The terrible twos.

The terrible two's are kicking my butt.  Like daily.  

When Nathan turned two in June I kept waiting for "it" to start...you know, the tantrums, defiance, etc.  I kept thinking to myself, "this age is actually pretty easy...what's all this fuss about".  Well, then November came and it happened.  My little angel became a terrible.  And let me tell you, it's an ass kicker.  Like a swift kick in the head.  The constant fighting, the "NO's", the never listening, defiance, testing limits, tantrums, all seem to surface in the evening (and anytime we're trying to leave the house).

And everyday it's the same fight....
"No mommy, not that. Nathan wear Thomas t-shirt to school" (he still refers to himself in the 3rd person).
"Stop Mommy, Nathan brush teeth"
"No mommy, shoes are too tight"
"Mommy put on _______" (enter anything that we're asking him to try and help put on).

And from me...
"Nathan, we need to change your diaper"...followed by..."NOOOOOO"
"Nathan, stop pushing the dog"....then, "NOOOOOOO"
"Nathan, it's time to get ready for school"....and...."NOOOOO"
"Nathan, it's bath time.....again...."NOOOOOO"

And, you get the picture.

I feel like we're constantly battling with him.  We've run out of effective ways to punish him.  I mean, the kid sometimes will ask to go time out.  Seriously.  Seriously.  Whoever came up with that "punishment" didn't have a 2 1/2 year old.

But, it's not all bad.  I'm not here to scare anyone.  The terrible twos are also amazing in a lot of ways.

It's amazing to watch your child learn and soak up every little thing.  The kid has an amazing memory and is constantly surprising us.  He can tell me everyone's eye color in his classroom.  It's pretty incredible.

It's amazing to actually hear him have a conversation with you now.  He can tell me about his day at school, his likes and dislikes.  And his negotiating skills are superb.  He must get that from his daddy.

Another great thing about two year olds...they sleep.  And you can sleep too.  We're rediscovering this perk now that we have a 6 week old.

They're independent.  And they can help (granted, it's usually on their terms).

And the best part of all is when they wrap their little arms around you and tell you that they love you.  Seems to wipe away all of those "terribles", and make your heart just melt.  I wouldn't trade those moments for anything.

One Month Post

Time is flying by.  Like seriously flying.  Even more so now that I have 2 kids.  Bennett is ONE month old already.  You almost forget how much things can change from month to month with a newborn baby.

Unfortunately I really don't have any one month stats.  We brought Bennett to the doctor when he was 4 days old and he was already almost at his birth weight (9"13).  Apparently I make big babies and I can grow big babies (no shortage of food around here)!!!  So, his doctor was completely comfortable with his next appt being at 2 months unless there are any issues or concerns.

I can tell you that he is growing like a weed and chunking up nicely though.  He has completely outgrown all his newborn clothes and many of his 0-3 month stuff already.

Sleep
Sleep so far has been good (touch wood).  He's consistently giving us 3-5 hour chunks at night and napping well during the day.  The kid sleeps A LOT.  Much more than his brother ever did (thank goodness).  He has been a little difficult to put to sleep at night time but once he's asleep, he's good.

Eating
Eating has also been good this month.  Breastfeeding this time around is 1000 percent better.  I'm not sure what it is, maybe it's me, maybe it's him, (likely it's a combination) but things are easier.  I'm not sore anymore, feeding has never been really painful, and I'm never super engorged and uncomfortable. I'll spare you the details of my experience last time, but let's just say Nathan left me with some permanent scars memories.  Looking back, I'm not sure how I lasted for 6 months.


 Likes and Dislikes
His main interest right now... Food.  The kid likes to eat.  He also likes his swing, being swaddled, and being held.  He also LOVES to grunt.  I seriously had forgotten how many weird noises newborns make.  He grunts when he sleeps, when he farts, when he poops, before he's ready to eat (and you get the picture).

Diaper changes were a no-go up until recently.  Now he reluctantly tolerates them without screaming his face off.

Baths are also becoming a little more tolerable lately...as long as he's warm, he's okay.

Falling asleep at 10:30pm is painful for some reason.  Again, more grunting at this point.

Firsts
Because this kid has been relatively easy going (I'm going to jinx myself, aren't I??) we've been able to take him everywhere...

First trip to the aquarium.  Bennett, while your brother enjoyed the shark tank, you enjoyed sleeping.
First trip to the mall.  While your mama enjoyed shopping, you enjoyed sleeping.
First hockey game.  While your family enjoyed popcorn and beverages, you enjoyed sleeping.
First fancy dinner out.  While we enjoyed nice wine and food, you enjoyed sleeping.

Well, You get the picture!

Overall
Things this time around are so much more enjoyable.  Being a first time mom is stressful and hard.  This time around I feel more comfortable / confident or something.  The hard part this time is juggling 2 kids while trying not losing my shit on anyone (hubby included).  It helps that we've decided to keep Nathan in preschool (which he loves) so that I can have some alone time with Bennett.  Everyone seems a little happier this way.

Birth story

Once again I'm back from a very looooong hiatus...oops:)  So much has happened in the past few months that when I started this blog post I literally had no idea where to even begin....

So, I decided to start with the biggest change that's occurred recently....we are officially a family of 4.  Bennett George was born via repeat scheduled c-section on December 17, 2013.  In the unlikely event that someone's just popping by for the first time, here is a link to my previous birth story (warning... it's a doozy).  

Luckily, this time everything went fairly smoothly.  We had to be at the hospital 2 hours before the surgery so we arrived at 6am with the anticipation of having a baby by 8am.  Here I am the morning of my due date waiting anxiously to leave.  And the 2nd pic is of my ginormous belly while we were at the hospital (can you seriously believe the size of that thing???)

Everything really went off without a hitch.  Unlike last time, the spinal went in without any complications (and it was virtually pain free).  I felt a little nauseous at first but that passed fairly quickly.  And the best part about this birth was that I was actually AWAKE for this one (last time I had to be put under general anesthesia due to a complication with my spinal).

This time was a completely different experience...for starters I actually got to hear my baby cry for the first time, I saw my hubby hold him for the first time, I was able to hold him shortly after, I was there when the doctors shouted "it's a boy", and awake when they all said "holy crap, he's HUGE".

And he was HUGE....9lbs 13 ounces.  I'm not sure how a 5"2, 115lb lady can carry such a big kid, but clearly my belly has some stretching power.

Nathan has seriously been amazing with Bennett.  If I'm being completely honest, I thought he would be horrible.  Not because he isn't a great kid, just because he's so demanding with my time sometimes.  He's a complete mama's boy, and newborns take up A LOT of mamas time.  There's been virtually zero jealousy and he actually really likes "Baby Bennett" (as he calls him).

Love this little snarly face:)

First pic as a family of 4

Recovery has been pretty easy.  I'm now 4 weeks postpartum and feeling 100 percent back to normal.  Life as a family of 4 so far has been a breeze.  We've had my parents staying with us up until this week so they have been taking over chores and giving Nathan LOTS of attention (I'm pretty sure they never want to see another "Thomas train track" as long as they live...lol!!!).  And Bennett has been a fairly easy newborn.

Tomorrow Bennett is going to be 1 month old (you guys...seriously) and I'm hoping to do a first month update on the little guy:)