Do you see what my dad did to me???

Please notice the ears. Dan tells me it's a 'cultural thing' and Maya just had to get her ears pierced. I'm not quite sure I believe that one. And just for clarification sake.., I was not there.

Can a mom just think these were mis-labeled???

Yes.., it's true..., I just bought a pair of size 12 months shorts for my 3 month old daughter! I'm sure they run small.., right???

Do you think these thighs have anything to do with the need for bigger size clothes??? I so love to squeeze her chubby legs. I love them!

We are FINALLY on the mend!

After almost 4 weeks...., 3 antibiotics (we love the z-pack!), inhalers, miscellaneous medications, 2 chest x-rays and blood work for daddy......, 3 trips to the doctor, a chest x-ray (do you guys know how they do these for 2 year olds???) and blood for Mason and....., a trip to the doctor's for Maya.., the Ontiveros family is back in good health.., or at least on the way!

How does this boy think of these things?!?!?!

The thermometer has a been a well used tool in our home these last 4 weeks.., yes, going on 4 weeks of illness! On Sunday I was searching our house for the thermometer to check one of the sickies. Now mind you, our house is in a bit of shambles since we've all been sick and ornery. There's laundry piles, shoe piles, mail piles, dishes piles.., pretty much piles of anything you can think of. Needless to say.., I could not find the thermometer. After quite bit of searching, I thought to look in Mason's room since he loves to pretend to use the thermometer every chance he gets. Sure enough I found it...., unfortunately it was not in a place I would have even imagined....., Can you see the thermometer in this picture?!?!?! If you can't.., it's actually inside his humidifier..., yes, in the water. Mason must have thrown it in there when I was filling it up and apparently I didn't notice. Are you starting to understand my frustration at times with my son? I seriously can not keep up with this kid. Thankfully.., with Mason's assistance, my patience is growing.

This boy cracks me up!!

Up Date

Mason is sleeping like a champ in his new bed! It only took a few days and he is back into his routine..., a story from mom and then lights out. He's even taking naps! Praise the high heavens! I recently had a conversation with a good friend about Heavenly Father knowing what you can and can't handle. Seriously..., He knew I would have completely lost it with out Mason's naps at this point in our lives. So.., for now.., Momma still has a 2 hour break each day with out her little ball of energy.

Sick, sick boys!

Most days, I'm a fairly competent person that can do a lot.., I balance working full time, 2 kids, a dog and with one on the way, a husband, a garden and more. I can handle quite a bit.., BUT I seriously can not handle my family being sick. I hate it. I mean who really likes their loved ones being sick.., no one..., but I feel like I just shut down the rest of my life because I'm trying to keep fluids in my boys, take temperatures, give cool baths and wash cloths, hand out meds on time and keep the DVD running at all times. Dan's had an pneumonia for the 11 days now. He just started on his 2nd antibiotic last night and we're hoping that this one at basically triple strength will kick the sickness out of him. Mason has had a fever off and on for the last 4 days. So far.., his lungs are clear.., but we'll take him in on Friday for blood work if he still has a fever. Here's to hoping tomorrow is a better day for the boys!

This is Dan last night in the ER. Poor guy.., you can tell by his eyes he is sick.

Am I a horrible mother????

We all slept on our bellies as babies because that's what studies said to do and we all grew up just fine. Then.., studies came out in the 90's that said babies need to be sleeping on their backs to reduce the risk of SIDS...., which depending on the the study is only 1.7 % greater risk. Still.., why would I every take any risk with my babies..., even if it was that small. I get all that and we had no problem with Mason.., until of course he started to roll over and then every night he ended up on his belly. Before that.., he slept on his back just fine. Maya on the other hand is going to drive me crazy with her sleeping.., or rather lack of. In talking to my sitter Liliana.., as a side note, I always think she knows everything..., she told me had all her kids sleep on their bellies for naps. So, trusting my sitter, I tried Maya on her belly for her naps last week and she slept like a champ! I checked on every ten minute the first time because I was so worried.Last night, after numerous attempts to get Maya back to sleep and with no end in sight, at 2am, I laid her down on her belly.., and she instantly feel asleep. A calm fell over her. I then sat by her and watched her breath. I also went on the internet (yes, at 2 am) and read pretty much everything there was to read about SIDS because I worried I was putting her at huge risk.., but I also felt strongly that she needed to get a good solid rest.., which she hasn't been getting. The internet was filled with just as many article and folks saying it's fine for babies to sleep on their bellies as there were articles and folks saying the back is the only way a baby should sleep. I actually even woke Dan up to see his thoughts and if he thought we should leave her on her belly for the rest of the night. I know.., I'm crazy..., if I was that worried.., I should have just flipped her over...., but I knew in doing so she would be awake with in minutes. After way too much thought..., at 4 am, I finally left her room. She slept 6 hours straight..., which she hasn't done in a long time! Maya truly had a better day after her 6 hour stretch of sleep. I know it's because of her good sleep. So..., am I horrible mother for laying my baby on her belly to sleep after the experts say not to???? I truly feel like she needs good solid sleep and I'm not sure how else she's going to get this. It's hard though.., because no matter what folks say or studies show.., you have to do what's best for you and your family. We go back and forth on this one, but for the most part..., we're feeling pretty good about our little girl on her belly

Mason's New Bed

Thanks to Mason's cousin Gracyn for letting us borrow her bed, Mason now has a big-boy toddler bed. Mason has been great sleeper and I've been dreading this move..., but I figured we weren't sleeping right now anyway with Maya keeping us up that we might as well make the switch now.Mason was SO excited about his new bed til it came to bed time.., and then the tears started. Dan laid with him..., I laid with him.., I thought it was going to be all night..., then Mason kicked me out of his room. I was pretty shocked, but he went to sleep on his own.., and he slept through the night.

Nap times, however, are a nightmare! Today, he's been calling my name.., not crying, which is a plus, but just calling my name softly...., for the last 30 minutes. I'm pretty sure he'll never take a nap again!

Breakfast

I thought I would try and spice things up with Mason's breakfast. I feel like it's always the same stuff I'm feeding him. Poor kid. So.., this morning I tried this thinking it was a great idea and would be fun for him.I melted some chocolate chips on top of his waffle. That's really branching out for us and breakfast. Mason did indeed think this was fun...., and ate every piece.., but I was left with this...,

Chocolate all over his face, hands and pretty much every piece of furniture in our living room.
So.., the moral of this story is...., if you're going to 'spice things up' and make thing 'fun' for your son..., perhaps a bit more supervision is merited. Just a thought.

Sleep Deprived Mom Seeks Help

Here's my question.., why can't this girl sleep like this in her own bed??? I mean seriously??? We were spoiled by our little girl the first few weeks of her life. She had been going to bed at 7 and then waking up once at 3am pretty much since birth. We loved it! Well.., now she's almost 10 weeks and her sleep schedule is all JACKED! Please note the capitalization for extra emphasis. We have had the last 6 days of horrible sleep due to her not sleeping. We started 2 weeks ago putting her down at night time awake. We give her a bottle right before bed and so she's pretty drowsy. As soon as she's in her cradle, she's wide awake and we're having her cry it out. I hate this!!! My favorite sleep book says it's fine to do any time after 8 weeks, but I sure do feel like a horrible mom! Most nights she's asleep after 15 - 20 minutes of hard crying. Not bad, I think. The problem comes with Maya and sleep is during the night. She wakes up, eats and then doesn't want to go back to bed.., or she goes back to bed for under an hour and is up again. I keep her wrapped up tight for bed and she seems to be hating it lately..., but if I don't she wakes herself up with her arms failing about. When she wakes up to eat she's only grazing and will eat 1 maybe 2 ounces. I'm have tempting to have her cry it out the whole night.

Seriously..., any suggestions are welcome!

South Towne Carousel

If you ever want to make a 2 year old boy your best friend.., take him here.

Mason is currently scheduling appointments for carousel play dates through the month of June. Transportation and patience is required of all interested. You can contact his mother for available dates at (801)580-1705.