Coffee....because its that kind of morning

Coffee, something I thought I would never come to like let alone grow to love. Kind of like Dr. Pepper......I know who doesn't like Dr. Pepper but I must admit that I didn't until I was pregnant with Clayton and then now that is the pop of choice. Back to coffee, it was always the drink my parents and grandparents drank and I thought that I would stick to cappuccino and never be quite "grown up" enough to drink coffee. Reagan and I knew that with my mom coming for two weeks when Clayton was born we would be required to have coffee in the house no questions asked. Her and my dad drink coffee every morning. So we bought the coffee, I brought the coffee maker home from work my last day on the job and we were ready to be in business for it. I must admit that it was going to irritate me to have my coffee maker out on my cabinet for two entire weeks when it did have a place to go. For those of you that know me I am quite OCD at times about everything being in its appropriate spot, and it multiplies in intensity for two weeks post baby:) (lucky Reagan) So the first morning my mom is here I decide to try it again and I had already prepared with buying this Hazlenut creamer I had at Corey Coleman's house Christmas morning that was quite tasty. Needless to say I had coffee three mornings straight before I finally decided that I DID like coffee and that some rearranging on the countertop was in order to make a home for the coffee maker. I will admit that I am still not a pro at making a pot of coffee and I actually only drink it when my amazingly sweet husband puts on a pot before he goes to work. What a nice surprise that is when I am exhausted and walk into the kitchen or wake to the smell of a fresh brewing pot of coffee. I am still a "wimp" and like creamer in my coffee and not just a dab will do but quite a bit:) That however could be changing, we were at the store yesterday and Reagan informed me that we were out of coffee almost and needed to buy more so we decided to venture out from the breakfast blend and try a flavored coffee. The one that sounded the best was the hazelnut flavored one because I immediately thought it would go great with the hazlenut creamer that i like. I knew before I even poured a cup that this new flavored coffee would become a favorite. It smelled so amazing and as I sit here drinking a hot cup it tastes equally so. I wll make a side note and say that if you drink coffee with creamer and have not tried the Cinnabon creamer you are missing out! It is another one that is the bomb dot com so to speak. Coffee may not be the most exciting topic for a post but since I have been utterly exhausted the past two weeks for some reason (my husband keeps asking if I am prego but thats another story) it is what is needed this morning which started at 6:55 am thanks to my precious baby Clayton.

Adjusting and the Balancing Act of a mommy of two!

The first time I was pregnant it was the undaunting advice of people who were already mothers that took the baby bump as an open invitation to tell their labor and delivery story and then give tons of advice about becoming a mother. Then the big moment comes and you are thrown into the whirlwind of becoming parents for the first time. Let me tell you that I had probably had just about as much training with raising a child as anyone could come close to before having one full time themselves. As much as that helped prepare me Hudson still threw me and my husband through an absolute loop! Then as he got older and things got a little easier we always thought that baby number two, if God blessed us with another, would be a breeze because we were already pros at this so we thought. Hudson was a good baby for the most part, very happy just didn't like to sleep longer than two to three hours at a time for quite a while.

When I got pregnant the second time, I was a little relieved to think that every woman who saw my bump would not give me tons of unsolicited advice once they knew that I was a veteran at this mom and labor thing. Boy was I mistaken! When you let them know that this is baby number two you get a whole new round of advice on how to make sure the first one doesn't feel left out and how to care for two and so on and so on. I must admit though that after knowing how it feels to want to relive the exciting moments of having that first baby it is a little easier to sit through this advice because you know that eventually one day at least at one point in your life you will be that veteran mom passing on advice wanted or not to a precious little pregnant lady. When Clayton was born life was amazing the first couple weeks. He slept soooo much more than Hudson did. He would only wake up once in the middle of the night to eat and then sleep on through until the morning, LIFE WAS GOOD! Then the colic started. For those of you who have never experienced this be very very thankful. I had a dear friend who had to suffer through this with her first child and let me tell you that any mom who has a colic child definitely needs a close friend who has been there done that. They will be your saving grace at times and will be the only one who can truly sympathize and understand what you are dealing with. They also may be the only one able to give you a break occasionally because only they will konw the methods to the madness that clams the precious child. I will never forget the week before Clayton's two month check up I think each afternoon ended up in at least two or three of us crying while waiting on Reagan to come home. Then at the two month check up we hit a turning point.

Dr. Dansby prescribed us a wonderful prescription for the tummy problems. It is the best drug and was truly sent from God himself to help mothers who suffer with these tummy issues. The days have gotten better lately but there are definitely days here and there that are trying with my patience. I have learned though in the past not to pray for patience because God will just give you another chance to use it and I get plenty of chances as it is. I am sure that Hudson is even excited that Clayton's tummy is doing better because unfortunately so when Clayton is fussy mommy's patience with Hudson dwindles. There are days where I feel like the worst mother because Hudson is begging me to play cars and I have to tell him to hold on just a minute while mommy feeds Clayton, or changes Clayton, or puts Clayton down for a nap. Or when I have to tell him to calm down so that he doesn't wake Clayton up. I try as much as possible to include Hudson whenever I am rocking Clayton so he doesn't feel left out or replaced. It is so hard to find a balance between making him feel special and still making him mind and use his "inside" voice when need be. It just completely breaks my heart when I feel like he doesn't understand why Clayton eating is more important than playing cars with him. It is however very sweet when he does still let me rock him and cuddle him. Or when he is the great big brother and sits and talks to Clayton or gives him his passy and tells him he is ok. Hudson has such a tender heart and has surprisingly adjusted very well to being a big brother! God has given him such a tender heart and sweet spirit. I can't wait to see how we keep up this balancing act for our family and what kind of spririt God will give Clayton.

We recently found out that some of our friends whom we care for dearly are about to become parents to two beautiful children whom they have never met before. I can tell you that watching them go through this process has made my respect level for people who adopt just soar to another level. It takes a very special heart and home to welcome in two children and love them completely. You don't get nine months to bond to the child and yet I see the excitement in her eyes and the way he talks about his soon to be children and there is no doubt in my mind that they will love if not already love those children any less than we love the ones that are biologically ours. I sit here and think of how difficult it has been to have three years with one child and then adjust to adding another one to the mix and here they are fearlessly and openly welcoming two children who already have established some thought patterns and personality into their lives. Makes my surprises and learning to balance seem amateur. I am absolutely thrilled to get to watch this process they have gone through and how much God has blessed them along this road of adoption. I absolutely cannot wait to see them adjust and grow their precious little family! Most of all I cannot wait until the day that I can give her unsolicited advice:) Just for the heck of it and even if she gets annoyed I will be absolutely thrilled that she has finally been blessed with the children to get to experience this unsolicited advice!