Oh, goodbye 2011

For the happiness of my dear fans...err, my mom... I am writing one final blog for 2011. I hope that I do much better in the upcoming year. I'm not really going to go all into everything that has happened in the past 4 months, but to sum it up we:

Welcomed Daniel home from his deployment.

Spent Thanksgiving with family and had Christmas with them.

Got back to England on Dec 1.

FINALLY unpacked all of our boxes and have pretty much settled into our house.

Had a very special Christmas with our sweet little boys.

And hit the terrible twos like no ones business. Yowza...

It's amazing how quickly Eli warmed up to Daniel after he got home. Literally took about 30 minutes and they've been inseparable since. Andrew of course loves EVERYONE so it was no surprise that he took right up with his daddy. It's so funny seeing Eli & Andrew/Daniel & Eli/Daniel & Andrew play with one another.

Speaking of my boys, Andrew is rocking a solid 20 lbs and Eli is at about 25/26. They are both wearing the same size diaper and it's pretty funny. Pretty soon Andrew is going to be roughing up Eli and we won't be able to do anything about it.

I was going to try and sum up the past few months in pictures but blogger thinks it would be best not to. Oh well, chances are you're my friend on Facebook and you've seen them all anyway. Goodbye 2011. I wish you all lots of happiness, love, and good health in 2012.

SSMoTBUT

In case you're not up on all the abbreviations you find on online discussions boards and mommy blogs the title of this post is "Semi-Single Mommy of Two Babies Under Two." It took me forever to figure out what DH, DD, DS and LO stand for. In case you don't know either- Dear Husband/Son/Daughter and Little One. I know that no one like to read the "today we (insert long list of boring things you did today)" type posts but today has been such an accomplishment. It started out AWFUL with Eli waking up like the Tazmanian Devil on steroids after losing all his money in Vegas. My precious mother decided to go in to work a couple hours late and helped me tame the beast. After his belly was filled he was a whole other child. He was placing dropped pacis in the babies mouth, throwing away wet diapers (I'm afraid he would play in a dirty one...) and just being a ham. We dropped my mom off at work and headed to the Health Dept to pick up Andrew's birth cert and I'll be darned if Eli didn't sit in his chair like the champ of a big brother I always knew he would be. He got up only to flirt with the clerk and hold Andrew's bottle while I paid. As if that weren't enough, he ate a whole Rice Crispy treat on the way home while keeping the part he was holding in the wrapper. NO STICKY FINGERS! E haaaaaates sticky fingers. He passed out about 2 miles from the house and is currently still asleep in the bed. Am I dreaming? Can it really be this easy to be a SSMoTBUT? If I can get 1 good day like this every 3 weeks it's totally worth it... But then again, it is only 11 am.

It's been one week

since you looked at me...

Or rather since the number of lives I am responsible for has doubled. It's been really easy and really hard at the same time. Eli came home from his grandparents Sunday evening and he was not prepared for the transition he was about to make. After two or three hours he finally decided he would cooperate and be the good little Eli he always is.

Night 1: (@ home)

A sinch. Andrew woke up twice. Ah, such a perfect baby.

Night 2:

Hell. Andrew woke up every hour on the hour and nursed for about 40 minutes. That means I was getting about 20-30 minutes of sleep at a time. Not cool, Andrew... not. cool.

Nights 3-5:

They have gradually gotten better, he is eating at a predictable every 2-2.5 hours. Much better

So let me just say... Daniel is the best daddy ever and he is sorely missed this time around. He would get up with me in the night and change Eli after he ate and heat up bottles or anything else I needed. My mom... she is a heavy sleeper. But she does keep Eli entertained during Andrew's meal times so I am always thankful when his 30 pound self isn't jumping on me and slapping my very sore chest when I'm feeding the baby.

On Monday we took Andrew back to the Dr for his first check-up and his weight was only 2 oz away from when he was first born. He lost 8 in the hospital. I told the Dr that he wakes up in the night sometimes like he is gasping for air. I either thought it may be because of reflux or he truly wasn't breathing. They sent us to home health and for the next week and a half Andrew will be hooked up to a monitor that keeps up with his heart rate and breathing. If he quits breathing an alarm goes off. Last night it went off... I'm not sure what the next step will be when we get the results but please say a prayer that it isn't serious or even anything at all.

Now that I think I'm caught up on all of our exciting news I've got to go love on my babies.

Day 4

It has been 4 days since sweet little Andrew has entered into the world. It seems like these past few days have been a whirlwind and lasted forever at the same time.

I went in Tuesday night/Wednesday morning at midnight for the induction and was all hooked up and ready to go at 1 am. And can I please just ask, is it just me or does everyone always get stuck with drop dead gorgeous nurses when it comes time for the most embarrassing and exposing thing you will ever do in your life? Why can't I get the old fat lady? Why do I have to be the one who has to make the skinny, gorgeous nurse feel even better about herself?

Anyways, around 2 I was really feeling the contractions so I got some pain medicine via IV and it helped...for about 45 minutes. Not wanting to get my epidural just yet, I asked for another does of the apparently Tylenol strength medicine to course through my veins. I waiting 20 minutes and it never kicked in. I called the nurse and told her I would like my epidural NOW and I was all kinds of jacked up around 4 AM when I was numb from my chest down. At 5:30/6 I was checked again and I was only at a 4. I called my MIL and FIL who were on their way to let them know that it would probably still be a while and since they were in Sylacauga not to worry about speeding. My inlaws arrived a little before 8 AM and then my Dr came in shortly after asking everyone to leave so he could check my progress. Everyone walks out and as soon as he checked me my water broke. Even still I figured I was at a 7 at the most. My progress with Eli was extremely slow so I wasn't getting my hopes up this time around.

Well guess what, it was time to start pushing. My mom and MIL came back into the room and were informed to get into their battle stations. We got Daniel on Skype and I started pushing. After barely 20 minutes later, the greatest feeling I had ever expeienced only 18 months ago was back. I was a mommy to a perfect little 6 lbs 15 oz little boy with lots of black hair. Daniel was able to stay connected for over 2 hours and experience everything with us. We are barely ever able to stay connected for 20 minutes so it was such a blessing that there was no interruption with the not so dependable Skype.

My dad was at home with Eli, who normally is up with the sun. At 8 am my dad was still trying to pry Eli out of bed. They got to the hospital just after Kangaroo time, which was really awesome and something I didn't have with Eli. E was not too impressed with the newest addition to our little family but was pretty upbeat about all of his new Big Brother prizes waiting on him. BY THE WAY, this was the FIRST time that Eli and I had EVER been apart over night. And to make matter worse I wouldn't be coming home until Friday and he went home with my inlaws Friday night and will be coming home sometime this afternoon.

I have missed that kid SO much. I have gotten a little glimpse of how sad it is for Daniel not getting to hug and kiss him every day like I am blessed to do. Only 3 more months until he is home with us and we journey back to the mother land. By the way, Andrew will be the same age Eli was when we first moved.

Negligent blogger...

Well, I've been a really bad blogger lately! I've really not had a whole lot to write about and then I have had a ton to write about. E and I have been busy burning up the roads between visiting the Land Grands in Slapout and Dr C In Anniston and everywhere else in between. We have finally gotten just about everything ready for Mr. Andrew's arrival and we are just in count down mode now! Only 2 weeks and 6 days if he waits until induction! It's so exciting and nerve wrecking all at the same time. I only have E's birth to compare it to and Daniel was there and we were in a military hospital. Completely different dynamics this time around with my mom in the room with me of a civilian hospital.
In other exciting news Eli and I added another addition to the Gay household. We took in a part bird dog/possibly part hound or beagle little girl puppy. She is pretty much one of the cutest things ever other than actual babies. I thought this would be great for 2 reasons. Number 1 is that my parents English bulldog Maddie will scratch and claw at the door if we don't let her in at night. Sorry, but (and my dad agrees, my mom- I'm not so sure) I don't want my babies covered in dog hair. Plus she's a bulldog, and even though I love her ugly little face with that huge underbite, she smells....even when she's clean. Or to me at least. And for the past couple nights Maddie has knocked not once on the door!!! I'm such a genius. My second reason for the puppy was to teach Eli gentleness. Uh, right. The first afternoon he drug he around by her tail. The next day she was used to him and has gotten a little spunky and started gnawing on him. He was not impressed.
I'll be posting some pictures in another post, I'm posting now from email since my mini Netbook POS thing refuses to allow me to post pictures and write a blog in the same post.
Also, I'm leaving you with this, http://www.yourwishcake.com/2011/07/on-quitting-facebook.html. I'm going to be getting on this. Also, if you can see it on the side of my blog, 'Turning Pages' also wrote a really great post on this topic. This link actually is from one of her recent posts if not the most recent.
Hope you all are having a lovely summer... this humidity/heat combo is truly sucking my soul from my body as well as my desire to EVER leave the air conditioned house.

Sent from my iPad

Oh Wow and Dno

Eli's vocabulary is slowly starting to expand. Lately the words that dominate his speech are"Oh wow" and "Dno." The last is "no" but for some reason whenever he says it it sounds like he has a "d" on the front of it. Cute, nonetheless. It's even funnier since he turns his head upward and away when saying it. I'm working on getting it recorded. But the "oh wow" has to be my favorite. Everything is so amazing to little eyes and is perceived with marvel. Even ordinary crumbs in the floorboard of the car or a very plain and un-special looking rock. But some things we discover really are wow worthy.

During Sunday morning church service Eli sat in GG's lap. He was turned around facing her and placed his hand upon her....well, chest. "OH WOOOOW!" I know that it was totally coincidental since he was really looking at her necklace but I lost it. Only she and I had known the entirety of the situation although everyone thought that his loud exclamation was funny too. Just not as funny as we found it.

Ah, the innocence of babies and the innocent things they say and do.

Just our day...

I just need to say, I love America. Just as much, I love the south. I love how nice people are and how willing to help they are. People in England (at least around where we live) are a lot like people in the southern states. They always willing to lend a hand or comment on the adorableness of your child. During our horrible connecting flight back here you could tell we were NOT in the south. Once on the plane, the only people who even offered to help me lift our carry on into the overhead bin were from guess where... Georgia. And the gentleman was prior mil. I think that says enough.

Today, Eli and I got out and ran some errands for GG and spent some normal "momma-Eli" time together. One of those errands included an oil change at the Toyota place in Oxford. Would you believe that we waited over TWO hours for an OIL CHANGE!!! I felt like we were in England. The Brits rush for nothin'. Praise God the waiting area was full of elderly (the sweet kind) people for Eli to entertain, we had picked up E some Zaxby's for lunch, and I went with my gut and packed the iPad to watch some Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and a couple of Hot Wheels.

It's about time I get a handle on this "Mom" thing.

It's only been 16 months....

After that two hour stint in waiting hell (I am not patient) I pressed my luck and ran into Target. Then Old Navy. Then TJ MAXX. I wore my little guy out and he napped all the way back to Cragford. We made it the WHOLE entire day without even a minor meltdown. It must have been that we haven't had a whole lot of time to ourselves like we "normally" do.

Oh, and after Wednesday... we have only *7* more weeks until Mr Andrew makes his grand debut. And do you know what one of the only things I can think about? Getting Eli his "big brother" gift together so he can have it when he gets to the hospital. No, I haven't gotten the baby anything... no coming home outfit, really any clothes at all other than some of Eli's hand-me-downs that will be weather appropriate, diapers...nothing! I honestly can't even remember what all I will even need for a newborn? I do know things I don't need... I have SO many things that we thought would be necessary for a baby that were only opened and placed in the drawer of things that I can't make myself throw away for fear that I may need them some day... I guess once we return home in November I can throw/give them away.

On another subject, did someone turn the heat up?