Crooked Smiles

This boy will not let me take a picture of him smiling normally. Every time the camera finally takes the picture, the smile is crooked and off to the side!

That is OK.

I will take it!

Another year flies by!

He was so little when he was born! He was just a tiny little bundle of crying, peeing, pooping, smiling, heart-melting joy. We had no idea what we were in for! Then he turned into a strapping 1-year-old, and what a 1-year-old he turned out to be. Kyle, you are such an amazing child. You are headstrong and stubborn, yet loving and kind. You are naughty and you love doing things you KNOW you are not supposed to do, but you are excessively polite and bring awesome joy into our lives. You are smart and cleaver, but you are still eager to learn and discover. You know the names of most of the animals that walk God's green earth. You recognize numbers, can count to 10 (when YOU want to, not when WE want you to), and are even starting to recognize letters (which amazes us because we have not started focusing on letters with you yet!). You have your colors down fairly well, though recalling their names is a bit tough- but ask you to point out the green dot or the red circle and you are 100% there! You started saying "I love you" and "Loves Mama and Daddy" in the past week or so and it melts my heart every single time you say it. Beyond the things that you know or have learned, you simply 'get' things easily. You have an understanding for how things work and how to solve problems that is beyond your years. It is inspiring. In the past month your little world has changed so much. We moved from Salt Lake, where you did so much of your growing and learning, to Rawlins, where you are cooped up quite a bit of the time. You also became a big brother, a role you are more than happy to fill. You want to be so helpful that it is a hindrance at times, but Mama is learning to help you in your helping skills. You are going to have so much fun with Kaleb as the both of you grow. I feel blessed to be your Mama and to have the opportunity to continue to watch you learn and grow, as well as honored to help guide you through each stage of your life. I love you sugarbean, more than you will ever know.

What a good big brother!

We all know that Kyle loves books. Today he decided to instill that love of books in Kaleb by reading him "The Monster at the End of This Book". It was precious. He even took the time to explain what was in the pictures. How sweet.

I love having boys. If I were to ever have a girl I would love that too, but boys just weasel their way into Mama's heart to the point of being sickeningly adorable. Good thing I like sickeningly adorable!

Recovering from a c-section

If nobody has said it before, I will go ahead and be the first. C-sections are absolutely the best way to have a baby. Seriously, think about it. I got to pick my day, had it all planned out, walked calmly into the hospital that morning, and simply went through the motions of preparing for major surgery. There was no pushing, no screaming, no tearing, no baby getting stuck, no yelling at my husband, no sweating, no messed up hair. All very orderly and calm.
Recovery is what likely scares most people. I think I am one of the few people in this world that has a screwed up pain sensory system in my body. So far I have had an easy recovery, much like I did with Kyle, but this time easier in many ways. For instance, I had a belly wrap. It is a big elastic band that you wrap tightly around your mid-section for support. My abs got a few extra days of rest because of that baby. I was not afraid to sneeze or cough and I really did not have any pain at all because of moving the 'wrong' way. I was able to stop taking my pain medication after only 9 days, which is amazing in my opinion.
At this point, much of my swelling is gone and I can feel where they stitched me up on the inside. It is strange, but I am OK with that. Today I went for a walk around the park with my boys and I jogged just a bit to see if I could. Well, I could, but I should not. I will try to stick to doctor's orders and wait until I am 6 weeks pp, but to actually feel like I want to run is a big deal. I know I am done having kids and I want to try to get my old body back.
All I can say is wish me luck.

Diapers

I just wanted to say that I REFUSE to count how many diapers I change per day now. Totally and completely refuse. It would be really sad if I knew that off the top of my head. I remind myself that I was totally OK with two in diapers, and I still am, but I will still not count how many I changed, say, today. Not going to happen. Simply not an important piece of information. Nobody needs to know- I dont even need to know.




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*sigh*

My life as a Mommy of two...

You never do know how capable you are of loving, how much your heart can really stretch and grow, until you add another child to your life.
When you only have one child your heart is full of, well, them. My heart was full of Kyle- full of his smiles, his laughter, his boo-boos, his triumphs, his aggravations, his entire world. Of course my heart also holds love for Larabee and other members of my family, but Kyle truly was my world. His well-being, his education, and his daily care was in my hands much of the time, so his little life encompassed mine.
When I found out I was pregnant last spring I never went through the worry or concern that I would not have room in my heart for another child. I know that everyone says your heart grows and your capacity for love grows, and I just believed in that.
Now that Kaleb is here I can say with all honesty that 'they' were right. There is always room in your heart for more love. I cherish the memories I have with Kyle, especially since was our first and our only for nearly two years. I love that I have gotten to watch him grow and learn and become the awesome little man he is today, but I am also very much looking forward to watching my two boys grow and learn and become awesome young men. I search every day for Kaleb's first smile, I wait every day for Kyle to say "Kaleb" with greater clarity. Every night Kyle kisses Kaleb on the head before he goes to bed, and I love seeing that. It is almost as if the love is built in from the beginning, which it perhaps is. God has granted Larabee and I with two little boys and has entrusted us with their care. That is not a job I take lightly, and while I know it will be a challenge I also know it will hold the greatest rewards.
My boys, Kyle and Kaleb, as one of your favorite books says, "I love you as much as a mother can love."

Kaleb Joseph Willey is here!

I am a bit late posting this, but that is OK, right? LOL

Kaleb Joseph Willey graced us with his presence Saturday the 21st at 8:20 am. He weighed in at 8 lbs 11 oz and was 21 inches long, so bigger than his big brother was! He has black hair and looks an awful lot like Kyle did at that age. He is a big fan of sleeping in the daytime and not so much at night, but we are working on it. He is mellow and only cries if there is a reason (so far). We are proud!