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....

YO GABBA GABBA!

After the last downer blog, I decided to post something FUN! Chase and Daddy went to their first concert together! Daddy got Chase front row tickets with backstage passes which was WAY worth it! Chase's buddy Etan was right there with him and both boys had a lot of fun!

Playing the Waiting Game

Well, we have about six more weeks before our new addition arrives. I am getting into panic mode because I procrastinated (which I never do) and now have a ton of things to get done before Chase's little brother gets here! I decided to also take on the task of redecorating Chase's room into a sports theme which was a lot more work than I anticipated and I still have a long way to go. Hopefully, I can get it all done before the new year! Also, I am having such a hard time at this point in my pregnancy. It is so hard with all the exhaustion I am experiencing to keep up with my VERY active two year old. I seriously feel like I move at a snail's pace lately which is frustrating! By 3 pm I tend to hit a wall and get into zombie mode. I am starting to drink coffee only because I cannot even keep up with my usual daily activities! I cannot wait to be my normal self at my normal energy level in a couple of months!!

In Chase news, a lot of exciting and not so exciting stuff has gone on. First off, he now LOVES school which is awesome! He is progressing at a rapid rate and is turning into a little parrot. Of course, this means, Cory and I now have to watch what we say. In a not so happy light, we have had some pretty traumatic things happen in the past three or so months. First off, we had an instance at Chipotle where Chase was choking. It was so scary! I do not ever want to re-live that day. He was choking so bad that he stopped coughing and was turning blue. He was making no sounds and Cory and I were freaking out. Luckily, a stranger at a table nearby jumped up to help and turned Chase upside down. He proceeded to pat his back until the food came out. The whole restaurant was concerned and everyone seemed to be trying to help after that. Before Chase was born, Cory and I took baby CPR but in the heat of the moment, anything we learned was definitely forgotten. I will tell you this, I will never forget now!!!! Another scary instance we had was that Chase got his second case of Croup (croup can be pretty common in kids and consists of a virus or several viruses that cause a distinctive cough). This time he had stridor along with it. Stridor is when your child's airway is closing. Chase woke up with the barky cough that croup brings on in the night but this time sounded like he was having an asthma attack even as I was holding him. I had no idea what was happening to my little boy. We called the nurse and after going thru Chase's symptoms she said, without hesitation, for us to go directly to the ER. Now, I was not prepared for those words to come out of her mouth. I was in shock and of course got worried immediately! Cory and I jumped in the car after running circles around each other and drove up to Children's Hospital in Plano at 1:30 am. Upon arrival they checked Chase right in because they could tell his symptoms were pretty bad. The nurses gave him a steroid medicine orally and put a breathing apparatus around his mouth which of course he protested the entire time. They kept us there for two hours to monitor him and finally sent us home at 4 am. Again, that was very scary! Cory and I looked at each other after both these events and confirmed that we can only handle two kids after those instances. Being a parent can be really scary at times!! Now, to lighten things up.....Chase turned two on November 10th! We took a cookie cake up to his school and celebrated with his friends there and had a birthday party that Saturday at Pump it Up in Frisco with all his other friends! Needless to say he had a blast and definitely seemed to understand it was his birthday!!

Well, that's all for now and I will try to update before the new baby is here if I have a chance, so STAY TUNED!!

Baby #2 and Chase Starts School

Cory and I went yesterday to my doctor's appointment and we found out the sex of the baby. Now, before I just give the good news away, I want to say that all those old wives tales are bologna! There is no truth to the way you carry the baby, nauseous or not nauseous, etc. All pregnancies are different! So, that being said, Cory, Chase and myself are proud to announce that we are welcoming a new baby boy into our world at the end of this year! When the doctor told us, I was in serious shock. I was 100% sure as were anyone I was ever around that it was a girl. I was carrying low, I was nauseated, I felt so different than when I was pregnant with Chase. After the initial shock set in, I was and am thrilled! I love having a little boy so I know I will love having two! Little boys are sweet, fun, crazy, destructive, and active. They do not normally bring any drama and tend to be tough. To be honest, while I was in the doctor's office before our appointment, panic was starting to set in on having a little girl. Cory is ECSTATIC to say the least. I had him convinced it was a girl but he was so happy to have another boy. However, it would be nice to have one of each so that we can see the difference in dynamic. Who knows, maybe MANY years down the line (and I mean many) we can discuss if we want to add another child into our hectic lives. I still have to get through this pregnancy first! Also, upon watching Baby #2 on the monitor, this baby is VERY active! More so than Chase and anyone who has ever met Chase knows he is very active as it is. So, I have my work cut out for me!!

Now, in regards to Big Brother Chase, he started school last week at a Montessori school. He goes three times a week (although currently he has been going for half a day because I want to get him situated and not just throw him to the wolves). So far, he seems okay but it breaks your heart when you drop him off. All he's ever known is to be home with me during the days so I know this is hard on him. He stuffed his face (I attached the picture) when he got in the car because he was on a hunger strike. The second day was better than the first (probably because they have gym that day and were playing with balls). The third day by far was the worst. The teacher had suggested that we bring in a picture of us so Chase can look at it throughout the day. Well, when I showed up before their nap time to pick Chase up, the poor little guy was in the middle of the floor staring and holding on to our picture crying. It was SO sad. This week he had a tough time but that was mostly because he is sick so I let him play hooky today. I do think school is going to be great for him because he loves to be social and you can totally tell that he is very bored at home with me. Once he gets the hang of it, I'm sure he will be begging to go everyday!!