learning curves

This whole, sleeping in the crib thing, has not been working so well for Sam. I nurse him and get him to sleep-lay him down-and he's up and crying literally 20 minutes later if not sooner. So most nights I bring him into bed with me, I know I shouldn't, but it's just easier. lately, Sam has been pretty cranky, either wants to be held-all-the-time or comfort nurse-I know it sounds like I'm complaining, but it's hard to do this and take care of another child-alone! soooo, needless to say the housework has been slacking....so I've called in reinforcements! House cleaners will now help out while Jim's away...if only they could move in and help me watch the kids and cook and........

Crap!

I inadvertently restored my iphone to factory settings today, deleting all photos and apps as well as contact info....fudge! I had some really cute pics of the boys too!

Here's a pic of Sam sucking his thumb, he tries to self soothe and it's really cute.

weekend wrap up!

Friday-The boys and I drove Jim to the airport, boooooo! "Daddy go to work" says Cooper.

Sam slept in his crib for almost 5 hours and I got some sleep.

Saturday-Joan and Walt came over early am to watch the boys so I could go to my yoga class, but I skipped and spent an hour sipping coffee and wandering around the southwest plaza farmer's market....shhh, don't tell.

Cooper and I colored and read books while Sam napped, until Fletch pushed the door open and woke the sleeping babe! Silly kitty!

In the evening we headed over to Joan's house for a bbq, the weather was nice enough to sit outside...even though we broke the record for high temp, 102!
Sam was so fussy and every time I tried to lay him in the crib he woke up and cried, I was soooo tired, I gave up and took him to bed with me.

Sunday-We did absolutely NOTHING today and it felt great! Cooper played outside in the pool while I made dinner. He helped me water the garden and we have two zucchini squash, sorry Jim but were gonna eat them!

fishing trip

We loaded the kids up and headed to a river about 45 minutes from our house. The river was running pretty fast and I was nervous the whole time that Cooper would be swept away. Jim fished for a bit and then we hiked up to the lake for a picnic lunch. I finally put the boys in their big/little brother shirts, are they just the cutest or what!

did someone say free yoga?

It seems like life's a little calmer on the mat. Free yoga is offered every Saturday at Civic Green park. It's free, it's close to our house, it's outdoors, seriously what's better than that? Jim watched the boys while mommy had a some time away for some much needed calmness.

were back!

it"s been a while since our last post so here's the latest news.......

we had lots of fun in indiana....my sister's wedding was great, sam's first trip on an airplane went super smooth and we saw some old friends. we decided to not take our big camera and the battery on our little point and shoot was dead....so no pics.

cooper pooped in the potty last week!!!!! we're still not completely there yet, but we're making progress.

sam is now cooing and talking like crazy! he sat in the exersaucer for the first time, still a little too small, and we tried out the bumbo. we don't have ours back yet so we borrowed one from a friend until we do...thanks cathy!

sam's also grasping onto objects now and it's so cute how he holds on to me (nursing bra, tank or shirt) while nursing.

i thought i would be able to update the blog more often on my new ipad (5 year anniversary gift from jim!) but it seems to not work.

i promise to post more pictures later, it may be the new norm...more pictures, less typing...i'm finding it hard to juggle all the things in my life, baby, toddler, school, housework, me time, etc. trust me, it's all worth it! i want to let everyone know what we're doing and how fast these little broncos are growing!

-jess

Sam's first flight

Our first flight as a family of four went smoothly. We did spend 20 minutes on the runway waiting to take off and Cooper got a little impatient and 20 minutes before we landed he did NOT want to keep his seatbelt on, "off, off,".

Mind readers???

We (Cooper and me) have been working towards attempting potty training...not going super well, but today in the mail, I recieved my Parenting magazine with an article titled "Potty-Training Boot Camp". A message from the gods? maybe, I'll let you know how it goes.

"Mommy, I pooped"

I've been working on this for what seems like forever, telling Cooper that he needs to tell me when he's pooped....well, today it happened! I came into the family room and he looked at me and said, "Mommy, I pooped, mommy, I pooped" (he likes to say things more than once) I, of course, praised him and changed his diaper. He then said, "More juice please"....please is another thing we've been working on teaching him to say when he asks for something, usually I have to prompt him. Cooper's been talking up a storm lately and Nicole, his speech , has moved from working on expressive language to articulation. Nicole said she rarely sees a child explode so quickly with language. Coop has an evaluation today at Child Find to see if he will qualify for speech therapy after he turns 3....Nicole doesn't think he will and that is a good thing. I'll keep you posted.

weekend wrap up!

Friday-
nanna was supposed to fly back to cleveland but her connection was going to delay her 3+ hours so she decided to stay with us one more night, and we were glad to have her! Dinner delivered from one of our favorite restaurants in the ranch!
Saturday-
mason's 3rd birthday train-extravaganza down in Castle Rock. Loads of kiddos, thomas character tattoos, train whistles and a Percy cake handmade by mama cort!
Kimmy's graduation from nursing school party, loads of kids here too and a big ol' swing set to play on. We're so glad Kim's done with school so we can hang out with her more.
Sunday-
Cooper, Sam and I went to the farmer's market and met up with Abby, Morgan, Kayce and Kayce's parents. Still not much produce to pick from but we got 3 zucchini squash and a handmade basket to carry our wares.
Sam had an infant massage class to go to, it was great to hang out with some massage students again, makes me miss school soooo much (not too much longer and I'll be back into the swing of things) Was fun to talk "massage" and get some pointers for helping Sam (and Cooper too) relax.
this will be our last week without Daddy around during the week and we are super excited to see him.

Nanna left this morning to head back to Cleveland. It was great to have her here to help out and spend some time with the boys. I also appreciated some of our talks about parenting and just how hard being a Mom is sometimes. Cooper had fun hanging out with Nanna, dancing (mostly to the same song over and over), making pizza, playing, and watching the Cavs (see video-too cute) We wished you lived closer Nan and could come more often. Thanks for helping us! We miss you already.

Mamma's Day

This Mother's Day was my first as a mom of two! Thanks sweet Sam for coming into this world. Cooper loves being a big brother to you, even though he has a funny way of showing it (i.e. poking your eye or covering your face or hitting you in the head)

We spent the day enjoying our time together with Daddy, since Jim's been out of town during the week for the past month.

We went to the farmer's market and I was surprised with flowers from the boys from the local flower shop, they smell so good! We stopped by the new sushi place and ordered some carryout and went to Vitamin Cottage for our weekly grocery run. Some warm sunshine invited us outside for a spring photo op too.

Happy Mother's Day! Thank you Cooper for making me a mom and to Sam for making me a better Mom. I love you both so much!

ah, reinforcements have arrived!

Nanna flew into Denver on Sunday and is staying the week with the babes. Cooper's really having a hard time dealing with the new baby in his world and Jim not being here during the week. He's had more tantrums and I'm trying to figure out how to deal with them. Most of his tantrums occur when I'm nursing Sam, so we're going to try some different things and see what works.

Sam's 8 weeks old today!

My littlest bronco is 8 weeks old today, it's going too fast. He's starting to nurse more, so I think he's going through a little growth spurt. His little smiles are so cute and totally melt your heart....plus makes all the sleep deprivation worth it. Cooper's been a big help with Sam, taking diapers to the trash, putting the pacifier back in Sam's mouth, with an, "I will do it" but is still a little rough with baby. I want to encourage him to bond with Sam but keep a watchful eye so that Sam stays safe.

It's week 3 of Jim's absence from our home due to a work trip and it's getting easier by the day. The evenings are still a little difficult trying to get cooper to bed, read books, and nurse Sam all on top of being super tired but I'm pushing through. I've had some great friends bring me dinner one night and my dad another night, it's so nice to have dinner and not clean up afterwards.

Nanna is coming next week for the whole week to help out.

a little blury, but hey, I'm workin' solo here!

Colic? Gas? just plain unhappy?

My sweet baby boy has become more fussy over the past few days and i'm not sure why. I've cut out dairy and already don't eat wheat. I've started a food journal too, just to see if what I east upsets him. But it seems to be mostly in the evening, so is he just tired? Without Jim being here to hold him, I'm starting to wear down. This morning he smiled and made a laughing sound at the same time, and somehow it makes everything ok.

but seriously, the crying....I just don't know what to do.

we had a busy weekend!

Friday-

We had a playdate at Nathan's house. We played in his big sandbox and ran around outside. We had fun playing trains and eating blueberry muffins with Avery too. We made a cake for daddy (with the letter D) when we got home. We made pizzas for dinner with a new gluten free crust and LOVED it!

Saturday-

I woke up to bacon, coffee and pancakes! I ran some errands in the morning, it was nice to have a couple hours all to myself after being alone all week with both kiddos. We went to a fun Kentucky Derby party at Todd and Amy's house. I had 4 sips of a mint julep too! Our horse didn't win but it sure was fun watching them race.

Sunday-

We visited the Highlands Ranch farmers market for the first time this year. Not too much to pick from and it was pretty windy and chilly. Cooper had fun playing with the other kids and hoola hoops. It was Sam's first time at the farmers market, he slept the whole time.

Jim is off again for the week in Indy, we were sad to see him go.

It ain't easy being a momma

While some moms share pictures of smiling babes and stories of baby bliss, my world is slightly different. Crying babes, spit up flying, tantrums thrown, thomas engines chucked and all out refusals of bath time....THIS is my world. There is no amount of yoga or wine that will make it less stressful. My patience is tested daily, but I persevere. Trying each day to teach Cooper the important things in life....you know like, screaming is not an appropriate form of communication, taking off your poopie diaper and running around the house is not cool, poking Sam in the eye is not how you help mommy with the baby, and cookies are not for breakfast! Being a new mom of two isn't easy, it's really frickin' hard but I look at my two beautiful boys and smile through the spit up and tears.

Samuel Porter Allen

After 9 long months of pregnancy, on March 10th, Samuel Porter Allen joined our family at 10 am. Sam weighed 7.9 lbs and measured 20 inches long. He was born with a full head of dark hair. A week before Sam was born I had a dream, in this dream I gave birth to a child with a full head of dark hair-see dreams do come true!

My recovery process has not been the greatest. After my c-section, the doctors noticed that my incision didn't quite look right, it had been pooling fluid. The doctor removed my staples and about 70% of the incision reopened. A wound vac was attached to my open wound which I will have to wear while my wound heals from the inside out. The home health care nurse thinks it will heal quickly and I should only have the wound vac for a few weeks.

Cooper was a little hesitant at first but has really opened up to his little brother. Cooper wants "hug and kiss baby" and "hold baby". He will sit and giggle at Sam's little grunts and noises, it's so cute!

I'm sure being a mom of two will limit my personal time and I don't mind:) but my goal is to update the blog every few days because I want to document and share the things my little guys do, and unfortunately, time will go too fast.

Sled Time

Cooper's first time sledding and he LOVED it. We took a short drive from the ranch up towards Evergreen and stopped along Parmalee Gulch. The hill looked well worn so we decided to take a few rides. Cooper took one turn by himself and seemed a little unsure, so Jim rode with him for the rest of the rides. I took one short sled down the hill too, I know, I know, I shouldn't because I'm pregnant and all-but I couldn't resist. I think i might have pulled a muscle though with all that relaxin as well as the laughing that ensued. Jim of course walked up super high and rode down as Cooper giggled saying, "woah, woah, da da"

Goodbye Silvy...

Bye, Silvy. You have been a reliable friend.

We said goodbye to our trusty Saturn (lovingly named, Silvy) today and welcomed our new Honda Pilot into our family! We've been considering a AWD vehicle for some time now, especially with the multiple slides/donuts on our trips up to Winter Park the last two ski seasons. It has lots of room for our future family camping trips, ski trips, road trips and whatever else will come our way!

Valentines Day parties

Cooper got to go to two parties this year! First off, was his wrestling buddy Avery's crafting party at her house. All the usual suspects (Nathan, Morgan, Avery, except Abby) were in attendance. We made V-day cards and ate yummy snacks-and mommy got some gossip time with the girls!

Second party was with the CLF moms group. Gwen hosted and as always, lots and lots of food, crafts and craziness! Cooper received many valentines, most with suckers attached, and wanted to open and eat everyone as he received them. Needless to say he took a 3 hour nap today!

all the kiddos at KT's place

Tiny Tots concert

Last Thursday, Cooper and I went to a Tiny Tots concert. All the kids sit in a circle and are surrounded by the Denver Symphony. I took my camera but the battery was dead!!! It was so cool and Cooper just loved dancing and clapping. This kid LOVES music.

Nanna comes to visit!

cooper was very excited to spend some time with his Nanna when she came to Denver for a visit. The two of them spent lots of time playing and hanging out. We took the light rail downtown and had lunch with Jim. Cooper loved the "train" it went "fast, fast, fast" and through tunnels. I had class on Saturday, so Jim and Nan took Cooper to Little Monkey Bizness, and indoor play area. We took a trip up to Ft. Collins for the day on Friday and visited a few breweries and then over to Boulder for dinner.

Nan & Jim at Odell's Brewery fun!

Nan's visits always seem so short. Can't wait to see her and Tom in April when they make a road trip out west to see baby #2.

Cooper asked for Nanna the other day and he didn't mean a banana!

weekend wrap up

FRIDAY-

We began the day with a trip to my ob, baby looks good and everything seems to be progressing well. Dr. seems to think I'm not gaining enough weight and told me to bulk up on calories...milkshakes, etc, man is this guy great or what!

We had dinner at Jeremy and Kristen's. They made a yummy chicken dish with potatoes, peppers, onions, olives and tomatoes cooked in the tangine (not sure about a tangine...check it out here at http://www.tangine.net/)!

Jim made me a milkshake for dessert, chocolate and peanut butter.

SATURDAY-

Jim woke up early to head up to MJ for a morning of skiing. Cooper slept in and I couldn't so I enjoyed some quiet time.

1st birthday party for our friend's daughter, Lilah in the afternoon with cake and lots of running outside in the sun!

I picked up a bunch of baby gear I'm borrowing from my friend Kayce! Bassinet, swing, stroller, etc, etc. So nice to have such thoughtful friends.

Watched the Colt's game at my dad's house. Walt made some yummy salsa chicken too.

Stopped for a milkshake at Good Times, chocolate!

SUNDAY-

woke up super early because Cooper threw up in his bed (probably all the sugar from the party!) and had awful diarrhea for most of the morning, ugh.

Overall a pretty relaxed day which consisted of watching football, organizing the office/guest room, Jim even painted the chalkboard in the kitchen. Very successful Sunday. Oh, I finished the night off with a chocolate pb milkshake too.

chalkboard & newly painted kitchen cabinets. Magnetic board in the office with handmade magnets ( i made them with old concert buttons!)

Lunch with Buddy

Cooper has become quite fond of his doll Buddy as of late. Grammie gave Buddy to Cooper last year in hopes that he would learn to like have a baby around. At first Buddy was thrown down the stairs, steped on and somewhat forgotten, but lately Cooper has reconnected with Buddy....and today Buddy wanted to eat lunch with us. Cooper strapped him in his booster seat and gave him some juice. He's going to be such a good big brother!

It's like a heat wave....

We reached somewhere in the 50's today, it felt like a heat wave. Cooper got his, "shoes, coat, hat" (it's what he says when you tell him we're going outside or leaving to go somewhere) on and played in the backyard. He threw the ball to Einstein, played in the snow, frolicked in the garden and found Henry in the sandbox (Henry's the green engine that's been MIA for a couple months). Cooper picked up the lid of the sandbox and exclaimed "Henry, Henry".

Cooper is just too much to take sometimes, the love I feel for this child is unexplainable. His giggles, hugs and smiles make everyday so much nicer!

"How wonderful life is while you're in the world." Billy Joel

Goodbye oh nine, hello 2010!

Lots of things to say goodbye to in 2009:

loosing my stepfather
getting a speeding ticket
paying an outragous toll fine that i never knew about!
loosing my digital camera with easter footage of cooper!
and a bunch of other shit I'd rather forget

But so much to look forward to in 2010:
baby #2 coming in March and cooper becoming a big brother
massage school and new friends
my mom finally able to come and visit (for a month!!!)
babies for my girlfriends Anna, Karen, Christi and Cathy
my sister's wedding in june
celebrating a year in our first colorado home

and much much more


my new year's resolution is to be more patient (oh, and to update the blog more often)



Happy New Year!

xoxoxo-the allen family