Flash-back Friday

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="604"] Logan at 4 weeks old![/caption]

Currently...24 weeks!

This week has been SO much better than last. It all started on Tuesday when I was having a serious hormone and stress-induced meltdown in my office. I was so completely overwhelmed by the three classes I was taking that I was certain I had to change my work schedule to make it work. Then came the voice of reason from my sweet husband who encouraged me to just drop one of the classes. I had not considered that option and the moment I clicked "web drop" I felt a weight lift from my shoulders and everything has been so much better this week. Not to mention I have been drinking coffee in the am which totally helps my mood and keeps the headaches away.

Logan IS CURRENTLY....

 

WISHING he could possess control of every single light bulb and lamp in existence  specifically in our house. He has incredible hand-eye coordination and can twist off the top of a lamp, remove the shade, and twist out the light bulb. Then he take the bulb to another lamp that already has a bulb, removes it and replaces it with the bulb from the first lamp. We have really cracked down on him NOT doing this as it's just not safe. And he hates that.

 

MISSING his little cousin River who lived with us. He's only a few months older and of the three children, R is the one he talks about the most. Breaks my heart.

 

WORRYING about our DVD player pausing/skipping his Curious George shows all.the.time. He wants to take the thing apart and fix it, or for us to do it for him.

I AM CURRENTLY....

 

LOVING ice packs. God-send for this low back/tailbone pain. I try to ice every night after work for like, an hour.

 

WISHING that my body loved pregnancy as much as I do.  Seriously, I feel like I'm already in the third tri. Everything feels so heavy and the aches in my back are making me waddle already.

 

CRAVING milk shakes! I have to make them at home with lactose free ice cream and almond milk, which has turned out awesome!  But I do miss the only thing good that McDonalds offers and that is their vanilla milk shakes. Mmmm

 

MISSING my energy level. It's below zero right now.

 

WORRYING kinda sorta about the little baby bean. He/she is measuring a solid 2 weeks behind right now which could mean a  number of things, including genetics, wrong dates or worse, IUGR or SGA. We will have another ultrasound at 28wks to check things out but for now, everything is okay.

how far along? 24wks, measuring 22wks.
total weight gain: 19.5 pounds
maternity clothes? yes.
sleep: not too bad this week. Lots of crazy dreams.
best moment this week: Logan feeling the baby move.
movement: Oh yes!
sex: team green!
labor signs: none
belly button in or out? getting flatter.
food cravings: vodka pasta sauce, ramen noodles
what i miss: The warmer weather. I just want to play outside with my son!
what i am looking forward to: Logan's birthday next week!
weekly wisdom: Every pregnancy, even for the same person, is different.

Bedsharing

Dear Logan,

In less than a month you are going to turn three years old and I'm just in awe of you. I'm in awe of what a sweet, smart, determined little boy you have turned into in just three short years. My life has never been richer and more exciting and I thank you from the deepest part of my heart for your love and presence.

Lately, we have been sharing our bed with you. With your little baby brother or sister swimming around in my belly, I've been laying down a lot more. Daddy fixed up a nice TV and put it in our room. Almost every night, we cuddle up and watch one of your favorite shows which is either Charlotte's Web (the "pig" movie) or Curious George. Sometimes I will watch a movie while you play your Elmo game on my iPad. And on REALLY lazy and special nights, we lay a towel down over the bed and enjoy dinner together. In our bed. All three of us. I must say, this has been the cherry for most of my evenings.

Over the last few weeks, you have decided that your pull up is no longer necessary at night. You purse your lips at us and say you don't want to wear a pull up and we have been very proud of you for making this decision on your own. But even more, we are proud that you are making it through the night without an accident. Last night, your little body woke you up, you went potty and then came and climbed into bed with me. I didn't look at the clock. You didn't say a word. We just snuggled in close and fell back to sleep. I thought it had been much later in the morning than it actually was, because you slept with us most of the night. I was sandwiched between you and your daddy. Sometimes you would push my arm off your tummy so you could roll over onto your belly and take up 3/4 of my pillow. But that was okay. It was perfect, actually.

I cherish moments like this. I don't care about the habit it might be forming. I just want to keep you the way you are for as long as I can. And before we know it, you're going to have a new sibling who will take away my undivided attention from you. That thought alone makes my heart break a little, but I know that I could never love you less. In fact, I will love you more the moment you meet him or her.

Logan, thank you for making me a mama. You're incredible.

Love,

Mama

2012 Year in Review

This year has been amazing. I will let the photos and captions speak for themselves. Cheers and Happy New Year!!

January

• We started to potty train Logan.


• I was struggling with a lot of depression and anxiety, mostly due to my stomach issues.


• B brewed his first batch of beer.


• I got a promotion and my very own office.

February

• Logan turned two!


• B and I celebrated 4 years together.


• I started some new medication and counseling to help get my health back on track.

March

• We were all sick for most of the month :(


• Celebrated St. Patty's Day downtown Denver with family.


• Logan's verbal language exploded!

April

• I got really sick  (AGAIN!)


• Made some fancy deviled eggs for Easter


• Logan flew a kite!

May

• Celebrated Mother's Day with my parents


• I decided to make a ton of frozen meals.


• My health really started to come under control

June





 

 

• We took our 2nd family vacation together and headed to the Jersey Shore.


• We had a terrible fire rip through our woods not too far away.


• We closed on our first house!

July

• We settled into our new home.


• One of the hottest summers, nearly 100* days everyday in July!


• We dealt with a terrible, local tragedy, the Aurora theater shooting.


• I went to a Dashboard show where I saw someone propose to his girlfriend!

August

• B and I celebrated 4 years of marriage and I turned 28.


• I started up college again!


• We prepared for my cousin to move in with us.

September

•  We learned about baby bean on September 17th!


• My cousin moved in with her kids.

October

• I announced my pregnancy on social networks.


• 1st prenatal appointment


• Got food poisoning on our trip to Black Hawk and lost a bunch of money.


• We had our first snow of the season.


• Hurricane Sandy devastated the Jersey Shore and displaced my extended family.

November

• Pregnancy migraines started up (NO FUN!).


• I attended my first live birth of twins via c-section.


• I only had one class left to finish this month.

December

• Found out I have a complete placenta previa with this baby.


• Celebrated Christmas three times; once in Denver with B's family, once on Christmas Day with B, Logan and his mom, and once in Steamboat with my parents and extended family. (post to come)


• Baby bean started moving around a ton!

On Sleep and Other Things

Sleep. I'm been pretty lucky to have a kiddo who has always bee a pretty good sleeper. Sure, we've had our challenges now and then and sleep is always worse when Logan is sick or going through a weird phase in his growth.  But I'm lucky enough to get a full nights sleep and if we all went to bed at the same time, I'd easily have 10 hours of solid sleep under my belt. I know that is not so for everyone, even with toddlers who should, ideally, be sleeping through the night by now. But some kids are just different and we're going through a very challenging sleep stage with Logan.

For the last several weeks, Logan has been fighting his naps and the process of going to bed at night with every fiber of his being. At daycare, he has no problem (of course!) but at home, he will fight it until we're both red in the face with frustration and confusion. We try everything by rocking, reading, singing, and saying goodnight to everything in sight. He is aware it's bed time but refuses to stay in bed. Now he needs his closet light on, which is only so he can see his toys better. The most extreem thing he does to get attention is...poop. I know, I did just say that!! But is anyone else's toddler doing this, or has done this? I mean, he will go three times before he's "done" and find new excuses to get out of bed. It takes almost an hour every day to get him ready and staying in bed. Once he's asleep, he stays asleep, but there have been a lot of tears as we try to maintain control, discipline  and care while enforcing the time for going to bed is NOW.

I realize that this is also a critical time in Logan's life in which he is learning how to express himself with words, actions and less than desirable behaviors to get what he wants. It is so easy to give in. But we don't want to set an example that he can have whatever he wants when he wants it. The time change this morning was not actually as bad as I thought it would be. He ended up sleeping almost an hour later than he normally would have (thanks to the darkness!) but has since been super cranky after his nap. We've been cutting an hour off his nap time to help him be more ready for bed by 8pm. So far, no difference, but I'm hoping that adjustment helps us all go to bed happier.

So, any advice veteran mamas??

***

In other news,

• my belly has popped this weekend. WOAH!


• I have done more than 6 loads of laundry today and there are stil 3-4 left to do.


• B cleaned up the yard yesterday, pruned all our bushes and mowed for the end of the year maintenance--it all looks amazing!


• I'm obsessed with Smarties and blueberry muffins right now.

Currently...11wks

(11wks with Logan)

As I've already said, this pregnancy has been so different than my first with Logan. I know all pregnancies can be different but I am truly surprised by how night and day they really are. First of all, I cannot BELIEVE I am already 11wks. Feels like just last week we were finding out! This time did not seem to go as quickly with Logan. I remember the 1st trimester dragging on and on and that that the 2nd trimester was much quicker. Secondly, all my cravings, symptoms, etc are just different. Most of the morning sickness is gone. Only every so often will I feel yucky and like nothing sounds good to eat. Also, the fatigue is wearing off, which is nice (though as I type I am really tired--must be from getting up early to do my face make-up!). Last time I feel like I was tired forever. All the time. Staying up past 9pm has been nice.

And can I just say WOW to my bump?! I seriously had to go back through my photos to see what I looked like last time (thank goodness for those photos!) and this bump is more defined, for sure. Click the link above to see for yourself. Another major difference is how laid back I am about all the aches and pains that are normal. I feel like my experience and education in pregnancy and childbirth has eased my mind. I know that if the pain is sudden and goes away, it has to be round ligament pain, which I had lots of last time. I know that if it sticks around, I can call my midwife and she will tell me what to do. But guess what? I have only called her ONCE this entire pregnancy when I had food poisoning. Last time, I called the nurses all.the.time. I knew them all on a first-name basis. Maybe it was a first-time-mom worry or just that I did have a few issues. I have not had any spotting whatsoever, cramps, or anything else which might be concerning. I feel so lucky this time. I feel so blessed that I know what my body is doing and is capable of.  Do all second timers feel like this?

Our lives are in such a different place this time, which must be why it feels like the weeks are just flying by. My cousin is living with us, I'm in school, working full time, and dealing with a toddler who fights his naps and doesn't go to bed until 10pm (more on that later). Whatever these differences mean, I feel positive that all is well. We should hear a heart beat next week (Thursday) when I'm 12wks.

Stats:

Total Weight Gain: 4.5 pounds. I lost a pound somewhere in there last week. I'm sure after all the candy I've been enjoying that my weigh in on Monday will be different!

Continuing Symptoms: fatigue, though less often.

Maternity Clothes: I love maternity pants. The belly band is working out fine, but not having to readjust it every so often is nice!

Sleep: sleeping well!

What I’m Eating: I am a walking cliche: I ate 3 pickles without stopping last night.

Cravings: salty things, smarties, BBQ chicken, spaghetti

Movement: none

Labor Signs: n/a

Special Pregnancy Moments: When a co-worker pointed out how cute my bump is looking. I love getting to that point where I finally look pregnant and not chubby!

***

Logan is currently...

Loving his dinosaur costume and plastic pumpkin bucket. He was very excited to take it to school today and he carries his pumpkin around the house and puts odd items in it like socks and a stuffed kitty.

Looking at everything out the car windows. He is constantly telling me "Mama, look at that ______!" Fill in the blank. Car lights, moon, orange sky, school bus, truck...you name it.

Cooking water. The kitchen is not the most kid-friendly arena in our home right now. I feel like once the space is just our own again I will let him in the kitchen with me more. But for now, he is obsessed with taking my egg beater/salad dressing maker and filling it with water and ice and then passing the water between the cup and other bowls. He loves water play!

Catching a cold that's been caught. We're going on almost 2 weeks now and his cough is just terrible, however he has no other symptoms and just has to ride it out. We treat it with benedryl at night to help him sleep and the same if he's extra snotty in the morning.

Missing his grandparents. He talks about them every time we are in the car. His memory is amazing. I picked my mom up one day and took her home. The next several days after he kept asking if we were going to pick up Lolly. I hate meeting that question with a "no, not today honey".

I am currently...

Loving being pregnant again. I loved it the first time and I love it again. I love the experience and how growing a baby simplifies the important things in life.

Looking for boots and some damn leggings!! I've looked everywhere. I think I tried on 30 different pairs of boots this weekend and NO place I went had a decent pair of legging. I'd like to live in those for the remainder of my pregnancy and one pair is not going to cut it.

Cooking very little lately. I'm not much for cooking anyway and even less so while pregnant. The microwave is my friend. And my cousin, who's an amazing cook.

Catching up on Call the Midwife! I did not realize I'd missed three episodes! So I caught up yesterday and oh, how I love that show!! I love how ever birth is depicted with real, raw labor and pushing and that not every birth is dramatic (as shown in TV and movies so often). I could go on forever.

Missing my family out East. There little beach town is under water and sand right now. I wish I could be there to help clean up.

Dear Logan

 

It's time for a letter, son. You're more than a two and a half year old now. The way you have grown and changed since you turned two has moved mountains! You are such an incredible, smart, strong-willed, loving little boy. We told you a few weeks ago that I'm having another baby--you're going to be a big brother! When we ask you if the baby is a boy or girl, you usually say boy first, then we ask if it's a brother or sister and you say sister...you know we are so excited to give you the blessing of a built in best friend and sibling that we will be happy no matter who happens to be floating around in there. We'll just need your help picking out a boy name.

You have not been to the doctor in several months, but I'm pretty sure you're around 28 pounds and 34-36" tall, maybe more. You're in size 8 shoes now and wearing big boy undies most of the time now! (I apologize for this embarrassing fact). Your vocabulary is amazing. You speak full sentences now and whenever you're speaking for yourself, you say "Logan wants juice" or "Logan, I, Logan go play outside"...so the structure of your language is not solid, but that is totally normal for your age, and will be for awhile. We talk in the car every morning on our way to school and you love telling me how orange the sky is as the sun comes up, that you took your shoes off, and "Ohhhh Logan SOooooo hungry!" That last phrase we hear all.the.time. :0

This holiday season is going to be so much more thrilling than the last few years. You're almost three and understand (and LOVE) candy, you'll be even more fascinated with the lights on Christmas trees and houses and I cannot wait to see your face light up when you open presents this year. We are starting a new tradition this year with our gift giving: something to wear, something to read, something to share and something you want. I hope that by the time you read this letter we are still doing this.

I love you, Logan. You bring so much light to our lives and put so many smiles and laughs on our faces. We are so proud of how you're growing and learning to be a person in our world. Don't ever forget that and always know that we're hear for you, always.

Love,

Mama

Back Seat Driver and other things...

 (8ish-weeks)

I took this photo last night. My belly is really nothing to hide anymore and I'm barely 8 weeks pregnant! I say 8ish weeks because I'm not entirely sure of my dates. One place says I'm due May 21st, another says May 23rd. So I'm choosing Wednesday, the middle day, to declare the new week and until I have a growth scan it will stay that way. I'm feeling okay-ish. Good days and bad days, mostly of nausea and fatigue. Like today, I am SO dead tired. And I have a huge test in my Human Growth class tonight. Praying for strength!

Logan has become a back seat driver. He has been for awhile now, but it's getting worse. He tells me every morning to "go faster, mama!", "no music, mama!", "turn AC on, mama!", and so on. I explain to him that it is much too cold for AC, I'm not turning the music off, and I'm going slow through a school zone. He doesn't argue, yet. But when he does, I snapped a photo of him picking his nose this morning and I'll share it on FB if he starts arguing too much. ;)

Happy Hump Day!

Melt down

As I mentioned last week, it was a tough one. In short, there will soon be seven people living under our roof. That includes B, me, and Logan. Seven mouths to feed and probably seven loads of laundry a day! And the dishes, beds, toys, and late night chats of seven people...I am excited, anxious, nervous and ready for this life change.

I thank God every day for the blessing of our home. Being first time home buyers has been great for us and now I see the bigger plan he had in mind. He knew we had to expand our hearts and fridge space and this is how he prepared us for it.

So, who are the four other people joining us in less than two weeks? None other that my nearly sister-cousin and her three wonderful children. She has had to make a life decision for herself and her kids to move them here with us and we could not be more happy to open our home to them. We don't know how long they will stay, but we will keep them as long as we need to. In all honesty, I am thrilled that she is finally moving back to Colorado! We have been so close our entire lives and now we can raise our children together.

But....I am nervous. How will we adjust? How will this affect Logan? Who's going to cook? How messy will the house be? Maybe these are silly things to worry about, but it is our daily life that will change and we want nothing other than a positive outcome for all of us. I love Her dearly. She is one of my most favorite people and I know that together we will ensure that the transition for our kids is a good one. Logan is essentially getting three playmates! How cool is that?

Why is not important, but I do feel a personal meltdown coming. Not a bad one, just a moment where maybe I'm standing in the shower and it hits me, I sob and move on. At least that is how I hope it happens!

In other news, Logan had the most epic melt down at the school book store on Thursday night over a damn sucker! So here I am, paying for my books and logan is wailing in the stroller and this lady next to us says to him, "oh honey just wait a minute and she'll get it for ya!" o_o are you kidding me? I about strangled her! My kid totally understands what that means so he, of course, just cried harder! I said ha, no I'm not, paid and left as quickly as possible. I almost had a melt down with him.

Currently...

Logan is...

Wishing... he could eat doughnuts all day, stay in his pool all day, and do just about anything he's not supposed to. He's been quite stubborn lately as he learns more ways to communicate his feelings.

Reading... Curious George Christmas. I think we read it 2-10 times a day.

Cooking... burgers with daddy. He loves to watch us do anything on the grill or stove. As he is able, he helps. Otherwise he just enjoys being able to see all the action.

Anticipating... a new home day care in less than two weeks! Being around kids his age is just going to rock his world!

Missing... me. :( This kid, almost every morning, tells me to stay home or just "two more minutes". Kills me.

I am...

Wishing... I had not been sick last week. I never want to get the flu ever again!

Reading... I'm listening to Harry Potter Book 1 and reading Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May here and there. Oh and birth stories.

Cooking... Not much lately! B has been cooking most nights since I have been so under the weather. A few nights ago my mom made us salmon (B a pork chop) and last night we grilled burgers. So tonight I plan on spaghetti.

Anticipating... School to start! Just over a week and I am a college kid again! WOW I am so excited!

Missing... My cousins, especially Heidi. Gaw I hate how far away we are from each other.

Remember this...

Logan,

You have become quite the comedian lately and I must write down the silly things you do and say before my brain forgets.

• You love watching Rugrats, or "Babies" as you also refer to it. In the beginning, you always throw your right arm in the air when the Nickelodeon sign appears and bring your arm down as you yell "YES!" excitedly. Then, you say "Ba-baa" after the credits. Really stinking cute.


• When you really want something, like to go to the park, you grab my arm and get really close to my face looking right into my eyes and say "Park, mama?" and give your most convincing puppy dog eyes. I cannot deny your requests!


• In the am when I am saying goodbye, you break my heart every time you say "Mama, stay home. Don't go to work." Ahh! I wish I could love bug! I wish I could!!


• You're best friend is Butte. You two are so close now. She follows you around like her little keeper. You two play together and most of the time, it's perfect. You get a little too rough with her sometimes and we have to make you back off a bit, but otherwise you two are inseparable. She even sleeps in your closet now!


• You're mostly potty trained! HOORAY!! You wear undies all day long, minus your nap and at night time. Oh and pooping. You hold it in until your nap. We'll get there...


• You sing along with me to "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "You Are My Sunshine", the two songs I've been singing to you since you were 3 hours old. You say "twinkle" like "cookie"...makes me wonder if we need to get your hearing checked again for fluid in your ears.


• You show emotion in your voice now. So cute...especially when I say no to a Popsicle and you say "Awww!" without crying over it.


• We've been going down to the river and your favorite thing to do is slide around on the step that's covered in moss as I drag you through the water. Your laugh can me heard for miles.


• You're still a mamas boy, but you and your daddy have been playing rougher lately, like tackling and wrestling...you love it so far!


• You seem to be right handed, but eat with your left.

Currently

Logan is currently ....   


Enjoying the splash park with his Lolly (grandma). She takes him almost every Tuesday on their special day together and this week he FINALLY got wet. The kid loves water, but only when he is in control of it.
Learning  how to use our new iPad. I downloaded a Mickey Mouse interactive game and he loved pressing the screen and singing along. It was awesome. And, apparently, he can do the hot dog dance but only does it for his sitter, not us. lol
Inspired by his best buddy Elliot that he's ready to be a big  brother. ;)
Becoming smarter by the minute! This kid, I swear he blows my mind with how he remembers something the first time he hears it.
Indulging in a later bed time, for both our sanity. He gets up way too early and he's been enjoying staying up later with us to watch a show or read more books.


Sarah is currently.... 


Enjoying my new iPad. Duh
Learning how to write and time with a brace on my right hand. I don't know what I did to it or how, but for three weeks its been bothering me so I went to the doc and had some xrays. Should know whats up by tomorrow.  
Inspired by my twitter friends. Seriously, I am building up a great community of other birth junkies and it feels so good to have a network of people who are just like me. :) Oh, and the FIVE minute birth I was at on Monday! Read about it HERE.
Becoming anxious for school to start! It's making sure I have everything ready to go oh and Logan starts at a new home daycare on the 21st so that makes me anxious too! lol
Indulging in ummm not much. Sadly I'm just hanging out. I'm so over 50 Shades, otherwise I'm sure that would have been my answer. ;)

 

Slow

I wish I had more to write, but as of late things have been rather slow. Last week was a blurry nightmare of a week. I will not relive nor rehash it. It was just one of THOSE weeks, ya know??

The weekend was very mellow and relaxing. Logan and I spent most of the day laying around watching TV. It was 100* so we spent most of our time inside, even though it was beautiful. I hate days like that. It was too hot to enjoy the nice day.

B went camping on Friday night so Logan slept in bed with me. One of my most favorite memories as a child is sleeping in bed with my mom when my dad was out of town. My brother and I would take turns each night. I want Logan to have the same special memories.

The next afternoon, Logan had a fall off our bed. I was standing on the other side grabbing his blankies for nap time and he was climbing up on the other side. In slow motion, he got one leg up and suddenly fell back, hitting his head on the mirror we had on the floor. Thankfully, just a bruise and no blood. My heart left my body for a few moments as I held him and wiped his tears. It was a very sad moment for us both.

Then we took 4 hour naps. It was delicious sleep! B arrived home later that night and we watched Mad Men. We're only on season 2 so no spoilers!

Sunday B worked and L and I had the day to ourselves again. We ran errands and tried going to the park for 15 minutes. Again, it was terribly hot and Logan left the park saying "Mommy, Come! Too hot!". He hears us tell the dogs to come. I suppose that is where he picked that one up. lol While Logan napped I painted his dresser. It's an incredible color, one which you will get to see soon! I screwed all the knobs on this morning and should have pics up tomorrow. :)

Sunday night we traded mattresses with my parents. We now have a very awesome bed that, while I didn't sleep great for other reasons, is really comfy and so much better than our old one! It always takes me a few nights to adjust to a new bed.

What did you do this weekend?

Currently...{week...6??}

I'm totally late to the party today! First of all, I am so thrown off from having a day off in the middle of the week. Yesterday did not feel like a holiday and today does not feel like Thursday. Then I remembered that it was Thursday and that I better get myself over to the best party on the block with Harvesting Kale. So this is what we're up to:

Logan is...

Inspired by: water. I'm stealing this from Kale because Logan has made a 180* and not only does he love his baths, he is dipping his head in his water table, going swimming, playing in the sprinkler and going to the splash park. Obsessed doesn't even come close to how he feels about it now.

Devouring: yogurt. Let me remind you, friends, that Logan is lactose intolerant and yogurt contains milk and lactose. So technically he should not have it, however he can tolerate it (so it seems) and he asks for it all.day.long. No other snack satisfies.

Thankful for: our new home! This kid loves our new house and I am so glad! He talks about our new home and new everythings (stairs, bathroom, his room, etc) all day long.

Watching: Barney. UGHHHHHHH

Starting to: discover his manhood. I am all about teaching him about his biology and the CORRECT terms for all his body parts. He is very proud to know what he has and has no shame letting us know it. ;)

Mama is...

Inspired by: Pinterest. Now that I have my very own home with my very own walls and cabinets and bathroom...all I want to do is find more inspiration on how to make our home more personalized and comfortable.

Devouring: 50 Shades. Seriously, the books are like a chocolate ice cream bar that is melting in the sun that, if not eaten quickly enough, it will be all over you.

Thankful for: My husband. Cliche, I know. Since we moved, I have pushed all the stress and shit down into a place I didn't want to confront and it all spilled out a few nights ago. I let the wave hit and I was a mess. Not so much a blubbering mess, but I was angry, cranky and just ready to throw my hands up. Unpacking is SO daunting. And I couldn't take it anymore so B went out and rented The Vow for us and I shed some good tears over that. Thanks babe!

Watching: The Glee Project. You guys, this show is almost BETTER than Glee. Yes, I just said that. And I love it. That is, when I get a chance to watch it.

Starting to: become very excited about school! Only 8 weeks left of summer and I'll be back to books, deadlines, papers, midterms and finals. AHHH!

Link up!

 

a few firsts

Logan has had many firsts over the last month, many of which happened while on vacation and I can't forget them.

• Met the Atlantic ocean


• Played with sea shells


• Played Corn hole with cousins


• Cut his first 2 year molar


• Started calling his daddy by his first name (really funny, but B hates it! lol)


• Slept in his new room in the basement without getting upset or waking up once.


• Had TWO nights sleeping over with his grandparents, the longest we've been without each other.


• Stuck his feet in the river near our new home


• TOOK A BATH AND HAD FUN!!


• Ran through the sprinklers


• Told Amy he loves her (his sitter and my BFF)

Pre-travel Thoughts with a Toddler

I thought it would be fun to write about how I want our trip to the East Coast to go in a meer 9 days. First of all, I cannot wait! I am so excited I can smell the salty, humid air! I have asked for tips from friends and baby message boards and here is the plan. It will be fun to come back to this in a few weeks once we're home to see how much of a plan it actually is!

• Clothing: I will dress Logan in some light pants and socks, no shoes, a tee shirt and light sweat shirt. His shoes will be packed in our carry on.


• Traveling gear: His car seat for the flight and I have borrowed a carrier from a friend so I can wear him on my back through the airport. I may also bring his harness along.  My carry on bag is going to be a large purse I have. It has a lot of room for all my things plus diapers, wipes, snacks, etc. I may have one other bag just in case!


• Food: I will have 5-6 of fruit pouches, 3-4 boxes of juice and 1 sippy cup for water. Crackers, fruit snacks, cookies and dry cereal for snacking. Honestly, I don't care what he eats as long as it makes him happy!


• Entertainment: Computer with pre-loaded movies. He loves Thomas and Elmo, and we'll bring Shrek along (a new fave).  I will also bring along some crayons and a coloring book and a new, quiet toy of some kind I have yet to purchase.


• Comfort: Pacis...yes. I am going to bust out the pacis for Logan. He has been weened of them since February, but I happen to know this kid still loves them as he steals Baby E's all the time. ;) This is also for comfort with any ear popping and over all keep-the-kid-as-quiet-as-possible. I will also give him a half dose of Tylenol 30 minutes before take off and before you all jump all over me for medicating my kid, you'd do it too. I've traveled with many kids his age and it's necessary. His blankie and maybe Elmo will also travel in our carry on.

Since Logan is over 2, he will have his own seat so we are bringing along his car seat. We're hoping that the familiarity of sitting in it will help him stay calm enough for our 4 hour flight and maybe we'll even get a nap out of it. Who knows. I'm hesitant to just pull him out of his seat unless he is totally melting down for a walk up and down the aisle just because I know once he is out, the harder it will be to get him back in his seat.

I'm a little worried about the time change. Not going there, but coming home. It's two hours and if he gets used to waking up at 7am there that is wayyyy too early for us back home! He has started to sleep in later lately (past 7am) and we're loving it.

I'm already praying everything goes smoothly! That our flights are on time and that waiting is left to a minimum. I know how restless my toddler gets and the longer the wait, the harder it will be.

Do you have any other tips or tricks to pass on? Leave a comment. Thanks!

Dear Logan

You are THE coolest kid I know. Seriously, you rock my world. You make getting up every day worth the lack of sleep I had the night before. You are that awesome and I never thought for a second you'd be anything less. I love you so much.

So you're nearly two and a half years old. In the last six months, your vocab has exploded. I mean, you talk all the time and listening to you have conversations with us, the dogs and even yourself is the most entertaining thing you do right now. You try so hard to thread more than three words together to complete that very complicated sentence in your head. You're determined. You're strong and dead-set on whatever it is you want or need at that very moment. You push your limits and all our buttons all at the same time, all while running around in every which direction and changing your mind again and again. You're that fun. And sometimes challenging. But let me tell you....you have taught your daddy and me so much. Being your mom is the best and hardest thing I've ever done in my life. I know, without a doubt, that God knew that you were perfect for me. For your daddy and me. God knew that you would love us, challenge us and make us laugh, smile and cry. Every ounce of life that comes out of you makes me a stronger mother, a better mother and hopefully a better wife to your daddy too.

Lately, you have loved house hunting with us. We tell you we're going to look at houses and you talk about "houses" all night long. Even while I'm rocking you to sleep you'll lift your head up and say it with a questioning tone in your voice. I sweetly tell you that no, we're not going to look for houses and that it's bed time. It is that kind of joy which makes loving you that much easier. I laugh when you say what seems like such a silly thing and yet it is the most important thought in your mind.

Speaking of rocking, we rock almost every night. You grab your blankie or Elmo and nuzzle your head under my chin. I'm telling you, son, if there is anything I will miss about this time in your life, THIS is it. I will miss this when you're tired of it, or too big, which ever comes first, which I will always remember and cherish with you.

Baths. Child, I have no idea why you have decided, nearly two months ago now, that baths are evil and may as well be the worst thing in the world. We're lucky if we get you washed down twice a week and now that it is summer time and you're outside all day long, more baths would be better. We know that this must be one of many phases you will go through in life and we accept that you'll just have to be the smelly kid for now. :)

Logan, I want you to know that this time in your life has been so fun. Watching you learn and grow into a person, shedding your baby and even your toddlerhood, has been such a joy and we know it will only get better. We love you and we're always here for you.

Mama.

Mother's Day Weekend!

This Mother's Day was wonderful! Last year, Logan walked for the first time which made my day! This year, he ran everywhere we went. We spent the morning cooking up some nice brunchy foods and played outside until my parents showed up. We had a great time just talking and enjoying the yummy food!

After lunch, the guys went out to play frisbee golf and we headed to the park. This photo just about kills me! What a handsome face! And with my mama...ahh so happy!

I don't think slides are nearly as fun now as they were when I was a kid! Super bumpy but Logan loved it.

His new favorite thing to do at the park is the teetor-totter (or see-saw...what do you call it?!). We love it!

Another handsome face! He has really gotten into wearing hats and will FINALLY wear this scally cap that his grandparents gave him for Christmas.

Overall, I had a wonderful day! That evening we saw B's mom, brother and his wife. We had a great dinner and chat. So wish we could see them more often! Then B and I had some wine before bedtime and I went to bed a very happy, appreciated and loved mama.

rock, mama

For the last week or so, Logan has asked for us to rock right before going to bed. You know, in his glider of course. It melts my heart. He grabs a blankie or lovie (Elmo tonight) and climbs on my lap facing me, rests his head on my chest and strokes my arm with his hand. Tonight he was especially wired and needed some extra time to settle down for bed. So while I rocked him he told me a very long story about I don't know what. It was all gibberish. But the gibberish was wonderful. His little mouth moving and trying to make perfect sounds, only for this clear thoughts to pass his teeth without a clear understanding (from me). But, for him, it was crystal clear. He was telling me all about his day with his Lolly and playing at school. He told me all about the dogs chasing him outside while he tried to throw water on them and how he asked to wear a coat and then changed his mind, and then changed his mind again. And then again when he came inside and needed help getting the last bit of the zipper unzipped. He told me about how he was in time-out tonight for throwing his cereal on the floor, his hot dogs on the floor, and spitting his juice into the swing. And that he was sorry and sad that he made us sad. But that he reallllly just had to do those things. I rubbed his back and told him I totally get it. Sometimes you just have to do it. Amiright??

When Logan was an infant and I thought about how rocking him to sleep would cause bad sleep habits for him I thought I was doing what was best for us. And I was. He is a great sleeper 98% of the time. I'm not sure if not rocking him to sleep is why he's such a good sleeper, but now that he's asking to be rocked, even if just for 5 minutes, I wish I had spent more time doing that while he was an infant and not worried about what kind of habit, if any, it was forming. Most of his babiness is gone. He's a full blown toddler now and those moments when I get to rock him allow us to sink back into a bliss that existed in his infancy. It's a little different, especially now that he's the one telling me stories, yet perfect. Perfect that I am not so sleep deprived or, dare I say, selfish to say no and make him go to sleep without a rock. Tonight, I have a raging case of tonsillitis and no amount of pain, sickness, or lack of sleep could have kept me from our rock time together.

little big boy

Here is my newborn son at 2 weeks old, fast asleep in the swing his Lolly and Pop gave him. He loved his swing as a baby and as he grew, he grew out of it. When we moved, we packed it into the shed, saving it for out next child.

A month ago, a dear friend asked if I'd watch her son on Saturdays. I was elated! He's 3 months old and the perfect way for me to get my newborn fix. He enjoys his swing at home so we brought out the swing and cleaned it up. Logan, had other plans:

Wow. Big boy loves his swing! I think the fact that he's still below 30 pounds allows him to enjoy it without the fear of breaking it. He loves playing with the buttons for the music and changing the speeds. I love watching him enjoy something that started out as his bed. It was the only way we could get him to sleep at night for the first few weeks which meant we did not get much sleep ourselves.

As a two year old, Logan has grown and changed so much in the last few months. I've been terrible at documenting some of those milestones, so here are just a few:

• Flew a kite all by himself the day before Easter (and LOVED it!)


• Peed in the potty--twice!


• Drinks out of a cup well (but not regularly)


• Puts 2-3 words together (juice mama please)


• knows opposites (up/down, on/off, in/out, hot/cold)


• counts to 3


• learning his colors (gets red right just about every time)


• learning A,B,Cs


• mastered going down the slide without fear


• got a haircut by his auntie m

Some things he's not so fond of:

• His bath....ugh this makes me so sad! He HATES taking a bath now and I have no idea why.


• Doing anything we ask him not to do (aka: NO NO NO!)


• Going to bed by himself. We've never co-slept and suddenly Logan has become very upset at night if I don't lay down with him. I obliged two times (TWO!) and now I started a habit he becomes desperate for.


• Having things put into his nose. We went to the ENT last week and they stuck a camera up his nose to see his adenoids. It was miserable for both of us.


• Waiting for anything. Period.


• Not being in my arms 99% of the time. Okay, 80% but it is exhausting! I love this little man so much but I can barely get the dishes done without him pulling on my leg.

This summer is going to be wonderful. We're going on a family vacation in June and as Logan learns more and more, he becomes more fun. More difficult, too, but it all balances itself out. He's a true blessing!