Happy Birthday Aben!

This is a little late, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sweet Aben!

I can't believe you are already two years old! These two years have flown by. I remember when you were this little....

And now you're SO big!

Whenever people meet you, they always say that you are absolutely adorable and beyond cute. They tell me how your personality shines! And they couldn't be more right! You have always had your own personality that shows in everything you do. You love talking to anyone around. You tell them about your toys and your baby brother Noah. You always say hello and thank you. You might get a little shy sometimes, but generally, you will talk to just about anyone. Especially if they have a book to read with you.

You're so smart and can say just about anything these days. You love singing songs and know most of the words to your favorite songs- Twinkle, Twinkle; ABC; I am a Child of God; I Love to see the Temple. Your smile is so big and bright-it helps to have those beautiful big lips from your daddy! You already recognize the spirit and talk about the Temple everyday. I can tell these traits can be your strengths when you get older because they are your strengths now.

You're birthday was a blast with all the cousins. Joe-Joe wanted to help you open all your presents as fast as possible. But you took your time...you took a nice long break after opening your present from Aunt Ashley and Uncle Jerry's family. They gave you a notebook and crayons and you just had to stop to color for a couple minutes. :) I had so much fun making everything Toy Story...your favorite movie. You loved the cupcakes and juice. But mostly, you loved playing with your cousins. They are your favorite friends! Happy birthday my sweet boy! I love you more then anything and I love you more everyday! I am one lucky mama!

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY!

My sweet Aben!

So I feel like I've been a bad mom since I haven't been updating about Aben. Aben has grown and changed so much. So here are some of the highlights and some of my favorite things he does:

• Aben's first full sentence he said all on his own was "Dadda, I share with Momma!". He was sharing his trail mix with me and was so proud of it. :) This happened the first week of June. Since then he doesn't really say anything that isn't in a full sentence. "Momma, I want a cookie." "Momma, I'm hungry.", "Dadda come home soon?"....and more, and more, and more!
• He loves marching with his dad when dad gets home from medical school.
• When he's walking with a purpose he swings his left arm high and hard :) (and only the left...never the right)
• Loves taking pictures with my phone camera...especially when the sound is on. What I love most is when he tell us to say "Cheeseburger!" when taking pictures. He got that from Grandma Rutschke. Even cuter then saying cheeseburger is how he says it. It is in the cutest voice and pitch and sounds more like "cheese-burders!"
• Loves singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", "I am a Child of God", "ABC's", "Head-Shoulder-Knees-and Toes", "I love to see the Temple", and "Clean up". He actually knows the words pretty well in all of these songs, especially the first two.
• Is such a good helper and loves to help clean up. He always sings the clean up song too!
• Is starting to better understand his stomach and when it is hungry or full. The other day, we were saying we were "hungry as a hippo". A few days later he came up to me around lunch time and said, "Momma, Aben a hippo! I'm so hungry!". (He refers to himself as "Aben", and usually points to himself when he says it). It made my day...what a smart boy!
• Always says, "Be right back, okay (he pronounces it 'tay')!" And while he says this he points with is pointer finger to add more emphasis. I love this! 
• Is such a good eater. He absolutely loves mac and cheese, cheese stuffed noodles, lasagna, tacos/burritos, fruit snacks, and of course cookies! But he also loves bell peppers, cucumbers, salad/lettuce, and a lot of other veggies.  He has always loved food!
• Aben's a lot like me when it comes to his drinks. :) He loves his drinks, and he always has to have one or he will be super grumpy if he gets thirsty. Anything that is juice or pop is "apple juice" and he loves his apple juice! But more than anything he loves milk....regular milk, chocolate milk, or strawberry. Every morning he still has to have a warm cup of milk with his breakfast.
• Is so sweet and still loves to cuddle
• Finally, Aben is doing so good in his big boy bed. He occasionally tries to climb in our bed in the middle of the night, but that only happens about once or twice a week now. Not 3 times a night! I'm so glad I stuck with it! 
• Even though he is so cute, sweet, and handsome, he still is a two year old and has a hard time when he doesn't get his way. He hates time-out and usually cries or screams the whole time he's in time-out and then refuses to leave time-out, which makes no sense, but he's learning and just trying to find ways to express his emotions. 
• With going to timeout and being told what is a "no no", he has started to imitate us. He says, "One, Two, One, room now!" (I count to three, giving him three chances to listen and if he is still not listening, he has to go to time out). He has started putting his toys in time out too. He will come tell us, "Mommy, Daddy, cup is naughty." Then he'll come back and say "Cup happy now" and go and get him out of time-out. Really funny, but it does show us that he really does listen and pick up on how we talk to him. I guess we have to start being careful of what we say! ;)

Two is a hard age, but so fun at the same time with how much he is growing. He is loving Missouri and has transitioned with all the changes-new baby, move, new bed, etc- really well. He loves his next door neighbor friend Emma who is his age and asks to play with her every day. He is loving how many kids and friends he has in our neighborhood and is loving being able to play more outside. He does miss his daddy so much though. He asks all day long "Daddy home soon?". He turns into a hyper-active crazy child the minute dad gets home :)! Even with the tantrums-screaming, hitting, crying- I am loving my time with my Aben. I am one lucky momma! 

 Aben came up to me with this bag packed full of toys and said "Momma, I go to Idaho!". He has missed his grandparents so much!

 Aben loves his Paddington bear. He carried this around all day!

 But even more, he loved sharing it with his baby brother. :)

 Always asks to eat his snacks outside. He is just too cute!

 Aben has a new found love for shoes. He especially loves to wear my high heels. Daddy isn't too fond of Aben's love for heels ;)

 Nothing sweeter then seeing Sean and Aben walk hand-in-hand

 My handsome boy at Sean's White Coat Ceremony

Aben enjoying Noah's chair.

Adam-Ondi-Ahman and more!

While it has been hard adjusting to living in Missouri, it has been great to be so close to so many church history sites. Before Sean started school we had the opportunity to visit some of the sites as a family. The first one we saw was Liberty Jail. It was a good reminder of what the earlier saints and leaders went through to restore the gospel. How grateful I am for the many sacrifices they went through for the church.

We then were able to go to the Community of Christ temple in Independence. The temple there was so different then I expected. There really is no comparison to and LDS Temple and the temple of the Community of Christ Church. I was surprised at how many repairs were needed and worn down the furnishings/flooring/ceiling/etc. were. I guess when I hear the phrase "Temple" I automatically imagine a building so clean and completely taken care of out of respect for the Lord, I was shocked at how much work needed to be done on it. The museum there was pretty amazing though. There are so many belongings of Joseph, Emma, and the early church members that it is remarkable. I loved seeing those, but otherwise I wasn't too impressed with the rest of the temple.

My favorite so far though was when we got to go to Adam-Ondi-Ahman. There aren't any special buildings there..it really is just land, but it is beautiful and the spirit there is so sweet and strong. You really can sense how you are on sacred ground, that something great happened there and will happen there. The best thing about it was the experience with Aben though. Earlier in the week, Grandma and Grandpa Rutschke took Aben for a drive and showed him the Kansas City Temple so he learned what Temples are. We got out of the car and started looking around. Aben then looked at me, pointed out to the open land and said, "Look mama, Temple!". I don't know what he saw, but I know he was feeling the same spirit I felt there. I know children recognize the sweet spirit of the Lord, probably better then we do. I am so grateful to be a mother and to be surrounded by children. I love the innocence of children and the constant reminder to be more like them. I love my boys!

Noah's Birth Story: 7-10-2013

This pregnancy was difficult to say the least. I had a lot more pain and discomfort then I did when I was pregnant with Noah...and a lot more stress! Because we had to move July 26th, we wanted our little guy to be as old and healthy as possible before moving. Since we definitely wanted him to be at least 2 weeks old in order to fly, we decided to be induced if everything was looking great. Well the time came for my 38 week appointment to get checked to see if I was 'favorable' (dilating, effacing, and head down) for an induction. I was only dilated to a one and 60% effaced. I was not favorable. So we starting worrying a lot that I would not be able to be induced on July 9th liked we had scheduled. I needed to be at a 2 and I had been a 1 for 2 weeks already so I probably was not going to change. The doctor told us we could go the night before to be given medication to help ripen my cervix, but it would increase risk for c-section. And I didn't want to be induced unless my body was 'ready' on its own. I'm already not really for being induced...I like to go on my own-its just my own personal preference. So Sean and I went home from that doctors appointment worried and feeling like nothing was going our way. We were sure I wasn't going to be able to be induced.

But then Friday came and I started contracting. I thought perhaps I had gone into labor on my own, and even earlier! Contractions kept going about every 5-8 minutes apart...BUT they weren't really getting stronger. So we waited at home hour after hour. My contractions had been going regularly for over 8 hours so we decided although they weren't much stronger, we should just go get checked. We arrived hopeful at the hospital but the news was once again not what we hoped. I was only a 2. But I had progressed so the nurses had me walk for two hours and then come back. We came back really hopeful because my contractions had gotten stronger. Not as strong as I remembered with Aben, but stronger. They checked and I was still only a 2. So we left the hospital feeling sad, but excited at the same time. Being a 2 meant I could be induced, and safely so!

July 9th came, and we were so excited. My parents were in town so they could watch Aben and help with new baby and Sean's parents were leaving that day to come see us. Everything was planned and was working out perfectly. But I should have known it was too good to be true. We called that morning to make sure they had a bed, and of course, no bed available-they were packed. They said call back later. So we did...and still no bed. Then they called and cancelled my induction that day completely. Once again I felt like the induction would never happen. So the next day we started over again. We called to check for an available bed and once again we were turned down and it wasn't looking hopeful for the 10th either. But finally the day went our way and we got admitted for an induction on July 10th.

Once we got to the hospital, everything got started really quickly. I knew this delivery would be different then Aben's but I didn't expect it to be as different. With Aben I was in labor from 2am till 4 pm. Noah came MUCH faster. The pitocin was started around 10:30 and my water was broken shortly after. The contractions didn't start of nice and calm like a normal progression. They hit hard and fast. The doctor checked me an hour to two hours after the pitocin was started and I was only a 3. I knew the day was going to be long if I was only a three! And baby was still at a station of 2- (still very high) and only 70% effaced. So we buckled down for the long haul. An hour or less later, the contractions were getting strong and very painful. My husband was a great labor support but with how fast and strong the contractions were I knew I couldn't last long with such awful contractions (I blame the pitocin for making my contractions so much stronger and closer together). So even though I was only a three I decided to get an epidural. I had wanted to wait till I was at least a 6 but...it hurt! So I got my epidural and it was heaven instantly! Sean and I were watching a movie, trying to relax, and about 45 min after my epidural, I started feeling a lot of pressure. I tried to just ignore it cause it had only been an hour and half since they checked me and I was only a 3, so there was no way I was complete. The pressure got more uncomfortable so I called my nurse in just to check. And surprise! I was a ten and baby was coming quickly at a station of 2+. The nurse jokingly said "Try not to push" but she was serious at the same time. So she quickly paged the doctor who got there 10 minutes later. The doctor made the comment that I would probably only have to push twice. I just laughed and said there was no way that would be the case. I pushed for 2 1/2 hours with Aben! So I started pushing thinking I would have to for at least 30 min. First contraction I pushed through and baby was head out. Only one more push and baby was here! Only five hours of labor and only 5 pushes-2 contractions to push through! I was such a better delivery. I did manage to pass out twice after delivering :)..WOOPS. I guess I forgot to drink enough water afterwards and thought I could still get up to the bathroom. Gratefully I didn't fall on the ground...I just got some extra cuddling time with my nurse in the bathroom and then again once she got me into a wheelchair. But all was well after drinking some extra water and some more IV fluid.

Noah was healthy and beautiful! He weighed 6 lbs 15 oz and measured 18.5 inches.How in love we were with him the instant we saw him! I can't wait to get to know him!

 

 While I loved holding my new sweet boy, I couldn't wait until Aben could come see us and his new brother. He loved seeing the baby and was so excited to kiss him and hold him. He was so sweet! He was worried about me too...with all the wires and IV hooked up he wanted to make sure I was okay and was so cuddly. I loved it. What a special moment it was to watch him meet his new baby brother!

Summer Fun!

 

Helping papa out in the yard!

Loving to fish with daddy!

If his smile doesn't say it, he LOVES the four wheeler! We couldn't get him off!

Helping papa with the church breakfast activity

Four wheeling at Henry's lake

 

Fun with the Rutschke cousins!

My big boy on Easter!

Fishing at Henry's Lake. Aben loved holding his new cousin Anniston!

Aben loves finding chairs his own size. He found this one when we were at Ikea :)

Loves going down the slide!

Henry's Lake on the boat with his cousin Camden

Thought he looked pretty cool in daddy's hat. He even put in on the "cool" way by himself

Favorite toy at Grandpa Rutschke's house!

Dance time with cousin Lexie!

Aben loved to reel the fish in, but wasn't quite so sure of the fish itself :)

Aben decided he needed the pillow more then dad when we were at the ER

Some of my favorite things!

I love this new stage Aben is in. Yes, it also means he's getting into his terrible twos and the tantrums, whining, and hitting has begun, but there are so many fun things that come with all the learning and growing. Aben has learned so much and he has picked up so many cute habits and phrases. Here are some of my favorites:

I love:

• How he sings "Twinkle, Twinkle, little star". He knows pretty much the whole song and it is just so stinkin cute when he sings it.
• When you ask him if he's okay and he is, he says "Yeah, I'm fine."
• Is learning to count, but seems to think 2 comes first so he says, "2, 1, go!"
• Loves playing hide-and-seek and will tell you to "SHH!" when you hide
• Always asks "Ready?"
• Will randomly look at you and say "Silly (sissy) momma/dadda"
• How he runs and jumps and hops around all the time
• How he loves playing with his cousins, Aunts, and Uncles and always asks for them by name. 
• I just love how he is learning to say new words everyday and remembers people by name! 

He is really the light in our home! How sweet our baby boy is. I love to cuddle and snuggle him and I love that he will still snuggle with his mommy. Its hard to think our cuddling time won't happen as often with our new baby boy coming, but oh how excited I am to watch them play and grow up together! 

Missouri and a new baby...no big deal!

I have been the worst at keeping this blog updated since I started working...so to catch up, I'm going to try to summarize these past several months.

Sean and I:

Sean got accepted to medical school! It was a stressful summer and winter applying for schools and praying to get interviews. Finally and answer to our prayers came and Sean interviewed at Kansas City. Then came the waiting game again. We had to wait 3 more weeks after the interview to find out if he had gotten in. The day after Christmas a letter from Kansas City came and Sean had been accepted! We are so excited to start this new chapter in Missouri but terrified at the same time. We will be far from home and family but are excited to make new friends and live somewhere we never would have otherwise.

During all of the interview process, we decided we wanted to keep our family growing and are now pregnant with a beautiful baby boy due July 16th! I am so excited for Aben to have a little brother to play with. It has been a really hard pregnancy, especially with working full time but we are making it through. I was definitely a lot sicker during the first trimester and I seem to have a constant head cold or some other virus. I just can't seem to stay healthy. But our baby boy is healthy and growing fast. I am measuring about a week a head of my due date and I pray that means this one will come a little early. :) I will most likely be induced, which I would have never done otherwise, but with having to move July 26th, I want this little one to be as old as possible- 3 weeks old would be great! I am excited to enjoy the newborn stage again and excited to see how Aben will be with the baby. Even more so, I am excited to be home with my boys. I hate leaving them for work, and I am looking forward to taking some time off to be a mom.

Aben:
Aben is changing too fast. He use to always be in the 30th percentile for everything but head size which was generally in the 70th. But now he averages in the 85th percentile for everything! He just hit a huge growth spurt between his 1st birthday and his 18 month appointment. He is a solid and stocky boy and I love it! He is so smart and learns new words everyday. He loves playing 'hide and seek' and loves looking for mom and daddy and saying "Where are you!". He tries to repeat anything we say and he generally gets really close to saying it correctly, especially names. He can say almost everyone in our family's name, including cousins. He is starting to say phrases and multiple words like "apple juice" (which he loves and is always asking for). He is starting to count, but his favorite numbers are 2, 4, 9 and he thinks those numbers are in order :). He does always say "1, 2, 3" before he runs off or jumps up. He loves running and hopping around. He is just such a busy boy and so independent. He absolutely loves playing outside on the playground. Sometimes he loves the slide, other times he would rather just run around and play with other toys or a ball. He is learning how to spell his name (he needs help, but he usually just says "A, B, and then waits for you to help." He is so good at asking for help when he needs it and says the word "help" so clearly. He is also really good at saying "thank you" (aug-you), "love you" (uv-you), and "please" (peez). He is finally becoming a better eater and will try and like most things, even vegetables- especially cucumbers and asparagus. He eats better when it is something he can use a fork with to feed himself because he does love feeding himself- which can make eating yogurt and cereal very messy :). We finally took the binki away and he did really well with it. Nap times were the hardest, but he is definitely off the bink and is great now. I wish we could get him potty trained before the new baby comes, but he is not even close to ready. All well!

More updates to come soon!