is Athena ready for solid foods?

you tell me.

 

I know it’s been more than a month since I’ve posted (we’ve been sick, busy, irritable, tired, etc, etc, etc….) I promise to fill in more, but for now enjoy my piggly daughter who can’t resist food.

:)

I got my tooth pulled :(

And I’ve been crying about it all day.

It all started about 11 years ago when I got a root canal. It was one of the most horrible experiences of my life. Fast-forward to today, and it made my root canal like trip for ice cream.

The tooth that I had the root canal done on has been given me problems for forever. Especially these last few years because I haven’t been able to get the full dental procedures done that I needed because I was pregnant. I really was planning on going. Actually, my appointment was set for next Monday! One week too late because this morning while eating breakfast with Elijah it broke, chipped and split in two all the way up into my jaw bone that holds my teeth in place.

Luckily I was able to go to the doctor as an emergency, but even luckier that I have the best sister in the world who watched my babies for me.

Long story short, I cried (practically boo hoo-ed) because it hurt so much. I had to be shot 4 times just to keep me numb, and in the end there are still a few pieces that he couldn’t pull because I couldn’t take it anymore. I am past a risk of infection from it being broken, but now I have to wait 6 months to get a bridge or implant.

Let me be honest. I feel violated having my tooth ripped from me. Even more so I feel like a hoosier because I don’t have all of my teeth :(  At least you can’t tell when I smile….

My mom blames it on being a kid in Greece because they don’t put fluoride in the water….who knows, but Becky and George have strong, pretty teeth….

Other than my horrible experience today we had a nice weekend. We had a Friday family date night, Saturday we went shopping and got to visit with friends for a birthday party and Sunday was the St. Louis Earth Day festival. It was such a beautiful day. Brad, my dad and the kids came down after my volunteer shift was over.

Athena loved being outside! And I think the sun helped her eczema spot on her face.

Are you surprised to see Elijah found something with wheels to climb on?

After the festival we went to have lunch. Brad and my dad did a sampling of the popular beers the tavern had to offer (I forgot the name of the place  - somewhere in Kirkwood)

Scroll down and see how Elijah wants to be just like them!! What a stinker.

yes, it was completely empty before he got his quick little hands on that cup!

Today (after my tooth drama) we all met up to have dinner as a BIG family. Evan has to have surgery for his hand on Wednesday, and we’re all concerned for him so we decided to get together before his big day coming up this week.

These kids are so sweet!

Look at George’s mini-me!! He looks so much like him in this picture!

Poor Athena. I don’t think terror properly describes the look in her eyes! hahaha!

Here is our family picture! I love how Athena sneak-attacked Becky’s hair.

Our family has been through a lot of ups, downs, excitement and sadness the past few years but there is  no doubting how much we love each other!!

Athena is Donald Trump

How crazy does that sound?

It has become a family joke that we tease Athena for looking like Donald Trump sometimes. Before you say how untrue and horrible it is, doesn’t it seem that in this photo she is saying “You’re Fired!”?

It’s just the squinty eyes, but it has become a hilarious joke around here and I have to document it so she can get angry at us later in life :)

Here is Brad’s imitation of Athena being Donald Trump. Hahaha! I know it has to be just me, but I can’t stop laughing.

As long as her hair does not continue with this trend, I think we’ll  be okay.

Okay, that’s enough poking fun at my baby. She’s such a good sport about it :)

Awe, I love my Athena!!!!!!

Finally some nice weather

What a boring, un-catchy title…right? Well, whatever, it’s true. I am so sick of the cold weather. We finally had a great day to play outside for a while. All of us have been pretty sick the last few weeks. I had strep throat especially bad – worse than I’ve ever had it. In the words of Elijah, it was “yuuuk!”.

Elijah then got a cold, then Athena and now Brad is recovering from some type of cough.

So things are getting back to normal. And it’s starting to dawn on me that we are leaving in a few months! I know that seems like a long time, but when you have to plan for 3 people, it’s kind of a daunting task. I took a peek at my travel checklist when we went to Mexico last summer, and that is pretty much obsolete…I had things like mum-mums, yogurts, water, etc….now I have to think of toothbrushes, vitamins, favorite trucks…

I’m not ready yet, so I will procrastinate a little more. However, I am debating if I will send my diapers and wipes ahead of time. Yes I know…I can buy them there, but you know my ridiculous, anal ways. Will they be up to my babies-booty-standards? We’ll see. We’re for SURE going to Chicago next Saturday so my dad can ship some last minute things, so that will be my opportunity to send my stuff. Other than that, we will just have a fun, sporadic trip (with dinner at Texas de Brazil!) mmmm….

So Athena is 4 months old, officially. When Elijah was 4 months I tried some peas on him…as I recall they didn’t go over too well. I am going to wait another few weeks to give Athena anything. Partly because I don’t want to jinx her healthy eating/weight and because I am not prepared to start making her food! Can you believe that she is of age to eat a few solids now? They’re both getting so big too fast.

I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything. You’re pretty much caught up with everything though. Next weekend is Chicago, after that is St. Louis Earth Day on the 17th (I love volunteering each year), then Easter on the 24th. Oh, and I am debating on taking a photo class that very next weekend.

Phew…looks like we’re in for a busy spring. Oh, especially because Brad starts umpire work next weekend also. I like it anyway, to be busy that is. I can’t stand boredom.

 

Here are some random pictures to share of the last few weeks.

Finally a sister’s night out!! We had a blast a few weekends ago.

We have been going to parks like crazy (when weather permits). Logan and Elijah actually tossed the football to each other a few times. So sweet to see them play!

Look at this trouble maker. We had a great time at Des Peres park (great place for toddlers). Evan is so squeezable, literally you can’t resist – even better he lets you for a millisecond or two.

Athena’s first time in a swing! She liked it.

Elijah is fearless when it comes to heavy equipment. He climbed right on this thing without thinking twice…or giving me the “is-this-okay-mom-look”.

It’s definitely NOT fair if only one of them gets to help make spaghetti sauce while sitting on the counter.

Our latest family picture (taken today actually!)

Lastly….here is my favorite pic of Athena in the bath. She looooooves her bath (I see mommy/Athena days at the spa in a few years time) 

That’s about it. It’s almost 10 and I think my favorite show these days, Iron Chef is coming on….night all!

Before and After…

ugh. brace yourselves…

 

BEFORE:

 

 

AFTER:

My poor guy!!!! He lost his footing while trying to step into a crock (the ugly shoes) and fell face first into our hard wood floors.

I was holding Athena and saw it happen. I immediately put her down on the floor and grabbed Elijah. Blood was gushing everywhere….I mean EVERYWHERE. Luckily my dad was still home and he was able to manage Athena and Aubrey (I’m watching Aubrey a few hours this week).

The irony is that this week Elijah has really caught on to the fact that he could go “boom boom”. He points at potentially dangerous things and says “boo boom”….like when he stands on the couch. Who would have ever thought those ugly shoes would have been a potential hazard…

He is okay now. I believe he’s just torn his maxillary frenum which is common and anticipated usually. I asked Elijah’s doctor about his a while back because it seems that Elijah’s frenum inhibited him from opening his mouth….and sure enough the doc said he will probably tear it at some point in life.

Expected or not, my baby is hurting and the sight of his blood is something I never want to see again. My poor Elijah, he went boo boom.

I feel so blessed tonight

It’s amazing how sometimes you really  don’t know.

What I mean is that I just knew  that tonight was going to be a disaster. Elijah postponed his 1 o’clock nap to 4 pm and slept until 5:30. Athena didn’t get a good deep sleep for her afternoon nap, so I just had a feeling that the night would be disastrous. Brad is out with friends, which left me even more apprehensive about being 2 to 1.

When Elijah got up we left the house (poor Athena, we packed her up sleeping and all) to get a quick bite of dinner and then to look at some “dhoo choos”. They were both so great at the store, I was really amazed. Elijah even pointed out that the sales tags in the aisles were “no no’s” from when were there before and he would rip down every one. He was able to walk around freely because he listened and obeyed immediately when I asked something of him. (that is an extremely rare occurrence!) 

Athena, she was great like always. Her demands normally include being held facing out to see what’s happening. Or to stand up if you’re seated with her.

We got home and to my amazement Elijah asked me to go to bed. “Mama, nani”. (Nani is Greek for sleep/sleeping). I warmed his milk, put his pj’s on and with Bobby and a pipila in hand he was ready. Athena however was also ready, and I had no choice but to leave her in her crib fully awake so I could get Elijah rocked a little. I didn’t hear one peep out of her. How awesome! She stared at the light on the camera for a bit and then fell asleep. Same for Elijah, I laid him down, he snuggled Bobby and stared at the camera then fell asleep!

So I feel rather guilty for assuming I was going to have a terrible Saturday night. My love and appreciation for my kids overfill my heart right now. I am so incredibly blessed. Even if my night went as predicted, I am blessed. I am always aware of it even during the frustrating times.

I can keep rambling, but pictures are fun to look at. So here you are:

Here is Athena today playing with her friends. She does this a lot, so I am finally glad I got around to taking the picture! (I don’t tell her they used to be Elijah’s friends)  :)

She loves her feet, especially when you pretend to eat them. She however, isn’t so sure about blowing on her pudgy belly.—That’s what that look on her face is for.

Elijah knows to not drive trucks on her head, but sometimes he pushes the limit….this was one of those times. But he truly loves his Nina! (that’s how he says Athena)

He’s learned to play so well with his toys, but still requests that we “geeyt down” to push a ball or truck back and forth with him.

The past few weeks both of them have been learning so many new things that I just want to push a pause button in our lives for a bit! I can’t get enough of them.

Which reminds me! We’ve briefly discussed me staying home from work until Elijah goes to school (well, and basically Athena since they’re so close in age). I was a little mixed with my feeling because the longer I postpone working, the less savings, money, extras, etc….but I know those things can wait. My kids will grow up whether I work or not, so how much better is it that I am there. Plus unless I get a decent paying job it’s pointless to work just to pay for daycare.

So I’ve decided to go to graduate school in the fall. I really enjoy school and learning. And in the time it will take me to finish my masters the kids will be ready for school and me for work. So I am looking at SIUE at their Environmental Chemistry program. I’m so nerdy….I have missed my chemistry classes and labs!! I’m hoping I may be able to get an assistantship where I will be paid and tuition will be reduced to assist a professor.

Anyway, I’ll let you know how that goes. For now I am going to soak up nothingness (meaning foodnetwork) for a while :)

“geeyt down”!

I have Aubrey to thank for teaching Elijah to say ‘get down’. He has become so active and curious we have to turn chairs over so he doesn’t climb on furniture, and god-forbid the half wall that barricades the basement steps.

It’s so cute though, he will stand on something he knows he isn’t supposed to and tell on himself by saying “geeyt down”. So cute.

What’s not so cute is when he says “No”. In perfect, understandable English. I am a little dumbfounded how to  handle the situations. When I ask him to do something and he says no….what do I do? He is to young to reason with I know, but the word “no” just makes it seem that he knows exactly what’s going on, and that he is entitled to get his way. I am definitely going to have to work on this….

Elijah is also going through some kind of emotional issues too. He keeps waking up in the middle of the night (not with just a whimpering, but screams) and is nervous any time we get in the car. I know he’s afraid we’re going to school. My poor guy, he has such anxiety about school and being left behind. Thursday was awful. He threw himself on the ground and cried, and to make matters worse I forgot Bobby at home. So he didn’t even have Bobby there for him.

His teachers assure me it may take a few months to adjust. Probably more time with his case because we are approaching summer break and when we return from Greece he will start in a new classroom and with a new teacher since he will be 2.

The way I see it is that it’s better for him to go through this now, rather than when he’s 4 going to preschool. He will adjust, but I hope soon…and hopefully he will adjust to sleeping through the night. Especially because his sister does now! Woo hoo! 8pm-5am! Then she sleeps until about 8 while Elijah wakes up at 7.

Whatever emotional issues he is facing I just continue to assure him that I will be there. I love that little boy so much, more than I ever dreamed.

It’s such a great Friday afternoon, I can’t wait for Athena to wake from her nap so we can go the park. Gotta use the nice weather while we can because, who knows, we may have 10 inches of snow tomorrow…