Sick

Joseph has conjunctivitis and a double ear infection. He caught it from his buddies, Marco and Matteo. I'm really surprised that he doesn't get sick more often from sharing germs.

First time he's ever had to take a prescription medicine.

At CVS, getting the medicine...better soon...

.

Post medicine...sleeping in bed. Got his "banket", "goo-girl", "nuk" and "nigh night moon".

The key elements of going to sleep for my two year old.

My poor little guy.

There's nothing I can do, but give him his medicine and soothe him when he cries.

Not funny, but funny

During "nap"

That would be EVERY item of clothing in his dresser, except 2 pj's in the back of his top drawer. On his bed. When HE was supposed to be in it....SLEEPING!!!

So, what to do? Laugh, oh I tried so hard not too after the shock wore off. I knew I couldn't get it all back in, so I grabbed his pillow and Good Girl (his black stuffed dog) and said," lay down on the floor and go to sleep"

REMARKABLY....he obeyed! And slept like that for about 2.5 hours.

Life with a 2 year old.

Big Boy Bed

I'm still catching up. Having a rough afternoon with all three boys, no one would nap. After one of them getting 3 time outs and separate alone play time, they seem to FINALLY be playing well. So, I'm going to try to tell another story from my lapsed period over the crazy holidays.

Joseph turned 2 in October. For his birthday, my mom bought him a "big boy bed" and mattress. WHOO HOO!!! We ended up getting him a captains bed from the Mill Stores, unfinished and a mattress from IKEA (it was better than Jordans, more comfortable, more choices for the money).

This is what it looked like brand new. I stained it a darker color which was so much fun but took a while. Joseph only got out (aka, fell out) of his crib once, but it was getting harder and harder for me to pick him up out of his crib (I'm too short and it's too deep).

Well, right before Christmas we FINALLY got him in the big bed. We got lots of comments to the effect of "Don't do it" "wait". Well, we lucked out. Joseph stayed in the whole night the first night. Since then, he has only gotten out after going to bed for the night two or three (I think) times, once was he needed a new diaper in a bad way.

He has stayed in for naps too until his buddy Matteo started not staying down for naps. One time I came upstairs to find that Matteo had gotten out of the pack & play. out of the guest room, into Joseph's room and climbed into Joseph's crib. Yeah.

So, here's Joseph's first night in his bed.

This was after he fell asleep that night.

He's SO my kid, a book and a black dog in bed.

I believe this was during a power nap (2pm-8am the next morning)

This is one of him sleeping just in the last week. He's changed so much, talking so much, just in the past few weeks. It's so cool. But, I still like it when he's quiet and asleep. Of course, with "Goo(d)Girl" by his side.

...and after

I was going to do a before and after photo, but I think I accidentally deleted the before picture.

Well, trust me, it was BAD...the entire floor was covered with baby clothes.

These are all full and are 99% handmedowns. Thank GOD for handmedowns. All labeled and folded, too.

A month

It's amazing how much can happen in a month. It's amazing how much can happen in a minute. But since it's been a month in which I haven't blogged, that's the one I'm going to recap. I've taken pictures of things thinking...I need to take a before and after picture so I can blog about it. And I have, but have failed to put them up here, let alone write about the photographs.

I'm not sure if I should attempt to start where I left off and work my way to now, try to just touch on everything right here, right now (true ADD style), or just do...well...whatever happens, happens.

I think we'll go with that one...whatever....I'll try to go in "order", but in the end....whatever....

It's been more than 24hours since I wrote the above, so I am yet going with...whatever happens happens.

This is what so much of my time has been taken up with since Sept. I started watching my friends' boys, Matteo (2 y/o) and Marco (4 y/o). I have Matteo Tues and Thurs and Maro on Thurs. 3 little boys is constant activity and "Nique....Someone did something..." The best part is they are growing up together as close cousins would. Joseph called Matteo "Teo" and Marco "Garco".

Every Friday, Joseph goes to "school" at our church. He has lots of fun with Colin and Hillary (a redhead).

I go here

from 10:30-2, in the Children's room. It's fun. I love the other moms I get to meet and working with books again! I've recently been asked if I could do the ordering of new AV stuff for the children's room...which is Kids CDs, DVDs and audiobooks. So cool!

This one is growing and changing and learning new words like CRAZY!!! Here he is eating his FAVORITE snack..."So, this fig walked into a bar..." Yup, it's a "cereal bar" with fig in it.

First time eating spaghetti and yes, he did have some raw first!

Oreo's still our first baby, and he never lets us forget it! Joseph's first chore is to feed Oreo breakfast and dinner. Oreo doesn't like it when Joseph sleeps late.

Life is good in the house for Oreo, except..

He needs to loose some weight. This picture makes him look SOO huge, but it's just the angle.

I think I may have blogged about this day/week...it can't get any worse, right?

This was the cinnamon/sugar and chili powder all over the floor (and in the clean laundry basket) Oh boy....

Moving on...

The Shoemakers came to visit in October! We had a blast! Joseph was happy to have Anastasia here and was VERY captivated by baby Zoe, who at the time was only about 2 months old.

It's a rough life...

We went down to the Cape to help my mom with the leaves and Joseph helped...Hailey supervised.

We played in the pile of leaves a bit, but it was FREEZING that day

Joseph liked my new hat

Don't ask...it's where the catnip is kept.

Another unlikely place for Oreo to be...

I'll leave you with that... More soon...I promise...I hope....I will... You all love me, right?

christmas

Good Blessings Religious Christmas 5x7 folded card

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Homemade Mac & Cheese concoction....

I actually had fun making today's lunch for the boys, but didn't like some of the ingredients so I ate something else.

I cooked till almost done tricolor pasta and edamame

Put that in a small backing pan (I used an 8X8 one like you would use to make brownies)

Cut up frozen fish nuggets into bite size pieces and added some basil tomato pasta sauce and tossed it all together and put in the oven--350 degrees

Once every 5 min or so checked it and turned it over, repeated until fish tenders were done (all white and flaky)

Turned off oven and mixed in some shredded cheddar cheese and then put a good layer on top of the pasta mixture.

Placed it all back in the warm oven just until the cheese was melted.

Everyone that ate it loved it!