Zach in Boots

Bright Red Plastic Bed

At the end of September, Zach became a man. (in other words, he got a big boy bed)

Reaching for toys in the middle of the night can be tiresome

We'd been putting off switching him over, but on a trip to Toys R Us he kept climbing on the toddler beds and pretending to go to sleep. And since we had a gift card to use up, we couldn't resist. We were a bit worried we'd find him up playing Angry Birds on the iPad at 3 in the morning, but he switched exceptionally well. He is usually pretty good at keeping at least one appendage on the bed while reaching for toys he is falling asleep. In the morning and after nap time he'll sit in bed saying "All Done" over and over again until we come and tell him he can get up. I think it helped that this type of bed is less bouncy than the twin bed in the other room.

Halloween Costumes

We had a great Halloween this year and yet again were unable to pick just one costume for each boy.

On Saturday we went to a trunk-or-treat at the church. Zach did a great job walking around to all the cars. Rather than saying trick-or-treat and waiting for candy he'd quietly walk up to the person with a bowl of candy and then help himself to a piece.

After the church party we changed the boys into their pirate costumes and went to a neighborhood pirate party hosted by one of Derrick's co-workers. It was pretty impressive with it's huge pirate ship made of plywood, a mini canon that shot out bottle rockets, and a roasted pig. Sadly it was too dark to get any pictures.

On Sunday night we went over to Jamon and Jean's house to take pictures and celebrate Jean's birthday.

Pirate Caleb with Zach's hat on. Thankfully we got this picture before the poop explosion that went up and out the back onto the white shirt.

Pirate Caleb after the poop-splosion. It was warm enough here that he didn't really need the white shirt.

I love how these two boys interact with each other. We couldn't get Zach to wear his pirate once he remembered he had a monkey costume.

Pictures of the Texas cousins. Getting Zach to lay down on the blanket with the babies was a lost cause.

Halloween outfits from Grandma Bowen.

The furry creature approaches

Monster vs. Bear

The World Has Gone Insane ...

Zach's new favorite movie, and the bane of Jen's existence:

Cute Caleb

I've been meaning to post about Caleb forever but have been putting it off since there's so much to write! Caleb is such a fun addition to our home. I like lists so I'm just going to make a list of things I want to remember about Caleb.

- Caleb is such a happy and smiley little guy. We get the best smiles when changing his diaper, even if it's in the middle of the night and he'd been out cold after eating. Once his diaper is open he's all smiles. Who knew I would ever be laughing while up during the middle of the night changing a diaper? (I'll add that Derrick very kindly is the one who usually does the middle of the night diaper changes. He's wonderful!)

- One of my favorite times of the day with Caleb is when I lay him on the bed or floor next to me and read my scriptures. He hooks his little arm around mine, stares at me, and starts jabbering away. This is incredibly distracting but I love it.

- Caleb has his feet play together. While laying on his back he'll put the soles together then raise his feet up and down. I haven't caught this on camera yet but I absolutely love little baby feet.

- Caleb is incredibly cuddly. When I hold him vertically he'll wrap one arm around mine and use the other hand to hold onto my shirt. He's never the one to stop snuggling first. Too bad I don't have all the time in the world to just sit and hold him.

- As long as he's not hungry, sleepy, or poopy, he's one content little guy. He loves attention but is also content to hang out and bat at his play arch the entire time I'm making dinner. When he wakes up from naps I usually find him making happy noises and just looking around. He's content just hanging out there for quite awhile which is so handy when I need to hurry and get ready or Zach is needing help with something.

- Caleb is growing up so fast. He' becoming a pro at holding up his head and he rolled from front to back for the first time last Friday. I think it was just a fluke since he's shown no inclination of repeating the trick :). At his 2 month appointment he weighed 14 pounds and is already 25 inches long! With head size and weight Caleb's in the 90th percentiles and is off the charts for height.

Caleb is such a fun baby to have in our home. I can't get enough of his great facial expressions or his happy babbling and smiles. At first I was worried how a little person besides Zach could feel like part of our family but now it feels like Caleb has always been a part of it. Zach's finally started showing some interest in Caleb. He loves coming up to Caleb and just holding his hand. I'm so excited for when the two boys can play and wrestle together. We love you Caleb!

Zach holding Caleb's hand

Zach laid down by Caleb and Caleb grabbed at Zach's ear. Thankfully Zach thought it was hilarious.

Ready to join us in the pool for his first time.

Sunscreen

While putting sunscreen on Zach, he likes to return the favor and help us with our sunscreen.

Gotta Love It

Gotta love it when the first time you lock your keys in the car in Houston

- your diaper bag and everything you need is also in the car.

- your 2 month old is starving. Feeding him without a shield while chasing your 2 year old around the park is out of the question.

- the building your husband (who has a spare key) works at has terrible cell phone reception so it takes texting and several phone calls to reach him.

Gotta love it when the first time you lock your keys in the car in Houston

- you just finished playing at the park with your sister-in-law and her daughter.

- your SIL has one of your 2 year old's favorite snacks in her bag and uses it to placate him and keep him from running around the parking lot while you're working out details with your husband.

- your husband is just starting his lunch break so he can come bail you out (and he's willing to do :) ).

- your SIL lives nearby and gives you and your boys a ride to her house so you don't have to wait with 2 hungry boys in the hot park for the half hour you need to wait for your husband to reach you.

- your SIL entertains the 2 year old while you feed the baby and then feeds lunch to you, your husband, and your 2 year old.

- your SIL watches both boys while you and your husband drive back to the park to pick up the car.

Thanks again Jean for saving us and making it so the situation had more good than bad!

The Elusive Lion

Zach's absolute favorite toy right now is his little Fisher Price lion. This lion goes to the park, to bed, to the bath, to the table, basically everywhere Zach goes. About 2 weeks ago the little guy decided to play hide-and-seek with Zach. Zach was pretty distraught about the missing lion and I told him I'd help him find it once I finished feeding Caleb. With a lion that needed finding Zach was anything but patient but the little guy had no choice.

After finishing with Caleb I decided that this would be a good opportunity to teach Zach more about prayer. He's been enthusiastically helping us say prayers from time to time but I wanted him to see prayer in action. I told Zach we were going to say a prayer and ask Heavenly Father to help us find the lion. After the prayer I decided to look under Derrick's side of our bed halfway between the foot and the head. I lifted up the dust ruffle (is that what it's called?) and waiting exactly on the other side was the lion! I'd gone straight to it. I called Zach in and had him look under the bed. His excitement at finding the lion there was priceless! I told him that Heavenly Father answered our prayer and helped us find the lion so we should say another one to thank Him. Zach's smile just got bigger and bigger. I love teaching moments with Zach and that he's getting old enough to respond to them! I'm also so grateful for a Father in Heaven who loves us and cares enough to help a little boy find his missing lion.

Happy to have his lion back

This facial expression cracks me up

A few more pictures for the grandparents. Can you find the lion in each one?

Zach got to help me make taco soup. His contributions were emptying the cans into the crock pot, stirring, and eating every cold bean he could before I made him get down. Gross.

The lion joined our family home evening lesson about Lehi and his family leaving all they had in Jerusalem in order to follow the Lord and needing to live in a tent.

Zach's recipe to get 2 of your favorite lion.

Tuesday morning

Step 1: Bring lion with you when your mom drags you visiting teaching with you.

Step 2: Sneak the lion into the diaper bag or car seat brought by your mom's companion who has to rush out the door before the end of the visit.

Step 3: Casually watch your mom search the lady's house and maybe "help" throw blankets or books on the floor.

Tuesday to Saturday

Step 4: Continually ask and/or cry for your lion even after you've been told several times your lion went to live at someone else's house.

Step 5: Expectantly go several times to the spot under your parent's bed where you found your lion after praying for help and be very disappointed you don't always find it there.

Step 6: Continue to miss your lion so much your parents order you a new one off of eBay.

Sunday

Step 7: Hang out with friends including your mom's visiting teaching companion who casually hands your mom your lion.

Step 8: Enjoy your victory once your second lion arrives in the mail on Tuesday.

Caleb's Grand Entrance

This post is LONG but I wanted to remember the details. I broke it down into parts so it's easier to skip to specific parts if anyone's interested.

Thursday, July 15 - I went to the doctor found out I was dilated to a 2+ and felt a few regular contractions. I also passed the mucous plug. I called my mom and told her she'd probably want to fly out as soon as possible since Zach came within 24 hours of passing the mucous plug last time. She bought a ticket and her flight that got in about 1:00 a.m. Friday morning.

Friday, July 16

Getting things going - Since I had my mom fly out so quickly I wanted to go into labor soon so I wouldn't feel like I jumped the gun on calling her. Zach and I had a dance party which lately requires multiple requests for "Barbara Ann" by the Beach Boys. He loves singing the "ba ba ba" part. I did some cleaning, bouncing on an exercise ball, and we took a trip to Walmart to walk around for awhile. All day my stomach felt weird and ached.

To the Hospital (9:30 p.m.) - It'd felt like my water may have been leaking all day so we decided to head to the hospital and get things checked out after getting Zach to bed. (Side note: It was such a relief to have my mom here to stay with him. My biggest fear going into the delivery experience had been what to do with Zach when we were at the hospital.) I was feeling a lot of pressure and was pretty uncomfortable but wasn't having any regular contractions yet. Derrick's brother Jamon and and sister-in-law Jean were at the hospital already. By coincidence we were put in rooms next door to each other. After getting hooked up to some monitors the nurse checked to see if my water had broken and sadly it hadn't. Apparently the wetness I felt was the continued drainage of passing the mucous plug. I was not happy and was afraid we were going to be sent home. I did not want to wait any longer for this baby to come.

Waiting (10:30 p.m.)- The nurse called the doctor and told me that since I was at a 4 they'd keep me overnight and see how I progressed. I got hooked up to an IV and was left to wait. Derrick and his brother got to go back and forth between the rooms to see how things were going for the other's wife. Through the night contractions were irregular. For a couple of hours they were 1 to 2 minutes apart but then stopped around 4:00 a.m.. I didn't get much sleep that night because I was too worried about being sent home. When I kept myself uncomfortable or got up and walked around, I could sometime get some weak contractions going.

Saturday, July 17

Breaking my water (7:00 a.m.) - The on-call doctor checked me out and though I wasn't contracting anymore, I had dilated up to a 6. Rather than send me home she broke my water for me. That was a strange feeling. She stuck this instrument that looked like a crochet hook and gently scratched at the membrane. When it broke it felt like a big water balloon popped inside me. Breaking my water caused me to immediately dilate from a 6 to an 8 and got contractions started again. They started getting pretty intense so I decided to get an epidural.

Getting the epidural (7:30 a.m.) - This was the worst part of the experience. Derrick had to leave the room for 45 minutes because here in Texas they have a law against letting the husband remain in the room while the epidural is being administered. Apparently one husband had a freak accident where he passed out, hit his head, and died. Talk about a traumatic labor and delivery experience for the soon-to-be mom. Instead of getting to have Derrick with me, some random nurse I'd just barely met started holding my hands which was more weird than comforting. Unlike last time, I had to sit up and hunch over during the process. That was probably the most uncomfortable position to be in when you're having hard contractions. On the first attempt to poke me, the needle pierced a blood vessel or something and my heart rate shot up 40 bpm in just seconds. The anesthesiologist had to undo all the tape she just applied and re-poke me again.

More waiting (8:30 a.m.) - I was about to be put on pitocin to speed things up when the doctor decided that there were too many babies coming at once that morning. In order to keep things from getting too crazy for herself she'd wait to hurry me along. Our sister-in-law was one of these moms and gave birth to a little girl around 9:00 a.m. While we were waiting my contractions slowed down again and stopped. I was so frustrated!

Pitocin (around 12:30 p.m.) - Once put on pitocin the contractions started up fast. They came every couple of minutes and were usually off the chart. Because of the epidural I could feel enough pressure to know I was having a contraction but thankfully no pain. Within half an hour I started feeling so much pressure down below that it felt like Caleb was going to pop out on his own.

Pushing (around 1:00 p.m.) - We called the nurse to let her know that it felt like the baby was coming and after checking me she immediately called in the doctor and setting up the room for delivery. After pushing through one contraction Caleb's head was poking out. We waited for the next contraction and part way through it Caleb popped out (1:17 p.m.). The doctor was surprised by how big he was (he weighed 8 lbs 9 oz). Apparently Caleb's size was what made it so I had such a hard time progressing on my own.

Meeting Caleb (1:18 p.m.) - After using a nasal aspirator to suck out all the gunk in Caleb's nose and mouth, Derrick got to cut the umbilical cord. Caleb was then set straight on me in all his slimey glory. It was amazing to just look at him and know he was mine. Caleb was so tiny, warm, and cuddly and figured out how to eat like a pro. After cleaning me up (I needed 2 or 3 stitches) the doctors and nurses left us to spend time together as a family for an hour before taking Caleb away to the nursery for several hours. My mom brought Zach to the hospital after dinner while Zach showed a little interest in Caleb, he had more fun climbing all over me and trying to push buttons.

Huggies Baby Look-a-like?

Caleb's Baby Blessing

On Sunday two weeks after Caleb was born we were joined by family and friends as Derrick exercised the priesthood and gave Caleb a beautiful baby blessing. Thanks so much to both sets of parents, Jamon, Jean, Annabel, and Tara for coming to support us! After church we took tons of pictures outside and then went to our apartment for brunch. We had mixed berry stuffed french toast and parfaits that tasted amazing!

It's hard to find a blessing outfit that fits a 2 week old :).

Annabel and Caleb - the twin cousins. Annabel was blessed back at our apartment.

The easiest way to get Zach to be in a picture with us is to keep his feet off the ground.

With so many babies around Zach is looking way too grown up. It doesn't help that his height makes him the size of an average 4 year old (according to the pediatrician).

Random Thoughts on the Past Few Weeks

Wow, it's been forever since I've posted on here. I keep thinking of posts to do but then remember all the more pressing things I need to get to. It's definitely an adjustment moving from being the mom of one cute little boy to being the mom of two cute little boys. Zach and Caleb keep me busy and seem to have this agreement not to sleep at the same time.

After the first 6 weeks things seem to be getting a little easier. I can usually handle both boys on my own (until they're both hungry and sleepy at the same time) and I've started being brave enough to take both boys places without Derrick there to help me. I love being able to get out of the house again during the day.

Zach's had some rough moments adjusting to sharing me but has adjusted so well for the most part. He usually ignores Caleb unless Caleb's onesie has an animal on it or he decides to poke and identify Caleb's different facial features. I did catch him stepping on Caleb and laughing one time but thankfully that was a one time occurrence and Caleb was too busy sleeping to care.

It seems like time is passing even faster with two kids than with one. Though I'm completely exhausted most of the time I'm loving being a mom and love having Caleb as a part of our family. Derrick's been an amazing help and is an amazing dad.

For those of you who don't check Facebook, here are a few pictures from July.