HAPPY HALLOWEENER!

tonight was an absolutely super uber fun night. the costumes, the candy, the children running around laughing in the streets. tonight, was another year of successful halloweeners. again bubby had to slave away at his work, but i got to take the kids to my parents house where my sister, some friends, and i took amaya out for some real trick or treating. derek of course came along but for the most part (like amaya on her 1st halloween) just slept in someone's arms.
the last 2 years of halloween amaya had NO clue or even the slightest idea what was going on. this year being her 3rd i know she enjoyed seeing all the other children and running from house to house, but i don't think she fully "grasped' what as going on. still it was too cute watching her say hello take a piece of candy and insist she carry it over to the next house where i would pry it out of her hands so the next piece could be held. i'd say the biggest hit was getting to ring EVERY doorbell.
as for derek he didn't care much of the whole evening. it was such a precious moment though his 1st halloween and he and amaya dressed up together. amaya was NEMO and derek was SQUIRT fro mthe movie Finding Nemo.
when it comes to halloween, having children gives me the excuse to continue dressing up and go door to door for candy. muahahaha

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!



.moe.

500 Words Per Day

i'm so proud of my pumpkin. she is really making some progress. i still think she'll need some Speech Therapy, but i'm going to be hopeful that she doesn't until we see the pedi for an evaluation. she is also starting to make a connection between commands and her name. what's so cute is when you say where is this or where is that in a book instead of pointing with her fingers she will put her face in the book and point with her nose and stare oh so intensely into the picture. she's my special girl.

New Words
(37 total with old ones):
cow
eye
toes
nose
horse
wow
doggy
stop
circle
you
why
wait
cat
pretty
quack quack
how are you
i'm good

Working On:
blue
white
yellow
duck
baby derek
lil' d (almost has it)
sheep
frog
donkey
Momma
forehead
cheek
mouth

derek can say:
mamamamama
dadadadadadada

.moe.

Trunk-or-Treat!

a Trunk-or-Treat Party.
a party where people gather in a parking lot, open their decorated car trunks and let children go car to car collecting candy. it's a fun event but, the beast and her younger monkey brother are still a little young for this. too young for candy and understanding the concept of trick or treat.
i was working that night so we still went anyways to show off their costumes. it was pretty sweet. amaya was not feeling the whole night only because she was tired (go figure the 1 night we are gonna stay uo past bedtime she wants to sleep earlier) and derek was just in a mood where he wanted to be held non stop. i let amaya go with my buddy tara to the main room to eat til i finished work. wasn't really interested in the treating part only because i had no help chasing and carrying the kids, but it was ok we still had a great time.
i know it was meant more for the kids but hey, i can want candy too. since i didn't want to treat around i stopped one of the little girls and fanagled her for candy:
me: "TRICK OR TREAT FOOL!"
girl: "haha what do you want"
me: "give me something good to eat. preferably chocolate. yes i need 2 pieces of your chocoate.GO GO GO!!
girl: "what if i don't have any?"
me: "trust me you can go back for seconds around the lot give me your candy or i'll throw you in my trunk and i'll sell you for it."
girl: gives me a snickers, twix, m&m's, and a 100grand
me: "thanks i'll see you later!"

SCORE!!!

.moe.

The BEST Birthday Ever!

today we drove to santa barbara because i had a rehearsal for a performance i'm doing in December. lil' d and tubbs both got to see their grandparents and it was a nice getaway for me. lol. anything where i get to dance is fantastic. AND the instructor invited both my children to be in the performance so that's even more exciting!

ANYHOW,
after my rehearsal we decided to go to my cousin's 4th birthday party. she insisted amaya be there. well let me tell you amaya was nowhere near interested in anything but the pool and the stairs. i was have a heart attack left and right just trying to keep her out of the pool. normally to keep her from moving around we feed her. it was techincally dinner time but noooooooo she wanted nothing . spit out the rice, didn't even touch the fruit, said eeewww to the delicious tri-tip. all she wanted was bread. go figure the terrible 2's diet.
my cousin gisella (here and lil' d's 2nd cousin) was turning 4 and she is the cutest thing on earth. she wanted to sit by me while i ate and even asked to share my soda. of course i was thrilled because little kids don't ever really gawk or get near me like this. i told her all the princesses names on her placemat and asked her which was her favorite. she likes the pink one, Aurora.
her and amaya ran around outside and jumped around in the big jumper. they are so cute together and i love watching the tubbs interact with other children. the tandem play is starting to fade and she's realizing that other kids do the same things as her. last year in the bounce house amaya couldn't do ANYTHING. i don't think she was even walking so the bounce house was basically us holding her as we threw her around. this time i got to enjoy watching her run back and forth, fall and laugh at the children. she even got out by herself. this made me sad because she officially is becoming a little girl more and more everyday.
Gisella is planning on taking dance classes with my sister this year. i really want amaya to be around to watch the classes and even participate. ok well maybe not perform but at least learn or be active with the girls. what will be fun about this too is that her and gisella would be in the same class, therefore able to build an even better friendship.
but yes back to the birthday... we had to leave early but gisella wanted to look through every picture i had of the kids and would point out, this is derek, this is amaya. she even wanted to offer us cake before it was time to even bring it out! i wish we could have stayed. oh well it was just a birthday. she'll have another one and be 5 years old! what a cutie.

.moe.

Never Pass Up a Good Thing

in a gay man's words, today was a FABULOUS day.

• both kids woke up at the same time this morning and were happy little bundles of joy
• derek's Squirt costume should be here this week.
• i took a lovely walk at the gym
• i taught some fantastic ballet classes
• i watched amaya entertain herself with a toilet plunge
• i found and bought 2 keepsakes books on ebay (1 for derek and one for baby #3 whenever they may come)
• i received a new YMCA shirt
• today was greg's "friday" which means he has the next 3 days off!
• for the last 3 shifts it's really worked out with him being gone at night
• both children went to sleep at 8pm!
• i drank the last 2 juice boxes and had a soda
• washed 2 loads of laundry
• i saved that much more of our earth by recycling
• i will wash the dishes after this blog and know that i can wake up tomorrow and not have my whole kitchen used and abused by 9am.

on Downer Debbie's side:

• derek cried ALL afternoon and late morning
• amaya is dirty and didn't take a bath
• amaya fell and hit her head on the sewing machine leg
• amaya fell in the dance room
• amaya fell off the bench where we were sitting
• amaya slammed (lightly) her fingers in a kitchen drawer
• bubby didn't register to vote until now and it might be too late
• i don't have any diapers for little D

clearly the fabulous outweighed the poop and so i shall continue to enjoy my evening. nothing can stop me now. i am invincible. i am thankful. i am tired, but that's nothing new. i am happy. well now that i've run out of juice and soda i'm not so sure, but all in all i feel fortunate.

.moe.

In the Nest of Madness

so what a week. literally. all i need to say is 2 words. IN LAWS!!! every time they come into town (or we go to CT) there are stories to be told and memories to be made. there was a lot of fun in the process of visiting, there was a lot of annoyance (only for the overly exhausted mother), there was a lot of laughter. i'm sad to see them go but even when good company leaves, it's nice to have your home back. now i have 4 days to set, prep and welcome my sister in law into town. how fun!

so over the week:

• the bubby has officially changed over to the grave shift.
• amaya got her halloween costume
• derek's was ordered off of ebay
• bubby had his 27th birthday!!!!
• bubby got a new phone that i am COMPLETELY jealous of.
• i taught a million and 1 dance classes

friday night we went out to the Blu Monkey Bar and Lounge (yes, leave it to Hollywood to "be cool" enough to drop the E in Blue). it was set up for all of gregs coworkers to enjoy the night as he celebrated becoming an even older fart than he already is. and a goodbye for those who wouldn't work with him on the new shift. since turning 21 i've never been out to a hollywood club or any sorts. i had a blast, let me say the hubby had the best time of his life. lol. let's sum it up with 1 word ummmmmmmmm TRASHED!
it was a nice reason to dress up and get out of the house. we definitely need more time like this somehow.

the last few nights amaya has been wanting to fall asleep WITH an object in her left hand. and when i say object i mean, not your average stuffed animal or lovey blanket. normally a part of bedtime routine is we stick our right hand (sometimes left if laying on her side) down mommy's shirt. well tonight miss amaya decided she wanted the pink duck in 1 hand and the package of goldfish crackers in the other. it was almost too funny i couldn't say no, well that was at 8:20pm and at 9:15pm when she was sitting in bed saying "Quack Quack Seeesh" i knew i had to draw the line and take the goldfish away. but what did i do? i decided to fall asleep and let her continue her chant back and for from the duck to the goldfish. the 1 time i even tried to move the goldfish away from her chubby fingers touch oh she let me have it and i was not gonna deal with the tantrums over something so easily fixed.

derek's vocab has officially begun to start. he is now babbling, "mamamamama" "dadadadadadadada" "babalalababalala" too cute...just not at 5:30am.

enuff said i'm going to bed

.moe.

My Only Hope is to Be Loved

so in the last few weeks lil' d has gone on a major grub run.

literally.
every hour he's been in "feed me" mode.
i can't do anything but pull up my shirt and give the goods.

while i'm exhausted he's loving every second of eating. on top of this eating binge he is waking up earlier and earlier to practice his vocal skills. while waking at 6am, practicing til 6:30am, then going to sleep is fine with me, waking up at 5am is not. that is what he did today. instead of the sweet cooing though, he wanted me to play with him. hold him, let him stand on my stomach, make him laugh. when i didn't want to anymore he screamed bloody murder. while attempting to wake the whole neighborhood, he only managed to wake his sister. great. so double trouble both decide, "hey mom we want to stay up."

it's now 3:51pm and tubbs still has not had a nap. good grief. she's been fantastic so far but who knows once the sun sets.
lil d' is getting his second nap after screaming through the eating time.

it's so frustrating when he's hungry and it's right there! sometimes i get mad at him and sometimes i'm just in a bad mood from the lack of sleep and the deprived eating, relaxing, and thinking time. sometimes i just want to blame him for crying and not seeing it's there.
but then moments like this make me realize i'm just being mean and insensless. he's a baby and doesn't know any better. i can say, "hey bubby can you get me some water?" and he would. but lil' d can't say, "hey mom i'm thirsty, hey mom i'm tired. hey mom, mommy, mama..."
all he can do is cry. i feel so bad for him and cry for him sometimes. just a tear or two. i know he means well i know he doesn't know he's keeping me up all night and running like a crazy person all day.
he just looks at me with his sweet face and smiles. he's telling me thanks and i love you. he loves me. i'm his whole world. i'm so thankful to be something to someone.
this is what makes the breastfeeding so worth every moment. all he knows is to find mom when he's hungry.
i'll never let him down. i want to dedicate everything i have to him. he doesn't have to thank me. i just want to be loved. i just want to see his sweet little face everyday for the rest of my life.
awww
little D.


moe

Goes Bump in the Night and Zzzzzz By Day

the sleep deprivation is completely kicking in. wow and let's say it sucks. i don't know what it is but lil' D is becoming a nighttime chomper. literally by the time he's done eating, burped and put back in his crib he's up and ready for more! my body can't take it anymore. i can't resist though. those cute little bug eyes looking at me when i come to get him and the cooing noises he makes with the big grin. oh i want to stay up all night to play. i really don't but it's cute! he does sleep well though most nights and even rubs his lovey over his face til he falls asleep. WHEW! what a relief for mommy, a baby who is independent at night.

you win some and you lose some though.

while he's going back down to sleep the monster in the room over is just waking up. in the dead of night you here, "RRRRRWWWWAAAAAAAARRRRR!"
evil comes with a pretty face and man it can suck you in. at 2 you would think she understands sleep is amazing and everyone wants it. the snuggling, the fantastic dreams, the cozy warmth of your bed. HA!
this tubbo monster wants to know why your not lying next to her so she can put her hand down your shirt and breathe her stinky breath all over your face. she's not in a bedframe yet but she's still on the floor because she rolls. funny she doesn't roll in our bed but she rolls all over the place on hers (the mattress). we find her all over the floor, sleeping in corners, sleeping with her head off the mattress, her feet off, everything. i think what's making things hard for bubby and me is the fact that we can't do anything to get her to:
1. stop waking up
2. fall back aleep on her own and quickly

when she is sleeping it's deep snores and the whole 9 yards.
to make things even better for us both tubbo monster and lil' D are waking up at 6:30 am. i don't get it. it's like they like each other and are trying to be double trouble. they tag team back and forth all night then wake up super early and are go go go all morning. then there is the (heaven sent) naptime crash everyday from 12-well, whenever.
PLEASE MAKE THIS STOP! I WANT TO SLEEEEEEEP!

today i put amaya down for a nap. bubby said i should take a nap too. right as i was in the best part of my sleep (just at the perfect doze) he wakes me up. thanks bubby.

tonight is another night and i can't wait to here the bumping and knocks of tubbo and the "i'm hungry" leg kicking squeals from lil' d.

that sucks. a lot.


.moe.

245 words per day

amaya's increasing vocabulary includes:

apple
car
airplane
thirsty
look
sorry
daddy
yo(no)
yes
hello
hi
ball
hey
bye
fish
water
eat
cold
hot
pablo
go
goldfish

2word sentences:
what's this
who's that
let's go
uh-oh
oh yeah
look car
it's cold
thank you
byebye

3 word sentences:
i like you
here you go
i see you

4 word sentences:
i like you too

working on:
horse
blue
white
cat
yellow
duck
baby derek
lil' d (almost has it)
sheep

derek's vocabulary:
maaarrthheaahoprraabbbbaath
(spitting intensely with bubbles coming out the sides)


.moe.

the three of them are evil....All Evil...

where to begin... here i guess. it's been a long long long few months. children crying. children laughing. children needing mommy. mommy running away from children. daddy wanting mommy when children are crying. what do you do?

leave.
get a drink.
eat some ice cream.
and worry the whole time your out about the baby waking up and wanting to nurse while your out.

in reality though it's easier to just stay put for those "just in case" daddy can't handle it situations. but who ever said mommy could do it? she just can.


Now, lil' D is now 4 months. happily trying to be as cool as tubbs; rolling over, laughing, being a ham. nobody can beat her though. she's 2 now!!! the BIG 02. she had a fantastic birthday full of backyardigans decorations, people she'll never remember at this age, food she never ate, and presents she didn't even care to open. it was a perfect day. that was also umm 2 weeks ago...

since the 14th of september it's been evil. besides the birthday hangover (which was pretty intense) the "terrific two's" have kicked in, and might i add...what a joy to have in our household...

don't you dare kick mommy in the face!
your going to fall off the couch again!
why won't you eat ANYTHING!
a diaper change shouldn't take 10 minutes!
feet off your brother's face! (4am) WAAAAHAHHHHH!!!

But that is why they created the nap before 3 and an early bedtime. oh and wine.

bubby started a diet to gain weight. he says to me. "babe i'm going to eat like Adrian Peterson." hands me the diet menu of chicken breast, pasta, pancakes, eggwhites, etc... " you will make me this everyday when i get home from the gym and work, except on the weekends." oh really?...are you going to pay me like AP would?

lil' D and tubbs had appointments today. shots and the whole 9 yards. boy has today been never ending. lil' D definitely feels icky and i hate to see him this way. he hasn't been sick like this since he was born in the NICU. i don't think he'll ever be that sick again, but i don't like to see him cry and need medicine. other than that he is perfectly normal. tubbs is right on target with her sentences. 3 word and 2 word. pedi said to add to her vocabulary. we go back in 2 months for an evaluation and check for fluid in her ears.

Stats:
Lil' D: 13lbs 7.4oz 24inches long
Tubbs: 23lbs 31 inches long


.moe.