Taking it back to Christmas

I have been meaning to share these pictures, back from Christmas day, of the munchkins enjoying Braxton's Christmas present I blogged about here. We got lucky and had our first non white Christmas so we could go outside and actually let them ride around in it. Braxton was a natural and Ava loved it! Here's a tip though...don't forget to charge the battery with plenty of time haha I was totally on top of it getting built (I supervised Brian, obviously) but at 6 pm Christmas Eve, I realized we forgot all about the battery...that needs to charge for at least 18 hours the first time. Instead of them getting to ride it at 7 am, which was when they woke up, we took it out after lunch around noon.  Luckily they didn't know much of a difference. 

Since I bought the Mustang at Kohl's, and because I bought it on Cyber Monday, I got the $75 in Kohl's cash which came in handy for extra Christmas presents. I got Brian some great pajama pants, the kids got a few little toys from there, and more. I also got their Yes2You Rewards which totaled $10. I'm currently waiting for my Big Fat Check from Ebates that is over $100 just from doing online shopping in November/December. Using the Ibotta app on this purchase gave me $10, and in December alone I got $30 back from them that I used towards more presents. I love the whole idea of "it pays to shop". 

Happy Birthday Braxton

I made the birthday cake this year!

Yesterday we celebrated Braxton's fourth birthday. I can't believe that I have a four year old! I was pretty young when I had him and many people doubted me when they found out I was pregnant but hey, look at us now! I was telling Brian the other night how amazed I was at just how much having Braxton changed us. Sure, back then I knew that having a baby would change stuff, but little did I know that it would be so life changing that I wouldn't even be able to relate to the person I was four years ago. 

Day to day my life has revolved around this little boy for 1,461 days. Granted, he now shares some space with his little sister Ava, but he's what started it all. I have to say that this past year, from age 3 to 4, has been my favorite of his. If you know us, you know that Braxton has a significant speech delay, and it's been rough. I have written about it on here, and you can search the tag "speech delay" if you would like to read more about our journey. 

This school year's picture

Back in May of this year, he finally got tubes put in his ears to see if his hearing was what was blocking his speech. Getting those tubes has been the best decision we have made yet. He went from saying a handful of words, only one word "sentences", to having well over 50-75 words now (if not more, I have lost count!) and he also can put 4, 5, 6 words into a sentence! For him to be able to communicate with us has made the world of difference to our whole family life. There are far fewer tantrums due to lack of communication, he can actively tell us what he wants so he feels more like a kid rather than a toddler, and he also has more of an understanding of what's going on which has helped him calm down quite a bit. 

Pretty much every day when I picked him up last year from nursery school, two days a week, the teacher would tell me how he wasn't listening, during story time he would roam around and disturb the other kids, that he was at times hitting and biting, etc. etc. I got to a point where I didn't want to even take him anymore, just because I knew it was exhausting for everyone. This year is a COMPLETELY different story, in such a good way! The teachers rave about him, how excellent he is doing, how well he gets along with the other children. He's now striking up conversations with his classmates, which is amazing for his development, and also he is showing such great imaginative play. I can't tell you how many times the teachers and I have both said "it's amazing what a year has done for him." As a mom, that makes me the happiest person in the world.

While he is doing so well, he still has a ways to go, to be where we want him. Last week he had a check up at the ENT and we were told that both tubes are still in place, and while the right ear looks perfect, the left one has some blockage and for some sounds he has a mild hearing loss in it. That was frustrating to hear, only because of the progress he has made because of the tubes, and how much more he needs to go to really be speaking like a "regular" four year old. They weren't too concerned however, and they said that we need to come back to see them in four months. We shall see...

Our new kitty friend, a rescue, that has taken to Braxton so well. They love each other so much. 

I'm really excited to see what this next year brings. If he's done this well in under 7 months, I think it'll only be getting better. Wish us luck! 

Salt dough Christmas ornaments

The other day I wanted to do something fun with Braxton for the holidays so we attempted some salt dough ornaments. We went to AC Moore and picked up some cookie cutters and then to Wegmans for some flour and extra salt...and ice cream. I'm not the craftiest but who can mess up something that has only three ingredients? 

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 cup of flour (we used a little more, but I just eyed it) 
• 1/2 cup of salt 
• 1/2 cup of water 
• Ground cinnamon if you want them to smell nice
• Some extra flour so you can roll the dough 

• Rolling pin
• Cookie cutters 
• Acrylic paint/paint brushes
• Glitter, if you love glitter like me
• Ribbon to hang the ornaments 

What you need to do:

• Preheat the oven to 250
• Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl, and the cinnamon if you choose to use it. 
• Pour in the water and stir until it's doughy...like I said, I used a little extra flour because my dough was a too wet.
• Sprinkle some flour on your rolling surface and then roll the dough until it's about 1/4" thick 
• Use cookie cutters and then place on a baking sheet 
• Use a straw to make a hole so you can hang them later
• Bake for about 3 hours, flipping them once halfway through - flipping them is important!
• Let them cool on the baking sheet when they're hardened 
• Decorate! 

The ones to the left are the first batch, I'm loving Braxton and Ava's handprints. 

Martha Stewart glitter is my FAVORITE. These gingerbread men will be cute gifts but I can't decide if we should decorate them more...

Braxton needs a haircut so bad haha

After awhile Braxton got bored of painting so he asked me to finish them but he LOVED doing the glitter...I don't blame him haha 

I plan on sending a couple ornaments to my mom, giving a couple to the in laws, and then also adding a couple to Braxton's teachers' Christmas basket as well as giving a couple to his speech teacher (speech therapy is still going, and going well!) and his teacher's assistant. Easy, super affordable gifts, as well as thoughtful! 

The end of the school year

It was a very bright morning so he asked if he could wear my sunglasses today.

Today was Braxton's last day of his first year of school! Sure, he only went two days a week for a few hours but it was a big deal for us...it was the first time he had ever been away from me. We picked a small nursery school that had a cute little environment, it was part of a nice local church. The classroom was adorable and his teacher was extremely nice. I didn't have any anxiety sending him there because I knew he would be looked after, and he was safe there.

Ignore the filter, it was all I could find of him on his first day somehow. Unfortunately Brian is in Canada right now working so we couldn't recreate the picture this morning.

Looking back on his first day, I was so nervous to start out because of his speech delay but besides some hiccups it wasn't so bad. He had some rough moments with sitting still during story time, he started biting at school (which he had NEVER done at home) and at times he made things more difficult for the teacher but she always wanted us to know that she loved him there. I'm happy to say that by the end of the year he was sitting better, he wasn't biting at all, and he had chilled out quite a bit. What a relief...

I have to say, Braxton has accomplished so much since his first day. When he started out he barely said any actual words, he still drank out of a sippy cup, he wasn't potty trained, he really barely listened to directions...Now, he is completely potty trained, we have switched to cups and straws except an occasional sippy cup, and he has become so verbal compared to before. While he hasn't had a "word explosion" necessarily, at least now I have sort of lost count of all the words he can say. Now if only we could get him to string words together to form sentences! 

 I was given Braxton's end of the year folder, which was so cute. Throughout the year, we would get some of his artwork and projects and I have been storing them all away for a fun little keepsake project. The folder had even more of his creations and it made me so proud! I can't even explain how these things make me feel...my baby made this stuff. It's kind of an awakening, like my little munchkin is really starting to be a big kid. 

I'm happy to say that this year was a success and I'm excited for the years to come. I'm really hoping that when he starts the next school year he will officially be talking. We have a lot of stuff to work on this summer but I'm not worried because he has made so much progress lately! 

Monday's Obsessions

Whoa, what a busy week we had! Ava's birthday party took quite a bit out of me so now that it's over, I'm excited to get back to my usual routine. The house has definitely been neglected, and cluttered with party stuff, so that's top priority. Yesterday I cleaned/purged the toy room and I'm pretty proud considering I had no energy. Ava has slowly been making her way in there more and more so I knew I needed to do a deep clean. I was always nervous when she was in there because of the things she could swallow (she also liked to eat crayons...oopps) and Braxton had SO many toys he didn't even play with, yet they were all over the floor so it was definitely time to do something about it. I asked Brian if I would be a bad parent if I got rid of a lot of Braxton's toys, and he said he's been wondering the same thing...honestly I think it's needed. We "hoard on to" a lot of stuff and don't really get rid of much so we've been trying to change that. Recently I have donated bags and bags of clothes to a church and I believe toys will be going to Salvation Army very shortly.

This Thursday Ava is going to be one. I'm feeling so sentimental for a hundred different reasons and I'm pretty sure I'll be a blubbering baby Thursday night. Last night Brian and I took the munchkins to our favorite playground and while Braxton played, Ava got to get down and play in the grass for the first time there since she's usually in my sling. She copied me doing patty cake and was the sweetest little thing. At her party, her baby bestie Mila was there, and Mila has just learned how to walk...Ava is now determined to walk so we practiced that on the grass as well. Mila's party is this coming Saturday and we can't wait! 

The winner of the SwimZip giveaway was announced! Congratulations Jessica Conklin, check your email. You have 24 hours to get back to me or I'll have to pick another winner.

Loving H&M's chambray dress.  

Braxton is totally obsessed with Calvin Harris' song Feel So Close. He actually danced, naked, to it the other morning haha 

Brian and I are talking about doing another date night, shocking I know, and I really want to go see Maleficent. 

Lush's Ocean Salt is on my need list. 

My sweet tooth is desperately wanting this chocolate covered OREO cookie cake.

Here are 10 cute, and simple, ways to keep your little one entertained this summer. 

Totally loving everything from The Printed Palette. 

I finally caved and got Time Hop and it's so perfect for right now. So many ultrasound pictures from Ava and funny commentary about my huge belly last year. 

Keep an eye out on Friday for an AMAZING giveaway in honor of Miss Ava's first birthday!!

Here's to a good week xx

SwimZip / Review Part 2 + Giveaway

*Thank you to everyone who entered! The giveaway is now over*

First off, I have to say how incredibly hard it is to take a good picture of Braxton and Ava together nowadays. She's mobile and he's a typical 3 year old so I had my work cut out for me when I tried taking some pictures of them in their SwimZip suits. While the pictures may not be perfect, I have to say that they're pretty funny to look at. Ava had her white hat on for a few, and then Braxton decided he wanted it, so I didn't stop him. You get what you get basically haha 

We still don't have the warmest weather for swimming yet but at least we can play outside in them.

Alright so today I'm going to be talking about the fit on the suits I was sent for Braxton and Ava. (If you missed it, here's part one of my review) I have to say, I'm really pleased with the sizes we got. For Ava, I decided on the 6-12 months because I read that they run a little long/big for girls and it fits her great. She still has a little room to grow but I think it should last her the entire summer coming up. When it came to deciding on a size for Braxton, I was having a hard time because he really is tiny, especially compared to other 3 year olds. Right now he is in between a 2T, and most 3T things are massive on him. With swim shorts however, he can still sometimes fit into 18-24 months so I had no idea what to pick! I ended up saying screw it, sorry, and getting him 2T and they're perfect! The thing that I love the most is the fact that Swim Zip shorts CAN ACTUALLY TIE! All of his previous swim shorts have had the look of ties but they were only cosmetic, which resulted in the shorts always falling off of him. I'm sure other moms of boys know exactly what I'm talking about....

I'm seriously loving the Sassy Surfer on Ava, it's perfect. The material is soft and light, but has amazing sun protection. This will be her first Summer really out in the sun so I want to keep her protected as much as possible. 

Braxton got the Stud Muffin suit, and I think he looks great in it. If only he allowed better pictures...I love the fact that it's not a hassle to get his suit on him. The zipper makes it the easiest thing in the world, and he thinks it's pretty cool. 

I kind of had to bribe Braxton with chocolate for some pictures...don't judge me haha 

One more, because they really do love each other. The colors on these suits are great, and you can tell that they will hold up well with washings when needed. I would genuinely recommend SwimZip to anyone with children, especially because they're so affordable. Most suits are $29.99 which is perfect for something that will give this much protection and they're made to last! 

*Both of the suits are courtesy of SwimZip, however all opinions are my own*

SwimZip has so many cute swimsuits for children sizes 0-3 months up to size 6! They all have UPF 50+ sun protection. The fabric on these suits blocks 99% the sun's UVA and UVB rays which means it's great at preventing sunburns and it helps dramatically decrease your child's risk of skin cancer later in life. 

Enter below to win a SwimZip suit of your choice!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

An update on Braxton's speech delay

Birthday party fun yesterday for his cousin.

I have had quite a few people ask me how Braxton has been doing after his tube surgery, regarding his speech, and I'm so excited to say that he's doing so much BETTER! He's responding to us in a way he has never done, he's now trying to make new sounds, and he even has new words. He's asking for more things specifically, which is really helpful in avoiding some frustration based meltdowns. I really can't even begin to explain how happy each new thing makes me. His words aren't perfect and you definitely have to really listen to him but it's a huge change for us.

We had Braxton's IEP meeting last week for the end of the school year, and I was sort of nervous for it. If you don't know what an IEP is, it stands for Individualized Education Program, and we started one when Braxton turned 3. At our last meeting, which was in December, I was a little thrown off because I didn't truly realize how much his speech delay was interfering with his school life. I mean he's only in nursery school two days a week with other 2 and 3 year olds, I didn't think it would be a big deal. They read reports that said he wouldn't sit for more than a few minutes for story time, he would hit and bite (ugh) his classmates to get their attention, and other "disruptive behaviors." No parent wants to hear that their child is acting out and not participating the right way.

On Thursday, going into the meeting, I prepared myself to hear the same things but I was pleasantly surprised at some changes he has made. The reports were written before his tubes were put in, which was good in one way but I also wish we had reports of how he's doing after them as well. He is no longer biting anyone, which is huge, but he does occasionally hit them which we can work on. He's doing pretend play more, participating in activities, and he's completely self sufficient with going potty. They said that he still wasn't sitting during circle time, and other activities like that BUT after everything was read I spoke up and asked "What if he isn't sitting during circle time because he just can't hear the story? I don't think any 3 year old will really sit still for something that they can't hear." Everyone agreed with that and we all agreed that these tubes are going to make such a difference for him. Even the directors there said that they noticed a difference with him just sitting there for the meeting. Last time he was ALL OVER THE PLACE, wasn't listening, and was only making some sounds. This time he was less over the place (haha), listened very well, was being polite and asking "please" for things...he was just being an all around good 3 year old boy.

At that meeting we set up a plan for his next year at preschool and I'm pretty confident with it. He will still have one on one support in the classroom to help with speech and other things and we are still going to have speech therapy at home. It's a little annoying that speech therapy stops once the school year ends this year but it just means that Brian and I will have to work even more with Braxton ourselves, and that's totally okay. A couple days ago we saw his IEP director at AC Moore, she recognized us instantly, and she came up to us and just said how excited she is to see his progress coming up and that she thinks the tubes are going to be the best thing we could have done. A little while later we saw her as we were leaving and she said "He has turned such a corner! You can already see it." Hearing that made me so happy inside. I have needed to hear that, and to hear it come from someone in her field truly meant something.

 I posted this on Facebook already but I have to share here..."I just showed Braxton a video of kittens that our local SPCA posted and I go 'Braxton, what do the kitty cats say?' And he goes 'meow-mew' in the sweetest little voice. This is big for him, and it's not the only gain he's had since the tubes. I'm feeling hopeful (and currently wanting a baby kitten even though I'm not a cat person)" that was on May 15th. I posted this today..."Braxton can now tell me what a cat, dog, frog, sheep, and cow say!! I just started with the last 4 last night, this is big!" I'm so proud that he's even trying, and it's so so so cute to hear his little voice emerge. It's the sweetest. I can't wait to keep posting what else he's getting into coming up! Thank you so much to everyone who has asked about him, it means a lot to me.

Sticking his fingers in the cake...before it's even cut. Of course haha

Asking for some positive thoughts

First thing tomorrow morning Braxton is having surgery to get tubes in his ears. The date kind of snuck up on me, even though I've known about it for two months now. It's surreal to think that tomorrow is finally the day. I'm anxious for the surgery in more ways than one. I'm a little scared because he'll be under anesthesia for the first time. I know that this is a routine, quick surgery but still. 

I'm tired of the obstacles that this speech delay has caused him. I am so hopeful that these tubes will make a difference with his hearing and speech. All I can think about is being able to have conversations with him after this surgery. I don't want to set myself up for disappointment, just in case it doesn't work, but I can't help it. This is what we've been waiting on for so long. I want this to be the answer that we haven't been able to come up with. I don't want to see him frustrated anymore. I don't want to feel bad when people ask how old he is, and when I reply and say "he's 3" they tell me that they thought he was much younger because he wasn't talking...(Who does that?!) I want him to have friends he can play with, that understand him. I can't tell you how many times I have seen him shut down because he can't talk to them the way he wants to.

When you're 3 years old, you have so much life in you, and I want Braxton to express that life in more ways than one. I want to see his imagination run wild, with stories and play. I want him to tell me about his day at nursery school, how he had fun finger painting, and the cool things he learned. I don't mean to make this about me, but I just want things a little easier. This speech delay has kicked my ass as a mom. There are the "bad" days where I just emotionally shut down because I don't know what else I can do for him. I have to remind myself that he can't help it, but I can help him.

I have everything riding on this surgery tomorrow and if it doesn't help, honestly I think I'll be so crushed. All I want is to have a 3 year old that can tell me he loves me. If you can, please keep Braxton in your thoughts tomorrow morning...it would mean the world to me. 

Sometimes a break from your routine is the very thing you need

...and that's what I'm doing, taking a break, especially from blogging. I have been enjoying my family so much, and the beautiful weather that I couldn't imagine taking time away to blog, at least regularly. Now I'm not quitting, and I'll still be posting here and there, but I really want to focus on life in the now so I can have memories to post about.

I do want to share some Easter pictures though because it was such a wonderful day for us. It was so relaxing and it was finally a day where it was all about our little family of four. We woke up early, like usual, and I went downstairs first to make sure everything was perfect. Once Braxton and Ava were downstairs they got to rummage through their baskets. They each got a shirt, a book, some bunny ears, and a stuffed animal. Ava's basket had some little sunglasses and some organic toothpaste and little baby toothbrush. Her eggs were filled with cereal puffs. Braxton got some sidewalk chalk and different Easter chocolate because we opened up his new toothbrush and toothpaste early. I really try to keep things simple for them.

Yay, chocolate before 7 am.

After we had French toast for breakfast, I went out and hid some Easter eggs for Braxton around our yard. It was his first time hunting for eggs and he was a natural!

I had Ava in the sling during the Easter egg hunt but since it was so beautiful outside, and warm finally, we decided to stay outside and clean up our yard and play. We don't use the exersaucer much at all but she loved being outside in it for just a little while. 

Ramblings of a mom

We went out to Ithaca today to a place called Mama Goose that buys and sells baby and kid stuff. It was my first time going and I loved it. I sold some of Ava's clothes to make room for new ones and we also came home with a pizza set for Braxton. I let him pick anything he wanted and he chose that. It's amazing how someone's "old" toy can bring so much happiness to another kid and today, that's my kid. He has been playing with it ever since we got home...three hours ago. 

Braxton can be tough at times so when I see that he's actually enjoying something, and really getting into it, I get so happy. The past couple of weeks I have really seen a little difference in him though. He's starting to listen better and he's definitely trying harder to actually say things. His attention span is still oh so small but hey, we can't have it all, right? Having a child with a delay is hard, and while it's not easy, it is rewarding as a parent to watch things start "clicking" more and seeing a little spark in them. 

I was never a patient person until I had Braxton and now it's probably one of my better traits. Don't get me wrong, I still have my moments, but I like to think that I handle things well. Parenting gives you a crash course in Patience 101 and you either pass or fail it. Recently Brian and I were talking about how when we go out with Braxton we have to kind of expect not to accomplish much. Hopefully it doesn't come across as wrong but it's the truth, and that's fine. If I take him grocery shopping with me I am already prepared for a tantrum of some sort, and if it doesn't happen I'm excited and so proud of him. We don't do mall trips where I expect to look at everything in the stores that I want either. No, usually an outing with Braxton is either a mission-where we go specifically for one or two things or it's an option of getting him out of the house to just explore, with little to no stopping because he's a go go go type of kid.

Lately I have noticed myself saying these two things to strangers when we're out: "We're working on our listening skills" and "He's still learning about personal space." I thought it was better than always apologizing for him, which I have been working on myself. The whole personal space thing is semi-awkward (but cute) because he will just go up to anyone and give them hugs, kisses...it's the worst when it's a girl his age or younger because I'm always waiting for the parents' reaction of "get your kid off of my kid, now." 

This isn't a complaining kind of post, and when I started writing, this wasn't even what I meant to write. Some people tell me that I need to be more stern with Braxton, that I need to force him to settle down and "behave" but all I can think of is at what cost? Do I want him to listen better? Of course. Do I want him to calm down and pay attention more? Sure I do. What I don't want though is to break his spirit because that little boy is amazing. He's a challenge but he's so sweet, and so loving. There are days where I tell Brian that I need a break but if I'm gone for more than an hour or so I actually miss them. There's no such thing as a "break" when you're a mom, especially when you're a stay at home mom. 

I absolutely love being a stay at home mom and you will never, ever hear me complain on Facebook or anything about it. It's a grueling job, and the hours can be intense, but it's so worth it. I know my children like the back of my hand and I love that. The last thing that I want, ten years from now, is to look back and be mad at myself for not enjoying them while they were this little. I will see some people post about just how bad their kids are, like literally complaining about them, and I just don't get it. Once or twice is one thing, we all have our moments, but when it's a constant subject I just feel bad for everyone in the situation. All I can say is take a deep breathe and know that everything will be okay.