what makes it worth it...

I'm exhausted.  I don't remember the last time I slept more than 90 minutes in a row.  My eyes burn constantly.  I survive on chocolate and caffeine (since being released to a regular diet after Sammy's colic treatments).  I'm irritable and not always nice.  I'm dread the nights b/c I know that Sam will wake up constantly.

But you know what? 

I know it's worth it (and I guess deep down I know it won't last forever).  You know why?  Because I have this awesome 2 1/2 year old who reminds me that the infant stage doesn't last forever (of course, it's followed by sometimes not fun times as a toddler). 

He is at this wonderful stage where he freely gives me giant hugs and tells me many times a day that he loves me (as he's doing right this minute as I try to type).  He climbs behind me in the chair and says he wants to rub my back because it hurts.  He tells me thank you, you're welcome, I'm sorry I hurt you, Mommy, and he "shakes his booty."

And then today, on our way home from playing with friends (9 boys and 2 girls between 5 moms...and 3 kids were missing!), I turned around and told him how proud I was of him for behaving so well while we were at our friend's house.  I told him thank you for obeying me and for being such a good boy.  And do you know what he said??  He told me, "thank you mom for taking me to play with my friends." 

Oh boy.  Stick a fork in me.  I'm done.  My boy is the BOMB!  Love you so much Little Major!

My New Baby

So, I was (hopefully) at the bottom of the barrel when I wrote my last post.  I was exhausted, frustrated, angry, and not feeling very loving or optimistic.  But, we seemed to have turned a corner.  Sam had a great 2 treatments at the end of the week, and he's been so much happier and not in pain. Praise the Lord!!

It's like we have a brand new baby in the house - one who doesn't cry constantly, isn't in pain, and smiles at us!  Woo hoo!  (Now, let's hope this keeps up!)

The doctor had told me that there would be ups and downs, but I never expected the "downs" to be so terrible.  I'm praying that there will only be "ups" from now on - and thankfully the chiro thinks that is the case. 

I went back to eating dairy, but I'm skipping the straight milk.  We'll see if I can tell a difference.  Sam has done so great the last 3 days that I'm not sure if it's the doctor, the milk, or both.  But, I'm hoping that this is our last week of treaments.  I'm SO ready to get our days back.  This week we have doctor's appointments every.single.day.  Four for Sam and one for me.  Not fun! 

It doesn't even feel like Christmas is coming b/c we've been so wrapped up in our craziness...but I'm ready to get into the spirit.  Mom and I are going to try to get some baking done tomorrow.

Thanks for your prayers and encouragement!  It helped me a lot!  Keep 'em coming! =)

6 weeks

Baby Sam is 6 weeks old today...and let me tell you, it's been a long 6 weeks!  All my confidence that I talked about in my previous post??  Well, it's left the building. 

Sam cries ALL THE TIME.  At 3 weeks old, he was diagnosed w/ colic...a condition I'd thought was completely made up until now.  At first with Major we were told he had colic, but he was later diagnosed w/ reflux, we got meds and life became pleasant.  I thought colic was a term doctors used when they didn't know what else to call it.

But, we've been seeing a chiropractor (which is much against what I normally would do) who claims to be able to cure colic.  We see the doctor 4 times a week for treatment - a treatment where he massages and puts pressure on Sam's belly in an effort to strengthen the valve between his small and large intestine.  We saw improvement almost immediately...but after a week or so, we were right back to square one.  Well, maybe not quite back to square one.  We aren't seeing as much colic (wailing scream of pain, hard tummy, and kicking feet and flailing hands), we think, but we are seeing a ton of crying.  Basically, Sam cries unless you're holding him.  And if he was my first, I'd be able to hold him almost all of the time, but I cna't do that w/ a 2 year old to take care of.  Not to mention that I don't want to miss a year of Major's life while I hold Sam.

I'm beginning to wonder if something else is going on w/ Sam.  Our chiro says babies cry for 2 reasons - they're hungry or they're uncomfortable.  So, if Sam is fed, changed, and not kicking w/ colic, what could possibly be wrong?? 

Another part of the colic treatment is a special (read: STUPID) diet for nursing moms.  It's a low protein, high carb, no seasoning, no caffeine, no carbonation, no chocolate no red meat no fruits or veggeis COMPLETELY UNHEALTHY diet.  I've been on it for almost 3 weeks, and I'm pretty much dying.  All I can think about is coffee or diet coke, with a big fat cheeseburger as a close second.  The theory is that this diet helps the baby heal from colic more quickly by producing less gas.  Dairy is allowed - so my diet has been made up of cheese, milk, vanilla ice cream, bread, butter, and chicken.  BUT, since we still have the crying bouts, my mom thought Sam might have an allergy to milk.  So, as of yesterday, I've also cut out dairy.  Oi.  What is there to eat????

I know I'm whining here, and yes, I'm skeptical about this path we're going down, but we were ready to try anything.  I've about decided that I just dont produce easy babies.  At least this all confirms that we're done with 2!!

If you don't hear from me for a year, I'm holding a crying baby...but he is pretty cute!

It's a...

BOY!!


Baby Sam is here!  He made his appearance on his own time -- with no consideration for the plan Mommy had for him to be born on Nov. 5.  Oh well, Mommy sure wasn't sad to not be pregnant anymore.  He was born healthy and well 8 days before his scheduled arrival (I was 38 weeks exactly). After I spent all day cleaning like a mad woman, I went into labor on my own, but didn't realize that what I was feeling was contractions, so it was 8 hours later before we went to the hospital.  Oops.  Oh well, all worked out, and I have a healthy and beautiful baby boy!

I'm the mom to 2 boys!!  Woo hoo!  I'll forever be known as a Boy Mama.  My sweet dog, Lucy, and I are now outnumbered in our house, but that's ok.  I love all of my boys.



Big brother Major needed a few days to get used to the idea of baby brother being a real live human who came to live in our house.  The first thing he said when we got home from the hospital was that he wanted Sam to go home.  But, after 2 days, he was in love as much as the rest of us.  He loves to hold and kiss him, and he always wants to pat his head or rub his leg.  It was just a few days after we were home that Major said to me, unprovoked, "I love you, Mom," and he already says that to his baby brother, too.  Melt my heart.



We have had a rough start at home though.  Major got his second cold this month just a few days after we got home from the hospital. He's had a horrible cough and sore throat, and he's just felt pretty yucky.  Add that to getting used to a newborn (who we def don't want to get sick) and trying to figure out nursing and sleeping and being a family of 4, and we've had some rough times. 

Here's my sicky...


But, finally today, I think that Major is on the mend.  We even ventured out on a family outing to the zoo.  It was a little chilly, and we had to stop twice to nurse and we didn't last very long, but it was so fun to get out.  The Colonel has been off work since the baby was born, and we are SO enjoying having him home.  He heads back to work next week, and I'm already to sad (and a bit panicked!).



There are so many things that I forgot about having a newborn, but it's slowly coming back to me.  I definitely feel more confident this time around, and little Sam has softened my heart to other things as well.  Somehow, in all the chaos and sickness, I've been able to find more patience than I had before.  I've been more sensitive and kind towards Major, and I absolutely appreciate what a great father The Colonel is.  I seriously could not do any of this without him!





So, happy fall from the family of 4!

 

When it rains, it hails

Last Wednesday, Major and I were just minding our business waiting for Daddy to get home from work when it started pouring rain.  Daddy made it home fine, and then 10 minutes later it started hailing.  It started with small hail, and then gradually got bigger....until it was the size of a baseball!!  I'm not exaggerating...see the pictures!

It started like this...


And then became this...

Our front yard...

Our backyard...

I ran in to get the camera (we were hanging out in the garage looking out at it) while my brave, stupid (who knows?) husband was running out to retrieve the stones (he DID have a board over his head and back to protect him) so I could take pictures of them.  The hail lasted for about 20 minutes, I guess.  It sounded like bombs were landing on our roof.  When they hit the cement, they made the scariest sound and bounced toward us.  I kept pushing Major further into the garage to keep him safe. 

The boys were enjoying the show, thinking it was pretty cool...but I was almost in tears.  All I saw were $$ signs. 

My mom was out shopping right then, so Dad called her and told her not to come home. She drove over to our church and took cover under the awning there until it ended.  Dad had to scramble to clear a spot in their garage for his truck - he's been working on the garage, so all their tools and stuff were piled up in the middle.  We hurried and moved the lawnmower and trash cans so Mom could park in our 3rd bay when she finally made it home. 

It was pretty scary...my Kansas born and bred husband had never in his life seen hail like this.  We still have 3 stones in our freezer - between tennis ball and baseball size.

The insurance adjustors are SWAMPED, and so here we are a week later, and our adjustor was supposed to come today.  But, this morning it was scary windy, so he called and postponed until this weekend. 

So, you kow what's happening right now???

It's POURING outside and has been for the last 3 hours, at least.  Great.  Baseball size hail holes in my roof and it's pouring.  And once the insurance and roofer agree on what needs to be done and price, then we can FINALLY schedule a new roof to be installed (all of our neighbors have already been told their roofs are totaled)...but who knows when they will be able to get to us.  And in the meantime, a new baby will be entering our lives in 6 weeks.  6 WEEKS!!  Please God, let this all be settled by then!

My Big Boy

In two weeks, lil Major will be 2 1/2...30 months...I can't believe it. In some ways it feels like he's been part of our lives forever, but it's really only been 2 1/2 years. Of course, I can NOT imagine my life without him now.

He is so much fun and so frustrating...sometimes at the same time. He is smart and happy and loving and anything else a proud mama can say.

He amazes me every day with all that he knows and all that he remembers. We were driving by Lowe's the other day, and he points and says, "that's where the big green bug is up high and they have tractors like Daddy's and lawn mowers." Seriously, how does he remember all that??? He remembers people and names and who they belong to and what they have at their house.

He definitely knows right from wrong and how to push Mommy's buttons. He knows that if I mention "the spoon" that I'm really serious. He knows that Mommy has a baby in her belly, but if you ask him if he wants a little brother or sister, he usually says "no." =)

He says please and thank you. He loves baseball, basketball, golf and football, but nothing beats swinging in the backyard or at the park. He never tires of driving cars with Daddy or reading books or watching Cars.

He loves his bedtime/naptime routine, and he is a champ when it's time to go to sleep. He still loves to rock and sing with his Mommy, and he reminds me to pray if I forget. Before I walk out of the room, he always says, "see you when I wake up." Sometimes he tells us, "don't let the bed bugs bite."

He knows the ABC song, and he can recognize some of the numbers. He can count to 14 (on most days), and his favorite songs are: This is the Day the Lord has Made, the Patient song, and Jesus Loves the Little Children.

As we drive along, he calls out all the vehicles he sees: Hummer, cement truck, trash truck, mail truck, fire truck, Jeep, Motorcycle, police car, ambulance. He also knows where we get ice cream (Freddy's), tater tots (Sonic), french fries (McD's), Bob the Buffalo (Ted's Montana Grill), treats (Quik Trip) and gas (Dillons)...and he calls all those out as we go by. At least once a day, he asks to go to one of the "treats" places. It's so hard to say NO to the little guy.

He's wearing size 9 shoes, but he's well on his way to size 10. He's in 3T shirts and 2T pants, and he still has the most beautiful big blue eyes and super long lashes that melt me into a puddle when he looks at me. I can't help but smother him in hugs and kisses many many times each day.

He loves to give bear hugs (complete w/ a growl), kiss his Mama, "pound it," salute like Papa, and wave and blow kisses. When we leave Mema and Papa's house, we have to stand in the yard and do our goodbye routine for several minutes...as we run through all the ways to say goodbye.

As the time ticks by until baby #2 arrives, I'm finding myself feeling a little sad. I'm so excited to meet the new baby joining our family, and I'm SO ready to not be pregnant anymore, but I'm SOOOOO sad that my one-on-one time w/ Major is coming to an end. No matter what, I want Major to feel just as important and loved after the baby as he does right now. And I don't know how to do that, because there's no way I can give him as much attention post-baby as I do now.

I'm trying to remember all that as these days go by. I'm trying to close the laptop more and get down on the floor and drive cars or build blocks (as physically difficult as that is now) more often. I'm trying to completely absorb him right now. Our lives changed dramatically when he came into our family, and they're about to change again. I'm so excited and scared and nervous and sad....all at the same time.

Major - I love you so much more than you can know. You are my first born, my sweet sweet Major, and I will always remember how special these first few years with you have been. I'm so excited to see you become a big brother, and I know that you will do an awesome job! I love you, baby boy!

quick post

Well, I really thought I would have posted about my big 27 month old by now, but I've been busy w/ other stuff.



The Colonel and I escaped for our very first trip away w/o the boy this weekend. We've both been on trips ourselves, but this is the first time we BOTH left him at the same time. Everyone involved did great!! Mema and Papa had a blast playing w/ him, he loved all the attention, and Mommy and Daddy had a very relaxing time in Oklahoma City.


I got a great deal on Groupon for our hotel (LOVE that site!), we saw a movie (although it was the WORST movie I've seen in a long time - don't waste your time on The American!), and ate lots of good food. Oh, and took naps, read, watched TV and we were able to carry all of our stuff into the hotel in one trip. Ha!


SO, an update of my boy is still coming. In the meantime, here's a pic of the happy couple (complete w/ 31 week belly).



UPDATE: Oh, and apparently, I've been out of the workforce for too long, because my engineer mind can't even add anymore. My boy is 29 MONTHS old, not 27. Oi.

coming soon...

How did months and months go by w/o me even looking at my blog??? Well, my kiddo turned 27 months old this week, and it's high time I update about him. Unfortunately, I'm sitting in Panera with my new laptop (whee!), and I've got to get going to get to a doctor's appointment and then a haircut, so updating will have to wait. But, here's my promise. It will come SOON...and now that I've put it out there, I'll have to follow through, right?? Also coming is a belly shot....I can't believe I'm almost 31 weeks!! My ticker says 65 days....aahh!! It's really 59 days since I'll be having a scheduled c-section. Woah, better get busy!!

See ya soon!

Remembering the Good 'Ol Days

Jody's super fun giveaway gave me a chance to remember my favorite vacation (so far). 4 years ago, before we moved to KS, before we even thought about Lil Major, before I started this blog, The Colonel and I took an amazing vacation to Ireland.

We spent a full week sightseeing, celebrating my BFF's wedding, and acting like locals in Ireland. It was the best vacation we've ever had. The Colonel golfed on the links, I sipped mimosas and ate fruit and cheese. We had tea in the afternoons. We slept in a castle. We drove on the "wrong" side of the road. And I'm so ready to go back!

Here's a picture of us at the Rock of Cashel. This was the first day that the sun came out...I think it was on day 3 or 4.



It's not my favorite picture of us on our trip, but it's a picture from my favorite trip. My camera broke right when we got to Ireland (figures!), so I had to rely on photos from others, and somehow I never kept digital copies of all of them. I DO have an amazing scrapbook from our trip that I will treasure always.

Can you give up your coffee for one day??

I've posted about our friends who are working to adopt two little boys from Eastern Europe. These two sweet boys both have Down's Syndrome, and they're in danger of being transferred to a mental institution for the rest of their short lives if my friend doesn't get there first to bring them home.

At this point in their journey, they've submitted all their paperwork, and they're just waiting for the immigration services to tell them to travel and start the process in the boys' country. Of course, there are TONS of expenses associated w/ traveling so far away... and they may have to stay for as long as a month. Not to mention that they have 9 other children who will need cared for while they're gone.

If you can spare some change or give up your coffee for one day or skip that ice cream cone....it would be so awesome if you could donate just a bit to the Nance's. All the info about giving and praying and what comes next can be found here.

I'm so excited and can't wait to meet these little boys!

Mama Bird

A Mama Bird showed up at my house today. I have no idea where she came from, but she sure got a lot done. Yep, it was me. For the first time in a REALLY long time I was productive...all...day...long.

I never had any nesting instincts when I was pregnant with Major. I wanted to be "ready" for his arrival, but I never had any sudden bursts of energy or major organizational urges. But, this time...wow...I feel the need to purge my house of all unnecessary CRAP (and there's a lot!) and clean things that have never been cleaned since we moved into this house.

So, either the nesting bug found me or my decision to get my booty out of bed at 6am and enjoy some ME time on the deck with the paper and my coffee and a gorgeous morning got me motivated for my day. I didn't even realize how much I got done until I started thinking about it. Here's what got accomplished today:

* coffee and paper on the deck
* two loads of laundry folded
* taught my class at the Y
* trip to the grocery store
* started organizing stuff for our garage sale
* went through all my scrapbooking stuff and pulled out a bunch to sell
* sorted through too small clothes in Major's room
* completely cleaned and dusted Major's room
* cooked dinner for my family
* vacuumed the main floor
* cleaned all the screens, windows and blinds in my family room (and if you've seen my house, you know it's ALL windows)
* worked an hour doing my internet job

Whew...that's a lot for this girl! So now I'm sitting on the couch enjoying some So You Think You Can Dance. Yeah baby.

My Sweet Boy

Although I don't know if he exactly understands what it means, Major knows that there is a baby in Mommy's tummy. If you ask him where the baby is, he points to my tummy. And on more than on occasion I've had to remind my wild 2 year old that he has to be careful and not jump on Mommy or he'll hurt the baby. So, he knows that baby is in there.

The other night we were rocking before bed, and I told him that I loved him. And then, my super sweet kiddo, totally unprovoked, said, "I love you, Baby," and leaned down and kissed my tummy. mush...that's what I turned into. And then I smothered my #1 baby in kisses.

And then this morning we were watching 3 Men and a Baby on TV (it's been AGES since I've seen that movie), and Major was totally enthralled. He couldn't get enough of seeing the baby on TV. A little while later he turned to me, pointed at my belly, and said, "Baby, out!" Oh sweet boy. I had to tell him that baby needed to stay inside Mommy for a while longer.

I hope he's still this excited and interested when the baby does arrive this fall! =)

The big celebration

Since I'm so late in posting about my son's second birthday, I will go ahead and honor my very first niece for turning 12 today, and I will post about Major's birthday on Miss Kaylee's birthday.

So, 15 days ago, Lil Major (who is not so little anymore), turned two. Because his birthday was the Monday after Easter, we partied ALL weekend long.

Saturday was a little cool, but spring had FINALLY arrived. We took full advantage.

It started w/ a small party w/ both sets of grandparents. We hunted for Easter eggs, ate yummy BBQ'd hamburgers, indulged in sugar cookies and cupcakes, and opened lots of presents. Poor Major had a terrible cold and wasn't feeling all that well, but we made the most of it. He got lots of snuggles from Mema and Grammy, so it was still a good day.


helping Papa put together his new bike...


My poor boy was too sick to go to church on Sunday, so Daddy and Major stayed home and rested while I went to church with Mema and Papa. But, he definitely wasn't too sick to open his Easter basket...



And after a good nap, we headed outside for some golf lessons with Daddy and to ride the new bike.


So, Monday was his actual birthday, and we were still partying! We met up with Aunt Jayme and the girls and with cousin Michele and her kiddos and her sister w/ her kiddos -- 4 moms, 9 kiddos, and 2 baking babies (more on that later) for some fun at the zoo. It was pretty windy, but we didn't let that stop us.



And it wouldn't be a birthday without a trip to Freddy's for burgers, fries and frozen custard. Yum yum!




My little bambino turned two! He's the most amazing kid, if I do say so myself. He learns something new every single minute, I swear! He is talking so much, making sentences and putting thoughts together. He loves to read and watch Cars and drive trucks and play trains. He told us "love you" for the first time recently, and he just melted my heart. He says thank you when you give him something, and if something is confusing or unexpected, he says, "oh dear." He waits excitedly for Daddy to come home each night, and he grabs your hand and says, "walk with me" when he wants to show you something.

Oh, he is such a joy, and we love him so much...and come this November 11, Veteran's Day, our 10th anniversary, he'll have a little brother or sister for us to love just as much!

Happy 2nd Birthday, big brother Major!