Best.Christmas.Ever.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Ours was amazing -- we're truly blessed. Seeing the joy on Law's face and getting to share our new little guy with our families were the best gifts.

Our family of FOUR (that's still a little weird to think about...) on Christmas Eve:

Lawrence LOVED opening gifts. He was so cute about it. He'd point to the one he wanted to open next and once he got the "okay," he'd just tear into it. The toys interested him and he'd inspect them pretty well before moving on to the next package...as for clothing items -- he just tossed those aside and practically RAN to the next gift!

Grandpa Pat and Andersen hung out together most of the night. They seemed pretty content with one another.

Lawrence really liked his new (huge) Mighty Mighty Dump Truck. Of course, he thought it was a riding toy (it isn't) and ended up biffing it a couple times...

Another favorite toy was the Caterpillar train set from Uncle Ryan and Auntie Sarah. Mike's especially excited to get that toy out of the box!

The best Christmas present ever:

Andersen wasn't particularly interested in Christmas...

Law got three Pez dispensers and I don't even want to think about how many of those little candies he's consumed in the last couple days. He loves them! Also -- please note the scooter cousin David uses in the background. That thing entertained Lawrence for HOURS on Christmas at Great-Grandpa & -Grandma'sThis is the scary after-math from everyone's awesome generosity:

And a pic of our sweet boys (notice that Andersen's smiling -- AW!). Lawrence has been doing great with his brother. He loves holding him and giving him kisses on the head. He also loves pointing out all his body parts...which usually involves a poke in the eye or two. We're so thankful the adjustment is going well thus far. There has been a bit of jealousy, but it's gone remarkably--and surprisingly--well.

He's here!

Baby B #2 made his debut yesterday at 2:32am. He must have been listening all those times I said that it would be ideal if he would be born the 18th!

Here's a pic of me at 38w0d. If I don't look particularly happy, it's because I'm huge. And in labor.

We got to the hospital around 7pm. I was 4cm dilated and having regular contractions. My OB happened to be there delivering two other patients, so she was able to check on me. She had me walk for an hour to see if I would progress. While it made the contractions much more intense, the walking didn't dilate me any further. I was afraid she'd send me home, but after monitoring me for awhile and seeing I was having moderate contractions every 4-7 minutes, she decided to check me again. At 10pm, I was dilated to 5cm and she broke my water. I really didn't expect it and it was a weird feeling -- both physically (ew) and mentally since I knew there was no turning back and we'd be welcoming our baby in a matter of hours.

Things went pretty quickly after Dr. S broke my water. I started pushing around 1:30am. The nurse (Chelsie -- she was awesome!) thought I'd have the baby before 2am. Not.so.much. The baby was coming out weird -- his body was "sunny side up" and his head was crooked with him facing completely to one side. He came out with one ear up. It was a bit scary because his heartrate kept dropping. They kept having me tilt from one side to the other and put an oxygen mask on me. When I heard them talking about putting the node in his scalp, I gave the pushing everything I had. The delivery part was a lot harder than it was with Lawrence.

Check out the disfigurement on this child's head! His face was super-cute, but one of my first thoughts was "Dang! Get a hat on that baby!"

We named him Andersen Jace. Andersen is a combination of Mike's grandpa's middle name (Andrew) and my maiden name. Great-aunt Sandy suggested Jace this summer and Mike and I both liked it. And grandpa was pulling for Jason or Jacob -- and it's close, right?

As for his stats -- he got an 8 and 9 on his Apgars. He was 7lbs7oz and 19.5" long. He has dark blue eyes (like his brother had) and blonde peach fuzz (which is MUCH different than the thick mop of black hair Lawrence was born with!).

Auntie Jill couldn't be with us for A's delivery like she was for Law's. She has finals this week. We were all pretty disappointed, but are looking forward to her being home for the next three weeks.

Since it was just Mike and me this time, we don't have a pic of the three of us together. So, here are pics of Andersen and each of his parents solo (and don't mind me. I look ROUGH. We got an hour and a half of sleep Wednesday night):

Lawrence came to visit last night. He did pretty well and gave his brother some kisses and loves, but generally wasn't overly impressed with the new addition. I don't think he'll really get it until we're all at home together for a few days.

Law did say "my brudder" to Andersen. And when he left, he said "bye mommy's baby!" It was so cute!

Here's what Mike and A are doing as I type...last night was a bit rough for all of us. Andersen apparently has his days and nights mixed up. He slept all day yesterday and became alert and fussy at 10:30 last night right when Mike and I started trying to go to sleep.

We'll go home tomorrow...unless they decide to kick us out tonight because they need the bed. The hospital is PACKED -- so much so that we're in the High Risk OB unit because the Mother/Baby floor is full!

We feel so blessed to welcome Andersen into our family and are so thankful he's healthy. And we're so excited he arrived not only by the end of the year, but in time for Christmas!

Has it really been that long?

I can't believe I haven't posted since before Halloween. Sorry about that! It's a little sad that I'm going to be posting pics from two holidays on one day...

Not too much is going on, so I'll try not to bore you with a lot of text. I'm almost 37 weeks pregnant now and ready for this baby to come ANY day now. It's funny, because with Law, I was almost melancholy about giving birth because I knew he wouldn't be with me all the time anymore and I would miss his little kicks and punches. This time, I want the kid OUT. He's soooo much crazier in utero than Lawrence was. You can see my belly dance from across the room!

Here's the most recent pic of my hugeness:

I'm measuring right on schedule and as of Friday was 1cm dilated and 50% effaced...not that that means much except that since I'm showing some progress, my doc is okay inducing me before the end of the year (because we're cheap and don't want to pay our insurance deductible twice).

The baby's room is finished except for the wall art that will go behind his crib. It'll be a big decal with the first letter of his name...but, since we're not telling the name (and we aren't even 100% sure of one), we haven't gotten it yet.

The nursery was quite the scene of drama over the last few months. I purchased no less than four bedding sets and the walls have been spackled and painted more times than I (or Mike since he did the bulk of it) would like to think about. I'm really happy with the end result -- especially since we did it all on the cheap.

Here are some pics:

I really, really love the bedding. It's soooo cute and soooooo soft!

I painted these animals for Baby B #2.

Lawrence still doesn't *really* seem to grasp what's going on, so I think it'll be a bit of a shock to him when the baby comes home. He does like to rub my belly and will tell you there's a baby in there...but he's also said there's a baby in daddy's belly, so who knows if he actually gets it. We've been practicing "soft touches" and he has a doll he likes to zoom around the house in its stroller and put to bed in the baby's crib or pack-n-play.

I guess I'll start with the most recent pics and work my way back to Halloween...hopefully I can keep up a bit better in the next couple of months or Baby B#2 will have pics of him as a newborn next to him taking his first steps!

Today Lawrence discovered the baby powder in the nursery. Guess we'll be moving that...

I couldn't even be annoyed for a second -- look how sorry he looks!

Thanksgiving was a couple weeks ago and we had a good, but busy, day. Lawrence, of course, did not seem fond of the turkey...(or anything for that matter). His eye teeth (and two year molars, I think) have been coming in and he all but goes on hunger strike when his mouth hurts. Also, a bit off subject, but his sassiness level seems to be directly correlated to his teething, too. I canNOT wait for them all to break through...because it's been a couple weeks of "No!" accompanied by a string of incomprehensible words that are obviously him chewing us out and finger wagging. He's definitely getting a better understanding of what "time out" is these days. Oy.

I digress...back to Thanksgiving:

Law with his Auntie Sarah:

Uncle Ryan throwing L in the bushes (?):

Sarah and Law with Grandpa & Grandma's neighbor's multi-seasonal display:

Lawrence really loved Uncle Mike and Aunt Sandy's dogs.

Really loved them:No, REALLY:

We put up the tree the weekend after Thanksgiving and Lawrence LOVES it. He loves all things Christmas, just like his daddy. He freaks out any time he sees a Christmas tree or lights and the tree MUST be lit up at all times when L is awake. It's funny -- he'll go to the tree and say "uh-oh" if it's off and run to the switch and point to it until one of us turns it on.

(and in case you're wondering why our nearly two-year-old son is wearing a onesie...it's a long story involving poop...in his bed...in his hair...on more than one occasion. We're glad he's small and can still fit in the onesies!)

Lawrence went to his first wedding (Jeremy & Trisha's). He had a lot of fun...especially since they had a cookies and candy bar!

Isn't he cute?! (I include this photo because it's a rare image of our child standing still, looking at the camera AND smiling).

Law's latest obsession (other than trains, George, trucks and Christmas lights) is building "forts." Someone MIGHT just be getting a real tent for Christmas from Santa...

Doesn't he look excited about voting?

This, my friends, is what happens when you leave a toddler unattended for even a brief period of time...

I have to give my kid major props, though. When I came up the stairs after throwing in a load of laundry to find him standing on the couch, triumphantly waving with crayons clutched in his fists, I expected the worst. But, he only colored on his Magna Doodle, which, as you know, is intended to be colored on. The walls, books, toys and furniture were unscathed. Such a smart little cookie.

Lawrence was a monkey for Halloween...you know, of the Curious George persuasion. He doesn't look like it in either of these pics, but he did have a good time.

I'll leave you with this pic of our dapper little dude. He looks pretty innocent, but don't let him fool you. I have far more pics that prove otherwise... :)

Fall FUN!

We've been busy lately. We went to the pumpkin patch last weekend. Law had a blast and was such a good boy! We checked out all the animals, went on a hayrack ride and cooked hot dogs and s'mores on the bonfire. Lawrence wasn't a big fan of the fire, though -- I think it scared him. I'm hoping that means he won't be obsessed with fires like his dad is...

Lawrence & daddy checking out the camel

Don't tell Papa he was driving a GREEN tractor!

Waiting in the loooooooong line for the hayrack ride

Scoping out the pumpkins (by the way -- we didn't even get a pumpkin while we were there. We couldn't find a little one we liked. Plus, we're cheap -- and they're way less expensive at Walmart!)
We celebrated Aunt Missi's birthday last Sunday and Lawrence had a blast playing with his great-grandparents. He gave great-grandpa the flower he's holding.



SO cute!

Law's latest trick is hanging from Papa's chin-up bar. Little guy is STRONG!

We took a random trip to the Lake of the Ozarks this weekend. Law was a trooper. He loved running around Lee's place -- there's lots to see!

We stopped at the T Rex Cafe in Kansas City on the way back. It was really cool! Law was a bit over-tired and cranky from so many hours in the car, but he seemed to enjoy it (though he was a bit freaked out by the animatronic dinosaurs).


We went to the Zoo Spooktacular yesterday. We saw a lot of monkeys there, but I'm pretty sure Lawrence was the cutest one! We had fun with Tracy, Sara, Parker, Joely, Nolan and Mason...even though it was COLD and super windy.

Our little monkey with his "Aunties"