FOUR

Kael is 4. WHAT!?

Its crazy. Hes growing up so fast. Its amazing the difference between 3 and 4. We see huge leaps daily with him. He's been going to playschool AND preschool and im seeing a huge change. He interacts so much better with kids (though we still need to work on the teasing and pestering). He listens better, he cleans up his toys and clears his dishes without being asked and his manners (which were always good to begin with) have gotten even better! The 'baby' days are over with him and it kind of makes me sad. But Im so looking forward to watching him excel in the years to come.

Kael got the ultimate birthday this year when it came to 'spoiling'. With Christmas being so close to his birthday and all family located out of town the presents came in somewhat of a 'series'. 4 weeks straight of present filled weekends made it a hard adjustment for him when suddenly there wasnt any.

On the actual weekend of his birthday Kael was lucky enough to have his Nanny and Papa Jevne come up and visit. We took them to see the Kerry Wood Nature Center where Kael attends playschool. They were having a 'rock and gem' show that was worded to be very exciting. Things like ' learning about dinosaurs' and 'digging for fossils' and 'lots of crafts' made it sound appealing for young children. After paying a donation to go in we realized that this wasnt was it was made to be at all. It was simply a rock and gem 'craft fair' filled with people who had made jewlery...and then way over there in the corner was a tiny table with a slab of clay, a couple mini plastic dinosaurs jammed inside and a little shovel. ??? So we were rather disappointed when we found out all we did was pay to look at jewlery made from glittery rocks. But we still managed to find the single craft table located in a completely different location. And they had fun making a paper bag dinosaur puppet. Afterwards we grabbed some burgers and then it was time for Nana and Papa to head back home. Later on that evening we gathered some ingredients to make a fun birthday 'dinner'.

Naveahs Dinosaur was eating her.

We got Kael a Night Sky Projector!!! its pretty awesome.

Making their 'Dinner'

Blowing out the 4 year old Candles! its official!

What could be better than Donuts, icecream, sprinkles, candies, whips cream
and chocolate syrup.....for dinner!? mmmmm

 

The following weekend we had a very small but fun Birthday party for his little friends. He is still quite fascinated with Space so we kept that the theme (two years in a row). We had "Mars" pizzas, Pinapple "UFO's", Milky Way smoothies, and "Galaxy" cinnamon rolls. And for dessert we had 'Asteroids!' aka Cow poops....aka "no bake cookies". For such a small party it was a very loud house! The kids had so much fun playing together! Thanx to Brant, Corbin and Berkley for making it such a fun day for him!

Showing off his B Boy skillz

Optimus Prime!



"Happy Birthday to YOOOOU"

  

ASTEROID cookies for Dessert!

Hello Jorja

We finally got a chance to go down to Magrath to meet the newest member of the family.  (Beginning of January) The kids had lots of fun playing together. Its been ages since theyve all seen eachother!

Jorja Jennalyn.

December 8th, 2010

Welcome to the world little one!

The two newest littles. Jacek and Jorja. 3 months apart.

The Fairest of Them All.....

Naveah is quite the spirit. She can go from high to higher to freaking out and then back again in nano seconds. But we love her all the same. I love her quirky personality and shes gunna be quite the rukkus causer when shes older im sure of it.

Shes a pouter....and a GOOD one at that. Just check out that lip!

She is a bit of a junkie when it comes to sweet. Not like it wasnt to be expected from at least one of my children. It was a teensy bit of a problem when I was a child.

She loves pulling funny faces and amuses Jacek with them often.

Like every other little girl Naveah has become quite taken with the idea of "princess". Though she really has no idea what the idea of a "princess" actually is (according to disney). Having a boy first and being quite jaded myself on "princess" things and the color PINK (barf), the word "princess" or shows that included such things were just not something that was ever tossed around in this house. Princess to her simply means, dress. So here she is in one of her cute little outfits in which she thinks she looks like a princess. :)

Naveah very much keeps this house alive. She is so fun and gets excited over little things. She has the greatest imagination, the quirkiest expressions and one of the cutest, softest and loudest voices you've ever heard......I sure cant wait for this one to be a teenager!!!



Bad things come in 3's

When it comes to bruises, Kael does it like a pro. Go big or go home right!? Well, every year he has managed to get the SAME SPOT!!! heres a little recap.

Round 1 "Heavy Metal"
Kael 0 - Slide 1

Naveah was just 3 weeks old when this one happened. I took Kael down to the park by our house to have some outside time. He was still pretty young to go down the slide by himself so I was helping him down. The more he went down the less help he needed and soon enough help was being refused. Kael decided to test my reflexes I guess. He sat down as if ready to slide down....normally. But at the very last minute decided NOPE! He quickly flipped onto his stomach and off he went. Feet first and belly down. I tried to grap his hand but he went too fast and I missed. His body cleared....his head, not so much. Darn those pesky metal slides anyways!!!

Round 2 "Superman"
Kael 0 - Couch 1

Christmas last year. Family Dinner. Kael and his little Cousin made a game of jumping from ottoman to couch. The cushions were off the couch somewhere on the floor making the couch extra bouncy I guess. I had asked Kael to stop and told him it wasnt a safe game. A few minutes later I see Kael perched on top of the ottoman yet again ready to go. Noticing that the ottoman was 5 feet away from the couch I called out for someone to 'intervene' as I was too far to reach him in time. No such luck. Kael went for it. He didnt quite get far enough and instead smoked his head on the edge of the couch.

Round 3 "Dizzy"
Kael 0 - Coffee Table 1

Remember as a kid you would spin and spin and spin and spin and then STOP!? The results were usually catostrophic. So why would they be any different when MY child did this!? While dealing with a tantrum from Naveah It didnt quite register to me that Kael was spinning like a mad man in the livingroom behind me. Then suddenly I hear him yell out and burst into tears. He got so dizzy he fell over and caught his forehead right on the corner of the coffee table. OUCH! And this was nearly one year to the day of the 'superman' incident.

 Total Score. Kael 0 - Possible Brain Damage 3
Im not sure if playing Hockey is such a good idea.

Christmas!

For Christmas we did a little something extra for the kids this year. We never did get a chance to mail Letters to Santa this year but I had heard about Portable North Pole and thought id throw one together to have something to show the kids the night before Christmas. Kael had been asking for a Spaceship and Naveah, a Dinosaur. I told them that I would let Santa know and if they were good theyd get one, you know the drill.  So on the night before Christmas we showed them.

Here is Kael watching his video. If you would like to watch it, click here

Then it was Naveahs turn. She seemed more than shocked that Santa was talking to her on TV and she got especially excited when she saw that she just MIGHT get her Dinosaur.

Click here to watch Naveahs video





Twas the night before Christmas....



The next morning was so fun. The kids came sleepily walking into our rooms and we asked if Santa came...They immediately perked up and ran into the living room and yelled "PRESENTS!!!".

We opened our stockings first. All Kael was asking since he saw the presents was "where's my spaceship!?". He wanted that spaceship and he wanted it NOW, so you can imagine his anticipation when I handed him his first present to open. A tiny little stocking stuffer. He tore that present open and GASPED!!! "ITS A SPACE!------fish". The tone of his voice veered directly to pure disappointment as he finished his sentence. His entire body slumped and he looked as if he were nearly about to cry as he realized that this tiny thing was not his giant spaceship he had been asking for but meerly a little blue fish shaped change pouch.

the morning went on and Naveah tore threw her presents with a passion. Shrieking with excitement at everything she opened. Jacek was quite amused sitting in his bumbo watching the paper flying everywhere and drooling all over the new toy keys he got in his stocking. Kael continued on to play 'Santa', handing out all the presents and asking after each one he picked up "is this one my spaceship?!". Then finally we were down to the last two presents. How happy they were to see that Santa really DID bring them what they had been asking for.





Boxing Day I made Christmas dinner and invited a long time Friend and her family up for dinner. She has 3 boys roughly the same age as our kids and so needless to say it was a very loud house! But the kids had so much fun and we very much enjoyed the company.

No its not as good as it looks--its better.

The spread.

Nathan and Jacek. Only a few weeks apart. (Jacek is older)

They were having fun just hanging out on the floor and smiling at
eachother occasionally.

We caught Tyler being oh so cute and brushing Naveah's hair.



Giving Up.

My computer has been out of commision for 4 weeks now! I have to admit Im going crazy without it. I never realized how much I depended on that thing for just about everything! Searching for ideas, researching whenever there was something on my mind, blogging, emails, maps....It was there when I needed it and now without my puter as well as no cable, I feel like ive gone back to the stone age! Im hoping to get it back soon.

I have many blogs I need to do but I dont know how many of them I will be getting done. There were 4 months of pictures on my computer when it crashed and I was informed (after 3 weeks in the shop) that he has only recovered half of Decembers pictures in that time.  YIKES!. Im trying not to stress about it. I asked Evan to bring his work computer home for the weekend so I can catch up on some of my things and I decided to take the opportunity to Blog.

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Im Giving Up.

Not in the sense that you may be thinking. Im not quitting. Its more like taking a stand.

I have been struggling for nearly 5 months now. Ever since Jacek was born. Thats right! Our handsome little Jacek is Driving Me Crazy!!! Ive never felt so close to rock bottom.  It was only early this morning that something changed. Im Giving Up.

Let me tell you a bit about Jacek.

He is amazing in every sense of the word. Since I was pregnant with him I knew he was gunna be something different. I even said in an earlier post about him that he will do amazing things one day. Boy was I right.

Hes "Intense". He laughs with passion and he Cries with aggression. There is no inbetween with him. He is either Happy, or Mad. He is shifted to high gear all the time. He wants toys-he loves toys-hes mad at toys, All in one instant. He already pulling himself along the floor to get whatever he sees and wants, and he gets mad because hes not getting there fast enough. Dont even THINK of taking that book away from him.

Hes "Hyperactive". He is ready to go all the time. He hates feeling 'tied down'. Being buckled in the car seat he sees only as restraint. He hates being swaddled to sleep but we do other wise his little limbs wont stop moving. He needs to be moving all the time. He doesnt like holding still for hardly an instant. He wants to go where Im going, see what Im seeing. When he sees something he likes his arms and legs just start going!

Hes "Draining". As quoted from Dr. Sears; "these babies extract every bit of energy from their parents -- and then want more". Wow did that ever nail it. He wants everything from me even when I feel I have nothing left. Im constantly holding, swinging, rocking, bouncing, walking, nursing, singing, talking and in the end usually crying because he is still needing more.

Hes "Hungry". He eats...a lot! I envy mothers who can go out for 2 hours without having to worry about their baby getting hungry because their baby goes 3-4 hours between meals. Nope. Not Jacek. Im lucky to get an hour. If I go out without him I have to feed him right silly other wise he will be a screaming mess when I get back.

Hes "Demanding". When he wants something he wants it...LOUDLY. There is no subtle ques to what he wants. He yells it. Occasionally I find a 'groove' that stays on top of what he wants so to make the day go by with a little less volume. But if that 'groove' gets bumped, heaven help me.

Hes "A light sleeper". Two nights. Thats it. Two nights since he was born has he slept for 6 hours in a row. Other than that, he doesnt go more than 4. And even that is rare. On average Im waking 4-5 times a night (and quite often more) to cater to his needs. And most of the time its to eat. He spends most nights in bed with me. Its sometimes the only way anyone in this house gets any sleep.

Hes "Unsatisfied". You can give and give and give and its just not enough sometimes. This seems to be where that dreaded word "Colic" comes into play when infact its not that at all. This kid can cry forever! Ill nurse, burp, bouce, rock, swaddle, give him toys, sing songs, play music, run water, find a distraction, try pain killers and still, this cute little thing will scream -- and scream...It seems nothing will sooth him.

Hes "Unpredictable". Just when I think ive found a solution, he changes his mind. He likes sitting, no laying down, try his tummy, try his back, that worked, no it didnt...and so on. He is happy, smiling, frowning, crying and laughing all in the same sentance. What worked yesterday definetly doesnt work today.

Hes "Super Sensitive". A cough, a sneeze, any sort of sudden noise could send him into a frenzy. It scares the living day lights out of him most the time. I have to switch out the toys constantly and still 5 minutes later hes yelling at them and completely over stimulated. He is overwhelmed easily and as much as he loves his two older siblings, he becomes aggitated quickly when they are trying to 'play' with him.

Hes "Affectionate". You cant put him down for long without paying a heafty price for it. He wants to be held all the time. He wants to know where you are at all times. He much prefers sleeping in your arms. He craves physical contact and will tell anyone off that deprives him of that.

Hes "Dependant". He cant sooth himself to save his life. He needs help. He will not take a soother, he refuses a bottle and distraction only last a few moments. I have found music to be a BIG help in this department but I am still required to play a huge role when it comes to soothing.

The description you have just read of Jacek is what they call "High Needs". A classification of Baby that one will never understand until they themselves possess one of these precious Beings. I know this because before being introduced to such description and of course having one of these Babies myself, I thought "high needs" whats just what people said to make their babies sound more troublesome then yours. Like there was some need to make it sound like they are having a harder time than another. I know apologize to any mother who has a High Needs Baby and didnt get enough sympathy from me.

Some of you may be feeling slightly sorry for me. Some of you may think what I used to think. Heck, some of you may think I dont know what im talking about! But you know what? I am SO okay with my recent findings. For months now I was trying to diagnose my Son with something that was 'wrong' with him. Doctors, friends and strangers would tell me he was "Colic" while others said "Reflux". I suspected digestion issues (which im still not ruling out). But while doing more research I discovered that he doesnt fit the "colic" description. I recently caved and tried some medication for Reflux just to rule it out. The meds didnt work. I was pulling my hair out trying to figure out "Why!?"when really -- there wasnt! So with that...Im Giving Up. Im not going to try and figure out whats 'wrong' with him. Because there isnt anything wrong. Hes Fine. Hes Healthy and I can still make him smile. Discovering this was a huge relief to me...and knowing that I have a 'High Needs Baby' is solution enough for me. I can work with that.

For those interested in reading more about "high needs", this is a fantastic resource...
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/5/t050400.asp