Jade 8 months/Marcus 3 years 4 months

Jade is an absolute doll.  She is sitting up on her own and is already really good at self-playing.  Her favorite toy is Buzz Lightyear.  She LOVES music.  She is flaps her arms when she’s happy and is starting to clap.  She also is starting to say Dadadada.  We aren’t completely sure if she is directing that at Daddy or if it’s just her experimenting with her voice some more.

Marcus is a great big brother.  He is an endless ball of energy, mixed with a tenderness and intelligence that is too cute.  He has given up his naps (at least for the most part) which makes my job even more interesting. :) He is starting preschool at a Montessori school on May 4th that is just down the street from our house.  We are super excited about it and 3 of his friends already attend that school.  He says new phrases every day and is learning to spell.  His favorite phrase this week is “Oh, I got it!”  And the other day he randomly said “T-O-Y Toy Mommy”  while we were playing in the bathtub,  I was floored!!!

Here are some recent pictures of them… 

       

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse aka Disneyland

Marcus finally got his Disneyland trip (or as he likes to call it, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) that he’s been waiting for since November.  He gave up his binky then and asked the binky fairy for tickets to Disneyland.  We had a blast!!!

We went with our friend, Ana and her two kids, Beckham and Riley.  They got along great and really enjoyed each other’s company.

Marcus met Mickey and Jasmine too…such a treat…(see below)

We went on several rides never been on before. Marcus’ favorite ride of the day was the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. Curtis and I thoroughly enjoyed that one too…we all wanted to ride it again. We can’t wait to go back in the Fall.

 

High school 15 year reunion

What a fun night! It was great to reconnect with the ladies that showed up. I would say only about a 1/3 of our class showed up. Hopefully we will have a larger turn out at the 20 year. As you can see, I couldn't leave Jade behind. Her first late night party...I hope I didn't just start a trend. :) She is my daughter after all (haha). My old classmates were very pleased to meet her. She was a doll!! Looking forward to the 20 year...

Welcome to the world, Baby Jade

It has been 4 weeks since Baby Jade was born. Needless to say, the days have been flying by. I am feeling more and more like myself again. I finally felt somewhat normal today and had some time to do my 1st post since the big day...

Jade was born on August 4th at 9:42am weighing 5 pds 14 ounces. This was after 42 hours of being in the hospital. I was completely worn out by the time she came. The entire experience of her birth was the complete opposite of Marcus' birth. The hospital started Cytoattack (spelling??) induction on Monday, the 2nd (my birthday...not a very fun bday for me). After not progressing quickly enough, we decided to proceed with the Pitocin induction on Tuesday evening. By 11pm Tuesday, I didn't think I could withstand much more so I opted for the epidural. Good thing!!! After the epidural shakes and 2 panic attacks passed, it was smooth sailing. I got about 4 hours of sleep...yippee!! They broke my bag of waters around 8 am and within 40 minutes I went from 5 to 10 centimeters. I pushed about 6 times and delivered a very healthy (but tiny) little angel!! If you are curious why we decided to induce, please just ask...too much to explain in a blog.

We have been blessed with so many family and friends surrounding us during this transition period for our little family. At times it has been a little overwhelming for me since I was still recovering. We've had out of town visitors and many people bringing us meals. It has been awesome! All in all, I would not have exchanged it for ANYTHING.

The past few weeks, Marcus was busy playing with his cousins and aunts while I tried to stay focused on resting. For those of you that know me, allowing myself to relax (even after a surgery or birth) can be rather difficult. I was struggling with that normal guilt of not having enough energy or time for Marcus. He has been handling it just fine though. He loves his baby sister and is so tender and sweet with her. He calls her "cutie pie" and loves to look at her, give her kisses, and rub her head.

This is the first time Marcus saw Jade!

The first time he held her!

Jade is an amazing baby!!!! She is a GREAT sleeper and eater. I've had to give up quite a few foods and am eating a pretty bland diet to keep belly aches away. Other than that, she goes about 3 to 4 hour stretches between night feedings. That is something I didn't experience with Marcus until he was almost 2. They are quite different in that sense, but have quite similar features. I think she looks just like Marcus did as a newborn. I often catch myself calling her Markie. Be your own judge...enjoy the pics!!!

Fun facts about Marcus at 2 yrs 8 months

Marcus calls Geronimo "Selmo" and Smitty "Smi" as he cannot pronounce their names properly just yet. He says "Selmo is my doggie and Smi is mommy's doggie."

His top favorite things are still running and cooking as well as playing with his "Cars" cars, his Buzz Lightyears and Woody, and his dinosaurs.

He has become quite the great swimmer. He just jumps in and goes for it! He can basically do laps with some assistance.

He is an amazing talker. He is saying new phrases on a daily basis and is telling us he loves us unprompted. What a tear jerker? :) I definitely have to watch what I say in front of him because even when I think he is not listening, he is hearing me and repeating phrases I have said...what a little sponge. I cannot even begin to list all the things he says because the list would be too long. He has full on conversations with people (even though they may not understand every word he is saying) and tells us stories on a daily basis. Every time I talk on the phone, he wants to talk to that person too. It's pretty hilarious even though it can be frustrating to get through a phone call sometimes.

Our favorite nicknames for him are as follows:
Mommy calls him "Handsome pants", "Sugar plum", and "Markie"
Daddy calls him "Pumpkin Pie"
Nona calls him "Sasu"

He is almost completely potty trained. We are still working out some accidents but we are very pleased with his progress.

Stay tuned for more...

Thirty Seven Weeks

I have been all consumed with the news of hearing baby Jade is breached. At week 34 weeks, she was head down but decided to pop her head back up at 35 weeks. We have been trying to do everything suggested on how to get her back in the right position. I had accupunture done on Monday and have been using moxybustion (a Chinese herb you burn by your feet) to get her to turn. We had a doctors appt today but the dr could not confirm her exact position. We have another appt scheduled for Monday in which they will do an ultrasound to give us a clear idea on how we are going to proceed. For those of you that don't know, I want to deliver naturally with no drugs so the thought of a c-section is very overwhelmingly stressful. I will do whatever that is within my power to avoid it. Please keep us in your prayers and thoughts as we are praying Jade turns on her own accord if that is what God intends.

Thirty Six Weeks

This entire pregnancy has been quite different than my previous one. I remember getting to savor it more the first time. Time is just flying by...between keeping my beautiful two year old busy and the daily grind of life, I barely have enough time to focus on this amazing experience. I find I am often just frustrated with how exhausted and LARGE I've become...which is just part of the course. Sad at times to feel that way because I know I will look back at this time with such fond memories. I mean I am pregnant with my baby girl and we have ever intention for this to be my last pregnancy. That being said, I wish I could slow the clock just a little to relish in these last few days/weeks even though I am sooo uncomfortable and anxious to hold our little Jade. I remember at this point of my pregnancy with Marcus, I was just relaxing and watching movies and plain veggin out. I cannot exactly do that now. I am very fortunate to have soooo much help with all our family members and friends but I am contstantly torn with knowing I need to rest but also needing/wanting to play with my boy. :) I know there are many moms with multiple children who can completely understand. I suppose feeling torn and emotional about it all is part of the journey, one that I am blessed to be experiencing.