SKC is 3!

Our big boy celebrated his 3rd birthday Monster Truck style. We had the party here at the house with the slip 'n slide and pool(s) open, all of our close friends and family, and perfect weather. Spencer truly had the best day  weekend!

Cameron turns ONE!

And just like that we have a one year old! I didn't have time to blink, nor to take Cam's 11 and 12 month photos. #momfail
I did have time to plan an out of town birthday bash though. Since Rich and I had a wedding to attend the weekend of Cam's birthday, we decided to host the festivities down in Port St. Lucie, at my mom's house. She was gracious enough to allow this and helped tremendously, as always. The evening was much success. We had a spooky spider themed party and most of the kids wore their costumes. Fun was had by all, and Cameron was overwhelmed with fun gifts, people and excitement.
It still baffles me how the anticipation builds up leading up to the party, allll the planning, and then once  the event arrives, it's over in a flash. I feel this is the story of my life these days :)

I'm an oldie, but goodie

<begin brag> I celebrated 31 years of life a week ago today and I must say that it was the BEST birthday to date. I have the worlds most awesome husband, annnnnd two beautiful boys, by my side each day, annnnnd I was surprised with my dream camera (for now anyway), annnnd inherited a new pretty awesome lens, annnnnd we vacationed/celebrated in Anna Maria. I must say, I'm pretty damn lucky! <end brag>

These silly boys and I enjoying a birthday brekie:

And these two beauties each had a special message for me:

Cheers to a fun 4th of July tomorrow!

Everything was Arrrrright

The day anticipated a 60% chance of rain. We weren't going to let that turn us into party-poopers. Instead, we proceeded with the party as planned, and what a beautiful sunny day it turned out to be! Actually, at times it was very hot and humid. I'll take that any day over being rained out.

So the bounce house company came and set up the massive pirate ship, the decorations and food were all set-up and by 11 am our house was full of rambunctious pirates. Spencer had the best day ever! He played and played with all of his close friends and family. Not a single tear was shed and that my friends, is what I call SUCCESS! He even played (a lot, actually) in the monster bounce ship and slid down the steep slope of a slide. Once everyone sang "Happy Birthday, he had the biggest smile on his face and even clapped right after, followed by throwing his arms up for a "Woohoo". Our kid is a ham, and I love it.

Happy 2nd Birthday, to our sweet boy! He is so full of life and personality, is as sharp as a whip, and makes us constantly smile. To say he is loved and adored is an understatement.

To see more pics from the fun day we had, flip through my Flickr set.


So much Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate!!!

Lucky

"Lucky" is an understatement when it comes to my husband. I can't help but feel extremely thankful to have found him and to still have him in my life. He has not only shown me life and love, but has also given me the two most beautiful gifts in the world.

I'm highlighting this wonderful man because on St. Patty's Day this year (two days ago), marked EIGHT years of us meeting. Each year from March 17th, the day we met, through March 20th, our wedding day, is always a special celebration. Then again, who doesn't like week long celebrations?!

We have decided to take the day off tomorrow for an adult "play date". Rich and I will be at Universal eating, drinking and riding all of the rides we can't usually ride because of the little tykes always being with us. The forecast calls for 60% chance of rain, but we'll take our chances. Even if it does rain on our parade, we'll make the best of it as we always do.

     

Cheers!

Oh, happy day

Happy, Happy Birthday to my Main Squeeze! Today the baby daddy turns 34 (whoa!). It's so hard to believe that I have known this man since he was 26 years old. He was 26 and I was 22 when we first met. We were still babies, it seems.
We sure have created a beautiful life together, and for this, I am forever grateful. Rich is the best husband and father, and Spencer, Cameron and I are so lucky to call him "ours".

We had a weekend full of celebrating, and tonight the party continues. Friday, the four of us landed at Longhorn Steakhouse for a pre-game dinner. Saturday, Rich and I had our monthly "date night" and spent the evening on Park Ave celebrating another friends birthday. Sunday, my parents, Rich's parents and of course our boys all went and enjoyed an awesome Mexican dinner. We went to Maria Bonita in East Orlando. We've been there a few times before, and they have never disappointed us. The food is always amazing, and their portions are crazy big. We both had a full lunch today with our leftovers.

for the birthday boy

It was a great weekend full of great food and even better company. The celebration will end this evening at Carrabba's with just the four of us. We were both trying to watch our calories and get back to a more healthy state of mind, but it's been extremely difficult these past few days. After tonight though, it's back on the wagon!

Here Comes the (other) Son

Almost three months behind in my 'blogging', but I guess I've got to start somewhere. Last time I was on here Rich and I were taking our Babymoon to Captiva Island in September. We had a wonderful time of course. We ate, he drank, we walked everywhere, had uninterrupted conversations, watched the sunrise and sunset. We fished from the shore each morning like an old couple. We took a sunset cruise which resulted in a hurricane (kidding... kind of). It was a much needed adult only get away. I missed my Spencer oh so much and even cried probably the first 20 minutes after we left, but I think the hormones might have played a big part in that. Overall I'm glad we went and enjoyed ourselves because I don't foresee us taking another adult getaway anytime in the near future. Not until I'm comfortable leaving both kids for an entire weekend. If it took me 18 months to leave Spence, who knows when I'll be ok leaving them both.

Fast forward to the middle of October and that is where things liven up a bit. The further along I was getting in my pregnancy, the Braxton Hicks contractions were becoming more intense. There was one weekend I recall like it was yesterday where they were pretty constant and even included some sharp shooting pains. I know that Braxton Hicks are normal, but I had never had the pain with them before. This feeling went on from a Friday until Monday. That Monday, October 15th, I was going to my Ob/Gyn for my 35 week visit. I explained what was happening and was assured it was normal and just to take it easy. I was even checked for dilation that day and was told I was in the early stages of effacing (softening). No dilation.
Tuesday, October 16th, we had a girlfriend come by that evening for a visit. It had been a while since we last caught up so we spent the entire evening doing just that. Once she left, this pregnant chick inhaled her dinner right at 9 p.m. During that time, Spencer had just been bathed and Rich was laying him down for bed. I wanted to get comfy so into my bedroom I go for my jammies. Just as I was taking my shirt off I felt a huge gush of something and even heard a pop. The first thing that came to mind was that I would look down and find blood, just like what happened with my first pregnancy. Much to my surprise though it was clear, and it just kept flowing. I grabbed a towel and waddled over to the other side of the house to Spencer's room. I opened the door to the boys who were just asleep and said quickly "Water broke. Gotta go". Rich and Spence both popped up confused, Rich in disbelief, and we started gathering all of our bags. Luckily I was packed and had Cameron all packed too. We didn't plan on Spencer having to go to the ER with us so along with Rich's bag, he also had to pack Spence some books and toys along with drinks and snacks. We were all calm, but deep down I was worried because it was so early. I was only 35.5 weeks and I just wanted everything to be ok with the baby.

Tuesday night in the Winnie Palmer ER, who knew everyone else in Orlando was going to be having babies?! They were so busy. I'll never forget watching the Obama/Romney debate in the waiting room with Rich and Spence, all while I have what feels like gallons pouring out of me. Ugh! We waited for about 45 mins before they called us back. Just like last time, they tested my leaking fluid to confirm it was in fact my broken water. Since you must wait eight hours after you've eaten to have surgery, Cameron wasn't going to arrive until at least 5 a.m. the following morning. So we waited, and waited. My parents got into town a little past midnight and they came to Spencer's rescue. Once he left, Rich and I tried really hard to get some kind of rest. It's extremely difficult to rest in a ER setting like that, and knowing your baby will arrive within hours, but we managed to count a few sheep.
Go time rolled around and up to the surgical floor we went. With my first delivery, I had a c-section after laboring allll day and night so I didn't have time to think about the what-ifs. This time around, they prepped me for about an hour, which included the epidural procedure. That alone is scary enough. If inserted incorrectly, you could become paralyzed. Then knowing I was about to be cut open was anxiety driven as well. The preparation seemed like it took hours, as did the surgery, which really lasted about a half hour. Ten minutes into the surgery and we welcomed our second baby boy... Cameron Cole.

Born 10/17/2012 at 5:28 a.m.   6 lbs 4 oz and 19 in (one month early) 

To hear his first cry is like music to your ears. It truly is a beautiful and magical moment, even if I couldn't hold him immediately due to the surgery. After cleaning him off and checking vitals, my baby boy was brought over to me and we met for the first time. He was stunningly beautiful! Gah, I'll never ever forget my first meeting with either of my boys.

Since Cameron was pre-mature, they needed to take him to what they call the Transition Nursery. It's where they go to be monitored, bathed, etc. Not quite NICU, but also not quite Cameron's mothers arms.
I got sewed up and was in recovery for a couple of hours. If everything is ok with your baby, they are usually in recovery with you. Neither Spencer, and now Cameron, were able to join me. Just like the first time, Rich bounced back and forth between the baby and I. Mainly the baby because we didn't want to leave him unattended for too long. I recovered and was finally placed in a room. Cameron ended up spending the entire day in the transition nursery. I had my son at 5:28 am and was not able to see him or even hold him until 6 pm that evening. I was devastated! Thank goodness for technology. Rich took constant pictures and videos and would share them with me after each nursery visit. We even used FaceTime while he was in there since I was restricted to the bed in our room.
Cam had to stay so long because he had a brief moment where he stopped breathing and they needed to continue to monitor him. I know he was in the best place possible, but I was a little selfish and wanted quality time with this new life we just brought into the world. Once I was finally able to visit him that evening, I was wheeled down and that's where the second strongest bond began. I held Cameron skin to skin, stared into his squinty eyes, kissed his nose and all over, and nursed him for the first time. He latched on like a champ.

First real meeting

We delivered on a Wednesday and were out of there by Friday afternoon. I did not wish to stay any longer. I missed Spencer so much! He and my mom came to visit multiple times each day we were hospitalized, but it's not the same. He was in an unfamiliar place wanting to explore everything and didn't have much time for his missing parents. The first time he met Cameron, he wanted nothing to do with him. Wouldn't even look in his direction. Day two he warmed up a little more and each day just keeps getting better. We are so blessed with two healthy beautiful boys. Life is good!

Curious Spence

Spencer meeting Cameron for the first time

family of FOUR!

Cameron busting out of the joint (aka: going home)