Yesterday was Halloween and true to form, my family went with a theme. Surely you can tell from the blog title just what that theme was, right? My boys went as characters from Ghostbusters. Boogie was the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, Will was a Ghostbuster and Brad was Slimer! It was Boogie's idea but oh my goodness did the entire neighborhood seem to love it! Everywhere we went people pointed the boys out and would say things like, "the cutest thing ever" or "best costumes of the night" and it completely made me grin. It made the boys pretty happy too!
I guess now I have to set my mind toward another theme with three possibilities for boys...
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
The end of an era!
We have reached the end of an era. In just 4 hours I will wake up to prepare to go in for my fourth c-section. In just a couple hours more than that Will will cease to be the baby of the family. I will suddenly be the mother to 4 children instead of 3.
Sometime tomorrow morning, Brad will finally be in my arms instead of my womb. It seems odd to say that the time has come. It seems like we should have more time, and yet it seems like I have been pregnant forever! Each child begins a new chapter in my life, a new bit of story to grow right along with him. And so, we have reached the end and the beginning at the same time. Welcome precious Brad, I can't wait to live your story with you!
Sometime tomorrow morning, Brad will finally be in my arms instead of my womb. It seems odd to say that the time has come. It seems like we should have more time, and yet it seems like I have been pregnant forever! Each child begins a new chapter in my life, a new bit of story to grow right along with him. And so, we have reached the end and the beginning at the same time. Welcome precious Brad, I can't wait to live your story with you!
Friday, October 19, 2012
The little moments matter
Today was not an exceptionally good day. I don't feel like I accomplished anything on my list. Boogie was still a bit under the weather. Hubby had so much work to do. When we tried to go out as a family Will's diaper failed. It just wasn't a very good day. Defeated, we trudged upstairs to put the boys to bed. When we entered their room, ahh the disappointment. It was a mess. As a group we began straightening up, everyone a bit sad to have to include that in the bedtime routine. And then things just changed.
Will was little wound up. He started backing up across the room, getting a running start and then throwing himself into my arms. Next he did that to Hubby and finally to Boogie. Hubby sought to calm him down by pretending to sleep on the floor. Little did he know that whenever Will and I catch Boogie asleep we pretend he's a sleeping prince who needs love to wake up. Of course, Will immediately thought that was the game his daddy was playing and began hugging and kissing him. By the time Hubby got up Will had decided he would make a nice horse. Next Will wanted me to bounce him while Boogie and Hubby interacted. Eventually I insisted the kids make their way to the beds. Just before they climbed in Will decided to hand out some more hugs and kisses. I snatched him up and said, "Where's the best place for kisses?" and began to call out places and kiss him. On the foot, on the hand, on the shoulder, on the head, on the knee, on the ear, on the belly, on the nose, on the elbow, on the cheek, on the mouth. I tried to give him a hug then but he was too busy pushing me away as he shouted out, "No, on the brother!" He ran to Boogie, hugged him tight around the neck and gave him a kiss. We all laughed and threw out our arms. Will started running from one person to the next with big hugs and sweet kisses.
As our spontaneous little playtime came to a close I realized I was starting to tear up. Obviously my pregnancy hormones were getting the better of me, but I think most people would be tempted to cry too. Really, it hadn't been a great day but somehow that little bit of happiness and togetherness was the only thing that mattered about the day. It wasn't a planned event, a big activity or a wrapped present but it was one of those little moments that will always matter to me. The little moments really do matter, they are what family is made of!
Will was little wound up. He started backing up across the room, getting a running start and then throwing himself into my arms. Next he did that to Hubby and finally to Boogie. Hubby sought to calm him down by pretending to sleep on the floor. Little did he know that whenever Will and I catch Boogie asleep we pretend he's a sleeping prince who needs love to wake up. Of course, Will immediately thought that was the game his daddy was playing and began hugging and kissing him. By the time Hubby got up Will had decided he would make a nice horse. Next Will wanted me to bounce him while Boogie and Hubby interacted. Eventually I insisted the kids make their way to the beds. Just before they climbed in Will decided to hand out some more hugs and kisses. I snatched him up and said, "Where's the best place for kisses?" and began to call out places and kiss him. On the foot, on the hand, on the shoulder, on the head, on the knee, on the ear, on the belly, on the nose, on the elbow, on the cheek, on the mouth. I tried to give him a hug then but he was too busy pushing me away as he shouted out, "No, on the brother!" He ran to Boogie, hugged him tight around the neck and gave him a kiss. We all laughed and threw out our arms. Will started running from one person to the next with big hugs and sweet kisses.
As our spontaneous little playtime came to a close I realized I was starting to tear up. Obviously my pregnancy hormones were getting the better of me, but I think most people would be tempted to cry too. Really, it hadn't been a great day but somehow that little bit of happiness and togetherness was the only thing that mattered about the day. It wasn't a planned event, a big activity or a wrapped present but it was one of those little moments that will always matter to me. The little moments really do matter, they are what family is made of!
Thursday, October 18, 2012
2 checkups in 2 days
A few days ago Will turned 18 months old. That, of course, means the time has come for his 18 month check up and his first dental appointment. Amazingly, he had both of them this week! Monday was his first trip to the dentist and today was his check-up.
Monday went amazingly well. I expected him to cry and scream. I mean, who likes the dentist? Not at all the case! All the hygienist had to do was show him the toothbrush and he opened his mouth for her just like he does for me everyday for brushing! I was so impressed. Really the only thing he didn't seem to like very much was the fluoride treatment. Even then he only whimpered about it for a second. The entire staff seemed to agree that it was the best dental visit they have ever seen for a guy so young!
Will was in a completely different mood today. He cried the minute we got into the room. He didn't want to be weighed or measured at all. He didn't scream bloody murder or anything, he just kept crying and giving me sad eyes. He apparently remembers that that is where he gets shots! And, of course, he got two shots today! :( Poor little fella just couldn't catch a break! He was a good boy about them and the doctor was happy with his development so I can't complain at all. It was just sad. When we got in the van he said to me, "Momma, it hurts!" Hopefully the soreness will be gone by the morning!
Monday went amazingly well. I expected him to cry and scream. I mean, who likes the dentist? Not at all the case! All the hygienist had to do was show him the toothbrush and he opened his mouth for her just like he does for me everyday for brushing! I was so impressed. Really the only thing he didn't seem to like very much was the fluoride treatment. Even then he only whimpered about it for a second. The entire staff seemed to agree that it was the best dental visit they have ever seen for a guy so young!
Will was in a completely different mood today. He cried the minute we got into the room. He didn't want to be weighed or measured at all. He didn't scream bloody murder or anything, he just kept crying and giving me sad eyes. He apparently remembers that that is where he gets shots! And, of course, he got two shots today! :( Poor little fella just couldn't catch a break! He was a good boy about them and the doctor was happy with his development so I can't complain at all. It was just sad. When we got in the van he said to me, "Momma, it hurts!" Hopefully the soreness will be gone by the morning!
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
On the hunt
Anyone that knows me well at all can tell you that I am a list girl. I make to do lists for everything! Of course, that means that I have a list (or three) of things to get done before this baby comes. Most things on my to do lists I can assign a time frame. You know how it goes- install baby gate: 30 minutes, reorganize pantry: 2 hrs, Clean out freezer: 1 hr, Choose going home outfit: Oh my goodness, who knows!
Yep, choosing an outfit for my newest baby to go home in has been quite a challenge. I am willing to reuse most anything from one baby to the next but the going home outfit is the exception. I feel like each baby deserves to face the big, bad world for the first time in something chosen just for them! It has always been a big deal to me, ever since I didn't get to choose my daughter's going home outfit. Her birth was early and far from home and so I didn't have anything with me. Luckily, my Aunt Connie had made the hellish drive down just to be there for us and she went shopping for me. I have always been grateful for that, but it just solidified in my mind the importance of planning for as many contingencies as possible.
We didn't have any problems finding something for Boogie. We were broke and really would only get to look at all the cute baby clothes. When we ran across something that was so cute that we were willing to forgo a meal for, it came home with us as his going home outfit. It's a cuddly yellow and white almost corduroy feeling material with 2 embroidered ducks on it. I must say I still think it is utterly adorable.
We had more difficulty with Will. Really that makes sense since we were out to find something that would challenge Boogie's outfit for ultimate cuteness. Eventually we found the cutest little bunny outfit of pale blue for our little Easter time baby. It is so soft and snugly. Again, I still LOVE it!
I should have realized that this time around would be even more difficult. Now everything I look at is competing with two other outfits! And, of course, it needs to be completely different from the other outfits! So for months now we have been looking all over the place for something amazing. We checked Carter's, Osh Kosh, Children's Place, Janie and Jack, Crazy 8's, etc. We checked each store numerous times constantly waiting for the stock to change. No luck.
Just when I thought that I would have to settle something amazing happened... we found something cute. It's cotton so it's not as fancy as the other outfits have been but what it lacks in fancy it makes up for in sweet. It is white with blue and gray, with elephants on it to represent the little chunker on the way. And it says, "Mommy loves me" which is so very true. It's simple but, with everything else we've had thrown at us lately, simple seems perfect.
Yep, choosing an outfit for my newest baby to go home in has been quite a challenge. I am willing to reuse most anything from one baby to the next but the going home outfit is the exception. I feel like each baby deserves to face the big, bad world for the first time in something chosen just for them! It has always been a big deal to me, ever since I didn't get to choose my daughter's going home outfit. Her birth was early and far from home and so I didn't have anything with me. Luckily, my Aunt Connie had made the hellish drive down just to be there for us and she went shopping for me. I have always been grateful for that, but it just solidified in my mind the importance of planning for as many contingencies as possible.
We didn't have any problems finding something for Boogie. We were broke and really would only get to look at all the cute baby clothes. When we ran across something that was so cute that we were willing to forgo a meal for, it came home with us as his going home outfit. It's a cuddly yellow and white almost corduroy feeling material with 2 embroidered ducks on it. I must say I still think it is utterly adorable.
We had more difficulty with Will. Really that makes sense since we were out to find something that would challenge Boogie's outfit for ultimate cuteness. Eventually we found the cutest little bunny outfit of pale blue for our little Easter time baby. It is so soft and snugly. Again, I still LOVE it!
I should have realized that this time around would be even more difficult. Now everything I look at is competing with two other outfits! And, of course, it needs to be completely different from the other outfits! So for months now we have been looking all over the place for something amazing. We checked Carter's, Osh Kosh, Children's Place, Janie and Jack, Crazy 8's, etc. We checked each store numerous times constantly waiting for the stock to change. No luck.
Just when I thought that I would have to settle something amazing happened... we found something cute. It's cotton so it's not as fancy as the other outfits have been but what it lacks in fancy it makes up for in sweet. It is white with blue and gray, with elephants on it to represent the little chunker on the way. And it says, "Mommy loves me" which is so very true. It's simple but, with everything else we've had thrown at us lately, simple seems perfect.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Playing Kissyface
I love so many of the phases children go through. I love when newborns grasp tightly to a finger just out of reflex. I love when babies first learn a word and they just babble it over and over. I love the shocked look when a toddler first accomplishes a new feat. I could go on and on listing off the amazing phases children go through but I have to just pause on the phase that Willkins is currently in. Perhaps it is because it is his current phase but, at least for right now, this is my FAVORITE phase!
He's in the kissy phase! He kisses me whenever he walks past me. He wrestles Boogie to the floor, grabs his head and just kisses and kisses him all over his head. He runs up to the cats, wraps his arms around them and kisses them. He grabs each little stuffed animal, hugs it and kisses it before moving on to the next. Sometimes he just crawls up in my lap and begins kissing me. He'll kiss my knees, my shoulders, my cheeks and just anywhere that he can.
I love having him express his affection so freely. It is so sweet and amazing. I know that he won't be in this lovely phase for as long as I would love him to be. That would be impossible! But at least I can enjoy it for now! :)
He's in the kissy phase! He kisses me whenever he walks past me. He wrestles Boogie to the floor, grabs his head and just kisses and kisses him all over his head. He runs up to the cats, wraps his arms around them and kisses them. He grabs each little stuffed animal, hugs it and kisses it before moving on to the next. Sometimes he just crawls up in my lap and begins kissing me. He'll kiss my knees, my shoulders, my cheeks and just anywhere that he can.
I love having him express his affection so freely. It is so sweet and amazing. I know that he won't be in this lovely phase for as long as I would love him to be. That would be impossible! But at least I can enjoy it for now! :)
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Another baby, another name
Ahhh, a third little boy is on the way. You know how I stressed over finding the perfect name for Will. I just didn't know what to name him for quite some time. It was such a relief to come to a decision. This time the name for our little boy just fell into our laps, the same way he has just fallen into our laps.
I started out just as stressed out as before. What, oh, what could I name a THIRD little boy!?! Ack! As we sat in the doctor's office trying to figure out just what our options were I was bewildered. When the doctor came in to tell me how wonderfully healthy my little boy seemed to be I made a joke. "We could always name the baby Brad after the doctor." The doctor's head immediately came up, he smiled the biggest smile and got so excited about even the possibility. Apparently, in all the years he's been a doctor he has never delivered a Brad. I meant it as a joke but for the first time I had someone react the way I always expected people to react to having a child named after them, with excitement and a sense of being honored. When we walked out Hubby and I chatted about Brad as an option.
The rule has always been family names OR the names of people who are important to us. The question became, "Is our doctor important to us?" We considered that for a while. He is the man we trust with my life on the operating table. That's pretty important. He is also the person who held my hand when he saw how nervous the anesthesiologist made me. (Come on people, he was sticking a needle in my spine- don't miss, don't miss!) More than that, when my gall bladder gave out and I was laying in a hospital bed wondering why an internalist would not come see me, my OB is the person who recognized my husband and children in an elevator well enough to find out what was going on and light a fire under the hospital's behind to get me seen. He even called and checked on me. How many people can say that about their doctor? He not only remembered my name but my hubby's and my kids. He cared enough to make sure we were being taken care of. In short, he cares. So yes, he is of qualifying importance!
I said to Hubby, "He reacted the way I have always wanted someone to react, he has been awesome to us and has so many qualities that I would want in my son AND I think I really kind of like the name Brad. It's strong and sweet at the same time." Hubby just smiled. He agreed to Brad as one of the baby's names but said we had to find a second name that could apply to both our families.
I immediately hit the ancestry.com account. I looked and looked. I traced my family back to the Mayflower. Hubby's mother already had his family traced back just as far. The list of common names was very, very small. To be exact, there were three. We didn't know what to do. There was only one name that was common to both our families where we knew anything about the men who had the name. We decided to give it some time and it would come to us. And then our hearts broke.
One afternoon, when I was taking a nap, I was awoken by Hubby's mere presence in the room. He was so upset by what was being said to him on the phone that his demeanor woke me up. Once he saw my eyes he simply said, "Uncle Mike died." I could see the shock in his eyes but even I was more shocked than I know how to describe. Over the next few days I did what I could to help Justin through his grief but the quandary of the baby's name never left my mind.
You see, Michael is one of the three names our families share. In fact it is the one name where we can both describe the Michael's in our family. Actually, we can both describe each other's Michael's for that matter. Justin's Uncle Mike was big. In everything he was big. He was tall and broad. His voice filled the entire house without even trying. His good humor filled everyone around him. He lived life in a big way. He loved his family in a big way. I wish I was a more eloquent wordsmith so I could explain just how important he was to the entire family. I find myself lacking though and can only ask that everyone believe me when I say that he was wonderful. And with each passing hour I thought of how Uncle Mike would have loved having a little namesake.
The only problem- I was too frightened of sending Hubby over the edge of grief to mention it to him. I waited and waited for Hubby to mention it. I dropped little hints. Nothing. Eventually I even asked his mother and sister what they thought. Still I hadn't mentioned it to Hubby. When I finally mentioned it to Hubby he jumped at the idea like he had been subconsciously waiting for me to say it out loud. He loved the idea.
The next evening we spoke to Hubby's aunt about it. With her blessing we finally had a name for our newest addition and once again we KNOW that we have chosen amazing men for our son to model himself after. And I know that our baby will have the biggest guardian angel in the heavens watching over him. So it is with pleasure that I officially announce to everyone that our new baby will be named
I started out just as stressed out as before. What, oh, what could I name a THIRD little boy!?! Ack! As we sat in the doctor's office trying to figure out just what our options were I was bewildered. When the doctor came in to tell me how wonderfully healthy my little boy seemed to be I made a joke. "We could always name the baby Brad after the doctor." The doctor's head immediately came up, he smiled the biggest smile and got so excited about even the possibility. Apparently, in all the years he's been a doctor he has never delivered a Brad. I meant it as a joke but for the first time I had someone react the way I always expected people to react to having a child named after them, with excitement and a sense of being honored. When we walked out Hubby and I chatted about Brad as an option.
The rule has always been family names OR the names of people who are important to us. The question became, "Is our doctor important to us?" We considered that for a while. He is the man we trust with my life on the operating table. That's pretty important. He is also the person who held my hand when he saw how nervous the anesthesiologist made me. (Come on people, he was sticking a needle in my spine- don't miss, don't miss!) More than that, when my gall bladder gave out and I was laying in a hospital bed wondering why an internalist would not come see me, my OB is the person who recognized my husband and children in an elevator well enough to find out what was going on and light a fire under the hospital's behind to get me seen. He even called and checked on me. How many people can say that about their doctor? He not only remembered my name but my hubby's and my kids. He cared enough to make sure we were being taken care of. In short, he cares. So yes, he is of qualifying importance!
I said to Hubby, "He reacted the way I have always wanted someone to react, he has been awesome to us and has so many qualities that I would want in my son AND I think I really kind of like the name Brad. It's strong and sweet at the same time." Hubby just smiled. He agreed to Brad as one of the baby's names but said we had to find a second name that could apply to both our families.
I immediately hit the ancestry.com account. I looked and looked. I traced my family back to the Mayflower. Hubby's mother already had his family traced back just as far. The list of common names was very, very small. To be exact, there were three. We didn't know what to do. There was only one name that was common to both our families where we knew anything about the men who had the name. We decided to give it some time and it would come to us. And then our hearts broke.
One afternoon, when I was taking a nap, I was awoken by Hubby's mere presence in the room. He was so upset by what was being said to him on the phone that his demeanor woke me up. Once he saw my eyes he simply said, "Uncle Mike died." I could see the shock in his eyes but even I was more shocked than I know how to describe. Over the next few days I did what I could to help Justin through his grief but the quandary of the baby's name never left my mind.
You see, Michael is one of the three names our families share. In fact it is the one name where we can both describe the Michael's in our family. Actually, we can both describe each other's Michael's for that matter. Justin's Uncle Mike was big. In everything he was big. He was tall and broad. His voice filled the entire house without even trying. His good humor filled everyone around him. He lived life in a big way. He loved his family in a big way. I wish I was a more eloquent wordsmith so I could explain just how important he was to the entire family. I find myself lacking though and can only ask that everyone believe me when I say that he was wonderful. And with each passing hour I thought of how Uncle Mike would have loved having a little namesake.
The only problem- I was too frightened of sending Hubby over the edge of grief to mention it to him. I waited and waited for Hubby to mention it. I dropped little hints. Nothing. Eventually I even asked his mother and sister what they thought. Still I hadn't mentioned it to Hubby. When I finally mentioned it to Hubby he jumped at the idea like he had been subconsciously waiting for me to say it out loud. He loved the idea.
The next evening we spoke to Hubby's aunt about it. With her blessing we finally had a name for our newest addition and once again we KNOW that we have chosen amazing men for our son to model himself after. And I know that our baby will have the biggest guardian angel in the heavens watching over him. So it is with pleasure that I officially announce to everyone that our new baby will be named
Bradley Michael!
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