Two Big Firsts for Chase

Chase started his first official sport, blastball! It's like tee-ball with one base that makes a honking noise when the kids jump on it. When the kids are fielding ground balls they have to yell "blast". There are no outs and no one keeps score. Chase has been asking to play sports for a long time now! I mean, this kids first official word was "ball"! Now, before I tell you how Chase did, let me say that we had to sign a waiver so he could play up a year. Instead of two and three year olds, Chase is playing with four year olds as well because the league did not have enough of one or the other. So, that being said, my son's attention span lasted about a whopping 10 minutes! We had our first team practice and Chase hit the ball, ran to the base, jumped on it a couple times to hear it honk and seemed to like it! Unfortunately, when the other boys hit, the older boys were able to get to the ball before Chase and I could tell he was losing interest quickly. He started making his way to the slides and swing set with Cory chasing him or was obsessed with the orange cone. Yes, that was my child, the one short of picking flowers! Fabulous! The other big thing that happened for Chase is he started his first day at his new school on Tuesday. As a mom, you are always apprehensive on how change will effect your kids especially at such a young age and Chase has never really liked change. Well, apparently HE changed lol! As we were walking him up to his new classroom, he noticed the slides and playground and started saying, "I want to tell daddy bye bye see ya later, I want to tell mommy bye bye see you later and I'm going to play in that!" pointing over to the playground. We handed him over to the teachers and he happily said goodbye to us and never looked back. I didn't know whether I should be sad or happy that he's so independent?! Its a little bittersweet but I know if he screamed I would leave feeling awful! So far so good!!

First Official Family Trip!

I had the ingenious idea to plan our first family trip for Labor Day weekend! We can finally start making some awesome memories as a family! And let me just say, there is never a dull moment in our current life! We started our trip bright and early Saturday morning! I had set an itinerary and we loosely stuck to it to my surprise. We were, of course, an hour behind leaving the house! With two kids and one of them being a very independent and opinionated two year old, that's pretty darn good timing! Chase refused to wear the clothes mommy left out for him so that added about a 25 minute tantrum even after he chose the same two shirts he always wears! At least this time the pants matched the shirt! I'm sure when he goes to school they must think he has no clothes!! Okay, back to my story... The car was packed and I made sure I had easy access to all baby supplies. Our journey began and we were off to San Antonio! Everything was going like clockwork! Chase was into all the books and games I got him, watched Netflix on Cory's phone and Shane took his morning nap. We made our only official stop, after a couple of bathroom breaks for Chase-e-poo, in Austin and met our friend for lunch at Freddie's Austin. Really neat place with a swingset for kids outside! (Great pick Sara!) Chase loved it! Then after our stop, we were all back in the car. The 2nd leg of the trip was a little more challenging because Shane did not understand why he was crammed back into his carseat. We finally arrived in San Antonio and checked into our hotel. We loaded up the cart with our bags, one for each boy and one for Cory and I to share, double stroller, diaper bag, bottled water for Shane's formula, bag of baby supplies, Chase's toys, pack n' play, etc. It was excessive but I was not going unprepared! I tried to bring the baby saucer but it would not fit in our Tahoe! So, we checked in and took Chase to the rooftop pool. Then decided to take the boys for a stroll around downtown. Um, has anyone been to downtown San Antonio during the day? It is filled with characters and homeless people that are out. Of. Their. Mind. Every single person we encountered had a neck tatoo on the side of their neck. And mind you, we stayed in a really nice hotel/suite on the riverwalk! Anyways, the first night was pretty challenging because Chase decided he did not want to go to bed. I'm sure it was from all the excitement of staying in a hotel and all the hype about going to SeaWorld in the morning. Mommy and daddy got no sleep to say the least! Next day, we woke up and headed over to SeaWorld for our brunch with Elmo and all the Sesame Street gang. This was priceless! If you ever go to SeaWorld, you HAVE to do this if you have little ones 4 and under! Chase had a smile from ear to ear and Shane was in awe of all the characters! The entire brunch the characters make their rounds over and over to your table and take pictures with you, and play games after brunch like hide n' seek! It was awesome! The only downside was Shane was the youngest (most kids were Chase's age) and the characters were all over him! They would not leave our table! Even Elmo insisted on holding him- I mean, there was no negotiation, Elmo was going to hold him! It was a little overwhelming and borderline stalker- ish lol! But sweet nonetheless! After brunch, because the park is not open until after brunch, we basically had the whole park to ourselves without any crowds. The weather was perfect! They have a big splash park in the Sesame Street town, lots of tunnels above the town and rides! Chase had the time of his life! After 4 hours of Sesame Street, we saw the Shamu show and then both boys hit a wall! We left after another hour of the splash park, and had a really late lunch hectic lunch. We had been feeding Chase sugar and juice all day to keep the energy up -don't judge us!!! We got back downtown and went to the mall, walked around, got room service and put the boys to bed, opened a bottle wine (yes, mommy and daddy need to unwind now and then), went to sleep, woke up, drove home, stopped for lunch on the way! All in all, it was a blast! A LOT of work at times but soo glad we did it!!!!! Cannot wait to go to Disney World hopefully next year!!!

Boys will be Boys

Well, the guilt of not updating my blog in a long time has set in! It's time! Lately, I feel like I can get nothing done and barely have time to breathe! Having one child is a walk in the park, having two, two and under that are both mobile, is physically exhausting! We started with a walk in the park, to a full Iron Man Triathlon! (And no I have never run in a triathlon…and probably never will.) Shane has been crawling for a month now which was so unexpected! He went from crawling, pulling up, to now climbing the stairs in what seems like overnight! This kid has got some serious determination! He puts his mind to something and does it! Mommy was not ready but Shane apparently was! Now he gets hurt at least twice a day because he pulls up then kamikaze dives to the floor. He was so determined to stand and pull up that he has not mastered getting down and does not seem to care. He is also all about getting into big brother’s business. Anytime Chase is playing with anything, Shane will find his way right smack in the middle of it. This does not sit very well with Chase who is used to all the toys being his and only his. And apparently, Chase is willing to allow Shane to play with his toys on his terms. I can already tell there is going to be some fighting in my future but it's only normal I guess. Once Shane fights back, things will be getting real interesting! Both boys are pretty wild and Shane is even more active than Chase was at this age. Ask anyone that’s ever changed Shane’s diaper, you cannot get this child to sit still. He’s pretty active but has such a mellow disposition! And Chase is so sweet! The teacher at school says he is friends with everyone in his class! Both boys are doing great! Will update soon once Chase starts all his fall sports!!! Stay tuned!

All the girlies say he's pretty fly for a white guy

Chase has become a little Casanova in his own right. Even his teacher at his Montessori school always has stories about Chase and the little girls at school. She even says there are days when she can tell he's flirting with her! (He's also a class clown at times.) Now, I don't know if this is a good or bad thing but we tend to find it pretty funny. The other day, Cory was driving with Chase in the car and Chase all of a sudden yelled out from the backseat, "I need to get out of the car Daddy. I need to get out." Cory looked back at him asking him why and quickly noticed Chase looking out the window at four high schools girls walking by. Chase went on by saying, "I need to get out and talk to them." As with anything, Cory's response was that Chase needs to get older before he can get out and talk to them. And it is things like this that happen more often than you would think! He's a character for sure!! Shane on the other hand adores his big bro! He still giggles every time Chase interacts with him and is starting to get a personality all on his own. He is very mellow and chill and is smiling 98% of the time! He's such a great baby! I'm having great difficulty however getting him to quit breastfeeding and take a bottle. I tried for nearly 8 hours one day and he obviously rather starve himself than drink formula! Well, I guess that means he's a boob man for sure! He's also got his eye on a little girl in our mommy and me class. Unlike his brother who favors blondes, he goes "ga-ga" literally for this little latina spitfire! He stares at her and smiles the biggest smile. Needless to say, when these boys hit puberty, my house is probably gonna be crawling with hoochie mama junior high girls! Poor mama!!

My Two Boys

I think it's about time for a blog update! My days are never dull and if I had the time, I could probably write an entry once a week and keep everyone entertained with my whirlwind life.
First off, when Shane was 6 weeks old he got RSV. Any parent who has had a child knows and fears this. It's a strand of the cold virus that is extreme but ultra extreme in newborns. The saddest part is there is no medicine or vaccine for it. It just has to run its course. We went to the children's emergency room two days in a row on the weekend then our doctor that Monday. At the doctor's office they gave him two nebulizer treatments then that night he became dehydrated and our doctor checked him into the hospital for 2 days. I will not go into detail about it but you never want to see your baby, no matter what age, get sick and need to go to the hospital. I rather not re-live it by posting any more info. That being said, Shane is the sweetest, happiest baby! He loves to laugh and smile! Unless he's hungry or tired, he's always smiling at me!! He turned three months old yesterday and slept through the night....again that magical 3 month age!!! He can already flip over from his back to stomach and that's a big accomplishment considering how chunky he is! The bigger the baby, the harder it is to master any physical skills! I honestly think he will be quick to walk so he can catch up to big brother chase!!!
Now, in terms of my 2 year old, I am losing the battle! I have heard that the terrible two's are a sign of intelligence. Supposedly, the more resilient, stubborn and out right argumentative your toddler is, the more intelligent. If that's the case, I am raising Bill freaking Gates! He's an absolute angel at school and when we are out and about, but at home, it's a whole 'nother ball game! I can already tell I'm gonna have my hands full. The second I tell Chase no or do not do that, he boldly looks right at me and slowly does whatever it is he should not and keeps doing it until I physically remove the object or him from the object he's destructing. He's the definition of Alpha Male. Nothing is off limits to him anymore. Not my blinds, not my walls and not his little brother. For example, Chase will move his ballpit that his grandparents got him for Christmas next to our staircase and jump off the third step up into the pit! Of course, in the midst he will say "I not get hurt" knowing his mother is screaming from the living room to stop it. He will swing the back of the big recliner rocking chair in his room into the window, slamming it over and over again then proceed to take apart the wooden blinds. He will open the dishwasher and remove the entire bottom rack and throw it across the room. He will throw every crayon from his playroom upstairs downstairs over and over again. And that's just one day's worth of events. Needless to say, my days of trying to be clean are OVER! If I try to clean he will yell "no mommy no cleanup" and proceed to make a bigger mess! Never the less, he's still the sweetest boy I know! He says his please and thank yous and he makes sure to say "I love you" whenever he's leaving the house! He's still outgoing in public, saying 'hi' to everyone he passes. He definitely keeps my life interesting and I'm still madly in love with my little menace!

Welcome Baby Shane!!!

We are proud to welcome our new addition to our little family, Shane! He's finally here and we are having a ball with both boys! Shane's birth was totally different from Chase's because we had a c-section. To be honest, not knowing exactly what to expect frightened me and I was nervous about having major surgery which involved cutting into my abdomen and my muscles. Also, I was weary about the amount of time it takes to recover. The reason for the c-section was that Shane was breech. When this happens, the doctor lets the parents make the decision as to whether they want the doctor to turn the baby which could involve the cord getting caught around the baby or just opt for a c-section. We opted for the C and a good thing we did because Shane was true breech (facing his back to the world and sitting Indian style) with the cord wrapped all around his body! The whole process of the c-section was pretty fast. We got to the hospital at 8 am Tuesday, January 3rd, and they immediately took me to a pre-opt room. The nurses then took all my vital signs and started to poke me to start my IV. Immediately, I became paranoid because it took them 5-6 pokes with the IV needle on BOTH arms before they found a vein they liked. I was not too happy about this and was thinking "if this is how this whole ordeal is starting then I cannot even imagine how the actual operation is going to go!" Then my doctor came in to do an ultrasound to make sure the baby was still breech, which he was and decided to tell the nurses that we are going to go in earlier than the scheduled 10am time. So, panic started to set in on my behalf. The anesthesiologist came in to give me a super sour little drink since I said I was nauseous(mostly because I was starving) to settle my stomach and then they wheeled me into a SUPER cold (I was shaking it was so cold) and bright room (totally like something in the movies). Reality began to set in at this point. They started the spinal on my back which was similar to the epidural I had from Chase's birth except I feel NOTHING from my chest plate down which is freaky in itself. Then they laid me down on the table and spread my arms out. They no longer let you film the actual C so Cory could only take pics after the baby was out. As I was laying there and they begin, I quickly started to smell a burning scent from everything they were doing. I really do not know what it entails AND I rather not know!! Not to mention the entire time the doctors and nurses are chatting it up like they are gathered around a cooler telling office gossip. One of the anesthesiologist was massaging my temples the whole time so I had my eyes shut until they let me know my son was out! Of course, once they say the baby is out, you wait that first 30 seconds for the baby to take his first gasp for air and start his crying which always sounds strained since his little lungs are breathing for the first time. And once I saw Shane, I was in love! C section babies have the most perfect look because they are not puffy and their heads are perfectly round since they went through no trauma. After all that, then they apparently took my uterus out, along with other organs (eeek), and clean it out then put everything back inside. FREAKY! I do not know how some of my friends do this over and over again! Then they wheel you over to recovery for an hour or so and then into postpartum. I will say this, Baylor Frisco is the most luxurious hospital I have ever been to! Every delicious meal was made by a chef and every meal included the same exact meal for Cory. Finally, a hospital who cares about your other half! Our last meal was a steak and lobster dinner! I was very impressed and would go back for any surgery I would ever have again! Even Cory's dad would joke that it looked like a country club every time he came to visit!

Anyways, later that day, when Chase was out of school, he came up to meet his baby brother and we had a Big Brother Party for him with cake, balloons and presents. Both sets of Grandparents and his Nana were all in attendance and made it very special for him! He did not seem to notice much but the balloons that were in the room! The kid loves balloons! That's my boy! He did however manage to give his little brother a couple of kisses and it certainly made my heart MELT! I did feel a lot of guilt that I was unable to be with Chase but knew he was in good hands. Although I loved the hospital, I made sure to go home the second they asked if I felt better because I wanted to spend time with both my boys (all three including Cory)!

Anyways, we are all home (as of Friday, January 6) and doing well. We are currently trying to get into a routine after all the help we had that first week. Having your second can be challenging but it is pretty easy because you know what to do right off the bat because you have been there before. Shane's tempermant is really calm and relaxed so far and Chase loves pushing him in the swing. He also loves saying "baby Shane eating boobie" since I am currently breast feeding which is cute and funny at the same time! LOL! I am sure I will have more stories in the near future so until then....