We Can't Seem To Shake This Thing.

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Lately, life has been all sorts of ups and downs. 

Most of the downs involved colds, stomach bugs, and various just-a-virus situations.

Unfortunately right now we're in a down. We'll the boys are. Hubby and I are just being the best parents we can and trying to help them recover as fast as possible. Little VP has a stomach bug...lots of vomiting and refusing to eat. Which is not good. He's already a little smaller than most boys his age and that stresses me out to the max. So, I've been trying all sorts of tricks to get food into his stomach. Thank goodness most of the time I succeed , there are though those occasional situations were I end up covered in whatever I was trying to get into his mouth.

Not fun. Not fun at all.

Baby J. is also sick. He started off with a slight runny nose which has now progressed into a constant runny nose, a pretty bad cough, and heavy breathing. Hubby came home from work on two nights ago and the first thing he said was "get dressed we need to take him to the emergency room". After much explaining and some reassuring that I had the situation under control for now we ended up spending a fun and relaxing evening together with our boys. Baby J. had a ton of fun playing with his dad and Baby VP and I cheered and laughed at their antics.

First thing the next morning I called and scheduled an appointment with our family Dr. and she managed to pencil me in for noon. After a morning filled with some grocery shopping we headed towards her office, half an hour early. Now usually if we get there early we have to wait. But this time I guessing that one of her nurses told her I was by myself with both the boys because we had barely taken off our coats and sat down in the waiting room and she called us back into her examination room.

I was super thankful for that because Baby J. was getting ready to touch everything in sight and there were lots of breakable things to touch.

After a quick examination of both boys Baby VP was diagnosed with a stomach bug that we would have to stick out and a slight cold. Unfortunately, because he's under a year old she didn't feel comfortable giving him any medications so besides spreading a wet cloth over his sleeping area and some nasal spray there's not much I can do for him. Except to continue what I have been doing. 

Baby J. was diagnosed with a really bad cold and a slight infection so he's now on antibiotics and a cough syrup as well as the nasal spray. Let's just say each time I have to give him that antibiotic and cough syrup I want to cry. He puts up a really big fight and there are tears involved on both sides. 

I'm so ready for the snowy weather to begin. 

We've been fighting these colds and stuff for more than a month now. Each time the weather has gotten really cold and the air has cleared of bacteria the boys get better. But then warmer weather happens and everyone is sick again. And twice now we've gone to church only to return home and spend all night awake with one or both boys being sick. So, I now I'm not the only one whose kids are having trouble shaking this thing.

Well Baby VP is finally asleep. I woke up to hearing him coughing and gagging in his crib. The minute I picked him up and turned him facing the floor, his latest feed ended up coming right back up. 

My poor poor baby. 

And not even half an hour before Baby J. had a coughing fit. Ended up rocking him back to sleep. 

My heart hurts for our boys. I'm so looking forward to this sickness passing and seeing them 100% healthy. 

Mommy Under Construction Continued

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A while back I wrote a blog post about wanting to change some things about myself. Well, here's a quick update on that.

I have started by making some slight changes to my wardrobe. I bought some nice, light colored, comfy shirts. As well as some skirts. I love skirts so I was excited to buy some new ones. I even bought a really pretty poncho. I also went ahead and bought one pencil styled skirt. That's not something I usually ...Ok ok... never wear. I ended up being pleasantly surprised. And have found a new style I like.

My next stop is shoes. Seriously excited to buy a few pairs of those. And because I'm not pregnant I might just buy a pair of heels.

Another part of myself I want to work on is my weight. Touchy subject...I know. But its gotten to the point that I finally feel that this is no longer an option regarding losing weight but a must. My body was not meant to be this heavy and I want not only to feel good about myself but I want to be a healthy example for my children as well as live a long life alongside them and my husband.

I'll write more on that in my next post and I'll try to add some pictures of some of my favorite new clothes, as well.

A Side Note

Well, it has been well over a month since my last post.

So much has happened. I don't know if I'll ever be able to write out enough posts to cover everything.

On more recent news we are starting to get the hang of being a four people family. Life has been wonderful and at the same time tough. But mostly wonderful. And tough.

Baby J. has is turning 13 months this week and Baby VP turned 4 months today. My boys are growing up so fast. And lately I don't mind. I'm excited to see them bonding and getting to know one another more and more. It seems the older Baby J. gets the cuter he is. We love seeing him discover different things and gaining understanding about things around him and how they function.

Baby VP is also a joy to watch grow. He has started gaining an interest in the world around him. He has started doing a little baby talk, his smiles and grins are absolutely gorgeous, and he has started showing an interest in sitting up. Of course he doesn't sit up yet but I'm positive it's just around the corner.

Hubby still works at his shop and enjoys his job. Of course his job here at the mommy headquarters is also consuming a lot of his time but he's doing wonderfully at balancing the two. It warms my heart seeing him interact with our two little ones.

Myself...well I've been running all over the place. There have been financial things to take care of , the boys to care for, hubby to help with the remodeling we're doing...loads of various things have occupied my time.

I'm happy though to say that even though I didn't always get a chance to read of my book The Purpose Driven Journey everyday I am almost finished with it. I took plenty of notes so that once I get more time I can post about them on here.

Well, the boys are crying I'm going to wrap it up here.

Light At The End Of The Tunnel. & Update

I cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. This flu/virus is horrible. It attached itself to me last night and around 12a.m. I found myself on my knees in front of the toilet throwing up what felt like my stomach.

Ever since I've been struggling just to sit upright. Any change in position has me feeling nauseous and ready to pass out. Standing is out of the question. 

For the first time in my five years of marriage I've done something I've never done before. I asked for help. And help came in the wonderful, loving, caring, and helpful form of my mother-in-law. She has cooked, cleaned,  and watched the boy's the whole day so far. Allowing me to get some much needed rest and peace of mind that someone is watching and taking care of my boys.

Now I understand why so many mothers and fathers have a whole support system in place. It allows the parents the comforting knowledge that should they need help its available at any time.

I would love to have on hand such a support know that I know just how great it is. Unfortunately, there's no one available.

UPDATE:

As of today (9/17) I am doing much better still having some mild symptoms of the flu but I am able to take care of the boys and hubby again. Of course that includes cleaning and cooking. Thank God for naptime it gives me time to recharge my batteries so that I can be on the go the moment the boys open their eyes.

Unfortunately, both the boys have come down sick. Baby VP started showing signs of the flu yesterday morning and by yesterday evening he was fully under it. Baby J. also was showing a mild case of the flu yesterday evening but we thought he might get skipped over , sadly that was not the case. He too, has joined his brother in the misery of being sick. 

But they're both troopers and brave little boys. 

And the extra cuddles...ah those are the best. Even if there is a lot of runny noses, fevers, and vomiting involved. That's what the bucket is for.

This Mommy Is Under Construction.

Ever so often I get the urge to do something for myself. Just for me. Not for my sweet co-worker, the love of my life-also known as hubby. Not for the Boss-Baby J. and not for the Boss's helper- Baby VP.

Yes, call it selfish if you will but every once in a while I feel the need to allow myself some type of treat or reward for all the work I do. Usually this comes in the form of an outing to McCafe or buying myself something from the SALE rack. I've always been most happy knowing that I bought myself something AND saved money doing so.

Until recently.

Now don't misunderstand me. I'm still happy with buying things on sale. It's just that recently I took a long look at my closet and notices something worrisome. All my pre-marriage and pre-kids clothes (yes I'm one of those women who can't get rid of beautiful and in perfect condition clothing that just doesn't FIT anymore) are really pretty...even gorgeous. Then my other half - my after marriage and two children clothing is plain. No sparkles,no style, no WOW factor of any kind. These pieces of clothes are the perfect definition for MOMMY WARDROBE.

I wouldn't actually mind but after a conversation with Hubby...that ended with me in tears. He didn't make me cry but the realization that what he said was true did. One of my sister-in-laws mentioned how pretty my new haircut was and then in the same sentence told me how her husband always requires her to be dressed up. Doesn't yours Everyday Mommy? She asked.

Of course he does ... I said.

Except you see when she asked me I just happened to glance at what I was wearing. And I'm pretty sure washed out pyjamas is not dressed up. This wouldn't have been so bad had it been early morning but it was late afternoon and I had yet to change.

It was then Hubby walked in and I decided to ask him a question. Do you think I don't dress up enough; do I dress like an old woman? His answer hurt but yet because he was so sincere and sweet in trying to make me feel better it didn't sting as much. And after many reassurances that he didn't want me to take it like an insult, I knew he only meant to help and not purposefully hurt my feelings.

" Dear you do tend to dress in really dark colors. And well, frankly you look like your WAY older than you actually are. You could dress really pretty if you tried but you just don't. I think it might be because you're so tired from trying to keep up with the kids and the house. But I love you regardless of how you dress. You can wear your PJs all day it doesn't bother me. But I do like seeing you treat yourself just as special as you do us."

Man, that got me thinking and my next stop was my closet. As I mentioned before my after kids wardrobe is rather pitiful.

So I've decided to be a big girl and for once in my life spend some money on FULL priced clothing. Of course, if I just happen to find something cute on sale well...I'll just add that to my shopping cart as well.

So here's to a better me. :)

After all I'm a mommy of two sweet and handsome boys now and the wife of one handsome young man. I do believe that they deserve to have me at my best. And I deserve to be happy with myself and feeling good about myself.

Plus pyjamas are just not going to cut it anymore...Not that I won't enjoy wearing them on the occasional rainy day.

3000 Reads And A HUGE Thank You!

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I am so absolutely thrilled!

I cannot believe it's actually happened.

It was such a huge surprise and such a big joy

to see my blog have 300 reads and then 600

and finally pass 1000 reads!

But to see that MY BLOG

my little corner of the internet has 

more than 3000 READS!

OH MY GOODNESS!!!

It makes me so so happy!

I'm sure all the exclamation points help

bring that point across.

So I want to say a huge HUGE THANK YOU!

To everyone whose ever stopped on by and read

something that I've written.

It means a lot to me to see that people actually

take a glance and occasionally a second

glance at my posts.

And since I realize that it's absolutely impossible for 

me alone to have clicked on my blog more than 3000 times

that confirms that I do have a few readers who check back

and others who come for short visits.

Which is why I want to kindly ask each one of my readers

(key word ASK...not force)

to leave a comment. Just so I can get the chance to know 

whose stopping by. 

So please it will only take like 2-3 minutes to leave a comment.

I even took down the spam check thing so it'll be 

easier leaving a comment.

Once more I want to say thank you! To everyone whose 

ever stopped on by and to those who keep on stopping by 

Thank You, THANK YOU for taking the time

to read my blog!

I'll stop now before I embarrass myself. :)

Lessons In Sightseeing

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I've got lots to write about just need to find the time.

These lasts couple of days we've spent entertaining our guests by taking them sightseeing.

We've also learned several lessons along the way amongst which was that we don't know the area around our home/town as well as we thought. But we did end up having a good time and we did get to see some very interesting things.

Another thing we've learned at The Everyday Mommy Headquarters is that if you have little children sightseeing is very difficult to do. It's something along the lines of "look at that great - do not touch that! Isn't that statue pretty? Now why are you crying? You want your lovely? No? Oh yes that must be really old - honey you better run after him he's making a break for it- I think they said its from 1945? "

Yep. Sightseeing  and everything else becomes just a tad more difficult to do PEACEFULLY when you have very active little children.

Also we learned that if you stay out until 11 AT NIGHT your baby will still wake up at 5 IN THE MORNING  and your toddler's routine will go down the drain.

Nothing beats a tired, cranky, and annoyed toddler without a routine.

We had a nice time with our friends and we enjoyed getting to visit places with them. But our toddler is ready to get back on to a schedule.

Two Things We've Had : Guests And Leftovers

Breakfast is usually a quick affair at The Everyday Mommy Headquarters  nowadays.  But every once in a while something special will come up and we break out the good stuff which does not include cereal and granola bars.

Today's special reason was our guests that arrived last night .
After everything was said and done ... as well as ate I remembered to grab a picture. Of the breakfast table.

Check out the leftovers.

Please excuse the used plates and cups as well as napkins.

A Whole Bunch Of Nothing And Something.

I haven't posted on my blog in such a long time it almost feels like visiting a stranger.

But not really.

Life here at The Everyday Mommy Headquarters has been FULL to the max. I mean I barely find the time to eat...and yet I somehow haven't lost any weight. Which worries me because I lost 10kgs in the first month and a half with Baby J. just by breastfeeding. Apparently pumping just can't get the same result for me which really REALLY stinks. I was looking forward to the weight loss. 

Anyways, besides not finding the time to eat, I've found that I possess a special talent. I don't need sleep. Or better said I need very VERY little sleep to function. Something that in a million years I would not have believed possible.

Remember how I used to complain that Baby J. would wake me at 5 a.m. and OMG how early that was...yeah I would give anything to have those five uninterrupted hours of sleep back. Now between pumping, breastfeeding (we do  a little of both), bottle feeding Baby J., and Baby VP's totally out there sleeping schedule, there are no hours left for me to really sleep.

Oh, I get a little bit of sleep between 12-2 a.m. but after that we enter 
no-mans-sleep-land. It's not a pretty zone.

But everything else is going splendid. Or as well as can be expected. Baby J. is starting to get over his dislike/fear/jealousy of the new baby. And Baby VP could really care less about everything around him as long as he's warm, feed, and comfy in his bassinet or in Mama/Daddy's arms.

We've also gotten around to celebrating (very small scale celebration) of Baby J.'s first birthday. I think we'll do something more special after we get back into a routine/rhythm of things. Yea, sadly we've had some things going on that have prevented us from finding a routine that works for our family. But we'll find it eventually. Also Baby VP turns 1 month old tomorrow. I'm so excited! I can't believe a whole month has come and gone already. Wow...time flies.

I'm hoping to find the time tomorrow to do a nice little post on Baby J. and his 1st year. And Baby VP and his 1st month.

If it won't happen tomorrow well it will sometime just as soon as I find some quiet and undisturbed time to myself. Which has been seriously lacking around here this past month.

Well, that's it for now. I know this isn't like my usual posts but it's definitely better than nothing. I apologize for the lack of complete thoughts, run on sentences, coma splices, random thoughts, and lack of sense. Once I get things back to some organized structure in our home, order shall be restored to my writing as well.

I Have Survived Week One!

Oh my.

It has been an unbelievable week. Well, not so much unbelievable as I can't believe I actually survived it. Between the jealous fits and overwhelming love Baby J. has regarding Baby VP, the up in the air feeding/pumping schedule for Baby J. and I, and the nights spent begging my children to sleep...well it's been quite the week.

Let me tell you, coming home Monday was so liberating! I literally almost ran out of the hospital. Hubby kept telling me to slow down because he was having trouble hanging on to Baby J. who wanted to be let loose to walk on his own. Except that wasn't an option because after spending a little more than two weeks coped up in two different hospitals I was not going to slow down now that they were letting me free. I was much to scared they'd find something they'd overlooked concerning Baby VP and make us stay for another week.

So, yes coming home felt amazing.

Except the feeling didn't last very long. I was quickly reminded that I was now the mother of two little boys. One - Baby J.- who is filled with energy and hadn't gotten the chance to really get used to the idea of Mommy and Daddy having someone else they need to shower with attention...was a little jealous. The second- Baby VP- well, he could tell he was no longer in a familiar setting (the hospital) and put up a fuss the first two nights that had us begging him to calm down and just SLEEP!

Yea, how often do you hear of a newborn, particularly a preemie, who won't sleep? Not often. Trust me. I checked on pinterest, google, and facebook.

The first day home (Monday) we were pleasantly surprised to see Baby VP resting and sleeping so calmly in his bassinet. It made us have really high hopes that at least ONE of our children would be a good sleeper.

Yea right.

As soon as Hubby and I snuggled into bed and closed our eyes to drift off to sleep, Baby VP became wide WIDE awake.

He stayed that way from 10 p.m. until 3:30 a.m. . After he finally fell asleep at 3:30, I crashed silently...of course... into bed and prayed that Baby J. would not wake up early. My prayers were not answered. I had barely closed my eyes and Baby J. started whimpering and crying for "Mama". I tried a bottle, rocking him, walking with him, cuddling with him in bed ... nothing worked. Baby J. was wide awake and remained that way until 5:15 a.m.

By that time both Hubby and I were at our wits end and super sleepy. We were only too happy to hand over Baby J. and Baby VP (who was still sleeping soundly) to their grandpa ( who were visiting) and my younger brother. Hubby had to leave though early to run some errands so I was given the extra privilege of having the whole ENTIRE bed to myself for a precious two hours which I spent sleeping.

The second day home (Tuesday) was much like Monday. Baby VP slept well and ate well and Baby J. played with his uncle and grandpa and just had a jolly good time. Once again both Hubby and I were sure that the boys would sleep wonderfully since they had been so well behaved during the day. Once more our hopes were dashed to pieces.

Baby VP and Baby J. came wide awake around 11 p.m. and Baby J. stayed that way until almost 4 a.m. by that time I was ready to cry. I was so tired I kept drifting off to sleep while rocking him. Hubby had been so sweet as to ask me to retire to the living room with the boys and try to put them to sleep there because he had to go work on someones car the next day and he needed to wake up at 5 a.m. . I felt horrible that we were keeping him up and agreed.

In the end Baby J. finally fell asleep around 4 a.m. after many tears were shed. Most of them by me. I tend to cry when I'm overtired...weird I know. Baby VP though on the other hand held out until 5:10 a.m. Unbelievable I know. He would drift off to sleep every 15-20 minutes only to become wide awake after a few minutes.

I guess he was power napping.

Let's just say that once again as soon as my brother and dad were up and about they were saddled with the children and I headed off to sleep for an hour. Hubby's orders after I almost fell trying to get up from my spot on the sofa.

The last few days have been pretty much the same...or should I say nights? Either way they've been pretty much the same except that since the weather has cooled down a little Baby J. has finally managed to sleep through the night until 3-4 a.m. when he waked up demanding to be taken into our bed. Which I GLADLY do...anything to avoid a repeat of Monday and Tuesday night.

Baby VP has been a little more difficult. He still enjoys getting up for a few hours each night thus effectively reminding me that I am once more the Mommy of a newborn. A newborn who does not enjoy sleeping at night.