Week 7, the whirlwind continues

After a very sobering week last week, we didn't receive much of a reprieve.  The week started out with Tommy having his adenoids removed and new tubes placed in both ears on Monday morning.  While Tommy handled the waiting rooms and surgery much better this time, he still had a really rough time after he woke up from surgery.  Thank God the anesthesiologist fought hard for us to leave after only about 20 minutes in recovery 1--breaking protocol by letting us skip over recovery 2, which the nurse was none to pleased with.  For the majority of the week, Tommy has been a little off-kilter, but seemingly not nearly as effected this time as last time thankfully.  Since he continued to have a fever the entire week post-surgery, he started on an antibiotic just today, which hopefully will help with that.  We did end up having some fun at home though--check out the picture of "Tommy's fish"--he's so proud of it.  We have it hanging on the refrigerator, and he has mentioned it several times a day since he made it :)

Ethan has been a real trooper this week, especially with the majority of the attention going to Tommy (haha--even more so than usual!).  He did wake us up several times in the middle of the night, but the poor baby had a double ear infection!  So, he also started an antibiotic today.  Ethan was a good sport and modeled a preview of Tommy's upcoming birthday party--has there ever been a cuter engineer on the planet?!

Both of the boys ended up, coincidentally, looking like movie characters this week.  Tommy, after making us a valentine, sucked his fingers, and then rubbed his eyes.  The end result we dubbed "Braveheart"!  Meanwhile, our little Lion King had to get all bundled up to visit Grandma and Granddad after Tommy's surgery.

Another bright spot of the week was when Tommy saw a banner that I had hung up in our house in preparation for a wedding shower that says "WALTERS", and promptly called out, "S-R-E-T-L-A-W"!  It seems that he knows most of his letters :)  And, I'll leave you with the musical talents of my little drummer boys--fair warning--they're really good!!

week 6, sobering news

Well, it was a really, really rough week.  On Monday, we learned that Davey's best friend's brother had died in a car accident in Sanford.  Ryan was only 36, and he left behind a wife and 14 year old daughter--not to mention Matt and their parents.   Then, on Tuesday, we found out that Davey has 4 new lesions on his brain from his last MRI.  While we are very thankful that they were contained in his brain, and that they didn't appear to cause noticeable symptoms, it was certainly not the news we were expecting or hoping to hear.  We went to Ryan's memorial service on Friday.  It was a nice service, but obviously incredibly sad.  Then, to end the week, we learned that Davey's boss's mother had also been killed in a car accident on Saturday.  It was certainly a week of sobering news.  That said, it also certainly help to put some things into perspective.  Life is so very precious, and there's not a moment to take for granted.  However, this life on earth is but a blink of the eye in light of eternity.  That is a reality for everyone, no matter what their beliefs are.  God, through Jesus, has given us the most incredible gift and hope in the world--eternal life in His presence.  It is such an easy gift to accept, but what is most sobering of all is how many choose not to accept it.  Christ is love, and death has no claim on Him or His children.

week 5, plugging along

Week 5 was kind of our first week back where everyone was well the entire week.  Tommy was still on an antibiotic the whole week, but he started feeling better around Tuesday.  Sadly, there aren't any pictures from this week because our camera was malfunctioning.  Davey finally got it to work last night, but who knows how long it'll last this time.  I spent the majority of the week trying to get prepared for the 4 parties that I'm hosting/co-hosting within the next 2 months.  I made like 200 cupcakes on Thursday--took me over 4 hours!  As far as the weight loss goes, I stayed even this week.  I'm hoping for 1.4 this week! 

The boys' week was pretty much the same as last week.  We did therapies, went to the batting cages, and had some extra playtime with Grandad on Friday while I was working out.  I did attempt to cut the boys' hair on Friday, with very mixed results.  Ethan sat relatively still, and in about 2 minutes, he had a decent haircut.  Tommy, on the other hand, was not so cooperative.  After probably an hour of trying to coax him into it nicely, we ended up holding him down just so we could cut the hair around his ears--nightmare!!  Ethan also has learned how to blow kisses and actually try to go in for a real kiss--which is adorable and hilarious at the same time.  He goes in super slow motion, leaning towards your face with his mouth WIDE open until his mouth touches somewhere on your face!  Tommy has taken to calling Grandad "baseball", which I don't think he minds one bit :)

Week 4, It was the best of times...It was the worst of times

Week 4 was a roller coaster ride!  While I am feeling fully recovered, Tommy got his 22nd ear infection WHILE ON AN ANTIBIOTIC!  So, unfortunately for my little tooterbear, he will soon be scheduled for surgery to remove his adenoids and insert 2 new ear tubes--God please let this work!!  Davey and Ethan seem to be nearly fully recovered as well, so we have 3 down, 1 to go!  The boys got to do a lot of fun things this week--they loved it!  Tommy (and the rest of us) were finally well enough to go to both Speech and OT this week, which he always enjoys, and he had very good sessions!  Then, the boys went over to Goggi's house while Mommy went to workout (more on that later!).

So, all of those things would be in the "best of times" category.  Scoring #1 in the "worst of times" category would be what transpired later that same afternoon.  I thought I had it all planned out...a fun family outing that would just totally blow the boys away at Monkey Joe's.  Well.....needless to say....it was a MASSIVE DISASTER!  Tommy went ballistic--wouldn't even leave the lobby to go look at the jump-houses.  It was sad, frustrating, and annoying to be honest.  We had to leave within 10 minutes, but luckily they gave us our money back!  Moving forward to the "best of times" again, the boys had their first trip together to Hit & Run, and as you can see from the pictures, they LOVED it!!  Here's a really funny story that once again displays the boys' personalities.  Tommy, who has been to the "baseball cage" once before can't or won't lift up the nets to the cage to enter or exit.  Instead, he slaps the net in front of his face while yelling out, "HELPPPP"!  At which point, either me or Grandad helps him out, to which he responds, "I did it!!"....right...that was all you.  Fast forward to Thursday morning, Ethan's first time at the cages.  He walks in the door, immediately goes up to the cage, bends down, picks up the netting, lifts it over his head, and walks on in!!

That evening, I was fortunate enough to get out of the house and help my friend, Katie Taylor complete her first baby registry.  While I was out, I get this amazing text on my phone:  "Both boys simultaneously got up from the dinner table and started slowly walking backwards into the living room at the same time.  I love our weirdos!"  So do I, and I love it when Davey sends me funny updates when I'm out!  The remainder of the weekend was spent going to Jayd Lewis' birthday party, planning 2 different bridal showers (Winston & Addy Walters, Sara & Scott Stevens), cleaning out the garage and office, and giving away baby stuff!  That's right, I finally pulled the trigger--we only have our strollers left!!  A big thanks to Susie and Bill for watching the boys during all of that!  As for the aforementioned working out--it was my first week back in the saddle this year, and it felt great!  I worked out 5 days for an hour each, and I am proud to report that I have a 3.6 pound loss to show for it!  I am not expecting such a big number next week--goal is 1.4!

Week 3, nearly there

So, week 3 was a busy one!  Thank goodness I was feeling much better, because Davey and Ethan were sick this week--gahh!  Thankfully, it seems like they are both at the end of their sicknesses too--shoooooo!!  This week was great too though because it was the semi-annual Kids Exchange Consignment sale in Raleigh!  I always get a huge adrenaline rush from all of those awesome deals!  So, even though it was pleasant for the wallet, the same unfortunately cannot be said for the ol' waistline.  I was hoping to maintain this week because I knew we'd be eating out several times because of the long, odd hours of working and shopping at the sale, but alas, I gained the 2 that I lost last week back.  We (Leslie and I) ended up eating out 5 times in 3 days, and although I made much better choices than I normally would have done, it's not like eating at home.

The boys have been wonderful this week!  Tommy went to Hit & Run for the first time and absolutely LOVED it...the rest of the week we heard quite a bit of "Randad...baseball...baseball cage".  I am so mad I didn't have my camera with me--I won't make that mistake next time--it was adorable :)  One of my consignment sale purchases was a collapsible playhouse/tent.  Tommy has christened it "Tommy's HOUSE", but he's been kind enough to let Ethan in!  The funniest part about the whole thing has been how they enter the house--it totally shows their personalities perfectly.  Tommy walks in the "door" and climbs through the tunnel (the way it is intended to work).  Ethan has no such need for proper entrances and exits--he simply picks the bottom of the house up, walks under it to enter, and puts it back down--much to Tommy's chagrin :)  You can see Ethan loving the playhouse above.  And, Tommy being a "big boy" wearing Mommy's shoes...he tried so hard to wear Daddy's, but they were so big on him that he couldn't even walk!

Moving forward into Week 4, I am excited because I will FINALLY be able to start my workouts this week--woohoo!!  So, that said, I am hoping to at least lose those 2 pounds back!

week 2, on the mend

Well, the second week of the New Year brought us a little bit of healing for me, although Tommy had another ear infection and croup.  So, the second week had new challenges, but it's nice to be feeling a little better myself.  I'm still weak, and I'm still taking off one more week from working out, but I'm on the mend!  Again, I'm proud to report that I was able to lose 2 pounds this week--bringing my total to 8.2!  Nothing to exciting to report this week as Davey was busy helping me out with the boys for most of the week again--back to the "real world" tomorrow--eep!! 

There were definitely some highlights this week though, the most important being my Dad's birthday yesterday.  We had a wonderful time with the whole family, and he treated us to a wonderful dinner of grilled steak, baked potatoes, salad, and spice cake--it was "licious" :)  Laura came over on Friday night for our first "girl's night" of 2012--good times were had by all as we found a new period piece to pique our interests--"Downtown Abby"...I wish I had a British accent!!

Tommy is really talking up a storm these days, but his favorite new past-time is singing songs...quite hilarious as he usually only knows a few words to each, "sings" them, and then enthusiastically praises himself (note to self--try to get the belly button song on video!).  Tommy has also added quite a sweet new dance move to his repertoire--it involves him lifting one of his legs and holding it for a nano-second--he thinks he's so awesome--which makes it so awesome!

As for Ethan, he's trying so hard to talk, constantly saying "sasasasa", I'm thinking in an attempt to say "STOP" (hmmm, wonder where he's heard that word from?).  He also has enjoyed working my nerves as he is CONSTANTLY precariously leaning and hanging over his chair at the dinner table--which earned him a nice lump on his forehead earlier in the week!  Ethan has also enjoyed mocking everyone else in the family with an adorable faux cough :)

We are now headed over to our small group, where we'll get to meet Brady (Brian and Jodi's son) for the first time--so exciting! 

Week One, Not Exactly What I had in Mind

Well, I made it through the first week of 2012....barely!  I ended up having a fever everyday from Monday through Saturday, and was finally diagnosed with walking pneumonia yesterday.  The good news is, I got on a new treatment plan, and the steroids and inhaler seem to really be helping, though I still feel pretty weak in general.  So, HUGE thanks to my wonderful husband for taking care of Tommy and Ethan all week.  It was bittersweet for me I must say.  On the one hand, it was kind of sad to hear them right outside my bedroom door--their cute voices and sayings, and the pitter-patting of their little feet running around--and not be able to join in on the fun.  On the other hand, I knew I was doing what was best for them, and it was so incredible to see and hear Davey playing with them and having some wonderful father/son bonding time.  Again, I am so blessed to have such an amazing family! 
As I wasn't around them very much at all, I asked Davey for a highlight story from the week, and as soon as he mentioned it, I started laughing.  Tommy has a new found love of the lion's song from Wizard of Oz....I can't tell you how many times I heard Davey and Tommy singing/acting out this song back and forth, but don't take my word for it--check out this video!

The final update to conclude the first week of 2012, is that despite my sickness and not being able to workout, I remained committed to my weight loss efforts.  I ate very well, and drank lots and lots of water.  I am very proud to report that I am now 6.2 pounds lighter than I was one week ago!!  Now, I obviously am not anticipating another huge week like that, and I won't be able to work out strenuously for 2 more weeks.  That said, I am hoping for a loss of at least 1.4 pounds this coming week--stay tuned!

Happy New Year!

Well, it's finally here--Happy 2012 to everyone!  I've decided to start this blog (not really knowing what I'm doing mind you) to try to chronicle a little piece of our lives for anyone who wants to see it.  Also, as the proud Mommy of 2 little boys (Tommy, nearly 3, and Ethan, 18 months), I have realized just how hard it is to remember those little moments that you think will be impossible to forget.  So, hopefully I can catalog some of their precious moments here :)  I should say also that I'm the proud wife of the best husband on the planet--Davey Catchings!  So, the start to a new year brings with it New Year's Resolutions...here are some of mine:

1. Shocker here--lose weight.  I am hoping to lose 65 lbs in 52 weeks--an ambitious goal to be sure, but I think it's realistic.
2. Keep up with this blog!
3. Listen to and/or read something everyday to help me grow in my faith and relationship with Jesus Christ.  I'd also like to start a prayer journal.

Those are the big 3 for me.  Some less-definable goals would include taking the kids outside more, doing more arts/crafts with them, and going on more "family excursions" with the kids.  Anyway, I hate that I'm only starting this now, but better late than never!