Waldvogels Farm

Yesterday we FINALLY went to the pumpkin patch! We've been planning on going for weeks, but our plans all got squashed by some sort of scheduling conflict or another. We knew that if we didn't go on Saturday we'd miss our chance. Now, as I've said before Fall is my favorite season and I love Halloween and Thanksgiving festivities because of their colors, flavors, and the mild weather. Before I had Axel I always had this ideal of how it would be when we would get our pumpkins with our cute little child. I have to say, yesterday was pretty close to what I had always pictured!

We went to a place near our home called Waldvogels. They have a little play-time-farm with a huge pumpkin patch, a small petting zoo, and tons of other activities! Axel had a great time (for the most part), and so did we!

First we looked at the goats, who were very friendly. I had forgotten my purse in the car with all my quarters so we didn't by any animal food, but they were still very friendly and licked Axel's little hand. At one point he marched along the fence saying "hi" to all the different goats. It was too cute!



After the goats we went on the little train ride that took us around the corn maze and the edge of the pumpkin patch. Axel wasn't a very big fan of the train and wanted to get off of it the entire time, but he managed to pull through and we finished the ride.



The farm had a huge slide that Jordan and I took turns taking Axel down and it was so fun! Axel loved it so much and was giggling and squealing each time we went down with him. That was my favorite part of the day, seeing him enjoy the slide so much.



They also had a big hay pile with little tunnels for the kiddos to run around in. I guess this was the test to see if Axel had a hay allergy. Thankfully no reaction! Jordan climbed into one of the dusty (and in my opinion, very gross) tunnels and Axel was pretty aprehensive to follow him, but eventually made his way a few feet inside. He didn't stay long and quickly backed himself out.



They had a bunch of other activities that Axel will have to take part in when he is a little older. We also enjoyed some delicious apples, but skipped out on the cider and caramel apples because Jordan felt they were over-priced. (My husband, always the money saver).. I would have bought a whole gallon of cider and a dozen caramel apples if it were up to me :)

We also found a great backdrop to have someone take a family picture of us that I hope to use for our Christmas card!

Boy oh Boy!

I'm so excited to announce that we are having another BOY! Today I had my 20-week ultrasound and it was wonderful! However, my mothers intuition is completely off. From day one I was convinced this baby was a girl, but the ultrasound proved to be very different from my prediction. Jordan wanted to stay home so he could be surprised so I asked my friend Chelsie to come along. She is also expecting a baby (her first, a boy!) and was great company. It is always such a joy to see the healthy development of a growing baby inside. He has all his fingers and toes and a great heartbeat and brain. I love him so much already and am so excited to have two boys so close in age. I know they will be little partner's in crime together and create a lot of mischief! Jordan and his brother Ryan are 21 months apart and are so incredibly close. They bicker like mad, but can read each others minds and are really funny to watch together. There are so many cute pictures of them together when they were little boys and I am so excited to give Axel a little buddy to grow up with as well. Eeee! I'm so excited! Axel is going to be such a great big brother. I'm sure it will be an adjustment for him and I do wonder how he will react and if he'll know that he is still my baby, but if I know him as well as I think I do, I think he'll do well overall and take good care of his little bro. Here's our little guy...


Now here is a picture of Jordan and Ryan (Ryan is older) when they were little ones.. how cute are they?!?


So excited for our new addition. We are still toying with names... I think we have it down to two! (Which is good for me and Jordan.. we can't agree on many names). Oh, I also had a great talk with the nurse midwife at my clinic today regarding whether or not I will try a VBAC. I REALLY want to at least TRY. I know that at the end of the day the most important thing is that me and my baby are healthy, and once he is in my arms I wont care if he came out of my you-know-what or if the stork dropped him in my lap. But, I love that my doctors are giving me options. They are very supportive to my fears and are really wise as to the risks and what to prepare for. They also said that it is all up to me and they will do everything they can do accommodate my desires. As things progress we'll see what happens.

The Cutest Boy Ever

Is it bad to vocalize that I think I have the cutest child ever created? Because I do. This little boy makes me giggle and smile and coo more than anything or anyone else ever has! How can one little 14-month-old have so much cute in him? I just don't get it!

On the not-so-cute side, Ax was going through some pretty crazy sleep issues last week and over the last month in general. About 2 months ago he naturally went from two naps to one nap a day, which is okay, but the timing has been questionable. He used to nap at 9am and again around 3pm. So now the question is.. when do I put him down? If I put him to sleep at 9 he'll just make noise in his crib forever. If I put him down after 11am, he has no interest in sleeping anymore. It's almost like he's so over-tired by that point that he's talked himself out of being sleepy. So I've been trying to get him to sleep around 10-ish, or at least into his crib by then. Last week though, he started waking in the night! He's been sleeping solid through the night for the past several months so when he started waking up at 12:30am on the dot three nights in a row I started to wonder. Not only was he waking up.. oh no.. there's more.. it wasn't a simple.. okay, let's-snuggle-and-put you-back-to-bed-routine. Once he was up at midnight, he was up until about 4-5am. I'm talking WIRED and ready to play! If I put him back in his crib he would scream, which isn't normal for him so I didn't know how to react. It was the first time since his nightmare infancy (colic, reflux, refusing to nurse...oy) that I didn't know what to do next.

I typically try to avoid medicating him unless I KNOW something is up. I took him to get his ears checked and his overall health, and he came back completely healthy. Finally someone suggested it might be some back teeth bothering him. Sure enough 2 rounds of baby ibuprofen and he was sleeping like a... well.. a baby! I can feel those sharp big back teeth poking at his gums from all sides, poor little guy. Now that we have the situation under control, I've also been trying to wear him out more during the day. We've been really taking advantage of the amazing fall weather here in Wisconsin and have had some great fun at the park near our place.



He braves the slide all by himself now, and loves every thrilling second of it. We like to find sticks, make noise on the bells (some weird part of the play structure that makes a bell sound if you hit it hard enough.. totally Axel's thing!), and chase the geese so they all honk and fly away :) He is so much fun to run and play with. Notice the picture of him walking. I always crack up when he starts to strut his stuff. I think he walks like the Berlin Ampelmann, hah.



As far as baby #2 goes, things are going great! Axel keeps me so busy that I really don't have the same time to obsess over this pregnancy as I did with Ax. With him I was on babycenter 24/7 and everything was new and surprising. This time around I already know what to expect. A few weeks ago baby #2 started kicking pretty hard! It's unbelievable how much earlier on I can feel him/her this time. With Axel I didn't feel any definitive jabs until about 22 weeks. I felt this baby around 15. What's also funny is how much stronger Axel has made me. When I was pregnant with him I really had no muscle definition in my abs or arms. Thanks to him being a solid 30lbs for the past few months, I've grown some really sweet lean muscle. I thought I would be much bigger much faster this time around, but comparing two photos from this pregnancy and my last, around the exact same time, you can totally see the difference in my shape and belly.



Did you notice it said 20 weeks? Well I'm actually just under that right now, and the first picture was taken just AFTER 20 weeks, so I'm about a week or so apart in the different photos. But did you also know.. that me being close to 20 weeks means we find out the gender soon! On WEDNESDAY! I am so so so excited! I haven't had a lot of time to think about it up until recently, and now that I know it's close I am sooooo anxious to know if we are going to have a boy or a girl. My intuition from day one has said this baby is a girl. I feel it in my bones every single day. Plus, this pregnancy has been totally different from Axel's. I know that doesn't necessarily mean anything but who knows. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE a little girl! I'm getting outnumbered around here! One of each would be so much fun! However, two boys so close in age would be an absolute blast and I know that Axel and he would be the best of friends (and at times, the worst of enemies).

Fallin' for Fall

We've all been little busy bodies lately as school is now in full swing. Jordan keeps busy at work and Axel definitely keeps me on my toes. We have been enjoying some beautiful fall weather over the past two months or so and I wish this season would last year round! Fall is truly, my favorite season.

So here's what we've been up to...

A few weeks ago we went to the World Dairy Expo in Madison. I was excited to go as I remember going in elementary school and getting a lot of delicious samples and cow pencils. This time wasn't as... much of a smorgasbord of goodies and dairy delectables but somewhat entertaining nonetheless and fun to see the absurd gleam in Jordan's eye as he went from booth to booth, explaining sciences and products to me that I had no idea existed, and still don't really know (or care..) what he was talking about.

After looking at the cows, I decided a cheeseburger was in order..


Axel has been showing everyone who's boss (as he always has) and now that he can walk as fast as he was crawling he's quite the big man! It is so cute to see him bobbing around the house with his little baby swagger. I need to get a video of him soon. It's too cute! Things haven't been completely rosey with my little munchkin.. he's going through something I'm not quite sure how to deal with. He's recently gone from 2 naps a day to 1 nap and now we're in a big struggle trying to figure out what TIME to put him down. He's not tired enough to sleep at his normal am nap time, and if I put him down too late (when he actually appears to be sleepy) he doesn't go to sleep at all. That's not the end of it... at night he has started waking up crying and does not want to be put back to bed. It breaks my heart not knowing what the problem is. Is he afraid of something? Is he having bad dreams? Poor little guy. I just had his ears and overall health checked and he is fine. He goes to bed with a fully tummy, clean body, and fresh diaper. The culprit may be teething, but I'm not sure. Whatever it is, it's not fun!

We've been trying to find time to head off to a pumpkin patch but so far time hasn't allowed. We're hoping to go next Thursday... or maybe it's this Thursday? I can't remember, but soon! And I will take a lot of pictures!

Little baby is growing rapidly inside me and I am finally getting to the point of looking pregnant, not questionably fat. Here are some recent belly shots.. We find out the gender ONE WEEK from today! I cannot wait! My "mother's intuition" says girl, but everyone else swears it has to be a boy. We would love to have a girl around (I'm getting out numbered by testosterone here!), but a boy so close in age to Axel would be a blast and we'd be set on clothing, so we'll be excited either way!


My most recent little activity was last night's enrichment night at church. We made adorable fall throw pillows out of placemats! It was extremely easy and great to get out of the house and spend some time with other moms who were also escaping the home for a few hours. Axel loves the pillows too...

Stay-At-Home-Mom

Today I was relieved to read a friends blog, when she stated that being a stay-at-home-mom is hard. That's right. She admitted it. Which got me thinking, why is it so hard to admit that being at home isn't always as easy as it sounds? Before I had Axel, I thought being at home with him all day, every day would mean endless freedom to do whatever we wanted. We would go on walks, do art projects, sew, watch movies, cuddle, go shopping, and Jordan would always come home to a delicious cooked meal.

WRONG!

Although there are good days, and even great days, being at home is hard work. I'm sure there might be someone reading this who would kill to be a stay-at-home-mom, and hates me for "complaining". Don't get me wrong. I LOVE being able to stay at home with Axel, however I'm also admitting that it isn't always a walk in the park. My son, who is perfect in every which way, is messy, active, clingy, and whiney at times. When the house is a mess, I can't always get up and clean it. When I try to load or unload the dishwasher I am interrupted by a little boy who is determined to climb onto the door of the dishwasher. When I try to cook, I have a sweet little set of hands tugging at my leg. When, on an ambitious day I attempt to do my hair or makeup my bathroom becomes a war-zone! Nap-time for him means rushing around and getting as much cleaning and organizing done as possible, and in my recent case, homework! Once Jordan gets home, mouths are fed, a bath is given, and Axel goes to sleep. At this point, I clean up his toys, clean up after dinner, and fold laundry if needed.

Now, don't get me wrong. I am not bragging or looking for sympathy. I know people have it tougher than I do. I know that. I just think it is interesting to realize how much a mother does. Even mothers who work. They are gone all day and once they come home the job continues, and break time only comes during the wee hours of the night when Mr. Sandman comes to put us to sleep. Sometimes, he brings a tylenol PM.

Although becoming a Mother has somehow taken away all fashion sense, dancing abilities, and sexiness I may have once had.. I wouldn't trade my time with my Axie for anything in the world! Plus, all of my jobs at home make for a pretty decent work out! I'm sure Jilliam Michaels wouldn't agree, but suck it Jill! This job get's my heart pumpin!




Recently I came to a conclusion regarding stay-at-home-moms; We all need a hobby! I have a sewing machine, and a whole box full of craft/sewing supplies, but time doesn't always allow for that kind of hobby. Recently I started BYU-Idaho's online degree program to finish my bachelors. It is something I've always wanted to do, but after I went to beauty school, I decided I was happy with my education and would leave it at that. About a month ago I changed my mind. Last week my courses started and my spirits have already lifted. Yes, I know my life has great purpose. I am a wife and mother, and those are great things to be. However, knowing I need to carry some weight in another domain has given me a strange new confidence. Maybe it's just the distraction from the same ol' same ol'. Instead of speaking to a 1-year-old, I am reporting to an educated person. I am reading insightful essays and writing for a grade. My major is English and I'm doing a minor in Marriage and Family Studies. I know it will get more chaotic as the semester progresses, but I am really enjoying these first few weeks while I have the motivation.

Labor Day!

This past weekend was fun and eventful! We had Jordan to ourselves for 3 days! On Friday afternoon we took Axel to his 1-year-check up! Luckily, our family doctor is also a family friend and the Branch President in our ward, so we have a great relationship with him and he is a fantastic doctor. We've actually been really lucky so far, and with all of our moves we've found great Doctors for Axel, but this time it's really nice to know ours outside of the clinic.

Anyways, Axel did really well and we learned some new techniques in "discipline" and bottle weaning. Of course, they took his measurements and, well our child definitely does not have any issues with malnourishment. His head is in the 100th percentile haha! I didn't realize his head was so big! His weight is in the 99th percentile, and his height is in the 87th percentile! I remember about two weeks after he was born I was worried he would never get back to his birth weight because he was having trouble nursing. Obviously that was not the case as his birth weight has more than tripled! I am more than grateful that I have a strong, healthy child. Especially after his colicky infancy. Yet, I know things could be worse, and I know we are very lucky.

On Saturday we pretty much had a lazy day in. I had big plans of going to The Taste of Madison festivities on the square but the weather was really bad. It rained most of the day and was extremely muggy. We had fun staying indoors, and I made a yummy chicken stroganoff in my trusty crock pot.

Sunday was the start of my favorite weather. It was 45 degrees when we woke up! The day capped off at around 69 degrees and it put me in the best mood ever! Yes, the weather does indeed affect my state of mind that much! It was so nice to bundle up a little instead of looking through my closet wondering how to keep myself cool in the heat. Towards the end of church I was hit with a massive migraine and we left a little early. Jordan was so sweet to put me to bed when we got home and watch Axel (and put him to sleep too!) while I slept for 3 hours. THREE HOURS! I haven't taken a three hour nap in ages. It felt so good and really helped with my headache (which is still lingering :S).

Monday was Labor Day, so most Americans had the day off, including Jordan and we were able to spend a wonderful day together. We started the day off with a yummy breakfast and then packed up for the Labor Day Parade in Jordan's hometown of Randolph. It was so fun getting to dress Axel in some of his new Fall clothing! He looked so cute! Jordan's little sister, Jenna is in her middle school marching band, so we watched her March, and enjoyed watching all of the other pieces of the parade go by. The Mommy in me kicked in when the fire trucks went by and blasted their horns. Hello! Didn't they see my child? Haha, but I seemed more bothered by it than Axel even did. He was such a good boy and had a lot of fun!





After the parade we walked down to a Corn Carnival (I think that's what it was called) in a local park and enjoyed some free sweetcorn and walked around to look at some of the booths that were set up by local vendors. There really wasn't much other than beer mirrors and clocks, but hey.. it's Randolph. After the carnival we went over to Jordan's parents house and his Dad bbq'd some burgers, hot dogs, and brats. We had a nice lunch, and Axel had a great time playing with his Uncles Landon, and Evan. He worships those boys (and they him)!





After we left the Stanley's, we all went home and relaxed and tried to rest. Around dinner time I asked Jordan if he wanted to go to the Chinese Restaurant down the street. Normally, I really don't like Chinese food, but occasionally I get a weird craving for it. It's like a gross comfort food or something. Jordan always winces when I ask if we can go so we've never gone! But last night, he agreed. It was extra sweet of him because I know he only said "yes" so that I could have what I wanted, and he had such a sweet attitude about it. He was a great sport and cleared his plate, although we left feeling so disgusting!!

It was a fabulous weekend and I am sad to have Jordan away at work today! Love my boys!!

Finally!

The day has come. The glory day. The day where the opera vvoices "aaaahhhhh" and rays of sun shine down... on our bedroom. Haha, where am I going with this? We have a bed. A BED! For the first time in almost a year. We are once again sleeping on a real bed. When we moved back to Wisconsin from Idaho, we sold our bed to keep moving costs down. Thinking we'd get by on an air mattress for a few weeks, we were fine with the idea. Well, weeks turned into months, and still.. no bed! The other day, my sweet, thoughtful cousin Drew called me and asked if Jordan and I want their Queen Tempurpedic bed. For FREE! They decided to upgrade to a King and were going to put their Queen on the curb. Instead of the curb, it came to us.. and it is not a curb piece! Oh the comfort I felt as I lay in bed last night without the sound of the canvas air mattress in my ear, and without the worry of having to re-inflate the bed the next morning.

Thank you Drew! We love our new bed!