Life As We Know It

After taking care of both boys while my husband was out of town this weekend, I sent him a text last night that went something like this, "Please come home alive tomorrow. I really don't want to be a single mom." I seriously have a new level of respect for single moms. I have no earthly idea how they do it... and stay sane!

Here's a glimpse of my day today (and it's not even 3:00):

-Miraculously wake up before Carter and quickly decide to forgo a few extra minutes of sleep in order to drink my coffee/eat breakfast in the beautiful quiet of the morning.

-Feed both boys. Dress both boys. Shower and dress myself.

-Oh wait, only one boy got fed.

-Give Carter Cheerios to eat in the car.. on the way to the airport.

-Park, go in, and find daddy in the airport.

-Head to Chick fil A for lunch. Wait for Carter to eat all 8, yes 8, of his nuggets.

-Drop daddy off at work.

-Drive to a house in Franklin to drop off formula for baby orphans in Africa.

-Debate whether or not get Starbucks, but decide against it.

-Head home. Change and feed a starving newborn. Change newborn again.

-Realize big brother had an explosion in his diaper (we have majorly regressed on the potty training). Change big brother's nasty diaper.

-Put big brother down for a nap. Clean up his dirty clothes.

-Eat 3 chocolate chip cookies out of the freezer. Immediately regret eating 3. Should have stopped at 2.

-Order 50 free prints via Shutterfly.

-Change Cooper's diaper AGAIN.

-Type a blog one-handed because a certain little someone thinks the only place he belongs is in his mama's arms :)

NOW.. time to brew some decaf Dunkin' Donuts coffee, figure out what to have for dinner, finish laundry, and mop very dirty floors... all before Carter wakes up. I really do love my life. But I'm also REALLY glad my hubby is home!!

Hold On

Five years ago tomorrow my husband (of less than 5 months) and I entered a doctor's office with the expectation of hearing our 12 week old baby's heartbeat. Tragically, we never heard that beautiful sound and instead were left with the silence, the numbing silence, of grief. The days, weeks, and months that followed were dark- so dark that I only know now how devastated and truly depressed I really was. It took a long time to heal and, as with any wound, I will always bear the scars on my heart. I was left with a hole in my soul so vast that only God knows the depths of it. There was an emptiness, a longing, that I knew only He could fill.

Here's the good news though... There is a God who makes everything new. He heals the broken-hearted and offers living water for our dry and thirsty souls. That same God knew what He was doing when He called our babies home. And He also knew that on December 11, 2008 and August 15, 2011 he would bring two little boys into my life that would fill my cup until it was overflowing. He gave me everything I was missing and more.

I don't know what burden you are carrying today, but hold on. Hold on in hope that He will fulfill His promise to work all things together for good.

10 Years

Follow THIS LINK to see 25 of the most powerful 9/11 photos.

Many of them I had never seen before...

And many of them are breathtaking...

In a horrific sort of way.

Let's not forget the lives that were lost 10 years ago today

or the families that are still grieving the loss of those they loved.

My Sweet Baby Boy

Here is the latest on this little guy:

-So far, he is a laid back little dude...already so much more chill than his big brother ever was!

-He is eating consistently every 3 hours and will go 3-4 hours between feedings at night.

-He does not like having his diaper changed or his clothes off.. this is really the only time he screams.

-He is a snuggle bug for sure :) He loves to be held and snuggled in a blanket... mommy's dream come true!

-We've had people ask about his middle name.. Solomon. When we were trying to decide on a middle name, I was pretty adamant that I wanted either a family name or a name with some sort of significance (preferably a Biblical one). Carter's middle name is David.. and both Carter and David are family names. As we looked into names on both sides of our families, we couldn't find one that we both liked and one that fit with Cooper. We turned to the Bible in search of one that would hold a special meaning for our new little man. Both Jeremy and I kept coming back to Solomon for a variety of reasons, but most importantly because of the connection between King David and King Solomon. I mean how can you go wrong naming your sons after two of the most influential Biblical kings, who also happened to be father-son? Also, the meaning of Solomon is "peace" or "peaceful", which was VERY appealing to me.. and so far this little guy has been nothing but the epitome of peace in our lives.

-Carter is adjusting remarkably well to having a new little brother. The only signs of jealously are directed toward me, which I guess is better than taking it out on Cooper. He tells me repeatedly throughout the day to:

"Stop doing ____. Just feed Cooper."

"Just leave him alone, Mama."

You get the idea. I'm sure part of this is him just being two... and a total, 100%, bossy first born (who is being raised by 2 first borns.. poor kid).

-Carter's favorite things to say to Cooper are:

"Ohhhhh, it's OTAY Baby Coop! Carter is here!"

"I DO love you, wittle brother."

"Come here, Baby Coop. I need to love you."

-One of the most amazing things is that from the time Cooper was just hours old, he has responded to the sound of Carter's voice. True brotherly love.

My New Love

Seriously, does it get any sweeter than this?

I'm in love all over again. And it's wonderful.

He's Here!

Our precious little angel

Cooper Solomon

arrived on August 15th at 2:23 pm

7 lbs 10 oz. 20 inches.

He is pretty much the sweetest boy you'll ever meet. So far, he's a very good eater and sleeper.. and that makes for a happy mama :) He looks NOTHING like his big brother, which has taken some getting used to! Carter came out with a head full of dark hair, while Cooper has just a little bit of blonde (or honey blonde, as I like to call it) hair and very different features.

Carter adores him, as do the rest of us.

God has blessed us more than we deserve.

Waiting

My never ending to-do list is finally finished.

All the preparations for Cooper's arrival have been made.

So now we sit and

WAIT

I'll admit this part has been difficult for me. I've had a lot of time to think and prepare for our newest addition and I feel completely ready for him to join our family. With Carter, I was much more distracted due to work and not knowing what to expect from a newborn. I was also expecting that he would hold out until his due date (or longer) and he came 8 days early- a total surprise.

I'm 38+ weeks (10 days from my due date) and just 3 days away from my induction date. My last dr appt went well yesterday- I am dilated 2.5 cm and 80% effaced. I was thrilled to find out that my pain has not been in vain! My dr (who isn't fazed by much due to years of experience) was absolutely shocked by how far down Cooper is... I'll spare you the details, but trust me..

he is ready to go!

I'm still holding out hope that I will go into labor on my own this weekend. If not, my induction is schedule for 5 am on Monday morning. Would you pray for us? The last two times I've had to be at a hospital that early were for reasons very different than delivering a healthy baby boy. Please pray for peace and a smooth delivery on all accounts.