2016 in Review

I've done this post every year for the past few years and I always enjoy doing it. Even though we are part of the way through February already, it's always nice to reflect back on the past year. Reading this post for last year makes me sad I didn't keep up with blogging much this past year. I'd love to recap what I did each month like each prior year, but I'm afraid I didn't keep close enough track to do that.



What did you do in 2016 that you'd never done before? 
I took my diet/nutrition seriously and lost a lot of weight. I did the 21 day fix in February and then a round of Whole 30 over the summer. I got back to the weight I was 7 years ago when we got married. Losing all this weight unfortunately ended up in the loss of my wedding ring as it no longer fit my finger and I was still wearing it. Good thing we had insurance and I was able to get a new one, but it was pretty devastating. 
We took a road trip with the kids to North Carolina. We had done vacations, but always flew. This was our first big car trip with all three girls. 

Did you keep your resolutions and will you make more for this year?
I did a great job of trying to get and stay healthier this year. I'm so proud of myself for all of the weight I lost (about 25 pounds) and the shape I'm in. I'm able to run a 5k no problem and with a pretty decent time. Cutting out sugar is a big deal but starches was an even bigger deal. I feel like I got my PCOS under control and learned to listen to my body and how food makes me feel. The Whole 30 was seriously life changing and I'd love to keep up that way of eating as much as possible. I'd also like to make healthier choices regarding exercise and our evening routine. Most nights we don't accomplish much and veg out to the television. It would be nice to spend that time doing more reading or productive tasks. When the weather is nicer it's much easier to feel motivated. I hope to do more running this year and maybe even do a 10k. I also really wish I kept up with this blog better. I'd like to at least do a monthly update post on our lives to have it written down somewhere. Life is so crazy it's hard to find the time though. 

Did anyone close to you give birth?
My friend Michele welcomed a baby boy Benjamin in January. 

Did anyone close to you die?
Luckily, no. 

What countries did you visit?
We stayed in the US but did take a trip to my parent's condo in Florida. It was such a nice trip and we plan to go again this year. Much better than our trip to Mexico the year prior. 

What would you like to have in 2017 that you lacked in 2016?
I would love to lose another 10 pounds and get into the 120's. Taking care of myself and filling my own cup has been so huge for me. W and I struggled some but really communicated well in the end and made some huge realizations. I'd like to make healthier choices that my girls can witness and internalize. 

What dates will be etched upon your memory, and why?
September 3- Lucy and Clara's third ice cream birthday 
October 3- Stella's first Fiesta birthday!
I'm so bad with remembering dates all that's left here is birthdays

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Taking care of myself and putting myself first for the first time in a long time. It felt so great to have "me time" at the gym and put energy and effort into myself, not always just my kids. W really stepped it up to make this happen by watching all three girls most evenings and preparing dinner while I went to the gym. 

What was your biggest failure?
I can't really think of any ways I feel I really failed this past year. W and I struggled with communication, but things are better now and we are seeing eye to eye more consistently. Making time for each other and date nights has made a huge difference. 

Did you suffer illness or injury?
I got food poisoning in the fall and for the first time since having children felt entirely unable to care for them. It was so bad. Other than that, no major illnesses. Clara and Stella both got ear tubes. 

What was the best thing you bought?
We took two amazing vacations this past year that I funded by working part-time. Our first one was to Florida. It was so nice to get away from Central New York in the winter and have some family time. We had a great trip with some super fun beach time. We also took a trip to North Carolina with friends in August. It was so much fun to be at a beach house all week with our family. I hope we can do that again. 

Where did most of your money go?
Mortgage, bills, food, car, endless amounts of cute kid/baby things. I'm pretty sure this will be the case for a while. I discovered a new kids clothing line this year and spent far too much on it. Luckily the resale value is good!

What did you get really excited about? 
Our vacations and family time. Finally succeeding at losing weight and making progress with my endurance and speed with running. I'd love to do a 10k this year.

What songs will always remind you of 2015?
Renegades by X Ambassadors
Send My Love by Adele
Can't Stop the Feeling and Get Back up Again from the Trolls movie

Compared to this time last year are you:
Happier or Sadder? Definitely happier. Putting time and energy into myself has been huge for me. I'm happy with my weight for the first time in a long time and feeling stronger and more confident at the gym. I got a Y membership for Christmas from my FiL and have been going at least a few times a week.  
Thinner or Fatter? Thinner! I weigh less than I did when we got married 7.5 years ago. I think I'm back to my college weight!
Richer or Poorer? Probably the same

What do you wish you'd done more of?
Saving money haha
What do you wish you'd done less of? 
Arguing and fighting with W. Having three young kids is a huge challenge on our marriage. Amazingly enough, cutting out sugar has made us so much nicer to each other, especially in the mornings. We had a tendency to snap at each other from being crashed and notice we both feel so much more even tempered when we don't consume tons of sugar. 

How did you spend Christmas?
We went to Syracuse for church on Christmas Eve with my MiL and then had dinner at my in-laws after. On Christmas morning my in laws came over after we had breakfast and we opened presents and drank bloody marys. We celebrated with my mom at her house about a week prior as they went to Florida for Christmas. My dad came out a week or two after Christmas for the day to celebrate. We never celebrated with my sister :(

What was your favorite TV program?
We watched a bunch of Naked and Afraid. Prior, we had been totally turned off by the title, but once we realized what it was about we watched it a bunch. 
What was your favorite book of the year?
Wish I had gotten to read more. Even though we started book club back up I still haven't gotten to read any of the books. I'm embarrassed to admit that, but it's true. Most nights I fall asleep on the couch watching T. V.

What were your favorite films of the year?
We saw the Trolls movie at the theatre with Lucy and Clara. It was their first time to the movies and so much fun! It was a super cute movie too. 

What's one thing that would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I wish I could contribute more financially but it's worth it to be home rather than working every day. 

What kept you sane?
W and my friends. I love my fertility buddies and that we still get together often. Winter is always tough for friendships as we don't live super close to any of my friends. I guess my phone really keeps me sane because it keeps me in contact with the outside world. I wish I got to see my friends more often, but hopefully that will improve with nicer weather. 

Tell us valuable lessons you learned in 2016:
It's so important to fill your own cup as a mom. I spent so much time filling up everyone else's cup and never really prioritized myself. It's worth it to put yourself first because you are much better able to fill the cups of those around you when you're pouring from a full one. 

Diet is so much more important than exercise when it comes to weight loss. I learned a lot by doing a round of Whole 30. I'd love to complete another round and reap the benefits, it's just so hard in our culture to eat well. PCOS feels like so much less of an issue when I fuel my body with the right foods. I wish I had figured this out sooner. 

Clara at Three Years Old

Clara,

You really have the biggest heart. You're so thoughtful and always asking about others. You try to cheer Stella up when she's crying, "It's okay baby." You are also incredibly sensitive. I think since you love so big you hurt big too. You're really my sensitive little girl. You get upset easily and have a hard time calming down right away. Just recently we went to a Halloween party and you got scared by a boy dressed up. You were so upset and it really took a while for you to calm down. You're not loving this transition to colder weather and having to wear more clothes. You insist on taking of your jacket or sweatshirt in the car, even when it's really cold. I feel the same way about changing seasons and clothing so understand, I just wish I could reason with you a little more or help you understand it's just a part of life. You still love monkeys and reading books. I'm pretty sure you own at least 20 different stuffed monkeys by now. You'll sit for just about any story. When your grandma Becky came home with a chapter book from the library you were so excited. I'm pretty sure you would have sat through the whole thing if we were willing to read it to you. You've recently decided you like watching the movie Frozen although you went through a period where you really liked Paw Patrol. You even got a Paw Patrol Build a Bear when we went. I think being able to hear better increased your interest in the tv. Prior, you had very little interest. You are such a smart girl, and even if you sister does most of the talking for both of you I know you have all of those words and phrases too. Lucy probably talks 85% of the time when you're together. I know you're happy to let her do it so that's just your dynamic that works for you two. This fall you got tubes in your ears. Your daddy and I were so amazed by the results. Almost immediately your speech cleared up and you started talking in much longer phrases. You're so laid back most of the time and let Lucy boss you around. Occasionally you stand up to her and then she better look out! You go with her ideas most of the time but then have moments where you push back, and hard. Getting tubes definitely brought out a more feisty side of you I didn't even know existed. You got newfound confidence on the playground and with your speech. It's so fun to see you come out of your shell a little. You and Lucy have such a close friendship. You love doing laps around the house, pushing your doll strollers together, playing pretend, and fighting over things. You are the best of friends and worst of enemies sometimes. You and Lucy often spend a half hour or more talking before bed at night. I love eavesdropping on your little conversations. They often make me laugh and smile. You are such a Daddy's girl and have really got him wrapped around your little finger. You aren't always the best behaved for him, but I think that's because you know you get away with more around him. You love coloring, drawing, painting and play doh. Anything creative has your name all over it. You drew your first portrait of Daddy (of course) recently. I still consider you pretty emotionally unstable at times. You just get so upset so easily. I'm not sure if it's frustration, sensory stuff, or that you're just so emotional. Most times I can explain things to you. Addressing your feelings really does make a difference (I hear you that you're sad you didn't get a turn, etc) but there are times we aren't able to do that and you really fall apart. I always feel terrible when you get that upset, but sometimes nothing can calm you down. You just need a little time and space in order to calm down. You're not super picky about what you wear and are so nice to go along with what Lucy wants most days. You rarely put up a fight about what you are wearing. You've recently decided you love the color lime green along with purple. You got lime green moccs for your birthday and were so excited. You also love your lime green dress. Keeping it stain free is seriously a labor of love. You hair is so dark and curly. You really look so much like your daddy did at this age. When I see you two together you look like his little clone. You're not great about letting me do your hair and won't leave anything in it. I finally got you to let me use curl cream so at least it's not a crazy mess all the time. Crazy hair don't care is a phrase we say to you often. You have this one curl that grows right in the middle of your forehead. Your grandparents call it your "loose screw" and say this is what turns you into a wackadoo. You are taller and weigh more than Lucy by about an inch and 2 pounds. You're still a pretty picky eater than loves her carbs. You are getting better about trying things and decided over the summer you loved chicken. Eating meat was a big deal for you. I'm proud of you for trying more and being willing to try a "no thank you bite" most times. You love preschool and going. You are always in such a great mood when I pick you up and tell me what you did that day. You are such a great helper and really think keeping things picked up is important. You don't like messes unless they're on you while eating and then you don't seem to notice. I'm so proud of the little girl you're becoming.

What's your name? Clara

How old are you? Free (three)

When is your birthday? September fird (third)

How old is Mama? Six Mama

What's your favorite color? Lime green and purple mommy

What's your favorite food? ummm chicken mama

Who is your best friend? Lucy and Stella

What's your favorite song? Sunshine

What's your favorite animal? Monkey and owl 

What makes you scared? ...(started crying)

What makes you happy? Games and Stella

Where is your favorite place to go? School

What do you want to be when you grow up? Daddy 

#Microblog Mondays: First Experience Away From Home

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.

Lucy and Clara started preschool last Thursday. This is their first experience away from me as I've been home with them pretty much every day. It's two days a week for just shy of three hours, but it's a big change for all of us. 

When I was working I often saw children for speech therapy at their daycare of preschool. That means I've been into every local preschool and knew which ones were better than others. I always liked one in particular that had the same teachers forever and only one class per age. It was small, cozy, and gave me the warm and fuzzy feelings I expected from a preschool. We decided pretty easily on this one even though we did look at two others. 

We had been to visit a few different times so I honestly wasn't worried about how the girls would do without me being there. I was more concerned with how I would do. Leading up to it I was feeling super anxious about it. The idea of leaving them with someone other than a family member was new to me. 

That morning W scheduled his day a little later so that he could be around and come for drop off. Unfortunately, we had different ideas as to how this would look. I felt super frustrated as I was getting the girls all ready and wanting to take pics and he was sitting on the couch eating his breakfast. I thought he stayed home to spend time with the girls, but instead it felt like he was taking a nice relaxing morning for himself. 

We got the girls in the van and drove separate cars to drop them off. Without much fanfare (though I took a lot of pictures), we walked them inside and left them just like that. 

In a sense it was probably good I was busy feeling frustrated with W for not being more involved. As a result,  I felt almost numb to the whole experience of leaving them for the first time. It also helped that I had two evaluations to go and do while they were at school. Tomorrow is the first day that I have nothing planned other than to hang with Stella. I hope we survive our time without our regular sources of entertainment.

Lucy and Clara's Third Birthday Party

Last weekend we celebrated Lucy and Clara's THIRD(!!) birthday with an ice cream themed party. My sister came out for the weekend to help and everything was a huge success. For their actual birthday we mostly just hung out at home with my sister as there was a stair project going on with our front porch. We walked to the playground and played for a while before we headed to the State Fair for dinner. It was a nice relaxing day.

The party wasn't until 3:00 on Sunday so that gave us lots of time to set up and get ready. I made a bunch of large ice cream cones out of chinese lanterns, tissue paper, and card stock. I also made a fabric banner from strips of different colored fabrics including one with ice cream cones. I made ice cream garlands, ice cream cone cake pops, and ice cream shaped sidewalk chalk as favors. We served meatballs, a tomato and cucumber salad, fruit salad, corn, macaroni and cheese. For dessert we hired an ice cream truck that serves soft serve ice cream to drive right into our back yard. It was so much fun and such a big hit! We also had cake which surprisingly still got eaten. It was so much fun to celebrate my girls with such a fun party and the weather was beautiful!

Dining room all decorated

A friend lent us this super fun pop up ice cream tent. It was SO cute!!

Enjoying some soft serve with sprinkles

Decor

Nutter Butter cookies dipped in chocolate to look like ice cream cones. These were SO yummy!

Homemade sidewalk chalk for favors

Cousin Benny

Clara

Sitting on the ice cream truck

SO yummy!

Cutie

Ice cream truck in our backyard

Good thing for dishes for ice cream cones

Cake time!

My little loves

Such cuties!

Family photo

Me and my girls

34 Months (I totally had to do the math to figure that one out)

Clara:

Still loves monkeys and now Paw Patrol 

Has 4 comfort items she sleeps with (lovey, kitty, big lovey, and purple tissue)

Daddy's girl

Language has finally taken off-still difficult to understand at times

Much less frustrated and "emotionally unstable" 

Physical therapy seems to be helping with balance, strength, and endurance 

Such a big hearted girl, always thinking of her sister and wanting to help

Loves "cooking" dinner with daddy and has amazing food identification skills

Doesn't like to have her hair done other than "curls" 

Still loves the color purple

Lucy:

Never stops talking

Loves princess stuff, especially Little Mermaid and Frozen 

Not napping consistently but stays in her crib for "quiet time"

Loves her baby Stella and is such a great helper with her

Will go, go go when it comes to anything athletic and/or outdoors

Still loves playing with her baby dolls

Has a special headband she wears all the time and loves accessories  

Want to get her hair done in pigtails all the time

Loves the color teal and sometimes still pink 

Helps mommy exercise and is always asking to do it

I'm loving spending every day with them and watching them change and grow. They have such a close bond and really love each other so much. There is so much giggling all the time in our house and van. They are so lucky to have a build in best friend. 

I seriously can't believe their third birthday is coming up! I'm in the beginning stages of planning an ice cream sundae party for them. 

Fluid

As you know, Stella has had fluid in her ears since birth. They call it "eustachian tube dysfunction" meaning the tube that drains your ear has a hard time doing so. Children have a much flatter tube than adults which is why children get ear infections so much more frequently. The ear is better able to drain in adults. When we grow the tube gets more vertical and is better able to drain. 

Clara started physical therapy about a month ago. As part of the evaluation process, they will do a hearing test if they feel it's necessary, or the parents desire it. I've known Clara had some issues with her balance and coordination, but I also noticed her speech was much more difficult to understand than her sisters. As part of the evaluation I requested a referral for a hearing test. 

Clara hadn't had any ear infections until this past winter when she had three very close together. She was on antibiotics and steroids for a few weeks in order to get it to finally go away. Since that time I noticed she had a more difficult time following directions and listening consistently. 

We went last Thursday. Within a few minutes I was told that Clara has fluid in her ears and that we needed another referral to an ENT. With bone conduction testing they were able to determine the nerve is functioning fine and that the mild-moderate hearing loss she's currently presenting with is conductive. 

I'm grateful I'm able to be home with my girls as this was so subtle. There was no huge red flag telling me this was going on. I'm grateful I know my children better than anyone else and can tell when something isn't right and I'm so glad I pushed for the hearing test! 

I'm hoping we can get in to see the ENT soon as I'm hoping we can resolve this issue ASAP. 

Lucy and Clara at 2 1/2

I wrote this post in the beginning of May but still want to post it. The girls have changed a bit since this post, but I don't want to forget I wrote it.

Mother's Day 2016

I did an update for L & C every month of their life for the first two years. Then I stopped and haven't written anything since. I figured it was time to update on them. They've changed so much since they turned two so it seemed appropriate to do a little update on them.

Swinging on the big swings 

At the zoo

Penguins

First time bowling 

We all have a baby and carseat

New van

Family hike

A day at the beach with friends

Mama and her girls on mother's day 

Riding on the glider board with hooded towels after swim lessons

Clara- You're such a big personality. You have such a big heart and it shows every day. You're always thinking of your sister and bringing her things and will willingly share with her most times. You would hug Lucy all day long if she let you. Instead, since she often doesn't like too much affection from you, you'll push her buttons trying to touch her, especially in the car. Since you have such a big heart, you hurt big too. You are so emotional and will go from 0-10 quite quickly. You are difficult to understand sometimes and can get very frustrated. I try to work with you on your speech, but it's tough to find the time. I need to do a better job of that. If we slow down and really try to understand you most times we can. The other times Lucy can usually interpret for you. You still always love to have things in your hands. Toys, bags, snacks, accessories, books, you name it and you'll carry it around with you. You still really love your Owlie lovey and your kitty that was once your pacifier. You love baby Stella but can be a little rough with her. You also tend to get jealous when Daddy pays attention to her. You are such a Daddy's girl and always want to sit on his lap. You love watching and helping him in the kitchen and your food identification skills are quite impressive. You love books and will warm up to most people if they read to you. You're still having a hard time with your balance and coordination and recently qualified for early intervention physical therapy. We got a second opinion on your vision since you have Duane syndrome and he said glasses could help. We are waiting to meet with the first Dr to see what he says since he really has the reputation in this area as the pediatric specialist. You still love stuffed animals and especially monkeys. Your favorite color is purple and you love pushing your doll stroller. You're totally potty trained and can dress yourself with a little help. You can still be a little bit of a picky eater and you're a girl who loves her carbs. You've have two ear infections and we will get your hearing tested soon.

Snuggling with Stella before bed

On the big girl swing!

Crazy bag lady

With her Paw Patrol Build a Bear

Gymnastics

When your kid chooses bells as their toy to bring along for the day 

Lucy- When I look back on old videos it's almost hard to believe you once imitated and did everything Clara did since you are such a leader now. You definitely are the more take charge and talkative sister now. You want to be in control of yourself and Clara most times and luckily for you she goes with the flow usually. You've officially reached the point where you talk more than you're quiet you have so much to say. Some days I wonder where the off switch is since there's no stopping you. You love to play with your baby dolls, pushing them in the doll stroller and feeding them in their high chairs. You'll carry you baby around, all wrapped up, rocking and shushing it. You love your baby sister Stella and get so excited to see her. She really loves you and looks up to you so much already. You still don't love when Clara touches you, yet you'll laugh as Stella pulls your hair. You love princesses and all things girly, just like your Aunt Kate. You love the color pink and will only wear pink socks. Your hair is finally growing in and you're getting ringlet curls in the back. Your hair is still pretty light brown compared to everyone else's. You love all things active; gymnastics, walking, jumping, outdoor play, and most recently, hiking. You are much more level headed than your sister and really only have tantrums when you're tired or hungry. Most other times you can be reasoned with pretty easily. The only exception is your complaints in the car that your carseat is "too tight!" It drives your mama absolutely crazy! Your speech is pretty easy to understand and you're good about using other words or showing us when we don't understand. You are using sentences that are 10 words long pretty regularly. You're still teeny tiny and only weigh around 21 pounds. You really only fit in leggings for pants and I had to sew a bunch of your pairs of underwear to get them to fit. You're just starting to fit in size 5 toddler shoes. I was so excited I could finally buy you some pink Hunter boots to match mine. You're very kind and thoughtful and are always asking about and thinking about Clara if you're not with her. You know her favorites and how to calm her down when others can't.

Lucy and Stella

Such a peanut on the swing

She hiked the entire time and amazed me

Dinner date with mommy and Lucy 

Gymnastics

Passed out with her blue eyed baby