Happy 2nd Birthday, Lucas!

Dear Lucas,

It is January 11, 2013 and today you turn two years old. The minute you took your first breath, you have changed our lives. The loud scream you made filled the room as you made your presence known. From that second forward you have continued to make sure everyone knows you are in the room.

You have the friendliest personality and you own every room you enter. You carry yourself with such confidence I know that you will do anything you put your mind to. I love how you seem to be the “Norm” (Cheers reference) of your daycare. As soon as you enter the room a chorus of “Lucas!” sounds from the teachers. You are proud to show off the toy you snuck in or the character on your shirt that day. You greet the other children with “Mornin’ Kids” and you make sure to tell everyone “Bye!” before leaving every day.

You are a true leader as you boss us around all the time at home. I can’t speak to your brother without you repeating me, “No, Kakob, No!” or “Kakob down‘tares (Jacob, downstairs).” You even tell me to go upstairs when you are ready to go to bed or take a “bub bate (bubble bath).”

Perhaps my favorite cuteness you exhibit is when you do “roll call” as you announce everyone in the room. You also like to talk about your friends at daycare and list all their names, always beginning with the girls’ names. You are quite the ladies’ man.

I find your desire to help so endearing. You like to help with the laundry by pulling everything out of the dryer. You will clean up your toys, but we know you are still just a two year old as you enjoy dumping all the toys as well. You love to be praised and feel like you are helping. You will hand Jacob his toys even if he doesn’t want them and hand out tissues to everyone in the room. You want everyone to be happy and worry if someone appears not to be.

You like to give hugs and be tickled, but you still are not a cuddler. You are too busy to be bothered with snuggles. I hope I never forget the sound of your sweet voice yelling for “Momma.”

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is definitely your favorite TV show and toys to play with. We all have the theme song stuck in our heads most every day. You will carry around your Mickey Mouse toys and make sure we tell you their names. You enjoy Elmo as well, but Mickey has surpassed the Sesame Street gang, hence the theme for your birthday party being Mickey Mouse and friends!

I pray you will always be as happy and joyful as you are at two years old. I hope your compassion and caring nature will never be suppressed. I desire to be the mother you need to help you grow into the great leader and man I know you will be one day. Your future is so bright; I can’t wait to see what is to come for you.

We love you to the moon and back, Little Man. Happy Birthday!

Love,

Mommy, Daddy and Jacob

Happy 7th Birthday, Jacob!

Jacob,

Today is your 7th Birthday! I loved your grin when we woke you up this morning singing "Happy Birthday." Your eyes were still closed and you were not ready to get out of bed yet, but you could not surpress the smile on your lips. The joy that you have about your birthday fills my heart. Every year I can't wait for the days surrounding your birthday. You love the extra attention and the celebrations just to honor you. So much so I wish we could celebrate your birthday every week.

I can't believe you are 7 (I think I say this every year!). You have grown so much this year, literally. You are over 70 pounds and 4 ft. 5inches. Actually, you are probably 4'6" at this point. You are going to be towering over me in just a few years. Your red hair is just as red as your first birthday (maybe even more so). I am so glad that God decided to make you stand out in that way. Your red hair and glasses set you apart from others.

Since your last birthday you have completed your first year of school. Kindergarten was a new adventure for both of us. You are a very smart boy, testing in the 96th percentile in reading. Even though there are numerous hurdles you have to jump, I know that you will succeed.

You are no longer just tolerating your little brother, but you are interacting and showing him love. Earlier this week your Daddy relayed this story to me and it warmed my heart. Lucas was going around giving his nightly goodnight hugs. He stopped at Dad and gave hugs and kisses, then he went to you. You leaned over and give a slight hug (patted his back) to Lucas then stood back up. Lucas was wanting to give you a kiss as well and you realized this. You picked Lucas up, brought him up to your face and allowed him to give you a kiss. You then sat him back down just as gently. Lucas was beyond thrilled with this contact with you. He did a little dance and looked at you with admiration only a little brother can show toward his big brother. I feel so blessed to be the mother to both of you and I know you will both bless each other's life in insurmountable ways.

Your love of music has only continued to grow through this year. Your current favorite artist is Michael Jackson. I am certain you will be thrilled to open the Michael Jackson Experience video game at your birthday party tomorrow. You also enjoy play the Just Dance video games and love to sing along to Katy Perry songs and "Call Me Maybe." You seem to find it hilarious when I know the words to the songs and sing along since I am not the music guru that you and your daddy are.

Jacob, you are an amazing blessing to our lives. You have taught me more life lessons in your short 7 years than I have learned in my entire 32 years of life. I know there is a lot to accomplish in the years to come and it may not always be easy, but together we will make it!

We love you, Bubba! Happy Birthday!

Mommy, Daddy and Lucas

Happy 1st Birthday, Lucas!

My dear sweet Lucas,

I can't believe a year has passed since we heard your first cry. What a fast year it has been! You have gone from a 9lb 1oz baby to a toddling 26lb 7oz little boy.  You still love your paci and haven't yet given up the bottle, but you are growing into a smart little boy.

You are such a huge blessing to our family! Your sweet smile and demeanor are contagious. You are so curious and are always trying to get everything in your hands. You adore your big brother and try to do anything he does.

You love to dance or your version of dancing, bouncing up and down! You love to play pat-a-cake. I can just say the word and you immediately begin to clap your hands. You love to play with cars and balls. If you can crawl after something you love it. However, I venture to say that pots and pans are your favorite toys.

Needless to say you are always on the move. You like to climb up the stairs, but will wait on the 4th step until we come behind you because you want us to "chase" you. When we come to the stairs, you grin from ear to ear and begin to climb the steps as quickly as you can while looking to see if we are following you.

You are such a flirt! You will flash those baby blue eyes with a sweet smile and women everywhere melt. You crack me up when you tilt your head and raise your shoulders when you are trying to get away with something. How do you know to do this already? I'm blaming daycare. ;)

I once heard that you can measure the amount someone is loved/liked by the number of nicknames they have. If that is true, you are a very loved little boy, "Lukie Loo," "Lucky Luke," "Lucas Mucas" (as Daddy so affectionately calls you), "Bubba," and more recently, "L. Reed."

You are my baby boy and always will be. I am so excited to see what the next year brings and I am thrilled to be your Mommy.

Happy 1st Birthday, Lucas Reed!

Love,
Mommy, Daddy, and Jacob

Happy 6th Birthday, Jacob!

Today you turn 6. Wow! I can't believe that little (or not so little) baby with the red hair is now so tall and handsome. But it is true, you are growing up quickly. This year has been a very eventful year for you.

You became a big brother in January! Lucas has been a blessing in our lives and even though I'm not sure you acknowledge it now, he is a big blessing in your life. He loves watching his brother play and I'm sure in a couple more months he will be trying to play with you.

 
You participated on your first sports team. You showed an interest in soccer when we watched your cousin play last fall and I knew when the spring season came around we needed to register you. Although, your enthusiasm lessened when you realized there were rules and you couldn't wander off the field or pick at the grass, you stuck it out and I am proud of you!

You started Kindergarten! I had a lot of worry about how you would transition to Kindergarten from pre-school, but you were marvelous! You were very excited when we first visited the school to register, but as we approached the building I recall you asking me if I was leaving you there. I felt your excitment and your trepidation as if it was my own. I know it is difficult for you to make changes in your routine and I am thrilled that you have made this change so well.

I'm in love with your laugh and your pure joy. This past Saturday you woke up on the "silly" side of the bed (at 5:30a.m. -- could you please sleep a little later, especially on the weekends? Please? Is it too much to ask?). You laughed and squealed and found everything hilarious! From calling your cousin the wrong name to a cartoon you had seen numerous times before -- life was just funny to you.

Thank you for making me a Mommy and for being such a blessing in our lives. Even if I may not remember that at 5:30 in the morning!

We love you!

Mommy, Daddy and Lucas

Our Life with Autism

I know I have not been blogging much lately and I haven't forgot about the pictures I promised to post. I'll get around to it eventually...maybe! :)

Today, I've been inspired to get out of my blogging silence by Kelly Korner's Show Us Your Life topic. Today's topic is Special Needs Families. I have touched on it slightly off and on over the years; however, late last year we received an official diagnosis of Autism for Hoss. We are facing this with our heads up. Luckily for Hoss, my job profession has given me knowledge about Autism and I am familiar with resources and supports available in my area. However, the fear of the unknown is the biggest worry. I strive to find and listen to more experienced parents and what has worked for them as their children have faced obstacles and challenges. Hopefully I will find more through this post!

Below is a post I wrote about Hoss in September 2010, before the official diagnosis. He still melts my heart!

He turns five in a couple weeks. He is a cuddler, loves to have big bear hugs and sleep snuggled up close to someone. His red hair and blue eyes positioned behind adorable oval framed glasses make him an instant charmer. He is very tall for his 5 years and all his teachers talk about how much he grew over the summer.


Just glancing at him, he is a typical boy with bruises on his legs from climbing, dirt under his fingernails from digging and a superhero action figure in his hand. He sings along with the music on the radio and has very specific preferences in what music he likes.


However, “typical” is not a word textbooks would use to describe him. Instead, textbooks would likely describe him as autistic. See, this little boy does not make eye contact, he seldom initiates conversation, he mumbles and sings to himself and he can not name any friends.


Well, except for his best friend, his mommy. That’s right. He tells everyone his best friend is “Mommy.” This makes his mommy’s heart melt every time he says it and recently that has been daily.


Being his mommy is an extremely difficult task. Mommies have dreams for their children, hopes for a better life. This little boy’s mommy has recently realized these dreams will be much more difficult for her little boy to accomplish. While, his mommy still believes he can do great and marvelous things, it pains her to see him struggle daily to try.

Despite these struggles, this little boy is perfect in his mommy’s eyes. I know because he’s my little boy.

The Birth Story

I began writing Lucas' birth story in January, then again in February and March and now here it is April. Everytime I attempted to write I would get distracted by a crying baby or a 5 year old. Let's hope I can finally get the story done and that I can remember all the details! :)

Here goes! The story of Baby Lucas' Birth.

Because of my history of having a large child (Hoss weighed 10lb 5oz) and Lucas' ultrasound at 33 weeks showing he was following in his brother's footsteps, we scheduled a repeat c-section for January 11th.

We had a snow storm the night before and had a few inches of snow on the ground. My parents, Gigi and Grandpa, came to our house the night before in order to be at the hospital for Lucas' arrival and to wrangle Jacob during the c-section.

The morning of the c-section was typical. We left at 10a.m. in order to get to the hospital and finalize some paperwork. Once that was done I answered a million questions about my health history, changed into the attractive hospital gown and prepared for all the fun that lies ahead.

My mom came in when they arrived and sat with Donnie and me. About this time, the nurse began to put in my IV. I always say one of the worst parts of the entire c-section experience with Jacob was the IV. So, I had some anxiety about this part. I also have a history of passing out during blood draws and similar procedures. As the nurse was putting the needle into my hand I could tell I was starting to experience some anxiety. My mom was trying to distract me by telling me about a story...it didn't work. I completely blacked out, soon after the nurse told me that she may have to stick me again (she didn't, she was able to get the first stick to work). My husband tells me my eyes rolled back in my head, I began to make a snoring type noise and twitched slightly. I think it was scarier to watch than what actually happened.

I remember when I began to regain consciousness, I could hear the nurse calling for back up, asking for ammonia. I didn't need the ammonia, but my reputation spread quickly. When it came time to head back to the operating room, the anesthesiologist came in and discussed the spinal and told me he was going to give me some medicine to help me during the procedure, so I wouldn't pass out. Apparently the medicine he gave me forced me to "fall asleep" for a few minutes. I remember him telling me he was putting the medication into my IV, leaning over the side of the table with the nurse in front of me, then waking up lying on the table, ready for surgery and completely numb.

The c-section went as planned. Lucas was born at 12:30p.m. weighing 9lbs 1 oz, measuring 21 3/4 inches (a bit smaller than his big brother!). He did not immediately cry as he had inhaled a large amount of amniotic fluid, but after much suctioning by the doctors and nurses he began to cry. And it was the cry that could pierce eardrums. Shew! He was so loud and definitely made his prescence known. Donnie went with Lucas to the nursery while the doctors finished up my c-section.

Soon after they left the room, my face began to itch. I mentioned it to the anesthesiologist and he said it was likely from the morphine they put in my spinal. The longer I laid there, the more I itched. It was torture!

As soon as I was put back together, I went to recovery where I got to hold Lucas for the first time. He did not have the red hair like his big brother, but he has the beautiful big blue eyes. A few minutes later the nursery took Lucas back in order to bathe him and I was moved to my room.

As they began to move me to my room I began to feel sick to my stomach. I was able to keep it together, but we stopped moving for a minute and I received the nice pink puke bucket to accompany me. Once I made it to my room, the visitors arrived. Gigi and Grandpa brought big brother Jacob in to visit and my in-laws also stopped by to see little Lucas.

About an hour after being in my room, I began to feel sick to my stomach again. This time I couldn't keep it together and the room full of people quickly cleared out! The nurse was able to give me anti-nausea medicine which kept everything stable, but I had to remain on a liquid diet a bit longer.

Everything settled down and more visitors arrived to see Lucas. He was a very popular little boy! As the night moved along, I began to experience the post c-section pains and the itching I experienced from the morphine continued, but only more severe. Luckily, there is magic medicine to help with itching and this was very helpful; however, I got to enjoy the itching for a couple more days until all the medicine was out of my body.

My hospital stay was great. The nurses were wonderful; very friendly and helpful. Lucas was a great baby, sleeping a lot and easy to satisfy. The last day we were at the hospital, my husband and I got to enjoy a special steak dinner to celebrate Lucas' arrival! We got to go home on Friday. I wasn't sure I was ready because I was in a lot of pain still, but by Sunday I was a new women, pain free and ready to tackle the joys of parenting 2 boys!

I'm still here!

Whew! Has it really been 3 MONTHS since I last wrote a blog post? I never planned to abandon my blog writing after having Lucas, but I have found being a mother of 2 keeps me much busier than I expected. By the end of the day when I finally have a few minutes to myself, my brain is no longer able to throw words together to write a coherent blog post.

Life has been going well. I returned to work 2 weeks ago and that transition has been great. My husband took a 12 week family medical leave from work and is staying home with both boys now. I think he is starting to have more compassion for me and mothers in general. He is doing a wonderful job caring for the boys and I'm proud he's my husband!

Once he returns to work in late June, little Lucas will be attending daycare. Jacob will have 6 weeks before he starts Kindergarten (this transition is hurting his Momma's heart!) so he is going to be hanging out with grandparents, attending a camp and playing with friends during those 6 weeks.

Lucas is doing great. Growing like a weed! Gosh, he's stinkin' cute! And getting so big! I will post pictures soon. No, really, I will. I am just not on a computer that has pictures saved.

Well, that's about all I have for today. I started Lucas' birth story waaaaayyyy back in January and it is not done. I hope to tackle that this week. :)