Jacob! Jacob!

Hi Everyone!
    
      Sorry about the delay in updating the blog. I had report cards and preschool things to get done. Actually,
I have a lot more to do, but Nicholas is playing on my phone and Jacob is sleeping, so I thought this would be a good time to update this blog. There will probably be a few more, since I am on break this week.

Everyone is doing pretty well, especially Jacob. He has really blossomed these past two weeks. He blows me away with the skills that are coming so quickly. Like I have always said, there is a switch that needs to be turned on. That switch doesn't get turned on very fast but when it does, watch out!! I am so proud of Jacob. Of course, I still have my moments. I was cry texting my mom this week, when my best friend's baby boy who turned 2 on March 29th can actually talk, and there's Jacob not saying anything. I get frustrated for my boy. I don't want him to go through the same things I went through when I was a kid. Like my mom said, we have to accept the way the Jacob is, and she is right. BUT, Jacob is coming a long way!! He started the week by making sounds of letters. He never does that for me. Then he shook or nodded his head yes. Now, we officially have our first word. That word is "Hi". Nicholas can get him to say Hi most of the time. He is doing well according to the neurologist. The only concern he had was that Jacob is falling off the chart (like his brother) for height. We are already seeing a specialist for that. I pray that Jacob won't have to go on shots. Anyway, we are having some pretty good cheering sessions at our house, and may they continue.

Mr. Nicholas is doing pretty good. We got a good report from School. He also got new glasses. He is not wearing them. I am done fighting with him. When we go to the doctor on Tuesday, I will tell him about the constant battle. If surgery is an option, I am for it. I can't fight with him every day. He has begun reading books to me. I am blown away with his sight word knowledge. They are Dr. Seuss books. Not my favorite, but it they help him read then maybe I will become a Dr. Seuss fan. I think he might qualify for advance classes at school. He might be hyper, but he is smart. He has also gotten really good about writing his name. We can read it now.

My Spring break started last Thursday. I am glad to have the break - if that is what you call it. I am never really on a break. When you become a mom things change, and you have no free time. Just trying to catch up on stuff around the house and preschool stuff. Kept all my school stuff at school.

Time to put Niko to bed. Have a great weekend!! Mandy

Nightly

                                          A rare moment with glasses on

                                           The process of making the house

                                          Niko's house

                                     This picture pretty much sums up my night









Hi Everyone,

Up at 6:15 this morning, so I decided to update the blog. I was not up by 6:15 by my choice. Mr. Nicholas decided it was time to get up. Lucky me! This kid has been SO hyper for the past two days. It's getting annoying. He will NOT calm down. I think Spring needs to come soon. We are going to the Zoo today, so hopefully that will calm him down. He knows we are going to the Zoo, that is probably why we are up so early.  

We had a pretty good week. Besides Nicholas being hyper all the time, he had grandparents day at School. Baba got to go with Nicholas. My mom stayed home with Jacob. My mom is the working parent all the time (because she likes doing it - crazy! ;) ), and we had Baba go instead. She enjoyed it. 
Nothing else really went on. I was busy as usual with School and then had a preschool meeting. I am very grateful for my Nook. I love reading before I go to bed.

We try to have a quiet time before bed. It doesn't work all the time. On Tuesday, it was nice .Nicholas played on the computer and Jacob crawled up on Daddy. Usually, I have screaming and crying from Jacob. It goes from 5:00 to 7:00. Jacob doesn't want to be put down. Jacob doesn't want to be held. It's a fun time!  Nicholas has been ok. I know I will miss days like these?! but, it is wearing me down. Oh well, part of being a Mommy. I still love my babies very much. I think Mommy needs a little Spring too :)

This week, Jacob has three therapy sessions - again. We were told every other week for OT which is awesome. Speech is still every week, which will be for awhile. He has a recheck for PT this week. All therapies just hit the right week. We did not have much of a break :)

Well, I need to put the laundry in the dryer. I am working Woodside tonight, and doing Bingo tomorrow. It will be a busy weekend! Have a good Weekend! Mandy

February Blah.........

Hi Everyone,


This has been such a blah month. I really never liked February. I know it is the shortest month of the year, but to me it feels like the longest month. We had a four day weekend - which was nice, and I think a snow day. Now, we are into March, another long month :) We are going to try to make it to the Zoo next weekend. At least we went once in February. That's pretty good!


Nicholas is doing good. He got his new glasses. We are having a hard time getting him to wear his glasses. He won't wear them. If he keeps it up, he will have to have surgery or wear glasses forever. Nothing I say to him matters. Chris gets angry and forces him to wear his glasses. So, it's a frustrating time for us. I really don't know what else to do to get him to wear his glasses. He is also getting tummy aches - because he won't poop! He is so stubborn. Love the kid, but he is stubborn. At least his behavior has been better. He still loves school.

Jacob is doing OK. He has been sick with a cold for two weeks. Finally, last weekend, it came into full force. He has a cough and a lot of snot! He was waking up in the middle of the night, and my mom got us a vaporizer which has helped. He has also been in a mood. He screams in public places. At 5:00 he won't stop crying and throws fits. I am also at my wits end with him. We did get some good news. He will start going to OT every other week.

We got a new pet! On Presidents' Day, we went to the pet store and got a fish. I am not allowed another cat ;) I do like our fish. We named him Goldie and he is still alive! Nicholas said he will live forever, because he made it past the two hour mark. On Presidents' Day, we also got a new train table. I will have to get a picture of that. It is huge.

Have a good Weekend!!! Mandy

Children's Museum

Hi Everyone!

Yesterday, I had the day off! I wasn't in the mood to stay home, so I decided to take the boys to the Children's Museum. We actually haven't been there in a year. I don't know why, but we need to go back more often. This was the first time Jacob was able to walk around. He didn't walk - he ran! It was kind of hard to keep up with him and watch Nicholas. I don't usually complain about taking both out by myself, because I do it so often. However, yesterday was a little tricky doing it by myself. I will try it again - but I need to be more prepared next time. I was prepared with diapers and stuff, I just wasn't prepared  for how active Jacob would be. Nicholas was actually OK being by himself. They have a sand area and Nicholas loved it - Jacob didn't. I took Jacob in the barnyard area, and the worker said she would watch Nicholas. That was so nice.

Everything is going well here. Just a normal week. Nicholas was pretty excited about his Valentine's party. He was very hyper. The night after the party, he was totally calm and good. It was pretty amazing. Mr. Nicholas will be getting bifocals. He has a focusing problem, and a wandering eye. They say a couple of years for the glasses. It will be a change, but he needs them. He sits too close to the TV and complains of headaches.

Jacob has been stuffy all week. I am not sure what is going on with him. He also has a cough. If it keeps up for another week - I will take him to the doctor. The cold has been going on for two weeks.

Well, we need to get ready for a Birthday party. Have a good weekend! Mandy

Snowy Saturday

Hi Everyone,


I was trying to get pictures of the pretty snow that was falling last Saturday, but they did not come out that good. The boys pictures came out cute though :)
Last Friday, I had a snow day, and then the next day it snowed ALL day. I didn't mind it though. It was really pretty and the boys seemed to enjoy watching the snow too. We did venture outside and went to the library. It was two days of being cooped up in the house, and we needed to do something! I really enjoy going to the library with the boys. We try to go every Saturday, and the librarians know Nicholas very well. We go more in the Winter than the Summer, but I am trying to teach Jacob library behavior. It's going OK. It took Nicholas awhile to learn it, but I start them early.

We had a pretty quiet week. Jacob did well at his NICU appointment. The doctor told us, she usually stops seeing kids when they turn two. This would have been Jacob's last appointment, but Speech isn't coming in yet, and she wants to see how he is doing in August with his Speech. Jacob got a pass, and will see her one more time. There also may be surgery in the future for my little guy. We meet with the surgeon in March. It's nothing serious, but there will be a lot of discomfort for all of us! Out of the three areas of the test, Jacob is finally in the normal range for 2 areas. The therapist could feel the low muscle tone, but that really never goes away. We just have to strengthen those muscles, and we are working on that. I always thought low muscle tone will go away and there is a cure, but there really isn't.

Nicholas is doing good. His behavior was excellent this week!! Hopefully, five will be a good year. He had some stomach issues this past Thursday and I thought for sure I would be up with a pukey kid all night, but I wasn't. I didn't get any sleep - worried about my boy. He had to miss Pre-K one day, but he took it OK. We have started writing Niko instead of Nicholas, and that has helped so much!

Today, we are going to the Zoo - 45 degrees! Have a good week :) Mandy

Airing Out!

                                                   Nicholas was so excited that I was the Working Parent!

                                                   Cool Dude!

                                          Instagram Action - one of my favorite Winter Pix - so far

Hi Everyone,

Yep! Two blogs in one weekend!! I had a snow day this past Friday, and I left my grades at School. So, I decided to update the blog a little more. I have nothing else to do ;)

We were in a pretty ugly cold snap a few weeks back. When the temp finally reached over 30 degrees, I HAD to take the boys outside. We decided to visit Turtle Tuck at the Brecksville Nature Center. Nicholas and I have been going to this place since he was 2 1/2.  We always have a good time. In the Summer, we like to do the trail. I also like to take my camera and take pictures. It is so pretty. This time we went a little farther and a little more dangerous ;) We went to visit the bridge. It wasn't that dangerous, but it is right by the main road. Both boys were fine. Nicholas was OK by himself walking, and I held Jacob's hand. Nicholas doesn't usually run away from me. Jacob on the other hand - in a heartbeat. He usually runs the other way.

This weekend went pretty good. I have had two snow days. I have only put in one full week of school, since coming back from Christmas. I was happy for this past Snow day. I wanted to stay home with Nicholas, since he wasn't feeling the greatest. We also had the craziest week at School. Friday would have been so hectic. It would have been Student's day. My kids were so hyped up - all week!

Jacob is doing some pretty amazing stuff. He goes down the stairs by himself. He was going backwards and crawling down, but now he sits and slide down. He is doing really well. He went down with big brother the first time. It was time. I think I was spoiling him too much, I carry him down. I had to put a load of laundry in the washer, and Jacob didn't like that I left - so he was determined to come downstairs. He did it! He also seems to be understanding more. We have a NICU appointment on Tuesday (another day off for me) and I had to fill out his Bayley's test. He seems so behind and I wanted to give up on filling it out - because I was getting depressed. I finished it, and realized Jacob is Jacob. It will all come with time. We are already seeing the specialists and therapists. What else could they do this poor kid?!

Nicholas is being pretty good. As he told me this morning, he has his moments. He sure does!! He is feeling better, because he gave it to his Mommy!!


All right - Quiet time in the house!! Shh! (as Jacob would say). Have a wonderful week!! Mandy

Another Trip! (Or 2)

Hi Everyone,

Back to normal blogs! I really didn't go all out this year - but it is nice to blog about some recent trips and updates. I am ready to start a new year of blogging! Hopefully, I can do more than 2 blogs a month.

While I was on Christmas break, I took the boys to the Zoo. You can feed the penguins when it is under 50 degrees. We went, but the penguins didn't want to eat. I think they ate too much, but the lady told us it was too cold. Don't penguins like cold weather? She said these penguins come from a warmer climate, so they are not used to this weather. We still had a great time though. We always stop at the Komodo Dragon Cafe and have a snack. Then, in the middle of January, we had a bonus day. The temp hit 60 plus degrees. We decided to go back to the Zoo. My mom came with us. It was so much fun. Then we went back to her house for a cookout. It was such a nice day! I am waiting for another decent day. I have February 15th off, and I told Nicholas that if the weather is nice or not freezing, we can go to the Zoo. If it is terrible we may head out to the Children's museum.

Everything is getting better here. Hopefully, the bad times are in the past. Looking forward to this year. Nothing major is happening, but we needed a new year!

Nicholas is doing good. I had to sign him up for Kindergarten. After talking to many teachers, I have decided to put Nicholas in part time Kindergarten. It was my decision, so no one can really judge what I have chose for Nicholas. I know Nicholas is not ready for full time, which consists Monday - Friday 8:45 - 3:15. I would be getting many calls from his teacher - that is a promise. Nicholas is on the edge of testing for ADHD. That would be a long day for him. The doctor won't say anything until they see him a classroom setting. His fine motor skills are also a work in progress. He has a very hard time writing his name, and cutting needs to improve. Full time is also 200 dollars a month. Nicholas is very smart, and he will do well in the Kindergarten setting, but I know he is not ready for all day School. It may make first grade a little harder for him, but he will a year older and have more of the classroom atmosphere. Nicholas managed to bring home a cold. We did not go a month sick free. Now, I am just waiting for Jacob to get it.

Jacob is doing good. No more physical therapy. He is doing so well, they decided to let him go. I call it graduating. We have a NICU appointment on Tuesday. He is taking another test. He also has some more teeth. They really came in and fast. We had a few ouchie days with the new teeth. He seems to be better now.


That looks like all the updates I have for now. Maybe there will be an extra blog this weekend!!! Mandy