Big Brother Little Brother

Well the transition from one kid to two kids has not been that difficult. I have been a little hormonal which is different than her I was with Jude. I'm not depressed or anything like that I just feel like I am crazy sometimes. Little bit more emotional and I am a lot more sensitive than I am normally. Jude has been struggling a little bit especially at bedtime. He is getting a little bit better but I think the excitement of having a lot of family here and having a new little brother was difficult for him. He has also been acting out a little bit more and I am not sure if that has to do with his age or has to do with Titus. I think it has to do with both. The last couple of days he's been really sweet and has started to want to hold him. He doesn't want him to sleep in his room yet. But I know he will soon. Today at naptime Titus was already falling asleep in the crib when Jude was going to sleep. I walked out of the room and Jude was completely still and going to sleep. Unfortunately, Titus was not totally asleep and started to cry when I went in there to give Titus back his pacifier Jude wanted me to take Titus out as soon as I did he went to sleep.  This transition I know only lasts a little while and I am excited to see them get to play together.I think it's fun having due to sit in my lap and then letting tightest slip and Jude's lap. I love my two boys so very much.

Titus is HERE

Titus was born on February 20 at 12:13 in the afternoon. At about 6:30 in the morning I went to use the restroom and went back to bed. A few seconds later I felt like I had to go again so I went back and that time when a lot. I asked Ryan what your water breaks is supposed to be like and he laughed saying oh yes because I know. I didn't think too much about it and went back to sleep for about an hour often on getting out of bed to go P. At 8 o'clock I texted Ryan, who is already at work, and he told me to call The doctor and tell them what was going on. The nurse told me to go ahead and go in and they would check to see if it was my water that had broke. I did not have a bag ready so I asked if I could shower and get dressed first and they said yes. I went ahead and got stuff for the hospital just in case my water had broken. Thank goodness Clark was here because I was able to tell him that I was leaving and my exact words were "I may or may not be in labor." I told him I would tell him if I was coming back or send someone here to help with Jude it up I needed to. He thought I was funny saying that I may or may not be in labor but I truly did not know. On the way to the hospital I started feeling more contractions I was texting Ryan, voice text of course while I was driving and telling him when the contraction came. They started getting closer together but we're still not as strong as I remember having them with Jude. When I got to the ER I had to wait for the nurse to come and get me. When she did everyone was moving slowly because I truly did not know if I was in labor. Everyone thought I was crazy for not knowing. Especially after they checked me and found out that my water did break and I was already dilated at a seven. After she checked me that is when the contractions started to get harder. I texted Ryan right away and told him to get there quick. I had that time I did not know that his car would not start at work so he had to get a ride to the hospital from a friend. I hope was wondering what was taking him so long in that explained it. When he got there I was about to get into my new room where I would deliver Titus. It was a good thing we had decided on Titus's name on Tuesday. We had not told anyone but were excited that we had a name. We have not decided what the mill name was but had a couple favorites. Once I got the epidural my contractions to not hurt anymore which is awesome. I delivered shortly after 1213. Family was not able to make it there before Titus was born but they were there at the perfect time after he was born able to come back and see him. I was so thankful for Kristen and Andy for being able to watch Jude and for the fiddlers who came and played with him while Ryan and I were in the delivery room. Judy loves all of those people so much and so do we. Clark went to go get a few things that my parents had asked him to get. It's funny because I got Ryan to text Devon and she asked when she thought that I would  have him and his response was one minute. That was at 12 or two when I had him at 12:13. So awesome! He weighed 7 pounds and 1 ounce and was 20 inches long. He looks so much like Jude. After a few minutes we were able to get you to come up and meet Titus. His little unsure but the face of smile and excitement was awesome to see. He is going to make a great big brother. We decided to name him Titus Ryan and I am so happy that we did. We stayed the night in the hospital and I felt so sorry for the parents next to us is there a newborn baby was crying almost the whole night. Titus woke up often but as long as he was being held and cuddled he slept pretty good. Ryan was out snoring on the couch he did not even know that the nurses came and checked on me a couple of times. I delivered Titus at Scott and White Hospital which is different than where I delivered Jude. We had him at college station medical center. Both hospitals are great and all of the nurses were so sweet and kind and helpful. I have been meaning to write this post for a long time. Obviously because Titus is almost a month old already! He is doing awesome it is so sweet. :-)

Brothers blanket and Grammy's visit

Yay! We have made brothers blanket! Grammy came on Thursday and we made it today :-) I love it! It looks similar to Jude's so they look good in the same room! 

Jude was excited when it was done. 

He loved spending time with Grammy the last couple of days. The boy loves puzzles! On Thursday night right went on our Valentine's Day/prob last date before baby date and Jude and Grammy went to Chick-Fil-A (Jude's choice) and Dollar Tree. I don't know if I should be proud but Jude knew right where they were going when Grammy said "we're going to that place with the green letters" and Jude exclaimed "Dollar Tree!!" Haha. Anyways.. Grammy bought Jude a couple different puzzles and Jude has done hem probably 50 times combined. One is Elmo and one he calls 'the boy puzzle'. We were going to throw the boy one away because it's kind of flimsy but he continues to ask for it and want to do it. He is so patient and works so hard to complete each one. I love it! 

Today is Valentine's Day and Ryan brought me home some roses. I love my two boys so much and this picture is probably a new favorite of mine. I don't even mind not having make up on or my hair fixed. Everyone looks so happy. 

 

We went to Freddy's for lunch and Jude got to pick out the ice cream (his Valentine's gift from Grammy) and he wanted M&M's. I love this picture and how I captured the ice cream dripping off ;-) 

Alright.. Last thing... Jude got Rex and Toy Story 2 from Gigi and Pap. He always wants to hold them in the car. I think it's so cute! 

That is all for today.. Lots of pics and lots of fun memories. I love my family!

Being a mom

This morning at Mom To Mom we started a section on discipline. Oh the most wonderful part of parenting! Ryan and I are pretty much on the same page when it comes to disciplining Jude and I am truly blessed by that. Several of the moms were seeking advice on how to come up with strategies to get on the same page and I don't have to worry about that, at least not at this point. I love reminders from scripture of how God disciplines us. And God loves us the most of anyone! Our bible verse was this past week was "All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness." (Hebrews 12:11 NASB) great truth! Disciplining Jude is hard. Especially when I don't feel like it because I'm tiered. But I need to (and want to) do it because I love him! 

After M2M we got our traditional Chick Fil A meal and came home. Can't remember if I said it yesterday but Jude has been taking naps on his floor lately. I put him in his bed but he climbs out and lays on the floor. Only problem with it is that when he wakes up, he's not comfortable so he's up for good. So instead of a two hour nap he has only been taking a one hour nap. 

After nap we cooked dinner and of course.. Cookies!! Jude and I love to make cookies together! I am not sure which part Jude likes the best.. Dumping in the ingredients or getting to lick the spoon and eat chocolate chips. Regardless, it is an activity we both love to do. 

Then we went to church where we studied Ecclesiastes 11. God is so good in reminding me (even though this wasn't the main lesson at all) that he is the one creating this precious little boy that is growing inside me. I am just the body that He is performing a great work in. Awesome! I am so blessed to be able to have children that I am going to try to enjoy this last month of pregnancy. Who knows what is in store for us (more children or not) but for the next month I am going to be positive about it even when it is hard. Attached is what Jude did in church tonight. :-)

Gigi and Papa sent Jude and brother Valentines presents so we got to FaceTime with them after church and open the gift. Jude got Rex and A Toy Story 2 book that we read before bedtime. He also got a big brother book that I am looking forward to filling out with him when this little guy gets here. Precious memories reading with Jude. I just love it! Oh which reminds me, Jude today, holding onto my neck, said "I gotcha, you're my best friend." Best ever!! 

Starting up again

Well I have no excuse now. I said I stopped writing because my phone was messed up, which was true, but I still could have been doing it. 

I am four weeks away from baby number 2 and I am so excited! I get nervous occasionally only because I know the transition will rock my world but I know Jude will be a great big brother. We got all the baby stuff out of the attic this past weekend and it feels even more real. Not only that but my stomach is poking out more each day and my back hurts as a nice little reminder. Everyone says I'm so small but I don't feel that way. I am just glad Ryan thinks I'm still so beautiful and loved me even more each day. 

Ryan finally shaved his beard today! He has been growing it for the last month. It didn't look horrible but definitely not my favorite. I like when he is clean shaven. And now he is.. Yay!!

Jude is so fun and so chatty all the time. He is starting to figure out emotions and if he does something he doesn't think I approve of he immediately asks if I'm sad. I think it's so sweet. He asks if I'm happy sometimes when I'm mad as a way to get me to smile I think. 

We got our oil changed and hung out in the play room at the car dealership today. Jude loves playing on the car they have in there. There was a five year old little girl in there that kept correcting him and telling him it was a fire truck. Just just smiled and said "I'm driving the car". After we went and had lunch with Dan, Denise, Josh and Barb. Jude sat in Josh's lap the whole time and are with him and played with his phone. After nap we went to the grocery store. I love how when we get home Jude helps

Me unload the car! He is such a great helper around the house!! Lisa came over to do nails and then we went and ate at Torchy Tacos for dinner with Lisa and Mike. Jude was a little hyped up and kept running around. But I had no energy at this point to chase him. Then we went to Best Buy. That is where I got my new phone! Woohoo! 

When we got home we noticed some interesting stars outside. They almost looked like a satellite at first. I'm not sure, it was weird. Ryan is still out there looking at the sky. He just loves God's creation and I'm so thankful to be married to a man who marvels at the work of or Father. He encourages me to do the same. 

Until tomorrow.. Goodnight!

One Two Three little cousins

Gigi, Chelsea, Brady and Kylee came to visit! We had so much fun while they were here. We splashed in the tub, ate donuts, watched space jam, walked to some garage sales and to subway, painted, had a picnic, got to swing, go to the park, fixed the lawn mower, watched the mavs win and ate at Chimmys. We had a fun day! 

The reason this is called one, two, three is because Jude said them all in the correct order today!! He was pointing out the Polka dots in 'Put me in the Zoo' to Gigi. I was so proud of him!! Growing so big so fast!

Fun at the park 4/22

 We love hanging out with our friends Ben, Caleb and Devon. Now that the boys are older it is so much fun to see them interact! It was funny seeing Jude and Ben show off their muscles. And they all three love to swing! We had a great day at the park.

Jude LOVES to color! :-) random I know but that's what he is doing right now. He tells me when it's time to color by pointing at the markers and saying colors! Love it!! 

Tank You Mama

Jude several times today has said thank you mama. The first time was this morning when I gave him some fruit loops. He said "tank you mama" with that big smile on his face! It makes mama so happy when he says thank you and then when he said thank you mama I almost cried I was so proud of him!! We went to a stroller strides class this morning with our friends Shona, Nicole, and Devon. It was a lot of fun and Nicole and Shona even when a couple of prizes. Jude watched everybody the whole time. Again I was so proud of him because he did not fuss or cry he just watched and watched. He loves to be outside and watch his mama work. After the workout class there were activities for us to do. He really liked riding in the train. Again, I am so proud of my little boy! 

Yesterday we went to the library for story time and he sat and listened. At the beginning he was a little bored but then he really began to enjoy it when there was singing and began looking at the pictures in the book. I look forward to the summer when we get to go do it more often. 

Easter

Jude was so fun getting his Easter eggs this year! There was a hunt at the church after service and he ran out there grabbed and egg and chunked it across the field. Then we told him to put it in the basket and he was pretty good at it. I didn't help him much I let him do all the work. I just held the basket for him. Then we did one at home and he was smiling and having a good time! Grammy, Paw Paw, Katie and Clark were here this weekend to celebrate with us. It was so fun to have everybody here! Jude is trying so hard to say Grammy and it makes her very happy.  Everyone came from all over. Paw Paw came from Southlake, Grammy came from Diboll and Katie and Clark came from Abilene. They all got here on Friday but at different times. Grammy and Paw paw watched Jude while Ryan and I went to go see God's not dead. We have not been to a theater in a long time so it  was really fun to go on a date! What a great movie! It is so awesome to see movies that are successful that are focused on the true God! On Saturday we went to the park and I was so impressed and proud of Jude! He can do pull-ups! (kind of) He just hangs there dangling for  several seconds! Much better than any of the rest of us can. 

The sermon yesterday at church was phenomenal.  He gave the illustration of being in debt. God sending his Son for me is like him taking away all of my debt. But not only that he refills my bank account with the perfect life of Jesus! Wow! Grammy said it was the best Easter sermon she has ever heard. Love Pastor Dan! 

Brady's 2, Colorado and Retreat

Not sure why the previous post didn't post but I wrote it at the end of February. Jude and I went to Vail, Colorado with Grammy and Paw Paw and Katie and Clark. Ryan couldn't go and we missed him dearly. It was Jude's first plane ride and he did much better than I was expecting. I was mentally prepared for the worst but he did well. We played games on the iPad and ate LOTS of snacks. Mostly vanilla Oreos- Gigi and Papa got them for him and he loved them!! We left out of Dallas after going to Brady's second birthday party. I cannot believe he is two!! The party was cars themed and Chelsea did such an awesome job decorating!! Getting Jude and Brady together is so fun. After everyone left I got to spend a little bit more time with Kylee and she just laughed and smiled at me. I loved it!! Jude loves Kylee and would smile at her and try to play with her. 

Anyway, back to Colorado. I got to ski two days while my mom watched Jude. It was so fun getting to spend some time with Katie and Clark. I don't get to see them as much as I would like. We FaceTime chatted with dad every night and Ryan would play basketball to get Jude's attention on the phone. 

Speaking of basketball.. Jude loves it! In Colorado Jude woke up a lot the last couple of nights (we were there Sunday to Friday) so in the middle of the night we would turn on sports center and hope they'd show a basketball play. He watches it! 

March madness is going on right now and I left Jude with Ryan. I love when they hang out as father and son. It makes this mama so happy. I went to the Grace Bible  Church retreat and lead worship with Lisa. It was a blessing to be there surrounded by women of God learning about being faithful in a faithless world. It was in Glen Rose so I left Jude here with Ryan and they had a blast! We now have a basketball court in our living room! But that's okay. It can stay for now :-) 

When I got home today Jude was so so happy. He ran up with a big smile and then would not let go for a long time. I loved it!! He was a crazy child but I think it was just because he was so excited. Then later, for the first time, he put on Ryan's shoes. I thought it was so cute! I got so excited! 

My sons a baller

Jude seriously loves playing with his basketball goal. He has gotten so good at making baskets and now is working in his dribbling skills with dad. 

Today he made a shot standing on a stool and it went in! Paw Paw called it a three point shot for a toddler and I agree! 

I've done bad at writing because I had to switch to my old phone and didn't have Blogger on it. Now I'm back and I'll be better. 

Jude's First Haircut

Jude received his first haircut today. We took him to Sheers in College Station where Ryan has gotten his hair cut for years.  Jude loved it from the beginning.  Mrs. Maureen got him out a Mr. Potato Heads to play with and he held onto that for a few minutes until she gave him a dum dum. From that point on he was as content as could be. He was so still and he looks so handsome now with his big boy haircut. He really enjoyed watching himself in the mirror. I was so proud of him when at the end Mrs. Maureen gave him another sucker and he said 'Thank You' unprompted!!! Such a sweet little boy I have. I am so proud of how good he did today. I hope all of his haircuts go as smoothly as they did today. We will definitely be going back to Sheers :-)

New Year's Eve

Oh man what a fun Christmas! I should have taken a picture of our car all full of Christmas present goodies but I forgot. It was packed! Good thing Jude has a car seat or he wouldn't have had room to sit. I'm so thankful for the time we got to spend with family. We also got to visit some friends we don't get to see normally. On Monday we went and say Blue, Roselyn and Grace. Jude enjoyed playing with her. 

On Tuesday we saw Brittnay and Casey and Maddie and Zach on our way to Van Alstine for New Years Eve. Callie's parents live up there so we got to see her and Drew and all the King family. 

What a game the Aggies played! Ryan was thrilled to say the least! It was so funny watching everyone get so excited. Jude went to sleep before the game ended and was in bed and I am very surprised he did not wake up. 

We woke him up at midnight so bring in the new year. He was so confused but just looked around. We played ping pong and he watched us for a little while. I am not a very good ping pong player so Ryan a do lost both games we played so did not advance in the tournament. 

Wednesday we went to the Cotton Bowl in Dallas to watch Derek play and being North Texas to victory in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. He was named MVP and we are so proud of him!

Back to the unpacking thing. Man our house was/is wreck. 

It doesn't help that I have a little munchkin running around unloading everything after I put it up. It's okay though he's having fun and giggling so it makes me laugh. 

Christmas in Granbury

We were busy busy this weekend celebrating at Gigi and papas. We started praying Friday night with the immediate Parsons family- Gigi papa Chelsea Brent Brady and Kylee. Jude and Brady got so many fun presents and toys! They both got a Mickey Mouse chair. So now Jude has two! Hehe got to love everyone shopping at kohls for Christmas gifts. It's just such a cute chair who can pass it up! They also got a train set that they love! We opened Brady's up and they both had a blast playing with it. It was so fun to watch Brady and Jude play together. They are going to be such great pals! They were running around the island in the kitchen giggling and chasing after each other. Then papa dressed up like Santa. It was a great night!

Saturday we woke up and started getting ready for Rustys side of the family to get here. We prepared a memory book to give to Maw Maw that she really enjoyed. 

Sunday was with the Mullins family. Sheila is such a great hostess and had everything so nice each party. Sooo much yummy food and a lot of fun! We even played a game where you had to open up a present while having oven nits on. It was so funny! 

Christmas at home

Christmas Eve Gigi and Daddy John came to spend the night. We made grilled pork chops and went to church.

 One of Ryan's friends from work came over and joined us. Christmas morning we woke up and Santa had come! Wrote Jude a letter and everything!! Jude is special! :-) Jude's favorite toy was a toy that you hit the balls in the hole with a hammer that Santa gave him. Juders had a fu morning! 

Christmas in Southlake

Most of my pictures are on the actual camera. I didn't take many on my phone but here are a few. We got so many presents and are so blessed in so many ways! We played spades and ate lots of food. Katie had very bad luck while we played games and everyone who was her partner was so confident the would win... But they lost. :-( it was fun though and I was impressed with how she handled herself with each loss. We are all growing up. Clark played with us a couple of hands and it was really fun! I love my sweet family! 

On Thursday night we went to eat at On The Border and the. Were going to go to Prairie Lights but the line was rediculous. So instead we drove around Southlake. We saw some beautiful lights and some inspiration for next year. This year we didn't really decorate :-( but next year.. We will!!

Friday morning we woke up and got ready to take a McCoy family photo. They turned out so good!