Ate Up Amateur

Family Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Wagliardo) — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 13:51:00 +0000

The poor neglected blog! But here are some family photos we had taken last fall!

Sad but Thankful

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Wagliardo) — Tue, 10 Nov 2015 22:23:00 +0000

I'm feeling really sad today. Really. Sad. Being a grown up sucks. It just does sometimes. Life gets complicated somewhere along the way and it makes me sad. And there are only so many things you can do to "fix" the world, you know? Your situation. I am doing my very best to do everything I can to move us in a good direction, but I feel as if even the people who should be there with me moving in the same direction are sometimes pushing against progress. I'm frustrated. I'm angry. I'm tired. I'm worn out. I'm sad. I cannot help to change anyone else or make anyone do anything. But I am in charge of my own attitude, so I'm going to do something about that.

Here's a quick synopsis. Two years ago, friends, S was laid off. While his location was going very well and throwing off positive cash to the corporate office, because of some investments made before the 2008 downturn and a larger than acceptable debt load, the parent company was ailing and needed to shed cost. It was difficult for him to process this turn of events at first, but ultimately it was a good thing. That's right, something GOOD came out of what seemed to be only bad. The good thing was he reduced his stress level, which was high, immediately. He had been under immense pressure and was seemingly given less and less control over changing that situation in the workplace. So, getting out of there was best for his health. And, it allowed him to be fully present and part of BB's birth. And feel like himself again. Restart, regroup. And, I had a great job, we had a low mortgage, manageable expenses, and a great network of family and friends nearby. We made it through, and we were fine. We were beyond fine, actually - we had some very special moments during that time.

He didn't even look for a new position for a while. He took a break. It was most important for him and our family to reset. Once he began looking, it took a while for him to find a new position, and it required us relocating across the country. There were not a lot of jobs out there when he was looking then, and so he cast the net wide. Moving meant selling our house, leaving my job, leaving our friends and family. Changing everything. Finding a new house, a new community, a new doctor, dentist, dry cleaner. A new school, new church, new friends. It was hard. It was a tough transition, because we moved a whole family to somewhere new!

We did it! I lead the charge! I didn't work outside the home, I put my heart and soul and hours of work into it, and I got us settled. We made friends. I found ways to connect. I found where to buy all the things we like to have. We settled LM into preschool and little BB into Kindermusik. LM played sports, we found a home, a great school district, a community. It took deliberate effort, but we really have a place here now. And, for the first time in 22 years, I was within driving distance to my family! We can drive there for short weekends, and they come visit us, and it's really, really nice to have that again. Also, I loved not being in the heat of a Texas summer. It was ah-mazing. I didn't even really mind the winter. It was almost cathartic to have four seasons in my life again. Yes, we miss our Texas family and friends, but we also have new friends and new stronger connections with family up here, and a wider network of love. And an opportunity for new experiences and expanding our mind.

At the same time, S started a job that never, really, from the first day, was what they sold him. They paid to move us across the country, and placed him in a situation that was not of his making and tied his hands from fixing it much of the time. Then, they took on obligations that tied up their cash. And, the personalities were never a good fit. But he worked all the time. He invested in the job. He worked hard. He made inroads even when the road was tough. He wasn't meeting the community much, though, or getting to know this place we now live. He poured himself into a job that wasn't ever great to try to make it work. And then, after only a year, they laid him off. Just like that. After all of this, they did that. Beyond our control, beyond our imagination, beyond fair. And this time, I wasn't working, we had a bigger mortgage, we had less in savings after the big move even though it was paid for by the company, and we are in a place we have just begun to know.

Luckily, due to a wonderful, generous connection I have, I was able to find work fast. This has been such a blessing and has kept us afloat. And the job market in general is much more robust than two years ago, and we are not living in the middle of nowhere. We are living in a place where many jobs are generally available. But, S is still looking for work. In a new place where he has not made many connections. Not that his vast network in Texas lead him to a job there either before we moved, but the network here is even smaller. So we are leveraging every angle. But, it's hard. And frustrating. And sometimes it's easy to dwell on the bad. Or think going back to the familiar is the only way. There has to be some reason we are here and a new path for us to find and blossom along. I mean, look at what happened two years ago - it seemed horrible at the time, but it was ultimately good. There will be good! But all of this is currently making me sad. It's bringing me down. And, I don't like to feel like this.

So, all of this is to say, I need to get out of this funk. There is a world of possibility out there, friends! And we have skills! We have opportunities many will never have! This is just a blip in the road! So, to try to get out of this funk, after writing all of this down, (which is therapeutic in itself) I am now going to list good things about this little ol' life of mine. Because, sister, the good outweighs the bad. It always does. And I - WE - are blessed people. We have so much compared to most humans on this earth. We are capable of so much - of many things - we are not living on Mars - we are living in a wonderful place - we are not without options and new adventures. It's just we aren't sure what those are yet. So here goes - the good in my life:

- my God. My God has not forsaken me. Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief. Create in me that which is always good and wholesome and full of love. Even in this dark hour and confusing hour, I can find strength in my faith, which waivers regularly, but I know will always sustain me.

- my S. He is my love, our Daddy, our smart guy. He makes us laugh, can pack a mean suitcase, makes some of the best pizza in the world, can wash, fold and put away laundry, and he is very handy. He knows how to read books to little guys, throw any kind of ball you're interested in catching, calm an upset child, give a fabulous hug, dance a mean jig, and even clean a toilet. He loves us. I could go on... He also can run a multi-million dollar company and is a whiz at controlling costs and motivating a team. He has so much to offer, so much great experience, and is so ready to be back at work. I want this for him, and I want it today! (patience is not one of my strengths...or S's for that matter. Ahem)

- my boys - MY BOYS! What a blessing I have in my boys! What a joy they are, what amazing little beings they are, what a lucky woman I am to have them in my life. I mean, seriously, the fact I have these boys...I don't have the words to express what that has meant in my life.

- my brain - it's always been an asset. Ha. I am a fairly smart girl, and I have great education and some even better experience. I have worked long enough to know what I'm doing but not long enough to not be able to keep learning.

- a fabulous family, near and far, that love us and care for us, and want only the best for us. We love them. We are so blessed with these people. These God fearing, loving, lovable, positive, generally happy and healthy people. We have all of our parents who are fabulous grandparents to our children, and wonderful sounding boards and friends to us. We have siblings and cousins, aunts and uncles and others. We are not alone. We are part of one crazy mixed-up group of people that love us. And that is wonderful.

- friends in many places! Dear friends of many, many years from school days, college days, old work colleagues, church friends - you name it, we know some amazing people. They do all sorts of things with their lives, and they are all good humans, and they are so good to us. I wish I could talk to all of them more often, I wish life brought us back together more regularly, and I wish only the best for all of them.

- my health - excepting that I am fat as a tick and need to desperately lose weight and move more, I am in good health. So many people I know cannot say that, so I have my health, and I also have a healthy family. These are amazing things.

- a history of good jobs and a good network - wherever that network is, and no matter how helpful they are or not, we have a good history, and that's more than a lot of people can say.

- a house that I love. It was important to S that we buy a house here - not rent - buy - to be settled, to give the boys permanence and stability. And, while it was no easy task, we found a great house in a great neighborhood with wonderful neighbors. I love where we landed. I feel like Someone lead us there. There is a peace about the space and place. The boys fit there well. It is a good place to grow. And, by the way, this house has heat. And running water, sewers and electricity. Windows and doors that lock, and many more things much of the world would love to have. It's a great house. A wonderful thing.

- transportation that gets us where we need to go. So many people don't have this luxury. It is a luxury for sure!

- my job! Something to keep us afloat. And, wonderful new people to meet and work with, and new skills to gain and new things to learn, and new situations where I can help others. It's taken a while to get settled in, but I'm getting my feet on the ground and feeling good.

- fall leaves, crisp air, sunsets, a warm summer evening, snowballs, the new life of spring, walking barefoot in the grass, feeling the breeze on my face, sitting around a cozy fireplace, swimming in the salty ocean water, feeling the waves push up against my body, digging the sand into my toes

- kissing my sleeping child, reading a good book, a warm bath, my bed at the end of a long day.

- egg salad, pizza, ice cream, chocolate, green beans, a great salad, walnuts, asparagus, popcorn, Tex-Mex.

Clearly, this list is representative of the things I have to be thankful for. But, it's a good start.

See there? I'm already feeling better. I can keep on keepin' on. And by writing all of this down I can look back at it in a little while and laugh at my worry. I can make it! We will make it! We can do it - we can keep our eyes on the prize. We will be fine. I will not be sad.

It is not lost on my how this whiny post is really that - whiny. I - we - are privileged beings. We haven't begun to know the misery others face. I know nothing about really having to suck it up and live. I only know the tippy top of slightly uncomfortable middle-America suburban despair. And now I can remember that a little better now than when I started this post. Thanks for the therapy session!

See you soon.

Halloween Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Wagliardo) — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 15:22:00 +0000

Before yet another holiday is long past, here is a recap of Halloween! Something that happened only three days ago!

First up, the pumpkins. Hopefully sometime soon I can share the photos from our fall shenanigans at pumpkin patches and what not. We picked two pumpkins out of a pumpkin field and we received one more at a halloween festival. The boys set out to decorate them using a new set of carving tools S found at Target. They decided to score the picture into the pumpkin, instead of cutting all the way through, and score the backside so you could see it glow. It worked pretty well. LM was the producer and director of the operation, choosing the designs and dictating their flow.

While the carving was going on, BB and I were very helpful. BB moved all around the house, occasionally requiring someone to retrieve him. Then, he decided to rummage through the pantry. In there, he found some cheese-it packets left over from football snacks. He decided to pulverize those for us. I took photos, of course, including a selfie. See how helpful we were? I know! So helpful!

The pumpkins came out great anyway!

Now we move on to the costumes. LM had his face painted at a harvest festival we attended, and we went to a halloween festival at the sports complex with his little friend Clayton. Friday morning, BB's Kindermusik class dressed up, so he participated. Then, there was a class party at school and the actual day of Halloween neighborhood shenanigans.

The cutest batman around.

Posing for Mom

With Clayton

Clayton has been the same thing for Halloween for three years. He really likes this costume! I think it's so cute, and clearly his mom made a good investment!

Here is a side-by-side of LM and BB in this lion outfit.

On to the class party!

The dressed up, and then the K-5 classes had a parade!

Our sweet neighbor friend!

LM's little buddy from preschool that is now in kindergarten with him too!

And Clayton was there too!

Then we went to the classroom for a party!

We read a story...

And we did a fun dance...

And we had a snack!

These cuties came to the party!

And the room moms dressed up as their kids...I know, you're glad I told you.

Now, on to Halloween!

We were "Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh my!"

The neighborhood dressed up and looked great!

Cute little lion.

Then it was time for trick-or-treating...

...and visiting our friends and neighbors.

There you go. We did it up big. And, now we are on to November! Phew!

See you soon.

Kindergarten is in Full Swing!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Wagliardo) — Thu, 22 Oct 2015 23:00:00 +0000

LM and one of his buddies from preschool at the back to school picnic.

Since I didn't get a timely "first day of school" post up, let me share those photos and some others regarding Kindergarten this year for our LM. So far, he LOVES it!

Sack races at back to school picnic!

He loves school, is making friends, and loves his teacher and the other teachers at the school. He attends a very small public school, and has only 14 students in his class.

On the first day.

They are learning to write better, read, explore the worlds of science, music, art, yoga, Spanish and more! The school has a chicken coop and a garden, and they are getting to work with those special areas as well.

Because the school is so small, they are clustered by grades, so he does many things with kids in K-2. They also have a "buddy" program where they are paired up with a 7th grader (the school is K-8) and LM has really enjoyed this as well.

Since the start of school, S had the opportunity to be a part of the mystery reader program. He went to class and read LM's current book favorite, Big Mean Mike, to the class.

They have also participated in harvesting the garden, picking both corn and potatoes. LM's teacher is so great to send along photos of activities as they do them, which is a nice way for us to follow along. The kids dressed up like pirates one day to present their song about the school's guiding principals to the older students. And, they had a big celebration on National Punctuation Day, where they began to learn about punctuation. They have also learned about fire safety and much, much more! This week we will have special senior's day, and right around the corner are Halloween parties and a Veterans Day event. So, Kindergarten is off to a great start!

See you soon.

Mythbusters: Farm Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Wagliardo) — Wed, 21 Oct 2015 16:00:00 +0000

I have just finished up my last farm visit as part of Illinois Farm Families City Moms for 2015. And, I wanted to summarize some of the common myths out there in the media, and used by marketers to make a sale, that were busted for me during this year of visiting farm families all over northern Illinois.

MYTH: "Organic" means "pesticide free"
FACT: "Organic" is a term that is regulated by the USDA and FDA. To use the term organic on your product, you DO have to meet certain guidelines, as outlined here. And, to use pesticides on an organic crop, it has to be an organic pesticide. Organic substances are not all "good for you" - they are just organic, meaning "of, relating to, or derived from living matter." People often think of manure or compost, which are both organic. But arsenic is also organic. The level of pesticide, organic or conventional, is not controlled by these labels, and you cannot really know whether that conventional product has more or less pesticide than the organic. You just know that pesticide that was used fit the organic guidelines. So, just be a savvy consumer and realize what is marketing and what is useful for your family. And wash your fruits and vegetables!

MYTH: There are antibiotics in our meat and milk supply
FACT: While sometimes it is necessary to give an animal an antibiotic to treat an illness, so it does not spread to the rest of the herd, it does not mean those antibiotics are in our food. There are well documented "withdrawal" times for every medicine. Farmers and their veterinarians know these withdrawal times. No animal is milked or sent to harvest until all of that antibiotic has left their system. Additionally, the great majority of antibiotics used on animals are not the same ones being used by humans. What's more, you don't have to even trust the farmer on this! The USDA is on hand all day, every day, at every milk intake plant or harvest facility, testing animals and milk. If the milk or animals are ever found to have broken the rules, the entire load of milk or animals is rejected, the farmer doesn't get paid, and they are put on a watch list. When on that list, they are subject to further scrutiny and testing that costs them more money. Farmers want to follow the rules. Farmers want to make money on milk or animals they have spent money to raise. It's their livelihood. It's that simple.

MYTH: Non-GMO means healthier and safer for your family
FACT: First, it might be useful for you to know why GMO foods were begun in the first place. Along with corn and soybeans, another early successful GMO seeds was for papaya plants, and the seed allowed for an entire crop to be saved from a very invasive virus that, if left alone, would have eradicated them from the planet. You can learn more about that here. Additionally, GMO seeds have increased yield on plants, allowing leaders to feed more people with less land around the globe, where there are increasingly more mouths to feed. GMO seeds require less pesticide use than non-GMO crops. And, in over 40 years of testing, there has not been one test that has indicated there is any change to your food, eating GMO or non-GMO. This is a multi-layered topic, but you should know there is no empirical evidence to support the claim that non-GMO foods are healthier or safer for your family.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of the things I have learned as a City Mom. I am now a more informed consumer for me and my family. I am so very grateful for the opportunity to participate in this program.

My Big Boy is 5!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Wagliardo) — Thu, 23 Jul 2015 11:00:00 +0000

Just minutes old

Five years ago today, I got my very pregnant body, which had been struggling with blood pressure issues and did not enjoy the Texas summer heat, up and went to eat at IHOP with S and Dad at 4am - and gave birth to this boy at 1:11pm. Oh, how he has changed our lives forever!

One year old

He is so smart, interesting, stubborn and active. He lives life in a BIG, physical way. He has so MANY questions about this world of ours, and usually those questions are very interesting, even if I've had my fill of them at that moment. He thinks anyone he meets of any age is a potential friend and wants to hear his life story, and tell him theirs. He loves to imagine and pretend play.

Two years old

He loves having the "right" outfit for every occasion - be it the firehouse, the baseball field, or Easter service. He is such a loving big brother, and sweet boy. He keeps this old mama on her toes, and on good days I keep up with him.

Three years old

Four years old

He will be off to kindergarten soon, which is amazing to me! He might a visual mini-me of his Dad, but has a sentimental inside that is all from his Mom. (poor boy!) He has enriched our lives beyond measure.

Five years old!

Last night, when I went in to tell him goodnight, he said, "Mom, what is tomorrow?" I said, "It's your 5th birthday, silly boy!" And he said, "Oh yeah, right!" with a goofy grin from ear to ear. Happy, Happy 5th Birthday to our LM!

All About Mom by LM

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Wagliardo) — Sat, 06 Jun 2015 16:03:00 +0000

A friend posted this series of questions on Facebook the other day and said she wanted other people to ask their kids and post their answers. So, I did. I'm compliant like that. Here are the questions and the answers, given by LM, age 4. I post them with no comment.

1. What is something mom always says to you? Don’t do it
2. What makes mom happy? Bringing flowers to you
3. What makes mom sad? Not giving flowers to you
4. How does your mom make you laugh? Tickles my armpits
5. What was your mom like as a child? Short with blonde hair

6. How old is your mom? 41
7. How tall is your mom? 41 feet
8. What is her favorite thing to do? Go do fun stuff with me
9. What does your mom do when you're not around? Read a book
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? Playing a guitar
11. What is your mom really good at? Entertaining me
12. What is your mom not very good at? Nothing

13. What does your mom do for a job? Play with me and BB
14.What is your mom's favorite food? I don’t know
15.What makes you proud of your mom? When she makes a beautiful painting
16. If your mom were a character, who would she be? Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz because her skin looks like wood
17. What do you and your mom do together? Go out to the museum
18. How are you and your mom the same? Same color hair
19. How are you and your mom different? Different color eyes

20. How do you know your mom loves you? She always shows a sign of it
21. What does your mom like most about your dad? That she gets to see him on the weekends
22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go? Chuck E Cheese
23. How old was your Mom when you were born? Pretty old!

Technology on the Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Wagliardo) — Mon, 25 May 2015 19:32:00 +0000

I enjoyed another day with my fellow City Moms recently, when we had the opportunity to tour the Meyer Saathoff Family farm. The focus of our visit was to learn about planting crops, specifically corn and soybean crops. I am sure there will be blogs that talk more about this process and the information gained therein. But, what I have been completely mesmerized by at this visit, and at our last tour to the pig farrowing farm earlier in the spring, is the amount of technology on the farm.

It is no wonder farmers are spending more time in the classroom, at industry events and networking with others than in previous generations, because to learn and use this technology has changed farming in many ways. It has helped mitigate some of the risk of farming for each family, and allowed for better use of soil, nutrients, fertilizer, seeds and pesticides, and ultimately allowed for larger yields with more targeted work.

For example, soil is tested in all sorts of ways to allow the farmer to have more knowledge and control. They can see what nutrients are lacking in the soil, and choose to fertilize to add only the nutrients needed for an upcoming crop. Or, they can choose to plant certain crops in certain locations that will allow for maximum yield. This testing helps the farmer spend resources only on the fertilizer and nutrients needed, and plan for the most effective crop rotation.

There is also extensive use of GPS, and tablet apps that track water retention in the fields on a real-time basis! And much, much more, but those are for another post. It's amazing how technologically savvy our family farmers have become.

A Friend Update

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Wagliardo) — Thu, 19 Mar 2015 02:54:00 +0000

After my last, sad "woe is me and my boy" post, I thought I better give you an update. I DID talk to his teachers and found out two things that made the whole thing a little less daunting. First, the boy who was taunting LM about not inviting him to his birthday party didn't have a birthday party. Now, I don't know if he just didn't have a friend party - that is my guess as this school doesn't seem like a place where a child's birthday would go unnoticed - but obviously this child was feeling insecure about the fact, and was sharing his insecurity with everyone else. Or, at least, LM.

Also, I learned there are "centers" in their classroom, and each center has a limit to the number of kids who can be there. The teachers thought perhaps this was part of the time when he was insinuating people weren't playing with him. They were just indicating the center was full, so he would need to move to a different one. The teachers had a talk about this with the children - how to best tell someone to move on, and how to tell someone you just arrived so to not be pushed out. LM reiterated the talk to me, and said it was important they covered it for another boy in the class. Ahem. Funny.

The teachers also said LM seems to play with everyone in the class, and seems happy to move from child to child, friendly with everyone. This is similar to his behavior in his class in Dallas, although he did have some special friends. So, it was nice to hear he had not suddenly become a quiet wallflower - ha - anyone of you who know LM know this ain't gonna really ever happen. So I should remember that!

AND, we learned one of the boys who invited him to a party will be in his class NEXT year - his school is a small one, and his preschool is in a slightly different area, where most children will go to a different school next year. But, learning one face will be the same was nice to know. I plan to invite that child over for a playdate in the near future.

What's more, the weather has broken into spring-ish temps, so we've been riding the neighborhood, meeting new neighbors. Everyone has been so nice. LM was able to meet a little girl who will be in his class next year, and learn about another boy who will also be in his class that we hope to meet soon. So, there are kids he can learn to know over the spring and summer.

If that isn't enough, a friend of mine in the mothers of preschoolers group invited him to a playdate with her son and two other boys, one of which will be in his class next year. My friend said LM especially hit it off with his future classmate, and that she really enjoyed having him over. She reported he wasn't exhibiting any anti-social behavior - quite the contrary - he joined right in, was a compromise finder, a problem solver, and very thoughtful to the other children. What a nice thing to hear.

So, isn't this a different picture? I am so glad I spoke with the teachers and we have found some other good leads on special future friends. This warms my heart and calms my worries. Until I think of the next thing to worry about.

See you soon.

Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Wagliardo) — Tue, 10 Mar 2015 03:17:00 +0000

I am a girl who has amazing friends. Some have been around since birth. Since preschool. Since college. Since we met at work. Since I moved to Illinois. But, in that long list of friends, there are some real gems. Seriously, I am a lucky girl. This cannot be overstated.

My boy LM has some great friends too - from school and his cousins - in other cities. Since he joined his little preschool last September, I have been waiting to sense him making real, quality friendships here in Illinois. I quiz him about what went on at school, and listen to the people he spoke about playing with on the playground or when they were doing an activity. Never did a pattern emerge where I got the feeling he was bonding with one or two children closely. So, of course, I kept asking questions.

Lately, though, he has mentioned how one boy he used to talk about as a friend was telling him and his other classmates that he wasn't inviting LM to his birthday party. He asked me why would this child do this to him? He also has said, when I ask who did he play with at school, that he was playing with this child or that child but then they said they didn't want him to play with them anymore, so he'd move on to another until he was told by that child the same thing and so on.

He has been invited to two birthday parties - both were to parties of boys he rarely mentions, so I can only imagine they invited the whole class. It's so nice of him to be invited nonetheless, but both times we have been out of town at the date of the parties. And, both times, I wrote the parents to express his regret, telling them we are new in town and thanking them for including them. Both times we sent gifts to school, and while one is recent so a reply might still come, so far, both times, no return email or thank you note. Normally this would mean nothing, but as I look for something that might mean my boy is making headway in the friend department, this is noticed.

Can I tell you how my heart breaks when he seems so sad? Can I tell you how he says hello to any child we see anywhere, anytime, anyplace, trying to find connection in this new place? Can I tell you how much he wants to play with other children - to be a friend? Can I tell you how much I miss his friends that he knew so well? Can I tell you what a kind, funny, smart, interesting boy he is? Why wouldn't these children find him to be friend material?

In the short term, I am going to speak to the teachers, to see what their perception is, and if perhaps there are some students we could invite over for one on one playdates this spring, or if there are other ways I can talk to LM about this situation. I don't want to swoop in and make it a thing, but I do want to help my boy if I can. I'm sure this won't be the last time my heart will suffer for my boy. Parenting is not for the faint of heart, is it!

In the long term, I know this is certainly a short term problem. I know he will make friends - hopefully this summer in the neighborhood, at camps, at church if we can ever pick one. And in the fall as they begin school together in a new place. He will. But, for now, my heart is breaking for him. Probably more than his heart is breaking about it.

Thank God for friends.

See you soon.

BB's One Year Old Party

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Wagliardo) — Sun, 08 Mar 2015 16:37:00 +0000

We were so pleased S's parents could come to the party from Texas, and Unk, Bevi, Isaiah and my mom braved the elements to make it from Indiana. We had great weather that day, but Indy had a bunch of snow, and my brother's family wasn't able to make it. And, Dad and Torchy made an appearance via FaceTime from Florida for the cake eating. We missed having them, but were glad for the group that were able to get here. Here are some photos from the party!

The big cake

The smash cake.

The food room

A photo retrospective - also the photos I used in BB's one year post.

For the record, I am not a fan of the stencil. Ahem.

The cute customized drink labels, akin to LM's first party.

(Although, she no longer uses etsy - she has her own site here.)

More decor

(and more stencil to paint over eventually...but back to the party!)

The favor bags, which were filled with different kinds of blue and yellow candy.

It comes in handy to have empty rooms in your house when it comes time to party.

Adam's present from Mom and Dad

LM had to help with presents, of course.

BB received a lot of very nice things.

He went for the flame - LM was scared of it. Go figure.

He seemed to like the cake!

BB thought Nana needed some cake too!

It was a fun day celebrating this little guy.

See you soon.

Baby Boy is One Year Old!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Wagliardo) — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 20:11:00 +0000

It doesn't seem possible that it's time to write this post, but my Baby Boy is one year old today. I have missed a few month's retelling on the blog...but I cannot miss this day! We celebrated his birthday last weekend, and I'll share some photos from that soiree on another post.

Newly born

On this day a year ago, we headed to the hospital very early in the morning. On the way to the hospital, we discussed the last few names we had on the table to decide on the ONE for our boy. With Little Man, we had one name that came to the front very early in the process, but this time, it took a while to decide on the best choice for our boy. But, we came to a decision on the way to the hospital. We were ready! There are more details about that day a year ago in this post.

One Month Old

The first three months of BB's life were at home in Dallas, with both of his parents, as S was still on his sabbatical and I was on maternity leave. This was a special time in all our lives for some many reasons - we won't certainly have such a time, perhaps ever again, when we were together full time, all of us. We were getting to know our new son and helping LM get used to having a sibling. It was a time of transition and special memories. We spent some time in Ft. Worth, as well as took a trip to Indiana for BB to meet his Hoosier relatives.

Two Months Old

Three Months Old

Just before his third month birthday, I returned to work, and made yet another transition. BB stayed at home with S, and LM was at preschool several hours a week. While I missed being home with my family, I enjoyed my work and stepped back into it full force for the hours required. In the evenings and on weekends, I enjoyed snuggling my boys and spending time with my family. Around this time we also baptized BB and enjoyed some time with family celebrating this important day in his life.

Four Months Old

Five Months Old

Shortly after BB turned 4 months old, and before his 5th month was to pass, S's sabbatical came to and end when he took an exciting opportunity that was to move us from our beloved Dallas - all our family and friends therein, to the Chicago area. It was a lot to take in. I left my job, we put our house on the market, started searching for a home further north, and made plans for a quick move. It was decided I would not work for at least a year to help the family make this transition. I am so glad we were able to do that, as I believe it has helped our family immensely during this time. Through all of this change, BB continued to be a sweet, mellow boy with the most even temperament.

Six Months Old - days before the big move

Seven Months Old - in the apartment

Our home sold the first day on the market, so we moved the weekend of Labor Day to Illinois, to a corporate apartment. We spent BB's 6th month there, and a little of the seventh. At his six month appointment, it was clear, while he is a happy and healthy boy, he was falling behind normal development in gross motor skills. While at the apartment, I started working with him to try to correct this slight delay. We spent many hours in front of a mirror on the floor, learning to sit.

Eight Months Old - in the new house

During BB's 7th month, in October, we moved to our new home. I cannot tell you how much I, especially as we are now settling in, love this house. We were out of space for quite some time in Dallas, and had put off moving for this reason or that. It is so nice to have a newer home with fewer creaks and moans, and more space. We still have some boxes, but we are getting there.

Nine Months Old (visiting Nana for Thanksgiving)

So, as the fall progressed into winter, we were able to really settle again after all this change, and start to make our new life in our new place. LM is in preschool, I am involved in a Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) group, S is working diligently at his new post, and we have a new routine. This has to be good for all of us, not the least of which is sweet, mellow BB. At his 9 month appointment, it was clear his motor delay was not better, but in fact perhaps a little worse. He did not stand yet, or crawl. This led us to be evaluated, over months 10 and 11, by Illinois Early Intervention.

Ten Months Old - Christmas Day

He shows no delay in any area, except motor skills, so he is now receiving physical therapy once a week to try to help him catch up to age appropriate development. While this is just now underway, it is going very well. The goal of early intervention is to help children catch up when they are most able to do so - when their bodies and brains are so young and pliable, so that by the time they reach school age they are ready to learn with the student body. At this juncture, given everything else, I believe BB will make quick progress in catching up in these motor skills areas, which is happy news.

Eleven Months Old

BB loves to eat - he is a good eater, and also not a very picky one, which I hope stays that way! He also, as previously mentioned, has the most wonderfully mellow personality. He LOVES LM, to the moon and back - and watches his every move if he's in view. He, now that he is sitting quite well and leaning from side to side, as well as twisting to reach things of interest around him on his tummy, has begun to play with toys quite a lot, and LOVE shaking links and small objects to get noise out of them, and balls. He also has a zoo train that he loves to push forward and back. And, he loves Mommy's (or anyone's, really) phone.

A Valentine photo...

He is also a very verbal child - imagine, me with two verbal children - he says Mama, and Ga for the dog, and Baba, dada, haha, ka, etc. He also love to make other noises with his mouth - raspberries, popping noises and the like. His favorite games are patty cake and peek-a-boo, which he will readily show off and play for you at any turn. And, he has an incredibly infectious laugh and the sweetest smile on the planet.

...and another one

Now that we are hopefully settled for a long while, it is reassuring to all of us. BB loves his own room and his own bed, and his own routine, and this, I believe, will do wonders for the whole family. I could not have imagined a more wild year, in many ways, and I could not imagine a more precious boy. How grateful we are to have him in our family. We love him very much.

Happy One Year Birthday, my son!

This year, I'll be a City Mom

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Wagliardo) — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 20:03:00 +0000

This year, I'm participating in a very cool program put on by the Illinois Farm Bureau - it's called Illinois Farm Families City Moms - and throughout the year, we will learn about where our food comes from and how to feed our families nutritionally. I blogged about the first week. (I know, ME, BLOG??? But, I promise, more to come) and it is posted on their website. Please read it and ask me questions!

The link is here: My first week as an Illinois Farm Families 'City Mom'

See you soon!

Merry Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Wagliardo) — Thu, 25 Dec 2014 21:01:00 +0000

Merry Christmas to you and yours.

Here's to a return to blogging in 2015!

A Baby Boy Update

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Wagliardo) — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 04:28:00 +0000

So, the last time I made a regular post about the Baby Boy, he was three months old. Last week, he turned seven months old. Ahem. Oh, and his big brother had a birthday too. But we'll save that for another day. Today is about Baby Boy. Here is an update on his little sweet life with a smattering of phone and "good camera" photos from the last four months:

So theses were the photos I took when he was 4 months old. This boy - this boy, is SO mellow. So calm, kind and sweet. I cannot overstate this. It's true. He's the best mannered baby on the planet. He really is. People comment on it when we are out in public all the time. He loves to be held and cuddled and talked to. He loves to stare back into your eyes and gurgle his affection right back to you.

He is also very long and lean - his length is in the 90% and his weight has been anywhere between 15-50%. So, skinny by baby standards.

On the day he turned 5 months old, we were on our first trip up to Chicago to look around and try to find a place to live. So, I snapped the shot above and the shot below in our hotel room, without the regular quilt and chair to take photos with.

BB has always shown interest in LM. But it was around this time that he really started watching him closely, laughing at his antics, and clearly enjoying his company. This is completely wonderful to watch. I love it.

And those eyes of his - they are so beautiful!

When we were back home in Texas, I took some "5 and 1/2 month" photos on the quilt and in the chair for posterity. These photos in this batch are from that day. You can really tell his long, thin build in these - he is filling out this 12 month size outfit in length, but not at all in girth.

In this one, he looks like a china doll to me.

As usual, LM has to get into the act.
Of course, I'm fine with that.

Later in August, BB and I took another trip to Chicago to continue looking at houses.
LM stayed in Dallas with his grandparents and cousins, which he enjoyed.

And then, he was 6 months old on the quilt!

I started to worry about his motor development sometime during the 5th month, when I printed off the "ages and stages" questionnaire I had to fill out for the doctor for his 6 month visit. There were many parts of the questionnaire that he wasn't hitting. I took him in early to ask the doctor about it, and I started being methodical about working with him on his motor skills. The doctor didn't think there was a neurological issue, or any reason to worry. He just thought he was maybe a little tiny bit behind. By the time of his 6 month appointment, he had caught up to be in the "normal" range for gross motor skills and only slightly behind in fine motor skills. And, his cognitive, social and communications skills are through the roof. So, I am still working with him diligently on his motor skills every day.

Social skills at this age - making great eye contact, smiling at people, especially and more easily to people he knows and recognizes, and making other faces/expressions to those he knows. Communication skills at this age - consonant sounds and lots of vowels and gurgles, high and low sounds, growling sounds, and starting to repeat consonants.

I'm not sure how I ended up with two verbal boys, but so far, that is exactly what I have! We will see if this stays the same as they grow and change. People comment on how their coloring is so different. Indeed their coloring is very different! But, they look a lot alike too. Genes are a funny bunch!

This was taken at our "house cooling" party just before we left Dallas,
and just after he turned 6 months.

I love this one of the three of us.

I was feeding BB fruits and vegetables, and even tried some rice cereal, once in a while, before he turned 6 months old. He did not do well with the rice cereal, so we have moved to oats. And, since he has turned 6 months, we eat fruits and vegetables with some oats thrown in twice a day.

And now, just before he turned 7 months, he pushed through two teeth!

He continues to improve in his motor skills - here he has rolled and scooted once again off the sheet I put down on the floor for him to play on. He also is using his hands more, grabbing for toys and bringing them to his mouth. That photo up there shows a bit of his happy, mischievous personality. He loves to laugh and be entertained, for sure. And, LM is happy to oblige on those counts.

And then, last week, he turned 7 months!
Photos on the quilt and in a stand-in chair at the corporate apartment.

And, while he's not sitting up by himself yet, he can sit for quite a while like this, resting on his hands. We are also going to add some oats and fruit at breakfast as well in the coming weeks, making our "food" eating three times a day. We are still breastfeeding - how simple and wonderful it is to be able to do that for him and not have to pump and make bottles regularly! I feel spoiled on this account, and honestly, probably saved me breastfeeding him this long. With LM I was determined to make it 6 months and then a year. With this sweet boy, the stress of the job was going to make it hard for me to do the same. But now, we can keep doing it as long as the supply keeps up. And, amazingly, when I'm not working and not stressed about a move - now that we are sort of into a routine here in Chicagoland - my supply has been more stable and plentiful. Imagine! Lower stress equals more milk. Ha.

When we practice sitting up and using our core muscles (both of us - ha) we do it in front of a mirror. This was a trick I accidentally figured out in Dallas before our move. When I put him in front of the mirror where he could watch that baby staring back at him, he was more willing to sit and work. So, when we got to Chicagoland, we bought a cheap back of the door mirror and placed it lengthwise on the floor so we can sit in front of it to help us enjoy our motor skills workouts.

These two are the best of buds.
I know someday this won't be the case, but I pray they will have each other.

Oh, how I love these boys!

So, there's a quick and dirty update on my sweet baby boy. Of course, we'll cover more fun things as I get updated on some of the other stuff we've been doing. I love him and feel completely blessed to get to be his mama.

See you soon.

LM's First Day of Preschool

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Wagliardo) — Fri, 26 Sep 2014 03:44:00 +0000

I gotta start somewhere and get back to blogging - I mean, this is my personal account of our lives - my diary - my scrapbook - my memories! So, why not start with the first day of preschool.

We are moved, sort of, to Illinois. We are still in a corporate apartment - closing on a house early next month. S's job is in full swing, I am getting used to being home full time, living in the Midwest, and in the suburbs all at once. I have to say the suburbs part has been the toughest so far - just not like our old neighborhood. But, it'll be fine. I'll get there. Lots of change for all of us.

And, after searching far and wide for a preschool with an opening for LM, we found one! He started last Monday. Here are some photos:

I made him a sign.

Yes, that's right people, I went to Pinterest, and I copied some idea there, and I made the boy a sign. And, by God, I intend for him to stand by it for the next 15 years. We'll see how long it lasts.

We visited the school twice before the day he started. At the beginning of the summer, his cousin Alexandra told him she was out of school for summer break. He wanted to know why he didn't get to go on summer break. Ahem. So, when we took him out of daycare in July before our move, we told him he was going on summer break. He asked me the other day when was summer break over, because he wanted to go back to school. He has been craving the stimulation, camaraderie and routine.

He was very excited to get back into school, and psyched about the first day. We decided to put him in three days a week, half days, so it's still way less than he was going before. We will see how that goes…

As an aside - I've been eating my way through this move. If you thought (and I did) I was fat before (because I was) now I am F-A-T. Seriously bad. Hoping to start reversing that trend in the coming weeks. Pray for me. Pray that I don't eat sweets. That's my downfall. Well, one of them, anyway.

Everybody had their photo with the school-day boy.

S went in late so he could go with us for the first day. We were a little early, so we showed S around the school, which he had not seen yet.

Checking out the class, the class checking out the new kid.

There are dress-up clothes. Everything will be fine.

Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn't address the backpack. That was S and his choosing - they are two peas in a pod when it comes to getting the most outrageously over the top thing when it comes to something like this. We could have gotten the ninja turtle one at Target. Of course we could not do that. He can hike the Appalachian Trail with that one, as my uncle pointed out on Facebook. Yes, of course he can.

S talked him into staying, and he had a great time. He's going to love it - love meeting new friends and having a new routine. And, sister, me and BB hit the mall for some much needed clothes shopping for me. I found a couple new tops before we had to go back and pick LM up. Tomorrow, I'm going to get a flu shot. We're exciting like that.

More later - I have tons to catch up on, and tons going on still.

See you soon.

Poor Neglected Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Wagliardo) — Sat, 16 Aug 2014 18:19:00 +0000

Oh my, oh me, oh my. I have fallen so behind here. And I don't have a really good excuse why. Life. That's what. But, the reason I like to keep this up is so I can sort of chronicle life, so I'm not doing so hot right now. Quickly, with hopefully more to follow soon, here is a snapshot update of what has happened in our lives since my last post on June 4th:

- LM played a season of t-ball

- BB was baptized

- BB is almost 6 months old

- We went on our annual excursion to Colorado where Mommy worked and the boys played

- S got a new job!!!!!!

- That job is in the Chicago-Milwaukee region

- I have left my job after almost ten years, and am home full time for at least six months

- LM turned 4, and we had a whiz bang party to celebrate

- As part of those festivities, my dad and Torchy, as well as nieces Cora and Veda came for a visit

- We "decluttered" our house and then this very talented woman "staged" it to look fabulous and like no one lived in it

- We listed our house in Dallas

- We sold our house in Dallas on the same day it was listed

- S started his new job

- We traveled to Chicago to look at the area and try to find a home

- We took a short jaunt to Indy between looking for houses in Chicago. That'll now be about a four hour drive

- We are getting quotes on moving by the end of this month to a corporate apartment until we have a house

- We are saying lots and lots and lots of good-byes

- And some other things I'm forgetting right now, but I am sure were also significant, if I were to remember them.

And none of this is made up. Ha! We've been busy. Life altering busy. And clearly there is a lot to talk about here. So, more to come.

See you soon.

The Soccer Team Photo

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Wagliardo) — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 15:20:00 +0000

Finally received this "official" photo from LM's soccer team this past spring. As you will remember, he didn't want to be in this photo. That greenery behind them is where he was hiding. And, apparently when forced into a photo not of your liking, it's appropriate to hang on the neck of your shirt. Ahem.

See you soon.

LM-isms

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Wagliardo) — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 21:27:00 +0000

One of his spring preschool photos.

A first of many posts, I'm sure - I'm trying to be more deliberate in capturing these things my firstborn child says...the logic, creativity and inquisitiveness of his three year old mind. Here are a few recent incidents...

In his new "big boy" pajama bottoms.

Recently, LM went with his father to get S's truck inspected, required annually here in our fair state. They were sitting in the waiting room while that procedure was underway. This entire establishment could probably fit inside my living room and den, so the amount allotted to waiting is very small. Apparently, they were sitting in this space with one other person - a woman in workout clothes. S reports "she" was definitely a "she" - but this did not stop LM from asking, in his loud LM three-year-old voice - "Daddy, is that a BOY or a GIRL?" S answered, "it's a girl" - and then LM turned around to check this info out again for himself, staring at the woman, while S tried to melt into the floor.

These are clearly phone photos...I wish they were better.

LM finished up his soccer season back in May. His coach is a photographer, so instead of the official team portraits, he set up his camera to take the team photo at the last practice. The kids were told to wear their team uniforms to said practice. While getting dressed in his uniform, LM expressed that he did not want to be in the team photo. We told him he had to be in the photo.

Fast forward to practice - the kids all lined up for the photo, S started talking to a parent for a moment, and when he looked back, LM wasn't there. So, he began looking for him - he looked for quite a few moments before finding him, hidden, in the bushes behind the photo area, standing completely still, so as not to be noticed. This is what he was doing to not have to be in the photo...S retrieved him and he was indeed in the photo...we don't have a copy of it because we missed the team party when we were in Indiana, but we hope to get one soon.

BB has the same aversion to riding in the car as LM did when he was a small baby - if the car is going, he's fine. If the car stops, he cries. One afternoon when we had been running errands and were all ready to be home, we had hit several red lights, and the crying from BB ensued. So, as we approached what was going to be yet another red light, S turned the truck into a retail parking lot and began driving in circles. LM asked what we were doing. S told him we were going to hit the red light, so he was driving in the parking lot to avoid having to listen to BB cry. LM's immediate response was, "Why don't we do this all the time?" Touche, young man.

In his "basketball outfit" which is on his body anytime it's clean.

One day we were talking to LM about his day, and he was telling us about his karate class at school. He was telling us who went to karate with him, out of his larger class. Max and Harrison go, as well as Syeed, he said. Then he stopped and asked me, "Mommy, what color would people call Syeed?" I said, "People would call him 'black'." He said Syeed was more brown. I said that he probably was, but that what people would call him, which was his original question, is black. Then he asked what color we were. I told him people would call us white. He said, "No, we are tan." I said, well we might be more tan, but people would call us white. Then he said, "Well, YOU are white, but me and Daddy are tan." Uh-huh. OK.

Similarly, LM recently gained a new teacher - a Miss Jackie. His beloved infant teacher is also named Ms. Jackie - that Ms. Jackie is black and one of our favorite people on the planet. This Miss Jackie is white. When he introduced S to her one day, he said, "This is Miss Jackie - not our Miss Jackie, but the one that is the same color as we are." Clearly noting skin color is a "thing" at the moment. The thing I am glad of is that he doesn't think this is any different than noting eye color, clothing color or anything else - it's just one more descriptor in his wheelhouse - not a reason to think differently about someone. I hope the world does ever not corrupt him into thinking otherwise.

Fun with Dad

We headed out to a part of town we don't make it to often to catch Alexandra's first skating competition a couple of weekends ago. On the way there we were getting twenty questions from LM about where we were headed - what was Alexandra going to be doing, would we be participating, what would she be wearing, why was she skating, how would they compete, etc. And, where were we going, of course, was one of the questions. We said we were going to an indoor ice rink facility. He asked if it was the one at the mall - the rink where he had seen her skate at Christmas. I said no, it was not, that this one was just inside a building. He said, ok, but is that BUILDING called a MALL? Um, no. We're not tricking you, son. it really is NOT the same ice rink.

So, there are a few LM-isms for today. Hope to do some more catching up on the blog in the coming weeks.

See you soon.

Three Months Old

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Wagliardo) — Fri, 30 May 2014 16:29:00 +0000

Last Sunday, BB turned 3 months old. Time is flying around here people! The first year goes so fast, and then again, not so fast too. We are still night feeding twice a night, and that is not going by fast. Ha. But, otherwise, fast it goes!

What have we learned about this boy in the last month? Well, he is still a good eater, and a happy boy. He loves his parents, and seems especially tuned into his Mama. If I am in the room, he follows my movement and if he hears my voice, he clues right into it.

Brainwash 'em early, I always say

The baby boy loves to watch his parents and "talk" to us - he likes to make noises and smile - and he likes to play the "tongue" game - you put your tongue out and in, and he mimics your movement. If you do some other movements, he watches very closely to see if he can figure out what you are doing.

This has become our miracle pooping cure.

Ahem.

He is a little bit prone to not pooping on a regular basis, shall we say. After one four day stint with no poop - and see, here we go again, talking about poop just seems so normal - I called the doctor's office and spoke with a nurse. She informed me a breastfed baby can go 7-10 DAYS without pooping. Wow, I thought. But she did say if we wanted to try some pear juice - 1 to 2 ounces - it might get things going again. So, we did. He ate one ounce. Two hours later - poop! This happened one more time - the four days without poop - and once again, the pear juice came to the rescue like a miracle worker. And, since then, no issues.

His new over stimulation center aka activity mat.

Funny faces

Serious boy with the blue eyes.

BB has still not dropped a nighttime feeding. This is starting to frustrate and wear thin on his Mama. She is not getting enough sleep to be a proper human while back at work - and I am back at work - so here's hoping he drops one soon. LM dropped one, like a textbook baby, at 10 weeks, and my work life fared much better under this scenario. But, even sleep deprived, this Mama cannot stay frustrated so very long when she snuggles with her sweet boy.

Love when I get this one looking up at me.

Looks so much like LM at this age in this photo.

During the last month, we also traveled to Indiana for BB to meet all of his Hoosier relatives. One day I might even put up some photos from that visit! He was such a good boy while we were there really, given that we carted him to and fro, with no real deference to his schedule whatsoever, except that we tried to feed him regularly. He had to sleep on the go - and he did, for the most part. On a couple of days, he was over tired and the late feeding became a cry fest, but other than that, this boy was (and is) mellow and incredibly flexible.

Looking like LM here too, I think.

Three months on Nana's quilt.

LM is still enormously enamored with his little brother. He smothers him with attention - my mother reports I was the same way with my little brother. Then, on another day, I was talking with my dad about LM's "spirited personality" and my dad reported I was that way too at his age. Goodness - God bless them both. Ahem. But back to BB - the short way to say it is - add LM to the long list of BB lovers - in fact, put him at the top.

I love this one.

In this one, I feel they already know they are placating their mother with the photos.

So, another month in this whirlwind first year is behind us, and we look forward to all the happy memories to come with our special Baby Boy.

See you soon.

Two Months Old

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Wagliardo) — Mon, 19 May 2014 16:21:00 +0000

On April 25th, BB turned two months old. Here are some photos of his time over the last month, and some things we have learned about him:

The Dunlaps met BB

He likes to be swaddled, something his brother never enjoyed, and therefore also likes to be in the baby sling! Hands free baby!

And so did my friend Jill and her family!

And even Nana came back for a quick visit.

BB also was smiling at us and starting to coo during this month. He also seems to be able to sleep through just about anything. And, we were making progress with his sleeping on his own in the crib. He is now a champ at this, so much so that I don't mind sneaking in a nap or two with him because I know he'll sleep alone the next time.

Five weeks on Nana's quilt

Sleep eluded me...

love this - BB and LM's hands

This was his preferred position - starting to straighten out now.

Six weeks on Nana's quilt

Baby legs! Nothing cuter!

Seven weeks on Nana's quilt

Midnight feeding

Seriously, no sleep.

Thankfully, this is improving.

Eight weeks on Nana's quilt

Boo boos from 2 month shots...

Two months on Nana's quilt!

He was just under 12 pounds and 23 inches at his check-up. This put him about the same length as LM, but a whole pound lighter. LM was (and is) always so solidly built - maybe BB will be slighter - time will tell!

Look at those blue eyes!

He grows and changes every day - and will be three months this weekend - so I had to get this post up! I have tons more to post, when I get a moment. We love this boy and are so blessed he is with us!

See you soon.

His Favorite Part

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Wagliardo) — Thu, 24 Apr 2014 16:57:00 +0000

He chose this outfit one day recently all by himself, without prodding.

No superheroes or firemen - there is hope.

So we've been having a bit of a time of it with ol' LM the last few weeks. It is all part of becoming an older brother, or being almost 4, I'm sure, but it's been trying and a learning curve for the parents. Of course, this boy - and this blog proves it if nothing else does - this boy has been the center of our hearts and lives since before his birth. And now, he has to share that time and energy.

This might look like a sweater vest to you.

To LM, it's a basketball jersey.

A ham and a half, as we know

The good thing is, he doesn't seem to equate any of it to the baby - he loves the baby - constantly wanting to talk about the baby, hug or kiss the baby, or help with the baby. He does however understand he is not getting as much attention from Mom and Dad. I have to admit there have been more raised voices in our house than I wish. And, we've been trying lots of other angles to mitigate this. We've been trying to give him uninterrupted one-on-one time. We have tried using the count to three again, which worked so well when he was a bit younger, and we have started taking away privileges when behavior doesn't match what it needs to be, and giving privileges for good behavior. We have also been trying to praise even the slightest good behavior. We have tried managing our own behavior and expectations. All of this has worked - sometimes.

A recent day at the zoo with Dad

Enjoying some ice cream recently at the Ft. Worth arts festival

Now, all of this is minor at best - not doing what he has been told to do - or going as slow as molasses to get it done. That's about it. He hasn't harmed himself or others. He isn't committing scary or illegal acts. He is just not following instructions in normal daily life, which is frustrating to us. And, really, he must learn that he does have to follow requests from authority figures before he hits "real" school here in over a year. So, we keep trying.

It's blurry, but this is one of his Power Ranger get-ups -

re-purposed toys used as "weapons"

Pushing the grocery cart that is his size at Trader Joe's

But, he is still, with his brother, and in between being a little booger who isn't listening, the sweetest, cutest, smartest little one. And this is, four paragraphs in, what this blog post is supposed to be about. For the last couple of weeks, after the 4ish a.m. feeding, I have often relocated to the recliner in the boy's room to finish up the night. This has been for several reasons - first, it was because the baby caught our cold and he was stopped up, and holding him upright helped this. Second, he is sometimes gassy, and by that time of night, sometimes the feeding takes a while and it's more comfortable to eat/sleep through that in the chair. And, sometimes, I'm just awake and a change of scenery helps.

LM and BB

At the dentist

After a few nights of this, LM woke up and noticed us in the chair. So, along with BB and I, he climbed into the chair as well. This meant we had one very full recliner - I'm quite sure we are over the recommended maximum weight. But, he wanted to be there and I have sort of a thing where I don't argue or start new rules in the middle of the night - if adjustments need to be made, we'll do it when we are all awake. So, into the chair he comes, and we all get comfortable. Really, we do. I didn't mind it much - we all find a spot and keep sleeping.

Learning the joy of a tire swing

So this has been happening for a number of nights. And the other night, LM climbed up, got under the throw blanket, snuggled up to the side of me without a baby, and I put my arm around him. And that is when he said, "This is my favorite part".

And that is when my heart melted.

Thank you, LM, for reminding me of my favorite part too. This hiccup in behavior will pass, but my (and your) favorite part will still be there. Love you to pieces.

Such a big boy

See you soon.

First Soccer Experience

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Wagliardo) — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 13:29:00 +0000

So, this spring LM has been on his first soccer team! We signed him up through the local YMCA, and so far he is having fun. The "season" began the Saturday after BB was born, which we thought was good timing - something new and a distraction from the baby. There is a new coordinator of all of this at the Y this spring, and things came in rather late - and somehow LM was put on a team that is older than he is - he is one of the two or three 3 year olds on the team - the rest of the team is mostly 5 - a couple of 4's. It is co-ed, as you will see.

You can see how much taller the other kids are...

The fan base

The coach is great - he's a good communicator with the parents and he's not too uptight about what they are doing - they are learning the basic rules of soccer and having fun, and that is all. I love this about him. There is no reason it needs to be anything else at this point! He sent out an email asking what number the kids wanted on their jerseys - somehow this went awry for us - we were at the hospital still, having just had BB, and thought we requested #25, which is what LM said he wanted. When the shirts came in, not only was LM #1, there is ANOTHER #1. Oh well - best laid plans...

Coach Keith rallying the troops

BB and I haven't made it to a game yet - we plan to make it this weekend. But, S and LM have been going to every practice and game. S has taken all of these photos!

The main goal of this kind of soccer - especially at LM's age - is to get down the basics - kick, don't use your hands, keep the ball in bounds, and send it to the right goal. There is one girl on LM's team that consistently scores for the other team. All the time. Details.

They practice once a week - it's been rained out a couple of times. So, you know, they practice when they can. At these practices, there is another team of the same age that takes this time of theirs very seriously. S says the are doing drills the whole time, up and down the field, and seem to know what they are doing. At the same time, our team is working on listening skills - learning each other's names and such. This led S to term LM's team the "Bad News Bears" of soccer.

Couple this with the fact that sometimes LM is using the line markers as a hat, putting parts of the practice goal on his feet, and running into the bleachers instead of sitting where they are supposed to sit when they are out of the game, the verdict is certainly still out on whether this is the sport for him. For now, he plays hard when he's in and he's having a grand old time. And that's all that matters.

See you soon.

One Month Old

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Wagliardo) — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 16:52:00 +0000

Last week - a week ago today - the BB turned one month old. As I am sure you can imagine, I am behind in my posts - I have a ton of things to get up, and one day that will happen. Today, I'll try to get a post up about BB being one month old.

The quilt Nana made for BB!

So cute!

One week on Nana's quilt

Of course LM has to be part of the quilt photos!

What do we know about this child? He has a very sweet disposition, usually. The only things that get him going are, in no particular order - gas, being hungry, trying to get him to sleep on his own in the cradle, and changing his diaper. The last one - not that he wants his diaper changed - the actual act of changing the diaper is what he doesn't like. Other than these items, he is a mellow fellow, just like his brother was at this age.

Two weeks on Nana's quilt

He does seem to be gassier - and in fact, week before last - the week before he turned one month old - we had a series of events that caused us to be concerned. His belly got VERY distended, and he wasn't pooping regularly. The pediatrician sent us to the children's emergency room for an abdominal x-ray to check for twists or telescoping in his intestines. All negative. So, then the pediatrician consulted with a pediatric gastroenterologist, and we went back to the children's hospital for a children's version of a barium enema.

This was to rule out a genetic disorder called hirschsprung's disease. This test was also negative, and it was now the weekend. We were to watch him over the weekend (we had some techniques to help with the pooping and the distension had gone down quite a bit) and if all was the same, go see the pediatric gastroenterologist on Monday. Thankfully, he started pooping like a champ over the weekend! And, his regular doctor, at his one month appointment last week, feels he probably had a lot of gas and a little constriction that was fixed with all those procedures. Everyone seems to agree we are over this issue! Yay! And, this is when you know you are a parent - when you write an entire paragraph about pooping and it doesn't even seem strange. Ahem.

At the hospital - IV still in, but procedures over - little grin

Every once in a while, the baby boy looks up at me and looks happy to have me there - when he has been with other people, he looks relieved to have me back when I take him into my arms. And, from time to time, he rewards us with a smile - I don't even care if it's real or not. See previous paragraph.

Three weeks old on Nana's quilt

Let's see - he flops his head around a lot - lifts it to look around, and helps reinforce his rooting when he is ready to eat. He doesn't mind "tummy time" at all. He really seems to love seeing and listening to his big brother, and the Little Man seems to finally be getting how fragile his is and how to handle him. In fact, I was trying to get a shower in this morning, and toward the end of this endeavor, BB started getting fussy. I asked LM to come by and "talk to him" to see if that would distract him enough for me to finish. LM comes in and says, "Good Morning buddy, how are you today?" And then, "Do you like SMU football?" When he started fussing, LM said, "It's OK, you'll like it when you get a little bit older" and then starts singing to him. It was so cute to me, and so precious.

One month on Nana's quilt

Since he doesn't like (won't) sleep in the cradle on his own and I do in fact need some amount of sleep, I usually put him down between us, no pillows around, etc - in our king size bed. He has plenty of room there to lie flat and be safe. However, he turns on his side and starts ooching closer to me almost immediately - until we are touching. So, I have started just holding his hand in an attempt to keep him further away from my bedding and happy and safe. And, sleeping - so I can sleep too!

I am once again breastfeeding - and this child is not on any kind of a schedule yet. I feel as if LM got on a schedule sooner. Maybe he didn't. But this one - he wants to eat every 2 hours - around the clock. I pray he starts to spread these feedings out soon. For my sanity, and for our ability to get on a really good schedule before I go back to work and actually have to function in society...details.

He still has blondish hair and blue eyes - who knows if they will stay, but for now, they are beautiful. Of course, they are beautiful in any color. We are totally in love and so glad he is growing and is a healthy beautiful boy.

See you soon.

Postpartum Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Wagliardo) — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 17:45:00 +0000

So, here I am, on maternity leave, with little sleep, holding my precious new baby much of the day. And, I, like every woman recovering from pregnancy, am in that postpartum period of crazy hormones, a body going through changes to get back to "normal" and a changing life. I am lucky that it appears I will not be inflicted with the debilitating depression many women face at this time in their life. But, I am affected by these hormones at this time...so while I'm hormonal and crazy, I thought I'd write a post about it. Ahem.

The thing is, I am over the moon with this little boy - with my family - my wonderful husband and two boys. But, now that I know, with my age mainly being the determinant, that this baby boy will indeed by our last, each day I think about how this boy will be my last newborn. Now, when I haven't slept most of the night, I think thank goodness! But, when I smell his sweet head, feel his tiny body, and hear his sweet newborn sounds, I tear up at this "last" in my life.

One might point out to me that it wasn't that long ago that this life of mine - this turn of events - two healthy, lovely, loving boys - was not part of what I thought I would ever experience. And one would be right to point this out. The truth is, I feel so incredibly blessed. I know this part. I know. I get it - I AM blessed beyond measure. And, this only increases the aforementioned tears...the blessing they are - and the pleasure they bring to this life of ours - and this is it - the end of this phase of this wonderful blessing.

To that point - when I get a bit weepy over this turn of events - the last little one to hold and to love - even when I have had no sleep - I try to remind myself of the adage "don't be sad it is over - be thankful it happened at all!" And, I truly, in my rational brain that comes around from time to time between the lack of sleep and the hormones, I truly do feel that way. I am so pleased it has happened. That I have these memories of not one but TWO baby boys. That I have so many memories and adventures to come.

And, the hormones will level out one day. And I'll be able to process all this more rationally. However, for now, I will continue to remind myself to be thankful it IS happening. Again and again. And I will live in the moment and soak it all in. All of it - the lack of sleep, the sweet sounds, the crying, the eternally perfect smells, the tiny hands and soft skin. All of it. It is all precious and wonderful and an eternal blessing.

See you soon.