Babies breath

Michael woke up at 11pm tonight just as I was about to put down my kindle and go to bed. The little guy is just a little gassy. So now, he is out cold, sleeping on my chest with his head on my shoulder, mouth open...and just breathing in this sweet way. Little gusts of breath keep hitting my cheek. I feel like my heart is going to explode. I know I should put him back in his crib, but I can't stop staring at him, and I truly just want to eat him up.

God gave me such beautiful little boys. Part of my heart wanting to explode is because Michael looks so much like Danny in this moment.

Time is moving too fast.

Random Thoughts.

Danny is just like David. Yesterday when leaving the grocery store, I didn't even have him buckled in his car seat before he said, "Mommy, you need to turn the air on". Then, driving past a closed Pet Store, he said, "Mommy, I need a dog. Today."

Such a bossy pants.

But then, he melts me all over again when he says, "I need a monster truck size kiss". Coming right up :)

Today he asked if I was going to visit Angela. "No Danny. She's in Heaven. I want to visit Angela someday, but I'd like to stay here with you for now." As sweet as that question is, which this was not the first time, sometimes it scares me...like he knows something I don't.

Michael started day care last week. Mr. Too Cute. He is doing well, which makes us happy. Today, a week later, was the first time he came home in the same outfit I sent him to school in. There is something about this boy that just screams, "BLOW OUT!".

Nothing too Exciting

I'm going to try and add a blurb about each boy on a regular basis. That way, I'm not holding myself to long entries....but I'm still capturing some of the funny stuff.

Danny

Danny talks about himself a little in third person. Everything is "Danny Shafer". Not just "Danny"...it's gotta be "Danny Shafer". He has learned his full name now, so this sometimes becomes "Danny David Shafer". We'll work on his proper name, Daniel. For now, "Danny David" is good enough.

Danny discovered our neighbors pond yesterday. We have been hoping to avoid this until he was much older (preferably 40). Ponds scare the be-Jesus out of me because you can't see the bottom, and little people are so drawn to them. We are hoping to have remedied the situation by telling him that there are hungry ALLIGATORS in there just waiting to snack on Danny Shafer. And that only Mommy and Daddy can outrun them. He believed us. Let's hope he really believes us....because he also saw a frog in the pond...and frogs are big entertainment. And now Danny knows how to unlock the deadbolts and sneak out of the house. Hence, my fear of ponds.

Michael

Michael is helping the pounds MELT off me this time. Too bad he can't melt them and tone/firm at the same time. He is a gassy kid. So we (ie. me) are doing are darnedest to try and reduce the gassiness. I think it hurts me more then him. Needless to say, I've been off all Dairy for almost two weeks and off all Soy for almost a week. After his doctors appointment yesterday, I'm going to avoid all green vegetables. You would be shocked to know how much food has Dairy or Soy in it, in some jacked up capacity.

He's gaining weight though...darn he is gaining some weight! He weighed in at 12lbs 15.5oz yesterday. An increase of over a 1.5lbs in less than two weeks. We'll take it!

Michael Alton Shafer

He is gorgeous. And we are in love. Danny is in heaven. He adores his baby brother.
Michael was born April 30th at 5:41pm. He weighed in at 7lbs 11oz and 21 inches.

This post is so overdue it's embarrassing. I haven't had time to write long entries, so I haven't written any. Now, I will just make a better effort to come out here daily and jot something down.

Two boys is so much fun. Michael is an excellent sleeper. He sleeps from 10pm to 8am and usually only wakes once to be fed.

His witching hours are from about 5pm until he crashes around 10pm. During that time he's fussy and just wants to be held. The bjorn is my best friend :)

In lieu of picking a few pictures, here is a link to two albums from when Michael was born. These are all of them...the good, the bad and the UNFLATTERING. So be kind, and enjoy :)

Album #1


Album #2

Child of My Heart

This photo is from the 2010 Child of My Heart Walk.

Sometimes when I look at him, his perfect little face and beautiful eyes, I can hardly believe he is mine. God love him.

Bedtime Boogers

Tonight, I was following Danny's pediatricians advice on helping Danny get to bed (he's in a new BIG BOY bed). He recommended that I sit in a chair instead next to the bed instead of laying with him. And if he tries to engage me or socialize with me, I am to ignore him.


So, I am doing that. And then he told me that he has a "booger". So I helped him pick it, because he has a cold. Two minutes later, he says he has "another booger", and he picks it. And then he says he is going to go throw it out. I'm still ignoring him. Then he says, "nope, I eat it." And boom, just like that, my kid ate his booger. GROSS!

Our Third Blessing :)

This post is so completely long overdue, it's kind of sad. And not because I haven't wanted to write it a bazillion times, but for a long time we were just not really "broadcasting" the announcement online.

I am just over 23-weeks pregnant, and we are having another boy. We are so very excited. I found out on Thursday, August 26th, and waited two days before I told David. I was so shocked myself, that I had to get through that before I was able to tell him. And let me tell you, he was even more shocked! I probably would have held off longer if he hadn't invited his sister and her family over to celebrate a made up "Tequila Holiday" to enjoy margarita's and shots. That's when it was time..."Um, honey, Danny has to show you something". "What?" pause....as he looks at positive pregnancy test, and then the response, "You're Pregnant?". To put it nicely, David is not good with first reactions to big news. This is a part of his character that you just have to know and love, because if you didn't know that about him, you might just want to punch him in the face :) While he was saying "you're pregnant?", you could see his face glaze over and his mind race a million miles a minute with "HOLY $HIT!...two kids....etc." But then he has to process some additional stress, and that takes us back to Angela. And we have to think about testing, and when to tell our families and ultrasounds, and all of that. So, I get it.

So when did we tell our families? We told them on Friday, OCTOBER 22nd. We were just a few days shy of being 13-weeks along. That's when we got the good news, that as far as preliminary testing could go, we were having a healthy baby. Danny was going to have a baby brother. I had felt like we were having another boy, but David had been convinced we were having a girl. We won the lottery either way. We were just happy beyond words. Relieved. And Grateful. So very grateful. And we cried. And I tear up now just thinking about it.

I love being pregnant. Absolutely love it. I am lucky. I have had comfortable pregnancies. But, our first experience, that cuts like a knife. And sometimes, you've gotta "fake it till you make it" to convince yourself that it's ok. And everything will be alright. And to relax. But those last few days of the two-week waiting period for the test results. That's when doubt starts to creep in, and you begin to panic. And start calling the doctors office daily for updates. So that news, the good test results, it is like the weight of the world has been lifted. It doesn't guarantee anything, but it's enough to get you past a giant hurdle.

And when we told Danny, he wanted to name his brother "Spiderman" or "Nemo" or "Halloween".

Our little man is due on David's birthday, May 1st. :) That day, it's just special. Obviously, it's David's birthday. When we were pregnant with Danny, that was the date of his big ultrasound. And now, this little boy is due on May 1st.

I am so excited. So so very excited. And nervous. I know the transition to two will be difficult. But, it's something we'll have to go through to understand, and we welcome the chaos. Part of me is so excited to see Danny in a new role. And I know he may get jealous. And I know it will be so different for him, because he has our undivided attention now. But he will be such a loving big brother, and that just makes me melt. I love to hear him say, "baby brother".

So that's the big update. I'll post more soon, and not let so much time lapse between. This year the holidays were so much fun because Danny loved every minute of them, and that is what lit up our world.

Happy New Year!