Morganisms Vol V

Another round up of little things about Morgan or things he says that I never want to forget:

1. He recently has started taking my face in both of his little hands and planting a big kiss on my lips when I ask him for a kiss. He also does this to Cash. So. Freakin. Sweet.

2. A couple of times recently he has said "Oh my" when something happens. Like this morning I accidently knocked over one of the stools in the kitchen. "Oh my!" he said. :) 

3. Like a million times a day he asks if someone is alright or lets us know he's alright. "Mama alright?" "Ah alright?" "Ca alright?" and reassures us with "Aby (baby) alright!". Sometimes I think he just says it for something to say, but other times he asks it real heartfelt-ly when he can tell something is wrong.

4. He's recently taken to calling me "Aby (baby) mama". "Come on aby mama". "Alright aby mama?". Only he could get away with calling me baby mama. Only him.

5. I adore the way he says "pweese" and "wolc" (welcome). He might be a little hellion some days, but his a well mannered hellion. I've done something right.

6. He's really in that helper phase. He always wants to help mama clean (he'll go grab the broom), "wash dish" (i.e. splatter water to kingdom come) and bake ("aby bake cake, mama?").

7. His other new favorite is saying "okay", but he pronounces it "A-kay". 

8. He is quite the little problem solver. Quite an extraordinary one for his age, I think. (Imagine that, a mom who thinks her child is a genius ;) When he thinks of something he can do in a situation he'll put his finger to his chin and say "I know!" and then run off to get what he needs to fix the situation. For example the other day his paci slid under the fridge. He popped up with finger on chin "I know!", goes to the living room and fetches a long stick like toy and brings it back into the kitchen to fish his paci out from under the fridge. Genius, I tell you! ;) 

Sigh. I got them down in print! 

I've been collecting this little list in my head for weeks now, 

 I'm so glad I got them all down before I forgot them. 

xoxo,

Ashley

let them be little...forever

The other day I was sitting on the couch in the living room on the couch feeding Cash. Just the two of us. Such a rare moment. 

As he ate I studied all his chubby, soft and beautiful parts. Life can be so hectic with a baby and a toddler and never ending stacks of dishes and laundry that I have far less time than I would like to just sit and study him and kiss those cheeks over and over and over again (gah! those cheeks!).
As I kissed those cheeks (and chubby hands and that sweet neck) I had that same thought and feeling wash over me that I've had so many times with Morgan. "He's never ever going to be this little again" I thought as tears filled my eyes. That's a thought that will make any mama sad, but it's especially hard to swallow when you are holding your last baby. Never again will I have a two month old. He will be my last baby I bathe in my kitchen sink and the last baby I will rock to sleep at night.
I wish that we could capture and collect these small moments and come back to them again, but since that's not possible (sad face), I will continue to send up a little prayer "please burn this memory into my heart and mind. Let me always remember the smell, the sweet sounds, the feelings and the softness as if I were living the moment again".

xoxo,

Ashley

I've taken a little blogging hiatus the past 2 months to enjoy my boys, so I apologize up front for the complete unloading of my mind and heart this post is. I have a lot to say. And I don't ever want to forget how I felt at this point in my life, and if I didn't write it down I would. My memory is crap.

I wouldn't call life "busy" right now ( my pet peeve is when someone is "so busy" ugh), but my days are certainly filled to the brim with little people  :-) I remember thinking just one baby was hard. Ha! Add a busy body toddler into the mix and I've got hard. I often wonder (especially those first few weeks) how on earth people have 3, 4, and 5 plus kids and live to tell about it. Frank and I always have said we are two and done, but while I was pregnant I had some brief moments of insanity when I thought maybe three sounded good. All it took was a week home with a newborn and toddler for me to ask Frank when his vasectomy was going to be scheduled. I love my boys so much my heart feels like it could burst sometimes, but two is enough. I'll give them all my love. 
 
Still, people love to ask us if we're going to "try for a girl". In fact it started before Cash was even born (umm, let me pop this one out first and then we'll talk thankyouverymuch!). No we will not be trying for a girl (see above). I have always thought I wanted a girl, I mean have you seen the girls clothing sections at Target? I die.  But really, I think my personality and parenting style is better suited for boys. And now that our family is complete with two boys, I couldn't imagine it any other way. I guess God knew what he was doing when he blessed me with two little boys after all :)

So how is life with TWO? Most things have been a LOT easier the second time around. And, I think that is for two reasons: 
1. Frank and I have gotten better at parenting together and we didn't have to deal so much with that learning curve that was there the first time around. We are both a lot more relaxed and comfortable caring for a baby and we've learned each others areas of strength and weakness and use that to make it through the days. For example, I know that sometimes he needs a nap during the day and he knows I function better when I get a good stretch of sleep in at night. So, he's been giving Cash a bottle every night since 3 weeks which has helped tremendously! What an angel right? Now if I could only get him to wash the dishes and clean the toilets... 

and 2. I learned sometime between baby #1 and baby #2 that sometimes you have to drop the parenting books (hello, information overload!) and follow your gut. Sure, I still second guess myself ALL the time, I think that's something that just comes with the territory, but I'm a lot more comfortable letting go and following my instincts and doing what works for my family. Once I came to that point, it was a lot easier to relax a little and enjoy this crazy ride that is parenthood.

I've said it a million times and I'll say it again, the hardest part about baby #2 for us has been baby #1. Cash really has been a pretty easy baby, but add in the demands and attention seeking needs of a toddler and I feel like I'm constantly being pulled in two different directions. Morgan really has taken becoming a big brother in stride for the most part, but there were a few weeks in the beginning when he was acting out to get our attention. Thankfully, that didn't last too long (although it seemed never ending when we were in the thick of it all) and he never took it out on Cash. He adores Cash and Cash absolutely adores him. It has been so amazing to me to be witness to the instant bond that has formed between the two of them, and I'm so excited to watch their relationship blossom and grow. 

Other than trying to meet the needs of two little ones simultaneously, the biggest struggle I have had was breastfeeding, again. I struggled a lot at the beginning (although not nearly as much as with Morgan), but thankfully it got physically easier at around 3.5 to 4 weeks. For a few more weeks it was still stressful and emotionally tough. I struggled figuring out how to balance nursing, which is so time consuming, with all my other responsibilities, but here I am 9 weeks later and I feel like a pro and am so glad I stuck it out. I still have rough days when I feel like I'm being pulled in a million directions, and those my friends, are the days Grandma comes to the rescue (we would be lost and crazy without her)!

So two months in I'd say things are getting easier as we begin to settle into a routine. Although, I still wouldn't attempt taking them both to a doctors appointment yet {click on that} and Grandma is still on speed dial.

xoxo,

Ashley

first bath

A lot of things come easier to you the second time around (except breastfeeding...that's always a bitch), and Cash's first tub bath was no exception. 

I remember Morgan's first bath. He screamed the whole time, as baby's do, and I freaked out the whole time because he was screaming. 

This time around there was still lots of screaming on the baby's end, but I was much more relaxed. No, this time it was Morgan doing the freaking out because Cash was screaming. 

We've come full circle :)

xoxo,

Ashley

P.S. Just for fun, Morgan's first bath:

 

Ok, he looks a lot more chill than his brother. 

Not how I remembered it.

Morgan-isms: Vol IV

1. When we were in the hospital he kept calling the nurses "mail man". I guess the all blue scrubs they were wearing were throwing him off. 

2. When you ask him a question now he often replies with "ummmmm". 

3. His vocabulary has also grown to include every parents favorite: "Why?" It's absolutely adorable...now. 

4. He has decided in the past week or so to start calling his Daddy "Frank". The other night he and I were in the bathroom while Frank was getting dinner started in the kitchen and he says to me: "Frank do?" Translation: "What's Frank doing?". Hilarious! 

5. Every since the day after Cash was born, Morgan has entered the room saying "Hi, Ca!" and "Where Ca?" and "Ca do?". 

6. When Cash is nursing he'll get real close and say "Ca eat boob!". 

Just when I thought I couldn't possibly fall even more in love with that boy... :)

xoxo,

Ashley

Cash's Birth Story: Part One

The day before my scheduled c-section was spent hanging out with my two boys. We went to Walmart and stocked up on easy to prepare foods for the boys to eat during the week I would be in the hospital. It was a cart full of man food, I joked. Then, we headed to Hardee's for supper so that Morgan could play in the play place - something that has recently been a life saver as he's quickly outgrowing our apartment and needs somewhere to run around and play during these long, frigid winter days. We ended the evening cuddling on the couch as we picked up where we had left off on Season 3 of "Big Bang" as Morgan calls it (aka The Big Bang Theory). 

I spent the day trying to keep my mind busy while soaking up our last day as three, but all day I felt that sweet anticipation as my mind wandered to the excitement the next day would hold. I topped the night off with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, washed down with lots of water and Tums - anticipating my not being able to eat again for far too many hours for a pregnant woman to fathom. 

I hardly could sleep that night. I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve, but even more anxious because I was getting a present the next morning far greater than anything I have ever found under the tree. From about 2:30am on I dozed off and on, but couldn't fall fully back asleep...I kept checking the clock. Our alarm was set for 4:15am, as we had to be at the hospital at 5:30am, but I decided to get out of bed and start getting ready at 4:00am because I just couldn't lay there a moment longer. 

We drove to the hospital filled with excitement. The thermometer on the dash read -8 degrees. We joked about how this little guy would be born on the coldest day of the year {thus far} and how his brother was born on one of the hottest days.

We checked in at hospital registration and sat there in nervous quiet as the lady checked us in. We headed upstairs and right away got to business. I barely had set foot in the room before the nurse was handing me a gown and ushering me in the bathroom to strip down to nothing. What's that they say again about having a baby and modesty? From there it was all IV's, wristbands, and checking in on baby's heartbeat. 

The anesthesiologist came in to talk to us and the nerves really started to kick in as I remembered my last experience with an epidural. I was reminded that while I was here to have a baby, I was also having major surgery - a scary thought that I kept pushing to the back of my mind. After the anesthesiologist left, my OB popped in for any last minute questions. She told me that we would be heading back between 7:15am and 7:30am and that we should have a baby by 7:40am. 

I spent those last few minutes on my phone, texting Mom and my two best friends. 

Then, it was go time. I kissed Frank good-bye. We'd only be apart for minutes while he waited for them to get the spinal in and get me draped but it seemed like an eternity. Once they brought Frank back everything moved very fast and before I knew it my OB was telling me that she could see his head and it was full of hair. Soon we heard those first beautiful cries and she held him up quickly above the drapes so we could get our first glance at our little boy.  "He looks like Morgan", she said. Tears flooded my eyes and Frank brushed them from my cheeks.

A few minutes later...that again felt like an eternity, they brought him up by my head so that we could get a slightly longer look at him. Tears again flooded my eyes and I just kept saying "He looks just like Morgan". Then, Frank headed back to the nursery with our sweet baby boy while they finished up with me. I waited, not so patiently, for the call from the nursery: "7lbs 11oz, 20 inches!". "Bigger than we thought!" says my doctor.

After, they wheeled me over to recovery where I chit chatted with the nurse and watched the clock. "When will they bring him back to me?" I asked. She called down again to the nursery to tell them we were ready when they were. 

When they finally wheeled him in I got to hold him for the first time and kiss his sweet cheeks. Before we even headed back to our room I was able to get him to the breast - something that made me so happy - we were already off to a better start than with Morgan.

Once they wheeled us back to the room Frank texted my parents and gave them the go ahead to head up with Morgan to meet his little brother Cash Mason...