Silly sleeping boys

Sleep is an important part of our day! I am somewhat of a nap nazi and have always been because I need that down time. Lately, I have caught the boys in some funny positions!

Caleb slept naked for 2 nights (both getting down to 62 degrees at night) in protest of his footed pajamas. Once I realized what the problem was, we switched out pj's and now have him in 2 piece pj's. Caleb is very sensitive to things on his body, not liking the feet on the pj's and the tags on shirts.

Noah still likes to be swaddled and I just happened to catch him smiling in his sleep.
Sweet Dreams!!!

Caleb likes to undress himself and pile all of his stuffed animals and blankets on one side of the crib. Here he had undressed himself and tried to put his legs back into his pants, but got both legs in one hole. Didn't seem to bother him though. Silly Boy!

Jacob fell asleep one day on our bed. Thought it was cute that hands were behind his head and legs crossed!

Simplicity

When we came to CT, Brian had a slight pay increase, but due to the cost of living here in CT, it was more like a pay deduction. So, not only did his pay go down, but he is also not allowed to moonlight, nor does he have time for it. I'm not writing this to complain, but rather explain the current situation we are in. I am reminded daily how fortunate we are that Brian has a job and that this "pay cut" is only temporary.

In the last few months, I have begun to realize what God is trying to teach us. When you are comfortably poor, you appreciate what you do have so much more! It takes a lot of work for me to figure out what is on sale each week so that I can keep our grocery bill to a minimum. It has almost become fun because it is a challenge for me to see how much I can save by buying things on sale and cutting coupons. By saving those dollars, we are still able to give to our church and charities. Living on a budget teaches us self discipline and self control. It teaches us the difference between wants and needs. Christ calls us to live for Him and to live a life of simplicity. I actually cherish our restricted budget because it helps me to focus on what is more important, my relationship with Christ and the Holy Mother.

In times of need, I turn to Christ for help and rely on the Holy Mother taking my prayers to Jesus. The last three months have been terribly difficult as I try to redefine who I am as a mother of three children instead of two, my relationship with Brian is strained because of all the hours he is working (we don't have enough time for each other), we are living in Limbo with no family nearby, and trying to help the boys adjust and grow into responsible children. If not for my relationship with Christ and knowing that I can put everything in His hands, I would be a mess right now. So, today I am thankful for these struggles, this cross I bear, if it means that it draws me nearer to our Lord. I pray that you will bear your cross, lift your worries to the Lord and rejoice in His name! Live a simple life and live it for Christ.

• The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want. —Psalm 23:1 DRB

• Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where you treasure is, there also will your heart be. —Matthew 6:19-21

• Do not love the world or the things in the world. —1 John 2:15

• Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. —1 Corinthians 2:12

• What else have I in heaven but You? Apart from you I want nothing on earth. —Psalm 73: 24-25

• Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” —Matthew 19:21

• What profit does a man show who gains the whole world and destroys himself in the process? —Mark 8:36

• Be intent on things above rather than on things of earth. —Colossians 3:2

• Avoid greed in all its forms. A man may be wealthy, but his possessions do not guarantee him life. —Luke 12:15

I want to Remember.....

I want to Remember that right now:

Jacob

• has good manners saying "Please", "Thank-you", "You're Welcome", "I would be happy to do that Mommy" and "I'm Sorry, will you forgive me?"
• After every meal, he clears his plate, cup and utensils, without being asked
• favorite color is red, favorite animal is the elephant and favorite number is 3
• really digs airplanes and firetrucks
• is very kind to Noah and will go play with him if he is fussing and mommy is busy with Caleb. He does this without mommy asking him to.
• loves all animals
• enjoys playing outside at the park, riding his bike and playing t-ball and soccer
• shares and plays very well with Caleb most of the time
• recognizes numbers 1-5 (100% of the time) and 6-10 (50% of the time)
• starting to learn his alphabet
• enjoys singing songs and making up his own songs
• still takes a nap (thank goodness!)
• favorite cookie is an Oreo
  
• will ask mommy to pray with him if he needs help getting control
• obeys mommy and is always my big helper
• very articulate and not afraid to use some very BIG words
  

Caleb

• loves his niney(blanket) and mickey mouse
• wants to talk so badly but he can't seem to get those words to come out legibly
• has several hundred words and receptive language is excellent
• occasionally puts 2 words together, but not very often
• loves to do whatever Jacob is doing
• enjoys his airplanes and playing with his animals
• likes to sing songs with mommy, favorite is "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "2 Little Blackbirds"
• does well at story time, sitting for parts of it
• has a great time at the park, loves to climb and jump
• will eat almost anything I give him, we call him "Chomper"
• starting to say "love you" if prompted
• refers to himself in second-person
• quick to smile and giggle
  
• before going to sleep, he loves to have his back rubbed while I sing him "Jesus Loves Me"
• if upset, easily redirected
• puts on his crocks without help and likes to undress and dress himself
• so anxious to be a big boy and yet so cuddly and sweet
• independent
• Loves to play with his Imaginext Toys, Farm and trains
• very sweet to Noah and always ask for him if he is not around
• loves chocolate and Oreos
• takes his diaper off when it is too wet and will let me know when he is poopy
  

Noah

• quick to smile, giggle and coo
• his hands are his favorite toy
• rarely cries, sometimes fusses and only when he is wet/dirty, hungry or tired
• Loves to be tickled on his belly and around his neck
• enjoys being gently lifted up in the air and back down, always makes him giggle
• still gets mommy up 1-2 times per night
• needs to be around the action, he likes to watch his big brothers and be facing outwards when held
• loves the bumbo, doesn't like the exersaucer (the noises on it bother him)
• uses the paci some, but the least out of all my boys
• he is truly the happiest and easiest going out of all my boys
• likes to snuggle with mommy in the early morning hours after daddy has gone to bed
• still sleeps in the bassinet next to mommy because she is not ready to move him to his room
• puts himself to sleep with the paci and all swaddled up
• meeting all of the normal developmental milestones for his age

Each boy is a blessing to our family in his own way. I watch them each day and smile at each of their accomplishments and added dimension to our family. Often times, I wish I could bottle up every memory and never forget. Sadly, as the years go on, the memories will fade and that is why I have this blog, so that I can look back on these times and remember how special each of them are to God and to Brian and me. I am so honored that God has given us these children. Raising them to be obedient to Him is not an easy job or one I take lightly. I get one shot to do this, so I'm giving it my all and won't look back with regrets!

"Train up a child in the way he should go, And even when he is old he will not depart from it."
Proverbs 22:6

Needless to say, I'm not posting the things I don't want to remember! ;-)

Noah is 4 months old!

Noah is 4 months old today! He is growing and changing so fast. He is smiling, cooing, laughing all the time. His laid back personality has been a blessing in our house. He can roll onto his side, but has no interest in rolling over completely. He is simply content as long as you are talking to him and he can be sitting up and observing his surroundings. He loves to interact with his big brothers. He is a great eater, eating every 2-3 hours and waking me once during the night.

Noah has also started to grab at toys. He loves to bring them to his mouth and gets so excited to have something to play with. He loves to play under his playgym. This afternoon he rotated a full 180 degrees while under it and was grabbing at the toys above!

I have always allowed the boys the first 4 months to sleep and eat whenever they want. I have found from experience, that around 4 months they start to ease into a more ideal schedule. Just in the last week, Noah is taking one long morning nap (1 1/2 hour to 2 hours) and a very long afternoon nap (2 1/2 to 3 hours) and then a short cat nap around dinner time. I swaddle him up, turn on his music maker, insert the paci and he is asleep on his own. I will take the paci from him in a couple of months if he is not sleeping thru the night....I have found that doing the whole cry it out method works best if you take the paci as well. Better to get it all done in one swoop! Noah rarely needs the paci during the day, mostly just for times when I can't get to him right away and I don't want him fussing, church or sometimes in the car. He truly is the happiest baby! We go to the doctor tomorrow for his second round of immunizations. I'm excited to see how big he is!

The Catholic Family Handbook

The Catholic Family Handbook is an excellent resource for any Catholic family. Fr. Lovasik explains simple ideas to help strengthen your marriage and raise responsible children in the faith of the Catholic Church. He discusses the importance of the marital bond and how that love filters down to strengthen family unity. He discusses techniques for raising your children in the Faith, effective discipline, developing character and communicating love. Fr. Lovasik has written a wonderful book for families of all walks of life!

This was a book that I read and did a review for Sophia Institute Press. You can check out their website at:

http://www.sophiainstitute.com/

This is a book you won't regret reading!! Enjoy!

My Little Spiderman

Jacob thinks he is tough!

Jacob is ready for Halloween and so excited to wear his new Spiderman Outfit!

I purchased this costume for Jacob today at Target. He decided to forgo Buzz Lightyear (Gasp!) so Caleb will be Buzz and Noah will be a little green pea pod!!!

Precious Preschoolers

Today I am grateful; particularly grateful! I truly believe that when God closes one door, he always opens another for us. The last three months have reinforced that belief. There are days when I'm insistent upon standing at the closed door, banging on it, praying someone will open the door and allow us to go back to life as we knew it in Texas. However, that particular door will never open again. So it forces me to look at the open door and enter. Some days I do it with a happy heart and other days it is more reluctant. But regardless, I am trying each day to seek out the good in Connecticut. Today, I found good!

I was at the library several weeks ago when I came upon a flyer that was advertising for a program through the University of Connecticut called "Precious Preschoolers". I called, hoping that we would be able to do it. The program director, Michelle, was very kind and said that I could bring both Jacob and Caleb, even though it was for 3-4 year olds. Noah could stay with me. So, today was our first day and what a wonderful program I came upon. We got there at 9:30 am and the first 30 min were free play time with the moms and kids. The kids had a snack and juice and one of the teachers read the children a story! Today's theme was apples and they got to taste different kinds of apples. Jacob's favorite was the red Gala apples. They also tried granny smith and golden delicious. Caleb of course, ate whatever he could; my little chomper! At 10am, the moms broke away and went next door where we talked about our backgrounds and filled out a survey since we were actually participating in a research study. This time, I don't mind being a lab rat! ;-) The program is designed to help parents in various parenting areas. There will be some topics on discipline, developmental milestones, activities to do with the kids, etc. I am very impressed with this initiative put on by the State of Connecticut because this is the kind of program that builds up families. We live in a time where the family unit is under attack. Parents are in need of more support and guidance. I was thrilled to have found this program, my only sadness in it was that more parents didn't sign up. There were three other moms, which made for a very intimate setting. We will be doing this every Thursday until sometime mid-November, break for the holidays and then resume in January. Thursdays will be guaranteed good days for us. I am thankful that God guided me to that flyer. Maybe this open door isn't too bad.