Stomach Flu

Yep, it finally hit our house this week. Especially for me. Brian missed one day of school and Sean three. Justin has had mild bouts of it on and off! I have been sicker than a dog since Monday night. Running to the bathroom every twenty minutes or so, stomach cramps, gas pains. I will spare you all the gory detail. I cannot remember being this sick, ever! I had nothing but ginger ale, crackers, and toast for a whole week! I thought I was feeling better yesterday and then the pain retured in full force today! If things have not improved by Monday, I guess I will call the doctor, but not sure what he can do? Ugh....

TV Brain

Justin has become as addicted to the TV as the boys are now. I cannot get them to do anything when it is on. I get them to look at me, and then ask them to do something. They walk away from me intending to do as I ask. (Well most of the time.) Then it gets them. Totally over powers them. Sucks them in like a tractor beam on a space ship! They are helpless and slowly fall under its trance. All of a sudden, their short term memory is erased and their brains are quickly turning to mush! Good thing I have the power to turn off the powerful machine whenever I like. Or nothing would get done around here!

Donut Love!

I tried to get a few pictures of Justin depriving this poor donut of all its icing. But the first one I took is the only one he let me get away with! So happy it was a great one! It looks as if he is inhaling the icing and just really relishing the moment. His eyes are closed and I think he has just had a glimpse of heaven! Love the hair full of static too! Life is good when you have a chocolate donut in hand!

Brothers!

Justin cannot obviously really play video games yet, but he loves to try and he really loves to watch. I guess it is like cartoons to him! The problem is that when he is watching, he gets too close. When the game is on the TV, he stands right in front of it and blocks the screen! And when it is a hand-held game, he leans over and puts his head right over the screen to block it! Sean dealt with it for a few minutes and then finally had had enough.

He pushed Justin's head out of the way, and then pulled his arm back to hit him. As soon as he touched Justin's head, Justin went on the defensive and pulled his arm back to hit Sean! Then, Sean started screaming that the baby was trying to hit him. Justin started crying and what was a cute moment between brothers became an all out war!

Sean still tolerating Justin

(Justin had his arm around Sean's shoulder

right before thisand I missed it!)the beginning of the fight

Snow!!!

Finally, enough snow to actually cover the grass! It was the wet sticky stuff, so I had to get out and take a few pictures! It was so pretty but did not last for long!

Happy Lunar New Year!

I spent most of last night and a lot of time today preparing a meal of Korean food for the New Year! It is a good thing that we now have grocery stores in the area that carry a wide variety of ethnic foods. A few days before I made the Kimchi - Chinese cabbage with red pepper paste and sesame oil and green onions. It was so spicy I could barely even be near it, but it was good when mixed with other things. I made jook which is like a rice porridge infused with ham and ginger and other spices. I made Bulgogi - thinly sliced steak with a marinade of sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, sugar, and black pepper. It was so good!!!

I also made sticky white rice and steamed broccoli to go with it. Then there was the Mandu - dumplings stuffed with tofu, mushrooms, ground beef, ginger, green onion, kimchi, sesame oil, rice wine, and garlic. Then they had a soy sauce and sesame oil dip! They were a favorite around here! For dessert we had Ho Dduk - which are like shaped like pancakes but taste like cinnamon rolls! I could have eaten about 20 of them!

All in all, for my first time making Korean food, it was a huge success! I really enjoyed all of it and will definitely make it again soon!

Bulgogi, Jook, Mandu

Ho Dduk

Hair Play

All of a sudden, I realized that when Justin has his bottle, he likes to run his fingers through his hair. It is so cute. I guess it is just soothing to him. Sometimes when he is on my lap with his bottle he will even start to play with my hair! And he loves it when I run my fingers through his hair at the same time that he is doing it! Silly boy! I have no idea what he will do when he gets his hair cut short this summer!!!

relaxin'ugh, that camera, again!
hair play ahhhheven with a pretzel in his hand!

No, No, No!

Well, we have reached the stage where Justin wants to do everything himself. I wish Sean would hit that stage soon! He likes to yell no and then try to do it himself. Some things work out well, like learning to use a new toy and others like putting on his own shoes do not. Part of this independence is wanting to feed himself - even yogurt! So, meal times have just gotten a bit, uh, messier. But the important part is that he is having fun and gaining self confidence. Soon all the hours I spent scrubbing the carpet will just be a blur. Right?

how does that not bother him?

cheese!
mixing yogurt with his lunchself feeding

Sean's Loose Tooth!

As usual, Sean finished his breakfast and five seconds later said he was still hungry! Luckily my kids like to eat healthy food as much as junk food, so after two waffles and juice, he chose an apple to eat. He bit into his apple and started to cry. He said the apple was too hard and couldn't eat it! Hmmm. It seems to me I remembered something like this a few years ago. I asked him to come over to me and open his mouth. Yep, it was a loose tooth! Well, actually two loose teeth. The one on the bottom right is pretty loose and the one on the left just wiggles a little bit! He is so excited and could not wait to go to school to tell his friends that he is going to be rich!!! That's Sean for you!

showing me his loose tooth!

Cell Phones and DS

Like most toddlers I know, Justin's favorite toys are not his toys at all! He loves to play with cell phones and video games. He likes keys and permanent markers. He loves anything the boys want to play with. And he has even perfected taking something he knows he shouldn't have and running away. Like a puppy, he thinks the chase is part of the fun. He giggles and runs away while shouting, "No, no!" This toddler is definitely wise beyond his 20 months!

trying to dial or text?

taking a callmad because he cannot turn it on himselfyea, it's on!getting Dad to help out

Peek-A-Boo!

Justin had so much fun playing peek-a-boo around the ottoman with his Dad. He loved peeking around the side and being scared. He is one of those kids that laughs at fear! You can come up behind him and he jumps when you grab him, then he turns around and laughs so hard! He really got the hang of it and was switching which side he looked around - one time he even went over the top! I think they both had a great time!!!

finding Dad he was laughing so hardsneak attack on DadDad gets Justin!

Ladybug, Ladybug!

My good friend L made this adorable ladybug for me. It will be an arrival announcement for when Kathryn is home! In many cultures, including those in Asia, a ladybug is a symbol of good luck! I am so excited, and she is too sweet! I wish I had just a bit of her creativity! Thanks again L!!! We don't think Kathryn will be home until late summer/early fall, so plenty of time to make them!

What a cute ladybug!the open announcement

(says: Announcing the Arrival or our Little Love Bug)

Catalogs, Catalogs, and More Catalogs

All of the winter clearance and overstock catalogs have been parading in through my door. I flip through them and drool over the little girls clothes. I am getting so close to having a daughter! A $25 dress for $12 - oh my! Temptation! It is a good thing most of the clothes started in toddler sizes, or I might have been tempted to order a few things! I am going to have so much fun when these catalogs come next year! I had better start saving now!!!!

The Season is Over

It was a sad day here for football. Both the Ravens and the Eagles lost and will not be traveling to Miami to the Super Bowl. Both teams made terrific comebacks late in the games, but it was only enough to get our hopes up enough to be crushed again. Don't know if we will even watch the Super Bowl this year...well maybe we will record it and then fast-forward through the game so we can see the commercials! Ha!

But if we look at the whole picture - Joe had a great season in all and even broke a few NFL records! It was so great to experience!

My new favorite Channel

We switched from one cable/Internet/phone service provider to another recently. We have some new channels that we did not have before. One is the 'Planet Green' Channel! I LOVE it! My favorite show is Emeril Green. You have to love Emeril! He does a 30 minute cooking show and uses a lot of fresh and organic foods in his recipes. It is really informative and the recipes are easy to follow. Most only require simple ingredients too. I have made many new things, and even took ideas and made my own! Check it out!

I am addicted.

Officially. Addicted. To a video game that is. Specifically to Lego Star Wars for Playstation. It started with the boys talking me into helping them beat a level. Now it has progressed to the point where I am excited that they want to play with me. And I even initiate playing. We have beaten all of Chapter 4 - A New Hope, even the bonus levels. We worked our way through Chapter 5, but have not beaten any of the bonus levels yet. Now we are working on Chapter 6!

I have to say I am better at figuring things out, but they are so much better at maneuvering people and vehicles. I guess I am an old dog that just cannot perform new tricks as well as the young puppies!

I have no idea if we will ever beat the whole game, but I just have to try! I am determined to open the Lego City! Oh, and don't get me started on the Bounty Hunter Missions! We have gotten a lot of the extras - invincibility, super blasters and light sabers, fast build, score X2, Chewy carrying C-3PO, etc. I know that most of my readers will think that I am speaking in another language, but maybe some of you have kids addicted to this game, or maybe you are yourselves?

(Also really like Lego Indiana Jones and Mario Super Sluggers for the Wii)

Beer Baby

Justin loves to steal beer. Luckily this time the can was empty and he didn't get more than a few drops. I have pictures of Brian and Sean at this age "drinking" beer, so I thought it only fitting to snap a few tonight!

Calendar Wisdom

Sean was flipping through one of my calendars tonight. This one happened to be about words of wisdom and witty sayings from Moms. He had a good time looking at the months and the different dates and days of the week. He thought he was funny and started overemphasizing the pronunciation of certain sounds, like 'th' and 'f'.

Then came the best part of all! He flipped to the last page of the calendar and said, "Mom, the last day of the year this year is December 31st!" I think he thought he was announcing some big words of wisdom to the table. I almost didn't want to tell him that it is the last day every year because he was so excited to have 'discovered' something.

flipping through the calendar

Sean saying Thursdayand Friday

I don't like ta-cos!

Put dinner in front of the boys tonight and these are the faces I got...so nice to have your healthy cooking appreciated. I exchanged the beef for chicken in the taco recipe. I didn't think it was a big deal because they LIKE chicken! Ahhhhh!

I have to add that they both eventually ate the tacos - no short orders cooks here!

Brian's reactionSean's reactionSean decided they were not too bad

Mamma Never Said...

...anything about Infertility and Loss. As a young girl, I never imagined that any of this would happen, especially to me. The school nurse and phys-ed teachers make it all seem so simple. Just have unprotected sex. Egg and sperm meet. Nine months later you get a baby...

My mom got pregnant with my brother and I with no trouble at all - you can say we were both welcomed, although not planned surprises. My Dad is one of eight. All of my aunts and uncles have at least two kids. I figured I would have no trouble at all. I figured wrong.

No one said anything about needles or vaginal ultrasounds. No one said anything about early miscarriage or second trimester loss. No one said anything about countless doctor visits or sperm in a cup. No one said anything about petri dishes or ultrasounds with no heartbeat. No one said anything about post coital tests or surgeries. No one said anything about D&Cs or HSG tests. No one said anything about blood draws or measuring medications . No one said anything about waiting for news from a phone calls or allergic reactions to progesterone. No one said anything about tears or pain. No one said anything about cancelled cycles or habitual aborter testing. No one said anything about c-sections or hyperstimulation. No one said anything about bed rest or ovarian pain. No one said anything about embryos that didn't survive or bleeding from injection sites. No one said anything about veins collapsing or arms, bottom and belly being bruised. No one said anything about PCOS or poor morphology....

The one thing that I am grateful for is that no one said never. Me, Brian, our parents, our close friends, our family, my infertility doctors, my OB - they all believed in me, the medicine, and themselves - for that I will always be thankful.

Love This!

I got this a few months ago and it really spoke to me. It is so true. It was very difficult to once be faced with the idea that I might never be a Mom. Now I have three boys from just about every fertility treatment out there - pills, injectables, iui, IVF. And soon we will be adding to our family through adoption. To me, it is truly miraculous!

Ravens Going to AFC Championship!

Wow! What an amazing game to watch. I cannot imagine how it must have felt to be a part of it. Well, that is if you were a Raven. It was so intense. I am usually quiet during games. I enjoy watching them, but emotion rarely overtakes me. This time was different. That was my nephew on the field and this game was a nail biter to the end.

Ravens beat the Titans 10-3 to advance to the AFC Championship game where they will try to beat the Steelers! Let's hope the do better than the first two match-ups! Joe was 11/22 with 161 yards and 1 touchdown pass! And Joe became the FIRST QB Rookie to win two playoff games. The FIRST EVER! How exciting is that?

Nuts anyone?

Sean walked into the living room with a single shelled peanut in his hand. He tried squeezing it with all his might but couldn't get the shell to crack. This is the conversation that followed:

Sean - Mom, I need help.
Me - Sure, what do you need.
Sean - I need to crack a nut!
Me (laughing) Okay, bring it here.

I was laughing for days. I know it might not be as funny in writing. But the face he used was just priceless. He was so serious and the words just came out so funny!

Update Time!

I got an update e-mail from our adoption agency. Things are looking even better than they did last month! The wait for boys seems to have shortened by a few months - and the wait for girls seems a little better than we expected too! Such great news and just what I needed to make it through these last few months. Our agency has had so many referrals and travel calls in December! Hope it keeps this pace for a bit longer!!!

Spaghetti Slurpin'

Tonight Justin was mad that we cut up his spaghetti. I should have known, he likes everything the way his brothers do these days. He is in full parrot mode. If they jump, he jumps. If they say No, he says No. Wait, he says No all on his own! If they want soda, he wants soda. If they go outside, he wants out. If they get a bath, he wants in! You get the idea.

So, for the first time he got spaghetti au natural. He had so much fun! He must have some of his grandpop's Italian in him. He dug right in and started slurping away. He thought this was so funny. He even ate some meatball, which was a first for him. He has not really eaten much red meat - he is a chicken kid.

I had to get out the camera. Then Brian and Sean wanted to join in the picture taking fun. Which is rare since they have been around long enough to want to run from the camera most days!

enjoying the spaghettislurp, slurpone more little bitthis is GREAT!Brian's poseSean trying to slurp Rotini with ketchup

(didn't go so well)

Fun on the Beach!

I finally got some pictures downloaded from our mini vacation.We did get about half an inch of snow, but the weather soon cleared. It was nice enough one day to get down to the beach. It was chilly but not too bad. The bigger boys had fun playing football. Sean liked digging in the sand. Brian walked around with the dog, and I took pictures!

Brian being tackled by his friend N

J and N getting BrianBrian with the ballBrianSean diggingRoc loves the beach