Everyday Life

I know, I know....I've already fallen off the Blogger bandwagon, as its been a month since I wrote last. Like I said before, finding a spare moment to sit down and type something out, are few and far between. I don't really have much to write about, but I love sharing my family with y'all.

Cade is loving preschool and wakes up every morning asking, "is it time to go to school"? He is so thirsty for knowledge and I love it! His class consists of 3-4 year olds and Cade has already friended the "older kids". They like to play rough and run, run, run...two things Cade loves to do, so naturally he's found his "Crew". This is where I, the mommy, has a little problem with this. He's picking up words, phrases and mannerisms that are a little advanced and not appropriate for his age. DJ has already laughed at me and said, "and so it begins". I can't help but want to shelter him and want him to continue to be the sweet, mannered LITTLE boy he is! At 3 years old, I don't feel like I should have to cut the cord just yet. Am I wrong in thinking that? (wise answer here would be NO! hehe). Can't we pick our kids' friends FOR them?! (I already know the answer to this, but a mommy can dream right?!) If I'm already emotionally struggling with preschool for Cade, everyone better look out when the first day of Kindergarten starts. Oh Lord, help me! Help my husband too! As he'll be the one that has to physically pick me up and drag me to the car. LOL! Right now, I need to focus on the positive and that is everyday before heading into the classroom, my sweet loving Cade kisses me and hugs me before going in...and my day is started off right. I'll savour that for now. Love my little munchkin butt!

William Cole turned 6 months on October 13th if you can believe that! He's half a year old! Really?! It's going by entirely too fast! I tell him constantly to slow down just a little bit, but he just smiles at me with that gummy grin and crater-like dimples and my heart melts into a puddle of mush! He's just my squishy! He's a bit over 18 pounds and 24.5 inches long...almost matching his big brother at about this age (Cole's got him beat by a few ounces...hehe). He's completely infatuated with Cade and is constantly craving his attention. It's pretty much the cutest thing ever!

Cole has officially received his first dose of "daycare germs" with a diagnosis of bronchitis and thrush. Not fun! Since I've started back to work, I knew it was only a matter of time before I got the Child Development's phone call. But we are quickly on the mend from those germies (God bless antibiotics). In the place of those germs, Cole has developed eczema. And a pretty bad case of it. His poor lil face, elbows, stomach and back. :( We've been down this road before with Cade, but Cade had it from the get-go at birth and eventually grew out of it (thank the good Lord!). We thought we were in clear with Cole....not so much. So onto a steroid cream, Benedryl and Cetaphil baths. We just pray that he too, grows out of it.

William Cole is gaining strength and as evidenced by the photo above, he's sitting up by himself, getting up on all fours (preparing those little limbs for crawling), rolling all over the place and for the first time last night....tried his first veggies. PEAS! And boy did he gobble them up! He's a fan, and that makes mommy happy.

I am so blessed with my two precious boys!

DJ is officially home from Virginia and we are getting back into the swing of things as a family of four. I'm sure he misses his sleep-filled nights in Virgina, but he doesn't complain and is always willing to help....well, when his shift allows anyway. Aahhh, the life of the military :)

So that's it for now. Stay tuned for more adventures from the Sham Fam! I'm sure i'll have an update again this weekend because Cade is attending a neighborhood friends birthday party today at the bowling alley. It will be Cade's first time bowling! There will be pictures to post soon!

"Window of opportunity"

When you are a parent, you fully understand the phrase "window of opportunity". Especially when planning your day around naptimes, feedings and toddler personalities, to get a laundry list of errands done. With an newborn, this window is usually 2 hours max...but we all know that by the time you get OUT the door, you're down to maybe an hour to get anything done. If you are one of the brave parents out there, you stretch that hour in hopes that your child is sleeping and they won't be aware of their next scheduled feeding....therefore giving you another half hour or hour. I have not been one of those fortunate ones. My children are supremely aware of what time it is and have not be been blessed with the virture of patience. 2 recent incidents come to mind. Today I'll share one. Let me paint a little picture....

It is 4:00 o'clock and I have just picked up the boys from daycare. Based off Cole's daily sheet, he was to receive his next feeding at 5'oclock. Aka...window of opportunity was an hour. Cade had just had his afternoon snack, so he should have been good. By the time we left daycare, I had 40 minutes left of my "window". I knew I needed to go to Publix to get dogfood, milk and something for dinner. Surely I could do all this in under an hour. Ha, think again. En route to Publix, I hit 4:30 traffic on St. James Ave...time is a ticking people....drive! Then of course, as luck would have it, I hit every.single.traffic light. 20 minutes left....Cole was now stirring. I could hear him grunting in the backseat, which could only mean one thing....he was working on a poopy (yes I said poopy). We finally arrive at Publix (5 mintues to 5'o'clock) and we head to the hot deli area because Cade and I have decided that chicken tenders sound good for dinner. We glance at the hot case to see approximately 4 tenders left. I ask how long it will be before the next batch is up...chicken man says, "10 minutes". I look at Cole who is stirring but not awake yet and said "that'd be fine". I go ahead and leave my order with him so that I can grab my other groceries while they continue cooking. Just as I round the corner from the hot deli case...Cole's eyes pop open! It is officially 5:00 o'clock....and the little man knows what's next. Food time. (Didn't I tell you about his super power of knowing exactly what time it is?!). But instead of beginning the lip quiver to notify me his "alarm" (cry) would be following shortly, he goes red in the face, squinches up his nose and pushes. Yep. That poopy made its apperance. Only it wasn't just a poopy...it was an explosion! Cade immediatly shouted, "mommy, did you hear that?!" Oh buddy, did I ever. I followed with, "Buddy, do you SMELL that?!" hehe. Ok people, it's time to get serious. Super Market Sweep has officially been brought back in the form of the Shamblen Family and it's time to SHOP FAST! We fly through the aisles, grabbing only the necessities, knowing full well that Cole has made "room" for his next feeding. (Which if you're paying attention to the clock, is now PAST 5 o'clock). Cade thinks this is the best ever and is giggling through Publix yelling "faster mommy faster". Suddenly, the lip quiver arrives on the Colerbear and all systems are a go for full meltdown. If there is another trigger for Cole's unhappiness, it's a dirty diaper. So now not only is he hungry, he's got a fully loaded diaper. Double whammy! PLUS, since I was only going to be a few minutes in the store, I didn't bring his diaper bag. Of course. So we run by the deli counter, grab our chicken tenders....meanwhile catching glances of patrons in the store. Yes, yes, I'm THAT mother. Deal with it. I hurriedly check out, get the kiddos in the car and speed home, all the while Cole is wailing at a decipal I've never heard of. I think at one point dogs were following us home ;). We fly up into the driveway, Cade has joined in on the fussing because he can smell the chicken tenders in the car and he wants them NOW. Not a minute later. We get inside and Cole has managed to cover himself and the carseat, so he's a dripping mess literally from head to toe. Cade wants his tenders and I had a grand plan of making mashed potatoes and peas to go along with said chicken. I realize that's not going to happen. I instead open the chicken carrying case on the kitchen floor, put Cole to me (poo and all) just to stop the screaming and tell Cade to DIG IN, dinner is served. Phewww what an adventure. When in doubt...don't mess with the window of opportunity, You'll lose!

We're Baaaaack!

Well....we're back! And plus one family member since the last time I blogged :) That little chuck'o'munk I'm holding in my arms is William Cole Shamblen. The newest little gentleman in our home. He joined our family on April 13th, 2010, weighing in at 6 lbs, 13.6 oz and 19 inches long. Almost identical to his older brother (6 lbs, 13 oz, 19.25 inches). We couldn't have done that if we tried! He decided to wait to find out his gender until the moment he arrived....and he was well worth the wait! Hearing, "IT'S A BOY" loud and proud in the delivery room was a moment I'll never forget. Having two boys is perfection! William Cole had a rough transition into this big 'ole world. There is nothing scarier to see one moment your child pink and perky, then blue and quiet the next. Within an hour of him being born, the nurses whisked him away to the NICU "just for some monitoring". Well "monitoring" turned into being admitted to the NICU and being placed under the care of a Neonatologist. Cole's saturation levels were in the 80's and dropping into the 60's. He also had a lot of trapped air in his gut that continued to build up in his system, causing a distention in his tummy. When the nurse came back to our room to give us an update, and told us we couldn't see him until "he was stable", I fell apart. How could this be happening? He was just fine, perfect, an hour ago?! I knew he was in the best care possible, but in that moment, MY CARE was his best care! He should be WITH ME! Scared didn't begin to express how I felt. When we were finally able to go see him (6 hours later...an eternity in my eyes), he was hooked up to machines and monitors with tubes everywhere. We weren't allowed to touch him or hold him, for fear of over stimulation on his system, so we just sat there, for hours, watching him breath, watching the monitors and praying. The Heavens were flooding with our prayers to heal our beautiful little man. (Even 5 months later, I still hear the alarms of the monitors sometimes). The nurses and doctors are special Angels sent down from God to watch over, care for and provide for the little fighters that are having a tough transition. Words can't begin to describe how thankful and grateful we are for their special touch, skill and attention given to our William Cole... to all the babies in the NICU.

Being discharged from the hospital WITHOUT your newborn baby is heart-wrenching. You pack your hospital bag, baby book, homecoming outfit, cameras, etc with the expectation of everyone coming home TOGETHER. I didn't want to leave that hospital at all. I wanted to be close by at all times so that Cole always felt me there. I never wanted him to feel "alone", not even for a nanosecond. It took a lot of coersion and love from DJ to convince me that a shower in my own shower, a nap in my own bed and a bite to eat of decent food was the best thing I could do for Cole. A rested, fed and calm Mommy is a better mommy. Through the tears I agreed. And we headed home. We pulled up to our house, fully decorated with "It's a Boy" signs, banners, stork figurines. I couldn't get out of the car. I was frozen and sobbing. Our dear friends had decorated the outside of the house all in blue for Cole's arrival. We were so thankful, but for me, at the same time, it was a reminder that I was about to get out of the car without a carseat. My heart broke and all I wanted to do was go back to the hospital. I didn't even want to get out of the car. Again, God bless DJ and his patient ways, we got out of the car. In that moment, my BEAUTIFUL 3 year old boy came barreling towards me screaming, "mommy mommy mommy....youre home!". Talk about MORE tears!! I love that Cade man! I scooped him up, hugged on him for what felt like forever and told him over and over again, I love you, I love you! He wanted to know where his brother was and coule he help? Did I tell you I love that kid?! We just told him that the doctors wanted to love on him some more and he'd be home soon.

Over the course of the next 2 weeks, DJ and I logged numerous hours at the hospital (Cade too on some nights). We read stories to Cole, took pictures, prayed, worried, paced, fretted, made new friends with other parents, and after 10 days on IV fluids, we were there when they switched him to my breastmilk. THAT KID CAN PUT AWAY A BOTTLE! He couldn't get enough :) Over time, Cole gained his strength, his digestion system matured, the trapped air traveled downward and outward and his saturation levels evened out in the 90's and on good moments, even at 100%. It was the longest two weeks of my life. Cole definitely made his entrance known to this world :) Way to start my worrying for you off on the right foot little buddy! hehe.

Today, William Cole is 5 months old and tipping the scales at 16 pounds, 25 inches long and full of personality and life!! He's got the deepest dimples...aka...Pookie's Angel Kisses....I've ever seen. His smile lights up a room and you can't help but smile back at that squishy face! His NICU visit wasn't the last of his medical ailments, but we are finally making progress and getting answers to his digestion issues. That tummy of his is a lazy one ;) He's been suffering from acid reflux since birth and on 3 different medications, but it's the prune juice once a day that is making the most in strides to helping him. Who'da thunk?!

So in a nutshell, that is a TINY little update on who this new little member is in our family. I am going to try my best to keep this blog more active with posts. Lord knows I have enough to tell about my two little boys to write a novel...it's just finding the time to actually SIT once and a while, in between chasing them, to write a thing or two. I will admit right now, that the remaining blogs will be scattered, uncensored and full of truth about raising two boys....and the bumps and bruises along the way. So until next time....

Life happens in a flash

Sorry for my missing in action blogging lately. I never knew how much work it would be chasing an almost two year old around all day, everyday ;) Life seems to speed up right in front of your eyes and if you don't slow down a bit, you'll miss it!!

I can't believe my little peanut is 20 months old now!! Where did my 6 lb baby go?!?!

He is now a strong, talkative, full out running, full of life and wonder and personality! Cade is such a strong willed child who knows exactly what he wants and when he wants it....and I wouldn't have it any other way. He is his own person, yet still a perfect combination of DJ and I. Cade is emotional like me and strong like DJ. He is tender and tough...what more could a Momma ask for?!

So much has changed since we brought him home from the hospital. This fragile, helpless, being has grown so fast, learned so much...tugs at my heart strings every moment! Cade has made our family more complete than I could have ever imagined. He is our blessing. DJ and I watch him in awe as he discovers his abilities and learns his limitations.

It's been an amazing holiday season! DJ was able to be home for all of it! Which made it even more special as a WHOLE family! Thanksgiving was spent with my brother, who came out to visit us, and our "Washington Family" and it was perfect. Games, turkey, laughter and love, a great combination! Spending time with my brother and watching him in "Uncle from" was incredible to watch. They were two peas in a pod together. Priceless moments. Then Christmas was special, as it was our first Christmas spent as the three of us. DJ and I spent Christmas Eve with our Washington family eating baked ziti, watching football and talking until too late :) Then DJ and I finished up our wrapping of presents, drinking hot chocolate with the hum of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation on in the background. With only the glow of the Christmas tree for light. We all fell asleep and awaited Santa's arrival. Christmas morning was an early morning as Cade's internal alarm clock (regardless of day) is between 5:30 and 6:00 AM. So this morning, it was 6:00 AM ready to start the day. We tore through our stockings and onto the presents. I think Cade was a bit overwhelmed and not quite at the stage of understanding why Mommy and Daddy were sitting on the floor ripping paper. hehehehe. But he got as involved as he could for a 20 month old. Here are some pictures if you'd like to see:

http://s148.photobucket.com/albums/s13/brooker80/Christmas%202008/

It was bittersweet though. This was the first Christmas that we spent without going home to Florida, or our families coming up. DJ and I had moments of "I wonder what they are up to, how did the Elephant Exchange go, I wonder what they got for Christmas" etc etc. We had moments of sadness missing our families, but then Cade would do something funny, and we focused on the fact that we could be together as a family to share in each others' excitement. It's tough being away from family, but it's also a blessing knowing we are making memories and traditions of our own too. There is always next year.....to incorporate everyone together....

HERE'S TO A SOUTH CAROLINA CHRISTMAS NEXT YEAR!!! (we hope) :)

Rain Can't Stop Elmo!

Happy Halloween from Elmo!!

So October 31st came around...and we woke up to some rain, and more rain, and then some drizzles, followed by fog and then of course...more rain. But that did not put a damper in our day. We made the most of our wet Halloween and showed off my little Elmo in a different way. We started out the evening by going to our neighbors house to let Cade have one "knock on the door" trick-or-treat experience and he wasn't sure he wanted to leave. He was a pro...

So then we tried to brave the rain...but Cade wasn't too happy about it....notice the frown ;).





So off to visit Tiffers at her work for tradition. Tiff is a pharmacist and unfortunately has to work holidays...and last year we went to visit her too when Cade was a Pea-Pod. We got in a good visit and had some fun playing around with the toys in the neighboring aisles....including an Elmo book that Mommy had to end up buying...hehehe!









Then we left there, and went to visit Tiff's husband Jed, and our friend Uncle Rob at their house to show off his costume some more. We visited with the boys and the doggies and had a blast.





So come rain or shine....our Halloween wasn't going to be ruined! The only thing that could have made our night complete was having DJ there. We missed him whole bunches! We know that he was doing his job keeping us safe though. And for that we are extremely proud of him. One good thing about the rain though was that it didn't allow us to go door to door for trick-or-treating, which means Daddy didn't miss out of that. So next year, when we are all home as a family, we can do that as a whole faimly! Happy Halloween Daddy, Happy Halloween everyone!! xoxoxo.

Cute as pumpkin pie

This past weekend Cade and I enjoyed an outdoor adventure of a new kind....of the pumpkin patch kind :) It was a new experience for the both of us. I for one had never been to a true, hay maze, corn maze, pick our own pumpkin off of the vine type of pumpkin patch before. THEY ARE SO FUN! Our FRG (family readiness group) put on this event out in Kingston for any that wanted to attend. Cade loves being outdoors, so I thought this would be a great event for him to burn off some energy....and boy did he!!

My friend Karly and her two kids joined us for the fun. There were Kiddie Hay Mazes...of which Cade wasn't to sure about. It took some coaxing for him to even enter into it ;).

Once he was inside, he would pick at the hay, pull out a piece, study it, and hand it back to me with a look of disgust...followed by "Ackie Mommy" (as in yucky mommy). LOL! That was a short lived event in the eyes of Cade and it was time to move onto something more "his style".....A TRACK OF TRYKES!! Now we're talkin'!! I learned something new about my son in that moment...he can mount and successfully push himself on a tryke...uummm, hello?!!??!!? STOP GROWING SO FAST CADERMAN!! The boy literally flung a leg right on over the seat, hopped on, and off he went! The kid is too smart!

We stayed a long time in the tryke track before it was time to venture down the path to find our pumpkin! (Did I mention how stinkin' cute Cade is?!?! Just thought I'd mention it again...hehe...the kid cracked me up the whole time). Cade waddled down the path in his courderoy overalls, gaining momentum down the hill before he stopped short and stared at amazement of the bounty of pumpkins. Suddenly an "OOOOOOOOO" came from his mouth and he TOOK OFF for the pumpkins. He pointed left, right, straight out in front of him, spun around, and pointed some more... "APPPPPPLES! APPLE MOMMA!" (Cade's name for pumpkins apparently...hehe).

It didn't take long before Cade choose his pumpkin and he carried it proudly throughout the pumpkin patch. Next was a mission to find a "momma pumpkin" and a "daddy pumpkin"...that way we'd have a family of pumpkins. Just as it should be.

Although DJ was not able to join us, he was most definintely in our hearts and thoughts that day....as he would have loved this fall weather and event. I had a bunch of quiet reflections that day watching Cade bounce around from one activity to the next, taking everything in, knowing how much DJ would have enjoyed a family day like that day. We talked alot about Daddy that day, and I knew Cade understood that Daddy was there in spirit because he'd say "Daddy" out of the blue and that let me know Cade was thinking about him too. WE MISS YOU BABY!!

Fallen Hero...

I am writing this blog tonight with a very heavy heart. If you all could take a moment of silence to say a prayer for a fallen soldier who lost his life fighting for our country.

As many of you know, I am a member of a chat board that supports military girlfriends, fiancee's and wives. This board has been my listening ear, my source of strength, good for a ton of laughs, and unconditional support and stability in a "world" filled with uncertainties in the military. I have developed very close friendships with a lot of these ladies, that will be my forever friends. Although I have not met these amazing women in person, I consider them family. They understand all the trials and tribulations, fears and joys that come along with being a military spouse and I am so thankful for all they have taught me, given me and the bond that we share.

The posts we share can range from day to day conversations such as "WFD: Whats for dinner" to sharing our kids' milestones, complaining about homework or the workday to the more heart-string posts as "He's Gone...Now What" to "HE'S HOME!!" We support each other in any way we know how. Just knowing you are not alone gets alot of us through each day.

Then there is a post, that we all dread. One we have been fortunate enough not to see too often. And it's the one that rocks you to your core...."Girls, I need your prayers". We learned tonight that one of our fellow knotties, one of our fellow friends, one of our "family members" lost her Fiancee' last week while he was fighting for our country. He will be brought back home to US soil tomorrow and will be buried with full military honors. He is a true American Soldier, a true American Hero.

Captain Michael Joseph Medders, US ARMY, will be returned home tomorrow, Tuesday September 30, 2008. The plane carrying his casket is scheduled to arrive at Lorain County Regional Airport, 44054 Russia Road, Elyria, OH at 12:37PM. Members of his family will meet the plane escorted by US ARMY Honor Guard and US ARMY Pallbearers. The Family and hearse carrying the casket will be escorted by numerous Police Departments to The Busch Funeral Home at 163 Avon-Belden Road, Avon Lake.The public is invited to line the route that his casket procession will take from the airport to the Busch Funeral Home. (See routes below) Mayor of Avon Lake Karl Zuber and Mayor of Elyria William Grace have both stated “Our communities will come together to show our respect for the tragic loss of Captain Medders, please join your fellow neighbors in showing signs of support lining the funeral processional routes Tuesday and Friday this week.”Visitation for Captain Medders will be at Avon Lake High School, 175 Avon-Belden Road, from 5-8pmWednesday, October 1, 2008 and 3-5pm & 6-9pm Thursday, October 2, 2008.Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Joseph Church, 32929 Lake Road, Avon Lake, OHFriday, October 3 at 10:00am.Captain Michael Joseph Medders will be buried with full military honors at St. Joseph Cemetery.

Please keep all the men and women who fight for our country close in your thoughts and prayers. "Until they all come home"!