Valentine's Day Bash

I've always thought Valentine's Day was a bit over-rated. I've never been a huge fan of it, and when I was single, it never really bothered me to not have a "Valentine" to celebrate with. It's simply a silly holiday that puts way too much pressure on everyone - men, women, parents, kids, teachers. And, honestly, every day should be a day spent telling the ones we love just that - that we love them! But... the silly holiday certainly gives us a good reason to have a fun play date. So, this year, we had:

Banner's Valentine's Day Bash 

at his "bachelor pad." We invited some of his age-group friends to share in a play date at our house with a few treats to honor the day of love. And, while I still think the holiday is unnecessary, the play date was nice and gave us a good opportunity to see some friends at our house. Here are a few pictures from the day's events. 

"CHEESE!"

"How many more times do I have to say CHEESE!?"

Ella going in for a kiss!

Sami, Zeina, and Adam were our first guests!

Play time break for some berries

Banner & Ella

Miss Myka

Cousin Brycen showed up in the same outfit!

"Why are you wearing what I'm wearing?!"

CUTIE!

My giggly boy

Brayden & Myka enjoying a lunch date

Shootin' some hoops

Just checkin' out what Myka's eating for lunch

Play time outside!

"Wee!"

Brayden

Shayna

Myka

Brycen

After the play date, I headed to the hospital where my mom was just being moved to the recovery room after a surgery she had today. Sam had been up there while I was entertaining, and once he got home, I spent the afternoon waiting to see her. Thank goodness her surgery went well, and she was in good spirits this evening. Hopefully, she'll be home tomorrow afternoon, settling in at home and feeling well. THAT is my Valentine's Day wish!

Once home, Sam, Banner, and I enjoyed a delivered meal from our favorite Chinese restaurant. No clean-up, no hassle, and no worrying about what to make! Great V-Day gift for me! Then, Sam gave me my Valentine's Day cards - SO not expecting this. I told Sam I had not even thought about cards and that I felt badly for not getting him or Banner anything. He, sweetly, told me that the play date today was my gift to Banner, and that was enough for him, too! Oh, how awesome my husband is!

Later, Sam and I had our "traditional" chocolate fondue dessert after Banner went to sleep. We were out of regular chocolate chips, so we improvised with left-over Hershey's Kisses from the play date. We decided this was the best chocolate fondue recipe we've used. Here's the recipe:

5 oz of Hershey Kisses (yes, we unwrapped each one as we weighed them out!)
1/4 cup of half-and-half
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
*Melt Hershey Kisses in bowl over boiling water. Stir in half-and-half. Once blended and melted, remove from heat and add vanilla extract. Stir well and go to town with your favorite dip-ables (marshmallows, strawberries, bananas, pound cake, etc)! YUM!

My cards from Banner & Sam

From Banner

Unwrapping and weighing the Kisses

One of the worst pics of us, but at least we got one!

I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day! Over-rated or not, it's a good reminder to keep telling all those special people in your life that you love them! And, oh, how I love my family and friends!

20-Month Newsletter

Dear Banner,
In the 20's this month!! You are more and more fun each day, and in my opinion, cuter and cuter - as if that were possible! :) This month was kind of boring compared to the past few - as we settled in to 2013 and laid low through January since both of us have been sick on and off. You had a bout with a cold: runny nose, icky chest cough, and a glassy-eyed look that kept me worried about you, although you never had a fever, and you never seemed phased by the cold. We tried Dimetapp and a humidifier for about 5-6 nights, but nothing really helped. Perhaps it wasn't a cold - maybe allergies... after all, that's what has kept me feeling awful this month. I sincerely hope you don't have my allergies, though. It's truly awful - runny nose, itchy ears and throat, watery, itchy eyes, sneezing, tingling nose. Anyway, the worst thing about you being more aware of your runny nose is that you want to wipe it on anything... and I mean ANYTHING: walls, floor, table, couch, me... anything! I have to keep tissues readily available, and even though you will use a Kleenex from time to time, your first reaction is to bend over and swipe your face across any surface. ICKY! Luckily, I've quickly learned your little "where can I wipe my nose" face and try to catch your nose with a welcoming Kleenex before it meets an unsuspecting person or surface.

Also, this month, your vocabulary continues to boom. We've added: wind, pizza, jacket, help, trash, sun, wheel, towel, drive - just to name a few off the top of my head. By far, my absolute favorite this month is "AWESOME!" The first time I heard you say this was when we were watching Yo Gabba Gabba, and DJ Lance Rock said what he always says after the "Super Music Friends Show" ends, "Listening and dancing to music is ... AWESOME!" Well, as he said it, you said it with him! Now, every episode we watch, you say it with DJ Lance, and sometimes you say it just when you are playing. It is, without a doubt, AWESOME!

You are also starting to put two words together: "more bus," "bye-bye train," "no, Mommy," for example. I'm officially counting it now, since before I wasn't sure if "all done," or "thank you" counted as putting two words together. Now, you are stringing different ideas together, which makes me think this is really what "they" mean by two words together. Oh, and you're mastering possessives, too. For a week or so, you seemed confused by when to use them - often calling me "Mommy's" or calling Daddy "Daddy's," but now you've got it. You will point to a cup and say, "Babber's" (for Banner's) or my keys and say, "Mommy's."

You continue to be VERY into cars, trucks, trains, planes, and buses. We just got a train track and some trains, and you are obsessed. You could play with the cars at Grandma's house all day! You are constantly wanting to "see, see" a bus, a train, a plane that you hear whiz by. You are obsessed with YouTube videos of buses and trains. When we visited the Kazmann boys, you were in heaven with Caden & Everett's plethora of vehicles - and you especially loved the construction cars/equipment.

If you had asked me in college if I would EVER use the phrase "all boy" to refer to any child, I would have laughed in your face and told you how awful that phrase is - to stereotype like that is simply disgusting and unfair to kids. But, my boy - you simply are "all boy." I want to slap myself and barf all over the keyboard as I type that out, but it's true. You love a great game of chase, love to be loud, love to run and climb, love blocks and, like I said above, all types of transportation. You even laugh like a little boy now, although mostly when you're kind of faking it... it's more of a growl laugh, deep from the back of your throat. You even love turning big boxes into cars that you "drive" and "beep, beep."

But, you are my all-sweet boy! You still like to cuddle at night before bed. You are needing to be rocked a little longer these evenings. You love your pacis, and you'll gladly go nap knowing you get some quality time with them! You like books, playing with your cousins, dancing to music, helping empty the dishwasher or putting your dishes in the sink, and giving impromptu kisses. You're getting more daring with doing movements to songs like "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes," and "Wheels on the Bus." You also can chime in on certain songs like "Twinkle, Twinkle, "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep," "Wheels on the Bus," and "ABCs." I LOVE that!

So, yes, a boring month, but one filled with lots more development, growth, words, play, fun, and LOVE! I love you so much, Angel. I wish you an amazing 20-month birthday!

Love,
Mommy

Rheumatoid Awareness Day

Almost 4 years ago, when I started this blog, I never would have imagined that my posts about my musings and political opinions about engagement and marriage would turn to a discussion about Rheumatoid disease - let alone a day devoted to its awareness. I kind of miss those "hot topic" posts that got me into trouble and sparked amazing conversation. But, here we are - a wedding, a kid, and a diagnosis later - and I'm blogging about the first ever Rheumatoid Awareness Day.  The Rheumatoid Patient Foundation explains that February 2nd of each year will now be a day devoted to "giving people with the chronic illness known as rheumatoid arthritis, or rheumatoid disease, a day of recognition."

While I'm glad there is a day devoted to this, I don't really need the day. I need a cure. I need proper medication. I need people to understand this disease better. Yet, since this is a slow process, I will go ahead and take advantage of the day and of having this blog to post information about RA. My most favorite thing I need people to understand is this (taken from Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior's blog):

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) has an ill-fated name. Things sometimes do: spaghetti squash is not pasta; a hot dog is not a dog; we park on a driveway and drive on a parkway.

“Rheumatoid” is a reference to rheumatic fever which is not at all related to Rheumatoid Arthritis. The word “rheumatic” comes from an ancient Greek word for “flow,” which reflects a primitive understanding of medicine. By the eighteenth century, a similarity was noted between the painful symptoms of rheumatic fever and those of what we call Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Of course, we all know what “arthritis” means: literally, inflamed joints. Technically, Rheumatoid Arthritis is completely unrelated to the condition most people call “arthritis”: osteoarthritis.

Doctors call osteoarthritis by that name now so that it can be distinguished from Rheumatoid Arthritis and many other diseases using that word. Some do refer to Rheumatoid disease or autoimmune arthritis, but that can also refer to Lupus, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Juvenile Arthritis, or Psoriatic arthritis. Maybe we just need a better name for Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Likewise, a CNBC article states that "one goal of this initiative is to overcome the misconception that rheumatoid disease is a form of arthritis. While the disease usually affects joints, the disease process is not the same as osteoarthritis. RPF founder Kelly Young points out, 'joint inflammation is a prominent symptom of this disease for most patients, but it's a disservice to refer to it as merely a type of arthritis.' She explains, 'Just today a patient posted about the severe effects of her rheumatoid lung disease, saying her joints feel better than they have in years.'"

It's obvious that even many doctors don't know the difference between osteoarthritis and RA, and therefore they cannot possibly understand it - or me! At my most recent OB/GYN annual exam, my doctor told me that the diagnosis must be wrong because I'm "too young to have arthritis." Clearly, he doesn't know what I know, doesn't read the literature or know others who are even younger than I am and have RA, and doesn't know to leave the diagnosing of such diseases to the rheumatologists. (As Sam put it - so eloquently - after I told him what the doc said, "He wouldn't want rheumatologists diagnosing placenta previa or ovarian cysts, would he?")

Living with RA on a daily basis often feels like Groundhog Day. Every day I wake up, wondering what my prognosis will be for the day. Will my jaw open? Will my knees hold me up? Will my elbows straighten? Will my wrists give out? Will my fatigue and swelling hold out long enough for me to enjoy my day with my boy? Will I be able to pick Banner up from his crib with ease, or will I have to muster enough courage and strength and willpower to just suck it up and endure the pain in my wrists and/or elbows? Will I be able to get on and off the floor - at Mommy & Me, at Storytime, at our play group - without completely embarrassing myself? Will I be able to get off the toilet seat with ease, or will my knees be so weak or swollen that I'll have to use the counter, doorway, or door for help off the seat? Every.single.day I have to wait to know how my day will go, wondering how much longer this nonsense will persist. Needless to say, I'm hoping for an early spring! 

One of Sam's favorite things to do on Groundhog Day is watch Groundhog Day, the movie. In the film, the main character must relive the same day over and over again. This is just like RA, in that the same things happen over and over again. My body is constantly fighting the same war. My mind is constantly battling the same issues. And, medicine after medicine doesn't work. And, I wish more people understood the disease, as I'm having the same conversations over and over again... although I'm THRILLED when people want to learn, to understand, to become aware, so that part I don't mind so much.

Anyway, in the hopes that you might want to learn more, I'll leave you with some further reading about RA, if you are so inclined to "celebrate" this day of awareness.

-What is RA, Anyway?
-Difference between RA and Osteoarthritis
-Basic RA Facts
-RA Awareness Day
-Previous posts on my blog about RA: here, here, here, and here.

My Funny Kid

In my opinion, Banner's a pretty hilarious kid! I think he has an amazing sense of humor, and Sam and I have always marveled at his comedic timing. But, recently, there have been some funny little things I wanted to make note of so I won't forget all the cute stuff he's doing at this age (19 months). Most of these things, when I'm writing them down, don't seem very funny, but if you had been there, you would have been cracking up with us.

-A few days ago, after Banner woke up from his nap at Grandma's house, he was enjoying a small "Cutie"/"Clementine" orange at the kitchen table. Aunt Kiki was sitting next to Banner, and after he put 2 little sections in his mouth at a time and picked up a third, Aunt Kiki told Banner, "No, baby, you have too much in your mouth. Wait til you finish those pieces first." Banner looked at Kira, then at the orange, and then he put the orange to his ear and said, "Herro?" to "talk on the phone. He proceeded to have an entire conversation on his "orange" phone.

-Earlier this week, we were finishing up a great dinner. Banner ate really well, and I think he was in an "I'm stuffed" coma. He was staring off into space, just zoned out with his mouth slightly open. He was not blinking, and he was in his own little world simply fixated on what seemed to be the dining room blinds. We waved our hands in front of him and got no response. I started singing the "Twilight Zone" theme song, and Sam said, "Creeeepy!" Without flinching or moving a muscle, Banner continued to stare into space as he whispered, "Creeepy!" right back to us. It was really funny, and then we all got the giggles.

-Yesterday, I was reading a book to Banner. It's a book called Rockin' Babies, and there's a page with a playroom scene. On one side of the book, there's a small train pull-toy. On the other side of the page, there's a "cozy coupe" car that the baby is in and "driving." While I was reading the book to Banner, he pulled his knee up high and put his bare foot on the page. When I went to turn the page, he said, "No. In." I told him it was time to turn the page so we could see what happens next. He kept putting his foot on the page, and saying, "In." I was confused, and then, he said, "Help" (which sounds more like "hep"), and then "Play" (which sounds more like "pay"). I finally got it. The boy wanted to get in the car and play. He wanted to ride on the pull-toy, and he was very determined to jump into the picture to play in that playroom. I told him it was a book, and it was just a picture - that we can't ride on that toy. He got frustrated and kept putting his foot on the book. This lasted several minutes, with me trying to explain that we can't ride that toy but that if he wants to ride a toy, he has his own playroom to go find ride-on toys. He did not like my idea, and he wanted THAT car and THAT pull-toy. Finally, I called for Sam who was working in the next room. When I explained to him what was going on, although he could clearly see for himself, he and I looked at each other and tried really hard not to burst out laughing. On my final attempt to turn the page and explain to Banner that we can't play in that car, that we can't jump into the book, that we have other real toys that he CAN play with, that it was time to turn the page... Sam and I finally lost it as Banner was whimpering "In. Play. Car. Help." It was so sad, so creative, so funny - all at the same time.

More to come - this kid keeps us laughing!

19 Month Newsletter

Dear Banner,
It's been a while since I've done an "In's and Out's" list for you, so I thought I'd do that for your 19-month post. Here's what gets you going these days:

What's IN? (As in... what you LOVE!)
-School buses, tractors, fire trucks, trains, cars, airplanes, helicopters... but mostly school buses.
-Watching YouTube videos on our iPhones or iPad... mostly "Wheels on the Bus" videos or videos about trains, buses, fire trucks, etc.
-Honey Nut Cheerios: We finally introduced you to nut products, and you dig you some Honey Nuts - which you call "Nut"
-Outside: you've always loved the outdoors!
-Pacis at bedtime and naptime - you wish you could have them all the time; you're always asking for them! Oh, how I'm dreading taking them away one day!
-Opening gifts! You finally understand wrapping paper and the gifts that are beneath it!
-Hitting and pinching! Oh, young man, you are testing your limits these days! I certainly hope this is OUT soon!
-Yo Gabba Gabba!
-Climbing up on everything. This is not new - but now you are using chairs and step-stools to get to "off-limits" places. The past few days, you have taken your small chairs we keep in the playroom to the stove to play with the knobs! Daddy and I immediately went out to get knob covers. We did not think we'd need these so soon because they are all the way up on the counter - out of your reach... that is, until you get a chair to stand on to reach them! We also took these chairs away from you. But, you, my darling, are too damn crafty! You then took your "Banner" stool and used it to reach what you wanted, and now you're fully capable of climbing up onto our kitchen chairs - which are bar stool height - to reach everything on our kitchen table. You're.driving.me.crazy!
-Time with friends - you like your play dates as much as I do! Finding new toys, "playing with" new friends, and learning how to get along with others keeps you engaged and entertained.
-Learning new words EVERY day! A few of my favorites this month: "puzzles," "hippo," "bear," "in," "out," "on," "off," "school bus," and my absolute favorite two new words/phrase of the month are: "tain too" (which is your way of saying "thank you!" - which just this week you have begun to say unprompted! In fact, just the other day, we finished checking out at Babies 'R Us, and as we walked away from the cashier, you said "Tain Too!" much to all of our surprise - making your Mommy very proud!) and "Babber" (which is your way of saying your name!)

What's OUT? (As in... what you HATE!)
-Brushing your teeth - you just don't quite tolerate it enough for Mommy and/or Daddy to really brush the yuck off them!
-Your highchair and carseat - you hate being buckled in these days... which also includes sitting in grocery carts!
-Whenever we tell you it's time to stop watching the iPad or take our iPhones away from you
-Whenever we have to go inside after playing outside
-Sharing Grandma.  When you were last at her house, you saw Brycen hug Grandma's legs, and you immediately ran over to him, pushed Brycen, and said "Memaw, Memaw!" (Your way of saying "Grandma") Mara quickly taught you that "we have to share Grandma!"
-Veggies. While I can still get you to eat pureed veggies in the pouch, you turn your nose up at all those old favorites. You used to love broccoli, squash, zucchini.... Now, carrots are our go-to, and even then it's hit or miss. I have a feeling this won't change, but I'm hopeful!

Sweet boy, this was a fun month of watching you grow and learn. We are starting to work on so many fun things - like emotions, colors, letters, counting, more animals - and it's so neat to watch you pick up on these concepts. I love when you have mastered something new - a new word, a new understanding, a new skill. Even though you are way more of a behavioral challenge because you are quite the toddler (and want what you want when you want it!), this stage of your life is fascinating! Daddy and I are constantly amazed by you! Not only are you so smart, but you are super funny! You crack us up - and crack up with us!

This month, you celebrated your second Hanukkah, your second New Year's Eve and Day, you played in your first snowfall, and you had your first viral sickness that had us very worried. After 7 days of fever, a strep test, an RSV test, a urinalysis, a chest X-Ray, a blood draw, a nasal swab, and an respiratory test, it was determined that you must have just had a virus that needed to run its course. Luckily yet unfortunately, all these painful, uncomfortable, annoying, scary tests were for nothing. Daddy and I hated putting you through the two-hour testing ordeal, but if you came out a healthy kid on the other side, we are beyond happy.

Banner Boone, you're officially on the latter end of your second year! You're getting to be such a big boy, Love. Sometimes I just stop and look at you in complete shock at how tall you've grown or how mature you look. In the same moment, I try to memorize your smallness, your tiny, sweet hands, your smooth baby skin, your big, beautiful blue eyes, your "cuddliness," and savor my little "baby" boy. I hope you know how loved you are, how special you are to all of us, and how adored you are. I just can't get enough of you, Angel. Thank you for letting me be your mommy. Happy 19 months!! I love you more than you could ever imagine!

Love,
Mommy

Happy New Year: 2013!

Happy New Year, Everyone! This year, Banner got to spend another fun night at Grandma & Papa's house to ring in the new year. He got to enjoy a yummy meal, great company, and a fun sleepover to celebrate his last night of 2012. Knowing he was in great, safe hands, Sam and I headed out to meet our friends for dinner. After our meal, everyone headed back to our house to just hang out, get comfy in pajamas, chat, eat cookies, and play poker. It was a pretty low-key evening, but it was fun.

The Ladies

The Gents

The Gang

Silly Pose!

Gretchen & Avi

Cherie & Jed

Logan & Alan

Am & Sam

Logan doing her "Elf Yourself" dance

Poker

The girls just hanging while the guys played poker

This morning, New Year's Day, we went to my Aunt Jacque & Uncle Freddy's house for their annual New Year's Day brunch. We met Banner there to say our official "Happy New Year!"' to him!

Banner hugging Marin

An attempt at a family photo

Playing on Aunt Jacque & Uncle Freddy's bed

Watching Uncle Barry be silly

Uncle Barry, Logan, and the kiddos

He was doing his fake laugh here

Walking on the treadmill

Letting the treadmill take him for a ride

Grandma and Banner playing chase in Aunt Jacque's bathroom