Hang on

Emo = emotional.

That's how I'm feeling today. Actually, I'm not sure exactly how to feel. I'm a little of everything-- tired, worried, happy, sad. A whirlwind of emotions, aka emo.

Hang on tight as this post is going to take you on an emotional roller coaster .

First we'll start with a recap of our uber busy, but fun, weekend.

Friday evening we had a play date happy hour with our neighbor friends, The Semescos. Amy came over to catch up and to assist me with emptying a wine bottle and snacks.  Her daughter and Spencer's boo, Ruby, came over to play with the boys... well, mainly Spence. Although, Cameron wouldn't take his eyes off of her so Spence may have some competition in the near future. After some QT at the house, we all went to dinner at 903 Mills. It was quite the perfect evening to enjoy the fresh air outside. Sadly, I failed to snap pics of the two booski's playing, but here's a pic of these two cuties from Christmas:

 









Saturday morning, we woke up and Rich suggested an impromptu Universal Trip. So we got all packed up and headed out. Since we now have annual passes, this would have been our third time there. Our passes have already paid for themselves and it's only February. Universal is our new happy place, mainly because Spencer loves it. I never knew how much they actually have for the kiddies. I guess when I went in the past, that was the least of my concerns and wasn't looking for kid-friendly attractions. Both parks, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, are pretty amazing. Spencer has gone on the rides appropriate for his height and loves to run around the play areas and splash pads, and meet all the characters. Plus, mom and dad can have a beer (or three) and get in a bit of exercise so it's a win-win for all. On Saturday, we went to meet Barney. We have watched and enjoyed his show, but the line afterwards has always been too long for us to wait with an anxious toddler. I won't show you the FAIL pics of Spencer not wanting anything to do with him, but instead a family shot where he's actually upright:

After quite a few hours at the park and some lunch, we were homeward bound for a nap. Well, for the boys at least. Rich and I watched "Ted" and I must say that I'm not sure what all the hype was about... besides Marky Mark and Mila Kunis, anyway. Those two together are some kind of HOT, but the movie was pretty bad. We maybe laughed a few times. Maybe it's just us?


Sunday morning, we had another play date scheduled with Spencer's other girlfriend, Ellie. Yes, he has a couple in rotation. I'm telling you, this kid has a busier social life than Rich and I put together.
We all met at Monkey Joe's which was our first visit there. For those not familiar, it is an indoor play place for kids which includes quite the selection of bounce houses and video games. Luckily, they have an "age three and under" area which is where we spent most of our time. The kids had three bounce houses to choose from where the bigger kids weren't allowed, and that of course, put us all at ease to know they weren't going to get trampled by a ten year old. Spencer and Ellie literally bounced around for hours. They had so much fun together and you can imagine the amount of pictures and video we captured, but I'll only spare you a few.

Here are these three crazy kids having a great time:  (insert House of Pain's, "Jump Around", here)

these two have each other's back

Not sure who had more fun, the kids or their dad...

After an afternoon of jumping, laughing and fun, Spencer and Ellie headed back to his place for a little canoodling. Not really, but they did nap together... in his bed. Don't worry, her dad was there to monitor :o) Their party continued with 'lots of play and Ellie and her dad even stayed for dinner. These two had their first dinner date:

Needless to say, we had one busy weekend. We are so happy to have great friends not only for our boys, but for us too. We enjoy those times we get to spend with each of them.


I've mentioned on here before about being a part of a large mom's group on Facebook. We are always sharing knowledge with one another, and of course funny stories and pictures. On Sunday, a new post in the group popped up in my news feed that really caught my attention. Long story short, a California family lost their 14 month old over the weekend. As I type that sentence, I'm crying yet again as I just can't fathom the thought. The parents found their sweet boy in their bed unresponsive. They have co-slept with him since he was born, but as stated on her fb page, there weren't any pillows or blankets near the baby. She said he passed away from SIDS. How does this even happen? It's to my understanding that the risk of SIDS decreases after six months, and almost never happens after a year old. This baby was over a year old! The mother said he was just learning how to wave, and that he took his first steps a few days ago. She posted a picture of her baby boy waving and said "she didn't realize he was waving goodbye to her forever". Ugh, I feel so much pain for them. I can't even imagine what they are going through. It's to my understanding there were five kids total. Not only do two parents have to grieve, but the other four children do as well. My heart hurts for them. This could happen to anyone... with no explanation. It makes me stop to reevaluate my babies...

Since Cam was born, he would not sleep any longer than two hours on his back. After about two months of this constant waking in the middle of the night, we caved and allowed him to sleep on his belly. I say "caved" because children are not supposed to belly sleep. According to research, this is/was one of the main causes of SIDS in the eighties. Since they started promoting back sleeping, SIDS has decreased by 50%. I know that some of you allowed your children to sleep on their bellies or that you, yourself, slept on your belly and we're all here, and well, today. Unfortunately, a lot of other parents weren't so lucky. Because of this story and the awareness it has brought, I am now scared shitless to allow Cameron to continue his belly sleeping. I've been questioning my rationale these past couple of days. Maybe it was me being a little selfish all to get a good 8-10 hours of sleep each night, but I've come to the realization that it's not worth it to me. If anything were to ever happen to either of my boys, I wouldn't be able to, and couldn't, live with myself... with ourselves. The thought makes me so sick to my stomach. I am sick for that family.

So last night was "Operation Back to Sleep" for Cameron, which was a big fail. We went from his regulated schedule of sleeping 8+ hours per night, to waking every two hours or less. Rich and I are exhausted! As soon as we lay him down, he flings his arms like he's falling, which in turn wakes him up. This cycle lasted alllll night. Our nanny is aware of this new sleeping arrangement and has been trying to lay him down all day. With him not sleeping well last night, then not napping today because he's refusing his back, the poor boy is exhausted. I feel so sorry for him, but little does he know this is the best for him. I feel like we're sleep training all over again, which we really never had to do in the first place because he was so comfy on his belly. He would go down for us with no problems.
Any, and all, tips or tricks are welcome.

<sigh>


On a more positive note, I took this picture of Cameron on Sunday and just can't believe how big our (once a preemie) baby has gotten. In a week, we go to his four month well baby appointment and I'm so anxious to learn his weight. At his two month visit, he was a little behind in the height and weight category, as to be expected. Kissing and chewing on his baby rolls lead me to believe he may have caught up though :o)

I know this was an extremely long post, and if you're still with me, you're a trooper. hahaa
One last pic and I'm out. Spencer and his Speech Therapist made me an early Valentine's Day present and on my desk it will stay. I have enjoyed looking at it all day long.
Speaking of Valentine's Day, I hope it's a special day for most of you. Pre-kids we would celebrate, but things have changed a bit around here. My boys are my gift... all day, every day.

Have a great week!