Times and Trials of Trio

New Year, More Trio!!!

2012-01-06T07:04:00.000-08:00

Wow...over five months....*averts eyes in shame*

So new year, new stuff to look forward to with my little man, one of which is his 4th birthday in less than a month. It's amazing, almost unbelievable and bit terrifying to think that he's almost four. I mean...that is the age where they start arguing with you and using logic!!! o.0

He's doing good--he's starting to talk a lot more, leading me to believe he could speak perfectly if he were so inclined...he just doesn't want to be bothered. Not sure where he gets that kind of stubborness from.... >.> For example the other day this conversation happened between us:

Trio--"Mommy...what are eating?"
Me--"Cake."
Trio--"Ohhh cake...may I try some?"

I was like seriously? Look at you being all polite of course you can have some cake...nevermind it was 10pm LOL (meh it was red velvet and not that sweet...plus sugar doesn't really have an effect on him in terms of keeping him awake. I'm soooo lucky in that aspect).

I will be better about posting in the next few months just to give an update on how he's doing. I know I said that last year but I will buckle down this year and try because not only will I be writing about my favorite subject--I'll be getting into the habit of writing consistently. Until next time....

Quirky Traits

2011-11-05T13:46:00.000-07:00

I think one of the most interesting things about Trio is when I see one of my mannerisms in him. I mean, I know he is his own little person and has his own little personality and I love it. But the bottom line is that no matter what you always obtain some aspect of your parent's personality. For me from my Dad it's the sarcasm. From my Mom it's the compuncation to always want to be on time to places and get to highly irritated with my companions if we are late LOL. And of course the love of reading from both of them.

However it's funny to see Trio's quirks that he shares with boy of us. He's a flirt like his Dad was when he was younger. He loves to dance (more from his Dad then me as I'm shy in that respect). He likes to read or at least for now look at the books on his own which of course is all me. But the other day while watching "Super Why" I really saw me come out of him with a fierceness.

I don't know how many of you watch it but long story short the Pig character has a little catch phrase he says when he does something good. So it happened and I said "Look at that Trio! Super thumbs!"

And he stopped and looked at me, arched his eyebrow and was like "Uh...big thumbs up Mama".

o.0 Wow.

And I say this because I've done this to people myself. I look at them like they've lost their dang mind when they say something stupid or silly or wrong and my son did it to me. Some may call it karmic retribution. I prefer to look at it like hey; that's my boy! ^_^

Alphabets, Good Living Rooms, and More

2011-09-06T07:53:00.001-07:00

So it's been awhile since I blogged but that's my usual song and dance. Let's see if I can get y'all up to date on the awesomeness that is Trio.

First we are loving singing our ABCs. It's quite adorable because it will come out of nowhere but of course like all kids he has some trouble in the middle so it comes out "M-N-M-O-P" but hey it's close enough. LOL. We are also chatting way more and enjoying playing with other kids even if they are bigger. For the holiday weekend we went up to San Antonio to see the family and he was just steadily trailing after his older cousins, who did really well with him. By that I mean they didn't try to burn off and leave him they included him for the most part. Very heartening to see.

What did upset me in SA was the good living room. You know what that is--a living room you cannot go through no matter what. You can't even step a toe in there otherwise you'd get your butt whupped. Hell if you even lean too far in, you'd get hit upside the back of your head. At least that's how it was when I was growing up.

And Trio and the other younger generation were allowed in the good living room. I was HOT!!! It started out innocently enough because they kids went in there and I trailed after Trio going "No baby you can't go in there that's the good living room" before I realized I was the only one saying anything. The kids went in there to eat and I was like "What the hell is this? We can go into the good living room now? When did this change?" And someone commented, "Well it's different now for the younger kids" and I was like "My behind it is! If I couldn't go into the good living room then neither can my kid!"

And I was living room patrol every time Trio headed that way I was like "GET OUT OF THE GOOD LIVING ROOM!!" At one point my cousin Dannika commented "Boy you better stay out of there before your mother kills you" and everyone was cracking up not knowing how serious I was about this. It's the good living room...you don't go or play or EAT in the good living room!! That's why it's the good living room.

All joking aside it was a pretty good day especially because I'm coming off a three day weekend. The fires here were a little scary but thank God we managed to not have anything happen but my hearts and prayers do go out to those affected by it.

And that is it for now. I want a laptop so I can blog (not to mention actually write) more often but until then I will try to remember to update more regularly.

Tidbits on Trio

2011-07-28T23:13:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in over a month. Yeah I know horrible especially considering I was keeping this not only to get myself into the habit of writing but to keep a better record of the development on Trio. So I'm going to use this entry as a quick wrap up of what I have noticed of my son in the last month and hopefully be able to start keeping up better overall.

*A few months ago I was talking about Trio's lack of talking which is pretty much no longer an issue. Yes we still have moments where he babbles incoherently but he is a little chatterbox now. He has random moments of saying well-known phrases and at the right times. Two examples are where I was trying to get him to come sit next to me and stop bothering Albert when he was napping and he said "No". So I pretended to cry not expecting it to work because it never really does with him but he ran over to me, with concern all on his face and asked, "Mama? What's wrong?" Then the other day I was at the computer and I heard a thump from the playroom followed by an "Ah! Oh my God!" and I was looked over my shoulder like "What in the world?" He is also recognizing the places we go habitually and commenting on it. I am guessing I'm not too worried about needing a speech therapist as I was when we went to the doctor's at the beginning of the year.

*Summer Activities--about a month ago, we were going into Moonie's Burgers and a fellow Mom from our play group was walking out with her little ones. Trio saw the boy and then took off after them out of the restaraunt which lead me to believe that we need to start going to more playdates. I had been really lax in taking him to go go play but after that I decided to buck up and start drinking coffee and energy drinks because he needs to go play with his friends. So that is what we have been doing. Some of the most memorable events that come to mind was once when we went to Falcon Pointe pool. They have a little "splash pad" area and one of the things is this tall pole that has funnels that fill up with water and dunk. He looked like wanted to try it but was also nervous so I went under it by myself at first and from there he was fine with it. Once though he was running after a friend and ran under it at the "right" time so two of those funnels dunked on him, with enough pressure might I add to knock his arm floatie to his wrist. He just shook it off and walked back to me with his arm outstretched to push it back up.
Also this last week we went to Petco with the group and there was a cage with ferrets; two evil albino looking ones with creepy red eyes and one black and white one. The black and white one seemed to take to Trio and was pawing at the window to try to get out while Trio was laughing (although I guess in theory he could have been evil and wanted to claw his eyes out). At the top were some holes (I'm guessing for air) and the nice ferret stuck his nose out. By the time I got Trio over there to pet it, one of the alpha albino ones had knocked the other one out of the way and bite Trio. He jerked his hand back with a very affronted look and was like "Ow". But he didn't linger too much over it, which is good. We also went to the zoo with a friend who is visiting from out of town and that was fun just really really HOT!! But we did see lions, tigers, and meerkats! Sadly no bears but there was a monkey baby!! And a camel that made me nervous because it kept scowling at us. o.0

That is all I can think of right now but I will for sure try to start updating more so you can all read about my lovely boy!

The Telling

2011-06-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

Let me preface this nostalgic post by saying I am NOT pregnant.

But I was finishing up a book today, and one of the minor characters was telling her sister the main character (her sister) she was pregnant and the joy they had over being a mom and an aunt respectively got me to thinking about how we divulged about Trio.

Once the shock wore off and we stopped lying to ourselves, we did tell people in clumps. The first family related person we told was KaCee, my sister. For whatever reason we had to stop by her office before going to their house to watch Nica, because Dad had to go to work. And she was sitting there at her desk while Albert went to her car for something and she was having a "meh" day. And the secret was bursting inside of me until I finally looked at her and told her flatly "I have something to tell you. But you can't tell Dad. I get to tell Dad". And she looked...not afraid actually but concerned like "Oh are they moving? Did something happen?" Then I took a deep breath and was like "I'm pregnant". And her face just lit up like a Christmas tree and she came over to give a hug and then KaCee (being KaCee) started speaking to my stomach. /sigh I was like "I'm not that far along goofy".

Then there was how we told Dad. He was about to go in and he hated his job so much and was going in with a bad mood. So I looked at him and was like "Well would you like some news to brighten your day?" And he replied "Sure whatcha got?" I asked him "How would you feel about being a grandfather again?" and he was like "I wouldn't mind it...why you pregnant?" and I affirmed it and he grinned and said congratulations. Come to find out later that was all he talked about at work. Anytime someone asked him about his day he responded "I'm great just found out I have another grandbaby on the way".

We waited to tell Albert's family until I was 3 months in. Not sure why we didn't wait for mine I guess it was because they were here so if anything had happened they would have been one of the first to know. But the way Albert told his mom was priceless. She was babysitting Jordan (our nephew who is Albert's sister's son) and Albert told his mom about a conversation we were having (which was actually a true conversation). He said "Mom, Paige made the observation that no one in our family gets to stay 'the baby' for long because there is always another one on the way." Then he started listing them off and Cynthia was like "Well Jordan is gonna be the youngest". And Albert was like "No." And I could see my MIL pondering it and was like "No, he is the youngest" and Albert was like "No, he's not" and put his hand on my knee. And Cynthia looked at us and was like "You're pregnant?" and we affirmed and she screamed and scared Jordan (who was sitting on her lap).

Then there was how we told Greg (who knew b/c my SIL had let the cat out of the bag) but we gave him a Father's Day card from his "grandbaby".

It was cute. All around I think we told people the best way because we tailored it for everyone. Who knows if we'll be that creative if/when the next one rolls around?

Trio in the Summer

2011-06-08T08:21:00.000-07:00

So it has been awhile since I've updated either one of our blogs. :/ Life has just gotten in the way.

But here I am to let you know what is going on in the life of Trio!! Well first off Trio's talking seems to have exploded!! He is talking all the time and most of it is understandable! I'm sure we probably still need to think about getting a speech therapist to work with him but for now we're going to let him enjoy the summer and come August we will look into it. But yes he is talking even more and it's so much fun! One of his favorite phrases is "You're home!!" when someone walks into the house. It's so cute. The first time I heard it was when I came home from work. Yeah....apparently he had a late nap that day so he was up at 2:30 when I walked in. Still sweet to hear...but wouldn't want to make it a habit while I'm on this schedule.

Potty training is...meh. I'll admit it I gave up for now. I mean every time we sat him on the potty he would cry and throw a fit and I was like "Well this can't be healthy." Believe me I want him potty trained I am so over diapers but I don't want to scar or force him because I do know that in the long run that will just hurt him even worse and make it take longer. So once again we'll wait and try a little later to see if he's ready. Although by 4 (God forbid) if he's not I'm not really gonna care if he throws a fit he's gonna start going there, even if I have to do potty boot camp to get it done.

And with summer being here our favorite pastime is swimming! He LOVES to swim! Such a little waterbug and he doesn't just stay in the steps or in the shallow end. He will walk around the pool and get in at the deep end (arm floaties and supervisors are around no worries) and just sit there and kick and swim and float. It's so awesome that he loves to swim because I am such a water person that I don't know how I would react if my kid wasn't! The only thing now is that every time he changes the first words out of his mouth are "Going swimming?" /sigh No son we can't swim all day every day. LOL.

And that's about it for now! A brief but compacted update on my little man. I will try to be more diligent this summer. I know I will be posting soon because it is almost time to see the cardiologist and I am very excited to see how he is doing after the great visit we had last time. Til then faithful readers!!

Potty Training

2011-04-16T07:15:00.000-07:00

Potty training.

Two words that cause most mothers to tear out their hair in frustration. Because it is difficult. Trying to get the kiddos to understand this is where all that is suppose to go. Teaching them to know when they have to go and that is when they need to run to the bathroom (although to be honest most kids wait until the last second and then will run across the house holding themselves screaming "I HAVE TO POTTY!!!") And not to mention when you go from training pants to underoos (as I call them for boys because panties just sound weird I don't care how sexist that sounds) the accidients something I am DEFINITELY not looking forward to. I'm giving out a pre-emptive apology to Spiderman, Batman, and Phineas and Ferb since you will probably be the big boy underoos we get and you may get a little messy.

And it is hard not to get frustrated. We have had Trio in training pants all week. And this morning is the first time he peed in the potty (with training pants on that is) and I once again believe it is only because I stumbled out of bed and immediately put him there while I went. Whatever still excited he still got one Skittle. The only thing is first thing in the morning I cannot get excited about anything. I don't stumble around and growl at everybody like some people *cough cough my sister cough cough* but it's still hard to properly do the potty dance when you're thinking "It's cold. I'm tired. And I need coffee". Still I got excited as I could and gave him kisses and told him what a big boy he was and how proud I was and then he got a Skittle and all that jazz.

And then five minutes later he goes poop in the training pants.

Dammit. :/

Toddler Mood Swings

2011-03-31T08:47:00.000-07:00

Seriously what is it about the 3s? This is a CRAZY age. If we're not having a battle of wills over everything including eating, drinking, napping, (and yes I know you're not suppose to argue with a toddler but dammit it's hard not to sometimes) then he's running around like a speed freak screaming and bouncing like a Popple and I'm like "WTH? Who gave you crack kiddo?"

I mean I understand this is where they exert their independence which is fine. I NEVER wanted a clinger (a Mama's boy if you will) simply because well I'm gonna sound sexist but I want a tough boy. I think of the term overly sensitive when it comes to boys and think of the Brendan Frasier from Bedazzled. Yeah. Seriously? Who wants that? Not that I want Trio to be a bully but I do not want a scrape you get from falling on the sidewalk to end in hysterics that makes an observer think he broke a bone.

But man this independence is kicking in hardcore. Not to mention the greed. Mine mine mine. With our friends toys!! We were at a birthday party last weekend and I had to remove him TWICE because he wanted to get all the balls for himself and not share with the other kids there and I'm like "Dude. The kids here are sharing with YOU!! It's not even your toy is it really worth it to throw this fit over it?"

TWICE people. TWICE. Usually removing him ONCE is more than enough but twice? Ay yi yi And we fight about eating. I'm a mom who makes her kids eats something she knows they hate. It drove me crazy growing up that my family would plop greens and spinach and cabbage on my plate after I had tried it knowing I didn't like. It drove me crazy and when I was younger I saw Crooklyn and the sign where the mom made him eat the black eyed peas to the point where he threw up on the plate and I'm like "Yeah I don't want that." So I offer him mac and cheese but I never make him eat it (yeah I know I get the weird one that doesn't like mac and cheese).

But when I put things in front of him that I know he likes and he doesn't he's just being stubborn and a pain in the patootie and that's when I get upset. And because I'm me I talk to him like a little person and am like "Seriously kid? I don't make you eat things you hate. You LIKE this now EAT it." And then he stares at me with the stubborn set to his face that is a smaller version of my angry face and all I think is "Thank God you're not a girl because puberty would suck for all in the Nieto household."

And then there's the sugar high and I don't know how he gets it but he'll randomly start running around the house, bouncing up and down and screaming at the top of his lungs because he's happy. Yesterday we were watching Rugrats and the beginning credits (the new version from when Dil was around) and he would sit there and laugh and squeal and I'm like "WTH is the matter with you? Is it that crucial? Are we that excited?" Even Albert will look at him sometimes and be like "What did you give him to eat?" and I have to let him know "That is all Trio baby. No sugar need be added." But I will admit it does sometimes make me smile to see him take pleasure in such a little thing. I think that's why adults are so bitter sometimes because they forget how to do that. So to see something as simple as the opening credits on Trio's favorite show inspiring such joy is nice.

That's all for today. Trio is doing fine otherwise than that healthwise and just his normal energetic self. Trying to decide what to do for lunch. Maybe pizza we'll see what the hubster says.

Stubborn

2011-03-11T21:49:00.000-08:00

Is there any word that is worse than this one when you are using it to describe a 3 year old? I mean of course I know there are but seriously this is one of the worse. Because that is what Trio is. Just plain and flat out S-T-U-B-B-O-R-N!!

And the most annoying thing about it is I can't get too mad. Everyone one in my family is stubborn and I do mean everyone. It's something that seems to come as part of the DNA such as the sarcasim gene. And while I defintely will admire this way of thinking when he is older and sticks to his guns and beliefs in the face of the adversaries that he will surely face just living life and the way the world is going right now it is a pain the butt to have to say "On your BOTTOM!" sooooo many times to him. Sometimes the only thing that gets him to do what I ask him to is to stand up which leaves him dashing off with the "Oh crap she's serious" look on his face. Or he sits down (hard I might add) and just starts angry crying because God forbid I ask him to do something he doesn't want to do. /sigh

But I do know that's part of being a parent and as he gets older I will have to describe to him that we as adults have to do things we don't want to do. Does it suck? Yes. But there are many reasons we do them. For love, to be civil, to avoid conflict, and at the end of the day some things are just not worth fighting over. Sorry but it's true.

I want Trio to stay stubborn only because I do believe that when used for the appriopriate things it's a wonderful trait such as not giving in to peer pressure for drugs, drinking, or teasing someone because they're different. I think stubborn people get things done because at some point it stops being stubborness and starts being determination and a determined person can do anything that they put their mind to. I want the best for my son and I want him to strive for his dreams. But I don't want him to be like some of my friends who go to the mat for every....little....thing. I don't want him to be one of those people who's stubborness stays that and never matures to determination, someone who is just going to piss and moan over everything because it's not their way and not adapt or compromise because they're so stubborn. Because people like this? Die old and alone. Which is not something I want for Trio.

So yes son enjoy being stubborn know while you have the blanket of being a toddler. Because at some point, it will have to adapt and change and you will have to learn that just like everything else in life, there is a time and a place for digging your heels in when it's really really important.

Kind of a serious blog for Trio. It's also late LOL. Don't worry not too many will be like this.

Trio's Talking....

2011-03-03T15:57:00.000-08:00

or lack thereof. We had Trio's appointments this last week both the cardiologist (which was moved due to the Snow Day in Austin [yes that much snow qualifies as a snow day for us so shut it]) and his pediatrician which was moved due to Dad's death. Dr. Holt was very pleased with Trio even though we may have been less than truthful about how often/regularly he was receiving his medicine. He liked hearing how active he was and that it didn't tire him out more easily than any other 3 year old. And if you've seen Trio you know he can MOVE!! Relatives here a few weeks ago even commented on this saying "Shoot...looking at that boy move around makes ME tired!" So I was very pleased with that. I worry about his heart because I want him to be the All-Star Athlete if he wants to be but if he needs to be more careful I want to be prepared way ahead of time. We go again in July/August and then we will know if our bi-yearly visits can go to just once a year. I do enjoy Dr. Holt's company but I would not be displeased if we only had to see him once a year.

Then there was the pediatrician Dr. Holliman. On the good front Trio's weight and height is fine. I guess I've been use to seeing much chubbier children around Trio's age so I assumed he was underweight but it turns out he is fine exactly where he is. So yay on that! We are also potty training which is hard because all we've done is fart on the potty. Not sure if he gets the concept that you can actually sit there and make yourself go but it's a work in progress. The one thing she was concerned about was his talking.

It makes me think of that joke how you spend the first few years getting them to talk and then the rest until they're 18 telling them to be quiet. Trio does talk but not as much other three year olds his age. Occasionally he'll spout out with a phrase that I didn't know he knew or like today spend a whole day answering me when I spoke to him. But she thinks we need a speech therapist through the school (which is free) and a private one through the summer (which is not and unsure if my insurance covers it). However I did find out today from a friend that Trio may qualify for the starting preschool program (as he is 3) and we may qualify due to our income which would be great. She even mentioned that they may have a summer program which would be even more awesome because that means we wouldn't have to find a private tutor.

I'm not saying she's incorrect because she is a doctor and Trio doesn't speak a lot. Although in the back of my mind when she was like "A stranger should understand 75% of what he says" I was thinking "WTH would he be talking to a stranger anyways?" So that will be another obstacle to try to cross and since then we have been spending more time speaking with him and trying to get him to respond. As I said it is a work in progress and who knows? Maybe next week he'll just up and start speaking clearly. Weirder things have happened. :)

Birthday Overload!!

2011-02-05T11:01:00.000-08:00

I love birthdays!! I'm a big birthday girl. I think everyone should make a celebration out of their birthday. It's not everyday you can wake up and say "Hey I was born today!!" So I'm big on parties and presents especially on birthdays. Christmas is more about giving, Valentine's Day is a Hallmark holiday (although Mother/Father's day are a necessary. I see this know after having one kiddo of my own). But birthdays are just flat out special and should be treated as such.
Trio's 3rd birthday was on the Tuesday, the 1st. I took off work but we didn't have the party that day due to fundage and the like. But since I took it off I spent the whole day with him just watching TV cuddling on his couch. He also had a sugar OVERLOAD-Pop-Tars (and donuts) for breakfast I think he had a peanut butter sandwich for lunch and to top it all off we went to Chuck E. Cheese. Now Trio is not a fan of the actual person in the suit. Point of fact he runs everytime Chuck E. comes near him. But he loves going to his house. When we drove up and hurried to the doors because it was so cold he was like "Wow!!" We didn't even have time to order a pizza and get the pizza/token deal because he was off so we had to get tokens seperately.
He loved playing the game where you press the button and the ball drops into a hall and gives you the amount of ticket. He loved that kids version of roulette where you pick a color and if it lands there you get the tokens (he managed to hit the 40 one on his own. I know right? o.0) He loved that picture thing. It use to be where someone "sketched" your pic but now they put it on some kind of badge like "Fire Fighter" or "Rock Star". We have like 10 of those laying around in various places. He also liked Skee-ball bu be careful if you play that when he's around. :/
He barely ate (except fries) but hey it was his birthday right? He ended up with aroudn 215 tickets (most of which he got by himself) and ended up with an extending sword thing and Sweet-Tarts. Of course he didn't want to leave. When we were walking out and the worker was waiting to check the numbers on our hands he was like "NO!" and tried to run back into the fun. I had to tell him hey kiddo this isn't even your party. You have one for the family coming up and then one for your friends. You'll be okay.
All in all he had a great day. He passed out from the exhaustion and I was okay with that. I'm glad I was able to give him such a fun day. I will blog on Saturday or Friday night about how the other two parties went!! One is at the Texas Jumping Bean so...wish me luck!!

Trio's Christmas

2010-12-27T09:18:00.000-08:00

Apparently 3 is the year of big Christmas presents because boy howdy did Trio get quite the haul this year.

Suffice to say he should be busy for the next few months. The favorite gifts of his are his Buzz Lightyear mini ATV from Paw-Paw Billy, the inflatable bouncer from the Vegas and his Leap Frog toys from Auntie K (which include a faux Blackberry that teaches about letters and a little pad that shows how to write letters). Of course there were many other toys such as Toy Story 3 (from us) a stamp art kit (which I am going to try to break out today before I go to work) and Chuck the Talking Dump Truck which took awhile to warm up too but now he loves it as well.

What was cute is that most kids just rip into the wrapping paper and leave it laying around all willy-nilly. He takes it off a few strips at a time and makes sure to hand it to whatever authority figure happens to be standing around. It's adorable and thoughtful of him if you think about it.

Now for the toy purge. We have decided that we are going to go through all the toys that are too young for him and what he hasn't shown an interest in and donate them to Dell Children's Hospital. I'm not sure if they will take it or how it goes but it will make me feel better since I feel that is a wonderful place (being a children's hospital and all that).

Plus we have to gear up because in a little over a month we face Trio's birthday---dum dum dum!!

Presents

2010-12-20T12:17:00.000-08:00

So the pile of presents on the table (no tree yet I know we're going to shoot for tomorrow) has grown over the last few days and it took him awhile but Trio has caught on. I think it helped the Jessie the Cowgirl is on one and he LOVES Toy Story. Now he has been steadily trying to get to them for the last few hours.

We're like "No Trio that's for Christmas" and his little face scrunches up and he's like "Whyyyy?" Then he tried to con me by pretending he was going over there to eat. He was picking at his sandwich (and eating a bit I'll admit) but then he looked over at me to see if I was looking then tried to slide one of the presents in front of him. I walked over because of course I was watching and said "Nice try kiddo but not dice". This is going to be an interesting next few days trying to keep the presents away from him LOL.

I will say this is going to be a fun Christmas for him. I'm also very excited to see what he got but we will just have to wait and see won't we?

TV Habits and Working Out

2010-12-13T09:15:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness Trio has become fascinated by Dora. In our old house, he would watch Dora but it was like a passing fancy. Apparently here (according to Albert) he requests Dora by name and sits there and watches it awe-struck. He could be doing anything else and if he hears "D-d-d-dora" he stops and stares. It's so eerie!! LOL...of course it could be worse. At least Dora is teaching him English and Spanish and we can ignore that whole inattentive parent thing. :)

So KaCee got a Wii fit for her (and everyone) and I've been working out to it as well. The cutest thing is that Trio will work out along with you. His favorite thing is something called Kung Fu Rythmn where he will follow the movements and even crotch when they do. He also does boxing which is just him flailing his arms wildly while laughing. The problem we had was that he would try to get on the board with you but KaCee got another one so now he can "work out" with people when they do theirs. It's really quite adorable and I'm glad that he likes it because given the tendency in our family he could turn into a little butterball and I don't want that. A little chub is okay but I do not want him to be like 8 and not be able to run half a block without breaking a sweat like I was in a way. You know wanting better for your kids.

And on that note I shall take my leave. Nothing really to update but we may have something this week-it's Santa picture time. : )

Gearing Up For Christmas

2010-12-06T11:16:00.000-08:00

So this year I can already tell Trio is going to make out like a bandit at the holidays. I know two things he's getting (awesome gifts one of which I wanted to get him myself but Albert suggested offering it to the grandpa who of course took it).

I'm excited for many reason. I think this is the first Christmas where he will start remembering. So I plan on going to look at lights, Santa, leaving milk and cookies, watching The Grinch (super excited about that!!) and the like. I am also excited because I can't wait to see the look on his face when he gets his gifts. While I admit I like getting gifts at Christmas it's always been about the kids for me. So for me to know that I can make this Christmas special means alot.

Of course that will mean a massive toy purge which I may ask Albert to help with and then we can try to have a yardsale to have little extra monies.

Trio is also starting to actively talk more be more independant. I actually think it is almost time for potty training. Last week he kept taking off his diaper when he did something, no matter what or how much/little which is usually the big indicator. So we just have to get a potty ring and then we'll go from there!! It's going to be a trial because I hear boys are tougher but we can weather through it.

And that's it for now. Since we moved in with dad and my sister I should be updating more since they have Internet. Which will keep me in the habit of writing again. :)

Brief but Sweet Update

2010-10-22T22:09:00.000-07:00

Once again it has been awhile and that is because no computer, and no time. :/

Anyways on to the little man!! He is doing fantastic adjusting well to me working. My schedule changed (well not so much my hours as my days off) and he seems to like me at home two week nights as opposed to the weekend. I notice these things; people think I'm crazy and he doesn't but he seems to be a little better with me having Thursday/Friday off.

A good thing is he seems to speaking more. Like he babbles still but some full phrases come out of his mouth. Like this (this story was told me to me as I was at work)

One night KaCee was taking my boys home. Trio opened the door and Albert went to close it while KaCee grabbed Trio's hand so he wouldn't fall out. He looked at her and said "'Et go! 'Et go my hand!" clear as day.

One time I was getting ready and in the shower. I always leave the door open so Trio can come check in on me if he needs to. So he does one day walking in doing the whole "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" I was like "What son?!" and he replied "What are you doing?"

Everything health wise seems good. He's learning he knows his numbers (thanks Sesame Street and Team Umizoomi). And I am adjusting to the work schedule so some days we go do something. I can nap whe he naps and that's why God invented coffee. It's not his fault I work.

Anyways this is brief but sweet. I will post more on this and my personal one as things in our life pan out. Much love!! <3

Holy Moly!!

2010-06-05T17:37:00.001-07:00

Wow...it's been awhile since I've update my son's blog. Part of this is because I've been without internet at my house for awhile (and now our computer crapped out so it's gonna be longer0. So I'm at Dad's updating on Trio's blog...and maybe mine.

The newest thing in Trio's life is he is having to adjust to having a working mommy. I mean, people who say kids don't notice things like that are aboslutely nuts!! For awhile he was fine but lately he's starting to be extremely clingy, he's having trouble sleeping, and it's just a whole big time of adjusting for all of us. Not to mention the Mommy Guilt I feel. The other day he threw a fit when I left him at my dad's to go to work...and I mean like a big fit! He started crying and trying to pull me towards the door with him....ay it broke my heart.

However I realize this is better for everyone in the long run, it doesn't stop the Mommy Guilt. I was with him for two whole years day and night with the very few exceptional Casinos and suddenly I'm not there all the time anymore. It's an adjustment for everyone. But it makes me feel better because I feel like I appreciate time with him more, I'm able to provide better for him (not to mention spoil) and I feel better about myself. So while it is hard, I do like working especially since I'm working hours where ewe do not have to worry about the financial burden that is daycare.

And that is it for now. Hopefully once I get Internet back I'll be blogging more.

Trio's New Diagonsis

2010-02-23T18:48:00.000-08:00

So we had an appointment with a neurologist over by Dell's Children's (early) on Monday because his pedi had concerns about the "cafe au lait" spots on his body. She was even more concerned by the same ones on my body as well as the bumps I have.

I walk up early (because the appointment was at the ungodly hour of 8:00 am) and we go and wait. The appointment is with a Dr. Kerr but first we meet his medical student Crystal and she inspects him. A few minutes later Dr. Kerr comes in and they both look grave (although that could have been my paranoia).

Turns out they think he might have something called "neurofibromatosis" which is a genetic disorder of the nervous system that can cause tumors. That's a scary word when you're a parent; "tumor". Dr. Kerr said that given the appearance of those spots on both of us and the bumps on me (which I found out could be tumors which you can imagine gave me a happy) that we needed to do more studies to figure out if that is what this is.

I guess he saw the look on my face and did a quick math to figure that in with Trio's prior medical history because he made sure to tell me it wasn't life threatening and he made sure to put the word "benign" before the word "tumor" (although it didn't help much). But he said that the sooner we figure out if that is the problem the better off we can face it.

Looking at the website it doesn't seem like a horrible disease although there were some signs I saw that made me suspicious that I might have it (such as the delayed puberty and the tummy troubles). There are also scary words like "delay" in relation to milestones and learning but I am not concerned about that since I never really had the problem and although Trio doesn't talk he is bright in other aspects; for example he got a number puzzle for his birthday and two days he was able to put most of the numbers back in their proper place by himself. He even tried to turn the "9" to fit the "6" which I found bright.

Next week is the test so we're getting a whole skeletal X-ray and an MRI for which they have to sedate him so I'm gonna be spending most of Monday afternoon at the radiology place. I'll keep everyone posted it kinda sucks to add to his plate of the medical issues he already has but what are you gonna do? Just stay positive and look at the bright side that for the most part it seems pretty benign.

More to come.

Potty Training?

2010-02-18T14:23:00.000-08:00

I think it's almost time for the hair-pulling-nerve-wrecking,-patience-trying-rite-of-passage-potty training. The other day I got out of the shower to a bare butt Trio and that is the second time that has happened in a week. The first time he was in his playroom and suddenly he comes running out to me, diaper in hand . So we're almost there.

I'm waiting to get one of those insert ring things that actually goes on the big toilet so he can sit there. We have a stool to help him step up and I will sit with him. I asked a friend who has a four year old son if training toilets were good and she asked "Do you really want to clean it out?" And I thought about it and was like "Uhhh no". I mean isn't that the whole point of potty training? To NOT have to clean crap up anymore if you can help it? I mean of course you'll help them wipe for awhile but thinking of cleaning crap out of a tiny potty as opposed to wiping and flushing? Guess which one wins. Not even close. So we have to wait until we get one of those and I'm gonna start putting him on there about every hour to see how it works out. If he completely freaks out we'll wait awhile. If he doesn't...well hopefully it will work out. I just wanna start it before I get my maybe job so that way if Dad has to put him on the toilet it won't be too traumatic for either one of them.

Plus I will be so glad to not have to buy diapers anymore!!

Trio's Second Birthday

2010-02-12T10:15:00.000-08:00

So Trio turned 2 on February 1st (even though we had to have the party almost a week late which I was bummed about but meh). It was a great party with lots of friends and family around us to celebrate how far our little man has come. It's hard to believe two years have gone by so fast.

He got a lot of clothes which I am grateful for. I'm not "anti-toy" and I never forbid toys but when people asked I wanted clothes. He's getting into this awkward stage where everything is either too short or too long so clothes are needed even though now we need another set of drawers for him LOL. He did get some toys though and that's good because for the most part they are learning toys. He even put the numbers in his number puzzle in by himself the other day I was so proud.

And it just gets to me how much he is growing and learning and how smart he actually is even if he is not as verbal as his doctor would like. He knows how to work things, knows how to manipulate things to get where or what he wants (even if this doesn't always please us) and he is just soaking new things up everyday. I'm so proud of him even if sometimes he makes me wanna tear my hair out somedays.

Well that's all for now. Internet is still down at our place hopefully will up soon so I can blog more.

Update on Trio's Heart

2010-01-25T15:35:00.000-08:00

Well our Internet has been down at our house for awhile and we waited to get it back up and running because of a change we might have had in our lives (more on that on my blog) but we are still out so I'm at my dad's. I realized I hadn't updated on my little guy in awhile and today is the perfect day since he had a visit with his cardiologist.

So everything is fine. It took awhile to get seen because they had an emergency at the doctor's office which would have been annoying only if Trio had thrown a fit. He did fine and since I can only imagine the horrors of what an emergency can be in a pediatric cardiology office I didn't get mad because....well you know. But once we were everything went pretty smoothly. Trio did well during his ultrasound he even talked to the technician like he was always does. It was hilarious because here he is laying back on the cot with one hand behind his head watching "Elmo". He looked like a king having servants pamper him. He only really get antsy towards to end but compared to the days when he was like seven months and he threw a tee-total fit I'll take it.

His gradient was fine which in non-medical people speak means something along the lines of the way his valve looked is lower than it was. His right side of his heart hasn't gotten bigger (that's the part with the patch on it) so we're cleared on any surgery or balloon cath for awhile. He doesn't want to see us again until six months which makes me happy that we're not looking at a hospital stay before his birthday. We do however have to increase his medicine to 2 mL three times a day but since he's good at taking medicine it's not too terribly bad. Other than that everything seems fine.

So now the next big thing in our life is his birthday party and figuring out where we're going to put toys LOL. Like I said the only thing I have a problem with is anything Spongebob. Yeah sometimes as a parent it's a pain to figure out where to put toys but it makes kids happy plus a lot of our friends are having children so we're about to do a whole massive cleaning and figure out what we can pass on you know? The backroom is now Trio's playroom and since we're going to be where we're at until at least March of 2011 I'm not too worried. I'll try to keep blogging more regularly once our Internet is up.

Trio's Christmas Haul

2009-12-28T08:47:00.000-08:00

I had been anticipating this day for awhile; I know that Christmas is the day everyone goes crazy when there's a child involved. While Jesus is the reason for the season, kids are the reason for gift giving. Let's be honest; it's nice to get things and give things to adults but it is so much better to get something for a child and see the appreciation and joy in their eyes when you open their gift.

This year was no exception. Trio got a tricycle from his Grandpa Billy (my dad), a Optimus Prime football, a WonderPets boat complete with WonderPets, more talking teaching toys, a Little People Airplane AND train, a fire truck, a military car of some kind, clothes, etc....not to mention what he got from Albert and me!! What made me laugh is his clothes. Not because they're bad mind you but because they're so darn cute!! I love my aunts but when they bought me clothes it was apparent there was a generation gap if you can understand what I'm trying to say. But Trio's clothes are super cute!! I'm like "Where was this foresight when I was getting clothes!!"

He also got lots of books and Veggie Tales from his Grammy (Albert's mother), and more cars than I ever imagined ever having in my house!! I realize cars and boys go hand in hand but my goodness!! And his birthday is a month and a half away so we're going to go through all this again!!

So much for a toy cleansing. Looks like that back room with be full of his toys and our living room will still be the family room for awhile until we can get a bigger place.

Trio Update

2009-12-21T16:21:00.000-08:00

So much has happened lately in the life of Trio I just haven't had time to really update.

First off we finally put up our Christmas tree last week and it was soooo cute because he tried to help! Of course it was hard for him to figure out how to put the ornaments on but he did alright and our little tree is full of love and lights. He even (pretty much) got to put the angel on top of the tree.

Then last Friday we went to see Santa. Needless to say we WERE NOT happy to see the big jolly guy in red this year. In the picture he is crying and looking towards the camera like "Why are you doing this to me?" Quite frankly I wasn't happy with Santa myself this year; we went to Highland and with the exception of a very few stores (and I do mean very few) Highland pretty much sucks now and the Santa is no exception. Putting my foot down next year and we're going to Lakelaine again at least that Santa tries to work with you. But these are pictures that have to get taken so we got a copy.

I am really excited for Christmas this year. We're spending all day with my family this year and Trio will really be able to enjoy his presents this year although I still swear he enjoyed them last year. He understood that those presents were his by gum and he got mad if you tried to take them away!! Plus he'll get cooler toys this year and will just be able to run around having a good time with all the other kids in my family.

For January brings certain things that need to get done. It's time for a trip to the cardiologist again and if his valve is still narrow we're going to have to do the balloon cath to widen it which sounds scary even though I'm assured that it's a simply outpatient procedure. I just don't fancy anymore time in that hospital again unless it is absolutely necessary. And I'm worried about how he'll react to being there because I'm pretty sure he has some memories, vague as they might be, of being there for so long.

But that is about a month away so we won't dwell on it. Who knows we could hear fantastic news from Dr. Holt in January. For right now I'm focused on Christmas on Friday, waking up to pancakes coffee and presents with my two best boys, and having fun with family and friends that day and night!!!

More of Trio's Accomplishments

2009-12-09T08:15:00.000-08:00

Trio just amazes me more and more everyday. I don't always notice everything he sponges up but then i see it in effect and I'm like "Wow".

For example on the Disney Show Special Agent Oso there are always three steps to check off for the little bear to complete his task. Well his father noticed the other day that when the boxes to check come up Trio will "count" along with Paw Pilot (yeah I know it's weird). And he continues to do this every time he watches it. Another thing is the word he's learning and he can recognize the words he knows. I have told he how he growls "down" when he wants to get down from somewhere. Well yesterday we were listening to the radio and Flo Rida's "Right Round" came on and from the back all you could hear was Trio growling, "down, down, down". I burst out laughing because it was just so cute. Plus it's cute how he says "up" versus "down". "Up" is said in a normal voice but "down" is always growled.

He also knows where to go into the kitchen to get whatever it is he wants. He doesn't always ask for milk or juice without prompting but he does know to get the idea across to us he needs to go point to the fridge. Or he will place his cup in your hand to the point of actually opening your hand and putting his cup in it.

He also picks up any keys (any so watch out when you're around him) and goes "Car?" and tries to open and drive everything including light sockets which is less fun. He is also using his deduction skills more readily. The other day when I finally refused to get his toys out of the empty water bottles anymore, he figured out how to turn it upside down and shake it to get them himself. So while the idea of not getting them for him myself didn't work at least he figured out how to get them himself which is a good thing.

My little man is just growing more and more everyday!!

"Helicopter" Parents

2009-11-28T11:42:00.000-08:00

I am not one of these parents obviously. I mean you've read about Trio getting into scrapes left and right. I dislike parents like this a little. I mean I don't let him do anything outright dangerous like play with matches or run with scissors but when it comes to climbing and stuff like that *shrugs* He's a boy. What are you going to do? You have to let kids be kids because that way they learn about what they can and cannot do physically. If you hover over them they will never experiment and realize their threshold of activity. This helps them learn pain threshold, not to mention something of fear. For example if the tries jumping off a swing (which I never had the guts to do) he might like it. Or he might realize he doesn't like heights and never do it again. Of course there is the risk of him spraining something but didn't someone say it's pretty much a common occurrence to have broken bones in childhood?

I look at it this way; if I don't let him play or climb because I'm worried about him getting hurt he is giong to develop an unnatural sense of fear which results in annoying things like your 12 year old falling and scraping his knee and having a total meltdown because of the pain. Really? Sorry but man up get over it, it happens. And don't think this attitude is just for boys oh no. If I have a little girl there is no way she can have a princess complex her entire life. I'm not saying I want a tomboy but I am not a girly girl so I can't support this behavior for long. If my little girl was ever like "Ew I got dirty" and she was like 8 I'd say "Get over it. It happens."

Sound harsh? I respect that. Don't get me wrong I'm maternal and I'm nurturing and if something happens to Trio that really honestly hurts him I give him all the snuggles and kisses he needs. But I don't want a child who's so sensitive they have no idea how to deal with the world. I don't want a bully but I want my child to be assertive enough to not get pushed around. What's truly ironic about this is I'm not all that aggressive despite what you may think. In order to say something firmly I have be pushed and then it comes out more angry then necessary and then I offended someone. I don't mean to but I do. Of course there are some people who are so oversensitive that they take EVERYTHING as criticism and there's nothing you can do but let it go and know that they had helicopter parents themselves.

Trio is my world and I love him so much. However I also love him enough to know there are things he needs to learn on his own and when he falls and scraps his knee I know I have fostered his independence enough that he will be okay unless there is bone sticking out. Kids are gonna get hurt and dirty that's part of the joy of being a kid.

Trio's Walkabouts

2009-11-18T09:27:00.000-08:00

With the cooler weather, Trio and I are able to walk once a day. I don't mind it so much; it's cold some days yes but I just bundle him up and we go walking. Since this last summer was so hot we couldn't go out as much as I would have liked for fear of both of us getting heat stroke. So everyday for about the last week we've been taking a walk around our neighborhood. I'm sure once it gets too cold that it will stop or we'll just play outside in our yard for a little while before rushing in to warm up but for now I look forward to it. Since our car is still out of commission we don't get to go many places.

Today on our walk we saw a caterpillar which I only knew was a caterpillar because it was green and moving like Heimlich from A Bug's Life a movie I love. So I pointed it out to Trio since it is nature and he could learn that way. So he sits down and proceeds to poke the caterpillar. I was like "No!" but the caterpillar just froze and didn't move. I don't know if Trio gave him a heart attack or it was just playing possum until we walked away but I felt bad. I didn't mean for him to hurt the caterpillar I just wanted him to see it. Oh well.

Yesterday we were able to go to a playdate at the new McDonald's on 685 with our mom's group and it was awesome! We haven't been at a playdate in about a month or so it was nice to get out and play and Trio really enjoyed playing outside and seeing his friends. Hopefully by this week our car will really be fixed and we can go to more and play outside more. Because this cabin fever is driving us both nuts.

Well that's all for now. Will update more as we get through this week and gear up for Thanksgiving.

Trio vs the Creek

2009-11-12T20:16:00.000-08:00

Today we went to Pfluger Park with Lindsey and her daughter Kendall along with nephew Tayden (not sure if I'm spelling that correctly). This was Lindsey and Co.'s first time at the park while it is a fave of Trio and me when it is not feeling like the outer layer of hell in Texas like it was in the summer. Well the kids had a blast running around. Trio was so cute because he found these three clothespins in his carseat and would not let them go for anything. So he's running around the park holding a green, pink, and regular clothespin. That's my son what can I say?

He had fun trying to interact with older kids and they did well with them. I am always worried when there are older kids around because not all of them are polite and I would sure hate to have to punt a kid across the park because they hurt my child you know? But they did good so I wasn't too worried. But then we went to the creek.

Now the creek was a little higher because of the recent rain and what was hilarious is Trio stepped in it, shoes socks and all. Then he just kind of looked down confused like he was thinking "Why is my foot suddenly wet?" and I had to move them. But then he had a grand time dropping leaves in the creek and watching it float away. He kept laughing as he watched it. Then as we were walking out he saw a squirrel and I was like "See?" and he pointed and laughed. Part of me wondered if he expected it to break out into "Witch Doctor" but he seemed okay. All in all it was a great day.

It made me realize how much it hurts Trio when we don't have a car. My cabin fever insanity notwithstanding, Trio likes being outside and I love having outside and since it is not gosh darn hot out right now he could stay out all day and I would let him. But with no car we can't go anywhere we can't even go to story time at the library or the Book Box and it sucks. When I said I was going to be a SAHM I said I wouldn't be too lazy meaning I would take my kid to places. I would free place and take him swimming and all that stuff and for the most part I have been. But in the last month this car situation has just bummed us out completely since we can't go anywhere and it sucks!!

So hopefully this will be resolved (again) soon and Trio can have some fun running outside in the fall weather. Because soon it will be too cold to be out all day.

Books and Girls

2009-11-10T09:10:00.000-08:00

I am very excited to have a child that seems like he is going to like reading. From the time he was a baby (like after all the surgeries were done) he has been content to listen to (me) read him stories or look at books by himself. Yesterday we borrowed new (to us) Pigeon books from the library and he saw the Pigeon on the cover and ran all the way to the couch just to listen to me read it to him. I love that. I am sorry to sound judgemental but I think it is ridiculous about all the stuff kids have to entertain themselves nowadays. I mean I like the DS and game consoles as well as the next person but I think it's crap when a child can't entertain themselves without having one of these things in their hand. When I was that age I took a book everywhere to keep me entertained because I knew there was the chance that I wouldn't be able to watch TV or there wouldn't a kid there. So to see children now who depend on these things just annoy me. Even worse is it when they moan and groan about reading and it is like pulling teeth to get them to do it and now it is part of homework to read. I am very grateful to have a child who seems to enjoy it because I think reading is a gift and people take it for granted sometimes. There are adults who can't read because they weren't given the opportunity and you have children who can but don't because to them it's "boring" and God forbid they have to use their imagination and actually think about something instead of having it laid out for them in video game format.

Whatever. I am not saying that Trio won't have these things but he'll also have books and I will encourage that before video games.

This weekend a friend's niece came into town and it was amusing to see them interact. The girl, Chloe, doesn't really get to play with other children from what I understand so this was a fun time for her whereas Trio does but he's not always very sociable. This cute little girl because she was had no sense of personal space which doesn't bother me at all because there are some days you would think Trio was apart of my hip he's that close on me. But she would get right in Trio's face and say "Hi!" and Trio would look at her wide eyed and gently push her back or move away from her. At one point she was chasing him around the house going "Hi, Hi Hi" and I burst out laughing because my kid's a cute little boy and so girls chasing him is probably not gonna stop anytime soon it'll only get worse. And it was cute to see them play once Trio got food in his belly and decided he did want to play. I mean he is a pretty sociable baby for the most part he just has to warm up.

So in short Trio had a good weekend. We played with a new friend, went to the Book Box's Grand Opening and got to bounce around in the moonwalk and got to visit with some family and friends on Sunday for an impromptu BBQ (we have a Foreman grill so we did it inside). I love doing things with my son and I'm glad he had a full weekend now hopefully he'll start to feel better and sleep better.

Pink Eye Update

2009-11-07T06:19:00.001-08:00

So (yay) it doesn't look like Trio has pink eye; I think it was just allergies because the drops his doctor gave him yesterday cleared up the eye gunk pretty well. Does he like it? No it is a two person job putting them in (someone could make a lot of money if they could invent an easier way to put eye drops in) but the eye gunk is almost gone so he'll have to deal with it.

However to his doctor it sounded like he was wheezing so she decided to give him a breathing treatment especially after I told her there was a history of asthma in my family. So the nurse came in with the machine and a cool little dinosaur mask to go on his face. I said "Look Trio it's a dinosaur RAWR!!"

Trio was still less than impressed with the whole thing. He screamed for the full fifteen minutes. The doc came in and said it sounded like it helped so she was going to get him an inhaler (not the regular albe-whatever since he has a heart condition but a different kind). Here is where I really like his doc; she could have been mean and given us a machine that took fifteen minutes but she gave us something called an "OptiChamber" which is this long tube you just stick on his mouth and squirt the inhaler to. Does he like this any better? No but it is quicker because you place the mask on his face, squirt, wait ten seconds and repeat and then you're done. Two minutes vs fifteen in the Trio world is just smart math.

So that's it. So far everything helps but we'll see in the long run although so far I am happy with the results and that I don't have to spend more money on a pink eye medication (man the two yesterday were expensive b/c there was no generic to substitute). More later on my later dude!!

Trio's Allergies (?)

2009-11-05T14:41:00.001-08:00

It is very frustrating trying to tell if a child is sick if you don't have a few big signs glaring in your face. For instance a fever; that is a big DING DING DING to know that your child is sick. Also red eyes for pink eye, throwing up, diarrhea (cha cha cha sorry Beavis and Butthead reference there) are good indicators too.

But what if they just sound miserable and look miserable and you know if you were them you would be miserable but other than that they're fine?

Today Trio is like a snot balloon with a slow leak. Sorry for the grossness but that's the closest I can come to describing it. He has mucus coming out of his eyes would warn me to pink eye except there is no pinkness in the eye and it's not constant like it should be with pink eye nor as much (there was this kid at the daycare when I worked there whose eyes were literally glued shut by the mucus). He has a runny nose, and as such a dirty face from wiping said snot all over the place and he is a little whinier than usual not to mention sleepier but from what I can tell I don't think he's sick.

We still have Zyrtec from his diagnosis of dry skin so we're going to try that to see if it helps. I mean the whole sleepy thing could just be a growth spurt; last night for dinner and today for lunch he literally just laid down in the middle of eating and passed out poor thing. So I'm hoping it's allergies because I can fix that easily and without a trip to the doctor. Plus it would be logically what with the weather in Austin not knowing what the heck it wanted to do (hint: it's November can we please have cold now? Thanks). Plus it is not like he is lethargic all the time; if anything he's been getting naughtier every day and he's too young to threaten with Santa (but boy howdy when that day comes....bwahahahaha!!!)

We're doing good other than that. We're starting to talk a little more which is great even though he has no interest in learning body parts which his doctor told me he should be able to point to his nose at least (oops). But hey he blows kisses, says "up" and "down" (although his "down" sounds slightly demonic) so I think I'm good. We're going to work on more as the day progresses. With the weather being (somewhat) cool we can take walks and we talk a lot during that time. I know soon I'll be moaning in my blog about how he won't shut up but for now I want him to talk to me.

Gets boring talking to myself all day.

Trio's Second Halloween

2009-11-01T08:06:00.000-08:00

So to some people second Halloweens may get overlooked. The first Halloween is the first so naturally it's special. And the third well then they can actually say trick or treat and get the concept a little more. However I think Trio had a great second Halloween.

Started off rocky. He was still reeling from his partying the night before at the community party where he won first prize in his age group for his costume!! I was so proud and now he has a gift card to McDonald's that is only for him (I'm not like other parents who use it for themselves; he won it on his cuteness so it's only for him). But he danced the night away after all the contest excitement and he hadn't gotten a really good nap on Friday either. So at the beginning of our pictures you have a very unhappy looking Disco Trio. But as we started walking and going house to house her perked up. I told my friend Tiffany as we walked away from a house "I knew he was going to perk up as soon as he realized he was getting stuff from people." It was hard though because all our friends that we trick or treated with are around 3 (with the exception of D'Angela who is about a year younger than Trio give or take a couple of days) and they can walk fast so Mommy (as a goth angel) got a little workout.

One hilarious part was this one house where no one answered at first; however as we were walking away I heard the screen door and turned around to this little boy running after us going "We have trick or treat!!" He knocked on the screen door and nothing. He kept knocking. The other two big kids (Darius and Kendall) had given up and walked away and I had to drag him down the stairs and he kept knocking on the siding, on a window. I told him "Boy you're worse than a Jehovah's Witness!" (it's a joke laugh no offense meant)

Then we headed back home. Some of our friends wanted to get home in time for the Longhorn game (boo) and the kids were getting tired. Besides it is not until the kids are around 5 or 6 that they feel the need to hit up every house they can. But it was fun especially when Trio cheered up. And then we came back home and hung out with our friends letting the kids run around burning off the candy and cheese puffs they kept sneaking. All in all it was a good Halloween weekend. Now it's time to gear up for the last two months of the year and the last two holidays.

Bittersweet Boy Antics

2009-10-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

So last week (the day after my post on Trio beginning his daredevil antics) he pulled his dresser down on himself. I was sitting in the living room talking to a friend. I heard a crash and run back there to see Trio pinned beneath his dresser.

Now he was fine; no bruises, no tender spots nothing like that. He was scared shitless don't get me wrong but he was fine a couple of hours later.

Me on the other hand....ha ha ha.

A friend made the comment that day after I told her he was fine that mothers are born with 100 years to their life; that way when their kids get done scaring them off of them they live normal lives. Which makes sense to me because it felt like Trio took about two or three off of mine that day.

I realize this type of stuff will happen. I mean he's gonna get hurt whether I'm hovering over him like a helicopter (which I don't want to be that kind of parent) or not. But it's still kind of scary to realize that my boy is allllll boy and he will continue to do stuff like this. Can you imagine how school is going to be like? Trying to parachute off the school playground with his jacket. Seeing how far he can shove a pencil up his nose (that is just gross but boys will be boys). It is just weird.

But on the other hand it does sort of a bittersweet taste to it because for awhile there didn't even know if he was going to make it to six months let alone 20 where he is being a daredevil like he is being right now. So while I will probably rant about it for awhile it does make me smile. My little boy; the daredevil.

Next blog will be about Halloween with pictures of my little disco dude. Oh yeah I went there; he even has an afro wig.

Trio's New Tricks

2009-10-22T09:11:00.000-07:00

Trio's developing motor skills are starting to amaze me. Thursday of last week I had taken a shower and left him watching "Handy Manny" (or some other show that entertains him for the fifteen minutes that it takes me to take a shower). I come out and there is baby powder all over his legs and the carpet and he's grinning, holding the upside down baby powder container. I pretty much figured Albert just forgot to close it all the way and left it at that. Until a couple of days later we found the Neosporin top off the tube.

So Trio can unscrew tops off tubes. Any tube apparently if he tries hard enough because he did it to his sunscreen yesterday. Yes I owed Albert an apology because it could have well been he did close the baby powder it just was no match for the masterful Trio. Now I have to watch him around everything that has any kind of screw top so just think off all that entails including soda, lotions, etc. I didn't know that children could master that skill at this young of an age.

He is also starting to be a daredevil. He tried to jump off the couch the other day and like to give me a heart attack. We have low couches but still jumping off of something at that size would hurt a little. Luckily he only wanted to bounce on the edge of the couch which is what he has been doing a lot of lately (yay me) but I know how boys are so this is a warning to me to really start watching him because it only promises to get more daring from here on out. I've heard Albert's stories plus friends so I know how boys are.

He is also starting to sign a little more which I think is awesome. He ha already been signing "more" and "please" but now he can do "water". We're also starting on "kiss" among other things. I like it because not only does it help before he can speak but it is kind of an homage to the memory of my Granny (who would have been his Big Granny) because she knew sign language and even taught at the Texas School for the Blind and Deaf for awhile. It was one of those bittersweet moments when the family saw he could sign a little because we all knew Granny would have been proud to see that.

So far the second year in the life of Trio has been very interesting. We only have 4 months until we reach two. It makes me sad to think about it but I know that we will have even more fun next year.

*Remind me of this post when we're knee deep in the "Terrible Twos" and I want to tear my hair out*

Fun Times!!!

2009-10-18T11:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to Austin Parks and Pizza for our cousin Cierra's birthday. If you've never been here it's actually a pretty awesome place. There are arcade games some of which are free and a pizza, salad, and pasta buffet not to mention fun stuff outside such as batting cages, putt-putt golf, and go-carts among other things. It was Trio's first time doing something like this so needless to say he was overwhelmed by the arcade games. He just kept running around looking at all the lights and listening to the noises. He even "played" a couple of games like knocking over ducks and stepping on spiders (Mama helped but only a little).

There were a couple of truly hilarious moments. I put him on the roller coaster ride you know the ones that are like virtual rides. Man the minute that puppy popped up and started shaking he turned with his arms out like "I don't think so". I tried to get him to try it again but he was not having it. At skee ball he started to climb up on the machine I guess to go up there and dump the balls in there. He had a blast just rolling the ball up and down the ramp cackling all the time. We had a little problem with him trying to take the balls from other kids but we worked through that relatively quick.

He also liked a racing Nick 'toons game. I let him steer and just put the gas on and he kept laughing because all he was doing was crashing into a wall backwards and forwards. He loved it!! All I could do was smile at him while he is crashing poor Ipkiss from "Ahh!! Real Monsters" into a wall.

We did have a couple of almost meltdowns and accidents. He almost got his hand hurt putting it on another interactive skateboard game. He wanted to climb the rock wall and wanted to get on the drop ride (you know one of those rides that picks you up and drops you). And then we finally had to have a wrassle because I was like "Mommy's tired of walking around let's go sit". He was sad and pouty until he got a cupcake and then everything was fine again of course.

Watching him yesterday made me realize something. In my last blog I bemoaned that the whole baby phase was almost over especially with him having eczema and having to change everything in his life. But I realized that now we're at the age where we can play together in venues like this; parks are going to start being more fun so if/when we get our car up and running I can take him to places. There is a Halloween festival later on that I am really excited to take him to. I missed our Mommy club outing to the Elgin for a Pumpkin Festival but maybe that is also something I can do with just him and me one day. We will have more interactive play now.

So while I still miss the smell of baby I am very happy that we're at this new part in our life. I am very excited to see how it works.

Obviously however I need to start being more energetic because we're going to be moving a lot in the future.

Baby Smell

2009-10-13T07:56:00.000-07:00

As you know by now we discovered that Trio has eczema and as such had to change everything like bath soap and laundry detergent. So far the medicine seems to be working, as well as the laundry and bath soap.

But I miss the smell. You know the smell that Purex has (I never used Dreft tooooo expensive) or Johnson's bath. There is just something about those smells that just comfort me. I love the smell of a clean Trio with Johnson's bath. Now we use Dove which gets him clean but doesn't have that certain smell that Johnson's has that just lets you know "Awww....my baby is clean". Same thing with clean clothes. Since we use Free All there is no dyes, no scents, NOTHING. You just know that it is clean because it's been through the washing cycle.

I realize it's kinda stupid and that this is better for him in the long run but I still miss the smells. I mean this is just another step he is taking towards starting to be a little person and not a baby anymore and like I've said before with the idea of a second baby still up in the air. It just hit me this last weekend when I finished a load of his clothes with the new detergent and went to smell it only to realize...no smell. No scent no visible aroma of cleanliness. Same thing with bath time. I see the soap on him but since I can't even use the lotion I was using I don't smell the smell I normally do when he is clean.

It's a milestone and I knew it would happen eventually. Just thought I had a little more time before we lost our baby smell.

Crappy mornings, eczema, and flu shots (oh my!)

2009-10-09T11:36:00.000-07:00

So apparently Trio has eczema. Finally we went to the doctor today (I pretty much flat out told Albert we were after seeing his stomach yesterday; it looks like he got attacked by a pack of angry alley cats) and that's it. So our course of action is to change his bath stuff to Dove or Ivory, change his laundry detergent to the Dye-Free All, and to get either Cetaphil or Eucerin cream mixed with hydocordizone and put it all over his body and Neosporin on the red spots. A good course of action I think it's just weird because out of everything I thought I would have to deal with when I knew I was pregnant eczema was like waaaaayyyy at the bottom of the list (but then again so was the possibility of open heart surgery). I admit part of it was because I figured hey he's black and Mexican and I don't think that's a common problem with those races.

Obviously I was wrong. But c'est la vie it's not too bad compared to what he's been through so I'm alright with it. He also got a flu vaccine today and is currently knocked out on my dad's couch; I didn't know flu vaccines made you sleepy but I'm gonna let him sleep it off because then he'll feel better when he wakes up and I'll be happier dealing with a happy baby.

I must admit, doctor's visit notwithstanding we had a literally shitty morning. He crapped all over his crib and I mean all over. None of it got in his diaper; it looks like he took it off and aimed towards his wall that's how bad it was a little bit even got in his drawer under his crib where we keep his blankets. And of course it was caked on his legs. His dad got him so I could prepare breakfast (Albert went in late to work) but then I heard the chaos and had to take over. Albert dropped him in the tub and then just hung in the background looking helpless so I sent him on his way since he seemed so uncomfortable with the situation. Was I annoyed? A little but I'll get over it I always do. I just hate mornings like this where I hit the floor running and I'm running around like a headless chicken for the first hour and a half because those are the mornings that everything seems to pile up. I haven't been home again yet (had to borrow Dad's car but that's a story for my blog) but when I left it still smelled like baby pooh. Just frustrating a little and not even that I'm mad at Trio b/c he can't help it yet this could mean he's almost ready for potty training b/c he could have taken the diaper off b/c it was wet and then had his poop-a-palooza. Who knows?

So in short Trio has had a very trying day today. But luckily found out his cough is pretty much allergies. He may have eczema but he doesn't have anything else (knock on wood).

Trio and the Tantrum....

2009-10-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

Where do children pick up tantrums from? Is this just a normal part of childhood and children as large? Trio points back at someone when he is being scolded and I know he gets that from me pretty soon he'll be snapping and pointing like I do. I know where he gets his habit from "burping" after his Daddy (it's actually very cute Albert will burp and then Trio will fake burp and then laugh). I know there are a couple of bad habits and good ones he'll pick up from his dad and me.

But for the life of me where the hell did he pick up his throwing tantrums? It's not like Albert and I throw ourselves on the floor when things don't go our way or anything like that. But he has started doing it recently and I'm like "What the pooh dude? Where did you pick this up?" It's very annoying and as the last blog said a nice little preview of how he twos will be if these last few months have been any indication. I am already dreading that and then the threes which I hear tell are even worse than the twos.

Not that life has been all sadness in the land of Trio as of late. We figured out what his Halloween costume can be (hopefully it will fit) and we've decided on Star Wars this year as the Nieto clans theme and he will be R2D2 if we can find one that fits him since it only goes up to 12 months. I mean I'm sure we get make it or even alter it if that were the case but we seem pretty solid on this idea and as such I will probably be Leia who knows what Albert will be as long as it's not Luke (that's just gross). He's starting to talk a little more and try to get his point across (sometimes in a nice way even) and I love watching him every day. It also sounds like his congestion is finally going away he has been dripping snot all day (gross I know but there really is no other way to describe it). He also is starting to call and look for me more often and is smart about getting where he wants to go even if it is not somewhere he should necessarily be (like drawers or in the water cooler, or taking stuff off the fridge) but I have to admire his persistence and intelligence in getting what he wants. I mean I say "No" a lot more now but still he knows what he wants and he'll do his most to get it and you have to admire that type of perseverance.

So hopefully I am able to get through this tantrum phase with a little bit of my sanity left by the time he turns...when do tantrums stop again? Dammit!

Dear Possibly Only Child

2009-10-03T11:02:00.000-07:00

It has been a trial this last few weeks with you. On top of the fact you have a cough that will just not go away no matter what we do you are giving us a nice little preview of what your twos will be like. And it does not look pretty or sound like much fun for me.

You're stubborn which you get honest from both your father and me. You don't cling when you're being carried around you just hang and you're no longer the little baby you once were now you're a heavy toddler and sometimes it hurts to carry you around. You get into everything and anything (but to be fair you do clean up after yourself fairly well given your age). But you also are developing this habit of hitting when you don't get what you want or you don't want to do something or you feel someone is not paying adequate enough attention to you. And that crap needs to stop because I don't put up with that. You can throw a fit all you want don't hit me because I can promise you once you get older and you try that I'm gonna make you hate me.

I realize this is all part and parcel of growing up. I realize this is just a phase and will not last forever. But topped on you being a little sick, me being sick, the weather being the lousy clusterf*ck it's been if anyone were to ask me today if I wanted more kids my answer would be "Hell no".

Hopefully it will pass. Hopefully next week will be better and your allergy cough or whatever it is will finally break up and pass and you'll get out of this growth spurt or whatever you're in and be my happy little boy again. I am looking forward to that day but for now yes if asked I would probably make you an only child.

Trio's Mannerisms

2009-09-22T15:30:00.000-07:00

So Trio has picked up this weird little quirk lately. Whenever we're at my Dad's house, he takes the random baby dolls that are around the house (remember I have a niece) and will cram them down the opening of a lampshade they have lying around. No reason but I will sit there and watch him do this and think to myself "Hmm...this does not encourage me to have a new baby anytime soon."

LOL

I find his mannerisms so amusing; like whenever he's upset he purses his lips out like he's about to give a big kiss and scrunches his noise and snorts like a little pig. Just now he came over to me by the desk asking for more band candy and I told him there was none and he reached for the wrapper and then shook it like he could get more out.

He also has quite a temper; he throws things when he's upsets he's starting to throw himself back (although I don't anticipate that lasting too long as it really hurts when you do that) and he's a finicky eater in that he won't eat the same thing two days in a row (unless it's peanut butter of course). He's turning into such a little person right before my eyes and as cliched as it sounds I am amazed at how much he has come in this short amount of time. In about five months he'll be two and it makes me a little sad to realize that.

For the moment though I will still enjoy the baby-ism of him before the terrible twos come along.

Trio's Adventures in Houston

2009-08-19T21:14:00.000-07:00

My little man did well on the trip down here I have to say. He slept most of the first half and was just babbling when he was awake on the second half. So far he seems to enjoy it here as well as he can I mean the heat has just been zapping his energy. The first few days were kind of relaxed for us. We met a friend at House of Pies (or H.O.P.) and that was awesome b/c I LOVE H.O.P. sooooo much and so did he (when he finally realized that the fruit was pie-y goodness). Second day we went swimming and he about lost his mind because at my aunt's pool there is a handle that is on the steps so he figured out he could hold on to that and float to his heart's content. Plus he kept getting in, getting out, jumping in; little water baby wore himself out after about 2 hours of swimming he slept for 2 1/2.

Then we went to the Aquarium with his cousins and let me just say that if you are going to go there with children and you have the energy do the whole day fun package for $15.99. It is totally worth it especially if you have the coupon for "Buy 1, Get 1 FREE!!" We rode the little train that went into the shark tank and it was so adorable once he figured out what was going on he leaned back into me with his eyes really wide looking around like "What the heck is going on here?" He enjoyed the train as well as the carousel (obviously we skipped the Ferris Wheel for him) and he actually had a good time walking the exhibits. He kept pointing and babbling at everything. Well worth it.

Today has been kind of relaxed as well for us; we went to Rothers (I will ALWAYS call it Rothers it changed to 'The College Bookstore' middle of the junior year but dammit it's ROTHERS!!) and I got Trio some Cougar gear. A little onesie that says "Cougar, Born and Bred" and a beanie which he will just love come the winter months *sarcasm* And we got to see my godmama which I loved and she did remind em it's been awhile since she has really seen me or Trio which means we haven't been coming here often enough but that will change. We've also been seeing my aunt, two first cousins, and two second cousins all the days we have been here. Tomorrow we are going to go to the Children's Museum (b/c it's free after 5) and then Friday it's back home even if I'm not quite sure how happy I am about going home yet. I've really enjoyed my time here with Trio b/c even though my niece and dad came with us it was like a mini-vacation for us. But Pflugerville is where we live so c'est la vie.

I will post again to let you know how the Museum goes.

My Cardio Baby

2009-08-07T07:17:00.000-07:00

So last week we had an appointment with Trio's cardiologist to see how his heart patch and his pulmonary valve were doing. I like Dr. Holt he's really nice and personable to Trio as well as being very good at answering all the questions I may have. So he listened to Trio's heart and sent him to get an echo.

I have to say this was the best echos we've ever had. He sat still for the most part and he wasn't screaming and crying. In fact he was talking to Sue, the one who does the echo, and even flirting with her. It was awesome whereas it use to take us an hour and a half almost to do it this one took maybe 30-40 minutes. I mean we were there so long because the office had a lot of patients there (and from the way the babies in there were crying in the waiting rooms including my own at one point, you would have thought there were giving shots in there). According to the echo though the gradient in the valve got higher since our last check-up in January not enough for him to be overly concerned but enough to still keep him on the medicine and to put me on stand-by that a visit to the cath lab may be necessary in the future. Now while I don't relish the idea of going back to the hospital, at least this one is an outpatient procedure and at most we may stay in the hospital overnight.

As far as a lot of heart babies go I would like to think Trio does well. He is very active and he doesn't get over exhausted quickly. He doesn't seem to have a lot of breathing problems when he plays (thank goodness) and as for the sweat; well it's hard to tell if he sweats a lot because of the heart thing or because of genetics (seriously, his dad can be out in the sun for five minutes and is sweating buckets and that's on a normal not hot as the outer layer of hell day like the ones we've been having). He loves being active. He's certain he can swim without a float (that's always a fun story) and he climbs and runs and dances and plays. He's certainly a little boy.

I remember being sad when we found out how we had to get the surgery. My primary concern was that he wouldn't be able to do all the climbing, running, and sports that little boys do. I expressed this concerns to Dr. Holt who told me that while he may not be the star athlete he will still be able to play. And now that I see it in motion I love it. I love watching him play because I know it makes him happy. While I am sad that he still has to be on the medicine because I figured this would have been a huge fun step for us, we'll still doing good on the heart front and for that I am grateful.

The Fun of Genetics/Update

2009-07-29T13:03:00.001-07:00

So today at the playdate Trio totally busted his head on the tile floor after tripping over someone's feet. This happens I'm not mad about it or anything; he could just as easily bust his head at home (and he has). But what surprised me was how fast it bruised and he got a goose egg. See I don't bruise easily at all; the only time I was in danger of it was when i was on medication following my C-section. So I know he didn't get it from me. I don't think his dad bruises easily so he didn't get it from us.

In my curiosity I called my dad only to find out that yup my mom bruised easily. From the way he made it sound, she could trip and have a bruise the next day. So he got that from his grandma which (in a twisted way) gives me a warm feeling because it is something he shares with her. See my mom died when I was 8 so he will never know her safe for stories we tell. And I know I liked hearing how I was like great grandparents who passed before I was born so I'm hoping he'll enjoy sharing something with his Grandma Janice.

And that gets me to the subject of genetics. For whatever reason, society only remembers moms and dads when it comes to kids and yeah while it is true that more often than not they are like their parents there are two who different family trees that features and personality traits can come from. It's not just you two when it comes to your kids there's a whole deep, deep gene pool in which to fish from. And sometimes this can backfire should there be some undesirable traits in your genes but sometimes it is a nice touch. Is it awesome that Trio bruises easily? Not completely because I don't fancy strangers thinking I beat the crap out of my kid as they will if he has tons of bruises. But since I know it's a trait my mother had it makes it kind of bittersweet.

On a different note, tomorrow Trio has an appointment with his cardiologist so hopefully we will find out that we can stop the medicine he has been on for the last year. Hopefully his heart is doing better and from my end it seems because he can run and play with the best of toddlers his age. And it was also brought to my attention today that he is losing baby fat and starting to look like a toddler which makes me somewhat sad because it means my little boy is slowly but surely growing up. I mean I know I have miles to go such as the wonderful twos-threes, not to mention potty training, the "joys" of pre-teen and teenage years, and the like. But this is a step in that direction and it make me sad. I am not sure if we're going to have more kids so this may be my only one and I enjoy all the time with him that I can and I'm not ready for him to grow up yet.

Of course he's not even two yet. I realize this is kinda morose to think that way now but I worry about future girlfriends so what are you going to do? I'm just a worrier and my poor son will find that out in the years to come.

What's in a Name?

2009-07-07T14:43:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've ever really explained how my son got his nickname. His birth name is Albert Gregg Nieto III and "Trio" is a unique nickname for those who thirds in their family, don't think I don't realize that. So here is the explanation of how he got his nickname just for the record.

When he was born as you know there was a respiratory issue which caused him to go into the NICU at one day old. We still hadn't decided what we wanted to call him. Initially when I found out it was a boy I was thinking (like every other Southern woman who has a third) "Trey". It was then I noticed:
Treys=jerks.

Think about it. Every single kid at the daycare that I knew was a pill to say the least. My then preschool manager was going through a terrible patch with her husband who's name was? You guessed it; Trey. I could only think of one Trey I knew that wasn't a big jerk off and I didn't talk to him anymore. So I decided no Treys because of the bad ju-ju on his name and before you judge me think about how names hold powers and prejudices; I don't see many people rushing to name their child Adolf anymore do you? How about Benedict? When was the last time you met one of those?

Anyways so I looked up every nickname I could. I ruled out "Albe" right away for a few reasons. One it was a nickname my husband already had from his sister and he didn't want to share. Two (and this is quite honestly the most pressing reason) Trio would have hated it when he got older. The "e" sound at the end of names like that (Robby, Tommy, Bobby) all little boys end up hating because it sounds like a baby's name and it's true. Most Robbies I know are either Rob or Robert now because they don't like the way their former name sounds and I didn't want to go through the hassle later in life of coming up with a new name when he would shout "I'm not a baby!" I tried Tripp but everyone told me that was pretentious so I threw that out.

Going back to the hospital. One day when we were holding him in the NICU Albert made the comment that his dad had heard from his sister (Albert's aunt) of a woman who named her son Trio because he was the third boy. At this time Trio was asleep but when he heard that name his eyelids flickered and he made a movement. Albert and I looked at each other and I said the name "Trio" again to make sure it wasn't a fluke. Sure enough he responded again.

And there you have it folks; his nickname was born. In essence he picked out his own nickname (because we did try other names and nothing happened like that when we said any of the other ones). That's why his nickname is Trio and that's why we call him it. It could be possibly in ten years he hates it and wants to be called Albert, or Triple A (which sounds like a bad rapper but whatever) or what have you. However until such a time comes I am going to revel in the unique nickname I gave my son.

But it does get me to thinking about how powerful names are. Many people pass names down in families not because they particularly care for them but because it's a family name and there is so much history packed into it. Had I been a boy, my name would have been William Virgil after grandfather's on my dad's side. My niece is named after my mother who passed away when my sister and I were younger. My brother has the same first name as his biological father and as you can see we passed on my husband's name. Will he name his child IV? Who knows? But there is so much more to names than people realize at first. I've noticed that once you hear what someone is going to name their child (and I myself am guilty of this) you immediately try to think of a nickname without figuring out whether the parent wants that or if they have a nickname they would like to call the child. I don't believe people do it to be intentionally hurtful but it does. A lot of people weren't thrilled with the nickname Trio and I don't know if I made it readily clear why we called him that. Because he picked it out himself; he choose it at a time in his life where he only knew us by smell because he was asleep in the NICU on constant feed a time where sadly it was touch and go still he picked the name. And that's why I call him that. Yes I wanted a nickname that was unique but I also wanted one that meant something and it does.

So there you have it. That's how Trio got his nickname.

Trio's Busy Weekend

2009-06-29T08:09:00.000-07:00

It's always amazing for me to see my husband and son interact. It does a lot; it gives me a preview of how it's going to be in a couple of years when he prefers Albert over me in terms of play (however I know I will always be the boo-boo healer so that helps). They played together at the water park which was fun to see because Albert had never seen him really in the water and he laughed at how much he enjoyed the water side walk and floating around the current pool in his floatie. Trio had a great time playing in the water with his father. It was fun seeing them swim together and I was grateful for it.

Then Saturday at the bowling alley was hilarious to see Trio running up and down the ramp and trying to "help" everyone bowl. At many points he tried to pick up a bowling ball and I would run to him going "Trio that's too heavy" and he would wave his hands at me like "I got this it's okay!" He even bowled a couple of times and it was good to see what a good time he was having. He lasted a long time there not falling asleep until we strapped him in his carseat (late I admit) but I know he had a good time listening to the music and seeing everyone bowl. Last time he was at a bowling area he was not walking and still in an infant carseat so this time was defintely more fun for him.

I enjoy all the time I get to spend with my son but I love it even more when Albert can join us. He has this Friday off as well so I'm hoping we can go to a park or something if Albert is up for it. As for us we have a busy week ahead of us; not too many playdates but we will go out and do stuff ourself like a park. Maybe today after we get the tire fixed. But it'll be fun because it always is.

2009-06-22T06:19:00.001-07:00

So this has been an eventful last few days in the life of Trio. On Thursday he started feeling feverish that went over to Friday (no actual fever reading as we didn't have a thermometer since Trio lost it) and I ended up taking him to his doctor (who admonished me slightly for not having a one since we didn't know how high his fever actually was). However she agreed that it was odd how warm and fussy he was and took blood and urine for a couture and CBC after checking for an ear infection and teething. We had to wait on the first test but the latter with the blood proved that he had some kind of infection either kidney or urinary tract infection so she give him a shot of antibiotics that day.

Which SUCKED!
First off all it hurt to put in the nurse told me that right off the bat. And then he kicked so hard he almost bent the needle so she had to take it out and give the rest to him in his other leg. Both his legs were sore that night. The next day we went to the After Hours Clinic for a follow-up and first they hadn't sent any paperwork over (which was mildly annoying). That doctor said he would give him more antibiotics and we went the oral route since I didn't want to have to deal with him being sore and cranky since we were going out to Blanco for a family reunion for the first part of the morning. So that was just rough all around. Then we went to my dad's for a BBQ for a friend who was back from Iraq on R&R and visited with some of his great aunts.

Yesterday he was a little better being off and on cranky but for the most part good. Which was good since we ran around a lot for Father's Day including going to see my dad, the great grandfather at China Star Buffet, the hubby's dad's in-laws, and then back to great granddad and my father's. But at the dinner yesterday there was a trampoline that he got on for awhile and he had a blast. So that was good to see him having a good time after having a kind of crappy weekend. We'll see how this week goes with him but we have a couple of playdates which is great I love going out and hanging out with kids around his age and watching him interact. Keep your fingers crossed today; we have to call to see what the test results said and if we have to continue the antibiotics for the full ten days.

Our First Movie Outing

2009-06-17T07:07:00.000-07:00

So yesterday we went to go see Up with a friend and her kids. It was at the Alamo Drafthouse since they have 'Baby Day Showings' every week and since Trio was free I figured it was a good time to try it out.

He did fantastic!! Starting from the previews he was laughing at the screen and watching just fascinated (probably by the sheer size) of everything. He liked the movie especially that parts with the balloons and Dug; he loves that dog even when he shows up on the trailers on the TV he laughs and watches just fascinated. He made it almost all the way through the movie before he became a wiggle worm too and that was impressive as well. All in all I can say it was a good first movie outing and I was very happy we got to go see this movie. Now when the next Ice Age comes out, I know that we can go see it too. And who knows? Maybe the hubby will take some time off to go see it with us and that would be awesome. Next Friday (which he's taking off for my birthday) we're going to both go and take Trio to the waterpark here in Pflugerville and I am looking forward to that very much because we need more time together just the three of us.

So in short Trio likes movies and we can go (as long as it is baby day showing if we go to the Alamo). I'm very excited about that.

Dear Son (2)

2009-06-15T18:42:00.000-07:00

Trio
So lately you have been the cutest little boy on the earth. I mean, despite throwing a fit the other day at Ceramics and More when we were trying to make your father a present for Father's day; I mean that day you worked my last nerve because you screamed like a pig getting slaughtered (which is a horrible image yes but damn it is so accurate). But you've been doing little things lately that just strike me as cute.

Such as getting the baby proofed doors open just enough to stick toys in there so when I opened the door to get a coffee cup I saw a couple of train lock-its and your telescope. Or trying to climb out of the tub the other day because your saw your daddy and decided you wanted to go play with him. Or sitting in the entry of the Jumper-a-roo at Arianna's party the other day looking around going "I'm not too sure about this". Or at the same party stuffing a whole lotta Laffy Taffy in your mouth until you looked like a chipmunk and trying to eat more.

These little things are so cute and make me realize why it is I stay at home. Because even when you drive me bonkers I like that we get to go out and have play dates where we can do crafts. I like being able to take you to the pool or the water park and not having to deal with the crowd because we're going when all the other working parents go. I even still like cuddling with you for a little while when you fall asleep because you look so darn cute when you sleep (even though we can't do that for too long because you're getting heavy and between both of our body heats we could start a small fire). I like walking next to you going places and watching the precise way you step up onto something. It's just so darn cute.

However we have to work on some stuff; throwing a screaming hissy, "I'm a pig getting slaughtered" fit in public is so not going to work. A simple whining clingy "I'm so sleepy can we please go" whimper will work. Also I know they're nasty but you have to eat more veggies. I appreciate how well you ate the Homestyle Banquet Turkey and Stuffing meal the other day (chock full of veggies) but I only can eat that so many times a month. So we have to work on something else. Maybe pot pies; we shall see.

Also know that no matter how frustrated I get, how upset I get, how much I yell at you when you hit me, poke me, kick me or are just an ornery little person I love you very much. You are my special little guy and you always will be. No matter how old you get you always will be so be prepared for tears when you look all dressed up for your prom, high school graduation, and oh gosh the tears that will flow when you get married. I love you very much son.

And I can't wait to go see "Up" with you tomorrow; it will be an interesting experience for both of us.

Love
Mom

My Lil' Bookworm

2009-06-14T09:14:00.001-07:00

I sometimes am sure Trio is going to be a big reader like me. He has always had a lot of board books around, most given to us by the cart that goes around Dell Children's with toys, books, and socks for the sick children (which is a wonderful thing let me tell you; they even have magazines for the adults to help them get through their waiting). And I don't know if it's just genetics or if he sees me reading and just picks up one of his books but lately he has just taken to browsing through his books and "talking" out loud including babbling and laughing. I think it's the cutest thing and it makes me happy because I don't think nearly enough children read nowadays.

It also makes me happy because I think this is something we will share in the later years; him being a boy he is going to have some bonding moments with his dad no matter what which means in a few years Mom will be left out in the cold on some things. But if we both like to read it is something we can share just the two of us since his dad is not a big reader. It is a great thing to have this feeling that your child is going to love reading as much as you do.

And he's also like me that he seems to like reading at his own pace. Whenver I try to read to him he always is trying to turn the pages before I am done like "Hurry up Mom!" It's so endearing and cute. Plus I can't get the picture of him sitting down when he was younger in his bumpo , reading one of his books just like a big boy. You can't get more cute than that.

Clinging onto Mommy

2009-06-09T07:28:00.000-07:00

Trio is going through this weird clingy stage. Not like I have to hold him all the time because although he is small for his age, twenty plus pounds is still a lot to hold after awhile. But in that he has to see me at all times when we're at our house even when his dad is here. I can't even go to the bathroom without him crying out and following me, sticking his chubby little hands under the door (yesterday we had a rather amusing game where he would stick his stacking rings under the door and either reach for them or wait for me to give them back to him). Taking the trash out? He cries and runs to the screen door although when I come back there he is standing there with a big grin on his face like "There she is!"

This is one of those endearing/annoying things. I love that now he wants me around all the time because I know the day is coming where that will so not be the case. But also it's frustrating especially in case of the bathroom scenario. I realize that most moms never go the restroom alone until their kids are like three or four but still I want to release my waste in peace. The trash thing is not as annoying since it's like a two second walk to dump it in our can. But I can't get a lot done if he's running around; funnily enough if he is in his playpen he's fine with me being gone, taking a shower, cleaning up around him (my kid is an odd duck on some things). It makes me wonder why children get like this. I know that they have no sense of time so they can't tell the difference between you being gone for five minutes or five hours but we're together all the time for the most part. I would think he would get tired of me especially since I am the one who has to discipline him more since as a SAHM I am around more. But it's not like that at all; if anything he gets more upset if I leave right after I have tried to redirect him or reprimanded him verbally. It's odd in a way although I guess I will have to bit the bullet and get through it. Hopefully it is just a phase and he won't be like this when he is say five or older because then I think we would have talk to someone about his clingyiness.

But for now I guess I should just suck it up and enjoy the fact that he enjoys being around me so much that he doesn't like me to be too far away from him because before I know it my little boy will be graduating from high school and going off to college. It's kind of a sobering thought when you look at it that way.

Dear Trio (1)

2009-06-05T10:10:00.001-07:00

Dear Son
So this last week has been one of those weeks I'm grateful you're not a girl as it is apparently obvious that you are not a girl as it is abundantly obvious you have my temper. Also you have had this knack for being lazy, not wanting to walk, throwing fits, getting into my purse (and tearing a check thank you very much), wanting your pacifer at all times of the day for some odd reason and just giving me a preview (roughly eight months early) of what the Terrible Twos is going to be like. And while there have been times I wanted to rip my hair out one thing that helps me at the end of the day is that we almost didn't make it here.

While the pyloric stenosis surgeries didn't seem fatal the open heart was because your surgeon made sure that I knew what one of the outcomes could be. And while everyone in the OR said you did great and everything got fixed it was still hard to see you after surgeries with machines having to breathe for you, having to have help to pick you up because of everything you were connected to, and just watching you like that, it was hard for me. There were times where I feel like I was walking on that edge of sanity not sure of where I would go wondering what would happen to you as you got older. I asked your cardoilogist and he assured me you would be able to do the normal boy things like run, jump, play, climb, do sports he also did tell me we would have to know your limits. Which means that we as parents are going to have to watch you closely and then teach you when to stop playing and you may never be the star QB or the basketball star or baseball's MVP.

But then again, who knows? Maybe you will be one of these things. Maybe you will show your mother's tenacity (because you know son she had some health problems when she was born too, but that's a story for another day) and you will be able to do all this stuff and more. Whatever the case even though right now you are entering that toddler stage that makes every mother in the world wonder "Why the hell did I want kids" and even though you have my temper and angry face (which makes for some hilarious photo moments I'm sure) you are my wonderful little miracle. You are a fighter, just like your mother and father and the other family members who came before them on both sides. So I keep this in mind and try to hold my temper even though I know I'll lose it occasionally rightly and wrongly so because I love you my wonderful little boy.

But can you please stop trying to eat your diaper cream?

Love,
Mom

Trio's First Swimming Day

2009-05-31T11:52:00.000-07:00

This is my first blog about my son. I do have a separate blog that's just all me and issues I go through but I thought it would be nice to have one that was just about my son. I probably should have done this a long time ago but never really had the time but it helps me (once again) get into the habit of writing everyday so here we go.

Yesterday we went to our Community Pool Party that they hold annually to "officially" open the pool. So I got him in his little swimsuit and lathered up the sun screen took the race car floaty and went down there with a friend. He had a blast. Once he got use to the water and once I firmly told a couple of kids to not splash around him he was just a little water baby. He especially loved it because my niece was there along with the girl I babysit and another little girl who lives on property and they took him for most of the time (under my watchful eye). He had a great time splashing around in the water and then we ate and went back into the water. By then he was pretty much over it so we left after about two hours of swimming and came home. A perk was that he even got to swim with Daddy for awhile as he took a break from working (he works where we live) and took his son for a swim. It was amazingly fun and of course he took a great nap afterwards.

This is so wonderful for me because this time last year was still a rough patch for my son health wise. Come the 13th of June it will have been one year since he had open heart surgery to repair his VSD and pulmonary stenosis brought on earlier then we anticipated because of what I guess could be called a blessing in disguise. he fell out of the car seat from the coffee table and I went to the ER and from there they found out that his oxygen levels were low in his blood and decided he needed the surgery right now. We were in the hospital almost all of June from the 9th to 26th pretty much the longest we'd been in the hospital. As a result of all the health stuff I didn't take him swimming but once last year in late August for a cousin's birthday. I've been very cautious with him because the first few months of his life told me how fragile children can be. Happily though it also showed me that he is a very resilient little man. My son is a fighter and can survive a lot so I'm happy to know that he seems to have both his parents nature in that we don't get knocked down so easily. He's a fighter and while I may not appreciate this nature all the time in the later years now I am glad that he is. Because he was able to survive and have his first swimming day and have a great time doing it.

So there is the first blog for my son. I don't exactly how I'll write it may be updated formats and/or letters to my son to let him read when he gets older but I'm looking forward to ti.