Thursday, December 31, 2009

Our 2009 in 12 Pictures

January: Finger foods!
February: The big O-N-E!
March: Spring picnics at the park
April: The beginning of mischief
May: Surprise!
June: Summer nights on the patio
July: Ring bearers!
August: The Keys!
September: State Fair time, baby!
October: Mastering body parts!
November: Thanksgiving-Our last holiday as a family of 4!
December: Welcome Judah Oren!
Happy New Year from our family to yours!

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Our Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas and were blessed to celebrate with almost all of our family, despite the weather, sickness, and last minute changes that threatened just about every detail of this year's plans. While I wish I had more time {and energy} to blog about it, I'm trying to soak up the last hours of my mom's visit before I have to feed the boy and then, my friends, I'm off to bed! Hope you enjoy the pictures and "Silent Night" by Sixpence None the Richer!

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

B, A & J

To date, the only picture of all three boys. Man, is it hard getting the big boys to sit still {or not poke Judah in the eye while I try to snap the picture}!
Mister A.B. is just smitten with his "bay-pee Jew-daah."
The jury is still out on Ben :)
The little guy is starting to finally starting to spend some time awake!
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Candycanes! Love at first bite!


Monday, December 21, 2009

Monday, December 14, 2009

The New Norm

This past week, my dad adequately described how I'm feeling about things right now. In the midst of an extremely crazy moment he, so very tongue-in-cheek said, "One kid is like having one kid. Two kids is like having two kids. Three kids is like having nine."
Obviously, that is certainly not the case. Having any amount of kids is work. And a lot of it. It's just that for the moment, finding the balance with our new schedule makes it seem like there are a lot more than 5 people living under our roof! I guess the stomach flu didn't really help our cause either. But really though, things feel SO crazy! Endless laundry, frequent temper tantrums, Bilirubin checks, messed up naps, doctor appointments, crazy nights, countless feedings...whoa! All that makes this girl want to crawl under the blankets and hide! If only it were that easy!

I do admit, I was a bit spoiled at first. My labor and delivery was a walk in the park compared to last time. We were home almost exactly 24 hours later. I had my mom, Jer, and my sister at my total disposal. And the boys were snowed in/sick for a week with Grandpa and Nana in Chama. It was a newborn honeymoon and I took FULL advantage. We went out to dinner, shopping, and just spent time relaxing and enjoying our new baby boy. And even though in the back of my mind I knew things would be changing once were living in the realm of "everyday" again, I didn't know just how much.

But I trust that we will find our new norm. It's just gonna take a little while.

Luckily though, I do have my partner in crime to help me combat the craziness. Jer is home this week helping me hold down the fort and keeping the boys occupied and quiet so I can catch some extra zzzz's in the morning. And boy am I thankful for that! Although Judah seems to be quite the calm baby (so far), he has had a few nights of non-stop nursing which has made for a less than chipper mommy when it comes time for The Deuce to get up. I am SO thankful for him. And I'm even more thankful that he doesn't say anything when I'm still in the same pajamas for the third day in a row. Or when I eat a chocolate chip cookie for breakfast.

And as for the boys, they are adjusting-slowly but surely. Now that they are both seemingly over their sickness, they've actually been allowed to touch their brother and they love it! They particularly love to pat his head and point to (poke) his eyes and nose. While most of their actions are governed by a chorus of, "Gentle, boys! GENTLE!!" they don't seem to mind and still seize every opportunity to check him out, rock his swing, or give him a kiss. My favorite is when they hold him though. They love to snuggle him and will even wrap their arms around him. Look out, though, once they're done, they're DONE and they just anxiously push him away. What can I say, brotherly love!

As crazy as it is, though, it's still such a sweet time. We are so incredibly blessed to have another child and I am no longer naive as to how quickly the time goes with our little ones. All too soon, I know these hectic days will be behind us and we'll long for these years again. Now if only I could remember that when the three feels like nine.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Just Judah

Not much time {or energy} to write, so for now just a few pics of our boy!


Saturday, December 5, 2009

Our New Baby Boy!

With much praise and thanks to God, we welcome
Judah Oren Sloan
Born Friday, December 4th, at 5:05pm
6 lbs. 11 oz., 20 1/4 inches long
We're home. We're tired. But we're so in love.

"Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward." Psalm 127:3