Post New Year and beyond!

I am finally getting a chance to get on here and update this blog of mine. Whew its been a crazy couple of weeks. My twin sister and her family came in for New Years. We, of course, had to have a big ol' fashion family New Year's Eve party with tons of party trays filled with lunch meats, cheeses, bread, olives pickles, etc... we even made the famous "papa punch" as my kids call it...Tradition brought on by my dad when we were little. Hawaiian punch, ginger ale, fruit cocktail and vanilla ice cream! Yummmy! There were no kids sleeping when 12 midnight came! I couldn't get over it...Gina and Kenny both stayed awake! The kids played and played...the cousins just LOVE each other! I miss having my sisters live around here. Family is so important. The day after, we went to my nieces house and celebrated my oldest sisters birthday. Another awesome time! Did I mention...I just love family get togethers! I love spending time with all my sisters and their kids. It just feels so right! I love seeing the cousins interact and be best buds. I hope and pray they will always be close...all of them!The whole gang, right before midnight...poppers and all!Cafe' Tomecko...lolI love having almost all my sisters together...it was wonderful!!!!

The last couple of days have been a real tester to me...the house is just not ready to sell...we have a lot of fixing up to do, but not a lot of money to do it...so we think we are going to have to pull the house from the market until we can fix it up and get what we want for it. Not to mention, there really isn't anything out there that is big enough and yet cheap enough for us...believe me...I've been looking. It's a long road, but hey, if we lived here this long, we can live here a little longer until we know that it's the right time. It's just hard having 2 kids in our room with us, everyone on top of each other with no personal space...I feel bad for the kids, I really do. But I also know that this year HAS to be a good year for Tony and I...it just has to be!

On my moms board that I am on and have been for years, there are not one, but 2 girls pregnant with twins. I am SO happy for them...I really, really am. I mean, I know the excitement, the joy, the overwhelming...just wanting to scream...I just won the pregnancy jackpot feeling of finding out there are two babies in there....but I am so sad...I just wish my two babies were here...were healthy. I so badly was looking forward to being a mommy of twins...and instead, I sit and try to figure out a way to have to tell strangers that ask, "any twins?". What do I say? Ummmm...yes, but he passed away. It hurts every time I have to say that. And if I don't say anything, I feel like I am not including a very important person that has touched my life...Nick. So...its been rough.

Not to mention...the two littlest ones...who we call Kenny and Gina....yikes! They act like twins! They are both getting into EVERYTHING! On a side note...Kenny is now walking 80% of the time! It is awesome! He really is trying his hardest and he is the most determined person I know! Ok...back to the "getting into everything"....so the other day started off with me sick...oh yeah...sinus infection along with ear infection...unable to get to the doctor because of one thing or another. I decided that I was going to have a bowl of cereal. I finish it, and put it on the counter...ding ding ding...mistake #1....I always tell the kids to put the dishes/bowls/cups...whatever they use...put it in the SINK...so...what does my wonderful Kenny do? Yup...he grabbed the bowl, which had some milk and remnants of rice krispies in it and proceeded to dump it all over the floor! Ok...no biggie. Cleaned it up, no problem. Throughout the day. I couldn't sit down for one minute just to have a little self pity for how sick I was...instead the babies continued to get into climbing on the kitchen counter (Gina)...just because...get into the spice drawer...Kenny is famous for reaching into the spice drawer and grabbing a container to open (his favorite thing in the world is to twist off caps...caps of any kind...even child proof ones!). I was just sitting in the living room on the couch, I hear the drawer slam shut. I thought to myself, here we go again. Jumped up from the couch to see Cilantro and Thyme all over my kitchen floor. Kenny holding a container and Gina trying to sweep up the mess with a broom! I was laughing so hard because...Gina...with broom...she is only 1 1/2! I wish I would have gotten a picture but...Tony had to take the camera with him for a job.

So as the day progressed...Kenny proceeded to get into the mini marshmallows and Gina...oh Gina wanted to see how the keys on Daddy's laptop stayed on...popping several off and onto the floor! Here's me trying to figure out where on the keyboard they go...fun I tell ya! Ha ha! In the meanwhile...trying to help 4 kids with homework...while breaking up the small, petty fighting between them. Oh wait...did I mention that I picked that day to sort 3 baskets of socks....in my living room! Yeah...so that made for a very interesting day.

We had Kenny at his Neurologist yesterday. He hasn't had any more seizures since the one before Thanksgiving...thank God. We had him on Keppra but that made him very angry, crying all the time along with banging his head...just a complete mess. His doctor, about 3 weeks ago, prescribed Trileptal...so far its doing its job. He is, by far, less agitated. He still goes into his crying fits, but not as often. He no longer has the look of "PMS", as I like to call it. But he is going into more...eh...I want to call them full body muscle spasms, a lot more than normal. The doctor wants me to video tape an episode to show him. They could be just that...muscle tremors, or they could be partial seizures...we'll see soon enough.

Like I said before, he is walking 80% of the time now AND is doing many more signs! Its awesome...God IS good. The Neurologist sat down with Tony and I and told us that because Kenny was born at the very edge of viability, no one really knows what is going on in his brain. There were no brain bleeds...awesome...but there could be short circuits going on, which is causing the developmental problems and such. He pretty much told us that even doctors are still learning what is in store for such micro preemies. That as Kenny gets older, there will be more things that "pop up". Ok...that makes me feel 100% better...NOT!

So I guess we (Tony and I) are in for a ride of a lifetime with our Kenny.

I have to say, I am very blessed with such great kids...I have my Tony...Mr....good on any instrument...I mean...really talented...I just wish we had the money to get him into lessons, so he can fine tune his talent...especially drums and vocals...amazing! He is also really good with figuring out how electronics and computer things work....the only thing that has me worried is that he is very upset about how thin he is. He comes home every day and tells me that the kids at school are making him feel bad because of how skinny he is...I just don't know what to do for him. My heart breaks.

Taylor is all about jewelry design and fashion design...I LOVE IT! She takes after me in more ways than one! She is not outrageous with things, doesn't want to be bothered with stupid stuff...hates when people fight...especially her friends. She giggles about the smallest things. Out of all the kids, I see myself in her the most.

Morgan...oh Morgan...my lover of all things. She is the one that helps me handle Leo the squirrel. She goes outside, calls him down from the trees...and he listens! She helps me around the house, with the babies, all the while....singing her heart out...she is very passionate about life.

Sydnie, hmm...she is a very intelligent person in a little girls body! She has an artistic side, but doesn't flaunt it. She LOVES to take naps and be comfy...she too laughs about everything...especially when something happens to her...like tripping...she ALWAYS cracks up when she trips. I love her big eyes and her naturally highlighted hair.

And with Kayleigh, she is getting ready to go to kindergarten in the fall. She love to play on the computer or the ipod, loves to goof around. She is still a baby to us.She needs to be cuddled all the time, loves babies and dogs...but only small ones...and they cant go near her. She doesn't like crowds either...she freaks out!

And lastly...boy...I turned this post into a who's who in the Tomecko family...LOL...

Gina...my chubby little love. She love to kiss, hug and climb. She is Kenny's rock! She was brought here because of Kenny...I strongly feel that! She shows him how to do things...to be his "twin" that he lost. Without her...without any of my beautiful kids, this family would be incomplete. Yes, there is a person missing...we all feel that...Nick should be here in this list of who's who...but God had other plans for him.

Ah...well I am going to end this post now before I get all weepy.