From 1 to 2

I was very nervous about having two children only 21 months apart. Two in diapers. Two that want/need to be held. Two that cannot be trusted alone for more than 10 minutes. You get the idea.
However, these early days have not been too bad. Two napping at the same time is heavenly. Of course, that means there will most likely be two awake at the same time eventually. Nate sleeps all day it seems, so Ben isn't quite as neglected as I feared.
But, if I look back at my blog posts of Ben's first weeks and the number of pictures on my computer, Nate is the neglected one by far! Honestly, I don't know what to take pictures of. I have a few of tummy time and a bath shot. What else? ha. I took hundreds of pictures of Ben. I need to work on this pronto!
The best part of having a second child so close is that I am far more relaxed about everything. I think I have personally chilled quite a bit since moving to Wichita (church planting requires a lot more flexibility than I knew I had). I remember being so nervous with Ben and wanting to do everything as perfectly as I could. I wanted to be with him at all times, never even leaving him with Ryan. I left Nate with Ryan when he was 4 days old to go check out a recliner. ha. I am very glad that I am not near as uptight with Nate because it has made this experience so much more enjoyable.
And Ben...he continues to bring us such great joy. He is a barrel of laughs, more frustration than I have ever felt, and able to melt my heart all within the same hour some days. He loves his brother as much as he knows how. He has tried to pull his hair out a few times, but other than that it is smothering hugs and kisses all day long. He helps me with diaper changes, brings burp cloths, and even tried to pick out Nate's outfit this morning. He goes with me into Nate's room to lay him down for each nap and to get him up. The funniest thing is his imitation of Nate over the monitor. Ben makes this awful sound as he tries to imitate Nate crying. It is quite comical when you know what he is doing, but could be disturbing for someone that did not know what he meant.
As I have already admitted, I am bad at taking pictures, so this is a photo-less post. Sorry!

Christmas Videos

Finally...Christmas unwrapping and Santa videos. Enjoy!

Christmas

This Christmas season has been different, for lack of knowing the exact word I'm looking for. We did a lot of our shopping early in November since we knew Nate's arrival could keep us home in December. Then he arrived and life was all about feedings, naps and helping our toddler adjust to our new normal. Then it was suddenly Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, after dinner, we opened gifts. Ben was a lot of fun to watch. He has been patiently admiring the gifts under the tree and he finally had permission to open them. He was pretty excited. We played with everything, skipped our nightly bath, and off to bed with hopes of Santa coming (even though he doesn't have a clue about Santa). Ryan and I put together his gifts, with the help of Nate because he refused to go to sleep. His tummy was really bothering him. I drank as much water as I could stand and nothing seemed to help. Nate screamed. Then cried. Then screamed. Until a little after 11pm. Ryan and I were almost to the point of throwing our hands up in defeat, but we made it through! And then Nate didn't wake until 7am. Crazy boy, who does that?! Ben slept through all of it and didn't wake until 7:15am which is record sleeping for him. Small blessings!

Then, Ben saw Santa's gifts - an art easel (thank you Grammy & Papa Tom) that was fully stocked (thank you Aunt Candice and Aunt Trisha), Teach Me Elmo (thank you Aunt Candice and Aunt Trisha), and lots of cleaning tools (thank you Mama D). He explored everything and then worked at his art easel for at least an hour and a half. We had to pull him away for breakfast and again for snack and rest time.

We have had a lot of fun watching Ben play with his new toys. We are now enjoying a relaxing day, perfect for our family!

This is our favorite Christmas gift this year.

Taking in the tree. Notice the big red package IN the tree - that is Ben's work!Brotherly Love

Opening Gifts

Nate's Gifts

hehe - loving these shoes!

Sneak peak at Santa gifts.
SANTA CAME!

Maybe now he will leave my mops and broom (with 5 foot handles that hit everything) alone!

He is completely addicted to chapstick. He knows his daddy always has some in his pocket and he knows which staff members carry chapstick and begs for it! Santa brought him some cherry chapstick and he is well-greased!

Wearing my sweatshirt this morning.

Admiring the tree on his new stool - he is obsessed with stools of all kinds.

Christmas PJ Picture

I can't seem to get my videos to upload, so they will come in another post.

ABC Puzzle

Thanks Penner family for the cool puzzle. Ben loves it!

A Little Late...

I was given this fabulous idea for charting Nate's growth each month. I slacked in getting the necessary materials before his birth, so this is over a week late, but you get the idea. I can't wait to watch him grow like we did with Ben's pictures on his rocking chair.

A fabulous out-take.

Home Alone

Today, Ryan and I took Nate for his appointment at the pediatrician at 8:30am. Just like with Ben, the blood work in the hospital was inconclusive, so we had to walk across to the hospital and have it drawn again. In the hospital, it took forever to get enough blood. Today, he bled like a champ :) He has also gained some weight, up to 7 lb 2 oz today and already 20.5 inches long!

Then, we rushed home and I took my mom to the airport :( She was amazing help and I will certainly miss having her around. When the dishes are dirty now, I will actually have to clean them. She (at my Grandma's insistence) left me with a perfectly clean home, groceries that will last quite a while, all clean laundry, and a spoiled toddler that misses her terribly already.

Real life has begun. About 5 minutes after Ryan went back to work from lunch Ben dirtied his diaper and Nate wet all over me while I was changing his diaper. So much for all clean laundry! Ryan even asked when he got home this evening if I was going to be doing laundry every day now. ha. It is possible.

Both boys napped at the same time this afternoon and I got some work done. But, they both woke up at the same time too. Ben occasionally wakes up crying hard and is inconsolable. He wanted to be held and it is still uncomfortable to pick him up for much time at all. It is so hard for him to understand. There were many tears, but Daddy came home just in time to save the day! Yeah.

Nate has decided that he will not nap from dinner time until bedtime and wants to be held and talked to. It makes for an interesting dinner table at our home. Our friends are bringing meals this week so at least the food just appears without dirtying my pots and pans. It is amazing how much pressure that takes off of me to not have to cook.

Both boys are snuggled up in their own beds right now and I may not last much longer. Bedtime is coming quickly. Oh wait, Nate is crying now...

Before leaving for our staff Christmas party.

Ben "helping" me wrap Christmas gifts.

Ben kissing his favorite brother while never getting too far from D. We call my mom Mama D, but Ben just says D.

For Real?

Ben has suddenly taken a very serious interest in using the potty. What timing kid!

Double Trouble

Ben insists on being with Nate as much as possible. Keep in mind that although we are posting lots of pictures, we probably miss capturing half of the fun around here :)

Check out that clean hair - sticks straight up!

I forgot to post this video with the pictures the other day.

Out on the Town

I have been reminded that I did not post pictures when Nate left the hospital. We took a preemie outfit, but Nate was too long for it. The newborn outfit just swallowed him though.

Today, Nate made his first outing to the pediatrician's office for his check-up. He was remeasured and his height is actually 19.5 inches and he has regained the weight he lost after birth, back to 6 lb 5 oz today.

On our way to see the pediatrician.

Ben loves his brother more than I can explain! He stops what he is doing, runs to give the baby a kiss and then runs back to what he was doing. Sadly, Nate isn't awake very long during the day to receive as many kisses as Ben might like.

Sneaking into Nate's room to peak.

Just because he is cute.

Happy 21 Months

Ben turned 21 months the day after Nate was born. That is a lot to think about at once. In recent days, Ben has found so many more words and phrases to share with us. I will never be able to remember it all to share here, but he definitely keeps us on our toes and keeps us laughing. He is probably getting close to the age where I will have some great Ben-isms. Here are two so far:

After watching me nurse Nate he asked my mom, "I eat mommy?" This was/is my worst nightmare by the way. Thankfully, he hasn't seemed too interested since.

I mentioned in his 20 month post that he kept saying a word that sounded like "bobby" and we could not figure out what he was talking about. Then, we brought home Nate! All we hear now is "I need my bahby." "Bahby nite nite." "Bahby eat." "Mommy bahby." Bahby = Baby (if you hadn't caught on yet.) And on and on. He loves his bahby and will randomly remember him and run to look for him.

He insisted on having my mom's keys to unlock the door where Nate was sleeping. The door doesn't even have a key hole. And he needed a little extra height with his step stool apparently too.

He loves to hold Nate. Bahby up!

When playing in water, no shirt, sweats and rain boots are appropriate attire!

Wearing Daddy's hat and loving on his baby doll.

Getting ready for a brisk walk. We needed out of the house, but it was only 30 degrees. We visited everyone's office across the street.

He shredded all the lettuce for tacos one night. It was actually well shredded.

Finger painting!

He isn't sleeping during his morning nap anymore, but he still needs some quiet time. I put him books by his crib and he reads for 1.5-2 hours.

This is how I found him after that nap: pantless, sockless and all the books had been thrown on the other side of the bookshelf.

He has been loving to color with crayons and map pencils lately. He colors almost every morning after breakfast. On this particular day he needed to be level with the table rather than stand next to it. Whatever!

Nate's Birth Story

I am finally sitting long enough to write out Nate’s birth story. For those of you that are extra curious like me, read on. For those of you that don’t need all the TMI information, stop here and just know there is a happy, healthy baby boy in the end.

After my routine appointment on Wednesday morning, I was dilated to a 2, maybe more and thinning. My doctor thought he would arrive by the end of the week. On Thursday afternoon I had a cookie exchange and baby shower from the ladies at our church. I felt as normal as 38 weeks pregnant feels, no contractions, no other indications that he might come soon.

Contractions did start that night though at 4:00am. They were coming every 10 minutes and I wasn’t sleeping so I got up to shower and get dressed just in case we would be going to the birth care center soon. They continued to stay at 10 minutes and they were not very strong. Ryan went on to work at 9am and I called two friends to come over for a play date with their little ones to distract me. The distraction worked too well. I did not even notice any contractions during the hour they were here. This continued all morning; no real progression.

After lunch my contractions were very sporadic. Some were 3 minutes apart and quite strong. Some were 8 minutes apart and not strong at all. I was aiming for consistency and a reason to go to the birth care center. So, we went to the grocery store instead. We walked around all over the store and my contractions were leveling at 4 minutes apart and getting quite strong. We came home and put Ben down for a nap and I refused to sit down, just pacing around the house trying to keep them coming.

At 4pm we decided to go to the birth care center with contractions 3 minutes apart. A friend picked up my mom from the airport; her plane arrived at 4pm. Another friend sat at our house while Ben finished his nap.

When we checked in to the birth care center the lady at the desk said, “you look too happy to be checking in.” Alas, they let me come in. Then, I had my back to the lady that came to take us to our room. She said, “you don’t look pregnant from the back, but are you Amber?” That was a good way to start this experience. Since my pain tolerance is so high I was feeling perfectly fine when not having a contraction and was in control when having them. The nurses didn’t seem to believe me that I knew I was about to have a baby even though I was dilated to 4cm. They wanted to observe me for an hour and made me stay in my clothes, just walking around the room. After the hour I was 5cm so they admitted me. I had no intention of going home. It was 5:00pm. I asked for the birthing ball and they were asking all the initial admissions questions (ya know, the same questions asked by 10 different people and all put into the same computer). That took until 6pm and I was really having hard contractions and managing them by breathing, but I knew it wasn’t going to be much longer. (I never got out of the bed again to use the birthing ball.) The nurses still were not convinced. I asked to be checked. The nurse barely looked, immediately paged my doctor and started dialing someone else on another phone. When my doctor called back the nurse said, “I have Amber Carter and she is at 7cm…a few more graphic descriptions…bye! They were on the phone for 5 seconds and my doctor was out her front door.

Chaos began. People were in and out of my room and walking quickly. The resident on call came in and introduced herself to me. Everyone was prepping, I was about to have this baby and we were waiting for my doctor. I felt the need to push so intensely. Contractions were seemingly one right after another. I was just about to request the resident just deliver my baby when my doctor came rushing in. Everyone got gowned up and we were about to push. My doctor gave me my pudendal block, but there was not enough time for it to take effect. Then, my legs started cramping in my shins and calves. The pain from the legs cramping was worse than any pain from the contractions or pushing and I had no pain medicine. I was starting to freak out, unable to control the cramping. Nurses were rubbing my legs and Ryan had to go sit down for fear he would pass out from watching me in so much pain. My doctor did not want me to push until my legs were better, but Nate was already crowned and I could feel him right here! My legs relaxed just long enough for a few good pushes and Nate was born. With Ben, I couldn’t feel the pushing because of the pudendal block. I was much more nervous to push this time because I could feel the pain. But, I wanted that baby to come!

I was able to cut the cord and Nate was put on my chest. Since things happened so fast, I was never hooked up to an IV so they couldn’t give pitocin to help deliver the placenta. That seemed to take forever. Once it was delivered, Ryan almost passed out again for glancing at it. The nurses gave him a chair and a cold rag. They took such good care of him. Then, my legs started again. The doctor wasn’t even finished with me yet and my legs were hurting immensely. I had to be careful not to squeeze Nate since I was still holding him. I think everyone in the room took turns rubbing my legs, even my doctor! She seemed to have the magic touch, she could get them to stop briefly, but they would start again. I told her she couldn’t leave and she actually didn’t. She rubbed my legs for 15 minutes and even held my hand at one time while someone else was rubbing them. I couldn’t have asked for better care!

Eventually, my legs calmed down and I was able to begin to relax a bit. I drank all the juice and water I could handle to help rehydrate myself. (I think in all the excitement of contractions starting at home, I forgot to drink enough through the day.) Nate began nursing the second I put him to my breast and didn’t stop for a solid hour. Wow! We couldn’t even give out his weight and height stats because they let me hold him for almost 2 hours before taking him for all that. It was great!

My recovery has been even quicker than it was with Ben. I feel no pain and am not taking any medication right now. I am so blessed to have been taken care of so well and to have such a near painless recovery.

Ben is still confused as to why he has to be gentle with me and why I can’t pick him up. We are trying to find a happy medium that works for us both.

First Night Home

Nate was discharged at 9pm last night and we made the 1 mile drive home. It is always so much better to be at home! Nate is an excellent nurser, but it took him a while to settle into sleep last night. He fell asleep at 11pm and then Ryan was up at 2am with what he thinks is food poisoning. We were up together for an hour before waking my mom to go get some medicine and fluids. As we were waiting for her I saw on facebook that some friends were having the same problem and needing fluids and they don't have the luxury of a mom in town to help. So, we shared and are all hoping for the best today. Nate finally woke at 4am to nurse and went back to sleep easily and is still sleeping now.

For such a crazy first night home, I am immensely thankful that:
1. My mom was here to run to the store and offer moral support (and clean the bathroom :)
2. Both boys slept through the entire ordeal of being up with Ryan.
3. Nate nursed and went right back to sleep so I could lay back down too.
4. My recovery has been near painless so I was able to help Ryan last night.

And so many other things. Pray for us today though! Ben doesn't understand why he can't jump all over Daddy and play. Ryan still doesn't feel well at all. We will see how this day goes.

More Nate Pictures

So proudWe are family.

Nate gave Ben a gift.

Ben shared his Elmo with Nate. And brought it with him every time he came to visit.

My boys.

Father and Sons

Kisses for the baby.

Helping change a diaper.