Five Minute Friday: hero

"Mickey Hero" to the rescue!

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My little hero swoops through the living room - jumping from couch cushion to couch cushion - "flying" through the air - always on a mission - ready to "rescue her". He's absolutely in love 'heroism' and this mama will do all that she can to use this phase to teach him how to be a gentleman! His love for others, his eagerness to please, and the joy he feels being a helper and a hero is contagious to us all!

He rescues me with kisses / he rescues me with his cuddles, his love, and his joy - my little hero rescues me more than he knows! He rescues me from my worries and fears - from my distractions - and from a life less lived and less loved! He is my hero!

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My littlest hero has a gummy one-toothed smile. He's quick to offer kisses and cuddles and  always ready to chase after big brother on hero patrol - always learning - always watching - the happiest person I know - always ready to share his joy with the world. A hero-in-training, but a hero nonetheless!

He crawls to the rescue at a single whimper - he hates to see any of us upset or in pain. He isn't sure yet how to help, but with a tear of his own to accompany yours and a kiss and cuddle. He helps to make it all better - whatever 'it' may be. The compassion in his tiny heart and the love and admiration for his big brother are inspiring. He is my hero!

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Their daddy - their daddy is the biggest hero of them all! He wakes before the sun and only rests when all of our needs are met far later than his body craves - he works at least twice the 'norm' yet comes home doing all he can to help and support us here. He saves me from the day that just won't end, and the needs that just can't be satisfied, and the need for time to myself and for adult attention! He rescues me from myself - just by being himself! I am and forever will be in awe of this man that I am blessed to call mine. His love for all of us and his devotion to his work and his family are unparalleled! This man does more for our family and for the world in the hours before I wake each morning than I do all day! He is truly a hero to us all! It is my hope and my goal to raise my boys to be everyday heros - just like their daddy! I know he often feels like he doesn't do enough, or isn't here enough, or in any other way - that he doesn't measure up - when in fact, he couldn't be more wrong - he sets the bar!
 

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I live in and I love in a house full of heroes - who love their mama with their full selves, who don their diapers or their  capes and big boy undies or their scrubs - and they go to the rescue each and every day - and I'm proud to be their mama and their Jess - I'm proud to be the woman behind the heroes - supporting their wings - helping to guide their steps and their hearts - being a hero is a big job - but the world needs more heroes like mine and I'm so glad that God trusted me to be a part of building them! (Ok - this took more than five minutes, but I just got excited!)

 

It's hard...

It's hard when the baby nurses all night long and the toddler refrain of "dow sares" (down stairs) begins far earlier than your tired, aching body can bare. It's hard when sick child leads to sick baby leads to sick momma and the daddy has to work overnight anyway. 

It's hard when who you used to be doesn't seems to fit and your new skin feels a little too tight and itches in it's newness. It's hard when the people you always thought would be there drift away with the winds of change. 

It's hard when you hear beauty in the voice of another, but you can't find the strength in your own. It's hard when someone else's "failure" looks an awful lot like your "unattainable" goal. It's hard when you measure yourself with the yardstick of another's success.

Life is hard, and it shows no signs of letting up, but God never wanted you to be her or us to be them. He only wants us to let Him in - to let go of our need for control and to allow Him to guide our steps. To let him set our goals and use his standards to measure our success. 

To put it in the words of another more eloquent than myself -

Jehovah Jireh, 

My provider, 

His grace is sufficient for me. 

My God will provide all my needs,

According to his riches and glory, 

He will give his angels charge over me

Jehovah Jireh cares for me... (this video is dated, but just made me soo happy!)

 

If the God of the universe cares for me - if He will provide for me needs, and He offers me his grace - who I am to worry when life gets hard. Who am I to question His strength and His ability to provide in all circumstances? When life gets hard, where will you turn, in whom will you rest, whose strength will you rely on? 

I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I'm glad that I don't have to have it all together when things get hard, I'm glad that I don't have to have all the answers - that I don't have to be responsible for it all - I'm glad that my God is my provider and that my Heavenly Father is always here to help me when life gets hard.

Reflect: five minute Friday

 His blue eyes sparkle back at me, a glint of rebellion, a shimmer of excitement, a challenge - his love is infectious, this boy of mine, but his will is a challenge all it's own.

In him, God shows me reflections of myself - reflections of who I have been and who I still sometimes am - even now I often stand before a loving Father - just like a petulant toddler, insistent that I know better than He, that my way is surely the best way! And He gently leads me to follow His will rather than mine. Through His love and His grace He guides and He softens this stubborn will of mine. 

May my parenting of him be a reflection of the way He has guided and taught me! May he see a reflection of God through me just as I see a reflection of myself through him! May I continue to learn through these parallels of parent to child and my Heavenly Father to me - and always strive to parent more like Him! May we both not only survive this time of toddler tantrums and tears, but come out on the other side both a better reflection of our Creator - after all, we were made in His image and what better image could we reflect unto the world!

 

Owen - on your second birthday

Owen,

My oldest, my firstborn, the child who made me a mother and taught me all about a new kind of love - you constantly astound me with your strength, your intelligence, your will, but most of all with your heart. Today, you are two years old - you are speaking in sentences that get longer and clearer each day, you love and protect your brother in ways that I couldn't even begin to imagine or hope for before you made them a reality. You are such an amazing little boy, and you are just that, a little boy - each and every day you are less my baby and more boy - and it is breaking my heart into pieces - both with sadness at the loss of the baby that you were and with pride and joy at the boy that you are becoming. My love for you grows each day at a rate that even you can't keep up with - although you are growing far more quickly than I'd like and soon I will no longer be able to fit you neatly in my arms - so I will soak up all the time I can holding you, carrying you, cuddling you, and loving you every way that I know how. 

They say that two is terrible and I've heard tell that three is worse, but I'm not going to accept that for us my dear boy. You are just so sweet and loving and smart - and sure you are testing each and every boundary that you reach, but together we are going to navigate this time successfully and we are going to make sure this time is joyous rather than frustrating. 

So, here is to embracing boyhood and all the messy and sticky and stinky and beautiful bits of it! I can't wait to see what you have in store for me next! 

Love you more than words can say!

Mom

50 things

A few weeks ago on one of my jags of blog reading in the middle of the night I saw this post by Emily from Be Blessed Y'all and I thought it would be super fun! But it took me a while to get it all finished, so anyway, here you go:

50 Things You Probably Never Wanted to Know About Me... 

1. Do you like blue cheese? Not particularly, but I don't hate it either
2. Have you ever smoked a cigarette? Unfortunately, yes - I smoked fairly regularly from my senior year of high school - through college - mostly when socializing, but also alone as well - however, I never really got addicted like so many people do, and when I decided to stop - I just stopped - so I definitely praise the Lord for that! I know for many, many people (my brother included) it is not such an easy habit to break (although my brother did quit - yay - I just know it was very difficult)!
3.Do you own a gun? While I fully support the right to bear arms, and might someday want a gun for family protection - it just really scares me to have a gun in the house with small children - you hear too many horror stories of things going wrong when a child finds a gun.
4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? Diet Coke with a little bit of regular cherry syrup - not the diet cherry - eww - and not just the amount they put in there on their own - that is overwhelmingly cherry-y
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Not really, although once these blood pressure issues started in my pregnancy with Noah and I kept getting sent over to labor and delivery for monitoring - I began to feel a little anxiety before my appointments!
6. Do you like hot-dogs? Yep, yummy - especially Costco hot dogs!
7. Favorite iPhone app? My new favorite is the SimplyUs app - it is an app that J and I both have that combines our calendars, has a shared to-do list and grocery list, and a chat feature. It is super cool to both have the shopping list at all times and to immediately know when something gets added to the calendar! Although the apps that eat up the most of my time are spider solitaire, facebook, instagram, and the Simpsons game - which are all great ways to waste time while nursing a newborn for hours each day! Oh, and Minion Rush :)
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Prefer? Well, if calories didn't exist let's go with milkshakes, java chip frappuccinos, and carmel macchiatos in the summer and hot chocolate and vanilla or peppermint mochas all winter! That said,  in the mornings, I prefer to drink either k-cup coffee with flavored creamer and sweet n' low or Diet Coke. :( - boo for drinks having a million calories!
9. Can you do push-ups? Nope, but I'm getting better - I can do about 10-15 girly ones in a row now and a few weeks ago I could barely do 2 girly ones
10. What’s your favorite meal? Mexican Stroganoff! Mmm, mmm, good! Dang it, now I want some!
11. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? My wedding rings - but after that my origami owl locket - it has each of the boys birthstones and other little charms that are special to me and represent faith, love, and family!
12. Favorite hobby? Umm, what's a hobby? I'd really love to get back into reading and to devote more time to blogging, scrapbooking/Project Life, and crafting -- but time is elusive. Oh and photography too..man, do I miss hobbies!
13. Do you work with people who idolize you? Well, since my current job is momma to a toddler and a newborn and wife to Dr. J - I think I'm about as close as it gets 
14. Name a trait that you hate about yourself? I'm lazy
15. Middle name? Anne 
16. Name 3 thoughts at this moment: I should be sleeping, why can't I sleep when J is on call, if I'm not going to sleep there are many more important things I should be doing rather than this silly survey!
17. Name 3 things you bought yesterday: a frame, modge podge, fried chicken
18. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink: Diet Coke, Iced Carmel Macchiato, and Dr. Pepper Ten (and water, but that doesn't count)
19. Current worry right now? That I won't be able to lose the weight 
20. Current hate right now? How fast time is passing
21. Favorite place to be? Anywhere with all my boys - scratch that, anywhere but the hospital with all of my boys - that wasn't much fun
22. How did you bring in New Years? Driving home from J's parents after Christmas 2
23. Favorite place to go? Home, always home
24. What is your most recurring dream? Don't remember many dreams, but during both pregnancies I had dreams about my teeth falling out - its supposed to mean that you are worried how you look or how you will perform in a new role...
25. Introvert or extrovert? Introvert - I can force myself out of it and I can be a leader and be social and all of that, but I draw my energy from alone time and small group or one-on-one connections. Large crowds exhaust me and give me stress - I'm seeing these same tendencies in Owen, he is not a fan of a crowd  and often prefers playing alone or with me or in a small group rather than a crazy playdate with tons of kids
26. What color shirt are you wearing? Gray, with pink/red flowers
27. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Nope, slippery and sweaty - eww
28. Can you whistle? Sorta-kinda, not well
29. Favorite color? Blue - all shades
30. Would you be a pirate? We are the pirates who don't do anything...if Larry can do it so can I....please tell me somebody gets this reference?! .... No, just me, I'm the only nerd?
31. What songs do you sing in the shower? I have a two year old and two month old...my showers are not long enough to sing, and if the were it would probably be Old McDonald had a Farm or a the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse songs. 
32. Favorite girl’s name? Rosalyn - but J doesn't like it 
33. Favorite boy’s name? That's not fair - I have 3 boys! Umm, going with a name that I love but can't use for any of my own (because it's taken by BIL): Joshua - always wanted to name a boy Joshua - love the name and the man in the Bible (anyone else feel like calling them Bible characters makes it seem like we are calling the Bible fiction rather than history...maybe Bible figure? Not sure...)
34. Who is your loudest friend? My brother 
35. What’s in your pocket right now? No pockets - but earlier today - two pacifiers (big and little), a package of fruit snacks, my phone, and my keys
36.  Last thing that made you laugh? Owen - he makes me laugh all day every day
37. Bed sheets as a child? I had these pink striped sheets and comforter that looked like there was a dog laying on the bed on one side of the comforter and a cat laying on the bed on the other side - I loved them - there was also a fuzzy tan, pink, and blue blanket that my brother and I fought over as adults both claiming as our own (I won - it's currently in my linen closet, and I might have a pillowcase from that pink set somewhere too - I promise I'm not a hoarder - just sentimental)
38. Worst injury you’ve ever had? Hmm, I've had to have stitches a few times and been in a few car accidents that sent me to the chiropractor, but overall I have been very, very blessed with safety and haven't really had any major injuries! Praise The Lord! 
39. Do you love where you live? Yea, I actually do - it took a while to feel like home, but now I love it here and I'll miss it when we leave
40. How many TVs are in your house? 2 - living room and master bedroom
41. What is your worst habit? Putting things off until the last minute
42. How many dogs do you have? 2 - Kailey and Wyatt
43. Does someone have a crush on you? Well, I'm pretty sure J has more than a crush on me, so probably no crushes...
44. Do you own slippers? Yep, SpongeBob slippers and slipper socks
45. What is your favorite childrens book? Oooh, that's too hard - way too many: The Giving Tree, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Oh the Thinks that you Can Think, A Little Princess, Goodnight Moon, anything Sandra Boynton - etcetera, etcetera, etcetera 
46. What is your favorite candy? Caramello - hands down, but I also love Hershey's cookies and creme and their old mint and cookie candy bar was amazing - they should bring that back! (LOL, there is even a Facebook page about that candy bar)
47. What is your favorite sports team? Umm, uhh...whatever team J is cheering for ;)
48. What song do you want played at your funeral? Don't really care - I'm big on believing that the funeral is for the living - whatever my loved ones want to say/do/play/feel - it's up to them to remember me however best helps them cope and grieve - I'm going to be in heaven at that point, so I don't feel the need to dictate their goodbyes 
49. What were you doing at 12 AM last night? Feeding the babe and watching Food Network
50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up this morning? Is it really already morning?!

That was fun and now you know a little more about me - if you join in or have a similar get to know you post, comment with a link, so I can come by and get to know a little more about you!

2 years and 2 months: 2 updates

I can't believe I have a two month old and a two YEAR old! It is just absolutely crazy! I have a lovey sappy birthday post I'm working on for Owen that I plan to post next week along with pictures from our celebration this weekend, but I thought I'd do some stats and photos for both boys in one post this month since we're pretty busy around here these days!

I'm taking both boys to the doc for their check-ups on 8/5 - so I'll update with percentiles and exact measurements then inside the parentheses, but for now my attempts at home:

 
Noah at 2mo:
Weight: 13.6lbs (13lb 8oz - 90th %ile)    
Length: 24" (22 3/4" - 50th %ile)

If I'm at all close, he's gained almost 2 pounds this month and grown 3" - but we were a pound high and an inch off on our measurements at home last month - so we'll see!


Owen at 2yo:
Weight: 32.6lbs (32lb 3oz - 95th %ile)    
Height: 36-37" (35 1/2" - 80th %ile)

They say that by the time you are 2 that you are 1/2 of your adult height - so if that's true we're looking at this guy being between 6' and 6'2" - crazy to think that my "baby" could get so big!


There are about 1/2 as many pictures of Owen as there are of Noah - simply because Noah can't escape me! Owen was done with picture taking in about 1.2 seconds! I managed to get one good smile once I told him he was done! Err! Toddlers! So, with that said, we'll start with Owen.

What mom?! I'm watching my show!

At two years old, you: 

- speak in sentences almost all the time - at least 3 words, but sometimes more
- are sort of TV obsessed and love Mickey Mouse, Cars 1 & 2, Despicable Me, Toy Story 1-3
- are super compassionate and caring - you worry so much about the characters in your shows and about your friends - you hate to see anyone sad or upset
- still take one nap a day ranging from 1-3 hours
- only use your binky in bed and in the car - we transitioned you about a month ago and you are doing really well with it
- go to bed between 8:30-9:30 and sleep until about 8 each morning
- wake up and come to my bed to cuddle and watch cartoons for an hour or so before we get up and go downstairs
- love naming all your (and everyone else's) body parts and naming everyone and everything you see around you
- are CRAZY about fruit snacks - which you call "gummies"
- love your baby brother soo much and always want to make sure that he is with us - unless you are hungry/thirsty, then you want me to put him away and help you instead
- have started RUNNING away as fast as you can in stores and in public - we have had to use a little bumblebee backpack leash that my friend, L, gave us - you are starting to listen when I tell you to freeze, etc.
- have had a lot of timeouts lately, but unlike most kids your age, when I tell you to go to timeout - you listen (90% of the time) and go right to time out! You also immediately start saying you are sorry over and over!
- love construction vehicles, emergency vehicles, motorcycles - pretty much anything that goes "zoom, fast!"
- would rather drink a million cups of chocolate milk and juice than actually eat food - although you do still eat a lot
- say please, thank you, sorry, you're welcome, bless you, and I love you - without prompting - you are super polite and considerate!
- still love to be worn in the Ergo, mei tei, or the wrap
- still love to sing This Little Light of Mine, but now also love singing Old McDonald Had a Farm
- repeat the letters to spell your name but it almost always goes: 
    M: O O: O  
    M: W O: W
    M: E O: E   
    M: N O: Owen!
- started putting yourself to bed, I tell you to go to sleep and you walk upstairs and lay down - I come check on you and tuck you in, kiss, and leave - and you go to sleep
- LOVE sitting in the crack in the middle of the couch - you've decided it's your spot and tell us "sit here" pointing to the sides and will push anyone out of the middle
- call Grandma F "Grampa" and call my mom "Jessi" so you ask all the time for  Grampa and Grampa far away and Poppy and Jessi in car!
 
Owen, overall, you may be developing your own opinions and testing every boundary that you reach, but you are an amazing kid! I love you soo much and I am so proud to be your mommy! I can't wait to start you TERRIFIC TWOS! Love you, Mama

Fine, I kissed him...are we done here?

 Noah - my newest baby - oh how I love you! Owen made me a mommy, but you get to enjoy a pre-broken-in Mom - it's so much easier to enjoy everything you do this time, because I'm not so worried I'll break you like I was with your brother - and I don't have to go back to work and leave you both! It still amazes me every day that you are here and that you are mine - and I marvel at all the ways that you are so different from and so similar to your brother! I can't wait to see how those similarities and differences change as you grow! Love you - Mama

At two months old, you:

- seem to be even stronger than your brother was at this age, you roll over all the time and do super awesome pushups during tummy time
- are a happy-go-lucky guy most of the time, but when you get mad/hungry/sad/etc - you go from 0 to 60 (more like 120) in no time flat!
- love to be held and cuddled all the time and seem to dislike naps this week unless mommy is holding you, but you...
- sleep like a champ at night, you vary with when you decide night begins (somewhere between 10pm-2am) but you sleep for a solid 5 hours, nurse and go right back to sleep, followed by another 4 hours of sleep before you wake to nurse again - then you sleep for another 2-3 before you are up for the day
- have totally figured out nursing and nurse like a champ now! It seems like our overactive letdown issues have settled out and you latch right on and chow - I stopped worrying about charting when you eat, because you are growing so well and let me know what you need
- nurse every 1-3 hours, except at night - this early on it seems like every time you settle into a feeding schedule, you have another growth spurt and eat every hour again - so we'll wait a little longer to see where you settle with that
- have been more and more awake and aware during the day, you love watching us and looking all around and actually don't hate tummy time nearly as much as your brother did
- have started losing your hair - sorry buddy, probably not the last time
- LOVE Mommy most of all - makes Daddy a little sad, but I think it's just because I supply the food
- LOVE being held or carried, so I'm very glad we have all the various carriers to wear you, since I have to take care of your brother too (as I write this, you are asleep on my back in one of the woven wraps! I love that I can wear you on my back with a woven, while you are still little - it is so much easier to get things done!)
- are starting to figure out the binky but still prefer Mom - you only seem to like the NUK ones, and not the little baby ones - those are too small for you - only the big baby size for you!
- still sleep in the Rock-n-Play next to our bed (we'll probably keep you there until you stop with your middle of the night nursing session - since you'll share a room with your brother and we don't want you both awake in the middle of the night!)
- still have dark gray eyes, but they are getting bluer - a really bright vibrant blue
- seem to grow and change each and every day! It seems like as soon as I think I have you figured out, you can do something else or change things up on me! It is so exciting knowing that I won't miss out on all the little day to day things you do like I did with Owen while I was at work!

Mom, I am DONE with tummy time!

Boys,
I love you both SO, SO much! I was absolutely made to be your Mommy and it is my honor to raise you up to be men of God and to do great things for His glory! May you both always know how incredibly precious you are to us (Mom, Dad, and the Lord)!

Love you forever and for always - 

Momma

in between - five minute friday

I know I already shared this photo today, but it fit this post too!

In between my two babies. My boys - my sons - I am struggling with being caught in between the two if them - not quite meeting either one's needs exactly how they'd like. Today my toddler begged me to put my nursing newborn to bed - "mommy - sleepy, sleepy, pleaaase sleepy" he cried to me as he pointed to his brother's bassinet and begged that I prepare him a snack instead.

In between a rock and a hard place - they both need me so much, yet in such very different ways and in ways that are so much the same. One month in and I'm not sure how I'll do it, how I'll make sure that the toddler knows that he is loved and not forgotten and that the babe receives the attention and care that he needs as well. 

In between, not sure of which way to turn - who to help - there is only one of me and two of them with so many wants and needs between them.

But I continue on, finding the beauty in all this need, reveling in the wonder of all this love - between these two is exactly where I want to be!

Blog Every Day in May: Day 30

Challenge Day 30: React to this term: Letting Go

Each new chapter begins by bringing an end to the one before. Welcoming this new little family of four means saying goodbye to the family of three that we used to be. Tuesday night, when I got the call that they had found protein in my urine I wasn't ready - I wasn't ready to let go and say goodbye to my family of three. I was supposed to have another week - I was supposed to have a plan - and a last date before things changed. I was supposed to have a special weekend with Owen doing all his favorite things and saying goodbye to being just Owen's mom. Then in a moment - that was entirely unexpected - I was packing and making calls and doing all the last minute things to be at the hospital only hours later. I didn't get to have time to say my long, sweet goodbye - my life as I knew it was going to change - and it was going to change fast. And I, I am not good with change. I like plans and order and slow easy transitions that I can prepare for - but thankfully, I am not the one in charge - God is and He knows far better than I do what we need and the right timing for everything. He knew that it was time to let go and it was time to pull the bandaid on our life and what it used to be.

And guys, I'm so glad that He's in charge instead of me, letting go of who we were was the best thing I have ever done - and we have to let go in order to free our hands to embrace all the new, amazing things He has in store for us. I am so in love with being a mom of two, I am so in love with my new little boy, and the big brother that I know Owen will be. This new life that He create for us is so much better than any life I could have created for us - and I'm so glad that I let go of the old to embrace the new.

Quick Update: We are still in the hospital and I am off of the IV meds, but blood pressure is still too high - and went up a little after the IV meds were out of my system, so we are looking to get those under control tonight. Noah is doing fantastic, he's really figuring out nursing (nursed every hour last night - which mommy did not appreciate), and he's looking really good - we've dealt with a few little issues, but strong and healthy and with us - so that's exactly what we were praying for. Owen is loving his time with "Gpa" and doesn't particularly like this new "baby brother thing" we keep showing him and keeps telling us "all done" and "no touch" when we try to show him Noah - he let Noah get a little closer tonight than last night, but we'll get there. Daddy is great, but sleepy - looking forward to all of us spending the next two weeks together building our new little family! Once we're home and settled I'll write up Noah's whole birth story out - I still don't quite believe the way things all played out.

Blog Every Day in May: Day 28

Challenge Day 28: Only pictures - this one is easy - I had a ton of posts I never got around to writing, but that had pictures I really wanted to share so - here you go!

 

 

Owen Matthew - 21 months old

Hey little boy,

This last month has been crazy and I was supposed to post an update on you when you turned 21 months on May 1st, but I didn't get it done, so instead this is a little bit of a longer update and covers the time before and after you turned 21 months! I'm posting this at the end of May and we'll see when we post your 22 month update - since, I'm not sure when your brother is coming and I don't want to miss this for you again - it might work better to do your update for the month at the end of the month though instead of when you first change months! Either way doesn't matter much because you are ALMOST TWO! Then I'll probably update on your changes every 6 months after that! I can't believe you are already such a big kid!

1st Big Ouch!

 You are still thoroughly in love with your binky, Elmo, giraffe, puppy (that Gpa got you), and all things truck/car/train/hel-cop-ter/dig-gur! If it goes - you love it! You even insist on sleeping with your trains and cars and your "new" airplane! It's so cute seeing you snuggled up with all these hard toys - it can't be very comfortable! This month, you got your first BIG ouchie - and went to the ER to get checked out after you fell looking at a helicopter! We were really worried that it would affect your love of vehicles and then a few days later we took you to a local "touch a truck" type event with all kinds of vehicles - and you were really scared at first and kept crying and telling us "ow" "ouchies" - but by the time we left that afternoon you were loving it again and realized that you were safe, you just had to be "care-fle" - when you say it is sounds a lot like waffle! :)

You love to "drive" and now you always want the keys & want to sit in the front seat - sorry dude - it's going to be a while!

I finally got your name up on the wall, since your ABC decals were falling down! I love how it looks over your bed and you love repeating your name and "spelling" it with mommy! You do a great job repeating and touching each letter and you are so proud when we finish your name! You also know that the baby in mommy's tummy is named Noah! Your language has really exploded this month and you are talking soo much! You almost always use 3 word sentences and you are getting really good at explaining yourself when we don't know what you want. You still get frustrated, but you try much harder to explain yourself before you give up! Mommy is super proud of how well you are talking and communicating with us and other people! We have even had some other moms talking about what a great job you do talking! You say pretty much anything that you want to and you learn lots of new words every day - mommy and daddy have to be careful, because we think sometimes we are saying things sarcastically and you pick up on our conversation and then misunderstand what words mean and then when you use words and slightly mispronounce them we have no idea what you are talking about, but you insist that you are right! The only wrong/baby word you use consistently for anything is that you still insist that your Grandma Deb is really "grampa." Once or twice you have accidentally said "gramma," but then you quickly correct yourself and change it back to "grampa" - no matter how many times we correct you! You have also continue to be super sweet and super polite - you say "tank you," "you we-gum," "peaze," "lub you" all the time now, often without any prompting at all!

You've been doing a great job dealing with all of mommy's doctor's appointment and all of the baby prep that is going on in our house - you have been getting into all the baby stuff and exploring it - since it was all once yours - but once you see that it's ok for you to explore you, you've lost interest and gone back to your big kid stuff! I think that is going to be the best way to help you cope with all of these changes - you can check out the baby stuff, but you are smart enough to know that you don't really want it! You are getting to be more and more of a big boy every day! You still love snuggling and cuddling up with mommy and daddy, but you are also doing a great job exploring and playing by yourself! Since the weather took so long to get nice, you missed out on a lot of playing outside, but now that it is warm you always want to be "ow-si" and want to go the the "pla-grow" pretty much every day! When mommy started getting high blood pressure, you did a great job cuddling up on the couch with me for most of the day and then playing crazy with daddy at night, but now that I have been taking medicine and feeling a little bit better - Mommy has been trying to make sure we get you outside more during the day too! Especially since at the end of May daddy was on call almost every other day since there were some conferences other people had to go to! You are still working on going in the potty, but we aren't really pushing it - you just go when you feel like it - we have lots of time to worry about that big boy stuff and not much more time that you get to be my little guy!

Love you soo, soo much!

I can't wait to see what June has in store for us when you are 22 months old and I finally get to see what a great big brother you are going to be! 

Love you, Mom

Blog Every Day in May: Day 19

Day 19, Sunday: Five of your favorite blogs and what you love about them

Well, I sorta did this on day 5 with the love on a blogger you are friends with prompt as I didn't really feel close enough to any blogger to fully embrace the spirit of that prompt - so you can look back to that post to read a little more about 3 bloggers I adore!

A few more favorites:

1. Growing up Geeky - I love how Melissa embraces the geeky and keeps it real.  She was recently struggling with postpartum anxiety and it has been great seeing her turn the corner and become more of herself again - I really appreciate how she shared that struggle! And now she is navigating a return to work and the difficulties of being away from her girls.
2. I Love You More than Carrots - AP is another boy mom and I love watching her cutie-tootie boys grow! AP is super funny and she always makes me laugh, especially with her hashtags on instagram! This year her goal is "college hot and no babies" - at least until her birthday - and she is so cute! I love her style and the way she dresses her boys! They all always look super nice!
3. My Little Mustache - Jess is just super, super sweet and she is a great encourager. She is always looking for new ways to "encourage it forward." She really is an inspiration as she always has a heart for others - plus her son, Judah, is super cute - and she is an awesome "crocheter" 
4. Grace for Moms - This blog has many different contributors and offers lots of different posts for moms - always encouraging with a great Christian perspective.
5. Oh Dear Drea  - Drea and I have almost nothing in common, but her photos are gorgeous and she makes vegan food look super yummy - I need to gather up some courage and try one of her recipes - it would probably benefit us to eat a little more like her!

Blog Every Day in May: Day 15

Day 15, Wednesday: A Day in the life (include photos from throughout your typical day - this could be "a photo an hour" if you'd like)

Well, our days these days are anything but typical - as we're spending 70-80% if the day cuddled up on the couch to keep icky blood pressures away, but today we have a lot going on, so here we go - hopefully I don't overdo it and end up getting in trouble at my BP check this afternoon!

Wednesday, May 15

4:13am - Peeing in a bucket and stickin' it in the fridge! What a glamorous way to start the day! Finishing up my 24hr urine collection to check again for protein - gotta make sure these high blood pressures are not turning into pre-eclampsia.
5:09am - Owen is crying, go pick him up and bring him back to our bed to cuddle - both back to sleep!
8:53am - finishing up the 24hr urine collection at 9 - so last pee in the bucket and head back to bed, but I spill my giant water cup all of over the floor and wake Owen up - he has a stuffy nose and doesn't sound great! He pouts for a few minutes, but by 8:58 - he's found Chicken Dance Elmo and is happily bopping along to the music and ready for a diaper change! - Owen is already hiding in the pillows and saying "camra" "pi-chur" "no" - this is going to be a long day!

9:15am - Owen cuddles under the covers and watches a little Jake, while mommy gets ready for the day, then it's time to "bruch" and we have to have our "vi-ma-mins"

9:30am - Downstairs - potty break for the doggies and breakfast time for us - as we were heading out the door Owen coughed up some boogers and we had to whip out the "bot-bot" and Owen was of course as enthralled as ever!

9:45-10:30am - Off the the doctor - drop off urine and have blood drawn - woohoo!

10:40-11:45am - Head off the the park for 20 minutes before Owen has to be trapped again at the Chiropractor! This day has already been crazy and it isn't even lunchtime yet - Owen is not amused!

11:45-2pm - Dairy Queen drive-thru for lunch - followed by naptime, laundry and blood pressure check for mom - it's looking a little high - getting a little worried for my appointment!

 *At this point things got a little crazy so the rest of the day had only a few pics and all gets shoved into one collage*

2:15pm - Snacktime and a little time to play outside before we head back to the OB at 3.
3pm - BP worse than it's been and we get sent to L&D AGAIN (except Daddy is at work this time! oh no!) Owee was great and hung out eating gummies - we had to stay in L&D with blood pressure checks and fetal monitoring, while they waited for the results of my 24hr urine and blood tests from this morning (which hadn't been ordered STAT). Daddy rushed over from work.
4:45pm -  My results were back - urine negative for protein, so still no pre-eclampsia for this momma - and I was released with a prescription for blood pressure medicine!  This was followed by a trip to the pharmacy - a ladybug friend hitching a ride on my toe and car naps for Owen!
6pm - Mom's night out! I thought I'd be missing out on my mom's night out dinner tonight with my fellow pregnant momma's in the area, but I was released just in time to make it! J took Owen home and I was able to enjoy some mama time and some super yummy BBQ!
9:30pm - Back home, Owen is asleep and I get to work editing photos and getting this blog post together!

11pm - Finally finished and ready for bed!


How was your day? Was it as eventful as mine?? I'm ready for a nice calm day tomorrow and hoping these blood pressure meds do their job so this baby can hang out for a while longer! I don't know about you, but I'd really rather go into labor naturally than induce - and if things don't get under control I know that's coming (as it was actually a possibility today!)