A Year in a Moment

This is not pictures of the zoo, sorry. The sisters have them all really so haunt their blogs to see those soon.

Last week was Nick's first birthday. It seems hard to imagine that he was ever not able to communicate with us, not able to walk, not able to really even see us. He's grown and changed so much over the last year, and since we do not plan on any more babies any time soon every first has been bittersweet because it might be our last 'first' ever.

So since everyone was here, we made cupcakes and took a ton of pictures of him smashing his cake, and just celebrated the heck out of his first birthday!

He got really into the 'smash cake' using hands and feet :) He ate very little of it but enjoyed very much that he was 'allowed' to make such a mess.

Like all good 'big' sisters, Claire was less than thrilled that someone else was getting all the new toys and all the attention. In the end she helped blow out the candles.
And mommy and daddy helped take the pictures.

Our little family finally feels complete. We have made it through some rough times and we have come out a little bruised but all together and that's what matters. We know now that even if the road gets rough we can handle it. 'Cause if I was reminded of anything from being together with my sisters this weekend it is that family is forever and family is no matter what.

We celebrate Claire's 3rd birthday in about three months, I can't wait to celebrate her too and the many great things she has achieved and the wonderful things she has brought to our little family.

Clear your Camera Cards...

Stasi and Micah are HERE!!

Their arrival was much awaited and anticipated and we are enjoying them immensely. They arrived without a hitch on Friday evening.

They brought cookies, and a camera that takes amazing pictures.

SO... we may have filled three camera cards in two days :)

It is just good to be together. Did I mention that Ami is here too?! We were also excited to see her and spend time with her outside of wedding world :) It's been way to long since the sisters were able to hug all together.
We have already been to the aquarium, and the park, the boardwalk, and the cyclone in Coney Island. We walked by the bay and had water balloons too.

Life is good here in NY. Lots of laughter and hugs. I'll miss them when they move on to the their next stop in Altoona today. But we have one more big destination planned before they go... The Zoo! it will be Micah's first zoo ever.

We cleared the camera cards and we are ready to go.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Belated Birthday to both my little munchkin and my country!

We spent the 4th in RI - poolside. And since it reached triple digits in NYC we were thankful to be there every moment. Claire perfected her swimming abilities and by the end she was scooting around the pool in just her 'swimmies'.

We were glad to be in RI also because they are allowed to set off fireworks! Mostly they were all the same shooting sparks into the sky and sometimes there would be some different colors or noises, but they were all pretty much the same.... Claire liked them though. Nick fell asleep during the 'show'.

Overall it was good to go and as I sit here typing this up, the kids are 'breakfasting' next to me and Claire; seeing the pictures of the pool says 'Mommy, I don't want to be home'... I kinda feel the same way.

A Day in the Life

Recently someone who just had a baby asked me what we do all day. I had to think about it, because it seems like we don't do much. Then I realized that it only feels like that because our days are so repetitive. So I put it down in writing and it looked way more impressive. So I think I will attach it to my resume when I enter the job hunt as a reference to all the skills I have mastered since I began this journey 3 years ago.

530am- kids wake up. Drag myself out of bed to get shoes and snack cups ready + drinks for everyone while keeping a constant stream of 'shhhhh' coming out of your mouth because Jim is still sleeping.
6am- kids, bag, phone, keys and stroller out the door for a run.
7am- home, Claire watching 'George', Nick either eating cereal or hanging out in bathroom with me while I shower.
8-10am- chill and get some chores done.
10am- snacktime! decide to go to park. commence gathering and changing of everyone into play clothes.
11am- out the door for the park, get there and realize there are no kids our age so we pack up and head to another park.
1130am- (is it still morning?) decide to picnic at the park for lunch

12- picnic at the park

1215- play with kazzoo which is more interesting than anything else at the park

1230- Sister takes kazzoo

1234- Nick gets kazzoo back

1pm- play in water, get soaked

2pm- hit the swings to dry off
230pm- hit the road for home
3pm- naptime for Claire (aka torture) Nick asleep in car seat from the 7 min. drive
4pm- Nick wakes and I realize it is almost 5 and I have no plans for dinner
430pm- Claire wakes (if she slept at all) and dinner panic sets in (everyone snacks)
6pm- where did the evening go?
7pm- dinner of some sort, it's amazing what you can do with empty cupboards and no clue what you are hungry for other than cookies.
740pm- Jim arrives home from work

8pm- baths
830pm- Read to Claire, fulfill every little demand and close the door hoping for the best
945pm- Nick asleep and in bed
10pm- mommy to bed
3am- Nick wakes up, roll out of bed and deal with it
6am- kids up for the day
repeat....

I Feel Good

Just ran 20 min.! Woot. I definately know what they mean when they say runners high. :D What are you doing today?

Monkey Boy

This is Nick's newest trick, should you turn your back on him for more than a second you may find him in several places not excluding: the top of the play table, in Claire's bed, on top of the dining room chairs, or standing on the dinning room table. The kid will climb anything and then he hasn't exactly mastered the getting down part so he just stands there and screams at the top of his lungs to let you know that he's gotten somewhere where he shouldn't be and he'd like some help getting down... I love this kid.

Little Chocolate Bombs

For Father's Day I invited Jim's dad and other family members over to our house for dinner. They are not dessert people, but I am and I wanted to make something nice. So I saw Martha make these little chocolate cups and I thought they were adorable and I wanted to make them. I read up on how other people made them and I even watched a video on how to do the delicate parts. I was totally ready.
Basically you blow up a balloon and dip it in chocolate that you have melted in a double boiler (or two pans sitting on top of each other in our case since we don't have a DB). The result will look like this:

However in none of my 'research' did I read anything about the chocolate bombs that were created in my dining room this afternoon. If you are using water balloons because you waited till the last min. like us and that's all the store down the block has, your kids will break the balloons as fast as you can blow them up, you may also feel like passing out about 4 or 5 balloons into the blowing up process. Also if you dip said water balloons into the melted chocolate before it has cooled to exactly room temperature they will explode! covering you and your tiny assistants in chocolate and spraying chocolate up your walls and all over anything for about a 6 foot radius. (not a good thing when company is coming in an hour) The balloons may also spontaneously explode while already covered in room temperature chocolate and sitting on your table. (also shooting chocolate upon yourself and 6 feet around you but not your tiny assistance who are by now hiding from this 'fun project')
In the end you will look something like this and be too horrified to take pictures of the chocolate covered house you now have:

But once you freeze the chocolate covered balloons, clean yourself up and come back to them when they are set; you pop the balloons gently and remove the balloons from the chocolate and you can fill them with anything. Martha filled hers with chocolate mousse, by the time I had the cups made there was nothing left in me that wanted to try another new recipe so we filled ours with vanilla ice cream and raspberries... yummy!

So for Father's Day my husband got not only a delicious dessert but also a chocolate covered wife. :)

On The Move

But not in the right direction, ran twice this week and gained 2 lbs. What is going on? and please don't give me that line about muscle weighing more than fat.. blah, blah, blah. How does this happen? Boo....
on a brighter side the 'runners high' this week has been wonderful :) Anyone else still on the pavement with me?
On an even brighter note, Mr. Nick is also on the move.. check him out!

This is not the best example of his mobility because he really just wanted the camera so he was crawling cause it is faster for him still.

Happily Ever After

Sometimes you need to read a good fairy tale to realize that you are living one. :)

My God is Good

My God is good. He knows what he is doing. And he's known from my very beginning. There is no better comfort than that. It's good to know that someone has a handle on what's going on, because I sure don't. Time is flying by, whizzing past, and I feel like I am standing still. I'd like to know the plan, where the kids will be in 10 years, where we will be in 10 years but I have a feeling it is much more exciting to trust Him step by small step, moment by moment. My God is good.

I am a Skilled Metal Worker

Is anyone still running out there? I took a short sabbatical while my life got crazy filled with nothing. But I'm starting back up in Week 4. Ran yesterday and felt great, even tacked on a little time to the last run because I felt like I could. The kids were great after we got started and we fell into a groove. :)
In other news Nick is venturing into the walking world more enthusiastically. He now will take 3 or 4 steps at a time to get from one holding on point to another. It is so exciting to see and so sad at the same time. He's growing up, turning one next month. He's certainly not a baby anymore. I got to hold a newborn last week and I marveled again at how tiny they are. How helpless and simple they are. It is amazing!

Weighing In

About a week ago Jim and I had a fight, nothing major but he needed to apologize. Instead he bought me a scale. Like a bathroom scale. He is not very good at this fighting thing, can you tell we don't do it very often? (In his defense he knows I have been eying a bathroom scale for quite some time.) Unfortunately I thought it might be like the one Ami got that needs batteries of which I have none, so I thought I would be safe for a while. But this scale thought of it all. It comes with batteries. It is easy to use and told me to step right on. So I did. I even took a picture so you could see how pretty it is.

Before you are amazed at either the number on the scale or the fact that I did not photoshop out the numbers; realize that this is the fist time on the scale, so the reading is inaccurate. The manual says so. :) So there you have it. A new scale, with batteries. This should motivate me to get out there and run. (even though it is 82 degrees)

On a funner and more light note, since I have crossed off a bathroom scale from my list of things I am eying I had to add something. (isn't that how lists work at your house?) So I am adding a sewing machine. I stumbled across a sewing blog of a lady with a little boy and a little girl and she has a 'workshop' and she makes wonderful things in there. Dresses that look better than dresses and cloth toys that look better than cloth toys and well, I NEED a sewing machine. (Thank you 'Purple, Green and Yellow' for helping me express my desire). Yesterday we made a coloring book like the kind the lady had on her site... I had to hand sew the binding... which took a longer time than if I had a sewing machine to just 'whip it up'. Never the less, Claire enjoyed and is still enjoying her Curious George coloring book.

Pain -- Steps

So this morning, I had every intent of running and completing week 4 (which I have been doing now for almost a week and a half). But I woke up and had pulled/pinched something in my back. Having never had such an injury, I turned to the old stand-by; wet washcloth. That did not relieve the pain. I can not look up or down or to the left. This is difficult with the kids. Claire thinks a band-aid on my back will help. Jim thinks I should suck it up. And Nick doesn't care as long as I can still hold him. Any other advice is welcomed.

On a happier note:
Nick took his first step last night during Lost. He took one, Jim didn't see, He took another, Jim still didn't see. He took another and Jim did see. Nick was so proud of himself! His little face lit up and he was clapping for himself :) This morning he would like us to forget that he took any steps at all. He wishes we would stop standing him in the middle of rooms and looking expectant at him. No steps today. Maybe tomorrow.

Any Day Now

I realized as I was trolling the blogs that I have not updated in quite some time. Don't worry, you have not missed much. A trip to the beach, many sleepless nights and early mornings, a lot of park time and the re-institution of naptime. What hasn't happened is Nick's first steps, mommy's new haircut, new photo arrangements on my walls or dinner parties. So keep waiting... something might happen... any day now.

Alexander I Understand

Had a rough morning... fought with my husband, my car, my daughter, my dryer and my hair. Didn't end up going for the run I wanted to because I spent so much time trying to get ready that when everyone finally had shoes, shirts, pants and underwear all at the same time there was no time left for the actual run. :( Story hour isn't for a bit so maybe I will try to ignore the whining and crying and mop the floors... or perhaps I will give in to the terrible-awful-no-good-very-bad-day I am having and eat a ho-ho and go back to bed.

Dear Rain-

It has now been almost 10 days since I was able to run. Please stop. I am starting to feel icky. It is unsettling that I miss running. Although it is the only time I have to myself. So please stop.
Yours Always
Abi

Our Little Dude

We just got back from the doctor. A 'well visit' if you can believe it after the week we have had. We were just there Monday for Nick's croup and then we came back today for shots and blood work. (poor guy). The Dr. is concerned about Nick's weight. He has dropped from the 60th percentile to a little below the 5th in a matter of about 3 months. Part of that could be due to the fact that 'he's not a big guy' as the Dr. put it nicely that he's short for his age too... what do you expect with the parents he's got? :) So Nick will be eating meals of Mayonnaise and Olive Oil to add calories to his diet. (All this when I am trying to spend less time around food to decrease my calorie intake.) So if you think of it keep our little guy in your prayers, that he plumps up. He goes back after his birthday for a check-up (or before is he loses more weight) and we'll know then.

Adventure

Today I adventured... I tried out a new path today through the park and along the highway (the irony of doing cardiovascular workouts next to traffic is not lost on me) I saw a lot of people (that is new) I also ran kid/stroller free (also new) I looked outside myself and realized what I look like when I run in my sweatpants and over-sized sweatshirt. I look more akin to the old Chinese guy in chinos and orthopedic shoes riding his bike on the path than like the guy racing by with flames blazing up the back of his tight shirt with a pocket on the back. Perhaps if I had a shirt with flames...I would possibly be more motivated to run more often, I might run faster and I probably would look a lot better :) Additionally I would have a place to put all the things I am used to having when I run... sippy cups with juice, snacks, pockets to keep keys and cell phone, wallet to stop for ice cream if we see the ice cream man, and toys. I had none of those things with me today and I missed them I also missed my company. where do you hide your keys and cell phone when you run? Do you have a cool flame shirt?
Blaze on...

Veggies :)

No running this morning, anticipating rain that never arrived all day :( which means probably rain tomorrow... maybe my loving husband will allow me to go tonight when he gets home? But I did want to post this lovely picture of last night's dinner... I don't cook very often.. yet we still eat, I still haven't figured out how that happens.. Last night we indulged in Vegetable Lasagna :) delicious! and not too difficult, not any healthier though, mostly cheese and butter and well lots of veggies :)

And also here's a new one of Nick. Swinging is his new favorite pastime :)

W3D1

Check it off the list baby..
over the hump.

I know now why they say that most people drop out around week 3... it was rough getting out there.. I would much rather have been home eating cupcakes.. of which I have eaten too many. Stupid birthdays... Claire fell asleep tonight during our run, so cute. Keep pushing running buddies :)

To Choose or Not to Choose

I need some opinions... which do you like best for me? I am thinking of getting sweeping bangs. And possibly going a little shorter. They are all very similar but each with it's own difference.
So Which do you like?

A: B:
C: D:

She Says it Best

: Where is Nick's sock
: He ate it
: I don't think that's true
: Check his teeth

: Why did you do this? (unroll an entire new roll of toilet paper)
: I couldn't get out (of the bathroom)
: Why were you in the bathroom?
: uuuummmmm - I don't know (walks out)

: I need O's
: I don't think you do
: I do... I'm reary hungry
: Nope
: Please
: Mommy said no
: But I'm starbing, I NEED O's!
: ok if you are starbing

Triumph!

Over the hump - W2 done! That was a rough one.. couldn't find the motivation to get out there. But that's behind me now, a new week- a new workout :) What are you doing to get motivated?

Run baby Run

Claire told me today that if we did the last two runs a little closer together we could get to the park sooner... she was riding in the stroller and not running.... I think I'd have the same opinion if I were riding instead of running..

sorry to my 'readership' (always wanted to write that) who are not running along with me... I need to keep posting about the runs because then when I get the urge to stop running someone may call me out on it.. and even if none of you care enough to do such a thing; I torment myself with the thought and it makes me run on days when I don't feel like it.


W2D2 done!

Thanks

I just wanted to say thank you to my parents for staying together. I know you each have flaws... mom you leave those cups of soda 'just laying around' and dad you get 'weak from hunger' easily ;) but you have toughed it out. That makes me more able to make my marriage work because I have a great marriage to model mine after. And there's something to be said for knowing that you'll love me no mater what, for as long as we are here, because you have a good track record of love over long periods. I appreciate that and I hope that my kids have the same reassurance when they look at my marriage. I love you both. a lot.

plus I like that holidays are easy. One location. both of you there. no squabbling.. ok there may be squabbling but it's NOT over where my kids eat.

Progress

Still moving toward a healthier me. Today was beautiful. Finally no rain. Ran W2D1 today, I didn't even look at the times but I did every run. During the 4th one I thought about cutting it short but then Claire said, "Go mommy run"... how do you not wanna run after that? Keep moving running buddies. :)
Glad to see Miss Brenda pulling ahead. How are you doing Miss Meg?
Thinking about buying scale, also leaning heavily toward buying one like Ami's that doesn't actually tell you your weight. :)

In other news I got my stitches out today. but I still have to 'baby it' (Dr's exact words; I swear). This injury is more involved than I thought it should be.. I guess the lesson is 'don't cut yourself with a knife'.

W1D3

W1 done!! yay! ran again today... miss Brenda, how was your run in the clouds the other day? It was really foggy again today, and cold. We added lap blankets for both kids and earmuffs and gloves for mommy to our list of things you should have if you run. I could see my breath this morning but told myself that I had to do it (even Jim was impressed I think). I was thinking about skipping the final run but then "I feel good" came over the headphones and I knew I wouldn't feel good if I skipped out on the last run, I was right... and I feel good :)

Hide and Seek

What the kids do while I am on the phone and cooking dinner:

W1D2

W1D2 half-3/4 done. We started out in a foggy mist knowing that it was prolly gonna rain on us, but we figured we could get it all in. So my program just told me that I was 'half way done' and it started to rain.. I don't have rain covers for the kids so we ran the rest of the way home... so I'm prolly going to do 3/4 of the workout again tomorrow if it isn't raining again... I feel great...running in the rain, not so bad... cold but not so bad.
Additionally for anyone thinking of doing this with me; first you better get up off that couch and get your feet moving..it's not that bad, the second day is easier (maybe cause I didn't finish)... and second, I would look into a podcast or an app for your runs, it's nice to have someone to tell you when to walk or run, it makes the time fly :)
Gotta get breakfast for kids and a shower for myself... happy running

Two Firsts for mommy

Two days ago I was making cabbage soup... it was great! but when I was cutting my cabbage, there was more than cabbage under the knife... I sliced my thumb and the nail.. thanks goes to my mother-in-law who bought me the super sharp knives. (I do love them) Passed out, bleed on the floor, called my husband, reassured Claire that I would clean the blood off the floor. Then I slept on it after talking to my mother and the next morning I went in for stitches. 4 of them. i have no pictures because they took my phone before they gave me the Novocaine and after that I wasn't allowed to get up (yes only my thumb as numb). It was not as painful as I imagined it to be. The stitches hurt about as much as the tetnis shot they made me get. (silly because the knives are new and stainless steel) I get them out in 10 days.

Additionally this morning I ran my first day of the C25K. It went well, to be fully honest, I did skip half of one of the runs, but that's offset by pushing about 60lbs during the other runs. If anyone stumbles upon any 'running with a stroller' advice I'm in the market... I learned today that snacks are a must for Claire and Nick needs some sunglasses. They were troopers. I am doing time not distance and was surprised that it took me just about the same amount of time to recover from the run as it did to actually run it...I'm worse than I thought... there's always tomorrow...ok not tomorrow, probably Tuesday... If you wanna join me check out the stuff on C25K HERE. I'd love the running buddies :)

Facebook not Face to Face

Yesterday was my birthday... nothing special, mostly just a regular Monday. I got flowers that brightened my day from my lovely husband as well as a date to go pick out a new couch! :) I got enthusiastic hugs from my little girl and snuggles from my adorable son. Cake from my mother-in-law, songs from my best friend and even a peek of sunshine from my God. 25 is shaping up to be a good year. In addition to all that I got a lot of facebook notifications. But what was missing? my mother, the reason for the celebration... She didn't call (in her defense I did see on fb that she lost her phone)(then found it by 7pm). She did post on my wall on fb so I know she didn't forget or mix my bday up with my sister's (ami's is coming up, send your card now). I just feel like fb should not be a replacement for actual contact with people you love. So I will call her today, to remind her that she gave birth to me one day and 25 years ago... Love you mom. :)
neither of my sisters called either :(

Hair Cuts!

The kids went for their first haircut together today. We took them to the same guy that cuts Jimmy's dad's hair and Jimmy's hair and now he cuts Nick's hair... it's a family thing. :) They did really well, only a little screaming and squirming from Nick near the end and Claire got an A+ for sitting still and doing everything that they asked her to do. It was hard to see those hairs go, they have been with us from the beginning...

But for these little faces I'll give up Claire's long curls and Nick's wings

Birthday Fiesta!

Yesterday I went into Manhattan to celebrate my birthday! I went with my friend Sarah to see Emerill (the cooking guy). I really only know who he is because he was on Jon and Kate plus 8 but going to a taping was on my list of New Yorky things to do and it sounded like fun so I got a sitter :) I even go to have lunch with my hubby before the show :)
We knew the sound guy so we were VIP even (making it seem more fancy to me than it really was). The guest star was Sammy Hagar from Vanhalen! Him I was sure I could not pick out of a line up but hey, I didn't know they had guest stars on cooking shows anyway before yesterday so the fact that I didn't know him was not a big deal. We got to sing with Sammy, clap (a lot!), and sit for a really long time. It was fun and definitely an experience. Afterward we got to taste some of the food (that was the VIP part I guess) They made Mexican! Yummy! Definitely put me in the mood to make some. I was planning on taking some pictures with my phone (especially cause we got to hang out afterward with the crew and guest star) but my phone went kaput for no reason as we sat down :( Jimmy met us afterward and fixed my phone cause he's so good to me :) So I could take some pictures... but Sammy was gone, and just as I opened the camera app they shut off the bright stage lights :( So here is one of me frantically trying to take a picture while the lights are on...

Nice floor huh? and here is one of the set with the lights turned out...

Emerill stood right there and... well surprisingly Emerill did not cook.. Sammy cooked, the guys that help Emerill cook, but Emerill, he mostly just drank margaritas. He's got the life. And so do I... what a great birthday :)

ps it airs in Mid May, I'll keep you posted, I'm near the front on and aisle so you can see me :) i got to shake Emerill's hand

Help!

When I was still at home and Alex was still small; he went through a phase of 'awake-mares'. He saw bees... lots of bees in his room and it freaked him out. Of course there were no bees it was all made up in his head but it really got to him.
Claire is having similar experiences, only her nemesis isn't a bike or bees; it's snails. and hermit crabs. she is afraid that they are in her bed and on the floor around her bed. Her 'hallucinations' are not as vivid as AlMeads but all the same she wakes up screaming and crying and won't walk on the floor. Its scary for me as a mom since I can't do anything concrete. We have tried 'blowing them away' but that doesn't seem to work. With the ghosts a month back (thank you preschool television programing for introducing us to that lovely) we were able to simply clap three times and 'scare them away'. I am at a loss. It doesn't happen often but often enough to make my heart sad.
I know that during the day she oscillates between loving and hating to look into our large saltwater tank where the snails and hermit crabs live. Sometimes a snail or two will get out... we have an open top tank. They slime their way to the floor or onto the computer desk every once in a while. but we rarely see them moving, we usually find them just sitting on the floor, not moving and toss them back in.
I don't know what to do, so I'm asking for suggestions, even if you have no experience but have an idea, I am open. I just don't want her to be scared anymore.

The Mad Hatter

Things we learned during high tea today:
1. the more sugar the better
2. always stir first
3. wait for the host (Claire) to drink her tea first
4. little bothers are not good at having tea
5. ice cream + tea = delicious (that means in your tea like a float)
6. if your grandmother from WY says she is coming to tea via play phone rush around like crazy trying to find another cup immediately!
7. the more the merrier
8. always wear a hat

Milestones

It is so true what they say about the second child having less pictures taken of them. When Claire was born we bought a new camera. I took pictures of EvErYtHiNg!

Like just laying in the grass... and other randomness.... With Nick I have photographed the most 'important' milestones or tried at least but most of the moments in his thus far short little life are cataloged only in my memory.
The latest milestone that we DID capture on camera is solid table food. Eggs, bread (his favorite), cheerios... He is so funny when he sees food. He gets really aggressive grunting and tensing his whole body up in ... anticipation?.. we can't tell but he gets all excited and it's so cute.

Also another throwback of Claire at Nick's age eating bread.

Have you had your Adventure Today?

Today we went to the museum, Claire, Nick and I. We ended up by the midtown tunnel, which is not where the museum is. On the way back toward the museum Claire threw up (Motion sickness I think) and decided she did not want to go to the 'special surprise museum' and she would like to go home.... But we were all out, we had battled rush hour traffic because no matter that I have lived here for over 2 years now I still can not get it into my head that 9:30 is not a good time to be headed toward Manhattan... We were going to the museum.... and we did.... there are no pictures because hey I had two little ones to watch and I forgot my uncharged camera in the car. Claire had a blast shopping in their mini-market and checking out the food at the cash register and conveyor belt. We spent 4 hours there, mostly shopping and putting food away and then shopping for it again... who knew the market could be so much fun, next time we go we may explore past that point, or maybe we will be in dire need of broccoli again...
Where did your adventure take you today?