My Treyden

Today marks 4 years that I have been a mother. My sweet, special Treyden was born this day 4 years ago. I love my oldest little boy beyond measure. He is such a sweet presence in my life, I'm so grateful to be his mommy. He is shy, and yet he loves attention in the right way from the right people. He has a tenderness about him that's rare in this world. He is such an amazing, mature big brother and I'm brought to tears by the way he loves and looks after his baby brothers. He has a fiercely contagious smile that is reserved only for when he's truly happy. He is sincere in a way that humbles me. He loves to make others laugh and is very good at it, too. He hates to eat unless it involves chocolate or pasta. He hates being around large crowds of people, and is terrified of strangers. He loves big hugs, even in public, and is generous with his kisses. I love to take naps next to my Treyden. I love his dimples and his gorgeous hair. I love how he is so patient with me and always forgives my imperfections. He is full of love and compassion. I love how he never gives up and always tries his best. I love his obedient spirit as well as his wild heart. Treyden loves to run, I wish I had the energy to run with him. I love how he is drawn to anybody who is willing to simply sit with him on the floor and listen to his stories and show interest in his passions. I learn so much from him, I'm indeed grateful Heavenly Father chose to make him mine. Happy Birthday sweet Treyden!!

Mealtime maladies to Deceptively Delicious

Ok, most of you who know me know about my Treyden's eating aversions. He has been in Occupational Therapy for the last 2 years to deal with his oral sensory aversion to many food textures and flavors. The poor kid has a physical reaction to textures or tastes that are aversive to him, so he basically lives on pasta and chicken nuggets. With the exception of breakfast, I loathe mealtimes in my house. I become giddy when I can get my kids to eat PIZZA, and I bribe them with trips to Sea World and the movies to eat 3 measly corn kernels. It's a CONSTANT struggle within myself to achieve a balance of peace and healthy eating at mealtimes. Having a degree in Health Promotion, I understand the risks of eating poorly. It goes against every fiber in my being to let my kids get through the day without the recommended daily allotment of fruits and vegetables, but who has the energy, and for mercy's sake, the constitution to fight with their kids every time they put something in their mouth. The most tragic thing of it all, being that Caleb idolizes his big brother, he has now adopted this wayward way of eating. Caleb was once my garbage disposal, now my cantankerous copy cat.

I heard about this revolution a few weeks ago, but didn't understand the magnitude of it's life-changing ability until I just (literally - 15 minutes ago) watched the Oprah spotlight on this fabulous woman and book. Jessica Seinfeld (yes, she belongs to Jerry) has also fought the good fight and although she stopped fighting, has won. She has discovered a way to sneak healthy foods, no not just apples and bananas - we're talking spinach, broccoli, and beets, into her kids IN EVERY MEAL!! Any fool can get their kid to eat apples, or most fruits for that matter. She has revolutionized the way we can view mealtimes with our children to make them more peaceful on all fronts.

Are you ready? She puts veggie purees into her kids favorite foods, and the beautiful thing of it all, they CAN'T EVEN TELL!! She has elected to share her brilliant brain child with the rest of the world in the form of a cook book entitled Deceptively Delicious. Some of the shockers include beet puree in decadent chocolate cake, WHOLE chickpeas in chocolate chip cookies, and my personal favorite (or should I say Treyden's), butternut squash in Macaroni and Cheese.


So, I had to share my exciting discovery with you. I plan on putting to good use as soon as it's in my precious possession, and I'll keep you abreast of it's success. Keep your fingers crossed!!

Last but certainly not least

Yes I know I've posted a lot today, but I experience very little adult conversation, indulge me. Besides, Trey and Luke have both been spotlighted, I can't leave out our little firecracker, Caleb. My gorgeous blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy. The only one of my 3 children who looks like he belongs to me. He is almost always the boy who puts me over the edge, and he's almost always the one to pull me right back onto earth. He can always sense when I need that extra snuggle, and also when I have that hair-trigger button he can push with so very little effort on his part. My new favorite word is oofee. Can ya guess? Yeah, it took me quite a while too - and he was blatantly pointing at the tv in the front of the car. MOVIE!! I distinctly remember pre-children days, discussing with a friend the evils of using tv as a babysitter. How naive I was. If a movie prevents a screaming kicking fit in a closed, confined space on the 5 hour...I mean 15-minute drive home, I'll be that evil mom.

Heads up

Ok, Lucas (aka coconut) has monopolized the video section of my blog, but I realized there are very few pictures of him. I do take pictures of my "Dream Child" as Amy Phelps calls him. He's at an age where he changes so quickly, he is almost unrecognizable within a couple of weeks. He's smiling constantly, still laughing at his brothers who become giddy when he touches them, and sleeping 10-11 hours at night. Unfortunately his daytime naps are lacking in frequency and duration, but to cease night-time feedings at 2 1/2 months is a miracle to be grateful for regardless of anything else.



Luke is also holding his head up and checking out the world. He'll roll from tummy to back as well. He holds his huge noggin up so high that if he gets slightly off center, the weight of his disproportionate head pulls the rest of his tiny body to the side and gravity pulls him the rest of the way to his back. His acid reflux is somewhat better. Feedings seem to be improving and he's doubled his ounceage in the last 3 weeks since we took him off the Zantac. I know, huh! We took up his dose because he was still crying and fidgeting between feedings. By his second feeding after increased dose he was scream inconsolably, not sleeping AT ALL, waking up every hour at night, and not eating. When I called my pediatrician, the nurse practitioner was the only one available and she informs me that it's highly unlikely that the Zantac is causing the discomfort, but of course take it back down and slowly increase his dose. Over the next week I try 2 more times to increase his dose very slowly, and I get the same result every time - no sleeping or eating. I swear moms know more than doctors. At Luke's next visit, I ask his pediatrician about his dosage and he tells me that Zantac is made with small amounts of alcohol that can sometimes irritate some kids. Shut the front door!! How is this not printed on the HUGE list of side effects on the dosage instructions from Costco Pharmacy. How is it that nobody informed me of this when I put my child on this drug in the first place? And why in the bloody you-know-what did the lame nurse practitioner make me feel like a neurotic mother for suggesting that the Zantac was to blame for worsening symptoms? FYI: ASK more questions than you think you have to before you put anything into your child's mouth or before ANY procedure done on your child, don't EVER question your instincts as a mother, and lastly, even the best doctors aren't God- they don't know everything.

Pancakes please!

So last week I come into the kitchen on a Saturday morning and witness my sweet husband standing over my adorable Treyden perched on a stool washing dishes. Dave tells me he first helped unload the dishwasher and then proceeded to scrub every dish in the sink. We were both amazed by not only his interest, but his persistence to finish.

As such, I decided I would run with this help-out-in-the-kitchen thing. I decided to introduce him to the wonderful world of cooking. What a better way to ease him into it than have him help prepare one of his first loves, chocolate cupcakes.

We talked about the 4 ingredients and Trey had to remind me that eggs come from chickens, don'tcha know.

Trey kept smelling the batter begging me to let him eat it.

Finally enjoying the fruits of his labors.


Trey: Mom, have pancakes?
Mom: Babe, you had pancakes for breakfast. You want more?
Trey: yeah, pancakes. Trey make pancakes.
Mom: OH! You want CUP cakes?
Trey: yeah! More pancakes!


Trey even helped (and loved it!) with clean up. I don't know how long this willingness will last, so I had to document it!

Skimping vs Splurging

Splurge:

1. My hair. This is a part of my body I can change with the season (and readily do), so I need a good stylist to keep me in check.

2. Shoes for my kids. I know what a great pair of comfortable shoes can do for my attitude and outlook on the day. I can only imagine the same goes for my kids who pound their little soles into the grass/pavement/carpet/tile at lightning speed.

3. Date nights. How I love that time alone with my sweetie. Since that time is so precious to me, I don't want to return to Souplantation or Taco Bell that we frequent with our clan. My current obsession is PF Changs and their fried rice. (it's even good the day after for lunch)

4. Cleaning Lady. How did I EVER live without her?

5. Car seats. Does this really need an explanation?

6. Disneyland passes. Dave hates the beach, park, and any other activity that kids typically enjoy. Thus on Saturday mornings we live at Disneyland and the only pass that allows us to attend Saturday year round is the $330 pass. Ouch.

7. My car. I love my car. My favorite feature is the remote ignition. When it's 95 degrees and we're heading back to the car after it's been parked in the sun long enough to create a human oven, being able to turn on the car and the A/C from even 50 feet away makes putting my soft white tushie on the scalding black leather seats much more manageable.

8. iTunes. Music makes my world go round. Good music can change my mood from bad to good in seconds. It forces me to move my body and use my vocal cords. My current favorite is Imogen Heap.

9. Target. I don't know what the addiction is. Ladies, help me out. I just HAVE to have that stupid trinket from the $1 spot that I'll never use. My kids HAVE to have a toy to get them through what should be a 10 minutes trip to get the can of formula I need, but becomes a 45-minute perusal.

10. Christmas. For mercy's sake - I have 5 younger brother's and sisters, Dave has 4, not including one brother-in-law, 2 sister's in law, 2 nephews, 1 niece, and 3 birthmothers. We need to come up with a better system.

Skimp:

1. My clothes. It just makes me cry to throw away a top that I've spent any more than $40 on because one of my sweet little boys just puked all over it or grabbed it with raspberries all over their fingers. H&M fulfills my trendy-without-spendy needs.

2. Furniture. It's sad, but our pathetic couches have lasted us through about 10 years of very happy times, and they are dying a premature death. I've grown quite tired of IKEA furniture, but I hate to spend more money on furniture for a "rental".

3. Vacation. What's that?

4. Housing. We love our house we rent. We have been so fortunate to have such a wonderful landlord who gives us a bargain deal on a great house. I'd love to not have wash-me-out white walls, but I can't complain at the rock-bottom price we pay.

5. Pedicures/manicures. How I wish I had the time.

6. Shoes. I live in flip flops and Rocket Dog tennies. How expensive can that be?

7. Underwear. Those of you who know, know. Those of you who don't, won't.

8. Makeup. Since it only gets used about half the week, why bother?

9. Movies. I don't have the patience to sit and watch a movie at home, and I don't have the time to go to a movie in the theater.

10. Long Showers. I know this doesn't involve money, but it's a splurge I desperately miss. Yes, I shower daily, Lame-o, but I have to gate my 2 older boys in the playroom so they don't ransack the house, lay Lucas down in Caleb's room away from over-affectionate big brothers and right about the time I have lathered up my hair, I hear Caleb scream bloody murder and Trey urgently yell, MAAAAAAAAAHM! Go Pee Pee!! I normally last no longer than 7 minutes and I can only afford one leg-shaving a week. Pathetic.

Thanks Nicki for the challenge!