Another One Blogs the Dust

She's come to the dark side...FINALLY!  My sister has started to blog!  Not only is she tackling motherhood with the most amazing sense of grace, style, and confidence, but now she is sharing her daily reflections/musings with the world.  Her writing will make you laugh and probably shed a few tears (motherhood will do that to you!) so check it out! 

How to Slow Down and Smile for No Reason, As Taught by a Newborn

smilingsweetpea.blogspot.com

Bye Bye Mama

Somedays I just can't believe how big my baby is getting.  I actually had a dream last night that he was 15 and I had missed every birthday and I was still planning his 5th birthday when I was informed he would soon be driving.  The dream had a very twilight zone feel to it, but I woke up thinking that it was trying to remind me just how fast these childhood years go (can we say sappy pregnancy hormones these days, geesh!?!?)  Anyways, one of my favorite things Little Guy is doing right now is saying "Bye Bye Mama, Love you Mama" then he walks out of my sight making kissing noises- he quickly returns so he can do it all again and I am pretty sure there's nothing I would like to listen to more then my sweet boy telling me he loves me complete with kisses as he leaves the room.  This e-card about sums it up:

Floors

Today the floors got started!  We can finally see the end of the tunnel and let me tell you, it's a beautiful sight!  We cannot wait to get the floors in and the dust down!  I am still holding out hope that we will be in full cooking mode come June 9th, that's just 11 short days but I think we'll make it.  I know we won't be 100% done with the finishing touches, but if we have a range and dishwasher, we will be very HAPPY CAMPERS!!!

Family Photos

Today we took family maternity photos.  You have to figure it's just my luck that after having this date scheduled for over a month, it RAINED!!!  Yes, it was hot and sunny all weekend and then today, it rained!  I couldn't believe it.  I knew my chances of getting Gabe home another weekday morning would be slim, so I went ahead and kept the appointment.  Needless to say, Little Guy was over it, the ground was muddy so he couldn't be put down, and I was attempting platforms for the first time in over 6 months...it wasn't a total success.  We did have a laugh at the end, with the photo shoot wrapping up with this quote from my husband, "Honey, make sure all your cigarettes are still in your bag!"  Oh the memories!

Enough love

Today I was chatting with a mommy of a sweet 13 week old baby girl and a 1st grader about the wonders and challenges of motherhood, when she asked me if I had experienced any feelings of confusion/anxiety over how I could possibly love another child like I love Little Guy. I immediately exclaimed "Yes!". I know that it's possible, mothers have multiple kids all the time, but it's still hard to fathom that I can do it. And if we're being honest, there are still days, 20 months into motherhood that I can't believe I am blessed enough to be a mommy or competent enough to have raised Little Guy thus far....and now to think the universe believes I am strong enough to love another baby as unconditionally as I have my first...it's unfathomable to me, but I know it's exactly what will happen when I meet our sweet baby. So for the next 42 days, I'll ponder how my heart can ever grow any bigger, but I feel at peace knowing it will happen-that's the magic of motherhood.

Milestone

We hit a milestone this week...Little Guy is eating whole grapes...this is really a milestone for his mama, as I've said since the day he was born that I would be quartering his grapes until he moved to college. Well, Little Guy is showing he is quite capable of eating a whole grape and I am trying not to envision him choking with every bite he takes. Baby steps for this mama.

Working Bees

Today Gigi and Auntie came over along with sweet Baby Peyton to help get this house in order!  Gigi had to spend a bulk of her time in the mini recliner holding every.single.ball Little Guy owns while reading him every book he has stored in his toy box- it actually worked out well to have him occupied while Katie and I organized, purged, and cleaned everything from the laundry room to the living room and the kitchen dishes.  They were here ALL DAY and it was such a relief to have at least the living room organized when they left.  Our counter tops also got installed today, and I have to say I LOVE THEM!!!!

Baby #2 Update

We had our 33 and a half week check up today and everything looks great with Baby #2.  I was assured that any and all aches or pains I am experiencing are just a result of being pregnant for the second time around- I am not sure how my grandma made it through NINE pregnancies, AMAZING!  This Sunday will mark 34 weeks and if I should go into labor (could I be that lucky?!?), the doctor assured me after Sunday the baby would be fully developed but still spend some time in the NICU, so it would be best to hold out until 36 weeks.  I told him my track record seemed to point more towards guessing how long I would go before I would have to be induced to avoid a 42 week pregnancy!

Feeding Cows

Today we went on a special field trip to help Daddy feed his Kobe cows.  Little Guy was super excited to ride in the back of the truck and he did a great job rationing the hay, throwing just one or two pieces at a time.  Other highlights of the outing included seeing water in the irrigation ditch, catching sight of a few wild rabbits, spotting a few birds, and eating raisins in Daddy's truck.

Big Boy Undies

I am not anywhere hear ready for this, but today we bought big boy undies!  Little Guy was determined to take home the Elmo and Mickey underwear and I figured we'd need them sooner or later....if I have anything to say about it, it will be much later.  I am not opposed to potty training because I love changing poopy diapers, more so because I like the idea of the mess being contained in something I can throw away versus having to clean up.  Little Guy shows about 1% interest in potty training, so I am not going to push anything.  He finds it very humorous to sit on the potty, not go, then get in his bath, stand up and go in the water, and then announce "All Done"...such a boy!

Paint on the walls

Painting has begun!  It's been a little struggle to match the paint we originally used five years ago, but it seems that we are now in business.  We also had our cabinet doors hung today, but as luck would have it, the tint of the paint was off so they didn't match the frames...it was back to the warehouse for sanding and fresh paint and hopefully next week they'll be up to ready for dishes!  Pictures to come!

Happy Birthday Party Grandpa

May is such a busy month for Daddy's work that it seems like everything is getting celebrated weeks late...Grandpa Cliff's birthday was no exception- his birthday is May 5th, but we had a small BBQ with friends and family today to celebrate his specialness.  It was nice to see everyone and Little Guy had a chance to run around and play chase with everyone.  With all these birthdays this month, we have gotten spoiled with yummy meat and dinners.  Happy Birthday Party Grandpa Cliff.

Living Amongst Greatness

Today I learned something new about my amazingly wonderful hubby of almost 5 years!  After knowing this man for more than a decade, I just found out that I have been living in the presence of true wild cat tracking greatness.  After spotting three mountain lions in the wild, he has informed me that many will go their whole life without ever seeing one....I can't help but imagine I might prefer that....I think I'll be okay being mediocre in the wild cat sighting department.

Holding Hands

I am not going to lie, parenthood has gotten the best of our house these last few days....between viruses, broken sleep patterns, and a kitchen remodel, it seemed like nap time wasn't long enough and bed time couldn't come soon enough, for everybody, Mommy and Daddy included!  Well, after many deep breaths and the rare alone minute to reflect that these difficult days are in fact drops in the bucket, today Little Guy grabbed my hand to take a walk outside and I was reminded that no matter how hard/long/loud/tiring/trying or just rough a day may seem, holding hands with my baby boy makes every second of every day worth all the struggles in the world.  No one would dare say that parenthood is for the faint of heart, but there isn't anything I would change about being a mommy!

Ernie needs to eat too

Little Guy is really starting to get into pretend play- he loves to pretend sip his "wa-wa" and "feed" me his play food.  Well, he's recently become obsessed with an Ernie doll from Auntie Heather and today he sat with him on the floor and shared his apples with Ernie.  It was precious to watch him take a bite and then give Ernie a "bite" before eating the rest of the apple himself.  It's the little milestones that make make my mommy heart melt.

Happy Mother's Day

As we know, May is a crazy month for Daddy, so we decided to play Mother's Day low key and do an early dinner after he was done shipping cattle.  I told him all I wanted were cards from him and Little Guy (and I may have mentioned wanting permission to get rid of our beat up leather couches, but there's always Christmas for that!) and my sweet hubby made sure I woke up to garden picked flowers, two sweet cards and little note....which is even more impressive since he left the house at 3 AM!

Happy Early Mother's Day

Today we went to the zoo to celebrate Mother's Day with Gigi, Papa, Auntie, and Peyton.  Daddy had to work, so it was just Little Guy and me.  Little Guy is still under the weather so he preferred the stroller (shocker!!) or to be in Papa's arms.  Being sick didn't stop him from chanting for giraffes or gawking over the reptile room.  It was a great day to celebrate my amazing mom and my sister's first mother's day with her sweet baby girl.  It's crazy to think that all the ladies in my family are now celebrating being mommies ourselves, what a true blessing it is!

Doc's In

I finally took Little Guy in to the doctor's toady.  It seems the gunky eye, runny nose, rash, and sleep debacle, are all signs of a virus :(  There's nothing we can do other than keep him comfy, but in the meantime, it means I have a sick baby and that's no fun for anyone.  I am pretty sure I'll have a sick self soon as well seeing that we've been sharing a pillow and his favorite direction to cough is directly into my mouth while he's sleeping...

60 days and counting....

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't counting down to July 7th! Of course we are all anxiously awaiting this baby and can't wait to meet him/her. I am also looking forward to having half my brain back ( I know I'll just go from pregnancy brain to new mommy brain, but it's got to be a little improvement) and perhaps a few less aches and pains when I am on the move. In the meantime, there's a lot to get done- we have two family weddings coming this summer, showers to host, attend, and be guests of honor at, a second birthday party to plan, a kitchen to finish remodeling, and a nursery that desperately needs to be attended to...wait, did I say only SIXTY more days???? YIKES!!!!

Happy Birthday Party GiGi

My mom's birthday was actually on May 1st, but we celebrated with friends and family today with a BBQ at my parents.  First, Daddy came home from his weekend away and it was SO NICE to have him back with us.  Little Guy was super excited to come home from breakfast and see Dada's truck in the driveway!  Our yummy dinner included prime steaks that Daddy cut up and Uncle Marked seasoned, along with delicious fixins and ice cream sundaes for dessert!  It was a great way to celebrate our amazing mom and a delicious way to kick off our week!

Cabinets are in!

The cabinets were installed today!  Hip Hip Hoorary our kitchen remodel is starting to look like what we had only imagined in our heads!  My dad and uncle came out to help and after recruiting two other strong men, they were able to get all the cabinets inside and set.  My dad is really the most amazingly skilled craftsman I've ever known and today he showed off his skills again- we couldn't be luckier to have him helping us make this kitchen dream a reality.  Here are some shots of the new cabinets!

Missing His Daddy

As I sit here rocking my very sad little boy, I wonder why EVERY time Daddy is gone for bedtime, Little Guy can't seem to go to bed by himself like usual....daddy swears that on the super rare occasion (I think it's been twice) that I've been gone during bedtime, he's gone down no tears, no questions....well, Daddy's gone for bedtime and the sleeping boy I have on my lap is still sniffling/sleep crying as I rock him...hurry home daddy!