Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Bounce House Fun

We borrowed a bounce house from some friends for Michael's birthday party. Well, we still have it for a few more weeks and decided to take it out on Friday for Michael to play in it. It has a dinosaur theme to it and Michael loves it. He runs all around it and goes in one side and comes down the slide on the other side.

It's so much fun that Todd and I have taken turns going in there with Michael. We all like to bounce and Michael thinks it's hysterical when you go down the slide. What I think is really funny is how long it takes me to get up after going down the slide!

Here are some pictures of Michael enjoying himself in the bounce house and down the slide:



Friday, May 22, 2009

Well, I survived it

My first week back to work after maternity leave, that is. There were moments when I thought the week would never end and other moments when the time was flying by because I was so busy.

I went into the work week a bit tired from all of the activities of last weekend (Michael's birthday party, Katie's baptism). Monday was the worst day for me. It suddenly hit me that I was going to be spending more time away from Katie in one day than I had in the previous 2 months since she was born. As usual, it was harder on the mom than the child. Katie was in good hands at home with her grandmom for most of the week and with Daddy today.

Michael went back to daycare on Tuesday and he did great after being at home with Katie & I for 2 months. He only went 2 days this week, which was the perfect transition to return. I was more worried about how he would do than I was about how Katie would do. Probably because he is aware of what is happening.

Work was work, as usual. It's been hard to get back into the swing of things since I haven't been there for 2 months but I am trying. I have to develop a new routine as I am pumping at work and the schedule varies a bit every day. Eventually I will get into a new groove and hopefully things will get a bit easier. I keep reminding myself that it's only for a few months and then I will be home with the kids next year.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Katie's Baptism

Since we already had family in town for Michael's birthday, we decided to just make it a full weekend and have Katie baptized on Sunday. She was baptized at Our Lady of the Hills Catholic Church at the noon mass. Her godparents were my parents, Bruce & Dolores. The other attendees were Todd's parents, two of her uncles and one of her aunts.

Katie wore the same gown and hat that both my sister & I wore when we were baptized in the 1970's. It was so special to be able to have her wear the same gown. Here she is looking adorable:

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Michael's 3rd Birthday Party

On Saturday, we had Michael's 3rd birthday party. It was at 3:00 in the afternoon. We invited friends and family to attend and celebrate with us. The theme for the party was Cars. This is one of Michael's favorite movies. He loves Mack and Lightning McQueen.

We borrowed a bounce house from friends and set this up in the backyard. The kids loved it and kept running in and sliding down the front. Todd grilled hot dogs and hamburgers outside. We also had potato salad, deviled eggs, chips & salsa, pulled pork BBQ and cookies. After we ate, the kids came inside and played for a while as it was getting ready to storm outside. The bounce house had to be taken down and we ate cake after that. After cake, we opened presents and then the guests started to leave.

It was a fun party and Michael got lots of neat toys. He got a large Mack, as well as a small Mack (he already had the medium Mack). He got Mickey Mouse Clubhouse sheets/comforter for his beds, some clothes, a zoo membership, swimming lessons, Hot Wheels cars, fishing rod, Cars towel and bucket, a remote control school bus, gift cards, Fisher Price fire engine/firehouse and a Radio Flyer scooter. This child has more toys than he has time to play with them!!

I made a Lightning McQueen cake and Michael loved it. Here is a picture of the cake and a picture of Michael on his big day:





And a family picture of the 4 of us!

Saturday, May 16, 2009

10:11 pm, 3 years ago

was when our lives changed forever and Michael Todd Sipos, Jr was born. He was not due until May 22nd but due to pre-eclampsia, my doctor decided to induce me on the morning of May 16th. I was in labor for most of the day and was wondering if I would even have a baby that day as time went on. Around 9:00pm, they were having trouble with his heart rate and it was determined that I would have an emergency c-section within the hour. I don't remember too much else after that as things really seems to move quickly. The last thing I remember was being wheeled into the operating room and then I was put out under anesthesia. When I woke up in recovery, Michael was here!

He weighed 7 lbs 15 oz and 20 1/4 inches long and I was wondering how much bigger he would have gotten if I went until the due date. He had just a little bit of very light hair. In the nursery, he looked so tall because his arms and legs were completely stretched out. And he was a very alert baby too!

As he grows and changes, I am simply amazed at how much joy he brings to our lives. Now that he is talking more and more, we can have the funniest conversations. He is full of energy and keeps Todd & I on our toes at all times. He has his moments just like any child does where he doesn't listen and do what we want him to. Even in these moments when he is challenging us, we still love him so much and know he tests us because he loves us too.

Happy Birthday Michael, our firstborn son. Mommy and Daddy look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with you. And so does Katie!

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Wow, they are really growing

Yesterday we went to the doctor for Michael's 3 year well visit and Katie's 2 month well visit. Both appointments went very good.

Everything looks good with Michael. This was the first visit that he had to give a urine sample and get his finger pricked for a little blood. He had his cholesterol tested and it was excellent. Todd was able to get the urine sample from him easily, even though he must have really had to go because the cup almost overflowed! I wonder how they get a urine sample if your child isn't potty trained....squeeze the diaper?

He is now 38 inches tall and weighs 33 lbs. He has grown 4 inches in the past year and gained 5 lbs. He is in the 75th percentile for height and the 50th percentile for weight. The height is not surprising, given how tall Todd is. He is growing well and turning into quite the little man.

Katie's appointment went just as well. She now weighs 11 lbs 2 oz, up from her birth weight of 7 lbs 8.8oz. She is in the 50th percentile for weight and height. She is growing well and the doctor even remarked that she has good head & neck control. I can't believe how big she has gotten since she was born. I saw a newborn this week and Katie looked huge next to her. We will have her next appointment at 4 months.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Happy Mother's Day

I had a very nice Mother's Day here and wanted to wish a Happy Mother's Day to all of my mom friends.

I was treated to a home cooked steak dinner fresh off the grill. I got cards from Todd, Michael & Katie. I also got a framed picture of Michael and a framed picture of Katie that we will hang in our upstairs hallway that we hope to fill with family pictures eventually.

I am so lucky to have a wonderful husband who thinks I am a good mother. I am also blessed to have two of the most precious children in the world. I am truly happy with my life and feel that I have finally found my true calling in life: being a mom! There is nothing more rewarding than getting to see my children grow and change right before my very eyes. I love them so much!!!

Thursday, May 7, 2009

The simplest things

I find that it's the simplest things in life that can make a person happy. Like a smile from a child, especially when it's my child. Yesterday I experienced what I consider to also be one of the sweetest things. Both Michael and Katie did something that I have always loved to see. They smiled in their sleep. To me, this is such a pure expression of happiness.

Michael and I laid down in his bed for his nap. After a little while of trying to get him to go to sleep, he finally crashed. It's almost always a battle unless he is just exhausted. I was getting ready to go downstairs and I looked down at his face. He was settled in under the covers and all of a sudden, a smile came across his face. It reminded me of the days when he was Katie's age!

Katie also smiled in her sleep. This is a far more common occurrence for her. She has just started to smile when she is awake and I look forward to seeing this more and more. For now, I will be more than happy to watch her smile in her sleep or after she has just finished nursing. The smile only comes for a split second but it's just precious.

These are the types of things that I wish I could capture with a picture or a video but they are so spontaneous that I will just have to take a picture in my memory!

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Strawberry Picking

Yesterday Michael, Katie and I went strawberry picking. We also went with a friend and her little boy and another friend and her little girl. Everyone had fun, except I don't think Katie was too crazy about it. I put her in the sling but she didn't seem to like me bending down to pick the strawberries. Michael really liked picking out the berries and pointing which ones we should pick. He would try to pull them off and end up squeezing the juice out of them instead of pulling from the vine on the bush. Then he looked for somewhere to wipe off his hands!

The weather was perfect as it was overcast and not hot. It rained a bit on our drive there but it stopped before we got there.

And the strawberries were incredible this year! We went last year and they were not very big or very red. The ones we picked yesterday are going to be delicious, whether we eat them in a pie or fresh topped with a little whipped cream. Here are a few of the berries that we picked....don't they look juicy?



And here is Michael getting ready to pick strawberries with his new glasses on!