brooke & freeland

Christmas Day

2012-02-03T08:50:00.001-06:00

After we got cleaned up from Christmas Morning we headed over to my moms put the boys down for naps and got our contribution to Christmas lunch ready while we waited for everyone else to get there.

Of course River didnt take a long nap. So that didnt last long until we were back at it again. This year Eli, River & Wylders cousin, was also there so it was all about the kiddos. I loved it.

There are a ton of pictures. Its always nice to be able to be there when the entire family is all together. Normally we are in Erie just skyping telling everyone hi so I especially enjoyed seeing everyone in person this year.

Freeland's mom & Carl also drove up to spend the day with us. It was nice having them there with everyone else since we arent able to drive down to Houston as easily!

Get ready for the most adorable thing you've ever seen:

look at that butt!!!!

my goodness I love that boy and his eyes!

of course I find my nana just handing him sweets .. as many as he wants! lucky little boy!

conversations around the table!

and then the gifts (read: chaos!) started:

these are blurry but so worth it:

he LOVED his woody toy!

Wylders stocking that my mom stitched him! (with a puppy on it in honor of the dogs! ;)

River helping pop open their big gift!

I love these of River outside with the big kids trying to figure out how to fly the plane!

And then we spent the rest of the afternoon chasing River around while he went cray cray! He even asked to lay down midway through the afternoon. He never went to sleep but I think it helped. That night when we put him to bed Im pretty sure he was up until 10:00 running back & forth in his pack n play going nuts just trying to wind down! That kid had the best day ever I tell ya!

It was a wonderful Christmas being all together and seeing all of our family all in one day! What a blessing. Im going to try not to think about the fact that Im not sure when we will even be able to do that again and just be thankful we were able to this year!

Christmas Morning

2012-02-02T08:27:00.000-06:00

Christmas morning was all about River & Wylder this year. (although Wylder was down for a nap during these pictures so you wouldnt know that any of it involved him)

I learned a lot this year about how I want to do Christmas going forward. (meaning, we made a lot of "rookie" mistakes) By the end of the day River was for real going crazy with excitement. Im afraid a major bratty side came out of him at moments too. But there were also lots of sweet ones that made up for it!

Regardless, it was definitely fun to see him so spoiled and having so much fun.

After we stuffed ourselves with cinnamon rolls we went to get him out of bed.

waking up Christmas Morning

(note the wardrobe change: we had to change his outfit due to a little leakage that night! ;)

his first gift

big boy undies! (not to worry, this kid is no where near potty training. But its fun for him to have big boy undies regardless!)

looking for more gifts!

once he opened this gift all the other ones didnt exsist.

cuddles

His very first actual golf club! Just his size.

Afterward all the boys went to the golf course to play one hole with just one club (my dads tradition) River got to go this year!

Im pretty sure it was a great Christmas morning for him.. getting every bit of all the attention and having so much to play with. Lots of love. And lots of fun. Lots of crazy. It was fun to see him understand it more this year and get even more excited for everything happening. What a blessed little boy with so many people around him that want to make him happy and love him.

Christmas Eve

2012-02-01T08:20:00.000-06:00

We spent Christmas Eve at my dads house this year. (and christmas day/afternoon at my moms)

After a great church service, and an amazing dinner out, we headed home to grab the boys & put them down so we could open gifts.

But first things first .. we started on the annual cinnamon rolls for Christmas Morning. I guess since Ive made them 2 years in a row its now an annual thing. This year they turned out a lot better. It may have been because I accidentally doubled the butter! Whooooopsie.

After the cinnamon rolls were prepped we stuffed ourselves silly with lots and lots of desserts.

Pecan Pie, Cherry Pie, and Blue Bell Homemade Ice Cream! You betcha!

They were SO good.

Id give a lot to eat those desserts right now. a lot.

Then we did our gifts for each other .. all the adults (strange to be considered an adult now)

We saved all the other gifts just for River & Wylder in the morning. It was kind of nice doing it that way. Just a low key night all together. Worshiping at church. Eating lots of food. Spending time together. Laughing. Hanging out. Couldnt think of anything better.

our boys being spoiled with lots of love!

2012-01-31T08:52:00.002-06:00

I finally made it through some of the pictures from our last second trip to Texas over Christmas. We were in & out and really only saw family while we were there. It was such a blessing being able to get so much time with family. River this time was able to call most of his grandparents by name! And he understood & recognized all of them! Im sure that was the best Christmas present ever!

Pretty much from the time we got in town until the time we left I felt like both boys were spoiled daily. For example, the minute River saw his aunt Denise .. he was opening gifts!

I was shocked to see that right when we said "do you want to open a present?" he knew what to do. I have no idea how he knew that! He really isnt opening gifts ever at our house so it cracked me up! Now if we say it at our house he goes looking for the Christmas tree .. still! So funny

in heaven playing with choo choos!

bowling pins!

getting to hang out with "the big kids"

wylder getting spoiled with love and attention

River getting to play with his cousin Eli

check out this face:

ha! yikes

And at my dads, where we stayed, River was also spoiled. Tracy & my dad (okay, really Tracy) pretty much brought River something new every single day! It was sweet.

The first time we walked into my dads and River saw the tree he immediately grabbed this gift. (something he had never done before.. again surprised) But it turned out to be the best gift ever for him to grab. The next morning (days before Christmas) I woke up to find out that my dad gave in and started letting him open gifts early too:

can you guess what it is? if its from my dad its pretty obvious!

His first golf clubs!

learning to swing. He actually was pretty good. They even went out one morning to hit balls on the golf course. Hilarious. Wish I had those pictures!

Cosmo playing with Rivers toys .. or enjoying a break from River chasing him!

Wylder waking up from one of his many many naps

And here are some pictures of Wylder meeting Nana & Pop for the very first time:

and River once again getting more gifts! This time he got books!

Uncle Jason came in town too!

Wylder meeting Gracie

It was a special trip to Texas. It was the first time in a long time that every single child was in town.. both my brother & me.. my step brother.. all the step sisters.. all the spouses.. all the cousins.. all the grandchildren.. and even the grandpuppy! Im not sure when that will happen again so Freeland & I were really grateful to be there and spend Christmas with family. And it is an amazing blessing seeing our kids be loved on and spoiled non stop! River was pretty much on crack the entire trip because of all the attention and Wylder forgot how to sleep while we were there but it was all worth it for family to get so much time with them! And seeing River recognize family now (since he cant see them all the time) was a bigger blessing than I can describe!

I have a 6 month old again

2012-01-28T07:57:00.000-06:00

well a 21 month old and a 6 month old. Strange.

Wylder is officially rockin his 6 month of life. And growing right before our eyes. In an attempt to make sure Wylder wasnt the "forgotten 2nd child" we made sure we got a 6 month birthday cake just like his brother. Obviously, he didnt eat it. But we did. And it was goooood. So thats what these pictures are from. His little make-shift half birthday party

(it was an oreo ice cream cake because thats MY favorite. Im such a thoughtful mom)

(Drew was kind enough to insist on getting the cake and went and picked it up! He loves Wylder)

At 6 months Wylder is a little stud muffin. I always swear he is bigger than his brother. But at every doctors appointment Im surprised to find out he is somehow even smaller. He weighs 15.14 lbs (something like the 13th%) and he is 25 3/4'' long. Thankfully even though he is still a mini one he has gained lots of weight and is growing well.

Funny thing, his teeth are coming in all out of order just like his brothers did. Apparently the doctor said its genetic. And that ONE PERCENT of kids teeth do that. Its not a big deal. (and Im not sure about the whole 1% thing) But its so funny to me. He got his 2 bottom teeth at 4 months (i was shocked to see them so early) and his top side tooth on the right at 5 months. Now his other side is popping one out so he'll be missing his 2 front teeth just like River!

He is sleeping WITHOUT A SWADDLE now. One night I just put him down without it and he slept through the night. WHAT? SOOOO opposite from River. (he took until 10months to break of the swaddle) I think Wylder sleeping on his tummy was the trick. He does wake up sometimes when he rolls over but he'll figure it out. He goes to bed around 6:00-7:00 and on a good day wakes up around 7:00am. There are times he still wakes up around 5:30am. Sometimes he gets himself back to sleep & sometimes he doesnt. Wylder, PLEASE grow out of this because 5:30 is not wake up call in our house. We'll move his bedtime up and see if that helps. And there are mornings he sleeps until 7:00 so I should be thankful for that. He still takes 3-4 naps a day. Slowly moving to just 3. And I have a feeling 2 naps will come before we know it

He pretty much started hyperventilating of excitement if it looked like we were going to feed him.. or if I had food near him so I knew it was time to try baby food again. He can finally eat and keep his food down. (before he projectile vomited it up about .5 seconds after eating it) Then all the sudden at 6 months he was able to keep it down.

However, nobody warned me that a baby who spits up all the time and starts to eat carrots will now spit up bright orange on everything! We may be sticking to bananas, pears, and apples going forward! Ive also given him puffs and he seems to love them.

snuggle baby

He is still uber ticklish. Loves his brother. Loves the bath. Sleeps on his tummy. Rolls back and forth. Spits up like a water fountain.. but a little less than he used to. Starting to love jumping & bouncing. talks a lot. sticks his tongue out all the time. can pick up toys and play with them now. hes working on being able to sit up all by himself. hes a giggle box.

He is also 100 times more flexible than River was. Dont get me wrong, River was an easy baby. But he slept all the time and got fussy when he didnt. The boy needed his sleep .. and still does. However, unless you try to put Wylder down and see him pass out sometimes you would never know he was even tired. (unless he is extremely tired then he melts down)

(dan holding Wylder trying to get him to stick his tongue out. adorbs!)

and he was ready for bed here.

He is starting to know what he wants and fuss when you arent giving him attention. I remember River doing that at this same age. And I love that he wants more interaction and wants to play. River is still so sweet to him. (this may change when Wylder is crawling or taking his toys) but at this point River still wants him around, ask for him in the bath, pats his head, attempts to share his waffle, and enjoys him being around. If Wylder fusses he also copies us and says "whats wrong" "youre okay" it cracks me up!

Also, Wylder is now at the age River was when I found out I was pregnant with River. Crazy to think about!

35th Annual Christmas Sweaters & Spirits Party

2012-01-17T10:27:00.002-06:00

We hosted our final Christmas Party this year in Erie. (Debbie Downer here .. just pointing out how its our last Christmas with all our friends here. Now I want to go cry in the corner.)

Moving along, it was a great Christmas Party! And Im so thankful we all are able to get together before the holidays and celebrate and enjoy hanging out.

(invitation via Pingg)

We got a lil crazy and "elfed" our house this year with hundreds of snowflakes and paper chains! It was so fun. We definitely couldnt have done it without the help of Sarah, Drew, Kristen, Dan, and Lindsey! We all got together and cut snowflakes throughout the week. By the end Im pretty sure we were trying to convince Sarah to open an Etsy shop of snowflakes hers were so good!

Here are some pictures with the rest of the decorations and food:

and we had a surprise special guest join us!!!

CAMILLEEEEEEEEEE WAS HERE!!!! (isnt she adorbs teaching miles to play the piano?)

santa also came this year! ;)

our outfits happened to match. Twinkies

this was Camille's first time meeting Wylder. Cuteness.

I love Wylder randomly hanging out by himself with the snowflakes

santa and his family!

all of us in our onesies!

then the party started. Meaning .. we started eating!

then we all caroled and sang Christmas songs. Or at least those of us who have Christmas Joy in our Hearts did ..

Then the wine tasting started:

and of course we played some pretty amazing games the rest of the night (courtesy of Drew B)

And per usual, we had to play the bells in the box game (done at every party!)

with another special guest here: Bethany!!!!

Ive successfully avoided it the last few years even though Freeland has played every.single.time! Somehow, they got me to play this time though. (and of course, I got killed!)

It was also Elizabeth's Birthday so in true "tacky" form Freeland & Drew accidentally dropped her cake and then still gave it to her:

We also gave tacky gifts/prizes for every game (in true tacky form Freeland wrapped them in grocery sacks too!) and then we gave one for the best outfit. Of course you have to give it to Santa though, right?

all the girls:

The night of course ended with lots of Just Dance on the Wii!

If youre interested here are the Christmas parties we all did the last 2 years before too:
33rd annual party
34th annual party

Looking back Im just so thankful for all our friends and how much fun we have together! Such wonderful memories. Lots of laughing. eating. goofing around. dancing. singing. maybe being a lil competitive. and loving each other!

River & Wylder visit Santa

2012-01-16T13:11:00.002-06:00

Wylder got to meet Santa for the first time this year! Im pretty sure he told Santa he wanted whatever River wanted because River is his idol.

And Im pretty sure River told Santa all he wanted for Christmas was to get out of his lap! ha

River still didnt understand what was going on but it was fun either way!

So here is how it went:

unsure

a little upset

(the only picture they are both looking in)

then balling

i love that Wylder had no idea what was going on

So of course, we caved and gave him food to distract him.

it worked for a second and then back to crying

Please note: his pants are unzipped. WHOOOOOPS!

Then we jumped in and tried to help

*note had I known we would get all the pictures I would have taken HUNDREDS more to get the perfect one! We were really going for one where he was screaming for the Christmas card but Wylder was only looking in one where River just seemed unsure so thats what we went with!

While looking back at these pictures, as Rachel pointed out to me, the Santa is pretty authentic looking .. and I appreciate that now. However, I will say I still dont blame River for being freaked out. I was disappointed with Santa too.

Look at Exhibit A below.

See santa in the background? Slouched over? Not interested?! Thats about how engaging he was and how hard he tried to get River to laugh. So of course he balled his eyes out!

After we took him to ride the little quarter rides for the first time.

Im on a boat!

I actually dont think he fully understood how awesome what he was doing was. But thats okay.

and no trip to the mall is complete without letting River admire the dogs in the pet store. He loves it.

Like, he loves it with his entire heart and I think if he werent wearing a diaper he would pee his pants he loves it so much!

And so we love taking him there.

It was wylders first visit to the pet store. Aunt Crystal carried him around and showed him all the puppies while we chased River around.

Thankfully he doesnt understand that they *could* come home with us yet. Phew!

trimmming the tree

2012-01-12T08:23:00.000-06:00

Now, back to Christmas! As you know, David & Crystal were both here for Thanksgiving .. so they got to be apart of helping decorate the tree with us! I loved having people in town to help. It definitely made it feel more like family all decorating the tree together.

We started with River awake. But waited to do the ornaments until he was asleep. (otherwise he would have thought it was a game to throw all the "balls" around)

helping unload the boxes

we leave empty boxes under our tree that are wrapped so it doesnt look so bare. At this point he didnt understand he could open the presents. Now, he does and its pretty cute.

Then River went down for a nap and we got down to business:

And then things got silly.

This probably isnt funny to anyone else. But to us, it was HI-larious.

So for David & Crystal .. Im sharing the pictures!

David & I always take random awkward pictures (as seen here & here) so of course this called for some awkward Christmas pictures. Enjoy

Then Freeland & Crystal jumped in:

and then it was back to business. Crystal got to put this star on this year:

and then we capped off the night with some fish tacos, margaritas, and some Just Dance.

David claims he builds the prefect fish tacos. Thats still to be determined.

I loved having them here to start of the holidays.

And River did surprisingly so well with the ornaments on the tree this year. It took him a day or 2 to realize they werent balls but once he did he really wasnt interested. Unless he was throwing a fit .. then all he wanted to do was grab an ornament off the tree in frustration. But I guess thats just Toddlerhood.

Freelands birthday was great. I think he felt very loved by everyone. Thank you to all of you who made it so special for him! I'll post pictures soon!

Happy 30th Birthday Freeland

2012-01-10T10:48:00.002-06:00

Happy 30th Birthday to the hubs:

After the craziness of the holidays, traveling, new years, and then yesterday getting a stomach bug and both of us throwing up all day + night we are back to normal and celebrating big!

Seriously .. look at that chubber bubber!

Now he's a grown adult! THIRTY YEARS OLD! That is crazy to me.

I gave him one gift this morning at breakfast with the kids. The rest he gets tonight at dinner.

I dont mean to brag, but Im pretty excited about all his gifts. You only turn 30 once! And I tried to make it as special as possible!

5 month little bundle of fun

2012-01-05T08:45:00.001-06:00

Wild man is now 5 months old. (almost 5 and a half now) and this has to be my favorite month with him so far. On his 5 month birthday he finally made it up to 13lbs. (little guy!) And since then he has put on even more weight .. he even has little wanna be rolls. I love it. (he's up to eating around 24 ounces a day now with LOTS of oatmeal mixed in and its definitely helping him gain weight!)

I feel like he is in that transition of no longer being an infant/baby and is now slowly becoming a little boy. He is so much more aware of whats going on, grabbing toys, playing, trying to sit up, rolling over, working so hard to roll everywhere even though he cant yet, laughing, and changing daily. Every time I pick him up from a nap Im pretty sure he has grown more.

Probably the biggest change, and praise, is his reflux. (I know youre so tired of hearing about it .. but I just gotta write it down so I remember!) Dont worry, Im going to do an entire post separately about it so I can remember it all myself! But I definitely saw the biggest change over the last month!

Although he does still seem like a waterfall of spit up most days! ;)

(his first taste of food was this last month too but he pretty much projectile vomited it all up so we're holding off for now)

And as far as sleep goes, he is finally sleeping through the night again. After I got him sleeping through the night before I had to go back to getting him up to feed him to help him gain weight but now that his weight is up .. and we have a break from traveling and having guest .. I was finally able to get him back to sleeping through the night. Im even able to put him asleep awake most nights now and he puts himself to sleep! Im so thankful. Such a change!

He went through a little spurt where he was turning from his belly to his back in the middle of the night and freaking out because he had no idea what to do on his back. So we just started putting him to sleep on his back and that seemed to help. He still off and on wakes up at 5:00am and has to work to get himself back to sleep. and *most* mornings he does get himself back to sleep thankfully. I cant wait for him to grow out of that! ;)

*side note: wylder is a baby that will sleep through the night as long as you dont go in his room. The minute I get up with him he then starts to wake up 5 times a night crying. Then just like that, if I go one night without going in his room he goes back to sleeping through the night. Its encouraging to know that he can sleep if I just leave him alone! ;)

He still takes 3-4 naps a day depending on how long they all are. He goes back and forth with the 45 minute intruder. One week he wakes up consistently at 45 minutes. Then another week he takes 3 - 2 hour naps every day.

Wylder is definitely more and more interested in River all the time. I think he is happiest when he feels like he is apart of whatever River is doing. Example, if I set him down on the ground next to River & Freeland wrestling he just laughs and smiles the entire time like he is apart of it.

I love seeing more of his little personality come out too. I think he is going to be a silly little boy. He "talks" all the time. And he is seriously happy 99% of the time. (now that he has out grown being colic Im so thankful I can say that!) River was a happy & easy baby and laughed a lot but he was also more serious and you had to work to make him laugh. Wylder just smiles or laughs if you look at him. And I just cant get enough of it. I cant wait to see what the next month holds! I feel like Im finally getting the hang of this 2 kid thing and I love it!

(TONS of Christmas post coming!)

Merry Christmas

2011-12-28T15:13:00.001-06:00

 (Santa may have scared River juuuust a lil' bit) 

Merry Christmas! Love, 

The Ackleys

PS: For those who may not read our cousin Mary's blog, Grasshopper Momma, please continue to pray for her and her sweet .. sweet family! It was a bittersweet blessing that we were able to be there to celebrate Seans life with them over the holidays! I know your prayers mean the world to her now more than ever. And Im looking forward to seeing God continue to provide strength, peace, comfort, and hope through all of this. 

oh christmas tree ...

2011-12-22T13:50:00.001-06:00

Rivers favorite thing about Christmas so far = the tree.

This year we put the tree up even earlier. My goal was to let River get his fascination with the tree out of the way before we put the ornaments on it. And somehow that idea didnt backfire and actually kind of worked. He really does well just pointing at the ornaments now and not trying to rip them off the tree.

At other people's house he just runs up and says "oh my" "whats this?" and points at all the ornaments. He even tried hugging my moms ornaments on her tree.

He had a blast when we pulled our Christmas tree out. And I had even more fun watching him. Maybe one day he'll get to experience the joy of a real tree but for now he is pretty smitten with even this one:

after we finished "filling out" the tree he spent the rest of the night crawling under it and playing:

and then driving his cars through it:

pretty stinkin cute. We randomly find cars on the tree still. That boy is adorable.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-15T07:10:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving this year was extra special. Not only because it was the same day we found out we were pregnant with Wylder last year or because we were able to celebrate with 2 kids at the table with us this year! (Especially this cute little turkey)

But also because our dear friends David & Crystal were also in town to celebrate with us! Yes, they do love us way too much!

and on top of that our house had 19 people in it for the Thanksgiving Dinner!

Id say the fact that we had a full house, a huge turkey, lots of wonderful conversation and community, kids running around, and full tummies was more than a blessing.

We woke up Thanksgiving morning to our annual monkey bread and Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.

however, I burned the monkey bread! Who does that? How is that even possible!? Its monkey bread!

Then we hung out in our PJ's and watched the parade. River loved it a lot more this year

trying to find elmo!

Note: He also LOVED the rockette dancers. like wouldnt take his eyes off the TV! How funny!

after being lazy all morning we finally set the table and finished trying to figure out how we were going to seat 19 people:

I think we officially had 17 chairs at the table. The other 2 kids sat in laps

of course since David was here we did our annual awkward poses:

(more akward pictures to come later!)

Then this stud muffin woke up from his nap. Made a few phone calls on skype to family. Then played while we waited for friends to arrive and put the finishing touches on the turkey

Freeland was heart broken that we couldnt find a 28 pound turkey this year. So we stuck to the 22 pound one .. it was the largest we could find. And he once again did an amazing job cooking it!

boys in the kitchen. girls in the living room. i like that!

all the guys trying to figure out how to make gravy. They were a little testy when I tried to help so I just let them do it.

Before dinner Freeland shared a few things about how grateful we were to have "family" up here to celebrate and eat with. And then David shared the original prayer that was said years ago on Thanksgiving. Afterwards, all our friends went around and said the 2 things they were most thankful for this year. It was a sweet time before we all dug into the food and stuffed our faces!

I never got a picture of all the food. But I did get a picture of the desserts .. which are the main attraction anyway right?

Holy Yum! Pecan Pie, Chocolate Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Banana Pudding, Pumpkin Bread Pudding, Ginger Cookies and Apple Bread! CHELLO!

And of course, I never actually had one bite of turkey or ham. Of all days for River to refuse to sit in his high chair it had to be Thanksgiving with almost 20 people there to watch! So both our hands were full the entire time holding and switching kids. Then by the time we both put them to bed we were full from the side dishes and ready to move on to dessert. It was a hilarious.. but not at the same time .. but Im embracing it and I'll never forget it. (I may have been a little up tight for a few minutes but thankfully I got over it!)

Afterwards, those who could, stayed and watched football and hung out longer. I loved it. Even with the chaos of chasing kids & running around.. it was an amazing thanksgiving and Im so grateful for all the things we have to be thankful for.

now that we have snow on the ground

2011-12-13T07:14:00.000-06:00

Okay, I just had to share these pictures of River in the leaves too before we get too far into winter.

(although the snow outside is already melting .. but whateves)

We have this beautiful tree outside our house (its our neighbors) and every fall the leaves turn bright yellow. I love that its what we wake up to in the morning looking outside our bedroom window.

Here it is 2 years ago in full force

And here are some pictures from this year:

then he lost interest and became fasinated with the tree:

little tree hugger

PS: River is doing almost 100% better today. We had to put him on steroids but it almost immediately helped. He is now wired and completely hyped up which is a little humorous! Im so thankful he is doing better. Yesterday morning was pretty rough for him!

first allergic reaction

2011-12-12T07:40:00.001-06:00

(warning: Im not sure if these pictures would bother anyone but in case feel free to skip this post! Its just an allergic reaction so it looks worse than it is ;)

Last week River had a double ear infection. We put him on medicine and then 7 days later .. he broke out in a rash. Turns out the poor guy has a penicillin allergy. This wasnt his first time on the medicine. Back in October he had an ear infection and took it then and was fine. Apparently thats how this works though.

Its heart breaking to see him with a rash all over him and watching him try not to itch it.

My dad also has a penicillin allergy so my mom was the one who actually put 2 & 2 together while talking to my Aunt.

Rivers been on benadryl all weekend to help with the itching. After the first day he woke up and it had spread to his face. Its so sad to see his eyes & ears swollen, his hands puffy, and you can tell it hurts him to walk on his feet.

So we pretty much spent the entire weekend cuddling, comforting, and spoiling him.

Last night we even brought him in bed with us (first time since he was a baby) and Im not going to lie .. both of us were in Heaven having him snuggle with us! It was even hard for us to put him back in his own bed because we loved it so much .. but we knew he would sleep better in his own bed so we did.

We're off to the doctor today! I know he'll be fine.

And seeing him so uncomfortable reminds me how thankful that I am that he is a healthy little boy with just an allergy!

the last few days of fall

2011-12-11T07:52:00.000-06:00

This year fall seemed to stick around forever. Im not complaining. But I happen to enjoy the snow so it was sad that it took forever to get here.

For those not familiar .. normally (at least the last 3 winters we have been here) it starts snowing towards the end of October and doesnt stop until April. This year we did not have snow at our house until December 10th! CHELLO! That seems like forever. It did snow a few times in town but never at our house (which is confusing because "in town" is only 5 minutes away but since we live on the lake it doesnt snow the same at our house in the beginning of the year?! I know, the whole lake effect snow thing is still confusing to us Texans!)

End tangent

This fall River really got into the leaves though.

He lurved them with his whole heart.

running in them, smashing them, throwing them, eating them!

And especially raking them like his dad.

Note: the funny thing is we have ZERO trees in our yard .. yet we get the most leaves to pick up! Conspiracy? I think so!

Regardless, it gave River a playground in our front yard so I'll take it!

Enjoy the ridiculous cuteness below:

PS: a few people asked so for those interested .. River's hat is from Anthropologie Kids. Our sweet friend Ashley got it for him at my baby shower. Id say its definitely worth it as this is the second year he is able to wear it! And he happens to love wearing it around!

enjoying the last few days of fall

2011-12-07T08:25:00.000-06:00

(not to worry, this is the last of the pictures from Port Farms.. although there are a gazillion more I would love to post)

When Freeland got back from Oklahoma my brother came in town to visit & meet Wylder. At that point we thought it was going to be the last few days of fall so we wanted to take advantage of the weather & go one last time to Port Farms. Little did we know the fall weather would be sticking around for another month!

mr. independent .. never wants help with anything anymore:

dont let them fool you, grown men like playing with trucks too:

one of the bunnies broke free and River loved chasing him around saying "where did it goooooooo?"

For those of you who stuck around the last few days and actually didnt give up on my blog .. thanks! Here's to getting almost caught up!

Running around the farm with Mimi & Grandpa

2011-12-06T07:50:00.000-06:00

While my mom & mark were in town we also headed out to port farms. Here are a few pictures from our trip with them.

I dont have as many because we were pretty much chasing River from activity to activity the entire time and that left little time to take pictures. We were also trying to keep Wylder from melting down .. which is why my mom isnt in any pictures. But trust me, she was there!

trying to get him to pose for a picture. the best I could get

Not pictured: Me going down the slide with Wylder in the Bjorn and River in my lap. That would have been awesome to see!

and a gazillion pictures in the corn. This was the day he had the most fun playing in here:

getting buried in the corn:

wheres River?

He didnt even seem to notice that he was buried. It was hilarious.

The places we found corn when we got home were pretty comical.

are you tired of these pictures yet? Because I have more!

Port Farms as a family

2011-12-05T07:15:00.000-06:00

Here are some more pictures from Port Farms. This was the first time we went this season. And it was our 4 year anniversary that day so it was part of our family day out.. right before Freeland left for Oklahoma. It was fun watching River see everything for the first time and run around yelling out of excitement every time he turned around and saw something new.

whad up?

this is seriously the coolest things for kids .. a box filled with corn. I think River could have spent hours here.

sweet wylder snuggles

he wasnt so sure about the corn

worlds strongest toddler

teaching him to milk a cow like his dad (Freeland used to milk goats when he lived on the farm)

truck heaven!

letting a toddler run through a corn maze or this maze is seriously the best thing ever! They can just run and run and think they have all the freedom in the world without running away from you! Score.

Have I mentioned that it has yet to snow at our house? Yes, this is officially the longest fall we have ever had since we've lived here in Erie! I'll take it. Because folks .. there are about zero things to do in the winter once the snow starts! Not to worry, lots more pictures coming.

Port Farms Pumpkin Patch

2011-12-03T12:00:00.000-06:00

We went out to Port farms 3 different times this year so Im pretty sure I have over 200 pictures of River running around out there. I wont post all of them (obviously) but there are just so many that I love that I'll post a lot of them (maybe 199 of them. kidding)

Anyway, Port farms is so great. I love all the activties. Its perfect for so many different ages of kids. This year River really loved it. He just ran from one thing to the other and pretty much never stopped running.

Below are a few from just the pumpkin patch. The hardest part was getting him to stand still or even attempt to sit down next to the pumpkins so I could get a picture. Instead I just got pictures of him looking at the pumpkins.

as a comparison here are the pictures from last year when River was 6 months old. little munchkie:

that goofy smile makes me want to cry I love it so much.

Here is the entire post from last year where I showed tons of pictures.. if youre interested Crazy how much he has grown.

And here is the wild man's first visit to the pumpkin patch:

At the time he was too young to really sit on his own .. and it was muddy so we did the best we could while River was running around going crazy. It might have been slightly chaotic. But it worked.

He was 2 months old in the pictures. Its crazy to see how much he has changed in just 2 months. He looks so tiny there. And his face looks so much longer now. What a munchkin in jeans though! I love it.

Okay, now to sort through the rest of the pictures. get ready.

Hardcore

2011-12-02T07:25:00.000-06:00

Oh my word, these crack me up.

He's so hardcore.. even without pants on.

Note, we finally made the switch back to cloth diapers. I was a little hesitant with 2 kids. I felt like I would be changing diapers every 30 minutes. Thankfully, it hasnt been too crazy so far. And its a huge blessing to not have to buy diapers. So to anybody who is curious, it is possible to do cloth with 2 kids and not go crazy. If we can do it anybody can. Seriously!

4th annual halloween party

2011-12-01T07:59:00.000-06:00

This years Halloween Party was stellar! Here's the group shot:

Here are our costumes:

Where's Waldo and Wendy (I felt rather lazy about this years costume compared to all the previous years)

My brother was in town and went with us. Check out his costume:

adorable huh? and seriously so perfect.

Sarah & Drew threw another stellar party this year.. with all the bells & whistles.

And of course the best games.

Here are a few pictures from the night:

cutest costume ever!

We had such a blast. Its fun to see all the kids at the parties too. Next to the games they were the best form of entertainment dancing around all night!

Ive avoided saying it but its so sad/bittersweet to think this is may be our last Halloween party with our sweet friends from here. We've seriously had some fun parties over the last 4 years!

Zoo Boo

2011-11-30T08:03:00.000-06:00

(yes, its almost December and Im still posting about Halloween)

We ventured out to Zoo Boo this year. (why didnt we go last year?)

Bill & Christie met us up there. It was so fun and Im glad we made the effort to go. (effort being the key word) River & Jackson were adorbs running around. And it was also so nice that at this point River had no idea we were eating all of his candy! Bonus!

that gorilla was more afraid of River than River was of him. True Story
(there were a few other kids in the same dragon costume as River .. which was weird.. I guess the other moms got the same pattern and sewed the same exact thing! Strange huh? what are the odds?)

(or the costume is from old navy)

Christie and Bill were the biggest blessing while we were there. They helped chase River, push extra strollers, entertain, and carry Wylder when we needed it. We were so very thankful!

I loved getting to watch River run around screaming and having a blast. He was in pure heaven.When we got home he crashed. It was hilarious to see him go from 100 to 0 in point five seconds.

little turkey

2011-11-28T11:40:00.000-06:00

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Our turkey was pretty stinkin adorable this year:

and in true wylder fashion:typical (sorry if that grossed you out. Note: if it did, you dont want to ever hold him!)

blurry but I love his sweet smile

It was exactly 1 year ago Thanksgiving morning that I found out I was pregnant again. A morning I will never forget. And I was thankful this year to have Wylder here with us and celebrate as a family of 4.

Here is a picture of River last year in the turkey costume (he was 7 months at the time)

David & Crystal are still in town visiting. Its been so much fun! I'll get all our other pictures up (along with the rest from the last 2 months!) soon!

4 month old little bundle of joy

2011-11-22T07:40:00.000-06:00

Our little baby turned 4 months old! I cant believe how much he has changed. I love how perfectly he fits in our family.. it feels like it wouldnt be complete without him. I dont know if I have said it much but I absolutely love having 2 kids .. and I really love having 2 boys.

When Wylders reflux isnt acting up Im pretty sure he is the happiest baby I have ever seen. And that says a lot since I have River to compare him to. He smiles if you just look at him. And it warms my heart. We need those smiles! And the 2 things that make him laugh the most: being scared (saying "boo!" loud or jumping) and fart noises! Such a boy!

He still spits up all the time. ALL THE TIME. (so we still hold him a lot just to keep him up right) But he isnt nearly as fussy as he was when he was 2 months old. These days I feel like he is only fussy when he is hungry or tired. Which I couldn't praise the Lord more for.

He coos and talks all the time. And he is definitely ticklish EVERYWHERE. If I just touch his back, neck, shoulders, or feet he cracks up! I Love it. Freeland says he gets it from me. (except I very strongly dislike being tickled so thankful Wylder didn't get that part from me!)

He does the whole "45 minute intruder" just like his big brother. But he is much better than River was at this age. Most days he takes 2-4 naps depending on how long they are and what we are doing. Normally its 3. And I can normally guarantee he will take at least one good one (2-3 hour nap) the rest he wakes up at 45 minutes and cant get himself back to sleep. Thats okay! I know he'll grow out of it! And Im so thankful he takes at least 1 good nap a day that I couldn't care about the other 2 naps. (comparing him to when he used to not be able to sleep at all gives me that perspective)

At night he goes to bed around 6:00-7:00 and normally wakes up once to eat and back to sleep until 6:00-7:00. If he wakes up earlier than 4:00am to eat he can normally get himself back to sleep (crying off & on) I hope to drop the feeding sooner than later because I waited forever to do it with River and I realize looking back he definitely wasnt hungry at night. He just woke up because he was used to waking up. Once we have a good stretch where I can drop the feeding I will.

We gave him rice cereal for the first time over the weekend. He seemed to like it. I was so nervous it would make his reflux worse but so far he seems to be doing okay with it. It isnt helping him to spit up less .. but he isnt spitting up more so thats fine with me!

Other than all that he is just growing and growing. He has rolled over once or twice but really isnt a rolly polly baby. He is reaching for toys on his play mat and he's more and more interested in everything around him. He wants to pull up on our fingers and stand all the time. (he's been that way since he was born though!) I think he's most comfortable standing. Ive been practicing sitting up with him but I actually think he is so uncomfortable & it makes his reflux worse because he gets a little grumpy. Maybe as he grows he'll enjoy it more.

I adore you little man. Your smile lights up your entire face and couldnt warm my heart any more! I never want to forget how big your sweet smile is, your squeal when you are giggling, how you stare at your big brother all the time, and how you seem so fearless! I pray that you know God intimately and grow up desiring to bring him Glory.

sic 'em

2011-11-21T08:29:00.000-06:00

(I will absolutely not apologize for the amount of pictures here.)

In honor of the amazing game & victory over OU this weekend I had to share these pictures .. you're welcome:

Even if you aren't a fan of Baylor football .. you cant deny they are having an exciting season!

PS: we definitely missed the game .. seeing as we were in bed at 8:00 on Saturday night!!! But it was still just as fun to wake up to.

just like his parents

2011-11-16T14:35:00.001-06:00

The boy apparently loves Pumpkin Spice Creamer just like his mom & dad.

I walked in and found him doing this:

He pulled it out of the recycling and was trying to gulp every last drop that was left. I dont blame him.

We keep at least 6 in our fridge at all times. We go through 1 bottle in 2 days. And the things Ive done to hunt these down and get them at the store (think stalking people and climbing up on the shelves in the grocery store) are redonkulous.

This is what he looked like the rest of the day:

coffee creamer all over his face:

Halloween with 2 lil dragons & lots of trick or treaters

2011-11-15T08:20:00.000-06:00

Also known as Holla-ween in our house.

Halloween is officially so much fun. I love that the kids get to play dress up, run around, meet neighbors, get candy, pass out candy, scream and go crazy, and seriously have a blast.

My brother was in town visiting and Freeland had most the day off. We got the kids dressed up and took them to the zoo during the day. For most of the time we were the only people there too so River pretty much just got to run anywhere and everywhere he wanted.

Then that night Kevin and Becka came over to pass out candy. We made dinner and hung out just right before all the neighborhood kids started showing up

and right after this Wylder crashed and had to go to bed. So he missed out on the real fun part.

The worlds best candy passer outers:

At the beginning River seriously started screaming and jumping up and down every time kids would walk towards our house.

Rivers face as the kids came up to our house

The Lusky's and the Lee's also went trick or treating in our neighborhood so they stopped by towards the end. It was adorable to see the kids all dressed up together.

It never occurred to me that River might be ready to trick or treat so I just planned on him hanging out with us. But after seeing the other kids that came to our house he definitely could of. And he wanted to. We took him to a few houses. And seriously there were moments he was screaming out in joy he was having so much fun. He definitely had no idea what he was doing (for example one house gave him candy and at the next house he gave it back) but he was still loving every minute of it. I loved the chocolate he had all over his face! And he definitely crashed that night fast! Such sweet memories.

lil dragons

2011-11-11T19:57:00.001-06:00

Get ready to die from cuteness.

Here are the boys costumes from this year.

I went back and forth and back and forth. I actually got Wylder a different one at once upon a child first but it was just horrible so I caved and went back and got him one to match River.

Im so glad I did because I loved that they were matching. Im pretty sure going forward I wont be able to force them to wear the same costume so it was worth it!

It took forever for us to get River to wear that. At first he threw a fit if it was on. Then one day he magically got over it. Such a toddler.

I'll upload the pictures from Halloween night with the trick or treaters next .. and zoo boo.. and the Halloween party. Basically, get ready to see lots of these dragons!

starting him young

2011-11-08T07:01:00.000-06:00

If he wants to go to Baylor .. he better start saving now.

Just Kidding.

But really, we save all our change in this family. And it goes into our savings. Just a side savings for something fun. Its amazing how much has added up over the last four years. And letting River be in charge of putting the change in the piggy bank was pure entertainment for at least 30 minutes. (thankfully he didnt try to put any of it in his mouth!)

Speaking of Baylor, Im sad that another year went by where we missed homecoming last weekend. I loved seeing all our friends pictures though. And Im definitely craving a dr. pepper float now.

Hopefully I'll have time to post more than 1 picture soon! ;)

pajama party

2011-11-05T11:15:00.001-05:00

My mom got River & Wylder their first set of matching pajamas for halloween.

It was pretty stinkin cute. I tried to snap a few pictures after their baths one night. Its a miracle they somewhat turned out considering there were meltdowns approximatly .00005 seconds after we took these.

Lots more catching up to do soon! Lots of pictures of family, festivals, costumes, zoo boo, playing in the leaves, and other nonsense.

Its been cray cray around here.

PS: Im totally looking into matching pajamas for our entire family for Christmas. Best believe that.

Say Uncle

2011-10-27T08:01:00.002-05:00

Uncle Jason is on his way!

He gets in today so he can meet his newest nephew Wylder .. and gets lots of time hanging out with River.

Jason & River at 2 months

almost exactly a year ago .. River was 6 months old

in Arkansas at Andrews wedding when River was just a year old.

Clearly River enjoys his time with Jason! Cant wait. And so looking forward to Wylder getting to know him too.

Also, definitely looking forward to watching The World Series game tonight. All us Texans in one place cheering on the Rangers!

big shoes to fill

2011-10-25T15:36:00.001-05:00

the other day we searched everywhere trying to find Rivers shoes.

and couldnt find them anywhere

Finally on Sunday Freeland spotted them. They were on our shoe rack. Where shoes belong. Of course. But we didnt put them there.

River did.

Which is adorable that he put them away without us asking. I was actually shocked he knew that. We've never asked him to. Just goes to show once again he's watching more than we realize.

The thing I thought was adorable was seeing his shoes next to Freelands. Thinking about how one day he will have shoes just as big.. or bigger. And then of course I start thinking about the man he will become. And then of course I start crying. the end.

washing my own mouth out with soap

2011-10-24T09:42:00.001-05:00

First of all .. FREELAND IS HOME!

Second of all, he surprised us and came home a day early. Just walked through the back door. (with the help of Sarah & Drew picking him up at the airport) It was the best surprise ever. I was completely shocked and for once finally had a good response! (jumping up and down .. hugging .. instead of just standing there in shock)

Third, River now says "oh my gosh"

Whoops.

Id love to say he heard it from both of us but seeing as only one of us has been here the last month .. I think we all know who to point the finger at.

To be honest, Im thankful thats the worst of what he has picked up. I have a feeling this child is going to help us out a lot.

the difference a month makes

2011-10-21T11:58:00.000-05:00

with Freeland gone for a month I feel like Im able to measure all that changes in 4 weeks so much better because I can see what has changed since he was last here. And let me tell you, SO much has changed.

River sings now.
He says 'sentences' now: "I get it" "ready, set, go" "1, 2, 3, go" "I get baby" "whats that/this?"
He now runs instead of walks
He has fully switched to one nap.. without needing to rest mid morning.
He has two more teeth
and his hair has thankfully started growing back out after I gave it a horrible cut the day Freeland left. Whoops.

those are just a few things that have changed in his little 18 month world.

Mr. cool .. so handsome if I do say so myself.

BUT the biggest change has come from our little man Wylder

Holy Moly. First of all he is officially 3 MONTHS OLD! What what!

He is doing all the normal things a 3 month old does: laughing, smiling, cooing, staring at his older brother, hating tummy time (ironic because he sleeps on his tummy!), kicking, squirming, inching his way around things, not even the slightest interest in rolling over yet, starting to be okay with the bath, growing out of all his clothes, sitting up so much better, chewing his hands all day long, discovering his feet, and getting more and more adorable daily.

(note: my mom & step dad were the first ones to hear him giggle right before he turned 12 weeks old. I didnt get to hear it until last night when he laughed in the bath tub. And its the funniest thing Ive ever heard .. I couldnt tell if he was about to start crying or if he was laughing. It cracks me up!)

But, the biggest change has been his temperament and how much better his reflux is and especially how much better he is sleeping!

THANK YOU JESUS!

love these big ol eyes!

In just the last month (probably started at 2.5 months) Wylder has gone from never napping on his own (if I wasnt holding him or patting his back) to taking 3 to 4 good naps in his crib everyday. And he went from going to bed around 9:00 or 10:00 at night and then waking up every 1.5-2 hours at night ... to now falling asleep around 6:30 or 7:30 at night and then sleeping 7-9 hours.. waking up once to eat .. then going back to sleep until 6 or 7:30.

Holy Moly. Can we get another Amen!?

I mean seriously. He's like a different baby. Of course there are still hard days and times where he doesnt nap well but nothing (n.o.t.h.i.n.g) compared to what it was like. He is still a momma's boy and he still spits up but doesnt cry out in pain anymore. Oh and did I mention he is finally sleeping? Yes.. that too!

I have learned SO much from this little guy. It will have to be a separate post!

But we are celebrating that he is 3 months old and what a joy he has added to our family. Its especially fun seeing his personality starting to grow and dreaming about who he is going to become & what God has in store for him!

PS: here is River at 3 months for those of you who want to compare.

the best gift we ever gave our son

2011-10-17T07:50:00.002-05:00

besides being such awesome parents ..

the best gift we ever gave our son was this box:

he was entertained for hours.

climbing. climbing. climbing.

and because we are such awesome parents .. there were even more boxes insides!!

CHELLO!

and its a blurry picture.. but this was his expression the entire time he looked at us while climbing in and out of the box! pretty sure he loves us

on separation anxiety

2011-10-13T06:21:00.002-05:00

1 year Photo by Rachel Lusky

River is having some major separation anxiety going on lately.

When I used to drop him off at the Y or the church nursery he would wave bye to me (and basically shoo me away) even though it broke my heart I was so thankful .. possibly even prideful.. at how social he was.. and then he'd just go play. Now he kicks, screams, hyperventilates, and cries. (thats a slight exaggeration) But he wont stop crying. Im always paged and have to go pick him up.

I know this is normal for kids. And it seems to happen at different ages for some. I feel like especially with all the change he had at once and Freeland being gone (which he cant control, obviously!) it may have made it worse?

photo by Rachel Lusky

We've tried sitting with him and playing until he is comfortable. We've talked it up.. explained what we're doing.. encouraged him .. told him that we will be right back to get him.. we even tried turning and just walking away in hopes he would calm down. Gave him his binkie and his blanket to hold.. snacks (his love language) all the tricks have been used and none have helped so far.

It seems we'll just have to let him work it out himself and give him the time to do it???

But my question and what I would love to know is how any of you handled it. And how long did it last for? Thanks in advance! Hopefully hearing every one's response helps some of you too!!

already his biggest admirer

2011-10-11T08:03:00.000-05:00

these were all taken before Freeland left.

Wylder just staring at River

all 3 boys cuddling. priceless.

(if only we had flannel on Wylder too!)

this guy

2011-10-07T06:15:00.000-05:00

largest picture ever. but one of my favorite pictures! Freeland back when we were dating fishing with our family on mothers day.

we are officially (almost) at the 2 week mark.

only 2 more weeks to go.

we miss him.

i miss him.

he will be embarrassed that I wrote this (he'd prefer I just tell him these things)

But its okay for everyone else to know that he is missed also.

and he isnt just missed because of all the ways he helps and supports us at home. (I have plenty of help currently) he is missed because I love him. love his goofy sense of humor. love his willingness to play. love spending time with him. love sleeping next to him. and love watching him with our boys.

just 2 more weeks.

1.5 years of awesomeness

2011-10-05T10:55:00.002-05:00

This little guy is 1.5 years old. Im pretty sure he wants to know where his half birthday cake is (like last year) ... or that could be me wanting it. We'll have to celebrate when Freelands home. (that way Im not the only one eating the cake!)

We went to the doctor this morning. Unfortunately (for me) Freeland wasnt here to hold him down for his shots so I had to! But we made it. He now weighs 26lbs7oz (79%) and is 33.5" (84%) So funny to see him grow since he was always just barely on the charts as a baby.

We also discovered that he officially has his first ear infection. Poor guy. Im just thankful we made it this long without one before.

At 18 months River is ah-mahz-ing. I find myself daily wanting to tackle him to the ground and cover him in kisses. (and I do this multiple times a day & will continue to until he can drive. just kidding) He has a precious personality. He is attentive. He is curious. He is on the go. He is a helper. And he is showing us more and more the little man he is going to become daily.

As far as being a big brother, most the time he is still great. If Wylder cries he runs over to him. Or if River comes down stairs and doesnt see him he ask for him. Dont get me wrong, there are still moments if I put Wylder next to River he scoots away and doesnt want to be touched. But overall at this stage he is tender hearted and sweet to him.

Im starting to see "the toddler" come out in him. He's wanting to bang all his toys on the walls, furniture, and windows. Im just waiting for him to figure out he can bang them on the baby too. He has an opinion and we are working to figure out how to help him express it. He wants to climb, get rough, throw himself, talk/scream loud, and play hard. He's all boy. My favorite is how he follows his dad around all the time. And when he takes tools and pretends he is fixing things in the house.

We are finally in the home stretch of switching to 1 nap. Its taken forever. Until about a week ago he still needed to lay down in his crib and "rest" at 9:00 in order to make it to his nap without melting down. But I think we are finally making it.

His vocabulary is growing daily. Thanks to Adam & Camille we taught River to say "help please" (its what they did with Henry) and its been a life saver to keep him from getting frustrated. Id write down all the things he says but there are new words he tries to say everyday so that would be impossible.

His favorite is "oh no" though! (said like: "oooooooooh nooooooooo") Adorbs.

This month he became crazy attached to his binkie and his blanket. He is also having some separation anxiety when he is apart from us. He no longer will go to the Y or the church nursery. He screams the entire time. Its heart breaking. I know its normal and especially on top of all the change he has had going on. Hopefully its short lived.

Look at that face. I could die.

Love this little guy. Love learning new things about him everyday. Im proud of who he is becoming .. even during the tantrums where I have no idea what to do. Our biggest prayer is that he grows to know his Fathers heart for him.

Guess I need to start planning his 2nd birthday! Yeah right, I could never be that organized to start now! ;)

belly laughs

2011-10-04T07:29:00.000-05:00

2 things River would do all day if I let him:

Eat

and sit in the bumbo watching movies.

and as it turns out there are days that I do let him do it all day because its one of those days

then there are other days the TV miraculously hasn't even been turned on (key word = miraculously)

its probably only happened twice in the last month. Something about having a 2 month old in the house too?! ;)

His favorites are Despicable Me, Toy Story, and apparently now Rio. (if you were curious)

Love that little guy.

and here is a video of him cracking up during Handy Manny yesterday. I just sat and replayed the scene (of a bookshelf falling) over and over for maybe 30 minutes .. he laughed every time! I have no idea why. But it was too funny not to share.

He laughed so much he pooted at the end!

caught in the act

2011-10-03T07:16:00.000-05:00

finally got him smiling on camera.

not a full smile.. but you can imagine.

its pretty darn cute! ;)

dont worry he is smiling at the ceiling .. I mean I work hours on end all day long to make sure this kid is happy .. and then he smiles at the ceiling! of course(although thankfully he does smile at us too!)

taken care of

2011-09-29T10:56:00.003-05:00

Right now Freeland is out of town for the month.

And Im surviving so far.

But the only reason why is because Freeland & Camille made sure I was taken care of. They both worked to have all our friends take shifts and come by our house to help / check on me. So literally the first 4 days someone was at my door by 7:00 in the morning to hang out, distract me, help, and bless me. Its been AH-mah-zing. And I truly do feel blessed! (Thank you Lindsey, Christie, Kristen, Sarah!) And all of you who have called to check in on us and been praying and loving us too!

My Aunt got here Wednesday! She is awesome and a huge help and blessing our socks off by taking off work and staying for ELEVEN DAYS! (then my mom & step dad come for 12 days! .. then freeland is home .. then my brother comes .. so I guess Im getting pretty spoiled with visitors!)

OH and .. AND .. I cant believe I didnt share this!!! The first night I was by myself .. Wylder finally made it a 5 hour stretch at night! (by this time with River he was sleeping through the night (at 7 weeks) so yes, I realize how crazy it sounds to celebrate a 5 hour stretch now! But trust me Im celebrating!!!) The most he normally makes it is 1.5-2 hours. We let him cry one night. (after the doctor said we could) Looks like it helped! I'll take it. It hasnt been perfect since .. he went back to 1.5 hours.. but I now know he is capable of it and thats great! I'll also praise the Lord for it because the timing couldn't have been more perfect. His love and way He takes care of the details is amazing!

I feel very loved and taken care of.

day to day

2011-09-27T09:05:00.000-05:00

If I did those "what I wore Wednesday" post (and if it were actually Wednesday)

This is what it would look like:

or maybe this:

tshirt or vneck
yoga pants (or my black stretchy pants)
and a baby

and thats why I dont do the "what I wore Wednesday" post.

But those of you who do - I admire. And I want to borrow your clothes. (especially you Mary! for real if you're ever cleaning out your closet I'll send you our address!)

also if I did a "what my house looks like" post it would look like this:

I dont know what this says about us? The table is sideways, messy, at least 5 bottles of wine out, diapers everywhere, toys everywhere ... hmmmm?

This is my life people.

And I happen to actually love it. Which speaks volumes of the Lord.

4 years

2011-09-26T09:49:00.000-05:00

4 years

and

2 kids later .. here we are!

Last Thursday Freeland & I celebrated 4 years of marriage. It looked a little different this year but the day was still spent celebrating and focusing on our marriage.

Since Freeland was leaving in 2 days we spent this anniversary celebrating as a family so he could get as much time with the kiddos as possible. We went to Port Farms (pictures coming) in the morning which was awesome and Im so glad Freeland got to come with us.

Then that afternoon we all got dressed in our Sunday best and went to dinner.

(technically I realize now that I wasnt in my Sunday best. I was in my normal V-neck shirt with a cardigan! whoopsie)

Normally for our anniversary we actually stay home and cook but it seemed more relaxing to go to dinner this year. I wasnt up for planning, cooking, or cleaning. Even if we did it all together. And Im glad we made that decision. Dinner was fun. Especially when you go at 5:30 and the restaurant is basically empty.

Also, Im happy to report that both Wylder & River were on their best behavior (a great gift to us!)

I know its important to focus on your marriage first. And to be honest I have to really work at that since Im with kids all day and its easy to let my focus and all my thoughts be around them.

However, they wouldnt be here if it wasnt for our marriage so in a way its nice to include them in some of the celebrations! At least this year it was!

NOW, do you want to see the most horrible/funny picture ever:

Boom! Check that face out!

2 months

2011-09-24T05:57:00.001-05:00

Well, the little guy is officially 2 months old. I feel like things are ca-razy but at the same time starting to slow down. Maybe Im just becoming used to it?

Wylder is doing all the wonderful things a 2 month old does: smiling, cooing, grabbing my hair, growing out of all his clothes, and making us fall more & more in love with him. Seeing him smile was such a blessing and affirmed he is actually happy. In a lot of ways he is a total momma's boy but of course Freeland is the one who can get him to smile the most!

I forgot to write down his stats at the doctors appointment so I cant remember them. But I do remember that he was 11lbs 8oz!!! Which was around the 50%? But River didnt even weight that much at 3 months so it definitely made us laugh. Little brother may just be dominating big brother before we know it!

funny old man faces

At first the nurse made us feel like idiot parents when we told her how much Wylder is up during the middle of the night. (not her fault, she probably just didnt realize how it came off) But then the doctor affirmed us that its normal with his reflux. However, she did also give us the go ahead to let him cry some if we were up to it. Which we are. We'll see what happens.

As far as a schedule goes there still isnt one. But there is hope of one! He's starting to go to bed earlier and if we can get him to take good naps it seems like he is starting to take them at normal times 3-4 times a day.

Oh and it also seems he is going to follow in his brothers footsteps and do the 45 minute nap intruder thing! But this time I know he will grow out of it so its okay!

conversations with dad

There are good days and bad days. What Ive learned is that just because there is a good day doesnt mean it will be that way tomorrow.. but Ive see how important it is to just be thankful for the good moments! This month my aunt, mom, & step dad are all coming to visit. I cant wait for them to get extended time with Wylder and get to know him more (and of course spoil River rotten too!)

One Thousand Gifts

2011-09-21T12:09:00.000-05:00

Picture via here

I started reading One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are a few weeks ago and its been amazing!

I feel like its been perfect for me in this season so I thought I would share it with any of you who may enjoy it also. Its all about finding the meaning of life and fully embracing where you are at.

I just read a few pages here & there as I can but its been encouraging and challenging all at the same time & I still am only half way through the book.

We're also reading What Did You Expect?: Redeeming the Realities of Marriage by Paul Tripp. Its been great too. If youre looking for a book on marriage I recommend it.

BC and Lady come to visit

2011-09-20T13:07:00.000-05:00

Its officially taking me about 3 days to do 1 post now. But we are slowly making it through all the events in the Ackley household.

Over Labor Day weekend my dad & Tracy ventured up north to pay a lil visit to their 2 grandsons. (and us) It was their first time to meet Wylder!! However, you wouldnt know this from the pictures because I dont have a single one to prove it. (thankfully Tracy does so we'll have to snag those from her!) I do have pictures of them with River though.

It was SO fun having them here. I didnt realize how nice it was to have other people help with Wylder until they were here. And getting to watch them with River at this stage in his life was pretty special. You never realize how special time is with family until you are away and dont get it all the time.. Especially after having kids. I wish they were here to see all the things River does & know everything about his little personality all the time. Instead we just did all we could to let them soak it all up in just a few short days.

Like taking care of scraped up knees:

(this was Rivers first bandaid! :) In this picture he was actually melting down though because Freeland & I cleaned the snot out of his nose so he could breathe. We're so mean. BC came to rescue him.

watching cartoons & snuggling before bed. these are the moments I wish our family & River got to have all the time.

the rest of the weekend was spent just hanging around the house. We did make it out to the zoo & dinner a few times. But other than that we stayed inside & rested... oh and ate a TON of food. It was my dads birthday right before the trip so what better way to celebrate than with your family & food!?

River in his shirt from The Masters!

It was sad to see them go. They were both so great with Wylder too. Jumping at any opportunity to hold him (there are lots) and working to get him to smile. It was sweet to see them with Wylder and watch them love on him for the first time. Ill have to post some of those pictures if I can snag them from Tracy. It really is amazing getting to watch people love your kids. Even if its family. Im thankful for all the trips everyone in our family is willing to make to see us.

I cannot explain how perfect this is

2011-09-17T10:26:00.000-05:00

I mean seriously .. words cannot describe how perfect this is or funny this it to me during this exact moment in our lives.

for reals.

just wait for the 1 minute mark.

PERFECTION (the discussion about who slept the most .. not the "want to ummm do it" part)

Youre welcome.

thank you

2011-09-14T16:32:00.000-05:00

Wylder was actually screaming crying in this picture but I just happened to take it where it looked like he was smiling. (and definitly thought it was appropriate right now)

I just wanted to say thank you to pretty much everyone in the world right now.

Seriously, since we have had Wylder and all this reflux/colic junk kicked in I feel like Freeland and I have felt so loved and supported by everyone we know. All the phone calls, comments, emails, advice, messages on facebook, text, and even cards in the mail. Its been pretty unreal. The fact that anybody cares blows my mind.

Its been amazing to see how faithful the Lord has been during what was honestly one of my biggest fears (having a colicky child). There has been joy .. true joy .. patience .. grace .. faithfulness .. peace .. hope .. and perspective all in the middle of some seriously stressful and chaotic moments. And that is nothing but a testimony of God. Trust me, I couldnt do any of that on my own & especially not with a smile on my face!

Want to know exactly how crazy it is? I was even in the OB office for my follow up appointment .. surrounded by at least 5 women who were all pregnant and I seriously thought to myself:

"I could totally do it all over again right now and I would be fine if I got pregnant again today"

WHAT??????

THAT, my friends, is the grace of God because no sane person could honeslty think that on their own with a 5 week old (at the time) severely reflux baby at home.

Dont worry, we are definitely not planning on getting pregnant again right away. But I was just sharing that as a testimony to how the Lord can provide joy in the midst of craziness.

Please know that Im never trying to be dramatic or make this more than it is. But the reality is that things are crazy. And in the moment it feels dramatic taking care of Wylder & River at the same time. But Im thankful for perspective that really this isnt that bad & its honestly going to be so short lived. Im so thankful for Wylder and seriously find so much joy from him. I wouldnt change anything (well maybe I would ask that he sleep more than an hour at a time at night or not scream.. if we're being honest) but Im thankful for the blessing he is so I hope I never offend anyone by the things Im saying!

Phew - all that to say, thank you! THANK YOU!!!! Your prayers are beyond a blessing and they are definitely being answered.

I know what River is getting for Christmas

2011-09-13T06:57:00.000-05:00

The other weekend our dear friends Russ & Corinne came to visit us again. They are always so sweet and willing to make the drive to visit us. And its always fun & refreshing having them here.

We knew River would especially have a blast because Miley, their amazing/adorable pup, was coming with them. River loves dogs. And Miley is seriously so good with kids so its the perfect combination:

*all these are mega overexposed but its still just so adorable to see the pure joy on Rivers face .. I had to share them

Adorable.. no?

and sadly, I only got one other picture from their visit. But at least its a sweet one:

Russ & Wylder

Just for fun .. here are pictures of River & Miley almost exactly a year ago. (puppy and 3 month old River) cuteness.

PS: Dont worry family .. we arent going to actually get River a puppy for Christmas. (although I know he would love it and love us forever if we did;) We will at least wait until he can say "I want a puppy for Christmas" himself.

sweetness

2011-09-09T08:04:00.000-05:00

a few sweet moments that make all the craziness worth it:

my favorite picture

River rocking Wylder when he started to fuss (on his own .. even though Im not sure if he understood exactly what he was doing or if he was just copying what we were doing. Either way .. it was sweet)

While it was sweet .. Wylder didnt seem to enjoy it:

early mornings on the porch:

I wish you could have seen how proud River was to be sitting there. biggest grin on his face ever.

We got the nap nanny in the mail last week. Unfortunately it didnt work for Wylder so we returned it. But here are some pictures that I took right when we opened it up:

First of all, River's blanket is made with the same material so the first thing he literally did was put his face on the chair! It cracked us up:

then he apparently thought we got it for him to watch movies in:

thankfully he gave it over to his brother after that:

I cant wait until Wylder starts to respond to River. He definitely watches him now but before we know it Im sure River will be cracking him up and Wylder will be enamored with him!

dads best friend

2011-09-08T09:36:00.000-05:00

these days pretty much anything Freeland is doing .. River wants to be doing too. I have so many pictures of him "working" with Freeland. Its cute.

Here he is putting together a stroller .. without pants on:

Its amazing to me the things he will copy. Like pretending to put sugar in his drink after he see's Freeland add it to his tea!

Its adorable when Freeland is outside working in the garage. Im pretty sure River thinks he is doing everything too. We're working on making sure he has his own tools so he isnt actually playing with Freelands tools. ;)

I think my favorite was when River "helped" Freeland build the new crib we bought. I need to find those pictures! (and also post pictures of both their rooms now that they are different.)

He is becoming quite the helper these days. We've quickly discovered asking him to "help" us is the best way to get him to follow directions and not throw a fit .. along with allowing him to feel involved & like he has our attention when it comes to helping with wylder. (for example, help me throw this diaper away or help me pat his back.. etc.) It doesnt always work but a lot of times it does. I think Ive learned so much more about Rivers personality and character watching him as a big brother! Its amazing. Okay off to grab the little one who is waking up!

MS4

2011-09-02T07:41:00.000-05:00

River teething.

As of June first Freeland officially became a MS4 (4th year Medical Student .. in case you arent up to date with the jargon. Just Kidding. there really isnt jargon)

But June he was studying. July he was on an away rotation. So we technically didnt snap these lovely "first day of school" pics until he started his rotation in August. With 2 kids at home.

Its exciting to officially be at the end of school. (and sad, and scary, and crazy) Right now he is in the process of submiting his residency application. Then at some point he will have interviews and by February (15th-ish) we will know where he will be going for residency. Your guess is as good as ours. Its a crazy process and we dont really have too much say in it. But its exciting and we trust the Lord with wherever we end up. This verse is what Im holding on to:

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. " Romans 15:13

At the end of September-October he will be on his last away rotation. (booooo!) But then after that he is home for the rest of the year. I know its going to all go by so fast. I cant speak for Freeland, but I know Im going to miss this season of our lives .. even with the crazy schedule and demands of school. Im sure I will look back and think all of this was easy comparatively. So Im going to try to take full advantage of the rest of this year! Keep you posted as we continue to pray and figure out what is next.

Here are pictures from his first day the last 3 years:
1st year
2nd year
3rd year

Such a mom.. right? Just kidding .. just a proud wife

this face

2011-08-31T13:00:00.001-05:00

it melts my heart.

I love .. super love .. this stage of Rivers life. Even with its random unexplainable tantrums included. He cracks us up and he knows it.

He gives Wylder kisses daily. But its always because we have asked if he wants to.

But last night he gave Wylder his first kiss without us asking him to. Just walked up and laid a big fat one on him. It was PRECIOUS. We asked him to do it again after and got a video of it. (click here to see it because you will just fall in love with River more. I promise)

I think he is growing into this big brother role perfectly.

why isnt there a mechanic in our family?

2011-08-30T18:00:00.000-05:00

I think every family needs a lawyer, doctor, contractor, and a car mechanic. dont you agree?

Anyway, back in July Freeland wrecked his truck. It wasnt his fault. It was the rains fault. (which made me beyond grateful that somehow we managed all these winters without any wrecks in the snow when he was driving far for rotations.)

one side of the bumper.

So the last month we have been with just 1 car. Which is fine because in case you dont know, Im a homebody and wasnt planning on leaving the house with 2 kids anyway. Also, Freeland was on a rotation with great hours where he was home early everyday so it wasnt a big deal to wait for him to get home.

Anyway, the day before we were supposed to go pick up the truck we got a phone call letting us know that someone had broke into it and stole the "system" that was in it. They pretty much tore apart the entire dashboard too. (quick back story: we bought the truck used from our vet in Waco and he had a tv, dvd player, gps, and pretty much the works installed in the truck so thats what these hood-rats {doing hood-rat things with their friends} stole) We never really used any of it so it wasnt a big deal. And the dummies who stole it seriously just took the face of it and not "the brains" so they will never be able to use what they took. Hilarious!

Saturday we finally got the truck back. Its just like new. Except with 2 kids + car seats awkwardly squished in the back now.

on another note, this is Rivers face when he sees Freeland get home from work:

pure joy!

1 month of pure wonderful craziness

2011-08-25T11:25:00.000-05:00

the little munchkin is officially 1 month & 5 days today.

And shockingly he is actually doing other things besides just the reflux/colic stuff!

like he eats, sleeps, and poops.... and that about sums up the life of a 1 month old.

just kidding. but he is growing and already feels way too big to me. some of these pictures are older and he looks so much bigger already.

Wylder in his first month has pretty much been living up to his name! (woooops! we pretty much set ourselves up for that one!) He started out his first day of life in the NICU. Then his first 2 weeks home were filled with doctor visits and lots of blood work to get his jaundice down and weight up. And pretty much the day that was all done his reflux kicked in. But at least he isnt boring, right? And he is teaching us A TON!

He officially weighs 9lbs 5 oz. If he stays at this pace he will definitely be able to stand up to his big brother one day! (not that he is big but he's just bigger than River was) And he has little rolls on his legs. (key word - little!) but there are rolls and thats more than River ever had too. I love them.

his first bath .. obviously he has no idea how awesome this could be just yet.

He's starting to loose his hair and look like a little bald man. It was dark brown from the day he was born but I really think its becoming more and more auburn. (ie: it looks exactly like Freelands beard!) it is getting lighter though so who knows what it will turn out like.

His eyes were dark blue just like Rivers when he was born and they are starting to get lighter & lighter too.

bald baby... which also looks SO much like my dad & my brother as a baby to me! Seriously, its creepy!

As far as a schedule or routine he is on .. umm there isnt one. I mean seriously, not that any one month old is on a "schedule" but I at least knew or could guess what River would probably do or how long he'd be awake for or when he would want to eat .. etc. Wylder, not so much! I know its because of his tummy issues. He has a hard time staying asleep because it hurts or he gags so it makes him restless and sleep is harder and then everything is thrown off. Thankfully, this aint my first rodeo so Im not the least bit stressed about his lack of sleeping or lack of schedule. (not that Im an expert with just 2 kids .. but with River I was SUPER focused on him learning to sleep from the beginning! and it stressed me out. Not so much this time)

We have him sleeping in his crib at night. Well, at least the times he will sleep in his crib - he is in there. Its the one thing that I actually try to keep consistent for him. I spend a lot of time patting his little back or putting the pacifier in his mouth helping him fall asleep. Hopefully it will all pay off and he is learning to sooth himself since we try not to always pick him up. Who knows. During the day its totally different since I cant always spend the time helping him sleep with River running around. But it works.

Life has been fun to say the least as a family of four so far. I feel like no matter what it would have been crazy but with all thats gone on its been especially crazy & has forced us to rely so much more on the Lord than ourselves. Because when you are running on 2 or 3 hours of sleep from the night you pretty much have nothing left to give to 2 kids and have to let the Lord take over. I havent handled it perfectly and have had my moments but in the end Im thankful for all the Lord will be able to teach us and how we will grow and one day look back at this and laugh.

update to my update

2011-08-23T20:15:00.000-05:00

First of all .. it was my 10 year high school reunion this last weekend. ca-razy. Obviously, I wasnt there since we live so far away & have our hands currently full. But that makes me feel super old.

Second, Freeland fixed our computer so I was finally able to get the pictures off my camera.

And this is seriously the most handsome baby Ive ever seen. Here he is passed out on my lap 2 weeks ago:

Third, here is an update to my last update. Im sorry if you are tired of reading about sleeping, reflux, etc. etc. but its our world right now. And hopefully I can post about something else next because honestly, Im even tired of talking about it!

But thank you for all of your advice and sharing your experiences. If you didnt see my response in the comments .. it definitely helped affirm and encourage us that we werent crazy. We hit a peak last Wednesday and the little guy pretty much screamed all evening and all night. It was a growing moment for us to say the least.

We called our doctor to let her know the medicine we were trying clearly wasnt working. So she recommended we go to a GI specialist in Pittsburgh (there isnt one in Erie) Thankfully we were able to bump our appointment up two weeks and went down yesterday. The doctor was wonderful and such an answer to prayers. She affirmed that Wylder has bad reflux and is "super sensitive" to pretty much life! She spent so much time with us giving us all the information she could and reassuring us.

She also explained how he has a protein sensitivity to dairy (I probably said that wrong but oh well) basically he's allergic to dairy & soy. And even in my attempt to take it all out of my diet for the last month so I could breast feed him it didnt help (because its almost impossible to get soy out of your diet unless I just ate celery for the next year basically) So we've switched to formula. Im apparently in denial about it because Im still pumping. Even though I love giving him bottles and Im all for formula .. its a little hard to give up the idea of feeding him myself. But the formula is seriously helping so much. Its amazing.

He is still fussy & we have to work to calm him down. And screams on his back. And spits up. And all that goes with Reflux. But it isnt nearly as bad as it was. There are moments he is content. And we just started the new medicine today so hopefully it will help even more. There are moments it seems its helping and others where it seems like nothing is working.

We also ordered a nap nanny. We'll see how it works. Right now the only way he is happy is on his tummy. He wont sleep in the swing or car seat (even the doctor said to try that!) so Im not sure the nap nanny will work.. but its worth a shot!

I'll keep you updated. But seriously, its getting better. And its crazy what I consider "better" these days!

and Im done talking about reflux. I promise!

update and learning all about reflux

2011-08-15T09:05:00.002-05:00

FIRST OF ALL - LOOOVED reading all of your expertise and experiences with your babes and them sleeping!!! Thank you so much for sharing. Seriously. Its always so interesting to hear how we all do it differently. And its nice to get ideas from people who have done it before and/or also know Im not the only one doing certain things! Hopefully it helped some of you too! Im finding with our second little one Im doing things 100% differently than I did with River!

Second, Wylder has Reflux.

Can I get a what? what?

not.

Thankfully he isnt spitting up all his food. Honestly, he spits up but nothing that seemed abnormal to me.. Which is why I didnt think he had reflux. But upon taking him to the doctor last Thursday (after calling and begging to come in because I swore something was wrong) we discovered the poor little guy has reflux.

"whaaaaaat?"

my thoughts exactly little man.

It explains why my awesome happy little baby who slept like a champ was all the sudden waking up at night more often crying out in pain. And why he all the sudden hates being put on his back.. or really hates any position that isnt sitting straight up. And why if we dont burp him for (what seems like) an hour he spits up. And why he is fussy all the time. And why Im tired. And why my arms are getting a work out from holding him and soothing him. And why I thought I was going crazy! (not really but I had my moments)

On a side note, Im pretty sure one of the most common things we heard when I was pregnant was:

"good luck, the first ones always easy and the second one is always hard"

I actually dont think thats true in every case. (and I actually dont think its the most encouraging thing you could say to someone who is going to have 2 kids under 2 but whatevs.)

But in ours case.. their theory is proving to be true. (so pat yourself on the back all you peeps who warned us ;)

Anyway, I really knew nothing about this so called "reflux" until pretty much last Wednesday when I called the doctor out of desperation & started googling everything. From what I can tell it seems there is a wide range of how it presents itself for each baby. Some are worse than others.

Wylder seems to just mostly be in constant pain & only relieved of the pain when he is sitting up right. I mean, straight up.. not in his car seat or swing.. literally with his back straight and up. And its the worst if he is laying on his back. (which makes setting him down or sleeping awesome. not) I want to say he is colicky but I wont. I realize he is able to be consoled/comforted most the time when he is crying. So even though Im working to comfort him ALL day.. he can be comforted and I am very thankful for that. He is also able to keep his food down, he's healthy, he's growing, and he has some moments where it seems like he isnt in pain so I really am thankful. (I need to remind myself of these things at 3:00 in the morning when my attitude is ummm not very thankful!) We're trying out a few things the doctor and other peeps have recommended. And hopefully its all short lived and he grows out of it.

Mostly, its just heart breaking hearing him cry out in pain & knowing I cant really help him.

So I apologize for the lack of post & pictures & updates. (not that anyone has been knocking at my door demanding updates!) My hands are just a lil' full all day either taking care of River or bouncing this little guy until he gets comfy. And in the rare moments he's able to sleep through it all I think its important that I do things like brush my teeth, change out of my pajamas, think about showering, and especially play with River.

love it when babies smile in their sleep!

But I really hope to post more updates soon! I also hope to finally get all the pictures off my camera one day!

In 5 days this little guy is going to be 1 MONTH OLD! Can you believe it?? I definitely cant. Even though its crazy its still going by too fast!

swaddling

2011-08-09T14:18:00.000-05:00

River randomly sharing his car with Wylder.

Quick question. Do you swaddle your kiddos when they sleep?

If so .. or if not .. Id love to hear all about it and all about how they slept as newborns.

(and again, I apologize if this is the most boring post for some of you who probably dont even care to know what a swaddle is!)

We swaddled River. He loved it. And at times I swear its why he was such a good sleeper. He was in a swaddle forever. Like seriously until he was pretty much 10 months old. I was fine with that. We had him in one where he could roll over and back just fine.The transition to break him out of the swaddle was easy once he was ready. But all the times we tried when he wasnt ready were HORRIBLE.

And my theory has now become - the less we have to "transition out of" with any of our kids .. the better.

At first Wylder seemed to actually hate being swaddled. (And I was secretly so excited) I knew I could keep swaddling him and eventually he would like it because thats what the books say is comforting to them and to do. But if he could learn to sleep without it & still sleep well then I would pretty much be the happiest mom in the world. I have plenty of friends who never swaddled their kids .. and actually didnt even know what it was .. so I figured thats what I would try with Wylder.

But it seems like the swaddle might actually end up helping him sleep so I may be resorting back to it after all. At first he slept like a champ but now he is starting to wake up more often during the night and having a harder time staying asleep & being comfortable. I know this is also normal for newborns. (to have good nights & bad nights) but my gut feeling is that we will end up using the swaddle after all. (I tend to just give in during the middle of the night when Im half asleep and ready to go back to bed!)

Anyway, I was just curious to know what all of you (the pros) did with your kids and how you had them sleeping when they were newborns. Did you use a sleep positioner? Did they put themselves to sleep or did you rock them to sleep? Did they prefer sleeping on their tummy or with you? Did they sleep 8 hours in a row from the night you brought them home from the hospital? (okay seriously, dont tell me that if that was your experience! Id rather not know!)

But really it would be interesting to hear what everyone does differently if you're up to sharing!

a few more pictures

2011-08-05T10:33:00.000-05:00

(or a lot more pictures)

We were at the hospital for 4 days. And it was still too short if you ask me. Id happily stay longer. I very much love being at the hospital after having a baby. I feel like in some ways the C-Section was harder the second time around & in other ways it was much easier. That makes perfect sense right? Once my medicine (finally) kicked in.. recovery was a breeze! It just took longer to kick in this time & I felt more contractions afterwards than I did last time. But Ive been able to do plenty at home and it hasnt been too bad.

The other day it occurred to me there is a chance that we wont deliver another baby here in Erie. Which makes me sad. I love my doctor here and I love the hospitals here. But who knows?!

Here are some pictures from our last day at the hospital.

Brothers:

big bro + lil bro (I ordered the shirts from Etsy for those curious)

for a second he wasnt sure

then he was happy:

family of four about to leave the hospital:

freeland took this picture and Im very thankful for it

going home:

two car seats!

finally home

Things are going well so far though. We finally got Wylder back up to his birth weight and feeding is starting to get better. (both kiddos had trouble gaining weight at first so thankfully this wasnt anything new to me!) The kid just wants to sleep through every single feeding. We literally had to put a cold wet cloth on him to keep him awake to eat. And I was having to wake him up at night every 2 hours to feed him but thankfully the doctor gave me the go ahead to let him sleep at night as long as he will without waking him up anymore. (of course now he wakes up more often than when I was waking him up!) And he is starting to be awake more often during the day. I think he may have some tummy issues because he has moments where he seems pretty uncomfortable or restless. But for the most part he is a happy little baby. (so far at least!)

My mom leaves tomorrow. Then Freelands mom gets here on Sunday and is here until Wednesday morning. Im trying to mentally prepare myself for what its going to look like once we dont have visitors or help. And Im not sure Im prepared at all or want to even think about it! Thankfully the Lord is faithful and he'll provide the energy, patience, and grace we need!

Hopefully I can share more pictures of us actually at home & what life looks like now soon!

Brothers

2011-08-01T08:44:00.000-05:00

River is starting to warm up to Wylder. For the most part he doesnt pay attention to him. Other times he just walks by and points and says "baby". On a rare occasion he shows him a toy or really stops to watch him.

But you can definitely tell he is confused. He is clinging to Freeland like I have never seen before. Yesterday a miracle occurred and we all got up & ready & made it out the door to church.. and on time! And then Freeland took River to the nursery.. and for the first time EVER he screamed when we dropped him off and never stopped screaming. And we had to leave. It was sad to see him so sad. We're going to go try the Y today and see how he does when I drop him off and not Freeland.

Anyway, I know its all normal. And soon enough their relationship is going to grow and Wylder especially is going to admire his big brother.

I thought I would share what the majority of pictures we have from the hospital look like .. us trying to get River to give Wylder a kiss!

He'll thank me for posting these when he is 20 years old.

meeting his brother for the first time

thinking about giving him a kiss

annnnd changing his mind:

this is the face he makes almost every time! Hilarious! no idea where this comes from!

almost!

at this point Im pretty sure he thinks its a game!

and done and back to his food:

and then finally we got him to not only love on his brother but we also got a picture of it!

success!

I'll let you know how it goes at the Y today! Praying he is okay with me dropping him off!

Wylders Birthday

2011-07-29T10:54:00.001-05:00

Here are some pictures (like, MAJOR picture overload!) from the day we finally met our sweet son:

dannnng ... I think he was ready to come out!

waiting in the prep area

my wonderful doctor stopping by to make sure everything was good to go & I felt okay!

ready to meet him! (and loving the epidural!)

sorry if thats too much for anyone! dont look at the next one if it is! :)

Born at 7:38am!!

in recovery (out of it!) getting to hold Wylder for the first time!

Wylder had some respiratory issues after he was born and sadly had to go to the NICU. He stayed there for part of the afternoon but he wasnt ever officially admitted so that was a blessing! Freeland & my mom were able to stay with him while I waited as patiently as possible in our room! It was sad but honestly, I wanted whatever was best for him and if that meant being monitored by the people who could help him then I was all for it!

Honestly, before I went in to deliver him the nurse randomly started talking about how he would stay with us the entire time unless something was wrong & walked us through what would happen if it did. I seriously think it was a gift from God because before that moment it never occurred to me that something could happen since it didnt with River. I think it was such a gift because it prepared my heart and made me actually think about the possibility of that happening.

Anywho's this was the amazing nurse who watched him:

she also pretty much helped Freeland through the whole thing too! As you can imagine, its a little stressful sitting and watching your child not be able to breath for hours! Especially with all the things he has learned in school that could go wrong. Freeland had to work to not think about all the things he has studied! The nurse was a serious blessing!

Here is our room .. which I LOVED:

view of the bay (took it on a couldy day so not the best) but it was awesome to see the sunrise and sunset everyday!

the wreath my mom had sent to the hospital

River meeting Wylder for the first time

getting to see mommy again

Then all our sweet friends came to celebrate and meet Wylder

Olivia LOVES babies!

*pretend that you see Adam & Camille, Bethany & Josh, Becky, Lauren, Sarah, & everyone else that moved in these pictures! Because I know they all wish they could have been there! Also, I forgot to get a picture of Elizabeth, Kevin & Becka! (sad!)

trying to get a family picture!

Isnt he the sweetest! I forgot how much I love having a newborn around.

Oh and gosh I seriously miss the hospital!

Phew!! Dont worry I have a TON more to share!! That was just a start! :)

PS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARK!! Yesterday was my official due date. So there was a chance we actually werent going to deliver Wylder until today & they would have shared birthdays! Thanks for sharing my mom though & letting her be up here while you are still in Texas on your birthday!! Cant wait for you to meet him!!

introducing..

2011-07-25T08:45:00.000-05:00

Wylder Davis Ackley

7/20/2011

*All those pictures were done by the company in the hospital. His hair looks red in them (just like Rivers hair was when he was born) but Wylder's hair is actually brown. I think its just how they edited them.

We're home from the hospital. Adjusting to life with 2 kids. So far we have made it!

Freeland is back at his rotation today in Ohio but only 5 more days!!

River is adjusting. He just points at Wylder & says "baaaby" and then walks off. 

And I cant get the pictures off my camera for some reason! So I'll be working on that between naps and feedings and cleaning spit up off of me! Thank you again for all your sweet comments! Ya'll are way too kind!

first family picture

Ackley party of four

2011-07-22T18:06:00.000-05:00

Baby Ackley
Born 7.20.11 at 7:38am
7lbs 12oz
21" long

Still at the hospital. Checking out tomorrow. Just wanted to share some pictures from my phone while I had the chance. He is precious & being a family of four has been wonderful so far. He looks just like River did as a newborn except with dark hair & darker eyes. He is pretty calm & laid back .. unless he gets cold .. then he very quickly finds his voice! :)

I promise we aren't just keeping his name a secret to torture everyone. We just haven't officially decided on one. (yes, its very annoying!) We have until tomorrow so I can promise you we'll have it by then! We've narrowed it down so I'm just calling him all of those for the time being to see which one fits!

Rivers warming up to him and slowly taking more interest in him. He's got the whole "baby" thing down. And it's pretty darn cute to hear him say it over & over again.

Thanks you so much for all your emails, texts, comments etc! We definitely feel so loved, encouraged, and taken care of!

almost time

2011-07-19T06:01:00.000-05:00

As Ive mentioned, Freeland is on an away rotation this month. But thankfully they are understanding and theyre giving him time off so he can be here while we have the baby. Then next week he will go back to finish up & my mom will stay with me to help hold the fort down with 2 kids.

So Freeland gets back home tonight. And he's picking my mom up at the airport on the way in.

Then we go in tomorrow morning (at 5:00am!) to meet our little man. (I wont actually have the c-section until probably later in the morning)

Obviously, we cant wait. Its a surreal feeling doing this again. I dont feel nervous but Im sure I will for a moment when everything gets started. I just cant wait for that moment when we, Lord willing, hear his little cry for the first time. Oh and did I mention where we are delivering apparently lets the baby stay with you the entire time (meaning unless something is wrong they are never sent to the nursery.. unless of course you ask them to so you can get some rest later;) So even with a c-section the little man will get to stay with us and never leave our side.. yes, even during recovery! Amazing! I cant wait.

People ask me a lot if Im nervous about having 2 kids (more tired thinking about it but not nervous) or about if I wonder what it will be like to love two kids. All of which are normal questions/feelings. I actually have no doubt that I will naturally love this little one the same way I instantly loved River. The things I wonder about is if I will want to compare them and how I will adapt to things being different this time around. Obviously, no 2 kids are alike.

I just pray that we both are sensitive to the way our children are different and therefore need to be loved & encouraged in different ways. Thankfully, the Lord has given us the ability to love both our kids the way they need to be loved. So while its crazy to think about I feel a huge peace about it. And in a lot of ways excited about it.

Im hoping to spend the rest of the day preparing my heart to meet this little guy and watch our family grow. Less than 24 hours now!

Also, I plan to give updates asap after he is born. Im sure most will be on twitter .. if youre interested & dont have a twitter account - they are posted on the right side of our blog. If internet is working in the hospital I will make sure to post a picture of the little booger as soon as I get a chance! Thanks for all your support & encouragement!

*all the pictures above are by Puremotif Photography.

family weekend

2011-07-18T18:17:00.000-05:00

Freeland was able to come home again this weekend so we tried to get as much done as possible and still enjoy our time as a family of three.

First we went to the annual Cherry Festival. We normally go on Saturday so we can see the parade but it was still fun to go on a Friday evening. I think Rivers favorite part was getting to just walk around the park and run around.

mini freeland. I love that their making the same face.

first taste of cherry pie. He loved it.

Saturday we woke up early and headed to Cracker Barrel. Dont ask. For some reason its what I wanted. Well, specifically the breakfast sandwich is what I wanted. And Im pretty sure we spoiled River again with pancakes and then playing with every toy in the store he wanted!

ps: that wasnt all our food. They brought out extra stuff because they got our order wrong. :)

After naps we did lots of fun things like run errands, make list, organize furniture and junk around the house. All necessary things. But the most exciting part was we finally put finishing touches on the baby room. Its also going to remain our guest bedroom so it was a little tricky making it all work. But we are both happy with how it turned out. Here's a preview of the projects Freeland did:

we made a little board with burlap over the babies bed. I love how it turned out.

And that night we went out on a HOT date to go see Harry Potter. (so goooooood.)

Sunday was mixed with running errands again, enjoying the samples at sams, cleaning, organizing, and me napping. Honestly, I think Freeland has done the nesting for both of us! I was useless.

But the most exciting part was getting to tour the hospital where I'll be having baby #2. We are going to be at a different hospital this time & lets just say I LOOOVE it. And if you have the chance to tour your hospital and dont you are missing out. They show you so much more than you would normally see during your stay. And its just fun. I was also thankful River got to come with us.

River running around the hospital playing.

It was a great mix of knocking out things on the to-do list but also enjoying time together. I should say that half the weekend I was a grumpy prego lady. So it wasnt all peaches the entire time. But we made the best of it. I kept finding myself stopping and trying to just take in all the moments & enjoy giving River all of our attention. Sweet memories. And Im excited to expand our family and have time together as a family of 4 now!

bump update

2011-07-15T07:32:00.000-05:00

First of all, thank you for your sweet comments about the pups. It means a lot .. and Freeland especially really enjoyed reading all of them. Its sweet to know so many of you relate and/or understand. They'll definitely be missed. And like I mentioned in my post, while it is sad & there are moments we're definitely heartbroken, we still have so much to be thankful for.. Especially the birth of our son in just 5 days. So to be honest, the excitement/perspective of the new addition to our family has overshadowed everything else going on at least with dogs. And in a lot of ways made things easier. I hope that makes sense what Im saying and doesnt offend anyone.

So on a more positive note.. I wanted to post one last update since we are just 5 days out now. Here are some pictures from the last 2 weeks of the ever growing bump.

start of 38 weeks:

I think this is the first time there isnt laundry and junk all over our room while Im taking a picture. Im sure its just hidden on the other side of the bed though! :)

end of 38 weeks:

and yesterday:

Overall I feel good. I definitely cant complain. I feel like there has been major grace from God these last 2 weeks. Dont get me wrong.. as always - Im still sore, move S.L.O.W, and have moments where Im counting down the minutes until next Wednesday but its SO much better than I imagined I would feel and I definitely think it could be much worse.

I had my last doctors appointment on Tuesday. He didnt check to see if Im dilated or progressing (since I am having a C-Section he didnt want to do anything that would cause anything to progress when we really want/need to wait until Wednesday.) So it was a short, sweet, and uneventful appointment that ended with a congratulations, a hug and a "I'll be the one with the mask on in the operating room if you need to find me" comment as I walked out the door :)

Oh and I got to leave the dreaded "pee cup" at the office since I definitely wont be needing that thing anymore! Thats something to celebrate for sure!

I have had a few contractions but none of them have been consistent so Im not worried about it. I just try to drink more water and rest when I have them. I definitely feel huge and bloated and puffy. Im sure most of that is because I stopped going to the gym so its probably just mental.

Freeland comes home for the weekend this afternoon so our plan is to do as much as possible just to enjoy our time as a family of 3 while we can. And then my mom gets here Tuesday night. And then the party really starts!! Woo Hoo!

Oh and I got shirts for River & the baby to wear at the hospital. You know, just in case there is any confusion as to which is which:

oh, oh, oh and I think Freeland & I have finally narrowed some names down. Some people might die when we tell them because they are "wild" for sure!!!! HA (expecting a phone call from my mother in T-minus 10 seconds on that one!)

Madeline & Oliver

2011-07-14T07:35:00.001-05:00

It has been a long time since I have given an update on our pups or our "little zoo" as I call it sometimes. The reason being is because 4 months ago they went on a little puppy vacation to Freeland's moms house while we prepared to make the transition to 2 kids. It was an incredibly hard decision to make since we knew we would miss them.. but we really felt like it was the best thing for them. The plan was for her to temporarily watch them for us since we knew Freeland would be traveling and they would get more attention at her house than they would here. Then, once we were adjusted & Freeland was done doing away rotations they would come back with us. Rhonda (Freelands mom) was so sweet to be willing to take them for us. You know, they are large after all and do take a lot of work. But she loves them like her own so we knew they were in good hands.

For those who dont know, Madeline has been sick for a while with cancer. And we knew this and were doing what we could to make her life comfortable. She was happy and you never would have known she was sick just seeing her.

Her symptoms rarely showed up making it easy to forget she was even sick at times.

So we were shocked & devastated 2 weeks ago when we got a phone call from Freelands mom letting us know that Madeline had passed away. (Im sure it was incredibly hard for her to make that phone call) Even though we knew it was possible it never really felt like it would happen.

Unfortunately, Oliver had the hardest time with it though. He has never spent an entire day of his life apart from Madeline. And it seems he didnt know what to do without her. He grieved - like a lot of dogs in their situation would do. We were in the middle of trying to figure out how to get him back up here since we thought it would be better for him. But in the end he couldnt fight it and last Thursday passed away also.

Obviously, we loved Maddie & Ollie. Freeland has had them since before we were dating and they were a part of our family.. like most dogs become. Thankfully they were both wonderful dogs and while we could sit and make ourselves sick about how they arent around & how River would love to have them here there just isnt a point to doing that. Instead we are thankful for the blessings we have in our lives and for what amazing dogs they were.

So please excuse me while I share an embarrassing amount of pictures of them. I couldnt just choose a few as we have a million wonderful memories with them.

Here's a sweet little tribute to the pups:

maddie as a puppy

oliver as a puppy

Please know that my intention with this post is just to share about our dogs.. not to be overly dramatic or debbie downer. So many of you were always so sweet to always ask about them and keep up with how they were doing. It seemed silly not to share since I post about all the other things happening in our life.

a boy and his blanket

2011-07-13T09:35:00.000-05:00

River LOVES this blanket.

My aunt made it for him. and the second he spots it he wants to carry it everywhere or cuddle with it. Thankfully, for the most part, we leave it up in his room all the time and he is okay with that.

But I think its adorable .. especially when he says "blaaaankeeet"

*Its also our secret weapon putting him to bed. He acts like he isnt tired or doesnt want to go to sleep.. (meaning he throws a fit) but if you pull out the blanket he just lays his head down on your shoulder and finally admits he is tired. (of course sometimes he throws it down on the floor but if you pick it up he eventually gives in!)

He's becoming more and more cuddly and I just want to eat him up when he walks over and says up because he wants to sit in our laps. Cherishing all the abundant little moments we have together over the next week.

Opa!

2011-07-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

this last weekend we went to our 4th Greek Festival. (pictures from our first time there are here if you want to see actual pictures of the festival & not just River)

This was Rivers first year to actually be awake during the festival so that made it more fun.

(apologies, all these were taken with my phone since I wasnt up to carrying around our camera!)

The Lee's were there too (along with the Lynne's and other friends they all ran into) so River & Jackson spent some time running around in the grass.

and the rest of the festival was spent with River tasting as much food as possible.

lets just say he LOVES baklava and ate all of it out of Freelands hand.

and he loved Gyro's! (can you blame him?)

Here's a picture from last year:

and then this year:

what a difference a year makes! Freeland & Bill look so much older! Just Kidding .. obviously, River & Jackson have grown into big boys now!

then we went and got more dessert and waited for the Greek dances to start.

and while we waited River was entertained by all the other kids running around

and it was really REALLY really stinkin hot

as you can see from the bright red cheeks.

so we watched one dance and left. After almost 3 hours, this prego couldnt handle the heat any longer!

Im thankful that we have already done as many of the festivals as possible and there are a lot more to go before summer & fall end!

a new discovery

2011-07-11T14:50:00.000-05:00

this weekend we happened to pull up some pictures of Freeland when he was younger.

As you all know, River looks just like Freeland. Its all I hear. And I agree! So I was not shocked when I saw these pictures and thought the same thing again:

(maybe just a chunkier version of River? :)

I think this is what River will soon look like as he gets older.

and the infamous "big boy" picture:

I dont think I ever realized how "reddish" Freelands hair was until I saw these pictures again. Rivers hair was the same color when he was born but now that Rivers hair is A LOT lighter than that it got me thinking and I looked at my baby pictures to see how light my hair was. (for the record, Freelands lightened up a lot but just not at this age)

and thats when we discovered that while River looks like Freeland he also looks JUST LIKE ME!!!!!!!

Score! I played a part in this thing!

see that nose. see that blonde hair. see that wedgie! (just kidding)

umm that pacifier is bigger than my face I think.

river makes this face all the time

Okay, I just have to point out again that my nose is the same exact nose as Freeland's baby pictures! And the same nose that River has. Obviously, now our noses look nothing alike - but at one point.. they did!

its strange to talk about a nose so much.

you're welcome Jason.

maybe he gets his mad skills with basketballs from me too?? (Dont worry, Im aware that Im holding a football and not a basketball in this picture. Im also aware that Im standing in the front yard in my underwear?!)

and my last ditch effort attempt to show that River also looks like me when I was young..

this is definitely the face he makes when he is throwing a fit! Seriously!

So, isnt it crazy how your child can look like BOTH of you? (thats sarcasm!) I think River looks like Freeland 100% of the time but seeing pictures of myself as a child made me realize that there are moments he also looks like me too. Im sure it will always be changing too! But its still fun to see.

And, in NINE DAYS we get to see what his lil' pumpkin of a brother will look like! I cannot wait!

Rivers trip to Texas

2011-07-08T09:09:00.000-05:00

Obviously River & Freeland had a great time in Texas. I so wish I could have been there. Especially when all the family was together. (and at our friends wedding of course!)

My step sister sent me some pictures she had .. and my aunt uploaded a few to facebook so I thought I would share all those since I wasnt there to take any pictures. Obviously, these dont have everyone of the family members in them but thats just because they are all random & what people have shared with me. (and Freeland didnt have a camera with him to take pictures)

The trip started off with a trip to my dad & tracy's house since they were going to be out of town the rest of the weekend. They hung out all day. And they got to see River in full force walking everywhere and chasing their cat! (and dont be jealous but Freeland also got to go visit Adam & Camille while he was there and see their new house and their faces!)

On Friday morning Freeland & Tracy took River to the kiddie pool down the street:

the only picture I have to prove it. I think they all had a blast. It was Rivers first time in a real kiddie pool.

After that it was off to my moms house for naps. Freelands mom also drove up to see River. And family just came by as they could.

The biggest event was probably River meeting his new cousin Eli! Just almost exactly a year apart!

freeland juggling 2 kiddos! :)

river playing with his Grandma Rhonda

River and Uncle Paul

River and Nana

River and pop

River also got his first pair of real cowboy boots:

check those out! their a little big .. but adorable still.

and he spent lots of time talking to me on skype. In this picture he was standing up showing everyone how he dances to mickey

and of course he was completely spoiled by his grandparents:

his first taste of blue bell ice cream.. right before bed!! Lucky kid.

Im thankful for the time, even if it was quick, that River got to spend with everyone while Freeland was at all the wedding festivities. Im not sure when we'll all be able to make it back to Texas so it was really a blessing that Free & River got to go! It always means a lot that everyone pretty much puts their lives on hold to see him. And I think he is slowly starting to recognize his family and remember them. Of course, talking on skype helps a lot!

Thanks Allie & everyone else for sharing all the pictures!

the yard: before & after

2011-07-07T10:46:00.000-05:00

I happened to come across some old pictures of when we first moved into our house and started working on our yard. I remember it being bad, but I honestly didnt remember just how bad it was!

Especially the backyard. Well, the front was horrible too. I guess its an even tie.

This is our 3rd summer in this house. Every summer we have put in more grass, put down more mulch, planted more flowers, and worked our tushes off. And I think all the work is finally starting to pay off. Especially since we just rent this house! (note: landlord, feel free to give us our full deposit back! Just kidding, she doesnt read our blog!)

This was the front:

note, the patches of missing grass. And what you see there is actually not even grass.. its just mowed down weeds! Also, Freeland had already started trimming the bushes but you can still see how they were HUGE and covered the porch and all the windows. The "flower bed" was also missing. (those are plants we were about to plant sitting there)

pulling the weeds and also pulling out tons of rocks?

trying to trim the rest of the bushes. I really wish you could have seen a true before picture.

finally got a flowerbed in there. and started planting. And look! You can finally see our windows!

And now 3 summers later .. check out that flower bed:

the flowers are coming in. plants are growing. grass is finally there!

and sadly I didnt take a better picture except that. but you get the point!

And now onto the back where I feel like you can see the most improvement.

check out those hedges .. or bushes? I dont know what the difference is. But I do know they hadnt been trimmed in YEARS. The fence was new. Our neighbors put it in right before this picture was taken.

just a bunch of weeds and vines and broken glass all along the back fence. And its hard to tell but there are lots of patches of grass missing.

the start of Freeland cutting down the bushes. (here he had already cleaned out behind them)

AND THE AFTERS:

ignore the mess on the porch .. look you can finally see the fence!

Also, those 2 spots are where we had our fire pit. But grass is coming back in as week speak!

the back flowerbed

and all the flowers are about to burst out!

these are roses my mom sent me last year for Mothers Day. We planted them and they came back! I love it.

Well, not the best pictures. But you get the point. Im thankful we have grass now. A place friends can come over & hang out at. And a safe place for River to play. It makes a difference!

Motherhood

2011-07-06T07:55:00.000-05:00

I saw this on Jenna's blog the other day and loved it so I thought I would share it also. I encourage you to read the whole thing! Enjoy:

Motherhood as a Mission Field

June 16, 2011 by: Rachel Jankovic

There is a good old saying, perhaps only said by my Grandfather, that distance adds intrigue. It is certainly true — just think back to anything that has ever been distant from you that is now near. Your driver’s license. Marriage. Children. Things that used to seem so fascinating, but as they draw near become less mystical and more, well, real.

This same principle certainly applies to mission fields too. The closer you get to home, the less intriguing the work of sacrifice seems. As someone once said, “Everyone wants to save the world, but no one wants to help Mom with the dishes.” When you are a mother at home with your children, the church is not clamoring for monthly ministry updates. When you talk to other believers, there is not any kind of awe about what you are sacrificing for the gospel. People are not pressing you for needs you might have, how they can pray for you. It does not feel intriguing, or glamorous. Your work is normal, because it is as close to home as you can possibly be. You have actually gone so far as to become home.

Home: The Headwaters of Mission

If you are a Christian woman who loves the Lord, the gospel is important to you. It is easy to become discouraged, thinking that the work you are doing does not matter much. If you were really doing something for Christ you would be out there, somewhere else, doing it. Even if you have a great perspective on your role in the kingdom, it is easy to lose sight of it in the mismatched socks, in the morning sickness, in the dirty dishes. It is easy to confuse intrigue with value, and begin viewing yourself as the least valuable part of the Church.

There are a number of ways in which mothers need to study their own roles, and begin to see them, not as boring and inconsequential, but as home, the headwaters of missions.

At the very heart of the gospel is sacrifice, and there is perhaps no occupation in the world so intrinsically sacrificial as motherhood. Motherhood is a wonderful opportunity to live the gospel. Jim Elliot famously said, “He is no fool who gives up that which he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” Motherhood provides you with an opportunity to lay down the things that you cannot keep on behalf of the people that you cannot lose. They are eternal souls, they are your children, they are your mission field.

Faith Makes the Small Offering Great

If you are like me, then you may be thinking “What did I ever give up for them? A desk job? Time at the gym? Extra spending money? My twenty- year- old figure? Some sleep?” Doesn’t seem like much when you put it next to the work of some of the great missionaries, people who gave their lives for the gospel.

Think about the feeding of the five thousand when the disciples went out and rounded up the food that was available. It wasn’t much. Some loaves. Some fish. Think of some woman pulling her fish out and handing it to one of the disciples. That had to have felt like a small offering. But the important thing about those loaves and those fishes was not how big they were when they were given, it was about whose hands they were given into. In the hands of the Lord, that offering was sufficient. It was more than sufficient. There were leftovers. Given in faith, even a small offering becomes great.

Look at your children in faith, and see how many people will be ministered to by your ministering to them. How many people will your children know in their lives? How many grandchildren are represented in the faces around your table now?

Gain What You Cannot Lose in Them

So, if mothers are strategically situated to impact missions so greatly, why do we see so little coming from it? I think the answer to this is quite simple: sin. Discontent, pettiness, selfishness, resentment. Christians often feel like the right thing to do is to be ashamed about what we have. We hear that quote of Jim Elliot’s and think that we ought to sell our homes and move to some place where they need the gospel.

But I’d like to challenge you to look at it differently. Giving up what you cannot keep does not mean giving up your home, or your job so you can go serve somewhere else. It is giving up yourself. Lay yourself down. Sacrifice yourself here, now. Cheerfully wipe the nose for the fiftieth time today. Make dinner again for the people who don’t like the green beans. Laugh when your plans are thwarted by a vomiting child. Lay yourself down for the people here with you, the people who annoy you, the people who get in your way, the people who take up so much of your time that you can’t read anymore. Rejoice in them. Sacrifice for them. Gain that which you cannot lose in them.

It is easy to think you have a heart for orphans on the other side of the world, but if you spend your time at home resenting the imposition your children are on you, you do not. You cannot have a heart for the gospel and a fussiness about your life at the same time. You will never make any difference there if you cannot be at peace here. You cannot have a heart for missions, but not for the people around you. A true love of the gospel overflows and overpowers. It will be in everything you do, however drab, however simple, however repetitive.

God loves the little offerings. Given in faith, that plate of PB&J’s will feed thousands. Given in faith, those presents on Christmas morning will bring delight to more children than you can count. Offered with thankfulness, your work at home is only the beginning. Your laundry pile, selflessly tackled daily, will be used in the hands of God to clothe many. Do not think that your work does not matter. In God’s hands, it will be broken, and broken, and broken again, until all who have need of it have eaten and are satisfied. And even then, there will be leftovers.

1 day at a time

2011-07-05T09:08:00.001-05:00

One of Rivers favorite places to play these days is IN the basket:

However, getting out isnt always easy

goober.

Freeland finally made it home. Unpacked. Celebrated the 4th. Re-packed. And headed out at 5:00 this morning for another away rotation.

He'll be away this month but only about 2 hours away so thankfully if I were to go into labor (which I dont think I will) he can drive home. Actually being able to get my phone call to let him know Im in labor would be a different question though! :)

The 4th was good. I have no pictures. Really, we didnt do anything. (Erie didnt have their firework show) So we ran errands, got organized, took River to his first pet store (more on that later but to clarify it was just to look at the puppies because he loves them! Not to bring one home! :), Freeland did yard work, and then we grilled out. Oh and we finished the day off with milkshakes. Low key & nice.

I'm counting down the next 15 days until my mom gets here & the baby arrives! And I'm saying lots of prayers for grace, patience, and miraculous energy! My plan is to take it one day at a time because truth be told Im exhausted & achy. We both decided that I should just stay home as much as possible with River & avoid getting out. Reason being .. the kid is crazy. Just kidding. kinda. So we'll be here going on walks, playing in the backyard, and doing everything possible to keep River entertained on my own.. and taking it one day at a time trying to embrace every last minute where River can have my full attention.

PS: thanks for all the ideas on names! Im loving all of them. ESPECIALLY "Crymia" (cry-me-a .. like Cry me a River!) Hilarious!

on their way home

2011-07-03T11:33:00.001-05:00

a picture I forgot to post yesterday. River laughing at Freeland. typical

Thankfully, Freeland & River are finally on their way back home. The wedding was gorgeous and Freeland was thankful to be there to witness Landon getting married. River of course had a great time seeing all his grandparents & family.

But sadly, somehow their flight from DFW to Newark got re-routed to Pittsburgh instead making the first flight FOUR HOURS LONG with a 15-month old in your lap.

AWESOME!

And the ironic part is Pittsburgh is only 2 hours from here! I could easily drive to get them & would except they wont let them off the plane & we'd still have to drive to Buffalo to go get our other car & pick up the luggage. But mostly, I cant go get them because they wont let them off the plane.

Sooo, if youre putting 2+2 together .. that means not only was the first flight 4 hours, they are also spending additional time just sitting on the plane waiting to take off again (who knows for how long) then he has the original flight to Newark! (update: what should have been a 3 hour flight officially turned into a 6.5 hour flight! yikes!) THEEEEN Freeland has to fly from Newark to Buffalo! AND THEEEENNN drive 2 hours home.

Oh and did I mention that he is in the very back row.. in the middle seat.. between 2 people who dont speak English! (not a big deal except they dont understand when you say "sorry my son just kicked you" or "would you mind giving me the window seat so my son can bang on the wall instead of you?")

YIKES. NIGHTMARE. SERIOUSLY!

I mean, of course it could be worse. He could be stuck overnight in the airport for 4 days like our friend was. But still, I feel awful. Freeland of course says "Im just thankful to get time with River & hate that I dont know how to make him happy or not feel restless just sitting here." (if it were me I would probably just sit and start balling crying for the remainder of the day)

Regardless, they're on their way home & I cannot wait to see both their faces!!!!!!!

growing like a weed

2011-07-02T09:43:00.001-05:00

River amazes us everyday with the things he is starting to pick up. (like all kids his age)

I just realized as I was writing this that as of today he is officially 15 months old! Boom!

wearing scrubs like his daddy. eating his morning waffle and watching the cats fight.

Its funny seeing the things he naturally does (like sticking out his lips when he is frustrated, thinking, or working hard.. no idea where he gets it from). I love watching the little boy he is becoming. He is definitely a "rough & tough" boy that LOVES wrestling with dad. But I still think he can be super sensitive at times. Who knows. He's always surprising us.

He's a full time walker now. Pretty much given up on crawling. It makes playing outside much easier but I miss him crawling around.

Tantrums are still happening. And funny. PS: for those who asked to see the video of him throwing a fit I uploaded it here ... Im a mean mom. (pps: we finished buckling his car seat right after he finished. not to worry!) And just to redeem myself, here is a video of him having a pillow fight with Freeland (his favorite) and cracking up.

We're S-L-O-W-L-Y moving to 1 nap. I wanted to avoid it (I like 2 naps) but he is definitely ready so Im really trying to push him to get adjusted to it before baby #2 gets here. He's done pretty well. But some days still needs 2 or needs to at least lay down and "rest" for a while in his crib to just get a break.

Speaking of sleeping.. River cracks us up because not only does he just roll around in his crib FOREVER when he is going to sleep .. he is also moving non-stop in his sleep. Every time I check he is in a new position or corner of his bed. Hopefully he never wants to climb in our bed because Im pretty sure Id wake up every 10 minutes with his feet in my face.

Also, my favorite is how he lays his head down on our shoulder now when he's tired. Its so sweet.

He weighs 24 pounds. (we weigh him at all of my doctor appointments! :) But I swear he feels A LOT heavier than that. Im so used to the little skinny munchkin of a baby we had who barely fit on the charts so Im constantly thinking "where did this kid come from?" He is thick and "solid" for sure.

Oh and his hair is slowly turning white. Its all white underneath. Im curious to see if the white stays or not!

And probably the biggest thing is all the words he is all the sudden saying. So far these are the things he says the most:

Mama
Daddy (funny he doesnt say dada?)
Ball - his favorite
Balloon - second favorite
Bath - third favorite
Bubbles- fourth favorite!
Book - You get the point. He's in a "b" phase!
Bird
Night night
Up
Down
Home
Doggy
Kitty
Puppy
Duck
Car
Nana
Pop
Apple
No - you could say this is a favorite too!
Milk - Sounds like nii though
Mickey - sounds like nini
Hi or heeeeey
Bye
Blanket
Manny
More
Uh oh - adorable!!
Go
Gone
Thank You
Please
Waffle

Obviously, some of those he doesnt say all the time. There are other things he will say as he is good at repeating things.. but when it comes to words he says on his own I think those are most of them.

and in 18 days he will be a big brother! crazy.