Weekend Extravaganza!

After our week of total crazy, we had a wonderfully relaxing, encouraging, fun-filled weekend. My parents got here Friday night and we started our weekend with homemade pizza, ice cream and good TV watching. Saturday we celebrated my birthday with a trip to the mall (Jonathan loves riding the carousel and playing at the big castle!) and then my parents babysat while Zack and I went out on a date. They even took control of the baby monitors all night and let Zack and I sleep uninterrupted!! Sunday morning we lounged around, went for a walk and then headed to church to have sweet little Matthew dedicated. More on that to come later....Sunday afternoon we celebrated Mother's Day with a great lunch, yummy homemade cake and sweet cards and gifts. The entire weekend served as such a powerful reminder that we are truly, truly blessed.



Zack surprised me with a new laptop for my birthday! I have never had a brand new computer (mine have always been old hand-me-downs!) I can't wait to play on it!

 

We went on one last walk Sunday evening and it proved to be just a little too much for Baby Boy. To be honest, I think we were all wiped out by the end of our fun weekend!

Must. Stay. Positive.

It has been a long, tough week. We are all sick and sleep deprived. Our only saving grace is that my Mom, sensing my need for help before even I did, offered to come hang out with us for a few days before my birthday. Seriously, I don't know what I would do without her. So, it was no surprise that when I sat down to write a post this morning, nothing but whiny dribble came out. But then I remembered that just hours earlier (3:30 am to be exact...) I prayed that God would change my heart today and allow me to focus on the good things going on, not the bad. I have been praying all week that Matthew would PLEASE sleep well, that Jonathan would behave, that I would feel better etc...but this morning, as I was cuddling Mr. Matthew, I realized that I don't really have anything to be so cranky about. Sure I am tired but millions of mothers have survived sleep deprivation. And Jonathan is being a little pickle right now, but again, millions of mothers have been there, done that. And even though Zack's work hours are still ridiculous, at least he comes home at night. So, instead of the dribble I wrote originally, I want to share some highlights from this week....believe me, there have been lots :)

Matthew has finally started rolling over! He can go front to back and back to front and always seems pretty proud of himself after he does it.

Anytime Matthew is laying down, sitting up, in my lap or even getting his diaper changed, Jonathan wants to be next to him. I just can't get enough of them wanting to be with each other. I guess this is why people have lots of kids...it is pretty fun to watch your kids love on each other. (side note....Jonathan has since had a haircut....please excuse that hot mess.)

Matthew ate rice cereal for the first time the other day. At first he was a little unsure, but after a few bites, he seemed to get more interested! I am pretty excited to start real foods with him in the coming weeks. Jonathan was a great eater as a baby, so I hope Matthew follows his lead! Now that Jonathan is older however....totally different story.

And finally, Jonathan ate his first bowl of  "cereals" with milk. He felt pretty important getting to eat it himself! Call me crazy, but the idea of giving him a bowl full of milk and a spoon has always seemed a little nuts to me, but he did great!

So there you have it. Even in the midst of crazy, there are still good, fun things going on. I just have to remember that and consciously make an effort to focus on them.  My Dad is coming to town tomorrow and this weekend we are celebrating my birthday, Mother's Day and Matthew's baby dedication at church! So I should have no trouble finding fun, joyful things to focus on for the next few days :)

Questions for my Supermommy friends

I need help ya'll. Serious help. (And I better not hear any of you mutter "yeah, we know" under your breath when you read that....) My boys are pretty stinkin' awesome and life is going pretty smoothly for the most part, but there are a few areas in which I could use your advice. At this point, any advice is welcome....unless it is along the lines of "How is this for advice... just shut up and stop blogging about your issues!!"

 

1. Is there a direct vent/line from the shower to the nursery? At least 2 times a week, Matthew will be sleeping soundly in his crib and then the second I turn the shower on in our bathroom, he wakes up. And what is weird is that the same thing used to happen to Jonathan. Zack would get up and start getting ready for work and almost instantly, Jonathan would start squeaking! I seriously considered that maybe a vent was connected somewhere and they could hear it, but they never hear anything else from our bathroom. The hairdryer, Zack's electric razor, when I vacuum the rug....we have even used the blender in their before and still, they slept on. So what am I supposed to do? Never shower again?

2. Speaking of sleep, Matthew hates sleeping Saturday-Monday nights. It is the weirdest thing. During the week, he sleeps awesome. I put him down at 8:00 and he wakes up around 6:15-6:30. Absolutely no complaints here! But Saturday-Monday, he is up all. night. long. I thought it was because he likes his weekday routine and when he gets off (on the weekend) it throws his night schedule off as well. So this weekend I did my very best to hold firm to his regular routine. Good naps, lots of bottles, good cuddles etc....and nothing. Last night he was up at 12:45, 2:25, 3:30 (I fed him 5 ounces at 3:30), 5:20 (when I turned on the shower of course) and up for good at 6:15. How can a kid who I KNOW can sleep all night, go from that to up every 2 hours?! He is 16 pounds, 4 months old, doesn't want to eat but MAYBE once a night.....what gives?!

3. And in regards to eating....It has been a constant battle to get Matthew to eat. He is formula fed and I think he hates the bottle. He wiggles his head, cries, fights, acts as if he is never hungry, basically just makes it a huge ordeal. I can't just sit and hold him when he eats either. I have to lay him flat on his play mat, walk around the house, lay him on his changing table so he can watch his mobile, stop feeding him for 10 minutes and try again. It is so frustrating! Now, at bedtime and if I feed him in the middle of the night, he is awesome. He will down his bottle in like 12 minutes and fall right back to sleep. But during the day...oh man. I have tried new formula, new bottles, we raised his dose of reflux medication (and I don't think this is the issue since he tends to eat better flat on his back) and tried spacing his meals out. Nothing has helped. Has this happened to anybody else? Anything you guys can suggest that worked for you?

4. And last but not least....Jonathan refuses to keep his drawers on. Luckily he hasn't learned how to take his diaper off, but man, that kid hates his pants. He will  be playing in the front yard and all of a sudden I look over and his pants are off. Playing in the house? Of course the pants are off. He even tried once in the Wal Mart grocery cart. Options? Ideas? Most of his little shorts don't have belt loops, so a belt wouldn't work. And he is so skinny that they are already as tight as I can make them! And just for proof....

So there you go....any help would be appreciated. I know there has to be somebody, somewhere who has dealt with at least one of these issues! Help!

Things I Love This Week!

A pretty random collection this week :)

1. Let's start with the most important stuff. I found this blog post yesterday through a link on a friend's page. I love what this group is doing. Basically, they are collecting and distributing clean birthing kits in developing nations. These kits include the necessary tools to create a clean, hygienic environment for women to give birth, thus keeping moms and babies as healthy as possible. According to her website, "In rural Papua New Guinea 1 in 7 women die in childbirth." As a mom who had two successful, healthy deliveries, this statistic is heartbreaking. So for just $10, you can provide 5 clean birth kits for women in developing nations. Sounds like a good deal to me. You can find the information on how to donate on her page. Please consider it!

2. I stumbled across this blog the other day as well. I literally sat here reading it with tears streaming down my face. Not only tears for the loss of a sweet, little baby girl, but tears of appreciation. I love that this family accepted the life God had planned for their little girl and embraced it. They didn't stay holed up in their house, wallowing in depression over the diagnosis handed down to them. Instead, they allowed that baby girl to live life to it's fullest. At just 5 months old, little Avery had accomplished many things on her "bucket list." Small things that we take for granted were fun, enjoyable memories for this family. I appreciate that there are families like this one out there. It reminds me that even in the midst of chaos, pain, and craziness, there are millions of ways to enjoy life as long as we are in the right state of mind.

And now, for the less heavy things....

3. Matthew and Jonathan are continuing to figure each other out and it is so much fun to watch! This morning, Matthew was super close to rolling over and I was cheering him on. Jonathan thought this was hilarious and started cheering him on too! He started yelling "Matthew funny!!" and when Matthew heard Jonathan encouraging him, I swear his smile got just a little bit bigger and he got a little closer to rolling over. Only 4 months old and already he wants to make his big brother proud!

4. Ever since I found out I was pregnant with Matthew, my sweet tooth has been totally ridiculous. I thought that maybe it would get better after he was born, but I am pretty sure it has only gotten worse. Seriously, all I ever want to eat are cookies. I would happily skip dinner if it meant eating extra cookies for dessert. And not just any cookies, I want good, soft homemade cookies. With icing. And if those aren't available, I will buy sugar cookies at the store and ice them myself. So that's what I did this week. I bought a whole box of sugar cookies from the bakery and a container of rainbow chip icing (because really, is there any point to any other flavor?! They all fall short of the rainbow chip) and have been having one every night for dessert. As long as I only eat one or two a day, that's acceptable....right?

5. Lately, it has been a battle to take the boys anywhere in the car. Matthew HATES the car and Jonathan LOVES the car. I can't win. Somebody is always yelling at me. Jonathan seriously loves driving around. If we get close to the freeway but I turn before actually getting on, he freaks out and yells "freewaaaaay!!" for the rest of the trip. He loves looking around at the other cars and buildings, announcing every color of car and truck he sees, and if we see balloons (think car dealership) that is just the feather in his cap. In contrast, Matthew screams bloody murder the second the car stops. Anyway, yesterday I had an errand to run that would require some driving, but luckily it was mostly on the highway. So Matthew fell asleep (and stayed asleep since there were no stops) and Jonathan was in hog heaven. The highlight of the trip was when we drove over the big overpass at I-10 and HWY 99.....he yelled "Weeeeee!!! Wow!" the whole time. I swear it made his whole day. So today, I love that my little guy is so easily pleased :)

That's it for this week friends! Hopefully you have lots of things going on this week that you love too!

Sometimes you just have to laugh....

Remember this post where I discussed that sometimes God has to remind me that I am not in control, He is? Well apparently I haven't learned my lesson yet.

Let me preface this by saying I am not really complaining about what has happened this morning....I am beyond that. Now I just have to laugh about it. So really it all started last night when I was at the grocery store. I am taking dinner to a sweet friend tonight who just had a baby, so I had to go to the store after I picked the boys up to get supplies. Well Matthew wasn't too cool with that plan and straight up melted down in the middle of the store. I'm talking a full blown screaming, sweat pouring down his face, little fists shaking, melt down. And as a side note...has anybody noticed that the stupid grocery carts at HEB do not have enough room for a infant seat AND a toddler?! What the crap is that all about? So Matthew is sitting in his seat freaking out and poor Jonathan has to stand up next to him. It was an all around super great party. And to make it even more fun, some lady stops me and says "You need to pick him up...." Oh no she didn't just call me out on my parenting!!! Don't people know not to mess with a poor mom who is obviously in the middle of a situation? Oh and I forgot to add that out of the 3 prescriptions I was waiting on, the stupid HEB pharmacy had NONE of them in stock. Not one. So I get to go back this afternoon.....yay.

Fast forward to this morning....Matthew woke up at 2:50, 4:20, 5:40, and 6:10. I mean, that stinks as it is, but when you are trying to get ready for work and your sweet little cherub keeps waking up, that is no good. So I finally get ready, Matthew and Jonathan both wake up for good and the situation is finally under control. At 6:40 (a little late already) I pick up 2 diaper bags, my school bag and Matthew in his car seat and head for the door. Right then, I hear the sound that brings chills to every mother in the world....that gross, gagging cough that implies something more than a cough is about to come out of your kid's mouth. I look at Jonathan just as he barfs all over the floor, his shoes, his clothes and then he starts crying. So my arms are full, Matthew is screaming (because let's face it, my poor kid will NEVER like his carseat) and Jonathan is crying and covered in barf. Quickly, I change his clothes and shoes, give him a spit bath with the good smelling soap (you know...basically a cologne bath...) and we hurry into the car. Now before you point your judgey fingers for sending him to school, let me clarify that it wasn't sick throw up, just the kind that happens when they drink a whole sippy cup of milk and then run circles around the house. He basically just choked.

And then the icing on the cake....I go to open the door to get Jonathan out of the car and stick my hand in a huge pile of bird poop. Seriously. It was super, super disgusting. And this coming from the girl who just cleaned up a gallon of barf up off her floor and child.

After all this, as I was driving to school and literally laughing out loud about the chaos that is my life....this song came to my head. If you don't want to watch the whole thing, here is the chorus...

"Sounds like life to me, it ain’t no fantasy
It’s just a common case of everyday reality.
Man I know it’s tough but you gotta suck it up
To hear you talk you’re caught up in some tragedy
But it sounds like life to me"

Yep...that sounds about right :)

Blessings

(I wrote this late yesterday after Jonathan's surgery but forgot to actually post it....)

Today was a gift. It is rare that our crazy life allows for a day in which I am not working and only have one little boy to take care of. It is even more rare that the one little boy spending his day with me, spends the morning curled up in my lap. I have forgotten how much fun Jonathan can be.

Granted, he was on some pretty high powered pain killers this morning and couldn't really walk straight, but for whatever the reason, he wanted to cuddle and snuggle and love on his Mom. And I couldn't have been more in Heaven. I have been noticing over the past few weeks or so, that poor little Jonathan gets jipped a lot. Matthew requires more attention right now, that's just the way it is. I try my hardest to pay lots of attention to Jonathan, but sometimes it isn't easy. He has watched too much TV and been denied too many trips to the park. He has eaten one too many chicken nuggets and been told too many excuses about why I can't build "big, big towers" with him. And I am pretty sure if I tell him "hold on buggy, Mommy is feeding brother!" one more time....he will punch me in the face. But the whole time, he has been accepting. Obviously he might whine for a minute or stomp his feet in protest, but he always, always gets over it and moves on quickly. Instead of being angry with me when I can't do something with him, he will run off and find something else to do. And instead of hating his brother for taking up my time, he loves him and tries to help feed him or hold him. There is a whole lot I can learn from my sweet little boy.

As I looked forward to his surgery this morning with anxiety and worry, I also looked forward to our day together. I knew for the first time in a very long time (as in, before bedrest) it would be just me and my guy. And I was excited. We came home this morning and literally sat on the couch for an hour before moving again. He watched 3 episodes of Barney curled up in my lap, sipping on juice and eating cereal out of a baggie. And I knew that my little boy's heart was happy. As the day progressed, we played with Play Doh, cooked lunch, watched Elmo, built lots of towers, he helped me play with fold laundry and before nap time, we laid in his bed and sang songs and read books. It was truly a blessing and something that I think we both needed desperately.

For all my stay at home mommy friends and friends who get the chance to have days like this often, please do not take your time with the your kids for granted. I am sure you don't and I know this sounds pretty cliche, but looking back, I honestly have to say that I didn't take advantage of my time with Jonathan. As he was growing from an infant to a toddler, I stressed and worried and complained about being sleep deprived. I didn't just sit down and watch him play and cherish that moment. I guess my point is, if you are given the chance to spend a day like I did today, please do it. I know for me personally, days like today are the ones I will look back on and remember when I am old and gray.

Tubes!

Well, we finally did it. After literally 2 years of back to back ear infections, Jonathan had tubes put in this morning! It's a long story as to why it took this long to actually do the surgery, but it is done now and I am praying that this finally gives my little guy some relief! Honestly, I feel like all of my mommy friends have already gone through this with their kids, it seems so common these days! But even so, we were pretty nervous going in. Anytime your baby has to be put under and taken into an operating room, it is a big deal.

We had to get there at 5:30 this morning, which obviously was a killer for all of us. A big thanks goes out to my mother-in-law who spent the night last night so that she could get up with Matthew and take him to the babysitter this morning! When we got into the pre-op room, they had a fun wagon waiting for him with coloring books, blankets and pillows! He was pretty excited about the wagon!

Unfortunately, he wasn't too interested in letting the nurse take his temperature, pulse, blood pressure etc...Even with me holding him, watching cartoons and promises of a wagon ride, he wasn't thrilled. He especially hated the thing they tried to tape to his finger. That sucker lasted about 20 seconds. But we got what we needed and they sent Zack and I to wait in the waiting room.

Once he finally went back, the surgery only lasted about 10 minutes. After about 20 minutes, we were allowed back to see him. By now, he was waking up and a little cranky, but it was nothing we have never seen before! (seriously, how cute are these little kid hospital gowns?)

A few cups of apple juice and a Popsicle later, we were headed home! They told me he would spend the day in one of two ways, totally groggy and sleepy or hyper and going full speed ahead. Obviously my kid chose to be hyper. But that's okay because I have a healthy little guy who made it through surgery just fine. And I get the rest of the day off to play with him and spoil him rotten! I do want to add how much I love Memorial Hermann-Memorial City. I have spent my fair share of time there after two babies, bed rest, my own day surgery and now Jonathan's and every single experience I have had there has been fantastic. I am especially impressed with the way everybody treated Jonathan today. All the nurses and doctors were sweet and patient. Nobody gave us dirty looks when he was crying in post-op and our recovery nurse didn't bat an eye when he asked for like 100 cups of juice. I would honestly recommend this hospital to anybody for any reason!

And thanks again for the prayers today :)