Some Mediocre Things...

So, remember the flood of 2011 that happened here at our house just two days before Ace was born? Yep, we're just about fully recovered. Carpet tomorrow and then voila... DONE.

Along with the contractors that have been at our place all week making nap times a little bit shorter and more haphazard than usual, we've been cleaning up a few other mediocre things that we could certainly have done without, but alas, life isn't always full of deliriously happy things... just most of the time. :)

In no particular order, I am the proud owner of a new temporary crown. I must have been REALLY focused in the delivery room because I cracked a tooth and thought I could stop in for a quick fix at the dentist that turned into two hours and ultimately a new porcelain fake number. Sexy.

The little boys and the big boy and I all got the privilege of receiving our flu shots last night. Only minor tears were shed and then suckers were offered and we were on our way. It was hilarious to see the reactions of other kids at the pediatrician's office. In fact, while we were waiting our turn a little boy came out crying with tears running down his cheeks and Kaelster said, "Oh Dear." You got that right.

My hair straightener died. I'm considering holding a service. Quality beauty tools such as a straightener do not come cheap and it takes a very significant amount of timing and energy to get us all out of the house mid-day for a lame errand like a trip to Sally's. Thus, my hair has been looking less than spectacular.

Now for the silver lining...

The babies are soaking in the last few days of our Indian Summer with a vengeance. They are revisiting their affinity for nudity and they strip off their diapers the moment they can wriggle out of their wet shorts.

I never complain. Sweet little cheeks.

Acer's continues to be a baby from dream land. He got his newborn pictures taken - though the one below is not one of them - just a shot from an adoring mama. It is always a sweaty chore to bundle, soothe, swaddle and repeat, but it is oh so worth it. Can't wait to share.

I haven't had to cook all week - THANK YOU friends and neighbors!

And it's Friday... which is the same as any other day in motherhood - except there is an underlying optimism because it's FRIDAY.

And that, my friends, is all she wrote, cause she's in the midst of mediocrity, but about to bounce back... watch out, October.

Growing, Growing...

My babies are getting bigger by the mili-second. Seriously, I don't know how it happens so fast, but it does and I am sounding more and more like my Grandma every day with my amazing epitomes on the passing of time. :) Soon I'll be eighty with grand babies and I'll be saying sappy things like, "Oh they grow so fast"... cause it is true and you can't wrap your brain around it - Period.

A few things about each of my little men that are worthy of reporting...

Ace - Mostly I could study his little features and run my fingers over that silky hair that hugs that perfect head all day long. I wish I could inhale his scent and pull it out whenever I want to smell that Heavenly, really new life scent. I am starting to speak fluent newborn and I swear to you, today Ace spoke back. He told me that yes, he is getting more stinkin' adorable every day and he loves it here. It made me smile. Already his little face is filling out and his body is less and less of a "little lump of banana meat" as my mom says. He is a champion eater and sleeper and last night, at the ripe old age of five days, Ace man got the schedule down pat. He eats every four hours and sleeps in between and his mama LOVES him for it! Well, that and the little newborn sounds and the sweet little lip puckers he makes.

Dax Man is realizing that this baby is here to stay and he's pretty sweet about it but still a little unsure. He has resorted to hangin' with his BFF at the park, in the yard, in the playroom, in a pile of dirt... you name it... he and Kael are one another's little shadows and sometimes I forget that he is nine months younger than his big bro because he works so hard to keep up and mostly just does on his shorter version of the chubby toddler legs. He is totally into Barney and he says, "Narney" when the big dino comes on TV. He also loves to "Baa-cume" (vacuum) with me and is the best little singer of the clean up song; especially after he gleefully tosses balls down the stairs from the playroom. He will seriously say "HI" and/or kiss anyone as was proven at the hospital with about nine different nurses... little Romeo.

Kaelster is a ball of fire as usual. His recent favorites are "Water nenon" which is how we say "Watermelon" and "O-KAY." which he says about a hundred times a day for any reason at all. He is really into selecting his shoes and wears boots and "Skeeky" shoes most of the time. He asks to put "on shoes" on average fifteen times daily and can be assuaged any time out of a slump with a "Ker" which is a sucker or "Boo Joos" which is one part blue gatorade to five parts water. Just yesterday he decided to get bossy with his hound dog and show him who is the biggest little man of the brood and now he yells ANY time he hears the poor pooch, "Pooper, Quiet!" And to top it off, he can fill in the blanks when you sing the ABC song - it is adorable.

Me - I'm hangin' in and here's some noteworthy info... I finally dug my phone out of my hospital bag and am charging even as I type... I have big plans to sort of join the real world again. :)

I can't promise a spotless house or even a fresh showered and primped self - but I can tell you that these little miracle babes of ours are doing their thang one day at a time and the mister and I are just holding on to one another for the ride. It is gleeful and rewarding and makes my eyes tear with joy and it is also a sweaty, sticky, disaster that makes me sink deep into the sheets every night to blissful slumber.

And that - is our growing progress report, in a nutshell.

Happy Chaos...

Well, we made it... home that is.

I spent two lovely nights at this fantastic resort they call "the hospital" and I had wet nurses and nannies and room service at my beck and call. And now I'm home... with little "Acers" and the big dudes (who have never looked bigger) and I have a few observations to report...

1. Families are angels. Seriously, without Ry's sweet Mama, my Mama, the babies Grandpas', Aunts, Uncles, Neighbors, Friends and one amazingly devoted hubster... I might be losing it right now.

2. No matter how big or small they come... a newborn is the tiniest most miraculous thing anyone can snuggle. They smell divine regardless of what they have going on in their nether regions and their little cheeks are as soft as rose petals. The fact that they make it out to this big old world and have all their perfectly perfect little parts is something that will never cease to amaze me.

3. When there is a little drama in the delivery room - you lose your mind. Seriously. Thank Heavens for good nurses and doctors to calm frazzled nerves and make it all better. I'll have to share that story at some point.

3. The sorest part on my body is the massive tumor looking bump on my left deltoid where I got my whooping cough booster shot. Go figure.

4. Tiny Siblings are adorable. They vacillate between loving and admiring their "BA-BEE" and ignoring the fact that there is a babe in arms. Dax Man has become a little cling-on when the baby isn't around and he can snuggle in for marathon hugs and kisses and Kaelster turned 5 over night... crawling into bed and proclaiming "Night, Love You" without even being told it was bed time. And mostly, these two big brothers are happy to have one another to trot off to the toy room to play with trains when that new little dude is making loud noises.

5. Sleep... I love you and miss you already. At least one of us is getting you in massive doses!

Until next time ya'll and XOXO for all the love and congrats. Smooches all around!

To Our New Little Love...

Ace Levi Gardner...
Welcome to the World Little One

"On the night you were born,

The moon smiled with such wonder

That the stars peeked in to see you

And the night wind whispered,

"Life will never be the same."

Because there had never been anyone like you...

Ever in the world."

September 20, 2011

6 lbs 12 oz

20 inches

1:20 pm

We have been awaiting your arrival!

You represent the beginning of all things... hope and possibilities,

In the form of your adorable nose and your tiny toes.

And we are excited to take you home with us to our little nest to keep you safe and warm and to introduce you to your big brothers and to show you how you so perfectly complete our family. And together we will grasp hold of precious moments and enjoy each and every one.

"Heaven blew every trumpet

And played every horn

On the wonderful, marvelous

Night you were born."

We Love You, Ace!

Water In It...

They say when it rains it pours.

And "they" are so right.

Here we thought our main concern was me keeping my knees together and avoiding sneezing so this baby didn't make his grand appearance while Daddy-o was traveling afar.

Well, RyGar is home... still no baby. I am just waiting and waiting for my water to break.

And in a way it did... This morning.

In the master bathroom.

But it was the toilet that spouted water - not me.

And Big K heard it first and went running to the bathroom where he loudly proclaimed,

"OOOH, WATER IN IT!"

And water there was, so much so that it leaked out of the fixtures in the basement ceiling.

And now we have fans running to dry out the carpet and a restoration crew checking to see if the "dry wall" is still dry and me washing every towel in the house that served as a sponges this lovely morn.

It's fantastic.

The fans will be here for at least three days.

Baby Love will arrive sometime in the next two days.

Dax and Kael have been relocated to the pack n' play in the toy room and "Grandpa's Big Bed" in the guest room.

Ah...

And here I thought with all my psychotic nesting we were good to go.

Totally Ready.

That's what I get for having it all "under control", eh.

That Murphy - she'll sock it to ya. Sassy Gal.

PJ Party...

I am sure of several things in this life...

1. My babies smell of Heaven each and every night after bath time.

2. Bedtime is by far one of my most favorite times of the day with the little men, but not because I'm about to kiss them as they journey off to dreamland... because they are sweet.

SO sweet.

3. Carter's could turn a profit from my purchases of matching PJs alone. :)

4. I love me a good Pajama Party complete with snugly duds and delish beverages.

And we throw one nightly around here.

No RSVPs necessary.

:)

Paper Chains...

This is the last week of RyGar's travels for a bit and you wanna know something entirely pathetic? I have my week time-lined out by evening television... it's like my own little tragic adult version of a paper count down chain.

I admit that this makes me sound like a complete loser so you don't need to point that out. Promise.

:)

• Anyway, it all began on Monday with the sleazy Bachelor Pad finale and the ever entertaining Miss Universe Pageant.
• Followed on Tuesday by What Not to Wear, a long time fav.
• Tonight's TV schedule blows and I have nothing that I watch so I usually dive into a book post baby bedtime. I'm reading, The Girl Who Played with Fire and it is fairly good and sleazy in and of itself.
• Thursday I plan to tune in to watch my double, Heidi Klum, on her gig Project Runway.
• And then Friday, glorious Friday, I will have big plans to watch a rented Red Box with a handsome guy who just arrived from distant travels but I might just zonk out early while snuggling into that little spot he has reserved for me that lies between his chest and shoulder. Hey, I'm just being honest - sad but true. I'm just hoping that he is jet-lagged and doesn't mind my sorry attempt at movie night or the inevitable pool of drool from my slack-jawed sleep-fest post European chocolate overload, (which better damn-well happen after another missed Euro vaca with my boyfriend... the least he could do is bring me chocolate in droves, right?)

There is one other positive that I must point out to my personal TV Guide for this random week in September... since RyGar is away, the TVs have not/will not play incessant amounts of football.

Bwah Ha Ha... You're Jealous and You Know it Ladies!

But rest assured, "They'll be Back".

So, lay it on me. Could we be Tivo Twins? Or am I missing something extraordinary? And don't say Extreme Couponing cause I'm telling you right now, I'm not going there.

:)

Almost...

If you play poker, you know that one of the most desirable hands is a full house. And for those of you who are pure of heart and know not the rules of poker, a full house, also known as a full boat, consists of three matching cards of one rank and two matching cards of another rank. Between two full houses, the one with the higher ranking three cards wins.

And this whole little poker lesson is brought to you because, at last, we're counting down in single digits the number of days before our little family officially becomes a full house. And with the three little men we nearly have under our roof, there will be no such thing as a higher rank to our very own three of a kind.

I feel so blessed and on the same token so nervous about taking on the daunting task of raising three sons. But, my better-half in the "two-of-a-kind pairing" of our almost full-house seems to have a knack for remaining calm when I am all nerves and visa verse. And somehow, we compliment one another when the other is nearing the end of a frayed rope.

And though we'll have melt downs and messes and chaos that only "three of a kind" can create... we're seriously excited to welcome our new baby boy to the world. He has the best older brothers a little man could ask for and it seems to us that they are aware of and anticipating the almost arrival of our new "Bay-Bee" very soon.

And from the looks of things... they're totally good with a full house.

P.S. Photos of "Double Trouble" and Buddha Belly were shot by RyGar in a speedy little session that was the antithesis of profesh but you know what... We now have a little personal touch for Baby Love's nursery. Amen.

We Remember...

A flag is flying out on our yard today. And as I sleepily roused from bed and was changing someone's diaper this morning, I looked out and saw it and it all came back.

Ten years ago.

I was teaching early morning aerobics and after the class ended I jumped into my little black jeep feeling like a million bucks and was off to our teeny, tiny basement apartment to rouse my Prince Charming. The radio was on and I cranked it to prolong my "post-exercise-high" and all that could be found was chatter... breaking news about towers and planes and unknown this and that. From what I could cobble together, something horrific had happened in NYC and with a newfound sheen of nervous sweat on my brow, I knew I needed to get home and to know more.

I parked the car and ran inside to wake RyGar who came out of his blissful slumber to our hand-me-down couch and as we watched The Today Show in horror together, we mumbled lame statements like, "This is bad", and "Holy Cow", and "I can't believe it."

And then the phones rang and our fast fingers dialed and the unyielding need to reach out to everyone we loved became a frantic mission as if we could in some way connect with our loved ones and erase the terror that had taken place on U.S. soil.

I remember that come evening I had had enough. Work was a vague haze that we all suffered through that day because it really seemed fitting that we stop and immediately memorialize. I had cried and felt vulnerable and I was away from my parents and it seemed that the world was fighting against the young, innocent "can do" ways of a just married couple. I felt naive, and numb and I really thought that just maybe this was the beginning of the end.

And then the lasting images began to unfold everywhere, of heroic acts of love and patriotism. I have never ever felt more proud of being an American and my heart felt it was about to burst as report after report of fearless friends and neighbors and everyday people eventually replaced the sirens, the smoke and the talk of countries I was unfamiliar with and political regimes I had never heard of.

And so, in short, we remember that day. We remember striking details that memories have a way of pushing into the background. We remember and feel the burning need to teach our little men about what happened ten-years ago. So they too will see the flying flag in our yard and feel proud and assured and compassionate toward their fellow Americans not just today, but every day.

TGIF...

It's Friday.

Which I love.

Even more so today because Lova Boy returns homes.

Course, I probably won't be able to wait up for him because I am a night owl no longer...

But even still, I love me some Friday returns. And I'll definitely leave him a love note under the romantic glow of the oven light.

And it will say something like, "SO glad you're home! We missed you! Thanks for the new shoes.... Love Always, Me & The Boys."

Point of clarification - I have no new shoes...

Today was all about the new squeaky shoes that I bought the boys at my little secret spot (OK, It's a gas station called Cade's Place - whatev).

Adorable, right?

And, really... they were ALL about it.

This was the reaction I got when I asked Big K to take off his shoes for nap time - big ole' tears of the crocodile variety. And just know that he loves him some nap time... but he might love the shoes more.

This was Dax mere moments after nap time with his shoes back safely on his person. It was the first thing he collected post-nap... shoes. Not even milk could be enjoyed without his little blue togs.

But this little Friday Fotog is the gem of them all...

Both my boys, with their shoes and blankets, in time out.

You can see the remorse written all over their faces, right?

Or maybe they're just secretly admiring their new shoes.

I might never know.

How do you like them apples?

Happy Weekend...

And THANK YOU for all the love you sent to us regarding bambino names.

Ya'll are brilliant & I'm feeling confident that Neraldean is out!