Feeling a bit nostalgic and EXCITED!

This whole bed rest thing is no fun but at the same time, very needed. My one hour up and out of bed today was spent starting to get Zackary's room organized. Matt already brought the boxes and boxes of baby stuff up into the nursery and it will be my task over the next few weeks to unpack, organize, wash, clean and decorate this space. Today I started by going through what we already have...which is A LOT!

As I unpacked each sock, outfit, onesie and hat I was able to remember who bought it and where one or both of the boys wore it. This was a wonderful walk down memory lane. In addition, as I unpacked the already bought brand new newborn clothes for little Zack (we have NO long sleeved clothes newborn and both boys were summer babies)  I am so excited to meet this little nugget and make more memories.

Then I came across a newborn diaper, unused thankyouverymcuh. I am not sure what made me keep this but I did and I about cried. I CANT WAIT to hold a newborn. It is the most amazing thing in the entire world. What goes under the diaper doesn't matter, it is the sweet baby that matters.

The other thing that crossed my mind as I unpacked the boxes and boxes of stuff was this can no way be the last time I do this. (I know my mother is going to kill me) but bed rest is nothing compared to spending time with my little monkeys. I love being a mom and I am not sure this can be the last baby in my life.

I am willing to lay down 23, well more like 21 hours a day for this little man and I would do it again for another baby. I can't wait to meet the little body that is going to fill the clothes, hats, onesies, crib, bassinet, swing and our arms.

 A Pull-up, Size 4 and newborn diaper...thank goodness for the Diaper Gene!

24 Weeks

HOLD UP, WAIT A MINUTE...that can't be right...but it is. This little guy is going to make his entrance in exactly 15 weeks, if not sooner. We do have new clothes for him but he still does have anything else to call his own. We are concentrating on moving Lukas and Jakob in together and then it will be all about Zackary, or Thanksgiving, or Christmas, or New Years...AHH!

Being pregnant is so awesome. I was so afraid I wouldn't feel him picking due to the issues with my placenta, but that is so not the case. I can feel him kicking all day (and night)...and I love it. 

Zackary is now the length of an ear of corn, which is also nuts! He is growing into a little baby and I can't what to meet him. I am dying to see what he looks like! I can't wait to introduce him to his little brothers. Lukas has already expressed that he is sick and tired of diapers, lol! 

Until next time....

Poem from my Gram

With baby number 3, or Zotto as we refer to him, on the way, I am starting to get really anxious. Put aside all the heath complications...it is more the 3 little boys running around, crying, needing hugs, to be fed, bathed, loved, disciplined, carted around....and on and on that is really worrying me. How are we going to do this? I probably should have thought about that back in...oh May...but now it is reality.

Just when all the questions of if the baby was going to have enough love and of my patience, I got a card from my Gram. It was just what I needed. The poem inside could not have said it better and I will cherish this forever for my little Zotto...

Our Third Child....
You will always be the ONE, who gave our hearts true pleasure,
Your life a happy addition, our joy beyond measure.
You reminded us to relax, and to laugh aloud.
You loved finding your own way, of standing out of the crowd.
You will have few baby photos, and a scrapbook left undone.
You wil nap in your car seat, eat meals on the run.
You will always want to come along, wherever the "big kids" go.
Always wanting to be a part, or better yet, the star of every show.
You will help a growing family find fun in each new day.
As they watch you grow and blossom, in your own unique and special way.
You will always be our THIRD, the life that kept a smile on our face.
You will always be the baby, who held our HEARTS in your embrace.

Really could it be said any better?

Realization

Today I realized....

I have been pregnant at some point for the past 5 years...

2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
and will be in 2012

Well at least I got good use out of my maternity clothes!

Comparing...

Just dont do it. That is what it comes down to. Jakob is behind where Lukas was in his language and it is making me C-R-A-Z-Y! I know everyone says all kids develop at their own pace..yada, yada. That is all well in good but not when they are so little and every worse case example plays out in your head. But yesterday Jakob pulled through and said "book". Thats it, no more comparing. He's his own little self. He will talk, he will walk on his own and maybe, just maybe he will be a little more mellow than his overly self-assured older brother....

Just wait til 3...

These are the days...

It is days like this that I feel over the moon to be a mom. Days with no errands, no agendas, nothing important but being with my boys. So often our weekends are composed of parties, errands, grocery shopping, appointments, grading, etc. But today...none of that. Just quality time with me, Luke and Jake (and Campbell and Becca for a bit!). Being a mom just keeps getting better and better the older they get. I honestly feel like I could have 10 kids. Each time one starts to "get big", as Lukas says...I could just have another. If only college werent so expensive!

Lukas thinks its cute to tell me he is getting big. It is our little game. I then tell him he will always be my baby. Our cute little game actually makes me want to cry. I feel like I was JUST in the hospital in awe over our tiny, and I mean tiny, little guy. While he is still skinny with a butt crack always to be seen, he is super articulate, thoughtful and full of excellent manners. While the fact that he is getting so big makes me so sad, I'll just bank on it getting more and more fun as the years go on. And who knows...maybe we will just keep having more kids:) We do have a pretty big basement...

Lukas thinks its cute to tell me he is getting big. It is our little game. I then tell him he will always be my baby. Our cute little game actually makes me want to cry. I feel like I was JUST in the hospital in awe over our tiny, and I mean tiny, little guy. While he is still skinny with a butt crack always to be seen, he is super articulate, thoughtful and full of excellent manners. While the fact that he is getting so big makes me so sad, I'll just bank on it getting more and more fun as the years go on. And who knows...maybe we will just keep having more kids:) We do have a pretty big basement...

Happy Birthday to Jake, Happy Birthday to Jake,

Happy Birthday dear Jakob, Happy Birthday to you! 1 year ago today we met our little precious moment. After waiting 12 long hours for an already scheduled c-section we met you! You are hilarious, cuddly and super silly! Since we found out we were pregnant with you, we have wondered what your personality would be like and we now have you figured out to a T! You are just a fearless, silly little guy who loves to smile and have fun. What a perfect fit! To prove this...last night I was playing "hide and seek" with you while Daddy was watching Luke in the bathtub. I came looking for you and you can climbed INTO the bathtub in your PJs and were cracking us all up while splashing away in your fleece. Im not sure Ive laughed that hard in a long time. You are such a delight my little one. I am one lucky mama, thank you!

Happy Birthday,

Mommy

Then 

Now

What a little stud muffin:)

I love my BABY

Oh how I love my baby Jake. He is so cuddly, soft, sweet, and has the bluest, most heartwarming eyes. I just had to do a quick post about my baby because in 6 days he will no longer be a baby, but a toddler. A soon to be walking, talking little boy. Very little remains in our house from his infancy. The bottles are packed up and put away. He has own grown the infant carrier. The changing table no longer exists due to my fear of him rolling off. His diapers could now fit Lukas. His bath towel is almost the size of mine! We no longer need the little, rubbery Gerber spoons. Bibs are no longer a constant necessity. Burp cloths are thrown out/packed away. Bouncers/walkers are back in storage. While this makes me want to cry, I am also so glad I am not the type of mom who needs to keep her baby a baby by babying him/her.

BUT with that said...

He will always be my little baby boy.

Second Child Syndrome

I never believed the rumors of the neglected second child. How could we not pay as much attention to our sweet little Jake as we did Lukas? Answer-LUKAS. It is so hard to give a second little baby as much attention as you did your first when there is another little person running around the house. It is nearly impossible to give as much time to each little coo and movement. Instead we are managing Lukas' every move. I did not realize this until this weekend when Jakob had us all to himself for the first time since we left the hospital 10 months ago. Poor Jake.

It was wonderful to talk to Jake and sing to Jake. We went out to lunch with just Jake and I have never seen him happier. We went for walks and just played. It was amazing and a piece of cake. I am so glad we had that day together because it reminded us how Jake often takes a backseat to Lukas. We are making more of an effort to constantly talk to Jake and make sure he is part of everything instead of just sitting and watching. Jake is just the sweetest little guy, Lukas is so lucky to have him!

Our little photo shoot of Jakob.

Monster

Our little monster is turning into a little shrimp. The former big guy is only at the 30th percentile for weight and height. Only a little heavier than his brother at this time! Crazy how much they change. I pictured him as this big football player...not so much, baseball it is!

Hours of fun!

Yes, a swing set is supposed to be hours of fun....or HOURS OF INSTALLATION! What an experience this has been! We have put in about 30 hours and STILL have not installed the slide. You would think a slide would be easy, but no this is a huge, yellow tunnel slide. How did we get in to this mess? Let me tell you.

Ever since last year I have been CONVINCED that I want a swing set for the boys this summer. I have this whimsical picture of myself making lunch and cooking dinner (who am I kidding?) while looking out the window at my boys nicely playing on the swing set. Crazy, yes. However, I talked myself into it. After a nice tax return, I decided we would fulfill my dream. And so, the search began. I looked at every website and read every review. While Rainbows are obviously the Corvettes of swing sets, I was not interested. Then the Costco swing set appeared and we had to have it. 3 trips back and forth and 6 GIGANTIC boxes later, the swing set arrived at our home. 

THEN came the fun part. We have spent 2 full and one half day putting this together. Matt and me...a baby and a two year old. NOT EASY. The neighbors all told us we were crazy and laughed as I pushed a crying baby back and forth in a stroller and begged Lukas to stop rolling around in mud, all while trying to read Matt the directions. Sunburned faces, rain soaked hair. Hilarious...to others, yes...to me...NO!

We finally have it all done but the slide (which Lukas reminds us and anyone who asks of the swing set of EVERYDAY)! 

What made this all worth while was when Lukas started swinging and telling us how much fun he had. How he climbs up to his fort and screams, "I king of the world". How he tells his Daddy thank you. How his little gapped tooth smile takes up his whole face when he runs to his new fort. Really could it get any better?

YES, it can. HIRE someone to put up a swing set!...lesson learned!

Day 1, hour 1 

Day 2

End of day 2 

30 hours later...slide still to be complete!

Terrible, Horrible, No Good VERY BAD day...

Last Saturday. That was the day....the day I was embarrassed to be Lukas' mother. 4 days later and I am finally ready to write about it and delete that day from my memory. Until that Saturday, I have been so proud of my rambunctious intelligent, smart-mouthed, silly, beautiful boy. Then came soccer. Lukas loves soccer at home but apparently these feelings do not follow through to the 9:00 class I signed him up for. He was HORRIBLE. Horrible doesn't really even describe it...mortifying, humiliating...those are more appropriate words.

I now know why you are not supposed to judge other parents. One day, you may be the parent baffled beyond belief that YOUR precious little boy can act like a COMPLETE brat. Yes, he/she can...and he/she WILL. And then....

YOU GO HOME AND CRY! (and begin much more strict expectations!)

That is all for now. No pictures of the TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD VERY BAD SOCCER DAY!

But we will try again this week. Maybe there will be a smiley, gapped tooth little 2 year old gracing this page soon!:)

9 months!

Tomorrow morning our little Jakey Wakey, as Luke refers to him, will turn 9 months old. This seems almost impossible. 9 months starts my favorite stage! This is where the F-U-N begins. Having an infant is miraculous and beyond wonderful but once a baby hits 9 months, life becomes full of life. Jake has really started communicating. Not necessarily with words but with sounds. We can tell exactly what he wants by his "grunts". He is playful and can move all around. Words will soon kick in and I cant WAIT until Lukas can really communicate with him.

Jakob is beyond infatuated with Lukas. Instead of crying when Matt or I leave the room, he cries for Lukas. Jakob eagerly looks for Luke in the morning. They are really starting to play together and it is beyond adorable. I know I was not prepared for two boys but honestly dont know what our family would have done without Jakob. He completes (well maybe not officially completes, but for now completes) our family and it is so special to watch two boys grow up together. Having kids close together is HARD, no doubt about it but the bond that forms is worth every single bit of exhaustion.

Our little Lukas is one of a kind. Every mom thinks her child is smart but I dont think Lukas is only smart but really connected to peoples' needs and wants. This is something I value so much in people and am so proud to see in my son. He knows right when someone needs a hug, greets strangers with the most pleasant hi, says, "I love you" every chance he can get, offers to rub your back when you are hurting... He is something else, that Lukas. This innate understanding of people is not something we taught him but something within him. I could not ask for anything more.

With that said, Lukas is NO SAINT! Because he is so in-tune with people, he also knows when/how to push buttons. At 2 and a half, he already knows how to show off. He knows how I will react in basically all situations (which includes laugh if he starts laughing when I am punishing him). He knows how to bat his eyes lashes and roll his eyes. He will be hard to raise but hard in that he knows what he wants and how he wants it. That is something I admire in adults so I need to learn how to deal with it in a child.

Basically, I am the luckiest mom alive!

Two of a kind...

Drool monster

Sweetest picture ever!

"How much did your brother cost" Lukas-"lots of love"

Table food only!

First haircut!

In 1 week

Jakob,

In one week you have changed so much. All of a sudden you can crawl like crazy, eat most table food, interact much more with your voice, and show us you love us with kisses. The rate at which babies grow is absolutely amazing! You are growing into quite the little boy and your brother is loving it! I think you know how much fun you are going to have with your brother and are trying so hard to keep up with him. We love you little Jakey boy!!!

Sicky Boys

So the Samuels boys are S-I-C-K, sick! This past 3 day weekend was LONG to say the least. Two sick boys with high fevers, aching bodies and sad little voices. While my heart breaks for them...there is a TINY little part of me that cherishes these days. These are the days when Lukas will snuggle and cuddle. These are the days we do nothing but lay on the couch and watch movies. These are the days Lukas says,"mommy, please rub my back and sing to me." Really nothing else in the world matters when my precious little two-year-old boy says those words.