1 Month Birthday- January 26th

I am over two weeks late on this post and so much has changed since Klaire's one month birthday. I'm going to try to remember everything I would have written if I would have actually written it on time!

First of all, Happy 1 Month Birthday to my baby girl! My sweet friend from church, Rudda Ward, has offered to make Klaire a new onesie every month for her first year. Isn't that SWEET? I thought this one was adorable. I'm looking forward to seeing the one for February. I am making a commitment to take her picture on every one of her "month birthdays" and blog about her. This month, I even took her to the doctor for a weight check JUST so I could blog about it!

On Klaire's one month birthday she weighed 11 lbs 3 oz and was 21 1/2 inches. The weeks before Klaire's one month birthday had gotten really hard. She was fussing after every feeding, and I could seem to do nothing to console her. Looking back, I can hardly remember those weeks because I was so stressed out. There are few things more stressful than hearing a baby cry (A LOT) and not being able to do anything about it. Everything was going through my head...is this colic? reflux? intolerance to breastmilk? is she not getting enough? is she getting too much? is she just really tired? is this gas pains? After talking this over with my mom, Linda Cain, and the nurse, I decided (on her one month birthday, exactly) to start pumping my breastmilk and bottle feeding her. I had come to the conclusion that she was having gas pains after her feedings and I thought that may have been because I had a really fast milk flow and she was gulping in too much air. I hoped that with a "slow flow" bottle we'd have more control over that issue and it may help her. It totally did! She was practically a new baby by the next day. I was so thankful I didn't have to switch her to formula and her fussiness could be cured by something so simple.

The switch came at a great time because the next day we were planning to go home and visit family. I had been really stressed up until that point about going home because she had been so unhappy. I was imagining that no one would get to hold her and I would spend most of our time in another room nursing her or trying to calm her down. Not so at all! She was the sweetest baby. Everyone had a turn at bottle feeding her, and got to hold a calm, relaxed baby! I was so grateful that her tummy troubles seemed to be better! I said a hundred times while visiting with my family that this was the first time I felt like I could really ENJOY her. I really did enjoy her, and by the time I came back home a week later, she and I had a whole new bond.

When I returned home, a week ago, I attempted to add dairy products to my diet. Up until this point, I had not eaten anything with dairy in fear that she would have the problems that Korben had. I'm not convinced by any means that she is "lactose intolerant" but I definitely noticed a difference with her fussiness level and she had some very nasty diapers that the nurse told me meant "dairy sensitivity." So, I am once again off of dairy products. This is not very easy, but worth it to keep her happy. Food is difficult for me right now. I'm back on Weight Watchers. My favorite foods when I lost so much weight with weight watchers last time were foods that involved dairy. Also, weight watchers is all about HIGH FIBER. That is fine with me, my stomach can handle high fiber. However, I can really tell after eating a lot of certain vegetables that Klaire's tummy can't handle it very well. I can't win for losing! I hate that the healthier the food, the harder it is probably going to be on her tummy! I desperately want to lose weight, but breast feeding makes me SO hungry and it is tough choosing the "right" foods without eating TOO much fiber. Difficult balance.

The past few days have just been wonderful with her! She is starting to smile a little bit and even make some sweet cooing noises. I love that she will actually allow me to put her down for little periods of time (2 weeks ago, I couldn't put her down without her crying) so I can play with her. She will sit in her bouncy seat and fall asleep in the middle of our commotion sometimes, and I think she is even starting to like her swing. It is getting easier!

She is beginning to like baths! The last bath I gave her she didn't cry at all, which I took to mean that SHE LOVED IT!

She fits perfectly in all of her 3 month clothes. I know this means that 3-6 month clothes will be next. I can't believe that! She never even really fit in her newborn clothes! She still fits in a size 1 diaper. And speaking of diapers, I think we go through at least 15 a day. Praise the Lord for people who have given us diapers and wipes.

Here are the pictures I took of her on her one month birthday. I don't feel like they are very good because I know how much cuter she is in real life. However, all of these were taken when she was still incredibly fussy when I put her down and I am choosing to post the only pictures I managed to take without her screaming her head off. I'm hoping we can get some better ones on her two month birthday!

Kicked it up a notch

This time last week, Klaire had her two week check up with Dr. Beene. She weighed 9 lbs 9 ounces, and was 21 1/2 inches long. Dr. Beene said that she is usually happy to see a baby completely regain their birthweight by two weeks, and she had clearly surpassed her 8 lbs. 15 ounces! That was encouraging. And to think, she had grown an inch and a quarter too! That was a whole week ago, and as much eating as she has been doing, I would LOVE to know what she weighed and measured today!

Klaire has "kicked it up a notch." One of my concerns I voiced with Dr. Beene last week was that Klaire seemed a little "too good." I had to wake her for almost every feeding because I didn't want her to go too long without eating (I only did this because I was still worried about the jaundice not being out of her system). She hardly ever even cried. Dr. Beene assured me that she was just fine, and she would eat when she was hungry. I backed off a little bit and by the weekend she was definitely letting me know when she was hungry. Now, a week later, she is waking up in the night every two hours to eat, and is actually very hard to soothe to get back to sleep. So, I would say that our easy baby has "livened up" a bit, but that is just fine! Now I know she is real!

I think she may have her days and nights mixed up. Her longest stretches of sleep are currently in the day time. She is so peaceful and calm during the day. And starting around 8 at night, she gets gassy, fussy, and never really seems completely relaxed until around 5 or 6 the next morning. She does eventually go to sleep, but not for long stretches. I know this is just a season. I'm trying to enjoy every moment. She really is the sweetest little thing though. Her eyes are open so much more and I melt when I feel like she is really looking at me. I'm just so glad she is HERE! Can I just say how much I DON'T MISS BEING PREGNANT AT ALL? Give me sleepless nights with a crying baby, I don't care...I'm just glad to not have her inside me anymore! I'd much rather look at my baby's sweet little face any day. My favorite moments are seeing her smile after she is done eating. That gives me an energy rush even in the sleepiest of times!

Speaking of heights and weights earlier, I happened to find the little card that was inside Korben's bed at the hospital with all of his birth measurements on it. I thought I would compare it with Klaire's.

They were both born at 38 weeks:

John "Korben" Rodgers
Birthday 3/10/08
Time 11:59 p.m.
Weight 8-3
Length 21 1/2
Head 13
Chest 13 1/2

Adalyn "Klaire" Rodgers
Birthday 12/26/10
Time 9:04 a.m.
Weight 8-15
Length 20 1/4
Head 13 1/2
Chest 14 1/2

So, other than length, Klaire was a little bigger than him in every way! Surprising to me! It will be interesting to compare their growth with each other at each month's birthday. It is so hard to believe that our girl will be one month old a week from tomorrow! I know that this first year of her life will FLY by. That is why I don't care that she has "kicked it up a notch." I treasure this time with my precious daughter. Korben has proven to me that our babies grow up too fast!

My two children

I've survived a week having two children at home with me. (Side note- I still can't believe the words "children" and "kids" apply to me. How can I be old enough to have KIDS?) To be honest, it has been nothing like I expected...it has been MUCH, MUCH better! I have to give credit to my two sweet kiddos. First of all, Korben is in love with her, and has blown me away with his maturity and patience. And Klaire, has been the easiest, most laid-back baby ever. I know that any of these things could change in an instant, but for now, I'm just grateful.

After Klaire was admitted to the hospital for her jaundice, Korben went back home with my mom for 3 nights. Aaron met my mom in Clarksville on Tuesday afternoon and brought him back home so we could finally be a family of four! I was so excited and yet so nervous for him to get home. I will never forget what he said when he walked in the house. I greeted him at the garage door. He hugged and kissed me, then quickly asked where Baby Klaire was. I told him she was in the living room in her bouncy seat. He walked right up to her and said "Hey Baby Klaire!" "Mom, her jammies are SO ADORABLE!" and put his hands over his mouth and giggled! We have had countless more moments like this. He says that her outfits are "gorgeous", and mimics everything I ever say to her. Such as "Hey, pretty girl" or "Klaire Bear". I was warned of him being jealous of her, but I genuinely feel like Korben and I are on the same team and we are bonded through equal love for her! He even wants to help me change every diaper. Honestly, he has been a GREAT help to me. He goes and gets diapers and wipes, throws things away for me, gets pacifiers and blankets, and even throws dirty things in the washer. He is my right hand man, and I can't wait to tell Klaire one day what a fabulous big brother she has (Well, she will probably already know that!).

A wise friend of mine with three children gave me some great advice. She told me that she has taught her kids that when she is in her chair in her bedroom nursing the baby that the two older children can come in there, but they can't bring toys in there or play. We taught Korben that rule the very first day I was home alone with them all day, and it has been monumental to us! When the door is open to my bedroom, from my chair I can practically see everything in the house. When I'm feeding Klaire, Korben knows he can come in and talk to me, but he completely understands that toys have to be dropped at the door. This has been such a simple blessing to not have to monitor or worry about spider man flying at my daughter's head.

When Aaron left for work one morning last week, Klaire starting crying shortly after because it was time for a feeding. Korben said "She wants her daddy." I thought it was so sweet! To be completely accurate, he said "He wants his daddy in reference to Klaire. He still calls her a He most of the time, although he knows she is a girl! He is working on getting the right pronouns!

One thing that has blown my mind about Korben is that when we told him we were going to have a baby back in May, he didn't understand anything. He was two years and two months at the time. As the pregnancy progressed, he understood a little more, and REALLY seemed to understand at the end of my pregnancy. Now he is two months away from being three, and I feel like there is nothing he doesn't understand. He is so smart. I feel like I'm talking to a six or seven year old most of the time. I can't imagine how I'm going to feel when he actually is six or seven! Ahhh...when did my baby grow up? I could cry thinking about how big Korben is. Everything about him looks huge to me now. When I hug him (I can hardly pick him up by the way...40 lbs,I think!), all I can think of is how "solid" he feels! When I look at his eyes, I seriously think "His eyes are so big." And his eyelashes are SO LONG! And don't get me started on how big his bottom looks when I change his pull-up! Holy Moly! All of these thoughts I have after only 3 weeks of tiny Klaire in my life. Wow, did she ever put things in perspective.


I love when he takes her hand and makes her wave. He most always says "Hey Big Brother" for her. I can't wait until she can reciprocate the love that he is constantly giving to her.

I apologize if this is poorly written. I am grateful for any spare moment I have to jot down memories and I don't have time to proofread. I also don't have time to attach pictures. Terrible, I know. I will do that soon. Just glad to get these random little stories typed out so they don't escape my brain.

Klaire is HERE! (Birth Story)

We celebrated a fabulous Christmas Day at our house with Don, Julie and Dustin. I went to bed around 10 p.m. while they were still playing a game in the living room. I eventually ended up on the couch around 1 or 2 in the morning (A nightly routine for me!). I woke up at 3:30 and it felt like the blanket beneath me was wet. I thought, surely I didn't just "wet myself." I got up, went to the toilet, and a huge clot of blood fell in the toilet. I yelled to Aaron, "AARON, IT'S TIME!" At that point, I wasn't sure what had just happened, but I knew we needed to go to the hospital. Was this the Mucus Plug I had heard about? Surely I was about to go into labor, right? So, we excitedly flipped on the lights and started getting ready. I jumped in the shower, and he called his parents at the hotel to come over and stay with Korben. I was so excited. I just kept saying "GOD is SO GOOD. I'm not stressed at all! My bag is packed! Your parents are here! This is so great!" Aaron was just as excited, but a little stunned at the same time. While I was trying to put my clothes on, he stopped me, held my hands and prayed over us and Klaire. I could hardly wait for Don and Julie to get there so we could hop in the car to go to the hospital. When they arrived they had big smiles on their faces, greeted us with hugs, and Don was video taping the whole experience! Since they would need our car with the car seat for Korben, they kept their warm car running in the driveway for us to take to the hospital. Aaron excitedly rolled our suitcase right over one of our new landscaping lights in our flower bed and ripped it right up on the sidewalk. It was one of those "moments" I'll never forget!

We arrived at the hospital a little after 4. I kept thinking to myself. "Was that a contraction?" Although, I didn't really think I was having any. A nurse came in and checked me and to my MAJOR surprise said that my cervix was completely closed. I said, "like, a ZERO?" She said "yes." This shocked me since Dr. Torres had told me two weeks ago that I was already dilated to a 1. She said my water had not broken. The blood MAY or MAY not have been my mucus plug, but either way, that didn't mean I was going into labor. I was SO bummed! Even though it was only 5 days before my scheduled c-section, just the hope for a few minutes of getting to meet her early thrilled my soul. I mean, there we were with a suitcase full of every necessity, and my Boppy nursing pillow! The nurses watched to see if I was having any contractions on a monitor for an hour, and although they said I wasn't having any contractions, they wanted me to wait and see Dr. Torres when he came at 7:30. It was around 5 a.m. at this time, and that seemed like a long time to wait. Considering, he was probably just going to say the same thing the nurses said and send me home until Friday, right? So, I drift off to sleep and start thinking of all I need to do at home in preparation for my sister and mom arriving on Tuesday. Apparently I was taking a really great nap because when Dr. Torres flipped on the light at 7:30, it took my eyes a while to adjust. In fact, he had already checked me and told me that he wanted to go ahead and take the baby before my eyes had been able to adjust to the light. Did you hear that? He wanted to go ahead and do the C-section...like NOW! It was one of the most exciting moments of my life. I had been on such a roller coaster that night. Here I was convinced I was going into labor, then convinced that I was going to have to go home, and then my doctor CONFIRMED that I was going to have this bay...NOW. He did not think that the bleeding was from my mucus plug, and couldn't explain why I was having the bleeding at all. He said that he would not be able to sleep if he sent me home with bleeding. I guess I will never know what caused that bleeding, but I'm just so thankful I was as far along as I was, and we had the option to be able to just go ahead with the c-section.

So, let me tell you the story of the easiest c-section of all time. Other than the fact that I was VERY dehydrated (thanks to the stomach virus 4 days prior) and it took 4 people, 5 sticks, and lots of blood all over the floor before they found a vein for my IV...it was the best experience ever. The nurse anesthetist was absolutely phenomenal. She was the one who not only found my vein, but the one I give the credit to for making my c-section so pleasant. Aaron and I walked to the operating room. They asked what type of music I liked for them to set on Pandora Radio. First I said Christian and then I said Christmas. Then I said, well, they're practically the same thing! I remember hearing Mariah Carey singing "Hark the Herald Angels sing, Glory to the Newborn King" as they were prepping me for surgery! There were candles lit, there was pretty art on the ceiling, and a room full of friendly nurses. The spinal block was not bad at all, and worked instantly. I kept saying my favorite thing about my legs going numb is that my feet were no longer cold. I was very cold, but my nurse anesthetist let me have my own heater that I got to put under the arms of my gown. It was so wonderful! She stayed right above my head and told me everything that was going on and medically explained every weird feeling that I felt. I'm a nerd for medical information, so I loved it. I think we were quoting Christmas favorite Christmas movies around the time I interjected and told the staff that there was a lot of money on the table based on whether Klaire would have red hair or not. Aaron and I both said we didn't think she would have red hair. It was hardly a minute later that Dr. Torres said that the hair was dark and there was a lot of it. They had to use some sort of suction cups to get her head out. Her head was very far into the birth canal, which was very evident once we saw her cone shaped head. They had a very hard time getting the suction cups on her head because of her head full of hair! Then the next thing I remember is Dr. Torres saying, "She is a CHUNK...I didn't think she would be this big!" Then I heard nurses echoing, "She ISSS a Chunk." Haha! They pulled the sheet down so we could see them pull her out. I couldn't believe how big she was either! I even heard a nurse say "She's a beast!" when they were cleaning her up. They were taking bets on how much she would weigh and their guesses ranged from 8 and a half to 9 lbs. Turns out, she weighed one ounce away from 9 pounds! She was 8 lbs. 15 oz, and 20.25 inches...TWO weeks early! I guess I'm just meant to have my big babies two weeks early. Can't imagine carrying Korben or Klaire full term!

They cleaned her up a little bit and put her on my chest. I was in love. She was absolutely beautiful. I just remember her staring right into my eyes. Her chubby face melted my heart, and the first thing I told Aaron was that her chin reminded me of my dad. He totally agreed.

Aaron was able to carry her to the nursery. Of course, not without seeing Linda Cain on the way (For the record, Linda Cain made it so quickly that I saw her as I was walking TO surgery). Everything happened so fast that our family wasn't even there yet. Mom was on her way, and Don and Julie had taken Korben to the hotel with them to get ready.

I was in recovery for an hour and a half or so. I had a hard time resting in there. My face ITCHED terribly from the spinal block. They gave me medicine for it, but nothing seemed to make it stop! Even after two doses of benadryl, I couldn't sleep and my face still itched!

It wasn't long until I was in my room. And I hardly had to wait long at all before the brought in my BEAUTIFUL little girl. I will never forget that swaddled up baby with the bright open eyes, and beautiful spiky dark hair. She didn't look at all like I imagined, but I couldn't even remember what I HAD imagined once I saw her. Just perfection. I nursed her for the first time, and although I don't remember it at all, I remember that she was a natural!

I tried to make a huge effort to never forget what Korben said to Klaire for the first time. I also tried to make a huge effort to give Korben a lot of attention when he came in. I couldn't stand for him to think I was neglecting him for my new baby. I had him come get in bed with me and I hugged and kissed him a lot! He said, "Hi Baby Klaire" and "Baby Klaire's not in your tummy anymore!" . Then he pointed out that the duckies on her blanket were yellow and blue, just like his shirt! It was so funny. He also had a BIG TIME telling all the nurses what he got for Christmas. When anyone asked, he said he got a BIG BLACK DOG named BULLSKIE! Of all the awesome things Korben actually did get for Christmas, and he still went with his imaginary dog!

The rest of my hospital stay had its ups and downs. The ups were seeing our family and so many sweet friends. The downs were the lack of rest! I seriously had to be discharged before I got any sleep! My adrenaline was so high the day I had her, I got no rest. My first night in the hospital I was either feeding her, being awoken by LPN's to check vitals, or my favorite interruption...my 2 a.m. shower! That is right...they woke me up at 2 a.m. to walk for the first time and have my shower for the day. I am the type of person that can't JUST take a shower and go back to bed. A shower means: Shower, dry hair, straighten hair, put on clothes, and make up. So that is what I did. By 3:30 a.m. I was dressed for the day and back in bed...JUST in time for a feeding! Awesome. Aaron played my guard dog that day, and I was able to get good naps in between feedings. That night got a little stressful for me. Klaire, who had been perfectly happy and content, became very fussy. She would cry everytimee I fed her and seemed very restless. I had an incredible nurse named Gina who helped me tremendously. She was wise enough to know that Klaire was just getting hungry because my milk had not come in yet. She just encouraged me to keep nursing her because that would only make my milk come in faster. She also taught me several tricks to help soothe her. Gina was a life-saver to me on Monday night and Tuesday night. By FAR the best nurse I had.

We left to go home on Wednesday. The Pediatrician came in and said that her Billirubin (Jaundice) levels were at a 14, but he thought they had reached their peak and would only come down. I had a gut instinct that he was wrong because of our experience with Korben. Korben's billirubin didn't peak until his 6th day of life, and we had already gone home from the hospital with him too. So again in this instance, we happily went home. But,I should have known we would end up back in the hospital for 2 nights.

My milk had come in by Wednesday and Klaire was a new baby. Content and happy! I woke her every 3 hours for a feeding. Our first night home from the hospital was a total breeze with Klaire. I woke her up, she ate, and peacefully went back to sleep. Piece of cake. However, around 3 a.m. I noticed that I had started to break out in hives and the back of my throat was itching. It was obvious I was having an allergic reaction, and the only thing I could attribute it to was my pain medicine, Oxycodone. At the same time I was dealing with that reaction, I was also dealing with night sweats, chills, TERRIBLE stomach cramps from taking laxitives, combined with the pain of a c-section incision. This was a MISERABLE night, to say the least. Then, I only had one more normal night before my mom, Kim, Joyce and Guyndal came to Fort Smith to celebrate Christmas (Although, it wasn't really Christmas...it was New Years Eve, the day I was supposed to have Klaire!) Oh, most importantly, Mom and Kim were returning KORBEN! He had been at my mom's house all week, and it worked out so great that Kim was there too because they bonded tremendously. I'm so grateful for the great care and attention Korben received as I was recovering. I didn't worry about him at all while he was there. We even got to have several Skype dates with him while I was in the hospital! SO COOL! He loved seeing baby Klaire over the computer. He didn't like seeing her with a pacifier in her mouth. He would say, "Take that out of her mouth, I want to talk to her!" He thought she wasn't responding to him because I had her mouth plugged. Ha!

Like I said previously, My family came on Friday afternoon, New Years Eve, to celebrate Christmas. We were so happy to be reunited with Korben, although I probably wasn't as recovered as I thought I was. I got a little overwhelmed with trying to feed Klaire and trying to be there everytime Korben called. I felt guilty not doing whatever Korben wanted to do, even if I couldn't physically do it at the moment. I was determined for him to not feel like I had forgotten about him for the new baby.

The inevitable moment came where Korben was in my room and saw me nursing for the first time. I have been dreading this moment for months now. Conversation went like this.

Korben: Mom, She's drinking you!
Me: I'm feeding her some milk.
Korben: I want some.
Me: This is milk just for babies. You're not a baby you're a big boy
Korben: I'll go get her milk from the refrigerator. I drink blue (2%) she drinks pink (skim).
Me: No, Korben...Klaire only drinks her milk from my....Bbbb...bbb....BOTTLES. (Yes, I said bottles. I couldn't utter a proper term to save my life.)

When I put Korben to bed that night, after prayer time he asked me, "Is CC going to feed Baby Klaire from her Bottles?" Wow. I'm sure I'll have many more "bottle" stories to post in the future. It seemed to be the best explanation, and he hasn't asked anymore questions since!

The next morning, Klaire was incredibly lethargic. So lethargic that we physically couldn't wake her up for a feeding. We tried EVERYTHING. We knew her jaundice levels must have risen. After our doctor confirmed we needed to take her to the ER (New Years Day), so we quickily packed our bags and called mom to come over as fast as she could from the hotel (what a blessing, once again, to have family in town when we needed to get to the hopsital quickly.) Mom was there in a flash. We had a terribly long wait in the ER room. Klaire barely woke up even when they drew blood from her tiny hand. Her billirubin had gone up to 19. Of course, they admitted us to put her under lights. We were there for a full 48 hours. It turned out to be SUCH a blessing. First, because Klaire got so much better while she was there. But secondly, I was finally able to rest. It was a tiny room on the pediatric floor, and all I had to do was take care of her and sleep. Since I was no longer on the labor and delivery floor, it was no longer about me, therefore, they left me alone! The nurses hardly even came in, and it was great! Even though I was up all through the night for feedings, for some reason, it was still a restful experience.

We had saved Korben's gifts from the family for him to open that morning. Unfortunately we were in the ER so we didn't get to watch him open his presents. Thanks to my sweet family, we have tons of pictures and video footage to help us feel like we were actually a part of it! They took him right back home with him (after only being in fort smith for less than 24 hours).

He officially returned to us on Tuesday, and by that point, I felt like a brand new mom. Those extra nights of recovery were just what I needed to feel like I could be what Korben and Klaire needed. By Wednesday I was home all by myself with my two children for the first time. Mission Accomplished!

Adalyn Klaire's Room!

What a week!

On Monday, I took Korben to the doctor for a cough that has been lingering for over 6 weeks. It hasn't been terrible that whole time, but its never really gone away. Last weekend it got really bad again, and by Monday it was awful. Dr. Beene prescribed an inhaler, and said the cough was allergy related. I totally agreed. It doesn't sound anything like asthma. It is a very wet, productive sounding cough as opposed to a dry, wheezy cough. I was really expecting something to show up on the chest x-ray, and get a prescription for antibiotics. But to my surprise, the chest x-ray was clear. Sooooo, that means, the cough is the result of post-nasal drip. Which explains why it was the worst when he was sleeping. After two days of the inhaler, he was getting worse and not better. On Wednesday she prescribed a steroid to reduce the allergic reaction happening in his lungs. We are on day 4 of 5 of the steroid and he is just NOW better! She had me under the impression that he would be better by day 1 or 2, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. The steroid took my already hyper child and turned him into a circus act. He has been literally climbing the walls ever since he started the pills. He was already not sleeping well at night or napping before the steroid, so my exhaustion level was already sky high. Then, the steroids came and I thought I wasn't going to make it through the week. Not being able to leave the house is hard with a very, very energized 2 year old boy. He begged to go outside everyday, but since allergies are the culprit of this cough, that wasn't an option. Some days I thought that Korben felt like equivalent of 6 children. I used to say I wanted a dozen kids (It was those "cheaper by the dozen movies" Ha!), but now I'm thinking that if Klaire has anywhere near the energy of Korben, maybe two kids will just FEEL like 12 kids!

I was on the verge of breaking down yesterday afternoon. I hadn't left the house since Tuesday morning (I realize that is only 3.5 days, but these weren't normal days), and the lack of sleep was about to do me in. Thankfully, Aaron picked up on my desperation when he came home yesterday afternoon and swept Korben away for an afternoon/evening of indoor fun...chick fil a, the halloween store, the mall, and a movie! Not only was this a great time of rest for me, it was great memories for them! Aaron is officially the best husband and dad ever. Good thing he isn't anyone else's husband because I would covet him...Ha!

My morning was officially made this morning when Korben came in our room at 6:50 a.m.! I never would have dreamed I would be so thrilled to get up before 7 on a Saturday, but in context of our sleepless week, I was SO HAPPY to see that time on the clock! He was proud of himself too...He said "Its light outside! I feel all better! Go outside and play today?" That made my morning. Of course, we still shouldn't go outside, but he had a better day!

Aaron went to an early morning men's breakfast at church, then I went to a really fun baby shower luncheon (great fellowship for my soul...needed that!), then Aaron attended a funeral, and late in the afternoon we watched the Razorback game (recorded, so we could zip through the commercials)!

Aaron went for a run tonight and when he came back in he brought the mail. I guess the time has come in our lives again that we will receive TOY CATALOGS before Christmas! It was very nostalgic for Aaron and I to look through the toy catalogs with Korben. Is it just instinct for children to get how all this works? HOW MANY TIMES tonight did I hear "I need this one", "I like THIS one best", "Dad, get this for me?" Yes, he actually said "get this for me." Ahhh, the time has come ALREADY!
When it came time to read a book before bed, you'll never guess which "book" he requested...Oh yes, the "toy book!"

I'm seeing light at the end of the tunnel! Korben is sleeping again, and his cough seems to be subsiding. However, we have got to get on a new allergy regimen. I'm pretty sure his body is immune to Zyrtec after a year of taking it. I'm praying for the right answers, even if that means we need to see an Allergist.

Everything with my little Klaire seems to be going well! Some days I feel more pregnant than others! Some days I feel like I could take on the world and tackle every errand and household chore, and some days I have aches and pains everywhere and feel like I am days away from labor! She kicks more and more all the time! It is hard to believe how big she is! From what I've read, she is probably already 15 inches long and 3 pounds. I just wish I could see her little face! I am DYING to meet her! Every day I try to picture what life is going to be like with her here. Sometimes it makes me really nervous and overwhelmed, and sometimes it makes me squeal because I'm so excited. The things I am most nervous about are: Being exhausted due to all night feedings, nursing (in general) with no help in that department, and most of all...not being the mom I want to be to Korben due to the first two things I've listed. In hindsight, the REALLY tough times with Korben didn't really last that long. By 4-6 months old he was on a GREAT schedule, and sleeping through the night. I will try to keep that in mind with Klaire, knowing that it won't last forever. My goal is to enjoy our middle of the night snuggle times, and realize this is just a short phase of her life. I pray God will give me the ability to thrive on even the littlest sleep, and still be a fun mommy to Korben.

Just for record keeping purposes, I must record here about my dream this past week. I dreamed that Klaire was kicking me very high and very hard, which is totally normal. And all of a sudden, her little toe nails came right out of my skin under my ribcage! The weirdest thing about this dream is that it wasn't weird at all! It was a charming, "aww, Klaire" moment. Now that makes it weird!

Random Korben Stories

I've gotten really bad about blogging and really good about writing down a couple sentences a day on facebook when I have a funny story to tell. Here are a few things I've put on facebook lately about Korben.

Conversation between Korben and me:

Korben: Hey Mom, How are you?
Me: I'm Sleepy!
Korben: Don't be sad, be awesome like me!

Korben really loves to ask ANYONE "How are you?" these days! When they return the question, sometimes he says "I'm good!...but most of the he says,"I'm AWESOME!"




He woke up from his nap this past sunday and said "Hey Mom, Korben slept for two whole days!" I'm thinking, that was hardly an hour, and it felt like 2 whole minutes!

He still speaks 60% of the time in 3rd person! He is slowly, but steadily venturing into the world of saying "I." We are so used to it, but everyone who hears him talk thinks it is so funny.









The other day he was really struggling with staying in his bed for his nap. I said "Korben if you get up again, I'm going to spank you." Well, three minutes later he comes zooming out of his room with a "helicopter" he just made from his legos. I said, "Korben, now I'm going to have to spank you." He says "Okay...do it GENTLE, just pat my bottom like this" (*Motions a gentle tap-tap on his bottom*)

I could have died laughing.






There are multiple funny stories a day around here...I've got to start blogging more!