4 months old and feelin' good!

How is this boy 4 months old today?!?! 

Time for a Benny Boy check-in:

How cute is he?!?!

Weight: Still waiting on an official weight, but I'm pretty sure he's about 12 lbs or so. So much bigger than Keegan was at this age!

Clothes: 6 months clothes and going! He went from premie to 6 months in 3.5 months. What a little muffin.

Diaper: size one- close to moving up to twos already!

Sleeping: Bennett Chase has been sleeping through the night since eight weeks. He'll occasionally wake up for a bottle at night when he's going through a growth spurt, but more nights than not he's sleeping a good 11 to 13 hours a night. He LOVES to be swaddled, too. He is a cat-napper, though. However, he is a Momma's boy all the way and will fall asleep for nice long naps when I put him down at home. I credit Baby Wise all the way for my kids sleeping habits. In no way have I ever let my baby cry it out. I just follow the routine of "eat, wake, sleep" and the night time sleeping soon follows... It's almost like a miracle pill for baby sleeping habits :)

Eating: still a formula fed boy. He has gotten much better at latching onto the bottle over the past month (that was where we saw the most developmental delay initially when he was born late-preterm). However, I think we're working toward baby food/purées soon. I just got a Baby Bullet as a Christmas present, so I'm working on filling the freezer. I never made homemade with Keegan, but we're eating so much healthier now, that I can use all the fruits and veggies lying around. We'll see how this goes!

***side note: I would never buy a Baby Bullet on my own, since I knows it's just a food processor, so it's not necessary for making purées. I'm grateful to of received it as a gift, as it kind if makes baby food making a little more fun with the smiley face baby food jars and the instructions in comes with.

Milestones: for us, it is a big milestone that he's stopped struggling to latch into the bottle. He's smiling a lot more lately, and laughing out loud. It's precious. We're still working on rolling over but that will come in time. I'm not pushing the whole mobility thing, and am enjoying this milestones as they come. 

Bennett-Chase- you are a joy. You are calm and kind and sweet spirited. You are teaching us how to love even deeper, and are teaching your big brother how to be gentle and attentive. We love you so much, Benny Boy, and pray God's grace on every aspect of your life. 

Keegan the Snowman is a Jolly Happy Soul

Keegan has discovered Frosty the Snowman this year. His "Hammy" (aka Grammy) brought some Christmas classics over a few weeks ago when she babysat and Keegan fell in LOVE with Frosty...

He now asks to see it at least once a day. He only GETS to watch it once or twice a week though. He sings the song throughout the day too, and it's the sweetest voice you've ever heard.

He has Christmas spirit like no one I've ever met. He always wants Christmas music playing, and will constantly ask me to "Turn dat up, Mom!" 

Today while pulling into our neighborhood I heard him sweetly say from the backseat "Merry Christmas, Mom. Happy Birt-day, Baby Jesus." Talk about warming your heart! He looks and Christmas lights and says "That's just so pretty!"

I'm so proud of my sweet big-boys' Christmas spirit and that his little brother gets to see his example of joy.

Here's us enjoying Frosty tonight after baby brother went to bed:

The Best Saturday

Kris has been traveling quite a bit this month for work, so the time we have together has become even more special. Keegan was missing his dad BIG-TIME on Friday, so we were definitely all ready for today to come so we could spend some good quality time with Daddy.

Today was so wonderful.

Bennett slept twelve hours through the night last night, and so did I. Kris let me sleep in, and got up with the boys this morning. I don't remember the last time I felt so refreshed! I even got my workout in today (that's another blog post for another time. I'm currently participating in a Beach Body Challenge group for the month), which has been something I've been striving to do, but with Kris gone it seems about 10x harder to actually do it. Being a "single" parent is hard. I have such admiration for people that do it on their own- because I have realized how much we work as a team just in the little day to day stuff in our home.

This morning Bennett was ALL smiles:

He even took a two hour nap in his crib mid-morning... which if you know Bennett, you know this is incredible. He is a cat-napper all the way. But he's also a definite homebody who does much better in his normal atmosphere with his mom so today resulted in some good sleep :) I'm kind of popular around these parts!




Even Keegan took an AWESOME nap this afternoon. And by awesome, I mean UN-heard-of and insane. He slept for FOUR HOURS. I kept not wanting to wake him because he obviously needed it. It was glorious.

I spent the afternoon (finally) addressing Christmas cards... took me long enough! This is the latest in the year that I've even sent them out. It has just been a busy season (that's an understatement), and a season of adjustment. Learning how to do things alone during the week with two babies is definitely brain-scattering for me.

But they're done and will be on their way Monday morning... And I got to watch this cute nap taking place while I worked:

 Yes, my husband was sleeping like that. So uncomfortable, but this picture was way too cute not to take a photo of. They are both wonderful. All three of my men were sleeping soundly at the same time. I'll take it :)

After our 4 hour napping adventure, we decided to venture out in the snow. We have been craving some greek salad's from Zeus' Coney Island... which was my FAVORITE when I was pregnant with Bennett, and we haven't had it since. And I will tell you what... it did NOT disappoint.

We started out with a little saganaki, and some lemon rice soup and finished up with the best greek salad with homemade greek dressing you've ever had (and extra beets and chickpeas for me!)...

And check out Benny-boy in his sweet little hat:

Is he delicious or what?!!?!? 

And he ended up being the nicest boy ever the whole evening. He laughed and talked, and even smiled at an older woman sitting behind us. What a muff. It warms my heart to see his personality start developing, and it warms me even more when I see he's becoming friendly.

And is this not another adorable photo of a little boy spending some much needed time with his daddy? I took this photo right when Keegan was instructing daddy to draw him a cheese sandwich... Seriously. HA! This boy is one of the funniest and sweetest kids I've ever met. AND I gave birth to him, which is even cooler! Ha!

 And then we did something that I swore I'd never do...

I have avoided it for two and a half years... but we had to get to the mall tonight to get Kris a sport coat for a big district meeting this week, and while we were walking around, Bennett needed a bottle. THIS is where we ended up:

That is definitely the play area at the mall.  That germ infested trap that I've avoided for so long was actually Keegan's paradise. And it was surprisingly not as dirty (at least in appearance) as I imagined. He was able to run, play and climb for a good 25 minutes. It is always so fun to watch him interact with other children. At one point a little girl was following him around trying to hug him while Keegan side-eyed her and finally crept over to me trying to push her away. SO FUNNY.

We had an awesome day as a family. It's always so pleasant when both boys are nice. We have been praising the Lord all day for the incredible time together, and the sweetness that has been radiating from both of our boys today.

I hope YOU had the best Saturday too!

Christmas Cookies: Finaaallyyy

Okay, dramatic, I know.

But I kid you not, I've screwed up sugar cookies every time. I just resorted to pre-cut frozen ones from Gordon's for the past few years because I've made such a mess in the past.

I cried the year I was pregnant with Keegan. I couldn't make Christmas cookies and I burned the banana bread, okay?!?!? What kind of mom was I going to be?!

Well this year, for the first time- I was the mom who made homemade Christmas cookies. And frosting.

And they are delicious.

Thank you Rhonda (my incredible baker friend who I think I will reference in a million posts on my blog when all is said and done) for the recipe of the most incredible sugar cookies I've ever had.

The frosting has a stick of butter, 1/2 a stick of Crisco, 4 cups of powdered sugar, vanilla AND almond extract... how can it NOT be good?! Kris agreed they were the best Christmas cookies he's ever had, and Keegan ate one for dinner the night we decorated them (in retrospect I guess we should have decorated them AFTER dinner and not before...).

So if you need a great cookie recipe, I'm your gal. I want to be that girl that you talk about my incredible cookies behind my back... and to my face. Ha!

See, they turned out perfect and so festive!

The Birthday Girl

So look how I fell off the bandwagon already. Isn't that just what happens over the holidays, though? I'm getting a little better- it was just a month or so since my last blog, so this is an improvement from my last absence... Baby steps, right?!

I left off just before my birthday. I was spoiled this year. I think this was one of my best birthdays by far.

My sweet and incredible baker friend, Rhonda, from work baked me the BEST carrot cake cupcakes with homemade cream cheese frosting... so that's always good...

And then while I was at work this bouquet was delivered from my dad and step-mom to be:

I have never be given an Edible Arrangement... SO DELISH! What a treat. And I didn't feel too bad eating it, because at least the chocolate was covering fruit, right?

My mom wasn't initially going to babysit on my birthday, but because of scheduling conflicts for both of us it just so happened to work out that way. This is the second year in a row that she's been with my boys on my birthday, and it's been the second year in a row that she had a big celebration waiting for me when I got home from work. So special to walk in and feel so loved!

She had banners hanging up, and this cake was waiting:

And she even had party hats for all four of us to have with dinner! Keegan especially enjoyed his pirate apparel:

I may be spoiled and require my mom to baby sit every birthday work day in the future now!

We had filets for dinner (made at home- but I'm kind of insanely good at cooking them, so they're now my favorite- so modest, I know)... And then cake and tirimisu for dessert... Then I was gifted some of my favorite gifts ever.

I have used these boots more than I thought would be humanly possible in the past month:

I mentioned to Kris that I wanted wellies and he thought I was nuts. He gave me a look like I was some kind of crazy... THEN he saw an advertisement in one of his Forbes magazines of Paul Mitchell- and his wife was wearing the shiny black Hunter Wellies... And he finally saw why I said they were stylin'. And they are. And they are warm and keep me dry. And I love them so much. Okay, really, Mandy?! They're boots! Calm down!

And then I got the most special gift that I've gotten yet. This was the first gift that Keegan picked out. He kept it a secret from me from Saturday until Wednesday... Right up until Kris was handing me the gift. Keegan shouted in excitement: "OPEN THIS ONE! IT'S A NECKLACE!" So precious.

Keegan picked out the chain out of all the chains at Medawar's. Kris picked out the two charms with both of the boys birthstones, and Keegan picked out the pendant. Finally I have a necklace with BOTH of my boys names on it. I had a "Keegan" necklace for the longest time, and now I'm thrilled to have one with both precious names on it. They are so wonderful and sweet to me, I love the constant reminder of God's grace in entrusting them to me and Kris.

So far 27 has been full of laughter, and grace and so much fun. I'm so blessed to have the awesome husband and family I have, and the incredible friends and co-workers I've been given. Birthday celebrations are fun and all, but the whole past month has been a total reminder of why I'm so grateful for every day.

All by myself...

Don't worry, guys. I just burned a pan of water... Seriously? There I went, busily cleaning the house before Kris arrives home from his trip tomorrow, getting bottles made and babies to bed, and bags packed for school tomorrow. I made a healthy bedtime snack of egg whites and summer squash. I filled the pan with water to boil the remnants of egg off of the pan and somehow ended up forgetting while I went and took a bath, and got ready for bed. I started panicking when I smelled something burning.

Our tiniest frying pan is literally- fried. And I'm sitting with my windows open trying to air out the smoke so I can sleep without stench in my nose. Uck.

It's just been one of those weeks! This is my first week going back to work Monday-Friday since Keegan was born, and this is also Kris' first business trip week- ever. It's been a whirlwind and seems to be passing at a snails pace. Kris comes home tomorrow and I could not be happier.

This week has been an awesome reminder of the companion and team mate that I have in my husband. Yes, I can do it, but boy, do we miss our Daddy when he's gone.

And apparently he misses me too, because he had flowers sent to me at work yesterday!

Talk about making a girl feel special!

And I tell you, looking at these flowers after a long night of Benny-Boy who is STILL sick and always ends up in bed with me around 4:00 in the morning the past few weeks as he's recovering.

But how yummy is he?!

Also, Keegan had a VERY successful potty-training day at school. He has been awesome for the past couple weeks, but suddenly had some rough days this week. He had multiple accidents because he's kind of frightened of the big potties at school. He was not going potty ALL DAY and waiting until nap time when he would go in his Pull-Up. Because he held it for so long he had a couple major accidents two days in a row.

Today, however, Keegan did A.W.E.S.O.M.E.

Not only were his undies dry, but his Pull-Up stayed dry all nap. He sat on the big kid potty at school and was so grown up. So thankful for his school and the girls there that help reinforce good behaviors.

Keegan got his Thomas hat for a reward for being Mr. Big Kid today:

This kid.


He gets me every time.



Ah, it almost hurts!


Now it's time for a little Covert Affairs and nail painting before bed. Here's my new pick for fall nails:

It's Essie's Carry On. It's nice to have more of a purple tone rather than a red base during the fall. Love.

Anyway, the smoke starting to clear (literally) and I'm going to try to enjoy my last night as a single lady for a while.

I will post tomorrow about how we potty trained Keegan and how it's going so far in more detail! :)

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 1

Day 1: Today I am thankful for my job.

I work with great people. They are understanding, honor our family lives, and show me more love than I've ever experienced in a workplace-ever!

I learn from everyone I work with and have tremendous respect for all of the ladies who work so hard to serve our customers selflessly... even the customers that don't make what we do easy.

They act as co-workers, friends, counselors and mentors... and I am thankful for them! All of them- even if I don't have a picture of everyone! :)

So November 1st- here's to focusing on the positive and showing gratitude for the multitudes of blessings in my life.

Arriving Home...

Today was a rather emotional roller-coaster in our household. Kris had to take his dog of twelve years, Tyler, to be put down. Even though he'd gotten sick and become kind of an ornery old man dog, we will miss him as a member of our family.

Today was also Kris' last day at Coca-Cola. That was where Our story started, so what a gift his time was there. Even though we're both excited for his new opportunities, it's a rather melancholy time for us. So many emotions! But boy, at the end of a long, emotional day it feels good to be home with our family and a glass of wine!

That being said, here's how we ended up back home...

Just in case you didn't read my posts over the last couple of years about trying to sell our home and eventually moving, here's a quick synopsis of our story over the past few years...

We moved into our dream home right when we were married. Both my husband and I made decent money, and I always assumed I'd be a working mom. I loved my job in banking, and was pretty good at it.

All that changed when I got pregnant with Keegan. I suddenly realized that I couldn't stand to be away from Keegan those long hours. My bank was open til 6:00, and quite frequently I didn't get home til darn near 7:00. Babies go to bed at 7:00!

The opportunity arrived for me to switch companies and industries and work part time at an insurance agency for the greatest boss I could ask for. But great bosses and work environments sometimes come at a cost- and ours was a pay cut. We put the house on the market and agreed that we would downsize because focusing on our family, and living within our means was important.

After a year and a half on the market, and one offer that fell through due to financing, we finally decided to give leasing it out a shot.

We quickly found tenants that more than paid the mortgage and we moved across town into a small rental. It was fine, and we adjusted to our smaller space and made sure to save, save, save. We figured that since we so quickly placed tenants, we could continue to lease it out until the market turned around.

When the lease came up for renewal I was 7 months pregnant. They showed it multiple times, and within that month, determined that they'd need to drop the monthly lease payment down substantially- so much so that it would no longer make sense to rent it out.

We had assumed that since the lots in our neighborhood were filling up we could try selling it again... But then they expanded the neighborhood by 70 new home sites... So, that was off the table.

We prayed about it and decided that we love our home. It was and still is our dream home. I literally had a dream of a little blond haired-blue eyed boy wearing a plaid shirt getting his picture taken on the front porch on his first day of kindergarten before we bought it (the little boy in my dream looked eerily like Keegan FYI. I'm kind of psychic).

I remembered a sermon at our church from while we'd been trying to sell our home before when he said that God has us in the exactly place, the exact street, the exact home where He wants us in that moment. If it was His will to have us elsewhere, we'd be elsewhere.

We decided to move back.

With perfect timing, Kris was offered a new job that he's starting soon, and we've adjusted our lifestyle to focus more on eliminating debt and saving than spending and acquiring more.

And it feels good to be home.

It feels really, really good. To ALL of us.

Keegan cheers every time we pull into sight of the house, "Yay, my 'new' home!"... And we've lived here for almost three months again already...

And it was so good to bring my second baby home from the hospital to the same home that I brought my first baby home to.

I am so thankful for the home we've been given, and continue to build together. I'm thankful for a husband who works his butt off for our family, and takes risks because he loves us.

God is good.






And just for another remind of how good God is... here's my sweet tiny boy sleeping in our bed this morning before school...

How Big-Boy does he look already?

Thankful for comfort and an early Friday night in bed. Enjoy your weekend with people you love, I hope!

 

Trick or Treat: Halloween 2013

This was a great Halloween despite the nasty weather.

We woke up to a gloomy, rainy day, and it appeared that it would continue like that for the rest of the day. Luckily on the news announced a few opportunities for indoor trick or treating. We decided that we would hit up a couple of those rather than taking the babies out in the rain at night when they'd already be super exhausted.

Both boys were dressed and ready to go by 9:00 this morning. We decided to hit up Target this morning for a few necessities, and then decided to go to the Lansing City Market for indoor trick-or-treating this early afternoon.

About a month ago Bennett met his Great-Aunt Sue who gave him the sweetest little Halloween shirt. I'm so thrilled it fit him for today:

 He's such a snuggle muffin. 

We had never been to the Lansing City Market before, and it was actually really, really cool. I wished it was bigger, and there were more booths to trick or treat at, but all in all, the people were friendly and the atmosphere was really cool.

We went early enough that there weren't too many people there, and so the news reporter made sure to get some footage of Keegan trick or treating for his story tonight:

At the end of the time at the market we decided to grab a couple of cookies for a snack since we thought that was it for trick or treating for the day. I originally had a doctor's appointment scheduled at 4:00, so we figured we'd just hit up the City Market and maybe do some trick or treating in the neighborhood if it dried up. I was pleasantly surprised when the doctor's office called asking if I could move up my appointment earlier in the afternoon.

It was awesome because we were able to head over to the mall for indoor trick or treating. We even met my cousin and her little boy, Parker there, which was a treat since they live up north and we don't get to see them often.

After we trick or treated at the mall we went out to eat for the first time since Bennett was born. We enjoyed some Apple-bees, and both boys were surprisingly sweet and well mannered- especially after such a long day! 

Both boy are bathed and sleeping now, and we're ready for Friday!

Bring on November and bring on Kris' new job! 

On the wonderful, marvelous night you were born: Birthing Bennett

August 21 is both my husband's birthday and our wedding anniversary. I was eight months pregnant, and we had plans to lay low and celebrate at home. We had just returned from my step-sister's wedding in Chicago and were ready to relax after Kris came home from work.

The night before I had been waking up with contractions that I could sleep through. Throughout my pregnancy I had been experiencing Braxton Hicks. With Keegan, my Braxton Hicks contractions weren't painful. With Bennett, they had been painful since they started about halfway through the pregnancy. I just assumed that being closer to the end, and having had a very busy weekend out of state, that my Braxton Hicks had been a little more intense. It crossed my mind that it could be the early stages of labor, but I doubted it. I called my mom just in case to make sure she knew that I may need her to come watch Keegan.

I texted Kris, who was working in Kalamazoo, and just let him know that I was uncomfortable, and something MAY have been starting, but that I doubted it.

Keegan and I went to Walmart and bought some groceries. I had to stop a couple of times in the store because of painful contractions, but they were approximately 30-45 minutes apart, so I didn't think too much of them.

I came home and even baked Kris his favorite homemade chocolate cake (which he's coined 'Chocolate Thunder Cake', which I'll post a link to the recipe later). I made homemade tortellini soup. When Kris came home he saw I wasn't feeling too hot, and took Keegan to the park behind our house for a little bit so I could rest.

We went on with our evening. I got Keegan ready for bed and tucked him in. Around 8:00 my mom texted me wondering if the contractions had progressed at all. I let her know that although they hadn't improved, they hadn't really progressed at all and not to worry. No sooner did I text her that back, then the contractions really progressed and quickly became about 8 minutes apart.

You'd think that the second time you go into labor you'd know for sure you were in labor... NOPE. I think that instinctively I just think that I'm overreacting because in TV you see people screaming bloody murder and acting like they're dying. I just assumed that since I could handle it still, there was no way this was actually labor. I took a bath, and washed my hair. I even blow dried it... Kris started realizing that although I was verbally saying I wasn't in labor and was fine- I obviously thought that something was going on because I NEVER wash my hair and blow dry it at night.

He started packing his bag and called my mom. My mom left her house right away and got here exactly one hour later. The contractions were about five minutes apart at that point. I assumed that I would go to the hospital and they would be able to give me a shot to stop the contractions at this point because it was so early and "labor" didn't really even start until an hour or two earlier.

Of course, the normal route we take to Sparrow Hospital was closed for construction so we had to navigate our way around the back roads in the middle of the night while I was laboring!

We finally got to Sparrow and we made our way to the Labor and Delivery Triage. They were busy. Their rooms were full. Kris and I waited in the waiting room for about twenty minutes or so while I contracted and tried to distract myself with Candy Crush. I realized that this could really be "it" when the contractions started bringing me to tears in the waiting room.

I even overheard a man who was waiting on a family member comment about me... "And this poor broad over here is having contractions every five minutes and they don't have room for her."

That made me cry even more. Ha!

As soon as I really started getting upset, a room opened up. Praise the Lord!

They came back and hooked me up to the monitors. I was definitely contracting. Also, at my first contraction, Bennett's heartrate dropped from about 140 to 60. They rushed three doctors in. They checked me immediately. I just remember the doctor saying that I was dialated to a 4.5 but Bennett was decending further. She told me that essentially this baby was pushing his way out and he was definitely going to be born soon.

I started crying (again!) and asked my awesome nurse, Katrina, if he would be okay being early. Katrina actually started crying, looked me in the eye and told me that yes, he was going to be just fine. In fact, when they asked who my doctor was, all of the nurses and doctors proclaimed, "OH! We LOVE Dr. Rajan! He is the best and exactly who you want as your doctor for this." Talk about a sigh of a relief.

My nurse was so awesome in fact, that she went to check on getting me a room in labor and delivery. She came back about 10 minutes later and said, "I got you a room. And I got you a great nurse. I'm going with you." When I asked why she was coming with she said, "I figure if I cry with a patient I better see it through with her until the end!" She was AWESOME. During labor we chatted and I found out that she even goes to the same church as us. SMALL WORLD.

They advised that because of his pre-term status, they did want me to get an epidural just in case. I had no problem with that at that point :)

They checked me just after my epidural and I had progressed to a seven all by myself.

They left me alone for about 45 minutes and after a while the whole team came in. I told them that I didn't call because I didn't feel like I needed to push. They advised that sometimes Dr. Rajan just gets a "feeling." He checked and I was at a 9.5 and my water still hadn't broken. He quickly broke my water, and they left for another 10 minutes or so to get the whole neonatal team in just in case.

There was literally about 15 people in the room while I was giving birth. Awkwarddddd...

But luckily, it was the fastest birth ever.

After four hours at the hospital I was pushing. I pushed for a total of 9 minutes, which was three contractions. Out flopped my baby on the table. My doctor didn't touch me once during delivery. He stood back with his arms crossed and directed me like he was directing traffic. He didn't even catch the baby. When I asked why he was so hands off, he advised that he was only there to be consulted if I needed him. He said that my body and my baby knew what we were doing, and we didn't need him. He told me I did a good job... I told him that I will never have another doctor in my life and he better never retire. Ha!

Bennett Chase was born August 22, 2013 at 4:09AM. He weighed 5lbs 15.6oz and was 19 inches long. Pretty darn good for being an entire month early! He was just about half a pound less than Keegan who was only two weeks early. He was beautiful.

They quickly assessed Bennett and determined that he was just fine. They sent the neo-natal unit away and placed Bennett on my chest for an entire hour. I was in shock. I wasn't expecting to meet Bennett for at least a couple of weeks. It was so strange. It was wonderful, but it was just strange. Something about not feeling "ready" for him yet was slightly overwhelming at the same time. 

It was a breeze delivery. It was quick, I didn't tear at all, I healed quickly and felt great.He has always had the most sweet spirited demeanor. He's more serious and contemplative acting than Keegan. I am so grateful for two different little boys, with two different little personalities already. So thankful for Bennett Chase and "the wonderful, marvelous night he was born." :)

Finishing Strong

It's October 29th. I haven't posted since June 24. I can assure you, I have fantastic reasons for this...

So far the second half of 2013 has been a whirlwind. Through God's grace and provision we have moved back in OUR home and it feels so good. Three days after we moved back in, my step sister got married in Chicago. Five days after her wedding our second son arrived an entire month early. I've since gone back to work part time, have potty trained our two and half year old, and now the remainder of 2013 is sure to be just as exciting and crazy as the past few months have been.

On top of the normal, expected craziness of the holidays (especially with FOUR sides of the family!), my awesome husband is starting a new adventure with a NEW job at a NEW company starting in November, and my step brother and his girlfriend are welcoming their first son into the world as well in December. I'm pretty sure that 2013 will go down in the record books as one of the more exciting years in our lives :)

I've known that I should WANT to update my blog- but in all honesty, I've been intimidated since it had been so long. However, lingering in the back of my mind I keep remembering a multiple conversations I've had with my Aunt Nancy in which she talked about how important it is to finish strong... not necessarily in regards to blogging- more so in regards to life- but I guess since blogging has been an aspect of MY life- I should continue on and commit to finishing 2013 strong in the blogging world, too!

Therefore- here's my commitment. I will give a lineup of topics that I promise I will post about just to get caught up. Lord willing, I can stay dedicated to getting caught up on the most exciting parts of our lives from the past four months- and maybe I can start getting back into the whole swing of blogging thing by having more solid topic commitments:

• Bennett's Birth Story
• Moving back HOME
• Potty training Keegan
• Cohen's MONSTER party
• Keegan Update: 2.5 Years Old
• Life with TWO vs. Life with ONE
• Losing the baby weight

So without further adeiu... check back tomorrow for Bennett's birth story... Unless you're weirded out by words like dialated and pushing... ha! In that case, please check back in two days for the update on moving back into our home and the awesome ways in which God;s guided us back.

So happy we're back at this!

PS... I've been quietly envious of other blogger's cute siggy's... look who made herself one of her own! Whoop!

Ears, nose and throat, oh my!

Well I've been a little quiet lately!

I'm entering my third trimester right now and I can't even believe it. Things are so crazy this time of year- especially as Keegan gets older. We're just BUSY. And TIRED. 

My sweet husband is working a lot more lately- with really early and long days and he's starting his last semester in his bachelors program... So proud of him- but the poor guy is getting so worn out. Between his super early days and my being 6 1/2 months pregnant... We're two peas in a pod! Ha!

Lately our exhaustions been made worse by Keegan's sinuses, again. After a week of up screaming every two hours, we made our way back to our beloved pediatrician, Dr. Hemming. There have been no other symptoms other than Keegan waking up screaming bloody murder for 45 minutes at a time every 2 hours- but that's so not like him because he sleeps so soundly most of the time.

We figured that since we got on allergy medication to help dry up his sinuses, perhaps some sinus issues weren't draining out like they normally would. She prescribed us a strong antibiotic. Normally we try not to get him on antibiotics because the first year of his life he was on them so much. 

He's been treating his ear and eye infections with drops instead of oral antibiotics- so I felt good getting this prescription. And after 24 hours he was back to sleeping through the night and taking good naps. Praise The Lord. However, starting Saturday afternoon he did start fighting a fever and does seem a bit whiney and off. Hopefully that just means that the antibiotic is encouraging his body to start fighting it off rather than letting it sit dormant in his system.

Now we just got a call from our pediatrician that they are sending us to the ENT at U of M in Ann Arbor since we're still encountering the whole insurance not being accepted anywhere in the Lansing area thing. 

We are ready to have these sinus issues resolved and pray for a quick adenoid and tonsil surgery so Keegan can be healed and in tip-top shape to meet his baby brother in September!

So thankful for a boy who smiles and plays nicely even when he's in pain... And I'll take the snuggles in the meantime. 

19 weeks with Baby Bennett

How Far Along: 19 weeks

Size of baby: Bennett is about the size of a mango (or 6 inches long and approximately 8.5 oz) according to The Bump.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Stood on the scale thus morning and I'm now at an 8lb weight gain. Whoop. This boy's growin'!

Maternity Clothes: I just got what I think may be my favorite maternity piece this whole pregnancy: it's this long, black, peasant-y Liz Lange Maternity skirt from Target. I've eyed it for a while and it finally hit the clearance rack. Whoop!

Gender: A little brother for Keegan Michael.

Movement: I think he's growing again, because he's resting pretty nice this past week- but I do feel him kicking around as I type this!

Sleep: I think my bladder's shrunk in half this past week, so my sleep has begun to be even more interrupted. Yikes.

What I miss: energy- but that's it! I'm feeling very content (I am knocking on wood so hard right now!)

Cravings: I am SO hungry lately. I know this boy's going through a growth spurt again. I had a small breakfast yesterday morning, but almost fainted during second service because I suddenly got SO starving and light-headed. We went out to Mexican after church and ate my entire combo platter in the same amount of time it took my husband to eat his (and those who know my husband know he eats faster than anyone I've ever met)!

Symptoms: I am starving, as mentioned above, and sleepy! But, I'm also starting to nest like crazy. I'm working hard at putting together Keegan's big boy room, and anticipating being able to adjust the nursery to prep for baby Bennett... But we've got time. However, if the next 18-20 weeks go as fast as the past 19 weeks, then I better get crackin'!

Best Moment this week: We had an anatomy scan with the perinatal center to make sure Bennett's heart is developing properly (my husband was born with a number of heart defects so for every pregnancy we have to go see the specialist to rule out any issues). Bennett looked GREAT and is so handsome. Everything's perfect so far (at least from what the ultrasound and tests are showing). In fact, everything's looking so good, I'm even measuring a week ahead! Whoop! Hoping that means this boy arrives a little early like his big brother!

We like, we like to party!

This year we decided to lay low for Keegan's birthday. We had a rip-roaring big family party (all FOUR sides!) last year, and when you have that big of a family, it's a LOT of work...

Well worth it, but a LOT of work. But, it must be my pregnant exhaustion and dread, but I reallyyyy wanted to just celebrate my favorite 2 year old boy!

Today we decided to celebrate Keegan all day- starting from the moment he woke up!

I surprised him with helium balloons in the morning (he's a balloon monster, especially when we're grocery shopping), and a sprinkle donut for breakfast to in which we lit a candle and I sang him Happy Birthday.

He's been saying, "I two, Mommy!" and it is the CUTEST thing ever.

We then met Daddy for lunch at Chuck E. Cheese. This was Keegan's first time- I haven't gone since I was a little kid, and it was soooo not what I remembered! But Keegy LOVED it. It was so much fun because we had the place to ourselves the whole time. He played lots of games and won tickets and even high fives Chuck E.

He took a GREAT nap and ended up talking to lots of family and friends on the phone, and I read him all sorts of messages and cards for him. He felt SO special!

Keegan requested Tacos for his birthday dinner. So I hit up Taco Bell and we split them on our plates and all enjoyed! For dessert he requested "pie", by which he specifically meant the Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie from Grand Traverse Pie Company... What can I say, the boys got great taste! :) mmm!

Kris and I gave him the Elefun game for his gift. Bless his little heart: he loves it, but loves the cleaning up portion of it the most! He lets all the butterflies onto the floor and says, "A mess! Oh no. Pit out (pick up)! Tean out (clean up), Mommy!" He rushes to pick up all the butterflies (laughing) and starts over again. He also calls the elephant his "Robot." Who knew one little game would be such a hit for none of the intended reasons?!?! Ha!

On top of all this excitement, almost ALL of Keegan's big boy bed was delivered today. We are still working on the room: it may take another week or so until it's ready for his big "reveal." We're definitely pulling a dream home makeover and keeping it a secret from him until it's done.

I really wanted this day to be special. I want him to look forward too his birthday and understand that it's a day to celebrate him. Plus, this will be his last birthday as an only child and I so wanted him to enjoy the full attention of both his mommy and daddy.

Keegan Michael is the joy in my life. I thank God every day for entrusting him to Kris and I. I can't believe he's our son, but boy am I glad he is.

18 weeks down, 22 to go

How Far Along: 18 weeks

Size of baby: Bennett is about the size of a sweet potato (or 5.6 inches long and approximately 6.7oz) according to The Bump.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I'll be honest, I haven't stood on the scale for the past couple days- I know a couple days ago I was still at the same 7lbs weight gain as last week.

Maternity Clothes: I prefer maternity pants and have found the BEST maternity tank tops from Target. SO soft, and long, and thick (so they don't get so thin that they become see through as your body grows).

Gender: Another sweet baby boy!

Movement: He's been much busier this week than last. Last night he even stretched out and pressed his little back/booty against my belly so hard that Kris could feel it from the outside. Such a little stinker. Love getting to know him from the inside out! :)

Sleep: No naps, but I'm sleeping great at night still other than having to wake up a few times to go potty. My body is much more sore, so it's a little harder to fall asleep.

What I miss: My body is so sore, and I would love to not have sore joints! :)

Cravings: Strawberries, Greek salad with beets, iced tea, and Greek yogurt.

Symptoms: I got my first ocular migraine in this pregnancy this week- it was rough! I only get them when pregnant, and I had just a few with Keegan that only lasted a few hours, but this one lasted almost 24 hours. Ugh! That's got to be my absolute least favorite pregnancy symptom. No matter how many you get them it's just scary when your vision goes and half your body gets tingly! Yikes. No thank you!

Best Moment this week: We are having a great time planning Keegy's big boy room. It is so fun! We figured one way or another we'd have to buy some new bedroom stuff, and we figure our boys will share a room in a couple years, so bring on the matching twin beds! We'll just have Keegan's in his room for the next couple years to give him room to play, but we want to get comforters and head boards now so they match, which we'll store in the meantime. So fun!

17 weeks and counting

Poor Benny-Bear... With Keegan I already had 5 pregnancy posts at this point in my pregnancy. It's just crazy how much less time I have when I'm chasing my crazy little Keegala Peegala around all the time.

I definitely took for granted all of the rest and down time I had when I was pregnant with Keegan.

I'm showing much earlier with Bennett than I did with Keegan. But I suppose that's to be expected!

So here are some current pregnancy highlights:

I'm 17 weeks!

How Far Along: 17 weeks

Size of baby: Bennett is about the size of an onion (or 5.1 inches long and approximately 5.9oz) according to The Bump.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: This morning I stood on the scale and I've gained 7lbs so far. With Keegan I gained 45lbs overall, and I really don't want to gain that with Bennett. I would LOVE to stay under 25lbs weight gain.

Maternity Clothes: I prefer maternity pants at this point, but I love that I get to be pregnant during warmer weather this time. I'm enjoying Maxi skirts and looser dresses already!

Gender: Baby Boy- Baby Bennett (middle name still undecided!)

Movement: I don't feel Bennett the way I felt Keegan. I have an anterior placenta in this pregnancy, so any kicks have to make their way through the placenta up to the top of my belly. Kris has only felt Bennett move once so far, and I don't feel many kicks- I feel MOVEMENT though, and that's what's so confusing to describe to people!

Sleep: I don't get as much rest during the day as I did with Keegy Peegy, so I find that I fall asleep easily (mostly) with this pregnancy. I just wake up frequently to go potty. :)

What I miss: Not too much. Other than having an adult beverage if we go out to dinner, but that doesn't happen a ton anyway! Maybe being able to go up and down the stairs without being winded?!

Cravings: Strawberries, Greek salad(Preferably from Zeus' Coney Island), hummus with balsamic vinegar and feta, and Greek yogurt. Yikes, I just realized how Greek all of those cravings are! Maybe Bennett is more in touch with his Greek heritage than Keegan was?!?! Oh- and iced tea. I LOVE iced tea!!!! Mmmm!

Symptoms: Tired, my sciatic nerve is acting up, I am still going potty every half hour (which maybe is because he's sitting so far back?!), my nails and hair are growing like crazy (whoop!), extreme heartburn/acid reflux.

Best Moment this week: I've been so overwhelmed trying to figure out which double stroller to get... We love our City Mini Single stroller, but the double was much more expensive, and I heard it was just much more wide. We finally decided on the Combi Twin Sport Side by Side. It had GREAT reviews, and could fit my Graco infant car seat without any additional attachments to install... And we got it on sale from $260 down to $180 and free shipping! Whoop!!! Albeebaby.com- I'd never used it before, but what a deal! I'll update as we use it, but I'm pretty pumped!

What I like about you...

Keegan has become SO funny and here's a list of my favorite Keeganism's as of late so I never forget:

Fake laughing: He's awesome at it! We say, "Keegan, laugh!" And he gives out the heartiest belly laugh on demand. Bahahaha! It will brighten even the worst day.

"Assage?": Keegan loves our massage chair thing. We keep it behind our arm chair and almost daily he stands asking for an "assage?! Meeee (please)?!"

The silent/fake cry: My sweet son. He will dramatically silently cry and throw his head in his hands. It's fabulous.

Fake sneezing: Keegan's Papi taught him to fake sneeze. Now he does it all the time and sometimes changes it up. Most of the time it's your standard, "Ahh, ahh, ahh, CHOO!"... Yesterday it was "Ahh, Ahh, ahh, SCHOOL BUS!" What a comedian.

"Titty Tat's": Yes, you read that right he loves Titty Tats. But not how you're reading it (although its probably the funniest thing he's ever said)... He loves kitty cats, so much. He says that this ones a BABY Titty Tat:

What's in a name?

As many of you now know, Kris and I are excitedly welcoming a new baby into our family, expected around mid to late September. We are thrilled. Becoming a mom was that pinnacle defining moment in my life when I realized why I was put on earth. God is so good.

We wanted another, but I'll be honest, after finding out I was pregnant I had all sorts of trepidations arise. Would I really be able to love two children as much and as hard as I love Keegan Michael? What if it was boy? Could I handle TWO little boys (this fear was made much more real now that Keegan is in the full blown terrible twos and literally runs laps around our house screaming)? Could I handle a little girl and all of the drama that comes with her as she gets older?

So many what if's were going through my head.

And of course, as soon as you tell friends and family you're expecting, all of the name suggestions start coming. Ha! Some of my favorite suggestions were "Farty" and/or "Fruity." Unfortunately we decided to pass on those... Ha!

Our impatience was through the roof and we decided to head over to Baby Envision in Brighton for a 3-D/4-D ultrasound this past weekend. I figured the sooner I knew who was in my belly, the sooner I could start planning (Type A personality anyone?) and get to know this little Baby Bop... and we could narrow down names, as our list was pretty lengthy.

So ladies and gentlemen, without further adieu, I'd like to introduce you to baby Bennett:

Definition of the name Bennett: (English origin) BLESSED

He is 100% boy, and looks JUST like his big brother Keegan at this age.

We are still trying to decide on a middle name, but I'm so thrilled to have two little boys. As soon as the ultrasound tech put on the monitor, I could tell, even from the profile view that he was a boy. A flood of relief came over me. My confidence increased, and I have such peace knowing that I can "do" boy. I've done it before, and I'll happily do it again.

I remember crying as I was putting away all of Keegan's newborn and 0-3 month clothes and praying for another little boy to wear those clothes again. I feel so overwhelmed by joy to have these little boys and know that it's only by God's grace. 

Thank you for all of your prayers and well wishes. Please continue to pray us through this pregnancy! 

Hopefully I will have a little more time coming up where I can update this blog a little more and give Bennett some more In-Utero attention like I was able to with his brother. However, let's be real. It's so much harder to get a minute to do ANYTHING with a crazy (almost) two year old running around!