Wordless Wednesday: One Year

Happy Birthday Baby B! How are you one year old already?!?

Wordless Wednesday: This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

The toddler pulled the front clean off of the silverware drawer. It is a mess because I had to clean up as much as quickly as I could before Baby B got to it. Clean. Off.

We're Mobile!

As if I wasn't busy enough with the preschooler and toddler, Baby B has decided he needs to be just as active as his brothers. He realized a week and a half ago that he could roll to where he wanted to be. I'd set him down in one place, come back a minute later and have to play "find the baby". Thankfully he can't go far in our small house.

But now? He's mastered the forward Army crawl. Sean never Army crawled, he went from rolling to crawling, so there was never the need to break out the Baby Legs.

We're going to have to find them again in our baby stash to prevent rug burn on Brendan's fat little leggies. If you've never used them before, you should get at least one pair. I love them. They also help with the little gap that always occurs between the jeans and socks.

I can't believe my baby is almost crawling. He's growing up faster than the first two!!


Here's a short video of Brendan doing his thing. And of Sean explaining how excited he is for the Superbowl. :)

Sooo very tired

This has been the longest week ever. Between snowpocalypse, Dave's crazy work schedule, having three crazy boys stuck in the house and Baby B getting his first two teeth, I'm exhausted.

Brendan is discovering the power of these new found teeth. And he bites while nursing. And pulls. And when I tell him "no", he laughs. *sigh* We introduced solids to him, the traditional homemade sweet potato and breast milk puree. He did really well with it.



Liam decided one morning this week that he could draw things that actually resemble something. He pulled out his Little Einsteins Create a Masterpiece Doodler and drew a picture of the family.

Well, it kind of looked like the family. Sean was flying over everyone's head, or so I've been told. I'm pretty proud that his "people" now have eyes and bodies. 

Sean has decided he's ready for the potty. Of course, he sees big brother going potty in the potty and knows he uses the Cars potty seat. He likes to put it on the lid of the toilet when he's ready to use it. We've had a few pee pee's in the potty. He will walk in there and yell when he's ready to go. Of course we praise him when he's done...and then he usually wants nothing to do with his diaper and runs off naked. *sigh* I'm sure getting my exercise chasing after him, tackling him and wrestling the diaper on him!

So let's recap. Liam draws, Sean pees and Brendan bites. Throw in my husband's crazy schedule and a blizzard and you've got one exhausted mama. 

Emma and I are going out for "Girl's Night Out" tonight and I'm really looking forward to it. But, before I can go, I have to do some food prep for the Superbowl, clean the place and tackle the growing pile of laundry that needs folded.

A mom's job is never done.

Wordless Wednesday: Mommy's Latest Project

He may be little, but saving barn is a big deal.

2010...What a Year You've Been....

The year started out calmly enough. In January I was expecting baby #3, we were both enjoying our work and life was good.

February brought our ultrasound date. We were having boy #3. Oh my. Another Bowman boy. We had pretty well decided on the name of Finn, but as our tradition, we weren't telling anyone, just in case we wanted to change it.

March came and went. I succeeded at my first crock pot corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day.

April meant Sean turned one (how did that happen?) and we finally paid our Corolla off!

May brought flowers and a new sister in law as David's sister married her partner, Sandy.

June brought birthdays! Dave turned 31 and I turned the big 3-0!

July ushered in fireworks...well, right after the fireworks on July 6 boy #3 was born. Since he was not a blondie (Finn means "fair headed"), Liam picked out Brendan. And Brendan fits him well.

August was a month of healing and getting used to having three boys in the house! And preparing Liam for pre-school, of course!

September brought around a lot of soul searching, praying and calculating. We took a leap of faith and decided for me to stay at home with the boys. This way I can follow my dream of writing AND see all of the milestones that I missed with the first two boys. Plus the money we would save on daycare!

October arrived with a new mission and lots of promise. Mommy's Recess was born! An idea that was created during a playdate now has over 1,000 hits a month! We had a great trick or treating event and were ready for

November brought Thanksgiving, Liam's 5th birthday and more writing jobs! I am loving this work at home gig and can't believe my dreams were coming true!

December meant the end of school, Christmas and checkups for everyone. We had a great holiday with family and friends and are looking forward to 2011. What a crazy and interesting year!

And as far as resolutions go....

Happy New Year!

-Sarah

Wordless Wednesday: The First Hold

Baptism

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2:6-7

Baptism is important to me and my husband. We knew we wanted our children baptised shortly after birth, as Catholics, we wanted our children to receive the first Sacrament as soon as possible. We feel that starting their spiritual life as soon as we can is vital.

Our third son was baptised last Sunday. All of our children have been baptised in the Church we were married in, where I was baptised and where I had my first communion. We feel it would be best, for the records, to keep them all at the same place. Our boys have all worn the same baptismal outfit and we always have a reception afterwards at my parents' house. My husband's sister and my brother are the Godparents, for all three of our boys.

Before our oldest was born, the Church required we take a course before he could be baptised. We took the 6 (or 8) week class and did all of the homework. No kidding. The nun teaching the class assigned us homework. After our second son, we were not required to do any additional studies but after our third, we were asked to watch two videos. In viewing them, I realized I was able to finish the nun's stories. I had seen these videos before, 5 years before to be exact.

Luke 18:15–16 tells us that "they were bringing even infants" to Jesus; and he himself related this to the kingdom of God: "Let the children come to me . . . for to such belongs the kingdom of God."

Teaching the Importance of Voting

As parents, we have many important roles. We are the first and most important teachers our children will have. My husband and I believe it is important to teach our children why voting is so important. Liam already knows, because last night I told him that "we had to go to bed early, so we could get up early and vote. And then we'll watch exit polls and election results." Liam exclaimed, "YAY! EXIT POLLS!" I was proud.

Being from military families, we know the price of voting. David served in Iraq. His Dad served in Vietnam, he had one Grandfather who served in WWII and the other Grandfather in Korea. My Grandfather served in WWII. We're a militarily strong family. And we know the cost of freedom and the price for the right to vote. So we vote in every election.

We always take the kids with us to the polls. Yes, we're those parents. We explain to the kids about the ballot, the secrecy folder, filling in the circle for who we choose to vote for and finally we have them help us slide our ballot into the machine. We talk about the elections all year and voting for about a week before the election.

We let them stay up late on election night. Again, we're those parents. In a General Election, Liam keeps a notepad of electoral votes, votes needed to win and votes per state. Not only is it teaching him the electoral system, but math as well. In mid-term elections he has a list of candidates and follows exit polls and results.

And, of course, for each child's first election, we take a picture of them with the ballot. This year is no exception.

Children do what they see their parents do. Be an example and vote. Take your kids with you. Make them feel included. It's their country, too. 

Happy Voting!

Bowman Boys First Iowa State Game

Being an Iowa State University Graduate, I always wanted to take my boys to at least one football game. It never really seemed to work out. But this year, we were going. It was Homecoming weekend and I found a great deal on tickets that included a hotdog and a pop.

My brother recently moved to Ames and my boys always love to see their Uncle, Aunt and Cousins. So, they too bought tickets.

It was a beautiful day, the band dressed up in Halloween costumes which was really amusing and it was a Cyclone victory. I had some horrible things happen that were work related and ended up checking emails quite often during the game, but learned a valuable lesson from it. So as long as a lesson is learned, it's not a mistake.

After the game, we rushed back to Des Moines for trick or treating. Needless to say, the kids were exhausted. But it was a great day as a family.

We took a few pictures and now ALL of my boys can say they've been to an Iowa State game. I think we'll have to go to many more. They LOVED it. Go CYCLONES!

Baby's First Iowa State Game

Daddy and Sean--All smiles!

Can you find Waldo? He's in there!

Beautiful fall day in Iowa

Brendan started snoozing at Halftime. What a trooper!

WANTED: Brendan A. Bowman

APB: Wanted: Brendan A. Bowman aka Cuddlebutt, aka Smiley Pie. Wanted for public intox of boobjuice, public urination and excessive noise.

Suspect should be considered poopy and dangerous.

Come On Over to Adventureland...You're Gonna Have a Rain Filled Day!

Every two years my dad gets free tickets to Adventureland through his employer, Pella. This has been a family tradition since I was in high school. It was Sean and Brendan's first time to Adventureland. Liam had been looking forward to it for months so when we got up Saturday morning and saw it was raining, we were bummed. Mom wasn't sure if she was coming and Tom's clan might not make it either.

I finally convinced mom that they should come and Tom's family decided to come too. Even though it was raining, we all had a great time. It was a little chilly but we dressed for the occasion. It was also "Nickelodeon's Day of Play" so we actually participated in it!

You can hear the raindrops hitting the umbrella, but since most of the kid rides are covered, they were happy little guys!
 The boys riding on the carousel  and Riding with our cousins.

Liam even rode the Dragon and the Outlaw, two big rollercoasters...we were amazed he was tall enough to go on them...he didn't know what to expect with the Dragon but enjoyed it.

We are already looking forward to going again!

Brendan's First Visit from His Brothers

By our third child I have learned a few things. For example, I know every one means well when they want to see a new baby, but there's a reason that tickets to labor and delivery are not sold on ticketmaster. It's a private event. Some people may be into the "takes a village to birth a child" thing. But I'm not. And that's just me.

Our first child, Liam, was the first grandchild on my husband's side. So I understand the excitement. I also wanted my mother in the labor room as she's a nurse, she's been through this before and, well, she's my mommy. Anyone in pain always wants their mom. However, the birth didn't go as planned and after 18 hours of labor and an hour of pushing a c-section was required as he was not tolerating the contractions. When he was born, everyone, except my future father in law, followed the baby down to the nursery. When I woke up in recovery, I was surprised to see my future father in law there. I will always be thankful that he stayed there with me. However, the first time I held my child, there were 5 people (other than me and the baby) in the room. It was a little overwhelming.

Our second child, Sean, came before his scheduled c-section date. I labored for 12 hours (6 at the hospital) while waiting for a c-section. After they wheeled me into recovery, we had called my mom and told her to pick our oldest up at daycare and bring him to the hospital, as we wanted him to be the first family member to see the new baby (his new brother). She brought him in and he did get to hold him, then my mom saw him and left. I didn't get a chance to nurse him before they wheeled me into my "permanent" room where I would spend the next few days healing. My husband had called his family to tell them they could come and they said they were already in the parking lot. So I wasn't able to nurse/bond with him as I would have liked.

We informed our family that with this child we wouldn't be accepting visitors the same day as the birth, however, we still wanted the older brothers to be the first to meet the new baby. As you know from my previous post he too came before his scheduled date and my parents had come down to watch the boys. We went through the surgery but due to fluid being in his lungs, they were unable to bring him to me while I was in recovery. My husband was running between the nursery, taking pictures and video of him, and back to my recovery room to show me our new little boy. A long three hours later they wheeled me into the nursery so I could see him and then into my room. Finally they brought him in so I could hold him. 

  My emotions got the best of me. I told my husband to take a picture and he did. I'm so glad he did.

After I had a chance to bond with and nurse my new little boy, we called my parents to let them know it would be okay to bring our older two to the hospital to meet their new brother. We also called his parents to let them know that visitors would be okay (after 4...this way we wouldn't be overlapping visitors, everyone would get to see him on his birthday and we wouldn't feel so overwhelmed) the same day.

My parents came to the hospital, ushered the older two into the room (as was our wishes) and waited patiently outside my room while the brothers met.

And boy, did they love him. Liam thought his new brother was the greatest thing. After Daddy sanitized the big brother's hands he took baby out of the "drawer bed" (the moving "dresser" unit with the plastic crib on top) as Liam called it and showed him his brother. We hadn't quite settled on a name yet for him, so we asked Liam what he liked best, Gabriel, Brendan or Declan. Liam responded, "I like Brendan." And so he was named.

After Liam and Sean had a few minutes with him, my husband called my parents in to see him and start taking pictures. Sean couldn't get enough of the new baby but was having a hard time understanding "gentle" and "be nice". But Sean is a brute. It took one adult to handle him and one to handle Brendan. Sean kept touching him and playing with his little hospital ankle bracelet. He'd also grab at his little legs and touch his head.

But that's okay. That's what brothers do. And they all love each other. So much.

Adding Brendan to the Boys or How It All Came to Be....

Brendan turned a week old on Tuesday and I realized I haven't updated the blog with "The Story of Brendan". So here goes.

Late November I was feeling very tired. But who wouldn't? I was the mother of a 6 month old, a three (almost four) year old, nursing, pumping and working full time as well as keeping up with the house and extended family events. Just one of those would make anyone tired. And I was doing it all! So when I went in for my 6 month checkup with my OB-Gyn (at 8 months), I told him how tired I was.

He asked, "Could you be pregnant?"
I responded, "No, I'm nursing."
"Could you be pregnant?"
"No."
"Could you be pregnant?"
"No?"
"Well, let's do a test to be sure."

When the nurse returned, she informed me that she put the "sample" on the stick, turned to set the timer and turned back only to see that it had already turned positive.

Woah.

Seeing as I write EVERYTHING down, I pulled out the Franklin Planner (aka my lower case "bible") and estimated my due date. July 9th. The doctor thought I might be 10 weeks along so we might already be able to hear the heartbeat. I was thankful that I had continued to take my prenatal pills (due to nursing) and took a video of my Doctor trying to find the heart beat. While he was doing so, he congratulated my husband. What a perfect way to tell him the news!

When he got home from work late that night, I told him that the Dr. had a message for him and played the video. He sat there, watched it and smiled. "Another baby," he asked. I said, "Yep." And he gave me a hug.

Weeks turned to months and the never ending Iowa winter of doom finally did end. My pregnancy was flying by (which is what happens when you're 1/3 of the way done before you find out) and we were trying to prepare the boys with the arrival of another sibling.

We all were thinking this might be a girl. All of my symptoms were different than the previous two (although they differed from each other as well) and it would be nice to have some estrogen (other than mine) in our home. Liam wanted "a sister or a puppy." I informed him if I were to have a puppy, we'd better call Discovery Health to do a show on me.

The day of the big ultrasound finally arrived. The tech squirted the goo on my tummy and my husband and I had our first view of "Sweet Pea". Once all the technical stuff was done, she asked if we wanted to know the sex. We informed her we did and she scanned down to the "area". One look was all it took and I said, "Is that what I think it is?" Yep. Another penis. THREE boys. At the ultrasound they changed my due date to July 24th. That did not work with my possible conception dates (I told you, I write everything down) so I let them think the 24th, but as my OB says, "That machine wasn't in the room with mom and dad..."

We told the boys that they'd be having another brother. Liam asked, "Sooo, do I get a puppy now?" We informed him that there would be no puppy. He responded, "I don't want another brother. I already have one." Sorry, Liam. Talk to your dad about that.

Over the next few months we all got excited of the idea of another boy. I mean, would a girl really fit in this household? We've got all of the clothes, I know how to change boy's diapers and my husband was excited about the fact that it was "another wedding he didn't have to pay for!" Plus I could tell you all about Iron Man and Superman but I have no idea what's new in the world of Barbie.

We've always kept the names a secret. Which is good because we usually change it at the last minute. Liam was going to be Conor. At 38 weeks pregnant we changed it to William. Sean was going to be Brendan but the morning he was born, Liam announced "I like the name Sean." And he was a Sean. And with Brendan we were pretty set on Finn. But we believe you have to see the kid before naming him/her. Liam IS a Liam, Sean is a Sean and Brendan is a Brendan. We had picked up Beyond Shannon and Sean: An Enlightened Guide to Irish Baby Naming in order to keep with our theme. We'd kicked around many other names (Cillian, Declan, Gabriel, Bolton, Cavan, Finn and of course, Brendan) but, as Dave puts it, "When they pulled him out, I thought he's not a Finn, he's a Brendan."

As my due date approached I had a feeling it would happen before my scheduled c-section of the 21st, which was fine by me. We believe in letting them cook as long as THEY need to. If I went into labor on my own, great. However, I kept having dreams that I was going into labor on July 5th. The same day Dave and Liam were going to see "Star Wars in Concert." Sure enough, the morning of the 5th arrived and my tailbone was killing me. I could hardly sit down. And mom was right, back labor. We met some friends for lunch and I convinced Dave to go to the show. I'd text him "Baby 911" if I needed him home. Sean and I took a nap while the older boys watched their show and no baby arrived.

The next morning I woke up at 1:15. I was having some very strong contractions and had just had a dream that I was with my mom at the hospital and I had a baby in the waiting room. Baby had a head full of dark hair. I thought the dream was interesting but could not lay down anymore so I got up, starting timing the contractions and called my mom. Thankfully, she trusted my judgement and had taken the week off. She and my dad would be down in a few hours to watch the older boys so Dave and I could go to the hospital.

While waiting for my folks, I packed my bag and the boys bags, just in case. Mom and Dad arrived around 5 and we headed out the door. We got to the hospital, they admitted me and found I had already dialated to two. Even though there were 5 scheduled c-sections for that morning, they bumped me up and got me in.

At 8:06 AM Brendan Andrew was born. 7 pounds, 1 ounce and 18 1/4 inches long. Our journey with three boys has begun.

He's here!!!

Announcing the arrival of Brendan Andrew Bowman

July 6, 2010 at 8:06 AM 7lbs, 1 oz and 18 1/4 inches long.