Handsome (x2)

Sometimes I just smile thinking about my life.  This was one of those moments.

Just Thinking...

Happy.

Sean's second birthday was maybe the most magical day he's ever experience.  Since he doesn't really know what birthdays are yet, so he didn't know what hit him and it took a few days to explain we don't have cake and presents every day.  Here are a few shots of the day:

It started with cake for breakfast (coffee cake, but with candles) on a boat on the lake in the mountains.  Some of Sean's favorite things combined in one.

Next was swimming with dad-- so fun.  Aren't they both handsome?

Mommy and Jamesie were on the boat too...along with GG, Dada Meg and Tim. 

Home from the boat, it was time for presents... a huge pile of them (mostly from GG and Dada :))!

The presents turned out to be sean's favorite things in the world... Baskee-ball (above), a Bee-ball (baseball) Tee, a tunnel to crawl through, a tennis-ball-catching game, a swing-- are you getting the theme here-- sport and movement!  Our boy is all boy and loves any kind of sport.  He also got new crayons and markers and a horse backpack to keep them in, which he carried around all weekend (and all week-- bringing it to the doctor's office with us a few days ago!)

Next GG gave everyone bubbles and Sean just thought he went to heaven.  His favorite people blowing bubbles with him for hours in the yard .  Life could not get better.  

Then, we introduced Sean to sparklers, fireworks and snakes.  Oh my, he could have kept going with the snakes all day and all night. Just look at that face!

The absolutely sweetest moment of the day came when Cody and I gave him our gift of a baseball glove and baseball.  Sean loves watching baseball and comes to our law-league softball games every week, so he sees other people using gloves and catching balls.  When we showed him how to put it on and catch a ball he just stood amidst all the presents and wrapping paper and said softly (almost to himself), "Happy." 

New Design

I'm tinkering around with blogger's new designs today.  Does anyone know how to make the title picture a bit smaller? 

A Festive Fourth

We spent the Fourth, and Sean's birthday, in the mountains with GG and Dada-- Here's Dada with the boys in their matching flag shirts (Thanks to aunt annabelle!)

At church (in the mountains) on the 4th.  Sean distributed red white and blue flag and star stickers to all of us before church.  You can see Cody's in the picture, but he decided to take mine back for himself during mass.  

And what would the 4th be without a messy watermelon!?

Happy Birthday Baby!

Two years ago today the doctors pulled that big boy pictured above out of my belly-- hard to believe!  I honestly don't know when he got so big-- or turned from a baby to boy, but he looks so grown up now, it makes me a little sad.  Two years later our baby has a baby brother--amazing!

When I was pregnant with Sean we knew he would be born via c-section due to placenta previa.  My whole pregnancy I wasn't allowed to do any sort of exercise or lifting due to the previa, and that kind of sendentary lifestyle was pretty hard for me to get used to.  I would just think about the amazing little baby I would have soon enough though and it would make it a little easier.  Sean's c-section was scheduled for July 3, even thought his due date wasn't until July 13, which was actually moved up from his original date of July 29.  On July 1st I went to a lunch/baby shower at Cody's office then came home to work on the nursery and take a nap.  Cody and Aubrey Anne worked on getting the car seat installed later that night, and when I came out to look at it, I was a little "dissapointed" with Cody's method of installation, and my pregnancy hormones got the best of me and I broke down and cried and cried and sobbed because I didn't think he put it in right and I didn't want to bring my baby home in a defunct carseat.  Luckily Aubrey Anne's engineering mind was able to figure it out to my satisfaction :).

A few hours later and I started having contractions in the middle of the night.  Due to the previa we had strict instructions to call the hospital at any signs of labor because it would be very dangerous to me and the baby to go into labor.  I waited for an hour and counted 4-5 contractions, which was the magic number to call the hospital.  I woke Cody up and said "I've just had four contractions--" to which Cody promptly said "it'll be OK," rolled over and went back to sleep.  Well, in that case, I thought, I'll just go have something to eat since i'm likely not getting back to sleep.  In the very back of my mind I thought, if I have to go in and have the baby this morning, I'm not allowed to eat anything.  (But I was really hungry).  I went to the bathroom to make sure all was OK, and found that I had started bleeding, which at full term with a full previa, means surgery asap.  So, I skipped the bowl of cereal (still really hungry) and went to really wake cody up (turning on all the lights and announcing we are going to have a baby at 3:00 a.m.!) and get things rolling.  Cody, usually cool as a cucumber in all situations was a little rattled, putzing around our room trying to get ready.  At one point he said to me "What T-shirt should I wear??"  (?????????).  Eventually we called the hospital, they told us to come on in.

Once at the hospital things had calmed down a bit and what I remember more than anything was (still) being really hungry.  At one point while we were hooked up to the fetal monitor a resident came in and asked if I was comfortable (tip: never ask a very pregnant woman about to have a baby if she's comfortable-- the answer will at best be "no," and at worse involve some explitives).  I told him I would only be comfortable if he could get me something to eat--preferably breakfast food-I'm thinking pancakes or french toast. I said I either want to go home and have breakfast or to have surgery to have this baby.  The doctors preferred the second option, and by 7:30 a.m. we were in surgery (still hungry)!

A few short minutes later and we got a glimpse of our dear baby boy-- sweet, skinny, soft-- i was immediately in love.  Cody was able to hold him immediately and followed him to get weighed in and cleaned up.  He brought our new baby to me and I just cried as the doctors stitched me up.  I cried pure joy--it was the most intense feeling I have ever known. 

A few hours later and we called our sweet boy "Sean Brendan."  Strong and sweet sounding, just like him.  Named after my big brother Sean and St. Brendan the navigator, a brave and courageous priest from Ireland, we knew it suited him as soon as we said it out loud. 

If you've made it this far, thanks for reading SB's long birth story, two years later.  Unfortunately, today he and I are a little sick with a virus, but hopefully he'll feel good enough to play with some new toys later.  He has been asking about "cake?" at every mention of a birthday so far today, so I think he'll be ok.  He is wonderful, and I feel so privileged that God chose me to by his mama.  What a delight these two years have been!

World Cup Baby

Sean was born during the 2008 Summer Olympics, which was a great way to spend my maternity leave and late night nursing sessions.  Jamesie, not to dissapoint, was born on the eve of the 2010 World Cup, and much to my husband's envy, I have been able to watch almost any game I've wanted to while home with the boys (Sean now comes downstairs in the morning and immediately says "more soccer. more soccer."  He even has a GOALLLLL dance...its amazingly cute).  So, in the spirit of the World Cup Jamesie broke out his Puma track suit the other day:

While we're at it, lets not forget the little tennis tournament called Wimbeldon that's going on right now.  Jamesie also has a classic Roger Federer outfit he sported as a tribute to Federer's early exit the other day. 20 some years from now I can just see him in his white tennis sweater on Centre Court!

I can't leave this post without a shot or two of our other little soccer fanatic in his World Cup outfit.  GOALLLLLLLL!!!!!  He even did the Landon Donovan slide the other day in the family room.  He's such a champ.