De-Cluttering

This...

is what happens when you leave a 12 month old in a room for about 30 seconds.

This...

{bear with me & imagine}

is what happens when you have left a 29 & 32 year old to live in the same house for 7 years.

I am too tired to upload a pic from some of the purging that went down today at la casa de Fohner,

but...

we got a ton done

(thanks to my mom).

And...

we're getting more done in the next few days.

Am I the only one who thinks that some of their stuff is secretly alive, reproducing & multiplying when you're not looking, like rabbits...

but it's not cute like little cotton-tail rabbits...

it looks like old receipts, left over yarn from crocheting projects, old t-shirts from middle (yes, I said middle) school, & who knows what else.

sigh...

But we have a deadline to get it done...

because this girl needs a deadline.

So our Labor Day Weekend will be relaxing & enjoyable...

in our less cluttered home  :)

7 Years!

As of around 5:30 this evening, 

it will have been exactly 7 years since this photo was taken  :)

I got all sappy on Facebook this morning when I posted this pic & re-shared our FB Wedding Album that I originally posted a few years ago (very early this morning, it was hard to sleep last night b/c today is always one of my favorite days of the year) so I'll spare the sappiness on here except to say...

Here's to a lifetime more of celebrations of 08/07/05!

I love you & our life together, Matthew  :)

Busy (but fun) Summer

So far, we Fohner's have had a busy (as always), but very fun Summer  :)

{hence why it's been a while since I've posted}

Some updates...

• Matthew has been working b-ball camps as he usually does for the summer & enjoying playing pick up afterwards.
• I will be taking care of 2 more infants starting in a few weeks (all 3 children will be here on different days meaning I'm nannying 3-4 days per week as opposed to the 2 days per week that I had since January)...Abram LOVES having them over & playing with them.  Since the newest two are 3-9 months old, it's good practice for when Baby Fohner #2 arrives around New Year's  :)
• Abram's continuing to grow physically (averaging 1 shoe size every 2 months, the average toddler grows 1 size every 3-4 months) & mentally (learning new signs...his new favorite is "please").  He's been able to master Matthew & I's iPhones...unlocking them & finding his favorite icons so he can scroll through YouTube to watch his favorite "BaBa" (what he calls "Toy Story") clips & access his toddler friendly games
• I've regained some energy back now a little over 17 weeks along with Baby Fohner #2 (which I'm almost positive is a girl).  My bump has caught up with how I big I was with Abram.  I consistently measured 2-4 weeks ahead with him & was all baby...amazingly I didn't swell at all, wore my rings & shoes all the way through.  I can still fit in most of my clothes (with help thanks to the best pregnancy invention ever, the BeBand) but it definitely feels more comfortable to wear my maternity clothes.  I've been taking monthly shots this time around (as opposed to weekly pics) & I don't see a difference in how I'm carrying at all.  This pregnancy is seeming to follow Abram's in almost every way.  Especially in how I don't feel pregnant at all.  So much so that I actually came into to see the midwives between appointments to make sure the baby still had a heart beat (I'm a bit more hypersensitive since my miscarriage).  I've only felt the baby move a few times (this time a little before 14 weeks as opposed to exactly at 16 weeks).  We're going in for the anatomy ultrasound on our 7th anniversary (on the 7th :) though we'll probably wait until the birth to find out the gender.  At my 4 month appointment, I was a bummed to find out that while I'm a great candidate for a VBAC (we'll be trying for one), there are a lot of things that will be different about this labor than Abram's.  The most disappointing is that I cannot use water for pain management in any way.  We were actually planning on having an "accidental" water birth with Abram (& hoping for one with this baby).  The midwives don't prefer to do them since the tubs at Shady Grove Adventist are not rounded & cannot be accessed from all sides.  They do have water births that they attend every so often b/c some women get so far along in the tub that they physically cannot move out of it, & end up giving birth there.  This time I have to have a port put in (but not attached to an IV) just in case I'll need another emergency c-section.  I also cannot be monitored with a fetascope like I was with Abram.  Thankfully SGA has wireless monitoring (why I can't be near water), meaning I can at least walk around (standing up was the best position to be in when I was laboring with Abram) within range of the wireless receiver.  I haven't been told how far I can walk, but at least I can be mobile within the room (& SGA's rooms are pretty huge).  Good news is that I am not allowed to be induced with Pitocin (that stuff HURT) if I go beyond 42 weeks again.  We'd love a tax break baby, but I'm just going to go ahead & plan on having a baby in mid-January for my own sanity's sake.  That was the only taxing thing about going late with A.B., mentally just waiting around for him.  Physically, I felt great & never had trouble sleeping.  Here's hoping this pregnancy stays on par with Abram's in that way (feeling great physically, not in going 15 days late).
• Aslan has been swimming so much that she developed a yeast infection in her ears  :(  Poor girl is a trooper & didn't show any signs of it until we brought her in for her annual appointment earlier this week.  She's on meds for the next 10-14 days.  It amazes me how good she is with Abram...he hits her, pulls on her tail, pokes her body parts while announcing what they are, climbs all over her, & she just lays there.  She's the best  :)

That's the latest short updates on how we're all doing.

We're back at the beach again for the next 10 days (yay) for Matthew's family reunion in Fenwick Island & a week in Duck with my Dad's side.  Excited to see everyone & catch some more rays!

Our Fourth :)

Matthew's mom very generously invited us (as well as Matthew's 3 older sister's families) down to Emerald Isle for the week of the Fourth...so, duh, we said YES!

Last year, Matthew brought his camera, tripod, & remote (along with a very entertaining Aunt Shannon) down the beach to capture some pics.  Looking back, I just want to stop time thinking about how much Abram has changed in a year.

With Baby Fohner #2 tucked away under my blue shirt (every slightly showing by a bump in the pic of Abram giving me "kissies") Matthew snapped away getting some great shots (at least I think so) of our little guy  :)

Here are some from my less worthy iPhone...

 a bucket of water for a 18 month old provides at least 30 min. of pure entertainment  :)

our 3 nieces...only 2 out of our 7 nephews could come down for the week

 silly me only brought my phone down to take pics a few days during the week we were there

other than a bucket of water, playing with clams & sand crabs provided hours of entertainment  :)

a little bit of our ocean view from one of the house's decks 

whenever we got the the boardwalk from the short walk from the house, he sprinted toward the "wawa" 

didn't even need to leave our decks for the shows...we were able to watch the hour long show that the island put on as well as some awesome fireworks that the neighbors set off on the beach 

Matthew's mom, middle sister, & Matthew himself with the extra glow bands that the kids didn't wear 

getting "hosed off" before dinner 

before we walked down for our photo shoot 

walking back 

my little ham 

driving home (JK, pretending to drive home while Daddy pumped gas)

Hope everyone else had a wonderful 4th!

Very excited for our family pics next year that will feature Baby Fohner #2  :)

Sunday Funny

A few weeks ago Abram & I stayed at my mom's house for the weekend since Matthew was coaching in WV for a few days.

Abram is a super good sleeper, but tends to fight it a bit when we're staying somewhere besides home.  On that Sunday, he took a 15 min. cat nap on the way from church to brunch.  When he does this when we're out & about around Fred-neck, I usually put him down for his nap closer to 1:00 than noon.  It doesn't rock his routine too much & he wakes up around his normal time of 3:00ish (sometimes later).  On this particular Sunday he just would not sleep when I tried to put him down in the pack 'n' play at my mom's.  We don't cry it out (Matthew & I have just never felt comfortable with it) so we gave up on trying to get him to take some shut eye & went about our day.

Come 5:00 PM, this happened...

...it's hard to hear, but he was snoring the entire time I was filming.

This kid, my goodness...love him!

Daddy's Day

I was Mrs. Sappy Sapperson on FB yesterday & put up a pic of Matthew & A.B. on Father's Day, so why wouldn't I continue that on here  ;)

the first picture ever taken of Matthew holding Abram

Watching the big guy in this pic interact with his nephews & nieces (heck, the fact that he loved kids enough to be pursing teaching in college when I met him at a young 20 years old) helped me know that he would be an awesome daddy.

Though we had a longer & tougher journey into parenthood than most, Matthew & I believe that what we've had to do/continue to do to expand our family has made us better parents than we ever could have been.  Our journey has taught us patience in God's timing, that He is faithful, & that miracles happen.

Early in our marriage, I remember thinking that I loved how we work well as a team (dubbing us "Team Fohner").  That concept has become even more firm since we became parents.  As former college athletes, we both know what it takes to work together.  I am so thankful for his help, his encouragement, his ability to do so many things well that I don't excel in (especially cooking!), & his willingness to pick up my slack or do things for us that I just don't feel like doing/ever get around to doing (which tends to be a fair amount nowadays since I'm pregnant again).

The world is a better place because he is in it.

And even better now that a piece of him lives on in Abram & this little one that will join our family in a matter of months.

As my boys lay sleeping upstairs (yes, it's 8:30 & they are both still snoring...this is a rare treat since A.B. usually rises around 7:00), I feel so blessed to have these two  :)  Even more blessed that Abram & this new little one will have such a great example of our Heavenly Father here on earth.

Thanks for all you do, Matthew!!!

Everything Needs to Slow Down

This...

was taken 1 year ago today

:(

Why must time go by so quickly?

{sigh}

He was just over 6 months old, had learned to sit up by himself a few weeks earlier, & was a shrimpy few oz. shy of 16 lbs.

But...

Only about 7 more months & I'll get to snuggle up with another little shrimp  :)

Fohner Family of FOUR!

yup...

this little one makes it official...

our rainbow baby stuck and we'll be a family of four right around New Year's  :)

This was the last ultrasound we had done at 8 weeks & 1 day along.  His or her heartbeat was going strong at 174 & the baby even did a bit of twitching for us.

We officially "graduated" from our high risk specialist doctor to the midwifery practice we go to & were able to visit them the next day after this pic was taken.  Clean bill of health, though I'll have to be monitored as we get closer to my due date since Abram was macrosomic & 15 days late, but I was used to going to get a NST or ultrasound every 2-3 days during the last few weeks of my pregnancy with Abram so that's not a huge deal.  Matthew & I are just praying that this one's birth goes a bit smoother than his or her older brother's arrival did.  Who knows, maybe this one will come on time or early?  At least we can hope  ;)

The midwife we met with a few weeks ago was the one who came on shift right around when things took a turn for the worse with A.B.'s delivery (a good midwife but not our favorite in the practice) so I didn't take too much stock in what she was saying (she tends to be the one to practice the most like an OB of the midwifery group).  We absolutely love the other midwives so hopefully one of them will be on call when the time comes.  It's not like I can do anything about having big babies.  I was 9 lb. 13 oz., the oldest of my little brothers was 1 oz. shy of 11 lb., & our "shrimpy" younger brother weighed in at 8 lb., 8 oz...it's in my genes, people!  All of us came from my petite mom & even though I have more of an athletic body type than my her, I gained within the appropriate amount of weight during my pregnancy with Abram (25-35 lb.) & wasn't even close to developing gestational diabetes (what tends to cause macrosomia).  I've only gained 2 lb. so far into this pregnancy & we're already a 1/4 of the way through so hopefully I'll stay within that 25-35 lb. range again.

I don't have a recent pic of my belly to post (I'm only taking monthly shots this time around instead of weekly ones) but I am a good deal smaller with this baby.  Everything I have read says you tend to show quicker with subsequent babies, but not so far.  This gives me even more of a feeling that this is a girl.  Oh my, what am I going to do with a girl?  I mean, duh, I am one...but seriously, I've got the boy thing down pat now.  Sure we'd love a girl eventually, but it would be neat to have all our boys & then a girl.  Though it would be awesome if we could have 2 girls.  I have absolutely loved having brothers, but always wanted a sister, too, so it would be nice if we could have 2 and 2.  I guess we'll see in time  :)

As far as finding out the gender, I was actually leaning more towards being okay with not waiting but Matthew seemed super set with not finding out again saying he really liked waiting until Abram was born.  All the sudden last week, he brought up not waiting saying it would be neat to find out ahead of time.  I had actually had my mind set on waiting since he was so adamant about not finding out again so who knows?  We still have around 2 months to decide, so we'll see.

Just as I was with Abram, I have been super exhausted.  I nap when A.B. does almost every single day (usually for at least 2 hours) & usually need at least 8-9 hours at night as well.  If I remember correctly, my exhaustion seemed to fade around week 14 with Abram, so hopefully I have a little under a month left of this sleepiness.

And thankfully, no morning sickness or nausea :)  I did feel a little "off" from weeks 6-8 if I didn't eat something every so often, but never felt like I was going to get sick so that's been a huge blessing.  My pregnancy hormone levels (hCG) have been super high...7-9 higher than Abram's were, so when we had the first ultrasound at 6 weeks we were so thankful to see that the one embryo we transferred did not split into identical twins.  It only happens in 1.7% of embryo transfers at our clinic, but since high hCG can indicate multiples, there we a few weeks where we thought that might have happened.  If God had chosen to give us twins, we would certainly feel blessed, but wow, 3 kids age two and under...whew!  We would be afraid we couldn't give them the attention & love they deserve.  I'm already slightly nervous that this new baby will be missing out on individual time since toddlers can be demanding.  I know we'll make it work though.

So can this exhaustion be my excuse for taking a break from blogging over the past few weeks?  Haha...I know I can only milk the I'm-pregnant excuse for under the next 7 months so I think it's okay to relish in it now  ;)

Mother's Day?

Just about 17 months ago, I officially became a mommy.

I have waited my entire life to be able to celebrate Mother's Day & have looked forward to being able to celebrate this "holiday" more than any other.

I mean, if they had "Wife's Day" that would have been the holiday I looked forward to the most, but you know what they say, everyday is wife's day...haha, yeah right.

Well, when it comes to Mother's Day, I do feel like that statement is true.

Everyday is Mother's Day.

Don't get me wrong, since there is a day when it is pretty much expected that I get treated all nice & get a handwritten card & get to go out to eat & get pampered & get to do all the fun things about being a mom (meaning Matthew takes care of feeding & diapering little dude) then wow, I am all for it!

But, really...to me, everyday is Mother's Day.

Everyday I get to kiss chubby cheeks countless time, tickle soft thighs & neck crevices, play hide & go seek around counter islands, have story time...all sorts of fun things.

Yes, I also change super gross diapers, wipe boogery noses, wash grimy hands, feed a sometimes picky eater, say "no" at least two dozen times, supervise timeout, & stop the ever important thing I was doing when someone suddenly decides they wanted to wake up early (thankfully this doesn't happen too often).  And don't even get me started on what I'll be doing during those super scary I-have-a-teenager days...yikes.

But you know what?

For this sweet boy...

I do that not-so-fun stuff countless times because it means I get to be his mommy.

And because...

Everyday is Mother's Day.

And I wouldn't have it any other way  :)

Happy (early) Mother's Day to all my fellow mommies!

Throwback Thursday

It's a Thursday & I haven't synced my phone to my computer in a while so I decided to post an oldie (but a goodie)...

Apparently this is what it's like to have hiccups for the 1st time (outside of the womb)

...as well as what it looks like to not blink for 23 seconds.

I promise you my child was used to me holding him by this point (he was 2 days old) & he wasn't terrified of me (as it may seem)...he just had no clue what it felt like to hiccup with oxygen.

I laugh at this video every.single.time I watch it.

Pretty sure it will be one of my bride videos for him when he is older.  You know, the ones your parents hold hostage over your head to make sure you don't try to be too cool for school when you're a teenager.

No, I'm not going to tell you what my #1 bribe video of myself is but I will say it features my protruding toddler belly (not too unlike Abram's current pudge), a pink bikini, & that it involves the questionable sunbathing habits I had back in '84 when I was 2 years old.

Anyway...

Happy early weekend  :)

Like Father, Like Son

this...

was a picture taken at the gorgeous Morningside Inn during Matthew's banquet for the b-ball team he coaches.

I just happened to be scrolling through my phone the other day & noticed it.

At first glance, I thought, "wow, Matt got some good perspective on this one."

Then I noticed how it was taken.

{umm, is that the floor?}

And then I realized...

Abram took this picture while he was sitting on the floor watching his occasional bribe "Toy Story" on my phone.

That kid is not only getting good at manipulating things on my phone, but now he's taking pictures?

And good ones at that!

By no means am I a photog expert (I'm married to a pretty good photographer, though), but I thought this was pretty well taken pic.

I think it's fair to say he is more like his daddy everyday

...and I'm loving it  :)

Father-Son Road Trip

these two...

...are on the road today.

Matthew said earlier this week that he wanted to take a road trip up to PA with Abram & his mom (where she is originally from) to visit some of the Hiner family (Matthew's mom's family) for the day.

{cue all kinds romanticy feelings on my part}

Seriously, how sweet is that?

On both parts...a boy wanting to spend time with his momma / a father wanting to spend time with his son  :)  Makes me fall in love with him all over again.

I'm hoping Abram takes after his father & always holds a special place in his heart for me.  If I had a dollar for every time I have heard Matthew say "my mom is the best" I wouldn't be working from home.

So while I have plenty to keep me busy here while they're on the road, it's a strange feeling of "wow, I can do whatever I want today / I miss my boys"

Here's hoping I get texted some sweet pics to hold me over until I see my favorite faces tonight!

sooOO BIG!!!

Little preview pic for whenever I get around to posting about A.B.'s 2nd Easter  :)

We hit up a few day trips around MD & some neighboring states...little man was a trooper!

Working from home & nannying keeps me busy (very good thing) so the blog has been a big neglected as of late.

I'll get around to posting some stuff soon, Brownie's honor (never got past being a Brownie to being a Girl Scout so I guess I can't say "Scout's" honor  ;)

Peaceee ouuut...

This is Cray-Cray...Aslan is SIX!

How did this little sweet girl...

turn into this big sweet girl...

her daddy loves her...

her mommy loves her...

her brother loves her...

she is the best  :)

Seriously, how many dogs let babies use them as a tumbling mat, or just sit there while a toddler repeatedly pokes her in the eye shouting "eye, eye, eye", or knows just what toys are her's never attempting to grab any of her brother's, or ever so gently takes her chew toys that her brother repeatedly shoves in her face while never getting the least bit rough with him?

We struck gold with this one...

Happy SIXTH Birthday, Aslan Chewbacca  :)

A Little Pic...

...to hold you over until I actually have time to post something significant over here...

My work from home job is in it's busy season & has been kicking my tail recently with me pulling 4-5 hour days lately (when little man lays his cute noggin' down to sleep) leaves me with little time for much.

Though, I am so thankful for the opportunity to be able to have this job!

In the meantime, if you happen to come over I will steer you clear of the piles of clean (but unfolded) laundry piled in the basement & master bedroom as well as the paperwork stacked on our kitchen counter stools.  I can only manage to keep 1 out of the 3 floors of our house semi-organized now.

In happy news, it's Matthew's Easter Break so day road trips to O.C. & D.C. are in store in the next week...yay for fam time  :)

Lessons Learned

We've been having some teething issues here around the Fohner Pad lately.

Well, some of it is teething & some of it has to do with this.

Umm, I thought that junk didn't start until those "terrible two's" hit.

Anyway, I'm sitting here listening to Abram whine on the kitchen floor...

{I know, bad mommy}

But when I try to hold the sucker he either bites me or squirms out of my arms & continues whining or crying.

He's fed & he's changed, though he did wake up early from his nap.

He's had Ibuprofen & teething tablets.

He just had his 15 month well baby appointment where his ears were checked & he was given a clean bill of health.

I have no clue what could be wrong.

But you know what?

Sometimes it feels good to cry.

To just let it all out.

I'm just going to go ahead & say that's what's going on right now.

Or it might have been the fact that I will not let him go near the stool he was attempting to monkey climb up.

All well.

This reminds me of a time last week that was very similar.

Everything appeared to be all right.

But suddenly, I became just as frustrated as he was that I nothing I did was snapping Abram out of his funk...

So I cried with him.

I sat there...

& held him...

& just cried.

And after a while, we both looked at each other, brushed away our sniffles, & then he just looked at me like, "see, Mom...didn't that feel good to just let our emotions hang all out there for a few minutes?"

It reminded me of those verses in Ecclesiastes that talk about there being a time for everything...time to weep, a time to mourn.

And thankfully, those verses also mention there being times to heal, to build, to laugh, to embrace, to mend, to love, & to dance (wait a minute, does God really intend for a time of dancing to apply to me, because He knows how I dance & it's not pretty).

Oh, the lessons we learn from those who have been in the world for much less time than ourselves.

And I'm very much looking forward to everything else this little munchkin will teach me along the way.

Yup, He's a Boy...

bang...bang...bang...bang

...yup, he's a boy.

Is it weird that I'm looking forward to more things in our house getting beat up/destroyed/messed with?

And with this nice weather we've been having lately it means puddle jumping, mud pies, worm-finding, sidewalk chalk, trips to the pool, & other very messy things are in store for us soon  :)

and.i.cannot.wait!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

celebrating some Irish luck in 2010...

our fuzzy-headed little leprechaun in 2011...

& picking clovers with "Mommy's Little Charmer" in 2012...

Raising a glass to a lifetime of celebrating with our favorite little Irishman  :)

CHEEEEKS...

...& boy,

does this kid have them!

(according to my iPhone)

 ...sleepy cheeks

 ...shady cheeks

...sloppy cheeks 

...smiley cheeks 

...pouty cheeks 

....cuddly cheeks 

...smirky cheeks 

...feasting cheeks 

...morning cheeks

...Bateman cheeks (me at 12 months)

Yup, he's got 'em!

& somehow they help make my world make more sense  :)