Sunday, October 28, 2012

Waiting for Sandy...

No school tomorrow thanks to Sandy's anticipated arrival!!!  Too bad we have a ton of work to do in the office because of November 1 Early Action deadlines...I JUST found out minutes ago that I have another letter I need to write for November 1st...someone who changed his mind and decided to apply early at the last minute.  Of course the folders I need to write the letter are at school...I will have to do it when I get back (or next weekend...many schools are extending their Nov 1 deadlines because of the impending storm).

So, while we still have power I figured I'd catch up on my blogging.

The boys have been enjoying their wagon rides around the yard lately.  Whenever Mugie has yardwork to do, we all go out and help her.  The boys absolutely love it...they are quiet for however long I put them in there.  It's so nice!








Last Wednesday, the boys turned 11 months old.  We missed our monthly photo shoot for 10 months because of the craziness of trying to decide whether or not to move.  We didn't want to miss the photos this month.  We decided an outdoor photo shoot was in order.  The boys didn't want to look at the camera and their hair was a mess.  So these aren't my favorite photos.  But it is what it is--better than nothing!  Warning:  there's a million of them...


Adrian decided that leaves don't taste that great.


Sebastian

Adrian



















Saturday morning Carlos and I took the boys to Stonebridge Cafe in Brockton/Easton for breakfast.  They behaved better than they ever have before, mainly because we sat near the kitchen where there was lots of activity and Sebastian could eye the waitresses.  He was fascinated with one in particular.  Adrian--who always flirted with the girls before--now couldn't care less.  (They flip-flop on a lot of things.  For example, Sebastian used to be the best eater ever.  He'd eat anything you put in front of him.  Not anymore!  Now it's Adrian who eats with gusto!)




Showing off his two teeth





After breakfast we dropped my car off to Maaco.  I was rear-ended on my way to work two weeks ago.  There is no visible damage to the car, but the bumper needs to be replaced.  Once the car was at the garage, we went to Watertown so that I could put stuff that was on the porch away in preparation for Sandy.  I cleaned some more out of the fridge (mainly the apples we picked last month).  Then, I marveled at how GOOD the condo looks without all our crap in it.  I am so disappointed we haven't had an offer yet.  It IS a good place to live.  I loved that condo.

On the way home from Watertown, we stopped at Babies 'R Us to buy diapers and baby food.  I had a shopping cart FULL of stuff for the boys and was checking out when Carlos came running over to me babbling about some race that the boy were going to be in.  I didn't have any idea what he was talking about, but apparently Huggies was sponsoring a crawling race and he wanted the boys to participate.  I just wanted out of the store!  Anyway, we lined the boys up on the starting line--there were 2 other babies there--and waited for them to blow the other kids out of the water.  After all, these guys can crawl!  Unfortunately, they decided not to cooperate.  They were so interested in the movement and activity around them that they didn't move at all!  A scoocher who couldn't even crawl beat them!  It was actually embarrassing, but oh well.  They walked away with 2 $5 Babies 'R Us gift cards so that was nice.
This is as far as Adrian crawled.  Sebastian didn't move AT ALL.



That's the scoocher!


Sunday we woke up early to get to Target right at 8am when it opened (we're up at 5am because of the boys anyway...).  We needed dog food, cereal, and milk before the storm.

Then we went home and played until it was time to go to Derby Street in Hingham for a Trick or Treat Parade.  As soon as we got there it started to rain, which kind of sucked.  The boys didn't know what to make of it all and since they were too young to actually trick or treat and ask for candy, we didn't make out with a lot of sweet stuff.  Only one lady was nice enough to offer mom and dad some chocolate!  But what a nice event for the boys when they get bigger!  We'll come next year!

The boys wore their jalapeno costumes, but with the belt of the stroller, you couldn't see the outline of their sweatshirts.  I'll have to take more pictures later with them standing.

Sebastian got the red pepper because of his fiery temper!





 That's it for now.  I have to charge my computer before we lose power!! (Hopefully we won't lose it at all...)





Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Where Did October Go??

Thankfully, things have settled down a bit in the past two weeks or so.  It's still been busy with work and other things, but once we MADE A DECISION to put the condo on the market and move in with my mom, things got better.  The limbo of trying to make up our minds what to do was horrible!

The condo went on the market Wednesday, October 10.  We had showings all that week and an open house the following Sunday that was attended by nine parties.  Last week, we had a handful of showings and another open house this past Sunday that was also well attended (by about 10 parties).  We've had two second showings, but no offers.  BUMMER!!  The comments have been mostly good--the main complaint is the parking issue.  Honestly, it's a great condo and someone will get a great deal.  I loved the layout.  We used every inch of space there these last few months.  I felt good using the square footage and not having wasted space.

Carlos and I looked at houses in Easton last weekend.  The two houses in Bridgewater that we wanted to see sold right out from under us.  In fact, we already had a showing set up for one of them when their broker called ours to tell him they had an accepted offer and didn't want to show the house anymore.  I absolutely loved one of the houses we saw in Easton.  It was in a quiet, established neighborhood off 138, about 5 minutes from route 24.  The houses were adorable and it was the perfect place for the boys to ride bikes and play as they get older.  The house is a 1960s ranch which has great bones and seems to be in good shape except for a need to update it cosmetically--exactly the kind of project I wanted.  It's over 2000 square feet because the basement is furnished (although again, it needs some updating) and has all the spaces I want: a big kitchen, a living room with fire place, a spacious master bedroom (but no master bath or walk in closet like Carlos wants) and the yard is awesome.  It even has a screened in porch.  The basement would be perfect for a big TV and bar to watch football...But Carlos isn't sold on it.  I am trying my best to convince him, but I'm not sure I'll win this battle.  Still, I got a great feeling when I walked in the place...I think it's SUPPOSED to be ours!  The other 3 houses we saw were awful.  You couldn't have paid me to buy 2 of them and the 3rd was a refurbished ranch that wasn't half as big as the one I loved.

The boys love being around Mugie (my mom).  I hope she's enjoying being around them, even though she now sees their fussy, moody, hungry sides more often!

The new daycare is ok.  I miss the old one and the teachers there.  I need to go visit!  We are still waiting for then to contact us about the pictures they took on picture day right before they left.  That will give us an excuse to visit I guess.

That's all for now!




Their first bath together in the tub!


Turns out these boys love Cape Cod pizza!


Lexi with her BFF Adrian









Tuesday, October 16, 2012

A year ago yesterday/today

Hard to believe, but a year ago last night on 10/15/11, at about 11:30pm, Adrian's water broke.  It was a Saturday, and Carlos and I spent the afternoon with our friend Roberto and his two kids.  We went to the Berwick House of Horrors and then to dinner at Chili's in West Bridgewater.  I had buffalo chicken fingers and fries.  I still remember a lot about that night...it seemed so normal at the time.

We got home and I went to bed at around 10pm.  I was SOUND asleep at 11:30 when all of a sudden I thought I had peed my pants. (TMI!)  I didn't think my bladder had gotten THAT weak, so I called the doctor.  Of course, she wanted me to go to the Brigham to get checked out.

So we went.  I brought nothing with me.  I still wasn't thinking that the boys were on their way.  We got there and waited a few minutes at the check in area.  They took us up to the Labor Floor to triage.  I waited what seemed like forever there.  It was probably half an hour.  Finally, I saw Dr. Pettyjohn.  She was on when I came in, and she happened to be the one that delivered the boys six weeks later.  Anyway, she came to see me in triage, and at first, we couldn't find Baby # 2 (Sebastian).  I remember thinking we'd lost him...I was scared.  They had to go get the portable ultrasound machine just to find him.  But there he was, hiding, as I would later find out was his M.O.  The doctor decided to check to see if my water was broken...it was.  That was when she told me I wasn't going home until I delivered.

I am not sure that sunk in right away.  I was only 26 weeks, so I knew I didn't want to have them that night, or anytime soon, for that matter.  But bedrest in the hospital for weeks???  I didn't think it was even possible.  But I didn't really have time to think.  I was whisked to a bed where they hooked me up to the non-stress test and monitored me for the next 48 hours non-stop.  I couldn't move or turn in bed because every time I tried, the monitor would slip off and they would lose a baby.  The bed was so uncomfortable when you can't change position!  I had to get a nurse to go to the bathroom so that they could disconnect and reconnect me.  They gave me the all-important steroid shots for the babies' lungs...they needed to stay in me 48 hours for the steroids to run their course and take full effect.  That was our first goal--48 hours without having the babies.  They sent experts into talk to us about the odds, about potential problems 26-week-old babies have...it was petrifying.  All you need to hear is cerebal palsy and brain bleed to realize now serious the problems can be.  I sent notice to work I wouldn't be back for a while...

And we waited.  They had me on magnesium for something--don't even remember what--and it made my hands and feet burn.  I had an IV and they also gave me antibiotics.  I honestly don't remember everything that was going on.  After 48 hours, there were still no babies.  That was amazing.  Eventually, they put me up on the 8th floor (the recovery floor) to wait it out.  The first week was scary, but they told me that if I made it a week, I could probably go a few more.  So we set weekly goals.

Looking back, no one told me how rare it was for someone PROM (premature rupturing of membranes) to go six weeks like I did.  It is almost unheard of.  People go on bedrest for longer than that, but usually not with the water broken because either the babies are born or the mom/baby get an infection.

Those were really nice days, at least the first month was.  After I started getting contractions all the time and the moment was getting closer, I started to be afraid to go to sleep (because that was when the pain started).  But overall, I found great comfort in my friends and family and in my nurses that attended to me so well.  It was a magical time for us.  Weird that I'd describe it as "magical" given the surround.  But it was.  It was a time of wonder, fear, excitement, amazement, love, hope, and expectation that I will never again experience.  Now that I know things turned out fine, I wouldn't have had things happen any other way.

I still remember my nurses clear as day, the sound of the cart as they wheeled in the blood pressure machine to test my vitals, and the whole entire hospital cafeteria menu.  (I think I could recite every single thing on it.) I haven't had orange juice since I was in the hospital because it reminds me of our daily "horse race" trying to get the boys to pass the non-stress test.  It feels like it all happened yesterday, but I have almost 11-month-old boys to remind me that it wasn't, and a lot has happened in a year.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Hello from Bridgewater

Well, we did it--we pulled the kids out of daycare, moved to Bridgewater, put them in a new daycare, and put the condo on the market...it's been a crazy ride!

Carlos and I finally decided we had to just pull the trigger and do this.  We were/are petrified, but we knew we needed to get out of the condo.  After speaking to our agent Adriano, we decided the time to sell that condo is NOW.  There isn't much else like it on the market in Watertown right now, but there will likely be in the spring, which would mean we'd probably get less for it.  And with the boys constantly sick and the winter looming, moving to Bridgewater with my mom seemed to be the answer.

So...last weekend (THANK GOD for Columbus Day!) we moved for three straight days.  Saturday, we packed up everything we'd need for ourselves and the boys and transported it in the UHaul to Bridgewater.  I think I went up and down those condo stairs 100 times, and I was EXHAUSTED.  Then, because we were waiting for landscapers to come and make the outside of the condo look nice, Carlos waited in Watertown and I went to Bridgewater to unload the UHaul.  So I had more heavy lifting to do.  Gross.  After a full day of work, there were bags and boxes all over my mother's house, but the boys' room was set up and we were all able to sleep.  That first night the boys did ok...Sebastian woke at 2am and screamed for over an hour until we gave him Advil.  That seemed to do the trick--he had an upper tooth coming in, so maybe that was why? They've slept better since that first night, but they still keep waking at like 5am every morning.  It's just too early!!!  The worst part is, the wake up time seems to be getting earlier and earlier every day/night.  Once I'm sure they are healthy again, it's back to sleep training to hopefully solve those early-morning wake ups!

Saturday, we went to the condo bright and early and left the boys with my mother.  We packed up everything that was extra in the condo so that we could stage the place and loaded up the UHaul once again.  So we took stuff off walls, thinned out knick-knacks, took all the crap out of the kitchen, cleaned windows, rolled up area rugs that we'd just bought to make the lady downstairs happy...it took us all day.

Sunday, we left for Watertown once again, this time with Sebastian in tow.  We thought he still had his ear infection, despite the fact they had put him on augmentin, an antibiotic stronger than amoxicillin.  Back to the pediatrician we went...This time we got good news.  His ears had cleared up.  The fussiness around eating and the bad poops he were having seemed to be a side effect of the medication. Yeah!!!

So we went off to Methuen with Sebastian to see nana and drop off the condo crap at her house.  It's so nice that she has the top floor of her house empty.  She's saving us hundreds on storage units, and I'm extremely grateful.  Thank you, Nana!!!!!!  Nana was so excited to see Sebastian!!!  She gave him a spatula and tupperware to play with (his favorite thing!) and he was as content as could be.  We unloaded quickly with the help of my dad (Thanks Dad!!!) and then Nana made us lunch.  We had soup and yummy sandwiches and rice pudding and then hit the road again.

Sebastian was very good and behaved at the condo so that I could get some work done.  (He hung out in his high chair.)  But around 3:30 he was done so we left Carlos to finish up the work at the condo.  It had to be ready for Tuesday so that the agent could bring in his photographer.  There was still a lot of cleaning to do...

This link won't work after the condo is sold (I imagine), but for now, check this out!  They did a nice job!
http://blog.adrianovarano.com/search-properties/?listingid=71445519&agentid=BB805791

The nursery, after removing the cribs and exchanging them with the bed at my mom's house where they are now sleeping.  Kind of a weird room, but whatever.  We wanted to stage it so it is functional.

A sucky blurry picture of the bathroom.  Sorry.

Master bedroom

Kitchen IN PROGRESS.  Still not done...

Tuesday, the condo was ready for the photographer thanks to Carlos's late night.  The condo officially went on the market on Wednesday and we had 4 showings scheduled for the first two days.  Not bad.  Actually, there's a guy who's already had a second showing and he wants to put in an offer--but he has asked to meet the lady downstairs first.  I actually think it's a great idea.  I think the two of them will hit it off and end up married someday.  Then she'll own the whole building like she wants!  Anyway, we'll see what happens...

Friday, I was working from home writing letters when the daycare called around 10am.  Adrian was sick.  Geez.  So I went to get him.  My mom watched him so that I could continue writing these damn recommendation letters.  Then, around 2pm, I got a call from the daycare again...Sebastian had a fever as well.  We can't catch a break.  So my work day ended a tad early and I didn't get as much done as I needed to.

The new daycare is ok.  It's busier than our old one and they don't have the same personalized touches. We miss our old teachers and Sonia the owner.  It was a great place.  We are still warming up to the teachers at this new center.  The nice thing is that food is included at the new daycare.  So there is a weekly menu and they get a sampling of lots of different things.  Last week they had fish sticks and waffles among other things.  I LOVE it.

We also had to say goodbye to our Early Intervention lady Anita.  This made me sad too because she's been with us from the beginning.  She was good with the boys and they really liked her.  She's transferred our info to the Brockton EI which also covers Bridgewater so we'll be assigned a new person by the end of this week.  I hope we like him/her.

While at my mother's house this past week, the boys had their first tub baths together.  They had a great time splashing around and making a mess.

Sebastian has 4 teeth--two on the top and two on the bottom.  Adrian has two teeth on the bottom only.

Here are some random pictures.  Sorry about how terribly written this blog post is.  I'm writing so much these days for work that I have almost no desire to write for the blog--even though there is so much I want to write about.  I'm usually just too tired.  (I was also sick this past week--yuck!)

Sebastian with Papi

Sebastian

Adrian

Adrian

Adrian diving for a catch--TOUCHDOWN!


My chunky monkey

Waiting for their old school to open

gnawing on some celery at Mugie's

Adrian




He LOVES that measuring cup!

A short cat nap on the floor--he didn't make it to the crib

Out for a walk.  They look so pissed off!