Big Boy Room

Yeah, I know.... absent-go-bloggy lately.  Well, combine tax season with feeling like total crud 24/7 and that leaves little time or energy for posting.  I do appreciate all of your sweet words on the twins!  We are thrilled and just plugging along... 10 weeks today!  We have our final appointment with my RE on Tuesday and then he'll ship me off to the OB and perinatalogist.  Always bitter sweet to leave my RBA team... but graduating IS the goal, right?!

Anyway... our big project this summer (once I feel less like death) will be transitioning Sam to a big boy room!  I know he could spend many more months in the crib, but uh... we need the crib.  Sorry, kid.  So I imagine we'll start working on his room (he'll be in an entirely new room as the nursery will stay the same) as soon as I start feeling better - 2nd trimester.  The ick disappeared right at 13.5 weeks last time.  I know all pregnancies are different, but I'm praying the same happens this go-around!  I will have a much smaller window of time to get anything done since you really have to take it a lot easier with twins... so we'll need to get rolling! 

So I'm turning to you all out there for tips on the big move.  He is 14 months now and we'll probably actually move him around 18 or 19 months.  I know that's earlier than most kids move to a real bed, but like I said... we need the crib.  What things do we need to consider?  I don't even know exactly what to ask.... but I'll just give you some info on Sam's sleeping habits and maybe y'all can drum up some advice.

• Sam LOVES bedtime.  He sleeps a solid 12 hours each night (roughly 7pm - 7am).  It's very rare that he wakes up needing something.
• A hurricane could roll through our house at 2am and he'd snooze right through it.
• He is so active during the day (he does take one nap around noon - lately for about 2 hrs).  Come bedtime, he often points to his crib after he has his nightcap milk chug. 
• He is awake 95% of the time when I put him in the crib.  He is great at going to sleep on his own.  And great at going back to sleep on his own whenever he wakes up at night. 
• He loves his crib.  On weekday mornings, he often has crib playtime while we're getting ready for work.
• In general, he is just very easy going and pretty much goes with the flow (we keep telling ourselves we must be in for it on these next two!).  From the beginning, the only thing I've been pretty strict about schedule-wise is his bedtime.  But even if we're out late or get off track one night, he jumps right back in line the next day.

So given all that.... I feel like if we do this transition smoothly, he's going to do really well.  We will be getting him a real bed... probably a full size bed - so not a toddler bed.  If you have any tips or tricks or things to avoid... please share!  We obviously don't know what the heck we're doing!  Oh and the room will be down at the far end of the hall from us, if that matters.  Whereas now his nursery is right next door to us. 

Alright... enjoy your St. Patrick's Day!  I've got my green on... so no pinching. 

Picture this.

The hub walks in from racquetball this morning to find me sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor sipping hot ginger-lemon tea with one hand and my other in a giant box of Cheerios.  So he sits down in front of me. 

"What's wrong?" he says. 

"I feel like I'm going to vomit and I'm freaking out."


After all, we'd had less than 24 hours to process this...

Yep!  We did another frozen embryo transfer (FET) late last month and this time BOTH of our little babes stuck.  So yeah, that's two sacs you see in there.

We were prepared as we could be to find out it was two... I mean, my betas were higher than with Sam, though you can't speculate too much just on the numbers.  But can you ever really be prepared to find out you're having twins?  Ha! 

So we are thrilled, scared, freaked out, excited, nervous, and overjoyed all at once.  But this morning I was definitely freaking out.  I started rattling off my concerns and the hub listened.  But then he reminded me, "God's not freaked out.  It'll be great."

And it will be.... it's going to be NUTS!  But it's going to be great.  And I'm blessed to know many twin-momma friends, so I'm sure I'll get lots of great advice.  And I keep singing this song in my head... "I can do all things... through Christ who gives me strength... I don't have to be strong enough."  Which is fabulous considering I'm already stretched with our one little man!

As far as the babies, they both measured right on schedule yesterday at 6w2d.  Our due date is October 13, but I think twins are often taken at 37 weeks, which puts us in late September.  Gosh, who KNOWS what this is going to look like... we are just along for the wild ride.  Planning to suit up with Zofran and my Bible.  I'd love to have your prayers for a healthy pregnancy, delivery, and peace along the way for me!  It's going to be an adventure!

From our little Valentine to yours...

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Milestone Weekend

This little cutie got his 1st haircut on Saturday! 

AND we successfully ditched the bottle over the weekend, too.  Wow... this little man is growing up way too fast!  (Though I will not miss washing all those dang bottle parts every day.)



I've also been pairing down the party pics from earlier this month and am hoping to get those up later this week!  Stay tuned...

10 Things I've Learned in My 1st Year of Motherhood

Friday was Sam's 1st birthday, and what an AMAZING year it has been. I'm finally a mom - what more could I ask for? But not only a mom... a mom to the coolest little dude on the planet. Seriously, he is. The hub and I keep saying we must be in for it on the next one because this kid has just been too easy. Have there been challenging times? Of course. But he's just the happiest little guy and so easy-going. And ridiculously cute. I told God I wanted a cute baby after all we had to endure to get this kid here. (And God, you totally came through - thank you.)  We had a wonderfully over-the-top and completely out-of-control party on Saturday to celebrate.  It was simply THE BEST.   (Pictures and details to come!)
 

So in honor of Sam's first birthday and our first anniversary of becoming parents, I give you the TOP 10 things I've learned in my 1st year as a mother. By no means is this list all-encompassing, hence the word "TOP."  I learn new things everyday.  Enjoy!
 

1. Boys are simply the best. OK, granted I have no way to compare... but I have found tremendous and unexpected joy in having a son. I am such a girly girl and I always envisioned myself having a daughter so we could paint the town pink together. And perhaps someday I will. But I have to tell you, I could have three boys and be happy as a clam. I did a lot of reading on boys while pregnant. I've always been intrigued by how different God made men and women and we've studied a lot about that when it comes to marriage. But learning about those differences in kids is an entirely new world. I'm in love with the idea of boys and especially this little boy of mine. One of my favorite reads was Boys Should Be Boys by Meg Meeker. She talked about how mothers and daughters will be forever connected, but mothers will have to one day let go of their sons. My kid is only 12 months old, but I have an entirely new compassion for mothers of grooms! Sam will always be my baby, but one day Sam will have another leading lady.

 

2.  Babies aren't really the hard part - marriage is.  Again, I can only speak for MY baby here - I know some babies are way, way more challenging than others and we got really lucky with Sam. He's just an easy going little dude.  But all babies will test your limits!  The hub and I had nearly 10 years of marriage under our belt before Sam arrived.  And we've faced some pretty big things together in our young marriage, but throwing a kid in the mix just puts you in an entirely new league.  For the first time, I've got someone else competing for my attention.  I have to tell ya... being a mommy to a little boy - it's SOOOO easy to give him all my time and love and energy.  I have to be intentional about remembering that my husband is my #1 man.  And of course, loving ME looks different now that I'm a mom.  So there are some growing pains there... learning to love each other well in this new season of life.  It's a good and healthy and necessary challenge, but I definitely think it's the harder one.  Being a great wife is the first step to being a great mom.

 

3.  God REALLY loves me.  Wow, if God could ever give us a tiny glimpse at how much he loves us, I now know it's through our children.  The endless love I feel for this little boy is nothing I've felt before.  It's unconditional.  There's nothing Sam could do to make me love him more.  There's nothing Sam could do to make me love him less.  And that's exactly how God feels about me and you.  There's nothing I could do to make God love me more.  There's nothing I could do to make God love me less.  I finally get it.  And to think he loves my Sam even more than I do?  Wow.

 

4.  I do have patience!  One of the most surprising things has been seeing how much patience I have with this kid.  I don't freak out when he's upset.  Dirty diapers don't phase me.  I know when I truly need a break and it's time to call in the hubby for reinforcements, but I feel like I've rolled through the challenges (of newborns especially) pretty darn well.  And you'll never see me complain about it.  We fought for this kid for SO long... I'm not going to complain about not getting enough sleep or spit up in my hair.  It's part of the job and I LOVE my job.

5.  I can't do it ALL, and that's OK.  It's true, I'm a bit of a control freak.  I've never been good at asking for help.  Because, you know... no one is going to do it the way *I* would do it.  Which is perfectly, right?! Haha...  And too, I just want to be self-sufficient.  Well, along comes a kid and suddenly you just physically can't do it all anymore.  I've always been a doer - it's very rare that I'm just sitting around doing nothing.  But with a newborn, there is a lot of nothing that goes on for hours at a time.  And that was a big adjustment for me.  I would get frustrated when I couldn't get things done around the house because I had a baby to tend to... I know that makes zero sense.  I asked for this, right?  So I have had to learn how to just "be" with my family.  The laundry may be piling up, but this hour of play with my son is so precious.  The laundry can wait.  And before things truly get out of control, I've learned (and am still learning) to ask for help.

6.  Some of the sweetest moments happen at 3 a.m.  I must say, Sam is a great sleeper.  He was sleeping through the night between 6 and 8 weeks.  But we still get those occasional waking cries in the wee hours of the morning when it's just clear that he's NOT going back to sleep without a little help.  And though I plead with him through the baby monitor to settle back down, once I find myself holding him in the rocker in the quiet of the night... that's when I have those incredibly sweet moments where I realize, WOW... this little boy is all mine and I am his mom.  Many tearful prayers of gratitude have been whispered in that rocker while the rest of the house sleeps. 

7.  Parenting involves some serious teamwork.  We always refer to a husband and wife as being a "team," but never has that been so important before now.  I have a whole new respect for single parents after this first year with Sam.  I love that the hub and I have different "roles" with Sam that play into his routine.  But we also tag-team a lot when it comes to the small stuff... like a diaper blow out, or just getting him out the door for school.  Watching my husband be a daddy and love on our son warms my heart to no end.  But I'm also thankful for the heart that God has grown in me for my single mom friends because of that.  I continue to seek ways to love on them and help them.

8.  Sam's story starts with US.  Parenthood is such a privilege, but it's also a very humbling thing to know that this kid's future is so dependent on what we do today.  At Sam's dedication, we focused our prayer not so much on him, but on us - as his parents.  Protect our marriage, God, and help us to love each other well through every season.  We truly believe that the BEST thing we can do for our son is to show him what a godly marriage looks like.  We are not just raising a man, but a future husband, a future king.  We're teaching him what it looks like to be a loving husband and how he should treat women and most importantly, his future wife.  His definition of family and marriage comes from us.  So yeah, we're definitely praying that WE don't drop the ball here!  Sure, we're going to mess up.  But we want to parent with the end in mind. 

9.  Everyone should have the chance to know this joy.  Not everyone wants to be a parent, and I totally get that.  But so many people DO want this and can't seem to get there, much like us for so long.  So should you choose to be a parent, my wish for you is that you will one day realize that dream.  Being on the other side of our long journey, I can't put into words the true joy this little boy brings me.  Many times I've found myself thinking, "now THIS is what life is about."  Watching this little helpless bundle grow before our eyes and begin to discover the world... it's magic.  And I want that for you, too.  Fighting to get here opened my heart in so many ways.  You just can't go through such a battle unchanged.  After having Sam, it was an easy conclusion for us... once we're "done" growing our little family, we plan to donate our remaining embryos.  Egg production was never my issue, so we have quite the stash and I can't imagine we'd use them all.   If we can play a small part in allowing another couple to experience this joy, how could we say no to that?  It's a no-brainer.  Is it weird to think there might be other biological kids of ours running around someday that we don't know about?  Sure.  But the thing is, we're all ultimately children of God.  And I can't think of a better way to honor and glorify that fact than by giving a piece of our small legacy here on earth.

10.  It was all worth the wait.  We closed our prayer at Sam's dedication by thanking God for making us wait for our boy.  It's certainly not the path we would have chosen to parenthood.  It's funny to think about how different our lives might look today had things gone according to our plan.  But I truly believe that God never makes us wait without reason.  I can name several practical reasons for making us wait.  But more than anything, he allowed time to mold us into the people we are today.  And I am grateful for that time.  Was it painful in the midst of it all?  Absolutely.  But we can not see the forest but for the trees.... Sam was worth every surgery, every injection, every procedure, every dollar, and every prayer.  And every time God said, "not now."  If you are still on your journey, hold tight, sweet friends, and keep fighting.  However your story ends, God is doing a good work in you.

Goodbye, 2012!

Wow, what a great year we had... one of our biggest dreams came true early this year - we became parents!  So yeah, 2012 was a good one.  And gosh it was a fast year... Sam is no longer "Baby Sam" - he is a little boy who is into EVERYTHING!  And his 1st birthday is just days away.  Which means, the party planning I started oh, like nine months ago, is in full execution mode.

The cake was ordered yesterday.  We started the first phase of decorating over the weekend.  (Oh yes, there are phases.)  This involved bringing down Christmas decorations a little earlier than we usually do (I generally wait till New Year's Day).  But I must say... having a January birthday to look forward to really helps with the after-Christmas blues!  I was not at all bummed taking down our decorations, knowing Sam's "Winter ONE-derland" craziness would immediately follow. 

We are keeping our tree up for the party.  I stripped it this weekend, added blue lights, a white skirt (already had years ago), and will add some tinsel and possibly icicle ornaments.  We actually need more blue lights... it is pre-lit with white ones and they are literally outshining the blue ones right now!  I forgot how many strands it takes to do a tree.  We've been spoiled by our pre-lit Costco tree!  I've been hunting for clearance lights but so far everyone is out.  So Amazon will rescue me if I don't nail some down in the next few days.

Transforming the mantle as well... this is just the beginning stages - no judging.  I'm either going to wrap that arch thing or move it.  Haven't decided.  Soon to come... tulle and more lights.  There are really tall ladders involved.  And clearly, I'm crazy.

We are also doing the finishing touches on the playroom!  That room is basically his 1st birthday present from us.  Lord knows we don't need to buy him anything else.  We're already tripping over toys from Christmas.  The room has an Eric Carle theme - so lots of his prints and coordinating fabrics involved.  We've got to do a dreaded IKEA run this weekend to get the last bits and pieces.  I promise to get pics up soon - it is AWESOME if I do say so myself.  Such a fun room.  Glad to have the party as a target date to get that room finished... we tend to drag out projects forever and ever (especially with the little guy around)... so we have to invite people to our house in order to make ourselves get stuff done.

More on the party soon...

Until then, please have a wonderful and safe New Year's Eve!  And may 2013 bring you all much joy and many, many blessings!

Merry Christmas!

I'm sure this pic is microscopic since I'm posting from my phone...  anyway, using my hubby's family as guinea pigs for these "snow-covered strawberries" tonight. Planning to have them on the cake table for Sam's birthday party next month. I thought them up but have no idea if coconut and chocolate and strawberries mesh well. I should think so...

Happy holiday baking and cooking to you all! If you're like me, your kitchen is an absolute disaster area right now!  Good times...

Me and my buddy, Santa.

This cracks me up...

This is a phone pic of an actual print, so excuse the poor quality, but yeah... hilarious.  Why?  Because he's just so chill with Santa.  This one was taken at school, so we weren't even there.  That's probably why it's so good.  We're still trying to figure out a time to take him to see Santa, but geez our schedule is packed this season and we can't seem to all stay well. 

Hope you all are enjoying the Christmas season!  It is busy as always but it is certainly EXTRA fun this year with this little guy around.  He is pulling up on everything and cruising like a champ.  It won't be long till he steps out on his own... and then we're really in trouble!!!!!

Best. Purchase. Ever.

Well, in recent history at least. As I was about to head up north to a work retreat this week, it dawned on me that our dinners were going to be outdoors. And while I packed appropriate clothing for the weather in general,  I wasn't well prepared to sit out in it for an extended amount of time.

 

Enter emergency trip to Old Navy on the way out of town. I knew they had some decent puffer jackets. But luck was totally on my side... someone had returned this coat from an online purchase (you can tell by the tags) and it was the only one in store. So I'm guessing it's an online-only item. Tried it on and immediately fell in love. Snagged it with my 20% off coupon and got back on the road.

 

Put the coat to the test last night... everyone was complaining about the cold. But I was nice and toasty ALL night. Seriously so happy with this purchase. Very stylish and WARM. Can't beat it for the price. So I highly recommend it if you're hunting for a good coat for yourself or assisting Santa!

 

 

Must. Have. This.

For Sam's party.

It's just perfect.

Actually, it looks really gross if you ask me... but it TOTALLY matches his winter wonderland theme and I think the kids would get a kick out of these.  The blue color is perfect.

Anyone know of a great place to order or buy these that won't cost an arm and a leg?  I would want two dozen tops and probably not even that much.  I seriously don't need to be left with a supply of blue soda after the party's over.  Most places I've looked want like $2 a pop for these...ha!  I've seen this flavor in a variety pack.  Don't want a variety pack.  Just want these.

I can dig around but thought one of my dear readers might have the inside scoop on this blue cuteness!

And... how has it been TEN months?!

Seriously, nearly a year old we are! 

My sneaky shopping buddy snagged some new tub toys.

The birthday party planning is in full swing.  I mean, duh... I had the theme picked out at like 3 months.  But we actually started assembling some decorations this weekend... me and Sam's sweet Aunt Jenn!  Tissue pom-poms...

Fabulous tutorial here on these.  Chic but cheap - my motto in life.  So very easy, but time consuming.  Which is why an early start is necessary!  Especially when you have about 1/5 of the time you had before having a kid.  I had to leave Sam with his daddy and bring all my junk to Auntie Jenn's to actually accomplish anything.  I see many late nights in my future getting ready for this party!

I think I've mentioned it before, but it's a winter wonderland / arctic theme.  I got totally hooked up at Hobby Lobby as TONS of their current Christmas stuff works for this theme.  Endless amounts of turquoise, silver, and white Christmas decor.  The party colors are heavy on teal blue and turquoise, with white and silver, and little pops of red here and there.  Sam will be one of the red pops... as he has hot red corduroy pants to wear!  It's gonna be awesome... lots of tissue and tulle and lights involved.  Over the top? Definitely.  More to come...

Oh and yes, Cancun was wicked awesome.  Still sorting through pics, so I'll get a few up soon!  Of course, I use the term *soon* quite loosely.

How has it been TEN years already?!

November 2, 2002
 

After Sam's Halloween festivities tonight, we are heading out of town in the weeeee hours of the morning to celebrate our anniversary in Cancun!!!!!!  Y'all, this is our first *real* vacation in years.  YEARS.  So uh, yeah... we're pretty darn excited.  Four nights away from our little munchkin will be hard, but he will be in great hands while we're gone.  Thanks to Nana, Gran, and his Aunt Jenn!  So grateful for sweet family to love on our boy.

And more than blessed to celebrate ten wonderfully crazy years with my #1 man.  Love you, hubs!

Sam's Dedication

This past Sunday, Sam was dedicated at church along with 33 other sweet babies.  I could go on and on about what that day meant to us, but I think the prayer the hub and I wrote together sums it all up perfectly...

Thanks for the great pic, Auntie Jenn!

Mighty God,

 

Thank you for loving us so much and allowing us to come to you and call you Father.  Today we celebrate our little warrior, Samuel.  What a gift he is and oh how many endless prayers you answered by bringing him into our lives.  We pray you protect him, but most of all we pray you guide us as his parents. 

 

What a tremendous honor it is to be entrusted to raise one of your children.  We ask that you walk with us as we introduce him to you.  As he quickly grows into a little boy, may he learn that Jesus loves him and wants to be his friend.  He will soon start testing our limits and his own.  May he learn that no matter how far he runs, you will always await his return with open arms.  And as he becomes a man, may he declare his dependence on you, God.

 

We love this boy madly, but we know you love him more.  And we cannot wait to see how he fits into your story.  Please walk with us daily as we seek to guide him into a growing relationship with you, and we pray for the day Sam accepts Christ as his Savior.  We are grateful for an amazing church that will partner with us in doing so, but we understand it is ultimately about what happens at home.

 

Protect our marriage and help us to continue to love each other well through every season.  And help us to love Sam well.  We are bound to mess up, but may he never question our love for him.

 

Lastly, thank you for making us wait for Sam.  In those six years, you molded our hearts and changed us for the better.  We would not have chosen this journey, but you have blessed us with it.  May your grace and peace continue to carry us as we begin this new adventure of parenthood.

 

In your loving Son's name,

 

Amen

My Little Pumpkin

We had to do the obligatory pumpkin patch photos this year, of course!  I swear these things did not exist when I was a kid.  But yes, the pumpkin patch visit has been on my "oh, I can't wait!" list for a long time.  And it was SO fun... Sam loved it!

We took a ridiculous amount of pictures.  Hope you all are enjoying your Fall!  We are off to a marriage retreat this weekend up at the WinShape Retreat in Rome (GA).  It's our first weekend away from little buddy... we have spent a night away from him a couple of times, but not a whole weekend.  It'll be less than 48 hours that we'll be away from him but OH I'm going to miss my sweet boy!!!!  He'll be in good hands though.  My parents are keeping him and his Auntie Jenn is going to scoop him up for an afternoon of fun too. 

And then on Sunday, we have Sam's dedication at church.  Been preparing stuff for that all week... I'm going to be one hot mess.  The waterproof mascara is packed.  It's going to be such a special day celebrating our boy.  More details on that later!!!!

Enjoy your weekend.....

Pulling on up...

Excuse my absense of late as I'm buried in work!  Enjoy this shot of the little man - he's pulling up like a champ lately.  I wonder if he'll be walking by Christmas.  Hmmm...

Sam climbing up on his Papa - 10/7/12