Look-alikes?

Just for fun I wanted to compare a picture of Mason and Connor at the exact same age. They even happen to be wearing the same outfit! So far I don't think they look much alike...I definitely see little similarities but at least for now it seems like Mason looks more like Jared and Connor more like me.

Here is Mason at 2 1/2 weeks:

And Connor:

What do you think??

2 weeks with having 2 kids

I can't believe that I have been a mommy of two kids for almost two weeks! It's definitely been a time of adjustment but each day gets easier as we get into more and more of a routine.

I had wondered before Connor was born if I would be able to love another child as much as Mason...it's definitely true though that your heart just doubles! It already feels like Connor is such an important part of our family. He is SUCH a good baby. I tell everyone that I hope I am not jinxing myself by saying it but he is just so easy. He only cries when he is hungry and even then its more of a whimper or grunt than a true cry. He's also been a great sleeper! This was my one wish with him since that was always a struggle with Mason. Last night he slept one five hour stretch and then a four hour stretch! It's amazing how refreshed I feel today!

I really want to remember all the details from this phase in our lives because I realize that before I know it Connor will be Mason's age! I now know how fast time flies and I truly want to enjoy every stage with Connor before it passes us by! Here's a few things I have learned from two weeks having two kids:

- Having a newborn is much easier the second time around! I'm amazed at how taking care of a newborn just seems so natural now! With Mason I questioned and worried about every little thing, wondering if I was doing it wrong or was going to "damage" him. This time around I feel like I know what I am doing and can enjoy this age so much more! I took just Connor to Target over the weekend and it felt like a vacation compared to my normal shopping trips with Mason! A sleeping newborn is so much easier to shop with than a busy toddler!

- The hardest part of the day (at least for me) is all the time spend nursing. I remember with Mason I would enjoy nursing because I got to sit down, watch tv and relax for 30 minutes every couple of hours! This time around, I have learned that I am lucky if I get to sit down at all. I've become better and better at nursing walking around or standing up while also helping Mason with things.

- Even though Mason seems so big now, he is still just a baby. Its easy to see how small and helpless Connor is and think that Mason can be more self sufficient now that I have two kids to take care of. In reality though, this is probably the time Mason needs my attention more than ever. He is handling the entire situation so well and he adores Connor. With that said though, his little world has changed so much in the last two weeks and he needs lots of quality time too!

- Grocery shopping with two kids is pretty much a joke. I attempted to make a quick run to Target this morning to grab a few things. I got one of the huge carts with the bench on the outside (it felt like I was pushing a bus). Mason set on the bench and Connor's carrier was inside the cart. This left almost no room for any groceries. Poor Connor had bread and grapes inside his carrier just so we could fit everything! I would love if someone came up with a cart that can easily hold two kids and groceries!

- Life is much much busier now. I'm lucky to get a shower in each day. Mason is lucky to get a bath and even luckier to get his hair washed. There are more dished piled up in the sink than normal and I'm way behind on laundry. I know at some point being this busy will just seem normal to me and hopefully it will be easier and easier to get things done. Right now though I focus on spending my day with the two sweetest little boys in the world and just loving them. I know that one day when they are grown I will look back on this time with such great memories!

Connor Benjamin is here!

Connor Benjamin as born at 7:56 am on Tuesday, March 22nd! He weighed 8 pounds 4 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long!

We are so thrilled that Connor is finally here! I wanted to make sure I wrote down his birth story soon so that I would not forget all the details! Sorry in advance for the length of this post! Here is what happened on Connor's birthday!

I had my weekly appointment scheduled for Monday, March 21st at 1:00. Since I was already dilated 3 1/2 cm the week before and had been having contractions all weekend I was hopeful that I would be dilated enough at my appointment that I would be sent to the hospital! My mom came over that morning and we planned to go to lunch and then for her to watch Mason while I went to my appointment. At about 11 that morning I went upstairs to finish packing my hospital bag and throw a few things in for Jared just in case my wish came true and we were sent to the hospital. Literally the minute I got upstairs I started having a really sharp pain in my left side followed by what seemed to be a strong contraction. Since I had been having Braxton Hicks for so long and so frequently I wasn't sure whether or not to take the pains seriously though. I continued to pack but after 30 minutes was still feeling the same way. I called Jared to tell him that this time I really thought maybe this was the beginning of something. The poor guy had heard this so many times over the past week I am sure he did not believe me though! I went downstairs to tell my mom too and decided I would just call my OB and see if I could come a little early to my appointment just to make sure everything was okay. I called and they told me to go straight to labor and delivery instead! Hoping this truly was the real thing we finished packing everything up and my mom, Mason and I headed to the hospital.

Jared met us there and once we checked in a nurse came a got us to take us to a delivery room. By this point I really felt like I was in labor. I was having contractions that were really frequent and totally different than any I had felt before. She told me that they would check to see how dilated I was then would wait an hour and a half to check again and I needed to have changed one centimeter at least. They also told me that since I was 37 weeks, they were not going to be able to help speed anything along and my body would have to do this on its own. When the nurse checked me, I was 4 centimeters and she confirmed I was having contractions every 2-3 minutes. After this we waited the hour and a half to be checked again. Long story short, after checking me two additional times I still had not made progress. I was starting to get discouraged because I knew I was in labor and these contractions were real but I didn't think they were going to let me stay at the hospital. After waiting five hours, I had finally reached 6 centimeters and we were officially told that this was it!

At this point I thought things would all be downhill and that Connor would be born that night! I went ahead and got the epidural and waited for things to happen hopefully fast. Things didn't exactly go as planned and I stayed at 6 cm for the next 10 hours! Thank goodness for the epidural because while the process was slow I at least wasn't in pain! At 4 am when I hadn't made progress they started me on pitocin. I remember my nurse telling me at this point things would really pick up and that most likely I would be having Connor before her shift was over! Things happened so fast at that point that the next thing I knew I was 10 cm and they were calling my dr so that I could start pushing! My doctor came and broke my water and confirmed that Connor was in the correct position for delivery! This was great news because Mason was "sunny side up" or face first and it made the pushing a lot more difficult. For whatever reason though by this time, I could really feel my contractions, and it seemed like the epidural had really worn off.

I started pushing at 7:00 and remember thinking it would probably only be a few minutes or so until he was out. Almost an hour later I was still pushing! The pushing was a lot worse than I remember with Mason. I could feel everything and it just seemed so exhausting. I'm sure the fact that I hadn't had food in the last 24 hours wasn't helping either! I remember at one point looking over at Jared and informing him that we definitely would not be having a third child! Haha...the jury is still out on that one now but seeing Connor definitely helped me forget about the pain. Finally after almost an hour of pushing, Connor was born at 7:56 am! I remember immediately everyone commenting about how much hair he had! Right away, they put him on my chest and I was crying and just so happy that he was healthy! He weighed 8 lbs 4 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long! Thank goodness he was early!! My doctor said that if I had gone full term he would have been around 9 1/2 pounds. She too was so thankful he came when he did!

We spent the next few minutes loving on our new little boy then our families came in to meet him! Seeing Mason meet Connor was the sweetest moment! I had worried that the entire experience would just be overwhelming for him and that he would be scared but he handled it great! He immediately said "Hi Connor!" and gave him a hug and a kiss! I can't wait to watch these two grow up together and become best little buddies! We spent Tuesday night in the hospital and since everyone was doing well we were allowed to go home Wednesday! Here are some pictures from Connor's Birthday!

Mason and Presley

Mason had a park "date" with Presley today. Its so cute to look back at pictures of these two over the last 22 months. They have been friends since they were born and have so much fun playing together.

They wanted to hold hands while they went down the slide:

"Here's a flower Presley!"

"Thanks for being my girlfriend!"

I've had something planned every day this week and am trying to stay busy since I know we will be confined to the house for a few weeks once Connor decides to arrive! Speaking of Connor, I had an appointment on Monday and am now 3 1/2 centimeters! Its crazy to me that when my water broke with Mason and I went into labor I was only 1 centimeter! My dr. thinks that he could be born any day now so I definitely feel like a ticking time bomb wondering when it is going to happen! We are hoping to meet our little man soon!

Connor Update!

I can't believe that we are already preparing for little Connor's arrival! I will be 36 weeks on Wednesday and as of right now I am 2 centimeters dilated, 50% effaced and he is at a -1 station. I've been having tons of contractions which have seemed to be Braxton Hicks but are starting to really increase in intensity. I went ahead and scheduled an induction for the last week of March but my Dr. seemed pretty confident I would go before that! She also said that she wouldn't do anything to stop labor at this point! I would definitely prefer for him to make it until 37 weeks though! I'm secretly hoping for a St. Patty's day baby (March 17th!) Today I picked up some cute pj's for the hospital and also a gift for Mason to give Connor and a gift for Connor to give Mason. I've heard that really helps the older child feel included so I'm hoping it works! I'm planning to pack my hospital bag too, just in case! My next appointment is next Monday so I will keep everyone updated!

What a nice surprise!

One nice thing about having another boy is that I have SO much I can reuse. I saved all of Mason's clothes and they will even be the same season that Connor will wear them! With that said, I definitely didn't expect a shower for this time around. My sweet playgroup friends Amy and Elaina decided that they wanted to throw a "sprinkle" (smaller shower for your second baby) though for Shannon, another pregnant mommy in our group. and me. I was thinking it would be nice to get a few diapers and wipes to have on hand for Connor's arrival and definitely did not expect them to go as all out as they did! Thanks to the sweet and generous moms in our group we had an amazing cake, a super cute diaper wreath and cake, and so many wonderful and useful gifts! It was such a nice sprinkle and such a sweet surprise! Here's a few pictures from the day:

The adorable cake!

The diaper wreath! I can't wait to hang this on the door at the hospital!

Shannon (who is due in May) and me

With Elaina and Amy- the sweet hostesses!

All the pregnant mommies in our playgroup! Its crazy how many there are and we are even missing a couple people in this picture!

Attempts at a group shot of all the kids...haha

Mason with his two of his best buds Carter and Gavin:

Such a fun day!

Boys will be boys!

Our playgroup had a pajama playdate last week and Mason and his best buddy Carter had tons of fun playing in Carter's tent. These two little guys are so cute together that I had to get it on video. Oh and please ignore Mason's too tight pj's and his shoes that he insisted on wearing with them!