20 Month Old Matthew

I meant to write an 18 month update but wouldn't you know- I got so busy I didn't! So my little 20 month old Matthew- I hope one day when you look back you won't feel slighted by the difference in your and your siblings' baby books! But buddy- that is why I blog. It includes more than the date of your first tooth and first hiccup. It will remind you of the very special events and moments of your life (and ours).

Matthew is a sweet boy. It is the best word I can use to describe him. Sweet. Matthew is an onlooker. He loves to watch what everyone is doing and observes those around him in order to gain information. I have been told that this is a very 'third child' stance, but whatever the reason- it is Matthew's way and I love it. He is still a Mama's boy but his love for his Daddy and siblings is immense! He has gained some Independence over the last few months and loves to play outside or in his room. He seems to always be at our sides but when I think about it- he really is starting to have fun on his own. His naps have lengthened to a solid 2-3 hours. This of course frees me up to get things done around the house!

Matthew is a running, climbing machine. Luckily, he is still really cautious and safe but he is on the move! He is talking a lot these days. Mostly unintelligible garble (with guttural sounds) but he has a lot of words, too. He says, Mom, Mama, Dad, Daddy, Rawr (Claire), Muh Muh (Michael), poo (poop), more, Nunna (Nonna), Papa (Grandpa), aaaee (E), Papa (Papa), lalalalalalalalal (Cinderella), aaaaahhhhhhhh aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh (Disney Princesses- he sings it), kkkkkkk (yuck), ba ba (bottle), pa pa (pluggie), buh buh (bye bye), and a lot more. But the fun of it is trying to figure out what he is saying. He is hysterical and totally gets what is comedic! Can you blame him after being around Michael and Claire all day!

At Matthew's 18 month appointment- he was 31 1/2 pounds. He continues to maintain his big stature and it will be interesting to see him grow even bigger! Matthew loves all food. Seriously- all food. He used to not eat eggs, but he has forgiven that grudge and is eating them now. He loves to dip his food in any dipping sauce and still loves his bottle in the morning, afternoon, and before bed. He has started pooping in the toilet. I know. Crazy! For the past five days he has pooped in the toilet! He comes over and says poop and then runs to the toilet and voila! I know better than to count on this to continue (although it would be nice). I have no plans to potty train him (I am not ready for that) but if I don't have to change poopy diapers- hello? Why not let him continue his trend?

Matthew likes to play games with us. He loves to wave goodbye and then walk backwards out of room until we cry because he is gone and then he runs back in and gives us the biggest hug! Matthew loves to go on walks and it is so sweet because he gets upset that the leaves have fallen out of the tree. He painstakingly picks them up and wants me to put them back in the tree. I humor him a few times but being that it is Fall and leaves are falling at a very quick rate, I can only put a few leaves back or we would be there all day! He knows how to fake laugh and get people's attention. He loves dropping Michael and Claire off at school and makes sure he gives them a kiss before they go in. Matthew loves to hold balls and little figurines. He likes to hold Sponge Bob a lot and if you ask him who he is holding, he will answer in a scary monster voice Bob! Matthew seriously cracks us up all day long!

As Halloween is fast approaching, Matthew has thoroughly enjoying seeing all of the Halloween decorations in the stores and on people's porches. He loves it but wasn't too keen when he was surprised by this motion activated witch at Lowe's! One other thing he is scared of (which is ridiculous) is when Playdoh is squeezed out of a little machine and looks like spaghetti. He will run away screaming if he sees that! It kills us! All in all, Matthew makes our family so happy and we can't imagine a day without him! He amazes Michael and Claire with his new found skills and thinks he is so cool when he can do things they can do. Matthew is the best and we can't wait to see what happiness he brings us all tomorrow!

Forever In Blue Jeans

Yes, oh yes. My hubby and I went to the one and only- Neil Diamond Concert! Laugh if you want, feel jealous if you will, but this concert rocked! Before I start my ecstatic rambling about the concert- let me give you a little background on the Neil Diamond front. So, about three years ago, Neil Diamond came to San Jose. Damien, who is a huge Neil fan, hinted to me about his eventual concert here, thought that I might actually get the hint and buy us some tickets. I neither got the hint, nor did I buy tickets which led to a very disappointed Damien. Neil had said that this was his last tour and Damien really wanted to go. I told him that maybe he should have gotten tickets if he wanted to go so badly, he countered that maybe I should have taken the hint and gotten them myself. We agreed to disagree and the whole Neil Conspiracy eventually went to the back of our minds and was never brought up again.

When I caught wind that Neil Diamond was coming to San Jose again to promote his new album, I knew I had to get tickets. I had to put this whole conspiracy thing behind me and make him happy. Damien has sat through Bette Midler and Celine Dion concerts with me so this was the least I could do. Plus, I really do like Neil Diamond a lot. He is one of my favorite karaoke choices with my sisters. Sweet Caroline, Bum Bum Bum, Good Times Never Felt So Good. SO GOOD, SO GOOD, SO GOOD! Whooo! I get pumped just thinking about it! I even called them during Sweet Caroline to let them in on the excitement!

Well, let me just say- the concert didn't disappoint! It was awesome. He sold out the arena and it was crazy to see the mix of people coming to hear the Great Neil Diamond perform his oldies but goodies. People were screaming at the top of their lungs, singing and swaying to the music, standing on their feet while pumping their fists, and the ladies close to the stage were seriously having heart attacks and flailing their bodies in his direction! It was so cool! I really am glad that I was able to see him in concert and see him with Damien. We had a great time and as far as I am concerned the whole Neil Conspiracy is now water under the bridge!

Girls Only Party*

The build up to this one was pretty incredible. Claire, my little 'mother hen' as I like to call her, had been tracking the date, making a countdown, and knew the exact moment the clock struck midnight that it was the day of her much anticipated 'Friend Party'. My goodness! She had it all under control. The way it would play out, the events, what to do when the girls got here, the way to organize the party bags, when to give out the party bags, and it goes on and on- she didn't miss a detail. We had shopped a few days before for a party dress and once that was picked out- she was ready to roll. The morning of her party, she told me she wanted her hair up. Not in a ponytail- 'But up. You know- like a Princess', she said in her silly voice while waving her finger. Whew. In the twenty minutes before her party- I pinned Claire's hair up and she instantly felt like the birthday girl. Oh, my Clairey. You absolutely have me wrapped around your painted pink pinky.

The girls started trickling in for her two-hour party and they transformed immediately into party mode. All sixteen of the Moms dropped all sixteen of their daughters off and the high pitched laughter and giggling commenced. I had specified on the invitation that it was okay to drop off and like any normal Mom who has a trillion errands to run on a Sunday, they did. Claire was aglow and so happy that this very special moment was here for her. It was her first school party. The first time she had all of her friends over rather than just partying with the people that I invited. She loved it and I loved seeing her so happy.

When the girls arrived, I had arranged to have a balloon lady here to create anything the girls wanted. Knowing that this was a princess party- I warned her that the requests for Disney Princesses would be high but she told me she could handle it. Claire chose Tinkerbell and would you look at what this woman created? To die for! The girls chose Mulan, Jasmine, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Fairies, Bunnies and they were all awesome!

From there- they all made their own pizzas and just sat around the table together laughing and chanting. It was hilarious. On the count of three- everyone say, I love pizza! Claire screamed. And sure enough, they would count to three and all of them would echo it back. They all took turns shouting and it really threw me back to the parties I used to have at home when I was young. Somehow, while throwing my own party and juggling sixteen kindergartners, I gained even more respect for my Mom and her level of patience and how everything was always so delicious and seemingly perfect. Next, the girls opened presents (picture a giant pink mosh pit) and then we finished the party off by decorating cupcakes. It was a great party and the best gift of all was that Matthew slept through the whole thing! Talk about timing!

You might be wondering why there is an asterisk in the title of this post. This was a Girls Only Party with one exception. Michael had a soccer game at the exact same time as Claire's party was set to begin. We gave him the option of either playing in the game or coming to Claire's party. He chose to stay. In fact, he was adamant about supporting Claire on her BIG day. I thought to myself- despite all the mindless bickering these two do all day long- they really appreciate each other and make sure to be there for the other when they need each other the most. Michael, in his blue shirt that stuck out amidst all the pink, sat and ate with the girls and witnessed Claire in all her glory. For me, the moment of the day was when Michael got all the girls to raise their glasses and said, A Toast to the Princess. He looked over at her and I swear you could see her little heart melt. She loved it. My little asterisk made my day by toasting to his sister. It doesn't get much better than that. Happy Birthday Claire!! We all love you so much.

Claire Turns 6!

Sissy Sue, Sis, LuLu, Claire Bear, Bear, Baby Girl, Henrietta, Sissy, Raar (courtesy of Matthew), Claire-a-belle, Belle, are just some of the names we use to call our beautifully brilliant, talented, loving daughter Claire. Well, apparently we need to add another name to the list. '6 Year Old Claire' was added to the list today. It is her birthday and you better believe we celebrated the big S-I-X in style! Claire has had a countdown of days until her birthday for weeks now! Damien and I have also had the countdown but with a different focus. Our focus was how many days do we have before the kitchen has to be done so we can have people over? Well, everything came together and Claire had a great birthday!

Sissy popped out of bed today bright-eyed and refreshed. In fact, she was so excited she came into our bedroom at 6:45 a.m. and woke us up to tell us the great news. While I really wanted some more sleep (afterall it was a Saturday), I knew how important it was for me to get up and start celebrating with her. Don't you remember when you were a child- the second you opened your eyes on a special day (i.e. Christmas, the start to a vacation, Easter, Birthday) you were up for good! Your blood starts pumping and your mind races around the special events that would happen that day and going back to sleep was never a possibility! Well, this was true for Claire and she was wide awake!!! I asked her if I could go get doughnuts or some special breakfast for her- but she just wanted poached eggy on toast. Her wish was granted! Then we started giving her small gifts throughout the day. One of the planned events was that my parents were going to send Claire a giant balloon bouquet. There was a knock at the door and Claire ran to get it! One giant Mylar balloon and 13 latex balloons blew into our house and she and the other two kiddos were going crazy! They played with the balloons while Damien, his Mom, and I tried to ready the house for the big family party that evening! Claire was upset because one of the giant Mylar balloons (A Disney Castle) came off it's string to the bouquet in the living room but I told her I would fix it later. They continued to play until I heard a blood curdling scream from outside. Sure that one of them was bleeding from the head- I sprinted out of the kitchen to the backyard and saw Claire screaming and crying hysterically. I saw no blood so then I asked what in the heck was going on. Matthew was screaming and pointing to the sky and Claire was blubbering something completely unintelligible. She didn't have to say a word. When I looked up, I saw 13 balloons drifting skyward. They were gone. She was screaming, I'm sorry- I'm sorry and I told her that she didn't need to apologize and I was sorry she lost her balloons. A giant part of me wanted to rush out to the store and buy 13 more but the rational part of me told me that everything would be okay. I consoled her for a while and she even talked to my parents who told her that it was going to be alright. Talk about drama. I did feel bad for Claire but at least she still had the most important balloon in her possession!

Damien's family showed up that evening and it was a good thing because I accidentally cooked to feed an army of people. We had spinach dip, smoked Gouda quesadillas (one of my Mom's goodies) for starters, then had lasagna, garlic bread, and a cranberry pear salad for dinner. Can you say stuffed? How about calling over eaters anonymous! We all were totally full and then topped it off with my Nana's famous yellow cake with whipped chocolate frosting! It was too much but seriously- so good! It was nice to have the family together and we had a lot of fun watching the cousins run around and play with one another. We had such a nice night. The weather was beautiful and it was so warm we were even able to eat outside without feeling cold at all! It was great. Most importantly- Claire had a great night. She was so happy, so thrilled that the focus was on her and she took in each and every moment- trust me!

I think my favorite moment of the entire day was recognizing the complete absence of sibling rivalry/jealousy. We went through a few years there were that were rough! But this year- Michael in particular did great. Of course Matthew wanted in on all the action, but they all got along and for this I say, Yahoo! A lot of this credit goes to Claire because she really let Michael and Matthew in on her celebration! When she was opening her gifts- Michael asked if he could sit with her on her chair. I was worried that his feelings were going to be hurt when she blurted No, but instead- Claire thought about it and said, Sure! I was really proud of her and I guess being six years old made her a little more wise! I had to put this picture on here because we did catch her getting a little jealous when she was blowing out her candles. And who can blame her! Matthew didn't have the ability to blow them out from where he was standing, but she put her hand over his mouth so that he wouldn't have a shot at ruining her moment! Classic!

Happy Birthday to my only daughter who is truly a special blessing to me. You are so nurturing, a mother hen if you will. You take such good care of your brothers, you will defend anyone you love to a great degree, you are a great listener, a wonderful friend, a beautiful person, and such a special special young lady. Six years ago you came into our lives and we have never been the same. We thank God everyday for you Clairey!!! Happy Birthday.

St. Matthew's Day

Oh, yes. It is another one of my kid's saint days! St. Matthew's Day was on September 21st and we were all ready to have a great day while being faithful and celebrating the life of our darling, sweet Matthew. We were not able to be with my Dad for St. Matthew's Day but he had it all organized. He wanted to get something for Matthew that he would love. Something that Michael and Claire would also enjoy- but something primarily for Matthew. He decided on a slide and it seemed like the perfect gift for our little guy!

We all gathered together to unveil his big prize and he went absolutely crazy! At first he didn't know what to do with the slide but very soon- he got the hang of it. Then we read him the card that Grandpa gave him and we talked to Michael and Claire about the wonderful things St. Matthew did. We ate dinner and then out of the freezer came the ceremonial Baskin Robbins cake that Grandpa always gets the kids. Matthew was thrilled by the sight of the cake and knew that he was the one that was going to get to blow out the candle. And would you know that the first candle that Matthew has ever successfully blown out by himself was his St. Matthew's candle? It was awesome and he was so proud of himself and he couldn't stop screaming! We all enjoyed the cake (a few us of had a little too much) and enjoyed the moment as a family.

Thank you Grandpa for everything. We love you very much!!

Dare Devil Claire

Both Michael and Claire have soccer games on Saturdays. It is starting to take over our lives- I swear! I have no idea how my Mom and Dad managed to get us all to our games, get us home, provide snacks, and feed us. Really, how did they seem to make our Soccer Saturdays so seamless? Damien and I always hope that Michael and Claire's games are within the same general time frame. If not, we are going to and from the field for the better part of our Saturday and it is just too much. Once we add in Matthew's nap time- things can get a bit complicated! This year, Damien is helping assistant coach Michael's team called The Celtics. Claire's team is called The Dare Devils. Well, this particular afternoon, Damien opted to stay home and let Matthew nap and I took Claire to her game. It was also picture day so we were going to be at the field for a few hours and I wasn't going to complain about having to sit in a chair on the sidelines, relax in the sun and enjoy her game!

Claire is loving soccer this year. She seems to get the overall idea better and is really understanding the flow of the game. She laughs, she is focused, she has moments of true competitiveness, and then has moments of relief that she can sit out a quarter and relax. I also have to add that she loves oranges at halftime and the snack after the game (which really is no surprise if you know Claire and her affinity for snacking!). She is having a great time and really- this is all I want for her. Claire's coaches are amazing. They understand that kids at this tender age just need to have fun while learning fundamentals. They are doing everything right and I am so glad that Claire is being coached by them!

I had a great afternoon watching Claire. I had an even better time having her come over to me after every quarter for some TLC. She loves when I give her praise and truthfully- she tries her hardest and it makes me so proud and happy. The next time I am at Michael's game I will take some pictures and post about him and his team. Until then, I am going to enjoy the memory of watching my Clairey play soccer.

Cereal Anyone?

By far- the best back to school surprise known to man! My Mom had told my kids to expect a back to school delivery on Saturday morning from Nonna and Grandpa. Of course they had a million questions and wanted hints but my parents were not going to give them an inch! They woke up in the morning and kept looking out the window for the delivery man. I did give the smallest of details letting them know that the delivery would be between 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. After waiting all morning, there was a knock at the door and they they both ran as fast as they could and opened the door. Confused when they saw a guy wearing a Safeway hat/uniform, they proceeded to start bringing in the many many bags he had outside for them. One bag after another, while totally screaming- Michael and Claire brought the bags into the living room and realized what a special treat they were in for! Nonna and Grandpa had gotten them more cereal than they knew what to do with. And while there were some healthy choices in there- mostly the cereal was the yummy kind that I only got as a child if I had a sleep over! Trix, Lucky Charms, Cocoa Pebbles, Fruity Pebbles- and it goes on and on!

They couldn't believe their eyes when they laid out all of their loot! I mean- could you imagine if you were a kid and this happened to you? When I was a kid, I always wanted to win a shopping spree to Toys R Us, but I am sure this would've come in a close second! Michael and Claire lined up the boxes end to end, then they stacked them as high as they could, followed by making a house out of them! They had an absolute ball and I know this is just what my parents had in mind when they came up with the coolest idea ever! 20 boxes of awesome cereal . . . a dream come true for my kids. And a great thing for me too because I am not going to have to by cereal for a long long time!

Because we are still in the throws of construction- this was a perfect gift considering that we don't have a oven to cook on or in. Cereal is that universal food that you really can eat for every meal! Because the kids have really been quarantined to a certain area of the house as not to hurt themselves on the mess, this was a great treat for them. This picture was taken in my living room which is chalk full of my kitchen/dining room. I can't wait until I have my living room back! Almost there! A very sugar-highed thanks to Nonna and Grandpa for giving us all a little surprise to brighten our day!

Falling to the Right

It was a normal Saturday, or so it seemed. It was actually Labor Day Weekend so I was settling into a three day weekend with Damien and the kids and was getting ready for some down time. One exciting part of our weekend was going to be painting the kitchen (okay, it wasn't exciting at all but I tried to convince myself that it was!). We had prepped the whole kitchen, thrown the kids in front of the television, and were ready to go to work. When I woke up that morning, I didn't feel great. I had a giant headache and just felt kind of heavy. Regardless of how I felt- we had to get this kitchen painted so they could continue the remodel on Tuesday.

I told Damien I would trim out the kitchen (paint the corners and ceiling area) and so we each took our little jobs and started. As I got up on the chair to paint and looked up at the ceiling- I felt like I was falling! It was the strangest sensation. I fell of the chair and actually hurled my paint brush (full of paint) across the kitchen. Lucky for me- it didn't ruin the cabinets or the new appliances! I got some water and tried to relax for a moment. I tried to get back up and paint again but at the same exact moment when I moved my eyes from the floor to the ceiling- I literally felt like I was free falling. Strange. I told Damien we had to switch jobs. This crazy falling feeling happened all day long. I thought maybe I was just exhausted or something.

When I woke up the next morning, though- the sensation was still there and all day long, I fought myself from falling over to the right. Weird! By lunchtime, I was onto my symptoms and looked up vertigo online and sure enough- I had most all the side effects. I took Sudafed and tried to dry myself up but again the next morning- crazy dizziness! On Tuesday I went to the doctor and she told me I had vertigo. I asked desperately how to fix it and she said I couldn't. I just had to wait it out. Excuse me, you must not understand. I have three kids and I need a quick fix. I drive carpool, I do laundry, I carry Matthew around all day, I make meals, I shower (well- not as often as I'd like). My life doesn't stop so I need you to make the vertigo stop! Okay- I didn't say this to her but the thought was racing through my already clouded brain. "You'll just have to wait it out and I hope that you have some relief by the weekend." she said. Seven more days of this? Ahhhhhh! She gave me a prescription for anti-dizziness medication but wouldn't you know . . . it causes drowsiness. Just what I needed. I took it for two days but after realizing that it didn't take away my dizziness and just made me sleepy on top of everything else- it needed to go!

The doctor was right. My vertigo didn't lift until after day number eight. Eight days of having to go through the motions and keep up with life- because life certainly didn't stop or slow down for me. Getting sick is the hardest part of being a Mom. And to make matters worse- you don't look sick when you have vertigo. You can still look cute, still look put together, still look normal when everything you are feeling is the exact opposite of normal. I seriously suffered and it was in this moment that I told myself that the stomach flu would've been better. Not that I want the stomach flu- but you know what I mean. I survived the dreaded vertigo but am terrified of ever having it again.