New Blog Name

So it seems I need a new name for my blog . . . On August 14, 2013 at 6:54pm Cora Elise joined our family. I went to the OB for my weekly check up and was 4 days shy of my due date. I initially felt like she was going to be early because of all the contractions I was having, but then began feeling like she was never going to come as every week at my appointment, there had been no progress. Well, that changed on August 14. I went to the OB for my appointment at 10am. My dear friend Desiree was watching the boys for me at the house. I had my usual nonstress test, but this time, the baby's heart rate dipped a little with a big contraction, so the OB was going to send me to the hospital for a more detailed test to make sure the baby looked okay. Well, that was before she checked me. When she checked me, I was 5cm dilated and 70% effaced, so she then decided I was likely just in labor and should go to the hospital pretty quickly to have the baby! I was beyond excited and furiously began texting and calling people . . .  Brian to figure out where to meet him and Stephanie and Desiree to make arrangements for the boys and my Mom to let her know the exciting news. This was always my favorite part of the pregnancy . . . so close to meeting our new child! Brian met me at the house so we could ride together to the hospital. Sweet Desiree kept the boys the rest of the afternoon until Stephanie could pick them up, and then they went to spend the night with their cousins. I was so thankful to have family nearby to keep the boys for the night. Brian and I headed to the hospital. It took a while to finally get to a room, and I was a little concerned that she might come quickly. God was so in control, though, and I felt an overwhelming peace throughout the whole process. Brian and I had some time alone for a while and then my Mom joined us. My sister, Aunt Janie, and all my sisters' kids and brothers' kids were at IKEA and ended up coming to the hospital and waiting for the baby. My Dad joined them when he got off work, and Andrea came too. How special to be surrounded by so much loving family as we awaited our little girl's arrival! My delivering OB was one of my med school classmates, Jill, which was really special too. I ended up getting a little Pitocin after I got my epidural at about 7cm. I felt silly getting the epidural as I didn't even feel like I was in labor, but decided I may feel differently when it was time to push :) Once the Pitocin got started, things moved quickly. I knew when it was time, but unfortunately, another patient began to push at the same time, so I had a few uncomfortable minutes where I thought the nurse might have to deliver! When the OB did arrive, I just pushed 3 times, over about 5 minutes, and our little girl arrived! Brian and I decided to just have it be us in the room this time when I pushed, and it was really special to be able to share that together. What an amazing feeling to hear her cry and see her for the first time! It is such an indescribable, unmatched feeling to see your child for the first time. This little person who had been inside me for 9 months was now laying on my chest. What a miracle! And then watching my husband hold her and getting to share her with the rest of my family was just incredible. It is one of those feelings you just want to have over and over again. The whole experience . . finding out I was pregnant, sharing that with all those we love, finding out it was a girl, making preparations, anticipating her arrival, laboring and delivering, and sharing it all with my husband and eventually our boys and family . . . I just praise God over and over for such an amazing gift! We love our little Cora dearly and pray for strength and wisdom to raise her to be a Godly woman who loves the Lord.

Changes and more changes . . .

I have been so bad about posting anything on my blog. I figured I was way past overdue for an up date. Sooooo . . . December 7, 2012 we found out the shocking but exciting news that we are expecting #3. I only took a test because I wanted to take a big dose of Ibuprofen for a migraine and wanted to make sure it was safe. Needless to say, I was a little surprised by the two lines. Don't get me wrong, I was excited and thankful that God had blessed us with another child, but, nonetheless, I had that rush of fears and anxiety concerning all the changes to come. I was also a little concerned about how Brian would take the news, as he was pretty okay with two kids. Thank the Lord, Brian has handled this all very well and been quite supportive. Being very project-oriented and organized, he has already gotten the boys sharing a room with bunk beds, put the crib together, and gotten us a mini-van (thanks to his family in Annapolis). Another blessing, since I got rid of ALL our baby stuff, is that my dear friend Desiree gave me ALL of her baby stuff. The Lord has definitely provided for us. The boys are loving their bunk beds. Cole likes the responsibility of being on the top and Noah is content in his cave on the bottom. Surprisingly, Noah has been incredibly obedient about not getting on the top bunk without a grown-up in the room, so my anxieties regarding that have subsided. I was so incredibly sick the first trimester . . . definitely more than with the boys. Again, praise the Lord, it all ended right around 13 weeks and now, at almost 18 weeks, I feel great! We just can't wait to find out what this little one is in two weeks. I can honestly say that I don't mind either way. I can't settle on a preference because I love my boys so much that I would be thrilled to have a third, yet a girl would be something new and different. AND since this is our LAST one, I guess it is my last opportunity for a girl :) Anyway, I can't wait to bring the boys with us to the ultrasound to find out! They have been wonderful too. Noah loves to hug my belly, put stickers on the baby, and talk to the baby. He keeps assuring me how gentle he is with babies. Cole is a little less vocal about the whole thing, but he assures me that he will be a big help, and I know he is absolutely right. I am so grateful to be able to experience this whole process again and to be able to share it with my boys. 5 months to go!

Noah turns 3!

Noah turned 3 at the end of last month. His birthday always is a bit of a whirlwind being only 3 days before Christmas, but we had a wonderful time this year.  Noah shares his birthday with one of his best friends, Lydia. They both turned 3 this year, and we decided to do a joint party at Lydia's family's lake house. It was a pirate/mermaid party and we had a wonderful time! My dear friend Desiree, Lydia's mom, put alot of work into organizing some great games . . . a treasure hunt in sand boxes, fishing for live fish, a scavenger hunt, and a pinata. Some of our other friends also brought their bounce house, and the kids loved driving around on the miniature "Gator," a John Deer tractor for kids.  It was a cold night, but we had an outdoor fire and plenty of warm pizza. Noah requested a cookie cake again this year and Lydia had a traditional cake. We had such a fun time celebrating their birthday with family and friends.

Noah is such an incredible little boy. I know he is mine, so I have to think that. He is defiant and difficult at times, but he is so sweet and so passionate. He is always giving me hugs and telling me I look beautiful. He has learned most of the memory work that Cole has done this year in school. He is a master at puzzles. He loves to wrestle with Brian and do any kind of "man work." He loves other kids. He loves Bible trivia.  He is just fun to have as part of our family, and I thank God daily for blessing us with him.

Potty Training Part 2

So I decided this was the best time to potty train Noah since our Tuesday AM church class and Thursday AM Homeschool group are out until after Christmas. Noah is almost the exact age Cole was when he potty trained in 2 days, so I was hoping for similar results. Well, Noah did it even faster. After one day, he is in exclusively underwear day and night. I still can't get him to go #2 on the potty, but I am SO proud of how quickly he caught on and what a trooper he was in the process.

He got a plastic roach as a prize the first day, as he loves bugs. I DESPISE roaches, but this one has grown on me. Noah has had Roachy go through potty training too. When Noah pees, Roachy does. When Noah gets a jelly bean for peeing, Roachy does too. They have bonded in the process and now Roachy goes everywhere with Noah. Thankfully, he is about 10 times the size of any real roach I have seen, so there is no mistaking it for a live one :)

Kind of weird to be done with diapers so suddenly. Noah was SO ready but it does mark the end of a certain phase of his little life, and those goodbyes are always a little harder for me than the boys. Not having to change poopy diapers will certainly make this transition a bit easier :)

We took the boys camping last night with some friends from our church Bible fellowship class. The kids all had so much fun and it was great just making memories with them. We had a great time collecting wood and pine cones, making a fire, burning things, cooking out, exploring, roasting marshmallows, and just spending time with friends. Noah and Cole loved being able to run around and explore the campsite. Cole LOVED being the oldest kid and made it known that he was in charge of all the kids. He was a worthy leader :) We had taken the boys camping about a year and a half ago but it was at a very crowded site and Noah was a bit too young to really enjoy it. This time, we had the huge group campsite and seemed to be the only people in the entire preserve last night. The mosquitoes were kind of bad, but the kids didn't seem to mind. I slept in a tent between Cole and Noah and Brian slept in his own tent. They slept surprisingly well, and although I didn't, I would love to go again soon. I just love getting to have these little adventures with the boys! God has certainly blessed us with some wonderful friends too. In the last couple months, our class at church has started to grow and we have made some great new friends. Camping was a wonderful opportunity to get to know these families a little better. What a fun adventure for us all!

Homeschooling

My Big 5 Year Old!

I am still kind of in disbelief that Cole has turned 5! We had a wonderful time celebrating his birthday the last couple weeks. We did a party with Brian's family and some good friends last weekend. We had about 27 people over for swimming, pizza, and cake. Fun was had by all :) On Cole's actual birthday, the 14th, my parents, Austin, Ava, and Adam came over for more swimming, a delicious meal cooked by Brian, cupcakes, and alot of playing with the neighbor kids. Brian and I started Cole's real birthday with a scavenger hunt around the house to find all of his presents. I left him rhyming clues that he had to read to find each gift. He had a great time! His last gift was the big surprise . . . a new ceiling fan for his room! Anyone who knows Cole knows that was a HUGE deal for him :) He told me today, "Every time I go in my room, I just look at my new fan."

I feel so blessed to have such a sweet, sensitive, smart, and funny little boy. As his Mom, I eat up all the affection he gives me and never miss an opportunity to give him a big hug. I love playing War or Go Fish or just hanging out with him on his bed making his stuffed animals talk. I love what Cole calls "a day at home" . . . basically a day where we have no errands, no appointments, absolutely no where to be. We can just play together at home all day. Those are special days for the four of us. I love doing school with Cole . . . watching him learn new things and make new connections. He and Noah both love doing Bible trivia and they amaze me with their knowledge of the Bible at such young ages. I praise God for my sweet boys and pray for strength to help them meet each new stage with excitement and energy for whatever God has in store. I can't wait to experience 5!