How to Have a Baby...According to a 2 Year Old

Peyton is my beautiful niece and quite a little diva!  I love her with all my heart.  She is so funny and smart!  Here are her thoughts on "having a baby"...

Keep in mind that she calls me "B".  
They also tell her EVERY KIND OF FOOD is "snake"- aka "steak" or she will not eat it :) 


Peyton instructed my sister, her other Aunt, on how to "have a baby" as she calls it..."You gots to go to the doctor like "B" did when she have a baby Eli...then you come home and you gots to feed yo baby and then you gots to get yo purse ready and then you gots to eat some snake (steak) and then you gots to drive dat truck and then you gots to go to the beach!"...

So that's it...that's how you have a baby :)

Here's my little diva...I could just eat her up!!  So precious!

 

 

I love you, Peyton Jayde!  You make my heart smile :) You are such a beautiful little girl!

Photo Shoots, Back to Work and Getting Fit

I got to go back home a couple of weeks ago to meet my new nephew, Ezra Lander.  I must say, we can sure produce some ADORABLE little boys in this family :)

My sweet baby sister did an awesome job and is already the best little mama!  Breaks my heart that I live so far away from them...BUT it is SO much fun to go back home every now and then!

We did a little photo shoot with all of our kiddos.  Let me just say, it is EXTREMELY difficult to photograph a 3 month old, a newborn and an almost 3 year old little diva :) 

A big thanks to Jenny for taking our pics!  She always comes through for us!

Me and Eli (3 months), Shelby and Peyton (2 years and 9 months), Lorrie and Ezra (1 week and a half)

 

The sun was BLINDING us!  I love pics like this!

 

 

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I started back to work September 13th after almost 14 weeks off!  Luckily, I am able to work part-time (2 days a week).  I am a Registered Nurse and I work in GI at a large hospital in the Tulsa area.  I LOVE my job!  I love my co-workers.  I am very blessed to have found this job.  I take patient's health history, start IV's, sedate patients and recover them after colonoscopies, EGD's and other GI procedures.  Never thought I would work in GI, but it is the perfect job for me!  If you are 50 or older OR if you are under 50 with a family history of colon cancer YOU NEED TO HAVE YOUR COLONOSCOPY SCREENING!  :) 

 

That being said, starting back to work meant that my sweet angel, Eli, had to go to daycare.  Thankfully, I have a great daycare at my hospital and Eli was accepted (he was #11 on the waiting list and they accepted 11...whew!!!)

 

I had so much anxiety about this.  So did my husband.  We had actually decided that I would not return to work because we were so worried about daycare.  I'm glad we changed our mind again at the last minute.  I love having the adult time and a little extra money never hurt anyone :)

 

Eli did fantastic on his first day!  He smiled at me when I was leaving and I got to spend my lunch break rocking him and loving on him!  I know in the long run, it will be so good for him to interact with other kids and possibly keep me a little more sane :)

 

 

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Lastly, I am FED UP with myself!!!  I am 20 pounds over my comfortable weight!!!  I was more active when I was 9 months pregnant!!!  That is unacceptable!  I am on my way to healthy again!  I think I have my husband on board as well!  Healthy eating and exercise is how I'm starting!  I ran a half-marathon last year...I would love to run another one!  My goal is to run to benefit juvenile diabetes research (my husband was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 17 years old).  Everyone, please hold me accountable!

 

Mommy Life and More Babies ;)

SO.......

Am I the ONLY Mom that has ever gotten their WHOLE ARM stuck in the diaper genie while trying to load a refill???  SERIOUSLY.  I have the red marks to prove it.  Sometimes I wonder how I live through the day.  Not to count raise a baby... the Lord must be watching over me- VERY CLOSELY!!

Speaking of babies.......

My sweet baby sister is having her baby TODAY!  We cannot wait to meet Ezra Lander!  I am just itching to get to Alabama.  Been trying to find a cheap flight...is there such a thing?  The doctor is coming in to break her water around 1:00 and hopefully it will be a quick and painless experience ;)

There she is, the cutest little Mommy-to-be EVER!  I'm so excited and can't wait to have a new nephew!!  The boys are taking over our family now!  The labor gown she is wearing is the one that I wore just 3 months ago while giving birth to sweet Eli!  You can find more information about the "posh pusher" gown here.  They are so adorable.  They have all different colors and patterns to choose from. 

Everyone please say a little prayer for my sister and nephew today!  I'll update soon with more pics!

One last thing, how about a little Roll Tide action from Eli to get us through this week :)

A Day In The Life

I'm linking up with Amy and Holly for this "Day in the Life" post!  Thanks ladies for hosting!  Here is a typical "day in the life" of a mom with a 3 month old!

 

My husband ALWAYS sets his alarm for 6 or 6:30am.  Never fails.  EVERY DAY.  The only problem I have with this is that he will hit the snooze button AT LEAST half a dozen times. He also sets the alarms on his personal phone, work phone, personal Ipad and work Ipad.  To say that I want to chunk all those devices out the window is the understatement of the year :) Alarm sounds have to be the most annoying sounds ever created. 

 

This morning, my sweet Eli was my alarm clock.  He woke me up at 6:25 sharp with a big grin on his face!  Ready for a baba (bottle).  Who could be grouchy when they wake up to this sweet face?

 

 

After a quick bottle feed, Eli (and Mommy) are snoozing once again...Thank you sweet baby Jesus :)

 

I wake up around 8:30 and hop in the shower.  What a lucky day to have a clean body before the sun is setting.  It's gonna be a good day!

 

Check on Eli- He's snoozing and he's missing a sock.  WHERE DO THEY GO???  I would later find it UNDER THE CRIB.  How does that even happen?

 

9:10 I find this lovely surprise on my husband's side of the bed...

 

 

I have come to the conclusion that I will NEVER be able to "train" my sweet hubby to place dirty clothes in the hamper.  It's just a fact of life and I will just have to deal :)

 

Around 9:30, I lost my phone.  Let's just say it...I'm addicted to my phone.  I feel completely lost without it.  I mean, what if I miss a super awesome post on facebook or miss a great pin on Pinterest.  How would I ever go on??!!

 

9:35- found the phone...thank goodness!  It was on the table, in plain sight.  I must have walked around it twice and didn't even see it!

 

10:10- bathe Eli and get him dressed for the day.  We are going to meet Daddy to go to a doctor's appointment with him.  Eli is getting so wiggly these days.  It's hard to keep him from flipping over while changing diapers and dressing him!

 

 

 

10:40- I lost my phone again.  10:42- found it beside the powdery mess on the bar where I had been making bottles for the day.

 

I loaded the car so we could go meet Daddy.  Did I mention that you have to pack pretty much your whole house when you have a child???  Who needs to work out when you carry strollers and fifteen bags on your arms all while carrying a carseat with a 14 pound kid inside. 

 

We met Daddy at his office.  Dropped off his company car at the ole Jiffy Lube.  They have to be the nicest people ever.  Seriously.  Get your car serviced there. 

 

Had to do a little feeding session before we could leave the parking lot.  When Eli is hungry, he gets MAD :)

 

 

12:05- we arrive at Daddy's doctor's appointment.  We are about 30 minutes early.  Much to my surprise, they called us back early.  WOW!  Shock of a lifetime.  I figured we would spend half the day in the waiting room.  Lucky! (in my best Napolean Dynamite voice)

 

Sitting in the doctor's office.  Look at Eli grinning at his Daddy.  So sweet!

 

After the doctor's visit, I picked up lunch- I'm not saying what I picked up.  Let's just say that our nickname for it is "Taco Hell" and it is NOT on my diet plan.  Then I headed over to the cleaners to pick up my husband's clothes.  I headed home and ate a quick lunch with my husband and he finished packing for his business trip. 

After lunch (which wasn't until 2:30), I headed back to Wal-Mart to pick up some prescriptions.  I really despise that place.  They are constantly changing up where things are so that I will spend SO much more money because I can't pass up the piggy bank or house shoes they have sitting in the middle of the aisles to catch my attention.  I can't stand it, but I find myself visiting it several times a week.  What is wrong with me??!

 

Around 5:20, we said goodbye to Daddy.  He will return Wednesday night.  I always hate to see him go, but I love to see him leave :) hahaha!  Remember that pick up line?  But seriously, I really do miss him when he is gone.

 

See that flag??  Roll Tide Roll!  We may live in Oklahoma, but we are Bama fans all the way!

 

 

I wanted to take a nice walk around this awesome pond we have in our neighborhood.  I really enjoy strolling Eli and he enjoys it too.  It was just way too hot for all that foolishness!  Here is a pic that I took (from my air conditioned vehicle!)

 

 

 

 

 



The rest of my evening went a little something like this: changed a lot of diapers, played on the playmat with Eli, rocked Eli, read him a few bible stories out of his kids bible that Daddy got him, dressed him for bed, fed him, rocked him.  Repeat.  You get the picture.  

I did manage to fit in a little night time snack in between doing laundry and washing up bottles...let me just say that this is not on my diet either...but at least it's a low fat snack :)  (beside the fact that it has 20 grams of sugar for two pieces...ouch)



Does it cancel out because it's sitting by the fruit bowl???  Yes, I think it does! 



 

 





I managed to squeeze in a couple of episodes of Friends (my favorite show) and also a fun, late-night game of Scrabble with my hubby (who is 3 hours away).  Isn't technology grand??!

 

 

Well, that's about it. I'm about to crash into the bed.  It's 1:30am and my human alarm clock will have me rising very soon!  I didn't know being a stay-at-home mom was such a job!  I love every minute of it!  Stay tuned for more updates on our crazy, busy life! 



 

God Spoke To Me Today

DO SOMETHING NOW- WE REFUSE TO STAND BY AND DO NOTHING

The last several years, I have not been trying to grow my relationship with God.  Let's just say it...I have been lazy.  You know, go to church on Easter Sunday, occasionally on Mother's Day and Father's Day, Christmas and that's about it.  I would always talk about it- "We NEED to be back in church".  Sunday morning would come and go and there was always an excuse.  "I forgot to set the alarm".  "I don't have anything to wear".  "I'm just SO tired".  The excuses could go on for days.  The past several weeks, God has really been speaking to me.  It has been so heavy on my heart.  Not only do we NEED to be in church, I WANT to be in church.  I LOVE the feeling I have when I start my week with Sunday services.  I love singing worship songs.  I love praying.  I love seeing others worship our amazing Lord.  So...we jumped back in and I have never felt better! 

I grew up in a small baptist church in Childersburg, AL.  I made so many life-long friends there.  I loved participating in the youth choir and youth activities.  I needed that feeling of love that you can only get from your church family.  We went faithfully, every Sunday morning, night and Wednesday night.  I don't know what happened.  We fell off somewhere and I have always felt a void in my life.  I want my son to grow up just the way that I did.  Going to "Children's Church" and loving every minute of it!  I accepted the Lord into my heart at Vacation Bible School the summer of 1993.  I want Eli to hold the same memories that I hold and cherish.  I want to get back...

Three days ago, while standing in my kitchen, the Lord spoke to me so clearly.  I have always prayed to God to show me my purpose in life.  What was I put on Earth to do?  It was almost as if He was standing there talking with me.  God wants me to be a witness in my own community and help people in need.  Being an RN with home health experience, I have seen first-hand people who have nothing.  No food in the pantry.  Can't afford their medications.  Living conditions that are far worse than most people could ever imagine.  I remember many patients telling me that my 30 minute visit with them was the highlight of their day.  Nobody would visit these precious people.  All they wanted was conversation and to feel like someone cared. 

Did you know that every 3.6 SECONDS, someone dies HUNGRY???  Crazy to think we live in America- the Land of Plenty- and people go hungry.

So...I started praying, asking God HOW???  How am I supposed to help?  Where do I even start?  We just moved to Oklahoma less than a year ago...I don't know anyone.  I don't have any connections.  I asked God to show me what I needed to do.  Low and behold, our service this morning was about helping feed our starving community.  WOW!  I was in tears several times during the service.  They showed clips from our own community.  Precious kids that actually go to bed hungry.  Our church actually participates in a "backpack" ministry.  The church donates snacks that teachers can discretely give to students on Friday afternoon.  They give them to students that would otherwise not have another meal until Monday at school.  This touched my heart.  My family has been blessed- my husband has a great job and we are able to help others...that is exactly what we are going to do.  There is also another ministry that the church wants to get rolling- hot meals delivered once a week to different areas in our community.  They are in desperate need of volunteers.  I CANNOT WAIT TO BE A PART OF THIS!  I gladly signed up to assist with our community outreach.  It's like that service was prepared just for ME.  It was exactly what I needed. 

I urge everyone to help out in your own communities.  Yes, there are people that need our assistance in other countries, but we have people right down the street from us that need us too!  It doesn't have to be a monetary gift.  Give YOURSELF.  Volunteer.  Make time for it.  What a wonderful feeling to help those in need.

The church is also helping with human trafficking, addictions and orphan care in our community.  I am so excited to see what God has planned for my future.  I am so happy to be raising my son in church and to teach him to have a giving heart.  I am even happier that I do it all with my amazing husband by my side.  God truly blessed me with someone who has a pure, caring and giving heart.  Stay tuned to see what the Lord has in store for me and my family! 

3 Months

Little man is 3 months old today!  Seems like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital!  He is changing SO much SO fast!  His little smile can brighten my day!  Eli is noticing his hands and tries to stick his whole fist in his mouth!  He started liking his play mat- he grabs at the toys and is amazed at the lights and music.  He is very strong in his legs.  He stiffens up and tries to stand in our laps.  Eli had his second plane ride and his second hotel stay.  On August 22nd, Eli tried to roll over.  He still hasn't mastered this, but he is working on it!  He loves being rocked to sleep.  He sleeps with his arms over his head...it's the cutest thing ever!  I know if the arms are up, I have at least 30 minutes to get something done in the house!  He has this fake cough that he does when he wants attention.  It is precious!   He is starting to play in his jumparoo- he can't reach the floor to jump yet, but loves the toys and bangs on them with his hands.  In the last few days, he tries to "help me" hold his bottle :)  I love him more than life itself.  I will do anything and everything to give him the wonderful life that he deserves!  Josh and I can't imagine our lives without him.  We joke about how "boring" we must have been before he came along!  It seems like every week he is learning more and doing new things.  Such an exciting time in our lives! 

 

 

 

 

It's Getting Hot In Here!!

 

 

MONDAY:

 

If you know me, you know that I have a famous saying- "It's always something!"  Well, Monday was definitely a Monday in this household!  Around lunch time, I noticed that it was a little warmer than normal in the house.  I lowered the thermostat to 71 degrees...surely that would cool it off.  At 2pm, I dedided to call the air conditioning company.  Long story short, dude came out, said the system was frozen (probably due to low freon) and said it would take several hours to thaw.  He would have to come out Tuesday morning to add freon.  I CANNOT STAND to be hot when I'm sleeping and neither can Josh!  We packed our bags for the Marriott in Tulsa- the thermostat read a heated 81 degrees when we left.  Thank goodness my husband has Marriott reward points from all of his business travel!  We had a very nice "staycation"!  I even tried Mongolian Food for the first time and it was YUMMY!

Snuggle time!

There is nothing sweeter than this little man!

Caught an early morning smile :)



It was a cool 72 degrees inside :)





TUESDAY:

I came home to a VERY cool house!  Yay!!  It's funny how you take things for granted, like your cooling system!  You sure notice it when it's not working!  Since I could finally work in my home without sweating, I began my long list of chores.  Did I mention that I feel like I am CONSTANTLY cleaning bottles??  Not complaining, but my hands are not soft like they used to be after all that dishwashing :)  After Eli's play time on his play mat, I put him down for a nap around 2pm.  At this time, I decided that my long "swoosh over bangs" needed trimming.  How hard could it be?  I cut Josh's hair all the time.  So...I started snipping (with nose hair scissors, I must add!).  Well, one snip lead to another, and another, and another.......I now have VERY SHORT NOT SO SWOOSH OVER BANGS!  Way to go, Brynn!!!  My sweet friend, Tiffany, came over and visited for a while.  Always great conversation when she is around!


I spend most of my day here, cleaning bottles!

 



 My sweet angel loves his play mat!

The start of my hair disaster!

The end of my hair disaster.  The picture doesn't look as bad as it really is!

 

WEDNESDAY:
Lots of cuddling with my sweet boy today!  He is the absolute light of my life and every single day, I am amazed at how he is growing and learning!  Check out what my little 2 month old man is trying to do :)

 

 

 

I found Eli laying like this after his nap...a complete 180 turn from where he started out!  Boy is mobile :)  Needless to say, he was NOT happy about it!

 

 

It has been a very fun and very busy week!  I'm loving every minute of staying home with this sweet baby boy!  I dread the day I have to leave him and go back to work.