A Playdate for Both of Us!

Yesterday my BFF Leslie came over with her little guy, Liam.

We just hung out at the house and played... It was wonderful!

Don't you just want to eat his cute little cheeks up?

It's weird to think that within a few years,
their year and a half age difference won't even be noticable!

Harder and Easier

One of my favorite bloggers, Kelly, recently did a post about motherhood. Specifically, it was about what has been easier than she expected and what has turned out to be more difficult. For posterity's sake, I thought I'd do the same....

I'll start with the positives--What has been easier than I imagined it would be:

• Getting my body back just a couple weeks after having Brax. Breastfeeding was the BEST calorie burner EVER! However, I did gain some weight back when I stopped (I was 7 lbs heavier at the beginning of this pregnancy than I was before Brax.) I hope it as effective the next time around...



• Transitions--like going from breast to bottle, bottle to sippy, crib to bed, taking away the binky. I have to admit though, this is not due to anything I did "right," I think I just got an easy kid.



• Having enough money. I really worried about this before we had Brax--on paper, it just didn't look like there was anyway we'd be able to pay for all the costs that come along with a child-daycare, diapers, formula, medical expenses, saving, clothing, toys, etc., AND still have some left to "enjoy" ourselves. But somehow, it all works out. Not without some sacrifice, but I am thankful that I can say we have never missed a meal or not been able to pay bills since Brax was born!!!


• Being a working mom. The ONLY reason I can say that this is easier than I anticipated is because of the particular office I work in and the fact that my aunt cares for Brax in our home. When I came back from maternity leave I started at my current dental office, and the dentist has been so great to work for. For the first 3 months, I took Brax to a daycare which was less than ideal, but then Aunt Laura started watching him, and she has been a God-send. I NEVER worry about his well-being (unless it's that she's spoiling him too much!)



• Becoming a "boy mom." Before Brax was born, I often wondered what in the world I was going to do with him. I've never really played organized sports, watching them puts me to sleep, and I don't like dirt, sand, bugs, mud, or dogs. I like coloring, playing dolls, baking cookies and painting fingernails. But low and behold, all those things I thought I hated have become just slightly more enjoyable for one reason-because my son likes them. And I like seeing him happy. So I do them. It's actually been pretty dang fun.
  

Things that have been harder:

• Balancing my role as a mom AND a wife. I am very much an all-or-nothing person, and there have been times that Brax got my all and Mike got next to nothing. I have to remind myself that in just 16 short years, Brax leave me to conquer the world on his own, and that it requires some effort on my part to make sure my husband doesn't join him!!!! Along those same lines, it was quite an adjustment for us to get the whole "teamwork" thing down. We were both very independent people prior to having children-I did my thing, he did his. I'd say it took a solid 6 months (and many heart-to-hearts) before we figured out that parenting is SO MUCH EASIER when you work together.



• Resuming my exercise habit. Again, my all-or-nothingness has greatly affected this. I am in the mindset that if I'm not running at least 20 miles a week AND lifting 5 days week, then why bother? I used to be addicted to working out, now the idea of getting up at 4:30 AM to run or go to the gym sounds absurd. It really makes me sad to think that at one point, I could run 26.2 miles without stopping for so much as a drink of Gatorade, and now my heart pounds out of my chest if I have to make 2 consecutive trips up and down the stairs with a toddler on my hip. Pathetic. I tell myself, "If there were just 3 more hours in the day....," but I know full well what a lame excuse that is.



• Slowing down the hands of time. I had no idea that having a child made time speed up exponentially. Try as I might, I cannot make it stop. In a futile effort to combat this, I take wayyyyyy too many pictures.

As you can see, the "easiers" outweigh the "harders." Or maybe we just forget the hard stuff??

Brax's Halloween Costume

I'm starting to think about what Brax will be for Halloween.... I am treasuring these years that I still get to be the one to decide what his costume will be, and I can make it as cheesey as I want! I know it won't be long before he'll be begging for the latest store-bought super-hero/Disney character costume!

I really want to make his costume (his first two were store-bought). Except I don't sew, so really it's just a matter of me putting random pieces together with hot glue at best!

I came across this website--
http://www.coolest-homemade-costumes.com/
It has lots of ideas submitted by parents, along with instructions and photos.

Here's what I think I like best so far...

CRAFT MATERIALS:
2 pairs of black toddler socks
Fiberfill batting
Black feathers
Needle and thread or fabric glue
Yellow construction paper
Googly eyes
Yellow pipe cleaners
1 sheet each of beige, yellow, and brown craft foam
Canvas or straw hat
Large calico fabric patches
Denim overalls
Safety pins
Yellow turtleneck
Striped socks
Plaid shirt
Work gloves
Work boots
Self-adhesive Velcro squares

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. To make the crows: Start with one black sock for each bird. The toe will become the head, the heel will be its belly, and the cuff will be its tail. Stuff each sock with batting, then poke the quill of a black feather into the cuff. Fold the cuff around the feather and either stitch or glue the cuff closed.

2. To make the beak: old a yellow paper scrap in half and cut out a triangle along the fold line (when you open the beak it should be a diamond shape). Glue the fold of the beak and a pair of googly eyes to the toe of the sock. Thread half a yellow pipe cleaner through the heel of the sock, then shape each protruding end into a foot. Glue wing feathers to the sides of each bird.

3. To make the straw: Cut three 4-inch-wide strips out of the beige craft foam: two that are long enough to fit around your child's wrists, and one that will fit comfortably around his neck. Next, cut a wavy edge along the top of all the foam strips to give the straw an uneven appearance. Then fringe the top of each, leaving the bottom inch intact, as shown. Make straw for stuffing and decorating the scarecrow by cutting thin strips of all the craft foam colors.

4. To alter the clothes: Glue wisps of straw onto the hat. Arrange the calico fabric patches on the knees and front pocket of the overalls and safety-pin them in place.

5. To assemble the costume: Have your child put on the turtleneck, striped socks, and flannel shirt. Next, slip on the gloves, patched overalls, and work boots and roll up the overall cuffs. Wrap the straw bands around his wrists, ankles and neck and attach them with the self-adhesive Velcro squares. Stuff the extra straw into the pockets of his overalls and shirt. Finally, pin each bird by its belly to the hat, overall pocket, shoulder and glove.



I got a flannel shirt and overalls at a kids' consignment store for under $10. I need to find some boots (size 8) and a straw hat, then I'll work on the details...

First Day of Preschool

Brax looked so stinkin cute on his wayout the door to "play school." His backpack is huge on him! He was very excited--I think he thought he was going to play with Caillou! When we arrived, he was off and running. We (Aunt Lulu and I) quickly left to attend the "orientation meeting" for parents. His teacher reported that he shed a few tears when he realized we were gone, but was a happy camper once they went to play outside. He was fine when we picked him back up! I hope next week is a success as well, although I wonder if he may cry more since he knows ahead of time that he will be staying by himself!

We'll see....

Another LAST. And a first.

I hate lasts. Remember?

And Friday was a big one.

This is a picture of Brax's last sleep in his crib on Friday.

(Actually, he did take a nap in it later that day, but you get the point.)

And this was the day we brought him home... his first sleep in his crib.
It seemed so big then.

After his nap, Billy The Handyman (a great friend and lifesaver)
came to disassemble the last remaining piece of Brax's babyhood.

Of course, Brax got in the way helped.

Testing it out.
You can't beat t-shirt sheets!

Tucked in!
You can see that he has a sock on his cast...
I put this on it so he wouldn't hurt his face if he accidentally rubbed it during the night.

I'm not finished with his bed (or the rest of his big boy room) yet, which is frustrating.

We opened the box and found that his head board has a huge crack in it. We had ordered it from Nebraska Furniture Mart at the same time as the rest of his furniture (when I was pregnant) and never opened it to inspect. We just stored it in the basement. We should have known better--2 of the other 5 pieces we got were damaged in shipping. Of course, now it's too late to send it back and exchange it, but NFM said they'd pay half to special order a new one (they don't have it in stock anymore.) So who knows how long that will take.

Then, the quilt I bought for his big boy bed looked silly because his bed is XL twin. It was way too short. I took that back, and bought a down comforter instead (only $25 at Marshalls!) and I'm going to get a duvet cover. I figure that will be easier to wash anyway. But I can't find a duvet cover I like!

We still need to move his glider out, and figure out what will go in the corner to replace it. We may put another chair there, or maybe it will be a toy corner. I'm concerned though that if we put toys in his room, he will be apt to get out of bed and play with them.

I also need to get a small (inexpensive) nightstand, since his will go in the baby's room.

I don't want to hang stuff on the walls until I'm sure everything is where it's going to stay!

So this is a work in progress.... But at least he's sleeping!!!

Saturday

We went out to The Legends yesterday...

It was so beautiful outside!

Brax got his very first REAL basketball at the Nike outlet,

and his next pair of shoes (only $20!!)

2 Yr/1 Mo Stats.... and Braxisms

HEIGHT/WEIGHT/TOOTH COUNT: 36 inches, 29 lbs, 15 teeth (Got one in today!). Still waiting on one canine and the 2nd molars.

NEW TRICKS:

• As of tonight, (Aug. 21), he is sleeping in a BIG BOY BED!!!! (Updated: He slept till 6:45 the first morning, then took a 2 1/2 hour nap yesterday, and slept till 7:30 this morning! He has put himself to sleep every time, without us in there!)
• He knows a few of his colors-red, orange, green, blue, black.
• Identifies some letters correctly--B, X, I, T, O, P.
• Tries to sing his ABC's--gets to G and then starts over. It's not very coherent, but I get it. Counts to 5.
• Jumps with both feet off the ground.
• Blows bubbles in the water. I had been trying to get him to do this, and he never would. Then one day in the bathtub, he just stuck his face in and blew! He gets a kick out of himself.

FAVORITE FOODS: Nothing new....

FAVORITE BOOKS: Green Eggs and Ham, Are You My Mother, The Jesus Storybook Bible

FAVORITE TOYS/ACTIVITIES: Playing with blocks and Thomas the Train

DAILY ROUTINE: Up anywhere from 7-7:45, nap from 1-3 (on a good day), to bed at 8

FAVORITE SONGS: The Muffin Man (he walks around singing this sometimes)

DISLIKES: When we won't carry him, and when I took all the markers in the house away because he was so obsessed with carrying them around. Fortunately, he forgot about them by the next day.

BRAXISMS:

• We went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant and I ordered him some milk. He took and sip, shook his head and said, "SPICY, Mommy." After he refused to drink it thru dinner, I finally tasted it. It wasn't spicy, but it was rotten! It was the most spoiled milk I've ever tasted. Poor guy. He knew something wasn't right, spicy or not!
• One day he discovered that if you plug your ears, things are quieter. He stuck his fingers in both ears and said, "Turn it off!"
• We were walking on the sidewalk and he pointed to the street and said, "T!" There was some black tar or whatever they use to fill cracks, and sure enough, it was in the shape of a T. Smarty pants.
• Calls yogurt "lowgurt"
• At Sam's Club, I wouldn't carry him (made him ride in the cart like always). He said, "Mean mommy!!!" I laughed. Probably won't be the last time I hear that.
• Often tells me to "lay down on the carpet" next to his bed when I put him down. I avoid this by telling him I'm going to take a shower, and then I'll come back and lay on the carpet. Of course, I never go back in until he's already asleep!
• When he's crying because he's mad and I tell him to stop the crying, he yells back, "NO! I CWYING WITE NOW!" ("I'm crying right now," as if he's just HAS to get it out.)
• One day he insisted on shutting his bedroom door after we walked out. When I asked why, he explained to me, "Bugs don't get in." Apparently he thinks we live in a roach motel.
• Everytime we say it's time to get in the bathtub, he says with a smile, "Pway (play) a few minutes!"
• One day Brax and Mike were playing downstairs in the playroom. Brax wanted to bring a toy upstairs (we try to avoid that, so our living room isn't flooded with them) and Daddy said no. He told Daddy, "Mommy tell you upstairs." (Meaning he thought I would tell Daddy to let him bring the toy upstairs!"
• I was texting while we were sitting at the dinner table--Brax said, "Close it, Mommy. Off limits." Since when did my 2 year old become an expert at cell phone etiquette???
• There is a cartoon called "Word World" on PBS Kids (click on the link--it's a great educational cartoon if you have kids). You'd have to watch the cartoon to get it, but the jist is that they show a word in big block letters, then sing a little song and smoosh the letters together to "build a word." Then the letters become the object they spell. Anyway, Brax and I were reading a book that had single words in big block letters on the page, similar to the cartoon. He took his hands and tried to smoosh the letters together and said, "Build a word!!!" He understood that the letters on the page make a word, which represents and object. Very cool. I love that show!
• When we were in the waiting room to get his cast on, he was playing with another little boy. Brax had brought his screwdriver with him. He handed it to the boy and said, "Arm broke. Fix it."
• I was laying on the floor, he laid his head on my belly and heard it gurgling. He said "water." I told him there was a baby in there swimming. He tried to push a little car thru my belly button and said, "Baby ride on."
• When he wants to be carried downstairs and I say no, he stands at the top and says, "Hug???" with a grin. Of course, I can't deny him a hug. And of course, when I give him the hug, he won't let go so that I HAVE to carry him down! Sneaky little boy.

Preschool Welcome Day

Thursday morning we took Brax to check out his new "playschool," as Caillou calls it. (Caillou is one of his favorite cartoons--Caillou is a four year old boy and he goes to "playschool" so we told Brax he was going there too!)

Of course I had to get him all dressed up to meet his new teachers!

All ready to go, right?

"Nope, I'd rather watch Caillou go to school."

"Well, I DO look pretty cute, don't I?"

"Ok, I'll go. But just this once."

Daddy went in to work late so he could join us.

Checking out the pet turtle.

He was off and running as soon as we were in the door.

He didn't seem to care whether we stayed or not-

but we'll see how he feels about that on Monday when

we actually DO leave!

He LOVES kitchens!

And water fountains.

Cast On, Pants Off

Brax got his cast on Monday morning.

He did so well! He has to wear it for four weeks.

Of course, Jace had to do the honors.

Something's missing here....

This was right before bath time one evening this week.

I had just changed Brax's diaper, and he insisted on having a few

bites of Daddy's cereal before we headed upstairs.

MOMMY GUILT SUCKS.

The only thing worse than watching your child suffer (no matter how minor it is)

is the guilt you feel for not preventing it.

Mommy Guilt has absolutely been the hardest thing about parenting for me. Thankfully, we haven't had any MAJOR catastrophes that Brax has had to suffer thru, but I tell you what...even the small stuff eats away at your heart.

Your kid got RSV? It's your fault for sending him to daycare. He broke out in a full body allergic rash while traveling? It's your fault for not remembering to wash those towels in "free and clear" detergent. He fell and hit his head, causing it to bleed out of his ear? Yep, YOUR fault for dumping that water out of his rain boots onto the garage floor and not anticipating that he would get up and walk thru it and slip. Fell off the couch and broke his arm? Your fault for setting him on the couch instead of holding him while you cleaned up the kitchen like he wanted you to.

You had a miscarriage? Your fault, for any number of reasons.

After all, the baby was in YOUR belly.

Of course, rationally I know that none of these things were technically my "fault", but Mommy Guilt still causes my mind to race with "what ifs."

What if I had just....

At this very moment, Brax is sleeping peacefully in bed with his little arm comfortably splinted, but I sit here with a lump in my throat, replaying those few seconds before he fell over and over in my mind.

Mommy Guilt causes me to be on the defensive, feeling embarrassed that I "let" this happen to my child. I wonder if the nurses talked about me. I am sure that my husband thinks I'm incompetent. Of course, none of this stuff happens on his watch.

I wonder if this ever changes. At what point do we stop feeling like it's our sole responsibilty to protect our children? Will I still feel guilty even when my child hurts himself, and is old enough to know better? I have to imagine the answers are never and yes, at least to some degree.

MOMMY GUILT SUCKS.

ANOTHER Trip to the ER.

I'm wondering, how many visits can one child make to the ER before they send someone to investigate the parents for abuse, neglect, or just plain stupidity? Because today was our SECOND trip in 2 1/2 months. (The first was June 2. Click HERE)

We had just eaten lunch and I sat Brax on the loveseat to play with his blocks he had dumped there. I went to the kitchen to clean up. I saw him leaning over the back of the loveseat, which he has been doing quite a bit lately (and getting in trouble for--but apparently not enough trouble). I hollered for him to sit down. He sort of sat down, and then I saw him start to climb on the arm of the couch. I looked down to put the dirty dishes in the sink and dry my hands before I went over to get him off the couch myself. In those 4.7 seconds, he fell off. I did not actually see him fall, but when I heard the thud (on the carpet, thankfully) I saw that he was lying on his back. I figured he wasn't hurt too bad.... until I saw his arm. His forearm was curved in (bent) about an inch above his wrist, and there was a red mark on it, like it had gotten caught as he fell. I knew immediately it was broken. I did have the sense to know that a broken arm wasn't life threatening, so I called Mike instead of 911 this time. He was golfing with our neighbor, who called his wife to come with us to the hospital. (These are Jace's parents---thank goodness Jace came too. He had Brax laughing in the back seat on the way!)

Sooooo.... off to the ER we went. Brax was no longer crying at all, but he wouldn't move his arm and his hand was kind of dangly. He did great for his xrays (with Daddy) and fell asleep in Daddy's arms while we watched cartoons in the room. Then they came back with the not-so-good news. His right arm was broken in 2 places-both the radius and the ulna and small fractures in them. Thankfully, they were not complete fractures and won't require surgery, but they will require the placement of a cast by an orthopoedic specialist on Monday. Right now he has a splint on.

We came home, and Brax was business as usual. He ate a huge snack (cheese stick, apple, and ham), he played and played and played and sang and talked, then ate 2 pieces of pizza for dinner. He didn't mess with his splint, and was pretty good about not putting weight on his arm. He let us wrap it with a plastic bag for bathtime, and was cooperative about keeping it out of the water as much as possible. His only complaint was when I tried to give him the liquid Lortab. He said, "YUCKY, Mommy! You eat it!" So tomorrow I will be going BACK to the pharmacy to have it flavored. It IS awful-it tasted like nail polish remover.

He went to sleep just fine, and even fell asleep on his back like I told him to (instead of on his tummy with his arm all cockeyed underneath him like usual).

We'll see what tomorrow brings....

(A sidenote--I know this post was very rambly, but I wanted any concerned family to know the details! Everyone else can just skim it!)

Randoms Thru the Week

Nana Star popped in for a quick hello.

Our last visit to the pool for the summer

(little did we know Brax would be in a cast this week.)

Blowing bubbles!!!!!!

Brax loves this birthday present.

It's a race car driver's helmet!

He especially likes it on Dad's head.

Playing fort with his parachute.

My Favorite 2 Year Pics

I know I posted our photographer's link to Brax's 2 year pics,

but I scanned the hard copies into my computer and thought I'd throw them up.

To all our family that ordered pics--they are in the mail as of yesterday!

His tattoo says "Momma!"

Deuce's Sono Pics

Mike has named this baby Deuce.

Here are Deuce's sonogram pics...

I forgot I hadn't put them up yet!

I'll have another sonogram at 16 weeks, and again at 20.

12 Weeks

These aren't very clear pics because they were looking at certain measurements.
They wanted to make sure that nuchal translucency (the fold of tissue behind the neck) was normal. It is! In the bottom pic you see the profile, in the top pic you see the profile and a leg.

8 Weeks

In the bottom pic you see a big circle above the baby's head-

that's the yolk sac. It's there to nourish the baby until it's circulatory system is functioning,

then it disappears.

A New Blog Feature (New for me, anyway)

I'm pretty sure no one else will care about this, but I wanted to share my new blog discovery! I finally figured out that if I label/categorize each post that I write, I can have a running list over there on the sidebar that groups posts within certain topics. So, let's say you REALLY wanted to read EACH AND EVERY one of my posts about Brax's month-by-month stats... You could click on the "STATS" link (on the sidebar to the right of what you're reading right now) and it would pull up all the related posts.

Anyway, I've got several categories listed. Because I'm a dork and I love lists.

Brax's 2nd 2nd Birthday Party (PICTURE OVERLOAD!!)

We had Brax's 2nd 2nd birthday party here in KC last Saturday out at Kill Creek Park. (If you've never been--go! They have a beautiful lake with a swim beach and great playgrounds.)

I know, I know, he won't remember his 2nd birthday party (either of them), and I wasted a lot of energy, time and money putting it on. But it was so fun! Kids are only little for a short while, and before I know it, Brax won't be wanting to celebrate his birthdays with his mom and dad!

My great friend Jen L., who is getting started in photography, offered to take pictures for me so I could relax and enjoy the party! (She also helped me get EVERYTHING to the picnic shelter and set up! I owe you so big, Jen!) Here are 80+ of the great shots she got (she actually took over 300, but I know you don't have all day....) These pics are a priceless gift!

The sign as you entered the picnic shelter

A "centerpiece"


The pinata


Noah (Abbey's son) enjoying the playground



The spread--I made this part easy on myself.

All from Sam's!!

Fun balloons

The birthday boy has arrived!

"All this, for ME??"

Sam, our neighbor.

Ava (Jen L.'s daughter) and Malayna (Leslie's step-daughter)

Jace patiently waiting on his snow cone.

Carson, our neighbor, drunk on Capri Sun?

Jen L.'s husband Chris took over snow cone duty for me.

Jen and Chris's daughter, Ava.

Taking it all in.

Delanie (with mom, Jen W.) getting a kick out something!

I can't believe he's TWO.

Carson and Sam creating a masterpiece.

Delanie showing them how it's done.

Cutie patootie.

Twins, Brody and Cooper B. (John and Brooke's boys)

Noah, not so sure about all this ruckus.

Cooper, finding a hidden treasure to eat.

Brody.

"Mom, Cooper's eating off the ground again!"

"It hasn't killed me yet!"

Noah, happy to have some food.

John and Brody.

Forcing him to stop and eat something!

Such a little man! (Noah)

Noah

Attacking the pig.

Attacking the cow.
(I have to note Brax's left handed swing--

without prompting from Dad!)

Bubba (I work with his mom, Tracy) taking a shot.

And another...

Sam, a huge Royals fan!

Carson

Malayna (her swing looks like mine!)

Noah

Logan

Jace was DYING to get a crack at the cow!

We finally had to bring in a big kid to get it open.

And Mike said I shouldn't waste money on candy for the pinata....

Look at how much fun he had!

JACKPOT!

GROUP PICTURE TIME:

I knew we wouldn't get a perfect one,

but I love it anyway!

Notice Jace "helping" Brax look at the camera!!

Opening gifts.

BUDDIES-Jace and Brax

A little alone time with his sucker.

Party favors!

"Party's over. I'm outta here."

"But my sucker's all gone!!!"