Peas in a Pod

How many brothers can you fit in a cradle?

Daddy's Day-Its in the GIVING

Let me just say this, in defense of all well-intentioned wives who will inevitably try this project at least once in their lifetime, it would do you well in the appreciation dept. to video tape the process of the making of the shirt itself. Afterall, we ideally want the man in our lives who is on the receiving end of this gift to truly melt in appreciation of this present, and to ooh & aah and tell you how much better this is than that laser precision table saw he wanted. While we might not get such an overwhelming reaction (those reactions do in fact happen on Mother's Day;), seeing your husband put his hand against the tiny imprinted fingers on the shirt will inevitably make this all worth while.

No daddy in his right mind will ever understand what labor- nor the blood, sweat & tears that are poured into this simple looking activity. My second piece of advice is: when making the handprint of a 3 month old baby, you will need about five people to help you- at least one for each tightly clenched finger. Despite the fact that April & I were about three or four people short, this shirt still managed to come out okay...despite a few necessary smudges. The one thing that I did right in FORESIGHT, rather than hindsight, as are the above 2 lessons learned, is to STRIP EACH CHILD NAKED. Red fabric paint is made to come off of skin a lot better than hands. Prepare yourself though, for while the graphic arts are normally PG rated, the process in making a Father's Day Handprint Shirt with red paint will create a bloodier scene than you will find in any horror movie. Speaking of which, did I mention to video tape it when you undertake this project?.....

Candid moments of brotherly love

Happy Father's Day!

Proud Grandpa, Daddy & Happy Boys

Singing in the rain...

For those of you who have pondered the great question: How does the mother of two boys under the age of two take a shower?
This picture is the expose` shot that shows this rare behind the scenes look.
Its called s.- elf.- restraint.... (Seated Elf Restraints)

She Can Sew?!!!!

So while hubby was away for some infantry training, me and the infants were in our own little training. I threw myself into some projects to keep my mind occupied, and here is an example of one of the few things that actually turned out. (painting the cabinets-not so good.) This is the quilt I made for DJ's room- its an airplane theme now...since airplanes are his latest addiction.
Yet with all the love and pride that went into hours buring the midnight oil to make this (my first ever) special quilt for him, when I ceremoniosly presented it to him he got all excited and said "fish". Ok, so he didn't SAY fish, because he doesn't really identfy things with words yet, but rather the sound they make, so he made his fish face and smacked his lips in the "fish" sound. Anyway, for all my labor in searching for just the right airplane material to satisfy this boys love of the skies, he ended up thinking they were fish.
Can't blame me for trying. HaHa!

Soul White

Water & Spirit

The Baptism of Avery Jude
St. Helena's Parish

05-29-06

Saving Grace...Not Saving Face

(Avery made it through the baptism but lost it during the photo-op:)

Proud Godparents David & April

Dirty Reading???

Okay, this one really puzzles me....I have heard of dirty reading before, but I mostly correlated that to magazines of scantily clad women....Playboy and such. But I never thought that the ABC's, Baby Einstein's Farm Animals and Winne the Pooh would get such a strong reaction:)

Is there some message I should be getting here, Donovan? Well...it sure looks like he will be a JOY to homeschool!

RED-HANDED

THE CRIME SCENE:


Do I really need words here? This is what happens when mommy takes the priviledge of going to the bathroom by herself....

Donovan knows just what to go for in the two minutes he has to work with....he even eats the chocolate with the wrapper and all...just chews until all is left is the foil and then spits the foil out.

As far as the jury is concerned, this was totally pre-meditated....the chair was in the dining room before he pushed it all the way to the kitchen counter as we see here.

FACES

Dippin in the Junk Drawer....

Move over MaxFactor...its all about

Office Max this season!
For this summer's sizzling lips, look to the new

Hi-Liter Couture line at your local beauty counter.

(Donovan found a hi-liter and a pen a decided that he would have a more appealing smooch if it were yellow. Too bad he's not coordinated enough to stay in the lines yet...he missed his lips and mostly got it on his teeth and tongue:)

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

"Mother's of boys work from son up till son down."

All About Avery

Yes, he looks like my "borrowed baby," but he's definitely mine! At first look, Avery is all Daddy, yet though his perfect tan might be deceiving, some of the expressions that dance across that little baby face show a glimmer of his mom. Yet to the average lady in the grocery store, I must be his babysitter;)

Avery is my sweetie, my little "love bug" as Joey and I call him, and he is my opportunity for cuddles and snuggles since Donovan has (for the most part) left the comfort of my lap to conquer the world! Avery is such a precious little guy. His personality is very laid back & easy going, though his tummy troubles have given him good reason to complain of late. I have spent many days over the past weeks pacing and bouncing, trying keep him soothed (its a great postpartum workout:) Luckily some good meds have helped bring him back to his content & sleepy little self.

Yesterday was his 8 week birthday- and I must confess that once again it was a blur...even though I stubbornly tried to cherish every minute of it. It seems as if Avery has been transformed from my little 5 lb. preemie to a chubby little 12 lb. cherub practically overnight! He is our Mr. Personality, as from day one he lacked that far-away look many newborns have, and instead his eyes have always been full of wonder and a curious element of wisdom. It would seem that Avery was born with a special knowledge, like some important secret that the world will learn as his skills develop and slowly unlock it. And while part of me can't wait to see that happen and see him grow and change, I desperately want him to stay the same, my little bundle that I can comfort and hold forever.

Of course big brother "the blur" Donovan is living proof that time will eventually take my baby away, and return a bundle of energy that can't stay still. But until that day I will indulge myself in his babyness, from his dreamy baby smell to dressing him in those tiny clothes and shoes. Yes, I will even miss the pacing at night to calm his colic.

His most recent milestones include graduating to size 2 diapers and my personal fave: smiling back when you interact with him. In contrast, he also makes the best most pathetic little pout you have ever seen!

Before Avery's birth Joey made me promise to take a picture of the baby every month on the same backround, so that we could see all of the changes as he grows. The pics below are what we have so far...its amazing to look back at how he has grown since birth!

One Week

One Month

2 Months

Coming Together

This Sunday, May 7th was Joey's 8 year old son Draven's First Holy Communion! Together Joey & I , with our boys, as well as Joey's parents (Grandma & Grandpa Reyes) and of course Draven's mom, Merida & her parents (Grandma & Grandpa Ortega) came together at St. Patrick's to celebrate & witness this pinnacle moment in Draven's life. Below are the pictures of the blessed event! Enjoy!

The boys are so cute...Draven and Donovan have such a unique connection- Draven is pretty shy normally, but with his brother Donnie Joe, Draven just lights up, and can't resisit hugging and carrying his little bro around!

Grandpa & Grandma Reyes, Joey, Donovan, Kateri, Avery & Draven

All of our boys together! Joey, by the way, had Guard Duty this weekend, but thankfully got time off for the First Communion Mass. -Hence the BDU cammo;)

Uh-Oh...

And just when I thought I had it allunder control, Donovan comes up with a new one. While I was finishing the last blog...he crossed the threshold into a new level of destruction. You know the doomsday sci-fi movies about aliens that come down to earth and use our own technology against us? Well, those are stories inspired by people with toddlers, I swear.

My little "engineer" just came out with a screw driver that he apparently got out of the junk drawer and proceeded to go to try to use it to take off the door of one of the cabinets. Of course he wasn't coordinated on the first attempt to do it...but do you know what this means? My ONE AND A HALF YEAR OLD KNOWS HOW TO USE TOOLS. Terrifying thought. Its only a matter of time now before I go to sit on a chair and it collapeses cuz all the screws are missing. These used to be only funny stories before....now its becoming all too real. AHHHHHHHHhhhhhhh!

This week's opening statement: Mommyhood is hard work!!!!!!!
Avery, my poor baby, has now gone into full colic mode, and his Doctor and I are trying to get to the bottom of it. I have the next week to try out some meds, and if that course of action doesn't show improvement, we are going to start looking for more serious causes. Until then, I am melting what little baby fat is left by pacing the floor constantly trying to soothe the poor littl guy. Luckily (so far) once I finally get him down for the night, I always get a good 3 or 4 hours rest (unless Donovan wakes up:) before Avery gets restless. Anyway, I am holding up just fine...trying to maintain good humor through it all.

As for Donovan, he has taken this choice opportunity to go on a rampage whenever mommy is distracted by little Mr. Avery. There are a few things in our house that are major no-nos and Donovan knows exactly what they are. I honestly think there is like some inexplicable magnetic pull to these objects, because his drive is so relentless in returning (sometimes instantly) these things no matter how much trouble he gets in. These things are: the kitty litter (no its not a sand box), the cat food/water dishes (which are now moved up high!), the garbage can, mommy's cherished cookbooks, and the cupboard under the kitchen sink that has all the cleaners in it (remember the windex). It is for these things that he gets out of bed in the morning, and it is for these things that I would rather NOT get out of bed in the morning. Oh, and I can't leave out that he likes to turn on the dishwasher, the oven light, and just reach whatever his little fingers can grab off the kitchen counter. He has magnificently long arms by the way...they might look tiny, but they can go on for miles in order to get what he wants. I must add that that EVERY SINGLE ONE of the above mentioned objects are highly baby-proofed, with all of the locks and blocks you could ever want...but I guess none of them were designed with Donovan in mind. He is going to be an engineer, I tell ya.
Luckily he is talking a little more, and he always gets this big manly voice when he sees something decidedly adult...like knives, scissors, or anything hot. And he will in his deep gruff voice comment on the "sharp"ness or "hot"ness of the said items. So as long as he keeps talking himself through that kind of trouble, than many of those sorts of disasters can be avoided.

Dinnertime with Daddy is a circus, since Donnie Joe eats in his chair for a whole five minutes and then alternates between daddy's lap or navigating the many blockades and climbing onto the far end of table to try and grab things while either daddy or I or both try to ourselves navigate the blockades to get him down. Not to mention that no matter WHEN we sit down to eat, Avery instantly knows it and is not happy unless he is in my arms. So while I struggle to cut my meat, hold onto Avery, and corral Donovan, Joey and I might even get a small conversation inbetween...and I do always clean my plate one way or another. See...mission accomplished.

HOW DO I DO IT WITHOUT LOSING MY MIND?
LADIES....MOMS and MOMS to BE....keep this in mind...here are my secrets to sanity and survival:
1. I don't set goals. At this point in my life, goals mean trouble, because you never meet them and then you feel like you are just failing all the time. Without goals, every thing I accomplish is a victory. As long as everyone survives the day, the day is won...and if I took a shower or managed to do laundry or dishes, I feel as proud as if I won the Olympics with a gold medal. And if I do any of the above things PLUS something extra...like run an errand or scrapbook or sew...then I have won a PLATINUM medal...which is so good that they don't even have those for the Olympics yet.

2. Laugh. Find the humor in it...and share that humor, because we have all been there at one time or another.

Avery's motto: "Always be ready."

This is how one must sleep when you are born second to a brother such as Donovan

Okay, for those of you who have been anxiously awaiting the latest blogging update from the South, the following little "week in review" will explain why it has taken me so long to finally fulfill my promises in keeping this site updated.

Heck- forget the WEEK in review...lets just review the last 10 MINUTES.....

10:49am All is quiet in the Reyes domain...never a good sign
I search only to discover Donovan sitting on the kitchen floor dousing himself in Windex. Maybe it was something he gleaned from watching "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," or maybe he just thought his bath wasn't good enough and he wanted a streak free shine, regardless of the reason, he was soaked from the neck down in window cleaner.
Stifling a laugh, and chiding myself for letting him out of my sight, I carry him to the restroom.

10:51am I have peeled off all of his clothes, and all that remains is his scapular and diaper. I wash off the windex residue and leave him there in a towel while I go find him another change of clothes. (mistake #2)

10:53am Returning to the bathroom there is only a shrugged off towel where a boy once stood, so again I am searching for him, but don't have to go far as he is in the living room washing the marble floor in a sticky mixture of strawberry-banana juice with his bare hands. (Sounds like he has a thing for cleaning, huh?) I catch myself muttering aloud, "how on earth do you come up with this stuff, Donovan?" I once again return him to the bathroom and repeat the washing all over again (at least his clothes weren't on this time!). Next I dress him and make him stand against the wall while I now clean the floor.

10:55am Now Avery is crying. He was sleeping soundly in his swing
all this time, but when this kid wakes up, he does so with trumpets blasting!
I finish with the floor and go to him.

10:57am Avery gave up and went back to sleep, so I take the opportunity to open the blog for a much needed update.

10:58 am Donovan enters the room carrying something, as I see out of the corner of my eye....
a second glance and I see it is his little plush baseball. I then actually make the mistake of inwardly sighing in relief that for once he is playing with something normal....

10:59am Donovan approches Avery sleeping peacefully in his swing....and I know that can go two ways, either Donovan will reach in a lovingly pat or kiss him, or something else.
I guess this time he went for option number two, as before I can jump in to rescue poor Avery, Donovan gave him a good four or more thumps on the head with the plush (thank God) baseball.
So for those of you who were becoming perturbed with the lack of news, there. Thats the latest.