January catch-up

The big event that happened this month was when I went back to work on January 3rd. Of course I knew it was going to be hard but it was more challenging then I thought. On January 2nd I woke up with pink eye and headed over to Med Express to get my perscription. I technically should have not shown up to teach my first day until noon that Monday but decided to not touch my eyes and really wash my hands well and I did not infect anyone that I know of... whew! Then on Tuesday night when Luke was already in bed I heard him moaning. I went to check in on him and he looked at me and threw up all over me. Poor kiddo was really sick and was dry heaving all night. Nick and I were doing wash all night long and thank goodness we had several sheets to go through. At midnight I went to sleep and Nick pulled an all-nighter on the couch waking up ever hour or so until 4:30 when he finally got some sleep. Joanne (grammy) arrived at 10:00 and watched the boys while I was at work. Then on Thursday night of that same week when we were all about to go to bed, Wes threw up all over me and was also dry heaving. Poor little man... Fortunately, the next day Nick had off so he watched Wes while Luke and I went off to our schools. We all recovered for the weekend and were healthy starting on Monday.

So the second week started with me back at work and I was not sleeping. This in combination with Wes crying at Lori's for most of the day was challenging. He also is refusing to take a bottle or drink from a cup so I have been driving up to her home during my lunch break and nursing him. By Thursday of that second week the most he did not cry was 20 minutes in a row. (Note to other mothers.. try not to drop off your baby at daycare around 7 months when he or she gets stranger anxiety.) So when anyone at work asked me how it was going and how I was doing I could not help but start to cry. I fought through the tears and made it through the second week.

By the third week back, I seem to have made it back on track and getting into the routine of things. Nick is so wonderful in the morning dressing both boys, feeding them breakfast and making my lunch. All I have to do is pump and get ready myself.

With that said here are a few things that Luke has been saying recently

On the car ride in this past week he said in a very deep voice, "I am very dissapointed!" when I asked him what he was dissapointed about he just repeated the sentence again.

Luke was eating a brownie and said, "Mom, I know why they are called brownies, because they are brown!"

He also says that if I come out of my bedroom at night when I am supposed to be sleeping or playing Dad says, "Get back in your room or I will SHUT THE GATE!" THis is said in a funny deep voice.

He loves the Three Billy Goats Gruff and wants to be the troll and the rest of us be the three billy goats. He is such a book worm and has been for quite a long time now.

Luke knows all his numbers (1-10 and some random ones like 24) and we are working on his letters and the sound they make. I would say he has half of them down so far.

Wes continues to be such a joy and a happy baby when I am around. He laughs and smiles lots and is very tolerant of his older brother who can play a bit rough with him. Nick says I 'baby' Wes too much but he will only be this little for a short while so I hold him lots and love on him. He is making lots of sounds and experimenting with his noises. He also loves his teething biscuts and we are still waiting on his first teeth to come in. This still does not prevent him from clamping down hard on me when I am nursing. Thank goodness there are no teeth yet, only gums.

Happy 8 month birthday Wes!

Wes got to spend the day with Nick while Luke and I headed out to Highlands Ranch. Luke and I both headed to our respective schools. N and W started out their day at physical therapy where Wes showed is strength and came home with more exercises. The boys then headed off for lunch with friend Pete. All in all it was a great 8 month birthday for Wes who got a lot of loving attention from his dad.

P.S. more to come about me going back to work with two boys and all the craziness that comes with it.

Hanging out

Christmas in Mammoth, CA

We stared out our 10 day journey to California, just me and the boys.  Joanne dropped the 3 of us off at the airport and I managed to get through security by myself after asking several people for help.  The worst of it was getting all our stuff on the scanner, including my BOB stroller while holding onto Wes and making sure Luke did not run away.  We made the fight with out any trouble and sat next to a very nice lady who happened to be a great-grandmother.


The next day we had a 'meet Wes party' where several of the family members came out to Claremont to meet Wes for the first time.

Great Grandma Damuth, Great Grandad and Gramci Clark

Uncle Dean and Wesley Dean

Wes was so happy to meet everyone!

Uncle Dennis Belitz showing Luke his iPhone

Then we were off in our friend's Suburban to Mammoth in the rain.  Mom headed up the day before to get the house ready.  All the boys did well with Nick in the back of the car, the boys in the middle and Dad and I up front.  It only took us a mere 7 hours to get up there with minimal stops.

Can you see the Suburban buried underneath all that snow?  It was a record 16 feet on the mountain!  

Look at our matching pjs.

Making snowballs with Uncle Dean

I don't like snow in my eyes!

Get me out of this snow.

The snow stopped and Luke loved to play outside.  Nick and Luke loved making this snowman out  on the deck.

All of us for a family photo.  Nick, Luke, Kim, Wes, Grandad Damuth, Grandy Damuth and Uncle Dean

Look what santa brought!

Luke was not so sure of his T rex that moved and roared.

Wes loved playing with his camera.

 

Hello from Disneyland!

more info to come...

"Hi Santa... I did not cry!"

We enjoyed a wonderful santa brunch at Glenmoor Country Club with the boys and Grammy and Poppa.  There was wonderful food, great carolers and of course Santa.

The Belitz Fam

Santa, "I did not cry!"

Cute boys!!!

First Santa Picture!

 Poppa Paul and Wes

Listening to the carolers  

Happy Turkey Day 2010: The Price of Sugar Rolls

Thanksgiving dinner, as many know, is an affair that requires hours and sometimes days of preparation, planning, and cleanup.  Done properly, many family members are involved at each stage, especially the eating of the meal, which typically takes about 20 minutes.  This year, however, we found that the sugar rolls, long a staple of holiday indulgence in the family, took an extra, unexpected toll.  As the rolls we baking inside the oven just before dinner, a substantial amount of sugar spilled over the baking tray and caused no small amount of smoke to belch forth like oil from the Macondo Deepwater well.  This brought Joanne into the role of the cleanup/dance artist as we tried desperately to wave the smoke past the dinner table and out of the open windows (see picture below and remember, we were at 8,200 feet in late November and temps were in the high teens that night).  This was marginally successful and we were able to have a nice family dinner (Luke mercifully was overcome by holiday joy and fell asleep - see picture below).  Later that night, and actually early the next morning, however, the burning sugar resumed.  This was because of an unexpected decision by Joanne to set the oven to its "cleaning" cycle while everyone went to bed.  Needless to say, the sugar still had plenty of burning left to go and proceeded to fill the kitchen, plus the rest of the house, with A LOT of smoke by about 1:30 AM.  So much smoke, in fact, that the smoke detector went off and began shrieking in its electronic voice: "EVACUATE! SMOKE IN THE HOUSE! EVACUATE!"  And of course, the detector in question was 15 feet off the floor, so Nick needed to get the ladder out of the garage and run upstairs to get to the detector to disable it.  It should be noted, that EVERYONE, especially Nick, was in a particularly delightful, restorative, deep REM sleep cycle at the time the alarm sounded, and response time was not at all quick on anyone's part.  After a frustrating 15 minutes spent arguing with the detector, Nick removed the batteries and silence was restored, leaving the now wide awake family to focus on a house full of smoke and now 10-degree temperatures outside.  Thankfully, after a few hours, a number of open windows, and some skillful use of blankets, the smoke was cleared, the oven was cleaned, and relative peace returned. Happy Thanksgiving!

Our boys with the Hilty family

The entire gang

Luke decided to get his Thanksgiving food coma underway 1 minute before dinner started. We ate in an unusual degree of peace.

Joanne trying to diffuse the smoke from the sugar rolls baking in the oven.

Aunt Jill, me, Wes and Joanne

We headed up to the mountains for Thanksgiving to enjoy some rest, relaxation and the best Thanksgiving snow since the 90's.  I was really looking forward to getting on the mountain since I had to take last season off.  Unfortunately for me, my ski clothes, which Nick thought we up at the Vail house, ended up being stored at home.  So no skiing for me but we did end up making it to the rec center pool in Avon to play with the boys.