My Crazy Life!

So, life with two is craziness!  But, I feel so blessed and happy to be the mother of two beautiful and healthy boys!!!!  I feel like we are getting pretty adjusted to being a family of 4.  Little R has done really well adjusting to the baby.  He has been so sweet and interested in Baby Brooks from the start.  He loves to kiss his head and point to/poke all of his body parts :)  Little R did go through a week of being fussy/clingy, but he has really come around.  The hardest part of each day is keeping Little R occupied while I feed Brooks....which feels like all of the time!  Brooks has been such an easy baby so far.  I know he is still in the "sleepy" stage, so I hope he continues to be this easy once he "wakes up" good!  He has been going 4-5 hour stretches at night, which means I have only been having to get up once to feed him...woohoo for sleep!  I usually feed him around 10 before I go to bed, and he wakes up again between 2:30-3.  Then, he usually sleeps until 7 or 7:30.  Brooks still sleeps most of the day, which has given me plenty of time to attend to my very busy 18 month old :)

This week, I have been getting out of the house some.  I have taken both boys to the doctor, grocery store, to visit the school where I used to teach, and to a friend's house to play.  I am so glad to be getting out of the house in this pretty weather!  On Monday, I took Reives to his 18 month check-up and Brooks to his 2 week check up.  Reives is in the 88th percentile (34 inches) for height and the 66th percentile (27 lbs 1 oz) for weight.  Brooks weighed 7 lbs 15 oz and was 21 1/4 inches.  He has already gained a pound!!!!
Here are some pictures of the boys :)

 "I'm the BIG brother!"

 Such a proud Daddy :)

 So sweet :)

 1 Week Old

 First walk in the double stroller

2 weeks old

18 Months

Reives turned 18 months on Brooks's birthday.  I think it is pretty cool that my boys are exactly 18 months apart and are both born on 11ths :)  Reives is a true toddler, complete with gibberish, tantrums, giggles, hugs, hitting, energy, and love!  He is a busy little guy who has a mind of his own.  It is fun to see more of his personality emerging.  He already seems to be set in his ways and is very particular about things....like his Daddy!  He does things very methodically, and it cracks us up.  He is a busy, busy boy and is definitely in a phase where he is constantly on the move and keeps us on our toes.  (Add a newborn baby in the mix and you can imagine our household....CRAZINESS!)

Here are some things going on with Little R right now:

-talking alot of "gibberish"
-picking up more words each day.  Alot of his words are the same word for a different object.  For example the word "buba" means bubbles and baby.
-eating alot of food
-terrified of baths and showers (we think this is related to "poopooing" in the bathtub).  I sure hope he will like the pool again this summer
-loves pushing toys all around the yard
-is very very into books
-loves Baby Einstein videos (these may be a lifesaver when I am nursing the baby).  I don't generally keep the TV on during the day, but letting him watch a 20 minute DVD every now and then might be a necessity.
-still refuses to drink milk
-blows everyone he meets a kiss :)
-hates having his picture taken and runs away from the camera....like his Daddy :)

Here are some pics of Little R at 18 months (no photo shoot this time...just random pics):

Brooks Alexander Glendye

Brooks Alexander Glendye was born on Sunday, March 11, 2012 at 3:12 am.  He weighed 6 lbs 14 oz and was 21 inches long.  Here is a quick recap of his birth:

I went to the doctor on Friday, March 9 and found out that I was 2 to 3 cm dialated.  I was so excited, but I did not want to get my hopes up.  In fact, I hoped that the baby would wait until Monday to make his appearance so that my doctor would get to deliver him.  Friday afternoon, I began having some contractions.  As the night went on, I started to write the times down and noticed that they were coming every 12 minutes.  They continued throughout the night and some of the contractions were painful enough to wake me up.  I hardly got any sleep as I felt that I was going into labor.  However, the next morning, the contractions pretty much stopped altogether.  Saturday afternoon, they started up again.  Around 6:00 some of them started to become pretty painful, but the contractions were between 10 and 20 minutes apart.  At 7, we put Reives to bed and I tried to "relax" on the sofa to see what these contractions would do.  Around 9, we decided to go to the hospital.  The contractions were very painful...I couldn't talk or walk through them....but they were still 7 to 13 minutes apart.  The doctors usually say to go to the hospital when they are 5 minutes apart.  Well, by the time we loaded up the car, put Reives and the dog in, and arrived at the hospital, the contractions were coming about every 5 minutes and I was 5 centimeters dialated.  I received an epidural when I was 6 cm, around midnight.  I started pushing about 1:50 and twenty minutes later at 3:12, Brooks arrived.  No, I didn't forget about 2:12....at 2:00, we "sprung forward" to 3:00 :)

This labor and delivery was much quicker, easier, and less painful than my experience with Reives.  Once again, I went into labor on a weekend when my doctor was not on call, so a different doctor has delivered both of my boys.  Just like when Reives was born, watching the doctor pull that little baby out was one of the most amazing experiences of my life!  We are so thankful and blessed to have a perfect, beautiful, healthy baby boy!  Brooks is so sweet and we love having him as part of our family!

Welcome to the world, sweet baby!

 Dr. Tarrea and Brooks right after he arrived (excuse the foot)

 Just perfect!

 Every time Trey started talking to Brooks he stopped crying :)

Holding my sweet baby :)

38 Weeks

It is hard to believe that I have made it to the 38 week mark.  With Reives, I never made it to 39 weeks, so I wonder what will happen this time!?!?!  I had an appointment last Friday, and there were no impending signs of labor (dialation, thinning, etc.)  I have been having "contractions" for several months, but they have actually really slowed down lately.  (Maybe the calm before the storm?)  When I was pregnant with Reives, I had "signs" of labor for several days before I actually went into labor.  There are no such signs so far, which makes me think this baby may stay in the oven a little longer than Reives did.  But, I also know things can change/happen very quickly.  Either way, we are getting more and more excited to meet our newest addition.  I pray that my labor goes much better this go around, and I also pray that I can have another natural delivery, as opposed to a C section.  This week, I have been starving.....I mean I cannot get enough to eat!  I don't remember feeling this hungry last time I was pregnant, but I guess this baby is having a growth spurt.  I had only gained 1 pound in the last 3 weeks, but I am sure I am making up for those pounds this week :)

Here is a 38 week picture:

Oscar Party 2012

My sweet friend, Casey, has hosted an Oscar party the last two years.  This year, however, we all decided that we would dress up for the red carpet ourselves.  I was a little worried about what kind of "Oscar appropriate" dress I owned that would actually fit this 37 week pregnant mama, but believe or not, one of my bridesmaid's dresses worked perfectly!!!  Oscar night was a blast (even though my pics did not win me the grand prize.)  It was great to have a night out and hang with the girls :)

 Getting ready to leave the house for "The Oscars"

 Arriving on the "red carpet"

 The paparazzi definitely wanted a 37 week preggo shot on the red carpet :)

 Casey making her debut on the red carpet

Some of us girls posing for the cameras :)

More Shower Fun...

A very dear family friend of ours and her sister hosted me and Baby Glendye #2 a baby shower last Sunday.  It was so nice, relaxing, and fun :)  Baby G#2 and I received so many nice gifts, and the shower made me so so excited about his arrival so that he can use/wear all of these things.  Here are some pics from the shower:

 The yummy spread

 My sister, Debra (one of the hosts) and me

 My sister in law, Carolyn, and my good friend, Ann (who came from SSI)

 Many of my dear family and friends :)

 Nana, Aunt Kathy, Angelina, and Carol

 Hmmm??

 A sweet little newborn gown.....

 Baby G #2 is going to be styling at Tybee this summer!

 Me and the hostesses (Debra and Peggy)

 Baby G#2's two grandmothers (GiGi and Grammie)

My mom, sister, and me

I cannot wait for this sweet little baby to get here!!!!

Jars of Clay

I am currently involved in a Bible Study called BSF (Bible Study Fellowship.)  This Bible Study runs from September to May.  I greatly look forward to this time every Wednesday morning.  We have been studying the book of Acts, along with several of Paul's epistles which he wrote on his missionary journeys.  This very in-depth study has challenged me in so many ways.  We are currently studying through 2 Corinthians, which is a letter that Paul wrote to the church in Corinth.  During the lecture last week, our teacher brought a new aspect to a set of verses in chapter 4.  I love this picture that she described, and so I thought I would share it.

"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.  But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.  We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed."        (2 Corinthians 4:6-8)

I have read this passage many times, and I have always known that "jars of clay" refer to our bodies.  Kirsten, our teacher, reiterated the fact this week that it is what we carry around in our lives/bodies that is the true treasure.  The first verse (v. 6) shares the promise that we carry around.....that God has made His light shine in us.  The verses then go on to say that although we face many hardships, we are not destroyed.  But, what I especially loved is when Kirsten mentioned that sometimes clay jars get cracked.  Cracks are painful, ugly, and frustrating, but these cracks allow some of what is inside to spill out.  Essentially, she was making the point that sometimes God has to "crack" us and "break" us in order to allow God's light and glory to spill out into the lives of others.  I think we can all think of times when we have dealt with a hard situation and God has placed just the right person who has also been "cracked" with a similar situation to encourage us.  God used that person to shine light into our lives throughout that difficulty.  I just think this is a beautiful picture.  Oftentimes, I get frustrated when I am "cracked" and the focus easily turns to myself...my hardship....my feelings....etc.  Instead, I think God wants us to use these "cracks" to let His light shine into others.  Instead, I should look for ways to share what I am going through in order to encourage others.

Our God is so big, and I am constantly amazed at how He intertwines the lives of His children so perfectly to meet our every need.  It is like He works to biggest, most complex brain teaser or sudoku puzzle that we could ever imagine....but even more complicated that what we can conjure up.  I am thankful for such a BIG God who can use even our "cracks" for His glory!