Mothership Confessional

I'm writing this up a little early because you know, moving. MOVING HALFWAY ACROSS THE COUNTRY! My brain needs to keep moving forward and tackling things on the to-do list, and this post was one I could type up in a flash and cross off the ever-growing list!! I don't know why 5 months seems so much older to me than 4 months. It's just another 30 days! I think it's because I know we are so close to some major milestones and I also know how fast the back end of the first year goes...before I know it, Liam will be a tiny toddler chasing Ava around! What a crazy thought!! Liam has changed leaps and bounds this month. He's got a really strong core now and wants to sit up when I try to recline him in my lap. He can roll to his belly and has been sleeping on his tummy! He likes to swing his arms around and is getting pretty grabby! He's become a big chatterbox and he just loves to giggle and smile! There is so much drool everywhere and he usua...

My Ava girl isn't a baby anymore. But I know I will still call her my baby! It's hard for me to believe that she is two ! I still feel like it was just yesterday that she was swaddled in my arms, looking up at me with her big brown eyes. I feel incredibly lucky  to have my goofy, passionate, emotional toddler. We struggled with years of infertility before I got the positive pregnancy test with her. My unique, heart-shaped uterus grew her. During labor, her heart rate kept plummeting, so they broke my water to speed up delivery. There was meconium in the waters and her cord prolapsed, sending us immediately to the OR for an emergency c-section. My epidural broke so I was not able to have a spinal and was put under general anesthetic for her delivery. I didn't get to hear her first cries. I didn't get to hold her or nurse her until she was 2 hours old because I was waking up in recovery. Despite all the odds,...

Liam is starting to show his little personality! He loves to sit and look at you and chat and smile and giggle! He giggles when you tickle his sides or kiss on his cheeks and neck! I've seen him smile and coo at his toys, and sometimes he just giggles for no reason! He is liking to chew on his fingers and he's starting to hold onto toys and bring them to his mouth. He spends a little time in the jumperoo and he likes his bumbo seat and always enjoys time in the swing. Ava was not a swing baby so this is a nice change! Liam is drooling  everywhere  and thankfully spitting up doesn't happen nearly as much anymore! The amount of laundry I'm doing has greatly decreased now that there are less blow outs and spit-up rivers! He likes baths and hates tummy time! He is still in 6 month clothes and size 2 diapers, but I'm sure 9 month clothes will be needed soon! He is already 15+ pounds! Strangers who ask how old he is are always shocked whe...

The color yellow. Citrus. Honeysuckle. Picking out rocks from the front yard. Planting a vegetable garden. Playing volleyball, croquet, and tetherball in the backyard. Sun tea on a hot day. Riding in the back of the car with the windows down on the way to a tree nursery. Saturday nights of popcorn, oranges, apple slices, and cheese. Playing outside from sun up to sun down all summer long. Family walks on the Mill Creek trails. Watching Star Trek on a Saturday night. Reading books. Listening to 90's country and Oldies in the car. And later, Blues and Classical. Being told not to sing at the table. Shopping at the old downtown Olathe Walmart and Food 4 Less and Schnuck's. Minsky's Pizza. Backyard Burgers. Fried chicken, burgers, or tuna salad sandwiches on Sundays after church. Track meets. Orchestra. Saturday Night Live. More Cowbell. Sometimes I just need to remember my childhood. Sometimes I just need to remem...

Chris and I have been together for 11 years now, and married for 7 years. There's been so  much change in all these years! Let's see...we've moved 5 times in 7 years, lived in 3 states, bought 2 cars, been through 4 surgeries, been through 1 long military-related separation and a few short ones, had 2 children, and now we are in the process of buying our first house! Along the way, we've had so many adventures, good and bad! We've done some traveling, which I've discovered is my favorite  thing to spend money on! You can't put a price tag on the memories and experiences you get from taking trips together! We lean very heavily on each other. That's something that the military brings to the forefront in a marriage - you have to have each others' backs.  There are lots of long hours and things that pop up and separations and commitments. They say when you marry a soldier that you are actually "married to the milit...

The learning curve to becoming a new parent is steep. It was like a shock to my system, if I had to describe it concisely! My first baby is now almost 2 years old, and our newest little bundle just turned 3 months. Yep...I have 2 kids under the age of 2. Fun stuff!! So if you're reading this for some advice, you've come to the right place! 1. Your Parenting "Standards" Will Lower Take the current bar of expectations and standards in your world of parenting with one child and drop it down.  Now drop it down much lower than what you just did in your mind.  There. Just right!! I quickly learned that survival mode  goes on a whole lot longer than just that initial 6 week recovery period after your second baby is born! My parenting style is full of structure and routine. But once you have 2 tiny humans who need you nearly constantly, something's gotta give!  Ava gets oh-so-much screen time, both the iPad and the tv. I've struggled with thi...

Guys, I'm just going to go ahead and say this. Life is kinda hard right now. And I'm going to have a pity party real quick. Being in the trenches with a newborn is hard enough, but this time I have a young toddler, too. The transition from 1 to 2 children has still overall been easier than the transition from 0 to 1 child, but there are different challenges this time. Ava behaves best when I sit on the floor and play with her and/or when I give her the iPad or the old iPod touch we weren't using. And Liam is happiest when I am holding him most of the time while he is awake. Especially now that he's got more head control - he wants to sit up and see the world! So the problem is, is that its hard for them to both be happy at the same time. I've completely taken away the iPad and iPod from Ava because she wasn't understanding that she couldn't have them all day long, and she was throwing some of the biggest fits I've ever seen from her. And she's ...