Discovery...

Here are some things I have discovered in the past two days.

#1- My Boys are very, VERY CUTE while they sit quietly on the couch, and they love each other too!

#2-Bruges, Waffles and Frites can be found in Salt Lake City just north of Pioneer Park. It's address is 336 W Broadway. It is a very small Belgian restaurant, in fact it is so small that they only serve two types of food....which you will see soon.
#3- My Boys are very, Very Cute while sitting outside Bruges-I said it was a small restaurant, they only have a counter inside to eat at but quite a few tables outside.
#4- Belgian Waffles, made by people from Belgium, are REALLY GOOD! They had pretty big chunks of large sugar crystals in them, Ken enjoyed that part the most. This is a picture of my waffle, unlike Ken's, mine was COVERED in delicious Chocolate, I am going to go out on a limb and say that it was Belgian Chocolate, but that is just a guess. I saw them making the waffles and discovered something interesting, they didn't use thin Batter- it was more like dough, I need a recipe. Really, they were so good I may never eat another waffle, unless of course it is a Belgian Waffle, made by someone from Belgium.
#5- Machine Guns are edible! Really, this sandwich is called a Machine Gun, or in French a "Mitraillette". It is made by placing a lamb sausage or two inside a fresh baguette, then covering that with "Frites" and a yummy, yummy sauce. Don't get Frites confused with American style French Fries, these lovely frites are double fried, once to cook them, then a second time to crisp them, and boy oh boy are they good.
Great, now I am hungry again.

"For Sale" by Little J!

"For Sale-My Mother's Sanity"

A Blog Post by Little J

So, I don't know if you have noticed, but things have changed around here in the past few weeks. This little guy moved in. I have been working hard to make sure he understands how things work around here. This is a picture of my hand, showing the new guy how to make music come out of the ladybug. He must not like music because he never, EVER, pulls on the lady bug. He is weird.

I have been playing nice, I explained to the new guy all about how Mommy is MY MOMMY and he can borrow her sometimes. But he must not have understood, because he is borrowing her much much MUCH too often. I will admit that he smells really good, which is probably why Mommy likes to hold him, and he is really kissable. But still, he really needs to stop monopolizing My Mommy.
I decided recently that the new guy needs to be put in his place, and so I set about to make sure that Mommy, and Daddy too, pay much more attention to me! So I took over the baby's bouncy chair. I figured this would get some attention. Mommy told me that she bought this particular chair because it was also a Toddler Rocker that can hold up to 40 pounds. She was really happy that the new guy and I were willing to share the chair. PLAN FOILED! On to the next plan.
I decided that at bedtime and nap-time I wouldn't stay in bed, rather, I would lay by my bedroom door and whine until they let me stay up later or not nap at all. Plan Foiled, I fell asleep.
I decided I would send myself to China! I hear they love little boys in China. Dad Found me before the FedEx guy got here to pick me up. Plan, once again, FOILED!

I upped my game yesterday though. I found a way to get an AMAZING amount of attention. In fact my Mommy and Daddy were so impressed with what I did that they forgot to take pictures of me, and spent the whole rest of the day in my room admiring what I had done.

Here is what I did, feel free to copy me if you need some attention- At nap time, when they put me in bed I happened to notice that Mommy left the cabinet under the changing table UNLOCKED! Now I am smart, I know that Mommy locks up all the fun stuff, so I didn't point it out.

I waited until Mommy and Daddy were good and tired and then I opened the cabinet and saw my swim diapers, so I pulled off my pants and took off my normal everyday diaper and attempted to get that brightly colored swim diaper on. Sadly I did not succeed. This meant that I was pretty much naked, I mean I still had my shirt on but that is about it. A funny feeling came over me, I felt like I needed to mark my territory, you know, so that new guy wouldn't think everything in the house was his. Now the room is MINE! ALL MINE!

I got curious about the cabinet again and so I took another look inside, brightly colored liquids, couldn't get those open. But don't worry, I looked again and found some Vaseline! YES! I love that stuff! It feels so gooey in my hands and it rubs onto furniture, bedding and carpeting very nicely. I put it everywhere I could think of. Then I started to dance around and sing my favorite song "OH OH" (otherwise known as the chorus of "Single Ladies" by Beyonce) and that is when Dad came into my room.

He told me that I had earned a bath! I love Baths! Then he got Mom and she spent some time in my room admiring my work. Mom and Dad were still admiring my work at bedtime, they must have really liked what I had done.

Today I decided to try some more attention getting activities. I am BIG, much bigger than the new guy, I figured I could get some more attention by pointing out all the BIG things I could do. I realized that I had a stinky diaper and I figured I would change it. I did have a problem though, I got the diaper off just fine, but I didn't have a new diaper to put on! Silly me, I was not prepared. So I went to Mom and handed her my old stinky diaper, she called for Daddy and he took me upstairs, but he wouldn't let me in my room. He said the new guy was sleeping in there and he told me to wait for him. So I sat down in front of the door, for some reason this displeased Daddy. I don't know why, I mean I waited right were he asked me too, and I even tired to wipe my bum with my hand before I sat down. Daddy cleaned me, and the carpet, up as best he could and then he put a new diaper on me. Then he grumbled something about already planning on getting the carpet cleaner from Grandma T, blah blah blah....

Mom asked Dad if he thought it would be bad for her next blog post to be titled "Toddler For Sale", I figured I would beat her too it.

For Sale, My Mother's Sanity! It's going cheap and I am sure it won't last long.....What's that Dad? You want to take me out for some Daddy and J time, Just you and me? YEAH!!!!!!

Talk to you all later Peeps, I'm going to Costco! I hope they are having lots of Samples today!

Similar?

I have told you about J's Swirl Belly Button. I love it because it is unique. Or at least it was....

What do you think, does this belly button look like it might turn into a similar swirl? Only time will tell.

Grandma Magic, Part 2

Over 2 years ago I discovered a rare form of magic, Grandma Magic. It is a very simple magic, but it makes the world a better place. You see, Grandma's can use their magic to get their grandchildren to do whatever they want. And luckily for me, Grandma Wheeler was willing to share her Magic with us this past week.

We knew this baby was not going to come on his due date, in fact at my last Doctors Appointment on Aug 3rd I had been scheduled for an induction on Aug 11th. That day, Aug 11th was going to work just fine for our family, Ken would be able to finish out his busy time at work while the baby and I were in the Hospital. Little J could spend some time with his Turner Grandparents and Cousins, it was as if everything was falling into place just as it should be. We would come home on Friday and Ken would then start his 3 WEEKS of Paternity Leave!!!! That is not what the Baby (and I guess the storm that rolled into town that night, August 3rd) had in mind. Baby B wanted to see his Grandma Wheeler. And I am so grateful that he did.

There was no way for Ken to not go into work this last week, he wasn't quite done with everything that needed to get done before his leave could start, and when he told me that he had to work all week, I almost cried. In fact I may have cried a little. And then I told him that I thought we should put out the "Grandma Signal" (like the bat signal only much more powerful since Grandma Wheeler lives 2 states away). Well, Grandma saw the signal and immediately found a way out to Utah to help us.

Here she is with Grandchildren #20 -J and #27- Baby B.

We, Ken and I both, were very very grateful for Grandma Wheelers magic this last week. She could get Baby B to sleep when neither Ken or I could. I told her that she was Stealthy, because she had the amazing ability to get J up in the morning, or down for naps in the afternoon, without him making so much as a peep, allowing baby b and me to sleep and or nap quite easily. This stealthiness, I believe, can be attributed to Grandma Magic. I know little J, and he is not a quiet child. He sings, he yells, he tells you exactly what is on his mind, he is a happy little kid, but he is a loud boy. Grandma Magic was able to keep him calm. MIRACULOUS!

Thank you for saving us Grandma Wheeler, we would not have been able to do it without you this past week. You took great care of us, fed us very very well, and taught us quite a few things about being the parents of 2 boys. Little J misses his Aamama. We are glad that we will see you again in October.

See how happy you made us! I hardly look tired at all!

The Long Day...

I have been singing this song to myself for a couple of hours now, it is only serving to make me even more tired than I really am. But it is a wonderful song, and it has been a long 10 days.

Things in our house are actually going pretty good. I feel very blessed.

Big Brother J

I am sure there are plenty of people out there who want to know how J has been adjusting to no longer being an only child. Well, he is doing just fine. He loves his brother, He wants to be near him, hold him, play with him, talk to him. It is really quite sweet. But J is also still J.

On Sunday he decided that he had not been given enough food for breakfast, so he found some cereal and went to town.

Then there was the Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread. Grandma Wheeler and I were downstairs for 2 minutes, tops, and when we came up stairs this is what we found. Yep, he reached onto the counter and pulled down the loaf of bread and tore it (still in the plastic wrap) right in half.

Then he proceeded to eat it. I don't blame him, it was very very good.

He is also taking time to practice his big brother/parenting skills. Here he is with his baby. He wanted it wrapped in a blanket just like "Baby Buba".

He then fed and burped his baby. I never realized how closely he watches us, but he has pretty good baby burping technique.

Those are but a few glimpses into the life of little J. Right now he is with my family at a reunion. I miss him. I hope he is having fun. As for me, I am caring for a sweet little 7 day old who thinks that day is night and night is day, right now he is napping so I should probably go nap too. Don't miss the next post down, it is from today too.

Soak up the Sun!

I guess, these days, most babies are a little jaundiced. I think I read that somewhere at least. Little J had bilirubin levels high enough that we had to take him in to be checked several times after we left the hospital, and he ended up using his very own Tanning Bed! Well it was Bililights, but it looked like an infant tanning bed.

I thought that Baby B was going to avoid most of that kind of stuff, his bilirubin levels in the hospital were half what little J's were. In fact he was considered Low Risk. On Monday I took baby B in to the doctor for a weight check, because I had been attempting, once again, to breastfeed my baby. (If you were around for Baby J, then you know I had some odd issues, basically no milk production, this time I have produced just a tiny tiny bit more, I thought it was tons more, but I was quite wrong. Baby B told me about it at length and after quite a bit of crying I decided that Formula worked great for J and it would work great for Baby B too. As it turns out, babies who aren't getting enough milk are more likely to be jaundiced....oops. Sorry baby B. So on with the story) I was thinking that Baby B looked a little yellower than he had a few days earlier when we left the hospital and the Doctor apparently thought so too because she wanted to retest his bilirubin levels. They were higher, he went from an 8 to an 11, still not horrible, no need for any medical intervention, but she did want him to sit in front of a window for 10 minutes per day, until he looked less yellow. We started this yesterday and last night he was looking pretty good, this morning we repeated the process. Strip baby down to his diaper, put on his cute Giraffe Slippers that Grandma Wheeler gave him, and sit him in some sunlight, as indirect as I could get it, don't want to give the poor baby a sunburn after all.

Here he is! In all his cute sunbathing glory!

He spent 5 minutes on his back and 5 minutes on his tummy. Baby B is one strong and mobile kid, very much like Little J was. I put him on his tummy and he wiggled a little and ended up on his side, the sun was still on his back so I let him stay there.
Anyone else have kids that can move around in their crib at 7 days old? Both of mine can/could. I don't know how they do it, but J did it all the time and I have already found baby B half way out of his little sleep positioner twice. My boys are strong, and strong willed. Luckily they are also sweethearts.

Hopefully, a few days more of sunbathing and Baby B will get all that bilirubin out of his system. Wish us Luck!

Now Hear This.....Baby B has Arrived!

I saw my doctor for a routine OB visit last Tuesday, August 3rd, I was 36 weeks and 6 days pregnant. Every thing was looking good, she praised me for my control over my blood sugars over the previous 4 weeks and told me that she wanted to induce me the following Wednesday, August 11th. I had an odd thought several times that day, that I could go into labor, I ignored it of course, all women who are 36 weeks + pregnant want to go into labor, I knew for sure I would have a baby in just over a week and I tried not to focus on the long week ahead of me.

That night, after putting J to bed, Ken and I went downstairs and started to watch a movie. About a half hour later, around 8:30 I felt a weird pain and then I heard a "Pop". I had been reading a lot of books, trying to prepare myself for the natural delivery that I felt I should have. I had read something about hearing a Pop when your water breaks and so I asked Ken if he heard it, and then I stood up, and felt just the tiniest of gushes.

"I think my water broke" I said. Ken's response was for me to quickly get onto the tile and off the carpet, he was smart. Within seconds of reaching the tile I was standing in a large puddle, a little bewildered and a little excited, We were going to have a baby, and we were having it that night.

We called our Doula (Morgan Hagey "Simply Beautiful Birthing Services" simplybeautifulbirthing.com ) and then we called our Doctor. I wanted to stay at home at least until the contractions started, but my Doctor wanted me to go into the hospital and start on the Antibiotics that I needed to take during the delivery. I agreed to go in to the hospital and after some quick juggling of Jared (Thanks to the Hatches for taking care of Jared for us, on super extreme short notice) and some quick packing (I had "Pack Hospital Bags" on the to do list for the next day, oops) we left to have our baby, by this time I had started having contractions and each one was getting stronger.

Since it was after 10 pm when we were finally settled into our room (at which point I was almost dilated to a 4), Morgan convinced Ken that he should get some rest, so he would be ready to support me through the later stages of labor, and then she and I went out to walk the halls. After about 30 or 45 minutes the contractions were getting much stronger and I was ready to try something else. I was feeling good, breathing with the contractions and trying my very best to relax, we hadn't been timing them so I had no idea how far apart they were or how long they were. I sat on a birthing ball for 15 minutes, it took that long to figure out that the contractions were coming at regular 5 minute intervals and were about 1 minute long. "This is when most people are told to come to the hospital" I thought and then I thought "I want to get in the whirlpool!" I had a bit of a back ache and I thought the whirlpool would help I liked the whirlpool and though it often will slow down labor, I think it sped mine up.

After a few minutes in the tub I realized that I couldn't talk during contractions anymore, I had to focus so that I could stay relaxed. A little while later I had to grab onto the bar at the side of the tub...this didn't really help me relax but it was all I could do, because those contractions were getting very very strong. Then I felt like I needed to use the restroom. The urge to go was very very very strong and I didn't feel like I could control it. Morgan realized what was happening, I didn't need the toilet, I needed to push. She ran out and got the nurse, the nurse checked me (I was sure I was at a 5 and I was sure I was not going to make it through this delivery without anesthesia.....after all I was only at a five) but the nurse agreed with Morgan, I didn't need to use the restroom, I think I remember her saying "Yep, that's his head, you have got to get back to the bed" and so I did. I climbed up onto the bed on my hands and knees and though I had not intended to deliver a baby in that position.....I did. It was 12:52 AM, 4 and 1/2 hours after my water broke, 3 and 1/2 hours after the contractions started. I did it! I made it through labor and delivery without any medications, and my sweet little baby who just had to be born as fast as possible, he had a perfect head! (I on the other hand was not so perfect, I am still suffering from a pretty bad tear.) The baby was 6 pounds 10 ounces and 19 1/2 inches long (we were told that is pretty good for 37 weeks)

Here he is, less than 24 hours after he was born.

When J arrived to see me that day we made sure that the baby was at the nursery. That way he got to see his Mommy and be with her for just a little while all on his own, AND THEN baby brother came back and he brought J a present, a Toy Story bedding set! This is a picture of J's reaction, he said something like "Baby Buba.....Oh BUZZ"
Here are my Three Sweet Boys!
And here is Baby B, I just took this picture, he is 6 days old today, he is a wonderful baby, still very sleepy, he eats and sleeps and eats and looks around for a few minutes then he sleeps some more. Unfortunately he has his days and nights mixed up and his one LONG sleep period each day comes at 10 AM. Oh Well.

He looks almost exactly like J did, his hair is a little lighter and a little thinner, but other than that they are clones, right down to the facial expressions and the way they both put their hands up to their faces, like they are thinking really hard.
I am one BLESSED woman!