99 things I ought to do

Instructions:Copy the list, bold the ones you've done (with explanations if needed), share with friends.
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (& been to disney world)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a thunder and lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (ran 4 5ks)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (kinda - did a math center book for my school district)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

What a month!

Here it is again. Another month gone by without me bloggin. I guess keeping a blog is tough when you are a full time working mom of 2!

Mikey: Well, we took him to a neurologist in March to have his head looked at. The neurologist said that he doesn't need a reforming helmet (YEA!!!!) and that once he starts sitting up, crawling, standing, walking, etc, and not laying down so much, his head will round out on its own! Great news. He is still seeing the physical therapist for his Torticollis and delays. She said he is doing well and even making up some ground. We have an appointment next week to see if he is delayed enough to receive free services from the state. They used to qualify kids just based on their diagnosis, but not anymore. So, he will have his evaluation on May 4th. I am looking forward to seeing what the professionals say about his development. He is progressing, just a little bit behind others. He is loving his solids now, and smiles, smiles, smiles. He is the best baby. He got over a sinus infection, and is sleeping all night again. He is a great kid!

Here is a picture of him waiting at Children's Hospital for the neurologist.

William: One word can describe him lately - HANDFULL!!! We are still working on the potty training, but it isn't going very well. He has his good days and he has his bad days. We aren't ready for the real underwear yet, but I sure hope we can get him trained before he goes to kindergarten! ;-) He is really a good kid! He is riding his tricycle all the time. He loves to swing and go down the slide of the play area Grandma and Grandpa got him for his birthday. He is into trains, and must be having a growth spurt because he is eating like a horse!! Maybe this is how it will be when he is a teenager!

Pizza Night with Daddy! (Excuse the hair - he wanted "Goofy Hair") ;-)

Benjamin: Doing fine. He is all happy now because he got himself a 67 mustang to play with! He's already got the thing torn apart and parts to replace other parts all over the garage, and even in the basement. He is the best hubby since he took care of the kids this past week when I was really sick. He did everything! In fact, he is at the grocery store right now. What a guy!

Me: Holding my breath until the end of school. I would be lying if I said this was a good year for me at work. It has been one of the worst. It started off with me being 9 months pregnant with a student teacher. Then, I missed a lot of days even before I had the baby because of complications with the pregnancy. September 30th, Mikey was born - so I was out of work until January. However, we couldn't afford for me to be gone that long, so I came back 2 weeks early, only to take over after my student teacher and the transition was tough. Not only the transition from student teacher to regular teacher for me and the class, but the transition to being a full-time working mom with a 2 year old and an infant. Going back was way harder this time. This time I had 2 kids to take care of and the baby was younger than William was when I went back. I've missed a ton of days this year (not even counting my maternity leave) because of either doctor's appointments, sick children, or my own sicknesses. I'd like to be able to go a full week without missing a day. Ugh! I've also had some parents mad at me this year, which is a new experience. I think they were surprised on how I ran a much tighter ship than my student teacher, and therefore, am a tougher teacher. I guess I can't please everyone, but I sure do try. My plan is to just keep doing the best I can for the next 6 weeks, and then I can relax a little during the summer.

Benjamin and I went to the Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown this past weekend. We have gone for the past 6 years. It was quite the experience this year with the scariest drive of my life. We knew it was going to be a little snowy, but we had no idea it would be this bad!!!

Cars going off the road!!

And some cars even facing the wrong way down the interstate!

But we made it in one piece. We had lots of fun, and it was nice to get a break from the kids and spend some Benjamin and Alesha time. (Thanks Mom and Dad for watching the boys for us.) Now, it is back to reality - like laundry. I guess I best get to it!

Mikey's first solids

We gave Mikey his first solids this weekend. I wouldn't call it a huge success, but he didn't hate it either! I can't believe he is going to be 6 months old next week!!

Here he is waiting for his meal!

"I'm not so sure about this Mom!"

"Ok, so maybe it isn't so bad."

Wow, a month without one post!

Oops! How did that happen? A whole month gone by without me posting anything. I guess we've been a little busy. We have officially moved! It is sure nice to be home. Moving, however, was a big pain in the neck, so I am hoping that we will stay put for more than a year or two! Since Benjamin and I have been married (5 years) we have moved 5 times!!! Yikes!

A lot has happened that I haven't blogged about. The biggest (other than the move) was William's 3rd birthday! We had a "Star Wars" birthday for him. He loved it.

Here is a montage video I made for his birthday...

We went to the pediatrician yesterday for his 3 year visit. He now weighs 30 lbs and is 3 ft tall. Both are in the 25th percentile. He is talking well, knows most of his colors and letters, and is a wonderful kid! I have to say though that the last few weeks, he is starting to get the toddler attitude. If we say no to anything, then he gets a frown and pouts. But, even with his attitude, he still is a great little boy. He is an awesome big brother. Mikey is always smiling and laughing at him. Here is a cute little video of it!



Mikey is doing well too. He has had us worried the past week with a tummy bug, but we are hoping he is on the mend. In fact, today he rolled over for the first time...

He is still working on his Torticollis, but it is much better. We've also been a little concerned since he has been a little behind on holding his head up, putting weight on his legs, and the rolling over. We have been going to physical therapy once a week, and it has really been helping. The pediatrician wanted to see some improvement by his 6 month appointment (which is in 2 weeks) and there is definite improvement. We are going to start some solids next week, so that will be fun. We were going to try this weekend, but with his tummy bug, we decided to wait a week. Look at his smile. Isn't he just the cutest baby ever??

Benjamin and I are doing well. Benjamin has done a fantastic job getting us all unpacked and settled into our new "old" house. I think he is excited to have that 3rd car garage back so he can get working on his hot rod project!! I'm doing fine. We have been doing our state testing this past week (CSAP) and I am glad it is over! I have one more week of work and then Spring Break. I am very much looking forward to a week off. Well, that is what is happening. Hopefully, now that we are moved and all, I'll be able to keep up with this blog better. Thanks for reading!

WE ARE MOVING!!!!

WooHoo!! We sold our house!! Yes, I admit that I haven't blogged in a while. But to catch you up, we have sold our house. We close in 1 week! We have been packing and getting ready for the move. It isn't the best of timing, because Benjamin is going out of town next Saturday. The actual closing is on Feb 5th, but the people who are living in the house we are buying may not be out of the house until the 7th, and Benjamin is leaving for his trip on the 6th. Soooo, we will try to move on the 12th, and the boys and I will be staying with Mom and Dad, because the house will be all packed up. We have to be out of our house on the 12th, and Benjamin gets back on the 11th. It is all kinda crazy, but I am sure we will get it all done.

The boys are doing well. William had another ear infection, but when we went to the ENT, he said his ears were looking pretty good, so I think we are going to wait on the tubes. Since we are in the middle of the move, and his ears are looking good, it just makes sense to wait. I have been dragging my feet on getting tubes because I just HATE the thought of William having surgery again. However, if he does end up needing the tubes, we will do it. Michael is getting bigger everyday. He is 4 months old today! How can that be? He has had 2 PT appointments for his Torticollis, and is doing great. His neck is getting stronger and when you look at him, you really can't even tell his head is tilted anymore! He is smiling all the time, and is getting close to rolling over. He hasn't done it quite yet, but I bet it won't be long. I think he is teething since he is starting to drool and chew on everything. I don't think William got a tooth until he was 7 or 8 months old. Maybe Michael will get his first tooth at 4 months?!?!

Benjamin and I are fine. Nothing too much going on with us, other than packing and getting ready for the move.

Here are a couple pictures I would like to share...

Michael today - 4 months old

Brothers

(Guess I should have combed William's hair before taking this one!)

Daddy and his boys

2 ear infections - not just one

Our interesting week last week did not end on the weekend. Michael started getting the same symptoms as William, and on Saturday night we decided to take him to the Urgent Care. However, once we got there they said they do not see babies under 4 months, so we ended up taking Michael to the ER. Luckily, there wasn't a wait at all. We got back and found out that Michael has an ear infection too. The ER doc told us not to give him the antibiotics for 24 hours to see if he could fight it off on his own. Well, Monday he still wasn't feeling well so we took him to our regular pediatrician. He told us, yes, he does have the ear infection and give him the antibiotics. So, now both boys are on meds. Luckily, they both seem to be getting better and that makes me feel better too. Of course, they have now shared their germs with Mom and Dad, so both Benjamin and I aren't feeling 100% now too. Hopefully, we will all get better soon!

Michael's first physical therapy appointment is today. I have taken a half day off to go. I hope we find out the Torticollis is mild. The last few days his head has been really crooked, but seems to be a little better today. I wonder since he wasn't feeling well, if that caused him to have less neck control. I guess that is something I'll have to ask today. Wish us luck!!

An interesting development

This week wasn't a totally horrible week, but a week filled with some concerning news. Let's start off with Monday. For a while now, Michael has been having some trouble keeping his head up and it is always tilted. Since I am the computer geek that I am, I got on the computer and "Googled" tilted, head, infant - up popped "Torticollis". Torticollis is a tightening of the neck muscles on one side. So, on Monday, since Benjamin was off of work and watching the boys, I asked him to take Michael to the pediatrician to get checked out. The doctor said that Michael does have Torticollis, and had Benjamin take him to radiology for an x-ray of his neck to make sure that the Torticollis is muscular and not skeletal. So, when school was out, I called Benjamin to see how things were going and met him at the radiology office. They sent us to the hospital because the hospital's equipment was better for the baby. So, about 2 hours later, Michael got the x-ray and did great. The rest of the week was just waiting for the results. After a few phone calls, I finally got the results today that Michael's x-ray was normal (good news) and the torticollis is muscular. So now, we have an appointment with out-patient rehabilitation for an evaluation for Michael. The good news is that Torticollis is curable with physical therapy. So, once we get the evaluation, we will find out how long we need Michael in PT and if we can do some of the movement and stretches at home with him. Our appointment is next Friday - as long as the insurance goes through. I hope that my little Michael will get more control of his neck so he can do some sitting up soon. He is still on track developmentally. In fact, while he was at the pediatrician's he was grabbing at his toy hooked on the car seat. He is full of smiles and has been doing great sleeping through the night with that miracle blanket! So, now if we can just take care of his little neck, things will be much better for him.

Wouldn't it have been nice to just have to deal with the Toriticollis? But of course, that would be too easy. When I picked up William and Michael from daycare today, Robin (the lady who takes care of them) said that William really didn't eat much and had a runny nose. OH MAN! That can only mean one thing - another ear infection. Of course, this was all at 4pm on Friday, so once I got home with the kids, I called our ENT to see if he could call us in a prescription for some antibiotics. This poor kid has only been off antibiotics for 2 weeks! So, we will be talking to the ENT to schedule William to get another set of tubes soon. His last set really helped him, so I hope this set will too. I have to say, that even when William has an ear infection, he is still a happy boy. He won't let it get him down until it gets to the point of an almost rupture of the membrane. What a little trooper. He is now in bed for the night and I sure hope he gets a good night's sleep. He really needs it.

After a very long stressful week, I am exhausted. Thank goodness I can sleep in a little tomorrow. Now, if only my boys cooperate with me and LET me sleep in, it would be blissful!!