Catching up on pictures with Jake

Jake Thomas
Reading a book. I love to nibble on those big fat cheeks!

Jake playing outside

Time to drive around the neighborhood.

Precious Gift

Catching up on pics with Anderson

Cruisin on a Saturday afternoon
Smiling as always

"Anders James" as I like to call him

Loving his new football balloon
Stinkin cute

Beautiful boy

Here I go bragging again..

Gift for Jodie's baby shower all bundled up.

I previously showed off the shoes and onsie but I ended up making a coordinating taggie blanket as well. Anderson and Jake still love to feel tags so I'm thinking I might make one for them as well. I figure as long as I keep treating them like babies maybe they'll stay babies forever...at least until their facial hair grows in.

Post #3...its a record

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/3041478/
I can't stop laughing my arse off. I'm as giddy now as I was back then. They were my first concert ever so I have a special place in my heart for NKOTB. I used to heart Joey but now I think my more mature tastes heart Jordan. I say as long as none of them have hit 40 yet, it's okay by me.

Just another Monday

Hi ya, Jake!

Anderson caught the giggles.

Time to walk the neighborhood

Out in front of our house.

Backyard play

Laying low

Weekend project

Sock Monkey booties

We had a pretty quiet weekend. Jake needed a few days to rest and recover. He is still pretty congested and everyone once in awhile he has a rattle in his throat but it appears he is getting better everyday. The boys spent some time outside in the yard finding every dangerous thing and trying to eat it. I hope that stage passes soon...there is nothing they won't try and eat. YUCK!

New first for Jake and hopefully the last

Don't want to relive last night again. I had quite the scare with Jake. At around 11:30 p.m. he started coughing pretty badly. Kevin wasn't home, he had gone to play some poker downtown so I was alone. I listened to Jake cough for a few minutes and when he didn't stop I got out of bed to get him some water. He sounded pretty hoarse and I thought some water would help him if his throat was dry.

When I went into his room he was lying there, eyes closed, wheezing like he couldn't breathe. My heart stopped. I picked him up and he was pretty much a rag doll. His breathing was very shallow and he was unable to take any full breaths. I immediately called 911 and he began to wake up a little. Turns out he was just sleepy, not unconscious or anything. I wrapped him in a heavy blanket and took him out onto the porch for some cool air. I had remembered our dr. saying the last time he had croup that if his breathing was labored to do cool outdoor air or hot steam from the shower.

I called Kevin and my mom while I was on the porch and both of them immediately headed over. Now I know when you are in panic mode minutes seem like hours but I was shocked how long it took the ambulance to get there. It was at least 10-12 minutes and if Jake had not been breathing or something seriously was wrong....I don't even want to think about it.

The ambulance showed and the paramedic was pretty certain he was having trouble breathing from croup. When my mom arrived to watch over Anderson we loaded Jake into his carseat and into the ambulance and headed for the hospital. Kevin arrived there a few minutes before we did and was waiting for us.

The dr. evaluated Jake and confirmed the croup. They gave him a breathing treatment and then that was the end of that for the next hour. No one came in or told us what was going on, I was getting pretty pissed. Finally we requested that the dr. return and fill us in. It is now 2:30 a.m and little Jakey has had enough. You can only keep a 16 month old entertained and contained to a hospital bed for so long. The dr. finally came around and discharged us.

Jake was such a good boy through all of it. He seemed to really enjoy his ambulance ride, he kept looking at me and smiling. The only time he was nervous was when the ambulance pulled up to the house with the flashing lights in the dark. Even then he didn't cry. What a sweetie! His brother is completely unaware of the chaos that ensued last night. He never woke up once the entire time. Thank goodness for that!

Kevin took Jake this morning to follow up with our pediatrician. Everything looked good and he said we have probably seen the worst of it. Right now my three favorite guys are napping after a long night and I'm thanking my lucky stars.

Our Daily Schedule

Where's Anderson?
Here he is.
Jake is mowing the lawn.

Then he eats his sheet.

Now that the boys are 16 months old and it is warm out our daily schedule has changed quite a bit. Most days we nap only once a day which has been a tough adjustment for us. This is what our day looks like.


6:30: Anderson wakes first and begins to call out. Within minutes he wakes Jake. Dad starts the bottles on his way out the door.

7:00: I get the boys out of their cribs. I struggle to get both up on my lap as they go nuts for their bottle. We're going to have to do something about that before Kindergarten. We watch the Wiggles as they drink their ba-ba.

7:20: Playtime Jake mows the lawn and Anderson looks at books.

8:00: Breakfast Time The boys like whole grain pancakes, a variety of fruits, cheerios, toast, oatmeal and french toast.

9:00: Mom showers and the boys play contained in their exersaucer and walker.

10:00: Time to go out for errands or meet Daddy for lunch. Today we went to Kohls and Target.

11:30: Lunchtime This is a challenge. By now the boys are tired out and ready for a nap. If I get lunch wrong it goes all over the floor. It's not always easy trying to figure out what the little people want to eat. They may love something one day and hate it the next.

Noon: Naptime Mom crosses her fingers and hopes for at least a solid hour of sleep. Today was 2 hours, yesterday was 45 minutes, you just can't predict. Jake usually wakes first and ALWAYS wakes Anderson up with his antics. They aren't even in the same room but they are definitely aware of eachother at all times. You might think naptime was my relaxation time but it is actually the most stressful part of my day. I use this time to blog, clean, cook and sweat bullets over one baby waking another.

2:00: Snack time and we are off for a long walk. We usually walk for 45 minutes around the neighborhood. The boys LOVE it when we see a schoolbus, dogs, and other kiddies. They wave and yell "hi". After our walk to swing in the backyard and explore the yard.

3:30: Back in the house and time to play.

4:30: Dinner time for the boys. Daddy comes home and helps out towards the end with clean up.

5:15: Bathtime Hands down their favorite time of the day. They can't get enough of the water.

5:45: Time to cruise around the neighborhood in their cars wearing their pjs. Kevin and I push the boys in their cars around the block as they beep the horn and steer. They are very serious about their driving time.

6:30: Sesame Street and bottles

7:00: Sweet dreams, sweet peas

I might have a new obbession...fabric, etsy, and owls

Did you know owls are super hot right now?

My latest creation, more shoes for the little people. I made these for baby Ellie. She is Jared's newest cousin on the other side of his family. She is the sweetest little thing!

New fabrics with a purposeful project in mind...pics coming soon


Love these fabrics but I have no idea what I'm going to do with them yet

I'm really enjoying my new hobby, but I'm spending more time obsessing over fabrics and patterns than I actually spend sewing. When I found these Amy Butler and Heather Bailey fabrics I just couldn't resist. There is this whole world of crafters out there that I never knew exisisted. And the owls, the crafters love owls. Sounds bizzare but many of them make some really cool retro owl inspired projects. I have no need for an owl, in fact I think they are kinda gross but now I want to make one too!

My other obbession is http://www.etsy.com/. Everything is handmade and it's my new place to buy unique gifts that aren't "made in china". You're up first Jodi :)...it's on its way. Many of the artists that sell their goods are SAHMs so I love the idea of supporting that in some small way.

I'm so incredibly inspired by the sewing blogs I've been reading but I'm seriously lacking in the talent department. I have all these grand ideas in my head...a new duvet, window treatments, slippers, pillows, I could go on and on. But, I'm a total copycat. My mom brain is so fried I couldn't come up with anything original if I tried. For now I'm happy to just reinvent the wheel.

Mother's Day 2008

Had a lovely Mother's Day. I had some time to myself in the morning so I did some cleaning and sewing. Yes, that's right. Believe it or not time to clean has become a bit of a luxury for me. An organized and semi-clean house contributes to my overall happiness. I was quite content to dust and vaccuum.

Kevin and the boys spoiled me rotten. I got gifts all week...flowers, tea from Teavana, and the most beautiful Tiffany & CO ring seen above. Two hearts representing each of my bubbies. Life is good.

This pod isn't big enough for two peas

After cleaning up breakfast I found Jake in the book basket

Just chillin with a book

Anderson was enjoying some R and R as well.

Then things took a twist.

I love how oblivious Anderson is to Jake's dismay

Blog Makeover...Sew it seams

Anderson modeling his new shoes

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You may start to see some changes around here. As my sewing talents increase and my home business takes off you might begin to see more product than babies. Get your fill of the boys while you can. I made a pair of Robeez type shoes for the boys. They are always slipping on the tile floor so they needed something to wear around the house with some traction. Most of their Robeez are too small so these will work perfectly. They were so much easier than the purse and diaper bag. I didn't cry once out of frustration, it was great!

Here Fishie, Fishie

Jake signing fishy.

Dorothy, can you tell Elmo we said hi?
I love fishies!

They just keep on signing fishy

Grandma Merris brought over two fish today for the boys to check out. They know the sign for fish so they were excitedly signing fish over and over. They enjoyed watching them swim and unfortunately for the fish they knocked over their habitat a few times to get up close and personal.

Do I hang with the pretty people or what?

From L to R

Jared, myself, Brian, TJ, and Josh

Kevin, me, Jared and Brian

On Saturday night we went out for Brian's birthday. Jared made reservations at a very chic resteraunt/microbrewery called Bastone in Royal Oak. It had an interesting menu of Belguim food and beer. I had an awesome Bellini martini and the mantarage all liked their beer. Afterwards we got crazy at a bar...till 11:30. Then it was time to come home.

A day at the park

Ah, the joys of a couch

These guys just can't get enough of the couch nowadays

See this guy right here? He's my best friend.

I'm never leaving this couch!

Nope me either.

I DID IT !!!!

The new diaper bag I sewed

The new purse I sewed

It took a long time and WAY too much money but I finally completed my first sewing project. Everything is held together with bubble gum and paperclips but at least I didn't give up...which I vowed to do every evening I worked on them. I'm afraid to load them up with anything for fear the bottom will fall out and I'll be damned if I let anyone see the workmanship on the inside. Other than that I feel pretty good about my bags.

He just couldn't help himself

Anderson was caught red handed yesterday. He and Jake love taking the wipes out of the box. Their obbession with the neverending wipe is too cute to get mad about. Today I caught Jake doing the same thing with his brother pointing and mumbling over him. Clearly Anderson was attmepting to tattle on his brother. Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough with the camera.