July and Pregnant

Two things that don't go well together. It really hasn't been that bad. I work in an office where it is pleasantly 73 degrees. Sometimes, I still get cold chills. Sno-cones have been a life saver, even though they are crammed with sugar, I could go sugar-free, but where is the fun it that! The summer is passing us by very quickly, but I have had a few opportunities to jump in a pool. Now, pregnancy and swimsuits, definitely 2 things that should never go together! It is what it is, call me a beached whale, but I love my black stretchy suit. Give me a few water noodles, ok by a few at least 4, and I am good to stay afloat.

I am 33 1/2 weeks today! Only 6 1/2 more to go.
The doctor will measure at the end of this month to see how big this Little One is. IF he is following in Boston's footsteps, 9lb 9oz 22 in, then we may induce the week of August 9th. I am not to worried though, I did it once, I can do it again. We are patiently awaiting the arrival of Graham Ross Cox. Please pray that we are able to enjoy these last few weeks!

Boston is 5!!!

Ok so I know this post is a little over due. Boston turned 5 in May!!! I know I am terrible. Better late than never right?! He has turned into such a little man. Her is a few (cough, cough) pictures of him over the past 3 years! I love you Boston and I am so proud to be your Mommy!

This is from June of 2007

He hated this costume!! It was in September of 2007 for his cousins bday costume party!

Boston and Daddy November 2007

First Big Snow March, yes March, 2008
Peach Pedal 2008 Go Daddy Go!!
Circus October 2008
Baseball 2009
Christmas 2009
Birthday 2010 My Big Boy!!

Finished the Swingset

No, not just now, but we did get it done and we are still happily married. Stephen did a wonderful job after I handed him the wrong pieces 1oo times :)

Crazy Reality!!

SO I had my checkup today and dr and I started joking about if she thinks I will make it full term or not. She is pretty honest saying that there is no way to predict when it will happen, so I always just know it will be my due date. Anyways I mention the 8-9-10 date and she says yes that is cool but too early for her to induce, I would be 38 weeks and she believes in letting nature take its course as long as you will allow. But she did say if I went in to labor on that day she wouldn't stop it.... and then went further to say any time after July 31 that she wouldn't stop it! I know that this is all ok but it actually coming out of her mouth and thinking Holy Crap there is a possibility that in 6 weeks Graham could be here.

The Swingset Saga

So Boston will be 5 in just 14 days. With Baby Graham on the way we decided an investment in a swing set was overdue. Now, if you know me I like to shop, and not just shop, I go for the kill. So within our budget I began to look for a swing set. Oh my goodness!!! What a surprise have you checked out what these things go for?! It's a swing set not a guest house, I am all about investing in my children but come on! So, after many disappointing searches on the i-net I found one that not only was in our price range but it had everything that we wanted with-in reason. Here is what is should look like.

Well days 1 and 2 have already passed and it has been fun! (can you hear the sarcasm)

Day 1: I did at least get Stephen to verify that all of the parts were there, always a good thing. The wood is already stained and the instructions suggest that you seal the wood for a longer life expectancy. Makes sense. So I pulled out all of the wood and organized it, keep in mind there are NO labels only measurements for you to verify that they are the correct piece. That took an hour minimum. Then Stephen sprayed all the wood with sealer and we let it set over night. Day 1 was not looking too shabby.

Day 2: So we come home from work with determination that we are going to get far tonight. We go into the back yard and........ All the wood, all the hard work, has been tossed around like a tornado has ransacked our back yard. I didn't realize how strong the wind had been and still really didn't believe that that's what caused the mess. But as I was picking up the pieces and leaning them against the house, it didn't take long for the wind to pick back up and knock those all down, AGAIN. So we cleared off the patio and laid the wood all out there, that just sucked up 30-45 more min of our time. Then we started on the beam that supports the swings, which ended up being put together twice after realizing we used the wrong parts. We managed to get that beam put together, the top of the monkey bars, the ladder, slide, and the swings all assembled.

I'm not sure what Day 3 will bring. Hopefully more accomplished than fighting. There IS something worse than a wife watching over your husbands every move and asking "Are you sure?" to everything that he does. It's called a 6 month hormonal pregnant one! :) I am looking into family counseling once this is said and done.

Where has time gone?

So I had to register Boston for Kindergarten this last week. As I write this I have the feeling in my stomach that I am fixing to cry. Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones, maybe not, but I can't believe this day has come. They did an assessment test and he did great. Confirmation of mine and Stephen's choice not to pursue Pre-K, the world tries to grow up kids way to quickly these days and I guess I felt there was no need to put that much pressure on him and us as parents. He is so anxious and has asked every day since when does he get his locker. We have to classify time into significant events, "Your birthday is after your last soccer game, the baby will be here before you start school, you start school after the baby is here." Oh to be a kid again and have no worries just major milestones to look forward to.

I can't believe he will be 5 next month. 5 years of watching the world through a child's eyes is truly humbling. He has grown into such a sweet and loving little man. It seems like yesterday we brought him home and now before we know it we will be bringing Baby Cox #2 through the same doors.

I pray this summer we can continue to make memories. I hope being pregnant doesn't hold me back too much to enjoy his last times before he officially enters his school years. I pray that God prepares us for the new adventures of a family of four.

Stop and Smell the Roses

We had our sonogram on the 19th of March and I am proud to say It's a Boy!! I am destined to be surrounded by sweet men!

This pregnancy has been so surreal for me. We are so busy with Boston in all the things that he likes to do! I lay down at night and just hope to stay awake for a few minutes to soak in the peace around me. I need to make it my mission to "Stop and smell the roses." So cliche but so true. Mondays come and I can't wait for the weekend and before I blink it's Sunday night. As Summertime approaches I will enjoy the longer nights, push bedtime back a few minutes and just be still. I have so much to be thankful for.

August will be here before I know it, Boston will be starting school and we will all be welcoming another addition.

God please grant me the ability to be the mom that you desire, help me to love both of my boys unconditionally, help me to be a submissive wife when it is so easy not to.

Momnesia

Pregnancy and motherhood don't cause women to have memory lapses and other cognitive problems, even though the concept of ''pregnancy brain'' and ''momnesia'' are widely accepted, according to a new Australian study.

I will call their bluff on this one. Sure give me a math test before and after I am pregnant and I will probably be just fine. But remembering the diaper bag, do we have wipes, bottles, formula, etc. oh crap no I have lost my keys. I think that hormonally and emotionally we are spread so thin. Metaphorically speaking, you try taking one tablespoon of peanut butter and making two sandwiches for you "starving" children. It's hard, not that it can't be done, not that it won't work, it's just hard. When you are at work your mind is at home, when you are home you wonder did I do enough today at work. And all the while you do this while changing a diaper with one hand and making a cake in the other. Gross I know but you catch what I am trying to say?!

In a perfect world the beds would be made every morning, supper would be on the table at 5:30, and all of the kids would be washed and in bed by 8:30. Come on world, give us, Moms and Dads, some slack. When you take on the responsibilty of raising children your mind is a constant whirl wind of "To Do" lists. So if I come to work with spit up on my shoulder, or one black and one navy shoe, don't pity me. I am proud of who I am and what I have become. Welcome to ParentHood.

People these days....

Let me start off by saying that my husband is wonderful. No this vent is not about him, but I know that I have been on edge lately, and he does really well and rolling with the punches. I don't think of myself as a needy person, actually I am pretty independent. I don't expect everyone to jump up and do things for me just because I am pregnant, I mean I am only 4 months along and still very capable of doing all that I need to. I am just always amazed at the lack of consideration for others in this world. For example, the other night at gymnastics they have a big long bench for the parents to sit on and watch their kiddos, it is the full length of the wall. Well, the parents of the class before us strings out all of their stuff, backpacks, shoes, coats etc so that no one can sit there. The bench could easily accommodate 8-10 adults but no, the privileged 3 that sit there and see the rest of us standing are completely oblivious. I know that this sounds petty, but it is every week!

Next, it is AMAZING how much unsolicited advice you receive when you are pregnant. Not that thoughts from people I know aren't expected, but total strangers. I was in the nail salon and this lady gave me an earful about how I was harming my baby by being in there with all of the fumes. I bet she would flip out if she knew that I dyed my hair the entire time I was pregnant with Boston and he turned out just fine. I have checked with my doctor and all of these things are perfectly fine if I can stand the smell, but it will not hurt my baby. I even had someone ask how far along I was the other day, and they said that was impossible because I should be bigger. I am proud that I have not ballooned out and my weight gain is right where it should be. Like I said all of these people are strangers, so once the shock goes away, I think I find it all very irritating. And of course 6 months from now this will all be very humorous.

Weekly Meals

Growth

You know children are growing up when they start asking questions that have answers.
John J. Plomp

I think that I am starting to nest. I've been cleaning a lot, actually I think I've created more messes than I've made progress, but that's besides the point. Boston and the Baby will share a room, not right away, we plan to put the crib in our room and when we feel the time is right we will merge the Baby in the room with him. But the closets are the first things that must be conquered. Boston has a really good size closet, the only problem is that one half has been a catch all for the past 5 years. It's times like these that I realize why you never stay in the first house that you buy. Even if it were just Boston we need more space!! Where I am going to put all of this stuff?! So away things went some made it to the trash, others respectively made it to the yard sale pile. When am I going to have time for a yard sale.... toys that have not been played with in over a year suddenly were resurrected into Boston's "Favorite thing that he has been looking for over 100 years!", his words not mine. I pulled out a HUGE bag of stuffed animals and tell him he can pick out four to keep, I figured that was fair considering he had almost triple that on his bed already. He has become quite the negotiator, oh the things we teach our kids with out even knowing it. I didn't even get a chance to go through the toy box yet, I am holding off on throwing away a years worth of McDonald's valuable prizes when the little eyes are not around.

The one thing that got me emotional was when I was going through his clothes. Maybe it's the hormones, maybe it's the sound of the cash register going through my head knowing he only got to wear this shirt one time and now it will have to be replaced with a bigger, more expensive one. Gone are the days of $3.99 tops and shorts in the toddler section, what is over the horizon is the $8.99 (5/6) sizes in the little boys section that I swear are only 1/2 inch bigger and are not near is cute and the choices are twice as slim. (If you are a mother of a boy you know what I am talking about. I think that the girls section is slowing creeping it's way over into the polos and cargo shorts that I adore so much.)

But seriously, my little baby is turning into a Boy! I think that this has been happening for quite some time and I have just failed to accept it. No more, "Mommy can you help me?", it's now "Mom, look what I did! Aren't you proud?!" Of course I am, I beam every time he says Please and Thank You, every time he tells me he knows Jesus Loves Him, I just can't believe it has all happened so fast. We talk about our days, what he did, how much he helped at daycare. Diane (his daycare teacher) tells me how lucky the Baby and I are going to be because he is such a help to her. I know this already but fully soak in his praises and tell her Thank you and that I know we are blessed.

As I fold away the last shirt that is too small I sit and think about what is to come. How will we incorporate the Baby into our lives, how will I love him or her as much as I do Boston. I know I will, I know it will happen, but the love I have for Boston is overwhelming. He is such a good kid, he is the reason I want to stay home on a Friday night and play Sorry, or Guess Who with a frozen pizza instead of a fancy restaurant for dinner. These are the days that I will remember forever. I went to bed that night sad and happy all at the same time. I guess pregnancy does that to you. Sad that a chapter in our life is closing and happy, no ecstatic that a new one is about to begin.

Snowstorm 2010

Enjoy it now Boston this does not happen all the time in Texas!!

There's a sandbox under there somewhere!

God's talent is shown everyday, and Everyday I am still amazed.

View from our front porch.

All I have to say is WOW! I thought we got snow at Christmas, apparently this is the most we have ever seen in North Texas since 1978!

R.I.P. Weezer

Our miniature schnauzer died last night.... Weezer will be missed very much! He had pancreatitis, I think that he battled with it more than we realized. The vet advised to cut back his diet and that seemed to always work within 24 hours. This only happened two times before, I know there is nothing more that I could have done. Pray for me as I have to tell Boston.

So We Are Expanding......

I know that I should probably start off this blog by apologizing for such a huge gap. I won't I am a mom, a wife, and my life gets pretty busy. I love to update on Face Book when I can. It's way easier, but here I can be a bit more expressive and not worry about posting too much!

So what's new you ask? I am proud to say that I will be a New Mommy in August 2010!! That's right the "Cox Family of 3" will now be "Cox Family of 3 with a High Chair", that's restaurant lingo :) Boston is soooo excited, can't stress enough, to be a Big Brother. He has already talked about all the things he will teach the baby, many of which he has yet to master himself, for example: clean his room, fly, play checkers but hey the kids got some goals and I am not about to crush them.

We are very excited about the little one and what is to come. I am already having different emotions and experiences this go around. So far, aside from the few battles with morning sickness, and a couple of emotional meltdowns, I think that all is well. I know that I am not as scared this time, anxious yes, scared no. I mean we've made it 4.5 years with Boston so we must have caught on at some point. I'm not as anxious to get into Maternity clothes, 3 months and still wearing my jeans, however it is sweatpants as soon as I get home! I know the bump is cute but I will be a bit more conscientious about how soon I let it make it's debut!

We had our first sonogram at 12 weeks on February 4, that was pretty interesting. The tech was measuring everything and I could identify all the parts as she was moving around, head, leg, stomach, poor Boston looked at his Daddy and he said "Sorry Bud, all I see is a Baby!"

So, this will be my outlet, this will be my story (when I find the time) to tell. Please keep us in your prayers. Any advice on Mothering the 2nd time will be greatly appreciated.

Month of Teeth

Ok since the month is almost over I guess it's time to fill in the blanks. First off Stephen had his 6 month check up since his back surgery in March. Everything looks good, he is healing well, his foot drop has improved tremendously.

Boston had dental work done on all of his molars, top and bottom. It was caused from de-calcification from antibiotics he had to take when he was teething. He was a trooper, he had to be put out for the procedure. The whole thing took less than an hour. Now, he has "Transformer" teeth. Children certainly are more resilient than we give them credit for. He went home and slept for about 3 hours, woke up and was right back to normal. I know it was harder on Stephen and myself than it was on him. It was like Christmas, he got a couple of new toys to keep him occupied, he got to eat lots of pudding, Popsicles, and mac and cheese it was a child's dream come true.

Me, on the other hand. I had to get my wisdom teeth pulled last Friday. Yes, I know most people get this done when they are younger, but I put it off, and then they got to the point where I had no choice. The procedure went fine, the meds where great. However, I think I have a dry socket, or let me rephrase that, I think I have had a dry socket for the past few days. People said, Oh no, you will know, well I am telling you, I NOW KNOW!! I just hope I haven't waited too long for them to be able to help me.

Results....

Ok, here it is.

I lost 6lbs

4 inches off my hips

3 inches off my lower abs

in 6 weeks!

We start our new session next week! I can't wait!

Baby Kasen is Home......FINALLY

KASEN LEE BEAMAN

Proud Parents: Jessica and Bodie Beaman

Big Sister: Kelsey Ann Beaman

After a few days in NICU, don't worry everything is ok, There WAS a small air pocket that formed from his lungs that now is gone, Kasen and Jessica were able to come home yesterday Monday August 31. He is a happy, peaceful, and beautiful little boy. We are so happy to have this new addition in our family.