These Boys...

HE-

Loves Superheros

Wants "options' at supper

Has been 100% potty trained for well over a month

Loves playing with his neighborhood friends each night

Always asks "Yes or NO?" before he does something

Makes my Momma heart huge with pride

HE-

Loves to jump and play in his jumperoo

Thinks his big brother is the best thing ever

Sleeps unswaddled

Has to eat in a quiet room so he does not get distracted

 Giggles and smiles and squeals in delight all day long

Melts my heart

THEY-

Are all so different, yet so much alike

Have so much fun together

Make me smile

Make me laugh

Make me want to pause time

Own my heart

Charlie's Birth-Ben's Story

I was curious what Charlie's birth had been like for Ben, so I asked if he would mind writing it out.  The post made me laugh and cry and thank God that I was blessed with such an amazing husband and father to our boys. Enjoy!

March 18th started off as a pretty normal Spring Sunday. We went to the zoo, played outside and had enjoyed the unusually warm sunny day. I think i was about to start making some pizza or something and Katie told me that she thought she might be having contractions. Even thought she didn’t think they were strong enough or close enough together to be “real” yet, I put making supper on pause just in case. Even though I was getting pretty hungry. She jumped in the shower to wash off and when she got out the contractions were getting closer and closer together so we decided we’d better leave. As efficiently as possible, we packed our bags, dropped Drake off at the neighbors and made our way to the Hospital.

Once we got to Mercy Hospital we checked in and went down to our room. The nurse came in and checked Katie over and assured us she was not about to have a baby. She  said no those weren’t contractions Katie was having, it was just mild cramps and that she must be dehydrated. That sounded legitimate since we’d been outside all day so the nurse gave her a gigantic mug to drink from, which Katie had me refill about 5 times in a half hour. She told us they’d keep the monitors on for about an hour then we’d be free to go, Thank God because I was getting hungry!

While we were deciding where we’d go eat the beeping of the monitor stopped. We thought that was weird and that the baby must have just changed positions. So I went back to trying to figure out what was for supper. Meanwhile the Nurse came in and started fidgeting with the little patches on Katie’s stomach trying to find a heartbeat. She was so calm I didn’t think anything of it until Katie shot me that look that I better get off my phone and get over to the bed.

I think they told us it was 5 minutes before they could find a heartbeat. I wasn’t hungry anymore. In what seemed like 30 seconds the doctor came in, ordered an ultrasound, we got that done and the doctor came back in and told us everything looked fine, but one way or another that  baby was coming out tonight. Also, if we lost the heartbeat again we’d be going straight in for a C Section.

In the meantime Katie had started to dilate and the nurses finally believed that she was in labor. Things also had settle down so Katie told me to go get something to eat. Mc Donald’s seemed like the best bet so I set off for a chicken strip meal. I had a feeling Katie wouldn’t like watching me eat up in the room so i ate the french fries and some of the chicken on the way back up to the room... good thing because within a minute of being back she made me throw it out. She couldn’t stand the smell.

Next, the anesthesiologist came in and put in the epidural while watching TV and acting like he gave roughly two shits about what was going on. By the time he left Katie was dilated a lot more and things were about to get crazy.

I don’t remember exactly how it happened, but I remember them breaking the water and saying there was a lot of m in it and that they’d have to get the baby our quickly. Luckily Katie is the best damn baby birther on the planet and pushed about 3 times, with the help of a vacuum, and out came a baby! But that was when things slowed down.

Every one in the room was very calm but I could tell something was wrong. There was no baby crying and the NICU people grabbed Charlie before I knew what was going on. They put him under the lights and started sucking stuff out of his mouth. It seemed like forever before I heard him cry, but when I did I knew the God had been listening to my prayers through the entire thing.

I learned later that Charlie, on top of being covered in, had his cord wrapped around his neck and got his shoulder stuck on his way out. As soon as things were stabilized they put a tiny oxygen mask on him and brought him over to Katie then rushed him down to the room where the newborns go. Katie was doing great so I went down with Charlie. Down there they sucked out another two little things of meconium from his stomach, fed him a little and put him under the warming lights. I looked him in his big blue eyes and told him I’d be there for him for the rest of my life.

Batman Sighting at Target

Incase you were wondering where Batman does his shopping, I have an answer for you...

Target.

Batman shops at Target.

The Batman sighting also included the following tidbits-

• He supposedly supports other Superheros as he was spotted wearing a Captain America shirt while he shopped.


• His shopping partners included a tall woman with dark hair and a laughing chubby baby. No confirmation on their names/connection to Batman at this time.


• As he was walking into Target he was singing "Shake Your Booty" and shaking the respective body part.


• It was rumored that he was there to buy a prize for staying in his bed for 10 nights.


• He was spotted leaving the store with a pirate sword.

There is an excellent chance that you might spot Batman or his buddies Captain America or Spiderman at the same Target sometime soon. To keep the paparazzi away we are not at liberty to disclose what Target location this sighting was confirmed. Stay tuned for more sightings.

This is Me...4 Years Later

This was the very first blog post I wrote more than 4 years ago. I thought it would be fun to go back and see what has changed. My original thoughts from 4 years ago are first and my current thoughts are in the parentheses in bold.

This is me..Sassy.Silly.Spunky

This is me...I have a great love and appreciation of my family (Always will.)

This is me...My husband is the love of my life and gets me better than anybody else
(YES!)

This is me...My sisters are my best friends and I love hanging out with them (It has been so fun to watch both of them grow and change over the last 4 years. I'm so proud of the women they have become.)

This is me...My mom is always the first person I call with good/bad news (Umm...yeah probably will always be that way, but now I also call with  questions/cute stories about my kids.)

This is me...My dad is my hero (Still is! Love him.)

This is me...I have the greatest friends who have been there through thick and thin (I am so lucky. It has been so great to go through motherhood with some of my best friends. I'm lucky to have really amazing people in my life.)

This is me...My golden retriever is awesome and always makes me smile (OK, so I still think Skinner is awesome, but I also feel really bad for him. I wrote this post before I had kids, so he was like my kid. That has changed. But he still is the sweetest dog and my boys are so lucky to have him.)

This is me...I have the best childhood memories (Yes! And I want to make sure my kids do too!)

This is me... I will always have a special place in my heart for Simpson College (This is where I met my husband and some of my best friends.  I think my experiences there really shaped me into the person I am today, so I will always love that place. P.S.- Is it too early to start filling out applications for Drake and Charlie to go there?!? It is? Darn it!! )

This is me...I will always be a Southern Cal Mustang (My parents have moved away from my hometown, so my connection to this statement is not as strong as it was when I wrote this 4 years ago. However, I still am close with quite a few people from my hometown, so in some respects the statement is still true.)

This is me...My favorite place on earth is Hilton Head Island ( I do love it there. I have not been in about 5 years, so I'm a little overdue. I can't wait to share the specialness of this place with my boys someday!)

This is me...I can't live without Burt's Bees chapstick (Addicted. Do they have rehab for chapstick addiction? Because I probably need to go!)

This is me...If I never got to a Laundromat again it will be too soon (Win! I don't think I've been to one since I wrote this. You have no idea how happy this makes me.)

This is me...Tim McGraw and Cher will always be #1 in my book (Ummmm....not so much anymore. I still love Tim McGraw, but Cher?? Not so much. I listen to all sorts of music these days and don't really have a favorite artist. I am really digging Pink's new song though.)

This is me... Jesus is my Lord and Savior (Always)

This is me... I could eat Schwann's fish sticks every day (Kind of got burnt out on these during both of my pregnancies. I'm not really in love with any one food these days.)

This is me... My birthday is my favorite day of the year (This might be hard to believe, but it actually isn't anymore! I so look forward to my boy's birthdays and love planning their parties and seeing their little faces light up. So their birthdays are my new favorite days(s) of the year!)

This is me... I love to travel but have never found better people than here in Iowa (Yeah, Iowa people are good people)

This is me... I may live in the city but will always be a small town girl (So true. It breaks my heart a little to see Drake being all city-boy. I love where we live and don't want to move, but there is something special about growing up in a small town.)

This is me... I love my job but can't wait for the best job of all...being a mother (Being a Mom is a better job than any paying job I could ever have. Love it!)

This is me... My wedding day was the best day of my life (ONE of the best days of my life. The birthday of both my boys ranks right up there too!)

This is me... I have learned to love to exercise and it is my escape (A few months after Charlie was born, I started working out again. I don't hit up the gym as often as I did pre-kids, but I still love the feeling of a good workout.Not to mention I cherish the quiet time that accompanies a trip alone to the gym.)

This is me... There is nothing better than sitting on the deck with a cold beer on a hot summer day (I still love to do this, but never really have the chance. I would now say there is nothing better than a quiet night at home with Ben and the boys....oh, OK, a glass of wine thrown in there would be nice too. )

This is me...I love a good challenge (Yes, but Motherhood has fulfilled  that for me. One challenge after another.)

This is me... I am competitive especially in board games (Board games? What are those? Seriously I never have the time to play those anymore. Goal for this winter-play more board games.)

This is me...Father of the Bride and Coyote Ugly will always be at the top of my list (Still greatest movies of all time in my eyes. I feel like once you really love a movie, you probably always will.

This is me... I miss going to school and learning new things I even miss writing papers (<---  Really?!? I must have been crazy for writing that!!! That feeling is most definitely gone!)

This is me... I have big dreams that I believe will come true (I always have been a dreamer and probably always will be. I know when I wrote this I was referring to having kids. I wanted them so bad, but they were out of reach at the time. I have what I wanted most now, but there might still be a few other dreams I want to reach for. I think I might just keep those to myself for now ;) )

This is me... Sassy.Silly.Spunky

Sad Superheros

I'm always looking to get the perfect picture of the boys, you know the one- cute outfit, everybody looking at the camera and smiling all taken in the perfect location with the perfect lighting. Those pictures are hard to come by with 2 crazy little boys.

These pictures are not 'perfect', yet they are perfect to me.

I love these photos so very very much.

Have I mentioned how much I love them?

I have ?!?

Well it is because I LOVE them!! :)

What I Wish I Would Have Known 3 Years Ago

So Drake is officially 3 days into this 3 year-old gig. 3?!? Really?!? My newborn turned into a baby and then into a toddler and now into a little boy all in the blink of any eye.

Like, seriously I blinked and the curled-up little newborn was replaced by a handsome boy. Anyways, over the last few days I have been reflecting back over the past 3 years and was thinking about all the things I know now that I wish I would have known then.

This is what I came up with-

• This is just a phase Not sleeping through the night? A million tantrums a day? Not liking any food your put on his plate? All phases that will sooner or later come to an end. It can be so hard when you are in the middle of the phases to see the end, but just know there is an end.


• They just need love It is so very easy to think your baby/child needs the latest and greatest toys but I have found some of the best stuff is from a garage sale and they will think anything is fun as long as they are with you. Drake loves when we tell stories and play outside with him and Charlie just likes us to talk to him. All those things are free and best of all create priceless memories.


• They eat when they are hungry I spent way to much time worrying about how much Drake ate. Turns out that kids eat when they are hungry and don't eat when they are not, weird, huh? With Charlie I am not near the slave to the clock like I was with Drake. If he acts hungry I feed him, easy enough!


• Trust your instincts This is seriously the best gift you receive when you become a mother-a heightened sense of when something is wrong. If you think something is not right with your child, it probably isn't. This might sound strange but I swear I just know when my kids are getting sick or if they will be up that night. Instincts are there for a reason. Use them.


• Don't compare This is a hard one. Everyone wants their baby to be the 'best' and it is so hard not to compare your child to other children their age. Know that every child does things on his/her own schedule and that is perfectly OK.


• Vacuuming and laundry can wait


• Don't mourn what has passed but be grateful for what is to come I had such a hard time with Drake growing up. I was always sad that he was no longer a newborn/baby/toddler. I was actually almost sad when he started hitting milestones because that meant he was growing up. I want to slap myself for that now. Each and every stage is its own kind of awesome, so look back with fond memories and be excited of what is to come.

I have found this parenting gig to be 100,000 times easier this time around because I am just so much more relaxed.

I wish I would have known then what I know now...