. The kids were racing the weather the entire time, which made for a pretty quick hunt, but Kylie had a blast and it was really fun to see her and all her friends in her class so excited. On Sunday we went to church and then headed up to Nana's for some lunch, confetti egg cracking, and another egg hunt. Ky had a blast hanging out with her cousin and even Beck got in on the action, having a couple tastes of ice cream while everyone had dessert. This easter I find myself so thankful for our two beautiful children who teach both Jason and I so much about love, compassion, and what fun is all about!