Trip to the pumpkin patch!

So it's fall and that means new things when you have a kid.  Time to start traditions now, right??  Even if Charlie is so little, I am hoping we can look back on these things and traditions and be happy and continue them in the future.  Well, Jimmy and I never really did the pumpkin patch thing, but when there was a living social deal buy one get one free entry to the Gardner pumpkin patch, I jumped on that and also emailed Emily to see if she and Jeff and Jackson wanted to join in the fun.

Neither Jimmy or I had been to a pumpkin patch...let alone on a Saturday.  Filled with lots of fun and kids and games and PUMPKINS of course!!

Pumpkins (the easy kind...not the ones you have to go pick)

The fun pumpkin train!

When we got there..there was a show.  For some reason I can see Vanessa and Heather doing something like this when they were in high school - ehh??

We got there a few minutes before the Matlocks, so we tried to get Charlie to eat...but he was not having it.  He was too distracted/entertained by all the fun that was going on around him.

And then mama took some pictures of my boys...

A dad in love and a baby tooting.

Look at me mom!!

JK, dad was really holding me up silly!

We were pumped with our friends arrived because those pictures couldn't last that much longer...haha.  Remember when Jackson was born way back in March??  Well guess what?  He's SIX MONTHS old now!  Holy cow!!  But here are Emily and Jackson and me and Charlie rocking our baby bjorns.  Love it!  So funny all the pictures we took in college that we were crazy and now we are rocking our babies!!!

And guess who else is taking pictures a bit different...our husbands.  While we carried the babes, they pushed the strollers...which is much easier than it sounds through a pumpkin patch.  I think Jimmy was wishing we got the all terrain stroller.  They are so cute!!

Once Charlie was back in the stroller and awake, we decided to do their "official" meeting.  The one at our house when Charlie was super little doesn't count because Jack wasn't interested and Charlie doesn't remember, right?  So here it is.  OMG the cutest thing ever.

Jack reaching for Charlie saying "what's up dude?"

AND - SWEETEST PICTURE EVER!!!  Holding hands!! BFFs forever!!

There were so many fun games and activities it was insane!!  All the kids out there were having so much fun it made the four of us excited and look forward for our little guys to grow up someday and have fun at the pumpkin patch.  But in the mean time...we finally convinced our husbands to have some fun with the pumpkin guns.  Well, actually they were wimps and didn't want to do the big pumpkin gun (which was awesome) and they just did the gourd gun.  And unfortunately, didn't hit the signs.  Which is precisely why Jeff said he didn't want to do it because we were watching these kids do it and they missed the sign and Jeff said the look on his face was pure defeat.  Oh well...hopefully our sons don't take after their dads in that aspect!!

Finally, some pictures before we left and got our own pumpkins.  Which by the way...we thought they only took cash and we only had $5 left...so we kept weighing the pumpkin with the lady and getting smaller ones until we were under $5.  Turns out, they took credit/debit cards.  Oops.  Live and learn, right??

Mother/son shot with the pumpkins :)

Finally - Jeff rocks at staging photographs.  This picture makes Charlie look so big because he's all propped up by himself!!

Sweet Jackson checking out the pumpkin stem!!

We had a great time and were so happy to hang out with Emily, Jeff and Jackson at the pumpkin patch.  However, I think if we make this a tradition...next year it will be more fun when these babes can move a little more!!

The lake trip

So this post is long over due!!  The second weekend in September, my family went to the lake!  My birthday was August 28 and when my mom asked me what I wanted, my only response was, "A weekend out of our house!!".  Since this was the only weekend this fall that worked for everyone in my family to get away, my mom jumped on it and rented a condo by the lake and that was that.

The weekend started early Friday morning for Charlie, my mom, my sister and I because we all headed down that day to do some shopping.  Charlie looked pretty fly for his first road trip.

My mom and sister came over to our house to load their stuff in our car and head down.  Jimmy and I packed our car the night before and holy moly.  My sister opened up the trunk and was like "Where are we supposed to put our bags??".  I really wish I would have gotten a picture of it.  It was quite packed with stuff all for the little man.  The list included his bathtub, play mat, pack n play, stroller, my pump, drying stuff for bottles/pump parts...whew.  We rearranged the packing and somehow made it all fit.  

The drive there went like this for Charlie.

Pretty much he was perfect.  Of course he was because other people were around!  He's perfect with other people...just mom and dad, not so much!  But we made a stop halfway in Warrensburg and got some lunch and I changed and fed him and he went right back to sleep the rest of the drive.  Good kid!!  When we got to the condo after like 14 trips for all our stuff, we all three stared at him doing this for a little while.

Then it was off to the outlet malls and Marshalls.  He did great in his stroller for awhile and then when I went back to the car to feed him, we changed to the baby bjorn and he slept some more.  I think he liked shopping.  Which he should because he got lots of sweet new clothes for winter!!

After we were done shopping, we were hungry.  We tried to get Chili's to go (they put my sister on hold for like 10 minutes so we finally hung up), then tried to get Wendy's (but google maps led us astray), so we finally just went back to the condo and ended up getting Applebee's to go.  Since it was late (late in baby world), I gave him a bath and then put him to sleep.  But first, Aunt Lyndsay gave him a bottle!

I was worried because it was the first time I would be alone with Charlie at night.  Not that I didn't think I could handle it because I do all the night time feedings since we breastfeeding, but I liked having Jimmy there for moral support.  Luckily he was pretty good...he woke up once around 3 and then again at 5.  Then after some in and out sleep, we finally got up to eat at 6:30.  And this was the view we got to look at while I fed him and he enjoyed his breakfast.  The screened in patio was perfect and secluded...so nursing him out there was just heaven.  I wouldn't mind sleepless nights as much if I woke up to this and feed here every morning!!

AND I got some smiles too!!

My dad and Jimmy left KC early that morning at 5AM because my dad had a football game on Friday night.  They had a tee time in the Ozarks at 9AM and even though it was raining, they still played.  And us girls had some breakfast and then did a little more shopping that morning as well.  That was when this mom realized she needed to get her butt into gear in terms of working out.  I tried on some pants.  And that was a disaster!!  But I guess he's worth it, right?

Then we met my dad and Jimmy at Backwater Jack's for some lunch.  There was a Harley Davidson crowd/pub crawl thing going on in the Ozarks, so that was fun.  Haha.  After another change and feeding in the car, Charlie slept through lunch, which was good!  There was another baby in the bar about the same size as him...but a lot older!  Oh Charlie, what a big boy you are!!

Here is the big boy modeling his cute outfit that Ali and Henry sent him!

That night we had steaks and baked potatoes and corn on the cob.  Even though it was past Charlie's bed time, he didn't want to sleep because vacation was so fun so he joined us for dinner.  He was pretty happy!  His dad enjoyed a few too many beers by himself and finally went to bed after I got up around 1:30 to pump.  Oh Jimmy...he will never learn.  Because he was pretty miserable the next morning.  Scratch that COMPLETELY miserable.  Here is a shot of our family.  I am so disappointed I didn't get one of all 6 of us!!!  BUMMER!!  These mom duties are cutting into the time I usually spent taking a million pictures!

When we left on Sunday, I was hoping for an easy ride back.  No siry.  Charlie had something else in mind for us.  After mom and dad got in a fight about how to go home, Charlie did this the whole way home.

I sat in the back seat attempting to calm him down.  Nothing worked.  We finally stopped at Wendy's for lunch and I got him out and held him, changed him and fed him (in the car again).  But he was still not happy the rest of the way home.  Guess you win some and lose some!?  Needless to say, my decision to get a frosty at Wendy's was a HORRIBLE one because I'm pretty sure it gave him the worst gas that night.  When we tried to put him to bed, he was screaming.  And usually he's pretty easy to calm down, but nothing was working.  I could literally feel him farting.  So I sent Jimmy to go get gas drops and guess what? They worked and he slept pretty good the rest of the night.  Whew.

Here is a collage I made from some pics I took on my phone.  I just learned how to do this and was excited!!

Needless to say, it was such a wonderful weekend getaway with my family.  THANKS so much to my mom and dad for taking us on a nice little trip out of KC.  We had a great time and loved that you guys got to spend lots of time with Charlie.  Next big trip for us?  We are thinking one is in order next summer when we dad turns 60 on July 27 and Charlie will be 1!!  Holy cow that's crazy to think about!!!

Only a month left??

This is the going back to work post.  It's not going to be depressing or happy.  Just a post about what I'm thinking and how I feel.

I mentioned in your week 8 post that I was feeling anxious.  And I am still, but I tried to act on that anxious feeling and somewhat make it go away because my back was hurting from being so tense.  Weird how that happens.  I called Miss Holly on Monday to see if we could make a trip into your daycare/school sometime this week to just visit and meet the teachers and talk logistics.  She said, "come on in whenever"!  So nice of her.  So Tuesday at 1PM, Charlie, me and Jimmy made the trip in again to see where Mr. Charlie will be spending his days once this mom is back at work.  Of course we had been a few times before...but that was WAY back in February/March.  We didn't even know if we were having a boy or girl at that point.  So visiting again with you (an almost 2 month old) made it a lot different.  Different questions, different feelings, and also different perspective.  Instead of looking for a spot and hoping we could get you in, I was looking around to see if the babies in your room seemed happy.  Were the teachers happy and nice?  Did it feel safe?

Now of course we felt so great about it way back when.  But things are different when you have your child in your arms and know him.  He's part of us and we want to make sure that he will be getting the best care when we are not there (just like every parent's wish).

Well luckily, that visit pushed most of my anxiousness aside.  It was even better than we remembered it and the teachers were so wonderful and sweet.  All the kids in his room seemed happy and were taken care of.  They told me about 5 times how we are welcome to come visit Charlie at any time during the day and that some mom's come over their lunch break.  Maybe they saw the slight look of anxiousness in my face??  Anyways, it made me feel good.  It made us feel good.  I got to ask all my questions that had been looming in my mind during those late night feedings....like do we bring the infant carrier in the room?  Do we bring crib sheets?  Do I need to bring toys?  How do they want me to bring in my breastmilk that he'll be getting - frozen or thawed!?  What do we fill out every day?  What do we get back at the end of every day?  And the list could go on and on.  I felt like a crazy mom, but they all just smiled and said this was normal.  Whew.

It is so weird to think that I have to get ready, get my baby ready AND get out the door in the morning. I know people do it all the time, but I'm worried about how we'll do.  However, I used to be worried about getting out the door in general by myself when we are at home during the day...but guess what?  We're pros now!!  So I'm guessing that with Jimmy to help out on those work mornings, we'll become pros at that too.

Am I sad to go back to work?  No.  I love my job and especially love the people I work with.  I am actually looking forward to it in some ways.  Am I sad to leave my little man?  Absolutely.  However, I know this is what is best for both him, me AND Jimmy.  Why Jimmy? Because there are not-so-good days with the little man at home when he doesn't nap and I don't shower and we don't get out of the house and I'm TIRED by the time Jimmy gets home and I take that out on him.  So not fair.  It is best for our family and my sanity.  And I was so worried that I would be either dreading going back to work or super excited about it.  And I'm really neither.  I just know that it's coming and Charlie and I have one more amazing month together and then our ACTUAL new normal starts.  It will be quite the challenge I'm sure....but that is precisely why I dropped the grad school class I was planning on taking this semester.  One step at a time is the way I'm taking this.  And so far, each step along the way has been just great.

I did learn that while I love being at home with him, for now I am not stay at home mom material.  I thought that was the case, but you never know until you experience it right?  I could for sure do it a few days a week, but am very happy that I'm lucky enough to have a great job and flexible workplace to go back to right now to help provide for our little family.  Plus, Jimmy says he misses IMing me at work...haha.

So here's to my final month as a SAHM...I am going to take advantage of all the naps I can get!!  Plus, more naps for us means me getting to see this smiling face when he wakes up.  I LOVE when he wakes up from a good night of sleep or a good nap.  He is so freaking cute I cannot stand it!!!!!!!

PS I forgot to mention that I MIGHT consider being a SAHM if we just had a kid.  Throw in the 3 dogs all day and it's a lost cause.  I think the dogs are driving me to want to go back to work more than anything......!!!!

The party week (week 8)

I call this the party week because on the weekend you rocked THREE parties within 24 hours and did so great.  Other than that, we didn't really party.  Well, not the typical partying...but we rocked the mom/son partying at home like we always do.

I cannot believe that this is our eighth week at home.  Somedays I feel like we have a good routine and I am getting the hang of this mom thing and then there are somedays where I feel like I'm a complete moron.  Oh well, either way, I am going to enjoy the last month with you at home I have.  I literally had a breakdown when I was making our monthly calendar that goes on our fridge...why?  Because I wrote the day I go back to work.  I couldn't believe it.  I feel like it's gone by so fast and I'm getting anxious about it.  Anxious about our new routine; anxious about sending you to daycare; anxious about everything.  But I know it will be ok.  And I'm going to live in the present and try not to be anxious about it.

We had fun and got out a lot.  A few shopping trips - including a little feeding in the H&M dressing room - and lunch with friends.  You are so fun in the morning and just so freaking happy when we play.  You are smiling and making such cute cooing noises and squeals.  I love it so much and I could stare at you for hours.  Hours I tell you.

Loved that you got to meet so many people that love you and were anxiously awaiting your arrival earlier this summer.  Including Katie, who is having a little man in December and will be your bff.  I think we are planning a trip down there in January to meet him in person, so get excited!!

We put you back in the swaddle and I think you are FINALLY accepting it. Great.  Right about the time that you are growing out of all the swaddles that we own.  Haha.  Mom had to go out and buy some of the bigger ones because guess what?  Most of them are only ok up to 12.5 lbs...and you are about at that point little man.  I cannot believe it.  I can and I can't, but you are so cute.  I cannot wait for our 2 month appointment to see just how long you are now!!!

Willy and Charlie playing and hanging out...

I love this onesie, but I think he's only going to get to wear it once...it was rather tight!

Buddha belly!!!!!

Staring at the lights - play time is fun!

My dad's facebook page - FINALLY!

Snuggling with the girls on Saturday...

Getting a bottle from dad after a Chiefs WIN!

"Hey mom, my outfit matches your bed spread!"

I love this picture - he looks so big!  (PS his car seat wasn't secure yet, don't worry!)

The new "normal" night

Here is a video of what our new normal looks like - hanging out in the nursery with our little man.  He was doing so good at holding his head, Jimmy got him to do the airplane!!



Watching this makes me wonder just what we ever did with our time pre-Charlie...!!!

The fussy week? aka week 7

Week 7 with Charlie was filled with fun and a lot more outings.  Since I have figured out a little more how to keep Charlie calm and we have gotten a better hold of feedings, we've been able to go and do a lot more things just the two of us during the day which has made the days more fun!!!  I am still completely struggling with a schedule and continue to second guess are we doing things "right"...but only time will tell I guess!??  He's still alive, healthy and for the most part happy...so I think we are good right?

It's funny because lots of books and articles I have read said that weeks 6-8 are the weeks when these little babes are more fussy than usual.  After week 6, I told myself that if this was his fussy, we were all good.  But then we got home from the lake on Sunday night and boom - he got gas really bad, wouldn't sleep as well and wanted to feed more. Growth spurt?  Fussy spell?  Who knows - but it will pass right?  Yep!!  I keep telling myself that!!  He was sleeping in his crib really well and going for a long sleep at night and that all of a sudden stopped!!  AH!!  What am I doing wrong?!

The good news is that Charlie is very attentive and stares at us a lot and it's really fun!!!  He even started to smile more this week, which is oh so fun.  He is making more noises and it makes us laugh a lot.  He LOVES his baby bjorn, which is great because it's such a wonderful hands free solution, especially after he eats because he likes to be upright.  I used it a lot over the weekend when we were at the lake.  Oh the lake, it was so wonderful to get out of our house for an extended period of time as well.  I will do a quick post on that, but we went with my family and it was a nice time away from our house and to be with my family.  Our next road trip is to Omaha with the Carter clan in October!!

Some extra pictures from this week that I wanted to share too!

JIMMY DOES TAKE NAPS!!!

This is how my kid tells me he's hungry - moves his way right down to the source...

Pooped out and ready to be swaddled

Check out my new fall jacket (did lots of shopping!!)

Twins??  Charlie seems to think so

Toby wants to play with the baby

"Hey mom, want to get on your computer?  I think not...."

We moved the pack n play out of our room - and the stand in "curtain" can now come down!

Tired from a good session of tummy time

After a family walk, enjoying a coke float on the patio

Overall, another week in parent hood is in the books folks!!  Charlie is such a little cutie pie and even if he is a little fussy...he still makes me smile.