Kiss Me, Damn It!

I know, I always say it, but I need to blog more. The cooler, more put together me in my head has time. Of course, she also has a clean house, perfect children, a rocking wardrobe, dinner on the table promptly at 5:30 every night, and time to put on make-up every morning. I'm working on being that me, but until then, I think I'll start with just trying to blog more. I told hubby I need his help so that I can have at least a day a week to blog, and he said he'll try. :0) We'll see. 

It's been a rough couple of weeks. Sebastian has recently decided that he is going on a sleeping strike, or at least, a bedroom strike. I have no idea why, it happened over night, but he has started screaming if we try to put him in his crib. I don't mean fussing, I mean "Oh God, giant dentist spiders are crawling into my bed intent on ripping out my teeth!" screaming. I have never heard anything like it, and it doesn't stop. We have tried all the "tricks", and it just ends up with us bringing him in our bed and waiting until he falls asleep to very carefully take him back to his bed. And, if for some reason he wakes up in the middle of the night, he is right back in our bed. It's like that for nap times too, and the result is two tired parents and a very exhausted toddler. We are going to take him to the pedi to see if there is something going on like an ear infection or reflux, but I honestly don't think that is it. Wish I could figure it out. I'm starting to think these dark circles might become permanent. 

For all the "rough" moments though, there are at least a dozen great moments, and we've had more than our fair share of those this week too. One of the neatest things is Sebastian's new "Kiss me, damn it!" attitude. One of the downfalls of being the second sibling is that you never are the "only". From the time you emerge from the womb, you will always be competing with someone for the attention of your parents. Sometimes, like when you are a tiny and new and giving those first, gummy baby grins, you will win. Sometimes, like when your older sibling decides to try and fly from the roof of the shed holding nothing but an umbrella, you will most certainly lose the competition for attention. 

We adore both of our boys, almost obsessively, and we certainly try our best to divide our attention equally, but it isn't always possible, as any parents out there who have more than one child will know. This will sometimes make for a meeker, quieter second child. A child content to sit in the shadow of their older sibling and patiently wait their turn for the love and snuggles. 

Not our child. 

Sebastian is every bit as stubborn as his brother, and, if his older brother will not willingly share the spotlight, Sebastian is more than willing to get his hands dirty to get his share. His most recent display of this has been titled "Kiss me, damn it." by an overly amused Mommy. He crawls in your lap and waits patently for all of about 20 seconds. If you do not give him the attention he then feels he is deserving, no matter if you are paying attention to Parker or the TV or talking on the phone, he then grabs your face and, with a force I imagine would be equal to that of the Hulk, turns it towards him and plants a huge, messy kiss right on your lips. He will then do this over and over again, until he is sure you are not going to go back to whatever it was you were doing in the first place, and then he will proceed to tell you whatever it was he wanted to say, in his impressive baby babble, all while keeping your face in his hands and his eyes only inches from yours. If you show signs of distraction, say you shift your eyes slightly, he will then start kissing you roughly again until you are fully his once more. 

I love it. In fact, I confess that I sometimes will look away just to get more kisses, even if I am fully paying attention to him. I haven't seen him do it to Daddy yet, so I am just going along with the thought process that I am obviously special. It couldn't be that I am just here more often, right? 

Of course, this usually starts a kissing war, especially if the original recipient of my attention had been Parker, and I usually end up in the middle of two little bodies clamoring for rights to my face where they each plant as many smooches as possible. I have to say, I quite enjoy it. Sometimes Daddy even gets involved, loudly declaring that Mommy is his, at which point the littles join forces to fight off their father and reclaim Mommy for their own.  

I pretty much love my life. Even when I am exhausted. I'm one lucky lady.

Dinosaur Polar Bear

Today I met a Dinosaur Polar Bear. Perhaps you have never heard of one. He is a very elusive creature. Freshly bathed and snuggled in new jammies (which, by complete coincidence, have a polar bear on them), he stalks the bedclothes in search of victims in the quickly disappearing moments before bed time. He blends in, letting out only the occasional giggle to strike fear into the hearts of those he stalks, then pounces with an impressive "Raaaaaawwwwr!", leaving his helpless pray unable to defend themselves due to a horrible case of the giggles! He then informs the one he has pounced upon that "You can't get away from me, Mommy! I have big teeth!"

Vicious he is indeed until bedtime is announced, at which time he wraps his arms around Mommy and Baby Brother, planting messy kisses on both, before he leaps down and follows Daddy (on all fours I might add, feet and hands both flat on the floor) down the hall to his room. Dinosaur Polar Bears then relish in a story and prayers before wrapping Daddy up in an equally fierce hug and kiss and bidding him goodnight. 

*sigh* All is well in my home this night.

It's A...

...Boy!

I am pleased to announce the arrival of Sebastian Robert-Magnus, born August, 20, 2011 at 1:11am weighing 8lbs 15.4oz and 21 inches long. There will be a birth story and about a million pictures to follow, but I wanted to let everyone know that our newest little miracle is hear and healthy!

And, of course, I had to show him off!

Pooped

I. Am. Exhausted. I guess this is something that comes along with being 36 weeks pregnant. It could also have something to do with going out to see teh midnight showing of Harry Potter last night and then waking up at 7am to go in and have my gallbladder checked...but let's blame it on the pregnancy. :0) It's just easier.

On the other hand, everything is done (with the exception of my belly cast which we plan on doing tomorrow), and am think I am as ready as I can ever be for Little Legs arrival. 

The Great 35

Nope, I'm not 35 years old or anything, but I did a post like this on my other blog when I hit this milestone with my son. I felt I should do it now too. Today I am 35 weeks pregnant. It is also 35 days until my due date. Pretty neat, huh?

I think I am as ready as I can be. I don't have my belly cast done yet, but my bags are packed, my pre-admissions paperwork is filled out and I'm in the mindset of "I'm going to have this baby soon". I'm still a little scared and worried. How is Parker going to handle it? Will labor go the way I would like it too? But, in the end, none of these are things I can predict ahead of time. They are all things we'll just have to wait and see.

So now we wait.

Come On Down!

So, maybe there is too much TV in our house. It's always on. It's not so much that we sit around watching it, but the last time Michael was deployed I get very used to having it on in the background so the house didn't seem so quiet, and so we do that often now when we are sitting around playing or coloring or whatever it is we have decided to do that day.I find I need the background noise.

Something we do watch on occasion though is The Price Is Right. I've loved that show since I was a very little girl, and Parker has a couple of games that really grab his attention when they come on, not to mention that he gets a kick out of them calling people's names and yelling "Come on down!" It makes me giggle when he yells it back and claps as whoever it is jumps and screams and makes a general fool of themselves "coming on down". (I have always sworn that if I was ever on the show I would be the person who calmly sauntered down the isle, shaking the occasional hand, before getting to my little price podium and politely greeting Drew.)

Anniversary & Ultrasounds

Today was my husband and my six year wedding anniversary...and I'm not going to lie, it really stunk. I know it's not the "strong" thing to admit, but it was really horrible having him so far away for our anniversary. I also, unlike many of my military wife counterparts, don't mind admitting that I am scared to death for him on a regular basis, and I would be lying if I didn't say that I thought to myself at least once today 'What if I never see him again?'. 

That being said, it didn't ruin my day. I didn't dwell on it. It's a part of the lifestyle and you get through the hard days and move on, but it really did stink. It's not our first anniversary spent apart, nor will it probably be our last, but knowing that doesn't make it a whole lot easier sometimes. Still, I remind myself that, for now, he is OK. He will be home soon, and this is just one day of many that we have to get through. And will. So many other people have it so much worse, especially on a weekend like this one. It's hard to feel sorry for yourself when you know there are women out there celebrating Memorial Day at services to honor their fallen husbands.

Besides, today was also the day of our make-up 3D/4D ultrasound!

Ladies Day Rescheduled & Ina May

So Ladies Day, my day I've been waiting for for months and months and months, turned into a slight bust. We went alright, and everyone was excited and cooperative...except for Baby Legs, whose cooperation we desperately needed.

My surprise for my grandmother, mother, sister, and cousin (who is also Parker and Legs's Godmother) was to take them to a 3D/4D ultrasound so that they could "meet" Legs. I was giddy with excitement! It was something I'd wanted to do when I was pregnant with Bubba, but the money we had saved up for it ended up going towards a car emergency, so it was a no go. This was to be my first chance to experience something like this, and I loved that I was going to get to share it with the most important women in my baby's life. (And Parker, of course.)

28 Weeks

I am 28 weeks pregnant as of yesterday, which puts me into my 3rd trimester according to most standards people go by. (I have heard anything from 26 weeks to 29 being your 3rd trimester depending on the doctor you are talking to or book you are reading at the time. This pregnancy stuff is so confusing!)

Since I have been so neglectful in updating my blog, it occurred to me that I haven't had the chance to share any pictures of my growing belly. Usually the rapid expansion of my stomach wouldn't be such a cause for joy, but under the circumstances I am very proud of my baby bump. (Which was measuring 31 weeks at my doctors appointment on Monday! Mommy's little overachiever.) Besides, I am just dying to share!