Spring has Sprung

Since my last post, the snow has disappeared leaving in its wake an early spring. We have been experiencing the BEST weather recently! Dare I say that it has almost been muggy?! It has been such a treat to open the windows and letting the fresh air in. Greta (our dog) has loved sunning herself on our deck, enjoying its warmth.

In a nutshell, life has been on overdrive. Baby T is scheduled to arrive in 13 weeks! Most purchases have been made leaving moving Lane to his new room as the last BIG project. Hopefully within the next few weeks he will be situated and Baby T's room will start to take shape. Gosh, I'm excited to meet this girl!

Lane's birthday is next Saturday. It is so hard to believe that it will be 7 years ago that I brought my little man into the world. He has been such an amazing blessing! Throughout all of the challenges that we have faced, he still knows that his mama loves him more than words could ever express. So far, he has picked a party theme of Monster Jam and is inviting 5 little friends over to celebrate. Please think of us as Dave and I try to manage 6 little boys for 2 hours! Though it may cause me some stress, I wouldn't have it any other way. It's my Bubba's birthday and making memories overrides mom's sanity! :)

Beautiful Silence

It snowed last night. It wasn't the light, flaky snow that disappears as quick as it falls. It was the huge flake, wet snow. The kind that coats trees, causing them to droop with the added weight. The kind that takes your breath away as you take your first glimpse outside. It mutes the noises from our daily surroundings, replacing them with beautiful silence.

I drove to work under a canopy of white.

It is moments like this that I love living in Iowa. For most, Iowa is known for nothing more than growing corn. For its residents, it is home....a place of beauty.

21 weeks down, 19 more to go

Well folks, I am officially on the descending side in my wait for Baby T. to make her arrival. Only 19 weeks to go before my pink bundle arrives. 19 weeks, it sounds so far away, yet not far at all! In the remaining months, my list of to do's is ever growing. Dave and I need to purchase her furniture, get Lane's room moved to the basement, get the nursery ready and finish getting the house in tip top shape.

I have already felt a little bit of nesting setting in. Though I am still quite tired at the end of the day, I always find something to do. Laundry, vacuuming, washing windows, etc... I think Dave is going to go crazy by the time she gets here! Lately clutter has been secretly driving me crazy. Yet, I desperately trying to be patient as everything can't be done in a day.

This morning Dave felt her kick/punch. He had previously felt a little rumble about a month ago, but this morning she gave him 3 good ones! I could sense his excitement as he waited for another one. I am spoiled as I get to feel her all day. It makes me happy when he gets a chance to join in on the excitement. Hopefully the our little girl will cooperate for her big brother who asks daily if she is moving! :)

Have a Happy Wednesday!

Valentine's Day wrap up

Yesterday was such a whirlwind that I failed to mention that it was Love Day! It was my second Valentine's Day with Dave. Last year, he asked me to marry him. This year, we got to spend it finding out about our little girl. It was perfect.

Throughout the work day, 2 different deliveries of flowers arrived. Usually, I would have been stampin' my feet, waiting for my delivery to come. This year was different. I was so content and happy with my "gift". My girl :)

Dave did have a trick up his sleeve when he returned home with some adorable onesies for me and Lane to open. Mine said "Mommy Loves Me" and Lane's said "I'm the Little Sister". I can't wait to have her here to try them on!

The night wound down like most, with dinner and a shower for Lane. Nothing out of the ordinary, yet it was filled with a new excitement as we all talked about the events of the day. I sure do love my boys. I love our dinners filled with crazy conversation. I love sitting with Dave as he cooks. Simply keeping him company.

Though yesterday was considered the day of LOVE, each day for me is its own LOVE day in itself! :)

Baby T is a.......

Today is a day that will be etched in my memory forever. Today, I found out that Dave and I are having a GIRL! The moment of the reveal took my breath away, literally. As I lay there, tears ran down my face. The excitement that I felt was unmeasurable. We are going to have a daughter. WOW. The whole experience was so special to me. To have my husband and son next to me was irreplaceable. I found myself looking at Lane as he stared at the screen in amazement. That was his little sister wiggling back at him. Though he wanted a brother, he quickly stated that he would still love his sister :) Gosh, I love him!

I can't wait for her to get here! I can't for her Daddy to hold her. To see the look in his eye as he holds his daughter for the first time. That too, will be a moment carved in my memory.

Today is one of those days where my blessings are ever present and I am so incredibly thankful for all that God continues to give me each and every day. This new chapter in my life book has been a page turner and I can not WAIT to see what comes next.

Tough decisions

We are almost a week out since learning the news of Lane's bullying situation at daycare. As of yet, no major changes have taken place. We found out on Monday that he was pushed into a cabinet on Friday afternoon. Yesterday, Lane and the other child were in a battle on the bus which extended to daycare. The other kid ended up getting sent home early for his behavior.

As a parent, I can only try to control what my own child does. I cannot tell you now many times Dave and I have told Lane to STAY AWAY from that boy. BUT, in actuality, how can we expect him to? They ride the same bus and are in the same area at daycare. Wherever he turns, THERE he is! How can I expect a 6 yr old to ignore someone who is in his face saying things to anger him? Sure, it sounds easy enough, but we all know that the little mind of a child doesn't have the capability to turn off the negativity. Also, how do we go about disciplining Lane for his part in reacting to the situation? We know he is being instigated, but yet, we need him to know that foul language, name calling, pushing, etc..is NOT to be tolerated in our home or our lives.

There are so many questions running through my mind....Do I go above the daycare and speak with the other child's parents? Do I go to the school? Do I pull Lane from the daycare all together? Am I being impatient in thinking that the problem should be solved by now? Am I doing enough to protect my son?

Today I am at a loss of what next steps to take....

Don't be a Bully

Yesterday was rough. It brought both Dave and myself to a new parenting crossroads. A place that neither of us have been. Lane had his usual weekly appointment with his play therapist. This being a normal routine, I wasn't expecting any new or different information. Boy was I wrong. Dave came home after dropping Lane at school and flung a piece of paper at me. This is what I saw.....

After speaking with Dave, I learned that the bigger the button, the more something bothered Lane. The 4 bigger buttons are as follows:

Bullies follow me-I want to kick them
Don't get to play my DS (this is a consequence for bad behaviors so disregard for the time being)
Bullies follow me-I want to hit them
Bullies follow me-say bad words

The smaller button:

Bullies hit me sometimes

Just looking at the picture, my heart jumped and then ached. It ached for my boy. Why is this happening? Where is this happening? What can we do? How do we proceed? I felt helpless yet was urged to action. I quickly headed to his daycare where his therapist stated the incidents are taking place. In I walked, picture in hand. I tried to remain calm as I spoke with the director. I simply stated that this has been brought to my attention and immediate action of some sort needs to be started. Lane has worked so hard to get to the point he is at today and to learn that he is dealing with these circumstances adds even more to his plate.

Dave and I have told Lane previously that he should stay away from "friends" who are unkind, telling him that real friends don't try to make their other friends sad or unhappy.

I am at a total loss. What do I do? Am I overreacting? Is it simply boys being boys?

I guess all we can do now is wait. Wait to see if things start to change. If they don't, Dave and I are prepared to do whatever we need to do to make things better for our boy.

Got Prayer?

Do you pray? It's ok if you don't. I know not everyone holds the same beliefs. I guess I just ask you this...Do you ever "talk" to God, the clouds, something...asking for help, clarification, peace? It seems like most people I know go to this place during certain times in their lives. I find myself asking God frequently for patience, understanding and wisdom during times when I am lacking. I internally thank Him for my happiness and cry to Him in times of sorrow. He always listens. Never judges. Always loves... The amount of love poured out by Him each day is unmeasurable. With all the love my heart has to give doesn't even come close to his. He IS love. How awesome is it to know that no matter what you have done, no matter the mistakes you have made. He LOVES you, unconditionally. Wow, is that a gift or what?!

Recently, I have had the chance to take my prayer time with Him to a new level. I, for the first time, prayed with Dave. This was something that didn't come easily for me as my prayer time has up until now, been my time alone with God. I admit, it was uncomfortable to be vocalizing my requests to Jesus. Having someone else hear my pleas. Yet, in a way, it was comforting to hear my spouse make his own requests. Asking God to watch over us. In those few short minutes, I think we both knew that God was hearing what our hearts were offering.

This week, I have one simple request. Take a moment out of your day to Sit. Reflect. Listen. You will be amazed at the result.

Lane's Victory

It is amazing how a small victory in a day can bring a smile at just the right time, a sigh of relief when stress is high, etc... I, or rather Lane, has received a victory in this journey we call life. We are reaching new levels in his therapy, causing him to "graduate" if you will, from the rigors of constant appointments and checkups. He has recently gone from monthly visits with his psychologist to a now 6 month time frame between checking in. To us, this is huge. Currently, he is still seeing his play therapist weekly, but that too is in the works to change. We have only a few more weekly visits before we try tapering back on the amount he is seen. As we left the office this morning, I was filled with joy at the amount of progress my boy has made. It was just a few short months ago that our nights were filled with extreme, violent tantrums. While getting him to complete a desired task was almost nonexistent. Today, Dave and I can give Lane a task to complete and find that we have very little to no resistance. Sure, there are times when attitude accompanies his response, but hey, we can handle that.

I then think back to what life was like a year ago...two years ago. It is a complete opposite from our life today. Today, Lane is thriving in so many ways. His school work remains high, he is expressing his emotions in a more calm, mature manner. He is realizing now that consequences are part of life and that the decisions he makes determine which way a consequence will go. As his mom, I could not be more proud of the strides he has taken throughout this journey. The struggles he has endured have been great, causing us all to at times question the process. Yet, my little guy has pushed forward. Never given up. Never forgotten that he is loved and encouraged by so many. He truly is a gift to me and I thank God each day for the fact that I get to be his mom. So I say Thank You to my sweet boy. Thank you for being you. Thank you for showing me that life is not always what we anticipate, but it is what we make of this life we have been given that counts.

A little rumbly in my tumbly

It has happened folks! Baby T. has officially made his or her presence known with a little kick here and a little punch there. So exciting! The last few days I have found myself not so patiently waiting for the next little flutter to come. Each time I feel it, I giggle inside. I can't wait until Dave and Lane are able to feel it move too. I told Lane as we were driving home and he so desperately wanted to feel his little sibling move about. I love it that he is so excited for the little one to arrive. Each time he talks to my belly or about the baby in general makes me even more confident in his big brother skills and how incredible he will be. Today as I left for work, he said he wanted to read to the baby tonight. Melted my heart :) 26 days and counting until we find out if we will be buying blue or pink. Patience is so hard to have at times like this! Have a happy Wednesday!!!

Today so far...

It snowed. Lane is happy.

Lane spilled his Rockin' Raspberry Danimal with his medicine in it on the counter. I then scooped it up with a spoon and put it back in the bottle.

Our snow blower (the one we JUST got serviced) wouldn't start, forcing Dave to shovel in the cold.

Lane is developing a nasty cough. I found some cough medicine but couldn't find the little medicine cup so I used a pampered chef measuring spoon. Hey, whatever works!

I think my dog ate her own poop...this is becoming a trend with her. EWWW.

Dave and I bumped into each other while he had his full coffee cup, causing me to blot coffee out of the carpet.

Dave's new windshield wiper blade broke. Awesome.

The day has to look brighter going forward, right? Oh, on a happy note.... My toes are nice and toasty in my boots and I am snuggled up in a warm sweater on the first REAL winter day of winter. :) Now it can stop and we can go back to our 50 degree weather! :)


Happy Thursday!

15 wks preggo

15 wk baby appointment was this morning. Happy times! :) Baby T is doing well. Heart rate is good and it was squirming away inside my tummy. I know this because Dave begged/asked our Doc if we could see the babe today. So he carted in his ancient ultrasound machine and we got to see Baby T! It is so surreal to see a life growing inside me. I can't wait to feel it move. I remember with Lane, I felt that first flutter while I was snoozing on the couch. I sat up in excitement, so happy to finally feel my little one. Hopefully just a few more weeks and the flutters will return.

Motherhood...wow...I am so blessed to be able to do this again! 1 more month until we find out if Baby T is a He or a She!



When did you first feel your baby move?

First comes marriage, then.......

Well, it seems that 2011 got away from me. Within the chaos so did my blog :( Boo. BUT.....I am really wanting/needing to get back on the writing wagon. My fingers and my mind miss it. It is so hard to believe that a new year has already begun as I am still trying to wrap my head around all of the changes from the previous one. I can't tell ya how excited I am for 2012! Dave and I are starting the new chapter of parenthood. This will be Dave's first ride in the parenting saddle while I feel like I need a BIG refresher course as it has been almost 7 years since my last rodeo. Hope it's like riding a bike and once I start it all comes back to me! Lane is ubber excited about the little one too. It makes me smile inside when he talks to my belly in hopes that Baby T. will hear him. Man that boy has a good heart and I can't wait to see it grow when he becomes a big brother.

Everything is so completely different this time around. Up until 2 weeks ago, I felt like death 90% of the time and was ready for bed almost the moment I woke up. Thankfully, I have overcome that hurdle and am feeling human again! We are 14 weeks down 26 to go. This go around, I am also finding myself so much more protective of the whole experience. When Lane was born, I was just a young buck of 23. I remember telling anyone and everyone about my pregnancy from the get go. This time, I have been much more guarded. Making sure I hit the milestones ensuring that everything is okay. I have wanted to be a mom x2 for so long. Yet, before Dave I thought my chances were slim. Growing up with 2 older siblings, I have longed to give Lane another. I feel so incredibly blessed to be able to do so.

Sometimes life can be filled with so much "stuff" that people lose track of what's important .This little one has brought me back to reality. It is making me look at myself as a mom, wife, friend, daughter, sister, etc... I hold all of these titles in my life and am so thankful for each and every one of them. The people on the other side of these relationships have helped mold me into who I am today and for that, I am so thankful. I can't wait for Baby T. to meet so many of them and start the molding process of their life.