just a few quick ones of my little fat face enjoying sweet taters.
snapped a few quick ones of carter today. i cannot believe just how big he’s getting. and fast, too. he’s still eating, a lot. he’s enjoying baby food – well, sorta. all these new flavors have put his taste buds into overdrive. all in all though he chokes it down with a smile. he’s a very easy baby. much like parker. sleeps good. eats good. laughs and smiles all day everyday. i count my blessings each and every single day for him. i wouldn’t trade my life for the world.
enjoy. and yes, those blues eyes you see – all his. promise.
the picture says it all.
well. i finally busted out the play-doh. why? because. because we got 3″ of snow today and the entire city freaked out, shut down, sat in traffic, so on and so on. and because i don’t deal with the daily commute, myself and kiddos spent the entire day in our pajamas playing with play-doh. snow, feel free to stick around. i love the time i get with my children. it’s invaluable. especially the stay in our pajama snow type of days.
just a few pictures of my boys. i adore them to pieces.
yes. i do know christmas has come and gone. i have just been one busy wife. and mom. and photographer. so, just a few shots of the kiddos christmas morning. oh, and yes, they made out like bandits. literally. for anyone who knows me you know i am very ocd. i (almost) had an anxiety attack just looking at the mess. but, they are happy and that is all.that.matters.
went to breakfast with santa last weekend. now parker is not a big santa fan. we went to branson for thanksgiving and there was a santa in one of the shops. i spotted parker talking to him and i almost died. i could not get my camera fast enough. so, i thought that maybe, just maybe, i’d be able to get a halfway decent photo of my boys on santa’s lap. i was wrong. i also thought i’d get a shot of all the kids on santa’s lap. i was wrong. again.
in honor of someone’s first christmas (and some inspiration from my newest addiction, pinterest) i set up a little photoshoot last night with the littlest of reinholz boys.
feliz navidad.
happy halloween (a little late) from my monster to yours.
that’s what little boys are made of.
or so they say.
but one look at these little faces says otherwise.
today marks carter’s 6 week birthday. 6 weeks? insane. he is growing so fast right before my eyes. he is such a happy baby. smiles. coos. snuggles. and the best thing – he sleeps. a lot. at night. when i want to sleep. i’m talking in bed between 9p-10p and up between 7a-9a. it’s amazing. a-ma-zing.
parker is incredible. he is so smart. each day i find myself thinking “where did he learn that?” or “what did he just say?” he’s such a little boy. talking non-stop. carrying on conversations. playing soccer in the backyard. wrestling with daddy on the bed. he still adores his monster trucks. and with each day is a new (and funny) adventure with him. he is hands down one of the funniest people i know. the kid is a riot.
the newest addition to the reinholz clan is one month old. already. where does time go? i mean, really? where does it go? at one month i have already cried thinking about just how big he is getting. then of course i instantly begin thinking about him going off to kindergarten. his prom. his wedding. his babies. sigh.
i’m happy to say he is doing great. he is an easy baby. he’s also very happy. smiles a lot. coo’s a lot. and is very strong. he’s been holding his head up since he was born. he sleeps well – typically 3-5 hours at a time. and i think he is finally getting his days and nights figured out. he is a lot more awake and alert during the day. and the last two nights he’s slept 8+ hours. thank you baby jesus.
and finally, at his one month check-up he weighed in at 13.2lbs and 23.5″ and we were told he’s in the 99th percentile across the board. our big chunker.
as tradition has it, we attend the columbus day parade every year. this year was no different. same curb. same people. the only thing different this year was we had more babies in tow.
i’m sure you can see why i just HAD.TO.SHARE.
spent some quality family time at rombach farms over the weekend. it was a gorgeous day. probably one of the better days we’ve had this season. the place was filled with families, laughter, and the smell of fall. the kettle corn was poppin’ and the hot cider was boiling. this is hands down my favorite time of the year.
it was such an enjoyable day. i got to spend time with my family and my boys. parker rode a pony (i cried) and a tractor (i cried again). it was such a moment i will cherish for a lifetime. such a wonderful day with those i love and adore.
here’s a few shots of carter. i promise to have more soon. i can’t believe he’s almost one month already.
think i have my hands full? i do.
got outside with parker today for a few hours. the kid ran and ran and ran and well, he’s still running. i figured carter was down for the count for a few hours we may as well get out and enjoy the warm sunshine because it’s not going to last much longer. so i took the “dreaded camera” along and much to my surprise parker was asking me to “take picture”. so i did. enjoy.
he’s here. he finally made his debut. and early. bonus. today was my scheduled c-section, but instead carter is now 5 days old.
last wednesday night i began having contractions off and on. nothing consistent so i didn’t think much of it. for about an hour at a time they came and went at about 7 minutes apart. then they’d stop. then out of the blue they’d start again. then stop. you get the picture. the next morning i woke up and looked at doug and said “i just feel off”. the contractions had started around 8:00am and came 7 minutes apart and didn’t really stop. so i called my dr. and he sent me straight into the hospital to be checked out. off we went. well, after a shower. after i packed a bag. after we packed a bag for parker. after i grabbed a soda.after stopping to pay the car payments. ok. then we were off. contractions still coming full force. we arrived, were put in a room, i was checked and told “you’re not leaving. you’re in labor”.
my ob was contacted and he was in surgery. he said to try to slow my labor down and he would be there late afternoon to perform my c-section. i was then put into a labor and delivery room. this was at about 11:00am. doug ran down to the car to grab the camera, made a few phone calls and when he walked into my room it was flooded with doctors and nurses gearing me up to go into the or. my epidural was in and we were on our way. turns out my doctor wanted to make me a priority and stopped everything to come in and take care of me as soon as possible.
i remember being wheeled into the or. it seemed like yesterday that i was there having parker. the bright lights. the blue curtain. the sterile smell. and doug right by my side holding my hand. i didn’t feel a thing. before i knew it, it was over. doug stood up, looked over the sheet and then back at me and said “he’s here. he looks just like parker”. i instantly started to cry. then i saw him. his fat little face. his head full of hair. and my very proud husband and daddy taking pictures, rubbing carter’s head, holding his tiny hand. it was amazing.
during the delivery i remember hearing the doctors and nurses chatting about how big this baby was. one doctor even had to get up on the table and straddle me in order to get more leverage when tugging on carter. i heard comments like “look at those shoulders” and “holy christ”. did i mention carter weighed in at 10lbs 9ozs? the room was filled with joy and laughter and all kinds of talk about how big the reinholz baby was.
once out of recovery i was wheeled up to the nursery where i saw my parker. i came around the corner and when his eyes met mine he lit up like a light. “mommy!!!!”. my heart just melted and filled with joy at the same time. he told me over and over about “carter mohawk” being his baby brother. incase you’re wondering, when in the nursery, the nurse was giving carter a bath and spiked his hair up into a mohawk. parker thought it was just the coolest thing. we walked back into my room as a family of four. we got to spend time together, just the four of us, bonding as a new family. a moment i will never ever forget. my three boys.
i’m proud to say that at 1:01pm on september 22nd carter entered this world weighing 10lbs 9ozs and 21 1/4″ long. he is happy and healthy and has already brought so much joy into our lives. i cannot wait to see what the future holds for the reinholz clan, but i have a feeling it will be nothing but all the wonderful good this world has to offer.
today i am 38 weeks pregnant. 38 weeks. 38 WEEKS! i cannot believe it. i still can’t wrap my brain around the fact that any day now, literally, this child is going to enter the world. 2 weeks from yesterday is my scheduled c-section. i doubt i’m going to make it until the 27th. i hope not, but if i do then i will just continue to waddle, moan and groan. i can say in all honesty this has been a hard pregnancy. not medically speaking thankfully, just generally speaking. 7-8 months pregnant during one of the hottest summer’s st. louis has ever seen. braxton hicks all day everyday. sleeping 2-3 hours a night. very sore and swollen joints. a lot of these things i never dealt with when i was knocked up with parker, so it’s been a bit of a surprise during this pregnancy. again, i count my blessings that these are my “problems” because i understand fully it could always be worse.
with all of this said my bags are packed and ready to make the trip to the hospital. i’m not nearly as over-prepared as i was with parker. just a few things i want to take. with parker i packed as though i was never coming home. this time just some comfy pants and tops, basic toiletries and well, that’s it. doug is planning on spending as much time at the hospital as possible, but now with parker in the picture we are striving to keep him on a routine. which means that they will “visit mommy and baby” and go home for bed. plus, what 2 year old is going to hang out perfectly content in a hospital room all day everyday for four days? not mine. that’s for sure. there will be plenty of bonding time once we come home so i’m not sweating the small stuff.
all in all i find that i’m very calm about everything. the one thing i am anxious about is another c-section. something about cutting me in half and removing a human being from my body cavity is still hard to digest. not to mention the recovery is a b*tch. i have heard it is easier than the first c-section so i am praying that is the case.
38 weeks down. hopefully not much longer to go. send us some good ju-ju.
at week 37, your pregnancy is considered full term, meaning baby is likely to thrive after birth. baby spends these last weeks in preparation for the outside world… meaning careful refinement of the blink, suck, inhale and exhale. meconium, which you’ll probably find in the first diaper, is accumulating in the intestines. if (okay, as) you worry about giving birth, consider what it’s like for the little one. during the journey out of your womb, baby will produce more stress hormones than any other time in life.
today i celebrate my fourth wedding anniversary. my amazing husband and i have been best friends for over 17 years now. if you would have asked me on the first day of highschool if i’d marry that kid i would have looked at you like you were crazy. and now, i can’t picture my life without him.
babe,
you have given my life meaning. purpose. something worth living for. you have given me unconditional love and support through the thick and the thin. your patience and kindness are unmatched. with every single day that passes i find myself loving you more. i could have never, in a million years, picked such a man to spend the rest of my life with. i consider myself so fortunate to have you not only as my best friend, but as my husband and father of my child(ren). thank you for being the man that you are. you are truly what i live each day for. happy anniversary, babe. cheers to 4 years and a lifetime of gray hair, babies and adventures to come.
xoxo,
me
i am 32 weeks pregnant. 8 weeks to go. maybe less. i am trying to convince my doctor to take him 2 weeks early in order to have him on my mom’s birthday. he said he has no problem taking a baby at 38 weeks (i would be 38 and 3 days), but he needs to clear it with the hospital first. fingers crossed. parker was born on my mother-in-law’s birthday so we thought it would be it would be great if this one could come on my mom’s birthday.
and if you didn’t notice fellow st. louisian’s - it’s hot. really hot. the 100+ temps have puffed me up like a – well – a puffer fish. i am really uncomfortable these days. in fact, i slept on the couch last night because i was afraid the tossing and turning would keep my husband awake. i feel like i have swallowed a 25lb bowling ball that has sunk to the lowest part of my abdomen. this child also kicks (hard, very hard) non-stop. which, yes, is an amazing and wonderful thing, BUT there also comes a point when mama needs a breather. they say that at this point in my pregnancy the baby has established a sleeping pattern. wrong. this kid never sleeps. i swear. i am praying to baby jesus this is not an indication of what’s to come.
all in all it’s almost over. and while i am excited to meet him i am also sad that the kicking, the hiccups, the rolling, the tossing and turning will all be gone. i am also a tad bit sad that parker will no longer be my “baby”. while i cannot wait to begin this journey i am also sad that a chapter is closing on our little family of three. i am also not prepared to start all over again. yes, we have all the baby gear in the world already, but what i mean is the fact that we will begin rasing another tiny human being who wakes up every two hours all over again. is it sad that i already want him to be two? but like parker, it will all go by in the blink of an eye so i retract that last statement.
i cannot wait to meet the little man who i know is going to weigh at least 10lbs. 8 weeks and counting. pray for me.
30 weeks. today. wow. i can’t quite figure out if it’s flying by or dragging. there are days when it cannot go any faster (mostly because of the heat, the kankles, and the fact that carrying myself up the stairs causes me to become seriously winded) and there are days i want it to slow down (10 weeks to go people, that’s insane). all in all things are great. i’m progressing just fine. at my last doctor appointment i was up 4lbs. my belly is as hard as a rock (all baby).i’m having some braxton hicks here and there. oh, and i wound up having to do the 3 hour gestational diabetes test. that was awesome. thankfully i passed with flying colors. now, back to oreos and ho-ho’s.
and today parker put his hand on my belly and said “baby brother swimming”. yes parker. swimming. we’ll just go with that.
baby’s energy is surging, thanks to the formation of white fat deposits beneath the skin. (have those kicks and jabs to the ribs tipped you off yet?) baby is also settling into sleep and waking cycles, though — as you’ve also probably noticed — they don’t necessarily coincide with your own. also this month, all five senses are finally functional, and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments.
last friday we took the kids to the magic house for free friday fun. these days it’s been beyond hot, so letting them run, explore and laugh in the a/c was not only good for them, but good for the adults (sanity) too. i haven’t been to the magic house since i was probably 5 maybe 6 so i was looking forward to watching parker’s face light up in excitement. an entire space catered to kids. nothing they can break. everything can be touched. perfect. on your mark. get set. go.
we had a wonderful time. i’m hoping to make it a point to go back more often. 25 years is a tad too long to let go by.
enjoy.
had a little run-in with one of parker’s most favorite “people”. mater. how could i not snap some pictures?
Doug and I have been wanting to take a vacation before bambino #2 comes. Plus, we wanted to do something before it got too hot and I was too big and too swollen to even deal with the heat. Plus, we haven’t really had a family trip, just the three of us with Parker. So, on somewhat of a whim, we decided on Chicago, KC, or the Dells. After much consideration the Dells won out based on the simple fact that the trip was so kid friendly. Perfect. We made reservations at the Great Wolf Lodge, packed the car, and off we went. 6 hours later we were there.
We walked in and Parker went nuts. Tall ceilings flanked with antlers, animals and the smell of a waterpark floating in the air. It was amazing. This place had it all. Restaurants, spas, comfy beds, an ice cream parlor and more. We were given our waterpark bracelets and we were on our way. We walked through the large double doors and the 85 degree air hit us in our faces. We found a nice spot by the wave pool and set up camp. Parker wasn’t too sure of everything at first, but then again it was pretty overwhelming to all of us, but after a few minuets he took to it all like a guppy.
The entire trip was amazing. We shopped, we ate, we swam and swam some more. Parker enjoyed storytime and a cold treat every night. He even went down some pretty big slides as well as rode in a go-kart. I am so proud of the little man he is becoming. This was hands-down the best trip we’ve taken. I have some pretty amazing memories to hold on to. It’s no wonder I cried a little when we left.
Enjoy.
wanna see my big boy go down the slide? go here and here and see for yourself.
as always, go here to see more.
dear daddy,
i love you. i love you with all of my heart. i love everything about you. i love wrestling with you. i love when you hug me tight. i love when you kiss my boo boo’s. i love when you let me crawl into bed with you when i am scared. i love when you scratch my back. i love when you push me higher than mommy does on my swing. i love that you play hockey with me. i love when you cook me butter noodles. i love when you share your snowcone with me. i love that you let me watch cartoons instead of what you really want to watch. i love playing monster trucks with you. i love that you let me wear your hats. i love playing hide and go seek with you. i love going for bike rides with you. i love when you tickle me. i love that you fly a helicopter.
most of all daddy, i love you. i am so happy that you are my daddy. you are the best daddy in the whole wide world. i am so lucky to have you in my life. happy father’s day daddy.
xoxo,
parker
today marks 25 weeks down. 25. wow. i cannot believe how fast it’s going. i know i say that all the time, but it really is just flying by. i have gained 3lbs in the past month, but i was down 15lbs to start with. so i guess that would make me down 12lbs? i have officially popped. baby boy must be getting bigger i suppose. he is moving like crazy. lots of jabs and pokes and rolling, poking, kneading coming from within. all in all i feel good. some lower back pain, but nothing an ice pack can’t soothe.
let your spouse put an ear to your belly — he might be able to pick up baby’s heartbeat (no stethoscope required). inside the womb, the formation of tiny capillaries is giving baby a healthy pink glow. baby’s also soaking up your antibodies, getting the immune system ready for life outside the womb. eyes are forming, and baby will soon perfect the blink — perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes.
i took parker to a splash pond the other afternoon. it’s tucked away inside a local park. i actually never knew it existed. for the first time in a few days it was overcast and not as hot as it’s been. the pond was shaded by trees as well which always helps cool down the concrete on the kiddos toes. he was sporting his spongebob swim trunks and lightning mcqueen sandals (which he refused to take off). he was very hesitant at first, but with a little mommy prodding he took to it like a little guppy. for two hours he played with all the other kids. dunking his head in the cold water, splashing around, and squealing in delight. it’s times like these that make my heart break a little knowing they will not last forever. until then, i cherish these moments.
you wanna see just how much fun he was having? go here and here to see for yourself.
