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Julie

Intentional

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I have not written this post until today although I have had it in my head since Christmas.  There are a myriad of reasons, but most of all I wasn’t brave enough to take this blog in ‘that’ direction.  Up until today this blog has been a place to post pictures of my family that I love so dearly and to journal about the events of our life together.  This has been driving me crazy since day one for 2 reasons.  1. We use Facebook for that.  Anytime I post a picture on this blog it feels redundant because we have probably already posted the same picture on FB.  It’s easier and faster to post there.  2. The blog feels like homework.  It feels like something we are ‘supposed’ to keep up with, but writing posts doesn’t bring me joy.  In this busy life if I don’t enjoy doing something, it doesn’t get done.

So what the heck does ‘Intentional’ mean anyway.  Intentional is my New Year’s resolution.  It is more than a resolution though, it is a conscious change that I hope to make this year that will last the rest of my life.  Simply put: I want to be more intentional about how I spend every moment of my life.  When I am at work I want to be intentional about the work to be done, when I am at home with my children I want to focus on them and molding them into the kind, respectful and responsible children I want them to be.  I also need to focus on honoring Randy the way he should be honored as my husband and the father of my children.  I want to be intentional about my relationship with God.  I need to make time EVERY DAY for Him.  Too often this falls to the back burner and it should be the first thing on my list everyday.

I have hesitated to take the blog posts deeper, because it isn’t comfortable.  It isn’t fun to write about things you struggle with.  It isn’t pretty to write things that hurt or discuss the ways that God moments ‘mess you up’.  I hope I will have the guts to follow through.  I hope my ‘resolution’ will be a life changing process.  I pray that I can lead my children to a life filled with love for others and for Jesus.  I don’t want to drop them off at Sunday school and hope that someone else can teach them for me.  They need to learn from Randy and from me.  I pray that they will learn how a married couple should love and respect each other and consequently want to love their future spouse the same way.  I learned about love from my parents and have modeled many parts of our relationship after them.

There you have it.  I have every intention of still posting the pretty entries about how much I love my kids and husband and how much fun we have together.  But I also hope to step out of my comfort zone and dig a little deeper.

Alison, Reed

Reed LOVES Ali

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I was very nervous about how Reed would respond to Ali.  He is so young and really couldn’t understand that he was about to have a little sister.  We did all the usual things to try to prepare him, but he just didn’t get it.  Also, since he is the first grandbaby on both sides of our family he is SUPER spoiled.  As much as I have tried to prevent this, it is inevitable.  It doesn’t help that he has a personality so big it can hardly fit in his tiny little body.  Long story short, the last few weeks of my pregnancy I was more and more concerned about how he would treat her and us after she was born.  All of that worry was unnecessary!

He has been SO sweet with her since the moment he saw her.  From the first time he met her he has been calling her ‘Ali’ (we have got to get that on video.  He sounds so sweet when he says her name).  Anytime she cries he says ‘Ali cwry?’ (Another one we have to get on video).  He loves her so much and just wants to hug and kiss her all the time.  When he walks in the house from school the first thing he asks for is Ali.

Randy took a picture of Reed at school the other day of him covering up a doll with a blanket.  His teachers said that he is so gentle and sweet with the dolls.  He either calls them ‘baby’ or ‘Ali’ and loves to tend to them.  Love that little boy so much.  And yes, I spoil him as much as the grandparents.  Mommy fail!!!

Here are a few picures of Reed taking care of the real Ali.  First he tried to put on her sock, then he put her pacifier in her mouth, then he tried to give her a drink of his water.  So sweet.

Alison, Julie, Reed

Reed vs. Ali

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Reed and Ali are already SO different!  I don’t really believe in comparing your children to one another, but it is hard not to do right now when there are such stark differences.

Reed was terrible at nursing and many times I didn’t think we would make it. Ali is awesome.  She loves to nurse and sometimes I think she would stay there all the time if I let her.  One point for Ali

Reed didn’t spit up once.  In the beginning Ali spit up a little after every feeding.  It wasn’t a lot and her doctor thinks its because I am just making too much for her to swallow, but we have no experience with a spitter.  I never have a burp cloth around and we really don’t even own that many, much less any bibs.  I don’t think I have a single one for her!  One point for Reed

Reed was a fussy sleeper.  Looking back it is probably because he wasn’t getting enough to eat and he was hungry most of the time.  Ali is an AWESOME sleeper!!  She consistently eats before I go to bed (10:30ish) and only wakes up at 2:30 and 5:30.  She nurses and goes right back to sleep.  One point for Ali (that one should probably count for 2 or 3!)

You want to know why Ali wins the comparison for this age?  She is a cuddler!!!  From the day Reed was born (literally, the first time I held him he tried to wiggle out of my arms) he was a wiggly boy and refused to cuddle.  Even now I have to trick him into giving me a hug and kiss.  Ali is a big snuggler and I think she would lay on my shoulder all day long if I let her.  Thank the Lord for small favors!!!

Overall Ali is much easier, but I’m sure it is also because I am much more comfortable with newborns.  Luckily, this isn’t a contest and I love them both more than I thought possible!!  All that worry about how we were going to handle a toddler and a newborn haven’t been a big deal…YET!  I know the fun is just beginning 🙂

Ali

Reed
Reed

Reed being Reed

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I just love this picture of Reed.

Sometimes he exhibits some signs of OCD.  I really hope this is just a toddler phase and not permanent.  He is so observant and particular that sometimes it drives me crazy.  This is what he wanted us to do with his stuffed animals tonight:

Alison, Events, Julie

The most uneventful birth story

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I am happy to tell this super uneventful story.  We scheduled a C-section for January 11, 2011 back in November.  The only wild card in the whole plan was whether or not she would decide to come early.  Alison measured a few weeks big for her age at almost every sonogram, so an early appearance was always a possibility.  I wanted her to wait as long as possible because everyday she stayed inside was another day away from Christmas for her birthday.

The morning of 1/11/11 we woke up, packed up the truck and dropped Reed off at day care just like it was any other day.  Only this day we drove to the hospital, checked in for our 11am surgery and went straight to pre-op. The only eventful part was the anesthesia…

When I delivered Reed I had an epidural.  Zero pain, zero problems.  For whatever reason this doctor likes to do a spinal tap for ‘elective’ c-sections.  I was not prepared for this, which is probably a good thing.  Have any of you ever had a spinal tap?  I had no idea I could be in that much pain.  Seriously.  Horrible.  It only took a few minutes to get the medicine into my spine, but the whole time I was in horrible pain, plus I was terrified that the doctor was going to mess up and leave me paralyzed.  If you are ever given the choice…go with an epidural.  Seriously.  The only good part about it is that I could feel my legs as soon as I was in recovery.  That was nice, but I would still prefer the epidural.

So I get the spinal tap and lay down.  Immediately my chest starts burning like the way that I imagine it feels (from Twilight) to be turned into a vampire.  My heart is literally on fire like I have never felt before.  Not to be too dramatic, but I was afraid something was very wrong.  The anesthesiologist assured me my vitals looked good and that everything was fine…but that didn’t take the pain away.  I heard one other scary thing when Dr. Vanover (my OB) asked for the vacuum.  Yikes!!  Turns out I was right about how low she had been.  They had to use the vacuum on her little head because she was so lodged into my pelvis that Dr. Vanover couldn’t get a good grip on her to pull her out.  Finally I heard what I had been waiting for…’she so chunky!’  I love Dr. Vanover.

Alison was a little chunk, but almost the exact measurements as Reed.  She was 8 pounds, 2 ounces and 20 inches long.  Reed was 8 pounds 3 ounces and 19.5 inches long.  Not to mention she looked JUST like him when she was born.  It was like going back in time and seeing Reed’s little face for the first time.

Alison, Julie

Wow

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There really aren’t any words.  I can’t believe how humongous I got…luckily it is almost over and I can start working on slimming back down again.  Month 1 versus Month 9.  Laugh at will 🙂

Month 1

 VS

Month 9