Baby Rhoadie

April 16th was my birthday, and on that day we found out that we were going to have a baby. A year ago if you had asked us we would have said we were done having babies. But at the beginning of the year we decided that adding one more to our little family unit would be a good idea. So there we were expecting number 3. I called him/her baby Rhoadie. Sammy insisted that it be a baby sister named Ella. Sammy said that if it was another little boy we would have to give Jacob back to the doctor. 

He's so cute!

We were excited we told lots of people right away. I waited a few weeks to announce on Facebook. We started buying small things like onsies. I even started a few crochet projects. We were starting early because we had gotten rid of all the boys baby stuff before we moved to our new house last fall. And we didn't want to save everything for last minute. 

On Mothers Day I was celebrating my family. I am so very lucky to have them and to get to be their mommy. However, on this very day we lost our baby Rhodie. 

We found out on my birthday that we would have a baby. My Due date was Dec. 29th. And on May 11th Mother's Day baby was gone. I would have been 7 weeks. 

We have talked with my doctor's office and have a plan for when try again. 

We appreciate everyone's kind words and support. I decided to wait to announce it. And a small Facebook status just didn't seem right. Baby Rhoadie deserved more than a depressing one line "we lost our baby" Facebook status. I questioned even announcing it at all. But one of the hardest things with my previous miscarriages would be when those who didn't know asked how the pregnancy was going. I'm hoping this will happen less (not expecting it to never happen) now. 

If anyone has any questions about anything. I would be happy to talk. Sometimes it helps me to help others.

Thanks for listening. Cheers to baby Rhoadie. 

Two boys and one room

I have totally been neglecting my blog as of recently. Crazy busy with school and tons of other things...

This blog I have dedicated to the living arrangement we have set up for the boys.

After we got back from our Christmas vacation we focused on putting Jacob in his crib. Up until then he was in a co-sleeper (pack n play) in our bedroom. I loved having him in there but he was reaching the weight limit on the little bed so it was time to move him. We live in a 2 bedroom apartment so the boys were going to have to share a room. That worried me. I didn't want them to be waking each other up all the time, but we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best.

I had to do some rearranging in Sammy's room (soon to be the boys' room). I moved the dresser/changing table in the unused closet. The closet only had boxes in it so I cleared those out. I set up the crib were the dresser was. Sammy's bed stayed in the same place.

I bought some boxes for toy storage and they are stored under the crib. I decorated the walls with the boy's names. It worked way better than I had planned.

Living in a tiny dorm room is paying off later in my life!

A handmade Christmas

I can finally blog about this now that every one has their christmas gifts. This year I went a little crazy with hand made gifts. EVERYONE got one!

My boys each got a cand made item. I crocheted Sammy a triceratops! It took me forever, but was so worth it. I got the pattern out of those little books they sell in the yarn isle at michael's. it was very easy to follow. I started it when Jake was first born (like 3 weeks old) I finished it when jake was about 2.5 months old. I crocheted between feedings but then started nursing jake and crocheting at the same time. I got pretty good at that!

I made Jacob a plush cube. I crocheted 6 squares of the basket weave stitch. Sewed them together, stuffed it, then tied the centers of the opposing sides together to make it look more like a cube. If you dont tie the opposing side together it looks like a ball. It works great because it's soft, and squishy. And big enough for him to grasp.

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Josh and Amy, have a cute little dog named Bella, so for them I crotchets a doggy sweater dress! I made it super girlly by adding ruffles and a bow, and flower buttons. I can't wait to see a pic of her in it! I hope it fits!

My other brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Shane and Kate, received hand made Christmas tree ornaments. I crocheted the first letter of each of their names, including one for their son Michael. They can be hung on their tree but can also be displayed elsewhere.

I had my brother in law, Josh, make my brother's Christmas gift. It's a wood cut out of a wildcat on a UK basketball. You can see more of Josh's work HERE. http://www.etsy.com/shop/RhoadesScrollWorks

My mom and mother-in-law both got calendars that I made on shutterfly. Each one is different. I put everyone's birthdays in it and a bunch of pictures of the boys and us! i even made one for me and Jesse.

For my dad and father-in-law we made cute little foot print crafts. I turned the boys' foot prints into reindeer. I saw the idea on Pinterest. Sammy was super excited to make foot prints like dinosaurs so I can't wait to do more foot print crafts!

Hand made gifts make the holidays super special in my opinion. I'll do it again next year! I think I'll start earlier though!

It's a new year!

Hands down, the best thing about 2012 was becoming a mommy again. It is great. I feel so special, like I'm the only one to ever have been the mother of boys,that's how special they make me feel! So in honor of them I've decided we Weill do a lot of learning and playing this year! We are going to potty train Sammy, and I found a blog about 75 activities you can do with small children and we will attempt to do all 75! (http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2012/02/75-tv-free-activities-for-toddlers.html)

Most resolutions are about ourselves...this year, mine is for them!

HO! HO! HO!

We just had an amazing Christmas with our families! We just got home from our 2 week trip to our parents' homes in Indiana and Illinois! We started our Christmas celebrations at home a week before we left on our trip. We let Sammy and Jake open the presents that Jesse and I got for them. Sammy got dinosaur decor for his room (pillow and curtains) and a dinosaur train train set. I also crocheted him a triceratops. Jake got a play gym, play mat, and I crocheted him a plush cube. We did this a week before we left so they'd have time to play with their new toys!

We spent our first week away at Jesse's mom and dad's house. Sammy told his grandma and grandpa (gma and p-pas) all about dinosaurs (we are slightly obsessed). He made them watch Jurassic park WAY more than anyone should have to watch any one movie. They got to see how much Jacob has grown! The last time they had seen him he was a 9 pound newborn, now he is a hardy 17 pound 4.5 month old.

Our second week was spent with my parents (momo and popo). They were also informed on the dinosaurs' ways of life, and they also had to watch Jurassic Park.....a lot. This was my dad's first time meeting Jacob. It was great to see them together!

Now after our long journey we are back home, Jacob's first Christmas was all we could have hoped for, we all had an amazing and even though we are glad to be back home we are very sad to have left our family behind.

We love you, and miss you all!

A Halloween and Thanksgiving Special

Our Halloween left much to be desired. I bought Sammy the BEST Sammy costume ever. A dinosaur (of course). We took great pictures at the local pumpkin patch but when it came time to put on the costume to go trick or treating..... Sammy lost his mind! Screamed and cried, would not put on the costume. We did not go trick or treating. It was a HUGE bummer!

On a brighter note...

Another great thanksgiving this year! Jesse wanted it to be part thanksgiving celebration and a festivis celebration. We had a mighty feast. Our second year making a tur-duck-en. We also had sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and home made pumpkin and pecan pies. YUM! Then came the airing of grievances. That was mostly just Jesse venting. Haha. Then came the feats of strength. We played Monopoly. We invite grad students who are from out of town and can't go home for break (a lot like us) to celebrate with us. This year Gabe (from Alaska) and Adam (from California) came over. Gabe won the Monopoly game. Sammy behaved himself and Jake made lots of cute faces.

3 months...

I'm a little behind because we've been sick. Jacob turned 3 months old on the 10th! Where does the time go?!?!

Here's and update on us:
Jacob now smiles AND giggles!! It's the best. He loves to watch his brother play. He's been putting himself to sleep at night. He's still breast fed!! This was one of my goals. The first goal was to bf for at least a month, then 3 months, now lets see if we can make it to 6 months. I may or may not go a full year but I'd like to go until the end of winter.

Sammy can put himself down for a nap and bedtime all by himself. He's such a big boy. He loves Jake and tries to give him toys to play with. I can't wait until Jake is big enough to play with Sammy. It'll be so great. His favorite show is Dinosaur Train. I actually really like it myself, I've learned a lot. You can def tell he's 2! His communication and sentence formation is growing everyday! He's awesome!

I've been teaching activity classes at UND. I've started my research for my thesis. I'm back to pre-baby weight and my wedding ring fits again!!! I also got a new car!

Jesse's been working hard! We appreciate all he does for us! Because of him I get to spend time with my babies!

We are gearing up for the holiday seasons. Thanksgiving is coming up next week, and we are having a tur-duck-en again this year!! And that means Christmas and a trip back down south is right around the corner. So much to do!!