Valentine's Day Party

www.nolanpchak.blogspot.com We went to my Aunt Eleanor's for dinner Sunday night for a little Valentine's Day bash for the kids. While Reagan and Nolan are still very curious about things, I think they may be moving out of the "must touch everything" phase. I didn't feel like I said "NO" 5,000 times while we were there. It also helped that Reagan and her cousin, Sadie, had fun "playing" together, as much as a 6 month old and a 21 month old can play. I caught a couple of cute moments between the two of them. Reagan enjoying her sucker, while Sadie enjoys Reagan's hair. Kissin' Cousins Sadie's a sweet little peanut. For the last couple of weeks, Reagan wants to be called "babe." My mom called her that once and she liked it so now practically all her sentences end with it. I overheard her in the kitchen with my cousin Jim and he gave her something and she replied, "thank you, babe!" I'm going to have to watch out for her!!!!! Nolan is still my sweetheart. He knows he gets sympathy from me if he bumps his head (even though we don't have to treat him any differently, I still panic when he hits his head) so if he is in need of a cuddle he comes up to me says, "Come 'ere.....what matter.....bump head." He knows I can't resist and I love that he has the whole conversation on his own.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008

Yes, Nolan can still fit in his shirt from last year! He is a lean, mean get-you machine.

New Camera

www.nolanpchak@blogspot.com

So, I've had an awesome new camera since Christmas and I'm just getting to playing around. I like it. ALOT. I can't wait for some sunny days, spring flowers, and sunsets. And more time figuring out the settings! So, Uncle Ed, I can finally say YES, these are taken with the new camera!!! As Bill said, Nolan in HD.

Couple Of Pics

Some photos from the past week..... Using the fry cups as drink holders.

Playing at the best playground ever.

The sweet & charming look.

Typical Friday. Dinner at the favorite local spot followed by a visit with "Unc" Sam & Aunt Deb.

What They Have Been Up To......

www.nolanpchak.blogspot.com Enough of the silliness about our lives it is time for a post about the kids. Let's see what have Reagan and Nolan been up to besides trying to stay warm? Watching a feature from their "theatre"

They are learning shapes, colors, and talking in sentences. Yesterday Reagan said, "I want to watch shapes." (their Baby Einstein DVD about shapes.) They recognize galaxies and molecules, and they are getting imaginative in their play. I hear Nolan mumbling while he "cooks" in his kitchen. Reagan puts her legs on the window sill and hands on the train table and yells, "surfin'" (When I hear that, I put an end to it quickly as I picture the train table sliding out and her smacking her chin. Nolan is so super polite, even when I'm not around to hear it. It makes me so happy to know that. He loves to "wa-hands." He just can't get the -sh in wash! He does not like to be dirty. We were shopping the other day and Nolan was with me (Reagan was with Grammy)and the cashier commented on his clear speech and sentences at his young age. I told her you should hear his sister! The cashier was a retired English teacher that studied language development in toddlers and specifically twins. Interesting conversation. She is convinced they will not develop their own langauge since they have such a grasp on our real langauge at such a young age. I agree. Nolan has mastered the art of manipulation. He has me at "come 'ere" every time. He comes up, puts his arms out and says "COME 'ERE."

How could anyone resist!? I can't and since he'll probably stop this in a week, I pick him up.

EVERY.TIME. Coming soon to a gallery near you.... Valentine crafts. Notice Nolan use of mixed mediums. Crayons, stickers, and sticky sucker juice!

Yes, Reagans bangs are REALLY short. Too short for my taste and this is with two weeks growth!

Freeze Frame

All this time jumping on the show, LOST has got me thinking. Yep, this is another one of my deep thought posts. OK. After reading the question, what is the first thought that comes into your head...... What is the one moment you've experienced that you would like to go back and do over? Not so you could change the outcome of something, but just for the sheer pleasure of experiencing it all over again. I know I should say the birth of my children, but I was heavily drugged so it's not like I really remember it fully. We are fortunate to know many people in the wine business and are able to experience our passion up close and personal by being able to hang at wineries and stay in their guest house. Like this one at Terra Valentine Winery, on top of Spring Mountain in the Napa Valley. My moment to relive would be February 2006. We had had a wonderful evening; dinner at Cindy Pawlcyn's Backstreets Kitchen and then back to the guest house for a roaring fire, lovely bottle of TV Cab, and some dark chocolate, but it was the daybreak that made this the most special place. Words don't do it justice. I am lucky because my minds eye caught those colors that morning as the fog settled down in the valley hanging over the grapes holding that moisture in. My real camera didn't quit get it, but the pictures are proof that something so simple and pure existed. Fog settled on top of the vines. Slowly burning off.... All gone. For a moment, Bill and I were the only two people in the world. Well, at least on top of that mountain, enjoying breakfast. For me, that moment was just about living the beauty of the sunrise, vines, and being with the one I love. I had just had surgery a couple of months before. We were struggling with coming to terms with the fact that invitro was probably our last hope for a family. There were some really dark days before (and I'm not going to lie, after as well), but this day made my life worth living right then. It gave me hope that each day starts anew and with purpose. The fog needed to be there to hold the moisture in the valley so the grapes could soak it all up to withstand the sunshine for the rest of the day. The sun needed to be there to makes those grapes grow and the vines burst with fruit. The vines needed to grow so one day they could end up in a bottle on my table. That day made my dark days a little less. That moment became my happy go-to place when my life seemed to be at a standstill. I went there when I was in the operating room having three embryos transplanted. I think about how someday we will take Reagan & Nolan there and I will get to share the most breathtaking sight I had ever seen with the two most breathtaking sights I have seen since that day.

The Silliness That Is Our Lives Part.

Today while my kiddo's were securely zipped into their sleeping bags and in their cribs, I decided to brave the cold (high of 17 today) and walk to the end of the driveway for the mail. Make that walk to the mailbox in my PJ's, basically workout type sweats and a thermal shirt, & crocs--to get the mail. Let me backtrack a little at this point. A few weeks ago we finally got a new side door installed on our house. The old one was crappy and had one lock....just a regular door knob with the switch you turn clockwise to unlock. You had to unlock it to get outside. The new door is a bit fancier and has two locks, one of which is the lever style that you can push to open without turning the switch to actually unlock the door. (Key information, people.) To add another twist to the story, when the guys were installing the door, they unplugged the keypad to open our (attached) garage door from outside so they could plug in their tools. When we plugged it back in, the code was gone and Bill couldn't get it reset. The previous owners of this house were so helpful that they left us all manuals for just such an emergency. Fixing the garage door went on the "honey-do" list. Maybe I should use a little reverse psychology and call it a "honey-don't" list, but I digress. Are you putting two and two together? Did it add up to Shelley stupidly standing outside a (fancy) locked door in her PJ's while her 20 month old twins were settled down for a nap inside, thinking about the (non-working) keypad on the attached garage door? Ding-Ding-Ding. You win the prize. When that door clicked behind me, I literally had a sinking feeling in my stomach. I ran to the keypad, hoping for some miracle knowing it wasn't going to work. I ran next door, woke up my poor neighbor (she works 2nd) and called Bill. I can't remember exactly what I said, but it was something like "the kids are asleep and I am locked out. Come home NOW." I don't think time has gone as slowly since Nolan's surgery. I felt helpless and stupid. I just kept thinking....what if this is the day one of them wakes up and decides to try to climb out of the crib and then falls and breaks their collarbone or worse! They were sound asleep once we got in the house, having had no clue they were home alone and could have been having the time of their lives. I will not be winning any Mom of the Year awards anytime soon! Things added to the honey-do don't list: 1. Get copies of keys to neighbors 2.Get copies of keys to neighbors

Today's Special

Imagine my surprise yesterday when I was cleaning up while the kids napped.

Would you like a side of Burt with that?

At least he is well seasoned. The kids must hear their Daddy say he is using some lemon to "brighten" things up.

Reagan Loves 'Mocho

One of my very favorite restaurants in Momocho. I craved it when I was pregnant. Ok, who am I kidding I crave it all the time! I make Chef Eric's guacamole often, especially the goat cheese/habenero one. We all LOVE it. The kids shout 'mole, 'mole and "dip, dip." After Nolan's yearly follow-up last week we headed (ever so slowly thanks to the snow and rush hour traffic) to Momocho. Here is a quick video of Reagan professing her love for 'Mocho, eating guacamole with a spoon, and trying to get Nolan to dance with her. She was very funny the whole night, she was flirty with the bartender, kept asking, Tom, our waiter for more (through sign language since her mouth was too full to speak) 'mole, and chair danced the night away. Good times. Nolan scarfed up the 'mole as well as some queso fundido. He also ate the better part of a crab cake taquito. Check out Reagan's antics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JlYLwrUEpo

25 Random Things

So I've been tagged by my friends Jen and Michelle on facebook to do this 25 Random Things About Me. I'm posting it on the blog since I have that linked to facebook and this is the easiest way for me to do it. And away we go....... Rules: Once you have been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, its because I want to know more about you. 1.Roger Taylor from Duran Duran gave me one of his sweaty wristbands on my birthday a couple of years ago at a show in Baltimore. 2. I seriously considered moving to Dallas in 1994. 3. My dream is to move to Northern California and have enough money to open a small restaurant and winery. 4. I would like to have one more child. 5. I have friends that I have known since I was 1 year old :) 6. We drove to Key West for my 30th birthday (July), via Mobile Alabama (Hellabama) to visit Bill’s Grandma. The A/C in the car broke on the trip down (in a convertible) I got sun poisoning, Bill’s grandma didn’t recognize him (she thought he was the preacher; she was 101 at the time), and the super special bottle of wine we had in the trunk of the car burst and totally evaporated. Key West was a blast though. 7. I LOVE to take pictures. 8. I feel guilty when I take “me” time away from the kids. I haven’t been away from them for more than 8 straight hours since they were born. 9. I voted for Obama. Makes life interesting in our household. 10. One of my favorite food combos is a dark, dark chocolate and a Cabernet Sauvignon. 11. I can speak enough Spanish to get by in Mexico and get three drunken girls back to their hotel safe and sound. 12. I stole a bar stool from The Brickhouse (or was it already Panini’s) during a bachelorette party. 13. Back in the drinking days, I enjoyed getting under tables when I was drunk. Many people enjoyed it with me :) Drunk dialing was also another favorite. 14. My friends and I used to wear denim overalls on many of our drinking nights out. Good storage space; lots of pockets, the bib could hold a drink or two ;) 15. I dated guys named Dan.....at the same time.....and don't feel one bit guilty about it. They were both idiots. 16.I was engaged in 1994, thank God it didn’t work. 17.I was shy in high school. 18. I miss my Dad every day. He’s been gone 8 years. 19. I have met some wonderful people and awesome friends because of the internet and also use it to keep up with the ones I’ve had forever. (Thank you Al Gore.) 20. Our cat, Chandler, was the one to propose to me. He had the ring on a collar around his neck. 21. Bill and I have been together for over 10 years. 22. I had my dream job for 2 weeks several years ago. The company (Cleveland Free Times) was bought out and taken over by the town rival (the deal was deemed illegal and the paper was restored several months later.) 23. If #22 would not have happened, neither would #21. In two weeks I was out partying hardcore several times, not good on a relationship. 24. I met Francis Ford Coppola several years ago. I recognized him by his laugh since we had just watched the director comments on The Godfather. We were in his cafe in San Francisco and me being the smart ass I am, asked him why he didn’t have gnocchi on the menu (shot out to Godfather 3’s only decent scene.) 25. Some of the best times (and friends) I’ve had are because I worked for the Willoughby-Eastlake Library System for 10 years.

More Blog Catch-Up - Damn You Facebook

When last we caught up with the Pchak kids they were yelling "mush" at Daddy as he pulled them around in the snow. Since then we've been swimming, to the Cleveland Clinic X 2, Momocho, music class, shopping, waterpainted, and to see Nolan's girl at ourfave local (less than .5 mile) restaurant. Nolan's yearly check-up for his cranial surgery went well. The doctor gave himself a 10/10 on the surgery. We agree. They took pictures of Nolan's head to compare to last year. I'd like to see them...or maybe not. Waiting patiently for the doc. Whenever Nolan sees a pee-yo (pillow) he must take a "snooze."

January 2008-M0mocho....just looking

January 2009 Momocho.....digging right in

Reagan was eating the 'mole with a spoon!

Waterpainting

It's also been REALLY REALLY REALLY cold.

Reagan January 2008 2009 Giving me lip because I wouldn't open the gate that second!

Nolan 2008 Nolan 2009

I am blown away daily by the things Reagan remembers and says. Today at lunch Daddy made the kids hats out of their placemats and Reagan started singing "Happy Birthday To Me." Hello, that was in May!!! She really has a great memory.

One Of My Biggest Fears

Seriously....this is the kind of thing I dream about. Thank God that pilot held it together and everyone is going to be OK. I can't imagine the terror though.

Hugs your peeps extra tight today!

The Snowy Day

by Ezra Jack Keats Reagan & Nolan P.

"Wow, snow. Sure is slippy," said Reagan.

"I don't like falling in it because I can't get back up," said Nolan.

"We sure did like this part," Nolan and Reagan exclaimed with glee!

"Mommy overdid it with the clothes. You should have seen what I had on UNDER the snowsuit," said Reagan! "Daddy called it a snow burka."

"Hmmm, sure do like the taste of this fleece scarf," Nolan mumbled.

Neighborly Ways

Have I ever mentioned how good our neighbors on either side of us are to us? Our old neighborhood was not so much about the neighbors as it was the 'hood, so it was a nice surprise when we moved in and were greeted right away by several of the neighbors. One even made brownies (chocolate--way to score points with me!) In the last 16 months we've gotten to know the families on either side pretty well. The kids love the girl next store and someday she will be an awesome babysitter. Her Dad is a chef and is always bringing food over, especially when he knows we are sick or Bill is out of town. He brings meals or stuff to try out on us for the restaurant. My favorite so far has been the taste testing of the lobster hushpuppies this fall. He also rides his tractor around in the snow and plows our driveway often or blows leaves. On the other side, they have an awesome garden and share the wealth with us. It was like a treasure hunt this summer. Sometimes bags of tomatoes would be tied to my van door or cukes would be sunning on our bar outside. In the fall my garden got roto-tilled (our neighbor likes big yard tools.) Today, in the middle of the snowstorm I see our neighbor, the one that likes the big yard tools out there with his mega-snowblower doing our sidewalk and driveway about the time Bill mentioned that he needed to shovel so the guys working on our backdoor could get in the driveway. I need to get baking for these neighbors, the orange poppy bread I made at Christmas isn't nearly enough of a thank you. I'm so glad that we can raise our kids in a neighborhood with such nice people. Much better to learn these values then the ones they would have learned if we had not moved.

My Intelligent Offspring

Reagan and Nolan have hit new levels of intelligence lately.

They are stringing words together left and right, singing new songs after only hearing them once--see video of Reagan singing Oh My Darlin', counting, ABC's, stating what they want and need ("need that!", as Nolan says about his paci) and with that what they don't want too, they are learning manners -Nolan is quicker with these, but Reagan has been catching on. The politeness, or pee-ite as Reagan says, makes me very happy. Nolan always says Thank You Buddy (just repeating what we say to him) Welcome, Good Morning (even after afternoon naps), and his new favorite, "Hi there, how you? I fine."

I once told Reagan she could pick a Backyardigan video to watch as "the feature" before nap time. She now stands at the TV and says "feeture, feeture, feeture! She has an awesome, awesome memory. She also asks for each episode by name.

The icing on the cake this week was when Nolan and I were watching TV while laying on the "pignic" blanket on the floor and he leaned into me and said "Love you." Melt.My.Heart.

Here is Reagan sharing her milk with Jeepster this morning.

Nolan playing in the box their kitchen came in.....sometimes this is a better toy than the actual thing inside.

Reagan singing "Oh My Darlin' Clementine"

If You Look Up Ornery In The Dictionary

this picture appears next to it.....

And then there is sweetness.

Miss Reagan has begun speaking in sentences. For example if they are not exactly asleep and someone goes in the room to check on them, she pops up and yells, "I see you." "I see Nolan." The first time she did it, I laughed out loud. She is also assigning ownership to things. Mommy's chair, Daddy's shoes. She even brings Daddy his shoes when it time to go bye-bye and sets them down at his feet. She is a helper when she wants to be. She also named the squirrels & deer that frolic in our front yard. They are "nuts"and "bami" (not a typ-o, just bami.)

Nolan is excellent at counting to 14. We count the steps every morning when we come down. His favorite is 13. They both yell it! He also does really well with the alphabet and anything that is a song. He is very muscially inclined. Always tapping his feet and clapping his hands. He knows the tunes of twinkle, twinkle, the backyardigans theme, itsy bitsy spider, wheels on the bus, and many others.

Nolan's New Head One Year Later

One year ago today I started this blog to keep family and friends up to date on Nolan's metopic craniosynostosis surgery. We had friends, family, and strangers all over the world praying for our little guy and this was the easiest way to keep everyone up to speed. As I typed that first entry, the tears streamed down my face because in a few short hours we were taking our baby boy to have his head cut open.

I was scared to death. In his hospital gown, oblivious (thank goodness!) One last cuddle before heading to the OR.

I just now finished rereading all the posts (scroll to the bottom and read up) from the hospital stay and the tears are flowing again. Seeing the pictures and reading what that poor kid went through brought it all back. Good thoughts come now too, of all the people that love us and took care of us during those weeks we were on autopilot. You sat with us at the hospital, cried with us, fed our bodies and spirits, prayed for us, helped take care of Reagan, and rejoiced with us. Last year I could not bear the passage of time. I hoped that if I went to sleep, the world would get put on hold and we wouldn't have to face the surgery we had been dreading. Not that I am excited for the passage of time, but today I celebrate. Nolan is happy and healthy, and along with his sister, make our lives fuller everyday. photo by Eleanor Chuey