Christmas Tree Farm - 2016

All my life I've had a fake tree. I really know zero about having a real Christmas tree. 

But that changed this year! I'd seen one too many Christmas tree farm pics via IG to know that I was missing out. 

So we packed the boys up and headed about 20 minutes down the road to a perfect little farm off the highway. We got to ride two tractors, cut down our own mini tree, drink some hot cocoa, and visit with Santa Claus. I loved it [no big shocker there!], the big boys were fans as well, and the littlest was attached to my hip. All in all, I'd claim it as a success and I absolutely will be adding this to our holiday to-do list for the coming years. 

We ended our day with gingerbread house crafting with Elf playing in the background...can I just say that life right now has been so sweet?? Trying not to take a single second for granted. 

xo, 
Joi

Townes Nova's Newborn Pictures

When we had Theron I never thought about getting newborn pictures. We took what the hospital offered and that was that. I never regretted it but knew that if we had another baby that I would most likely decide to have newborn pictures taken because they are just so darn cute. This time around, with Townes, I definitely knew I wanted Nicole to take his pictures. She is as talented as she is kind and bubbly! 

Nicole came out to our home when Townes was a little over a week old and took some lifestyle shots. She did a fabulous job and I am so happy I have these to treasure. Theron was in school or we definitely would have included him. I'm sure there will be many more photo ops for him to be included! 

I'll share a few of my favorites today! Oh, and recently someone commented on the blog asking how we came up with both of the boys' names and if I'd share. Of course I will! We chose Theron because it is one of David's favorite hockey players and his middle name Drake comes from a musician Nick Drake that David liked. We liked how the two names flowed together and so we have our Theron Drake. For Townes, his name comes from Townes Van Zandt, another musician who David really likes and his middle name Nova comes from a song, Supernova, by Ray LaMontagne that is super happy and carefree...a trait we hope our Townes possesses. It's kinda funny because we never really even considered any other names or looked through name books. Both names came to us very organically and they just felt right! 

Nicole is super talented and down-to-earth. I highly recommend her If you're located in the St. Louis Metro area; she is an obvious favorite photographer choice! 

xo

Introducing Townes Nova!

Our second baby boy entered the world, 3 days overdue, on Thursday, September 24th, 2015. 

His name is Townes Nova and we are all in love with this little guy, or Bubs, as David and Theron call him. 

Stats:

7 lb 15 oz

20.5" long

Born at 4:45 p.m. on 9.24.15

Townes' due date was on Monday, September 21st, but I was pretty certain he would be overdue. At my doctor's appointments my OB kept telling me my placenta was pretty far back and he wasn't convinced Townes would come on time. Theron was overdue too so I wasn't too concerned. I was hoping that my water would break like it did with Theron so I would know for sure when to head to the hospital! 

David and I were both fortunate to be off of work starting that Saturday before my due date so we just treated the days like it was summer vacation.  We still sent Theron to school to maintain consistency and I did some projects around the house. We also did a little shopping, of course!

On Wednesday, around 4 p.m., I started feeling crampy and the cramps were consistent. I told David and my Maw Maw and Paw Paw who were visiting for dinner that I thought I was having contractions. David started timing them and they were coming about every 18 minutes. Nothing to get too excited about. 

Later in the evening around 8 p.m. or so the contractions started coming more regularly and definitely more uncomfortably. David went to sleep and I quickly realized I wouldn't be able to. I tried to take a bath to take my mind off of them and downloaded a contractions app to make sure they weren't coming too close together. I knew sleep would be pretty impossible so I read the entire internet front to back--haha! I'm being dramatic but I was very uncomfortable. It was so different from Theron because I only ever felt contractions with him when I was already at the hospital and after I was given pitocin. These contractions with Townes felt very similar. Around 3:30 a.m. or so I decided I would try and get some sleep in between contractions. I managed to get maybe an hour or so before the contractions woke me up again. I must've been able to sleep through some because they were coming about every 10-14 minutes. 

I was a little nervous about living so far from my hospital [over an hour!] and not knowing when the right time would be to head out. However, knowing I had another doctor's appointment on Thursday morning kept me focused. If I could just make it to the appointment and then they could tell me what to do!

We left that morning around 8 after dropping Theron off at school and took my last bump picture! 

When we got to the doctor the ultrasound tech asked how I was feeling and she decided to forego my fluid check and have the nurse practitioner check me instead. Once she did I was shocked to find out I was 4 cm dilated and nearly 100% effaced. All the ladies in the doctor's office were so happy for me and practically pushing me out to get to the hospital so I could get my epidural. 

So with that, David and I headed to our hospital [only 10 minutes from my doctor] and got checked in. 

I got my IV quite easily and waited to see how I would progress. I kept having pretty regular contractions but my water had not broke yet. So at 12:30 p.m. the in house doctor, who was very nice, came in and broke it. I was very scared of this but it turned out to be more uncomfortable than painful. He proclaimed that I was 6 cm dilated and "very stretchy". 

I wasn't in excruciating pain at this time but I knew for sure I wanted my epidural so I requested it at that time. At 1 p.m. the nurse anesthetist came in and gave me the epidural and it almost immediately kicked in. And this time around, I knew of the clicker to be able to get an extra dosage kick when/if I needed it. 

For about the next couple hours they kicked up my pitocin and I dilated pretty quickly I could tell when I was having contractions but was never in any pain. 

At 3:45 p.m. my nurse checked me and I was at a 9.5 so she decided to call my doctor. Then, at 4:15 p.m. she and another nurse came in and started preparing the room and area for go-time! 

They were joking that Dr. Hartman better hurry up because I was getting so close. We joked that we'd like to have the baby out at 4:34 p.m to have the same birth time as Theron. We had no idea just how close we would be and that if my doctor had been earlier it probably would have been on that time! 

When it was time to push, I started shaking just like I did with Theron, and was totally expecting to be pushing for almost two hours. But, much to my surprise, I only had to push through three contractions and Townes Nova made his appearance. Dare I say it but it was actually quite easy! I did end up tearing again, ugh!, but oh well! 

Fast forward to 18 days out and I am healing pretty well and am no longer super sore. I'm still pretty emotional but that is to be expected! Breastfeeding is going much better this time around and Townes gained almost all of his weight back that he lost at the hospital when we went to his first week appointment! Managing two kiddos is no walk in the park but we're all surviving! I'll have to do an update post at one month to let you all know how we're doing. :)

Thanks for reading and checking in! 

xo

THERON Talks

Kinda like TED Talks, haha, even though I don't even know what those are. 

A couple years ago I bought this mother's journal and wrote in it occasionally about stuff but then stopped. So typical of me. I want to get back to writing sweet/sentimental/simple/crazy/tiring moments in there on a daily basis but I don't have much hope for myself! It should be easy because it's only intended as a "one line a day" quick recap but I'm still failing. 

Anyhoo...David and I have been talking about how much Theron has been talking lately and we don't want to forget any of it. For so long we hoped and prayed to hear his little voice and now he doesn't stop. He also uses so many hand motions and facial expressions that add a definite amount of sass to his convos!

THERON talks:

While at Grandma and Papa's house outside...and pointing at me frantically:
Theron [going inside]: I just be wight back, mommy. You stay here. 

While talking about friends:
Theron: We buddies. 
Joi: Who?
Theron: Me and Daddy! 
Joi: Can I be your buddy?
Theron: No, mommy! 
Joi: How come? 
Theron: Betause you a girl, mommy. Nobody's your buddy. 

While talking about potty problems:
Joi: Theron, why did you potty in your pants at school?
Theron: Betause I tired, mommy. 

Again...about potty problems:
Joi: Theron, why did you potty in your pants at school?
Theron: Betause I do, mommy!

When we're going anywhere for the day...
Joi/David: We're going to ________.
Theron: Do they have toys over dere?
Joi/David: Probably. 
Theron: Do they have gummies over dere?
Joi/David: Maybe. 
Theron: Do they have chippies over dere?
Joi/David: Maybe!
Theron: Do they have loader over dere?
Joi/David: I think so!

When telling Theron not to do something:
David/Joi: Theron, don't hit/throw/whine etc. ...
Theron: Don't tell me to..., mommy/daddy!

When talking about food:
David: Did you drink milk at school today?
Theron: No, Daddy!
David: Did you drink juice, buddy?
Theron: No, Daddy! Juice yucky. I yike water. Water's good [sounding like he's German with the "goot" pronunciation]. Water is yummy in my tummy!

And not necessarily conversations but it's so dang cute when he starts + finishes all of his sentences/requests with mommy&/daddy. For example:
Theron: Mommy, I wanna go swimming, mommy!
Theron: Daddy, I wanna ride my twactor, daddy!
Theron: Mommy, more water, pease, mommy!

When talking about his favorite show, Price is Right:
Theron: Mommy, I watch Drew, mommy!
Joi: Ok! Have you been a good listener?
Theron: Yes, Mommy! I watch house game [a random commercial] & puppy gog [another random commercial], too!

When asking what we do on certain days [we obviously are pretty consistent!]:
Joi: It's Friday, Theron! What's that mean?
Theron: Pizza day!
Joi: Yes! You're right! What do we do tomorrow then?
Theron: We go choo-choo store [It's a actually a toy store in a nearby town]! Den, Seak-n-shake! I eat chicken, sries [can't say his "f"s] and water!
Joi: Ok! We'll go if you're good! What about Sunday?
Theron: Hawdee's day! [David and I have went to Hardee's almost every Sunday for nearly 15 years! haha!]
Joi: Yup! You're right!

I'm sure there are more but that's all I can think of right now. I'm glad I wrote these down because I don't want to forget anything at all! It's like I can hear his little voice saying all of this again! 

xo

4th of July - 2015

Save for last year when we spent 4th of July with some of our best friends, this year's 4th was the best! Theron started it off with a bang [haha!] by waking up at 1p.m. in the afternoon. He's been sleeping in so much lately and it makes Dave and I wonder how he'll be as a teenager! He definitely comes by his sleep habits honestly-I could take a nap every single day and sleep in til noon if allowed. Some things never change!

After he got up we took a little jaunt to a nearby town to snap some pics in front of a huge painted flag. Theron was interested in pics for about 2 seconds but I managed to snap a couple good ones. 

We then headed down to our hometown and spent the afternoon with my in-laws! 

After dinner we made our way to the carnival with my family where Theron got to ride so many rides and he had an absolute blast. 

The only thing that caused tears were the lines he had to wait in. TD is seriously lacking in the patience department. I think he comes by that honestly, too. Whoops. 

After the carnival we set up shop and waited for the fireworks. 

The nice people next to us shared their sparklers with TD and he was intrigued. 

When the fireworks started he wavered between liking them, playing in the back of the truck, covering his ears/eyes, and asking to go home. Haha! Once they were done he clapped and shouted that he loved them! Success, I say. 

We made it home by midnight with a sleepy little boy and I couldn't have been happier with how the day went! 

Hope you all had a happy 4th, too!

xo

Baby #2!

I haven't officially announced my second pregnancy on the blog because I just started making a little extra time for blogging since it's sweet summertime. 

We found out we were expecting baby #2 in early January! 

Just like Theron, this baby was conceived with the help of fertility meds. I totally did not think they would work this time around since it took longer than it did with Theron. 

So many people were shocked when we told them we were expecting! I don't blame them because after Theron, I swore I wouldn't have another kid. I sold or gave away a ton of his baby gear because there was no way I was going to go through that again. He was such a handful and if you are a longtime reader or know me personally, you know that as an infant...he nearly broke my spirit. If you're new here, take a read at this blog and especially this blog to get a little glimpse into the life of a child who never stopped screaming. 

But, time heals all wounds, so "they" say and Theron did grow out of his screams. He is still a high maintenance kiddo but -that- we can manage! He barely posed for this shot but once is all it takes--haha!

We found out early on--around 10 weeks by doing the Harmony blood test--that we were having another boy. We kept the secret to ourselves for awhile and shared the news with our family and friends a few weeks later. 

Much like with Theron's pregnancy, I experienced some minor complications early on and was put on bed rest. Those have since subsided, thankfully, and we hope we will have smooth sailing from here on out. 

I am currently 25 weeks pregnant and am feeling pretty good. I started my pregnancy with sever nausea and while that has ended I am left with a bad taste in my mouth, usually all day, no matter what I eat every single day. I find that I have more energy this pregnancy, and I'll attribute that to it being summer and that I have more free time. I'm sure that's it! 

I've been better about taking bump pictures but still don't write down as much stuff as I see a lot of other bloggers documenting. Maybe I'll start doing that more since I've got the time--who knows! 

Today we're working on the nursery and we're trying to copy these great walls, seen here and here. 

Thanks for sharing in our joy! I'll share some bump pictures this summer! If you'd like to see some...follow along on Instagram [@joidan82]!

xo

Summer Water Fun

Theron's never really been swimming; you can't really count the time he walked around in a hotel hot tub as a swimming outing! He took part in swim lessons two summers ago and wasn't the biggest fan and also only semi-enjoyed the splash pad we took him to last year. 

However, his school puts on a water day every Wednesday during the summer and I think our kiddo may have had a change of heart. 

Since his tastes and 'tude have seemed to change, I decided to break out his water table and baby pool this weekend. Much like I thought, the kid loved it and I was thrilled! I love to be outside if only to be by water so this new discovery means great things for this summer! 

I thought Theron may be hesitant to get into the pool because it was so cold but he didn't care in the slightest!

Dave's always the good sport! 

Baby in my belly and my first baby holding my hand. Nothing better. 

It took awhile for T to figure out the hose, but once he did, look out! 

I'm hoping to make lots of trips to the splash pad this summer now! 

xo