My boys

Happy President's Day

Yes, yet again I have not posted in over a month. Now that I share a lot of what is going on with us on Facebook, I admit that I do not keep up on this blog. The month of January was a nice month and a nice way to begin the new year. I'd have to say that the most exciting part of the month is that Mikey started walking!! I can't say the exact day that he started, but I know he was a week or two into 15 months. This is a HUGE milestone. He has been behind in all his milestones, and this is the milestone he made the closest to "normal". We are still going physical therapy, but I have a feeling once he can bend down and pick something up, that will be it for PT. He is close to doing it, but just needs a hand on something to help out his balance. William is great. I can't believe his birthday is in 2 weeks. How is it possible that my baby is going to be 4? I am so torn. On one hand, I love watching him grow up, learn to count, learn his letters, be excited about reading, and just really doing a lot independently. But, I hate it that he doesn't need me as much either. I am still the one he runs to when he gets hurt, but most of the time it is, "Mommy, I can do it by myself!" At least Mikey still needs me a little more, but he too is needing me less and less. There is a sense of freedom for parents when kids can do more on their own, but also a sense of sadness that I will no longer have a baby. Benjamin and I talked about having another baby, and even considered it for a couple months, but I think the consensus is to be a family of 4. I guess I will not get another chance for the girl I wanted, but I wouldn't trade my boys for anything EVER!!! Looks like cars, trucks, dirt, and all things boy is my life now. At least I have a girl dog! hehehe Benjamin is doing well too. He is starting a crazy month of trainings. For the next month, he will be gone for almost 3 weeks on trainings. The one I am sad about is the one he is going on during Spring Break. New York!! I so want to go with him since I am on Spring Break that week, but I just don't see how we can afford the $500 plane ticket and all the other expenses that go with a trip to New York. So, I guess I will have to plan a trip back to New York once we win the lottery! ;-) I haven't been too happy at work lately. My class is a great bunch of kids, but sometimes I get frustrated with the lack of effort and pride the kids have only being in 3rd grade. That, plus new standards for Colorado and no money for any type of resources to go with the new standards has me thinking about changing careers. I'm not too sure how serious I am about changing careers, but I think this summer I will actively start looking into different positions. On another note, we have officially celebrated a year back in our house. I am very glad we are back and still think it is crazy how we ended up back in the house we built and then sold. Things happen in life that really surprise us, and this is definitely one of those times! So, what do the next few months have in store for our family (since I probably won't post again until April! hehehe) William's 4th birthday and just living life. Today is a day off of school for President's Day. Benjamin is in Denver for a training, so it is a day of just Mommy and her boys. I plan on thoroughly enjoying it! These days are few and far between. I am really looking forward to March 2nd as that is the day I get to get my new iPhone!! I am really excited. I am such a nerd!

Our year in review

January
*Our house was on the market to sell.
*Mommy had a birthday.
*Mikey was 3 months old.

February
*We moved into our new "old" home.
*Mikey had his first Valentine's Day.

March
*William turned 3.
*Mikey started solid foods.

April
*Took Mikey to Denver Children's Hospital to check is flat head.
*Had fun being a family.

May
*Daddy had a big birthday. The big 3-0-!!
*Mikey got his first tooth!

June
*The boys went to their first Rockies game.
*Took our big family vacation to San Diego and Disneyland.

July
*Mikey's first taste of homemade ice cream on July 4th.
*Mikey moved to his big boy car seat.

August
*Mommy and Daddy went back to Disneyland.
*Mommy started back to work.
*William started Preschool!
*Mikey popped out his top two teeth.

September
*Went to the State Fair Parade.
*Took Mikey back to Denver Children's and found out he has Developmental Delay Disorder.
*Mikey turned one!!!

October
*Visited the pumpkin patch.
*William had his first Halloween party at school.

November
*Got a new kitty, but couldn't keep her because of my allergies.
*Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

December
*A magical Christmas season with 2 wonderful boys.
*Mikey took his first step Dec 30th (his 15 month birthday).

What a wonderful year we had!!

Is it almost Christmas already?

Oh my goodness. Time flies when you are a full-time working mother of 2 young boys. Things in our household have been good. Mikey isn't walking yet, but he is cruising everywhere. He is saying a lot more words now: Dada, Mama, Papa, this, dog, hi, bye, fish, eat, yellow, ut-oh, no, down, and probably a couple more that I have forgotten about. His personality is really coming out at this age. He is getting to be a bit of a picky eater (guess he takes after his Mommy), but usually eats more than William does. He is liking to play more and more with William. Whatever William is doing, he likes to be right there. Sometimes that is a good thing, and sometimes it isn't. We can see the beginnings of sibling rivalry. William is a little sweetheart. He is doing FANTASTIC in preschool. He knows almost all his letters and a lot of the sounds that go with them! I am totally impressed. He can write his name and sing a lot of cute songs: his favorite being "I'm a Little Tea Pot!" He is really loving Christmas this year. We took both of them to see Santa at the mall yesterday. William told Santa he wants a "roller coaster". I'm not too sure how Santa will fill that order. Everyday he asks me if he can open the presents under the tree. It is fun to see Christmas through his eyes and remember how incredibly exciting it was.

My Dear Michael,

What an amazing year it has been my love! We have watched you grow so much in the last year that sometimes it is hard to even believe it. When you first came into this world, we loved you so much, and we continue to love you more and more with each passing day. The first few months of your life were full of change for our family. William was getting used to being a brother, and you were getting used to being out of the womb. I have to admit, that you were a very big cry-baby! You were on the verge of having colic, which is something Daddy and I were getting used it too. I had to leave you when you were only 2 months old and go back to work. However, you made the transition to daycare very easily, and it was nice to have your big brother there to watch over you! At 2 months old, you were diagnosed with Torticollis, a tightening of the neck muscle, forcing you to tilt your head. We started taking you to physical therapy once a week to stretch your muscles. You also had an x-ray and a CAT scan to make sure there wasn't something else going on. Luckily, those tests came out fine, and the physical therapy was working well. You had your first Christmas and had lots of fun. In January, we were packing up the house and moving back to our old house. Moving was a little tougher with a baby, but you made the transition to the new house with ease. You were doing great, and at 6 months we got you into the Colorado Blue Sky program and that got us free physical therapy and a new therapist, which was a great change. By the time summer rolled around, you had your first tooth already and we were getting ready for our big family vacation to San Diego and Disneyland. You weren't quite sitting up, but you were rolling around like crazy! You did great on your plane rides and had fun on our vacation. You were such a great baby on vacation. You hardly ever got fussy and loved being around people! You had your first taste of homemade ice cream on the 4th of July and your first swim - which you loved both!! In August, you spent a week with Grandma and Grandpa because Mommy and Daddy took a vacation back to Disneyland. You had fun with Grandma and Papa, even though we missed you a lot while we were gone. Mommy started back at work, and this time, going back to daycare took some getting used to for you, but you got used to it. The end of August, we took you to Denver Children's Hospital to have you evaluated for your delays. You were so cute and all the ladies who were evaluating you were so dazzled by your happy disposition. The doctors said you have "Developmental Coordination Disorder" and you were 4 months behind. No matter, we love you and are relieved that there isn't a disease causing your delay. In September, we had your first birthday party at the church, and all your friends and family came. Now you are 12 months and 1 week old and are rolling, crawling, pulling up, and cruising around the furniture. You are even saying some words, like "Mama, Dada, Ut-oh, Doggie, No, and Yellow". You are quite the talker! You love to eat and give Mommy kisses! At your 1st birthday dr's visit, you were 21 lbs and 29 3/4 in! You are growing and learning so much now that I am loving to see your progress. You aren't as behind as you were and I bet you will be walking soon! We love you little boy, and I am so glad you decided to be a part of our family!
Love,
Mommy

Happy Birthday Michael

Today is Michael's first birthday. There is so much I want to say, but just don't have the time right now. Hopefully, before too long, I can write all that I want to say. In the meantime...

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Hello September

Yep, more post slacking. I guess that is the new norm for me and this blog. It is just hard to keep up on this blog with everything that is going on in our lives. Benjamin and I took our trip to Disneyland and had a fabulous time!!! It was nice to be away just the two of us. However, once I got back I got really sick and he was still in California to take his class. Thank goodness for my parents, because they really helped me that week since I was a single mom and started back to school that week too. It was absolutely crazy, but we all managed to make it through and Benjamin got back safe and sound. Since then, I have started back teaching. It has been a pretty nice year so far. The new principal is very nice, so all is ok at work for me. BIG NEWS for my William - he started preschool. I can't tell you how well he is doing at preschool. I was a little worried since he has had some separation anxiety in the past, but that first day there were no tears at all, and basically Benjamin and I didn't even need to stay at all. We only stayed about 20 minutes, and I think I had a harder time with it that William did. Mikey is crazy cute. I can't believe his first birthday is at the end of the month. We took him to the Children's Hospital to his development evaluation. He was officially diagnosed with "Developmental Coordination Disorder". From what I have read, it is usually diagnosed with older kids, so I'm not sure how they can come up with the disorder with him so young, so my totally un-medical opinion is I'm not too sure I agree. The good thing is that he doesn't have some sort of disease or genetic problem. He is crawling, pulling up to stand (even though not solid at standing), and he can FINALLY sit on his own without falling back or to the side!!! That last one is a HUGE deal. He really has seemed to blossom in the past months and it almost hurts my heart to realize how fast this past year had gone. We don't plan on having any more kids, so this was my last baby phase. I am going to miss so many parts of having a baby. I can't believe how my boys are just growing and learning so much!!! Oh, and I got a new van - that I absolutely LOVE. We did have to trade in other 2 cars, but it was worth it. Benjamin got a 1990 Ford Escort, so now he has a beater car that will probably get better gas milage than the truck! So, I guess that catches you all up for now!

Here is a picture of Benjamin and I at Disneyland after our "A Walk in Walt's Footsteps" tour.

Willia's first day of Preschool!!!

Here is a picture of Michael at Children's Hospital while we were waiting to start.