I hate that when things get crazy – my blog/journal is one of the things that suffers. I enjoy so much reading past entries; reliving fun memories; reading about situations/feelings I have worked through. For the first 1.5 years of Gates’ life, I documented his changes on a sheet titled ‘the things I love the most about you’. I cry almost every time I go back and read that. And looking at him now, I am so amazed he was ever that tiny, helpless, quiet, shy, etc. he is such a big boy now. So independent. He has his own little thoughts. The other night, as I was tucking him to bed, he told me he was scared. And it dawned on me then that he is no longer that totally innocent little being. He has fears. His fears are likely very silly or outrageous. Scared of monsters; scared of crocodiles (he has told me this before and I can’t assure him enough that there will be no crocs in our house). But the bottom line is – he feels fear. And that touches me in my heart.
When I say goodnight to him – I always hug him so tightly and I am sure to tell him how much I love him and how proud we are of him. I have said many times (probably in this blog) that one (of many things) that my mother did right was to tell me sister and I (often) how proud she was of us. She never made me feel like she expected more. Maybe she should have at times (school grades, etc) but for the most part – she made it very clear that if I was giving it my all, then that was all she could ask of me. I want Gates to feel our pride every day. As a parent, what am I if I am not proud/supportive of my children?
Speaking of – people have told me several times lately that my mother would be so proud of me. And I know there is so much truth to that statement but every time I am told that, I get a tear in my eye. I know my mother was proud of me. But she would really be proud of both my sister and I now. When I think of the person I was when she died (4.5 short years ago) and the person I am now – there is little comparison. I feel like a woman now. I feel grown up. A part of that I can attribute to the fact that I have a family now. My mom and I were so close and I was very needy with her. When she passed, I was broken.
Now let me talk about Gray for a second. That child. Oh my gosh. He could not be any cuter. I think Cameron would agree with me (and maybe be embarrassed that I am announcing this) that we had fears about having another baby because how on earth were we going to love him as much as we love Gates. Well, God quickly erased that fear. Gray is the funniest, sweetest, most charming baby I have ever been around. He has this smile that can light up the world. He smiles with his ENTIRE face. Every one says he looks like me and I LOVE that. I see it, too. He is feisty….so feisty. And boy can he eat. He is going to be beating up on his brother in no time. And Gates is so tender, maybe that’s not such a bad thing. Maybe he can toughen him up a little. I can’t wait for the day (next year or 25 years from now) that Gates realizes that the best gift we ever gave him is his brother…. It’s inevitable – Cam &I will get old and die one day. And when that happens – G&G will have each other. And that will get them through it. I know this from experience.
This was all over the place. But I will blog next week about the holidays and some goals I have for our family in 2013.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Monday, July 16, 2012
A picture says a thousand words.
I really don’t know what it is…perhaps it’s just this time of year for me – but I find myself appreciating things more than I normally do.
I am SOAKING up every second I can with my sweet boys. I really can’t believe Gray is already so big and capable. And Gates, I am amazed at how smart he is and how independent he wants to be. I looked at him the other day and really had to rub my eyes and look again. It was as if he turned into a grown boy right before my eyes. It’s totally amazing. The things I love about him now are more rational….if that makes any sense at all. I love the way he thinks, talks, laughs, tries, wants, needs, etc. He is all boy. I love his fascination with trucks, cars, tools, and daddy. He is so much fun!
And with Gray, the things I love are so silly. He is so aware. Totally aware of who is around him, watching him, etc. He wants to be involved at all times. And if we look away, he screams. I am not kidding, y’all. He screams this ear-piercing scream. And sometimes, if it was appropriate, I would want to do the same when no one is paying attention to me. Ha! And he is always smiling. Even through his screams, there is this sweet smile that says “I know I’m cute, you have to love me.” He is a doll.
Cam and I are really trying to enforce the fact that Gates should play with Gray, because, right now, Gates doesn’t really want much to do with Gray. It makes me a bit sad but I keep telling myself, this is just a phase. I know there will be lots of fights, arguments, yelling, etc. But at the end of the day, I want them to be each other’s best friend. Like I have said before….there is no one on this earth like my sister. I have a handful of REALLY best friends….but my sister, well; she is the coolest of them all.
Speaking of…last weekend we went to the ranch for just a night. It is so hot that it makes the ranch not nearly as fun as it is in the cooler months. But Gates gets so excited to go, that we try to go every couple of months. The kid can’t handle how excited he gets … he LOVES it there. And to me, I just think about the memories we are making for him. I love it. So anyway – Aunt Trishy came for the night, too. It was so much fun to have her there. She got to play with Gates outside, they went on a hike, we went driving around, and did lots of ranch things. And she helped so much with Gray. That baby just loves her and is naturally drawn to her. And then, after the kids went down, she got to just relax with us. It was sweet – Trish told me that Cam told her “I really like when you are around because Katy is always so happy!” I love that he recognizes that and I really love that he told her that. It was a fun night!
This past weekend we didn’t do much, but we did have one really fun dinner. Saturday night we went to dinner with Cam’s parents and sis and brother in law. It was so casual and laid back but still so much fun! Frances is such a fun grandmother. The way she interacts with Gates is so perfect, sweet, and special. And Gray sat by Cam’s dad and pulled on his sleeve the entire dinner; just wanting granddad to look at him. It was hilarious. We all had a really nice time.
Sunday, my dad dropped by to say hello and to drop off some pictures from my childhood. When he moved from my childhood house (the only house I ever lived in) he packed everything without help from my sis & me. What a task – to pack a lifetime of memories of a family of 4, all by yourself. But, truth be told, my heart wouldn’t have been able to handle it. The pictures he dropped off brought such a smile to my face (and perhaps a tear to my eye). I had so many thoughts while looking through just a handful of them. Here are some thoughts I had:
1. We had so much fun, as kids.
2. We spent A LOT of time at the beach
3. We spent a lot of time with Doug & Joanie (my parents good friends)
4. Man, I have known Coco & Bree a LONG time
5. My mom was absolutely beautiful
6. My sister has always had such pretty hair – and she has always been so pretty. Even as a newborn….
7. I, on the other hand, was a funny looking baby. Ha ha
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That’s all for now….Happy Monday…
I am SOAKING up every second I can with my sweet boys. I really can’t believe Gray is already so big and capable. And Gates, I am amazed at how smart he is and how independent he wants to be. I looked at him the other day and really had to rub my eyes and look again. It was as if he turned into a grown boy right before my eyes. It’s totally amazing. The things I love about him now are more rational….if that makes any sense at all. I love the way he thinks, talks, laughs, tries, wants, needs, etc. He is all boy. I love his fascination with trucks, cars, tools, and daddy. He is so much fun!
And with Gray, the things I love are so silly. He is so aware. Totally aware of who is around him, watching him, etc. He wants to be involved at all times. And if we look away, he screams. I am not kidding, y’all. He screams this ear-piercing scream. And sometimes, if it was appropriate, I would want to do the same when no one is paying attention to me. Ha! And he is always smiling. Even through his screams, there is this sweet smile that says “I know I’m cute, you have to love me.” He is a doll.
Cam and I are really trying to enforce the fact that Gates should play with Gray, because, right now, Gates doesn’t really want much to do with Gray. It makes me a bit sad but I keep telling myself, this is just a phase. I know there will be lots of fights, arguments, yelling, etc. But at the end of the day, I want them to be each other’s best friend. Like I have said before….there is no one on this earth like my sister. I have a handful of REALLY best friends….but my sister, well; she is the coolest of them all.
Speaking of…last weekend we went to the ranch for just a night. It is so hot that it makes the ranch not nearly as fun as it is in the cooler months. But Gates gets so excited to go, that we try to go every couple of months. The kid can’t handle how excited he gets … he LOVES it there. And to me, I just think about the memories we are making for him. I love it. So anyway – Aunt Trishy came for the night, too. It was so much fun to have her there. She got to play with Gates outside, they went on a hike, we went driving around, and did lots of ranch things. And she helped so much with Gray. That baby just loves her and is naturally drawn to her. And then, after the kids went down, she got to just relax with us. It was sweet – Trish told me that Cam told her “I really like when you are around because Katy is always so happy!” I love that he recognizes that and I really love that he told her that. It was a fun night!
This past weekend we didn’t do much, but we did have one really fun dinner. Saturday night we went to dinner with Cam’s parents and sis and brother in law. It was so casual and laid back but still so much fun! Frances is such a fun grandmother. The way she interacts with Gates is so perfect, sweet, and special. And Gray sat by Cam’s dad and pulled on his sleeve the entire dinner; just wanting granddad to look at him. It was hilarious. We all had a really nice time.
Sunday, my dad dropped by to say hello and to drop off some pictures from my childhood. When he moved from my childhood house (the only house I ever lived in) he packed everything without help from my sis & me. What a task – to pack a lifetime of memories of a family of 4, all by yourself. But, truth be told, my heart wouldn’t have been able to handle it. The pictures he dropped off brought such a smile to my face (and perhaps a tear to my eye). I had so many thoughts while looking through just a handful of them. Here are some thoughts I had:
1. We had so much fun, as kids.
2. We spent A LOT of time at the beach
3. We spent a lot of time with Doug & Joanie (my parents good friends)
4. Man, I have known Coco & Bree a LONG time
5. My mom was absolutely beautiful
6. My sister has always had such pretty hair – and she has always been so pretty. Even as a newborn….
7. I, on the other hand, was a funny looking baby. Ha ha
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Happy 4th!
He is wearing a 4th of July headband/hat thing that he made in school.
Why is he SO adorable? I can't handle it.
Monday, July 2, 2012
We had a really nice (rainy) weekend. I made it out Friday night to spend some time with some special friends. I won’t go into great detail but I met one of the girls (Christi) years ago through a mutual friend and we just hit it off. We have kept in touch through the years and through our life changes, etc. I got the news over Christmas of last year that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. It sat very heavy on my heart. She is a mom to two, a step-mom to one, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a best friend, etc. So -she went through SIX rounds of chemo and a double mastectomy and is now cancer free. What an amazing woman. So, I got to see her for a bit Friday night and then spend time with some other friends. It was good.
Saturday I had a bridal shower to attend for a friend I just don’t see (or talk to) near enough. I also go to catch up with some other friends at the shower – that was a real treat. The rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful. We were supposed to have dinner at a friend’s house on Saturday but that got foiled due to the rain. BOOOOO. But the rain was certainly welcomed!
Gray is OFFICIALLY ON THE MOVE! He started crawling on Saturday morning and hasn’t stopped since. Yall, he will be 8 months old tomorrow. Gates didn’t start crawling until he was 1.5 years old. Just kidding – but really, he was so laid back, he didn’t care about getting anywhere. Gray HAS to be the center of attention at all times….does it sound like anyone else we know? ;)
And Gates is almost officially potty trained. How these two things have happened right before our eyes with so little effort from us is amazing! I am so scared to blink – they will be off in school or getting married. SLOW DOWN!
Today is my momma’s birthday. Oh how I wish she were here. There is NO doubt in my mind that her only birthday wish would be to spend time with her family. That’s just the way she was – very simple. Didn’t want much. And she would be OVER the moon about my two little boys….simply over the moon. So happy birthday, Momma. I love you so much – I have to believe you knew / know that. You have been the biggest influence in my life. If only you were here for me to tell you that.
Happy Monday!
Saturday I had a bridal shower to attend for a friend I just don’t see (or talk to) near enough. I also go to catch up with some other friends at the shower – that was a real treat. The rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful. We were supposed to have dinner at a friend’s house on Saturday but that got foiled due to the rain. BOOOOO. But the rain was certainly welcomed!
Gray is OFFICIALLY ON THE MOVE! He started crawling on Saturday morning and hasn’t stopped since. Yall, he will be 8 months old tomorrow. Gates didn’t start crawling until he was 1.5 years old. Just kidding – but really, he was so laid back, he didn’t care about getting anywhere. Gray HAS to be the center of attention at all times….does it sound like anyone else we know? ;)
And Gates is almost officially potty trained. How these two things have happened right before our eyes with so little effort from us is amazing! I am so scared to blink – they will be off in school or getting married. SLOW DOWN!
Today is my momma’s birthday. Oh how I wish she were here. There is NO doubt in my mind that her only birthday wish would be to spend time with her family. That’s just the way she was – very simple. Didn’t want much. And she would be OVER the moon about my two little boys….simply over the moon. So happy birthday, Momma. I love you so much – I have to believe you knew / know that. You have been the biggest influence in my life. If only you were here for me to tell you that.
Happy Monday!
Thursday, June 28, 2012
a little of this & that
I really can not believe more people are not concerned about this extreme heat. I mean – if every summer gets hotter and hotter – what are we going to do? Texas will become uninhabitable. It is crazy. And it isn’t even the hottest time of the summer yet! I can’t handle it. Every summer I become very dramatic (can you tell) about this. And how I don’t think my ac works as good as it should. And how I think they should stop making (maybe they have) SUVs without ac vents in the roof – that’s just stupid for families with rear facing car seats. I hate to put Gray in the car if it hasn’t had time to cool down for fear that he doesn’t feel any of the air blowing back there. Ugh….drives me nuts.
Anyway – last weekend was tons of fun. Friday night we didn’t do much of anything (I can’t even remember) and Saturday I woke up and hit the road with Natalie to Galveston. Get us together and we are hi-larious. We were headed there for Colleen’s mom’s birthday – but neither one of us knew exactly where we were going. How have we made it this far? Ha! But the drive was so enjoyable. We have been friends forever (literally – we have been the best of friends since 1989. Is that scary or what?) and our lives have taken such similar paths. We have kids the same age and can relate so much to what the other one is going through. So it is so rare that we have the time away from all the chaos to just chat. And we like to do that….chat. We finally made it to Galveston and had such a special time celebrating a very special woman in our lives – Glenda! It was so much fun. Sunday we woke up and headed home and had plenty of time to spend with our families before the week started again. To my surprise, when I got home the entire house was clean and the kids were fed and happy! It was such a nice break.
I started reading Fifty Shades of Grey. That’s all I will say about that - ill keep you posted as I make my way through it.
And Gates started swim lessons on Tuesday! I was so nervous about this. I hated swim lessons when I was growing up. I remember vividly throwing a big fit about having to go and my parents making me (now I understand the importance, of course). And I remember my mom buying me a cabbage patch doll when I had finally completed the course. Oh man, I was more excited to be done with the lessons than I was about the Cabbage Patch. Cam’s mom is great- she offered to handle all the swim lesson logistics so she takes Gates on Tuesdays and Thursday for the lesson at 1030 and then he spends the rest of the afternoon with her. Doesn’t get much sweeter, right? She said he did great on Tuesday – after some apprehension. I was happy to hear he warmed up to the teacher and didn’t throw a fuss about going back this morning. My big boy is growing up so fast.
Gray is great! Getting so big. He is sitting up on his own and eating everything we put in front of him. I know he is just weeks away from crawling. Still no teeth but it will happen soon. He has always been a big drooler so it is hard to tell…
Ill wrap this up for now. Cam is somewhere in the Gulf now – fishing with a childhood friend. He is staying the night on the boat – just floating out there. Creepy, right? But I guess people do it.
This weekend I am heading out on the town with some friends on Friday night – leaving Cam at home with the kiddos. And Saturday we are heading to one of my best friend’s house for an early dinner and family fun! Should be a nice weekend.
Sunday will be spent remembering my Nana – who passed away a year ago. And Monday I will be celebrating my sweet momma’s birthday…oh how I still miss her so much. Sometimes I wonder if it hurts more now than it did back then. The numbness wears off and it becomes so real.
Anyway – last weekend was tons of fun. Friday night we didn’t do much of anything (I can’t even remember) and Saturday I woke up and hit the road with Natalie to Galveston. Get us together and we are hi-larious. We were headed there for Colleen’s mom’s birthday – but neither one of us knew exactly where we were going. How have we made it this far? Ha! But the drive was so enjoyable. We have been friends forever (literally – we have been the best of friends since 1989. Is that scary or what?) and our lives have taken such similar paths. We have kids the same age and can relate so much to what the other one is going through. So it is so rare that we have the time away from all the chaos to just chat. And we like to do that….chat. We finally made it to Galveston and had such a special time celebrating a very special woman in our lives – Glenda! It was so much fun. Sunday we woke up and headed home and had plenty of time to spend with our families before the week started again. To my surprise, when I got home the entire house was clean and the kids were fed and happy! It was such a nice break.
I started reading Fifty Shades of Grey. That’s all I will say about that - ill keep you posted as I make my way through it.
And Gates started swim lessons on Tuesday! I was so nervous about this. I hated swim lessons when I was growing up. I remember vividly throwing a big fit about having to go and my parents making me (now I understand the importance, of course). And I remember my mom buying me a cabbage patch doll when I had finally completed the course. Oh man, I was more excited to be done with the lessons than I was about the Cabbage Patch. Cam’s mom is great- she offered to handle all the swim lesson logistics so she takes Gates on Tuesdays and Thursday for the lesson at 1030 and then he spends the rest of the afternoon with her. Doesn’t get much sweeter, right? She said he did great on Tuesday – after some apprehension. I was happy to hear he warmed up to the teacher and didn’t throw a fuss about going back this morning. My big boy is growing up so fast.
Gray is great! Getting so big. He is sitting up on his own and eating everything we put in front of him. I know he is just weeks away from crawling. Still no teeth but it will happen soon. He has always been a big drooler so it is hard to tell…
Ill wrap this up for now. Cam is somewhere in the Gulf now – fishing with a childhood friend. He is staying the night on the boat – just floating out there. Creepy, right? But I guess people do it.
This weekend I am heading out on the town with some friends on Friday night – leaving Cam at home with the kiddos. And Saturday we are heading to one of my best friend’s house for an early dinner and family fun! Should be a nice weekend.
Sunday will be spent remembering my Nana – who passed away a year ago. And Monday I will be celebrating my sweet momma’s birthday…oh how I still miss her so much. Sometimes I wonder if it hurts more now than it did back then. The numbness wears off and it becomes so real.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Back at it and I can’t believe it. It has been so long since I have been active and consistent on this blog that I have completely forgotten how to do this. But, after taking a minute to read back through past blog entries, I am reminded why I wanted to do this in the first place. I am quiet confident that I do not have even one reader left, which is fine with me….all the same, I am doing this for my own journaling and ‘entertainment’.
The start of 2012 was neither rocky nor smooth….rather uneventful, really – and hot! Like I said in my last post, I simply feel like we never had a winter. Gray has continued to be a happy, smiley baby. When we lock eyes and he smiles at me – I have a hard time remembering how difficult things were. I think that’s part of being a mom, right? We have short term memory loss when it comes to things like that. I will say that overall, he is a more high maintenance baby than Gates ever was. I don’t remember Gates doing much of anything….ever. I think he was a very laid back baby and also a bit slow…. This may or may not have anything to do with the fact that he was born almost a month early.
Speaking of Gates – we just celebrated his THIRD birthday! Where does the time go? I have been a weepy weepy mommy over this and I can’t seem to figure out why. I guess I am just realizing that time really does FLY. And I already have a list of things I wish I had done. I don’t want to be that mom that focuses on everything I didn’t do – but its hard not to when we are living in the days of social media (Pinterest, Facebook, etc). I never did send the perfect birth announcement and I never did make the perfect 1st year photo album, etc. But what I have done is cherish almost every single minute with my sweet babies. I don’t think a day has gone by that Cameron and I don’t say to each other at least once “gosh, we have some sweet boys, don’t we?”
And I think Cam has really bonded with Gray….even though he is still so young. It is sweet to watch them interact and how excited Cam is to see Gray and vice versa.
I have gone back to the working world! That has been a big adjustment, as well. I did miss working, so much – but I should have really appreciated my time home even more than I did. I miss my slow moving afternoons with Gray – and picking Gates up early from school and heading to get frozen yogurt. Now, it’s a mad rush out the door in the morning and a mad rush to stay on ‘schedule’ at night to make sure everything gets done. I live for the weekends when I can drink my morning coffee and Gates can stay in his PJs for as long as he wants to.
That’s about it for now. This was a catch up post and I will start blogging weekly again....about the day-to-day excitement around the Franz household.
This weekend – me and Nat hit the road for Galveston! It is Colleen’s mom’s 60th birthday bash and Nat and I have a room with our names on it! So we get to the leave the kids and hubbies behind while we beach bum it up for a night and probably enjoy an adult beverage or two (or 10). Can’t wait!
The start of 2012 was neither rocky nor smooth….rather uneventful, really – and hot! Like I said in my last post, I simply feel like we never had a winter. Gray has continued to be a happy, smiley baby. When we lock eyes and he smiles at me – I have a hard time remembering how difficult things were. I think that’s part of being a mom, right? We have short term memory loss when it comes to things like that. I will say that overall, he is a more high maintenance baby than Gates ever was. I don’t remember Gates doing much of anything….ever. I think he was a very laid back baby and also a bit slow…. This may or may not have anything to do with the fact that he was born almost a month early.
Speaking of Gates – we just celebrated his THIRD birthday! Where does the time go? I have been a weepy weepy mommy over this and I can’t seem to figure out why. I guess I am just realizing that time really does FLY. And I already have a list of things I wish I had done. I don’t want to be that mom that focuses on everything I didn’t do – but its hard not to when we are living in the days of social media (Pinterest, Facebook, etc). I never did send the perfect birth announcement and I never did make the perfect 1st year photo album, etc. But what I have done is cherish almost every single minute with my sweet babies. I don’t think a day has gone by that Cameron and I don’t say to each other at least once “gosh, we have some sweet boys, don’t we?”
And I think Cam has really bonded with Gray….even though he is still so young. It is sweet to watch them interact and how excited Cam is to see Gray and vice versa.
I have gone back to the working world! That has been a big adjustment, as well. I did miss working, so much – but I should have really appreciated my time home even more than I did. I miss my slow moving afternoons with Gray – and picking Gates up early from school and heading to get frozen yogurt. Now, it’s a mad rush out the door in the morning and a mad rush to stay on ‘schedule’ at night to make sure everything gets done. I live for the weekends when I can drink my morning coffee and Gates can stay in his PJs for as long as he wants to.
That’s about it for now. This was a catch up post and I will start blogging weekly again....about the day-to-day excitement around the Franz household.
This weekend – me and Nat hit the road for Galveston! It is Colleen’s mom’s 60th birthday bash and Nat and I have a room with our names on it! So we get to the leave the kids and hubbies behind while we beach bum it up for a night and probably enjoy an adult beverage or two (or 10). Can’t wait!
Friday, March 2, 2012
Coming out of the Fog
Holy Cow (do people still say that?)! I can't believe i haven't blogged since September. but when i think about what my life has been the last 4-6 months, i can believe it. So this blog will be all over the place but will also hopefully serve as my foundation to keep back on track with this. as i have said in the past, i do this more for myself and memories than anything. and i am upset that i have missed so many months of it - but oh well. i was busy (understatement)!
So i spent my time before baby #2 getting prepared for baby #2. little did i know, there was not enough time in the world to fully prepare for what i was about to encounter. Cam and I dropped Gates off at Sissy and Granddad's on November 2 (I cried the entire way to the hospital) and set off to complete our family. sounds so sweet, right? not so much. We got settled in the delivery room at the hospital and as the nurse was entering in my info into the computer, she seemed concerned when i told her about my back (surgery in 1995, rods in my back, etc). i assured her that my obgyn knew of this and that he promised me it wouldn't be a problem. of course, i started panicking. she set off to find the anesthesiologist to confirm with him that getting an epidural would not be a problem, even with my rods. The anesthesiologist said he would not give me an epidural unless he saw an xray of my back (well, i would not have this baby without an epidural, so it appears we have a problem). at this point it was after midnight and i was exhausted, nervous, and emotional. they wheeled me to another wing in the hospital to have an xray done - and at this point i was 1 cm dilated and they were going to start the potossin at 4 am. after the xray they checked me again and naturally i was progressed to SEVEN cm dilated. are you kidding me?? i knew i was in pain but i had no idea i was contracting that much. Not to toot my own horn but having lived with pretty exreme back pain my entire life, i think my threshold for pain is pretty high. So at that point it was a matter of minutes (literally) for the anesthesiologist to review the xray and give me an epidural, or it would be too late. Because it was so last minute, he thought it be wise to give me the same meds they give c-section patients - which is morphine and epidural. this didn't sit well with me. shortly after receiving meds i started throwing up and didn't stop for probably 12 hours. i threw up the entire time i was giving birth. it was awful. Cam said he thinks i threw up 30 times,....not sure it was that much, but it was a lot. so i don't' really remember much, except misery. sad, right? so that's the delivery story. Gray was a real peach in the hospital - and the rest of our stay was actually very pleasant. we got to go home on day #2 - which was a sweet surprise because we couldn't wait to get settled and have Gates back home, too. But let me just say that i think gates was having way more fun with Sissy and Granddad and he was in NO hurry to come home and not be the center of attention.
The first few weeks were easy and i thought to myself "I can do this. Heck, i can do more. lets have another one." ha!!!! that came to abrupt halt, along with LIFE, when Gray became colicky. I have never in my life been so out of my mind. And we blinked and it was Christmas. and he was still crying. I really think he cried for the first three months of his life. And so did i. Really, i am just now coming out of the fog, as we approach his four month birthday (march 3).
Gray is now the sweetest little boy ever. he smiles all the time and laughs a lot! when he cries (and he still does) it is only because he wants something. Gates is a sweet big brother and really hasn't missed a beat. I do think he is ready for Gray to get bigger so they can play.
Gray is called The Bobi (Bobby) around the house because Gates could not say baby correctly, he said bobi - and so it stuck. so now, Gray's nickname has become The Bobi. wonder how long that will last.
And what else??
The weather in Houston dumps. some people may be OK with it being 85 degrees on March 1 - but i am not one of them. but maybe i would be if we were coming out of a nice winter, but it never even got cold. So frustrating. i hate experiencing ONE season - SUMMER. but i guess i should get used to it, since that is just the Houston is.
I am officially looking for work, again. I might have something in the works but don't want to jinx it so i won't talk anymore about it. please send some positive thoughts my way. I am ready to be back at work for multiple reasons.
Cam and I are finally planning our much talked about trip to Napa. We were supposed to go in Sept of 2011 but, well ... baby Gray happened.
We also already have a weekend booked in early May in Port Aransas. We must introduce Gray to the ocean and beach - so looking forward to it.
Gates is going to a ring bearer this month in Cam's cousin's wedding. I am so excited to see how he does. should be pretty adorable. and we are just excited about the wedding - period. will be lots of fun.
A couple weekends ago the weather was actually pretty perfect here and we took full advantage of things that Houston has to offer (that we tend to forget about). it was SO much fun. we took gates to discovery green park for a playdate with his school friends. then we headed to Hermann park to ride the train (one of Gates' favorite things to do). then we had lunch at the pinebox or pinewood or something like that. we sat outside, right on the pond there in hermann park and enjoyed a delicious lunch! Gates was on his best behavior and Gray was angel, too. it was so much fun. that night, Gates didn't even want us to read any books to him - he was too tired. real cute.
hmmm, what else. Some of my dearest friends have had babies recently too. Kristyna had a precious boy, Raegan. Natalie had Kate (i think i already mentioned that in another blog post). Brooke had baby Kennedy. Tracy will be having Ava on the 8th and Martha will be having #3 any day now. And to top it all off - my best friend Kim found out she is having another baby. we thought she never would (even though she couldn't say she was done with kids) and were so excited to hear of God's plan for her. she really was a big help when i was pregnant with Gates (and after i had him). she changed his first diaper in the hospital for me and taught me all kinds of things about being a mom. she is one of the best - simply because she doesn't allow herself to get all kooky like i have a tendency to do. She is so relaxed and keeps the vibe in her family much the same. Anyway - so it is fn that now i can give her advice on things I've learned since I've had my babies. and i get to pay her back for all the hand me downs she has passed my way through the years. What fun!!!
i feel like i could go on and on but i will pick back up later this week with some more random stuff. i doubt anyone even reads this blog anymore - so theres that, too. :)
here are some pics!
(tried to add pics and it wouldn't let me. no time now, Gray waking up. will try again later).
So i spent my time before baby #2 getting prepared for baby #2. little did i know, there was not enough time in the world to fully prepare for what i was about to encounter. Cam and I dropped Gates off at Sissy and Granddad's on November 2 (I cried the entire way to the hospital) and set off to complete our family. sounds so sweet, right? not so much. We got settled in the delivery room at the hospital and as the nurse was entering in my info into the computer, she seemed concerned when i told her about my back (surgery in 1995, rods in my back, etc). i assured her that my obgyn knew of this and that he promised me it wouldn't be a problem. of course, i started panicking. she set off to find the anesthesiologist to confirm with him that getting an epidural would not be a problem, even with my rods. The anesthesiologist said he would not give me an epidural unless he saw an xray of my back (well, i would not have this baby without an epidural, so it appears we have a problem). at this point it was after midnight and i was exhausted, nervous, and emotional. they wheeled me to another wing in the hospital to have an xray done - and at this point i was 1 cm dilated and they were going to start the potossin at 4 am. after the xray they checked me again and naturally i was progressed to SEVEN cm dilated. are you kidding me?? i knew i was in pain but i had no idea i was contracting that much. Not to toot my own horn but having lived with pretty exreme back pain my entire life, i think my threshold for pain is pretty high. So at that point it was a matter of minutes (literally) for the anesthesiologist to review the xray and give me an epidural, or it would be too late. Because it was so last minute, he thought it be wise to give me the same meds they give c-section patients - which is morphine and epidural. this didn't sit well with me. shortly after receiving meds i started throwing up and didn't stop for probably 12 hours. i threw up the entire time i was giving birth. it was awful. Cam said he thinks i threw up 30 times,....not sure it was that much, but it was a lot. so i don't' really remember much, except misery. sad, right? so that's the delivery story. Gray was a real peach in the hospital - and the rest of our stay was actually very pleasant. we got to go home on day #2 - which was a sweet surprise because we couldn't wait to get settled and have Gates back home, too. But let me just say that i think gates was having way more fun with Sissy and Granddad and he was in NO hurry to come home and not be the center of attention.
The first few weeks were easy and i thought to myself "I can do this. Heck, i can do more. lets have another one." ha!!!! that came to abrupt halt, along with LIFE, when Gray became colicky. I have never in my life been so out of my mind. And we blinked and it was Christmas. and he was still crying. I really think he cried for the first three months of his life. And so did i. Really, i am just now coming out of the fog, as we approach his four month birthday (march 3).
Gray is now the sweetest little boy ever. he smiles all the time and laughs a lot! when he cries (and he still does) it is only because he wants something. Gates is a sweet big brother and really hasn't missed a beat. I do think he is ready for Gray to get bigger so they can play.
Gray is called The Bobi (Bobby) around the house because Gates could not say baby correctly, he said bobi - and so it stuck. so now, Gray's nickname has become The Bobi. wonder how long that will last.
And what else??
The weather in Houston dumps. some people may be OK with it being 85 degrees on March 1 - but i am not one of them. but maybe i would be if we were coming out of a nice winter, but it never even got cold. So frustrating. i hate experiencing ONE season - SUMMER. but i guess i should get used to it, since that is just the Houston is.
I am officially looking for work, again. I might have something in the works but don't want to jinx it so i won't talk anymore about it. please send some positive thoughts my way. I am ready to be back at work for multiple reasons.
Cam and I are finally planning our much talked about trip to Napa. We were supposed to go in Sept of 2011 but, well ... baby Gray happened.
We also already have a weekend booked in early May in Port Aransas. We must introduce Gray to the ocean and beach - so looking forward to it.
Gates is going to a ring bearer this month in Cam's cousin's wedding. I am so excited to see how he does. should be pretty adorable. and we are just excited about the wedding - period. will be lots of fun.
A couple weekends ago the weather was actually pretty perfect here and we took full advantage of things that Houston has to offer (that we tend to forget about). it was SO much fun. we took gates to discovery green park for a playdate with his school friends. then we headed to Hermann park to ride the train (one of Gates' favorite things to do). then we had lunch at the pinebox or pinewood or something like that. we sat outside, right on the pond there in hermann park and enjoyed a delicious lunch! Gates was on his best behavior and Gray was angel, too. it was so much fun. that night, Gates didn't even want us to read any books to him - he was too tired. real cute.
hmmm, what else. Some of my dearest friends have had babies recently too. Kristyna had a precious boy, Raegan. Natalie had Kate (i think i already mentioned that in another blog post). Brooke had baby Kennedy. Tracy will be having Ava on the 8th and Martha will be having #3 any day now. And to top it all off - my best friend Kim found out she is having another baby. we thought she never would (even though she couldn't say she was done with kids) and were so excited to hear of God's plan for her. she really was a big help when i was pregnant with Gates (and after i had him). she changed his first diaper in the hospital for me and taught me all kinds of things about being a mom. she is one of the best - simply because she doesn't allow herself to get all kooky like i have a tendency to do. She is so relaxed and keeps the vibe in her family much the same. Anyway - so it is fn that now i can give her advice on things I've learned since I've had my babies. and i get to pay her back for all the hand me downs she has passed my way through the years. What fun!!!
i feel like i could go on and on but i will pick back up later this week with some more random stuff. i doubt anyone even reads this blog anymore - so theres that, too. :)
here are some pics!
(tried to add pics and it wouldn't let me. no time now, Gray waking up. will try again later).
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