Yes, Baby #3

"Was it planned?"

"Did you want 3 kids?"

"Was it an accident?"

 

Yes, it was planned. Yes, we have always wanted 3 kids. No, it was not an accident. This third baby is just as planned out and wanted as the first two. Now don't feel bad if you have asked me these questions, I find it humorous. There's a stigma on society and mothers/fathers that somehow 2 kids is "enough". As if we are crazy to do more than replace ourselves. Now believe me, I have plenty of days where 2 kids is "enough." Even in the hardest part of adjusting to 2 kids, a colicky baby, a lively rambunctious 2 year old, our hearts always desired a third baby. I remember rocking Jett gazillions of times just trying to get through the day, and in the back of mind I always thought, "Yes, I can do this again. I want to do this again." It's okay to want more than 2 children! Just like it's okay to want one child. I'm constantly overwhelmed by the mess, busyness, and noise going on in my home. I know it's not going to get better and I'm okay with that. It's not a good enough reason for me to ignore my heart. I know I have years of carpooling, mounds of homework, endless sports tournaments, thousands in grocery bills, trips to the ER, and I'll have to wait to make my house as nice as I picture, but again...that is not a good enough reason to ignore my heart. Wouldn't I have all of that with one child? That didn't stop me from wanting two children. I'm not saying people should have more than one or two children, I'm saying you should do what is right for your family. Follow your heart. It's scary, so scary to embark on this journey of raising a human being more than once. Don't let your mind win, do what it is in your hearts. We have always pictured our life with 3 kids and God has given us the desires of out hearts.

Now the other question since I have two of the same sex already:

 "Are you hoping for a girl?"

"Did you try for a girl?"

I'm hoping and praying for healthy is what I'm hoping for. We tried to get pregnant, in general, not with a girl. We actually tried for months to conceive this child. Longer than we ever had to before. I was just thrilled to see the positive pregnancy test finally! And then hours, it began. What I believed and I was told most likely was a miscarriage. After months of praying about this child and trying for this child, before I could even adjust to the idea of 3 kids actually happening, it was already being taken from me. I went in for my blood work the next morning as instructed and we left to go to South Padre. You know what's not fun is trying to have a good time with your kids at the beach for the first time while thinking you're having a miscarriage. I had to drive to Brownsville for follow up blood work 2 days later since I could not possibly be back in Katy to see my doctor. Much to my surprise, the nurse called later that day with the results that my levels went from 35 to 100 in 48 hours, so I was indeed pregnant and looked as though I would stay that way! I would stay that way under one condition, I took a progesterone supplement through the first trimester because all the bleeding was most likely from my low progesterone levels. I feel fortunate that we caught this early because the earlier the better when it comes to low progesterone. Many women suffer miscarriage after miscarriage only to find out it was due to low progesterone. As if pregnancy is not worrisome enough! We saw and heard the baby's heartbeat at 6 weeks and 8 weeks, so that was a relief. Then there was more spotting. There was no reason for this they could explain other than possibly the placenta getting into place. With multiple pregnancies, particularly after c-sections, spotting/bleeding can happen. Would it be nice to change things up with a girl, absolutely. Would it be nice to grow my superhero squad and have half a sports team, absolutely. All children are blessings and I am so happy God has trusted me with another one of His. So next time you see a mom with small children and another one in her belly, don't think "Bless her heart, she must not have wanted that one." or "What is she thinking?" and certainly don't tell her "You've got your hands full!". (that's a whole other post!) We know all this, we know what you're thinking, we have thought it too! But we decided to go for it anyways because there is no greater reward in life than the love of a child. No greater blessing than a child from above. So we anxiously await February 2015 to welcome this final addition to our family!

Smart Phones, Dumb People

If you have taken the time to watch the Look Up video that is circulating around Facebook, I can only hope that it struck a chord with you. I didn't have to see this video for it to strike a chord with me because I already knew everything it was saying. Technology has completely changed since I graduated college, and that was just in 2005. I say technology, but maybe I mean social media. Technology has just made it easier to access social media.

I gave up Facebook for Lent this year. Usually I give something up for Lent that I can already do without as to make this adjustment easier on myself, selfish really. This year I decided it had to be Facebook. It was overtaking my life and I found myself checking it so often that if I added up the minutes in a day, it was probably over an hour of daily Facebook time. It was first thing in the morning, as my children greeted me in bed, it was last thing at night, when I should have been focused on conversation and laughter with my husband, it was while I was waiting...anywhere on anything. I thought the adjustment would be really tough. How would I pass the time after dinner while I waited for my kids to finish bathing, how would I pass the time...at all? I honestly, did not miss Facebook for one second. Now don't get me wrong, I was still on Facebook at some times because I have to be for my job. I do social media for companies for cryin' out loud! (Which I do believe it is very important for companies to have an online presence)  I also cleaned out the garage and posted items for sale, but that was it. I didn't post pictures, I didn't read my news feed, I didn't like, I didn't comment, I didn't check to see if someone had liked or commented on my stuff. It was so...refreshing! Yes I know that this is totally ironic that I'm posting this on Facebook, but as with anything I write about, I can only hope to help one person make a change for the better in their life.

Social Media has changed my way of thinking. My kid says something funny, and the first place I log it is on Facebook, not my memory or not written down so I can always remember it. I catch my dog in a funny position, MUST SHARE with the world. My husband does something sweet, EVERYONE MUST KNOW. Yes I know, shame on me for that. I found that I wasn't savoring these moments for myself, I was savoring it for other people who quite honestly I would walk right by if I saw them in a store as to avoid awkward communication. So I found myself wondering, WHO CARES?  I love seeing that my family and loved ones that don't live around me are liking and commenting on my posts. That in itself makes Facebook worth keeping for me. I do love to see engagement announcements and baby announcements more than anything. I wondered if by giving up Facebook, Would I be happier? Would I be more positive? Would I stop trying to compete with all the "Supermoms" out there? And the answer was YES! I love that people from around the world can ban together and pray for the sick or injured. Yet, when I'm reading tragic story after tragic story on a daily basis, I worried about my kids more than I already did! Will they be hit by a falling tree branch, will they be struck with the next crazy disease no one has ever heard of, will I be the mom that dies too soon, am I going to panic at night thinking a poisonous spider will be crawling in their bed? I'm a mother, I already worry about all of this, but do I need to have a constant reminder that we could be next? My anxiety level was out of control. Do I need to read everyone's political rants? Good for you for having an opinion that frankly I am just too tired to even try and understand. I'm not giving it up entirely, you'll still see posts from me, but I am not getting sucked back into this time waster again. I will use my time more wisely. I will be outside with my kids more, I will be cleaning my house better, I will be preparing better meals for my family, I will be a better person because of it.

Facebook wasn't about me anymore, it was about everyone else. It makes running into that friend from high school you haven't seen in 10 years, totally anti-climactic. As was my 10 year high school reunion. Every night I told myself I wouldn't check it before turning the light off and every night, I lied to myself. Every morning I told myself I would start with Jesus Calling and every morning I forgot. How sad is that? Then one day when I remembered to read Jesus Calling, it was about idolatry. Facebook was my Idol. Something had to change and I was the only one that could do it. I turned off all notifications, I moved my app to the last page of my phone, and that was it. I was FREE! So free. My son didn't have to tell me "Mommy, put your phone down!" How awful was I that I even had to let it get to that point in the first place? I felt like total scum.

So that brings me to my next point, take this crap away from your kids NOW. I totally get the iPad is a babysitter thing and we are all guilty of it. I would be a hypocrite if I said my kids never played with one, but I will say that it is completely last resort for entertainment. And even then, it's almost always educational and I'm right there with them going over it. Nothing irks me more than when I see a family out to dinner and the kids are playing on their devices. Teach your kids manners, like we had to learn, teach your kids to communicate, teach them to behave in a social situation, teach them that it's wrong to be on your device at the dinner table by putting your own phone down. My kids are at the prime age for entertainment by this stuff when we are out to dinner, but do you know what I bring for them? A backpack full of stamps, stickers, coloring books, and crayons. And guess what, the old school way works just fine! Teenagers these days, heck 20 somethings, have girlfriends or boyfriends they haven't physically spoken to in days on the phone, but only through texting, and they call that a relationship? That is what they think a relationship is. I am so glad this didn't exist when I was a teen or in college. Texting was just getting started in college. So, lets band together as parents, as the human race and remove ourselves from this new way of "communicating" and "socializing". If you think about it, it's really the opposite. You might think it's going to be hard, but I am quite certain, it won't be near as hard as you think.

Jett is 18 months

I am just really having a hard time believing he is already 18 months. I skipped his 15 month post, because frankly there just wasn't a whole lot of new going on. Or maybe there was and I just didn't document every new word, action, hand sign, or eye blink in my phone like I did with Holt. Second child problems. He did start walking around 15 months, a few weeks before Christmas, and that was about it for excitement. So back to 18th months. This kid is something else. It's going to be really hard for me not to compare the two at this age in this post, but I will try. They are totally different. I thought Holt was a Mama's boy...I was wrong. This little man will not leave my side. He's constantly at my feet, reaching up to be held, shyly lays his head on my shoulder when we are around new people, and always saying "Mama! Mama!" He is far from independent like Holt was. I guess I really took that for granted. Holt has always been good at playing alone and entertaining himself. Jett can do it for about 5 minutes before he's crying at my legs wanting to be held. Being held is by far his favorite past time. He has quite the temper too, but also a sensitive little heart. If he gets frustrated with a toy or blocks, that thing will end up across the room in seconds. If he wants me to help him with something and I do, he will also most likely throw it across the room, which always results in more tears. For instance, he's having trouble getting his fruit snacks out of the bag, I help him but obviously not fast enough for his liking....boom...fruit snacks on the ground. Now they are trash and now he is crying even more. I'm not sure how you can explain this to an 18 month old so I just laugh it off. If I tell him No No, his bottom lip sticks out before the words finish leaving my mouth. He just really likes things to go his way, nothing out of the norm for a kiddo!

Jett also has a hilarious personality. His smile and his laugh are infectious. I don't know where his old man smoker's laugh comes from, but I am obsessed with it. It's straight from his gut and it's one of the best sounds in the world. His gap teeth make it all the more hilarious. The way his whole face squenches (autocorrect says I made this word up) up in delight can turn a bad day into a good day in an instant. He loves loves loves peekaboo and hiding in our closet, specifically in Daddy's shirts. He thinks he's so sneaky. He runs off with Holt's toys and his snacks and hides there as if it's a brand new secret and no one will ever find him. Jett is monkey see monkey do with his brother. He mimics actions, sounds, words....anything to be more like Holt. Kids are so easily influenced by their surroundings it's scary! You would have never seen Holt picking up action figures making "Hi-ya" and fighting noises at this age, but Jett sure acts like he knows what he's doing! His other favorite, Bentley. He loves his Buh-bee. He thinks all dogs are buh-bees. Bentley is 11 years old now so I get a little nervous his inner grumpy old man will come out when Jett climbs on top of him saying "Giddy up!", but much to my delight, he just lays there letting Jett take him for a joy ride. Jett loves to come in from being gone and let Bentley out of his house, he also loves to tell him to "Goooo!" when it's time to leave and he needs to go into his house. He loves going to check the mail in his buggy and scaring the bejeesus out of us playing on the playground or playset.

His speech is not quite where Holt was at this age, but the beauty of having two kids, you don't worry about milestones and things like this. It will happen. Now that I know what a yapping 3 year old is like, Jett can stay 18 months forever in the speech department. Not really because it is fun to see them learn how to talk and say funny things. He's learning new words everyday, but they aren't exactly clear. They are his own language that only someone who is around him 24/7 would understand. Book and ball sound almost the same. Cow sounds and dog sounds are very similar apparently. One day he knows all his animals, the next day he looks at me like I have 4 heads when I ask him what an elephant says. Once Holt learned something, he learned it. Jett is learning who everyone is aside from Mommy and Daddy. He loves his brother "Oat". Haha! As soon as we pull into the preschool parking lot he says "Oat? Oat?" Sometimes "Up, Oat?" I'm guessing because he always hears me say, "We are going to pick up Holt!" So he probably says around 15-20 words that are real or close to what they should be and a few short sentences "Go Bye Bye", "All Done", all the basics really!

His stats at 18months:
23 lbs 14 oz (44%)
32.5 in (50%)
18.7 in (52%)
Size 5 diapers
18-24 month clothes
Size 5 shoe
10 teeth (bottom 2, top 4, and all molars. Kind of a weird order to get your teeth...)

So contrary to looks, he's not as big and hefty as people think he is. They think he's a little chunk, but he's not. He's solid. He and Holt could not be more different in body type. Kyle says he will be a linebacker. He just plows into things, no problem.

He has had his fair share of ear infections, so we have another appt in a few weeks to check the fluid in his ears. We could be heading towards tubes, but I also think he could be suffering from allergies, which could all be related in my opinion. He is cranky, so cranky. He is clingy, so clingy. Kyle jokes that he still has colic, but seriously...is it possible? I think I got more done with a newborn sometimes. He's always been more high maintenance, but I just can't remember Holt ever clinging to me like this ALL THE TIME. I think it's because he is miserable most the time. Hopefully we will get some answers soon and he can go on being happy!

I can't describe the love I feel for this little guy. Cranky clinginess and all, he is my little ray of sunshine, always has been, always will be!

What did you do today?

I think most husbands, at least the smart ones, know better than to ask a mom this at the end of the day. But how many times do you put yourself in bed at night completely worn out, and ask yourself the same thing? What did you do today? If you're like me, you go to bed with the house not quite the way you wanted it, you didn't prepare the most delicious meal you've ever made, you wore a ponytail and yoga pants AGAIN (gasp), you put food in wrappers into lunchboxes (gasp, again), you wanted a bath but the mere thought of putting off bed for any longer than a 5 minute shower is exhausting, you wanted to read that book, that magazine, that blog...but you didn't. I have left off the everyday tasks like dishes, unloading the dishwasher, sweeping the floor, counter wiping, milk pouring, snack preparing, apple peeling, etc.  So, what did you do today?

Here's what I didn't do:

My "Formal" Dining Room is a parking lot

I love my second island, but that thing is never CLEAN

And for what I did do:

Taught the baby off and on with the light switch in the closet

Pointed out every animal and sound they make on tv, repeat all day

Removed the baby from big brother's 20 character Superhero set up at least 50 times (we know what happens when the baby knocks over anything big brother has set up, disaster and tears)

Searched for Thor's 2" hammer, Batman pez dispenser (the other 10 Superhero pez dispensers are no good, it MUST be Batman)

Changed Buzz Lightyear's batteries after searching for those dang tiny screwdrivers

Attitude check the 3 year old for yelling at me for not finding said missing items fast enough

Look for socks and shoes, not those shoes Mommy, the OTHER shoes

Feverishly prepare snacks and drinks for the car and errands we are about to run

Play DJ in the car

Play peekaboo, How big is..., and hide and seek 

Put a puzzle together with my 3 year old when the baby napped so I could make him feel special

Prepare 3 meals a day that get thrown to the dog or in the trash mostly

Teach body parts during diaper changes, add animal sounds if it's a really wiggly diaper change

Search for 3" tall Buzz Lightyear, can't find, deal with meltdown

Played Wonder Woman gets saved by whichever Superhero my son is that day

Felt inadequate as a mom that I wasn't at the park or out exploring nature and bugs

Search for the red lego

Read every book that is brought to me

Fulfill every "Hold me" request

Tried not to say "Hold on I'm busy" or "Not right now"

Wiped every tear

Kissed every ouchie

Combed hair out of tired eyes

Cuddled on the couch

Watched a magical bond before siblings form

Tried to burn the exact sound of their laughter into my memory forever

Got teary knowing I won't be able to remember that sound forever

This wasn't a day that I went to the gym, or take anyone to school, or to a doctor's appt, or to an extracurricular activity. This was just a day at home with a few errands, a normal day. And in between just about everything on that list you could add "Feel inadequate as a mom for not doing...something else with my time". But what did I do today? Exactly what I was supposed to do. Today I was the best Mom I could be.

 

Disneyworld

Oh wow, I can't believe this trip has come and gone. It was somewhat last minute for a Disneyworld trip. Kyle came home one day in Mid-November and said he had a Christmas present for me, but the boys might like it more. So immediately I thought, wow this is a great present. I don't even get my own presents anymore, awesome. He really wanted to plan it without me and surprise us all around Christmas, but being the smart man he is, he knew that wasn't a possibility without totally stressing me out. I'm not much of a planner as it is, I kinda prefer to go with the flow and not have every second of my trip planned out, but in this case I needed to know. So we sat down and started looking at where to begin. I got really overwhelmed and kinda wished he had just surprised me after all. We took a couple days break and then I was ready to look at it again. We picked the days we wanted to go and from there started planning it all out. We figured the week that everyone went back to school after Christmas break would be an ideal time...and...we were right. We are fully aware Jett will not remember any of this trip and Holt will be lucky if he remembers anything as well. However, we have pictures to prove it was the time of our lives! One perk of Kyle and all his traveling, he gets a lot of points for additional travel. This trip was one of those perks. We did have to sit through a 2 hours Hilton rewards meeting in which they would comp our entire trip, airfare and hotel. In addition to that, we had to pay $150. So we made it through the meeting without getting suckered and voila, we got a trip to Disneyworld for $150 plus park tickets. We figured with the boys being so young, and this trip being so cheap, why not go ahead and go and learn the ropes. That way our next trip will be easy peasy. Holt really is at a magical age to discover Disneyworld. He had a wonderful time. To see the joy in his eyes day after day was just truly a dream for Kyle and I. He was so excited to meet his favorite characters and to see him laugh on rides was just so magical.

We left the house at 5am on Thursday for the airport. The boys were a dream come true on the plane, I think they were still very sleepy. We went to Epcot the first day. We got as far as buying ears (you bet I got me some, it was my first trip to Disneyworld too!) and riding the Nemo ride, which we walked onto with no wait, before the torrential downpour started. We were not going to let that stop us from having fun, so $40 later in Disneyworld ponchos and we were ready to go! We did grab a bite to eat while it was raining and we spent some time at an inside play area before braving the rain. Luckily the sun came out and we were ready to see the rest of Epcot. I would have liked to spend more time here but with it already being a short day and the rain, we were limited. There really is not a whole lot to do there for kids, so it worked out for them. Jett was ready to sleep so I walked him around while Kyle took Holt to see Donald in Mexico.

 Holt decided he had to see Anna and Elsa from Frozen. We told him there was a long line and they were taking a break, but Jett was still sleeping so Kyle said he didn't mind waiting while I took Holt to look around some more. So for two hours Kyle waited. Holt went to meet Snow White and get a pretzel from Germany. We returned to the line and luckily only had to wait another 20 minutes or so. Queen Elsa invited me, a Queen as she called me, to stand by her. Holt has been singing the Frozen songs since we've seen the movie twice and it was his entertainment on the airplane. I know he's a boy, but if he wants to meet some pretty princesses then by golly he can meet some pretty princesses! They're all celebrities to him.

After this, it was time for dinner and almost time for the Illuminations show. Holt was mesmerized by the fireworks but Jett was not. He wanted OUT of there. And he was exhausted. Somehow Holt managed to stay awake all day, even with a 4:45AM wake up time. I don't know how he did it!

The next morning after our Hilton meeting was over at 10, we headed to Hollywood Studios. This was a day of characters. Unfortuntely, the Toy Story Mania ride was out of service which was a big time bummer for us. Holt had no idea, but we were sad. We had a character lunch at Hollywood and Vine with some Disney Jr. characters including Jake, Special Agent Oso, Handy Manny and June from Little Einsteins. Again, to see the excitement in his eyes was pure joy. We went to the Disney Jr Live show after lunch and headed over to meet Buzz and Woody. Daddy waited in line with Holt while I sat on a bench while Jett slept for a bit. This poor kid was running on E. A 45 minute nap was better than nothing, but I'm sure he would have slept for hours had we been back at the hotel. No time for naps, gotta see Disneyworld! We were headed over to the Star Wars area when we stumbled upon a street lined with characters. Belle walked over and took Holt out of his stroller and personally walked him along the street to meet all the characters he wanted to meet. There were so many characters! Chip and Dale were also very playful and they played with his new Zurg toy. Daddy spoiled Holt the entire trip and said he would do it all over again. He pretty much got anything his little heart desired. We walked to the Star Wars store where Daddy let Holt build his own light saber. I took Jett to watch the Jedi training academy, where kids 4 and up learn to fight Darth Vader in person. He comes out with his own light saber and everything! From here we recharged by sitting and having some snacks and an adult beverage (or 2) while watching the Jedi training again, this time Holt was in tears and terrified of Darth Vader. Then we headed to Pizza Planet for dinner.

An arcade is a great place for two little boys to walk around and "play" games. I don't know how much money Kyle spent trying to win one of those aliens for Holt, but he sure tried. We started to make our way to the Fantasmic show at 7 only to discover that it had been cancelled for technical difficulties. How in the world were we going to keep these boys happy for another hour and a half before the next show, oh take them to another gift shop of course. Also let them stuff their faces with ice cream sandwiches. Before we knew it, it was time for the show. I enjoyed it, but it was mostly about the villains and my sensitive Holt is not a fan of the bad guys. He mostly watched with his eyes peering through his fingers.

It was now day 3 and we were ready for Magic Kingdom and all the magic it had in store for us. This park could easily be a 2 day park! Luckily since it was the slow time of year, the longest wait we had was maybe 10 minutes. Also thanks to FastPass we were able to wait in line without waiting, allowing us to ride everything we wanted to that day. Holt's favorite by far was the Buzz Lightyear ride where you can defeat Zurg. I think Jett's favorite was It's a Small World because there was just so much to see. Holt got a little upset on The Little Mermaid ride because, well, Ursula is just really 'cary to him. Kyle and I actually took turns and rode on Space Mountain. It was our trip too...and yes, I still had my ears on. We walked all over Magic Kingdom seeing shows and riding rides. We did it all that day. Buzz Lightyear, Tea Cups, Dumbo, Magic Carpet Ride, It's a Small World, Peter Pan, you name it if Holt and Jett could ride, we did it! Right after Peter Pan, we decided to head over to the circle in front of the castle for the parade. And here came the rain again. We all got in our ponchos and found a great spot. Holt finally gave in and slept for the first time, aside from night time, in 3 days. After waiting for the parade for about 20 minutes...it was cancelled. We decided to call it a day because there was no way we could wait for the fireworks to start over an hour a later, if they started at all. This day we had to ride the monorail back to parking, which I was dreading. We saw the line for the monorail and could not figure out how to get there. We were so frustrated because it was pouring. Even the ponchos weren't helping. Somehow we saw the monorail in front of us and walked right up to get in line. This was too good to be true. Why were there thousands of people in line for the one on the other side and we managed to walk right up to the door of this one? It was a true blessing. As our monorail was about to pull away and take us back to the parking lot, the other one with the thousands of people in line, shut down for maintenance. How could this be? We got truly lucky. After getting absolutely soaked running back to the car, we had survived our 3 days at Disneyworld. We made it back to the hotel and were even able to relax after the boys went to bed. It was truly a special trip. As much "work" as it was with the boys being so young, I would do it all over again just to see the joy and excitement on their faces. I wouldn't change a thing! We live a blessed life and I am so grateful for it.

The plane ride on the way back, was not so nice as the one going. Jett was that kid who screamed the entire time. Kyle and I were at a complete loss. I was 99% sure he was going to fall asleep immediately and sleep the entire time, I was so wrong. He was beyond tired, he couldn't even calm down. Holt also stayed awake the entire plane ride home some how. We were so tired when we got home, but again, it was the trip of a lifetime for us and we would leave again tomorrow...ok not really, but sometime in the near future and do it all again!