Stairs and Toilets!

It's a miracle!! I cleaned all 3 bathrooms today. I even got down on my hands and knees and scrubbed the floors! It needed it desperately. Tomorrow I am hoping to dust and clean kitchen floor and entry way floor. Thursday I will vacuum the whole house including stairs and Friday I will do laundry and pack. That's right, only 4 more sleeps until we get to see Grandaddy and GG!!!


Ok, there is a reason I am telling you that I cleaned. I will get to that in a minute. So Hayley has been moving nonstop. She is trying to climb up and over everything. I'm not quite sure why I couldn't wait for this moment. Actually I am really happy for her. She has climbed up our whole flight of stairs once and has climbed up Gramma Jodi's stairs twice! She is so determined and I love it. She is also attempting to stand on her own which is fantastic. She will stand for a few seconds and then fall, but just that she is trying is awesome!


Well, tonight after I gave Hayley a bath I was getting ready to give Chase a bath. Hayley was crawling around in our bedroom and followed me into the bathroom. Next thing I know, she had thrown her toy into the toilet and was standing trying to get it out! Ok, relax, remember I had cleaned earlier. In fact the toilet hadn't been used since so I didn't freak out to much. It was actually pretty cute. It almost looked like she was sick.


Chase is just Chase. He is rolling across the floor and can now get out of his bumbo chair. They are growing up too fast!!!

Milestones!

The last couple of days have been pretty eventful. We are hitting some milestones in our household! Hayley is now pulling to stand from sitting on the floor. She is also starting to take steps to the side while she is standing, and she has perfected going up stairs!! Help!!!! It just seems that all of a sudden she is just doing more and more! I am so proud of her. She falls down and gets right back up. She is in a very determined stage right now and I'm loving it. Hayley walking is getting closer and closer and I am so ready!!!!

Chase is starting to eat baby food now. He is eating sweet potatoes and carrots. I am going to try peas tonight. He is the messiest eater I have every seen. He takes a bite and then puts his fingers in his mouth. That means he has it all over his face, chair, clothes, and of course mommy!! I'm sure it is normal, but I did not experience that with Hayley. She was the neatest eater!!

By the way, I have not started the workout :( I know, I know, it is really sad!

Growing to fast!

Well, I am sad to report that my plan to get up and workout has yet to come into action. It's really sad I know. Those 30 lbs (yes 30) are still hanging out. My problem isn't actually getting out of bed anymore, it's the actual working out part. I get up and love that the house is so quiet so I spend that time alone. Drinking coffee. Eating breakfast at my own pace. I know, I know, I need to just do it. We will see.
This weekend wasn't to eventful. I am realizing how fast my children are growing up and I feel like I am missing it having two so close. We went to Grammas on Saturday and Hayley was standing at the coffee table and then completely lifted herself up off the floor. Yesterday she did the same thing except she actually got her legs on the coffee table so she was sitting on the coffee table. She tried to climb over the back of the couch yesterday also. She is just a little monkey! I can't take my eyes off of her for a second. It makes me nervous for when she starts walking.
Chase is really starting to babble. He is so stinkin cute. He is gonna be a little heartbreaker. He is into rolling and being on the floor now. He doesn't like to be stuck somewhere. Next thing I know he will be crawling!!! AHHHHH!!
Anyhoo, it was a good weekend. This weekend they are getting pictures done so I will post them next week.

Shots again!

Today I got up at 5:45 am. Why you ask? Well, my goal is to actually get up at 5am to start a workout routine, so I figured I will just get up earlier and earlier so it's not just cold turkey. We will see how this turns out. Honestly, I don't know which way this will go. I feel like during the day I am so determined to workout and lose this 30 lbs (yes 30) of babyweight, but when it actually comes time to do it I just have no motivation to get up. I know there are mothers out there who have 4 or 5 kids and get up at the crack of dawn, workout, homeschool, make homemade dinners and clean the house daily. I'm just telling you now that just typing that out made me exhausted. I don't think I am going to be one of those super moms. Most days I look like I get dressed in the dark. I usually shower every other day (or two days). I scramble around my house like a mad women, yet at the end of the day I don't actually know what I have gotten done. Wow, I am looking pretty pathetic right now. Ok, let's move on to the children.

Hayley had physical therapy today. She did awesome! Little by little we are seeing new things with her. I am thrilled. I hope she is walking around her 2nd birthday. If not, that's ok. She will do it when she is ready.

Chase had a rough day. First he had to deal with his big sister crawling all over him. When I say that I literally mean all over him. She would start at his head and go down his feet. Then she would go from side to side. Now you are probably wondering why I didn't stop it. Well, to be honest I thought it was hilarious. His face was just priceless. He was actually smiling and playing with his music table. After a while though, he turned over and kicked her in the face. She got the hint and moved on. Then we went to the Doctor and had his shots. Not to happy about that. He screamed until we got home and had a bottle put in his mouth.

They are both sleeping like babies right now. Good night.

Today was a good day. We are finally back to our normal schedule. Daylight Savings kind of threw us off for a few days. We had some rough patches, but we made it through.
We are managing to stay healthy so I hope it continues! Hayley had speech therapy today and the therapist actually said, "yes, she is a stubborn little girl." That is actually a big trait with individuals who have Down Syndrome, so I am so excited for that! I will just have to be more stubborn. According to my parents it won't be that hard for me.
Chase is still Chase. I keep hoping that the spit up will stop. Well, it hasn't. Today I was burping him and he let out a big one. I was so excited, because it took him forever to get one out. Then a couple seconds later I realized that he spit up all the way down my back. It was on the couch and there was a huge spot on the floor where it all landed. Seriously, this is why I can't have nice things. Between the kids and the dogs, there is no way! (it's also why I am in sweatpants everyday of my life)
Hopefully you all are staying healthy!

It's November

Well, first of all I have to apologize. When I first started this blog I had the intention to actually write on it every night. Little did I know, that was not gonna happen! I'm sorry, I am just too tired to write every night, so please do not be upset. I honestly don't know what I was thinking. Anyways, I am back and I will just tell you now I will be lucky to update once a week. I will try for a couple times, but I will not guarantee.

There have been a lot of changes in our household. Hayley climbed the first flight of stairs!! I couldn't believe it. It took her a few minutes to get the first step, but after that she just took off. Hayley also started speech therapy and physical therapy so now she has therapy four times a week. A week from Monday we are also starting a playgroup. We will be busy, busy, busy! I think it will be fantastic for Hayley and I am excited to get her walking and talking. I am dreaming for the day when she looks at me and says "Mama."

Hayley is also down to 1 nap now. (please pray for me) So, let's just say mommy gets very little time to herself :( It is good though, because now I have that time with Hayley in the morning while Chase naps.

Speaking of Chase, he is gonna be a little hearbreaker. We went to the Tacoma Dome for the Holiday Gift and Food Festival the other day and Jason was carrying Chase in a front carrier. He was facing out, and I mean he was smiling at all the girls. I thought I actually saw him bat his big blue eyes, but I may be mistaken. Chase is starting to roll across the floor and playing with anything he can get his hands on. He is growing like a weed. He is only 2lbs less than Hayley!

We took the kids trick or treating tonight. Oh my goodness they were so cute. Chase was a monkey, banana and all, and Hayley was a butterfly. Cute, cute, cute! I can't wait til they can

walk up to the door themselves and say trick or treat.

I can't believe it is November!! This is crazy!

Hello again

I finally looked on here and realized it has been a while since I wrote in here. Well, last weekend we took the kids to the pumpkin patch. It was fun. We put Hayley in the wheelbarrow and we went in search for some nice looking pumpkins. After we got there though I realized that I hadn't charged my camera so I only got a few pictures before it died. Of course I didn't get any of Chase, but he was there. Poor guy!

This week we also got her therapy sessions in order. Now she will have therapy four times a week, so we will be busy with those and playgroups. I found that it is good to try and keep busy. It is hard on me to take them out by myself, but I know it is the best thing for both my children. I just can't wait for Hayley to start walking. Carrying them both is getting pretty tough!

Hayley is really getting into being an older sister. At first she would give Chase toys, but now she just takes them away. It's pretty funny to see his face. He just sits and stares at her. Then he usually ends up sucking on his fingers. I figure I'll go ahead and let her, because soon enough he will be taking the toys from her!

This week we have also really noticed how quickly Hayley is picking up on things. You usually just have to show Hayley once how to do something and then she can do it. It's pretty awesome to see her catch on to things!! She is so smart and I just can't wait for her to start talking. Sorry I haven't been keeping up I will try to do better.

Have a good weekend!

Stinky Boys and Broken Toys

My house is pure chaos! First of all, Bubba is pretty much over his little cold, thank goodness. Unfortunantly he passed it on to Hayley and so she is on the tail end of it. Poor Hayley is also cutting about 4 teeth right now, so she has been in a great mood!

Yesterday Bubba, Hayley and I were playing on the floor. Hayley bent down in front of Bubba and then it happened. He spit up all over her head! Her hair was a mess and it stunk so bad. So obviously she got a bath right then and there. Yesterday was also the day that no matter what I did Hayley just whined and whined. Poor thing. I could not make her happy to save my life.

This week was also the first time we tried Bubba in the exersaucer. Of course he loves it, because it's just another thing for him to spit up on. It's been out since Monday and he has already managed to make it stink like soy formula already. I actually think that he is starting to just absorb the spit up smell. Just thinking about it makes me want to give him a bath.

Today we had two firsts. I ran upstairs this morning to grab Bubba and came downstairs and I didn't see Hayley. I peek around the corner into the kitchen and found her surrounded by dog food and her little hands in the dog food dish. She looks at me and I could tell that she had some in her mouth so I ran over there and sure enough there were two pieces in her mouth. I grabbed them out and then I picked her up. The poor girl smelled like dog food. She had it all over her pjs, because she was drooling out dog food since she is teething. It was a mess. I picked her up and brushed her teeth and washed her hands and then moved her into the living room. I can't wait for Bubba to start crawling!

Hayley also broke her first toy today. She likes this vtech phone that rolls and makes music. She had rolled it into the kitchen and for some reason she turned into an ultimate fighting champion. She kept tossing it around and kicking it like crazy. She would run it into the stove or cabinets like she wanted the poor phone dead. Needless to say the phone does not make music anymore. She killed her phone. I guess my life is just going to get more chaotic as the days go by!

Good night and please pray for me.

Buddy Walk

First of all, having sick children is aweful! I was gonna post something last night, but my poor daughter was up until 11 last night. Poor thing didn't feel good and everytime we put her down she just cried :( It's aweful because you can't do anything about it. Then of course she was up early so she is taking a nap right now.

Yesterday was the Buddy Walk and it was cold and wet! Other than that it went very well. Next year we will be more prepared. We are gonna make t-shirts and hopefully we can raise more money and get more people to walk. It is only a mile so it doesn't take that much time out of your day to go and show your support. We did raise $750 so that was awesome for only 4 days of fundraising. It was also nice that Jason was able to meet Hayleys friends from her playgroup. Now when I talk about them he can put a face to the name. While we were walking I got a little teary knowing that all of these people came out to support individuals with Downs like Hayley and that meant they were supporting Hayley! It was great to see and experience that.

Hopefully the rest of the weekend goes well. I will try and post something tonight also.

Maid Anyone

Before children I was very anal about keeping my house clean. With two dogs tracking in dirt, I was vacuuming at least once a day and cleaning the bathrooms twice a week. I swept the kitchen floor and the entry way multiple times a day. I was determined to have a clean house. I hate clutter and I hate spots on the carpet.

Now lets fast forward two years and two kids later. Yesterday I caught Hayley picking something off the floor and putting it in her mouth. Now your thinking that's not too bad. Except it happened 3 times!! Bubba put his face on the carpet and when he lifted his head up he looked like he was dunked in a bowl of pepper. My carpet looks like we randomly poored bleach on it, because my son likes to spit up. I could probably feed a 3rd world country from all the dried food that is stuck to my kitchen floor. What happened!! I seriously need a maid. (Ok, I really just need to clean my house more, I know!)

Hayley and Bubba are getting over a cold. That has been fun. Two cranky kids with runny noses. Best time of my life! It really hasn't been too bad. Bubba is starting to really get a personality. Today he was in his swing and he had a hold of both feet and blowing bubbles. It was very cute. Hayley had to watch her favorite show twice today. She usually watches her show right before her afternoon nap. Well, this morning she was cranky while I was feeding Bubba, so I put it on for her. Well, after she woke up from her morning nap she kept staring at the tv. The tv was off so I couldn't figure out what she was looking at. She would look at the tv and then look at me. She repeated that many times and then she started getting fussy. Well, I don't want her to watch a lot of tv, but I put her show on again. She sat there and smiled and danced and then once it was over she was fine. She went on playing with her toys and that was the end of it. She knows what she wants!

Well, I am exhausted and I need to get up early and do some cleaning :)

New Friends and New Shoes

On Tuesday I took Hayley to a new playgroup. It was so much fun. There were lots of kids there and she also saw her old friend Annika. Annika is 3 months older than Hayley and she also has Downs. It was so fun to see them interact, because before Annika would always make Hayley cry. Annika has two older siblings so she is used to loud noises and she would come and get in Hayley's face and Hayley did not like it! Now that Hayley is older and she has a sibling I think she has really changed. There are some noises that still bother her, but for the most part she is doing really well. I mean come on, when you have a collicky little brother you kind of get used to loud noises. So I put Hayley down and she just went to town. She crawled through a tunnel. She played with Annika for a while and then she went out on her own. It was really nice just to watch her play and get to talk with some other moms who are going through this same process.

The physical therapist who puts on the playgroup, met with us afterwards to discuss if she needed orthodics. Since Hayley is standing alot more we need to make sure she is standing properly. He noticed that her ankles were going inwards, which is typical for Downs, but we need to correct that starting now. So he gave her some orthodics and shoes that they will fit in. Her feet look gigantic in them! They have to be bigger so the orthodics can fit in them, but seriously, her feet look gigantic. She is doing so well though. She is standing with them on and is being a little trooper. She is also starting to stack things, and trying to put the different shapes in the right holes. It is the coolest thing when she figures things out. I love it!! It might take her longer to do things, but when she does do them, it makes it even more exciting!! I love her and I am very proud of her!

Well, Bubba is still Bubba. He is the cutest little boy ever, which is why we kept him. Otherwise, he prob would have been thrown out the window or left in a dumpster somewhere. Those of you who have had a collicky baby know what I am talking about. He is starting to sit up more in the Bumbo chair and is really trying to grab for things. He loves being talked to. You can sit there and talk to him and out of the blue say "BOO" and he will start laughing. No matter what he is doing or what you are saying. As long as you say "BOO" he will laugh. It is hilarious. I don't know why, but whatever.

Well, I have got to get some sleep.

Model Pose and Sucking Toes

My son figured out today that he is a handsome little guy. Seriously, I put him down on the playmat and he turned over and found the mirror on the side. Oh my goodness, you would have thought he was doing a photo shoot. He was giving smiles left and right and turning his head in different directions. It was the cutest thing ever! I really think we are gonna have to find him a modeling agency. (I know this is a normal process, just let me have my moment.)
As soon as he can start batting those beautiful blue eyes of his, it is all over. Women of the world, watch out!
So Hayley and I went on our weekly grocery run to Wal-Mart. I love going out with Hayley, because she loves to see the world. She is really in that exploring stage so it's awesome just to see her out and about. She usually is pretty loud in the car so when she was quiet today I was a little suprised. I looked back and I saw my beautiful daughter with both feet up to her face and she was actually sucking on her big toes! I couldn't believe it. I hate when I have a camera moment and no camera!
I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Poor Bubba

I really think that God gave us Bubba (Chase) to tell us that we are to have two children and that's it! I really thought that he was getting better, but I still think that something isn't right. He spits up constantly and sometimes when you hold him, he just stiffens up like a board. I really think he is in pain. I'm gonna have to get him in to see the Doctor. While we are there I'm gonna ask about that high pitched squeal that comes out of that cute little mouth. That cannot be normal. My poor Bubba :(
So Hayley spent the afternoon with Gramma, and Jason was going down to his buddys house to watch football. I was pretty excited to have some alone time, because I knew that Bubba would be taking his nap. So I'm sitting there eating my lunch, alone in the nice quiet house when Jason walks in. I ask him what he is doing and he said, "Well, Tony's (his buddy) mom came by so I left." HELLO JASON!! This is ME time. Walk around the block or something! Give me my space!!!! Well, that didn't happen. So instead of having a nice relaxing afternoon, I ended up cleaning the house. It desperatly needed it so all in all it turned out ok, but it's still annoying!

I Hate Shots

Took Hayley to the Doctor today so I could get referrals for physical therapy and speech therapy. We arrived 5 minutes early, and got called back pretty soon after we arrived. I was pretty excited since we usually have to wait in the waiting room for at LEAST 20 minutes. We walk back and I immediatly start reading her a book. Then I sang some songs. Then I started throwing her up in the air (she loves that). Then I started looking around to see what else I could do since I had a very squirmy child who was ready for her nap. I looked at my phone to see what time it was and found that we had been back there for 35 minutes!!! I couldn't believe it. So we walked around the room some more. I pulled out everything I could out of the diaper bag for her to play with. Finally, ten minutes later, there was the much anticipated knock on the door. YES! The Doctor came in and we said the usually greetings and he sat down and asked "What can I do for you today?" I said, "I need referrals for physical therapy and speech therapy." He looked at me like I was an alien. He said, "We usually do those over the phone. Who did you talk to? We have a new receptionist." I said, "I don't know." He then proceeded to tell me that all I had to do was call the referral nurse and she takes care of everything. I sat there stunned!! Are you kidding me! Do you know how much it takes for me to get myself and one of the kids ready in the morning? So he told me that he could go ahead and give her the flu vaccination so our visit wasn't in vein. So she got her shot (she didn't cry either).

After the Doctor we got home and I was secretly hoping that Grampa had gotten Chase to sleep so I could just put Hayley down and maybe have some time for myself. I should have known that wasn't going to happen. My son never seems to cooperate with my plans. That's why I usually don't have any. I fed Chase and played with him for a while until he fell asleep. I put him down in his room and took the dogs out. As soon as I walked in the house I heard my daughter. Fabulous. I had 5 minutes to myself and I had to use them to take the dogs out :(

Hayley was up and so we had lunch and we played. She did some standing. She crawled all over me and she also played in the kitchen just swinging her toys around and going to get them. She must like the feel of the kitchen floor. At 3 I put her down for her nap and what do you know, as soon as I shut her door I heard my son. I think God was playing with me today. So I got him fed and put him down to play on the floor and I took the dogs out real quick. I walked in and got the dishwasher emptied and then I heard my Hayley! She usually sleeps til 5:30 and it was only 4:15. I was like NOOOOO!! Please go back to sleep, but I knew that wasn't going to happen. I went to get Hayley and then I decided that we would all go for a walk. So we did.

It's days like these that I count down the minutes till Daddy comes home :)

Don't Swallow

Hayley had therapy today and it went very well. Actually she did awesome! She stood by herself in the pool for 2 seconds. How cool is that?! Wendy (her therapist) also tried to teach her that when her face goes in the water to blow out. Hayley thought it would be better though to just go ahead and swallow the water. By the end of the session she was kind of getting the hang of it :)
The most important thing though was her standing! Go Hayley!! I'm so proud of you.
My son though is driving me bonkers. That sounds horrible since he is only 4 months old, but I'm going crazy. Not as bad as before when he had colick, but sometimes it feels that way. He is by far the most high maintence baby I have ever known. He spits up between 2-4 times after each bottle. He has the most high pitched cry I have ever heard, which I get to listen to for at least 45 minutes before he goes to sleep! HELLO CHASE! Just go to sleep!!! You will feel better and I will feel better.
Anyways, there are good moments too. Today Chase was laying on his belly and Hayley came right up to him and layed on her belly. They were face to face and she kept kissing him and he kept smiling at her! It was the best. I wish I had my camera, but of course I didn't so you will just have to picture it in your mind :) We will see what tomorrow brings!
Good night

It's a Zoo Out There

We had a mommy and Hayley day. We went to the zoo and went out to lunch. Just the two of us. It was wonderful. I wasn't sure how she would like it being stuck in the stroller and trying to see animals that were pretty far away. I was right. We walked around and saw the elephants, monkeys, wolves, and tigers. Everytime we stopped I said "Look Hayley!" Everytime she looked up, she looked at me with this face of "What am I supposed to be looking at?" Then it happened. We walked into the greatest place on Earth. Her eyes lit up. A smile spread across her face. We had walked into the aquarium. I gotta say, it saved the day!! She loved it.

So while we were walking around the aquarium, I decided that I wanted to get pictures. I plopped her on the floor in front of the glass and walked back to take the picture. By the time I put the camera up to take the picture she had turned around and had both hands and her face flat against the glass. After I took the picture I walked up to her and then noticed that not only was her face flat against the glass, so was her tongue. She was licking the shark tank!!

Well, after I cleaned her (and the glass) up, we left and went to Wendy's to eat together. It was awesome to have that alone time with my daughter. I will cherish these memories forever :)

No More Babies

My son is becoming a man. He is officially rolling both ways. Next he will be rolling across the floor. Then he will be sitting up. Then he will crawl. Then he will walk and talk. Not sure I'm ready for this. Then I will have no more babies :( I had them so close, so I know I am gonna want another one in a couple years. That's when my loving husband will slap me back into reality! Ain't gonna happen. No more babies for us. Sorry Grandaddy and GG.

Well, Hayley had a great day in therapy. She stood most of the time and had to show off her dance moves. She loves music and loves to dance to music. She has about 3 different moves she does. She either dances the same through the whole song or she will mix it up! I love it!! She is gonna be my little performer. Today is also when she discovered that you can bang toys on the front of the dishwasher! She also tried some dog food! Luckily I got it out before she swallowed.

Ok. I'm ready for bed. Lord knows I need my rest to keep up with these two!

Do The Puyallup!

Today was fair day!! I gotta say I was pretty nervous with two kids, a very hot day, sitting in a side by side double stroller and walking around the Puyallup fair. It actually went very well. I gotta say one of the highlights was looking down at my children in the stroller and seeing a huge piece of cracker crumb stuck to my son's forehead. How did it get there you ask? That would be his sister kissing him with her mouth wide open! Of course she is just looking up at us with the biggest smile on her face, like what? I didn't do anything!

Another highlight would be watching my daughter ride the carousel. She wasn't quite sure about it, but I prob wouldn't be either if I was seeing it for the first time. I mean come on. Some of those horses freaked me out. She sat with Grandma on the bench and clung to her like white on rice. Overall it was a very good day. My kids were wunderful and actually sat by each other and not once did Hayley bite him!!! Success!!!! I'm sure next year will be a little more eventful :)

To Eat or Not To Eat?

So I'm trying to make lunch for Hayley this afternoon and of course she has to be entertained every minute of the day, so I plop her down on the kitchen floor and give her a mum to eat. Now as I'm enjoying the now quiet Hayley, I proceed to make her lunch. I look back a couple seconds later and notice she is laying on the floor trying to grab her mum that she threw. I watch her pick the mum up and notice black specks all over. So I'm thinking 1) I really need to clean my house 2) Do I take it and hear her scream or 3) Just let her eat it. Well, she got to eat the mum. I hope that doesn't make me a bad mother. Please don't judge me :)

Opening Day

I feel like I have just joined a huge club of people who started blogs. I am using this to share with my family and friends who are interested about my life and what goes on daily. So today I have nothing really to talk about, so I will tell you about my children. My son Chase is a little pistol. Well, actually both my kids are. Hayley is at that stage where she has a little attitude. She isn't saying any words yet, but I can sure read what's on her mind. Man, who knew such a sweet innocent face could give you looks that could kill.
My daughter has Downs so she is a little delayed, but man she sure is a blessing. She is doing the inchworm crawl now and we are really working on standing. Our goal for her is to be walking by her 2nd birthday.
My son Chase on the other hand really knows how to scream. He was pretty colicky (excuse my spelling) and we literally wanted to kill ourselves some days so we wouldn't have to listen to him scream. He is gotten better, but he still has this high pitched scream. When I say high pitch, I mean high pitch. I honestly didn't know that those octives even existed!!! Gotta love him though. Well, I don't want to bore you so I guess I should quit for today. I promise they all won't be so boring. Have a good weekend.