Dominic, 1 Month Old

I think before baby #2 arrives, every mother questions how she can possibly love another little soul as much as the first. How can I have enough love for two babies? It's hard to imagine before that second baby comes. But when Dominic was born, I quickly discovered a mother's heart is made for this! It's made to stretch and love every baby God gives her with just as much love as the last. And Mary, the ideal mother, is the perfect example of this. :)

I forgot how much I just LOVE babies! hehe Maybe I didn't forget, but I was amazed how much fun this is again even though I already had a baby. I think it gets better every time. I love holding and just staring at baby Dominic. Taking in his sweet coo's and smiles, squishing his cheeks, and rubbing his double chin. I melt every time he looks at me.

Dominic, you are so special to us and we love you more and more each day!

Our Dominic Joseph: A Baby Story

It’s hard to believe how God can take you by surprise and bless your life in so many unexpected ways in one year. The year 2011 is marked in our life’s story as being heaven sent, the year our two beautiful boys were born! This year was filled with tears with the death of my dear aunt Amy and very close friend, Shannon. But God has also filled it with joy and life and reminds me how precious that life is. I feel my aunt Amy and Shannon blessing me from above in my motherhood.

It all begun on New Year ’s Eve, December 31^st. I awoke around 4:00am with some contractions, but they were too sporadic to get nervous about, especially considering I had this happen often weeks leading up to this night. Around 6:00am they were definitely a lot stronger, but still sporadic. Phil was up at this point and we decided to pack our bags and get in the car because I thought, “this is it!” I had told Phil earlier that week I thought I would have the baby on Saturday. We sat downstairs a little longer with Phil’s Mom who got in two days before, timing contractions to make sure it was true labor. Mrs. Simpson was using my cool new phone app that timed and averaged your labor contractions, haha. Having her there to help and watch John made me feel much more at ease.

All other signs said go to the hospital, so we were on our way! We made some stops at Redbox and the gas station before we hit the road. Oh my! The contractions only intensified, but never got consistent throughout the whole process (note to self). With my back aching, I knew this wasn’t a good sign. John Phillip was also posterior, and it looked like this babe was going to be the same. When we arrived at the hospital, they told us to “go for a walk” for two hours and then come back since I wasn’t far along enough. ?? That was NOT what we wanted to hear. The army base was too far away from home to turn around. Phil and I had a hard time not getting upset at the nurse who checked me. We can look back and laugh a little (yes, just a little) about it now, but at the time, sitting in the car and walking around the nearby mall/grocery wasn’t exactly how I wanted to pass time while having intense contractions. But I got encouraged by my family and friend’s messages and prayers, and also prayed to my aunt Amy in heaven. This gave me enough strength to fight through. Having Phil to lean on and give me words of hope as we walked around the PX was all I needed. I wish I had a picture of me stopping in the isles and squeezing Phil’s arm about every 3-5 minutes, bending over with a horrible look on my face. One lady looked at us and said, “Aw, are you trying to induce labor? Aw!” It didn’t really seem like an awe-cute-moment to me!

So time finally passed and we made our way back to the hospital. This time was good news! They checked me and admitted me into a room since I was 6cm. But soon after, we heard some bad news. We found out my blood platelets were too low for an epidural. We had to decide whether to take the risk (possible immediate back surgery at a different hospital) or go without one. Phil decided to call my Mom and she said she had been praying to St. Gianna and she felt pretty confident that it was a Godsend to find out my platelets were too low and that I shouldn’t get the epidural. After Phil told me that we decided to go with plan B. They were able to give me something pretty similar to an epidural that took away a lot of the pain, but the catch was it only lasted two hours. So baby had to come soon! They thought I would have the baby in the given allotted time once my body was able to relax. I was so scared but Phil kept telling me not to worry and that he knew I would have the baby soon. Within the hour, I was ready to push and ready to meet baby! Praise the Lord! Throughout the whole time, my husband was motivating and encouraging me. What would I do without him? The nurses and doctors told him they want to hire him as a labor and delivery coach. They said he did such a fabulous job being what I needed. I agree! I don’t think you ever feel so reliant on prayers as when you are in labor. They truly worked miracles. The whole time the baby was also posterior, but when it came time to deliver, the baby came out normal. Praise Jesus again! As the baby was born, the midwife yelled, “It’s a Dominic Joseph!” (We had told her our favorite names earlier) Phil also told me, “It’s a boy! It’s a boy!” Me: “Another boy?!” They put him in my arms, one of the best feelings in the world. Squeezing his chubby buns and looking into his eyes that were already so bright, I felt so close to heaven. How can life get any sweeter? My baby that God had created and thought of since the beginning of time was finally here in my arms! Looking at him our first thoughts were, “Look at all this hair, and dimples, and how big he is!” I felt so overwhelmed with joy and happiness, and so much more in love with my husband. It is very humbling to know God would entrust me and Phil with these two beautiful souls to bring to heaven, that He would give us so many blessings in one year’s time.

I could have never imagined I would be a mother of two precious children already, and that they would be BOYS?! I thought I wouldn’t know what to do with a boy, but I can’t imagine anything different now. They know how to melt my heart and I love being their Momma. I am enjoying these days, even though they are quite the transition. I had to laugh at myself the other day as I sat on the couch feeding Dominic in one arm and helping John with his bottle in my other arm. Or when I had to run and get John out of the toilet with one arm while holding/nursing Dominic with the other arm. Dominic is definitely learning how to fend for himself early on. And I’m learning how to multitask like I never have before. :)

Dominic Joseph, what a beautiful baby you are! Born December 31^st at 3:06 pm, weighing 7 pounds and 10 ounces, and 20 inches long. You are so strong already, smart and curious. You only cry when you’re really hungry. You are as cute as a button! We can’t tell who you look like, but it seems you have my nose and look similar to my baby pictures. You first smiled at me on my birthday and made me cry with delight. You like to give me a smile almost every morning, and your two little dimples make it irresistible. As I sit here writing this, you are sleeping in your favorite bouncy seat making oh-so-cute noises, sounding like a little kitten. You already lift your head up and look around like you want to know what’s going on. My ribs were constantly hurting when you were in my tummy and now I know why. You have one strong kick! You always want to eat, especially throughout the night so we’re still working on that. You weigh about 9 lbs. at two weeks old. Your big brother, John Phillip, loves you so much. When he sees you he usually laughs and smiles and wants to either give you a kiss or a smack on the head (which of course is translated as a high-five). We had to move your swing because he loved to push you in it, a little too hard. He’s already looking after you and tries to give you his toys and also his pacifier. He can’t wait to play with you. Me and your Daddy are so proud you’re our baby boy and can’t imagine our lives without you in it. Thank you Jesus for baby Dominic and choosing us to be his parents!

This video is John getting aquainted with his little brother during the first days home.

 

Christmas 2011

We had a beautiful Christmas here in Colorado. With me a couple weeks away from my due date, we had to stay here. Although it was hard being away from family, we had a very fun and special first Christmas together as our own family. As we anxiously awaited the birth of Jesus, we also anxiously awaited the birth of simpson baby numero dos! Here are some pictures that capture our December together.

Baby Guessing Game

Here ye', here ye'!!!

It's that time again to put in your guesses for the Simpson Baby soon to be here! (Aka. Bearcub) Enter in the game to get a really cool prize. ;) Gender, weight, height, when, where?! hehe

Make sure to get your guesses in soon. Click on the link below to enter.
http://www.expectnet.com/games/BabyBearcub

Singing his ABC's

Lately when we play music, John tries to sing along. He always bounces too. This video captures a little bit of him singing to ABC before he sees the camera of course. I love that you love to sing and dance for us baby Juan!

"SO BIG"

John Phillip loves to play this game, but will only do it when no one is looking, even the camera. So I hid the camera because I wanted to get it on film at some point. He will usually smash his face which is my fav.

Autumn

This fall has come and gone in the blink of an eye! We had a great past couple months, but always busy with traveling and other activities. I started the fall off with a CNA program that lasted all of August. Phil did in incredible job watching John Phillip every night and they became best buds. I finished the course and am now a CNA, whoohoo!

Phil has been busy training and traveling for wrestling and has done an amazing job. He's been doing really well these past couple months. Unfortunately he was set back a little bit with an injury to his knee, but is recovering well and should be back at it come January. He's not only our champion, but a magnificent father and husband every day without fail. Although it stinks being injured, me and John have definitely been enjoying his down time. :)

John Phillip has made some huge progressions in his babyhood!
He likes to babble all kinds of things. He makes out the words Dada, Mama, baba, go, although he doesn't quite know what he's saying yet. I like to think he knows Mama though as he seems to say this only when he's crying at my feet. He also likes to sing along and dance to songs. When certain songs come on, like Old McDonald (his fav), he will try and sing and bounces up and down.
He hasn't ventured to walking yet, but is still crawling and climbing all over the place. The stairs are his favorite if he manages to escapes the family room gate. He has five cute crooked teeth, with three more slowly coming in. He doesn't like his baby food anymore. He only wants big boy food and goes crazy for it. He has definitely found his voice/temper recently and likes to yell really loud when he wants something or is upset at not getting fed fast enough. So "NO" is definitely the word we're trying to teach him fast.
John Phillip loves his Baby Einstein DVD's and this entertains him if I ever need a little break. He loves to explore all areas of the house. His new favorite thing is playing the piano...banging on the piano. Anytime he comes accross something new, he knocks on it. He loves to knock and does this on anything and everything. And he of course loves the games, patty cake and peek-a-boo. He waves "hi" sometimes but his favorite is raising his arms up when we say, "how big is John Phillip?"
This will be his first Christmas and we're so excited to share it together as a family!

Baby number 2 is growing fast and will be here in about 4 weeks! This time around has been a lot more uncomfortable, but I'm hanging in there. This last month will be tough. We can't wait to meet you, baby! We are all patiently waiting for your arrival and I hope you come early. :) I still can't believe I get to have another baby!

Here are some pics from the fall.