Ethan's birthday party

We finally had Ethan's 3rd birthday party this past Saturday. My dad did an awesome job making a Monster Truck cake for Ethan, complete with ORANGE icing (Ethan's favorite color)! Ethan got a lot of great toys for gifts. One of which Matt couldn't wait for him to get- a real baseball bat and balls. We were out the next day hitting balls of the tee. I just can't believe he is 3 years old already! The stats from the doctor-
Ethan is 3 foot, 3 inches (in the 90%) and 36 pounds (75%). He did great at the doctor as they did a lot of "tests" like hearing, etc. and he did pretty good getting a shot.
Here are some pictures:

Happy Birthday!

Today is my baby's 3rd birthday! Sometimes I can not believe that I have a three year old! I can't imagine my life before him. He is our joy and I never knew I could love someone so much until he came into our lives! Three years ago today we welcomed Ethan into this world. He was 9 lbs, 5 ounces. Thursday we have his 3 year old well check so I will know his stats then. I think he is somewhere around 40 pounds. He is built like a linebacker and has been since birth. Ethan loves all sports and has a lot of natural athletic ability. Currently he LOVES playing with his Thomas train table, Monster Trucks, and any kind of cars. His favorite thing to do is wrestle and play chase with daddy. Ethan loves going to the library and picking out books to read. He of course picks out Thomas books and Berenstain Bears. Ethan loves to make up silly songs about everything...much like Matt and I did when we were dating and married. We love being silly and he does too. Matter of fact I was cleaning out the fridge yesterday and he picked up his guitar and started singing a song, "the food in the trash is stinky and yucky"! He cracked me up. Ethan's favorite movie is CARS and he would watch it every day if we let him. He also loved our recent few snow storms...he would have stayed out all day if we let him. Ethan generally has no fear when it comes to anything, but can be shy when first meeting someone. I discovered very early that Ethan gets embarrassed very easily, especially when he's in trouble in front of someone. I have to be careful not to reprimand him in front of others because he is really bothered by it. I don't believe in public humiliation anyway, but it is interesting that he was like this from an early age. I love my boy so much and I know God has amazing things in store for his life! He is very strong willed and it is my prayer that God would use it for His good and that Ethan would grow up to be a loving and strong boy/man!

p.s. I love searching for a great bargain... I found this "3" shirt at BabiesRUs for $2.00! What a steal.

My precious boys!

Bragging time

No, this post isn't all about my kids. Although I do quite possibly have the cutest newborn and almost 3 year old on the planet! This post is bragging on 2 of my favorite people: my husband and my mom.
A tribute to my husband: Matt has been wonderful through this pregnancy and birth experience. I love him with all my heart and it saddens me when I do or say anything that makes him feel unloved and cherished. Sadly, it is our immediate family that we often show love the least to. I love my husband. He was a huge support in the hospital. Sleeping on a pull out chair in our room every night. Encouraging me in breastfeeding and other things that I was questioning. When I found out I had to go in for my second visit in the OR to fix my bleeding, he was right there with me loving me and telling me that everything was going to be ok. And now that we are home, some dads (I won't speak for all) leave a lot of the responsibility up to the moms. After all if you are breastfeeding, there isn't much there for the dads to help out with. It's all mommy. Since we've been home from the hospital Matt has lovingly slept on the couch so that I could get good rest and only have to wake up to feed Caleb at night. He is helping around the apartment taking out trash, cleaning up, and playing a HUGE role in entertaining Ethan. After all, mommy can't wrestle, play baseball, basketball, or chase like daddy can! I just feel so grateful for him. I am a very independent person and have struggled off and on through our almost 6 years of marriage letting him "lead" our family. I am often too outspoken and too controlling. Being in the hospital has renewed my dependence on him and I look to him for wisdom, encouragement, and love. When we got home he had 2 days in a row of classes for his Masters, and I found myself longing for him. You would think after being stuck in a hospital room for 5 days that I would be ready for some space, but it was quite the opposite. I got spoiled of having my wonderful, caring, godly husband around. I missed him. So anyhow, I just want to brag on him. Tell the world that I love him and appreciate all he has done for us. He works so hard for our family and I know it is so hard juggling school, 2 jobs, and a family. He gets my vote for husband/father of the year!
A tribute to my mom: My mom is one of the most selfless people I know. She rarely gets acknowledged for the loving and caring person that she is. When I went into the hospital to have Caleb, my dad and mom took on the task of caring for Ethan. My parents are awesome. When Ethan is with them I have absolutely no worries. I know that he is loved, cared for, and having a blast. What I really want to highlight about my mom is not only all that she did for me watching Ethan while we were in the hospital, but the fact that she took off even more work to come take care of me or I should say, "us" when we got home. While Matt was in classes Tuesday & Wednesday mom came over and entertained Ethan, let me nap and rest between feedings, cleaned the kitchen, cooked us dinners, made lunch, washed bottles/pumping supplies, scrubbed our microwave (wow it looks brand new!) did laundry, and cleaned up around the apartment. She was my maid, chef, babysitter, mom, and Grammy all in one! Just having someone take care of these things while I 1) recover from surgery and 2) sleepily try to care for a newborn, was amazing! She went to the store and of course spoiled Caleb and Ethan with new baby outfits, cars, and toys. When I discovered I needed a few things from the store she literally jumped up and ran some errands to buy these things. There is NOTHING she won't do for her family! Words cannot describe how much having her around means to me. She is also switching around her work schedule and working partial days and taking full days off to help me when I need it. I just love her and want the world to know how much I appreciate all she has done for us.
Sometimes thank you just doesn't seem like enough, I wish I could show my husband and my mom, and other family members like my daddy how much they mean to me. I am so blessed!

Big brother

Ethan is LOVING being a big brother. He seriously asks to hold Caleb every 5 minutes. It's almost exhausting. He is smothering him with kisses and i've had to tell him to stop a few times. So far the adjustment is going really well. Last night my sweet hubby slept out in the living room with Caleb so all I had to do was wake and feed him. It was so nice to feel somewhat rested this morning. We forgot how many noises newborns make. Poor Matt didn't rest well because he jumped up at every cough, grunt, and groan. He is such a good daddy. Caleb IS very gassy and with his start in the NICU, it is hard to relax when we feel he might not be breathing right. Every time we turn around we find a matchbox car in Caleb's bouncy seat with him. Ethan wants to give him everything and share. It is so sweet. He also wants to shove, and I use that term lightly, Caleb's pacifier in his mouth. We keep having to tell him that baby brother doesn't need it and to be gentle. We know he is just loving on him. It's hard to teach a 3 year old BOY to be gentle!!!
On a side note, I looked at the calendar for tomorrow because Caleb has a doctor appointment and i'm 38 weeks tomorrow. HA HA. Instead of being 38 weeks, I will have a 6 day old newborn. Funny how God works, and i'm thrilled that he is here and healthy!

He's here!

CALEB MATTHEW (Picture taken at 2 days old)

Caleb was born Thursday, February 4th at 8:52 a.m. He weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces. He is 21 inches long. I was 37 weeks and 1 day pregnant when he decided to come into this world. We've had a rough few days but thankfully he is showing signs of improvement! Caleb is having some breathing issues so he is in the NICU. He is starting to eat little by little, so he is making some slow and steady strides. Today I am doing fantastic but who knew I would have to be in the OR twice for one baby! After my c-section they noticed some bleeding pooling under my incision. To make a long story short, the doctor tried to fix it in my room but after some severe bleeding issues they sent me back to the OR to fix the problem. It was a very scary time because I lost a lot of blood and was close to having to have a blood transfusion. We just praise God for all the little blessings in the midst of a rough first day! At this point we will be here until Monday, but we are unsure of when Caleb will be released. Hopefully he will continue to make improvements like he has! We love our little guy so much. Even after 12 hours of not being able to hold or see him, I know things could have been worse and we are thankful that we've been able to hold him and he isn't relying on any form of oxygen or breathing apparatus. Maybe one day i'll post the play-by-play details of it all but for now just know we are doing good and he is overall healthy! We love and appreciate all our family and friends who have been praying for us and encouraging us!