growing up fast.

(picture courtesy of auntie m)
is it just me or did this boy grow up soooo fast in the past week?
everything about him just seems like a big boy and i can hardly stand it! his hands, feet, puppy dog eyes and all the rest seem to have grown at light speed now that there is an itty bitty in the house.
one of the hardest things about recovering from a c-section has been to not be able to play with and hold and cuddle with my #1. i already miss him so much and hope that he doesn't think he's been replaced.
good thing is owey happens to also be smitten with his baby brother. he just can't get enough of him and besides all the kisses and pokes (owen likes to point out henry's body parts) he also is super curious to watch diaper changes, feedings, and says "ba-by" in the cutest little voice when he hears henry cry.
oh how i love my life as a mom of 2 boys!

still...

after 4 years i...

still feel like the lucky one
still get giddy when i see you
still consider you my best friend
still know i'm a better person because of you
still look forward to many adventures
still love you like i loved you on that day (only more)
still can't wait for eternity
still sleep better next to you
still wake up happy next to you
still think you are perfect for me in every way
still admire the kind of husband and father you are
still dare to dream with you
still know on march 26th i made the most important and best decision of my life.
still love you madly.

happy anniversary, loverly.

oh henry!

our dear sweet henry randall entered this world in a much calmer fashion than his big brother did- and it seems his precious little personality is reflective of such...
thanks to my better half, you know most of the juice (thanks, love - isn't he sweet?) but i thought i'd give you a few more pictures and the details that only a girl can delight in.
after very little sleep from 2 anxious parents, clint and i strolled into the women's center in orem - fully prepared (well, as much as you can be) for a c-section and much fewer surprises than the first time around. i felt calm and grateful to have had that option to make things a little less chaotic and stressful around our house and get things in order. we spent a few hours waiting for the green light and in the meantime our parents arrived (along with big brother o) to take part in the big day and celebrate the arrival.

here is where i confess that i totally did my hair and makeup at 4:45 in the morning because i was not about to have pictures this time around as embarrassing and blackmail worthy as those of me after owen was born. i'm telling you. not cute. at all.

speaking of blackmail pictures, clint got dressed up like the marshmallow man while i got a big ole needle in my back and tried to remain calm as slowly my body became completely foreign to me. have you ever seen someone move your leg, but not felt it - at all?? it is pretty trippy. the anesthesiologist was also kind enough to let me know (after i was already numb - thank goodness) that the surgery right before mine hadn't gone so well - the spinal didn't really work and the poor chick basically felt the entire c-section. now there's a way to keep your patient calm and collected. note to any future anesthetists out there- don't EVER do that. luckilly, i was more fortunate that morning and did not feel the slicing and dicing, and what seemed like minutes later, we had our beautiful boy out safely into the world. i will spare you the yucky pictures and show you one of him after he was all cleaned up:


it was a bit of deja-vu really - different circumstances, but the same rush of overwhelming emotion- mostly deep and profound love- came over me. the tears began to flow as i realized our son had finally made it into our arms and that he was now and forever part of our little family. what gratitude and humility i felt to know that another angel had been sent to us and that it was our responsibility to raise him and love him and teach him who he is... what an awesome privilege!
here is where i get to meet him up close and personal for the first time:

do i look happy? i am . soooo happy.




my first impressions: he's white! he looked so much lighter than owen at first, but now he is darkening up a bit. other than that(and possible blue eyes??!?), he looks so much like his brother to me that i really get confused what year it is and who this kid is!

and then dad gets a turn:


there is nothing i love more than seeing the man that i love hold the baby that i love in such a tender way. my boys sure are lucky to have such a father...



and of course owey had to check him out:


he's not quite sure, but is getting used to the little guy.

i have always felt that henry would be a gentle giant in our family - one who brings peace and goodness, but a strong little guy as well. owen had such a distinct personality when he was born and so far henry has been suuuper mellow - boy am i glad!


some more pics just for fun:

see... i can be tough...

even though there are no pictures of me in a hospital bed, i did spend 4 days recovering in the hosptital. clint came as often as he could between class and homework and all of that craziness, and grammy brought owen a few times a day so i could get my owey fix and he could get to know his baby brother a little more.






we came home saturday afternoon and are now adjusting to life as a family of four. for as nervous as i was to be a mother of 2, i am genuinely thrilled to have these boys in my life. i know that there will be days that i will not feel up to the challenge, but for now i am so happy with the Lord's timing and His will for our family. grammy (my mom) will be here a few more days to help with o and then my sis will come to relieve her for a few more. after that the real adventures begin. any advice on how not to lift an 18 month old for 6 weeks?

owey loves to give kisses to henry- it melts my heart every time!


recovery is going well. painful, but well. it is hard for me to slow down as much as i need to, and i pay for it big time. the good thing is i know it will only get better and easier. phew.
last night clint and i were trying to express the different feelings we are having this time around becoming 2nd-time parents. it is amazing how much love you feel for someone you don't even know. we love owey so much, but we know owey so well and have spent every day with him for the last year and a half. we love henry so much- this perfect little stranger that we have welcomed into our home. our hearts are full of hopes and dreams for how his life will enrich ours and all around him, and we are extremely aware of how infinite a parent's capacity to love their children can be. we can't wait to get to know him more and to find out the missing pieces of our lives up to this point that he is sure to fill.
thanks for all of your well-wishes and heartfelt thoughts. we feel so blessed to be surrounded (even if you are far away) by so much love and goodness. we can't wait for you to meet baby henry!

To all our faithful readers,

I feel quite inadequate to write this post... see, I am not this blog's regular author whom you all know and love (or at least stalk). The wonderwoman that is this blog's main contributor is resting and recovering from something that she has now proven twice to be very good at; the fine art of brewing the cutest baby boys. Certainly this ability has nothing to do with dad for she possesses far more beauty to pass along. Dad supported of course, but she was (and always will be) the star of the show.

My wifey gave birth to Henry Randall Erickson via C-section at 8:17am on Wednesday morning, in the middle of a long line of other births that day (stereotypical Utah). Henry was 7lbs. 4ozs. and 20 inches long. He is happy and healthy and has lots of dark hair like owey, but his skin is a little lighter, and his eyes might be too. My Loverly (Jessica) did awesome and was feeling up to a short walk by that same evening. Owen isn’t sure what to make of the idea of little brother threatening his “attention monopoly”, but he can identify Henry’s eyes, ears, nose, and toes. Momma and the H-bomb should be home Friday or Saturday so you, the reader, will certainly get a first-hand account then (and hopefully some better picts). We love our two little boys and feel infinitely blessed! Thank you everyone for your thoughts, prayers, and well wishes.

Here is a picture of Henry only a few minutes old. (Owen De'ja vu?)

happy birth-day eve!

dear little one,
it's the day before your birth-day and i can't tell you how excited we are to meet you.
looking down at this big ol' belly of mine i can hardly believe that after all these months and all this anticipation, you are about to make your grand entrance into this world. i hope you are ready for the craziness that is being an erickson and that you are looking forward to getting to know your mom, dad, and brother (and the rest of the world that is waiting to know you).
i'm sure you're enjoying your last few hours of preparation - and we can't wait to feel of that spirit you are sure to bring with you straight from heaven.
we love you so much and anxiously await your arrival.



xoxo,
mom, dad, and big brother o.

the parable of lightning mcqueen

if you happen to not have a boy between the ages of 0 and... i don't know... 12? or you happen to think that subjecting your child to disney movies is of the devil or you've just never seen CARS, i'm sorry if i lose you here. just bear with me. or don't. your choice. whatever.
since i do have a son in the appropriate age range and since disney movies often save me my sanity, i have seen CARS approximately 5 bazillion times and know the darn thing backwards and forwards, word for word.
the other day i noticed myself doing something silly. there i stood folding laundry while o sat in the next room chillin with lightning mcqueen. i was rehearsing the movie line by line in my head (don't ask me why) when it got to the first turning point of the movie. one minute rascal flatts is singing 'life is a highway' and next thing you know some stupid show-off cars pull up next to mac and one thing leads to another and mcqueen ends up abandoned on a freeway in the middle of nowhere facing the wrong way!!! i found myself thinking - 'if those dumb cars would'a minded their own business,' and 'silly mac should have pulled over to rest,' and other alternatives that would have prevented lightning from ending up in radiator springs. stay with me. there's a point, i promise.
i'm pretty sure i'd thought these things every time i'd seen/heard/been in the presence of this movie, but the other day it hit me how dumb i am. duh. first of all, if mac had gotten his rest or if those ridiculous flashy cars had left him alone, the movie would've lasted about 15 minutes and would've been pretty lame. second, if lightning would not have ended up where he did, he wouldn't have met his best car friend, his car girlfriend, his car mentor, etc - AND he would not have learned that he was a cocky little booger and that there are more important things in life than winning.
why am i re-hashing this, you ask?
i am so prone to look at my life and wish it were something it is not. i tend to think 'if only we were done with school,' 'if only i didn't live in the snow,' 'if only such and such unpleasant event hadn't happened in my life,' etc. really though, how am i to know that all of those things, hard as they may be, are not the source of eventual blessings and happy-ever-afters? i can not see the end of my movie right now, but i am sure that those turning points are there for my benefit. at one point, being 25 and single seemed like a curse - but would i trade those feelings in and sacrifice finding someone who fits me so perfectly? and would i give up my precious boy to have been able to get pregnant easily and exactly according to MY time frame? heck-to-the-no. and although i can't really tell what is going to happen in the end and what crazy twists and turns my life will take (which hopefully will not include paving a road and going tractor tipping,) it all works out in the end. it always does! and that, my friends is the parable of lightning mcqueen. aren't you glad i shared?

thank you, friends.

you always know how to make a girl feel good about herself.
and no, i will not start a baby business- too much work! and it takes the love out of it for me. i really enjoy making things for my kids and for gifts, but beyond that it isn't very fun. thanks for the compliments though!

nesting.

nesting has taken a different shape this time around. since i was working full-time up until 2 weeks before owen was born, i was in a panic to get everything ready just in case he came early. i spent the first few days off scrubbing every surface of the house and doing more laundry than i'd ever done in my life. and then, when everything was baby-worthy, and he did not come early, i sat around bored out of my mind.
this go around, i have had NO desire to clean. maybe it's because i have a toddler and the second after i clean it will just be messy again. or maybe it's because i live in an OLD house and can't really tell a difference when the house is clean because it's just that dang old. or maybe it's because i hate cleaning anyways and cleaning when 8 1/2 months pregnant sounds worse than being hung upside down by my toenails when 8 1/2 months pregnant.

this time nesting has been much more enjoyable.

take a gander:


the goods: 1 yummy minky/flannel blanket, 2 receiving blankets, 4 burp cloths, 1 beanie, 2 pairs of booties, 1 onesie.


so, i may have gone a little overboard to make sure this little guy has some home-made goodies from his mama. i think it may be that i feel a little bad that he will live his entire life in hand-me-downs and although owen has his fair share of hand-me-downs from his cousins (thanks miq!) he at least had a shower and got some new things that were all his own. so, i figured i would have to put my creativity to use for #2 and hope he doesn't notice the spit-up stains on all his onesies.
anything else i should add to the stash?

tie-wearin.

my little boy looks like a little man now that he is a tie-wearing church goer. i guess it's time to grow up now that he's soooo big and goes to nursery all by himself (yes- a few weeks early- just in time to get him used to it before his whole world is turned upside down - aka- arrival of baby brother.) love that little man.

new arrival.

we are excited to announce our new arrival:

kenmore erickson
weight: heavy
height: just right
joined the family on february 28th, 2009

mom and dad are doing well and couldn't be prouder of the new little addition.
owen is adjusting well to the change (i.e. mom not standing in front of the sink doing dishes by hand for an hour every night and subsequently not complaining about her aching back and dry dish hands.) we look forward to many adventures with our little kenmore. we'll call him kenny for short.


hallelujiah!