30 weeks

I cannot believe that I am already 30 weeks pregnant. It seems like just a few short weeks ago Brad and I were delaying the purchase of a pregnancy test, cause there was "no way we were pregnant again." :) Well, it's actually been 30 quick weeks and little miss Chloe (we have finally decided) is scheduled to be here in just 10 more quick weeks.  The next 10 weeks will be spent getting her room ready, taking my last 18 credits for school, Corbin turning 1, and graduating!!!


The last 30 weeks have been spent doing much of the same, but more excitingly we have been watching our little baby become a little boy with a huge personality. Corbin now gives kisses. At first he would do this only if Brad and I kissed each other first. Now he will do it pretty much each time we ask, and although those kisses are slobbery and open-mouthed we love everyone of them. 


Corbin also loves to eat the foods we that eat. His favorites include chili, pasta, spaghetti, spaghetti-o's, chicken nuggets, granola bars (these are the best), and animal crackers. He will pretty much eat whatever I eat with the exception of Pad Thai. However, his favorite is... peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Brad sent me photo evidence of this love today:

Corbin also loves to stick his tongue out all the time now, and although this is not a great picture of him, Brad also sent me evidence of this today:

Brad is sending me these wonderful pictures as I am in Maryland right now. My job at work is continuing to change as I progress in my education and experience. That means my responsibilities are also changing. The hardest part is that I was asked to travel this week for a work conference. It just so happens that this conference is in Maryland. Before I left I made sure to get in lots of time with my boys:

Sporting a mohawk with this long hair

He cracks himself up

After a fabulous weekend it was off to the airport on Sunday morning. the trip was pretty much horrible. After arriving in Houston I literally ran to my next flight (as I only had 15 minutes after getting off the other plane). Upon arriving at my gate I find out that my flight has been delayed... 3 hours. That would mean I would not be leaving Houston until 10:00 at night and not arriving in Maryland until 2:00am. After initially being frustrated I convinced myself to not be pessimistic. 10:00 arrived and boarding began. After about 20 people getting on the plane the captain came out to tell us that the flight would be delayed until the next morning. Apparently the runway we needed to land on in Maryland was going to be under construction after midnight, so he wouldn't be able to land. The people waiting were furious, they started screaming and yelling at the captain and the poor customer service agents. It then took until midnight for them to arrange a hotel. It amazed me that people were waiting in line this entire time:

I guess they thought sitting was not an option. Anyway, after getting my hotel voucher it was off to the shuttle where we had to waiting another hour. I finally hit the bed around 1:45 am. Wake up call at 4:45. So with 3 hours of sleep it was back to the airport I went. After having to wait another half an hour for a new boarding pass it was smooth sailing...or not. things were looking good when we were able to board the plane early, but then we were delayed on the tarmac because of a thunder storm overhead. Needless to say I finally arrived in Maryland and at my destination at 1:30 in the afternoon. Maryland is much better than Houston and feels a lot more like Oregon. Here are some pictures from my hotel:

Laser fountain show in the atrium of my hotel

View of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge from right outside my hotel

View from my room just after sunset

So tomorrow I will finish my conference and head to the airport. I can't wait to see my boys. I used to think leaving for school and work was hard... this is crazy hard and has been filled with many tears.

Attitude

Overall Corbin is very happy. He does his best to maintain a smile, even when his little teeth are hurting him or he is exhausted from a day of fun. The compliments we get are overwhelming. He are often stopped in places so people can talk to Corbin and “oooo” and “awe” over him. It’s worse when Brad takes him somewhere alone. Brad has many stories about ladies stopping him, offering him help, and running to get their friends. This is always such a compliment when I get to hear these stories, because it reminds me what a special lady I am to have such an amazing family. I have read in many places that around this age babies start to not like strangers, so I have been watching Corbin as new people talk to him. What happens, every time?... He flashes a nice smile their way. No wonder, everyone thinks he is “so cute." 

Some might be thinking this is going to be another great update, but the truth is, Corbin has an attitude the size of Texas! Behind all of those smiles and cute gestures, he is quite opinionated. Since he has become mobile he thinks it is very fun to play with cords. Like the cord to the lamp and the cord to the Xbox.  Every cord he can find he plays with. (We have bought a new TV stand today to get rid of these cords). Well, this morning I told him “no, no” as he was playing with the cord for the lamp. He very nicely drops the cord and acts like he is going to crawl away. I take 10 seconds to finish getting my bag ready for work/school and I turn around to check on him. Sure enough the lamp cord is in his little hands. I said, “Corbin” in the long drawn out fashion. He looked up and me and he smiled. He smiled that smile he flashes at strangers. So…

…I went over and picked him up. Oh boy was he mad! He screamed and he cried! Just as I got him calmed down dad came walking in and Corbin reached for daddy. I thought to myself, “Perfect timing. I have got to leave for work.” So I gathered my stuff and went to give my boys their good bye kisses. I leaned toward Corbin and he looked straight at me and smacked my face away. I tried again, same result. So I kissed Brad and made it a point to show Corbin how to nicely give a kiss. I then leaned toward Corbin again. Same result, only this time he made that oh so frustrated sounded grunt. I set my stuff down and grabbed him from daddy’s arms, thinking I’ll show him. I proceeded to kiss him a million times. That’s when Corbin’s attitude really shined, he pulled my hair, he ripped my glasses off my face and again pushed me away.

I have grown used to Corbin always being happy to see me. Well, I guess it’s time to get used to that not being the case, cause that boy sure was mad this morning. So as I walk out the door Brad says to me, “And so it starts…”

I can’t wait to go home tonight to see what kind of reception I get. 

So I choose to share a photo of the mister at his best (flashing that oh "so cute" smile):

Jumper Heaven

The jumper has been heaven!

The jumper is big, and it takes up a good amount of space in our living room, but I tell you it has been amazing. Corbin loves to jump-jump in that thing. When we put him in there the first time he played for half an hour, happy as could be.

The jumper has now become more of a babysitting aid for Brad and I. You see, it is just about the only place (besides the high chair) we can put Corbin that he will stay in. The little man is rolling all over the place and playing with whatever he can get his little hands on. That means that cooking food, cleaning up the house, and vacuuming has become much more difficult.

However, the jumper is becoming much less interesting as Corbin now realizes that he can play with a lot more stuff when he is on the floor.

So for now, we will enjoy the 10 minutes we get to cook lunch, and the times the mister bounces himself to sleep.

When the jumper days are over we will be sad, but oh boy will we appreciate that we will no longer have the jumper induced poopie explosions in his diapers.

My Educational Journey

My alarm went off at 5:15 this morning. After hitting the snooze button, I laid there thinking about whether or not I wanted to roll (yes, we are at that stage in pregnancy) out of bed, or stay there snuggled up to my warm husband who didn’t even seem to notice the noisy alarm. That’s when my brain started working, reminding me that I have to get up.

So as I dreaded the thought of rolling over and getting out of bed, I remembered that I am doing this for my family. I have to get up this hour early; so that I can make up the hours I am going to be missing in order to attend another class I need for my degree.

After graduating high school I have been attended MHCC and CCC at night. I always took one of two classes a term. It took 4 years, but I eventually earned my associate’s degree. Well, actually I received two of them by coincidence only. After completing those degrees I took a break from school. I was so tired of going to night classes and doing homework in my free time. Plus, I had a good job (or so I thought). Well, as I drove myself to work every day I started to realize that I could do so much more with my life (of course, this was aided by my mother’s constant reminders).  

I worked 4 years at that job continually taking on new tasks, but quickly realized I was never going to stop wanting to grow. I got a new job at the City of Fairview hoping to fulfill the need for learning new things.

My boss that hired me became my mentor. While she was only there for 2 months, she helped me grow and in perfect harmony with my mom, casually reminded me that the single best thing I can do for my career is to finish my degree.

After 6 months at Fairview my new mentor let me know about a position that was open at Clackamas Community College. After applying and getting the job, I realized that there was going to come a point that getting a new job wasn’t going to come so easy.

My desire to go back to school was growing. However, I was still having those thoughts of not wanting to take 7 years to get my bachelor’s, because I would have to take classes at night. That’s when my mom forwarded website about Portland State’s weekend business degree program. The program seemed perfect. School on Wednesday nights from 6:00-9:40, and Saturday’s from 8:00-4:00. This was doable.

I applied and was accepted, although there were a few community college classes I needed to complete. The advisor let me in with the promise that I would complete all of those by the time I graduated in June 2012.

After deciding to take the plunge, Brad and I also decided we wanted to start trying to have a baby. We started trying in summer knowing that it would take a couple months, which would mean I would be on summer break when the baby was born.

It didn’t quite work out that way. We got pregnant on our first try, meaning I would be due May 2011 right in the middle of spring term.  So there I was September 2010 just a few weeks pregnant embarking on an endeavor I was so nervous about.  I knew I could do it, though, I would be pregnant for this school year and with my amazing husband’s support I knew he would be able to take care of Corbin while I completed the second year.

I battled through that first year. I tell you, no one knows what pregnancy tired is like until they have been pregnant, and Wednesday nights killed me. As I progressed in my pregnancy I remember standing in class, because the chairs were so uncomfortable.  Corbin arrived during midterms spring term. With the support of some amazing professors I was able to complete the work and complete that year.

As I started fall term this year I was ready to complete this endeavor. When I was done Brad and I planned to expand our family. As the first few weeks progressed, I was tired. Boy was I tired. After having what I call pregnancy dreams, we took a test or two, and sure enough I was pregnant.

I battled through fall term, and what a challenge that was. I have now started winter term and week 2, I am waking up convincing myself that I need to get out of bed to achieve my goals. Although I have done this before, it was different this time. This time, I have a baby at home that wants my attention that requires me to get up and down, and wake up in the middle of the night.  A baby that I want to spend every spare moment with and soak up every ounce of love he has to give. This time, my body hurts 6 times as much as it did last time. This time, I am just that much more tired.

As I dread the early mornings, the late classes, and the homework, I am reminded of my journey; a journey that will end in June with a bachelor’s degree to show off and be proud of.

It has been my dream to sit through a 5 hour graduation ceremony that will allow ‘me’ to walk across the stage and receive my degree.  Since the baby is due finals week of spring term and 4 days before that wonderful graduation ceremony, I won’t be able to walk across that stage. You better believe Brad and I are going to celebrate, though (probably after the baby is born).  And while this will be my degree it will be a journey that Brad and I will both be celebrating. I truly believe that this journey is just as hard for him as it is for me.

You see, while I am at work, in class, doing homework, at extra class meetings, and running errands, my husband is at home. He is at home enjoying the wonderful moments with our amazing son.  He gets to watch every moment of his development and share a bond with him that truthfully most fathers don’t get. However, he also gets to do it alone. He has to change all the diapers, make all the bottles, change his clothes, play with him, and deal with his fussiness when he’s tired or sick. My husband, well quite simply, he is amazing.

This weekend my husband rented a movie for me, “How does she do it?” Perfect for me I would say as I have often told my husband I hate when people ask me this question, because it is always followed by, “I COULD NEVER DO THAT.” Every time my response to how I do it, “I just do, but my husband makes it a lot easier.” Then my response to them saying, “I could never do that,” I ask them why not? Every time the answer I get is just an excuse.

I just can’t wait to be done! I can’t wait to just live a normal busy life… without school.

Chiropractor

Before I had Corbin, I had never been to a chiropractor. Since Corbin was born I have now been 4 times. The first two times were right after I had him. I had a rib pop out of place, because of the way I was holding (snuggling) my little guy. I went again a week later for a checkup.

I went again a couple months later, because I had a headache I could not get rid of.

Well Sunday afternoon I got a headache that would not go away. I eventually got it to go away with medication, but it was back with a vengeance by the time I went to bed that night. So Monday morning came with an ugly outlook, but I went to work and got a coffee on the way hoping it would help my head. No.Such.Luck.

SO… On Monday evening I went to the chiropractor again!

I was able to see a doctor that specializes in pregnancy chiropractic’s. She was amazing. She was able to adjust my hips, which have been bothering me since about day 2 of these pregnancy, she was able to pop my rib back into place (which I didn’t even know was out again), and she was able to adjust my neck. I wish I would have counted the number of pops I heard. AMAZING!!!!

I had no idea that chiropractic’s during pregnancy was safe, but my OBGYN said it was, and actually encouraged it. What a fabulous, fabulous, day Monday was.

Well, we are getting big... all of us

Vicki

I have heard it a million times that, “Every pregnancy is different,” but it still amazes me how different this pregnancy is from the last one. With Corbin I immediately lost a bunch of weight and was generally nauseous through the whole pregnancy. I always thought I kept the weight off because I couldn’t eat any MEAT without throwing up. 

With baby #2 I immediately lost a bunch of weight, but I only had nausea for the first 10 weeks or so. I am also able to eat meat and really whatever I want. However, I have not gained a single pound back… yet. The other major difference is how fast I am showing… With Corbin, if I had wanted to, I could have hidden my pregnancy through month 6. With baby #2, though, at 17 weeks I am already showing. I am “getting big”.

In a couple weeks we will find out what we are having! Again, we would truly be happy with either a boy or girl.

Corbin

Corbin is also “getting big”. He jabbers to us ALL the time. However, he always waits until we are done talking, to make sure he doesn’t interrupt. It’s so fun to watch his little personality grow. Here are a few things we have learned about Corbin over the past few months:

·         He is a morning person!!!! (Mommy and Daddy aren’t, but he sure puts us in a good mood)

·         He does not like vegetables. (Although, we have convinced him carrots are okay)

·         He is very serious about his food. (Just like mom and dad, when it is time to eat, he wants food NOW)

·         He likes to sleep with a blankie on his face and with the lights off.

Corbin can sit-up on his own now. Since he figured out he can do this, he hates to lie down. He wants to be sitting up and apart of the activities all the time. He doesn’t crawl yet. He actually doesn’t like to be on his tummy, so we only get a few minutes of trying, before he gets bored with and rolls onto his back. So while he is not interested in crawling, he certainly loves to roll all over the place.

Brad

Brad isn’t really getting big, but he is doing lots of big things. In early November he traveled to Idaho with his dad to hunt. 10 days of hard work and he came home with a nice bull elk. After having it processed we now have a couple hundred pounds of meat in the freezer!!!

The Chaos Begins Again

Corbin and Mommy

Corbin is almost 5 months old. My how the time flies. He is such a happy baby and we are so lucky. Over the last couple of months we have been able to bring Corbin to many new places. 

For Brad's Birthday we traveled to Long Beach Washington.

Corbin and Daddy

Brad and I

We were also able to take another trip to Idaho earlier this month to spend time with Brad's family. Here are some of my favorite pictures from our trip

Lexi (Brad's 2nd cousin)

Our little family at Linda's (Brad's aunt) Retirement Party

Brad and Stephanie (his cousin)

Brad, Sally (Brad's Aunt), Me, and Corbin... The beautiful Lake in the background is not a  picture.

 This is Corbin after our long walk to Garfield Bay and Back. This is how happy the outdoors make him.

We have also been able to attend lots of fun events and birthdays this Summer. 

I highlight all of these things because these are the things I won't be able to enjoy for the next 9 months. This is my last year of school. I am taking 16 credits per term, each term, so that I will be done in June. This means I will have very little time (or no time) to attend these special events and vacations. The good news is that Brad and Corbin will still be able to enjoy them. This is so important to us, so that Corbin can continue to form relationships with his aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. Below are some great pictures of Corbin with a few of his family members.

Corbin and Uncle Johnny

Corbin and Aunt Brandi

Corbin and Grandpa

Corbin and Uncle Wayne

Corbin and Grandma

Corbin and Aunt Jenn

Corbin with Grandma and Grandpa

Corbin and Aunt Megan

Corbin and cousin Hailey

While the school year will be hard on me it will be even harder for Brad and Corbin. It has become our routine that I put Corbin to bed every night. For this reason, I am worried about Wednesday nights. I will not be getting home from school until after 10:00. This week went well, so I hope they continue to be that easy. I know they will be fine, but it's still hard. 

In preparation for the long school year ahead, Brad took a weekend camping trip with his brother over Labor Day weekend.

Brad and Mitch

Brad and our 2 4-legged boys

I hope to update every month... we'll see. Hope everyone enjoys the pictures.