Life with Jack & Zach: Doing Great

Knock on wood…boys are back to being themselves for over a week since last Monday. They have their smiles again and I enjoy seeing that more and more each day as it lets me know they are doing great. They can be in good spirits when under the weather but this past time the ear infections really caused some discomfort. Last week was great and it looks like we are off to another great start to this week. Zach especially has been a little more wired this week so perhaps this new antibiotic is doing WONDERS!

They have been doing well with getting ready in the morning, and even though they are not fans of taking their antibiotic, Steve has been very creative in his thinking, finding ways for the boys to take the medicine (i.e. Coco taking some medicine, have a bite of cereal followed by a sip of juice or something to wash it down, maybe some bribery…hmmm). It does not sound so thrilling to us, but toddlers tend get excited over some of the quirkiest things ever--like Mama performing the hot dog dance at the end of a Mickey Mouse episode. Steve just looks at me like I have lost my mind (even though I might have). I think the boys are expecting me to perform the dance now because they look at me and smile when they hear the start of the song. HA! Anything for my love bugs! Their appetite is back and it is bigger than ever. They lost a couple of pounds from being sick so bring on the feast and chow it up! Thankfully only two more days of antibiotics and crossing my fingers the ear infections have cleared up. We go back to see Dr. Goodlookin’…oh excuse me Dr. “A” on April 20^th for a follow-up to ensure they no longer have ear infections. Cross my fingers.

We hung out all weekend and just relaxed; it was great. Nana and Papa are still picking up the boys from school but this week we pushed it to 4pm to ease the boys into a slightly later pick up. It has been working, and I think all 4 of them enjoy it. Steve’s parents will take them to the park on the way home most days and the boys now recognize that part of their day. They will say no to Nana as she says time to go home. They respond no, home-park. Steve and I feel they are progressing quite well, whether communicating (saying a lot more, even speaking sentences (sometimes full and other times broken)—and that blows us away. I am trying to capture some of this on video but either I am not prepared or now they tend to "shut" down if they witness me filming or taking photos of them. Eating has improved as the school is not afraid of trying to get the kids to eat different ethnic foods (I personally think it is fantastic as it helps children overcome the “picky” eater syndrome). Counting all by themselves, and coloring/writing has really improved. Steve and I are more impressed with their verbal cues these days as well as counting. If not both boys then one will count as we see trucks or even as we walk up/down the stairs, etc. They just start counting by themselves 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 up to 9…depends on the situation. If we seen two trains or trucks they tell us 2. Part of it has to do with maturity, age, and Karley working with them in the past, but I feel the school has some combined efforts too since the past month; we are very pleased as I think the boys interacting with the other kids and teachers is helping them.

Steve’s parents were kind to stay with them longer on Friday so we could go out and have dinner after work. Before doing so Steve brought me by his new office, which is still close to my work, and what an awesome space. Afterwards we drove into San Clemente and had dinner at Nick’s South. We met a nice couple and hope this was not our last time seeing them. Saturday was relaxing, the boys were more inclined to stay in and play since their play time is now limited during the week/nights and they have a strict schedule in the evening by the time we get home and prepare dinner and get ready for bed. That is okay because 7 times out of 10 depending on what they did during the day they say, tired nighty night. It has been more of a struggle to get them going over the weekend because they miss their toys and just find peace in playing with them and that works. Eventually we are able to get going with the day and Steve has been kind to stay back or take them out to help run errands so that I can enjoy my weekend hikes. Steve recorded a Muppet Movie and when Jack woke up from his nap the two of us curled up on the couch with some popcorn and watched a little bit of the movie while his brother slept. Steve’s parents offered to watch the boys again this past Saturday evening as they will be gone this upcoming weekend, so that was nice. We always enjoy our time out from working all week, just being on the go. Not to mention even though as the boys get older it certainly gets easier the more independent they become but each age and stage offers it challenges too, so we enjoy having the opportunity to get out for “us” time.

Sunday we had company over and I waited to tell the boys. It was a special visit by KK and Jon. Earlier in the day Steve took the boys to Lowes to get some items for the house and also bought the boys new tape measures, in fact they are “big boy” tape measures. They truly are becoming big boys! We have now starting using our dinner plates for the boys, moving away from their plates and they love it. I think it makes them feel special. I broke the news to them about KK coming over just before nap and all they said was, KK and Jon? When KK arrived Zach was upstairs and flew down the stairs, greeting them at the front door. Too cute. The boys had a good time playing with her and Jon, not to mention it was great catching up and talking about how the boys are doing. Steve grilled marinated flank steak that was delicious, yummy. The steak soaked in a Hawaiian marinade for about 24 hours. The boys had a special treat of ice cream while we had strawberry shortcake! I will say I don’t think giving boys ice cream at 7pm is brilliant, knowing bed is at 7:30. J It was quite interesting, and at times brought us to laugh…a little. The boys are really good about staying in their room/bed at bed time, but for some reason this night (and maybe Zach knew we still had company because voices sort of carry in the house) their door opens and Zach yells down, DADA! The way he said it was hilarious. It then became a game for a little but eventually he had called it quits. J I felt bad for Jack because he will get into bed, curl up with Coco and his blanket and in minutes pass out. Here is Zach, clearly with a different agenda that evening. J We have learned to be creative, and all we have to do is tell Zach that if you are going to stay up like this, then we can put you in another room and you don’t have to listen to the music and “Bro” will not be able to sleep in the same room as you. The love he has for his “Bro” and I find it so cute how he needs Jack there. He was quiet as a mouse from that moment on…

We have no major plans this weekend. We have not been to the zoo in some time so that is looking to be a good option! We have been looking forward to ordering our new bikes and hope that we can find time this weekend to do so. I look forward to cruising around with the kiddos! I cannot wait to get our Beach Cruisers and we have the bikes and accessories picked out! We had great mountain bikes and they were stolen when we lived at the apartment---Boo, so our purchase has been long overdue! I included some pics of our weekend together and a snap shot of the most amazing and full rainbow. The boys school is right off PCH and so our morning commute is along the coastline, a relaxing drive to say the least. It gets me excited for our early Summer weekend visits to the beach!