A note to my first born...

Dear James,
So today is your last Friday as an only child. I can't believe you will be becoming a big brother in a few days. Of course, we are so excited to meet the baby, but I have mixed emotions about you losing your spot in the limelight. I feel little pangs of guilt now and then knowing you will have to share the attention. I guess that is normal for moms. I hope you adjust well. I hope you still know that you are my special boy. You are such a sweet little doll of a thing and I could not love you more. Being your momma has been the best experience and it made me want to grow our family!

I wanted you to have a sibling because I feel that it is really important and I think that you and your brother will have a wonderful time growing up. Daddy and I cannot wait to watch you play together and take you on adventures, like vacations and camping. We can't wait to see you riding bikes together and falling asleep next to each other, my two sweet cherub faces turned into each others in the comfort or deep sleep. We can't wait to see you both tearing into Christmas presents and getting all dirty and grass-stained at baseball games. We know you will fight and argue, but we know you will form a strong and unbreakable bond. You will have someone to share childhood with, someone to go through life with. I am hoping and praying that you become best friends over time. I hope you make amazing memories together. I never had a brother or a sister and even though my life has been WONDERFUL, I think that people should have siblings and I wanted that for you more than anything.

Today you are in the best mood and such a little cuddle bug. I feel in my heart that you understand something big is underway. It is as if you know that I am tired and need to rest. You are willing to settle for playtime with me on the couch under the blanket. You are trying to read me books instead of the other way around. Every now and then you lean over an put your head on me, your version of a hug. You keep patting my stomach and calling it "booooon", your word for "balloon". You LOVE balloons and Daddy and I keep telling you that it is not really a balloon, but instead your baby brother. We have tried explaining to you that your baby brother will be coming to live here next week. We have read you a book about becoming a big brother and showed you where the baby will sleep.


I have read many things on how to help an older sibling adjust to a new baby. I have tried to follow the advice so the transition is easier on you. One thing we have done is to get you some new toys, books and videos that you will get whenever I am in the hospital and then bring the new baby home. You will get to play with the new things while I am feeding the baby or when people come over to visit the baby. I know that I will be exhausted and overwhelmed at first, but I PROMISE to take time every single day to make you feel as special and as loved as you are, just me and you.


No matter what, you will always be my baby too. I will always have room in my heart and my lap for my first baby, my special baby, my baby that first made me a mother. And made me love it.

I love you forever.
Momma

This is the way we brush our teeth, brush our teeth......

James LOVES to brush his teeth! The only problem we have is that he is not the most effective brusher and he gets REALLY mad if we try to brush for him. To make up for it, we let him brush his teeth 3 or 4 times a day. Here are a couple of shots of our big boy being independent.

The Latest at Our House

So yesterday, I was one week from my labor induction date and I felt sick, really sick. Daniel and I had been out running errands and trying to take care of last minute things since we had a babysitter and would not have childcare again until after Brendan is born. We went on one last "date day" and went to lots of places to get things we needed to get. But the whole day I was feeling so bad, like I just wanted to crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head. Last night I decided to go to one of those Urgent Care places in the evening so I could go alone and not have to drag James with me. I have had to take him to the doctor with me and it was not fun at all. So I get to the clinic and wait and then find out that I have tonsilitis, an ear infection, a sinus infection and strep throat. YUCK! All I could think of was how sick I was with bronchitis when James was born and how much harder it made everything. I was also thinking, wow this kid wants to be just like his big brother and make his debut while his poor mom feels like crap! I got some medicine and after okaying it with my OB, I started it today. Even though they okayed it, I have opted not to take the steroids prescribed for the inflammation because it could potentially interfere with breast feeding once B is born.

So even though I end up getting sick at the worst possible time, I really have to count my blessings. I still have a week to get better and my dad came to take care of me. Daniel has to work and I honestly am not up to the task of caring for James. Being sick so close to my due date in the middle of summer is taking its toll on me. Everything hurts! But my dad came to the rescue! I don't think it matters how old you get, it always feels great to know you can make one phone call and know that your parent will come running to take care of you. My wonderful dad got up at 3:30am this morning and drove up to Fort Worth from Houston. He watched James, and went to the grocery store (with James) and made me homemade chicken soup. Is that a great dad or what? He is staying the whole weekend to help me so that I am able to sleep a lot and rest. My blood pressure is elevated from being sick and I am supposed to take it really easy. My dad being here has allowed me to relax and I could not appreciate it more.

James is just being the sweetest thing giving lots of hugs and cuddles. He had a difficult weekend and was very grouchy. I think he might have actually been under the weather or just experiencing really bad teething pains, because he was MEGA GROUCH! He is back to his sweet self and I am so glad. I hate seeing him out of sorts. It is really pitiful and can be really overwhelming to deal with his tantrums. He really can throw some major ones sometimes! But anyway, he seems to be back to normal and is being great for my dad.

Well, I better head off to bed. I need to be getting all the rest I can now before our baby makes his debut. I CANNOT WAIT TO MEET HIM AND HOLD HIM IN MY ARMS! The anticipation is so great I can't put it into words.

Six Word Saturday

We are ready to meet Brendan!

Running Out of Room!!!!

35 weeks pregnant....but Brendan didn't get the memo! Last week his body was measuring 36 weeks and his head was already measuring 39 weeks! YIKES!

Ta-Da!!!! The New Nursery!

So here is the new nursery at the Duffy house! We love the way it turned out. Daniel worked so hard painting the room and I could not imagine a more perfect room for Brendan.

Happy 4th of July!

What a wonderful 4th of July! We got to spend it with Nana and Granddaddy! Some of the highlights: a daytime date for Daniel and I, and then grilling out and swimming for the whole family, and we finished it up watching beautiful fireworks! The favorite part of the day for James was eating his flag cake. James is REALLY into flags! He gets soooo excited whenever he seems them and he calls out "flag". So needless to say, today was an awesome day for him with flags everywhere! We are so grateful for our freedom and for this truly amazing country we get to call home. There is no place else like it in the world and no place better for making memories.

Just Because I think He's the Sweetest.....

The Spoon

Last weekend when Nana and Granddaddy were here, Granddaddy let James help him in the kitchen. Ever since, James has been having so much fun stirring everything in sight with spoons. He will stir up his imaginary mixtures, blow on them like they are hot and pretend to taste them. He will even bring us "tastes"! It is so sweet. Well now he thinks that you eat with a big spoon so I snapped these pictures this morning while he was trying to place blueberries on this huge spoon and manage to get it into his mouth. Priceless!