Rolling Over

Tonight, we watched Mason roll over for the first time from his tummy to his back! The other morning I went in after he kept crying and discovered he was on his back. I thought it was a fluke then, but this afternoon he rolled over in his crib while he was at my parent's house.  Once we got home, I put Mason on his surf mat and he rolled over from his tummy to his back three different times for us!

 

Go Mason!

Sunday Funday at the Circus!

This afternoon, Justin and I took Kate to the circus and had a fantastic time.  I had no idea what to expect but it turned out to be really enjoyable!  I owe Gigi and Granddaddy a big thank you for keeping Mason!

 My little man at church - he looks so handsome (and grown up) in his polo shirt!

 We grabbed a quick bite to eat at Kentucky Fried Chicken before heading to the circus.  When we pulled into the parking lot, Kate told us she wasn't hungry and only wanted to go to the circus so she was going to stay in the car.  Needless to say we told her there were chicken nuggets at KFC and quickly decided to join us for lunch.

 Kate was talking all morning about going to the circus, but her demeanor quickly changed once we got inside the civic center and the show hadn't even started yet.  She clung to Justin and refused to open her eyes.  She kept shouting she didn't want to see the circus and didn't want to see the lions.  FYI - there weren't any lions.

 I finally pried her off of Justin and made her turn around and this is what she did...kept her eyes covered.  If I forced her to put her hands down, she just kept her eyes closed.  This continued for the first ten minutes of the show.  I wasn't sure what to do, but I knew she was acting ridiculous.

 So...I'm not proud of my next move and I certainly won't win the "mom of the year" award, but it was something I felt necessary (especially since we had paid a pretty penny for this event and I didn't want Kate to miss it).  We kept narrating to Kate what was going on and nothing was convincing her to open her eyes - even the camels and the horses.  I knew she would love it if she would give it a try so I took two fingers, placed one above and one below her eyelids, and forced her to open her eyes.  And guess what - ?!  I worked.  Surprise, surprise.  She can be so stubborn!

 Then she was glued to every minute of the circus.

 We had a great view!

 Having fun at intermission!  I'm glad I grabbed Kate and high tailed it to the bathroom as soon as the intermission started.  I forget how long the line in the women's bathroom can get at a big event like that and you don't want to be at the end of that line when you have a potty training three year old.  Plus the civic center bathrooms are some of the worst public bathrooms I have ever been in.  I feel germy just walking in there.  Kate did great holding it until it was our turn - next time I'm going to get Justin to take her.  There's never a line in the men's bathroom!

Some of my favorite things - the motorcycles in the sphere of death, the tight rope walkers and the elephants!  Kate's favorite things were the camels and the miniature ponies.  Good thing I forced her to open her eyes!

 Poor Kate crashed in the car after the circus and had a mini nap on our way to pick up Mason.

Before leaving, Granddaddy read Mason and Kate a couple stories.  So sweet!

3 Months Old!

Today is January 19th which means Mason is 3 months old!  He has started to laugh out loud occasionally and "talk" to me on a regular basis.  I love his precious smiles.  He still loves bath time and being held as much as possible.  He has become more content on the floor or playing in his bouncy seat, although it's not for as long as I would like.  I have recently discovered he likes to sit in the stroller or hang in the carrier, so we try to take walks up and down the street or be in the backyard if the weather is nice.  

 

Sleeping is still my biggest challenge with Mason and I think it's related to our lack of a schedule.  I can't figure out a good routine for the day.  I am trying to transition him to a long(er) morning nap and afternoon nap (each about 2 hours) and one short nap (an hour or so) in the early evening but I'm not sure if he is ready for that or not.  Some days he does three naps, but then other days he seems to require more frequent, shorter naps.  Either way, he's not sleeping through the night like I think he should be.  Although I'm not feeding him at night, he is consistently waking up at least once during the night, if not twice. Usually at 4 am and maybe again at 5am he cries briefly, but will put himself back to sleep.  It makes me question if he is getting enough to eat during the day or if it's a different issue since he will go back to sleep another hour or so.  It's so hard to know what is going on at this age!

 

My goal is to get a routine established before going back to work, but I remember with Kate that didn't happen until I went back to work.  I'm planning on getting the daycare schedule and trying to get him adjusted to that so either way, if he goes to daycare or if Justin keeps him, his schedule will be predictable.

 

At three months he has already run a mild fever and had his first bout with congestion. For several days, his temperature stayed right at 100 so I refrained from medicine and instead tried to keep his nasal passage clear with saline drops and the nose bulb sucker. These past couple days he has been fever free and happy as always. Now if I can just get him to sleep without a peep at night!

 

 Playing on the surf mat.

 Loving the stroller!

Happy 3 Month Birthday Mason!

Outside Fun

Yesterday afternoon, the kids and I went outside to enjoy the gorgeous weather.  Kate has been having a great time playing on her swing set lately and I love sitting in the backyard watching her.  Since Mason loves to be held, I tested out the baby carrier (I never used with it Kate) and he seemed to like it.  I think he hung out (literally) for almost an hour before he decided he was ready for a nap.

 Loving the view from the carrier.

Hope this wonderful weather continues - not too hot and not too cold!

Potty Trained!

One of the most urgent New Year's resolutions I had was getting Kate potty trained.  Most of her friends at church and at school are potty trained, but she never seemed bothered by that and proudly wore her pull ups.  Since daycare was closed for two days at New Years, I decided that would be the perfect time to put Kate through potty training boot camp.  Thankfully, Justin was home to help me with both kids and we put Kate in her big girls panties.  I had thought I would start off just letting her stay naked, but then decided that would be my backup plan if she consistently wet her big girl panties.  We pulled up all the rugs off the floor and only allowed her to play in the living room where the wood floors were.  We made sure there was a towel underneath her if she wanted to sit on the furniture and asked her every hour or so if she needed to potty.  We only had a few accidents at home and so far she hasn't had any accidents at school!

 

Kate has tackled going number one in the potty, but going number two has been a completely different issue.  For months, Kate has been holding in her poo-poo and I have come to learn it's not because she doesn't want to go on the potty, it's because she doesn't want to go at all - whether it's in a pull up or on the potty.  After talking to the doctor and the nurse, I have been reassured that this can be normal (unfortunately) in toddlers and we just have to wait it out.  

 

The first time we gave her medicine to force her to go, we also rewarded her.  Justin took her up to the store and she picked out a mini Cinderella and prince charming doll.  I was hoping going that one time on the potty and getting a toy would cure her fear, but it hasn't. So, liquid suppositories are now part of our routine every couple of days until Kate decides she wants to go on her own. Today I bought her a La-La-Loopsy doll and it's sitting up on the mantel in the living room.  I'm hoping if she constantly sees it, it will entice her!

 

Meanwhile, yesterday she put panties on several of her stuffed animals because she informed me she was potty training all of them....so cute. 

 

 

Despite her stubbornness, Justin and I are extremely proud of how well she is doing!

My New Year's Resolutions for 2013

It is already the middle of January and I have yet to post an entry in 2013!  I’m not going to lie – 2012 was a very hard year for us.  We had some happy events like Justin getting licensed, Mason’s arrival, and our new house, but I feel like the challenging events in 2012 have overshadowed the great ones.   2013 hasn’t gotten off to the start I had hoped either.  I guess that’s why I haven’t been eager to blog in the new year.  I was planning on a happy post, filled with my hopes and dreams for 2013, and instead I’m worried 2013 is going to be just as much of a struggle as 2012 was.  If it is, we will survive and hopefully these challenges will just make us stronger.  I’m trying to remind myself daily to focus on my blessings – but that is honestly a big challenge for me some days!

Struggle #1: Returning to Work

March 1^st is the date I am dreading the most in 2013.  I return to work that day.  I get emotional just at the thought of going back to work – even though March 1^st is still several weeks away.  I had hoped and prayed with all my strength that I would be able to stay at home this time, with both Kate and Mason, but that’s not the situation I have been placed in.  God has different plans for me.  I have been blessed with a great (new) job opportunity that starts March 1^st but I’m still in denial and keep hoping that something will happen between now and then to allow me to stay at home.  Maybe we can win the lottery - haha. 

I hate the idea of leaving Mason the most.   Kate is independent, self sufficient and thrives at her school.  It doesn’t bother me anymore to drop her off at school – she needs that.  It was a terrible struggle for me when she was younger but as she got older, it got a little easier.  My biggest fear is that I’m going to miss Mason’s milestones – sitting up for the first time, crawling, walking, talking etc.  It hurts so badly to know he’s my last one and I will never get this time back.  I always pushed these thoughts aside when Kate was little because I would tell myself with baby #2 things would be different.  If only…

I’m hoping writing my thoughts down will help me get over some of this anxiety and dread.  I don’t want to continue to be depressed about the situation.  Why am I focusing on it so much?  I get mad at myself for wasting so much time and energy (and tears) dreading returning to work instead of cherishing these last few weeks I have with the kids.  Although Justin is my best friend and knows all my thoughts and concerns (happy and sad), I know it burdens him when I discuss/complain about not being able to stay at home.  I know he wants that for me as badly as I do, but neither of us can control every situation and this is one that is currently out of our control.  It hurts when I hear another friend has chosen to stay at home.  What a blessing it is to have the choice.  I wish it were me.

Resolution #1: Cherish these last few weeks with my children and have a positive attitude about returning to work.

Struggle #2:  Finances

Although I am relieved to be home with the kids until March 1^st, it comes at a big financial sacrifice.  I feel so selfish being at home for these extra two months knowing we have no income until the end of March.  The expenses associated with selling a house (at a loss), buying a house, having a baby, Christmas, higher bills associated with a larger house, etc have all added up quickly.  This financial strain is one that has been present for the past couple years since we have been living on a reduced income but it is at its peak now.  We are currently relying on savings, but it worries me that this (selfish) decision might hurt us at a later time.  Justin and I have worked so hard to get out of debt (with the exception of the mortgage) and I would feel horrible if I put us back into that situation.

I start to get overwhelmed when I think about all the additional investments that need to be contributed to in addition to the monthly bills – two retirement funds and two college savings accounts.  I want to pay our mortgage off early and I also want to have sufficient money in our savings accounts to take care of any major house/car repairs that might have to be done in the future.  It’s a simple solution – save more, spend less.  Now I just need to act upon that advice!

Resolution #2: Have faith.

Struggle #3:  Health Concerns

January 2011 was the month that changed our lives forever in a way we had hoped we would never have to deal with.  It has been a long two years for me and I know it’s even harder on Justin.  I pray that he will get the right combination of medicine and we won’t have to worry about another episode.  Each episode that occurs means two things: the medicine is not working and Justin can’t drive for six months. 

I wish I could take all these health concerns away but I can’t.  It’s a part of our lives now and I try to focus on our blessings.  His condition could be so much worse than it is and it is possible to get it under control, we just have to be patient and trust in God.  I know God puts circumstances in our lives that mold us as human beings and shape our character.  Sometimes we face challenges for our own growth and sometimes we face them so we can relate to others.  There is a quote from the movie, Evan Almighty, that I love and often think about to remind myself that there’s a reason for everything:

Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous?

I have often thought maybe I’m so sick during pregnancy so that I have some idea of how to relate to Justin and his health struggles.  I can’t understand entirely how Justin feels, but I believe God has put me in past situations so that we can lean on each other.  I know it’s hard to ask for help, I know how it feels to think of yourself as a burden, but I also know how sincerely others want to help.  My experience has helped me be more sensitive to how to help others.  Some people naturally have this talent, but I struggle with it.  I’m embarrassed to say I get so focused on myself and my family that I don’t always reach out to others that are hurting.  I want to, but I didn’t always know how to.

Resolution #3:  Let Go and Let God.  He is in control.

Struggle #4:  Focusing on the hard times

It's easy for me to focus on the difficult times and I want to do better in 2013; it will be a great year if I have a positive attitude about it, despite the struggles and challenges my family may face.  God never promised me life would be easy, but he did promise me to be there with me, to carry me through.

Resolution #4:  Focus on the happy times! 

To begin on resolution #4, here's a list of things I am looking forward to in 2013:

February: Finding out whether Kate and Mason will have a boy or girl cousin.  We are so excited for Aunt Katie and Uncle Jordan!

June: Beach trip to Destin with my entire family.  

July:  Baby Cowart's arrival (if he/she is on time).

August: Family trip to daddy's annual work conference in Tampa.

September: Kate's 4th birthday.

October: Mason's 1st birthday.

December: Christmas.

I saw this quote/verse on Facebook and loved it:

"Though we often wonder why God does what He does, we can be sure He does it on better information."
-Robert Brault

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." I Peter 5:6-7

Happy New Year!

We celebrated New Year's at Nanny's house this year and had a great time! Kate is always excited to go over to Nanny's house to play and she was even more excited on New Year's Day since the rest of my family was there too. We had a fantastic meal (as usual) and enjoyed spending time together and watching the FSU football game. Somehow Aunt Katie escaped all of the pictures - but I promise she was there!

 

Happy New Year!