5 Days Until Christmas!

It seems as though my pregnancy, especially at the end, went on forever. Now that sweet baby John is here time seems to be flying.  I only have 17 days left at home with him and I am so sad. I do miss the routine of having to be up and around with some structure to my day. We will see if I am still saying that once I go back. :)

Advent has been a lot of fun, but it hasn't quite played out the way I planned. We have skipped several events due to the temperatures. Not that it has been very cold, but cold enough to not take the baby out. Here's what we have been up to:

Dec 9 - Matthew 1:23; We were supposed to go see a live nativity in Glenpool, but the earliest time they were performing was 6:00 and it was in the 40's, so we decided to go to church again and take the boys in just for the worship set and sing as a family.  John slept through it, but Connor just stared. We also dedicated John at the 11:30 service that morning.  It was so special to have my parents, Joe's parents, the Panters, and Jon & Steph there to celebrate with us as we dedicated baby John to be raised in a godly home.
Dec 10 - Philippians 2:11; Joe's favorite day of advent so far - we baked and decorated (and of course ATE) sugar cookies!
Dec 11 - Matthew 2:9-11; We read the birth story together as a family. I don't think Connor quite got it because it was from an adult Bible with no pictures, but I think it is good for him to hear anyway!
Dec 12 - Hebrews 13:8 - Connor got to play with Kirstyn ("KK") while John and I went to the Oliver Christmas party.  It was a Wednesday evening, so Joe was running sound at Switch.  I also took the boys to Bass Pro after school to have their picture taken with Santa. SOOOO cute!
Dec 13 - Luke 1:36; We were supposed to make the house smell like Christmas first, but I never did get around to it and I'm pretty sure Connor could care less what the house smells like at his age. However, we did do our second activity, which was to make Miss Sarah a Christmas card.  I wrote what he wanted to say to her and then he colored it.
Dec 14 - my scripture for the 14th seems to have disappeared.  Our activity today was to read a Christmas book. Connor has about 10 Christmas books, so we are actually still working on those, and of course reading some of them multiple times!
Dec 15 - Acts 13:23; Today's activity was so simple, but so enjoyable! We made hot chocolate and watched a movie together. It probably should have been a Christmas movie, but Connor seems to be more into super heroes and action figure shows. Go figure!
Dec 16 - Isaiah 9:7; We were supposed to go to the Christmas display at Gilcrease Museum, but Saturday night John did not sleep much, so we took a family nap instead, minus Joe who was running sound at church.
Dec 17 - Acts 5:31; Our goal today was to make and take treats to a friend. I decided to try baking brownies in cookie cutters, something I had seen on Pinterest.  However, metal cookie cutters were nowhere to be found, so I bought a Christmas cookie sheet instead.  You could tell what the candy cane brownies were, but the gingerbread men just looked like long skinny brownies!  Connor and I walked down to our neighbors house to deliver the brownies, but they did not answer so we brought them back home with hopes of delivering them later.  However, said neighbor let me know that they don't eat brownies for dietary reasons and by then it was bedtime, so we ate them ourselves.
Dec 18 - Luke 2:12-14; Today we were supposed to go to downtown Tulsa for Winterfest.  However, once again, the temperatures were not conducive to a newborn, so we decided we would celebrate my cousin Jordan's birthday instead!  Happy 21st Jordan!
Dec 19 - Luke 2:15; Our goal today was to chalk a friend's driveway.  Joe had band rehearsal at church, so the boys and I loaded up and headed out to buy chalk at the Dollar store. The dumb store doesn't sell chalk!  Instead of dragging the boys out of the car at another store and then dragging them to someone's home, Connor and I made the executive decision to just go get a chocolate frosty from Wendy's instead!
Dec 20 - John 1:14; Today I am going to go through the boys' toys and we are going to donate many of them to Goodwill.  I talked with Connor today about sharing our abundance with others who don't have as much as we do, but I don't think he's very happy about having to give some of his toys away.  He told me I should just go to the store and buy those kids their own toys! And while I do like that idea (as in an Angel tree type of thing), I also want to clean out their rooms a little bit since we are about to get a haul of toys both from Christmas and Connor's birthday.

John has been growing quite a bit lately and he's so sweet and good!  Last time I weighed him he was at 9 pounds.  We started working on a schedule on Monday and it has been going pretty well so far.  Last night he slept 4.5 hours! However, we had a terrible wind storm and we didn't get back to sleep for a couple of hours after that.  There are so many little things I think of blogging throughout the day about both of the boys, but now that I actually have a minute to sit down and do it, of course I can't remember any of them! My life with boys, to be continued...

Hug Your Kids

I just got a couple of phone calls about a gunmen killing kindergartners in an elementary school in Connecticut.  My heart just keeps breaking over and over for that entire community, but especially for the families who lost their children less than two weeks before Christmas.  I cannot fathom what those parents are experiencing right now.  I want to do something to help, but how do you help someone who can't get their child back?  I want to go pick Connor up and keep him home forever.  What a nightmare for the law enforcement to process.

Thankful for my two sweet boys and the time I have got to spend with them this holiday season.

2 Weeks In...and Counting

Yesterday our sweet little John turned two weeks old. What a busy day we had!  First we took John to the doctor to get a check up - and our little boy had gained some serious weight!  At his one week check up he weighed 6 pounds 12 ounces - this time he weighed 8 pounds 2 ounces! Over a pound gained in one week!  After the doctor's office, John got to make his first trip to Wal-Mart - a very important milestone... :)

Next I took him to Oliver with me for lunch and the entire staff just oohed and ahhed over him.  I was told he had a perfectly shaped round head and was just a beautiful baby.  My fifth hour loved seeing him!

After that we had family pictures.  Those turned out great and I've only seen 12 of them so far!  For our advent last night we loaded up in the car and drove around a couple of different neighborhoods looking at Christmas lights.  After we were done looking at the houses, we went to Braum's and got ice cream.

The advent for today included going to the Philbrook Festival of Trees. They had trees made out of all kinds of things as well as a display of gingerbread houses.  We were also going to go to the Christmas parade, but it was so cold outside that we opted to come home and let Connor watch Cars 2 instead.

Tomorrow baby John gets dedicated, so for dessert tonight I baked some Santa cupcakes.  I will take some with us tomorrow to eat after lunch.  Connor wants to make his own gingerbread house, so if another of our outdoor adventures gets too cold we may do that instead.

Advent Update

Scriptures so far for family advent:
Dec 1 - Isaiah 7:14
Dec 2 - Matthew 1:19-20
Dec 3 - lost
Dec 4 - Zech 9:9
Dec 5 - Luke 2:9-11
Dec 6 - Micah 5:2
Dec 7 - Isaiah 9:6

On the 3rd our activity was to make a card for a soldier. Since my cousin is currently stationed in Afghanistan, we decided to send it to him.  We hope he gets it in time for Christmas and that it brightens his day a little!

On the 4th we watched a Christmas movie with the Whites who had brought us a delicious dinner. Connor and Presley watched Babes in Toyland on Netflix.

On the 5th, Connor got to color his Christmas coloring book that Santa gave him when we went to visit him at the North Pole aka Bass Pro.

On the 6th we did family lunch with daddy. We decided to try Fat Guys Burgers.  Connor kept asking me what the fat guy's name was. He could not figure out that it was the name of the restaurant.  Opinion on it - the burgers tasted just like Braum's to me but they cost a whole lot more! However, the fries were amazingly delicious and they had some pretty good root beer, too!

Today Connor opened up the advent and pretended to read it.  He told his dad that it said Nina was coming to visit tonight!  Joe ended up telling him that she was not coming but that we were going to a surprise place to do some fun stuff and that there would be apple juice.  Connor guessed that we were going to the soccer field.  Not sure why he thought that, but he will find out that we are going to load up in the car after dinner and drive around to look at Christmas lights.  We will have drinks, Christmas music, and popcorn!  We haven't decided yet if we are going to drive to the Castle in Muskogee or if we are going to just drive around and look at lights in Tulsa.

Also today is John's 2 week check up.  We shall see if he has gained any weight back.  We are also doing family pictures today - I'm very excited!

Advent

We decided to do advent a little differently this year - normally we just do the chocolates that you buy from the drug store.  Since Connor is getting old enough to understand, we decided to do daily activities that let us do things as a family or that reinforce the true spirit of Christmas.  Yesterday for December 1st, we went to the Broken Arrow Christmas parade.  Connor waved at everybody while John at a snack and then took a nap.  We left before Santa came because it was so windy out that we were all beginning to feel gritty.  I've never been to a Christmas parade without a coat, but this year we did just that.

Today's advent is that we are going to find an Angel Tree and shop for it together as a family.  I think we will choose a young boy so that Connor can pick things out that the little boy would probably like best.

Today we also have a meeting at church for Child Dedications.  Connor and I read about Jesus being dedicated to God when he was 8 days old.  I told Connor that we dedicated him and now baby John to God just like Jesus was dedicated to God.

November Update

So sweet little John has been in our family for one week! Oh the adventures we have already had!

Connor is doing great as big brother! He wants John to be a "kid" so badly so they can play together.  He even shared his Lightening McQueen car with brother to try to entice him to play...but John just wasn't interested. :)  Joe has been taking Connor to school every day this week and he is coming home and being a great helper!

The only scare we have had with the boys was when Connor was scooting backwards in a chair.  The chair collapsed and they both fell - right on top of poor little John's legs!  Of course I freaked out, so Joe ran out of the shower to see John in my left arm, Connor in my right arm, and all three of us crying!  We are all ok now!

John had not pooped since we left the hospital, so Joe prayed over him Tuesday night to let the floodgates open...and his prayer was answered.  Not only have we had crazy diapers, but last night we learned that liquid poop can literally shoot across a room.

The Birth Story

NOVEMBER 22, 2012

THANKSGIVING DAY

Joe felt sorry for me because I was still pregnant, so he decided to cook all of my favorite side dishes for dinner.  Mom and Dad came over and brought a ham.  We took Connor to Bass Pro to see Santa and kill time.  Wal-Mart decided to begin their Black Friday sale on Thursday at 8 pm this year, so I told Joe we were going - surely the chaos of crazy Wal-Mart people would get this baby out!  We got home about 8:30 after buying underwear, video games, and pancake mix.  Feeling severely disappointed that I wasn't in labor, I went to bed.

At 9:10 I felt a contraction and told Joe to write it down just in case this wasn't Braxton Hicks anymore.  I tried to rest, but these were painful enough to keep me awake, so I decided just to get up.  I called both sets of parents just to let them know things might be going down.  Then we called friends who had said they would come over and let Connor sleep if we needed to go to the hospital.  But of course, since it was Thanksgiving, they were out of town! Our next plan of action was to wake Connor up and take him over to my cousin's house and let him spend the night.  We didn't want to do this unless I was for sure in labor.  I knew I was, but I wasn't sure how long to wait because my contractions were random from 4 minutes apart to 9 minutes apart, never really consistent.  However, they were painful enough and I was tired enough that I made the decision to head to the hospital...

Good choice!  We dropped Connor off and got to the hospital around 12:30. I couldn't even make it to the check in desk - they put me in the first room to check me.  I was dilated to between a 5-6 already!  My contractions never did become consistent, but they were strong enough and the baby was headed down so I was admitted. I asked for my epidural, but of course, I had to have pain medication and do all of my lab work first.  

When I finally got the epidural in, my body immediately relaxed...and that's when the baby decided to make his move!  The nurse came in to find out why his heart rate had dropped and it was because he was already in the birth canal about to make his appearance.  Immediately the doctor and 4 other hospital people zoomed in to prepare for the birth.  I asked why so many people came in at once and they told me because the baby was coming very quickly.  

After just one push everyone looked as though they were about to panic.  Apparently the baby's should was stuck on my pelvic bone.  The doctor tried to get him unstuck while a nurse shoved Joe out of the way and was pushing on my side.  Meanwhile, I was busy vomiting.  But that second push got the baby out.  He was blue when they laid him on me. but after about 30 seconds they got him to breathe!  He turned white after that, but the more he screamed the pinker he got.  

Other than being a little swollen and me feeling light headed, everything turned out really well.  We named our sweet baby boy John Cameron.  He looks just like big brother did at this age!

More Like Jesus

In one of the YouVersion plans I am reading right now, I came across this paragraph:

"Think about it. Jesus poured his life into the lives of twelve ordinary men, investing most of His time with them. At one point, He even washed their feet--the act of a slave or a servant. He healed the sick. He loved the poor. He was concerned about the widow, the orphan, and the person who was left out. He loved kids. He got angry when the religious leaders put the legalism of the Law before the love of God and the love for people. Even when mankind was murdering Him on the cross, He chose to forgive."

Not only do I wish I could be more like Christ, but I also want my children to see that example in their parents so that they can also grow to be more like Christ.  The problem is, I always think that I want to be more like Christ, but when I look at the reality of it I get overwhelmed with where to begin.  Where do I find the widows and the orphans?  How do I heal the sick - is praying for them enough? Is giving money to a certain organization that helps these groups of people what I should be doing?  How do I know if I am contributing my fair share of helping those in need?  

I know with Christmas coming up, I always want to do something with my family to help out those in need, but I can't help but think that Jesus did it all year round.  What do those hungry people do the rest of the year?

Connor is at the age now where I think it is very important to be the example of a parent of what I think he needs in his adult life.  With adding a second child to the family, I am even more conscious of what it means to be the example.  

One More Thing

Connor has learned a lot of our patterns, routines, and routes. Depending on which way we turn out of the neighborhood he knows he is probably going to daycare or church. Now, if we get on the highway, he also knows that is the way to church. He also happens to know where every McDonald's on the east side is located, although how he knows that I have no idea!

2.5 year old update

Well, Connor is growing up for sure. I gave him a hair cut last week and he looks like a little boy again...as opposed to the girl people were beginning to think he was. Of course, not that he realizes what is going on, with every snip came a head jerk and his hair is uneven. But, it is cut and it is cooler for the summer.

Also new in the world of Connor is that he has figured out how to throw gigantic temper tantrums. "No" has become his favorite word and he uses it often. Bedtime and nap time are when we hear it most. :)

Attempt #5 at potty training has failed. He is just not interested whatsoever in using the toilet. Yesterday I was letting him run around with nothing on. After about 25 minutes he ran to his dad and told him he had pooped in the kitchen. When we went to check, not only had he peed and pooped all over the kitchen, he had also managed to get out the George Foreman and plug it in. Any of you who have one know that simply plugging it in is enough to get it hot. Luckily he told on himself and we avoided a disaster, but still scary nonetheless.

He also seems to be hitting another growth spurt. At two and a half he has been wearing 18 month sized clothes, but I think we are just about ready to graduate up to 24 month clothes here in the next month or two.

Connor has also been doing swimming lessons this summer. He has been doing great! He loves to be in any and all water (proved by the fact that he found a puddle at our park yesterday and he was soaked within seconds) and he has gotten really good at kicking and doggie paddling at the same time. He doesn't love to go under, but he deals with it pretty well when I dunk him.

He also continues to impress Joe and I with how much he knows. This morning he announced that he is "Connor Cwoakwey" and that I am "Mommy Achel Cwoakwey." He also has been "reading" books to Joe and me that he has memorized. His food intake has gotten better as well! This week he has eaten fish and cauliflower and he will eat almost any kind of fruit nowadays.

Ok, so enough on me going on about how awesome my kid is...for now!

Speaking Sentences

Connor's vocabulary and the things he says are both astounding and entertaining as of late. The other morning he spilled some yogurt on the table and would not eat any more until it was cleaned up. So Joe took a rag and wiped it up. Connor yelled "Mo-om, mo-om! Dado clean o-gurt wi tow-ul." Then this morning there was a little baby on TV and he said "awww, baby cute!"

Joe and I have been enjoying watching him dance around the living room to his favorite songs, sing himself to sleep, and generally terrorize the house. Ok, so we don't love the last part, but it is a part of his 2 year old self.

He is so loving, too. Every day when we leave for work he tells his Dad and the house bye and that "I yuh you." He tells church the same thing. He LOVES going to church. He asks if we are going there every time we get in the car.

Going to Church

Well, we are experiencing the winter blizzard of 2011. 12 inches of snow so far! As I was getting Connor dressed this morning he asked if we were going to church. Of course with the snow blowing and it being a Tuesday, I said no, but he kept saying church over and over again. So, Joe and I have decided to recreate church. We are going to color a Jesus picture, watch a Christian video, and sing church songs. Fun times at the Coakley house!

What a way to start a week. Last night around 11 Joe woke me up to say that we had left the garage open and there was a skunk in there stinking up the whole house. I could smell it from bed.

Then, Connor and I ran to the store to get a couple of items and as we were getting in the car to come home, Connor locked all the doors and I shut the last one. All my stuff was in the car with him, so I had to borrow a phone from a nice young man and call Joe to come unlock the car. The whole time I was waiting for Joe to come I kept trying to tell Connor to unlock the door but he had no idea how to do it, and besides, he was having a grand ole time pretending to drive and take his pants off!

Hopefully the rest of our Christmas season won't be this adventurous!!!

Connor's First Prayer

Tonight for dinner, Connor said his first prayer. We had already prayed over the food and he wanted to pray again, so I told him it was his turn. I told him to repeat after me and here is what he said:

"God, love you, amen!"

It was sooo sweet! In other news, Joe and I have really been enjoying Connor at this age. He is so sweet to give hugs and kisses and he learns a new word every single day! He loves both his Papa's and talks about them all the time. We are excited to see how he will react to all of the holidays this year.

Another celebration!

So Connor has pooped in the potty 3 times now, and today he went pee pee! Woo hoo!

He is growing so big now. We are thrilled he is walking and talking so much more. Yesterday we took him in the kiddie pool in our backyard and he loved it. He even went under several times and didn't even cry. Pics on FB if you want to see him swimming.

Potty Time

We timed it right and Connor went poo poo in the potty! Joe and celebrated with him and let him flush the toilet. Hopefully this is the start of something beautiful!

Connor finally started walking on May 17 - 1 and a half weeks before the pediatrician was going to check him out and maybe recommend physical therapy!

Talks So Cute!

Trying to teach Connor new things to say has been so fun because he tried to copy the inflection in our voices. Today he repeated me when I said, "oh brother!" He also says "there he is" when we say "where's Connor?"

Other words Connor can say:

Mama

Dada

Uh-oh

Bye bye

hi

Moo

Uh-uh

Peek-A-Boo!

Connor loves to play Peek-A-Boo with us. He's at the point now where he covers his own eye. We always say, "where's Connor? there he is!" So now, instead of saying Peek-A-Boo at the end he says "There he is!" So cute!

Kisses!

Yesterday, Joe had to pick Connor up and take him home since I had a basketball game. When I went to say bye to Connor and give him a kiss, he leaned over and kissed me, too! It was so sweet.

Finally!

We have teeth! Hooray! Yesterday morning when Connor woke up I felt his bottom gums because we knew they were coming and I feel sharp little points. His two bottom front teeth have finally broken through the gums, just a week before he turns one.