Always Making Us Smile

Tonight while Ryan and I put Berkley to bed, the following conversation went on....

Me:  Good night Berkley, we love you.

Ryan:  Good night Berkley, I love you.

{pause... nothing reciprocated from Berkley}

Me:  Berkley, do you love us?

Berkley:  I wuv us. 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving 2012!  This year, just like so many years past, we just have so much to be thankful for.  I am always thankful for good health for myself, my family members and friends, and this year is no different.  This year we are also especially thankful for new family members... count them there are 4.  Hudson has been in our lives for a little over 3 months and he has just added so much joy and love.  We also have 3 new nieces and nephews.  In May, Langley Ann was born to Riley and Lacy Gerdes.  In August our little Hudson was born.  In September, Benson Ryan was born to Ryan and Angie Mundil and then most recently in November, Keegan Daniel was born to Tim and Amanda Callahan.  Cousins are so much fun!!! 

While I am really thankful for so many things, here are 2 more things that I am thankful for:

1. dual naptime... this means Berkley and Hudson end up taking an afternoon nap at the same time!  That means I get a chance to get things done, blog, or take a nap myself. :)
2. my husband.  Ryan is so great and I feel so very fortunate to be married to him.  And.... he seems to really be helping out with the lion's share of washing the dishes and bottles lately.


And here are a few pictures of the little munchkins that I am so thankful for.  God is great!

Berkley reading to Hudson in the morning.  Notice Hudson in the crib.

 

Good morning!!!  Eating her yogurt at the counter.

 

Our "big guy"

 

Smily right before bed.

 

 

 

 

 



The last 2 weeks.....what a blur!

Well, I've been back to work for 2 weeks now, and the 2 weeks have been a blur.  Of course I didn't blog like I had imagined would happen, but kind of hoped to have.  So here is an update of what we've been up to.

First of all, my feelings on going back to work.  While I miss the little guy like crazy (I always wonder how it can not be traumatic to go from being with a new baby for 12 weeks straight, 24 hours a day,...which is 84 straight days, and then be ok with all of a sudden not seeing that perfect little creature for 10 hours!) it has actually been easier than I thought.  I've decided it is all just a matter of perspective.  I have had to tell myself this quite a few times when I want to be sad or feel sorry for myself.  Part of this perspective comes from the fact that I have known others who have lost their babies, or I heard a story of a young family who's 2 year old was just diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and now they are just fighting to keep her comfortable, not her life.  When I hear or witness things like that, I realize that those people would gladly trade places with my situation in a heartbeat.  That makes me realize that I am lucky to have 2 wonderful, healthy children that we CAN take to daycare every single day.  So while I miss those fun mornings with Berkley and hearing her run down the hall saying, "Berkey wake up!" and I miss all of the snuggles, smiles and coo's that I normally received during the day..... I am so grateful for the time I do get with my little angels and because of that, I have not cried about going back to work, except for one time.  That was the Sunday night right before my first day.  Ryan and I put the kids to bed and that was when I allowed myself to be folded into Ryan's chest and sob for about 2 minutes.  After that, it was done.... on to being thankful.

Ok, so daycare.  I hated the first two weeks when Berkley was this age and new to daycare, because I felt like it took her that long to adjust.  She didn't smile or act like herself those first two weeks.  I believe she was adjusting to the new sights, sounds, smells, people, etc.  So I've  been dreading it with Hudson.  To my surprise and delight, I feel that he adjusted after about 1 week!  I am fortunate to work about 5 minutes from daycare, so I try to sneak over there about 3 days a week and spend my lunch break with Hudson.  He smiles when he sees me, and we sit and "chat" or I just walk around holding him and talking to him or even just rocking in the glider with him on my lap.  It is a welcome break in my day, plus then I feel that he will hopefully remember me, if he sees me more.  :)

Hudson is getting to be so much fun, and this weekend Ryan and I were commenting on the fact that he really is such a good baby for us.  He "talks" and smiles so much and I even heard a quick little laugh this past Wednesday evening!!  Talk about melting my heart and wrapping me around his finger.  When he is fussy he is either just tired or wants a little bit of face time, or possibly that pacifier to just chill with.  He goes to bed wide awake between 8-8:30pm and falls asleep on his own.  He is getting up between 4:30-5:30am, so most mornings I will feed him before going to work, which gives me some extra cuddle time, which I do not mind. 

And Berkley... what can I say.  Ryan and I are entertained on a daily basis by this little turkey!  She is repeating every new word she hears, asking tons of questions about "What that?" and just being a silly goose!  Speaking of silly goose, I must use that term often because a few weeks ago when she woke up in the morning, she say Ryan's water bottle on the couch and said, "Daddy's water....silly goose"!  I cracked up and that was the perfect start to the day.  Currently Berkley's favorite thing to do is watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  That has kind of happened by mistake and we are trying to do a little less tv time, since she requests to watch it all of the time.  How did this happen?  With Hudson's birth, when one of us is alone with the two kids, and we are feeding or bathing Hudson, it is a nice "babysitter" to turn on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  So when Ryan was harvesting... which has been a lot these past 2 months, and I would feed Hudson in the mornings (when I was on maternity leave) or the evenings, I usually played an episode.  Thus she got used to watching too much tv.  Now thankfully she still prefers to play outside, which I am very happy about, but I want to make sure she enjoys playing inside with toys and books as her preference vs. watching tv.  We'll be working on that. 

Here are some pictures....  More to come as there are even more recent ones on my camera to download.

This is what Time Out looks like... it's not fun.

 

Trying to do a little "tummy time".  Hudson would prefer to just lay there instead of working on those neck muscles.  :)

 

Hudson with Berkley's doll.

 

LOVE!  When Hudson is doing tummy time or in the play gym, Berkley usually wants to be right by his side.  She just loves him so much!

 

Reading the Sunday paper... Berkley got her own magazine and needed to read it with Daddy! (thank you Grandma Glee for the subscription)

 

She still LOVES doing the dishes! 

 

Uh Oh... he found his thumb!

 

Berkley "helping" Daddy clean out the garden for the year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween to everyone.  We had a nice Halloween this year and Berkley was very excited to for her Halloween party at daycare and excited to go trick or treating with her neighbor, Caden.  Because I am still on Maternity Leave, I picked Berkley up early from daycare.  We went to the store to pick out a pumpkin (nothing like waiting until the last minute) and then carved our pumpkin before trick or treating that evening. 

Berkley enjoyed trick or treating and running up to each house saying "Tick or Teet".  By the time she got up to the house, I usually had to tell her to say Trick or Treat again, because she already said it before the person even came to the door.  She was also pretty good about saying Thank You and only had to be reminded about half of the time.  For a 2 year old, I thought that was excellent! 

After going to about a dozen houses Berkley said she wanted to go home to take a nap!.... I guess that meant she was DONE.  :)  So we were home by about 6:45pm and then she helped Ryan and I hand out candy to the trick or treaters while Hudson napped in his swing.  Overall a fun Halloween at our house. 

Dressed and ready for her Halloween party at daycare.

 

Helping scoop out the pumpkin.  Berkley wasn't very keen on getting the "gunk" on her hands, but enjoyed using the scoop inside of the pumpkin.

 

Two of the neighbor girls stopped by to see our pumpkin and Berkley posed for a picture with them.

 

Lighting the pumpkin before heading out to trick or treat.

 

C'mon Mom...no more pictures please!  Once Berkley saw some of the neighbor kids out trick or treating, she wanted to GO!

 

Minnie Mouse with her friend/neighbor, Caden.  They loved running from house to house!

 

This Mom was too lazy to dress Hudson up in an actual Halloween costume, so instead I dressed him up as the World's Cutest Baby!  :)  In this picture he is talking to me.  Love it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Hudson's Baptism

We celebrated Hudson's baptism on Saturday, October 27th at Rejoice Luthern Church.  I felt it was very special to have him baptized and have the church officially welcome him into God's family.  Although I believe he was already part of God's family, even at birth, it is just special to have the pastor bless him, put the sign of the cross on his forehead, etc, and go through the ceremony.  Every night when we put Hudson and Berkley to bed, I say a prayer to God, asking him to watch over our kids and I pray for their health, their happiness and their safety.  Pastor Ken at Rejoice baptized Hudson, which was nice, because he also baptized Berkley 2 years ago.  Ryan and Angie Mundil are Hudson's Godparents.  Here are a few pictures from the baptism.



 

Hudson being baptized.

 

Our little family.  Berkley seemed fairly interested during Hudson's baptism.  Earlier in the day we talked about it, and she kept saying Hudson was going to have water on his head.

 

Berkley telling Pastor Ken that she is TWO!

 

The Gerdes family with Hudson's Godparents, Ryan and Angie Mundil.

 

Hudson with his baptism cake.

 

 

 

Happy 2nd Birthday Berkley!!

Berkley turned 2 on October 14th!  I can not believe it has been 2 years that this energetic, full-of-life, little girl has blessed us with her presence.  She continues to keep us smiling and laughing (....and a little frustrated during some terrible two tantrums) on a daily basis. 

Berkley is a sponge right now and is learning so many different words and repeating them constantly.  She has quite the vocabulary and it is getting easier to understand what she is asking for most of the time.  She is in her 'big girl' bed and is still a very good sleeper for us.  She will go to bed around 8pm and then gets up anywhere between 6:45-7:45am.  She used to sleep until 8am, but ever since her little brother was born, she decided 6:30 sounded like more fun.  In the morning I will hear her door knob opening and I will say her name.  She immediately responds with, "Berkley wake up!" and then the pitter patter of her feet RUNNING down the hallway.  She emerges from the hallway, wiping the hair out of her face to reveal the most loving, excited and happy smile.  It is truly a part of the day I enjoy so much and it makes me smile/laugh just thinking about it. 

Berkley's birthday was October 14th, but her party would not be until October 27th, so we could have a dual birthday and baptism for Hudson on the same day.  So we had a small celebration on her actual birthday with Ryan, Berkley, Hudson and myself.  She opened up a few gifts from us and then that afternoon we went to the zoo, then came home for some cake and ice cream.  On the 27th we had family over for her party that night.  Here are pictures from both celebrations. 

Opening her gifts.

 

She loves her new Minnie's Bow-Tique doll and clothes!

 

Happy Birthday sweet Berkley!

 

Sitting at the kids table is so much fun.

 

Opening her gifts.

 

The Gerdes family with Berkley's cake.

 

CHEESE!!! 

Berkley had a HUGE smile on her face while everyone sang to her.

 

 

All in all, Berkley had a great birthday and birthday party.  I don't think she completely understands that it will be 365 days until her next birthday, because the following day she was already asking me about Berkley's party??  Oh boy.... :)

 



 

 

 

 

 



One Week Left....

Only 1 week left of Maternity Leave, before I return to the world of 'working mothers'.... I figure I better post some pictures and a little update now, because once I am back to working 45-50 hours outside of the house on top of the normal laundry, cooking, cleaning, playtime, etc while I am home in the evening and the weekends, it probably will not get any easier to find time to make posts.  I will try my hardest, but blogging becomes low on the priority list when it comes to this, or spending time with my husband and children.  Anyhow, here are some pictures of our life recently.

Berkley at the playground with Nana!  She loves the playground and also loves when Nana comes to visit and play with her. 

 

Give me a B.... a B-B-B-Blowout!  Funny thing is,... Hudson is not a regular pooper and goes about every day or every other day, so when he does poop, we get so excited!  Most parents probably aren't excited about blowouts.... but right now (and I'm sure I'll regret even saying this) as long as it happens at home and during daylight hours, I am ok with it! 

 

Hudson with Grandpa Bud!

 

Of course, Berkley can not be outdone... here is one of her with Grandpa Bud and her cousin Ava.  Currently when Berkley says Ava (which is pretty much all of the time) it sounds like, "Aba" and most of the time is followed up by the name Carter.  She loves going to Aba Carter's  house. 

 

And don't forget about "G'ma Gwee", also another Berkley pronunciation. 

 

Hudson and cousin Benson (Angie & Ryan's 3rd child) had a playdate.  Hudson is almost 7 weeks older than Benson.  Since Hudson is not rolling yet, we didn't have to worry about him rolling over on Benson and squishing him..... otherwise we would have been on "Save Benson" patrol.

 

More cousin fun!.... Cousin Kinsley came over to play and the two of them just have a blast together.  Of course, they are both 2, so there are also a few tears and screams from time to time, since you only want the toy that the other person just picked up.  :)

 

Say CHEESE!!!!

 

 

It has been so wonderful watching Berkley completely fall head over heals in love with her brother.  He is usually one of the first things she asks about in the mornings,... well besides Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  She loves giving him kisses on his head, wants to be beside him most of the time and is the first one to say, "No cry Hudson" as soon as she hears him start to whimper or cry.  When I change his diaper, she grabs one of her small chairs and is right there beside me, so she can watch.  She loves to "push" his swing while he is in it, which unfortunately usually lands her in timeout.  If she accidentally bumps him, she immediately says, "Saaawy Hudson" and gives him a kiss.  I hope this continues and I can't wait to see how the 2 of them will play together (and also fight) through the years.  Those 2 children are some of the greatests gifts from God I have ever received. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



"I'm going to the Dennis!!"

In case you are not sure what the "Dennis" is... let me translate.  It's the Dentist.  Berkley had her very first dentist appointment last week.  We talked about it for a few days before to get her pumped up and excited and excited she was!.... well almost the entire time.

We arrived at the dentist and she loved playing and jumping around the waiting room.  Then it was time to go back to the dentist chair and she was still excited bouncing down the hallway, but did not want to get in the chair.  I ended up sitting in the chair with her while the hygenist checked and cleaned her teeth.  She must have realized that it was not that bad because she allowed the hygenist to check her teeth and then when the dentist came over to her, she actually sat in the seat all by herself. 

At the end of the checkup she received a token to use in the prize machine and ended up getting a beautiful bracelet that ended up breaking about 2 minutes after we got into the car!  Luckily I was able to fix it by the time I picked her up from daycare.

The results of the checkup.... Berkley's teeth look good and we are supposed to make sure we brush twice a day.  That's the good news... the not so good news:  The dentist could tell that Berkley sucks her thumb, by checking out her bite and said that if she doesn't stop sucking her thumb before her last 4 teeth come in, she will most likely need braces to fix it later on.  My thought.... we better start saving for braces, because this girl LOVES her thumb!  Rats!

Ryan trying to convince Berkley to stay in the chair.

 

Such a big girl!

 

Things are a little easier to take when you are on Mom's lap!

 

Berkley and the Dentist realizing they are wearing the same pants!!!

 

The appt is almost over... then time for your prize!

 

And I can not forget a quick little picture of the big guy, Hudson.  He was such a good baby and slept through most of Berkley's appt.  That is always appreciated!  So here is a picture of one of the first smiles I was able to capture of Hudson on my camera.  (Getting LOTS of smiles these days, but it is still a challenge to catch them on the camera.)

 

 

 

 

 

 



A few pictures...

Here are some recent pictures from the Gerdes house.

 

Berkley going to daycare on Red day.

 

Hudson getting a bath.

 

Ryan said this was Hudson's first "tailgate"!

 

Papa and Sally with the kids.  Berkley has M&M's in her mouth for this photo.... nice.

 

I just love Berkley in her pig tails!  A couple of people have commented that this is what I looked like as a toddler, only my hair was dark. 

 

 

So sweet.  Hudson at approx 5-6 weeks old.