Just some pictures of my boy

Obviously, he's my baby so I think he's the cutest little boy alive. I love his squishy cheeks, his spiky hair, his skinny little legs and his big feet. My boy loves to stare at his mom, dad and big sis. When we were in the hospital the only times he was ever out of our arms was when we would eat and he would sit in his plastic box and just stare at us. After he eats he loves to stare at me and he probably thinks I'm a little crazy because I never stop talking to him. I love his kisses, especially when he's all snuggled into my neck and gives me a sweet kiss. He is a huge cuddle bug (that makes me so happy) and if he's crying after a bath or hungry I can just rest him against my chest and he stops crying almost immediately, it's nice to feel like I have such a soothing effect on him. I feel so blessed to have my girly girl and my little man, I'm loving them both so much and can't wait to watch them grow.

Our Hauser

These are just a few pictures of the other new addition to our family. Hauser is a GREAT dog! He's smart, he's sweet and he's a lover. But, like I said before, my favorite thing about him is that he wants to protect my kiddos. He sleeps in Ashley's room and will just watch her to make sure she's ok and if Colin is crying he comes over to check things out and make sure his help isn't needed.

Once I feel like we've got some sort of schedule/routine going we'll be making some trips to the doggy park with him and I can already tell he's going to LOVE it!

Our swimmer girl

My bed rest and frequent trips to the hospital put a little kink in our swim lesson schedule so we ended up finishing the last two lessons the week after Colin was born. I was afraid Ashley would have regressed since she hadn't been in the pool practicing for such a long time but she amazed her mom and dad and did even better than before :-) On the last day Ashley swam across the entire pool and only had Mr. Grant help her with a two second break twice. She is comfortable floating on her back alone, she can dive down to the bottom to get rings and toys, she now dives belly first instead of feet first and she is a "big arm swimmer". I am so proud of her!






As you can see, Colin was thrilled to be at the swim lessons, just look at the excitement on his face :-)

Colin's time in the lights

Just a few pictures of Colin in his strange jumpsuit thing while he was in the lights for his jaundice at the hospital.





Just a few pictures of Colin in his strange jumpsuit thing while he was in the lights for his jaundice at the hospital.

My babes

Can you tell them apart??









The first three are Colin and the last three are Ashley. They both came out sporting the same hair as their daddy :-)

Colin's Birthday

Sunday, August 9, 2009 we woke up around 5:30am to get ready to leave for the hospital. I woke up with so much anxiety, I was so excited but still scared about the unknown. When Ashley was picked up I could feel a tug at my heart. I felt like saying goodbye to her was like saying goodbye to the life we had known. My stomach was in knots and filled to the brim with butterflies as we drove to the hospital. When we were finally in our labor and delivery room I felt like I was living in a dream, I couldn't believe this day had come.

When we met our nurse I think Jason and I both wanted to jump out of our seats with excitement because she was the same nurse that took care of me when I was in the hospital with contractions and we LOVED her. To get to have her for the delivery of Colin made me so happy because she is just awesome! At that point I had a nurse I loved and Dr. Stadler who delivered Jason and we loved too, I was ready to go.

After about 8 hours of painless contractions (thanks to my epidural) it was time to have a baby and 4 minutes later, he made his debut. It took Colin a good 25 seconds to take his first breath, which was more than scary, especially as we watched him turn a dark shade of purple but once Dr. Stadler handed him over to the nurses he finally belted out a good cry and turned a nice bright shade of pink.

My sweet boy had arrived and it was love at first sight. I sat in my bed watching them test him and clean him up and I was just dying to get my hands on him. Once he was in my arms I was shocked to see how much he looked like his older sister, it was like holding the same baby all over again.

When Ashley came in to see Colin she was in awe and couldn't stop talking about how cute he was and how much she loved him. I had to agree with her, he is one darn cute baby and I love him so much too.

Below are some pictures of Colin right after he was born. The nurse that gave him his first bath is the same nurse that gave Ashley her first bath, we loved her too.

correction

It's already been pointed out to me several times that I said Hauser was an American Bulldog, the mush between my ears that once resembled a brain is to blame. Hauser is an English Bulldog.

Complete Overhaul

I've been avoiding the blog because it desperately needs a face lift. I have two new family members, Colin (our son) and Hauser (our dog) so I need to change the pictures and update some stuff but that's not happening until this weekend...hopefully. Until then, I'll make some posts but I can't promise they'll be anything amazing.

I guess I'll start with Colin's birth, it was amazing. My epidural worked like a gem so I was in no pain and I started to get nervous giggles when we approached pushing so I'm probably one of the only people that has delivered their baby while cracking up, but I'd say it's much better than screaming at my husband like I did last time.

I can't believe how much I love this little man. He is so perfect, so sweet and just amazing. He looks exactly like Ashley but in a boy version so I'm interested to see what he looks like as he gets older. Right now, I just love his tiny hands and toes and his awesome hair- he has the same hairdo as Jason.

Being a mom to two has been absolutely amazing so far. As Ashley says, my heart is so happy. Every night after dinner I sit on the couch with my family and grin from ear to ear because I am so happy and full of so much love and joy. It's so fun to think about the things we'll get to do together in the near future and even further down the road. I love these two munchkins so much and they make me love my husband even more because he is so amazing with them and has been so good to me.

So far, Colin has been a breeze, other than his little jaundice issue which is thankfully over. He pretty much sleeps, eats and stares at you all day long. The only time he cries is if he's beyond hungry or once in a while if he has a dirty diaper. I'm spoiled because he's already sleeping for 4-5 hour stretches at night, which is just long enough to refuel the batteries to take on another day.

Ashley has been a great big sister to Colin, she has loved seeing him every morning and she loves to just watch him or hold his hand. I think she's in awe with Colin just like Jas and I are.

As for Hauser (3 year old American Bulldog), he's been a trooper. I don't know many dogs that can travel from Texas to California, meet their new family, deal with the chaos of a new baby and still be so perfect. He's such a good listener and is just full of love. He has decided to be Ashley's buddy so he sleeps next to her bed at night, which Ashley just loves. He loves to follow me around, especially if I'm holding Colin but I'd have to say his favorite person is Jason. When Jason walks in the door from work Hauser gets SO excited and just wants to go outside to play with Jason and the neighborhood kids.

Our Final Day

Tonight I'm sitting here thinking about all the milestones we have had as a family of three, from the day I found out I was pregnant with Ashley to the day I found out Colin was on his way. My heart is swollen with love and joy as I think of all the memories we've made as a trio and I can't wait to add another character to the bunch. (My face also felt the need to be swollen "with love" today, a lovely way to spend my last day being pregnant, NOT!)

I had a hard time sleeping last night, so when 4:30am rolled around and I had only slept 2 hours I gave up and decided to just wake up. Jason and Ashley eventually woke up around 6am and we all cuddled in our bed watching some funny shows which filled our bedroom with laughter. I can't imagine a better way to wake up that early on the weekend. We spent the morning cuddling, enjoying breakfast and watching some cartoons. As we got ready for the day I realized things would probably be very different in a few days but I'm ready for the challenge.

We set out for the beach to take Ashley on the pier, the swings and to just be with eachother. We slowly strolled down the pier, watching the surfers below, the fisherman casting their lines and all of the birds landing and taking off. As I watched my husband holding our daughter I was reminded that this is my life, this isn't a dream, this IS my life. I couldn't have dreamed for it to be any better. I have an amazing husband who loves and supports me, makes me laugh, encourages and comforts me and just makes me happy. The man I love is not only a great husband, he is an amazing father. As I watched him point out different surfers to Ashley I couldn't help but be so thankful to have found a man that is willing to be hands on with his children, to be the leader of our family and to have such a gentle way of showing his love to Ashley. As we continued down the pier I couldn't help but stare at my Ashley and just be in awe, I can't believe I get to be her mommy. The joy, love, happiness and peace she has brought to me is immeasurable. I find great delight in making sacrifices for her and in pushing myself to be a better person for her. Her smiles, hugs, kisses, love and laughter are the greatest gifts and I am lucky enough to enjoy them each and every day. I love my girl. I love my husband. I love my life and I'm looking forward to bringing a new member into our family, giving us the opportunity to have even more love in our hearts, or as Ashley would say, to make our hearts even happier.

Below are some pictures from today, it was a simple, yet magical day. Thank you to everyone for their thoughts and prayers, we'll keep you updated tomorrow and can't wait for all of you to meet our Colin.