Princess and the Frog!

Here I am blogging, kids asleep, husband away for the weekend, and it's finally time for me to relax. Things have gotten much better with Charlie, and he finally got some medicine and seems to have kicked his sickness. It still seems like it really jet depends on the day if Charlie is going to take a few long naps, or just cat-nap all day. The days are much easier when he takes longer stretches of naps and it gives me more time to get stuff done, spend time with Kenley, and he is easier to take out. Or, there are days like today when I have to eat lunch in 5 minutes, get off the treadmill 5 times during a 30 minute run, and let Kenley watch too many cartoons. Yesterday, I took them both to story time at the library, and it was great! I think we will be going back there really soon, and we finally got a library card.

We had a great time on Halloween, even though the weather wasn't great. I got to go to preschool with Kenley for her party. It was so cute to finally put a face to all of her friends that she talks about. We might be in trouble though because most of them seem to be boys! Hmmmmm....

Kenley had so much fun answering the door for our tick-or-treaters, and didn't seem to mind one bit that we waited around for a while since Ray got stuck in bad traffic on the way home. She had a blast going around our neighborhood, and would scream "trick-or-treat" at the top of her lungs, many times even before the person answered the door.  She got tons of candy, and I've been taking handfuls out of her bag each day and hiding it away so she won't notice. We also stopped by my sister's house and were able to get some of my favorite pictures of her & Kayla. Unfortunately, getting Charlie in too was pretty much impossible, but one of these days we will try for one of all 3 of them.

Over the weekend, we went to Greg's bodybuilding competition to cheer him on. He worked his ass off preparing for this and has had the dedication of a saint with working out and following a strict diet. Then, Ray and I went to one of his co-worker's weddings at the Knickerbocker Hotel. We had such a fun night, but definitely paid for it on Sunday. Luckily, I got myself together to go to one of my best friend's baby shower! Joan's baby boy is due in December, and I am so excited that we will have boys just a few months apart. It is so awesome that my pregnancy overlapped with all 3 of my best friend's pregnancies this year. Now we all get to experience motherhood together and can really relate to one another.

Well, it's 10pm, and I'm already ready for bed. I know Charlie will be calling for me soon, so I'm about to get as much sleep as possible!

Jokes on me

Pretty ironic that just last week I wrote about my thoughts so far about being at home with the kids. Little did I know that it would lead me into our most challenging week so far.  I didn't mention that Charlie had been a bit fussy for a few days. To be honest, he has been more challenging than Kenley as far as having some fussiness with his bottles and many days only cat-napping in between bouts of crankiness. I ended up taking him to the doctor on Friday after he wouldn't eat much at all on Thursday, barely getting any sleep because he cried every hour, and being more cranky than usual as the week went on. The doctor said they didn't see any signs of major sickness except for a bit of a stuffy nose. We decided that I would switch to the gentle formula and try some medicine for acid reflux.
As of now, I don't think that is the problem, but I'm willing to keep trying it until Friday when we go back to the doctor. I think Charlie might just be a little sick, and that is making him not sleep or eat well. I really don't know, is he just colicky, sick, or just a crabby baby? But, it's been a tough 10 days! It's hard to get much done and to give Kenley the attention she deserves when I have to try to calm Charlie down every 45 minutes. It's frustrating and heartbreaking to have your baby screaming and not know how to help him. I'm just trying to stay patient and positive knowing that it will get better, hopefully sooner rather than later. Today, I got about an hour in with him being happy and smiley, which is about the longest stretch we've had lately.
I still took the kids to Ray's work party, and by some miracle, the 2 hour drive it took us to get there wasn't too bad. I was so nervous about driving into the city with them by myself considering that Charlie had been so fussy that night and morning. The only good thing about going .1 mile and hour was that I was able to reach back and feed Charlie and give him his paci in traffic. We had a great time letting Kenley trick-or-treat around his office, and I'm glad we made it there. (Even thought it was literally almost 4 hours in the car for a 1 hour party) I know she is very excited about Thursday to go to her party at school and trick-or-treat around the neighborhood.
In other positive news, I finished the 5k on Saturday in under 34 minutes! Not too bad since Ive only been running for about 8 weeks and for a hilly course. My mom also ran the whole thing, and I am proud of both of us. I'm hoping to stay on the treadmill throughout winter, and I'm looking forward to using our jogging stroller next Spring.
For the record, I'm still glad I am home with my kids, and I wouldn't trade this difficult week for an easy week at work. Honestly, I couldn't imagine how I would function doing both with the minimal hours of sleep I've gotten a few nights. I'm tucking in early tonight and hoping that Charlie lets me get a few hours at a time at least!

*I wrote this on Monday/Tuesday, and I am happy to report that Charlie has been soooo good today.  I'm hoping he stays this way!  Leads me to think he really was sick with something.  Fingers crossed....

Stay at home momma

As my baby boy is quickly approaching his 12 week mark, I can't help but think that this would be about the time I would be going back to work on a "typical" maternity leave. I was lucky enough to take off about 16 weeks with Kenley, and I went back after our Spring Break that year. As I've said before, I am LOVING being at home with the kids, and I am so greatful that I am able to have this time with them. We really have spent very few days "at home" and I think I can count on one hand the times that we have actually stayed home the entire day without going anywhere. I know it might not be as easy once the winter comes, but even though it is not always easy to leave the house with both kids, I try my best to have something to do every day. Many of those out and about days might only consist of running a few quick errands, taking the kids somewhere to play for a while, or grocery shopping, but it gets us out and gives us something to do on days we don't have any plans.

I've read a few blogs and articles recently about being a stay at home mom vs. working, and I always find them interesting. People like to argue which one is "easier" or "harder," and I don't want to take sides, but at least feel like I can make a judgement for myself now that I have experienced both. I can say that I have not even had one half of a second where I missed working. (Well, other than the obvious of receiving a paycheck) Even the times when both kids have been crying hysterically, or when it has taken us way to long to get out the door, or even the night that I barely got any sleep because both kids were on rotation for waking up at all hours of the night.

I feel overwhelmed at even the thought of going back to work at some point. Other than the biggest perk of spending my time with the kids, it is so nice to be able to do all the errands, cleaning, shopping, doctor appointments, etc during the day and not have to cram that into the nights and weekends. I think that was the hardest part of working even with just one child was getting all of that done too because after working all day I hated giving up more time away from Kenley to do all of those necessary, but time-consuming things. I also don't feel bad about having a little "me" time every once and a while. Ray and I have already had 2 date nights, and we have a wedding coming up in another week. It's not as hard leaving the kids for a few hours, or a night when I know I will be with them all week. I know we are SO lucky to have parents that love to spend time with our kids and allow us to have those times to ourselves.

I am so excited that next week I get to attend Kenley's Halloween party at pre-school and help out. It's going to be really fun to get to know her teachers and classmates since I only see them for a minute or two when I drop off/pick up. This is one of the things I know I would be missing out on if I was working. Today Kenley helped make chocolate covered pretzels for her class, and she was naming all her friends they were for. Tomorrow I am taking the kids to Ray's office for their annual Halloween party. I know Kenley will have a blast, and it will be fun to have Ray's co-workers meet Charlie for the first time.

My first 5k is is weekend, and I'm really excited and a little nervous about it. I'm proud of myself that I've been running at least 5 times a week, and I've worked my way up to those 3 miles. I've made good progress considering at the end of my pregnancy it was difficult to even walk to the park a few blocks away! My mom is doing this 5k too, and I know she has been working hard to get ready for it too. The hardest part will be the hills since it takes place in my hometown of Hickory Hills, and I know there are a few steeps ones we will have to run up. My main goal is just to run the whole thing without stopping, but I would like to finish in under 40 minutes.

Halloween pictures to come soon! I really hope I can get a good one of the kids together in their costumes!

Fall fest mania

We have been going to so many fall fests, pumpkin patches, etc these last few weeks that I think Kenley expects everywhere we go to have either a hayride or a petting zoo. Friday, Ray took the day off work so that we could go to Bengston's with the kids to try to beat some of the weekend madness. We didn't think about the fact that there would be a ton of schools on field trips, but we still had a great time. (Especially once the schools left!) I've had the kids in Halloween outfits almost every day the past few weeks too, since Kenley has at least 6-7 different outfits. I just can't resist the holiday outfits, and I can't wait to buy some Christmas/Winter outfits although at don't want to rush winter at all.

Ray and I had a great night out for my birthday and went to the new outlet mall in Rosemont, went to Morton's Steakhouse for dinner, and went out to a few of the bars in the area. We stayed overnight in the area, ordered room service breakfast, and I dozed in bed until we checked out at 11:00am.

Charlie turned 2 months old is week. He seems so big to me for some reason! He has a doctor appointment this week, so I am interested to see how much he has grown. He is sleeping pretty good, and most nights wakes up around 1am and around 5. He loves his swing and spends a lot of time in there napping during the day when we are home. He loves to be swaddled, and it helps calm him down a lot when he gets fussy. Kenley is still being a great big sister and she really loves Charlie. The first thing she does in the mornings is go right up to him to hug and kiss him. She also loves calling him by nicknames including "Bubbies", "Chuckle Buckle", or anything else silly she makes up or hears Ray or I say to him.

We are very sad that our dog, Jake, died last week. He hadn't been doing well the last month, but it still came as a shock. We will miss him very much. It's was very hard on Ray since he had Jake since college, and it has been difficult to explain to Kenley when she brings it up. We have told her that he is in heaven with Grandpa Ray, but I know it is still hard for her to understand. Thanks to everyone who sent their condolences to us over the past few days.

End of September

How is it already the end of September? I can't believe it! It really crept up on me. My days have been filled with taking care of and entertaining the kids and working out. Those are my two priorities these days, and I feel like its a pretty good day if I have been successful with both. I am so glad that the weather has been gorgeous so we have been able to be outside almost every day. We just got our swing set completed on Monday, and Kenley loves it! I'm sure Charlie is going to love it too as soon as he is big enough to sit in the bucket swing. I am also lucky at I have so many friends with kids that are able to get together during the week. We have had at least one play date a week, which gives Kenley a chance to play, and me a chance to socialize with my friends!

This weekend Ray and I took our niece, Kayla, Kenley, and Charlie to a little parade and festival. Last week I posted about the idea of having a 3rd child, and we got to see what it would be like to have 3 kids under the age of 3. It was a little hectic at times! Kenley and Kayla were screaming and crying when the fire trucks went by, but I don't blame them. It was soooo loud.  At our house, Kenley was helping /forcing Kayla to walk with her. They are so cute together, and it is fun watching them interact now that Kayla is getting older.

My 31st birthday is tomorrow. We're going to celebrate as a family tomorrow, and on Saturday Ray and I are spending the night in a hotel. I'm excited to go shopping, go out to a nice dinner, and relax! It feels like just yesterday was my 30th birthday. It's been a great year, and I got my wish from last year which was wanting to have another baby. What will I wish for this year? Really, I just want all of my family and friends to be happy and healthy, and I want to enjoy time with them. I want to enjoy my time off of work, and cherish these precious moments with my kids because I know in a blink of an eye they will be grown up. (Tear!)

The month of October I'm planning on going to as many Pumpkin Farms as I can. I already have a few things planned that I know will be fun for me and the kids. I love this time of year because there are so many things to do. We got their  Halloween costumes this week, and they are really cute. That's all for now. I better go run on the treadmill while Charlie is sleeping!

1 month already

Charlie turned 1 month old this week. Ray and I both commented that in some ways it feels like he was just born, but other ways like he's been here forever. I guess that's just the way you should feel about your kids, like they were always meant to be a part of your family.  Our little man already had his 1 month appointment and is 22 inches and 10lbs, 14 oz. I cried a little is week over the fact that he is already a month and I don't want it to go by too fast, knowing it will. With Kenley, it always got me through knowing that we wanted another child and hoping that I would get the  g chance to experience a newborn again, but this time I know it might be our last child. So, I'm just trying to savor every precious moment. So many people have asked me if we are done having kids now that we have 1 girl and 1 boy. It's hard for me to answer that for sure. I always pictured myself only having 2kids, but I still can't totally shut the idea out. I also think that there is a part of me that would always want a baby even if I had 5 kids. So, will we go for number 3? It's too early too tell. And for the record, Ray would totally answer No!

I'm stopped into school Friday and then met up with some of my co-workers. Kenley got to visit with her old babysitter, and I brought Charlie with me.  Then I brought both kids with me to meet up with my friends when school was over. It was nice to see some of my friends, but it has been nice being totally left out of what's going on at school. I don't want to even think about going back yet, or hear about all the changes that I know are happening this year.

Kenley and I are heading to the doctor in a little bit. She woke up Thursday night and threw up ALL over me-twice!  We are talking projectile vomit too. I don't know how It didn't even really phase me too much, but I guess that is part of being a mom. Since then, she has been coughing and really stuffy. I have had the worst sore throat and my body just aches. I kept Kenley home from pre-school today, and we are still in our pjs at 1:30. I have been dozing off on the couch while Charlie sleeps, and Kenley has been watching way too many cartoons. Hopefully, we will be feeling better tomorrow, and I really hope that Charlie doesn't get it.

Ray and I are going to have our first date night out this week while his mom watches the kids. We are getting 70 minute massages! I can not wait, and dreamed about laying on my stomach and getting a deep tissue massage throughout my pregnancy. I am also looking forward to some time with my husband, just the 2 of us.  It seems like we barely have a chance to spend any time together because we have been pretty busy on the weekends, and the week nights are consumed with Charlie's fussy time, trying to eat dinner, get the kids to sleep, and then we go to sleep within minutes after that. Hopefully we will feel recharged from a relaxing night together!

2 Kids 2 hands

We are all settling into things a bit these last few days. It's e end of our second week with our new "normal" with Ray at work, Kenley in preschool 2 mornings a week, and me home with the kids. This week was the start of school for all of my friends, and I am so happy not to have back-to school stress. Things have been going really well so far. Of course, there have been moments of chaos where Both kids are crying and I'm not sure who to take care of first, but for the most part there haven't been any major meltdowns (by me, yet.). I have also been very lucky to have many visitors by family and friends and help from my mom and Mother-in-law.
There have been some really sweet moments with Kenley and Charlie, and Kenley has really stepped up to her new role as big sister. She always wants to help give Charlie his bottle or pacifier when he cries. Today, I overheard her saying to him,"It's ok, Charlie. I know, I know."  So sweet. Sometimes she wants to snuggle, hug, hold him so much we need to remind her not to smother him. Also, it seems like she is SO big now, which really makes me realize how fast these newborn days will go by.  Again, I'm wishing I could freeze to,e so that neither one of them grows any bigger.
The hardest things so far have just been that breast feeding isn't going so well (again) but I'm doing what I can. I'm not getting too down about it like I did with Kenley just because I thought it might be difficult again. Also, as expected, the lack of sleep is a little hard. Charlie has been sleeping about 2-3 hours at a time, but unfortunately not in his crib. Most of the time he has been sleeping in our room, but it is my goal to try to get him in his own room soon. I don't know how he knows the difference, but when he is in our room he sleeps much better. I guess I have also gotten lazy and give up trying to  put him in his crib after getting up for the 3rd time in an hour.  Other than that, the only other problem is that I only have 2 hands.
I tackled taking both kids out several times. Yesterday, we went to Trader Joes and Kenley thought it was awesome that she got to have her own little kid-sized cart. I only got my ankles ran into about 15 times, but she had fun, Charlie slept, and I left with food, which I consider a success. I also started walking this week and I was able to walk 2 miles and even jog just a tiny bit.  I know it helped me burn calories that I was pushing a double stroller!  I know it is going to take me a while to lose this weight, but I feel good that I've been able to get started. I'm planning on doing a 5k at the end of October to keep me motivated.
I can't believe it's already the end of August! I guess I spent all summer preparing for Charlie's arrival, and now that he's here it seems like summer has flown by. I hope the weather stays nice as long as possible, especially because we just ordered a swingset for the kids! I'm hoping we get a lot of nice days in the fall and can continue to be outside as much as possible. I am looking forward to putting up my fall decorations, my birthday, picking out the kids Halloween costumes, and going to a few of the pumpkin patches in the area. 
I'll finish up by showing a sneak peak of Charlie's first photo session.  I love them all!

Family of 4!

My sweet boy, Raymond Charles Kruse V, "Charlie" was born on August 10, 2013 at 9:00pm.  He was 8lbs 4 oz, which was actually smaller than we thought he would be!  Since he still had not been born on my due date, the 8th, I had a doctor's appointment and my doctor said that he would induce me on the 10th.  I was kind of hoping I would go into labor on my own, but at that point I was so ready and glad to have the end in sight!  It still seemed very surreal the 2days leading up to it knowing our lives would be forever changed.  Kenley stayed over at Ray's mom's house the night before since Ray and I had to be at the hospital early the next morning.  I spent the day with Kenley on Friday enjoying our last one on one time time before we added her brother to our family.  I was a little sad about this being my last day with my "baby" girl, but so excited for her too.  Ray and I made sure that everything was ready for the hospital and tried to get some sleep that night.

We arrived at the hospital at 8:00am, and I was getting nervous on the ride there. The nurse started my IV's, which was kind of painful and took 2 tries.  I tried to be calm, but my nerves got the best of me and I started feeling lightheaded and nauseous.  I felt like such a wimp knowing that was the easy part.  Then we waited for the contractions, which started pretty quickly and once they were regular I got the ok to get the epidural.  I was really nervous about it since I felt it quite a bit when I got it with Kenley, but it went much better this time.  I was so relieved when it was over, and after about an hour of feeling very chilled and having some shivers, I was feeling nice and relaxed. (But, it still took a while to get my mind off that IV!)  My doctor had 2 other hospitals to go to that day so he wanted to put off breaking my water until he got back.  We knew we were going to be waiting for quite a while when he didn't even leave my hospital until about 2:30.  SO, we waited....

In the meantime, my parents and sister came up to the hospital, and a few hours later Ray's mom came up with Kenley.  Kenley wasn't allowed in the room, but I facetimed with her from the birthing room to the waiting room.  My doctor came back around 6:00 and broke my water, and we waited.  My brother-in-law came up around 7:30.  By 8:00 I started feeling some pressure and by 8:15 I was feeling the full force of the contractions and knew it was almost time to push.  I said quick goodbyes to our family and the doctors and nurses came in and got ready.  After only 2 pushes they said they could see his head, which motivated me to try to get him out as quickly as possible.  In a matter of about 15 minutes Charlie was out!  I was so happy and relieved to hear his little cry within a few seconds. The nurses took him over to the table to check him, and after a few minutes they decided he was going to go to the nursery for some monitoring of his breathing.  They assured me that it was nothing serious, and I was able to hold him for one minute before they took him.  Everyone got to see Charlie through the glass in the nursery, including Kenley.  Ray and I settled into our hospital room, and the nurses brought Charlie in to stay with us after just a few minutes.

Our hospital stay was great, and we had several family members and friends come visit us on Sunday. My absolute favorite moment was when Kenley got to meet Charlie. She was so excited and climbed up in my hospital bed to hold him.  She was giving him hugs and kisses.  She asked me if she could see my belly and I told her Charlie wasn't in there anymore because the doctor helped him come out and she smiled so big and said, "thank-you!"  She was also quite curious about everything including what was on Charlie's belly (his cord), why I had bandaids on, and why Charlie was eating from my "elbow".  It has been so funny to hear her thoughts as she tries to process everything. On Sunday, we were anxious to pick up Kenley and get home with Charlie, and we were surprised when our nurse told us at about 10:00 am that we would be able to leave within a very short period of time.  Ray was home with us the first week, which was so nice.  We actually did quite a bit for those first few days, and Charlie went to the mall, Walmart, out to eat 2 times, and to an outdoor festival.

This week Kenley started pre-school, so today is her 2nd day.  She has had a hard time getting ready and saying that she doesn't want to go, but when I picked her up the first day she was having fun, and the teachers said she only cried for a few minutes after I left.  I'm hoping today will be the same.  Yesterday I took both kids to the park by myself, and today I'm thinking about trying to tackle Jewel.  Overall, things have gone really well so far.  Charlie has been a really good baby and only really cries when he is hungry or needs to be changed.  I am loving this newborn stage and already don't want him to get any bigger.  I love snuggling with him and holding him.  Kenley has been a very good big sister and has helped giving Charlie bottles, and loves to hold him.  We had newborn pictures taken this week, and I can't wait to see all of them!

Thank-you to everyone who has sent their love for our family over the past few weeks!
 

Still Pregnant

I'm officially 1 week away from my due date, and counting down the days (hours, minutes...)  I am SO ready, and so are all of my friends and family.  I have gotten so many texts and calls wondering if I am in labor, or anytime I call someone they are hoping it is "the call."  I called Ray at work yesterday and his assistant said he was really busy and asked if he could take a message.  I told him it was me, and he said every time I call now Ray wants him to ask if I'm in labor.  I was disappointed to tell him no, and I know Ray has just been waiting to get a call at work.

We had a very fun, spontaneous weekend and on Saturday we went to the Thunderbolts game.  Ray won tickets at a golf outing and since we didn't have plans, and no labor pains we went.  It was so much fun!  When we first got there, a girl approached us and asked if Kenley would want to deliver the game balls to the umpire and coaches.  We weren't really sure if she would do it, but we said yes anyway.  She got to go out on the field while the players were warming up, played catch with a few, and they announced her name when she delivered the HUGE box of balls.  We had great seats for the game, and I'm glad we went even though it was a very cold day for July.

On Sunday we went to Montana Charlie's just to look around and ended up finding a horse and camel ride.  I really didn't think Kenley would be able to do the camel ride, but she wanted to.  I was a little nervous putting her up there it was really high! She had a very adventurous weekend from one that went from no plans to lots of fun stuff!

Tomorrow Ray and I will be celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary!  I can't believe it has been 5 years and now here we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our 2nd child.  These were things we only could have wished for 5 years ago when we got married.  We are just planning on going out to dinner with Kenley, and Saturday is my niece Kayla's 1st birthday party.  I wouldn't mind ending the weekend with a trip to the hospital. I was supposed to have a doctor appointment on Wednesday, but it got cancelled last minute.  So, I am going in tomorrow to see what they say.  Let's hope this is the last appointment!  Here is a picture of Charlie's room just waiting for him.  I've peeked in there a few times this week just thinking about him being in there soon.