Five Years and Here's to Many More!

Happy 5th Wedding Anniversary to my sweetie!  I'm so glad I get to spend my life with my best friend. 

You are such an amazing husband and now a wonderful father to our beautiful boys. 

I love you so much and can't wait to spend many more years with you!

Two is Definitely Louder than One

This past weekend my mother-in-law watched Nolan on Friday night to Saturday evening.  My husband and I were going to use this time to spend with Conley and get some items marked off our to-do list which is much easier without a toddler running around.

We first went to dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant and sat on the patio.  It was a nice fall evening, a perfect night to sit outside.  Conley was awake for the first part just enjoying the scenery. 

We then ran to a few stores, and then headed home.  Usually my house is almost in utter chaos at bedtime but with one it was much easier and little boy went down without a fight.  The night was peaceful...and a few glasses of wine might have been consumed.

The next morning was also quiet.  I didn't have to worry about juggling feeding the baby and getting Nolan's breakfast ready while making my much needed coffee.  We packed up Conley and headed to Lowe's to get some pine straw to finish the mulching we are doing on our fence line.  No problem, no screaming, no crying...a perfect Saturday morning.

As Conley took his afternoon nap, my husband and I finished up the yard work.  We then waited for our first born to return home.

And once he did?  All chaos broke out.  It was almost like Conley was feeding off of Nolan's energy and was screaming...Nolan was running around like crazy.  My house was SO LOUD.  I felt like I needed ear plugs and that I couldn't even hear myself think.

So mothers of more than one...is your house loud all the time???

Beautiful Baby Boy

I am so happy with our photos from the newborn session and will have more to share later once I receive the CD.  Kristen, the photographer, is a friend that I used to work with and now is a full-time photographer.  She is so patient with both my boys---who both were very awake and non-sleepy newborns.  She literally has been at my house for hours as we try to get the baby to sleep.  I couldn't ask for a better photographer to capture these sweet moments.

Hope you enjoy the photos :)

My Journey

My journey into the world of breastfeeding the first go around with Nolan started off on a bumpy road.  I kept feeling like he wasn't latching properly, my milk was slow to come in, and his weight was not gaining like it should be.  Not to mention the bleeding and cracking, and the straight up pain I was in every time I nursed him.  Oh wait, that might be too much for a Monday morning?  (Sorry about that my friends...hope you've had your coffee already!)

I was determined to keep trying.  I used my Lansinoh lanolin like it was going out of style, and I would try to nurse from one side and pump from the other in order to help heal.  We soon found a rhythm, and I started to gain my confidence.  It continued to become easier as he aged, and I realized we would be able to reach my goal of breastfeeding for a year. 

This time has been so different.  My milk came in much sooner, and Conley has been an excellent latcher.  I still had some pain in the beginning but after about a week it was gone, and we were doing great.  I'm a lot less stressed this go around, and apparently something is going right because this new baby boy is somewhat of a chunk!

For me, it is also important for me to get a break. So with Nolan I did pump so I could have milk stored up so my husband or my mother-in-law could feed him a bottle. Conley has already taken a bottle a few times and had no problem. We use the Tommy Tippee bottles that are supposed to be a good transition for breastfed babies. They worked great for Nolan, so I hope we have the same experience with Conley.

Isn't it amazing how things change the 2nd go around?  I've read so many blogs where the moms weren't able to breastfeed very long the first time, but now with the 2nd child they are so much more relaxed and have had such a pleasant experience this go around.  I think when we are first time mothers, we are constantly doubting ourselves and afraid of making mistakes.  By the time, we have a second kid, we realize we just need to trust our instincts and do what works best for our baby. 

Isn't it funny how life works that way?  We have to go through the experience first before we realize the answers were right in front of us the whole time.

 

Fall is in the Air

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year.  It always gives me the feeling of something new---like when I used to start a new year of college.

Today as I was driving and feeling the crisp, fall air I took a trip down memory lane.

-Homecoming and football games
-Working on the Homecoming float
-Sorority rush
-All Homecoming events-Lip Sync, Rope Pull, Pyramid
-Welcoming the freshman to campus (I was a freshman orientation leader, at our college we called them PEP leaders)
-Spending time with my boyfriend (now my husband--we spent summers apart throughout college)
-Playing flag football & soccer intramurals
-New notebooks and books
-The warm feeling of wearing a sweater and jeans
-Drinking hot coffee on a brisk morning

Now as I get older I have more reasons to love fall:
-Nolan's birthday in October
-My wedding anniversary in September
-My birthday in November (well you know you don't enjoy them as much as you get older!)
-Celebrating on the holidays with my now family of four
-Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks (YUM-YUM!)

What are your favorite things and memories of fall?

Wordless Wednesday-Go Team!

We might have lost the game on Saturday, but Nolan looked cute cheering for our team! :)

The Definition of Motherhood

Webster's online dictionary defines motherhood as: a female parent; a woman in authority.

I think motherhood can be defined by this one word: Selflessness

As mothers we give so much of ourselves to our children.

-Our need to feed ourselves comes last or if at all.

-Our sleep is scattered with a few hours here, and a few hours there, never the 8 hours straight our body needs to refuel.

-Our showers and making ourselves presentable becomes a luxury, not a priority.

-Our time to ourselves is non existent.  Those moments of quiet time are a thing of the past.

-Time with our spouse is no longer an option.  You are a team that works together for the children and after all that effort all you want is some shuteye.

Instead feeding, changing, and keeping our children nurtured, healthy, and loved become the top priority. 

If that's not an example of selflessness, I don't know what is.

Now the question is, after all our giving do we have anything left?

Wordless Wednesday-Brotherly Love

Brotherly love----or a photo that gives the appearance of brotherly love :)

Baby Conley @ 1 Month!

I cannot believe a month has already passed since baby Conley was born.  This boy is a chunky monkey which is totally different than his older brother who was at the bottom of the percentiles until he reached a year old.  Conley at 3 weeks weighed 10 pounds and 4.5 oz!  He had also grown in height to 21.5 inches which puts him at 95% in weight and 75% in height.  Breastfeeding is going great (obviously since he's Mr. Chunky), and he's a much better latcher than his brother. 

We have good nights and bad nights.  Some times he sleeps for long stretches, and other nights he can't sleep because he's dealing with gas.  He has a strong neck already and has been lifting his head since the day he was born.  I seriously think the kid would try to climb you if you let him with those frog legs.  His hair is thinning, and it might come back blonde.  His eyes are a dark blue, but I expect that to change.  We'll see though!

He loves to be cuddled and held, and most of the time I can change his diaper without a scream fest.  However, if the boy is hungry watch out for that blood curdling scream---he'll let you know it is feeding time now!

We love this guy so much and can't wait to see our boys grow and play together.  I hope they are best friends :)

A Little Girl Time

I was so excited that two of my childhood friends, Jessica and Melissa, decided to come visit the new addition this past weekend---even though I am pretty much a walking zombie from sleep deprivation. 

Here's a photo of the 3 of us:

And here we are in 2010 after Nolan was born.  Both times the boys were about 4 weeks old when they came to visit. 

 

Here's a photo of us from my wedding in 2007:

 

 

Jessica's wedding 2010:

 



We've been friends since we were kids, and I'm so glad we've continued our friendship into adulthood and through the changes of marriage and being moms.  Melissa has two daughters who are 8 and 4, and she welcomed a baby boy to the family this past May.  Jessica has a little girl who is almost exactly a year older than Nolan.  It's crazy to see us all grown up with children!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Happy Friday Everyone!

TGIF!  Thank goodness it is Friday...I've survived another week!  I'm kind of got mommy brain right now so I'll just leave you with these photos :)

Two Under Two-Four Weeks In

Today I have officially been a mother of two for four weeks.  And let me tell you, I think they have been the hardest of my life.  If the baby isn't crying, well then the toddler is crying.  It's enough to make you go batty.  I can't tell you how many times I hear the toddler say the word, "go" and "car" a million times a day because honestly he gets bored at being at home.  No matter how much I play with him eventually he just needs a change a scenery.  Which is precisely the reason I signed him up for Mother's Day Out.  Except for one tiny detail---he doesn't want to go and be there without mommy.  I'm sure it's a combination of his age, a new place, and a new baby that is causing his anxiety about being left at MDO, but I know how much he needs it.  He needs the activity in his life that I just can't provide at the moment.  I'm doing my best to go to play dates, book readings, and any event that I can manage with juggling two little people.  But I can only do so much. 

My husband has really helped a lot...taking Nolan with him when he runs errands, taking him to the park, or just a ride in the car.  However, Nolan has become super clingy to mommy due to the new things going on in his life.  Last night I put him down for bed...he even said he was tired and ready.  However about 10 minutes in he began crying hysterically.  After I talked to him, then my husband, then me again I asked him if he wanted me to rock him and if he would go to bed after that.  He said a sweet yes...and I rocked him and this 32 pound boy fell asleep in my arms.  It was the sweetest and saddest moment...knowing my once baby boy just needs some reassurance with all the changes in his life. 

Life is hard right now.  I think motherhood is the hardest job in the world, and if we all survive we deserve a medal.  Don't you think so?