My Little 2 Year Old

Not only is Matthew a month old now, but Caleb just turned 2! Man how time flies. Unlike Matthew, Caleb is very small for his age. He is finally about an average height, but still small in the weight catagory. His hair is blonde, almost white and his eyes have stayed the gorgeous silver blue they were when he was born. His teeth are a little crooked, so when he grins, it just makes him even cuter.

Caleb is hitting the typical "terrible 2" part of his life. It isn't always such a horrible thing, it is funny most of the time. Caleb is usually so kind, passive and easy going. Well that Caleb is no longer. His favorite word is "no" and that is all he says when he is cranky, waving his hands around like he is trying to stop a car. It is ridiculous, but cute. He pouts and hates getting out of the car when we get home from anywhere because he doesn't want to be home, he wants to go play. He screams when anyone tries to take his toys, he throws temper tantrums, it is annoying but funny. So I just tend to ignore him when he is acting out. But really I am sitting nearby trying not to let him see that I am laughing because Caleb's pouty face is really quite cute. And when he falls to the floor and kicks and hits things, it just looks so unreal because it is so unlike himself.

Tyson sent Caleb to his room this morning because he wouldn't stop whining and Tyson said "you can come out and join us when you are happy." So a few minutes later, the little guy came back into our room and said "Daddy, happy." And he was. So I know he still is his good little self in there, just dealing with more (or stronger) emotions now. His best self comes out around Matthew though, he loves him. He pats his tummy, gives him kisses, calls him "baby Maffew guy."

Josh and Caleb are best friends. Caleb loves to follow Josh around and do whatever he is doing. And Josh has quite the imaginary world these days, so, Caleb goes on rocket ship rides, builds houses out of brick for the three pigs, plays Batman, all kinds of fun things. He loves to tackle Josh, he wraps his arms around him and drags him to the ground and Josh thinks it is funny. I have yet to see Josh fight back, I'm not sure if he is afraid of Caleb or just doesn't want to hurt him. I think it is more of the latter.

One thing about Caleb lately that has melted Tyson and I, is his snuggly phases. At night when we put him in bed he will sometimes say "stay Mama (or Daddy), nuggle me." And he will pat his bed. He wraps his arms around my head and basically pins me to his pillow. He is just so cute it melts my heart, there really is no other way to say it. The Lord has blessed our little family with the three sweetest little critters. I am a lucky Mama.

10-10-2010, a day to celebrate

I LOVE birthdays. I have a really hard time getting excited about them when I am not around the person for some reason, but when they live near, I feel like it is my birthday. I'm not sure why.

But as of 42 minutes ago, it is Caleb's birthday. I can't believe it was an entire year ago that I was laying in a hospital bed, so thankful for epidurals and watching my mom almost freeze as she slept sitting up and Tyson laying on such an uncomfortable couchish thing. I kept thinking about Josh and wondering if he missed me, worried that he would feel lonely or hurt that I wasn't there and wondering who the little creature was when I brought the other kid home. I was so worried about having another c-section, just thinking thinking thinking, and not sleeping like I should have.

But that little guy came, and we were both fine, and of course Josh didn't even notice I was gone he was having so much fun with his Grandma and Aunts and of course, Kelso. And now my little boys are just getting bigger which means I am older which I don't feel that way. Maybe someday it will catch up, but I hope not. Caleb is not a baby anymore. He is a toddler, with lots of little teeth, and a happy grin, and he plays peek-a-boo and eats all kinds of foods, and loves to dance, mimic words and watch Josh do whatever he is doing at that given moment.

I love that song "Don't Blink," I think it is called. It is true, you blink and you might miss something huge like a first step or rolling over, or falling off the couch or the bed or drawing on the couch or on the bed. :) I love my kids.

I am so excited that in a few hours I will wake up and "wake up" Caleb, although I know he will already be awake, poopy and crying because Josh is throwing toys on him or screaming in his ear or something horrible. I am still so excited. I can't wait to celebrate the little guy all day. I am so grateful he made it here, that he came to my little family, that he shares his little grin with me everyday. I am so thankful for birthdays. It is a day that says, "I pick this day to celebrate all the days of this year that I got to spend with you and gotten to know you and I just want you to know, I'm glad you are here for this birthday."

Caleb's 5 month photo shoot

Taken March 10, 2010.

Bible Bashing

Okay, so I have never quite understood why my boys are the way they are. But this just goes to show they are a little looney. Yes, this is a Bible and yes, Caleb is laughing when he gets hit with it (don't worry it is really gentle, I made sure). We have a video of Josh when he was about the same age laughing as he got hit on the head with the same Bible. Either they think religion is funny, or they are just crazy heads. :) I love his giggles though!

4 Months

Dear little Caleb,

How are you so adorable? And how can I possibly stand it? You give the cutest smiles that just melt my heart, especially your Daddy's. I think that is because you love Daddy best. Yesterday you turned 4 months old. You are finally holding yourself up when you are on your belly, and you almost rolled over on accident the other day, I was so proud! You make the funniest noises! I'm pretty sure you and Josh are around purely to entertain me. You just coo, blow raspberries and giggle all the time. It is rare when you are not happy. You also, (like you did just now) take this insane breath in trying to make as much noise as possible, I have no idea why. You LOVE Josh. He has crawled into the crib with you twice now. I try so hard to be mad at him but he just loves you and you love him. You just smile when he tortures you. Like yesterday, he pushed you off the couch, you fell on the floor and I come running over so mad and so worried. You just laughed. I think you and Josh have serious thrill issues, and I blame your father entirely. :) You both look just like him, I think is another reason why I can't help but love all three of you. You are all just so gosh darn cute. I love you, thank you for coming into my life, even though I was terrified to have you. You are the cutest little "squirmy" as your Daddy calls you. We love you.

Love, Mama

Midnight Poetry

I have been reading "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio" which is full of little jingles and poems. So little rhymes have been popping into my head lately. Last night, Caleb kept waking up for some reason, not because he was hungry, apparently he just wanted to say hello. So, I wrote this at 4am. Evelyn Ryan (the lady in the book) is much better at poetry than me, but I hope you enjoy.

"My Darling, Dearest Caleb friend,
This waking up at night must end.

These cooing sounds sure are sweet,
But honestly kid, I am beat.

Close those little eyes my dear,
And rest well knowing that I am near.

Don't even try to fight,
I will turn off this light.

I need to get more rest,
So stop being a cute pest.

We are only a room apart.
Goodnight, AGAIN, little sweetheart."

3 Months

Oh Caleb, how do you keep growing up so fast. It goes by like a blink. Caleb turned 3 months old today and he is so cute. He still doesn't sleep through the night, although he should be, but he does sleep a lot and he is so happy. He hardly ever cries and loves to smile and laugh. It is so precious. How did we get so lucky to have such cute little boys? Although sometimes it is frustrating to be in a house with so many boys and no other girls, I think I like it that way. I am the queen. :) Little Caleb sure makes me happy. He coos and blows raspberries for hours. He LOVES his Daddy. He gets the biggest smiles for him and he will not eat if he can hear Tyson talking, which drives me crazy. His eyes are still a beautiful starlike blue, almost silver around the pupil. He is losing his hair though, the back of his head is totally bald, poor kid. :) But yeah, he is adorable, but I am pretty partial. I love having kids. Josh still loves Caleb, refuses to say Caleb, still calling him "baby." The Lord has blessed us so much. Caleb, I love you. Happy 3 Month Day!

Happy One Month

My Darling Little Caleb,

How quickly the time flies. I still feel like it was just yesterday that I was in the hospital holding you for the first time and now you are already a month old. You are very quiet little person, especially when I am holding you. Josh loves to make you happy and he perches next to you when you are crying, poking at you, trying to make you better. It doesn't help much, but you like the company I think. Your eyes are still a fabulous blue with what looks to me like silver streams in the middle around the pupils. You smile when your dad and I rough you up. In that way, you are so much like Josh. I think both of you have pain receptor problems, you think fun has to hurt. I blame your dad completely for that. :) I was really scared to have you in our family. I didn't know if I could handle another one emotionally. Although I may not handle everything perfectly, your little face sure makes it easier. Thank you for being so cuddly and sweet. Your daddy and I love you so much. Everyone in both your daddy's family and mine loves you, and jeepers you have a lot of family. I look forward to watching you grow up, just please, don't grow too fast.

Love, Mama

Welcome Little Caleb

Tyson was really sweet and wrote on here when we had the baby, but I thought I should write a little more and put up some pictures. We decided to name the little guy Caleb Benjamin. I am kind of biased, but I think he is pretty adorable. Josh is doing really well with him. He is always telling us to be quiet because of the "bebe." :) He loves to give him all of his toys and tries to jump on him, which is seriously terrifying, but I think they are getting used to each other. I didn't sleep much last night, but I am really glad I am able to get out of bed without it killing me so that is nice.

So in case anyone is curious, let me tell you a little about the delivery. I had a doctor's appointment on Friday to make sure the fluid levels were ok, and to check the heart beat and everything. So my mom came with me and Carmel stayed home with Josh. We didn't think it would take very long. :) So the heart beat, the stress test and everything went fine. Then they did an ultrasound to check the fluid and they were really low. So the doctor turns to me and said "congrats, you are having a baby this weekend." I thought he meant, it is a good sign, me going into labor was coming soon. Then he starts giving me paper work and telling me I needed to go check into the hospital and I was like "wait, I'm not going home?" And he says, "Not until you have a baby you don't." He left for a minute to go call the hospital and I broke down because seriously, I was not expecting that. I didn't even kiss little Josh goodbye, I didn't bring my bag, Tyson wasn't even there. Luckily, my mom was and she made me start laughing and she calmed me down fast. She made a few phone calls, postponed her flight, and took me to the hospital. Calling Tyson wasn't easy. "So um, honey, are you ready to have the kid this weekend? Can you come up here?" :) I don't think he was happy at first, it probably scared him, but he left right away.

At the hospital they broke my water and just a few minutes after that Tyson came. I tried to do it all natural, breathing and everything. But, since they had broken my water they didn't want me to stand up because they didn't want the umbilical cord to come first. Sitting on the bed in pain was not easy and soon I gave way and let them give me some pain meds through the IV. But then they told me it was the epidural or nothing, so I took the epidural. Sadly, the anesthesiologist couldn't come for 45 minutes. By some miracle, I made it that long, I thought I was going to die. I am such a wimp. My mom came back (she left a little after Tyson got there to go help Carmel and Kenni with Josh) a little before they gave me the epidural and she stayed the rest of the time. It was really neat having both Tyson and my mom there. They took turns being next to me and helping when I pushed.

Caleb's head was turned and so the doctor took forceps to turn him, then they had to vaccuum him out the rest of the way. I am so glad I was drugged because it ripped and then they had to cut. Yuck, but I would take that anyday over a c-section. It was so neat to be able to hold the little guy afterwards, to have Tyson stay with me, to be awake and alert for as long as I wanted to be. It really was a miracle, the doctor said I was really lucky, that I had "a foot and a half in the operating room." The Lord truly blessed us, thank you everyone for all your prayers. So now I have a wonderful husband and two darling boys. I am so glad. Thanks Mom, Carmel, Kenni and Chris, and all the family in California for letting Mom and Carmel stay longer. Thanks Tyson for doing so much for me, for staying home all week to take care of us.

Baby Geeb

I don't normally post on Cami's blog but she asked me to this morning. Yesterday afternoon she went to the doctor and they told her it was time to have the baby and that she couldn't wait any longer. She and her mom went over to the hospital, checked-in, and a few minutes later the doctor came and broke her water. Within minutes she was having some pretty good contractions. Little, baby Geeb was born VBAC about 11 hours later at 5:35am EDT. He is 19 inches long, weighs 7 lbs 14 ounces, and his head was 14 inches around (the doctor kept making comments about how big his head is, hopefully he is smart). Cami and the baby are doing well. We have not yet chosen his name. We will let everyone know when we do. Thanks for the prayers. Have a wonderful Saturday!

Due already

So today is my official due date. I never thought it would actually come, and I never thought I would actually get here without already having the baby. I'm not sure why because Josh was late, but I guess I just thought this baby would have to come early. We went to the doctor yesterday and all is well with the baby, my body is still not showing many signs of going into labor, but it was better than last week so they are giving me another week without doing a c-section. I am really glad because I was so nervous about that.

The only bad thing about this baby being delayed is that my mom and little sister are here to help out, but they go back on Saturday. I REALLY want to have the baby before they leave. So we went on a long walk yesterday, my mom has been massaging pressure points that are suppose to help, and now I guess I will have to eat spicy food by the spoonful. I hope it helps because I hate spicy food. :) But I am really happy, it has been sooooo much fun having my mom and Carmel here. Josh is loving it too. He wakes up in the morning and sits by my mom's bed and just stares at her until she wakes up. Kind of creepy, but absolutely hilarious.

Oh, yesterday, he put stickers all over my belly and started singing to the baby "bebe, bebe, bebe." It was really cute. I'm excited for this little guy to come!

Contractions

I still have two weeks until my due date, but for the past 3 days and nights I have been having contractions. None of them are really consistent but every so often and especially right before bed they get really hard. So I think "this is it" and I start freaking out and planning what I'm going to do with Josh, and thinking about everything I still need to do, and then about how tired I am. Then suddenly, I fall asleep and then I wake up in the middle of the night and the contractions are easy enough to sleep through. So it is really nice because hopefully this means my body is getting ready soon enough for the baby that a c-section won't be necessary, but still, it is exhausting, mostly emotionally. I am such a complainer. But I really have great neighbors and the best sister ever so I have so little to worry about.

Good news though, I have finished all the cleaning I wanted to get done today. Even the blinds! Huzza! I just need to keep thinking positive so I'm not an awful grouch for my cute little family.

Baby Boy #2

So there is only three months left until the next baby comes. I am pretty nervous, excited, but nervous. This one is really active and really strong. Josh had his crazy moments rolling around in me, but this one is alive and CRAZY. It kicks so hard that my entire stomach looks like it is going to burst out through my belly button. :) It is really fun though and Josh loves to shake my belly and yell into it. I still don't think he has any idea there is a kid in there that is going to be annoying him for the rest of his life. :)

We have really been wondering about what to name him. We had a really hard time finding a name for Joshua, but at last we just figured Joshua was the only name that fit. So this one we kind of like Peter, but we still aren't sure. So one night we asked Josh what we should name his little brother. Without even a pause he said, "Geeb." Both Tyson and I busted up laughing and then asked him what his middle name should be. Again, no pause Josh said, "Abba." So apparently his name is "Geeb Abba." I have been trying to look those up in Hebrew and seeing if there is something that they mean so we could find a name that might fit with the meaning, but we shall see. For now, we call the little guy "Geeb," and it is kind of cute. :)