We Made It

We made it through our first week without daddy. Chris was in Qatar all this past week. My mom helped in the beginning of the week by letting us crash at her place and taking a couple of days off to spend time with me and the kiddos. For the most part we did well. There were a bunch of “Where is daddy?” ‘s and only a little crying. But we did our best to explain where he was, showing them on the map, and saying that he was working. Next up is China, Malaysia and Australia. I will have to plan way in advance for ways to keep them entertained and distracted. I have a feeling the next trip will be harder for them to bare. Once he got home they were all about daddy with tons of hugs, kisses and tickle sessions.

Zach was probably the biggest handful. As my mom put it, a double dose of the terrible 2s. He is full of attitude, is aggressive, and does everything you tell or ask him not to. Although incredibly loveable and sweet at the same time; kills you with those precious smiles and looks.

Alex is turning into more and more of a little man each day. He is rolling all over the place, pulling himself forward with his hands (no army crawls yet), pushing himself backward, pushing himselfall the way up into full plank position, saying mama all the time, sitting for about 30 seconds by himself, and loves playing with toys. The scary part is that he LOVES his big brother. They will be next to each other smiling away and bust into laughs without stopping for at least a couple of minutes. These two are going to be a pair of tricksters once Alex is walking.

Bella is the ultimate big sister. She has become very hands on with helping our littlest man. We are so proud of her. She definitely still has a bit of diva in her and Ms. Priss attitude, but it has mellowed out some. Both she and Zach have started a gymnastics class that they love. We see an improvement in her overall motor skills already, way more than what she was getting with a basic tumbling and dance class while at daycare. And speaking of our precious preemie baby, Happy Parents of Preemie’s day…the one day a year all of us preemie parents get to pat each other on the back and say “you rock for being such a strong parent!” I have to say that all of the preemie mom’s I know are some of the best women around. We also get to celebrate Bella Day this week…the day we brought our precious girl home from the UVa Children’s Hospital; nurses/doctors…expect your cake this week.

Here are a few pictures from our adventures last week...Peace of the Lord be with You!

 

New Job



It's official! As of Monday of this week I am now a stay at home mommy. The kids are finishing out this week in school. (Which is great for me considering I have a sinus/cold thing going on.) Although I will miss having them in that social environment, I think them being home together and learning from me will be fabulous. Yes, I am quite nervous to be in complete control of their hours of learning and developing, but I keep telling myself..."I'm a smart cookie and can do this!" Now whether or not I can stay sane is the other question. Zach and Bella are super competitive and love to aggravate one another. Keeping them at bay and focusing on separate tasks will be the key. Overall I am very happy about the opportunity to be at home with them each and every day. If any of you stay at home moms have words of wisdom or advice, feel free to share!

 

Each of the kids is doing very well. They are looking forward to staying home with me. We've been prepping them for a while about the change. I think Bella is looking forward to being able to sit down and read and do workbooks with me. Zach is a momma's boy and enjoys being with me much more than being at school. Alex is so chill, I don't think he will even notice the difference; other than the fact that his sister and brother will be talking to him all day long.

 

On top of staying at home, I'm also about to start the single mom routine while Chris is traveling for work. We knew it was inevitable in his current job role and have been able to put it off with the pregnancy and then a newborn. Now we cannot delay his travel schedule any longer. He leaves for Qatar (Middle East) this week and will be gone for a week. Please say a prayer for all of us...that Chris has safe travels and safe business meetings...that the kids and I will be safe and work well together without him.

 

As always, thanks for reading and keeping up with our family. We hope that the Lenten season is going well for you and yours as we remember how Jesus gave His life for ours and that your connection with Him deepens. Peace be with you!

 

Ignore my pacifier and look at my awesome hair!

 I got a new gymnastics suit for my new classes and I'm super happy

 We are groovin' to Sunset Driver (thanks to Uncle Cam)

 Mommy likes to make her boys hair look really silly