Evan at Seven

Evan my sweet, ball of fire, never ending source of entertainment. Evan my Joy. I cannot believe you are seven. Seven years ago you came bursting into my life.  How you were not Baby A I'll never know.  It is possible that you were pushing, kicking, and talking at Ryan so hard he just had to come out. 

Evan you wake up every morning and you are in fifth gear.  You don't slow down until you hit stop for the night and then you crash.  You still thrash and move in your sleep. The energy you have could power a small city.  If only I could harness it, I could reduce our electricity bills, and maybe even power my car! As much as sometimes I wish you would just sit still, I would never want to diminish the exuberance you attack everything with.

Evan you too are wicked smart.  It scares me sometimes!  You sat down the other day and read Tolkien.  Granted it was just the Hobbit, but seriously impressive man. When you are reading seems to be the only time you are quiet and still. Sometimes you hum, but usually you are quiet.  Your focus is amazing.  You have read entire chapter books, written for older kids, in a day. You never cease to amaze me. I am so glad you have been given the opportunity to flourish in school, and not be confined and disciplined to the point where you loose your joy.  I love that they embrace you for who you are!

Evan you still sing, but not like when you were younger.  You hum almost constantly.  You can hear a song/score once and it becomes part of your repertoire. We tried some music lessons, but you don't quite have the focus for the environment.  I want to find something for you this year to encourage your musical gene.

Evan, your vocabulary and your ability to formulate complex sentences always brings a smile to my face.  I recently likened you to Aaron Sorkin, an amazing writer of dialog for movies and television, one of my favorites. When you bust out a Sorkin Sentence, I wonder if your future holds writing, or the like.  I've always said you were my play by play man, but you've been talking about making movies a lot this year. I wonder.

Evan you are very sensitive, and I think you may get your feelings hurt often. You have lots of friends, but I am not sure they always know what to do with you.  With your vocabulary and your gift of gab you can overwhelm many. You are impatient and constantly need to be doing...I don't know where you got that!!! (I am sorry for that honey, I hope to teach you how to channel those attributes)

You are so strong, and determined.  You have wonderful opinions and you are not afraid to share them. You are fiercely loyal and passionate.

I love you my sweet, I love when you turn to me and say "I love you Mom" for no reason at all. I love that for a few weeks all you wanted was for me to cuddle you every night before bed. I know those moments will be fewer and fewer as you continue to grow older so I cherish every second.

Happy Birthday to my love bug.

Pillow Talk

At bedtime

Evan: Mommy, I will ALWAYS love you.
Me: I will ALWAYS love you Evan.
Evan: I will NEVER, NOT love you.

Sigh...

Rituals

The bedtime ritual around here is one of those things that I know that I am going to miss when the boys get too big to be tucked in.

Evan especially has his "things"

Scott has to sing Hallelujah
I have to say "the words"
"No crying about buttons or buddies, curtains or fans, mirrors or lights, tents or pillows, or NOTHIN'"
and then we hug and kiss.

A few months ago he started adding a death grip on my neck followed by the phrase "I'm never gonna let you go!"

Which always warmed my heart and I would say, "you never have to honey." but every time he said it, I would think of the Sergio Mendes song "I'm Never Gonna Let You Go" So after a few weeks I started singing the chorus to him,

I'm never gonna let you go
I'm gonna hold you in my arms forever
Gonna try and make up for the times
I hurt you so

And then I would get to that last line and find it inappropriate (as is the rest of the song) to sing to my baby, so I changed it up a bit.

Gonna try and make up for the times
I tickled you soooooooooo....

during which I would tickle him and he would be forced to release his death grip on my neck.

he got wise to me and said that I had to say cuddled instead of tickled. I obliged.

Well, in the last few nights Evan has decided that the singing of the 80's classic was his to sing,
and oh. my. goodness. nothing can make me smile like my 4 year old belting out, directly in my ear...

I'm never gonna let you go
I'm gonna hold you in my arms forever
Gonna try and make up for the times
I cuddled you so.

Evan-isms

Evan: (in the car on the way home from Phil's BBQ) Look Jack in the Box!!!! I *LOVE* Jack in the Box.

Me: You have never had Jack in the Box.

Evan: Yes I have!

Me: WHEN have you had Jack in the Box?!?!?

Evan: I haven't, but I've been DREAMING about it!


________________________________________________


Evan: (In the middle of the night to Nannie) I need to blow my nose.

Evan: Where is Daddy?

Nannie: In bed.

Evan: You should be in bed too.

Before I forget

I have to jot this down before the black hole that is my mind looses this gem from the holidays.

While in Lakeport with Scott's family, the boys were playing tennis with their cousin Madison. Each kid took turns hitting a ball.

First Madison, and George cheered, "Great Job, Madison"

Then Ryan, "Nice hit, Ryan"

Then Evan. (George was looking the other way)
Evan looks and him and says "Poppa, you have to give me words of encouragement."

I wasn't present, but after hearing George tell this story, and knowing my child, I feel like I was there.

George was at first dumbfounded by the remark, he has now recovered and has quite an anecdote to tell.

Genetics are funny

A few years ago my cousin asked me what it was like to finally have a BLOOD relative. To see my features reflected in someone else. I hadn't really thought of my children in that way. I think I was just too tired to think that deeply.

Lately, I've noticed little bits of genetics cropping up. Not the obvious stuff, like looks, but little things, odd things that make me laugh.

When I was a child, I loved vinegar. When we made Easter eggs or salad dressing, I would lick the measuring spoon. I know. Totally weird.

Ryan, loves vinegar. I made some pickled cucumbers, and he loves them, but what he loves the most, is drinking the pickling juice. That HAD to come from me.

Evan was changing his clothes and I happened to look at his shoulder, and he has a little bump on one shoulder. Just like me.

Evan's new favorite breakfast is fried egg sandwiches. When I was pregnant and right after the boys were born, I ate two fried egg sandwiches almost every day.

Ryan is turning into my difficult sleeper. He seems to have a tough time falling asleep, and when he wakes up in the middle of the night or some crazy time like five in the freaking morning, he cannot go back to sleep. I'm sorry for that one bud. You have no idea how sorry I am.

Oh, and believe me there are Scott genes in there too. Oh, boy!

Ryan LOVES ketchup, crushed red peppers and very spicy food. That totally, totally, totally comes from Scott.

Both boys have a passion for baseball hats. Their collection is rivaling Scott's.

Both boys, but especially Ryan, are very athletic. Naturally. That's Scott.

And then there's the stuff that comes from both of us, and the boys had no chance, poor things.

Competitiveness- WOW. This one is off the charts. Sorry guys. It is getting so intense that we are having lots of discussions about how to be a gracious looser, or not play at all. It's not just the normal stuff either. We compete over everything. Who gets in the car the fastest. (this one has led to tears on many occasions) Who sleeps the longest. Who gets dressed the fastest. Who eats the fastest. It's always important who wins. I'm trying to use this to my advantage, but working on the gracious looser aspect is making it a wash.

Love of sports- I'm not sure they could be any more sports crazy. CRA-ZY I tell you. I think I spend 80 percent of my day explaining the complexities of any given sport. Which reminds me I need a lacrosse expert soon. We were in the pro shop of our ice rink today, and Evan started pointing to all of the hats on the wall and naming the team and the city. If he didn't know it, (there was only one) Ryan did. I hope we aren't wasting valuable brain space on this kind of knowledge, but it IS pretty cool to have a kid who can name almost all of the NHL logos by sight, oh and don't even get me started on baseball or football.

I understand what my cousin was getting at. When you see yourself reflected back at you, it's unbelievable. It's funny, and odd, and sometimes just plain magical, and it always takes my breath away.

Just a few of the words that have come out of my kids mouths, TODAY.

Evan: I'm Jack Johnson and I am going to the Hockey Hall of Fame. You, Ryan, are Drew Doughty, do you want to meet me there?

(If Evan could only know just how much every Kings fan love for Drew Doughty to meet Jack Johnson in the Hockey Hall of Fame someday!)


Me: Ryan, I am very disappointed in you, why did you not nap?
Ryan: Well, My puppies they keep waking me up.
Me: Well, I guess I will have to take them out of your room so you can sleep
Ryan: But, they are just stuffed animals (with an up turned hand in a position like duh, don't you know that!) Mom and they can't really do anything, see, they don't really have ears. It's all just stuffing. They are not real, not real ears and mouths.
Me: So are you trying to tell me that your stuffed animals are not responsible for your poor sleeping?
Ryan: No, just me.

Ryan's stories:
(Apparently these are the stories he is telling his buddies, instead of sleeping. He dictated, I typed. I made no edits, as you will see.)

There is a Monster Under the Nest

One day the monster went out to find a nest. He found one and he decided to bring it to the valley beyond the volcano. He loved it so much he decided it was his own, but it wasn't. It was a dinosaur's nest so he quickly hided under it and when the momma dinosaur came home it began to shake and shake some more so she decided to look under it to see if it was a monster and it was a monster. Then she started home and her nest followed her and the monster kept sleeping and sleeping in it's own nest. The monster went out to play hockey and the monster saw another monster and then they both ran off to play. That is the end of my book.

Gummies before breakfast

Gummies before breakfast went out to play, on a summer day. And they loved it so much they wanted to play for every day. Their dad said no come back you to get your sweaters because it is cold outside, they went back outside to play hockey like the monsters did. The monsters went out to play hide and seek, they came to find the great whole of grizzlies and all they could do was play and play.

The Sink got Fouled
(Fouled is when a sink gets out of water. I had to ask since I had no idea what he was talking about. I'm not sure Ryan knows either!)

The fouled sink stayed up for 20 years and it came down and then it came down and then it came up again. Then it came up again. Then it stayed down and then it came up again and again until it stopped and didn't come up again, Amen it didn't come up again.

Mother's Love

I love these little boys. Sometimes in the day to day I'm exhausted, and overwhelmed with all that needs to get done, and I forget just *how much* I love them.

Then I see a smile like this...


or this...(I know you can't see it, but I did)


Or I have two little boys pretending to be polar bear cubs sleeping in their den waiting for their "Mama Polar Bear"...

and then Daddy Polar Bear growls...


Or I watch as one boy helps the other get his foot untangled...


so they can continue on their adventure....

and I am quickly reminded just how much love I have in my life, because I am "Mama Polar Bear" or "Mama Pteranodon" or "Mama Puppy" or "Mama Kitty" or "Mama whatever I am today."

And then there are moments when I am scrambling for a pen to scribble as many of the words coming out of my kids' mouths so I don't forget to blog about it.

The other day, Ryan was "writing songs". Five of them he told me. I was too lazy was afraid by the time I got my cameras out of the car it would be all over so you will just have to use your imaginations.

Using the tune to this favorite song...



Ryan created these little songs. He told me there were five, however either I missed one, or well, he's four. I call them the "Bunny sessions". Both he and Evan were playing their guitars during the sessions, (they collaborate so well) however Ryan was responsible for all of the lyrics. (noted here for copyright purposes.)

Once upon a time there was a little bunny,
He lost his car-r-r-r-ot, on the way.
Because it was so-o-o tiny, tiny, ti-ny.

One little carrot went out one day,'
but his daddy told him he could go out and play.
He was so hap-ap-ap-py,
Because there were pine nut every where.

Once upon a time there was a little bunny,
he got a bee-ee-ee sting, he was so sa-a-a-a-a-d.
His Mommy looked at it and it didn't feel so bad.
He tried to get the bee off but he wouldn't go any-where

Once upon a time there was a baby bunny,
He tried to get the bee off of him
He was so sad because when he went to bed,
he heard the crackling sound of the bee by his head.

With moments like these, how could I possibly forget how much I love them?

Maybe his pallet is too sophisticated for Mac and Cheese

The last few weeks have been trying. Evan has been difficult to put it mildly.

It's a constant struggle balancing my need desire obsession with calories. The nutritionist we saw for years told me upon release from GI clinic, that to continue to grow Evan needs to eat 1600 calories a day. That's a lot of calories.

Intellectually I know that kids this age wax and wane when it comes to eating, and that is normal. Since eating with Evan has never been normal it is hard to let go of my need to get calories in to his little body.

I use little tricks to get extra calories into him everyday, extra butter, olive oil, at 360 calories a bottle, Boost Plus is my best friend. It is really a tight rope act, fitting in snacks would add to the calorie count for the day, but with Evan's limited awareness of hunger, any snacking ultimately causes him to eat much less at meals. I'd love to get more fruits and vegetables into his diet, but they are so healthy, low calorie and filling. I'd rather he eat more high calorie items. Like chocolate cake with chocolate butter cream icing.

I understand that kids at this age will eat the majority of what they are hungry for in the first fifteen minutes of a meal, BUT, Evan eats SO SLOWLY that fifteen minutes adds up to about fifteen calories. So I make him sit there, until he eats what I think is enough, as I do mental calculations of the total calories for the day.

I do have to force myself to remember that a year ago he was still eating baby food, and I was pretty certain that he'd be heading to college with pallets of mashed sweet potatoes. I really should not complain. I really cannot complain. But after two hours of him sitting with one tiny little piece of french toast in front of him, or two tiny little pancakes, or four ounces of spaghetti, I'm pulling my hair out, he's frustrated, I'm frustrated, no one is happy.

Then he has breakthrough moment like tonight. FIVE lobster raviolis, Alfredo sauce, less than 30 minutes. (that's a ton of calories!!!) I do my happy dance and wonder. Lobster Ravioli? What other odd things should I be trying?

Evan at Four

Evan. My love. My sweet.

You are my performer. My ham. You love to sing. LOVE to sing. You know more songs than a kid your age should. You sing spontaneously. It is hysterical. I love it when you burst into the Star Spangled Banner, or Oh, Canada, just because you are feeling it. When you sing Hallelujah I alternate between laughter and tears, it is just so wonderful. Your current favorite song is Defying Gravity from the musical Wicked. You make these facial expressions that kill me. You know how to work it by flashing a grin, or looking coyly out the tops of your eyes. It would not shock me to see you on American Idol, or Broadway someday.

You love sports. Hockey, is your favorite (yes!). You love to pretend you are a hockey player, basketball player, baseball player, golfer, tennis player, football guy (kicker or long snapper are your favorite positions) You crack me up because when you play hockey you are always Jack Johnson, and you tell your brother he is Drew Doughty. It is really amazing the way you picked up on those two players. I guess you are going to take after your Daddy and play defense. You are also very interested in playing Kayak Polo. You and your brother turn over your little table and pretend it is a kayak. Just a little longer and we will have you in a boat!

Most significantly this year you have started to eat. Yes, I said eat. You still eat PAINFULLY SLOW, but you are eating almost everything. You are my adventurous one. You will try anything. Which is interesting since you had such difficulty with food. I hope you don't grow up with food issues, but I really need you to start eating more! I hope by this time next year I'll be done saying "Eat Evan" every ten seconds at every meal.

You are in constant motion. Physically and verbally. You run around, literally run, and your mouth is giving running commentary. Your vocabulary is astonishing. You use words like "askew", "amazing", "spectacular" "concerned", "appropriate" and "disappointed" in proper context. It cracks me up when you bust out a "big counter". You use phrases that are equally funny coming out of the mouth of a four year old. (I can't remember them just now, but I will add some when I remember/hear them.)

You are also the boy to most likely bust out the "I love you" for no reason other than you felt it at the moment. You also say things like "I want to hug you" or "I want to kiss you" It makes my heart melt that you feel so much love. You love to give me your impish grin face, especially when you are up going potty in the middle of the night. That face is usually followed by an "I love you." You certainly know how to play us, because even if it is the third time in an hour that you have to pee, it's hard to be angry with That Face.

You are so passionate. You LOVE everything. When you like something, it is LOVE. Currently your list includes, black speakers, microphones, lady bugs, the Statue of Liberty, American flags, the Stanley Cup, and of course...Cacti.

You are really a polite kid. You say please, thank you and I'm sorry about that almost all of the time. You are concerned for your brother, and always want to make sure he has what he needs, as long as it is not what you want.

You are also a very sensitive boy. You want to please, and you want others to be happy. You constantly ask me "Are you happy?" or "Are you happy with me?" You have also inherited your Mom and Dad's competitive nature. "Did I win?" is a common question around here. You get upset when someone raises their voice to you, but you do your best not to cry. It is quite adorable. Your lower lip gets shaky and the tears well up in your eyes, and all hearts around you melt.

Your laugh is infectious. You laugh with your whole body. I love to hear the sound of your laughter. It is the sound of true joy. I hope you always find something to laugh that deeply about, every day of your life.

Your teachers love you too. They think that you might be running the school before long. Politician, performer, class president, all things that you may become. You show a kindness for your classmates and want to know what is going on with them. You show a GREAT enthusiasm for everything. You go big or go home. Your verbal abilities have sometimes made it tough especially in the early days, most of the kids didn't know how to keep up with you and your language. I know how they feel!

You are so bright and engaged. You learn things at lightning speed. You are definitely pre-reading, you know your letters (upper case and most lower case) you can identify numbers up to ten, and you are working very hard on the sounds those letter make. You also have a few sight words...making me most proud is that Hockey is one of them! You have memorized so many books, it makes me smile from the top of my head to the bottom of my toes to hear you "read" all by your self.

Your memory is sometimes frightening. The details you can remember from a year ago, or even longer shock me. Sometimes I don't know what you are talking about and it takes me quite a few minutes to figure it out.

You and your brother play so well together, you have such a closeness. You also fight like cats and dogs. You have your own way with each other, a twin thing? or a brother thing? Either way it is rooted in love.

Evan, Boysenberry, E-Diddy, E-dog, Evie, Evan Evan bo bevin, punkin pie, punkin muffin, love bug. I love you so much it makes my heart hurt. My life was so empty before you filled every single space with your joy, with your PASSION. What would I ever do with out you? I did not know joy, or love, or passion, until I met you.

Happy Birthday my sweet.

Words of love and wisdom, by Evan

I read to the kids at school today, and it was such a joy. The boys were so excited to have me in their classroom! The kids play outside before they have their story time. Because Ryan and Evan were so excited for me to be there, they asked to come inside early (can you believe that? thank goodness I was on time), they set up the chairs for us to sit in and were anxiously awaiting my arrival. When all of their classmates came in from playing outside, both boys started shouting "My Mommy is here, My Mom is here! She is going to read!" I'm not sure anything can make you feel more loved than that kind of excitement.

"A friendly cacti said, I love my boy." Evan said hugging his stuffed cactus. "Thank you so much for getting me Cacti from Arizona."

"You can't knock mine down, it is more appropriate for Ryan to knock mine down if I knocked his down." Evan discussing "turn about is fair play" with me, as it applies to blocks.

We had some fun with leftover Livestrong chalk this weekend. I had some fun doing some extra laundry.




Evan asked me the other day, "Mommy, why do you love me?" Oh, Evan, why do I love you? Let me count the ways! (I listed off a bunch of things that nearly had my Mom in tears.) "I love you because you are kind, and sweet, because you are thoughtful, because you make my heart full, because you make me smile, and you make me happy, and because you love so passionately..."

And he does, everything is "Do you know what I love?" "I love...(whatever he is doing, holding, or thinking about at the moment"

For the record, Evan is no longer "assessed" as he now tells me. "I'm not assessed with Black Speakers any more Mom, because I like guitars too." "I'm not assessed with Red any more, because I love pur-pul" "I'm not assessed with..." Oh you get the picture...according to him, he's no longer obsessed.

Me, however? still very "assessed" with my boys.

He's a normal kid.

I've been asked to speak to a group of parents who have kids with eating issues. You know, since I've been there and back. I have more than a month to think about what to say, but for some reason I'm already at a loss for words.

It's not like we came up with the "cure", it's not like anyone could replicate what we did to finally get Evan to eat. So much of me believes that it was just Evan FINALLY deciding it was time, I don't want to tell these parents that. Some of these people have it even worse than we did. I want to offer them hope.

Hope that one day their kids will say to them, "this is yummy!" or "I like this dinner" or "More please". Each time in the last few weeks that these words came out of Evan's food stuffed mouth, I've felt such elation, and such relief.

And then we have those days. Days when Evan won't eat anything. And the worry and the doubt creep back in. Uh, oh, what's wrong? Is he slipping? Are we going to have to start OT again? Sometimes I have to kick myself to remember that regular kids do that. They just don't eat, and then they suddenly eat everything in sight. I have to REMIND myself that I have to think of Evan as a regular kid.

And then he will shock me by eating twice as much as his brother, and being super adventurous. (for a kid) He tries anything. He eats slower than a snake digests a meal, but he is eating. I have to remind myself of that little fact.

I have to remember that only a few months ago, he would only eat baby food, and now he eats, or doesn't eat, what ever I am serving. Just like a normal kid. (it makes me giggle a little just to type that!)

A boy and his...

Cacti????


Earlier in the week the boys and I went to the Aquarium on our way out from this spot Evan started screaming CACTIIIIIII!!!!!


Doy you see it? Me either. Where Evan, where do you see a Cactus?

"There" he said emphatically, pointing.

I walked closer. See it yet?


Nope? Me either.


It wasn't until about here, when I saw what my eagle, cactus eyed child spotted all the way...

back there...



It's still pretty hard to see in these pictures (sorry) but there is a cactus right there in the middle of this picture.


Keep looking, it is there. And, if Evan ever yells "CACTI!!!" you would be wise to believe him, and keep looking until *you* see it.

Conversations on the way home from school

Evan: I sang the National Anthem today at school for Mrs. Finch
Me: Really? Did you sing any other songs?
Ryan: Yes
Me: What did you sing Ryan?
Ryan: The apple song.
Me: How does the apple song go Ryan?
Ryan: (in a sing song voice) Three little pups sitting on apples. The first one said oops I have a boo boo. The second pup said, I do not. The first pup said look there is a cacti. The third pup rolled off, pup, pup, pup.

At lunch-
Evan: I sang the National Anthem for Mrs. Finch today.
Me: You did?
Ryan: and I sang too!
Me: Oh, you sang too?
Evan: Yes, and everyone crowded around me.
Ryan: And I sat on a chair.
Evan: When I finished singing everyone clapped!
Ryan: I clapped too.

Game on

****Updated with video*****

Evan has always loved music. To the point that when we fed him we would sing. It ran the gamut, from Margaritaville, to the Grateful Dead, from Leonard Cohen to John Denver. There were a few songs that always seemed to get him in a good rhythm while drinking a bottle. I sang Do-Re-Me, eight times a day for several months on continuous loop. Soon I was able to add Oh, Canada to the mix, quickly followed by the Star Spangled Banner. The kid loved those songs.

Evan can be a bit obsessive, which I think is normal for this age, I guess it should be no surprise that every night, before bed, Evan and his father sing Hallelujah. And it should be no surprise that every day, and every night, Evan sings The National Anthem on continuous loop. He's been singing it virtually every day for the last six to eight months. In the car, in the living room, and so I am told by his teacher, on the playground, while riding a bike. No trip to Sea World is complete if we do not get there in time to hear the National Anthem. (Seriously, I offered to take them to Sea World on day after our shots, but we were going to miss the National Anthem I gave them the choice of Sea World with no Anthem, or the Zoo. They chose the Zoo.)

The kids still don't watch TV, but they have seen the National Anthem performed a few times, they "saw" the Inauguration, and some of that awesome concert, and some bits and pieces of sports, because sports rule around here. I've also (slaps hand) introduced them to the glory of YouTube. This has been on heavy rotation, so, I thought I'd share our rendition...


Not the most complete performance, but they were a little distracted by me and the camera.

So, if you need an Anthem singer...we also do Oh, Canada if necessary!!!!

Evan, Lightning McQueen, and a Lady Bug

Evan has been making great strides in the last few months. He is finding confidence in every aspect of his life.

Until a few days ago, Evan has slept in a porta crib. Not because he doesn't have a bed in his room, but because he refused to sleep in it.

We had two cribs in the boys room, but Evan started waking up five or fifty times a night so we temporarily moved him into the guest room and into a porta crib. It was two years later that he finally started sleeping through the night on a regular basis. By this time, Ryan, my child who resists change, refused to allow Evan to sleep in his room, let alone have any changes made to anything in his bedroom.

Evan also showed a lack of desire to change. We put his bed in his room with really cool guitar sheets. We suggested he might like to sleep in his big boy bed, just like Ryan. Nope. "But I like my crib" he would tell us.

With the crazy amount of "things" he takes to bed each night, Evan was running out of space in his crib. I was getting worried he'd sleep in his crib until his feet had to hang over the top.

We were walking through Target the other day, and saw a cars bed tent with sleeping bag and accessories. Hmm... I wonder. We brought it home and immediately Ryan wanted to use it. Should have bought two. Ryan was quickly over the idea of this new thing in his room, so it moved to Evan's.

The first night we just cuddled and read books in the big boy bed, with the new tent.

The next night he got a bit more brave. He decided he wanted to sleep in the tent. It was a tough night. I think he was up a half a dozen times. He fell out of bed once. He woke up very scared once. But, he stayed in his big boy bed, and in the morning he was very proud to receive a special surprise for it. (a new stuffed lady bug, now known as Baby lady bug to distinguish it from Mama lady bug, who was our special surprise for going pee pee on the potty for the first time ever)

Nap time the next day...slept in his bed, in his tent, like a pro.

He's had a couple of rough nights, but, I feel safe (while knocking on wood) to say that he has successfully transitioned into his big boy bed.

Now, I just have to convince him to let me remove the porta crib.



If not for Lightning McQueen, parenting would be considerably more difficult.

Excuse me while I brag a bit

If you don't want to hear how wonderful my kids are, tune out now...

Okay, if you are still here, please excuse me while I crow a bit. We had our first Parent/Teacher Conferences today.

Just the sound of that makes you a little nervous doesn't it.

I went in after yesterday thinking, OH NO. Do I want to hear about what terrors they are in class? What are they going to say? Are we going to get kicked out of preschool?

Seriously, I knew none of those things were going to happen, but with a crazy person like me, all of those thoughts DID run through my head. Several. Times.

Let me tell you. I love a teacher that starts out the conference by saying. "I have no concerns about either of the boys, let me just get that out there right away. I know how stressful these things are!"

Immediately put at ease, and able to focus on the meat of the conference and not the fear of expulsion, I was so happy to hear what she had to say.

Highlights:

The word "Love" or the phrase "I/we love that about..." came up at least 40 times.

Ryan: He's SO sweet. (yeah, I know that about him, he's so squishy) He is more reserved than Evan, but he gets equally excited about school and the things he is doing. He is kind and thoughtful. He cares about his brother and his classmates. He is full of emotions, good, and not so good, but he is learning to manage them in an appropriate manner. He is growing so much socially and in the "school" setting. He has already made improvements in his transitions, and using his words in difficult situations. Developmentally, he is right on track. He is SO observant and is eager to share his observations. He is starting to make meaningful attempts at making letters. He loves the bikes and being outdoors. He is sharing during "meeting time" and he is beginning to play more with his classmates. He loves to read, and FULLY comprehends the stories, he follows along closely and notices every detail.

Evan: He's like a Tasmanian Devil of excitement. He is ALWAYS has a story to share with his teachers. (She cannot wait to hear what he has to say each day) He is extraordinarily verbal, and is starting to understand how to use his words in a social situation. He is learning that he looses his peers if he does not get to the point quickly. He is also learning that he can ask a friend to play with him and they will! He loves to share during "meeting time" and is learning to wait his turn. He loves reading, and is also learning not to interrupt even though he has made a connection and is excited to share it. He is VERY smart and makes those connections VERY quickly, so it is hard for him to contain himself. He is developmentally on track, however his is more cautious with some of the activities that require gross motor skills. They notice that he wont give up, especially if he has seen that Ryan can or has done it. (competitive much? I do not know where he gets that from. *cough, cough*) He does show care and compassion for Ryan. (so, I guess he's going to win, win, win, but love you doing it?)

She ended by telling me how much they love them and how sweet they are. How their behaviors are developmentally appropriate, and this is why we go to preschool. They LOVE their enthusiasm, and their passion.

She also told me that on Tuesday, Evan did indeed sing her the National Anthem. While riding a bike around the playground, for the entire school, in perfect pitch. Apparently all the teachers now know him.


I am so proud of the fact that they are adjusting so well, and that they are not hurting anyone, and that we will not be expelled.

The Whys have it

As much as I understand the need for this phase, developmentally appropriate behavior, yada, yada, yada. I KNOW this is a wonderful phase, they are interested in everything around them, and that is a good, good thing. They have questions, and I have answers, and they know that and they trust that. (I hope they will always feel as such)

But.

Seriously.

If I here "Why Momma?" ONE. MORE. FREAKING. TIME. today, my head is going to explode.

Here's an example of just one fraction of my morning. And that would be the fraction of time it takes me to drive the 3 blocks from my house to Henry's.

E: where are we going Momma?
M: we are going to the store.
E: Why Momma? (without pause for an answer)
E: Why are we going to the store?
M: To get bread.
E: Why do we need bread? Why Momma?
M: To make sandwiches for lunch. We are going to take sandwiches with us to Sea World today.
E: Why Momma?
M: For lunch.
R: Why are we having sandwiches for lunch?
M: Because they are easy to eat while we are watching the Shamu show.
R: Why Momma?
M: Because they are easy to hold and we can sit in our seats and eat them.
R: Why are we going to the Shamu show.
M: I thought you liked the Shamu show.
R: I do, but why are we going?
M: Because I like to do things that you enjoy.
R: Why Momma?
E: Why Momma?
M: (pulling out my hair) Can we talk about something else?
E: Are we going to see Cacti Momma?
E: Where are the cacti Momma?
E: Are we going to drive by the cacti Momma?
E: Are we? Are we? Are we?
M: (unloads car walks in the store)
E: Why are we at the store Momma?
R: For bread
E: Why Ryan?

SERIOUSLY.

(did I honestly worry these kids would never talk?)

Discharge: in a totally non-yucky context.

Today was a big, big day in our household. After YEARS of Occupational Therapy, hours of one on one and group work, and countless gray hairs, we have finally been discharged from feeding group. Yes, did you hear that? I should be shouting from the roof tops!

WE HAVE BEEN DISCHARGED FROM FEEDING GROUP!!!! WE DO NOT HAVE OT EVERY WEEK ANYMORE. EVAN IS EATING LIKE A NORMAL CHILD!!!!!!!

Two years with Miss Terri, once a week, an additional weekly session with Miss Stacey for six months of those two years. Six months with Miss Kim and Miss Suzie in feeding group, and we are done. D-O-N-E. Done. Seriously.

Evan has been eating regularly for about 3 months now. I know I documented the start of it here. And while I may not have been diligent about updates on the eating front...lets just say that Evan has been consistently eating everything I put in front of him. From pancakes to pizza, from BBQ ribs to chicken satay, from chicken masala to tacos. He *is* "Lightning McQueen the eating machine" as he was dubbed by Grammie. Some days he even out eats Ryan, which is quite a feat for that boy can put it down. (I may have also subconsciously avoided talking about it here for fear of jinxing it!)

I've continued to challenge Evan with different textures and tastes. He has risen to and well above the challenge. Yay Evan!

We have been laughing at group because now the kids just eat everything. In all sorts of random combinations, hot or cold, crunchy or squishy. Six months ago, it would take Evan the entire hour to swallow one bite of pasta. Three months ago it took fifteen minutes per bite. Today, he ate a hot dog in a bun in five minutes. (And then proceeded to eat a taco and some ice cream.)

It's been coming for a while. We've are approved for sessions in increments of 6, and this was 6 of 6 on this authorization, so we were pretty sure this was our last day.

At the end of group our Therapists, Miss Suzie and Miss Kim presented Evan with a certificate of completion.

I should have posted pics of the actual certificates, but Evan's says:

"Graduation Day Presented to Evan for successful completion of the Little Steps for Little Feeders!"

That's it. We have matriculated.


Ryan, who was not really a patient, also received a certificate his says:

"The supportive Big Brother Award presented to Ryan, with appreciation for your unwavering support of Evan through Little Steps for Little Feeders."


We had a few last words to say,


some smiles and hugs,



high fives for Miss Alison,


and the other Miss Alison,


and that is it.

Another chapter of our preemie-hood has been completed. We have successfully navigated this eating challenge and now Mommy and Daddy just have to remember to treat Evan like a normal kid. It's hard not to be obsessed with food and calorie counts with him, but with each passing day and each passing meal it gets easier. (especially when he eats half of a Phil's pulled pork sandwich, and a few ribs in a single sitting.)

I want to thank all of the therapists, doctors, and support people who have walked this journey with us. All of our supportive family and friends, who have encouraged, cajoled, bribed, made up silly songs (we still sing the pasta song Eric and Mary), and what ever you did to help us get to this point.

Now...

who can get them to eat their vegetables? Anyone? Anyone?

Frighteningly Fun Halloween 2009

This was our first real Halloween. We've always dressed up, or at least had costumes and taken pictures in them. Last year we went to Sea World and "trick or treated" but this year was the first year that we even thought that going door to door was even an option.

We decided to join our friends Dylan and Tyler in their new neighborhood, because everything is more fun with multiple sets of multiples. Also joining us in the festivities were friends Hudson and of course, Dylan and Tyler's baby brother Colin.

Before Trick or Treating we decorated Halloween cupcakes. I use that term loosely. Basically we slapped a bit of frosting on cupcakes, took some bites and licks, poured every ounce of sprinkles out on one cupcake and then stuck our hands in the frosting and licked them clean.




See in my hand, that's all the excess sprinkles that came off the solid black cupcake by Evan's right hand. He's about to pour out the rest of the bottle, on the table.

They really need to make the holes on those things smaller. Seriously.

The kids had a bunch of fun, which is all that really matters.

After getting the sprinkles out from between my toes, we started on dinner.

Lindsay made a yummy hearty soup and even though the boys were a little too excited to really enjoy dinner, we made it through!


And then came the chaos of getting 6 kids under 4 into costumes.


With that feat accomplished...









We tried to get 5 kids lined up on the wall, looking at the camera, for a "our first trick or treating" photo.


On to the trick or treating!!!!


I didn't get a lot of pictures of the actual event, however, it was hilarious. Kids everywhere, some, who shall remain nameless, kept trying to go IN to the peoples houses. So, funny. They really got the hang of knocking and saying Happy Halloween, or Trick or Treat, and I was pleased that they did a pretty good job of saying Thank You, too.

We pushed all of little darlings, but when we got back to Dylan, Tyler and Colin's house, Evan told me,

"You said that after Trick or Treating we could eat our cupcakes"

Well, because I am true to my word, we sat down and ate our cupcakes, and then we exploded in a sugar induced frenzy. Running, screaming, laughing. (It's once a year, It's once a year)

When we were leaving, saying our good byes, my dear, subtle, gracious child says to our hosts.
"I don't want to come back here" Thanks Evan, way to go kid, already totally embarrassing Mom and Dad! Frankly we were all laughing so hard I'm not sure anyone heard him add "because I don't want to leave!!!" Ah, Good Times.

Really? a successful night. Very few tears, very few fears...except that last house that had one of those bowls with hands that grab you if you try to take candy from it...Yeah, Ryan DID. NOT. LIKE. THAT. He is still talking about how it scared him.