Vegas, Baby! vs. Baby Baby

Oh, this just cracks myself up! I've always enjoyed a good photo cut and paste, I don't know why but it just makes me laugh.

Ok, enough of that. I'm so excited I don't even know where to start! It's hard to believe I have waited for our re-wedding trip for 10 years and now we're only a week away from hopping a plane to Vegas! The moment my honey and I said "I do" I decided that on our 5 year anniversary I wanted to have our vows renewed in a classic Vegas style wedding ala The King. 5 years came and went and with kids in the mix and our occupations being youth director and full time mamma/sometimes graphic designer our budget just wouldn't have it. Now the 10 year mark is upon us. In spite of our hard work and responsible use of money and credit cards we're still the broke youth director/mamma/almost never designer/parents of three so we decided for once in our life we're going to be completely irresponsible, it's now or never baby! What better way to spend money irresponsibly than on an all-out trip to Vegas? It did help that my dad offered up his hotel points and airline miles!

When you plan a trip as newly weds there is no concept of what it will be like getting ready for it when you have a 7 year old, 5 year old and a baby. It has been a hilarious mix up of two polar opposite worlds. Like when my wedding dress arrived (that really is it in the pic) and I had to try it on right away. I was home alone with the boys and the Little Mister waited until I was completely decked out before starting in on a screaming mimi fit. I was like that guy in Three Men and a Baby, picking him up and holding him out like a poisonous snake, a poisonous snake who spits up like a volcano without notice. He's also a nursing baby, and I'd like to keep him that way for awhile, which means I've spent the last few months taking on a roll similar to that of dairy cattle, filling the freezer space that used to hold ice cream with endless baggies of breast milk. The big boys however oohed and aahed at me in my dress, called me a princess, asked me to twirl over and over again and squealed every time I did. Probably more a sign of how seldom they see me in skirts and dresses!

My honey and I haven't really been on a trip alone and solely for our own fun since our honeymoon road trip. That was the absolute most fun I've ever had and it has been too long. He's my best friend and I'm ready for a little adventure with him! Now I'm glad the trip didn't happen until now. It will be a good way to mark the end of Phase I of our marriage as baby makers and caretakers of small children, and start looking forward to the adventures of phase II, whatever that may be.

Life's A Stage...

Not being angry, just being a pirate!

...lately anyway. When your kid goes to a magnet school for the arts the end of the year is all about the stage. Right now we have two after school tap rehearsals and attend two dance recitals, same with violin. Next year that doubles with Spitfire starting...along with the cost! It's completely worth it though, and honestly the price can't be beat. The whole year of dance and violin costs what one month of lessons in each would be in the real world, we could never afford it. I L.O.V.E this school!

Golden Curls is in the middle.

All the scurvy little pirates tapping away

The grand finale brings all the K-1st grade tap and ballet students up

And now he's a violinist! He did such a fantastic job! For as easily distracted as he can be he sure turns it on while on stage.

The grand finale, yep strings do them too. He's right up front, behind the music stand.

On the far left. He has terrible form but he makes it work for him. I'm so proud of all the work he's put into violin, with practices at home and after school rehearsals, it's been a lot for this first grader! And a lot for this Mamma, I'm ready for summer break!

So Much To Blog, So Little Time

I'm running just as fast as my blogging legs will let me and I'm just not keeping up! I want so badly to post pictures and stories about Mr. Golden Curls' end of the year adventures, Lil' Spitfires' last months at home before going to school in the fall, and the fact that the Little Mister is 6 weeks old and doing all kinds of cute baby things. Not to mention the fact that I have an entirely other blog that hasn't seen the light of a blog post in months!

But other things are growing as well, like the stacks of laundry (up to about 2 loads/day) and a dishwasher that needs emptied and re-run once a day. Every surface in this house has turned into a stuff holder and every trash can in the house needs emptied almost daily. It's crazy to think of what my work load was when the Bohemian and I were newlyweds. Laundry was at 2-3 loads per week. Dishwasher, what's that? I did our sink full of dishes by hand but it was a small task. Trash was such a non-issue I don't even remember it being a task and I had so much time to get work done that I did freelance graphics work and there was never a mess of things lying around on any surface.

This week Spitfire is in Texas with cousins and grandparents. Golden Curls is not only in school but going to after school violin rehearsals and it's so quiet. I remember now what it's like to just have the one baby at home. Having nap times where it's so quiet I feel deaf and when I clean something it more or less stays that way. Now it feels so strange. In the fall it will be like this every day. In a way I look forward to it, mostly to knowing that I'll have that time with just the Little Mister, but also knowing I'm not boring Spitfire out of his mind. I think it will be a good way of easing out of this stay-at-home-mom-of-little ones phase of my life and on to the next who-the-hell-knows phase. What an adventure life is.

Brothers Three

I can't believe its been three weeks since the Little Mister arrived. It already feels like that was lifetimes ago, like he has always been here. I've been really surprised at how easily his big brothers adjusted to having him here. There really has been no adjustment at all. A few times we've been asked questions like "Why does Mama have to hold the baby all the time?" and once or twice heard statements like "Ok, it's time to put your baby down." but all in all its been a smooth and calm transition. Nothing like adding number two 20 months after the first, with all the terrible twos tantrums, double dose of diapers and general chaos that brought with it. In the picture above Three is in the background. It took about 3 hours before he could come out and meet the family, something that did not make for a happy mama!

The big boys are just so, well, big, that its made it easy to keep their routine pretty much the same. They've been doing most things by themselves already so there's no feeling that it's the baby. They are both very curious about him and count themselves baby experts. They seem especially into him when he's crying because it's a signal to them that they can interact with him. They like to be the one to calm him. Mr. Golden Curls had the hilarious insight the other day that "Right now he's the crying type but pretty soon he'll be the smiling type." I think he's ready to be the recipient of some smiles!

Three boys. Oooh boy!! Not sure I really know what I'm in for but I have a feeling it will involve a lot of noise, band-aids and the need for me to have regular, girls only vacations.

One of these things is not like the other! Ok, there is still a chance that the Little Mister will end up blond, his hair is looking lighter already and Spitfire started out dark headed and now look at the blond! But he is dark haired and darker skinned which is making his dark and handsome Pappa very happy!

Bed Rest Is OVER!

The Little Mister was finally born at 5am on
Tuesday, March 22nd 2011
8lbs 14oz 20in

I say finally but, just like his big brothers, he did mamma a favor and came 2 weeks early, sparing me additional bed rest. I didn't have to be induced, yea! I avoided an epidural, I didn't want this to be my first, but I did go a new road and opted for some IV drug to take off the edge. And thank goodness for that, Little Mister was in the "Sunnyside Up" position (facing up instead of down-the easier way) making him a doozy to birth, even with the drugs. And again, just like his brothers, he was very considerate and was born swiftly. Even with trying to arrive extra early, not waiting for 5 min contractions, we were only in the hospital about 3 hours before his arrival. What a wonderful date to be born. As my good friend pointed out the numbers are 32211, super cool! And it's my maternal grandfather's birthday, making it a day with extra special meaning.

Final bed rest count: 3 weeks to the day. Thanks to my mom-in-law I survived with sanity mostly in tact and a clean and fully stocked house waiting for us when we returned from the hospital. If only those three weeks of rest could be stowed away and used during these first few exhausting months of newbornhood. Unfortunately the body does not stock pile rest and I'm blissfully exhausted.

Happily Ever After

My Prince Charming took me on what he called a micro mini date after our good session of NST and BP checks this morning. Every time he goes to Starbucks he picks a new alias because he thinks it's funny to hear the barista call out a random, complicated name. Usually they are plausible names, these were his picks today.

Day 9 Of Captivity

Whale Tissue Holder by Gnomes Sweet Gnome on Etsy

"I feel like a beached whale waiting around for someone to shove me back into the ocean." That is the way I'm feeling about bed rest, in a nutshell. My twice a week appointments are not a nuisance, they're my salvation. We drive through town and I ooh and ahh that spring is happening in the world. I heave and huff to get myself in and out of the car, up the stairs, in and out of buildings and that's ok because I'm actually moving!

Today brought us another good report. This was the second appointment in a row where my blood pressure was back into normal range and Three passed his fetal non stress test right away so life is good and bed rest is doing what it's supposed to. My husband even took me to Starbucks for a tiny outing to celebrate. I couldn't talk him into allowing me a caffeinnated beverage so I was basically bed resting in public and it boosted my spirits with no harm done. Last appointment also brought us news that we are making some progress, I am 1cm dilated and 25% effaced. I'm feeling much relief that this baby may come on his own after all and extremely torn between wanting him to spend some more time fattening up before he enters the world and just wanting him to hurry the heck up!

Baby Bench Warmer

A baby has moved into our bassinet, Annie cat. Spitfire found this hilarious. I think she's enjoying having found a safe haven where it's warm and cozy and the dogs can't see or reach her.

Coffee Shelf

It's a perfect fit for my morning cup, but I'm glad it's temporary. We're 7 weeks away from our due date, yea! We're hoping for 2 weeks early like his brothers which means only 5 weeks, 5 weeks sounds so much better.

Office With A View

Aren't I such a lucky girl to have a view like this at work every day?! Not the beautiful snow and trees but the little boy in the snow and trees, even that silly dog. As difficult as staying at home to be a full time mamma has been financially, the pay offs are immeasurable. I will never regret the things I couldn't have during this time in my life. They can be tough in the moment, especially when I see what others around me have. Then I look at what I have and that jealousy feeling passes quickly. I have been tremendously blessed.

Sonogram Says...It's A Boy!

I'm pretty sure people with girls do not show off a "girl parts" sonogram pic but hey, he's a boy and he's proud!

Finally the long awaited news! Not just to answer the pink vs. blue question but, more importantly, to see that baby is healthy and perfect! And I had better invest in some earplugs and buy stock in Band-Aids because I'm gonna need them.

Spitfire and Golden Curls went with us dressed in their "Big Brother" tees and they were nearly bouncing off the walls with anticipation. They have been waiting to see this baby with about as much anticipation as we have. They were amazed at what they saw and bombarded the tech with a million questions but it was super cool to watch and listen to them. She gave both boys their own sonogram picture. Golden Curls took his to school and got to pass it around and tell all about his experience. And proud big brother Spitfire carried his all over the place and then put it up on the fridge, surrounding it by magnets, "a frame." I kept seeing him pass by it and stop to touch it. They're going to be perfect big brothers!

My absolute favorite thing is to see baby's profile on the sonogram, I can almost picture what he looks like. Three was very active during the sonogram and very stubborn. The tech was getting onto him the whole time. She would just get a good view of something and he'd roll over or put his hands up to his face. She had to jiggle my tummy (ick!) and had me roll over and back just to be able to get a good view of all his vital organs. Huh, imagine that, us having an ornery child.

The next two pics are from when she turned on the 4D ultrasound. A little horror movie to me, I think I prefer the classic sonogram, but pretty cool to look at. She could hardly get a view of him without his hands up by his face. She told the boys he was picking his nose, which they just found completely hysterical!


Alright, now it's time to get to work, there are walls to be painted, 3 years worth of baby clothes and nursery things to dig back out of the yard sale pile (read mountain) in the garage and get cleaned up, rooms to shift...whew!

Countdown To Sonogram: 2 Days!

I can't believe it's almost here, sonogram day! I feel like a little kid waiting for the arrival of Christmas morning. I'm ready to lay eyes on this little peanut, see that all is well, and know what our little family will be made up of...all snips and snails or a splash of sugar and spice? I'm also ready to begin getting everything put together. We have so many things to shuffle around in our house to make room for this child, so many things to be gotten rid of.

We're almost halfway, yippee! I've been feeling pretty good. The beginning was crappy but it's going better and I feel calmer. There's also the added joy of the regular, daily gymnastics that let me know baby is there and well. Exhaustion is frustrating. If I don't get my to-do list done before lunch it's not going to get done. That seems to be my witching hour, I go from super energetic mom to couch potato. Pregnancy brain is also firmly establishing itself. I haven't exactly left the milk jug in the cupboard but it makes regular visits. Most mornings I get the coffee going just to realize 10 minutes later I did everything but turn it on.

The boys are so excited. We're taking them to the sonogram so they can be part of it all. Spitfire decided he needed a Big Brother t-shirt when we saw one in a store so today I made two. He's so proud to be a big brother! It's a lot of fun this go 'round with the boys being old enough to get excited and talk about it. Can't wait for Monday!

Halloween Part IV: Trick-or-Treat

I don't have any pictures from actual Halloween yet but these are from our church's Fall Fest party and us at home. Halloween was a blast, it gets more and more fun the older the boys get, even though this was the first year our costumes didn't coordinate. So, we had a Ninja, Darth Vader, Biker man and Pregnant skeleton. The boys and I made the rounds around the neighborhood with our neighbor and her son, Spiderman, while Pappa stayed home handing out candy. It was a good 'ole Halloween.

Halloween Part III: Decorations

I had so much fun making Halloween decorations with the boys last week. Spooky skulls, a stuffed spider and a ghost. The first two pics are the boys giving their best scared skull faces.

Halloween Part II: Jack-O-Lanterns

The evening of our lovely trip to Family Farm we carved up some spoooooky Jack-O-Lanterns. The boys drew their own Jack-O-Lantern faces and Pappa carved them out to spare us from my clumsy pregnant hands wielding a giant knife. From left to right the Jack-O-Lanterns belong to: Spitfire, Pappa, Golden Curls, and Mamma.

Our new annual tradition, taking a timer picture of us with our Jack-O-Lanterns...this one with our scary faces on. Boo!

Spitfire loves pumpkin guts

Golden Curls, not such a fan of pumpkin guts

Pappa, looking a little like a horror movie with that knife but he got the job done!

Mamma on scraping duty. Last year our pumpkins rotted before Halloween arrived so I tried this year to get as much goo out of them as possible.

Look, Mamma's belly is the size of her pumpkin!

Halloween Part I: Family Farm

I wanted to take the boys to a pumpkin patch this year rather than just getting their pumpkins at the grocery store and my husband found out about the most fantastic place, Family Farm. We thought we were just going to roam around a field for a bit, pick out pumpkins and go but this place was incredible, we were there for hours! For 5 bucks we not only got a pumpkin but canoe rides, hay rides, tractor rides, they had a zip line, puppet show, playgrounds, giant sling shots, petting zoo with zebra and camels...it was nuts!