Peace at Last!!!

Here's a little update from outside the closet...and no ear plugs!!!

Last Tuesday was probably the roughest day I've had with Kallen and one I hope to never repeat! I think however in all the madness and tears I realized a little something about my little man...his need for Quality time (I'll get to that later). I was basically up all night Tuesday trying to figure out where I've gone "wrong" with Kallen, and how I can help him. I prayed that the Lord would give me patience and understanding with Kallen, and that he would give me wisdom to know how to deal with him on a day to day basis!

I woke up the next day with a sense of peace and calm about the day ahead. I tried to be calm and soft spoken with him, give him a chance to "voice" his wants and needs by showing me what he wanted, or try to use the limited words he has. We went to some early doctors appointments, and headed to the mall to do some shopping! I wasn't in a rush, and king of let his mood determine where we went and what we did! Success! I got lots of shopping done, we shared some quality time and made it through the day with only minor problems...nothing I couldn't handle!

Then came Friday...The BEST day I've had with Kallen in a long time. Back to the "quality time" thing!!! I started to look at my days, and see how things happen around here. I realized that Kallen and I do things throughout the day that help me, that I want to do, that gets things done around the house...but not really things Kallen wants to do! I'm constantly with him in the various rooms of our house, but I'm doing things for me, and he's doing things to keep him occupied. Coloring for example...I'll set Kallen up with his colors and coloring book while I sit down to the computer and check emails, read blogs, etc, etc. We're together, but I'm not fully engaged in what he's doing...therefore, he acts out! Coloring on the chair, throwing crayons, screaming and yelling until I also pick up a crayon and join him!

Friday I decided to devote my whole attention to Kallen and do what he wanted to do! That was the answer! We played blocks, went for walks outside, both colored in the coloring book, etc. etc. I found time to do the things I needed to get done during Kallen's nap time, and when he woke up...it was back to time with him!

It's hard to find the happy medium between getting things done, and spending quality time with my son! I'm learning though, and now that I know what makes him tick...maybe things will start getting easier around here. They already have, so lets just keep this up!

Patience...and earplugs are always a bonus!

So I'm having one of those "okay Lord...help me through this" kind of a day! We woke up early this morning in order to be at our company meeting (Kallen and I attend these when they celebrate someones birthday!). The meetings go from roughly 7:30-8:00 which was great for me this morning. You see, I had MOPS at 9:00, and this is our last "official" MOPS meeting until the fall. At the last meeting, we always have a potluck style brunch, and I was in charge of bringing an egg/protein dish. Well...you can't very well make an egg dish ahead of time, and let it hang out in the car for a few hours...who wants cold eggs...so I needed a game plan.

The idea was to run to my mom's house between the meeting and MOPS, prepare and cook the "egg whatever" that I had planned, then head to MOPS at 9:00. Great plan!!! Yeah, Great plan until Kallen decided he would scream the entire time I was preparing it, and wanted nothing but to be in my arms! Grandma took him outside to see the fish in their pond, and that calmed him down for a split second! He ate some eggs of his own and a banana, and was happy as a clam...for the time being.

We loaded up, headed to MOPS, and no sooner did we walk in the door and he let loose. The crying wasn't even stopping while I was holding him. Fit throwing sobs, while clinging on to me for dear life. All I wanted was to go to my final MOPS group of the year, not hear a peep out of Kallen, and actually enjoy myself...Huh...

I sat with him for a while, until one of the workers said she was taking a group outside. OUTSIDE...yes...Kallen's favorite place to be. He ran over to the door, with my coaxing of course, and out he went. That was my cue to sneak upstairs. Finally, freedom!!! I had about 45 minutes of that freedom, until I could hear him crying all the way across the building. Sure enough, up walks one of the workers carrying my bloody murder screaming son, saying, "sorry...we just can't get him to stop." Yup...I know the drill..."come here kiddo". So there Kallen sat with me and all the other ladies for the remainder of the time. It wouldn't be all that bad, except he kept crying, throwing fits, and whining every couple of minutes. Sigh...Deep breaths. 11:00, time to head home!

He falls asleep in the car, then wakes up an hour later and it seems as if he never stopped crying. For 30 minutes we walk around, looking at different things, trying a snack, some juice, anything to get the crying to stop. Nothing is working. His bulldozer isn't doing what he wants it to be doing (not sure what that was, but it wasn't doing it). The juice wasn't right, I was sitting not standing...etc, etc, etc. Ahhhhh...I decided to ignore him, and let him throw his little fit...The one he'd been throwing all day...so that's where we're at. Every couple of minutes he'll cry about something, then calm down for a few.

I think I may go curl up in my closet with a book, flashlight, and some really good earplugs!

Mommy Talk Monday

This weeks question:

Baby Names on your list...What name did you chose, and why?

Oh the name question! This is one we get a lot, especially now that we're so close to baby number two! Along with the surprise of not knowing our babies sex, we also like to surprise our family and friends with the names we've decided on. Nobody knows our "list" until little baby Albin boy, or girl makes their appearance known!

That being said...I can divulge our sons list since we're not going to use any of the names we were thinking about for him for this next baby! With my son, we came up with 3 boy names, and 3 girl names that we both agreed on...then the plan was for my husband to pick the name according to what "fit" once we saw him or her.

Our list:

BOYS

Archie Tanner (calling him Tanner): Kevin was very close to his grandpa...Edwin Archie...before he passed away, and we thought it would be fun to honor him, and that relationship with the name Archie. Tanner we really liked, and it flowed really well with Archie.

Kevin Lee, Jr.: Kevin really liked the idea of having a namesake, and for me it was a very familiar concept! My great-grandfather, grandfather, dad, and brother are all Theodore James, and it's a really fun dynamic to add to the family!

and finally:

Kallen James...The name we of course chose: Kevin and I both start with K's, so having all "K" babies, was an option! His dad's middle name is Allen, so the K in front makes Kallen...and I just mentioned my dad's middle name is James, so he's Kallen James named after both grandpas!

GIRLS

Paityn Mackenzie: We weren't sure on the Paityn spelling because I wanted something that was feminine, and Kevin liked Peyton, which seemed more boyish to me. This name we simply both really liked.

Kellie Lynn: Throughout Kevin's mom's pregnancy with him, she was told he was going to be a girl (pre ultrasound), so Kellie Lynn was the name they had picked out. Lynn is his mom's middle name, and how fun to name our little girl the name that her daddy was supposed to be named.

Kaylee Rose: Once again, Kevin and I are both K's...Lee is his middle name, and Rose is mine and my mom's middle name, so Kaylee Rose it was!

With baby #2, we're not divulging our list once again, which is a good thing since we really don't have a list yet! We haven't agreed on names is the problem, and my husband refuses to talk with me about it! He says I keep turning down all the names he likes, so therefore we'll just have to wait until the baby is born to decide! Um no...we will have options before I go into that delivery room...mark my words!

I will tell you all that baby number two will start with a "K", so that helps a little! Any ideas...we're all up for input! Just know that I'm not for "popular" names...I like unique names you don't hear that often. (I was 1 of 5 Kati's in my second grade class, and I vowed never to do that to my children)! We'll see in 7 +/- weeks who this little one turns out to be!!!

Taking Advantage

Yesterday was my friend Brandy's birthday! Happy Birthday to you Brandy! Anyways...we (another friend Ellie and I) decided we would treat her to breakfast and a pedicure...a surprise of course!

The problem with surprises is that often times something comes up that "ruins" the surprise, or changes the plans slightly! Well that happened this time too. Brandy's son Dawson has had a reddish watering eye for the past week or so, and she decided to take him in to see the eye doctor right at the same time we were planning breakfast. Okay...change of plans. We waited until the appointment was over, settled for Starbucks coffee and a muffin, and headed to our Pedicures.

The thing about treating a friend to something so wonderful, is that you yourself get to enjoy it as well! There is nothing like sitting in a nice warm pulsating chair with your feet in a hot spa bath, getting the royal treatment, while chatting with close friends and drinking a Frapacino! Oh, and did I mention no kids!!!

Not so Little Anymore

Today marks the 32nd week in pregnancy #2!

We are so excited, and anxiously awaiting the arrival of our new baby boy or girl! Over the past few weeks, we've been pulling baby boxes down from the attic, and getting things organized in the soon to be nursery!

Before my "cousin" Amy had her second son Griffin, she posted a picture of an infant onsie compared to her hand. It was amazing to see how small our "little" boys used to be. I too began looking at all the tiny, tiny things Kallen used to wear, and found myself thinking..."he's not that much bigger now, right? He's still my baby boy, and surely he hasn't grown that much."

Well, I decided to put my "he hasn't grown that much" theory to the test! This is a picture of the first "outfit" my husband dressed Kallen in, the day we came home from the hospital!

This is the same outfit, taken this morning (18 months later). He was cracking me up with the hat, and has decided he wants it to be part of his attire all day today!

Okay fine, maybe he's not my little boy anymore! When looking at how these clothes used to fit him, and how they fit him now, I'm in shock. In 8 +/- weeks, we are going to have another precious little angel, who will once again make these teeny tiny clothes look big! Huh...it's hard to imagine.

Sunscreen...Who Needs it?

This morning I met my mom & Aunt at a local nursery to pick up some flowers for the house, and our plumbing shop. The weather report said it was going to be a bright and sunny day, and I definitely wanted to take advantage of it! We haven't been able to do anything in the yard since we moved in, due to our lovely Oregon weather, and I couldn't wait any longer!

I started planting the Petunia's around noon, and finally finished up around 4:00...Chasing Kallen around, and trying to keep him out of the street, makes planting flowers quite the challenge!

Anyways...I remembered to put sunscreen on the little man, but neglected to lather myself up as well. With my back to the sun all afternoon, and my pregnant belly helping create a gap between my shorts and top, my nice olive skin, became nice scarlet skin!!! I'm not one who generally burns in the sun, but today was different. The backs of my arms, my necks, and my lower back are a nice shade of red! The itching and burning that has already began to creep in, is a great addition to the aching back and muscles brought on by all the gardening!

Maybe I'll remember the sunscreen next time!

Mommy Talk Monday

This weeks question:

Did you find out the sex of your baby? Why or why not? honest...did you have what you were hoping for?(if you want, you can include ultrasound photos :))

We were surprised with both pregnancies, and I wouldn't have it any other way!!!

With Kallen, my husband really wanted to find out, but when it came down to the ultrasound, I changed his mind! After we had Kallen, and Kevin was able to announce to me that we had a little boy...(The sex we were both hoping for!) He was so thankful that we had waited! The anticipation and surprise was such a wonderful feeling to share together.

This time around, I left the decision up to Kevin. If he wanted to find out, I was okay with that...though I was hoping he would say no! He did. He said the surprise was worth the wait with Kallen, and he wanted that same feeling with this one. So here we are waiting to find out if we have a new baby boy, or a new baby girl! People always ask me what we hope to have, and I can honestly say we don't have a preference. It would be fun for Kallen to grow up with a little brother, but I also think the realationship between a big brother and little sister is too precious! No preferences here...honest!

I will admit that not finding out the first time, was a lot harder than not knowing this time. I'm sure it's because we already have a little one, and he's helping keep our mind off the unknown, but either way...I'm anxiously waiting his brother or sister's arrival!

Did last week really happen?

So it's become apparent to me that I took a week long hiatus from blogging. Not sure why, not sure if I even realized it. Somehow I think last week got skipped in my life and we're starting anew with Monday again! I guess we were busy, but either way, I'm back!!!

Oh, and for those of you who are curious...Kallen didn't "win" the beautiful baby contest, but no worries...he's still the most beautiful in our eyes! The little girl that ended up winning in his age group, was way too precious for voters to pass up!!!

Beautiful Baby Contest

One of the local radio stations is hosting a Beautiful Baby Contest, and I couldn't help but enter Kallen!

The winning baby is picked by the public vote, so go to www.krkt.com and follow the links to the contest! You have to vote for 3 different babies, and I wont twist your arm to vote for Kallen...but if you want to help sway the votes in our direction, he's number 132!

You do have to register on the website before you can cast a vote, but they don't send annoying emails or anything if you don't want them to...honest!

Mommy Talk Monday

This weeks question is:

How much weight did you gain (w/ picture...are you brave enough:) )
and what did you like MOST about pregnancy?
What did you like the LEAST?

Kallen (1st pregnancy)

With Kallen I gained about 20 pounds. Yup...only 20, and I was quite excited about that. When I went in for my first appointment, the doctor told me I "had a little extra (weight) to begin with"...I know, I know, so she only wanted me to gain between 20 & 25 pounds. I was a good little patient and did as the doctor ordered!

As I mentioned before, I LOVED being pregnant, but the thing I probably loved most, was the attention. I loved people looking at me and knowing that in a few months, weeks, days, I was going to be a mommy! It was the greatest feeling! The thing I liked least, if I had to pick something, was Kallen's head in my ribs. Now most people whose babies are in the correct head down position complain about kicking up in the ribs...but because Kallen was breech, I had a big round head shoved up in my ribs, that never moved. Oh well, it was worth it!

Baby #2

Who knows how much weight I'll gain this time, but it's sure going to be more than the handy dandy 20 lbs I gained last time. I'm at 30 weeks, and I'm at about 18 lbs...so if I gain the estimated pound a week from this point on, I'll be at 28 or 30 lbs. Still not bad I guess...no complaints!

The thing I like most so far this time around, is all the movement. Kallen hardly ever moved (maybe once a day just to remind me he was there), but this baby moves ALL the time. My belly is constantly morphing into all different positions, and I love it!!! The thing I like least is definitely the heartburn, and the exhaustion. Carrying a baby is tiring enough, but chasing an 18 month old is exhausting!!! You'll be worth it too baby!!!

Me and My Bulldozer!

My mom and dad got Kallen this really neat CAT bulldozer for his birthday. There are all kinds of buttons and levers to push and pull in order to make the silly thing go forward, reverse, light up, move up and down, etc. etc..

Well, for a really long time, Kallen loved pushing all the buttons, and watching it "do it's thing". Recently, he has found that pushing it himself all over the house, is much more fun. He basically runs behind it until he hits a wall or other object that might be in his way. He then picks it up and moves it over in order to keep going. Great! Fun game kiddo...keep it up. I should mention that Kevin and I aren't too fond of this little game because of the obnoxious noise the bulldozer makes when it's being pushed. The reving of mechanical gears and all gets to be so loud, we can't hear each other talk.

We "hide" the silly thing every night, in hopes that he'll forget about it, but sure enough the game the next morning, is "find the bulldozer". No harm no fowl...we'll just suffer through the noise.

Well today, his little bulldozer pushing game landed him in our bedroom. I hadn't heard any noises for a short while (the clue he's into something he shouldn't be), so I went to investigate.

There I found him sitting in the middle of the nasty dog bed, with the bulldozer in his lap, blowing his nose with some Kleenex he found by the bed...(we've all got colds around here, and blowing our nose happens multiple times a day.) I watched for a few seconds as he proceeded to blow his nose, then try to "blow" the bulldozers....Nose?...

I was laughing so hard, I had to get the camera! Of course by that time, he knew I was watching, and turned into a cheeseball!

Too much talk

I was looking over my last several posts, and realize that I've been writing an awful lot. I've decided instead of you all having to read my incessant rambling, I'll just post some pictures from the last few weeks. I hope you enjoy, and enjoy the break from my usual babbling self...I can't stay away for long!

Playin' football at Reser Stadium...Do we have a future star?

Meet Billybob Albin, our newest family member!

Oh, and Chocolate pudding anyone?

Our new bike trailer. Now we can all go on family bike rides...and Kallen LOVES it!

Swinging with daddy

Our cool dude...who crashed after a rather long day! This time I just left him where he was!