Happy 2nd Birthday to my boys!

Today we celebrated the boys' 2nd birthday.  What an amazing and quick 2 years we've had!  I am totally exhausted tonight and will post more about this milestone soon, but here are some photos from today:

Birthday cupcakes with Hanukkah candles because Mommy remembered to bake but not to buy candles:

Learning to ride his new tricycle with Daddy:

Tricycle shopping:

 Daddy and Grandpa Nick assembling the first tricycle:

What happens when there is only one tricycle but two little boys who want it:

the fun had to end some time

Shortly after my last post, at 12:30 on Tuesday morning, Asher woke up vomiting.  And he kept it up every 30-45 minutes for the rest of the night.  Then Eric started throwing up.  Benjamin mostly managed to sleep, but he was the only one.

By the time the sun came up, Asher was just retching, miserable.  I gave him a little water- he was crying, begging for water, water, water- and it came back up.  I called the pediatrician and had them page the on-call doctor, who said to wait a while, give him more water, and if it came up again, we should go to the ER.  So, one hour later, we were packing up to go to the ER.  I told Eric, and he said he couldn't come with us because he didn't feel well himself.  So Meema Alison and I went.

Benjamin had several very runny diarrhea diapers in the span of about 30 minutes, so we decided to take him, too.  He really seemed ok, and if he had been our only problem we would have stayed home, but I figured better to make one trip with both of them than need to come back later with on seriously ill child at home.

I had to call and cancel all my clients from the ER.  They seemed understanding, fortunately, and some of them rescheduled for later in the week.  But they were the least of my worries at that point.

Eventually, the physician's assistant at the ER decided that we could give Asher some Zofran to stop his nausea and vomiting, and then see if he could hold down fluids.  First we had to wait to get the Zofran, then wait for it to settle, then drink fluid, then see if that stayed down.  It took forever!  In the meantime, Benjamin was going nuts and we were told he was fine, just keep him hydrated and feed him a bland diet.  My mom took Benjamin home and turned right around to come back for Asher and me.

Asher managed to keep some watered down juice down, and they let us go home with the promise that if he hadn't wet his diaper by 4 pm, we would call the pediatrician.  He fell asleep on the way home, and then I hopped in bed myself.  I was so exhausted.

I went to work on Wednesday and again on Thursday.  I got so lucky and seemed to avoid the bug, but poor Meema was not as fortunate.  She got sick on Wednesday.  I told her, "no good deed goes unpunished!"

For everyone but Asher, the bug was short-lived.  Asher preferred to drag it out.  Although he seemed to improve, and was eating some food by Wednesday, he got sick again on Thursday in the middle of the night, and then again on Friday afternoon.  Friday for dinner we gave him liquids only, even though he was clearly starving and crying for food. It was heartbreaking!

Asher finally seemed better yesterday.  That's why I haven't gotten around to writing about the trauma- Asher's illness dragged on, Benjamin will only nap if I'm not in the house, and nothing has gotten done (other than our 10 loads of laundry).  Eric and I had plans to organize our belongings this weekend- nope.  It has been a tiring and frustrating week, and I am eager to start a new one.

Tomorrow the boys turn TWO!  I can't believe it.  I wish their birthday wasn't on a Monday, but I hope to still make it a special and fun day for them.  And then they can celebrate again when we have their birthday party in a little over two weeks!

First day of summer... no, wait, last day of winter?

Today our beautiful weather continued!  We started with a trip to the zoo, where the guys were in great moods and extremely cooperative.  They listened to me well, and I let them both out of the stroller at the same time and had no problems.  We saw the big cats, some primates, and went for a ride on the carousel.  Here are the guys on the carousel:

Benjamin pointing at the jaguar Asher was riding and saying "woof, woof!"

Before the ride started, Asher wasn't so sure if he liked it

Once it started, he loved it!

 Then we went off to the petting zoo.  The boys were equally interested in the animals- ducks, chickens, and rabbits- as they were in the tractor.  I almost lost Asher over the wall into the duck pond!  Another mom was ready to catch him as he launched himself up onto the wall.

Playing politely on the tractor- they took turns

 Asher really loves animals.  He hugs every cat or dog that will let him, and was quite affectionate with the smelly goats and sheep at the zoo.  He isn't scared of them, unless the dogs bark very loudly or get aggressive with him.  Benjamin spent his time in the petting zoo figuring out how the gate opened and closed.

Asher grooming the sheep

 The boys staged a simultaneous nap boycott in the afternoon, so we went out to Uncle Ed and Aunt Jane's.  They invited us for dinner, and the boys had a great time getting pushed on the tire swing.  I loved that swing when I was little.  It is amazing how big and strong the boys are.

 We had hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill and ate outside.  Here is Uncle Ed speeding up the coals with a leaf blower!  I told Eric one might think that's an argument for gas grills...

 At the end of dinner, the boys tried on Daddy's hat.  Benjamin looked super cute:

 And Asher is super cool:

The only sad part was that Benjamin had a little more diarrhea after dinner.  He was very upset about it, but fortunately I had packed extra pants and shirts in case of accidents.  We hosed off in Jane and Ed's shower and he made a full recovery.  Just more laundry for me!

We got home from Jane and Ed's to find that neither one of us had remembered to close and lock the front door.  It was wide open!  The screen was closed, but it was an open invitation to a burglar.  I was really nervous, and we walked in and I looked around, thinking, "Our house has been ransacked! What a mess!" and I slowly realized that everything was exactly where we'd left it...  No burglars, all our valuables still here, just like the mess we'd left hadn't cleaned itself up.

This weather is amazing, I keep forgetting it's only March.  I am thoroughly enjoying the weather.  Of course my mom, who is not known for optimism, pointed out that we will probably have a horrifically hot summer, so I better enjoy it now.

Enjoying the beautiful weather!

We have been spending a great deal of our time outside these past couple of weeks.  Tonight we had our first dinner of the year out on our deck!

Here is Asher, taking time to stop and smell the daffodils:

And Benjamin, trying Daddy's leftover ketchup.  He seemed to really like it.  And then he ate some more at lunch, too.  And then, unfortunately, he threw up his lunch when he went down for a nap.  P.U.

I was originally going to complain a little about Benjamin's funny tummy, but now that he is clean and asleep in bed, and the clothes and bedding have all been washed, it doesn't seem so bad.  Then I talked to my mother-in-law, who told me that there was a fatal car accident outside of her house last night, and I realized my troubles are really so small.

Overall, we had a nice weekend.  Last night we celebrated my dad's 60th birthday with my family and their friends.  We brought the boys over and got them down to sleep upstairs at my parents', which we haven't done since they transitioned to their toddler beds.  It was surprisingly successful, and made me hopeful for all the upcoming trips we have planned for the spring and summer.

We got to see a lot of Aunt Elana, eat a lot of delicious food, and enjoy the sunshine.  Tomorrow we're going to go to the zoo and enjoy more of our perfect weather!

afraid of change

I have always been afraid of change.  In spite of that fear, I have lived many different places and tried different things, but always with a fair amount of anxiety involved.

I was folding the boys' clothes and thinking how several of the items that I love, which they have been wearing once a week or so for the past 4 months, are getting sort of small on them.  Pants that are starting to show their ankles, shirts that are starting to creep up over their bellies.  I started to think about how I will soon put those pants and shirts away, and they will never wear them again.  I remember going through this anxiety when they were little, and changing so much each minute, but the anxiety has been much lower until recently.

thumb-sucking Bear baby

With their second birthday approaching quickly, I am having similar feelings of anxiety- and of loss.  I know Eric thinks that I am missing out on the pleasure of the present when I worry about the future, and maybe to some degree I am, but it also keeps me mindful of how grateful I am for what I have.  In worrying about what I will lose, I am acknowledging how much all of this means to me.

Mr. No-Nap fell asleep in his chair again

The boys are so wonderful right now, even with their toddler boundary-testing.  They are so loving to each other, to Eric and me, and to their friends and family.  They love giving and getting kisses and hugs.  Asher, despite his independence and bravery, still has his moments of being a baby, and will crawl into my lap for a snuggle.  Benjamin is so funny- he loves to "argue" with us, and will say "no" no matter what we ask him, will tell me the sun is the moon, and that elephants are dogs.

hug in progress

Today the boys got new sneakers, and you could see how excited they were to have new shoes.  They wouldn't take them off and we walked out of the store with the tags still on!  I remembered shopping for their sneakers last August and watching them take tentative steps in them.  This time there was no stopping them.  At the playground, they are so physically capable and confident, when a year ago almost all the equipment was for children older than they were.  They are amazing little people.  I know that I am a crazy mom, and that of course I think my children are wonderful.  I just hope I always feel this way, and remember to take the time to appreciate them- and to know that my fear of the future is because I am so happy in the present.

Benjamin stages a nap boycott

Isn't he too young to be done napping altogether?  I don't know how to get him to nap!  The past few days, Benjamin has decided that nap time is play time, and has been jumping out of the pack n play and running around the room rather than sleeping.  He is definitely tired, but not letting that stop him.  It's a little rough for me, because with Asher getting up early every morning I kind of count on nap time as a chance to rest and gather energy for the rest of the day.

Yesterday Benjamin fell asleep while watching a movie around 4 (that was my hope- he was pretty crabby!).  Here is his beautiful, peaceful face:

He was asleep holding a toy car in one hand and a toy bus in the other.  And he is currently asleep with them in his bed, too.

While Benjamin slept, Asher and I had some play time just the two of us.  We had a little photo shoot:

"Say CHEEEEEESE!"

"I'll take that!"

Today we had a busy day, despite having nothing scheduled when we woke up in the morning.  We decided to do our make-up class at Gymboree, since it was raining and we weren't sure what other play options we would have today.  We did our grocery shopping for the week (our grocery bill seems to go up each week, help!) and then had lunch before Asher went down for his nap.

I left Benjamin snuggling with Daddy on the couch while I went out for a jog.  I signed up for a 10 mile race that takes place on May 6 and I need to get in shape!  I have only ever run 3-4 miles at a time, so that is only a fraction of the distance I'll need to run in 2 months.  Last week I did a run with the City Sports close to us, but this morning it rained so I skipped it and went on my own after the sun came out.  So far, so good- my long runs are planned to be on the weekends so that Eric can be with the boys, and shorter runs are during the week, and I can take the boys out with me.

After I jogged, Eric wanted his time alone and went to the driving range.  Of course Asher woke up a minute after he left, so the boys and I went to play at a nearby playground.  We took Meema with us, but she is still not feeling well, so she left as soon as Eric joined us.  The boys seemed to have a great time at the playground, but Benjamin wouldn't put his little car down, so his climbing was somewhat inhibited.

While at the play ground, Asher and I met a little sheltie dog.  Asher really loves animals, and will pet and hug any cat or dog he meets.  Not all animals return his feelings of love and affection, though.  Our cat Peanut hides all day in the basement until the boys go to bed.  Trouble is slightly more adventurous, but runs when the boys get too close.  Trouble has submitted to some hugs and pets, which makes Asher very happy.  Asher also has a nighttime routine that when we go upstairs for the boys to take their bath, Asher will go into our bedroom and hug and kiss Trouble goodnight.

We came home from the playground and I cooked dinner, and we ate as a family.  Asher is on a fresh fruit strike, so both boys get raisins (Benjamin calls them "azzizzizz") and prunes after dinner for dessert.  They love them, so I limit them, but let me tell you, the boys are pretty regular these days! I also love dried fruit, and once ate so many dried apricots that I threw up, so I am not looking to pass that experience on to my children.

Even though Asher was the one who napped today, he was also the one to ask to go to bed.  Then Benjamin fell apart, and was quite happy to crawl into bed holding his yellow school bus in one hand and his red volkswagen beetle in the other.  Now both boys are asleep, and I am enjoying my chocolate ice cream and mommy television.  It is amazing how exhausting one day can be!