I'd Rather be Camping.

I'd rather be camping, or so saying goes. Over the weekend, we took the kids [Em almost 2.5 and Soybean 8.5 months] camping with some family and friends. We planned the trip a while  back, so even though there was rain in the forecast we were all a go. We packed up early Friday afternoon, hit the road and had our portion of the campsite set up by early evening

Before we knew it my in-laws had a huge patch of paella going over an open fire and we were all stuffed full of chorizo, shellfish and chicken by sunset.

After that things went a little down hill for us. Soybean was once again coughing and when he started with stridor around 0200, we put both kids in the car and hit the road for the nearest Emergency Room. Luckily he wasn't as bad off as he was just last month, so steroids and some cool air was all he needed to get himself in good enough shape to head back to the campsite.

At any given moment I could of said, enough, and I would have if I truly needed to. I could have took our little family of four down the mountain and back to our safe home. Out of the woods, out of the cold nights, but adventure was calling. Had I not listened to the adventure in me I wouldn't have been able to see Em's face light up as she told me about the waterfall she saw while on a hike with her Daddy. I wouldn't have been able to show Soybean just how much I loved him while we stayed back in our tent and spent the morning snuggling and reading.  I wouldn't have been able to see Em get a thrill out of just running back and forth between campsites. I wouldn't have been able to see my kids bond with their grandparents, Aunt, Uncles, cousin and friends. I wouldn't have been able to watch Em eat 15 chocolate covered pretzles and laugh because I was sitting there doing the same. I wouldn't have been able to laugh with my Hubs as we ran to the car in the middle of the night freezing, because we gave the kids all the good stuff to keep warm [don't worry, we brought the kids with us]. Or have my heart melted as Em asked for us to sing "Jesus" in the car because Sawyer was crying and have her tell me, "he's hungry, Momma!" [I just love way she says, "Momma."]

So, are there things I would have changed, absolutely, but that is what life is all about. Embracing the adventure, learning with the hiccups and hopefully planning better for next time!

Cold air. Dark Night. Warm Fire. Bright Stars.
Here's to next time! I'd rather be camping, or at least adventuring. 

April showers bring May flowers.

The month of April started off quite rocky. We had our first admission to the hospital with our little man, on his 7th month birthday, and I'll be the first to admit, I hated being on the other side of things. Watching our little guy work so hard to breath and wanting nothing more, but to physically transfer any of his discomfort  to me, but also knowing full well that was impossible, was just heartbreaking. I stood in the ER room, just praying for him to be instantly healed.

And although the Lord does not work on our time table of "instantly" he was healed and our stay in the hospital was, in the grand scheme of things, short. Even so, we spent the first half of last month just trying to recover from our little hiccup. Follow-up appointments, reactions to medications and just trying to keep everyone healthy, meant lots of canceling and rescheduling our typical day to day activities. So, with everything a bit off-kilter last month, I am eager to start the month of May.

Today our little man is 8 months old, which means in exactly 4 months he will be ONE, which means it's time to start planning that big first birthday bash. I'd say I was kidding, but I'll be honest, I am already feeling the urge to get the ball rolling on his celebration.

This little guy has brought me so much joy and even though I've worried more than I should about his weight gain (he's 21+ pounds), that he doesn't sleep through the night or seem to be on MY time table for when he should be doing this or that, he is perfect. He loves to sit up and watch the world around him, back himself into corners (literally), chew on just about anything (he has 3 teeth) and just as we have told him he needs to do, make his presence known with all the happy squeals. Just this past weekend in church, I realized it's time to cut the cord and leave him in nursery, because he was talking non-stop. This my friends, is a huge deal to me. So, don't laugh when I say that next week, which just happens to be Mother's Day, I may cry when I drop him off at nursery. He loves to sit and play with his toys, talk and watch Disney with his sister, and eat books while Mommy tries to read them. He is such a joy to be around and is almost always happy. He is the definition of content and there are days that go by that I can honestly say he doesn't fuss one bit. He has added such a wonderful dynamic to our family and we are so, so blessed to call him ours!

Here's to the start of a beautiful month!

Soybean's first 1/2 birthday!

Yesterday our little man turned 6 months old. SIX MONTHS! I can barely wrap my mind around the fact that he has been out of the womb for 6 months.

Even with the "extra" day in February, I feel like the past month has flown by. With that being said, Happy Birthday to all those that only get one every 4 years!

Last month I was preparing to start solids for our little man and we jumped the gun and gave him his first taste of solid food on Monday this week. Sweet potatoes were the first thing that E had, so we thought we'd go ahead and start there this time around too. So far, not a fan. He broke out a little bit around his mouth, after eating them, but I have a feeling it is because I mixed it with some of my breast milk. I believe he may have a sensitivity to something in my milk, but because we have a happy, growing baby boy, we have made the decision to leave things the way that they are. Speaking of breast milk, this may be TMI for some, but Bean is the sweetest when he is nursing. He's always smiling and cooing and I love how excited he gets right before we eat, so much so that he pulls me to him. [I'm sure he will not appreciate me writing that one day!] So, last night we gave him sweet potatoes with a bit of water to thin them out and things went much better. He took them down and had no signs of rash, so hopefully we are moving in the right direction. We'll give him another few days with just the sweet potatoes and then hopefully add new things to his diet!

Bean loves talking, smiling and drooling, but is just as content to sit and watch his sister put on a performance. He is trying to scoot around and sit up, and still hasn't mastered truly rolling, "all over the place." Front to back is the only one that he has done, but he twists his body into some pretty uncomfortable looking positions without actually rolling over, so I think he's getting closer. I'm not sure on his exact weight and size, we go to the MD next week, so I will know more then. As far as clothes, he fits bets in 6-12 or 9 month clothing and is wearing size 3 diapers. Although his first sweet potato poop made it seem like he wasn't wearing a diaper at all!

I feel like it's a tough thing being the second child. As a mother I can't help, but want to look back and see when Em reached her milestones, but the fact is, he is not Em and he will reach his milestones at his own time. Each of my children are blessings and each of my children were made in God's image. Expecting them to be doing everything exactly the same would be me limiting the creativity of our creator and I'm not going to do that. They are different because God made them different and I am loving that I get to be the mom to two totally different and totally unique personalities with Soybean being my, "sit back and take it all in," little man.

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are you works; my soul knows it very well."

Psalm 139:13-14

My Husband ❤️

Today is a special day. This day, 29 years ago, the Lord brought my sweet Husband into the world giving me the greatest gift. I'm so thankful for this day and for this man.

First my friend, then my boyfriend, fiance, Husband and now the father of our two beautiful kids Shawn has been steady, loving and supportive through each milestone that we have reached as a couple. He loves the Lord, adores our children and always makes me feel like I'm the most beautiful woman in the world.

My Husband is selfless, hardworking and kind. He's the cream to my coffee, the happy to my ever after and I am so lucky to call him mine. He also happens to be pretty darn handsome. Here's to your last year in your 20's; let's make it one for the record books.

Photos by my dear friend Abby! Thank you for giving me such great pictures of my man.

Let the Questions Begin

I'm not sure when she first started asking questions, but now that she has, they are endless. I love that she has questions, especially that since for now, I can usually answer all of them. Her asking questions is a way of exploring, of finding out just what is going on and a way of being including.

One very common question is, "What are you doing?" This one is pretty easy to answer and I try to always have a good response. The only down fall is that she asks it over and OVER and she doesn't always accept the answer of, "looking at you!" Sometimes when she asks this I've been preoccupied with the dishes or folding laundry or the dreaded phone and her question stops me in my tracks and makes me realize that what I should be doing is focusing on my every growing, every changing, loving and so curious two year old!

Another goodie is, "What happened?" This almost always comes after she has done something. When she asks it I feel like she is just checking on me, making sure I was doing my Mommy duty and paying attention to all the mischief she is getting into.Whether it be spilling her milk, dropping food on the ground and more recently peeing in her underwear, she always wants to make sure we see what she's up to. The first time she peed in her underwear the look on her face was priceless because she really had no idea what was happening. I should have snapped a picture as she stood there analyzing the puddle of pee, but I'll just have to stick with my mental picture for now.

So, as the questions keep coming, I can only hope that I have the knowledge to answer them or at least point her in the right direction. I can only imagine the things that she is going to be curious about as she grows, but for now I'm going to enjoy the innocence of my sweet baby girl.

The Third of the Month - February Edition

This past month has been a bit of a whirlwind. It was the first month of the year, which means that I was supposed to set all my goals and accomplish so much more because it was a fresh start, a new beginning per say. Well, I'm going to call it a trial run and say that February 1st was my, "new year," mainly because it's Wednesday and we've had a great week so far! So, Happy New Year...again. ;)

Soybean is FIVE months old, which means two things. One, we start solids next month, little man has been doing so well just on Mommy's milk and two, we are getting closer to having TWO mobile little beings in our life. We better get ready.

                                                 

This month little man has found his feet and Mommy's hair. Both of which he loves pulling on. He also, may have got a handful of sister's hair a time or two, much to her displeasure. I wish she could understand that this is only the beginning of what life is like with a younger brother! Only time will tell how their relationship will develop, but at this rate, I'm thinking we are going to have two very loving siblings because little man ADORES his big sister. It has become pretty common for me to find him staring up at her while she dances, jumps and twirls her way around the living room. He full on belly laughs at her and she just loves the attention.

Soybean is playing more with toys, gaining more core strength, holding up his head and trying to sit up with A LOT of assistance. He absolutely adores his sister and I love that with each passing day he is becoming more and more engaged with her and her with him. In terms of numbers, our man is weighing roughly 17.5 pounds, give or take, wearing 6-9 and 9 month clothing and size 3 diapers. After several blow-outs during our FLORIDA trip [little man took his first flight and had a mini getaway with Mommy while Daddy and big sister stayed home and got stuck in the blizzard], I knew that it was time to size up! Little man is so happy and hardly ever cries, but when he does, it's a doozy. Quivering lip, real man tears; it's the saddest. [Just a side note. I did look up the word "doozy" and the first thing Google came up with is, "something outstanding or unique of it's kind," which is an accurate description of Soybean's cries. ]

For now, we have a Mommy's boy, which is good because his big sister is a self proclaimed Daddy's girl, although she has started saying that I'm her best friend; talk about heart melting. Having two little ones has meant double the blessing and looking back, it's hard to believe that I was so nervous. Yes, the hard days still come, but they are becoming less frequent and I know that there are things even about those "hard" days that I will one day miss. So, I'm enjoying having my hands and heart full, embracing the mess and loving on my sweet 5 month old and precious 2 year old.

Happy Wednesday!

2016 - First FULL Year as a Mom of TWO!

With 2016 underway I am excited to start this first full year as a Mom of two. The end of last year brought a lot of challenges for me, with the most important being trying to navigate being an engaged and loving mother to two beautiful babies. It was difficult and I definitely had my share of Mommy highs and lows, but I am excited to start fresh in 2016. A whole year of learning and exploring and growing as a follower of Christ, a Wife and a Mother. So, Let's do this 2016!

Here is a our sweet 4 month old, today is his official 4 month birthday! [What?!]
He's so happy despite being sick for the last week with a cough and bronchiolitis. Prayers for continued healing of our little man and no fever would be greatly appreciated! He's getting better and better each day, but it's still no fun seeing your little man not feeling his best.

Sweet boy is such a joy bringer. I think it's smile, it's infectious, and since he hardly ever fusses [except of this week of illness] I think he may grow into quite the charmer. I have a feeling he will be using his charming skills to get him and his sister out of a few messes since they are already so smitten with each other.

With each day that passes our little man grows and changes. I'm trying to cherish all the little things he does. Like the first rollover [YAY!], first real laugh, holding that head up like a big man and reaching for toys. He's such a sweet boy and I just love being his Mom.

Here's to discovering more and more about being a BOY Mom in 2016!

...in other news...I ran my first postpartum 4 miler today! I was super slow, as usual, but I did it!