Creeping into 2008...

I am little nervous about this upcoming week...I have been on what Jeff and I refer to as my "happy pills" since around a month before Sammy was born to help deal with the effects of post partum depression. I really feel like they helped a lot, and I wish I had been brave enough to speak up and get help after Evan and Charlie were born too. I think that those first months with a newborn would have been a lot easier, happier, calmmer, etc. I guess the bright side is at least I found help at the tail end of the Irish twins experience or that could have been a whole lot more depressing! In fact, I feel better and more normal than I have since my bout with anorexia as a teenager. So, I am especially nervous this week as I begin to wean myself off of them. I am nervous about side effects, but also that I will loose my balance. Send me good brain waves on this one!!!!


I am super excited for Evan today...I just signed him up for 10 weeks of swimming lessons at Swimtastic, which I have heard great things about. He hates soccer and other team sports but loves to swim, so I am hoping this fills a niche for him in his life. I also am excited to get him exercising!


Nothing special going on around here for New Year's Eve...I have this phobia about going out on New Year's Eve with all of the drunk drivers so, as usual, we are staying in with a bottle of wine and some DVDs. Happy New Year's to you and yours!

Our Christmas

Christmas this year was nothing less than chaos. It started Christmas eve. If you read my last post I noted that taking both babies to church at the same time is horrible, but I was stupid and tried it anyway. Evan is part of the choir Awesome Angels at school and they sang at the 4:30 Mass. I really wanted that picture perfect Christmas church experience so I insisted rather stubbornly that we all go to church to see him sing. Jeff reminded me that this was of course insane, but went along with my wishes. We had to get to church at 3:30 to get seats, (all of those C & E Catholics showing up) and they were very good for the hour we had to wait for church to start. Of course, once things got rolling they were out of patience and went nuts. Charlie spent the entire Mass with Jeff in my classroom playing with toys, and I walked the foyer with Sam, so it ended up NONE of us were together for church.

We celebrated Christmas Eve at my parent's house for the first time. This included 4 children under 3 opening gifts at break neck speed. At one point my sister Sarah was in tears, and my father was buried in wrapping paper. It was fun, but also exhausting and overwhelming.

Christmas morning was nice with just us, other than the video camera pooped out halfway through opening gifts (which came only a week after the digital camera broke! If anyone has suggestions on good buys, let me know). The boys all liked their gifts, and I was really excited that Jeff got me two Notre Dame t-shirts and a Packers t-shirt, making my transformation to a football fan complete. We went up to Harlan to celebrate with Jeff's family for the first time later in the day. They had prime rib (MY FAVORITE!!!!!) and they all spoiled the boys. It is so neat for me to watch Jeff's dad with the kids. He got them sleds for Christmas and took them sledding for about an hour in the backyard, which they loved. He is so in love with his grand children it is just amazing to watch.

We came home to a disaster in the living room so for the next three hours Jeff took toys out of boxes while I distributed toys to the right places, and cleaned up the mess. I still feel like we are recovering 3 days later, but I count the whole thing as a success. The kids were happy, we were all well fed, and we spent time together. What more could you ask for?

The Holidays

While I actually have a semi-peaceful moment, I thought I should update my blog. Life is pretty much the same, with a few small changes.

Sophie the dog went to live with a new family last Tuesday. It was hard for all of us (even Charlie, who has wondered the house shouting "Doggie! Where are you?" It was also a relief in a lot of ways too. After the dog ripping apart several screens on windows, eating every single pair of my shoes, eating Sam's shoes, ripping apart countless baby toys, making numerous poop spots on the carpet in her insistance on letting us know she was displeased with something, it was nice to think that none of that will happen again. The last straw was the dog eating all of my shoes. Not something you want to replace during the holiday season. I literally wanted to kill her. Jeff and I looked at each other, and it was clear to both of us that while we loved her, it wasn't working for anyone. I just don't have time with two toddlers to give a dog behavior therapy as well. Lucky for us, she was adopted by a VERY nice woman, who has agreed to send us pictures of her, let us visit, and also has a nine year old son who Evan has set up a playdate with over the holidays. It's kind of like an open adoption. She had Sophie sitting on command within 5 minutes of meeting her, and I new she would be better off with her. I am so grateful to her for giving Sophie a good home!

School is going well. I feel like after two years of chaos with the babies and just treading water at school, I am finally back in the groove. I love my class, and I love being "back" in the classroom, in the sense I have my sleep, body, and brain back.

Jeff and I are really doing well. We had a rough start to marriage after all of the stressors we encountered in the first 2 years, but now that life is settling down, we are really enjoying being married. I am so lucky to have him, and that he put up with my insanity-literally-while pregnant and through post partum depression. Every time Sammy passes a milestone like giving up his bottle, or walking, it is bittersweet. I am sad to know he is my youngest, and this is the last time I will have a baby do this, but it is also a relief. The last two years have been brutal. I am glad to be getting myself back, piece by piece. I keep thinking of my grandmother who had 6 children in 6 years. I would not have made it. I can say that with complete assurance. I think she should be nominated for sainthood.

I took Charlie to church with me for the first time yesterday. Just Evan and I have been going for a long time, since dealing with both of the babies at church at once is a complete disaster. He was an ANGEL! He didn't say one word and sat in his chair the entire time, without a binkie or even a toy. We had a long talk before church started about how he had to be quiet, so whenever I tried to sing or talk, he gave me a loud shush sign. What a cutie!

So, it is with great expectations that I look forward to 2008. I am excited to have kids that are a little bit older, to get a lot more sleep, and to spend some time on me and my marriage. Hopefully it will be a year for us filled with regular old stuff.

Blisters Everywhere

Charlie and Sam both came down with Hand Foot and Mouth Disease last Thursday and had to stay home from school. This morning I woke up and felt like I had a canker sore on my tongue, but I didn't think too much of it. By lunchtime though, I had blisters all over my tongue and I can see (and feel!!!!) blisters going all down the back of my throat. It hurts like hell. No wonder the babies wouldn't eat when they had it! This is absolutely miserable.

One of the more difficult things about being the only girl in the house...

is trying to watch one of my favorite movies, White Christmas. This is that old classic with lots of singing and dancing and Bing Crosby. To his credit, Jeff did put up with letting me watch it, but he had a grimace on his face the entire time. Evan kept asking why everyone kept singing, and even Charlie got into the act by spitting at the TV. Honestly!!

What an HONOR!

I haven't written in forever, as the end of my summer was pretty excruciating, and included a lot of illness, but I will write about that later. Something so beautiful, and much more important happened to me yesterday...I had the supreme honor of becoming Joel Norman's godmother. Joel is the son of two of my closest friends, Adam and Christi. I have known Adam since we were 12, and it is so neat to be now playing a role in the life of his children. And Christi is my closest Mom friend, I don't know what I would do without her, so it was just the neatest thing to be asked, and to get to be a big part of Joel's life. I was so lucky as to see Joel come into the world in February, and this felt like the perfect continuation of that journey that began on his birthday. The ceremony was beautiful, the food afterword at Christi's parent's house was yummy (I was also able to fit in a trip to Mickel's on the way out of Harlan for some fried rolls-YUM!)but I was just tickled pink to be with Joel. I love you buddy! Congratulations!

Wow! What a gift!

Yesterday, we celebrated my birthday with my family at my parent's house. My mom made a delicious birthday dinner: fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade dinner rolls, green beans, and cherry cheesecake. Delish! And then- I got a gift that I have been wanting since I was 18...A RECORD PLAYER!!! I know that probably no one else but me would get excited about that, but I love it so much. (It also has a cd player and a tape player). We spent all day playing records today and it was so much fun. Evan was amazed that those "big CDs have music on BOTH sides!"

Happy 30th Birthday to ME!!!

It has been a very nice birthday for me today..low key and simple, but filled with good friends. Christi stopped by this morning with some VERY cute balloons (pink, purple, and very girly-just the way I like it!!) from the Koch family. I got three birthday cards from co-workers in the mail, lots of phone calls wishing me a happy day. I also got to get my hair done by the AWESOME Katie, where I got lots of blond highlights, and I whacked my hair off. We all agreed it looked like there was a pet on the floor when we were done from all the hair. My good friend Sarah was there when I got my hair done, and it was so nice to see her. I love old friends that you have had forever you can talk to anytime, and it's like you are 16 again (which is especially nice on your 30th birthday!) Sarah brought me some yummy rice krispie treats to enjoy. Tonight, Jeff and I are going out to a movie, and to eat at my favorite-RED LOBSTER!! Yum!!

Sad News

Last night while I was reading the paper at dinner, I saw an article that told of the death of an old friend I had the priviledge of teaching preschool with at Children's Corner, Marla Little. She was only 37 years old, and left behind two daughters and a husband. Marla was so kind and supportive to me when I was pregnant with Evan. The women at C.C. really provided me with love and support during a hard time in my life. I was so sad to hear of her death.

Up until that point I had been feeling pretty disgusted about turning 30 tomorrow. Hearing the sad news about Marla though was like a kick in the face. I am just glad now to have the time that I do with my family and kids, and every day here is a gift, no matter how old you are. I will happily celebrate my birthday tomorrow.

The Day From Hell

Everything possible has gone wrong today. Every little thing that could go wrong did. Including Sam spitting up litterally 17 times, over as much of the living room carpet as possible. Including Charlie being outside for only 10 minutes before managing to cover himself in dog poop from his hair to his ears to his toes. Including Jeff coming home from work and stating that he wants to put the house loan and hence the house in only his name due to my bad credit rating (which is the fault of a certain former significant other who took out credit cards in my name without my knowledge). I am also starting to feel sick. I am just going to go to bed and hope that life is better tomorrow.

Summer at the Micek Kleffman House

Our backyard is pretty slanty which may not be a problem for some people, but it is a problem for Christy the fish. I LOVE LOVE LOVE to be out in the water in the summer. Since Evan came along that has meant not as many trips to the public pool, but rather in a horse tank in the backyard, which is still okay by me. At least I am in the sun and the water. However, in our new backyard, there is no place to put it. So, Jeff and I made the plunge to turn our house into a truly white trash hangout, and put a wading pool on our deck. It's better than nothing, and truly it's probably as deep as Charlie and Sam can handle this summer. On Sunday, when the kids went down for their afternoon naps, Jeff and I stayed out in the pool by ourselves, me having a beer. We looked at each other, and Jeff said "We're pathetic, aren't we?" Pretty much.

I am so excited today because my friend Katy is in town, and I get to see her and her new little one Nicole. YEAH!

Christy Freaks Out

So...I haven't written in awhile. Not because I didn't have anything going on that I wanted to write about, only because I couldn't get my posts to show up on the blog. Anyway, it seems to be working now, and yes, I am still alive.

The major thing that I wanted to write about was that two weeks ago, Evan started going to the Millard Children's Academy for two days a week. Jeff and I decided to send him there not because I am lazy about taking care of the kids, but because we know he gets tired of being cooped up with the babies all the time, and it is hard to get him to the pool and other fun places with Charlie and Sam around. So, he goes there 2 days a week, gets to go on fun field trips, and is making new friends that live a lot closer to our house than the friends from school do. I am really proud of him. He was realy brave about trying something new, and even when two kids called him a crybaby, he dusted himself off, and went right back to making new friends and was excited to go back for his next visit. That's a lot more than I would have done at his age. The weird thing for me about this whole experience is that it is the first time in Evan's whole life that he has gone to a school or daycare completely by himself. In the past, my mom or I have always been with him. I was really teary the first day! I think it is good for both of us to have this experience, but it's always a little painful to have your little ones spread their wings.

The other thing I had wanted to write about was me having a freak out attack last Tuesday. My period was maybe 4 hours late and I was a NERVOUS WRECK! I even took a pregnancy test, since I knew after 4 hours of stress that I was nearing a panic attack. It was of course negative, but it was one more thing to assure me that the vasectomy was the right choice. The funny thing is that I left the empty pee cup in the bathroom on the shelf, since I heard Charlie clobbering Sam in the next room and knew intervention was needed, and then I forgot about it. That night, Jeff filled it with water, and used it to brush his teeth! Ahhh....the joys of marriage!

A Painful Weekend

This post was originally written on June 1, but I couldn't get it to post...

This weekend has been SOOOO hectic. It all started Thursday...the pooch, Sophie got spayed that day, and both babies had surgery. Sam had tubes put in his ears, and Charlie also had tubes put in, but also had his adnoids removed. The surgery took place at the new Boys Town National Research Hospital in Boys Town. It was such a nice facility, and it was great to not have to drive down to 30th street. Both babies required Tylenol with Codeine from Thursday until Saturday, but things seemed better today. During Charlie's surgery, they also suctioned out all of the buckets of snot stuck in his sinus' (sorry to be gross, but I am so glad it is gone! The doctor said there was massive amounts of it in his poor little head). Then on Friday, Jeff went in for a little snip snip. (aka vasectomy) I am not supposed to talk about this in public, but I feel like it affects me too. I was nervous that I would be devastated afterwards at the permanence of it, but it told me it was the right decision when I felt completely fine about it this weekend. Our family feels just right to me, and that is a really good feeling! Surprisingly, there wasn't much pain or discomfort with the procedure for Jeff, so that was great. The yuckiest part is that he can't lift anything for about 10 days, so I am stuck with baby duty. I will be ready for a break when this is over.

A Weekend of Surgeries

This weekend has been SOOOO hectic. It all started Thursday...the pooch, Sophie got spayed that day, and both babies had surgery. Sam had tubes put in his ears, and Charlie also had tubes put in, but also had his adnoids removed. The surgery took place at the new Boys Town National Research Hospital in Boys Town. It was such a nice facility, and it was great to not have to drive down to 30th street. Both babies required Tylenol with Codeine from Thursday until Saturday, but things seemed better today. During Charlie's surgery, they also suctioned out all of the buckets of snot stuck in his sinus' (sorry to be gross, but I am so glad it is gone! The doctor said there was massive amounts of it in his poor little head). Then on Friday, Jeff went in for a little snip snip. (aka vasectomy) I am not supposed to talk about this in public, but I feel like it affects me too. I was nervous that I would be devastated afterwards at the permanence of it, but it told me it was the right decision when I felt completely fine about it this weekend. Our family feels just right to me, and that is a really good feeling! Surprisingly, there wasn't much pain or discomfort with the procedure for Jeff, so that was great. The yuckiest part is that he can't lift anything for about 10 days, so I am stuck with baby duty. I will be ready for a break when this is over.

Sibling Rivalry

My first experience with sibling rivalry as a parent has begun...on Wednesday Charlie started trying to take out his brother Sam. Evan has never displayed any jealousy or agression towards either of his brothers, so this is a new one for me. Charlie alternates between hugging Sam and slapping him. While grocery shopping on Sunday, I had the babies in the double stroller, and I put Charlie in the back seat in the hopes of keeping him from shoplifting things off the shelves. However, he just found a new way to be naughty. He discovered he had easy access to Sam poor bald head, and he let loose and just WHACKED him as hard as he could. Sam looked at me with such shock that anyone would not love him, it was heartbreaking. He burst into tears. I felt horrible. And Charlie is such a darn stinker. After you say no, or give him a time out, be looks at you out of the corner of his eye, AND DOES IT AGAIN!!! He is really going to give me a run for my money. I am really boping Sam is going to be my easy kid. Everybody gets at least one easy one, right?

Life at the Kleffman House

So much has been happening lately...I haven't had time to write! Our major project around the house has been building our own fence. It is a 6 foot privacy fence, in a shadow weave design. We got all of the posts dug and cemented last weekend, and this weekend we completed the entire back side of the yard (minus the gate). That leaves one more side, and three gates. We are saving about $1600 doing it ourselves, but yikes! What a lot of work. Jeff even used power tools!! I was proud yet terrified to watch him! I tried to include a picture, but so far it's not working.

What is a worse idea than 2 babies under 2 in one house? 2 babies under 2 and a puppy. I was nervous about adding a puppy into the mix, but I thought that so often Evan's needs get pushed to the side for the babies, that this time he needed to come first, so last Tuesday we got a little Wheaten Terrier puppy, 10 weeks old. Her name is Sophie, and she is adorable. She is also very calm, very patient with the kids, and never ever barks. Her only issue is she COMPLETELY does NOT understand potty training. We have heard from training videos, training books, the pet store, etc. that a kennel is the way to train. It does not deter her at all though from going where she sits. She is more than happy to dance through her own excrement. UGH! Hopefully this will get better.

Charlie is getting tubes on May 31st, and Sam will probably also get them the same day. Sophie is going in to get spayed the same day, so it should be a painful day at the Kleffman house!!!!

Missing Trudy

I just found out that Trudy, our sweet little dog, died in a freak accident this morning. She was in our storage room since she wouldn't go to the bathroom this morning because of the rain. When Jeff opened the door to the room to check on her before he left for work, it must have hit her in the head. She had been standing right behind it barking. I am so devastated. Trudy was Evan and I's baby for so many years when it was just us. She and Evan were truly best friends, and she slept with him every night. I cannot stop crying today...my poor kids at school! I just am so stunned, and I am so sad, and I am just torn apart for Evan....

Life in General Update

Now that we are back to all the kiddies being in bed at 8:00 at our house (otherwise known as FREEDOM TIME!!!), I am hoping to have more time to blog again. Lots has been happening over the last few months...

Charlie is now almost 15 months old. I can hardly believe that. It seems like he should still be a newborn. He is now running everywhere, LOVES to play with cars (I swear that comes on the Y chromosome-watch out Christi), and is definitely suffering from middle child syndrome at a young age. He seems to love Sam, as he is constantly giving hugs and kisses, but he is insanely jealous of him too. He hates for me to hold Sam, for Evan to get to close to me, or sometimes even for Jeff to hug me. I think the early introduction of a younger sibling has shaken his faith in me a bit. He is also suffering from some delayed speech development. He doesn't as yet have any purposeful words, not even Mom. He is slowly picking up consonant sounds, but that's it. His pediatrician thinks it is from his constant sinus infections/clogged ears. So, we are off to see the ENT tomorrow to see if tubes would help, and he is going to be evaluated by Millard Public Schools in the next few weeks to see if he needs to be admitted to some early childhood speech therapy.

Evan is my super duper awesome helper. I would NOT have made it through Charlie and Sam and tax season if not for him. We are a real team. I don't even know how I would get shopping done without him. He pushes the cart while I push the stroller and try to stop Charlie from shoplifting items off the shelves. He made his 1st Communion a couple of weeks ago, a big moment for him. He has been looking forward to it all of 2nd grade. He is starting to assert his independence though with some sassiness and back talk, which is such a shock to me sometimes. I think we are getting a glimpse into puberty, which sadly is only about 4 years away. Ugh.

Sammy is almost 5 months old already. He LOVES to stand at all times, and can spend forever in his exersaucer. He is dealing with the chronic ear infections Evan did when he was little, so I don't think he will hold out for tubes as long as Charlie has. No teeth yet, which is strange as both the other two got two teeth right at three months. He is such a happy, laughing, adorable little boy. I am so glad we have him, even though I was scared spitless at first to have him in the mix.

Jeff and I are really good, except for the occasional spat. Things are much improved from our troubles last summer. We got out of the house for only the second time since Sam was born last Saturday. We went to a friend's birthday party, and it was SOOOOOO nice to be just us, no kids, and have fun. It was held at this restaurant in Council Bluffs called the Pizza King which turned out to be AWESOME!!! They have the best prime rib ever. And I am not exagerating.

Well that totally sounded like a Christmas letter. Sorry. I shouldn't let it get this long without an update. Oh, and I wanted to say thanks for the offers of a "do" to my post about being fat and disgusting. I always knew I could count on you guys for anything!!

Hair Pictures

Thanks to Sarah's camera phone, here are some pictures of my hair from Sunday night...

The Goddess of Hair

I went to get my hair done last night by the BEST hair stylist EVER!!! Katie Carpenter, the youngest sister of my friend Sarah, is a magician with hair. It is the first time I have truly been happy with the way things turned out. I got layers, highlights, lowlights, and some red put in too. I just love it. I cannot say enough about how awesome she is!! I will put up a picture when I get a chance.