Baby Boy's Arrival

He's here!! We are very excited to announce that our newest little bundle of joy is here at last. 

Baby Boy was born on Monday morning at 10am.  He's a healthy little fellow, weighing in at 8lbs 11 oz and he's 20 1/2 inches long. 

I was admitted for induction on Monday morning (largely due to the speed at which Little Guy came into this world three years ago).  Nobody wants to deliver en route to the hospital if it can be avoided, right?  That was certainly my position, and luckily my doctor agreed.  Our new baby was born just four hours after that first dose of pitocin was administered.  My first experience with childbirth had been fast and relatively easy.  The contractions weren't all that bad, and it wasn't the end of the world when I found that I'd missed the window of opportunity for an epidural. 

This time was different.  The pain was crazy bad, and I caved - asking for an epidural, and getting one - sort of.  That's where it all gets interesting.  Mid-way through the administration of the epidural, I felt the urge to push.  I don't know about other women....but when I feel the urge to push there is no time left for anything else.  However....epidurals aren't to be trifled with, so everyone was yelling at me not to move AT ALL.  This was difficult since moving was the only thing I wanted to do!  I held on for a minute (or what seemed like a year) while they got finished with the epidural.  Then - in a whirlwind of frantic nurses yelling for a doctor (mine didn't have time to make it), he was here!  A few minutes after his birth, the epidural took hold, so in hindsight...that was a bit of a waste.  Oh well. 

Our littlest sweetie is darling and wonderful and everything we hoped for.  Little Guy is smitten with "his new baby", as are we all.  We are thankful for this newest blessing in our lives, and thankful for friends, family and the amazing doctors and nurses at the hospital.  God is good, and we are so very happy!!

Love Letter from Mom

Dearest Baby Boy,

Hello there little one. I wanted to write you a letter before you arrive (and while I still have the time to do it), to let you know how very special you are to us already. No, we haven’t met you yet. Right now, in our mind’s eye we envision only the blurry images shown us via ultrasound. And yet, you are as real to us as the air we breathe. You are our son, and we love you unconditionally even now, before your birth.

Your Dad and I are so excited to finally meet you, and to introduce you to your big brother and the rest of the family. We can hardly wait to catch that first glimpse of your little face, and to cradle you in our arms. We will be so happy to hold you and touch your soft skin and kiss your chubby cheeks.

Time will fly. In the blink of an eye, you will be a toddler, and then a teenager and then a grown man. We will be there for you every step of the way, watching and encouraging you as you grow and change and mature. We will make mistakes, because we are human. No matter what mistakes we might make, remember that we love you. We are excited to see the man you will become, and we will be proud of you until we draw our last breath on this Earth.

As you experience life, you will develop your own ideals and exert your independence. You too, will make mistakes. We expect nothing less. There will be times in the years ahead, when we won’t see eye to eye. That’s just how the parent/child relationship works. I want you to know however, that no matter how much or how often we might disagree, we will always love you. We will always cherish and appreciate you. We will always be here for you. Never doubt our unwavering love and support.

Our wish for you is a lifetime of happiness and good health. Neither are guaranteed, and there will be episodes when one or the other is lacking. No matter the hand that life deals you, remember to be faithful, to be courageous, to be honest, genuine and kind. Follow the Golden Rule and life will repay the kindness and generosity which you have shown others. Keep God first in your life. Be thankful for the blessings you receive. Show those you love just how much they mean to you. Embrace your dreams. Fall in love. Experience adventure. Forgive. Create. Dance. Call your Mom as often as you can.

Most of all, be you. There is nothing better that you can be.

I love you Sweet Baby Boy! Don’t ever forget it.
Mom

Light at the End of the Tunnel

The end is in sight. Woo Hoo! We’re counting days now, instead of weeks or months. It’s scary and exciting and frustrating and exhilarating all at once. So far, Baby Boy is ignoring his looming due date. He seems perfectly satisfied to stay in his Mommy’s belly forever.

Mommy, however, would not be quite as satisfied with that result. I’ll admit these last couple of weeks have been hard. I’m swollen and achy and terribly slow. I’m so cumbersome and whale-like that even my fattest maternity clothes seem to mock me. This has been the frustrating part. I am so looking forward to delivery, and meeting our new little fella, and getting back to feeling normal.  Tired, I'm sure...but normal!

Until that happens I’ve been trying to stay busy. I’ve been working on a few craft projects (will post about those tomorrow), reading, watching old tv re-runs (thank you NetFlix), playing with Little Guy and generally relaxing. I know that activities like relaxing and reading will soon be difficult to execute.

Hubby is amazing. He cooks and helps around the house and pampers me silly. Little Guy seems torn. He’s excited to have his new brother around, but never hesitates to say that the Baby is not allowed to play with his Thomas the trains, or read his books etc. I think he senses that things are getting closer. He’s been a lot clingier and huggier than usual (no complaints here). I am sure there will be an adjustment period, but I do think he’ll make a great big brother.

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we embark on this next exciting chapter. We are very blessed and look forward to an exciting future with our two little boys!

Making a List, Checking it Twice...

I’m a list maker. It’s one of those things I can’t stop myself from doing. I keep lists at work, and other lists at home. I sometimes think I’d lose all bearing in life if a list wasn’t there to nudge me in the right direction.

This, for the record, is just one of my personality traits for which I probably need therapy.

The other day I lost one of my lists, and it was a doozy. The “To Do before Baby comes home” list was long and only partially checked off. When I realized that it was gone, I panicked a bit. What if I couldn’t recreate it? What if I forgot to do some all important task? My Mom (dear that she is) tried to help. “It will be fine, even if you don’t get everything done. The Baby will not care.” She was right, and somewhere deep in my psyche, I knew that. It was still difficult for me to just let go though, so I went about recreating that missing list.

Truth be told, we don’t have much left “to do” anyway. I’m a fairly organized person by nature and most of the big stuff has been marked off for a few weeks. Still, I felt better when I could hold another list in my hand and mark off all the items that we’d completed.

So, what’s left?
• We need to reorganize the family room (though it’s now known as the “toy room”, and rightly so) to make room for infant related stuff. That’s the room we spend most of our family time in, and we want to carve out a space for our newest addition to enjoy it also.
• We need to go to Wal Mart or Target for a little shopping trip. Nothing extravagant, but we want to pick up all of those little items that we’d like to have on hand, but have thus far neglected to purchase. Those first weeks go by so quickly, we’d prefer to spend as little time running errands as possible.
• We need to find birth announcements. Evidently I’m the only person left in the world who wants to buy the little cards and write the info inside. So far, none of the retailers I’ve visited have carried any at all. Going to Hallmark this weekend. Surely they still have some.
• We have to put batteries in, well…everything. (Note to self: Consider buying stock in Duracell)
• I need to finish Baby Boy’s quilt. Honestly, I’m not sure this one is going to get done in time, but I’ll try.

Other than having the baby and bringing him home, that’s pretty much it. The end is near, and we are so very excited to soon be welcoming home another sweet little guy to hold and snuggle and love. There is so much we want to share with both of our boys…so much we want them to experience and marvel at…so much that we hope they won’t miss…..

Maybe I should make a list?

Almost There...





this pic is of me
in 2008... still haven't
taken one this time
around...but you get
the idea!  :)



I won't lie to you.

I've felt better.

Lately my back aches and my feet look like hams (with chubby sausage links for toes).  Everything gives me heartburn.  I can't move very fast, and sleeping is a challenge.  I'm exhausted all the time.

But, you know what?  None of that matters - not one bit.  In a month (or maybe a little less), with God's blessing and the assistance of a wonderful doctor - we'll be welcoming our second little boy into the world.  I can hardly wait!! 

I want to know if he'll look like Little Guy, or if he'll have a dimple in his chin like his Daddy does.  I wonder if his hair will be dark or fair and what color his eyes will be.  I want to cuddle him and smell his soft babyness and cherish every moment of the wonder that goes hand in hand with having a newborn. 

There are other things I wonder about too....will he be healthy?  Will he be happy?  Will he like to sleep?  And will our parenting skills (which are not yet anywhere near perfect) be good enough?  Will we be able to show both of our boys just how amazing and wonderful we think they are?  Will they know how much we love them?

I'm hoping the answer to all of those questions is "yes".  Time will tell.

For now, I'm just enjoying the excitement and the anticipation that comes with the light at the end of the pregnancy tunnel.  Every day is a little like the night before Christmas... I know something amazing is going to happen.  I just don't know all the details yet.

So bring on the heartburn, the fat achy feet, the sore back and sleepless nights!  For, very soon the current discomforts will be nothing more than a memory, and I'll be holding my sweet Baby Boy in my arms. 

Nothing else matters.  Nothing at all.

Losing My Mind

Hubby tends to roll his eyes when I blame pregnancy for my utter lack of concentration lately, but I’m convinced that’s the source of my absent mindedness.

The little sweetie pie growing in my belly is draining my brain.

Yesterday (while trying to drive three blocks to an appointment with our insurance agent) I made a wrong turn twice and (after circling the block) missed the final turn-off completely. By the time Hubby called to say he’d taken care of everything and we could just meet at home – I was stuck in traffic – going the wrong way – and on the verge of tears.

I do not like feeling like this.

You see, I’m usually able to complete simple tasks like driving three blocks without getting lost. I don’t usually tell the same exact story multiple times to the same person (this is typical lately). I realized last night that I hadn’t yet bothered to tell anyone that we’re having a birthday party for Little Guy in a few weeks. I usually like to warn everyone in advance in case there are scheduling conflicts. Hubby has assured me that the “save the date” email I sent this morning will tide everyone over till the invites go out in the mail….the invites which I haven’t started making yet.

I have less than two months left, and I’m hoping that when our dear Baby Boy is born, my ability to think clearly will return. I miss it so.

Until then…don’t be shy. If my shoes don’t match – tell me. If you see me wandering aimlessly – show me the way.  If you think I’ve lost my mind – it’s because I have, so just be nice…and maybe bring ice cream.

Mood Swings & Chocolate Cravings

By decree (of my husband), no more local news for me until the baby is born! Last night Little Guy was playing with his trains while Hubby and I were taking in a bit of the 6:00 news. A story came on about the second soldier from our state to die in Afghanistan this week. I was fine until they showed his picture. It always breaks my heart when any of our soldiers (such brave men and women) lose their lives in service to our country, but this boy really struck a nerve. He was so young! I was just suddenly and completely overwrought for his family.

Hubby and Little Guy both stopped what they were doing, and froze – for a moment staring at me in surprise and worry. Hubby quickly changed the television channel and Little Guy found his way into my lap to stroke my cheek, and say, “It okay Mama, I here for you.” That of course made me cry even harder. All I could think about, was that somewhere that soldier’s Mom was wishing her son was still around for her, but of course he’s not.

After a few minutes, Hubby found the premier episode of MacGuyver on Netflix, and it had the desired effect. Eventually, I stopped crying. Soon things were pretty much back to normal (or as normal as things get lately – my pregnancy hormones have really been taking me on a roller coaster ride these days).

The other problem I’ve been dealing with is an insane and insatiable hunger for chocolate. Oh dear. I have never eaten as much chocolate in my life, as I have these last couple of months.

Tomorrow I take the three hour glucose tolerance test (to determine if I might have Gestational Diabetes). I failed the first test early in the week. I failed the first test during my other pregnancy too, but passed the second one. I’m hoping for a similar result this time around.

Keep your fingers crossed for me. If I fail that test, maybe keep your fingers crossed for Hubby and Little Guy. They will need all the extra help they can get if I can’t have my chocolate!

Boy Crazy

I’m very, VERY excited to announce that our second little blessing is a BOY! Although a little girl would have certainly been wonderful as well; I must admit to being simply ecstatic when the ultrasound tech announced that the blurry blob on the screen was our son.

Little Guy has been so much fun, and I think he’ll be a wonderful big brother. I like the idea that they can be buddies. I’m happy that after the new baby outgrows the nursery, the two of them can share a room for at least a few years. I like that Baby Boy will be able to wear all of Little Guy’s clothes which we saved “just in case”. Really other than diapers and formula, we will need very little – if anything. That’s certainly a blessing considering how expensive baby items can be. We will of course buy some new things for Baby Boy here and there, but in general….we’re set.

The biggest blessing of all, is of course that our Baby Boy appears to be totally healthy. All the important parts are right where they are supposed to be. He has a strong heartbeat and (based on how much he was moving during the ultrasound) plenty of energy. We haven’t reached the finish line yet, but we already know how truly lucky and blessed we are to be bringing another sweet little one into this world. We are ever thankful for this gift of life and look forward to welcoming him into our happy little family.

Cause and Effect?

When I was expecting Little Guy, I tried to follow all the “rules” listed in the maternity books. I will admit to you that I’m not doing so well this time around. Here’s a comparison:

What I did during Pregnancy 1 (Little Guy)

• Ate lots of fruit and veggies
• Worked out
• Listened to calming classical music
• Relaxed & napped as needed
• Sang songs and read stories to my belly every day
• Made an effort to talk quietly and keep calm

What I’m doing during Pregnancy 2 (New Baby)

• Eating some fruits and veggies, but more interested in ice cream
• Unless chasing Little Guy counts as ‘working out’, I’m missing the boat on this one
• Listens to Veggie Tales, Railroad music & a roaring toddler who thinks he’s a T Rex
• Relaxes (briefly) between dropping Little Guy at daycare, and arriving at the office
• Reads bedtime stories about trains, dinosaurs and construction sites
• Is known to loudly say things like, “Get down this instant!” and “No, you cannot have chocolate cake for breakfast!” and “If you do that one more time, you’re going to be in big trouble Young Man!” etc.

Our Little Guy is a firecracker lit at both ends. He doesn’t slow down or rest or stay out of trouble for even a minute. You certainly wouldn’t know he listened to a lot of Mozart in utero. But, honestly I don’t mind. He keeps us on our toes, and fills our hearts with joy. There is never a dull moment in our little house.

Maybe New Baby will be quiet and relaxed. Maybe not. I’m beginning to think that what I eat and listen to doesn’t matter much (within reason of course). It’s all about the love. And THAT is something that is just the same with this pregnancy as it was with the first one. Though I may not have the time to relax like I’d like to, I still love the tiny life growing in my belly with a fierce and loyal intensity that is hard to explain. I’ll love him or her if they are loud and boisterous like Little Guy. I’ll love him or her if they are quiet and gentle and do what they’re told (assuming a child such as that actually exists). I’ll love him or her no matter what happens or who they turn out to be.

And since it’s the love that matters (and I know I’ve got that covered), pass the chocolate ice cream please!