Calvin in his big boy bed

Our little boy is growing up

He is so happy here!

Loving on his Diego covers as we prepare his big boy bed for the first time to sleep in it

All tucked in for the night

Emerald helping "teach" Calvin how it's done

Calvin has been doing fantastic sleeping in his big boy bed! We are so proud of him. I should take another picture, with all the extras. We have added a larger Diego pillow and each night Calvin adds another animal, doll, book, etc. to the bed. He is such a man of routine!!! He has to have each of the blankets, in the right order, and all of his "things" with him--dolly, Elmos (3 of them), doggie, Papaya (borrowed from Gee), book, and of course BoBo, and his teddy bear blanket (for some reason attached to this). However, he has been sleeping in his bed and we are thankful he is doing such a great job taking this big step toward growing up.

We have been working on using the potty, too. He requested big boy undies the other day, so we took a family trip to the store and picked out his choice of new undies (a multi-pack of Disney characters). He isn't doing a perfect job yet, but with the encouragement of big sis, and our slight prodding, Calvin may be taking another step toward growing up soon. I know its all good, but this mommy is always a tiny bit sad when her babies show her they are growing up (not that I want to change diapers for forever, mind you).

Calvin, Mommy and Daddy are so proud of all you are doing these days. Sometimes we kind of expect you to be older than you are. You do a great job of helping us around the house, loving on your siblings, showing us how smart you are, sleeping in your big bed, helping at bath time, reading your stories back to us (incredible comprehension skills), and just being you!!! We love you with all of our hearts and can't begin to imagine our lives without you. Thanks for making our lives complete.

2 years ago today........

October 18, 2007

It's been 2 years today!!! 2 years ago we loaded up our U-Haul(s) (I laugh at that b/c we had to get an unplanned 2nd truck the morning we left b/c we couldn't fit all our stuff in the one truck) and headed north. We left our first home, we left the great state of Texas, we left our friends, and moved to our new home. We hadn't yet seen our new home, but drove north on the faith that all the emails and money exchange was really real and drove to our rental house--sight unseen. We didn't know what our new actual "home" would look like for 2 months, but we had a short-term house that we could fill, temporarily, with our boxes. We unloaded some of the boxes, only to re-pack them 3 months later and move again.

I remember doing well with everything until we were just about to walk out the door. I sat down on our fireplace and I cried....I cried like a crazy woman! That was our first home, the first place that was really ours! We lived there for 9 years! The door we walked out of was the same door we had walked through with our 2 babies when we first brought them home. It was the door that we'd watched our puppy scamper through the first time, and all those times after when we would go on walks through our neighborhood. It was the door that we walked in each night after work and felt the calm wash over us as you realized you were "home". That door that we'd walk out of was the same door that the mean people broke in and stole some of our stuff. That door was the same that allowed all our family and friends into our home to be a part of our lives. That door that stood for so much.......and we were about to walk out of it for the last time. It really made me sad to know that I was leaving a place in which I had made such wonderful friends. It was a place that allowed us such incredible experiences at jobs both for Skip at UST and for me at SMG. We loved our church and developed some lasting memories there of both friends and major life events including the baptisms of 2 of our children and our Goddaughter, Anna. We had developed our Texas lives there, and it was hard to leave.

My children were younger then. Emerald was 2 1/2, which is Calvin's current age. She seems so much older now. Calvin was just 8 months old, younger than Zachary is now. He was just a baby! We brought both of them home from Gladney to that house. They both were born in Texas. I remember a time when we had to tell our adoption agency that we were taking them across the state line. Now, we were moving them far, far away. It was in that kitchen that I had received both of those miracle phone calls........."You have a baby girl/boy, you can pick them up Thursday." I won't ever forget standing in my kitchen, talking with our case worker, never expecting her to say those words! It's weird to think that in these 2 years we've added another miracle to our family!

One of the major reasons we moved 2 years ago was b/c we always knew that we didn't want to raise our children so far from our family. We hadn't planned to raise them in the "big city". Both of us grew up in smaller Kansas towns, and we wanted that for our kiddos. We wanted to be closer to our future nephews/neices if they should ever come around (and they did :) thankfully). We wanted our children to get the opportunity to see their grandparents more often. We have been blessed in our move to have found a wonderful job opportunity for Skip, a fantastic location to raise our children, a beautiful (if you can overlook the clutter of toys) home, the opportunity to be close to Skip's brother and his family (which thankfully were there to help us on that day 2 years ago), and nice, new friends.

We miss our old home, our friends, our Texas opportunities. We miss being able to attend Gladney events with the kids. We miss our old church and wonderful priests we became close to down in Texas. I personally really miss seeing many of my former students who are growing up way to fast (thank goodness for Facebook). I miss being around my old mom's group and the many, many awesome friends I made through that group. I miss all our other friends, you know who you are! I know Skip misses his old job--especially the opportunities it offered in the golf department (aka playing in Bandon, Oregon). Life brings changes......good or bad........life brings changes. We are happy with our choice and don't think we would have changed a thing about our decision (unless we could have brought all our friends with us). 2 years ago we walked through that door, closing it behind us and opening another door to our future.

It's just another day in paradise

Zachary was hanging out doing his normal roll all around the living room playing for hours on end. I checked on him as I was making dinner, and found him like this, one arm out. Don't ask me how, but he had worked his arm out of his long-sleeved onesie. It was even inside of overalls, and I am still perplexed as to how that happened. I thought that was a sweet moment of Calvin, engrossed in a Dora show, not even realizing I was taking a picture! Emerald is quite the little helper lately. She loves to sweep the tile for us. We need to work on making it a little more thorough, but there is time!! She also likes to help sort laundry. I am trying to take advantage of the excitement while it still exists.

They really do grow up in the blink of an eye...

Emerald is reading to us

Calvin is sleeping in his big-boy bed

Zachary got a new tooth

The love........

I know all the other moms out there can understand exactly what I mean......

Yesterday it was as if all 3 of my munchkins grew up in the blink of an eye. No, not grown up driving and going off to college, but moving on to the next stage. As a mom there are many small moments that prove to you that your kids are growing up. You know it's happening--you know they are physically getting bigger, getting smarter, growing up. Then, their pants are shorter, they say something more "grown up", they recognize something you don't expect. Some days there is proof that they are growing up. I am the type of mommy that tries my hardest to not "wish" them older. I try hard to appreciate each and every stage that my children are in. I don't always look forward to them growing up. Not that I don't want them to get older, smarter, more independent--it is just that I know once they pass a stage they won't EVER go back to it. And, that makes me a little sad, happy, too, but mostly a little sad b/c I know my babies are growing up. I know that once they take their first steps, they don't want to be held as much, and once they leave their crib they are free to roam their room (not always a good thing). No, I don't want to keep them babies for forever, but just long enough. They have to spend so much of their lives being "grown up" and their sweet innocence will be broken soon enough on more than one occasion. I just want them to stay little long enough for all of us to enjoy it and to remember it.

So yesterday I had it staring me in the face all day long that my little ones are one more step closer to being grown up. Emerald grabs a book and began sounding out letters. She has been "reading" with us for awhile, but yesterday she grabbed a book we hadn't read in quite some time and sounded out the letters and read "The dog ran". Pretty basic sentence, but she read it all by herself. She is reading now, or at least in the early stages of reading. She loves coloring these days and is doing such a great job staying in the lines and being patient. She makes pictures that actually look like something, and then she signs it with her 4 year old script that used to look more like scribbles but now forms the letters "E M E R A L D" (although the R, A, and D need more help). She goes off to school, and is making friends, and is such a fabulous big sister to both her brothers! Her imagination is so cute to watch and she is in love with princesses and playing dress up. My sweet baby girl is turning out of "baby" and into just a little girl right in front of my eyes. I love you Emerald Rea Pankewich!!

Calvin started sleeping in his toddler bed. I am going to do another post about this, but it is such a big deal it is worthy of mentioning twice! He is growing taller, not fitting into some of his 2T pants any more, and slimming down. His vocabulary is increasing and he is getting a little tougher when it comes to Emerald telling him what to do. I kind of like that he is starting to stand up for himself. I don't always like the fighting, but she was being kind of pushy at times to our sweet little Calvinator. Calvin has been sitting at the big table with us for awhile now and is doing a good job. We have also started working on potty training with him, but again, he isn't all that excited about it. We'll keep at it, but he does seem to understand a little more now. Calvin is a little copy cat and is trying to read, too. He is doing GREAT with his letters and numbers and can identify quite a lot of them. He has also switched to the "spit" toothpaste (I know this is a small thing, but big in his world). Our sweet Calvin is so in love with books and hits up every person that walks in the door to read him a story. He loves working on puzzles and amazes us with his abilities--it is one of the few things that keeps him still and quiet longer than 2 minutes. Calvin can be so calm and sweet with Zachary, and such a funny little creature when playing his goofy self during play time. He is also a great helper when he is focused! Calvin Charles Pankewich I love you so very much!

Yes, on the same day, we discovered Zachary was getting his first tooth! I've noticed he has been more droolly lately, and chewing on everything, but that is a baby for you. He is his typical laid back self and hasn't seemed upset by this at all--way to go Zach! We also used up the last of his 1-2 diapers and moved up to size 2 diapers on the same day. Zachary loves to roll himself all over the place and loves to chew on everything he's not supposed to--dog toys, books, puzzle pieces, shoes, etc. Zach remains such an easy going little guy. He goes with the flow on everything and naps when he can. Poor thing has no schedule at all and is great with that! We are going to a physical therapy (PT) evaluation for him on Thursday and I am anxious to see what they have to say. I have to say, I've kind of appreciated him being this little just a little too much. I really want him to be ok overall, but b/c he doesn't crawl or walk yet, I get to hold him that much longer. He loves to cuddle and we LOVE that about him. It is so easy to smile when that face lights up and his giggle echoes off the walls as he looks with awe at his siblings. Zachary Stanley Pankewich you may be small for now, but we love you bigger than you can ever realize!

Children of mine......don't grow up too fast. This mommy likes to enjoy her time with you for now, as my little ones.

Zachary's playdate with Greyson

The boys are sharing :)

Emerald liked "helping" with the babies

Greyson seemed to be fascinated with Zachary's hair


We had a playdate with Greyson the other day. Greyson is a good friend we met while in the NICU. We love the name Greyson, b/c it was the name the transitional care mom called Calvin when he was first born. Greyson's mom and I have become pretty good friends. Greyson's daddy works at Garmin, too. Greyson is about 3 weeks older than Zachary. He is quite a lot bigger, which we joke about often. He is a "chunky monkey" and we love it knowing where these boys started! Greyson has had a perfectly healthy time after leaving the NICU and we are so thankful. He is amazingly strong, crawling all over, pulling up, and I swear he is going to start walking soon! I am sure that G and Z will be friends for a long time to come!! I would be thrilled to have Zach have such a beautiful little guy and amazing person as a life-long friend!

Happy Birthday Heidi

I love Josiah's eyes!! If you look closely, you can see his tooth on the bottom.

Check out that line of drool! Love it!

He is a boy on the move!

I just couldn't get a good front picture b/c he was so fast!

Today is Heidi's birthday. I missed Jeff's birthday last week. It is big birthday times around these parts! I got to watch Josiah today and we had some good times playing and watching him crawl all over the place. I didn't have a great picture of Jeff or Heidi, but here's your sweet baby boy wishing you both a very Happy Birthday!! Today Josiah also turned 10 months old today. Why do these kids grow up so fast?

The sibling bond

I promise she isn't choking him!

A sneak preview of Calvin's Halloween costume. Zachary was checking out the new pet in the house.

Zach and Laney have been working on some sibling love lately, too.

I thought this picture was sweet.

I am in love with watching our children develop their sibling bonds. With each new step/stage, I am thoroughly LOVING it! I am an only child, and maybe that's why this is so fascinating to me. The love that Emerald and Calvin have had for each other always amazed me. People would ask, "do they get along?" Like you wouldn't believe!! Yes, there is a little of the love/hate thing from time-to-time, and each child does hit a point of needing his/her own space, but honestly, our children really love each other!!! The big kids can't wait to say good morning to Zach. He couldn't beam brighter upon seeing them, too! Calvin and Zachary get a little brotherly love time each day when Emers is at school. Calvin really acts great as a big brother and watches out for his "little guy". Then you throw the dog and the love they all have for her, and the patience she has for them, wowsa!!! I just love, love, LOVE watching this sibling love develop and I look forward to watching it grow as the children grow up. Just last night, Emerald stopped Calvin, taught him some new skill we'd been working on for awhile, and he understood. She has amazing patience with him, with both of them for that matter. You should see how happy it makes her as Zachary grabs her hair and yanks as hard as he can--Emers just smiles away. Calvin is an awesome helper when it comes to Zachary. I can already see the look of admiration in Zach's eyes when his siblings come around--a true gleam! Just loving this moment of motherhood! :)

Wii........we are having some fun times now

Love watching the smile spread on their faces

The scene in our living room this week

Jumping for joy

All 4 of my kids!!

This week we purchased a Wii. It is an early dual birthday present for Skip and I. Or should we call it a Christmas gift?? Neither Skip nor I have ever (in our youth) owned any type of gaming system. While in Colorado this summer, we had a blast playing with Laura and Shane's Wii, and enjoyed the fun the kids had as well. We promise we won't let them turn into video game junkies!!!! However, winters here are long, and I am looking forward to having one more thing that will keep some of their energy used up, while warm inside. We have had fun learning the new games and making our Mii's. Emerald is a pretty good bowler, and Calvin is doing great at baseball. I am sure there are many fun hours to be had in our future with our new gift.

I...am...a...ro-bot...

Emerald declaring herself a robot


Under the train table...Zachary had rolled underneath, so the big kids had to follow him to give him hugs and kisses so he "wouldn't be afraid of the dark" under the table.

Calvin being "scary"

Emerald was supposed to be taking a nap. She caught me as I was running laundry from one place to another. "Mommy, look." So I glance her way and had to run for the camera. "I.......am.......a..........ro.......bot" says she as her arms are moving slowly up and down. Tied all up and down her legs were socks, tied by herself. Why do I bother trying to match them to put in her drawer?? Since, Calvin has become the "ro.......bot" too each time we put a shirt over his head and arms. I love the level of imagination in a child this age!!

In motion

I think I can.........

Working on getting up on all 4's (although the core muscles are pretty weak, so it is hard for him)

Stretch........I did it!

This is an adorable shirt from a great friend. We love our little Lobster!!

There is no sitting still for the Z-man these days. He is a man with a mission.........movement! "I have to catch up with my siblings" says Zach in an exculsive interview. He really is working hard at moving forward with his army crawl, and then still rolling all over the room to get to places, toys, dogs, people, etc.

9 months old already?!?!

This is Zach these days--rolling all over the place

Zach is working on his sitting skills

Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh.........this lobster is getting me!!

Rocky used to look so big next to me......I'm growing like a weed

How did 9 months pass already? I have 3 children that are growing like weeds and getting older every single day!!! We went to see Dr. Mike yesterday and our little man has officially quadrupled his birth weight! He is weighing in at 15 lb 9 oz, which isn't quite on the growth charts yet. However, his height continues to climb on the growth charts--he is 27 1/2" long and that is in the 10th-25th percentile!! Our long, lean little man taking after his daddy. He got a flu shot while at the docs, but no other shots--yeah!! He is wearing size 1-2 diapers these days, but only for a few more weeks, about out of thoses, and clothing he fits into 6-9 nicely (although 3-6 still fit well for the most part). His hair is really coming in lately, and he is known to be called "spikey hair" by his siblings, as the top hair is kind of long and fluffy just after a bath!

This month has seen a lot of medical issues for Zachary. He has had his surgery, his MRI, shots, a reaction to shots, a visit to the neurosurgeon, a follow-up with the urologist, a reaction to that, which led to a trip to the ER, a visit from PT, and back to the doc for the 9 month well-child check!! Whew.....tired just typing it all! Even amid all that chaos, he has continued to thrive. His biggest skill this month has been him rolling across the room, and the beginning of some army crawling. Look out world, he is a boy on the move! His siblings LOVE this new skill, as they think he is chasing them all the time. Zachary has also started his cereal this week, and is doing pretty well with that. Zach has worked hard at holding his head up better this month, and is now able to spend some fun times in his exersaucer and jumperoo. He still has some work to do with his sitting and standing skills, though........

We had Infant/Toddler back to the house again to re-evaluate him. She was concerned b/c the first eval showed him as being "in the grey zone" and not quite qualified. So, they followed up with some paperwork at 6 months (adjusted) age, which again, showed him as borderline, or "in the grey". She agreed, he is a tough one. He is fine in so many areas, but in the torso, or trunk, he is pretty weak. He is beginning to army crawl, which is great, but can't sit well or put pressure on his legs to stand. She said to follow-up in a month to see how he is doing and we would re-evaluate....again!

When we were at Dr. Mike's he wasn't totally confident in that and doesn't want Zach to fall behind. So, he is having us go to Children's Mercy for an evaluation with their PT/OT department. He doesn't think it would hurt to get a second opinion. He also ordered an x-ray of his hips, as they seemed pretty flexible. Luckily, the x-ray won't require sedation :) So, we will be heading back to our favorite hospital to get more work done on our relatively healthy little man. I honestly don't know what I'd do with a child who really did have serious medical issues! I keep so busy as it is....it would wear me out!! God bless those that do have to work more with their sweet little ones!!

Side note--we got a bill today from Children's Mercy. I don't know if they can keep track of it all! On one sheet yesterday it listed the OR for the surgery (again, I know it was pretty minor), anesthesiologist, follow-up care, and MRI meds. Today's bill had the RX, the MRI, the neurosurg. visit, the ER visit, the urologist follow-up, and something else, I forget. We will be back next Friday for another urologist follow-up (due to his reaction) and will probably get his x-ray done then. Then we go back for PT/OT eval the following week. How many accounts can they have on this little guy???? Again, a thanksgiving prayer........THANK YOU GOD FOR GRANTING US FABULOUS INSURANCE!! WE ARE SO, SO, SO VERY GRATEFUL!!!!!!!!!!

I'll keep you informed as to how the appts go next week. We are actually raising to other fabulously healthy munchkins. I laugh at this comment b/c I feel very, very bad that I haven't been blogging about them much lately!! I love them dearly, and feel like they have been slightly neglected lately. They are busy preparing themselves for Halloween talking every day about candy and costumes. They are also busy pretending, putting puzzles together, playing games, chasing each other, going to dance and school, and constantly entertaining us all! We love our crazy, busy life. It is so hard to imagine that such a short few years ago we were child-less and praying to God to bless us with these treasures! How blessed we are!!!!!!!!