Beach 2015

 

Ben, John Brooks, Bo and I went to Cinnamon Beach for a week this summer. We were accompanied by our niece Hayley who we loved having with us because she is fun and energetic and was willing to help with the boys. My brother Matt and his wife Paige also came down for a few days.

Ben and I love the beach! John Brooks really loves it too. He even learned how to boogie board this year! Bo just likes being anywhere everyone else is so he had fun too. Bo, however, refused to sleep in the pack and play so he ended up being my bed buddy for the week and poor Ben ended up on the sofa. Thankfully this did not create an issue when we got home and I am happy to report that he went straight back to sleeping in his comfy cozy crib.

We had the best time eating, swimming, eating, playing in the sand, eating, taking walks, building sand castles, jumping waves oh and eating too. Vacationing with young children is definitely more of a trip than a relaxing getaway but its hard to complain when you can look out past the balcony and see the beautiful ocean just steps away!

John Brooks is already asking when we can go back!

Last Day of School

 

 

Yesterday was John Brooks’ last day of pre-k for this school year. The Pre-K he attends is affiliated with the public elementary school in our town and thus runs on the school calendar. Which means…sing it with me now…”Schools out for SUMMER”.

I find it amusing that John Brooks is essentially oblivious to the fact that he should be mega-excited about summer vacation. Up to now his entire life has been one never-ending fun day which I am very thankful for so he has little concept that some things are “supposed to be” more fun than others.

John Brooks has LOVED school! He has had his trying moments for certain and there were a few weeks where we weren’t sure if they were going to let him back in the door the next Monday. However, we could not have hoped for better teachers to usher our child into what it means to “go to school”. He has learned so much about getting along with others, taking turns, listening to grown ups and being respectful of others. He still has a long way to go but I am so very thankful we chose to start him in Pre-K as a 3 year old because I believe it is going to set him up for success in the future.

Happy Summer!

Mother’s Day Weekend

 

My Mother’s Day weekend started on Friday when Bo, Ben and I tagged along on John Brooks’ class field trip to Homosassa Springs State Park. This park has become one of my favorite places to take the boys. I was oh-so-excited when we found out that the Pre-K end of the year field trip would take place at this location AND parents were encouraged to attend.

If you are near Homosassa Springs, I definitely recommend making the drive. The park is beautiful and shaded with exhibits of animals and plants native to the state of Florida with one special adopted native…Lu the hippo. The story of Lu is that she (I think) is a famous Hollywood (Cali not FLA) hippo who was donated to Homosassa Springs to do what most senior citizens in Florida do…retire. Governor Lawton Chiles declared her an honorary citizen so that she would be allowed to live out her days in the Sunshine State. Lu is one of John Brooks’ favorite parts of the park! Another cool sighting we had on Friday were manatees swimming in the spring! Even though I’ve lived in Florida my entire life it has just been in the past year that I have ever even seen a manatee so to see 3-4 swimming in the open water was a special treat for me!

On Friday night we had our first ever “Family Movie Night”. We ordered (picked up…because no delivery in the boondocks) a large Pepperoni Pizza and Paddington on DISH and had the most fun eating pizza and watching a movie as a family. I know this probably sounds lame to most people but it’s the season of life we are in so I am rolling with it and enjoying these special, quickly-passing moments with my boys and my husband.

Saturday, we continued the weekend fun by going to a local farm and picking blueberries. The owners of the farm are some friends of ours from church and they have the cutest little boy who is 18 months. He and John Brooks played together for a while in addition to blueberry picking and John Brooks was sad to leave when it was time for us to go.

 

Saturday night, Ben gave me the ultimate Mother’s Day gift of a night off (I’m joking…kind of). I was able to meet up with some of my girl friends for supper and socializing! It was a wonderful break. I truly believe that in order to be a good wife and mother I have to take time for myself sometimes and thankfully my husband agrees with me.

On Sunday, we celebrated Mother’s Day by dedicating that we would raise Bo in a loving, Christian environment at church. It was a sweet ceremony and I am so thankful to be involved with a church that values families and children. My Dad and step-mom Robin came as well as Ben’s sister Gina and 2 of her 3 children. It was a great way to celebrate being a Mom!

After church, we met at Ben’s parent’s house and celebrated Mrs. Colson by spending time with her as a family. Both of Ben’s sisters and their families came as well. It was wonderful to be able to spend time as a family. Our nephew Garrett will be graduating from high school in a couple of weeks so we know that these family times are going to happen less and less often as the future unfolds.

I rounded out my Mother’s Day weekend with another great present…a 45 minute nap! It was glorious….and only felt like five minutes which is a sign that it was much needed.

It was a wonderful weekend and I am so grateful that God has chosen me to be the Mama to two of the sweetest most-fun boys around! My heart bursts with love for these two and I constantly see-saw between being so excited to see what the future holds and wishing time would stand still and keep them little and wanting Mama forever.

John Brooks goes to the Dentist

 

John Brooks had his first official dental visit yesterday. His pediatrician recommended he begin going to the dentist at his 2 year old well-check so naturally we finally made the appointment almost 2 and 1/2 years later.  

Before you begin worrying about his dental health, he has been brushing for those 2 and 1/2 years and I have made the occasional visual assessment to check for anything obviously out of place.

We chose to take him to a pediatric dentist because we wanted him to have a positive experience in the hope of a life-long appreciation for good oral hygiene. A new practice has opened up about 30 minutes from our home and one of the DMDs is the husband of John Brooks’ pediatrician so it was an easy choice once we got around to making it.

The office was adorable. It had a “swamp” theme with cool trees painted on the walls and even a couple of statues of cuter versions of a turtle and an alligator. There were fun toys to play with and even a wall with a few tablets for the kids to play on while they waited to be seen.

The hygienist called for John and it took me a minute to realize she meant my kid and then we walked back to the cleaning area. The hygienist did an excellent job of explaining everything she did and the uses of all of her tools. John Brooks was most impressed by the tablet above his head with the headphones that he could watch movies on AND of course the “Mr. Squeegee” tool that sucks the water out of your mouth.

He was a little concerned a couple of times while she was cleaning and FLOSSING (for the first time ever btw) his teeth but was very polite and (thankfully) didn’t completely freak out. Once he got used to the idea of someone messing with his teeth he relaxed and even crossed his legs at the ankles at one point so he could be super comfy while watching “Bespicable Me”.

Dr. Charlotte, the other dentist in the group, came and “counted” John Brooks teeth. She recommended that we start flossing with him at home. They also suggested that we wait and take x-rays at his next visit so as to make the 1st visit a positive experience. I loved that they put so much thought into his feelings. He finished his visit with a goody bag that included a new “Lightning McQueen” toothbrush, toothpaste, floss and a cool t-shirt.  

I think that they achieved the goal of a “positive experience” because as we were leaving, John Brooks asked if we could go back tomorrow.

Bo is 4 months!

 

Our sweet baby Bo is now 4 months old. Every day he changes and grows and we are starting to see little snippets of what his personality is going to be like. He is a sweetie. Bo loves to snuggle and be held. He (and I am not bragging here its just the truth) L-O-V-E-S his Mama! He only wants me to rock him to sleep and I’m pretty sure he would prefer it if I just held him ALL THE TIME. He has the best, big open-mouthed, smile and gets very happy, jumpy, giggly when someone he loves (Mama, Daddy, John Brooks) walks into his room. Here are some other facts about our little man at 4 months:

As of April 29th, Bo weighs 13 pounds 1 oz and is 24 1/2 inches long. He has gained 3 pounds and 3.5 inches since his last check up! He is in 3 month clothes but can wear some 3-6 month clothes. People sometimes act as if he is small and maybe he is but the clothes fit and he has rolls so it kind of gets on my nerves when people say that. He has the most adorable cheeks and is getting little fat rolls on his thighs and wrists. I adore a chubby baby! Remarkably, he is rolling over from tummy to back and is starting to show signs that he may want to roll from back to belly pretty soon. He is smiling big and starting to laugh. He is starting to “play” with toys and feel things for texture rather than just staring into space. His one delay at this point is a “head lag” which means that he is still unable to hold his head steady when he is pulled from a flat position to a seated position. Due to the nature of his birth injuries, we are expecting Bo to have some delays/residual effects which is why we already have him working with both an Occupational and Physical Therapist.

In addition to his well-check, Bo also had follow-ups with Hematology and Neurology this month. The good news is that his coagulation labs are all normalizing which means he does not appear to have any underlying bleeding risks that will affect him throughout life. More good news is that the Phenobarbital levels are non-readable in his blood and he has not had any seizures so we are taking that as a sign that whatever blood was in his brain has reabsorbed into his body by now. The Neurologist that saw him said that he looks “80% better” from the previous appointment. The doctors/therapists all seem to say that though he will meet his milestones it will be on his own time frame, not necessarily at the time when he is “supposed to” meet them.

Eating: Bo is exclusively breast fed. It is fun to watch how excited he gets when he is about to eat! Sometimes when he is eating, he will stop, look up at me and smile as if to say “Ahhh this is great Mama”. We are hoping to start him on solids at 6 months but that time frame will have a lot to do with when his his head/neck strength/control improves. I am slowly adding dairy back into my diet. So far, he tolerates sour cream and small amounts of butter but still gets fussy when I eat shredded cheddar or a lot of dairy foods combined together (think casseroles). He feeds on demand so pretty much whenever he starts arching his back, screaming like a howler-monkey and trying to scratch my eyes out (seriously he whacks my face when he’s ready to eat…how early is too early to say No?) It usually averages out to about 7 times a day. Usually, 7 am, 8:30 am, 11 am, 1 pm, 4 pm, 6:30 pm and 7:30 pm.

Sleeping: Knock on wood and Thank the Lord, we have another good sleeper (so far, I hope I don’t jinx it by typing it out). Bo is usually asleep by 9:00 pm and wakes up around 7:00 am. I would love to say that he takes 3- 1 hour naps a day as well but I can’t say that because it would be a lie. To be honest, he really only naps well if I am holding him or he is in the Ergo or the car seat and we are moving. He has the most sensitive movement sense I’ve ever seen. He will be sound asleep and as soon as I lay him in the crib or the car stops in the pick up line at school he wakes up and starts screaming. He gets VERY ANGRY when his demands are not met and has been known to hold his breath, turn red in the face, and screech like a howler monkey. I still try to put him in his crib for naps but at least once a day I hold him for 45 minutes so that he can nap. Not the best system but its what works for now.

Play: Bo is finally starting to play! He is starting to pick things up, put teething rings on his arms and bat at toys on the floor. We spend much of our time playing on the floor and working on his motor skills as well as his head/neck control. He is able to lift up on his arms when he is on his belly now and is starting to straighten his arms as well. The occupational therapist put athletic tape on his back and his triceps to help his nerves/muscles learn how to work right. Sometimes I get sad when I think how hard this baby is having to work just to be normal but then I think how blessed we are that he is even here to work and that all of this work is going to make him even stronger than he already is! Oh and he ADORES John Brooks. He follows that kid with his eyes wherever he goes and he get so excited when John Brooks plays or talks to him.

All in all, Bo is making progress. We continue to work with him and we pray that it will be God’s will for him to be a healthy, wild little boy who can follow his older brother and get into the trouble that little boys seem to always find.

My Buddy Bill

 

John Brooks loves animals, especially farm animals, especially cattle, especially bulls. We are lucky in that while still unpredictable, the bulls (and the cows and calves for that matter) at the farm are calm enough that John Brooks is able to interact with them. It is so sweet to see him sitting in the back of Ben’s truck talking to the cattle, telling them stories and even singing songs.

“Bill” is a black Angus bull that has been at the farm for a few years. Long enough that to John Brooks he has always been there. Unfortunately, something has happened to Bill’s foot which has made it impossible for his to perform his…um…job. To make matters worse for Bill, when the veterinarian was out to look at his foot he executed what can only be described as an acrobatic maneuver in which he somehow ended up on his hind legs with his front legs and head stuck in the top of the squeeze chute. I’m not kidding. I wish there were pictures. Somehow, Bill made it out of that scrape alive but on a cattle ranch, if you can’t earn your keep, it’s time for you to move on down the line and that time for Bill was this past Monday.

I started to worry that John Brooks might have some lasting effects if we didn’t at least let him say goodbye to Bill (I think I’ve watched that scene from “The Help” one to many times where “Skeeter” doesn’t get to say goodbye to the sweet lady who helped raise her) so on Sunday, we took a ride out to the pasture, fed Bill and gave John Brooks a chance to see him one last time.

It about broke my heart to watch my boy with his “Buddy Bill”. At one point, he told me, “Mama, I’ve talked to Bill and he said he wants to stay.” I bet he did say that…poor Bill. We did our best to explain that because of his injury it was better for Bill if we sold him but that’s a hard thing to explain to a person with little reasoning ability.

Even later Sunday night during story time and the next morning before school John Brooks was asking us to ask Granddaddy to let Bill stay. Ben and I are both pretty tender-hearted when it comes to the boys so it was tough to see John Brooks struggling to understand this loss. So, in an attempt to make it easier on him (I hope) I convinced my oh so manly but oh so sweet husband to drive out to the farm after he dropped off John Brooks at school and conduct a photo shoot…with Bill…the bull. Because my husband loves me and our boy he agreed and sent me the pictures that I proceeded to edit and upload to my Shutterfly account where they are awaiting my click of the Send so that they can be mailed here, framed and placed on John Brooks’ bedside table.

 

Yes you read that correctly.

Yes we are crazy.

In my defense, people have photos to remember their dogs. Our kid’s dog just happens to weigh 2000 pounds.

Our Weekend

 

Hi there! How was your weekend? Is it just me or does anyone else think that time is going by at record pace these days? I can remember when I was a kid (tween?) wishing for time to speed up so that I could get to the fun adult days and now, I’m here and while I don’t feel like much of an adult, the husband, two kids, mortgage and car payment tend to disagree with me (Ha).

Our weekend was a good one. Ben’s Mom called me on Friday morning and asked to pick up John Brooks from school. He loves to go over to Grandma and Grandaddy’s house because he pretty much has free rein of the television, the couch, the juice boxes and the chips. A couple of his big boy (high school age) cousins were going to be at Grandma’s on Friday too so it worked out well for him to go over, visit and “help” get Grandma’s flowers out of the greenhouse.

With our car pick up responsibilities relinquished, Bo and I were free to have a rare, lazy afternoon. It was so refreshing to be able to rest, snuggle and relax at our own pace.

Friday night, Ben and I had an impromptu date night with our new little sidekick. The Gilchrist County Education Foundation hosted their annual “Fishing for Scholarships” Fish Fry. Mrs. Colson offered to keep John Brooks at her house if we would bring them supper after we were finished. At first, I declined the offer because I am crazy and think that John Brooks should be with us so he doesn’t miss out on town fun but then I came to my senses and remembered that 1. We don’t get out much. 2. We don’t get out much with two kids 3. John Brooks doesn’t like fish 4. John Brooks, while fun and exciting, definitely keeps us on our toes…all…the…time. I thought it would be nice for Ben to be able to eat and socialize without the stress of wondering what John Brooks will be into next. So, Ben, Bo and I had a nice leisurely supper of mullet, catfish and fixins’. We enjoyed visiting with several friends and Bo even got to nap on a sweet lady’s shoulder. What is it about “Grandmas” that makes babies feel instantly safe and secure and sleepy?

We picked John Brooks up from Grandma and Grandaddy’s around 7:30 pm. We stayed and visited with Mr. and Mrs. Colson and while we were there, Ben’s sister Amy arrived so we visited with her as well before going home to the usual bath and bedtime routine.

John Brooks and Ben both woke up bright and early on Saturday morning around 6:30 am (when do they start sleeping in again?). John Brooks woke up because that is when John Brooks wakes up and Ben woke up because he got to go fishing on Saturday! Ben’s boss owns a boat and offered to take Ben fishing out in the Gulf of Mexico (best boss ever). They had a great time and caught a bunch of Spanish Mackerel which we enjoyed grilled last night in fish tacos with a makeshift Mango Salsa that I whipped up with onions, green chilis, and cilantro.

While Ben was away catching dinner, Bo, John Brooks and I entertained ourselves at home. We had a nice day of playing, reading, watching tv and eating. My aunt Diane (Di-Di if you are John Brooks) came up to visit with the boys some which broke up the monotony of the day (thank you Di-Di). Both boys were very good! Bo has started (knock on wood) getting a little better at napping in his crib though he still prefers to nap on Mama. Ben came home around 6:00 pm with takeout Chinese. We had decided to wait and cook the fish on Sunday night because we had eaten fish for supper on Friday night and we needed a buffer zone. We tried a new Chinese restaurant that recently opened in our town. It is Delicious! We sampled the Wonton Soup (great broth, big dumplings), vegetable lo-mein (loved this! Lots of veggies!) and the Sweet and Sour Chicken (quite possibly the least Chinese food dish ever but we like the sauce) along with egg rolls and fried cream cheese filled deliciousness that I just realized I probably shouldn’t have eaten and then nursed Bo (poor baby). Oops!

On Sunday, Ben stayed home from church with Bo and John Brooks and I ventured out to Sunday School and church. John Brooks went to Children’s Church where apparently he was “combative” but they didn’t come get me out of church so I am of the belief that he wasn’t that “combative”. It was so refreshing to be able to worship God without the usual (welcome wonderful) distraction of a sweet baby who likes to snuggle and have his bottles warmed before he with scarf them down.

Sunday afternoon was spent, eating Subway, resting, running, eating fish tacos and reading. Before I knew it, the weekend was over and it was time to get ready for a school night again! Speaking of running, I am starting a new fitness challenge today through these super fun, motivating gals! For the next eight weeks I will be trying to complete some fitness “challenges” as well as trying to eat “lean, clean and green” in the hopes of being able to be comfortable in a swim suit this summer. I’m excited that I’ve lost 12 pounds since the middle of February but I still have about 20 pounds to get to my pre-preggo weight. Wish me luck!

Have a great week!

John Brooks’ Week o’ School Fun

 

John Brooks’ Easter activities stretched into this week with an Easter party at school and a field trip to the zoo. Rob-Rob watched Bo on Monday so that I could attend the Easter party and help hide eggs. Yesterday, Ben’s Mom watched Bo so that I could go on the field trip with John Brooks. After the zoo and lunch, John Brooks and I went to Lowes and to the park. I am very thankful to have help with Bo when I need it so that I can spend one on one time with my first baby who is looking less and less like a baby every minute. True confession: I actually carried his 40 pound self through the zoo some yesterday because 1. I never get to hold him anymore because I am always holding Bo and 2. Did I mention he weighs 40 pounds? Pretty soon he will be to heavy for me to carry around. This impending doom makes me almost cry every time I think about it.

 

P.S. The note home from school said they would change the kids shirts to an orange shirt before arriving at the zoo which is why I dressed him like that….had I known about the lack of orange shirt I would have picked a cuter outfit. hashtag: momproblems

T-Ball

John Brooks’ “Pregame outfit” (hah!)

With much excitement, more than a little trepidation, and possibly against my husband’s better judgment (I refuse to take responsibility here because I was in a post-partum, post-NICU, cluster-feeding, hormone induced fog when T-Ball signups occurred), we signed John Brooks up to play T-Ball this year. The T-Ball league is for children ages 4-6. Since John Brooks turned 4 in January he just barely makes the cut but he is so full of energy that we think getting him involved in team activities early will help him to learn to channel all of that energy into something other than running around our living room pretending the couch is a mountain.

T-Ball practice began in the middle of February. Practice has been….interesting. John Brooks is the youngest kid on the team. His abilities have improved from running around all over the place to actually standing in one position. I’m not sure that he understands what to do with the glove attached to his hand but its his first time playing and T-Ball is about skill development… right?

 

Last night was the FIRST T-Ball game! Our guy was so excited that he even agreed to “rest up” for his game after school (sly mom tactic there). I think he looks adorable in his uniform! The socks go up to his mid-thigh! He has never been much of a ball cap wear-er so it’s a good sign that he will at least put this one on for pictures.

Sadly (or not so much because we got to go to pick up dinner and still be home before 7:00 pm) the game was rained out. I was proud of the way John Brooks handled himself while we were waiting for the game to be called. He played nicely under the shelter and didn’t run out into the rain even one time. His next game is on Saturday! Play Ball!

Please ignore the baby and Dad in the background

Do you have kids? Do they play sports? At what age did they start? What sport did you first play?