Wow! It's been how long?

Where has the time gone?  I really haven't posted on here for over a year?  The kids are so much bigger now and so much has changed.  I can't believe I forgot to do a post for when Roman started Pre-K.  But to say we had a lot going on would be an understatement.  It saddens me I haven't kept up with my blog.  Not for any readers I may have, which I'm pretty sure is non existent.  But its a diary of sorts, a way to remember what's been happening in our lives.  As one day runs into the next, it all becomes a blur and its really sad on my part I haven't been keeping track.  I mean, Roman is almost done with his first year of school, what?  Dominic starts Pre-K in the fall and just like that they are both out of the house.

The biggest change is we moved into a house with more space for everyone.  We were really starting to feel cramped in our first home.  We spent almost a year looking in and around the city we live in and would you believe we found a house in the exact neighborhood we were living in? We really were not trying to stay in the area, we wanted a change, but this is were we ended up, c'est la vie. And of course all this happened, the move, Roman's first week of school and Mike going to Italy (bad timing) the exact same week.  I would just like to say, never sell your house and buy a house at the same time.  Nobody needs that level of stress.  If we ever move again, we're selling the house, hiring movers and I'm not doing a thing.  I hired movers to unpack our POD (since Mike wasn't here) and that was the best thing ever.  I used the app VanMile and they had someone out the next day. So people, that's the way to go, don't try to do it yourself. 

Let's see, what else, Roman loves school.  I definitely like the structure it provides.  Since he's in PreK they provide the breakfast and lunch, so he's also exposed to different foods, which is good since he's such a picky eater.  He's getting better about talking to new people and not as shy.  A much bigger interest in reading than before.  He actually gets excited about reading.  I know it'll be good for Dominic to go next year as well, I just worry since he'll only just be 4 when he goes how he will react.  Roman was almost 5 when he went so he was more mature.  I guess time will tell and if Dominic is really struggling we can always pull him out and wait another year.

In other news we ended up giving Coco away.  The boys were just too rough and everyone was stressed.  We gave her to a friend and she is thriving where she is and I love seeing updates on her.  Such a sweet doggie.  Will there be another dog in our future? I don't know.  Its been over a year since having a dog and I still miss Leela but I don't miss the responsibility of dog ownership.  I think we'll just stay cat people for a while.  When that special dog comes along we will know it.

So that's about it.  Just been staying busy raising kids, working on the house (updating old fixtures, yardwork, etc), meetings and service, basically life.  I still try to take a portion of every day and just slow down for one minute.  If it means sitting on the couch when Dominic says, "mommy, sit" and points next to him because he wants to cuddle, or stopping whatever I'm doing to see whatever Roman wants me to look at because I know now, how fast it all goes.  Roman is constantly telling us he loves us and we have to say "I love you too" right back and he'll smile.  Dominic still says "I lo'l you" all the time but now punctuates it with sloppy kisses (probably why I've been sick all month).  I notice I don't pick up Roman as much as I used to, he's getting too long and gangly. I can only carry him for a short time now.  Just another part of growing up.   The current words he gets wrong are hamburger, hangabur and basket, backset.  Which are so cute, and don't nobody correct him, because I love it.

I have more things to post about the boys but I'll try and write another post devoted exclusively to them.  Becuase this post is turning into a novella.  Thanks for stopping by and catching up.  We are still here, just been busy.  Till next time...

Who is this kid?

Losing a Pet

This post is a departure from my usual fare of kid life and travels.  Last August our first baby, our furbaby Leela was diagnosed with cancer. A mass appeared on her right leg in June and grew rapidly.

Treatment was too expensive and our normal vet couldn't do the surgery because of the location, we would have had to go to a specialist.  So we decided to make sure she was happy and comfortable and not in pain.  That stupid tumor kept growing, her last few weeks I could tell it was hurting her to walk.  We increased the pain meds, I had her on a holistic diet, trying to get every last day we could with her.  But then the time came, we knew we had to let her go.  She stopped eating, could barely walk and she was suffering.  We did the kind thing and her euthanized in December.  Its not an easy decision to make but we were there with her till the end telling her we loved her and giving her hugs and kisses.   

Its been a month since we had to say goodbye.  I thought, ok, we'll be fine.  We'll just be cat people.  I have my girl Padme and my boy Vader.  But when you have had a dog companion for over 9 years the house is so quiet when they aren't there anymore.  I mean don't get me wrong, the boys are super loud and crazy as ever.  But when they are asleep or out and you don't have your dog buddy there it feels so empty.  We've been going on weekends to different shelters looking at their dogs.  Mike would find one he liked or I would find one I liked but we couldn't agree on the same one.  It got to the point I was getting anxiety searching for another dog.  I decided enough, we aren't going to look anymore I can't take this stress.  Then on Tuesday, I was near the Charlotte shelter after work and decided to just pop in and walk through the dog section.  And there she was, happy little face, tail wagging, running up to the door to greet me.  This tiny little dog not even phased by all the other dogs barking and making noise.  I knew I wanted a smaller dog around 20-30 pounds only because so many places discriminate against larger dogs.  There would be times we wanted to take Leela and the people would tell us no she's too big.  It didn't matter she was completely housebroken and would never do anything in the house.  So I ask to see this little tiny happy dog.  They bring her into the meet and greet room and she runs right up to me giving me kisses.  She melted my heart and I decided to adopt her.  I couldn't bring her home till the next day because she had to be spayed.  That night and the next morning I felt like I was betraying Leela by getting another dog.  How could I do this to her, replace her?  But here's the thing, she can never be replaced.  She will always be our first baby, we brought her home as a 10 week old puppy and raised her and trained her.  We gave her a home and a family.  She will never be forgotten and was an important part of our lives all those years.  By getting another dog, another pet, is a testament to her memory and how incredibly awesome she was to us. 
So me and the boys picked up our new doggy yesterday.  Even though she just had surgery she saw the loud, rambunctious boys and wagged her tail and tried to lick them.  They were both so excited.  As we got in the car Roman said, Mommy, Leela will like the doggy.  Yes, Roman, Leela would have loved her.

Meet Cocoa

Time keeps marching on

I looked at my blog and I realized I haven't posted since March.  That's just awful.  I've thought about posts and what to write and just as quickly the idea disappears.  Some things seem redundant if I post again.  A lot of what we do day to day is the same and doesn't seem post worthy.  I had to scroll back through my photos to see what we've done since March.  Me and my mom took the boys to the beach back in April all the way down in Florida.  We had a super fun time, just sight seeing, chilling and meeting up with friends.  I wish all vacations were that relaxing.  Not to mention the boys absolutely loved the water and the beaches near Saint Augustine are superb.

Lots of trips to the park, shopping and Target.  Me and Mike took off for a quick weekend to Barcelona, while fun, was exhausting.  The food was amazing.  Let's see that brings us almost into summer, more trips to the park, lots of water activities either pool or splashpads.  My grandmother Martinez passed away end of May and almost the whole family on my mom's side converged in Oxnard to celebrate her life.  It was nice seeing everyone even though it was a sad occasion.  Back home, more of the same, trip to Durham and day at the beach with the fam, Regional Convention in Greenville, weekend in DC for a race with my cousins.  That brings us to August, lazy summer days, movies in the park, trips to the library and Ikea.  So that's what we've been up too.

Boys are doing good, getting big.  Roman likes to build things and redesign whatever he's building.  He's currently obsessed with Angry Birds.  Why can't he be obsessed with an educational game?  Dominic has a great imagination, he'll be flying his plane making plane noise, or marching to something, talking on the phone (if its a real phone or a remote it doesn't matter), walking around playing his guitar.  He still loves to laugh and give kisses and hugs.  They are both super active and when they get going are completely wild and loud.  Eh but whatever, you are only a kid once.  Roman is going to be four soon and I can see the difference between him and Dominic.  Its so nice having a kid who understands what you are saying and mostly listens.  I say mostly because, c'mon, he's still Roman and he still does his silent protest of laying on the ground and not moving or taking off at high speed into a roped off area because hey its roped off lets check it out.  Dominic has a great high pitch cry he likes to do when something isn't going his way.  I can't wait for this phase to pass.  But then again they are growing fast.  Roman now has a big boy bed and we took the crib rail off Dominic's bed converting it into a toddler bed.  :(  No more babies in our house, just a toddler and a little boy.  Even on the days when they are driving me crazy at the end of the day I love them so much and just give them hugs and kisses even though Roman says ewww stop mommy.

Anyways, here's a video from our summer.  Enjoy!

No, No, No

When Roman was about 15 months old I started getting newsletters from BabyCenter talking about how the child's vocabulary will start to expand.  One of their new favorite things to say will be No and how to deal with that problem when it started.  So I waited and waited.  Roman turned 2, then 2 1/2 and finally 3 before he started saying No.  But he never said it like you hear, no, no, no.  Just a matter of fact, No, I don't like that and he moved on.  So I was like, hmph, okay, every kid is different I guess.  Then comes along Mr. Dominic.  He's been saying various words for a few months now.  And his favorite thing to say is No.  Not just one No, multiple no's in escalating voice till he is screaming it.  Course I can't remember what BabyCenter said about how to deal with this problem.  And frankly I'm too tired to care.

I am just amazed how two kids can be so different.  Roman has always been full tilt, running in every direction with tons of energy.  He just doesn't stop.  Dominic, he likes to play, but he listens more, doesn't wander off too far (I say too far because in comparison Roman would take off at full speed in the mall and be on the other side before I even got out of the store. Hence, why he constantly wore his Monkey backpack till he was 3).  Dominic tends to stay in a 10 - 15 foot radius of us which is fine.  Dominic loves to give snuggles and kisses.  Roman wants a quick hug (usually to see what's on the counter and if its something to eat) then to be put back down so he can get back to business.  Roman started off eating everything, but as he gets older he's getting pickier and prefers all food Italian.  Dominic is a more open eater, willing to try anything at least once and he prefers rice and beans with a side of avocado per his Mexican heritage.  Dominic is more into books and will sit quietly and play.  Roman is into trains and making things crash. Dominic is very gentle with the dog and cats and Roman is pulling their tails.  Roman is real smart, he knows his alphabet and numbers and he's constantly spelling out names and words that he sees.  Both boys enjoy music and will dance.  Roman sings along with me to Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and Twenty One Pilots.  And of course some of their favorite shows are Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Masha and the Bear, Disney Animated Collection and they watch Voyager and Star Trek Movies with me. 

I am excited to watch these little guys grow but it would be nice if they slow down just a bit.  Because Dominic will be 2 in June and Roman will be 4! in September. 

Mr. Dominic

Roman doing his favorite things, choo choo, eat and sleep

My family

Fly the Friendly Skies

After doing a whirlwind trip to California I came back with a couple of insights while flying with small children.  I don't really have an issue on the plane with my kids (the airport on the other hand, oy vey! Sometimes Roman just doesn't want to walk).  They have both been flying since a young age so they know the drill.  I usually have a car seat for Roman and as soon as we take off he usually knocks right out.  Course now that he is getting bigger he likes sitting in the regular seat too like a big person.  Dominic does best when he can get down after he wakes up.  He likes to stand and walk a bit in between our seats.  Gives him a little freedom and keeps him from getting antsy from sitting all those hours.  I like flying non stop because I don't have to worry about lugging the kids around an airport but when there is a layover its nice too because it breaks up a long flight and everyone can stretch their legs. Unless you have a short connection time and by the time you do a potty break you barely make it to your next flight which is in completely different terminal (true story, had ten minutes to spare before take off). I carry snacks and the kids tablets and now that they have wi-fi on planes I can play a movie for them on the airplane's entertainment page.  Finding Nemo was a big hit on the way to California.

What I did want to mention is if you are flying and see a parent struggling don't be afraid to ask if they need help.  This lady sitting two rows in front of me, her poor kid was cry/screaming for the whole first hour and a half of the flight.  I mean loud!  He woke Dominic up.  No one offered to help her or asked if she needed anything.  The lady right in front of me was all annoyed.  I got up and sat with her for a bit, asked if she needed anything and just talked to her for a few minutes.  I couldn't actually hold her son since I had Dominic but in those few moments, her son calmed down and at least she knew she wasn't alone.  Since I was traveling alone with the kids this time it was hard for me to walk on the plane carrying Dominic and a car seat.  The first flight, one of the flight attendants helped me, the second one, I struggled halfway down the plane before a nice gentleman got up and carried the seat the rest of the way for me and my last flight when we were in line to board a guy behind me carried the seat all the way on the plane for me.  That really helped me a lot.  I know, people with no kids wonder why people with kids have to be in the same space with them.  But try to put yourself in their shoes.  They don't want their kid screaming on the plane, they are probably embarrassed and tired and just wish they were in their final destination already.  Even if you can't help a kind word and a smile go a long way.  That's my little tip during this busy travel season.  Safe travels everyone!

Traveling with Kids

Hi, sorry I've been gone for a bit.  I've been busy (go figure) and I haven't had any ideas for the blog as of late.  As you  know, this is just my area where I give the odd update on the kids or talk about some random going ons in my life.  I'm woefully behind on updating the blog seeing as its almost September and the last update was in April/May?  I don't even know. So if you are a loyal follower thanks for sticking around or if your new here, Welcome!

I've had several ideas for blog posts floating in my head, how the kids are doing, the cute way Roman pronounces words wrong, he still calls water, wa-wee, sausage is saucy, hot dog is hogog (I could go on).  The day he pronounces them right I'll probably cry.  Or how he repeats me and when I tell him wait, he says wait and puts both hands up.  How he loves to march to some songs.  Or how Dominic gets on his little car and glides across the floor like a pro. Or whenever you tell him bye or he's leaving the room he'll wave to you and walk away.  Cute little things that they do that I'll forget when they get older.  Darn you bad memory.  See how I got sidetracked there...What I wanted to talk about today was traveling with kids, specifically small children.

So when we travel we tend to go all out.  Going to New York?  Great!  Lets do a road trip and stay in a different place every other night.  Going to California to see family?  Awesome sauce.  Lets do 2 days in LA, 2 days with family and fly over to Reno and drive to Lake Tahoe for funsies.   Yah, we do crazy things like that with an almost 3 year old and just turned 1 year old.  So how do we do it you ask?  Well, even if you didn't ask I'm going to tell you.  Determination.  Ha!  No, but seriously it involves planning.  If you have ever traveled with me you know I like to have my itinerary.  I plan each day out, where we are staying, sites of interest, optional travel routes if necessary.  But with kids its also important to be flexible.  Sometimes you get to your location and both kids are sound asleep in car seats.  Well, that's nap time then.  Or if you have been driving around for a bit and you see an awesome park, pull over and let the kids play.  The best moment from our recent trip to Malibu, stopping at Bluffs Park in  Malibu.  It wasn't scheduled, I just saw it while driving and since what we wanted to do was closed decided to take the boys there.  They loved it.  It had a great play ground and a really nice walking trail right on the coast overlooking the ocean.  And Roman only tried to walk over the side one time so its all good.

So besides my itinerary, with small ones, its important to have lots of snacks on hand.  Sometimes you can't stop for lunch or dinner is going to be late.  Well you can't tell them to just wait, especially a 1 year old.  I always have fruit pouches, crackers, lots of water, granola bar or nutri grain bars on hand to hold them over.  Now while flying, I can't bring a ton of these on the plane and suitcase, so I like to stop at a grocery store at some point during the trip and pick up some extra.  However, I don't like packing just a few diapers and having to buy some when we get to our destination.  I always pack diapers and wipes for the whole trip.  Some people like to buy those when they get where they are going but I don't like doing that.

Lastly, sleeping arrangements.  Roman is easy since he just sleeps in our bed.  Since Dominic is still little, we travel with his pack and play and he sleeps in there.  It really helps out even though its a pain to bring along.  Its a familiar place for him and it keeps a sense of consistency even though we are in a new place.  So those are my little travel tidbits for traveling with kids.  1) Have a plan but be flexible 2) lots of snacks and water 3) keep some sense of familiarity for the small ones.

As always, here's some photos from our most recent trip to California (August 2016).  Till next time!

This is how you get around the airport with two kids.

Roman looks so grown I almost cried.

Ready for takeoff!

Layover in Nashville.  Dominic checking out the planes.

Dominic always making friends.

Made it to Hollywood and the famous TCL Chinese Theater.

Hanging out on the pier.

That Roman is such a ham.

Fun at the playground.

Unexpected car problems, means shiny new playthings for baby.

Much needed break at winery for parents and children.

Breakfast with the grandparents.

Roman seriously was in love with this icecream cone.

He also loved the ocean.

Walking a million miles to the observatory.  Its in the far right hand corner of the photo.

Sometimes, kids get sick when you travel.  Be prepared with thermometer, home pediatrician's phone number and children's tylenol (which I always forget to pack).

Love our pack n' play.  Take a nap child!

Riding the gondola up the mountain

I was a nervous wreck in this picture, terrified Roman was going to throw himself out of Mike's arms over the side.  But had to play it cool and pretend I was totally chill.

Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe.

Super fun slide at playground in North Lake Tahoe.

Playground in North Lake Tahoe

Aren't I adorable?

Just the two of us acting like we are traveling alone.

Super fun time at the arcade in the hotel

Someone is glad to be home.

The end of a chapter

Its crazy to think that Roman is 2 1/2 years old and that Dominic will be 10 months next week.  Roman seems to have slowed down a bit in growing, even though he did just recently jump from 2T to 3T in clothing size, like overnight.  I put a dress shirt on him the other day and the sleeves stopped way above his wrist and he looked like he was wearing a crop top.  Our little guy is getting bigger all the time too.  I don't realize it until I see him next to a younger baby and I'm like, oh yah, you are bigger than a newborn. He's into size 9month/12month pants and 9 month onsies.  He's not as porky as Roman was at that age but he's very long or I should say tall.  But the point I'm getting to is we are quickly outgrowing our baby phase.  Dominic crawls all over the place, he pulls up to stand and he'll take a few steps holding our hands.  He is lazy though, he'll tend to sit down after a few steps and crawl away.  Like dude, this is too much work just let me crawl.  He's eating all kinds of things even though he only has two teeth.  He doesn't let that stop him.  Even though Roman was/is a big eater I think Dominic is the one who will eat us out of house and home.  He is not picky in the slightest and eats everything. 

Another change, a couple of weeks ago I had to admit that my breastfeeding days are almost done.  I had the 24 hour flu about a month ago, I think.  And it was a doozy, I could not keep anything down.  To just function I took some Theraflu so I could at least try to attend to the kids.  The combination of being extremely dehydrated and taking the Theraflu greatly decreased my milk supply.  Thankfully Dominic has no problems taking a bottle (unlike Roman who refused all bottles and would just wait till I got home from work).  He's always taken bottles while I'm at work, either pumped milk or formula.  After having the flu, though I couldn't pump anything and I wasn't producing enough to keep him satisfied when I was home.  I came to the realization that this is it.  No gradual tapering off at 12/13 months like Roman.  Just done.  I still can feed Dom before bedtime but that's it.  The rest of the time he is on formula.  I know my days are numbered for the bedtime feeding too, I'm just trying to make it till he's 10 months (only 9 more days).  I know some people are like, well at least now you can do whatever without worrying about feeding him or that I'm being silly about it.  But it never bothered me, I always enjoyed our little time together.  I still hold him while he drinks his bottle but its just not the same for me.  I know there are ways to try and increase your milk supply but why prolong the inevitable.  A couple weeks ago, I was nursing him forever and he just kept crying because he was hungry and I had nothing so I had to give him a bottle.  Oh he was so happy and content finally.  I've never had a problem giving him formula.  As long as he likes it, its fine with me.  I read your body goes through this crazy hormonal thing when you stop breastfeeding so it could be my hormones talking and making me emotional.  I didn't experience this when I stopped breastfeeding Roman but he was a little older and I was pregnant with Dominic at the time. 

I realize my little baby is growing up and moving on to the next stage, toddler and I'm just not ready.  And that my toddler is actually a pre-schooler (that's what he's called in my babycenter emails) and I'm like excuse me?  Didn't I just have babies a second ago.  Oh well, such is life.  They can't stay babies forever.  I am just doing my best to try and enjoy each and every stage.  Even though I could really do without Roman's running away from me when we are outside stage or laying on the ground and refusing to move so we have to drag him.  Can we skip that please? 

So to all those breastfeeding mama's out there, enjoy it while you can because before you know it you'll blink and you'll be done.

My little sweet pea

Potty Training Days

So we knew eventually one day the diapers would have to end.  Roman wasn't going to be graduating high school in them you know? lol  I've tried a couple times in the past several months to initiate potty training but he just wasn't ready.  He would cry and scream putting him on the toilet or potty.  So I decided to wait till a later date.  I really needed support from the other adults in the house too because me doing it by myself was exhausting.  Not only with Roman but trying to keep up with a demanding baby.  So when my mom told me a month ago, "I'm working on potty training Roman today." (this was on a Monday on the day she watches him) I was like, ok cool.  So just like that we ditched diapers.

The first three days were the worst.  He wasn't letting us know when he had to go or he would tell us after he went.  We didn't do the bare butt method because he would just pee where ever and go on playing.  So we had him in underwear only in the house.  Finally on the fourth day we had the breakthrough.  He peed his underwear and instead of changing him right away I made him stand there wet for 5 minutes while I cleaned up the mess on the floor.  He hated it!  He did it again a little later and I did the same thing.  No lie since then he lets us know when he has to pee.  Now I'm not saying he hasn't had accidents since then but the majority of the time he tells us.  In the past week he's only had a couple accidents.  He's holding it all night and during naps.  So its safe to say we have number one down pat.  When we go out I put him in pull ups just in case but the rest of the time its underwear.

Now if we can only have success on number 2. Ugh.  That my friends is a post for another day.

One month down

We are already in February.  Seriously, where did January go?  Boo.  So I've been meaning to post something but I can't think of anything to write.  I don't want to bore my loyal readers with our day to day life.  For me it may be exciting but I'm not sure everyone shares my excitement.  Its just the same old thing going on over here.  Maybe I'm in a writing funk.  I read other blogs and they have funny quips and silly stories.  Or perhaps useful advice.  Sometimes I do think of useful things I could tell others but I forget to write them down.  Having mommy brain doesn't help either :p   Sounding like Debbie Downer over here.

With that being said, I'll get you up to speed on our going ons.  Roman is saying more words and sometimes a sentence or two.  Cutest thing are he calls the moon, "moop" and boat "bop".  And if you ask how old he is, he says "TWO!!" and holds up one finger.  Can't get that other finger up.  Dominic is crawling all over the place now.  Just like Roman he is fascinated by the dog's water bowl.  Never seen a kid crawl so fast to splash in some water for a few seconds before we take it away.  Poor dogs and cat, they are so thirsty all day. Trying to get Roman to be nice to his brother.  Sometimes he's gentle with him and gives him a kiss and then other times he runs over him with his dump truck.  Seriously kid?  He definitely is showing some jealousy because Dominic does take a lot of my attention.  So I'm trying to make sure I spend time with Roman and get down and play with him as well.  Dominic is eating solids now.  He eats alot!  Even though Roman was way chunkier as a baby, I don't remember him being so hungry all the time.  Roman's favorite cartoons are still Toy Story, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Masha and the Bear.  He likes other cartoons as well but those are in his top three that he asks for consistently.

For a follow up on my last post regarding Roman's sleeping habits. It hasn't really improved.  If we want him to sleep in his room, I have to sit in the glider and wait for him to fall asleep in his bed.  If I leave before he's asleep he gets up and comes to our room.  Sometimes he falls asleep in 10  or 15 minutes, but I've sat in there for up to an hour on multiple nights.  He's not playing either, he's just laying in his bed, but he'll pop his head up and look to make sure I'm still there.  Even when he does fall asleep in his room he usually wake between 4-6 and comes to our room and gets in our bed.  At least we have the baby sleeping in his crib all night so there is room in the bed.  I figure at this rate by the time Roman finally stays in his room all night Dominic will be the one coming in our room.  Hooray for us! Haha!

This should be a pretty busy month for us, we have Circuit Overseer visit this week and next week we are going to the Circuit Assembly in Salisbury.  I feel like there is something going on in the latter half of the month but I can't remember right now.

So that's our life right now in a few paragraphs.  With that I leave you with these photos and videos :)

Being adorable at all times

Serious boy who loves to eat and play (He's eating a costilla)

Nighttime Blues

Its been just a little over a week since Roman figured out how to get out of his crib.  It was so cute, I hear a light thump and a door opening and closing and then he comes in our room all happy.  So we put him back and he was out before we could even get back into our bedroom.  Tried lowering his bed to the lowest setting but he was like, whatev's I got this now.  He could get in and out.  The first night we gave up and let him sleep with us.

The next day I went to Ikea and bought a toddler rail.  When I got home I took off the front crib rail, really was no point seeing as he could get out.  He thought it was the coolest thing he could just climb in bed with no big rail blocking him.  I was hoping he would be so fascinated he would stay in his room that night.  Nope!  We tried several times putting him back in his room and amidst all the tears he finally went to his grandma's room and climbed in bed with her.  So he slept there the second night.  Tuesday night he miraculously fell asleep when Mike was reading him a story.  We weren't so fortunate Wednesday night, he went to bed crying.  Thursday was the turning point.  Mike was working late so I had to get him to bed.  We did our usual routine, bath, story, prayer and into bed we go.  I also talked to him, told him he had to stay in his bed, we each have our own bedrooms etc. etc. Of course he starts crying as I am about to leave, mind you he used to love going to bed before he figured out how to get out of the crib.  Bedtime was super easy back then.  So I left his room and held the door closed.  It was the most awful feeling, I had to fight back tears as he was screaming and hollering on the other side of the door.  It felt like an eternity but maybe only lasted 15-20 minutes.  I heard him finally go lie down in his bed and go to sleep.  I felt like I was torturing my baby but I knew it was for his own good in the long run.

Since then its gotten a little better.  Same bedtime routine and he only cries for a minute then goes to sleep.  Last night I was putting him to bed and he was trying to reason with me.  He was sitting up in bed and I said, "Roman you need to go to sleep so we can do all these fun things tomorrow." Roman says, "Why?" Me, "Well if you don't go to sleep it won't be tomorrow." Roman says, "Why?". lol!  Oh my goodness, the why's have started already.  Fun side note, when Roman calls me I respond by saying, what? He then repeats my what, even when we are asking him to do something.  What?  I need to capture all these moments on camera they are hilarious.

If its not one kid not wanting to sleep its another.  Let's hope this phase passes quickly.

What?

Almost December...

Well November sort of blew by, didn't it?  Honestly if you ask me what I've done so far this month I couldn't tell ya.  Probably snuggling with my babies, taking them outside to enjoy Jehovah's creation, and watching lots of Toy Story and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  All of us know how to do the hot dog dance.

The boys keep on growing.  Roman's vocabulary is growing but the only new words I can think of right now are "saucy" for sausage (he has to have his sausage every morning), "wawee" for water, "mickey", "toys", and "Buzz" from Toy Story.  He has so much energy.  Even this past week with a cold he keeps right on going.  We went to a congregation gathering the other week and Roman was all over the place.  Playing with the balls, running around the yard, rolling down the family's garden embankment (at least there was one other little boy rolling down the hill too so I didn't feel so bad).  People kept telling me "He's all boy" and then give this knowing look.  I'm like yep, but what I think they were really saying, "Are you going to get a hold of your kid, he's all over the place."  But hey, guess what, he's two and not hurting anyone, just running around having fun.  And not to burst their bubble, but I was the exact same way at two.  Did people used to tell my mom, "She's all girl."  I doubt it.  I don't know that just annoyed me after awhile.  But I digress.  I'm taking the boys to a music class in a couple weeks.  Its for ages 0-7 years.  Roman really has a musical interest so I don't want him to lose that curiosity.  He takes my dad's guitar and likes to strum the strings.  And I know I've said it before, but we are going to try potty training again next week.  We are all off for the whole week so I think this will be the best time.  Course if it proves too traumatic we'll just wait till another time.  Roman does let us know when he's gone the bathroom in his diaper its just a matter of making him go in the toilet.  Fun Fun!

Dominic is growing right along.  He'll be 5 months on Sunday!  Just insane.  He's very aware of his surroundings, he likes to grab his teething toys and put them in his mouth.  He's an expert roller now as well.  No more leaving him on the bed by himself.  If I sit him down, he'll sit for a few seconds then usually falls forward.  He's also taking naps in the crib so that means I will be moving him into his crib full time.  Sad but I'll finally be able to rollover in bed again instead of lying there like a log all night.  When he was born he had a head tilt to the right from being squished in my womb.  We've been doing exercises and its a little better but his doctor recommended him to get Physical Therapy.  He'll be starting at the end of the month.  And he definitely has "mamitis", he'll be fussing with Mike or my mom and as soon as I get him he's perfectly happy.  He's going to be mama's boy because Roman could seriously care less about me sometimes.  I'll be leaving and he's all "bye" Felicia.  Course I wonder where he got that from, probably me, ha!

So that's a little update on our family.  Next month my sister in law is coming down with the kids for a week so that'll be fun.  That is if we don't all go crazy with 4 kids under 5 in the house. Till next time, ya'll have a Hot Dog Day!

My big boy is 2!

Wow, just wow! I can not believe Roman is two.  I distinctly remember being excited and giddy to meet him when I was pregnant.  Those first few months just drinking him in and enjoying every minute.  Then I blinked and he was one and we were expecting another baby.  I blinked again and he was two.  Now that he is two, he is learning new things every day and testing his boundaries.  His vocabulary is growing even though he is perfectly content to hold a conversation in gibberish.  At night before bed he'll sit on your lap and just "talk" about stuff.  I'm not sure if he is telling me about his day or that he is scared of the boogeyman because he keeps pointing at the door.  Either way, its super cute.  Also, some nights after we put him to bed we can hear him talking to himself.  Its not right away either, it'll be 30 minutes later.  Last night he was talking and singing for almost an hour before he fell asleep.  I had to record him so I don't forget.  Here's a sample from last night.

Roman understands us when we are talking to him.  When he's done eating we tell him to pick up the food he threw on the floor and he'll pick it up and throw it in the trash.  If we ask him if he is hungry he'll say "eat" and point to the table.  Or if he's not hungry he just shakes his head and keeps playing.  When he's thirsty he says "choose" for juice.  Not be confused with "shoes" when he wants to go out.  He says "cook" for cookies.  Umm, what else, "chess" for cheese.  He says "fruit" well.  I can't remember how he says milk but he does say it.  He calls Leela, "La" and Dominic "babeee".  He also loves giving his brother a kiss on the forehead or giving him his paci or a blanket.  He's good about giving us big, sloppy kisses as well.  He loves to say "buh bye".  Even when he is throwing his diaper in the trash he'll tell it "buh bye".  Oh and like I mentioned the other week on Facebook, he says "no" and "mine".  Usually combined, "no, mine".  haha!  It sounds so cute in his little voice. 

But its not all roses.  Sometimes he tests are patience with his independent streak.  You tell him not to do something and he gives you a look and does it anyways.  Kinda like this cat


At the meetings he doesn't want to sit still for nothing.  So if you see us at the meeting and he's sitting on the floor playing with his books, please don't judge us.  We just need a break. We are trying.  Some days are better and he'll be good and sit there or fall asleep.  Those are the best days.  haha!  We'll get there eventually.  Parents with older kids constantly tell us that'll pass.

But even when he's being stubborn or falling out cause he didn't get his way, I wouldn't change it for the world.  When he came into our life, my heart grew by loving this little human.  I look forward to our journey and just taking it one day at a time.

Love you little man.

Children 2.0

Ok, I am woefully behind on updating my blog. Sorry my loyal fans, life has gotten in the way.  How rude, right?  But I digress.  Everything has been going really well on the home front.  It was a bit of an adjustment having a toddler and a newborn.  But now that two and half months have gone by I feel pretty good and have a good rhythm going with them.  I won't see routine cause every day is different but we are doing well.

In the  beginning if felt like Dominic was up all night, every night.  I'm sure it only lasted a couple weeks but it felt like forever.  I was having major sleep deprivation and Mike had to go to back to work, so the beginning was a bit of a fog.  Now though, he's sleeping 5-6 hours at night, which is awesome and he's super chill.  He's totally cool with us putting in him his bouncer or swing and just hanging out while we get stuff done.  He is a very happy baby, since the beginning he's been smiling at us (and its not gas).  He loves to coo and talk, I try to record it but everytime I get the camera out he stops and just stares at it.  Last week he discovered he can grab his feet, so that's his new thing just holding on to them.  That is when he's not kicking like crazy.  I think that's why his legs aren't getting super chunky because of his constant kicking, haha!  He also takes a pacifier which is amazing!  Its amazing because Roman never took one so if he was fussing there was only one way to calm him down.  Which Dominic, its like here ya go!  Also, in case you don't follow me on Instagram, Dominic is a very big baby.  With Roman it felt like I was carrying a sack of flour, just so heavy and compact but Dominic is long and heavy.  He's too hard to hold with one arm, always have to use both.  Last checkup a couple weeks ago he weighed in at 14.5 lbs and 25 inches long.  So he's coming right along.  He's already trying to rollover, he's does a half turn onto his side.  He needs to slow it on down.  I'm trying to enjoy every moment with this baby since we are 99.9% sure we aren't having anymore (I say 99.9% because nothing is 100% in life).

So Mr. Roman is almost 2 years old! Yikes!  He is just a ball of energy.  If we don't make him take a nap he'll just go go go.  And when I say go, I mean go! AND FAST!  When we go out we usually keep him in the stroller or if we are doing a lot of walking he has a bear backpack leash.  Now I see some people judging us and giving us looks but they don't know.  I want to say, hey do you want to chase him through a crowded sidewalk or into a busy intersection?  When we are at home he knows not to cross the street and to hold our hands but out in public all bets are off.  He's talking a lot more, he still does mainly gibberish but he's very expressive and gestures a lot so we usually can figure out if he wants something.  He understands everything we say, if we tell him to get something or throw something away he knows exactly what we are saying.  His new favorite thing to say is "Did ya poop?" which sometimes sounds like "Ze poop?".  So anytime someone passes gas he'll ask, "Did ya poop?".  Its hilarious.  He says, book, shoe, stuck, yuck, jet, more, done, mom, stick, daddy, zeta and a host of other words which I can't think of right now.  His new favorite fruit is watermelon and he still loves beans and rice.  Broccoli is hit or miss with him now.  We are trying to get Roman out there to experience new things.  He loves the beach but isn't so sure about the ocean yet. He's perfectly content to sit and play in the sand.  He likes the pool but it takes him a few minutes to warm up to the idea.  I took him to a splash pad the other week and I had to physically put him in the middle in order for him to try it out and not be scared.  We went to a baseball game and he did not like the fireworks at the end one bit.  He held onto Mike and kept his head buried.  On the other hand, he loves flying.  We just went to Chicago and he was like whatever no big deal.  I took him on the kids train at the mall and he thought it was a hoot.  Choo choo as he calls it.  Meetings are still a struggle, he's slightly better but still likes to cause a ruckus.  He's a work in progress but we love him to the moon and back, our little munchkin. 

So that about brings you up to date on the Regina household.  Hope everyone else had a great summer, so until next time here's some photos to hold you over.

At the beach, riding the choo choo and face off with Micah, lol

Service with daddy, checking out the jets

Dominic's motto "I love to sleep"

Happy baby and fireworks don't scare him

Two weeks home

This is what its like to have two kids.  Its interesting.  Not too hard but mainly because baby just eats and sleeps.  So he's pretty low maintenance.  It's amazing I forgot what newborns are like, I mean I remember the no sleep at night but its one thing to remember and one thing to live it.  lol!  Roman has taken really well to being a big brother.  He's very gentle around Dominic, loves to give him kisses and wants to hold him.  Of course, Roman wants to sit with us if we are holding Dominic, but that's to be expected.  One big, dogpile of kids. My only concern is I don't want Roman to be bored being home all day because of the baby.  So trying to keep him busy.  I know the doctor says keep the baby home for 4-6 weeks but ugh, hard to do when you have a toddler.  So we've run errands, I dropped in and visited Janell yesterday.  We are heading back to meetings next week.  So that should be fun. Dominic will be 3 weeks so he should have some sort of immune system built up by then, right?

Per usual I can't believe its already been two weeks.  We waited forever for the little guy to get here and now he's been here a whole two weeks. Time flies.  On that note, Roman is 21 months and 2 weeks.  Now that Dominic is here Roman looks so big.  People always told me he was big but I couldn't tell.  He's into everything, his new thing jumping off the couch.  I don't know where he learned that, thinks he's superman, he really leaps off.  Talking all the time.  Still a lot of gibberish but sometimes I can figure out what he means.  He says Hello, Bye Bye, Soap, Lets See Now, Daddy, umm a few other words.  He'll repeat words too when I tell him.  I ask him what does the monkey say and he goes "oooh oooh ahh ahhh".  So cute.  My mom has been taking Roman with her to the meetings since we've been home with the baby.  She says he's doing really good sitting with her.  We will see how he does with us when we go back next week.  Seems like kids always do better with someone else.  I'm looking forward to the Regional Convention, its a few weeks away.

All in all, I think we are doing good.  Mike really helps out with Roman and cleaning around the house.  Since he can't really do much with Dominic right now.  Plus having my mom here is a big help as well.  That about brings us up to date.  Till next time kiddos.

Faces of Dominic