Saturday, November 3, 2012

The Dreaded Full Moon

It doesn't happen on every full moon, but it happens enough to make me cringe a little when I see it is going to be a full moon.
I'm talking about a sleepless night in my house.
I hear other moms talk about crazy things that happen at their homes as well on full moons, but mine takes the cake this time.

It started around 8pm that night.  Hurricane Sandy had just made landfall in the Northeast and I couldn't take my eyes off of the TV.  I was glued to the weather channel until I made myself get up and go to bed around 10:30.  I was exhausted and knew I needed my sleep.
That was when Ezra decided to wake up for the first time that night.
I proceeded to nurse him and get him back to sleep...all the while watching more weather channel coverage.
Around 11 I tucked myself into bed.
About 1am Tim and I were jolted awake by the sound of his guitar in our room. 
He has it on a stand in the corner of the room.
I said, "what the crap was that!!!"  (I was a little surprised at myself for hollering out the word crap at 1am)
Tim said, "I think it was my guitar."  (and he proceeded to just sit there in the dark)
I said, "well turn the light on dummy!" (I'm obviously not very nice at this time of morning)
He turned on his lamp to see absolutely nothing.
So he turned his light off and got up to use the bathroom.
At this point I am laying there trying to figure out what played his guitar.  It was incredibly windy outside so I thought maybe that had something to do with it...I have no idea why that made sense to me...but it did!
As he was using the bathroom, another lovely cord was strummed across his guitar.
I leaped out of the bed and screamed "holy crap someones playing your guitar!"  (once again...another reference to crap at 1am...what's my problem?)
Tim turned on the light just in time to see a giant black bug the size of my fist crawling across his guitar strings!!! 
With all those legs he was playing an actual cord!!!!
It was horrible!!!!
Tim proceeded to kill the bug and we crawled back into bed.
As I lay there with adrenaline coursing through my veins, I couldn't help but think about other bugs and how they might be trying to find their way into my room.
I finally drifted off to sleep...
But only for about an hour and a half.
Around 3am Graham woke up screaming with a nightmare.
We finally got him back to sleep and we climbed back into bed...again.
Around 5am Ezra woke up again to eat.
At this point Tim said, "what's the use" and proceeded to get up and get ready for work.
We proceeded to walk through our day like Zombies and then learned it had been a full moon.  Nights like that are hard to recover from, but they sure are fun to laugh about.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Pant's on the Ground...and other reasons I stay home.

Every day is an adventure...especially when it involves leaving the house.

Most of the time I only leave my house with all 3 kids when it is absolutely necessary.  I have proven to myself time and time again that I can do it alone, but I just prefer not to.  You know a mom really doesn't have three hands, so for safety purposes it's just easier to stay home.

However, there are times that I do take all three cuties out alone and it is usually for a quick run to the store.  Ha...I just realized I used the word quick...there has NEVER been a "quick" run to the store.

For example:

The other day I realized that there were a few items I needed at the store for dinner that night.  After everyones nap was done and no one was hungry I new I had a short window of opportunity to run to the store.  As we were driving I noticed some dark clouds in the distance.  I pushed the gas a bit harder because I did not want to try and get all of us out if it was raining.  When we pulled up to the store it was sprinkling.  I barked out the game plan of getting out before we all got soaked.  Everyone was on board with the plan.  We broke from the huddle and took off running across the now steady rain soaked parking lot.  With Ezra in his car seat in my left hand, Graham holding my right hand, and Lilly holding Graham's hand we dashed across the lot.  Suddenly Graham started screaming, "my pants fall down my pants fall down!!"  I stopped to see my 2 year olds plaid shorts around his ankles and his cute little white booty showing all of the Publix customers.  That's when I realized I forgot to put his underwear back on after nap time. 
Now we are all soaked because the rain is coming down in sheets.
I scooped my naked son up, my screaming baby, and my stunned 6 year old and waddled as fast as I could to the store.  (why I didn't go back to the van and go home...I will never know)
Once in the store I proceeded to re-dress my son and wipe all of us off with my shirt...because that was all I had. 
As we strolled through Publix I kept hearing the rain getting louder and louder.  You know it's a bad storm when you can hear it in the grocery store.  I kept thinking surely it will stop any second.  But no...it never did. 
Who has time to watch the weather these days!!  How was I to know we were going to get rain for the next 3 days!!! 
My window of opportunity was now coming to a close.  Ezra was getting hungry and my kids were wanting a snack. 
After I checked out I stood at the door and stared hopelessly at the storm.  Three sets of eyes were on me at this point wondering how I was going to be super mom and get us to the van.
Thankfully a good Samaritan woman came up to me.
She said, "honey...I saw you with those three babies and new I had to help you or you would not survive.  I will stay with the kids and you go get the car."
Normally I wouldn't allow a perfect stranger to do this...but I was desperate.  I dashed to the van (without an umbrella of course) and brought it up to the front of the store where the nice lady helped me get all three babes loaded up.  Oh the Lord definitely heard my prayer and sent that sweet lady to help me.  I was so thankful.

And that is why I try to avoid going out alone.  God knew what He was doing when he made parenting for two parents...not one.

Monday, September 3, 2012

Life Lately...

I realize that it has been since June 26th since I've posted about my new crazy life...and that is reason I have not posted...MY LIFE IS CRAZY!
It is in no way, shape or form a bad crazy; it's just busy.  Here is what has been going on since June 15.

Ezra is born.
Enter incredibly weird and horrible viruses and bacterial infections brought to us by the two older kids.
This means no baby touching and makes me feel like a horrible mom because all they wanted to do was kiss on him.
Enter Ezra's first sickness...at 2 weeks old!
Thankfully he is nursing and it was a much easier form of the virus.
Potty training!
I was totally not expecting it, but Graham decided he was ready to be potty trained about 3 weeks into Ezra entering our home.  He put it this way, "Mommy...me no baby...me big kid!  Me go pee pee in potty now!"  And he never looked back.
Swimming lessons anyone?
Lilly took two weeks of swimming lessons this summer and learned to swim on her own!  It was such a big accomplishment for her...and pretty difficult taking all three of them everyday to the pool.
Family road trip!
We hit the road to FDR State Park for a long weekend and stayed in a cabin.
Kiddos loved every second of it and Ezra was a rockstar!
Enter kindergarten!!!!
Lilly is rockin' and rollin' her way through kindergarten.  She loves it!
Alone time with my boys.
This is different because Lilly has always been here, and now she is at school all day.  So it is just me and the boys. 
Graham is blossoming in the language department.
I attribute it to the fact that big sis is gone all day and he has extra time to talk.  We have covered subjects like our favorite bad guy, who is the best Brave, which tree would be the best to pee on, and how Jonah got put in time out in a whale belly...never a dull moment.

With all of this, plus so much more that I cannot remember, I have not had a second to sit at the computer. 
But it looks like we are starting to get into a routine and I will be able to post some more things...like how I cannot make a wal-mart trip without it taking 3 hours, and how our first Sunday at church with a family of 5 was a disaster...and lots more silly stories.

Until then, I will continue loving on my three adorable babes and living out my crazy life.  =)

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Ezra's Story

This is the story of how my precious Ezra came into the world.  It is not graphic and gory; just simply his story.

It all started at 37 weeks.  That's when I went into false labor and had to do the preggo walk of shame.  For the next two weeks I experienced unimaginable pregnant pains and emotions.  I knew my baby was going to be big because each week I was measuring one to two weeks ahead of schedule.  I had a terrible pinched nerve in my back on the right side which was causing unbelievable swelling in my right leg and foot.  I looked like the hunch back of notre dame walking around...it was ridiculous.  I was also having silly hormone breakdowns all the time.  I could cry at any commercial on tv and laugh at some of the most ridiculous jokes my family would tell me.
But through all of these difficult days I knew that eventually it would end and my little boy would be in my arms.
On Tuesday, June 12 I had a doctor's appointment with a different doctor.  I had decided I was going to plead my case with her about moving my induction date up 5 days.  I had decided I would get down on my knees if I had to and beg...I was that desperate for relief. 
Once she saw me she said, "Oh honey...you do not need to be pregnant anymore."  And she got on her phone and moved my date up to the 15th instead of the 20th.  I was 4 cm dilated at this point.
To say that I was overcome with joy is an understatement.  I almost cried right there on the table. 
This gave me a whole new sense of purpose.  I knew I could get through 3 more days of pain. 
Still in my heart I prayed that God would allow me to go into labor on my own (something I had never experienced). 
But alas, that was not to be.
On Friday morning at 7am, Tim and I headed into the delivery room.  We were so excited!  What was even cooler was the fact that it was the same delivery room that Lilly and Graham were born in.  We knew that we were going to have fun reminiscing their deliveries together.
At 8am my doctor came in and said he was going to break my water to see if that would kick-start my labor.  He didn't want to use pitossin on me if he didn't have to. 
So my water broke...and still nothing.
After about an hour he came back in and said I was going to need the pitossin drip.
So they started me on that about 9:00.
This is when it got a little scary.
The doctor watched Ezra's heart rate for a while and then said he was not pleased with the rythym.  Basically there were not enough squiggly lines for him to be comfortable.  He told me if it did not improve I would have to have a c-section. 
This really scared me.  So we started calling and texting people to pray for squiggly lines.

Having been on the pitossin for a bit, I began to progress very quickly.  This was just like my other two deliveries .  Within a half hour I was almost ripping the rails off the bed.  My nurse came in and said, "Brittney...I think it's time for your epidural." 
I couldn't see straight at this point so Tim answered for me...YES!
Luckily the anesthesiologist was right outside my door and came in to perform his magic.
***side note*** I'm all for going natural if you can...but God bless the man (or woman) who came up with the idea of an epidural...MIRACLE DRUG!!!****
So after the epidural was in place I began to rest very comfortably.
And God began to work on Ezra's heart.
We started seeing squiggly lines again!  It was such an answer to prayer.
The nurse said it looked like we were in the clear and that I should get some rest.
After a few quick hours it was time to push.
Now I have been a very blessed woman in my previous deliveries when it comes to pushing.  I pushed for 20 minutes with Lilly and 30 with Graham.  So I just knew I could do it!
I started pushing around 1:30.  The doctor said that Ezra was sunny-side-up and that was going to make things more difficult.  So he said he would try and turn him while I pushed.  This continued for quite sometime.  Finally he said the best he could do was sideways.  I continued pushing and pushing with all my might.  Thankfully Ezra's heart was handling everything just fine, but I was wearing out quickly. 
Tim was amazing.  He had a system of cheering, ice chips, oxygen...over and over.  Even the doctor said he was impressed with my support system. 
Finally after 1 whole hour of pushing, Ezra made his grand sideways entrance into the world!  As soon as he was out the nurse said, "no wonder he wouldn't come out...he's huge for your little body!"  And boy was she right!  He came into this world a whopping 8lbs 5oz...almost a whole pound bigger than his brother and sister!  I laughed when I saw him because I couldn't believe my eyes either!

He was a little blue when he came out because he didn't scream.  The doctor thinks his position is the reason for the fainter heartbeat.  He was having a harder time getting oxygen with the way he was situated inside me. 

There are no words to describe how relieved I was that he made it into the world safe and sound.  I am so blessed to have my new little guy in my arms now, and to have him here healthy.  I love him so much and I cannot wait to see what God has in store for him.



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Friday, June 15, 2012

A Few Thoughts While in Labor

So it's 8:40am on June 15 and right now I'm in labor. 
As I am lying in this hospital bed right now I can't help but think.
Of course a lot of thoughts are running through my head right now but mostly I'm comparing all three of my labors.  This is what I have so far:
-All 3 of my children are going to be born in the same room!  I don't know why...but I think this is so cool.  Tim took it a step farther and said that because the bed is in the same spot as it was with the other 2 deliveries this means that all 3 of our children will come into the world in the exact same longitude/latitude position.  I just got a kick out of this.
-Something else kind of cool, all 3 of our children will be born on a Friday.  I like that.  The weekends are always amazing so I think that I have 3 kiddos that will always love their weekends.
-Another similarity is that my body just won't do the whole labor thing by itself.  This is a bummer to me because I have always wanted to go into labor.  I think the idea of your water breaking at the salad bar is so cool.  But alas...my body prefers to drink potossin (sp?) instead.

So right now I am trying to get some contraction action going.  The doctor just broke my water and I am playing the waiting game.
But as I look across the room I see the sweet little baby bed just waiting for its little occupant.  I can't help but to be overcome with emotion.  I am about to meet my new little man. 
I am so thankful and so happy that the Lord has chosen to bless me again with a baby. 

And those are my thoughts while in easy labor. 
Ask me my thoughts in a few hours and I will probably sock you in the head.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

The Preggo Walk of Shame

I love a good story. 
I love to listen to it, to tell it, to read it, and most of all...to live it!
I thought I was going to have one of those yesterday.
Turns out I do have a story...it just wasn't a fun one to live.

On Sunday morning as we drove to church I was hit by a bus of hormones.  I don't know where they came from, but all of a sudden this giant wave of emotions hit me.  I became extremely sleepy at first.  Then when we got to church I sat down at my seat and people kept coming up to me.  I know this is normal for people to come by and say hi, but I felt like the entire planet was standing in front of me.  This made me extremely hot.  I could not fan myself fast enough...which caused people to stare at me like I was in a zoo.  Feeling like a monkey in a zoo, I teared up because of embarrassment.  I think this was the sign that people should get away because this preggo was about to blow!  Thankfully everyone left me alone at this point. 
A little while later the hormone ocean subsided and I was able to enjoy church.
But the rest of the day I felt "off".  I couldn't put my finger on it.  I just flat-out did not feel well.

At 1:30am it started.
I woke up with some contractions but thought, "no biggy" and rolled over to go back to sleep.  Sleep would not come, but the contractions sure did!  They were every 15 minutes or so. 
After feeling them for an hour and a half I decided I'd better pack. 
Don't judge me!
I know I'm 37 weeks and should have been packed already...but I wasn't.
So I woke Tim up and told him we should pack.
He looked at me like I was crazy because it was 2:45am and I was finally ready to pack.  Then he realized what I was saying and he shot out of the bed with excitement.
I told him I didn't know if I was in labor but I was having consistent contractions.
At 3:30 I made the decision to call the doctor.  She told me I shouldn't mess with baby number 3 and that I should get to the hospital to be monitored.
This was it!
I just knew it!
I was going to have my baby on June 4!!!  What a great sounding day!
We proceeded to take our time because my contractions were still far apart and by 5am we were at the hospital being admitted.
It was so exciting! 
Then it stopped. 
There is no way to describe it, but the contractions just completly stopped.  The nausea went away and I felt completely normal.
About 2 hours later the doctor came in and said, "I'm sorry Brittney, but we have to send you home."
I was devastated. 
I just knew that it was baby-time...and it wasn't. 
With my diaper bag in one hand and Tim's hand in the other I made the long preggo walk of shame.
I walked out of the room with tears in my eyes and we headed home.

I know that he's coming. 
Whether he wants to or not he will have to make his entrance into the world pretty soon.
It was just hard to go through the motions and not walk away with my baby.

At least I have another story to tell.  =)

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Count Down

I am trying so hard not to be anxious about this baby...but it is so hard!
Last week my doctor asked me if we were "ready" for him to come.  I sat for a moment and thought about all the stuff that still needs to be done, but then my arms began to ache.  It was then that I realized I am just aching to hold my little guy! 
I remember before Lilly was born how terrified I was to become a Mommy.  I even had a crazy moment and told Tim I didn't want to do it after all.  He just laughed at me and walked out of the room.
Then when Graham came along I was apprehensive about the whole 2-kid thing.  But it was Tim that had the crazy moment.  He flipped out on me at dinner about a week before Graham was born.  But after he got it out of his system he was fine.
And now it is time for my Ezra to arrive.  I don't know if it is because I'm turning 30 in 3 weeks and I'm a bit more mature than I was 6 years ago when I had Lilly, or if I just know somewhere down deep that this is my last one and I'm cherishing everything a little more, but either way I am more excited right now than I was at this point with the other two. 
I know life is about to flip upside down.
I know I will have sleepless nights again.
I know all of these things...and yet he cannot get here fast enough!
So come on little man!  Your entire family is excited to meet you!!!!

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Dora wears house shoes

I have a pair of unlucky house shoes.
I never thought I would have anything "unlucky" but I do. 
I have decided they are only unlucky if I let them stay on my feet to leave my house...and this is how it all went down...

Last week was my week to drive.  We carpool with a good friend and we switch off each week.  When it is my week to drive I drag my big 'ole belly out out of bed and somehow manage to get both kids fed and dressed and in the car.  I usually forget someone...and that is myself.  My wardrobe in the carpool line consists of pj pants, xxl falcons t-shirt, a light jacket and my beloved house shoes.  My hair is never done and my beautiful daughter likes to point out that I look like Dora in the morning...sigh...she does speak the truth.  If only I could learn Spanish...
Anyways...
Last Monday I threw us in the van and flew out the door because we were running late.  I was once again sporting my super hot carpool get-up equipped with my oh-so-old house shoes.  About halfway there my gas light came on.  This is usually not a problem because there is always a gas station to be found...not on this trek of Henry county!  I made it to school and dropped the kids off and started heading towards home.  I knew the only gas station was still another 13 or so miles away so I started looking through my purse to make sure I had my phone.  Of course it was missing!  At this point I started sweating just a little, so I took off my light jacket.  Immediately the worst-case scenarios start running through my head:

"If I run out of gas I will have to walk!  Wait...I'm in my pajamas!  And I only have on house shoes!"
I glance at myself in the mirror:
"Oh geesh...I LOOK LIKE DORA!!!  And I haven't brushed my teeth!  How am I going to talk to someone and say I'm out of gas!"
Then I hear Graham talking:
"Oh crap!!!!  I will be carrying a 2 year old down the road trying to get help!"
Then I feel the baby kick:
"I am going to look like a crazy lady!!!!!  They are going to call Defax on me!!!"
(And that is exactly how the conversation went in my head)

During this intense moment in my head I realized I was also praying.  I was praying that I would make it to the gas station.  It was reminisce of when I used to ride roller coasters and would pray that if God would let me live through this roller coaster I would never do it again.  I was begging God to let me make it to the gas station and I would never let my tank get that low again.
Thankfully I made it.  I pulled up to the gas station and got out...in my house shoes...and pumped the gas.  I quickly climbed into the van while it pumped, because I looked like a deranged Dora, and watched as my van had more gas pumped into it than it has ever had in its lifetime!  I only have a 17.5 gallon tank (according to the manual) but I put 18.4 gallons in it...oh geesh that was close.
Once it finished pumping I went to open the door...but it wouldn't open. 
I hit the unlock button only to set off the alarm!
I scrambled to turn it off..but it would not work!  For a good 3.7 minutes my horn beeped and beeped and beeped.  And yes, every single pump was taken so all the lovely Kroger patrons could watch the psycho Dora-look-alike figure out how to turn the alarm off.
Finally it turned off and I climbed into the van to head home.
Needless to say...I was exhausted once I got home.

So I decided to do it all over again the next day!!!!

Again, I was wearing my oh-so-chic costume and headed off to school.  Tuesdays through Thursdays I have 4 children in my car.  There have definitely been some interesting moments with all 4 kiddos in the car, but on this day I was just trying to get us all there quickly so I could return home to my beloved shower that was waiting on me.  In the carpool line I was doing what I always do...multitasking:
-Tell the kids to unbuckle
-Grab book bags, lunchboxes, folders, show-and-tell-items
-Make sure everyone is still dressed properly
-Hand Graham his milk
-Turn down the Imagination Movers CD
-Tell kids to stop arguing
-Oh yea, and drive (this was the part I messed up on)

As I was awaiting my turn in the carpool line, and managing the lives of 4 little ones, my foot slipped off the brakes. 
I was turned around when all of a sudden I hit the suv in front of me!!  Thankfully it was just a light "love" tap.  But it was hard enough to throw 2 unsuspecting kids into the floor.  I did a quick assessment of the kids and realized all was well (since they were cracking up and all) and then hopped out of the car...ONCE AGAIN IN MY PJ'S!!!
The lady glanced at her bumper and said, "don't worry about it honey...I saw you handling all those kids...I would probably do the same thing." 
I noticed that she really didn't make much eye contact with me...it's probably because I look like Dora.

I managed to drop all 3 kids off at school with every limb in-tact and head for home. 

Since then I have learned my lesson:
I now wear real shoes to school! 
If there are other lessons to learn...well...I haven't figured them out yet.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

I Guess They All Love 'em!

I love having a little boy!  It is so much fun...and so funny!
This face really says it all.

The morning this picture was taken we were very surprised by something Graham said.  He is talking in complete sentences and sometimes we are completely taken back by what are almost 2 1/2 year old knows.

On this particular Saturday morning we were all eating our usual breakfast together...pancakes and eggs.  This is a treat that we all look forward to every Saturday.
Lilly and Graham almost always sit by each other at the table on the bench seat and this morning was no exception. 
As Lilly was eating she got cold and pulled her knees up and then proceeded to pull her nightgown over her knees.  I smiled because that is how I used to eat my breakfast every single day as a kid. 
Graham ate a few bites and watched her.
Then he ate a few more and looked away.
I could tell he was thinking.
Finally he looked back at her and in the most puzzling/curious way he made his move:
He cupped his hand
Reached over
And grabbed her nightgown covered knee.
At the same time he asked (very innocently) "Ninee have boobies now?"
Lilly absolutely lost it.
If pancakes could have come out her nose I believe they would have.
She was laughing hysterically...and of course we were too.
Probably not the correct parenting move...but I don't care who you are...that is funny!
This only encouraged the trapped teenage inside Graham and he continued grabbing his sister's knee and chanting "Ninee have boobies!  Ninee have boobies" in the little kid taunting style voice we all used to use.
Finally the proper mommy came back to me and I showed him it was just her knees and that he did NOT need to grab other peoples body parts.
I glanced across the table hoping to get some man help but all I saw was supreme pride beaming out of my husbands eyes towards his son.
All he could say was "see...we all love 'em!"

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Baby Bird Drama

I'm sure you have heard of Baby-Mama Drama...but have you ever heard of Baby Bird Drama?
Well welcome to my new soap opera!

We recently watched a mama and daddy bird build their quaint little nest on our front porch.  It is right outside our living room window so we have had a front row seat for the whole thing.  It's been a great teaching tool for the kids because we have been able to talk about the science behind birds building a nest and how COOL God is to give a bird such smart intuitions on building. 
After the nest was built we watched the sweet little mama sit on her eggs for almost two weeks.  And then one day it happened...little bitty birds were there!  The kids were THRILLED!  The babies are about a week old now and we have seen them double in size.
Well yesterday was when the drama began to unfold...

So let's give them all names:
We will call mama bird Jane and we will call "the other woman" Sally.

So mama Jane has been a resident of the Holland front porch for about 3 weeks.  From a distant tree, hoochie Sally saw how nice and cozy Jane's home was and decided she wanted to build her nest on the other side of the porch.  Tim and I were not too thrilled about this one though because it was right outside our bedroom window.  Plus she had nest stealer written all over her. 
After a few days Sally gave up on her nest.  We are not sure why but she just stopped building it.  We did notice, however, that she kept hanging around the porch watching Jane's little family. 
Yesterday I was watching the baby birds when I noticed one of them was lying lifeless on the ground.  I was incredibly distraught!  My hormones kicked up a notch at this point and I tried to see if the baby was moving at all.  I was completely willing to give the baby bird CPR (call me crazy but it's the truth!)  With my teary eyes I looked up to see a very guilty looking Sally watching me.  I will not call her a murderer...but she looked pretty guilty.  Could she be trying to steal Jane's nest?  Did she realize she was not going to lay eggs and postpartum depression set in and made her crazy and she was trying to rid the world of baby birds?  Either way she was definitely a home wrecker of some sort. 

After a fun evening out we came home and saw that mama Jane was not in her nest.  This troubled me because every evening she would curl up with her babies around 8:00 and stay there with them for the entire night.  I stayed up until 11:45 and still there was no mama bird!!!  However, Sally was always lurking around the porch.  I even went outside to water my hanging baskets and she attacked me!!  Tim and I watched her all evening and at one point she flew up to the nest, peaked in, and then made herself puff up to about 3 times her size!!  She flew off after that and we didn't see her again. 

At this point I can't figure out what to do.  Tim and I both felt that mama Jane might have abandoned her nest because that home wrecker wouldn't leave them alone.  Or maybe Jane was so distraught over losing one of her babies that she left the rest of them.  Either way, in my mind I went to bed thinking that today I was going to take over the job of mama bird.  I planned out what I would feed them, where I would keep them, and watching them grow up into fine young big birds! 
Since this was the last thing on my mind I proceeded to dream about those sweet little birds all night.  My dreams were much more dramatic including an all out war on home wrecker Sally and Tim fighting a snake that was trying to eat our young.  It was very real, and not restful at all.  I woke up exhausted!

The first thing I did when I woke up was look out the window.  Still, mama Jane was nowhere to be found.  But guess who was lurking in the shadows?  SALLY! 
After about 10 minutes I saw a joyous sight...MAMA JANE HAD RETURNED!  And she had a mouthful of breakfast.  I almost screamed with joy!  I was so happy to see those babies eating.  I was also incredibly relieved that I was not going to be taking on the role of mama bird. 

So I will continue to watch my exciting bird soap opera and keep you updated.  It really is a lot more exciting than tv.  =)

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Never A Dull Moment!!

We took the kids to the Braves game over the weekend and had a blast!!!  It just happened to be Ultimate Kid's Day...and Tim's birthday!  So that worked out pretty well.
As we were sitting in our seats the vendors would walk up and down the aisle shouting whatever they were selling.  Sometimes it would be "Get your ice cold water here!" Or sometimes they would shout "Frozen Lemonade!"  But one guy really caught the attention of my little man.
He would walk up the aisle and say "Cold Beer!"  over and over again. 
I didn't think anything about it because the kids were really into the game.
But then I started hearing Graham say something over and over again that I couldn't really make out. 
He would say, "Co Beeeeeeaaa!" 
and then again, "Co Beeeeeaaa!!"
I started putting two and two together and realized what he was repeating.
Tim realized it at the same time too.
We made eye contact, turned our heads, and quietly burst out laughing (so he wouldn't see us).
Lilly has become quite fluent in her brother's language lately and quickly picked up on what he was shouting as well.
She said, "Mommy...what is cold beer anyway?"
Suddenly the game stopped. 
It felt like everyone in the stadium turned to see what I was going to say...even Chipper Jones on third base!!! (ok...a little exaggeration...but that's what it felt like)
I simply stated it was a gross adult drink...and that seemed to work.
She went back to doing the Tomahauk Chop, and Graham went back to saying "Co Beeeeaaaa!"
It really was a great afternoon.




Saturday, March 31, 2012

A Wee...Wee Problem

+++I will be tastefull in this blog as it might embarrass my little man someday+++

Wee have a problem.
It is not a huge problem, but a wee problem.

The day Graham discovered he had a "wee" I knew wee were in for it.  You can weefresh your memory with that link if you have forgotten.
Ever since that hysterical day wee have not been able to get him to leave "it" alone.  There are several times during the day that it bothers him.  These times happen to be after he wakes up from sleeping all night and after his nap.  He will often shout at the TOP of his lungs "MY WEE WEE HURTS!"  This has been shouted all over my house, in the carpool line at school, in every grocery store in Henry county and in nice quiet places like the doctors office or the library.  Needless to say, wee have gotten used to these "attacks" and have learned how to deal with them. (Usually some loud shushing and throwing a hand over his mouth).
The other day Graham discovered a way to alleviate this "discomfort" for himself. 
As wee were in the booth at Truett's I turned to see my sons two hands down his pants and diaper. 
I pulled them out quickly and said, "Graham...what are you doing?"
To which he replied in a normal tone, "My wee wee hurts"
I said, "Ok, but why are you putting your hands in your diaper?"
He said, "just cause".
REALLY?  How did my two year old know to respond like that?
Ever since then I have seen him do this many times:
Watching TV (hmmm...did he pick this up from Daddy?)
Reading a book
Even outside while riding his bike.  He has one hand on the handle and one hand in his pants!
(that's talent...I don't care who you are!)
So on one hand wee have solved the problem of the wee wee shouts, but now I always wonder "where exactly have those hands been?" 
Oh well...another challenge in this mysterious world of boys.  So while I try to figure this one out, I will just look at this adorable face and thank the Lord for my funny and precious little man.



Sunday, March 18, 2012

The Signing of the Santa Treaty

I am still learning about the exciting world of...boys!  Not that I haven't been a careful observer my entire life, but this is the first time I have ever lived with and raised one!  So these "boys" are always coming up with something new to show me and to teach me.
Take for instance...bad guys.
Somehow my two year old has developed an interest in good guys and bad guys.  I don't know where he picked it up...I think it was just engrained in his soul.
Suddenly things are very black and white with him.
Right....wrong
Yes.....no
Hot.....cold
Good guy....Bad guy (but it really sounds more like goo guy, bat guy when he says it)
I am quite certain that I have never sat down with him and labeled his toys good guys and bad guys.  And I know for certain that I do not point out people in a restaurant and label them...
Graham however, does.

A few weeks ago we ventured to the magical world of Disney.  It was amazing.  Everything about the trip was perfect.  From the weather, to the kids behavior, and even me walking 3.5 billion miles while being 25 weeks preggo and horrible vericose veins.  We had several hilarious events happen, but one in particular started showing me that my curious little man is really trying to figure people out.
At dinner one night Graham kept looking over at the table beside us and pointing.  We would quickly put his hand down and tell him not to point.  He continued this for several minutes before he put a few words to his pointed finger.  It took me a few seconds to realize what he was muttering, but he kept saying, "Uh Oh...bad guy" over and over again.  I ignored it at first because it was very quiet, but then he started feeling threatened by the older man with the long white beard.  So he said it louder, "UH OH...BAD GUY!!"  I quickly shushed him and turned to the gentleman.  This was when I realized that he looked very similar to the dreaded Santa Clause.  Graham and Santa do not have a good relationship.  I apologized to the man but he just laughed.  (Thank goodness Santa has a sense of humor. ) 
A few weeks later we were leaving the park when Santa pulled up in an old BMW wearing a red t-shirt.  (side note...I find it very interesting that Santa where's red in the off season!) Even from a distance Graham could spot the thick white beard.  As soon as Santa got out of the car Graham shouted, "UH OH...BAD GUY!!!"  To which Santa responded with a very sweet wave.  I said, "No baby, that's Santa Clause"  This caused Graham to pause.  He looked at the man and said, "hmmm...Da Clause?"  (That is what Graham calls Santa.)  I said, "yes he is a good guy"  and that seemed to suffice.  Graham politely waved. 
I don't know for sure, but I think they signed a secret peace treaty at that moment.  To Graham, Santa is now a "goo guy".  I think I'm going to run with this one for the rest of the year and maybe we will get a good Santa picture this time...it's worth a shot!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Attack of the On-Sale Detergent

There is no other way to describe it...we were attacked.

I found a really good sale the other day at Wal-Mart on laundry detergent.  It was one of those giant bottles that weigh about 22 pounds and you grunt when picking it up...off the bottom shelf of course.
After I got the mama-jama detergent home I realized that I would be putting it on the top shelf of our laundry room (note the first mistake).  After some heaving and hoeing I got it up there. 
For the next few days we did laundry as normal.
Then it happened.
The shear weight of the giant thing was just too much for our shelf.  During the spin cycle the detergent decided to fall off the shelf.  Of course it couldn't just fall and land on the washer; it had to hit the washer and then hit the floor.  When it did this about 15 1/2 loads of detergent spilled all over the floor.  The sound was incredibly horrifying.  We thought a car had driven through our laundry room (yea...cause that's logical).  Luckily Tim was here when it happened...so he was able to clean it all up.
After it was all cleaned up we proceeded to place it back on the top shelf (note the second mistake). 
About a week later I was in the kitchen when that car drove back through our laundry room! 
I instantly knew what the sound was and sprinted into the laundry room to find about 22 loads of detergent on the floor...and the wall...and the ceiling!  This time the jug had hit so hard that it blew the main lid off and dumped even more detergent out!  I couldn't believe my eyes!  My entire room was blue!!!  It smelled really nice, but it was going to take me FOREVER to clean it all up. 
I came up with the genious idea of wiping it up with a load of dirty towels and then throwing them in the wash.
When it was all said and done I had a very clean smelling laundry room.  The ceiling still has blue spots on it...but that's ok.  It's a funny reminder for me.  Plus it will help me to remember that every sale at Wal-Mart is not always a good sale.

Friday, February 3, 2012

Loving my new son

To my darling Ezra:

Today I am 20 weeks pregnant with you my son.  I have not blogged about you yet because it hasn't seemed real.  Life is so busy with your sister and brother.  We go to school everyday, play ball and trucks, clean house and cook dinner.  You have been on my mind this whole time, but just recently  you have wiggled your way into my heart...literally.  I have recently begun to feel you move, and just like that you are real.  I am even starting to sense some curiosity in your little being.  You love to kick at the seatbelt when I am driving.  It is almost every single time I get in the van to drive.  It always makes me smile. 
Today we got to see you again.  You have grown so much.  Weighing in at a whopping 12 ounces!  The doctor said you are super healthy...which makes Mommy so happy.
Your brother and sister saw you today too.  They were so excited to see you move your arms and legs and most of all to open and close your mouth.  You have become incredibly real to them today.  Your 2 year old brother has even started lifting my shirt and kissing you saying, "Wuv you Ra-Ra" 
That has quickly become your nickname:  Ra-Ra
Your real name, however, is Ezra Chastain Holland.
We feel very strongly that the Lord your God has given you this name.
The Hebrew translation of Ezra is "Helper" but I have also read other translations which give you the title "He will bring the people back to God" 
That's a pretty tall order...but I know God already has big plans for you.
Chastain is your middle name.  That was mommy's maiden name.  You come from a long line of strong Chastain men, but your Chief is the strongest.  He will be a good man to look to for wisdom.
Holland is your last name.  You already show the strong Holland traits in your profile.  This is a good name.  One that you can be proud of and look back through the generations and find men who loved the Lord.
We are proud of your name, my son, and we hope you will be proud of it too.

Here are some pictures of you!


Just a wee little peanut at 8 weeks.  We called you June Bug at this stage because all we knew was that you would be arriving in June 2012
 Looking like a real baby at 16 weeks!  This is when we found out you were a boy!  Dr. Dozier let me get a sneak peak of you because she is so cool!

Really plumping up at 20 weeks!  We saw you move around and open and close your sweet little mouth. 


So rest well my son.  Eat a lot and continue plumping up.  I cannot wait to meet you in a few months and hold you. 
Until then, give me lots of wiggles!
I love you-Mommy


Saturday, January 28, 2012

Adventures in Improvising

As a mommy I have learned many, MANY things about myself.  Some of these have been character faults while others have been much prouder moments.  The other day I had one of these proud...yet not-so-proud, moments.
We have recently purchased a minivan.  It's awesome...there's just no other way around it.  One of the features that I love about my mini is the way I can walk to the back and change a dirty diaper without getting cold or wet or showing my kids private parts to the rest of the parking lot. 
Well, the other day Graham was playing in the van while I sat up front and finished a phone conversation.  Just before telling my friend goodbye I realized that he had gone to the backback (as we call it) and pooped.  Immediately I knew I was not equipped to handle the situation...I had no diapers!  Luckily I was at the diaper capital of the world...Walmart.  After scouring through the van I found one partially wet wipe.  (Not sure what it had been used for prior...but it was about to get dirty again) 
After changing his dirty diaper I proceeded to put on his clothes without a diaper...to which my little boy responded with a hearty laugh (he apparantly likes to go commando).
After I gathered everything together we ventured out into our one cold day of the year...it was 12 degrees that morning...BRRRRR!  Graham responded with a gasp and his hands went straight between his legs.  At this point he began to realize diapers do many other things!  We dashed inside and caught our breath.  Immediately I began scanning the area looking for the baby aisle.  I knew my time was limited so we quickly made our way to the diaper aisle.  After grabbing the first pack I could get my hands on we bee-lined it to the bathroom.  As soon as we reached it I saw the sign screaming at me "OUT OF ORDER!" 
Wonderful! 
What am I supposed to do now?
It was only 9am on Monday morning and Walmart was very slow.  My knee-jerk improvising skills kicked in at this point and I knew I was about to have a naked kid on a random aisle in Walmart...but I didn't care.  I had to get my commando lovin' boy in a diaper quick before his chocolate milk beat me to his britches. 
I started walking up and down the aisles scoping out which one would be the most inconspicuous aisle.  Which one had the least amount of security cameras pointing in that direction.  And which one a fellow mother would least likely travel down to judge me. 
And then I found it!
The toolbox aisle! 
Who buys a toolbox on a Monday morning at 9am? 
I knew I was safe.
Since my little man is super smart I knew I would have to explain what Mommy was about to do to him in the middle of Walmart. 
I told him the bathroom was broken and I would have to change him right here in the store.
He responded with a big grin and started pulling on his pants like, "get these off of me...I'm a nudist in the making!" 
After I stripped him down I threw the diaper on him as quick as I could.  It was the worst diapering job I have ever seen.  But I didn't care.  My kid was covered!!! 
When it was over I realized that I did a pretty good job of improvising on the spot.  Am I proud that I got my kid naked in the middle of Walmart? 
No.
But I am proud that I could figure out what to do in that situation.  It gave me one more ounce of confidence that I needed to take on the soon arriving adventure of my new little guy. 
Who knows...he could be a nudist too!

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Let the Anticipation Begin!!!

I realized today that it has been two months since my last blog post...that's just sad.

Do I think that nothing has happened that is note worthy? 
Is finding out that number 3 is a boy not worth writing about?
Do I think that diaper-less Wal-Mart trips are not worth talking about?
Is synchronized poo-ing worthless to mention?
How about getting attacked by laundry detergent?
Or losing your two year old...at your own house?
What about Christmas and our Christmas trip?
Ok...so I have a lot to talk about...and as soon as I'm not completely exhausted at the end of the day from teaching a 5 year old, potty training a 2 year old, and growing an 18-week gestationalite...I'll write about it.
Until then...I'll let the suspense kill ya!  =)