The BIG #5

So, today is the day...
Andrew has been looking forward to this day for about the last 6 months.
I have been in a state of disbelief that this day was actually creeping closer & closer.
I mean honestly, I know it sounds cliche, but I really do feel like this photo was just taken...

...that baby in there turns 5 today!!

In just 5 years, he has gone from this...

to this...

In 5 years, Drew has grown a lot, and experienced a lot!

He's gone from being the sole occupant of any floor space...

to sharing every bit of floor space (and toys, etc). ;)

He's gone from having this four-legged friend be his faithful companion & best friend...

to having this little guy slowly take over those roles.

He's gone from being the baby who gets held...

to holding the babies.

Drew never seemed to mind change though...quick or slow, change was something he just readily adapted to. Evidenced by the fact that this photo documents the first & only time he ever used this form of movement...

In the next blink he decided walking was a form of transportation far more superior...and he never looked back! ;)

5 years...

When I look at some of these first photos of him it's hard for me to believe this is the same little boy who now speaks to me in complete sentences, sometimes far more sophisticated then I'm even prepared for!
It's hard for me to believe that the boy who walks into school without a glance back is that same little baby that I wasn't sure would ever detach from my hip!

Yep, he's growin' up, that's for sure! Drew makes me laugh on a daily basis...sometimes to the point where tears come rolling down my face. He is very serious when he needs to be, but is a ball of fun if he feels comfortable enough to "let loose".

That little baby turns 5 years old today!
I remember clearly the moment he was born, 5:33pm, he came out screaming his heart out...they placed him on my chest & my heart was overwhelmed with the love I had for this tiny human. My heart is still overwhelmed, 5 years later! This Mama could not be more proud of the little boy Drew is growing into & could not be more grateful that God saw fit to give me the privilege of being his Mama!

Happy Birthday Drew-ski! Love you to pieces!

Brandon Matthew

This day 2 years ago seems like yesterday...
This was me at about 6pm, 2 years ago, Feb. 3rd...

I was timing contractions that were finally becoming consistent and trying to relax by playing trains with my buddy Drew.
This was me around 10pm, 2 years ago, Feb.3rd...

I was begging Jim to please hurry up & take the picture before another contraction hit...they were pretty hard & fast at that point.

It was not long after this photo was taken that I was walking to a labor & delivery room. This labor experience was much different than my first.
I remember going from calm, breathing through relatively painful contractions to begging my
nurse to see if I was 5cm yet so I could get my epidural (my goal was always to make it 5), in
what seemed like about 6 seconds! Thankfully I was and they called for the anesthesiologist...this process took f-o-r-e-v-e-r, but as usual helped out in the end. I
remember not long after that...really what seemed like mere minutes after they let my Mom & my
best friend come back in the room, (Jim was the lucky soul to witness the good ol' epidural
stick) I was feeling very ready to push. The nurse paged the Dr. and one of med. students came in & calmly told me that the Dr. was on his way up from the ER and to try not to push just yet. Seriously?!?!? I laugh about it now but at that moment I just curled up in a ball on my side and whined and whimpered much like my little almost 2 year old does now. ;) I remember hearing the door open and the Dr's voice calmly saying "ok, Rachel you ready for this?" I remember my exact response word-for-word..."you're killing me Dr. Popp!" He, in all the calmness he could muster guided me through a very short session of pushing and at 12:51am,2 years ago, on Feb. 4th, Brandon Matthew made his grand entrance. In all of his 8lb, 15oz, 20 1/2in long glory, he came and let the whole world know he had a nice, healthy set of lungs. Every time he would cry, I remember my Mom saying "that's a beautiful sound to hear isn't it Rach?" And she was right, it was!

So, by about 1am, 2 years ago, on Feb. 4th, this was me...

...with a cameo appearance by my handsome hubby! ;)

But this Feb. 4th, Brandon is turning 2! He is my 2 year old, going on 5 or 6. I sometimes have to remind myself that he is only two! He wants to be just like his big brother & do everything he does. Drew takes a backpack to school, so Brandon has to carry his own backpack to drop him off. Drew brings a toy monster truck to the dinner table and "parks" it next to his plate, Brandon won't touch a bite of food until he has one of his own "parked" next to his plate. One of Brandon's favorite phrases is "me too, me too!" in reference to anything Drew does/has. I hope, as he continues to grow, his love & admiration for his brother never goes
away. You see, it's a natural path for me to want him on. He wants to be just like his brother, his brother wants to be just like his Daddy, & his Daddy tries his very best to be like Jesus! Can't think of a better chain I'd want him linked to...

Happy 2nd Birthday Brandon! We love you to the moon & back! :)

February

Well, it's February 1st. I am always in a super nostalgic mood when this month rolls in each year. Both of my babies are February babies, so every February they slam me with growing a year older all in the same month (I know, mostly my fault, not theirs). ;) This year seems all the bigger since it will be full of "firsts". First birthday in Illinois, first birthday without Bailey around, first birthday with all new friends...you get the point. These are all probably more significant to me than either of the boys.
I know this because Drew is going to turn 5...and if you've encountered him in any way over the last 2 months or so, you know this because it's all he talks about! Any 5 he sees must be in that very place "because I'm turning 5!!" he would tell any listening ear. :) Brandon hears any mention of the word "birthday" & immediately responds with "cake! Eat cake!" ;) So, as you can see, so long as we acknowledge the grandeur of the #5 & be sure to have cake to eat, we'll have very happy birthday boys...and isn't that really all that matters? I think so! Happy February! :)

30 years ago

What were you doing 30 years ago? I'll give you some help...the year was 1982...do you remember?

I don't remember what I was doing, but I do know I was seemingly content in the warm comfort of my mother's womb. I imagine I was as reluctant to come out of there as I will be to get out of my warm, comfy bed tomorrow! I imagine it was pretty crowded in there too, much as my bed will be in the morning due to my reluctance to get out of it. And though I obviously don't remember what my Mom was doing or thinking 30 years ago, I have kind of imagined the scenario...

See, at this very time 30 years ago, my Mom was pregnant with me, and going on 10 days overdue. 30 years ago, the whole "induce when you are a week overdue rule" didn't apply. I imagine my Mom was quite uncomfortable and probably didn't sleep much this night 30 years ago. It would still be about 23 hours before I made my grand entrance into the world. I had to wait awhile longer you see because it couldn't just be any old, dry, cold day in January. Nope, only the grandest entrance would do for me...I wanted the coldest, the snowiest...actually, just to make it unforgettable, let's have the biggest ice storm! Yep, that was the type of day I wanted to come out of my warm, comfy place! ;)

And that I did...on a bitterly cold January night, in the midst of an ice storm, I was born...30 years ago. A grand entrance I wanted & a grand entrance I got...not just with the backdrop of major winter weather...I also was born weighing in at 10 lbs. 1 oz. and measuring 21 and 1/2 inches long! My Dad always tells me I was born looking like a 3 month old...hehe! ;) My Aunt Mo always tells me I was the most beautiful baby and my Mom always tells me I was very good, & always a happy baby. So, all the drama created around the day of my birth was worth it in the eyes of those who love me!

I can remember being a child and thinking 30 was SO old...now I sit on the brink of turning 30 and think of how young I still feel! When my day slows down and I really think about my life, I think of all my years of grade school, I have my high school diploma, a bachelor's & a master's degree...I look at my handsome husband & my two beautiful boys and can hardly
believe this has all happened in only 30 years!

I look forward to my birthday every year & this year is no different despite the "milestone" year that it is. I know I will be showered with well wishes, gifts, treats, & more love than my heart can hold & that is something I will treasure no matter how old I get!

Bailey

This picture is old but it will always be one of my favorites! Six years ago, Jim & I got Bailey, our French Bulldog, from a co-worker of his. I don't remember all the details of how we decided to get him but I remember when we went to pick him up & he was all of 3 months old, we just loved him. It was a cold, snowy, January day (much like today) & I remember holding Bailey inside my zipped up winter coat as he still shivered furiously. Then began the ever tedious process of training him, which we never really were good at. He was house trained pretty easily, it was more of the other commands..."sit", "stay", "come"...Bailey always sort of marched to his own drum. :). He was a pretty good puppy, and has always been a good dog. Really, I've never known a more mild-mannered dog in all my life!

He has always been great with the boys. From completely newborn babies, through curious toddlers, to demanding preschooler, Bailey has taken it all in stride. He has never been the most playful dog & he would prefer to lay in his bed and nap peacefully rather than play fetch. He has been a good dog!

On Monday, we got a call from the Pediatrician giving us the results of Brandon's allergy testing. Brandon has had episodes of asthma-like wheezing since he was about 6 months old, so the doctor suggested we try & test him though he's still a bit young and might not show any positives. Well, the nurse called with the results and he has a dog allergy. And not just any dog allergy...a bad one. The level that measures how much he is currently being bothered by the allergen (normal is 12 or lower) is over 800!! Yep, you guessed it...this doctor's office officially has me labeled "basket-case" as I burst into tears on the phone with the nurse. Not at the fact that we now have to find a new home for our dog, but at the fact that my poor boy has suffered (quite contentedly, I might add) for almost 2 years living with something he's very allergic to! I'm thankful we now have an answer as to why he's sick all the time & am glad the solution is as simple as some meds & finding Bailey a new home. The guilt & question of if I could have known sooner & prevented some suffering, lingers on and some days still shocks me to my core. But I know it will soon be better & am grateful for that.

Well, the shock has wore off a bit & it now sets in that Bailey will no longer be around us...and yes, I will miss him. He has been such a good dog!

Mom's Lesson

I haven't updated this in....well.....what seems like FOREVER!!  I'm still in the process of writing a pretty lengthy post about all that has transpired in our lives in the last 4 months, so I'll save that for later and share a recent story that I don't want to forget.

I am constantly teaching my children "lessons".  From the simplest things like how to pick up a Cheerio when they are babies, to more complicated things like how to handle themselves when things don't quite go the way we wanted them to, as they get older.  As I constantly teach lessons, I am coincidentally learning lessons as well.  Like, don't leave a baby with a tray full of Cheerios unattended for more than 2 seconds or you will be finding them in various locations of the house for months.  Or one of my very favorites, how NOT to speak to your husband when you are not pleased about things not quite turning out the way you wanted them to. ;)  My husband has said that living with our almost 5 year old, Drew, is like watching your life on DVR and it is so true!

As I muddle through most days trying my best to teach my boys how to share toys, how to react in better ways than hitting or biting, how to respond to Mom's pleas of "HURRY UP! WE'RE LATE!", and to obey the first time, I often forget the ONE thing I am called to teach them about...God's Love!  I pray with my boys before each meal, (granted often one or both of them are already done eating and we are praying over my 1/4 of a turkey and cheese sandwich and handful of baby carrots that I managed to scrounge up, but I digress...), pray with them before nap and bedtime, teach them the reason we respond certain ways is because that is how Jesus would and wants us to, etc. etc.  Does it sink in?  I pray it does!  Do they get it? They will someday!  Is it important?  The MOST important!

When one of my lessons on obeying the first time, or choosing a different response than hitting doesn't sink in, I get a little upset!  Ok, I get downright angry sometimes...it is not pretty when this Mom has to repeat the same request 3, 4, 5 times and more!  Time outs are dished out...rewards are taken away...it's just not fun for anyone!  Now, the lessons about God....well, I don't hand out multiple choice tests on the Ten Commandments and I don't ask for an exact retelling of the Christmas Story.  So, I continue teaching them about God's Love the best way I know how and hope someday it shines through in their words and deeds.

One day last week, I was dropping Drew off at Preschool...Brandon in tow of course.  We were running a tad behind (as usual) and I was recovering from my usual blood pressure spike resulting from my children doing everything EXCEPT getting dressed when asked, getting their shoes and coats on, and not going downstairs to get another toy to take in the car.  Ironically, I always have the local Christian radio station playing, and this particular day, I'm getting more and more convicted about the fact that I should not start our day this way!  We pulled up to the stop light just before we turn into the Preschool and at that intersection stands a big, wooden cross.  I heard a small voice pipe up from the, up-until-that-point, silent backseat that says, "Hey Brandon.  See that cross right there.  Jesus died on that cross.  Do you know that Brandon?  Jesus died on the cross."  Brandon, in his cute, almost 2 year old, accommodating way responds with a smile, and a "Yeah" (though he had no idea what he was agreeing to)! ;)  And in that moment, this Mom lost it and looked like a blubbering fool dropping that sweet little boy off at school.  Lesson learned, son.  Lesson learned!

A Working Mom

Yes, that would be my new title!  I have always desired to eventually go back to work someday, but never thought that someday would be right now.  This is how I am sure that God is in full control of all things that happen in life.  I was always told, "You'll find your husband when you stop looking for him".  That was actually very true in my life, because I was not looking when I met Jim...in fact I was dating someone else at the time, but that's a whole other story! ;-)  I think that statement is true for work in my life as well, "You'll find a job when you stop looking".  Sounds silly, no?  When I look back at my life and all the jobs I've held, there are just a couple that I actually was "looking" for, the rest kind of just worked the details out themselves and then kind of fell into my lap!  Thanks God! :-)
To make a long story short, in the course of this past week, I inquired about a job a fellow Master's student told me about, scheduled an interview, sat in the interview for 10 minutes answering a whopping 4 questions, was offered the job on the spot, and accepted! :-D WHEW!  Really?!  Me?!  I just did that?!  The queen of anxiety...yep, I did and felt GREAT about it!
After almost 4 full years of being a stay-at-home Mom, I am re-entering the workforce and I am actually extremely excited about it!
How will I leave these two sweet faces every morning you ask??

Well, I'm sure it will be an adjustment for all for a little while, but what comforts me is knowing these same two sweet faces will be waiting for me when I get home each afternoon....and something tells me, they might just have these exact expressions on their faces!  Yep, I think I can deal with that! ;-)

On a totally unrelated note, is this not the cutest thing you have ever seen?? 

There is so much love between these two, sometimes I have a hard time believing one day they will more than likely have a wrestling match on my living room floor!