Bradshaw Party of Four? Bradshaw Party of Four?

Back in December Justin broached the subject of having baby #2, I looked at him like he was crazy.  Was he serious?  At the time we had a very active 10 month old who kept (still does) me oh-so busy, having another child wasn't even in my realm of thought.  I was thinking more of trying conceive a baby in the fall and therefor having a summer baby.  Costner would be two and half and in my mind a perfect age difference.  Justin had a different idea in mind, he would have preferred irish twins.  Me...not so much!  The thought of being pregnant again for nine months and subsequently pushing out a baby just didn't appeal to me.  I don't know if it was my desire to please my husband or my underlying desire to expand our family but the prospect of having another baby slowly crept into my mind over the next month.

In January I decided to go off birth control, give my body a month to back on track, start taking prenatal vitamins and come February try to get back on the baby train.  February flew by....with Justin and I both being out of town a good portion of the month concieving a baby was just not possible.  I looked to March for our month to really give baby making a try.  By the second week in March it donned on me that I had yet to get my "monthly bill"....I went to my bathroom a pulled out a pregnancy test thinking there is no way I could actually be pregnant.  As Costner took a bath I took the pregnancy test.  I looked at the test in shock....there was a solid cross.  This just can't be....there was a possible two days in the month of February that we could have conceived a baby.  Not believing in the result, I grabbed the second pregnancy test out of the medicine cabinet and took that one.   Same result!  Holy Cow!!  I called Justin and broke the news.  He was driving home from Denver with his brother so his response was muted so to not reveal what was going on but the subsequent text messages were full of bewilderment and excitement.  When he got home I ran out to the grocery store to get the more definitive pregnancy test that would say "pregnant" or "not pregnant" actually I bought two.  My definitive answer on both was "pregnant".  I looked at Justin with amazement in my eyes.  I guess we were heading for another adventure yet again.

The next day, I spoke to my sister-in-law, friend, confidant Emily who coincidently is my OBGYN's medical assistant, Emily asked me if I was excited, shocked, nervous, uneasy, etc? My answer was "shocked and uneasy".  Her response was one of understanding.  Understanding that my shock and uneasiness was not because I did not want another child but more so that Costner was no longer going to be the little person in my life...no longer my little baby.  That made me sad.  I love Costner so much and he is my amazing little man.  He may drive me nuts sometimes (especially when throws little fits) but as quickly as he makes me want to pull my hair out, he can make my heart melt.  Those fits secretly make me want to laugh but I would never let him see that.  And I'm not going to lie...I get overwhelmed with just one child at times I can't imagine what two children are going to do to me.  Can I really handle a baby and a toddler?  That frightens me.  There is going to be a new treasure trove of situations and challenges.  And what if the next baby is not as good as Costner was/is? But I think...was I really ready for what came with Costner?  Nope!  You learn as you go and that is how this next chapter in my life is going to go.  I am excited but nervous...of course.

I am 12 weeks and all seems to be going well.  Thank goodness there was no morning sickness but I have been very tired and hungry.  When I say hungry...I mean starving! And the line of thought that you show sooner with your second is completely true.  I look like I am 20 weeks pregnant.  Oh well...it is what it is.

Costner is doing great!  He got into a fight with the sidewalk the other day which left him pretty scratched up but mom's constant ointment applications helped a lot.  He's been having a tough with bedtime lately, the other night being the worst.  Monday morning he woke early, screaming, pulling on his ear and I worried he may have an ear infection.  Seeing that we were leaving on vacation this week I decided to take Costner in to get him checked out.  While there I asked our nurse if she would measure him curious to see how tall he was and much to my surprise Dr. Engle said he had grown three inches in the past two and half months.  I was shocked.  Then she took a look at his ears and throat and both look great, Dr. Engle said he was probably going thru a growth spurt.  Was she serious, a growth spurt?  How much taller could this kid get?

Hi, I'm Costner and I am a walking fool!

I'm a multitasker!

My new chair that I think is pretty cool!

12 weeks...I'd just ate lunch so the belly was extra big. 

Where does the week go?

I am amazed how quickly the week goes by....before I know it is the weekend!  It is truly surprising how the days just melt away.  Costner's days go a little something like this; he wakes up 8am, eats some breakfast and plays, around 9am he's back down for nap #1 that could last anywhere from an hour to an hour and half.  Depending on the weather (and lately we have been lucky with some warm temperatures) we will get outside for a run, well Mom attempts to run while Costner cruises in the stroller.  Not a bad life!  Lunch time is around 12p and before we know it is already 1p and we are ready for nap #2.  Costner doesn't always take a two hour nap in the afternoon but I make him hang out in his room for two hours regardless of whether he is sleeping or not.  He needs the down time and let's be honest so do I.  So...back to the day...he is back up around 3p and from that point on he is up, practicing his walking skills, getting into everything, trying to put Mom's vitamins in the toilet, being just plain mischievous. The boys (Costner and Duke) eat around 5p, then it's bath time, jammie time, brush his two teeth, story time and FINALLY bedtime promptly at 7p.  Geez....I'm exhausted just writing that!  And that was a slow day...don't get me started on days that we have music class, play dates, etc.  Let us not forget that throughout the day I am Costner's shadow picking up the destruction leaves in his path.  It's funny, when I have something to get done I direct him towards the drawer of sandwich bags.  Have at it kid!  Pull all the baggies you want out, just give me a couple minutes to clean up after lunch.

One would think being a stay at home mom would afford me more time on my hands and much more freedom but with a one year old you really don't.  The first year and half of his life I am strapped to the house and nap times.  And while the majority of time I am ok with that, I have my moments where I feel boxed in.  Jealous at times that my husband has more freedom to get up and go but I am much better suited to be the stay at home parent then Justin.  Justin gets restless if he is sedentary for too long where I am much more of a home body and enjoy routine.  We are well suited in our roles for the time being and I have to remember that I have a willing husband to watch Costner whenever I want a "me" day or days.

"My first motorcycle"

"Mom...seriously...you're blinding me with that flash"

"that's right, I'm walking"

a naked moment with Duke

The Little Man is One!!

A couple months ago, on Justin's birthday, his mom wished him a happy birthday and proclaimed it was the happiest day of her life.  On February 15th I sat, enjoying a cup of coffee while the birthday boy napped and I thought about Andrea's statement...was that day 12 months prior the happiest day of my life?  It was not.  Does that make me a bad mom for admitting that? No, I don't think so.  In fact, it was the toughest day of my life but that being said every day after Costner's birth have been the happiest days of my life.  His laugh, his smile, his cry, those cute little buns....everything makes me happier than I ever thought imaginable.  Love before a baby is quantitative, you can measure it, it can change, it can disappear.  But the love you are enveloped with once you have a child is never quantitative...it is unconditional and all encompassing.  I am blessed that I am able to experience this type of love every single day with Costner.

Seeing that Costner is One I figured I would give an update of what he is doing:

- sleeping through the night like a rock star (barring any colds)

- naps twice a day usually an hour in the morning and two hours in afternoon

- loves the sippy cup with whole milk, green machine or water

- the quantity of what he eats increases and decreases depending on growth spurts

- he has plateaued at 22lbs but is 32 inches long

- still rocking 12-18 months clothes

- walking skills are improving day by day

- loves music class

- starting to understand when mama and papa ask him something

- not saying much, too much on the move

Here are a few shots from Cman's First Birthday Party.  It was a hungry caterpillar themed party, Costner enjoyed a night of family and close friends.  The oncoming cold did not seem to affect him that night.  

This is my lady friend Teagan

presents galore

"here mama...have some?"

bath time

and now it's bedtime!

Protection

A couple of weeks ago I read about a young mom who had to do the unthinkable to protect herself and her young son.  Home alone with her three month old son she heard two men trying to enter her home, she grabbed her shotgun, pistol and phone.  She called the police and informed dispatcher that two men were trying to enter her home and if they indeed broke in would it be okay if she shot them.  The dispatcher, of course, said that she could not tell this young mom that is was okay to shoot them but that she should do whatever she had to do to protect herself and her baby.  So...as the men broke thru her front door she raised her 9 gauge and shot the first man right in the chest killing him.  The second man, so frightened, ran from the scene and later turned himself into police.  This woman encountered every mom's worst nightmare and I wondered if I would do the same?  The answer is YES!

I am not saying that I am card holding member of the NRA but I would do anything to protect Costner.  My husband tends to be out of town a good amount which leaves me home alone with my lovable yellow lab and my son.  In the past I would freak myself out by watching Law & Order: SVU or 20/20 so much so that I would wrap a butcher knife in a dish towel and sleep with it on my bedside table.  Piece of mind because really how much good would a butcher knife do to an intruder?  Seeing that I was a bit paranoid and scared Justin purchased a hand gun for us while I was pregnant.  We went outside of town and practiced shooting, Costner was not too happy with sounds coming from outside the belly.  My brother-in-law asked me if I would really shoot someone and "What if I came by the house at 2am, would you shoot me?"  My response was "a...Alex, why are you coming to my house at 2am?" and "b...if you were coming to my house at 2am then why wouldn't you call me first?"  But the ultimate question is "would I shoot someone if they broke into my house?"  Yes!  If someone is coming into my house to cause harm to me or my child then hell yes I am going to do everything in my power to protect us.  The Second Amendment gives me the right to bear arms to protect my property and the most important property to me is my son.  I must say this...we live in a very safe community where most people have an open door policy and we have a Eagle County Sheriff living four doors down.  The odds of someone breaking into my house are probably slim but just in case we have some protection.

On a Costner side note, the little man is getting closer and closer to his first birthday.  He is so much fun!  He isn't walking yet though someone told me that the longer he takes to walk the better reader he will be.  I don't know if that is true but I'm going to go with it!  He is working on his top two teeth and thankfully it hasn't disrupted his sleep patterns too much.  Here are a few pictures of my trouble maker.

I am proud that I am a messy eater!

Papa is my jungle gym!

What? I'm not allowed to do this?

Buck-a-ley....take the ball!!

the adventures never end with a baby!!

Sometimes those adventures can be scary and sad but adventures nonetheless.  Last week the Bradshaw Family was stricken with a bad cold...Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Grandparents, Papa and Costner.  How I did not get sick I am unsure but blessed that I have yet to contract this ugly cold.  Costner has had a small cold before but it was just a two day affair with a stuffy nose being the worst of it.  This time he was stricken with Croup....an ugly upper respiratory infection that left him hoarse, wheezing and with a barking cough.  My poor little man was miserable and Mama and Papa were saddened because we felt so helpless.  Nothing we seemed to do made him feel better and after three days of administering baby vapor rub and tylenol, we went to see Dr. Engle (our fabulous pediatrician).  I don't know how this woman does it but as soon as she walks into the room I feel instantly better.  I know my son is in good hands and she will take excellent care of him. We left her office with some medicine in hand and feeling like we were going to kick some croup butt.  Well...it seems as if we are doing just that.  Costner is already back to his mischievous ways as the pictures below will show.  Parenthood is never what you expect it to be and every day being a mom has made me a stronger person.

It's Ducati's lucky day!!