Luc is 5 1/2 Years Old

You know how when someone's in their element, doing what they absolutely love, they're just so happy. They want to do that all the time. They never get tired while doing it. And it's all they ever ask to do. That's Luc with biking. He is so not interested in soccer (we might have Aria take his place on the team). He just wants to bike.

When Luc started riding without training wheels, another boy, Noah, from across the street did as well. And then it seemed kids were coming out of houses all down the street to come out and ride their bikes or scooters. Frederic is so ecstatic about this sense of community that he felt was missing. All the kids are around the same age, and play well together. If one kid is outside in the evening, the rest appear shortly after. Then at around 8pm we have to start herding them back into the house.

Luc is in his element. He's living his dream.

We're making Luc finish up the last few weeks of soccer (it's just on Saturday mornings, so it's really not like he has to live and breath it) mostly because we paid for it and we hope he'll learn a little something about training and playing with other kids. But after that, he's done. He says he doesn't want to do soccer or anything anymore. So we're going to give him a break. I don't believe in pushing your kids to do something (especially when it's more your interest than theirs). We may try piano at a later date because he's always been attracted to playing and has a natural ear for music. And he's totally a STEAM kid, so when he's old enough, those camps and clubs will be perfect for him. Until then, he bikes.

Mother's Day 2017

Back to regular, normal life...
Mother's Day.

We had a busy Mother's Day weekend. Saturday, Frederic's parents came over in the afternoon. We made my mother-in-law one of her favorite meals: Mussels (with garlic, white wine, carrots and celery) and Frederic made homemade fries. We picked up a little cake from Wegmans, which I love because it's just enough for four people to have a good-sized slice, and no leftovers lurking in the house!

Sunday, the kids actually slept "in". Hahaha! Luc was up at 6:45am and Aria a few minutes later. Frederic brought the kids in bed and went downstairs to make me a cup of coffee. Frederic had made me a nail appointment at 11am to get a manicure and pedicure. So while I was out doing that, he took the kids for a bike ride.
After lunch, we headed to my parent's house. Uncle Bill and my brother came over as well. We got carry out from Carrabba's (because having these two kids in a restaurant is just not how I want to spend any evening, not to mention Mother's day), and ice cream cake for dessert (requested by my mom).

 Luc made me something at school which he couldn't wait to give it to me, so I opened it Thursday. The teacher helped the kids put paint on their fingers and then press them onto a special paper. That paper was then transferred onto a white candle. It's very colorful and cute. And I even got a little candle holder. So of course, it found it's place of honor on the DVD shelf next to the TV.


I also got a kettlebell and a workout book with a 12-week program and instructions on using the kettlebell. I'm really excited to add this to my fitness routine. I love doing the free weights program I started 2 months ago, but sometimes I want to add something else to the mix. And since I can't do a lot of weighted leg exercises since I'm not at a gym, the kettlebell will help supplement some of that as well.

So in all- Awesome Mother's Day!
 







I like to use Mother's Day as an excuse to check in on myself and only be positive about being a mother, and my kids. Everyday life often points out the negative. Being tired from daily routines often puts me into a tired slump.  And though everyone uses Mother's day to focus on the best parts of being a mother, without showing off, I'd like to do it as well.

Luc: He is so smart, and funny. He's inventive and curious. He is cautious by nature (overall), observes, is reserved yet becomes friends with everyone because he is calm and friendly with everyone.
Aria: She is wild and free-spirited. She also has the most loving heart and cares about everyone- whether Mommy accidentally stubs her toe (she asks if I'm okay and then kisses it), or she hears a baby crying at the store and wants to know if it's okay. She loves to act goofy. She speaks way beyond her (2) years! She's totally outgoing and has no problems walking up to anyone, child or adult, and talk or play with them.

These kids are so precious. And though they know how to work together to drive me crazy, they are my little pumpkins. And I think they're just wonderful the way they are. I share some qualities with them, which I enjoy bonding over. Yet, the qualities they have that I do not possess invite me to open my mind, accept differences, and learn from them. We spend a lot of time teaching our children since birth, but more often I think they teach us many lessons. We just have to look for them and be open to their teachings.
I know how blessed I am to have healthy and happy children. I never take that for granted for even one day. I consider myself very lucky to be their Mom.
...and I'm still hoping I don't screw them up as I continue to learn to navigate this hood called Mother.

Aria's Burn Update #2

Aria took her first submerged bath the day after her appointment. She held her hand up above the water while I washed her. I told her she could play, but when she started putting her hands in the water, she said it hurts. And every evening while changing her bandages, washing the wounds was a struggle. The wounds hurt when they touched water the first time. So every time after that she remembered. While we're trying to get the old bandages off, she would start saying, "Mommy don't hurt me. Don't hurt me."
And by Saturday evening, we had to force her hands under the water to wash them as she cried out to stop. It was so heartbreaking. I didn't want to do it because I can imagine how painful it was, but at the same time she has to clean them in order for them to heal and not get infected- which would be worse pain, for a longer period of time.
But by Sunday night, she was better. The wounds were starting to scab and the water doesn't hurt as much. This time she fell for my bubble distraction as I made bubbles with my hands from the soap.
Monday evening we attempted another fully-submerged bath. And this time she wasn't bothered by the water. She stayed in the tub and played for awhile.

Tuesday morning we headed back to Hopkins for Aria's follow up. Little Miss Independent sat in her own chair this time and let the doctor unwrap her bandages and examine her hands. The doctor said there is still a little spot on her right ring finger, where she got the deeper burn, but it's not worth wrapping up her whole hand for it. So she gave Aria the all clear to be free. No more bandages! If she starts picking or scratching at them as they heal more we have to put band aids on them. Otherwise, she can have her hands free and do as she pleases. At least three times a day we have to moisturize and massage the fingers to help heal and prevent scarring.  And as long as nothing changes for the worse, we don't have to go back for a follow up!

Reading before going to the doctor's

Aria's Burn Update #1

We went to Johns Hopkins Pediatric Burn Center in Baltimore yesterday with Aria. What an amazing place!! The anxiety and stress of not knowing what to expect, then the flashbacks of what they did, and the overcoming with guilt that she's going through this makes my heart race and almost led to a migraine this morning.
But the office is wonderful. They have college-aged kids who volunteer in the waiting room and all they do is disinfect the toys when kids are done playing with them and play with the kids. They bring out new toys, help them play games on the computer screen, play with the toys with them, bring out coloring books, and turn on a kid movie. We were enough impressed with that, though Aria wasn't really into it because she's only 2, but other kids were happy about it. They will also sit with your child and play with them while you fill out paperwork.
Then we went in to get her weighed and measured. They had a special bubble light thing on the wall for distraction, and a pad on the floor with liquid inside near the wall to measure height.
Then we go in for the appointment with the doctor. Aria was on my lap the whole time but was a little antsy, so they called this young woman in whose job is to entertain and distract the child. She was sitting on the floor in front of Aria, had a Mary Poppins bag of toys, and turned on an episode of Dora for her to watch. The woman helped her interact with the show and even sang along to the songs. What is this place!?! More importantly, why can't every doctor's office have this?!

We think Aria has some kind of super power where she has a super high tolerance for pain. Yes, she's been on a normal dose of Motrin for a few days, but just during the day not at night. During this whole exam she only flinched once and said "ouch", calmly, once. Frederic and I were more nervous and sad and expecting pain in our own fingers.
The doctor undid the dressings and took pictures on her fingers. Then she informed us she was going to drain the last blister that still had fluid in it and then rub off all the dead blistered skin with a cotton brush and cut off the skin. OMG, what?!?! WHY? Because she has a thermal burn they need to take the dead skin off to see the depth of damage. It also promotes healing.

So they did this. Aria was so chill. She even kept reminding the doctor and nurse that they had to do the other hand as well. The skin under her blisters are super pink/red and just look so Raw. Raw is the only word I can think to use. I just can't imagine the pain, even though she wasn't saying it hurt. There is one spot on her ring finger on one of the hands that had a deeper burn and that layer of skin is actually pale. It needs to turn pink/red in the coming days. So our main focus is preventing infection.
After they cleaned it all up, they put ointment and new dressings on. They gave us instructions for changing her bandages once a day for the next week. They even let her pick out a colored gauze for the outter layering. She chose purple over pink and then asked for green too before we left.
The nurse was so cool she even wrapped up Dora's hands to match Aria. 💚

We have to take her back in a week for a follow up. I guess we'll learn then what the next steps are in healing, which could take a month. Because the burns start above her nails/top knuckle and go up toward her middle/main knuckle, as they heal we have to be aware of the new skin or scarring stretches enough so she doesn't loose mobility.

I just pray she 1, doesn't get any infections, and 2. she doesn't need a skin graft to aid in the healing.
So I'm thankful she didn't get burned somewhere else on her body, like her face; it wasn't more than what it is, and it's not right before we go to the beach this summer. But I still feel completely horrible and devastated and wish it were me, not her, dealing with this.

Aria amazes us these past few days by acting normal and using her hands like nothing happened. She doesn't complain of pain (though we keep giving her Motrin for inflammation, etc). How fitting our Tough Cookie wanted to wear her Cookie Monster pjs to the doctor's office.

Weight: 27.5lbs
Height: 36.75 inches

Oh, Aria. We really do love your personality, your care-free ways, independence, thinking you can do something a 5 year old can do even though you're only 2. I'm trying to embrace your strong will and determination. I know in the future it will help a lot being a teenager and woman in this world. I'm sure you will excel at these qualities better than I ever could muster up the strength to even attempt.

However, you are not 5 years old. You do not listen very well to safety instructions. And in consequence, you now have 2nd degree burns on four of your fingers, two on each hand. And though Daddy and Mommy do take the blame for it for turning our backs on you for 1 little shortest second in eternity, you really had no thought in your head to lay your fists down on the electric stove burner that was just on High for 20 minutes cooking pancakes.
Bearing your weight down on your fists as you reached over to look at the finished pancakes, I can't believe that even 1 second of touching it led to such horrible burns. But you are also one super tough cookie. Actually, Daddy and I wonder if you have some super power where you don't feel as much pain as you should... You cried for only a few minutes, mostly because I scared the poop out of you as I screamed and pulled you away from the stove. Then you sat and ate your breakfast while I called the pediatrician on call and only kept whining a little saying, "It hurts."
The PA at the urgent care says you have 2nd degree burns. You have been stellar at sitting still as we rebandage your hands 3 times a day. When we take the bandaids off the burns you say, "Oh Woooow!" You scrutinize each step and try to help by insisting on holding the scissors. -Really of all things, the scissors? Do you just live for danger, child? Motrin has been helping with the pain, but you don't seem bothered at all by these burns. You go about your day playing, climbing, etc. without a care in the world, as if your fingers aren't tied together and healing from trauma.

Tomorrow we go see a specialist at the Johns Hopkins Pediatrician Burn Center. We need to learn how to continue to care for your burns as they heal and make sure there is minimal scarring, and the scarring/new skin over your knuckles don't mess with your finger's mobility.