Land Update and Driveway

I know it is hard to distinguish grand scheme from nothingness right now, but bare with us.  You will start to see it, too!

The pad for the foundation and driveway are done!

I'm standing in the front right corner of the property (facing house.)  The backyard ends on the visible horizon....

From back corner looking at street .....

Driveway and hubby in jacket...

The path home.....

-Carmen

Moving Earth

Today is a good day to move some dirt!

The boys and I are visiting Mimi and PawPaw so hubby emailed pictures of the earth-shattering groundbreaking. 

The ground has barely dried out *note the moat in our front yard, but every little bit of progress gets us one day closer to being HOME!

-Carmen

Holden and Santa 09

We had a brief brush with the big guy this evening, and I wanted to get this posted so I can quit thinking about it and place "worry" someplace else for a while ...

Is it me or does Santa seem down?  Holden even looks bummed.

Santa was super jolly last year when we visited him.

Granted we were just one of a bazillion families making good on Santa's invitation, today ... at the end of the day, but WOW.  Someone, get this poor guy some cocoa.

____________________

I am incredibly sleep deprived ...

It doesn't matter what time of day it is, someone either needs to be fed, diapered, held, burped or bathed (even hubby needs some of these things.)  It is becoming increasingly difficult to function on sporadic sleep that seldom exceeds 3 hour stints.  I'm going back to work in a couple of weeks so cross your fingers that the young'ins become a little more self-sufficient VERY soon (I'll take one miracle with a side of fat chance, please.)

All is peaceful in our apartment for the moment and I hear rhythmic snoring from the living room.  I think I'll take advantage of the peace and try on a little snoozing of my own before someone notices and requires attention.

-Carmen

Soul Windows

I love Cooper's eyes.  They are different and I find myself lost and swimming in them when he allows it.  I think they look a lot like his dad's eyes.

Check out the label on Sam's onesie.  Poster child for snuggles?  I have to add that I saw Sam today and he was absolutely sweet and content .... and he is gorgeous.

-Carmen

Happy 23 Months Holden!

My favorite thing about life with Holden this month is that he is starting to form a unique creative side.

For quite a while he didn't "get" coloring.  He would delicately drag the crayons across the page as though concerned for their safety.

But this month..........

I think he gets it!  Now "cuh-ruh-ring" is a daily request.  A request met by sincere and overly dramatic pouting when denied.

Maybe he has some of his mommy's artsy side???  I'm crossing my fingers.

-Carmen

Tree Trimming 09

We aren't decorating a tree of our own until we move into the new house (hopefully mid-year,) so Nana and Rowdy graciously allowed us to help decorate their tree yesterday.  Holden thoroughly enjoyed pulling ornaments out of the boxes and tossing them over his shoulder while Cooper snoozed on the couch.

-Carmen

A Prairie View

Big news in our household!  We closed on the land!!!!!!

It's finally official that our Forever House is uh-happenin.

Now we wait for the squishy earth to dry out a bit so that excavation can commence.

This morning, my Love and I decided to visit our little patch of rolling prairie.  I am standing on the "front porch."  Isn't it beautiful?

-Carmen

Sugar Babies

We had pictures done when Holden was born with Sugar Photography and felt strongly Cooper deserved the same breathtaking images.

I have to say the build up to our Sugar shoot was stressing me out.  With all of our belongings in storage, we dug through boxes looking for just the right swaddle blankets, and still not satisfied with what we were wearing, hit the stores one more time the night before our session trying to strike a good balance between casual ... and not .. and definitely not matchy-matchy.

I wore a BLACK top to conceal my postpartum belly, but Jen put me in a different top when we got there.  I'm so glad she did.  The color is purrrrrfect!

As mentioned our dearest Jen captured incredible family photos with our new addition and we got a peek on her blog.

The slideshow of all the images is done.  Click on picture of Cooper and *yours truly* to see my sweeties and me ... the knit cap and diaper cover Little Buddha is sporting are my creations.

-Carmen

A Little Warm and Fuzzy

My one year anniversary at work was in October. The year sure went by quickly.

Today, I was deeply honored to accept the Newcomer of the Year award at the annual Employee Banquet for the entire organization.

It feels incredible when peers you deeply respect let you know they are proud to have you on their team. And this is a team I'm thrilled to be a part of.

-Carmen

Big Boy Bed ~ Follow Up

I am happy to report that Holden did NOT get up again last night. Jordan found him still snoozing away this morning in his big boy bed like a professional.

Good job Little Man!

-Carmen

Big Boy Bed ~ Godspeed

We converted Holden's crib into a toddler bed this evening.

So far so good. We let Holden play on it for several hours this evening. Every time we left the room, he would drag us back in by the hand to show us his "new" bed and pat the mattress for us to sit next to him. Ecstatic doesn't begin to describe his reaction.

At "nite nite," we had a serious discussion about his responsibilities as a big boy in a big boy bed.

About 45 minutes after I tucked him in and turned out the lights, he toddled into the living room ... with Blue Bear 1 (he recently received Blue Bear Too as back up from MiMi) under his arm and Cheshire Cat grin on his face.

I gently escorted him back to his room, tucked him in and went over the rules again.

It's been another hour. He hasn't emerged again.

I'm sure I will see him about the time I start dreaming about flying.

Wish us luck!

-Carmen

Happy 1 Month Cooper!

Happy first month with us, sweet Cooper!

This itty-bitty guy is starting to fill out and chub-up a little. He is also starting to sleep for a stretch of a few ... not just a couple ... of hours at night.

Cooper is holding up his head sometimes. He clearly recognizes and welcomes a bottle and burp cloth with a loud smack of his lips and bugged out eyes.

We have affectionately dubbed Cooper, "Nugget," "Little Bit," "Coop," "Coopster," "Little Bubba," and "Little Buddha."

Cooper is a super cuddly baby and will sleep for hours if you oblige him with the use of your chest.

Sam is now also 1 month old. The boys can often be found telling secrets and swapping war stories ...

-Carmen

Thanksgiving 09 ~ 3

Our third Thanksgiving celebration was today. This party was hosted by my cousin and her hubby in their gorgeous first house. Everything was yummy and cousin H's decorations are lovely.

My family likes to play games (of the board or video variety) so after dinner our Cruise Director (Cousin H) busted out Catch Phrase and Cranium. We had a blast!

Here is Little Bit sporting his Thanksgiving onesie....

Holden discovered this week that almost all of his pants have pockets. He frequently checks to make sure his hands fit in them.
Sawyer and Holden couldn't get enough of the huge mirror and played in front of it for hours! Even in a heated struggle for "MY BALL" they couldn't take their eyes off of themselves.
This is MiMi with the two newbies.... my sister's new baby Sam, who is 2 days older than Cooper (shown with the Coopster.)
I tried to get some cute "twin-like" picture of the two of them, but one was asleep while the other was awake all day (Cooper was just blinking in the picture above.) Baby Sam is noticeably larger than Cooper ... or Cooper is just incredibly tiny ... I think Coop is super tiny.

Sis and I are going to try to hook up this week to try and snap some pictures of them together.
I hope everyone had a blessed holiday!

-Carmen

My Guys

I caught two of my guys with J's iphone snuggling on the couch.

Cooper is a cuddly baby! He loves loves loves to be held. Nearly every time he is fussy, simply picking him up and laying him on your chest with fix whatever is bothering him.

Holden was just the opposite. If you were holding him he wanted to analyze your face or play.

-Carmen

Big Brother Blues

I have hesitated posting anything about Holden's reaction to Cooper's general presence ... holding out for resolution, I guess.

It's not horrible ... Holden could be acting out much much worse than he is, but it's not good either.

When we are holding Cooper, Holden ignores us, pouts and occasionally will throw a toy. He's by no means overboard, but clearly frustrated.

Encouraging Holden to sit near Cooper is met with a resounding, "NO, NO, NOOOO!"

Holden plays in his room by himself a lot more than he had been, and mumbles randomly with the word "baby" thrown in with sour undertones.

My mom asked Holden if he loves his little brother. "No," he replied. She told Holden that Cooper is sweet and asked Holden again if he loves his little brother, and again Holden said, "no." Holden followed the denial with, "Sawyer" (his cousin) so mom asked Holden, "do you love Sawyer?" "Yes," he said.

With a little sister of my own, I've been there. I didn't acknowledge mom for an entire month after my sister was born.

Per my friend MC's excellent advice (mother of 2) we have been making a point of spending as much uninterrupted time with Holden as possible. This definitely helps a lot.

It's not all bad. Occasionally Holden will let his guard down. Sometimes at night when he is handing out *goodnights and kisses* Holden will tap Cooper on the knee and run off.

So there is hope.

I have to admit, it was a weird feeling to see Holden for the first time with Cooper present. A very small part of me felt I had committed some form of betrayal. But the rest me, was in awe how my heart was immediately expanded ... not divided.

I am impressed how Jordan and I are adapting to being pulled in multiple directions at a time while juggling the needs of two completely different individuals, and how issues I once couldn't wrap my brain around like how to take two children into a grocery store aren't such a big deal. We are figuring it all out.

I'm sure Holden will fall in love with his little brother soon. It's just a matter of time.

-Carmen

Thanksgiving 09 ~ 2

I am so full of love....

and turkey...

but mostly love ...

and pumpkin pie.

-Carmen

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are celebrating three family Thanksgivings this year. The first was on Monday with Jordan's family.

Aunt T was so sweet to pull out some toys for Holden to play with. I was so happy to see Holden very social and silly.

I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but Holden is sporting a kicky new 'do. It is super short and spiky. He looks so old. He could pass for a 2 1/2 year old!

Holden has this little act of pretending to be "stuck" by which he places himself in a predicament that he couldn't possibly be stuck in, scrunches up his face, grunts and groans, proclaiming, "s-TUCK! s-TUCK!" He obliged the crowed with a demonstration, when he pretended he was unable to step up from the sunken den into the kitchen ... the same threshold he had been catapulting over all night while running laps through the house.

Cooper made his snuggle rounds and slept in between....

Happy Thanksgiving!

-Carmen

Happy 22 Months!

Well I've given up on Holden's monthly posed pictures. It has become torture for both of us. The last thing he wants to do is sit still. I'll still add to the Watch me Grow slides, but it won't be every month.

I still have Cooper to pose for photos. He doesn't move much.

My favorite thing about life with Holden this month is how varied his facial expressions have become. He has a face for EVERYTHING from his wrinkled up snorting face to express displeasure that mommy is holding Cooper to exaggerated wide-eyed amazement over a toy in the bottom of his toy box he hasn't seen before....



Holden is fascinated with his bobble head Einstein.

-Carmen

The Birth Story

Friday, October 30 ... I had contractions on and off all day.

I took a long lunch that day with the intention of napping for an hour or so ... I was scheduled to work at the TOT event and needed to rest. However, for the first time during the pregnancy I felt an overpowering urge to "nest."

I told Jordan, "this baby is coming ... soon ... we aren't ready!" So we spent a couple of hours trying to organize the "overflow room" in our temporary apartment digs.

My very understanding boss could tell when I returned to work later that afternoon that I wasn't feeling so great and let me off the hook for the night. We still planned to take Holden to the event and I planned to walk until Cooper was ready to be born. I felt miserable.

By 6pm the contractions were more intense, but not too regular so we proceeded to the park for some chicken pictures of Holden and then met up with Jordan's folks before TOT.

Feeling pretty confident that Cooper was on his way, I wanted a big dinner in case I went into labor and couldn't eat again for many many hours (I was starving by the time I had Holden!). Pot roast, carrots, potatoes and rolls. So yummy!

Then we walked and walked and walked at the downtown event.

Now feeling even more confident that Cooper would be here soon, I asked Jordan's parents to keep their phones nearby until his arrival.

--------------------

10:00 pm, really MEAN contractions start.

10:30 pm, water breaks ... I think ... or did it? Not sure. Try to get a little more sleep.

11:30 pm, yep, water broke ... I think ... Wake up Jordan. Decide to pack bags and see how I feel. Call all the grandparents. Mimi had just settled in bed after leaving my sister (who had just had her baby.) Told her not to unpack. Call Mrs. B who had offered to take Holden if we go into labor "even in the middle of the night," BLESS you, Mrs. B!

October 31, Happy Halloween!

12:00 am-ish, arrive at hospital. Front entrance is not accessible during the night. Fantastic. Must go around to the Emergency Room entrance. Super fantastic. Decide to walk around instead of drive. Super duper fantastic!

1:00 am, admitted to room in labor and delivery. Nurse confirms that Cooper is on his way! Call all the grandparents. Mimi, sorry you didn't get any sleep.

1:30 am, all the boring (yeah right) and uneventful (puh-shaw!) labor stuff really starts.

Fast forward...............

9:20 am, my sweet little angel is in my arms while the doctor, nurses and Jordan swirl around me. I hear nothing but Cooper's acknowledging coos and soak up the shape of his nose, his little pointy feet and the curve of his arm. He is beautiful and tiny and so scrunchy.

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I love you precious, Cooper. Welcome to the family. You are loved so very much, and have changed our lives in ways I can't even begin to understand yet.

-Mommy

Holden's Halloween 09

Friday, October 30 we took Holden to a Trick or Treat event downtown.

I had planned to dress him as Bam Bam Rubble, but the weather cooled earlier this year so we opted for something a bit warmer. He will someday hate me for this costume, but how could I resist?

We practiced saying "trick or treat" all week. Holden reluctantly mimicked my words during rehearsal.

At the event however, when his words were rewarded with actual TREATS, he lit up like a firecracker and went up to anyone and everyone he could, delightfully squealing "TWICK uh TWEEEE!!!!"

-Carmen

With Sugar on Top

We had a much anticipated newborn photo session with our fave photographer, today. Check out the blog post from Jen...... click on link below...

Holden + Cooper

-Carmen

Chicken Little

I was going through Holden's Halloween pictures and couldn't wait to post this one. Daddy was pushing him in the swing. This was a LUCKY shot. More to follow....

-Carmen

Cooper

Here is another peek at Cooper. The first picture I posted was from my phone. We do have other pictures, I just haven't had time to get anything posted yet.

More photos and updates to come.... including Holden's reaction to his brother.  

We are on our way to Coop's first appointment with his pediatrician.



-Carmen

Meet Cooper

Welcome, Cooper.  We are so glad you are here.