Life lately....

Our life has been crazy lately. We recently just had my sister and nephew come stay with us. They were having a hard time and we had an extra room so we decided to have them come live with us. We don't know how long it will be but we are making the most of it. I love having an actual adult to talk to during the day and Kevin is having so much fun with his cousin Adam. My sister is not shy about helping and it is so nice having the help! From doing dishes to changing the boys she just does whatever needs to be done. Which there is a little irony because right after Ken and I were married we stayed with her and Adam was just a baby. I remember changing him and watching him whenever she needed a break or sometimes just because. Ken and I have also had the opportunity to have one on one time together and have had a few lunch dates. Overall so far it has been working out great. Kevin is adjusting just a little bit and had a few days where he acted out and was not his normal self. I don't know if having two extra people in the house made him vie for attention more or if he was just under the weather due to his bottom back molars. He does seem to be a little happier now. Jasper is doing great! We had a rough period where for a week he was waking up every two hours to eat and be held. I was getting exhausted but he seems to be over that little spurt and slept from 8 to 6 the other day. Normally he wakes around 330 or 4 then falls back asleep until 6 or 7. Nursing is still going great and he actually will NOT take a bottle now. The last time he took a bottle was in July. I actually love nursing. It's amazing how a second baby changes your perspective on things. I remember when Kevin was Jasper's age I would cherish my alone time when he napped. Often choosing to clean or organize something. Now when Jasper falls asleep on me after nursing in the afternoon sometimes I just lay there and stare at his precious sleeping face. I want to absorb every ounce of his babyhood. I have not gone back to work full-time. I still nanny occasionally but to be honest as much as I miss the extra money I really treasure the extra time I have with my boys. It can be a little hard at times when our bank account really shows that we have only one income and no extra funds. I tell you what though, I have become an expert deal finder and an awesome meal planner/coupon clipper. And of course here are some pictures of my crazy household.

Our silly cheesy smiley boy!

Our little chunky monkey.

 

 See Kevin's poor swollen gum on the lower left? Those teeth gave him some trouble.

 Kevin was very excited we let him "carry" Jasper. He sure loves his little brother. (Of course Mommy and Daddy were right there with supporting hands).

 Ingredients for a fun and money free weekend; masking tape, cars, airplanes, building blocks and an inflatable dinosaur = Pint size Godzilla remake.

 Jasper's first time at the aquarium. (Sorry for the red eyes, I wanted to get this posted while I had time and energy).

 There is something quite hot about a man who carries a baby.

 Adam and his Momma petting a sting ray at the aquarium. I think he is having a lot of fun.

 Taking Adam to the bus stop. Kevin was pretty excited to see the school bus pull up but was equally concerned when Adam got on and then left.

 How adorable is this chunky, thigh creased, toe grabbing, giggle monster? Ahh I cannot stand his cuteness sometimes! (This was the first time he pulled him self to sit up in the bouncy seat).

 Nothing like some Halloween craft time to get you in the spirit. Ken came home this day to all of us waiting at the top of the stairs with mustaches.

 Cousin sleep overs.

 Llama feeding.

 Catching chickens at the petting zoo.

 These quarter operated bulldozers are so fun and cute. The boys loved them.

 We taught Kevin how to show us "big" and "little". Now whenever we tell him to smile big he smiles and shows us big! Too cute!

 Our adorable 2012 pumpkin.

These boys are so adorable. I really think having someone to play with in the house will help Kevin. His language has already begun to develop more and I am hoping that soon we can start potty training. They get along really well and Adam just adores Kevin and Jasper. Just when I thought our life was a little crazy we decided to sprinkle it with a little more. This will be another great adventure.

Our little Gem

Our littlest man just turned 3 months old so here is an update on our little Jasper De'Allan.

He loves to hang out in Daddy's lap when Daddy gets home.

 He took his first airplane ride already back in June. He was amazing on the plane! Did not cry unless he was hungry and pretty much slept the entire time.

While in Idaho he took baths in Great Grandmas big mixing bowl.

 He had his first laugh out loud giggle on July 5th while we were feeding big brother breakfast. Kevin looked over and smiled at him and giggled and Jasper did it right back. It melted my heart.

 He has one of the cutest smiles I have ever seen!!

 He hangs out in the bouncy while we feed brother! I like having him with us and to be a part of meal time. He loves it when we look at him and talk to him.

Stats:

14 lbs 4 oz

25 inches long

30th % for head circumference

He absolutely loves bath time. He goes to bed between 7-8 and sleeps for up to 10 hours straight but normally it's closer to 8 hours. He wakes up and nurses for 15-20 minutes and goes right back to bed for 3-4 more hours. He is still breastfeeding and given our rough start because he was tongue-tied it has been going great.  He is such an easy and sweet baby!

Jasper's birth story

 (Kevin playing cars on my belly one last time)

 (Our last picture as a family of 3)

The night before my scheduled C-section we let Kevin stay up a little bit past his normal bed time. I wanted to absorb every last minute with him as my only child. After he went to bed Ken and I finished packing our bags other last minute things. Then we played Monopoly with my sister Bre and my Mom. We went to bed around midnight. We woke the next morning at around 4:30. Brought the monitor out to Bre so she could wake up with Kevin. I debated the night before on whether I would want to go in and kiss Kevin but knowing this would be the first time I was leaving him for longer than a few hours would make it way to hard. I knew if I went in his room I wouldn't want to leave. I was excited to welcome Jasper but in a way I felt like I was saying goodbye to the family we had. It would never be the same again. My scheduled C-Section time was 6:30 and we actually arrived at the hospital at 5:45. We filled out paperwork and they took us right back to a triage room. They hooked my belly up to a monitor so they could track the baby for at least an hour. 

 (Vain mommy memo: scheduled C-sections don't allow for contacts or fake nails or nail polish)

(This man makes me laugh)

Once we were in the triage room and they finally had the baby monitored for at least an hour (he kept moving so they had to readjust it to start the time over) we had the Doctors, the anesthesiologist and a few nurses come in to talk to us about what would be happening. I was worried about the spinal block. I had an epidural with Kevin but it kept wearing off. I also had a spinal headache back in 2006 when I had to receive a spinal tap so I wanted to know what the chances were of getting another one (they are HORRIBLE). After going over all the Q & A's things actually happened really fast. They had me walk back to the operating room and helped me up onto the table. The anesthesiologist talked me through the steps of my spinal block. It took about 15 minutes for the spinal block and they had to numb three times because twice I could feel the needle going into my spine, not a nice feeling. After they successfully got it in they hurried and laid me down and started doing the cold and prick test. Basically poking me with a cold rod, starting at my feet and going up, measuring how much I could feel. My feet went numb almost immediately and compared to the epidural it was a much deeper numb. The Doctor who would be doing the surgery came in and had them turn the radio on and I will never forget that the song playing was Sheryl Crow's The first cut is the deepest. I wanted to laugh but was worried I would mess them up. A few minutes went by and they brought Ken in. He gave me a kiss and asked if I was o.k because I was shaking like crazy and I remember doing that with Kevin also. After just a couple of minutes I felt a lot of pressure in my rib cage and I thought they must be reaching in to get him, and sure enough as soon as I felt the pressure move down my abdomen we immediately heard suction and the beautiful, indescribable sound of Jasper's first cry. I lost it. I started bawling. I don't usually lose it in the moment; I'm more of a before and after crier but I could not hold it in. Ken went over and saw the baby. The Doctors started talking to me about stitching me up and then I heard the nurses talking to Ken about something with the baby and while trying to listen to both I ended up not really hearing anyone. They came and showed me Jasper before taking him to the NICU (where they take all C-section babies at this hospital until the mom is in her room). 

 Ken cut the cord again.

 Another big boy

Our beautiful Jasper De'Allan is finally here 

April 30th 8:07 a.m

8 lbs 11 oz

Ken went with the baby and the rest of the time in the OR passed by really fast. I remember talking to the anesthesiologist about the Doctor and she heard everything and answered. I remember saying she had super human hearing because I could hardly hear myself. She also removed a mole on my stomach I didn't even know I had (weird?). After I was all stitched up they wheeled me to recovery where I would have to wait for most of the numbness to wear off before I could go to my room. I tried sleeping but I was to excited to see Jasper. Ken came into recovery and started telling me about Jasper. I didn't want to see any pictures because I wanted to wait to see him in person. Ken told me that one of the things the pediatrician would want to talk to us about was that Jasper was tongue tied. You know that little piece of tissue that connects your tongue to the bottom of your mouth, it actually has a name. It's called your frenulum and Jasper's went all the way to the tip of his tongue. I spent about 2 1/2 hours in recovery before I finally had enough feeling to go back to my room. Spinal blocks are amazing.

 First time holding Jasper

Jasper's blood sugar was low while he was in the NICU so they gave him a little bit of sugar water to try to bring it up. I was nervous because I really wanted nursing to go better this time around. With his tongue being tied (it inhibits suckling because they can't move their tongue) and the sugar water offered I felt like the odds were stacked against it but I was still determined to try to make it work. It was about an hour after I got in my room to when they brought Jasper in. We immediately tried to nurse and once we were all settled in Ken went home to get everyone. Jasper and I had some awesome one on one time while we waited for everyone and I noticed how he has Ken's eyes and chin, my nose and hair and although he looks like his own person I couldn't help but notice how much he looked like Kevin when he was a baby. I remember hearing Kevin coming down the hall and I had to really try hard at not crying because I didn't want to scare him. I was so excited to see him and have him meet his brother. My mom and Bre dressed him in his new big brother shirt and I had Jasper in his little brother shirt, needless to say they looked adorable. Kevin immediately wanted up with me and was so excited to see me. He calls Jasper "Nay nay", which is his way of saying baby. He was really gentle and patted him. He even offered Jasper his blanket and we all just snuggled. It was surreal to have both of my boys in my arms and thinking that just a year ago we were celebrating Kevin's first birthday and now we have 2 beautiful boys who are 2 years apart.

Birth announcement (he's here)

 

 

Striped Frames Boy Birth Announcement

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To my two year old.

Dear Kevin,

  Mommy loves you very much. I can't believe that 2 years ago Daddy and I were heading to the hospital to start your arrival into this world. Little did we know it would take 23 hours before you would finally arrive.

 We were so happy to finally have you with us! We loved looking into your blue, newborn eyes. Playing with your super soft baby hair, often guiding it into a Mohawk that stayed with you for months. We would make out pictures with your stork bites on your forehead, often thinking they looked like hearts, or Mickey Mouse.

As you grew you stayed such a happy baby. You loved to be held but didn't mind when you were put down either. 

You have been a great sleeper since day 1. I remember the first night you slept for 5 hours straight. You were about 3 weeks old and I remember it was the weekend. Daddy and I woke up around the same time (about 7:30) and realized you weren't awake. We both jumped out of bed to check on you and you were still sleeping peacefully. You still have an amazing sleep schedule. You sleep from around 8 pm-7am and still usually have a 3 hour nap. Mommy enjoys your nap time because she can get stuff done but I also miss you while you are sleeping. I still go into your room at night, cover you with a blanket, and thank God that Daddy and I have been so blessed.


Today we celebrated your second birthday. We had a Cars theme because as of right now that's your favorite movie (or as you say "vroom".) Mommy made cupcakes and we invited over your two best friends.

 You woke up from nap excited to see all of your decorations. The look on your face was priceless. You pointed at all of the cars on the decorations, balloons and cupcakes and over and over again said "vroom."

You had fun playing with your friends but when it came down to opening presents you took it as very serious business. 

 You spent your time opening and inspecting each gift.

 Along with Cars one of you other favorite things are school buses. You get so excited whenever you see one and you were even more excited when you received one to play with.

 

 However, as excited as you were opening Cars gifts and your school bus, you were even more excited when you opened one of your gifts from Mom and Dad containing new stories. Mommy was so proud to see you spend the most time inspecting your new stories. (I hope you are a reader just like me).

 When all the presents were opened we prepared your cupcake. Funfetti vanilla with vanilla frosting. Since you were having a much smaller party this year we decided to go with cupcakes instead of cake. You were ecstatic anyway. Daddy lit the 2 candle on your cupcake and before we started singing you put your hand up and said, "hot". We told you it was alright and you patiently waited for further instructions. Once we all started singing Happy Birthday and you realized we were singing to you, you were extremely happy. When we told you to blow out your candle you knew exactly what to do and blew it out in one puff.

 MMmmmm... cupcake. I love how you hold your cupcakes with both hands, trying carefully not to make a mess.

 Your friends stayed and played for a little bit longer and we played with some of your toys. You loved the bubble blower you received and had so much fun trying to pop them with your face. After your friends left and you ate dinner, you played on the floor with Daddy. Mommy laid down on the couch and watched you. Mommy's favorite part of the day was when she dozed off on the couch only to be awoken by you saying, "Momma". You then noticed I was resting and stopped playing with all of your new toys, grabbed your blanket and climbed up on the couch with me. We snuggled for a good ten minutes then decided it was time to get you ready for bed. Although your schedule had been a little messed up you still went to bed like a champ. I only hope you will someday have the same feelings of pride, love and happiness that mommy and daddy experience on a daily basis being your parents. We love you so much Kevin Riley and are so blessed to be your mom and dad. Happy second birthday baby!