The Daily Grind

This post is mostly boring, hence the title "The Daily Grind," but does have some hysterical moments, so don't fall asleep on me!

Last Sunday Ethan turned 1 month old! Wow, where did the past month go?!? We decided it was a good day to go to church for the first time as a family of 4. We didn't make it in time for Sunday School, but were a little early for church! It was SO nice to see our church family and worship together. I decided to keep Ethan with us in the pew (he's a quiet baby in the morning...not so much at night- more on that later). I don't think I'll be ready to leave him, and I've also been advised not to, in the nursery for some time, and I really wanted to be a part of the service. He did great! We even had an unexpected "Lion King" moment. Our pastor decided to point out that one of our first time visitors was not raising their hands...Ethan! So, he jokingly said I should hold him up so everyone could see him (we sit in the front...you know how church goes....we have "assigned" spots), I don't know why, but I did! I just stuck him up in the air, just like Mufasa did to Simba. :) I didn't see the similarity until after the service when a few people pointed out our Lion King moment. From my perspective, I just didn't want to stand up and turn around in front of everyone- either way, a memorable moment. :)  After church, we stopped at Wendy's with Greg's parents for a quick bite to eat, then headed to Greg's Mommom's assisted living home to enjoy cake for her birthday. We were able to get a secluded small room off to the side of the main area so we didn't expose Ethan to too many germs- we hope. :)  I just love how comfortable Landon is at Collingswood Manor- he says "hi" to all the wheelchair bound elderly and makes them smile, which in turn, makes me smile. He also loves his Grammy. When we left, she leaned down to kiss his cheek, and he said, "2 cheeks, Grammy!" - love it! He wanted another kiss on his other cheek! We were walking through the lobby at one point, and at the landing on the stairwell there was a picture of Jesus- a profile painting. Landon pointed up at it, and said, "Look Ma, Jar Jar!" Now, if you don't know who Jar Jar is, he is a Star Wars character. Let me share the side by side shots here...and you can be the judge! ...Lol!

Monday was Greg's first day back to work, and I'm learning to manage our toddler and infant all by myself. There are a few moments where it gets really hairy, but most of the time, it's not bad at all.  Greg works 12 hour shifts, which are really like 14 hours because he always goes in a little early, and almost never gets home on time. So, this month, we are on our own from about 5:30 AM (when I'm usually about to give Ethan his bottle, to about 7:00 PM when we are eating a late dinner so Daddy can join us.  Next month he will be on nights, so we will be on our own from 6:30 PM to about 8:00 AM- then we will have to adjust our routine to include a quiet house so Greg can sleep- yikes! Not so sure about that part!

I've tried to keep us busy this week, and give us at least 1 place to go each day so I don't go crazy keeping Landon occupied (that's where I sometimes feel bad) and enjoy these beautiful 80 degree days. On Monday, we pretty much stayed home all day. During nap time, I actually succeeded in organizing most of the hand me downs I had been given into their sizes. I had enough to fill a 5 gallon container for just about every size! By late afternoon, I decided I had the guts to venture out with both boys to Walmart to buy some containers to store the clothes and organize our basement better. Well, first trip to the store- not so bad! I did learn a lesson- you can't really fit too much in the cart when you have both kiddos.

Tuesday morning I took both boys to a park to walk with Shannon. Prior to Ethan's arrival, we would meet at the park with the kids to run. I'd put Landon in the jogging stroller while her oldest would ride her bike in front of us, and her youngest would be in a jogging stroller. Ethan has complicated things a little. First of all, I don't have the energy to run in the morning anymore after the middle of the night feedings, and secondly, I can't run with him yet. So, we decided to put Landon in the stroller and Ethan in the Bjourn carrier and just walk. I was happily surpirsed at how tiring that was! When Greg is working, that will have to be my new form of exercise.  Tuesday was also the day of the earthquake! My sister had just come over for an hour so I could get a shower...yes, that's been a little difficult. :) She was playing with Landon in the living room, staring wide eyed at all the shaking picture frames and walls, while I was towel drying my hair, noticing my medicine cabinet doors opening and closing on their own, thinking...."I'm not shaking my head that much, am I?" ...nope- an earthquake!

Landon and Aunt Sue before the earthquake

Wednesday Greg had off work, so we spent a quiet morning at home, and then Greg took Landon to the Phillies game in the afternoon. It was a nice reprieve for me to just have Ethan, and Landon and Greg got to spend some good Father/Son time together. They even got to see the Harry Kalas statue too!

Thursday Greg took some overtime, so I scheduled a play date with my friend (also Landon and Ethan's babysitter when I go back to work) Kristen. The kids had a great time! And, it was good for Landon to run around with her daughter burning off all his energy. After we came home from our play date, we got some house cleaning in while Ethan was napping! Before you look at this picture and judge me for child labor, please know that Landon BEGS to clean. If you don't believe me, you can ask my mom, Greg's mom, or a friend or two who have been on the phone with me, or present, while Landon is tugging on my arm, saying, "Mom, "DACUU (vaccum)" or "DUS (dust)" please! And guess what, I'm going with it! I could use the help! :)

Friday was a very fun day! We decided to get in an outdoor zoo day before Hurricane Irene makes her appearance late tonight into tomorrow. We went with my friend Shannon and her 2 girls. After the zoo, she so kindly offered to stay at my house with the kids so I could grocery shop before the storm...without the 2 boys in the cart. What a great friend! She and I also did dinner together since our hubbies were not home. What a fun day!!

Today and tomorrow we will be home all day while Greg works, and the weather makes its way here. I'm actually looking forward to being home since we were out so much this week.

Off to finish securing the trash cans and sandbox before the bad weather starts!

Baby Ethan at 4 Weeks!

He Chose Me...

I've been thinking a lot about orphans lately. They are on my heart. Last October when we had to come home and leave Landon behind in the baby home where he was living, I was heartbroken in a way I had never known before. And, at that time I thought that my heart was breaking for him, and that as soon as we brought him home, I would "be all better." But, instead, what I have discovered is that my heart is still broken for all who are anywhere without a mom or a dad, a family to love them and to meet their needs. If I could go to a foreign country and fall in love with one boy and name him my son, then I could go anywhere (or stay anywhere...as we found with Ethan) and love a child and call them mine.  But, my heart hurts because there are so many orphans worldwide, the problem seems impossible. But, I know "With God, all things ARE possible." And, I've come to realize that orphans are a chance for God to work through His people and to see His love. I know in my heart, God in His power could give every child what they need, but instead He chooses to use us. 

One of the blogs I follow is that of a young woman, Kate Davis, who is 21 years old, and chose to just pick up her life, and head to Uganda where she would help serve food at a loccal school. Now, she has 14 girls that she is the mother of...yes, that's right- 14! When I was researching Orphan Sunday (more on that in a future blog post), I found a You Tube video of her. And, in that video, she said something that will stick with me forever. "Thank you God, for the opportunity to serve you. You could do it by Yourself, take care of these kids, but instead, You chose little old me to help take care of them."

WOW. That's exactly right- what a gift, and what an awesome responsibility I have been given to care for my two boys. Thank you, God for choosing me!

These are a few of my favorite things!

I decided that from here on out, I am going to post some of my favorite things about being a mom on random occasion- some special things or words or happenings that bring a smile to my face as I remember them, or as they occur. And, I guess to be most realistic, I will also write about some of my not so favorite things as well. :-)

Favorite from today:

Me to Ethan (who has a scrunched up look on his face): munch, munch, munch (kissing his cheeks) "I'm sorry, Ethan, Mommy just loves munching my boys!"
Me to Landon: "Landon, who does mommy like to kiss?"
Landon: "2 boys, Mommy"
Me: BIG SMILE "That's right, Landon, I love kissing my 2 boys! And, who does Landon like to kiss?"
Landon: "Mommy"

Gotta love it!

Not so favorite:

Waking up at 3 AM to the words: "Mommy, Daddy, wet!" For the next half hour I let Greg clean up the mess in Landon's room- I had just fallen back to sleep after feeding Ethan and asked if I could pass the clean up job on to him. 

And, I dont' want to forget to wish a...

Happy 3 weeks, Ethan!!

Hidden Surprises

We are home! ...we have been home now for almost a week, but it has been a very busy week! I haven't had much time for blogging with potty training and bottle feeding...don't worry, I am not doing both on the same child! Here are a few funny moments that occurred as a result of the additional juggling we are doing:

Funny: While putting Landon to bed one night over the past few days, Ethan had a blowout...yes, I'm referring to a poopy diaper (we talk a lot about that lately, lol!). So, I am trying to give Landon big  boy directions while managing a..well, I'll spare you the adjectives...dirty diaper. I say to Landon, "Honey, put your dirty clothes in the hamper." Or, did I not say that? I will never know. What I do know is that when bedtime resumed, the clothes were not on the floor- good boy, Landon! We finished putting Landon to bed, and I went to make a bottle for the very hungry Ethan. I look in the sink, and to my surprise there were Landon's dirty clothes! Yes, dirty clothes in the kitchen sink! Sigh... I had to laugh! Did I say sink and not hamper? I've been known to mix up words like that before unknowingly, just ask my students! Or, did Landon just put them there on his own?

Funny Take 2: This one starts with me asking Landon to put his we bathing suit and undies in the hamper...fast forward to the next morning- I go into his underwear drawer to get out a clean pair, only to find a wet bathing suit and undies! Again! Ah!

Funnier: Landon got put in time out (one of these days I'm going to keep a tally chart to see how many times this happens in a given day!...it's a lot!), and I went to remove the gate from his door to his room and found him reading. He looked up at me and yelled (yes, yelled!) "Mom, no gate up- time out!" Yep, that's right, he wanted to STAY in time out! What am I doing wrong? LOL!

AND, funniest (maybe not..depends on who's judging): This one has a photo to go along with it- whenever I am missing a flip flop, a book, or anything for that matter, I will need to check all compartments of all toys:

Now, that's a loaded trunk!

We are really enjoying our time here at home together with the boys, that's for sure! Greg is off for one more week, so I am cherishing this time! He is such a great dad! I am sure I'll be okay here at home with them by myself...but, I'm choosing not to think about that just yet. An hour or two at a time is enough for me for now. :)  Funny moments aside, here are a few pictures to let you see what's been going on!

1st bath for Ethan! Big brother Landon had to help too!

My 4 boys...well, the big boys aren't really mine. But, for the past 5 years I spent every summer with them. They became like my boys, and I adore them like they are mine- no matter how big they get! I think it's funny how for these past 5 years I have gotten used to caring for 2 boys- judging stunt competitions, baseball in the living room, split open head accidents, and plenty of sibling squabbles! God was preparing me, little did I know! 

I couldn't be happier watching Landon love being a big brother! He was, afterall, our biggest concern in having a sibling so soon after coming home. So far, so good. :)

"Hi Baby" - Landon says that a LOT! :-)

Occasionally, Landon will come up to me when I'm holding Ethan, and say, "Mommy, 2 boys lap"

And, this is what I have- 2 boys! Life God is good!!



1 Week! ...round 2!

I can't believe we have been with our lil' peanut now for a week. The time has passed so quickly, and Ethan is changing before our eyes.

For the past few days, I have been wanting to blog about how it feels to be a mommy of an infant. I've been asked, "So, how does it feel to have a baby?" and "What's easier, a toddler or an infant?" At first, I didn't know quite how to respond, so I gave it some thought...

Infancy vs. toddlers...both have their challenges and their unique joys. I equate the difference to when I switched teaching 2nd to 4th grades a few years back. The job is the same, but the challenges and rewards are different. I'm still a mom, which was ultimately my dream for so long, which includes giving and receiving love to my boys, meeting basic needs, establishing good routines, etc. But, the challenges are a little different- Ethan doesn't throw a tantrum or "fake cry" when we do something he doesn't like- okay, he would probably just scream :), but we do have to wake up two times in the middle of the night to feed him, which can be tiring in a different way. The positives- OH, the joys! Both ages have such wonderful rewards- the kisses I get from Landon are probably my favorite...no, when he says "love you much..." no, when he gives me a tight squeeze...oh, how could I ever pick a favorite! Landon keeps us laughing all day, from the way he says "yes" ('ESS'  - in a short monotone fashion) to the way he parrots everything we say! (Just picture Greg watching the Phillies, and yelling at every pitch, and hearing the last word echoed from Landon...'pitch!' 'hit it!', 'outta!' and so on, I should video that sometime soon when we get home! Oh, and Ethan! The joys of having an infant are so many! The way he cuddles up in the nook of my elbow, the way his little back or hiney fits into my one hand, the way he randomly makes funny faces, the smell...mmmmm, the way he doesn't move one place if I need to escape to the bathroom or take a shower.  Bottom line, I love both ages! (and grades) :-)

Okay, so...the emotions of having an infant were a lot more than I thought they would be. See, for 5 years I had wanted a baby with all my heart. And, when we knew adoption was the way God was calling us to grow our family, and knowing how many children there were out there that needed a home who were already past that baby stage, I gave that "baby" desire over to God. And, I was and still am, so fulfilled being Landon's mommy. I didn't ever honestly feel like I missed out. I just wanted to do the best I could from where we started. But, the moment Ethan was placed in my arms, I cried. I didn't realize at all how fast those emotions would come back. Something I thought I'd never experience, something I had let go of, was being returned to me. And, I am crying again now just thinking of how amazing God is to give me this (2nd) dream come true. I absolutely love having a baby! God is so good!

One last note to end on...last Sunday in church, a few special things happened. I would call them coincidences, but I don't believe anything is a coincidence. Last Sunday when we were in church, little did we know it, but Ethan was just a few hours old. Special music was the song "Blessings" by Laura Story. I am putting that as the background music to our blog now...I can't hear that song without thinking of Landon and Ethan. Our pastor closed out his sermon with Jeremiah 29:11...God certainly has always had a plan for our boys, and it is a plan to prosper them, to give them future and a hope! Pastor Rick also closed with the benediction found in Ephesians 3:20-21 which was the verse I blogged about upon finding out about Ethan in May... "Now unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all we ask or think...to Him be the glory!"  A special song and two very special verses on Ethan's birth day.

Here are a few pictures of our past week together!

Greg took Landon to the zoo last Friday- they ate lunch with the apes!

My 3 boys!

1 week old

My choir face!!