My New Man

I have a new man in my life. He cries a lot and always wants to be held. He's a little bald in front but has some nice tufts in back. He's a little wrinkly and he snorts from time to time. He constantly eats and gets nice milk mustaches. He falls asleep on me a lot, but I don't mind the quiet. It's true--he does have some flaws BUT

WHO COULD RESIST THIS LITTLE MAN? CERTAINLY NOT ME :-)

(It's only fitting that my 300th post is about my brand new baby boy, Landon!)

Eye Drop Champ

On Friday, Bennett was sent home from daycare with his first case of pink eye. His eye wasn't horribly red but very goopy. Not knowing how his first round of eye drops would go, both Ryan and I were holding him down and putting the drops in. Surprisingly enough, he was a total champ! He even giggled when the drops went in! Okay, so we've had a few wrestling matches since, but he has done an awesome job!!!

Daddy and His Boys

My Cutie!

When he was first born, Ryan and I weren't sure who Landon looked like. But after a few days, its clear he looks just like his big brother!

My New Bookcase

Because of all the craziness with school and baby, I haven't had a chance to share my new bookcase. I have been begging for a custom made bookcase for quite some time. I wanted one that was deep enough to house all my photo albums and scrapbooks. After listening to all my hints, Ryan came across a student at school--a 7th grader--who said he would make one for us. Even better, I got to choose my dimensions and make it custom to what I wanted. Here is the finished product--not bad for a 7th grader, huh?? Instead of being stashed away, now my albums are out and in plain view where I can look at them any time I want. I love it!

Brotherly Love

Since bringing home Landon, things have been interesting around our house. From the moment I walked in the door, I suddenly had this feeling of being torn. Which child do I pay attention to? How do I split my time with each one, without ignoring the other? How do I care for a demanding newborn without forgetting that just a few days prior, Bennett had my entire focus?
With my body still healing and the excitement of having ankle bones again, I have moments where I wonder--what in the world was I thinking!!! Although Bennett's tantrums have gone through the roof in the number, intensity, and loudness, he is amazingly sweet when he spends time with his brother. Here are a few examples.

The first night Landon was home, Bennett wanted to share his baseball with little brother.

One night when Landon was crying, Bennett tried to give him the pacifier.

When that didn't work and the crying continued, he tried a kiss instead!


The most wonderful display of brotherly love came on the first night we took Landon in to say good night to Bennett. As we were getting ready to say prayers, Bennett suddenly grabs brother's hands. At first, Ryan and I tried to tell him to be careful, and then we realized he was helping brother fold his hands to pray. After brother's hands were ready, Bennett folded his hands and kept them folded the entire prayer--a big smile on his face and his eyes on brother the entire time. Enough to simply melt your heart!!!

So, even though I know there will be many rough times ahead, these small moments keep me going. I know someday they will be best buddies and love each other immensely. For right now, we're still "adjusting"--that's the nice way to put it, right??? And I'll pretend that the othe night Bennett really was just trying to play with brother when he threw the nerf football and it bounced off Landon's little forehead!

Homecoming!

Can you believe it's Landon's one week birthday today? Even more shocking, can you believe that I am enjoying a completely quiet house right now? Both boys are sleeping and Ryan has headed off to the woods. Not knowing how long I have to enjoy the peace and quiet, I thought I would catch up on my blogging. And since I'm all alone tonight, I'm contemplating taking both boys to Target--is that crazy? Although I met a mother at Target the other day and she asked how old Landon was. At the time, he was only 5 days old. Her first comment--"Congratulations!" She then proceeded to tell me that it took her about 3 weeks to go out the first time and then she spent the entire time crying because she was finally out! I remember the first time taking Bennett out. Thank goodness my sister was with me to show me how to hook the carrier into the cart--I was scared to death to take him out all by myself. Taking one has become a simple task, but two??? We'll see!

Six days ago today, we packed up our new bundle of love (you can see how much he loved that first time being strapped into his carrier!) and brought him home.

We invited family over to celebrate this homecoming with pizza. We had a houseful of grandmas, grandpas, great grandpas, and aunts to share this joyous occassion with. Here are some photos from that day.

Baby Landon Has Arrived!

I know I'm still supposed to be pregnant right now, but our little Landon had another idea--which I didn't mind at all! On Friday (Sept. 18), I started having a a backache and some stomach pains at school. After the kids left, I was able to pay more attention to them and realized that they weren't constant but coming and going. I warned my long-term sub, got everything ready and organized, and headed home around 5:30. Once there, I sat down and began timing when the backache came and went. At that point, the contractions were about 5 minutes apart. We ate supper and things started to become more painful. Around 7:30, I told Ryan he should probably have him mom come up and get Bennett for the night. About 8:30, I called the nurses at Labor and Delivery and decided it was time to head in. We arrived around 9:20, got up to our room, and began getting ready for a long night. Upon arriving, the nurse asked who my doctor was and I told them Dr. Stephens. Lo and behold, she was on call that night and would deliver my second child, as well!! I was very excited to have her there. When she came in to check me, I was already 7 cm dialated. Labor continued, which was all in my back and not comfortable at all. To make matters worse, the pain would continue in my back and hip and would go down my leg. When then pain started to subside, another contraction would hit and I got no relief in between. So, I decided there was going to be no heroic, natural births in my life and quickly asked for an epidural. It seemed like hours before the doctor arrived. Relief was not immediate and the hip pain continued for some time. But once I was all numb, the experience was wonderful! Unlike with Bennett, I was clear-headed and very aware of my surroundings. It was dark outside and very dim in the room, completely quiet, calm and relaxed. I was feeling great and having a good time chatting back and forth with the nurses and Ryan as we waited to push. Once we got the go-ahead, I had maybe four rounds of pushing for a total of 20 minutes and our new little boy arrived!

He came at 12:55 a.m. on Sat. Sept. 19th, weighing 6lbs. 15 oz and 19 1/4 inches long. What made this birth so exciting is that Ryan was able to cut the cord and they handed him to me immediately. We got to spend a long time holding him and watching him before he was taken to be weighed and cleaned off. With Bennett, because of the meconium that was present when they broke my water, they took him right away and sucked him out. It was torture waiting for him to cry and to see if he was okay. I must admit though, since we did have the scare with the cysts, the first thing I looked at was his eyes and when I saw no indication of Down's Syndrome, I felt relieved and thankful for a healthy baby boy!

Proud Daddy!!

First hair wash

We chatted on and off about what we should name him but came to no final decisions until much later in the day. Around 3:30 a.m., we arrived in our room and finally got the chance to attempt to sleep. I called my parents around 8:00 to share the news. Around 11, both our families showed up to meet the newest member of our family--Landon Joseph. Once again, I am in awe of how perfect and healthy he is and am so thankful things turned out fine. God brought us yet another incredible miracle!! We love you, Landon!

Waiting for the Puppies

Bennett loves puppies! Unfortunately, we don't have any in our house. The neighbors behind us have 2 big dogs. This morning, Bennett pulled the chair up to the window and watched patiently for a glimpse of his furry friends!

36 Weeks and Counting

We are t- 3 1/2 weeks away from due date! Can I just say how much I'm looking forward to being done with this pregnancy nonsense. Man, second time around is SO much harder--at least for me it has been! From popping out sooner and being bigger (I've actually gained less this time), it has meant more trips to the chiropractor, the massage therapist, and physical therapy--complete with a hand brace and a belly/back brace. I've been having trouble with my shoulders, back, and hips. This time around, I'm starting to swell in my hands, feet and ankles. When I went in for my last appointment, my doctor had a clinical student with her who was in charge of measuring my belly and finding the heart beat. When I pulled up my shirt, she said, "You are all uterus!" But because I'm bigger this time, only a few of my shirts still fit. I'm not used to this! With Bennett, I had problems with my shoulder and that was it. I felt great right up until the end. The first week at school was a challenge. I come home at night and my whole body just aches. I also sit on the floor a lot with my kids and it is getting harder and harder to get up! I am just ready to be done and ready to meet my new little man! I am definitely counting down the days until he comes. I continue to hope and pray for a healthy baby with an uncomplicated delivery. The number one positive--still no stretch marks!!!