Due Date is Here!!

So today is officially my due date, my belly is super duper low, but other than that there is no signs of this little one making his arrival today.  But honestly, who can really predict those things?!?!? Jacob is so excited to meet his newest little brother; in fact he keeps talking about how he wants three baby brothers. LOL!!! I mean, granted right now his favorite number is three because he is three years old, but I still find it super cute. Now Brayden... I can honestly say that I am a little nervous for him.  I have always been his number one (along with Grandpa Eddie), but his attachment to me lately has been off the charts!! He wouldn't even let Grandpa Eddie put him down the other night! I know he senses something, but I just hope he adjusts okay.

A little reminiscing about this pregnancy, was when we found out the sex.  I find it hilarious that I will be out with the boys and a complete stranger will say, "Oh I sure hope that ones a girl!" and I politely always say "Nope! It's a boy! I'm kind of the mom of boys!"  When we got the ultrasound done, I actually sat there for a second in a panic of "Oh my gosh, what if this is a girl?!?!" I realize that if this baby was a girl, it wouldn't be a problem, but at that moment in time I realized how much I absolutely LOVE having my boys!! Regardless if this is our last pregnancy or not, having all brothers is something that is truly special! And watching Jacob and Brayden bond, fight, wrestle, and totally love each other has been so much fun!! I cannot wait for Jordan to join that brotherhood!

Dayton has been asking for weeks for a comparison photo of my bellies because he swears I am bigger this time.  I will definitely say that I am huge, but I don't think I am bigger than I was with Jacob, so let's hope this isn't another 10 pounder!! Well Jordan, I officially finally dedicated a blog entry about your pregnancy, I guess it is official that you can come out now! We are so ready to meet you!!

A December Surprise!!

Wow!!! December was a busy month!!! I promise while I am playing catch up on this blog that we did not do as much in the last 4 months! LOL!!! Anyways, December was extra special this year because we found out that I am pregnant!!! Baby number three... which just happens to be boy number three will be arriving August 28th 2015!!! WE are great at making boys!!! This little boy will be named Jordan... although we love this name; Jacob is hands down the most excited about it. So, we can't even change it if we wanted too! I think there is a part of Jacob that thinks/hopes that this little baby will be Michael Jordan.

We are so beyond thrilled to become a family of FIVE!!! Holy smokes!!! I can't believe it's actually happening!!! I can't imagine how much crazier our lives will be, but I know that it is going to be so much more fun and filled with so much love!!! I know Brayden will probably have the most adjusting to do when baby Jordan will come home, but I know he will be a great big brother. He already kisses my tummy and pulls up his shirt and says "baby". He is slightly confused obviously LOL!! Jacob talks about baby Jordan ALL the time!!! The other night he was in the bath tub and with out any prompting he looks at me and says...
"When baby Jordan is here I will ask him baby Jordan what is your name? And he will say my same is baby Jordan!"

I have found that announcing that your pregnant by baby number three poses a challenge. You can't repeat anything that you have done in the past and you kind of want to surprise your husband. So, I held my secret in for 4 whole days!!! And gave Mike his Christmas present... I video taped it.

There is something so special about announcing your pregnant!! And I always dreamed of doing a Christmas announcement! I think he was slightly happy!! Best Christmas present ever!!

When Your BFF is a Boy (The Tessie Brayden story)

 As you may recall from an earlier blog, that Jacob is greatly influenced by his BFF Memo.  He wears high heels, plays with princesses, and has tea parties whenever he gets a chance. Not that it's a bad thing by any means, but I have a feeling that Brayden and Tessie's relationship may be a little bit different. As you may have noticed, Brayden is more of a "free spirit" than Jacob ever was, but it allows for some very comical moments...

This picture could not be more priceless for what was about to take place. My dear son, playing Eddie Haskel in the background, while Tessie knew something was about to happen. (I will say during this event I was on the play ground with the big kids and Gabby was with the babies...from a distance I hear "oh no, oh no, oh no" "then Tessie crying.) I have never been so grateful to have a play by play recorded through still frames....

This is so funny to me!!! I don't know if he was going in for the kiss or if he was just teething that bad he needed to chomp something!! Tessie has no teeth still, so she couldn't quite grasp the need to bite your friends face!

The other day, Tessie got her revenge... we decided to see how Brayden would look like a girl! LOL I must say pretty adorable!!

Baby Friends!!

I think the biggest difference between raising one child and raising two (besides the chaos) is that you have relationships with people that already have kids! When Jacob was born we pretty much only knew Gabby and Jason who had a baby, and yes Kimmy was pregnant. But in all reality, it made play dates a little more difficult because I had to go meet other moms first!! Well, now that we have had two years of developing relationships with other kid "owners," it has made it really easy for Brayden to meet friends!!I swear this child has met more babies in his short 7 months than I have as a PICU nurse!!

 His first friend is baby Angelina, or "Lina." Her mom, Melissa, and I work together and this is baby girl number three for them! Lina is about a month younger than Brayden and probably one of the most calm babies I have ever seen!! I think they will continue to be good friends...considering Brayden tried to kiss her the first time they met!

This baby Blake, our friend Ariana and Kieth's youngest. Their older boy, Cody, is one of Jacob's good friends. We owe them a lot because they introduced us to the balance bike! Anyways, Blake is exactly to the day a month older than Brayden! Here they are having fun at the Children's Museum!

And of course we cannot forget about Brayden's BFF...Tessie!!!! I think they have grown to tolerate each others presence now. Granted there have been a few mishaps, including Brayden trying to rip her face off (that's a day for another blog). I'm glad they get along because I see a very bonded future with them ;0)

And of course last but definitely not least... his favorite play person in the world is...Jacob!!!

Jacob loves showing Brayden how to do things!! If anyone has seen this guitar at our house, then you know how treasured this coveted toy is to Jacob.  He almost always shares it with Brayden!! It's so cute!!!

Six Months Old!!

I know that every month I am shocked by how old Brayden is turning, but there is something special about a baby turning 6 months old.  I feel like it marks a milestone that he is no longer a newborn and that he is well on his way to toddler hood. It becomes even more apparent everyday because he is physically doing something different everyday.  This happy little munchkin melts my heart every time he squeezes my face and sucks on my nose!! (I have the face scratches to prove it!)

• He is so close to crawling!!! He gets on all fours, sways back and forth, and then face plants!! LOL Jacob is working hard on trying to get Brayden to crawl.
• He LOVES food!!! I know big surprise that yet another child of mine loves food. He has had, apples, pears, carrots, banana, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes. 
• He is sitting like a champ!! He is even pushing himself up to it!! 
• At daycare the other day he pulled himself to standing!!! I think we may be in trouble!! All he wants to do is stand.
• He is such a happy baby!! He is constantly laughing. Of course he laughs his hardest at Jacob. Those two brothers are bonded!!
• He is sleeping okay. He is still waking up 1-2 times a night on average.
• He loves being naked and being in water!! We are hoping to get him into a pool this summer!

 I just love this little man!!!

Here's his  sixth month stats:

Weight: 18lbs 8 oz

Height: 28 inches

5 Months

Yet another month has come and gone!! This past month he has really moved from the newborn stage. He isn't just satisfied sitting being held or fed anymore... he is completely aware of his surroundings and constantly wants to move or look.  The other great thing about him moving beyond the newborn stage, is that he and Jacob are actually interacting a lot more!! In fact, Brayden laughs his hardest when Jacob is the one entertaining him. The phrase "Jacob go make Brayden laugh!" never gets old!! He has really accomplished a lot this month...

• He had his first food! Rice cereal!! He seems to really like it!!
• He found his toes!! And boy does he love them!!! He may be the soccer player out of our two boys.
• He can be carried on my hip. Now, this may not seem like a huge accomplishment, but those who tote babies around know what I'm talking about! My arms get a little break!! LOL
• He is waking up 1-2 times a night (minus one night that was every hour, yikes!!)
• He's becoming a champion napper at daycare (finally!)
• He LOVES his big brother!!! I can already see the future in that Brayden will want to do every thing Jacob wants to do! 
• He is gnawing on anything and everything (watch your fingers people!!)

I have taken a lot of photos, but I again reduced them to the special few!! LOL

First Food!!!

I feel like today was such a momentous day for Mr. Brayden.  He had his first real food, well if you can call rice cereal real food.  We were somewhat motivated to do this in hopes that it would reduce his spitting up!! I feel like all I do is wash burp cloths!!  Besides our selfish reason for starting "solids" so soon, he has had a bad case of food envy lately.  He is constantly watching us eat and drooling. 

He seemed to really enjoy himself!! He ate the entire bowl, which kind of surprised me.  And he didn't gag once!! I remember with Jacob, every time we gave him a new food he would gag, even if he ended up loving it...LOL.  However, Brayden was the exact opposite, he took to the cereal right away.  Although he would only take his fingers out of his mouth long enough to put a spoonful in, then he kept sucking on his fingers. I think it helped him eat every last drop!

Jacob was so cute when it came to feeding Brayden. He kept leaning over and said "Brayden want more?" As he was signing more!! I swear this kid is meant to be a father!!! LOL He just loves his little brother...and of course Brayden adores Jacob!

The Pose

It's funny how often I compare Jacob and Brayden, however there is another Wood boy that Brayden tends to emulate... his cousin Everett!! When Everett was a baby he used to put his hands behind his head and just pose, as if to say, "This is the life!"  It always made me laugh to see photos of him doing it, or catching him falling asleep like that. Here is a great photo of it...

Look how little baby Everett was!!! I always thought this pose was strictly an Everett pose... however his little cousin thinks it belongs to him now!

Brayden doesn't always have his hands so low on his head, but this version of the pose cracked me up! I wonder why they do this pose? I think Brayden likes to feel his hair, well that's my theory anyways. It's so great to see strong family genes...LOL!!!

3 Month Comparison

When we took Brayden to his 2 month appointment and go all his numbers, we just had to look back and see Jacob's numbers to see how they compared. I always remember Jacob being big, but I guess I forgot HOW big. It's funny because Brayden seems large to me, and compared to other babies. (Well everyone except Tessa, who is keeping up rather nicely with our large baby). So, when we looked at the stats, there was no height difference.  Both boys were 24.5  inches long (97th percentile).  However, the weight was a huge difference!! Brayden weighed 12 lbs 8 ounces and was in the 56th percentile.  Whereas Jacob weighed 14 lbs 13 ounces (90th percentile)!! It's amazing that at two months of age there was almost a 2.5 lbs difference between these boys!! Mike thinks that Brayden is catching up quickly to Jacob's numbers.  So here is their 3 month photos side by side...

I think Jacob may have a few rolls on Brayden, but if Brayden keeps eating the way he is, their four month stats will be the same!!  I just love that they both have the second chin!!! Oh, how I love my chunky monkeys!!!

Love is in the Air

Since it is still February and this is the month of LOVE, I think it's time that I post about about the most adorable love of all... Toddler love. For a second there, you thought I was going to blog about Mike and I...gotcha!!! That's a boring topic and let's face it, the pictures just aren't as cute!  It is so fun to watch Jacob and Memo interact with each other. It's just another perspective on how much Jacob has grown in the past two years. They went from not interacting, to fighting, to genuine excitement to see one another in just a short 24 months. The picture above is probably the cutest picture I have ever seen.  Granted they were arguing about the ball before this was taken, but they always seem to get over it in time to give each other a hug when they say good bye.

Their hugs are always so cute!! Jacob always looks like a little old man!!! LOL

I can only hope that the relationship that Jacob and Memo have, is something that Tessa and Brayden get to experience. Having a best friend that you can grow up with is truly a special and unique thing. 

I think they are off to a good start!!

Bressa

The next new toddler "IT" couple has arrived!!! Born just 15 hours apart, they are destined to be BFF's!!  They met each other for the first time on New Year's Eve, and have hung out a few times since then. Their first meeting went a little better than Memo and Jacob (no punching each other). There are also more similarities between these two... they are both big babies, have lots of hair (Tessa more than Brayden), and they tolerate their older siblings like champs!! They also already crack us up, (as you will see in photos), but they give the same crazy looks!! The looks of, "Mom, why are you doing this?!?!"

The photo in the middle makes me laugh every time I look at it!! I'm sure they will get a chuckle out of it when they're older.

On New Year's we actually got a picture of the four of them!!! We're amazing, I know ;0) Now it's not the perfect picture, but hey they are all in the same frame, so that counts for something!

I just love it!!!

Newborn Photo Shoot

Whenever we get professional photos done, I love how great they look and DON'T reflect the madness behind the scenes. Like all these photos, for example, look great!! But what you can't see is Jacob in the background trying to steal the basketball and dump truck (notice no pictures of dump trucks...yeah there's a reason). You can't see the breast feeding sessions it took to get these done, or eating breakfast at the chalkboard table, or the 49er game in the background! I'm just glad that I'm not the one taking the pictures!
I feel like we get a lot of photo shoots done, but I guess that's what happens when high school friends start up their own business!! They do an amazing job and they did not disappoint with Brayden's newborn photos...

I have so many photos (over 500!!)...I decided to show "some" restraint when sharing...

This last picture is truly my favorite picture I have of Brayden...

It could not be cuter!!!

One Month!!

Technically it has been six weeks to the day that Brayden has joined this family, but I figure I am still within two weeks of posting this, so not too bad! This past "month" has flown by!! I thought being a mother of one made things go by quickly, but I guess I was wrong! I still feel like Brayden and I are still getting to know each other a bit. However, I love this little man with all my heart!! He astounds me everyday! The past six weeks he has accomplished a lot...

• He is smiling a lot more (I think on purpose)
• He is holding his head up like a champ
• He eats a ton!!! (he has gained 3 lbs 10 ounces since his birth)
• He's getting better at sleeping (longest stretch was 5 1/2 hours)
• He is learning to nap while not being held
• He is taking a bottle from Dada
• He enjoys being swaddled
• He grunts literally ALL the time!!! Loudest sleeper and eater ever!!
• He ROLLED OVER!!! (This will be another post!)

I have taken too many pictures to count, so I'll just share a few...

 We are all still in the adjustment phase, but I have to hand it to both my kids...they can adapt!! Jacob has done great and is really taking to this older brother roll.  And Brayden seems to thoroughly enjoy Jacob; he smiles the most when Jacob is on the floor with him doing tummy time. It's those moments that truly make you appreciate being a mother.

Brayden Tyler's Story

Two weeks hiatus from blogging and I'm sure all our "fans" are eager to read something!! LOL

I'm going to bore you with a birthing story, so you have permission to just look at the photos. Brayden arrived very quickly on Friday, November 22nd at 7:19 pm.  I say quickly because I didn't start getting contractions until 3:45pm, of course it was right when I went to take a nap!! Seeing as I have never been in true labor outside of the hospital, I was not prepared to time anything. So, as I lay in bed with what I thought were contractions, I decided that I better download an app for this (what would we do without Iphones?). To my surprise they were 2-3 minutes apart lasting 45 seconds!! And as I remembered from nursing school, that's pretty close!! I called Mike and told him to come home and then went downstairs to tell Debbi it was time (yes, thank goodness Debbi had a random day off to be in Rocklin, oh that Italian timing!!). 20 minutes or so later (it felt like an hour) we were off to the hospital!! The car ride was of course painful, but Mike made me laugh the whole time. We got to the hospital at 5:15pm and they said "Oh my you're 7cm!" Right then I replied "I'm not having this baby naturally!" LOL. About an hour after that I got my epidural and things were looking up!! My doctor broke my water and within 5 minutes she told me to start pushing. I will never forget her placing Brayden on my chest...my first response was "He's so little!!"

He came screaming into this world, weighing in at 8 lbs 2 ounces and 19 3/4 inches. Way smaller than anyone expected. However, he had a great appetite to start and was breast feeding within 10 minutes!!

Here is our first photo together. I may look a little shocked, which I am!! I guess I had 9 months to prepare, but the 3.5 hour labor threw me for a loop, I thought I would have more of a transitioning period! LOL.

One happy daddy!!! He is seriously the best husband and daddy ever...I am truly so lucky to have him as my partner for life!!

Our first family of four photo!! It's a blog for another day, but Jacob has been an amazing big brother!!

Here is the collage of everyone who came to visit that night. Dayton, my mom, and Kiki braved the traffic to get to the hospital that night. Dayton cracked me up when we called saying "Could you have picked a worse time to go into labor than 5pm on a Friday?" LOL!!!

Here we are heading home!!! We only stayed for 24 hours, which was amazing because we were really anxious to get home to Jacob! It's amazing how different this labor was compared to Jacob...I think next time I'll try and have another 8 lb baby rather than 10!! I truly cannot express how good I feel compared to last time (I guess the pictures show it, because I actually have color in my face!) 

Aside from the slight anxiety of having a newborn again, I feel so much more complete as a family with Brayden here!! 

Anxiously Waiting...

 As I sit here 39 weeks pregnant, I can't help but think to 20 months ago when I was doing the same thing.  Being pregnant is something that I have always enjoyed (call me crazy, but pregnancy treats me well). Since I was little my mom always told me "You have child bearing hips and one day you'll enjoy that!!" Well, I must say with the large babies I have...thank you mom for my child bearing hips! It's funny this time around because everyone thinks you should know what to expect, but in some ways I feel like a rookie all over again. When I was pregnant with Jacob, there was always a part of me that knew I would be induced. However, with this baby, I feel like I am actually going to have a cool story to tell (I'm really hoping for water breaking in Target). 

When you have two, you can't help but compare them. So here is my belly around the same week. Jacob is on the left and Brayden is on the right. The more I stare at these photos the more I start to wonder; How big will he be? Who will he look like? What is his personality going to be? Is he going to be a good eater? A good sleeper? I guess I have all the same questions I did last time, but now I feel like I am more on my toes, seeing as he could come any day now. 

As part of my anticipation of Brayden's arrival, I am in severe nesting mode!! Mike actually asked "Do you have OCD now?" LOL. I think I do. My everyday chores that I do is the vacuuming, kitchen cleaning, and laundry. Then I always add weird things on top of it. I don't think this house has been so clean...OH and the most exciting part is that it's finally getting decorated!!

My OCD is rubbing off on Jacob.  He really likes to sweep now. He goes to the closet after every meal and says "Broom, Please!" LOL hopefully he continues to enjoy sweeping after Brayden's arrival. Although I spend a lot of time cleaning, I do recognize that this is the last time that I will be a mother of one. I think Jacob is starting to realize that too. We spend a lot of time cuddling and playing basketball in the playroom.  He has turned into quite the mama's boy lately, which is fine cause I love my "cool guy cuddles."

I think Jacob is excited about Brayden.... which seems to be the number one question people ask. Jacob likes to show people Brayden's room and bed. He still likes to say hi to Brayden in my belly and give him kisses. I'm hoping the enthusiasm stays after the baby is out of my belly...

See he's really excited though!!! (LOL)

Maternity Photos

With 10 days to the arrival of Baby #2, we have our maternity pictures!!! I could not be more happy with how they turned out!! I see why it took a while...she took over 900 pictures! She gave them all to me; I can't even get through that many! (I love the top photo of Mike and I!!!)But here are a few of them...

 She really captured Jacob as his true self. The photo of his belly showing is the perfect photo. I would dare to say that if there was one photo that I could show of Jacob's childhood, that would be it!

I truly can't thank Jenna enough for all these great photos!!! I'm so excited to get our newborn photos going!! The brothers will be adorable!!

Time to Meet...

 Baby #2!!! Well, not completely yet, but on sonogram. We got these pictures in July, so obviously a while ago. However, our excitement is increasing by the day!! I am officially 31 weeks and 3 days right now. My belly is huge!!! And apparently, so is the little one hiding in there. Although having a 9lb 15oz. baby last time hurt, I think I would prefer it because of the easy sleeping and eating. LOL I'll take any extra sleep any way I can get it.  Most of you already know what gender we are having, but just in case...

IT'S ANOTHER BOY!!!

Jacob is actually really excited about the baby. He always kisses my belly and says baby.  It's really cute. We'll see if his excitement stays the same when the baby comes home...LOL.  They will be 21 months apart!! We got a 3D done, not on purpose because Mike thinks all babies look like Voldemort in those photos, but the place automatically did them. So here is his cute little face... (I don't think he looks like Voldemort, but hey I'm the mother).

And of course the belly shot...