Say Bye Bye Hernia!

I have hernia repair surgery scheduled for next Thursday November 5th. They say it is about a two week recovery time which means that if I go back after exactly two weeks it would be the day before Thanksgiving break. My school seems to feel that I will be coming back after Thanksgiving break (we get the whole week off). That means another whole month off. Not sure how I feel about this. I had psyched myself up for returning November 9th. This sort of makes me feel off balance and I will have to psych myself up all over again. The part of me that enjoys paying my mortgage is a little nervous. Hope my disability pays what they should for this! James and Brendan will be starting daycare full time on the day I was to resume working originally (if not a couple of days sooner). I literally will not know what to do with myself home alone. I will not be able to lift anything for a while so that is why they have to go. Sad. I think I will be pretty lonely without my boys. Maybe I can take that time and get some photo books designed. That could probably keep me pretty busy. Anywho, glad to get this thing fixed up although I am uneasy about it. I've had lots of surgeries and usually I am a champ at it. But since becoming a mother the whole thing makes me a nervous wreck. It's just different now. I actually told Daniel last night that I had changed my mind and that I could just live with it. He told me no way jose! I know he is right, but I am scared. So next week, please think of me and send up some prayers for me. Although totally unrelated to this post, I am including a rather random collection of photos I've taken lately. Enjoy!

Alright, Alright, They're Bebras!

So, call me crazy, but I am pretty sure that I passed "Identifying Safari Animals 101". However, James, my 21 month old animal expert is just completely sure that this is a zebra. Which he pronounces bebra. Since we have had a lot of zoo trips lately, and because he has a safari room and safari themed bathroom we encounter these magnificent creatures quite often. After many "lectures" from James including visual aids and great voice intonation (so what if I can't understand most of the words), I am here to inform you all, that I give up on this one. This my friends is in fact a bebra! Hey. Whatever works!

Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere

So in the continuing pursuit of a fabulous Fall, our outing this weekend was to somewhere you can only go in October....the Pumpkin Patch! Wish I could say it was all good fun, but the genius parents that we are, we took the boys this afternoon straight from church. Note to self for next year: pumpkin patches are not 100% fun if you visit them with a toddler who has not had a nap. I am pretty sure we were those people that other people wish would just go home and read a parenting book. But I digress. James did seem to enjoy himself between tantrums and we got not only one but two pumpkins. In addition to the pumpkins, Daniel and I got headaches. Those were free. The pumpkins cost $18. I am sure that today was the kind of day I will look back on and laugh at later. I think it is going to have to be much later! :-) Anyhow, enjoy some pictures from our adventure!

October, you rock!

As far as seasons go, fall has got be my favorite. With the cooler weather it is really nice to be able to venture back outside. And all the special things to do in the fall make for some special memories when you have little ones around. What a fun month this has been so far! We still look forward to the Pumpkin Patch, Houston Sip and See, Halloween and Brendan's Baptism. Yesterday we celebrated Jack's (Kelli and Joe's son) second birthday at his birthday party.Today we are going to the State Fair. CANNOT WAIT! So this is a busy weekend for us. Here are a few pictures I have captured around the house in the last couple of weeks. As you can see, this house is full of wonder and love. I stop about twenty times a day and give thanks for this family and these moments.....
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Brendan's 2 Month Well Baby Visit

We took Brendan for his check up today and here are his stats:
Weight: 11 lbs 7 oz (50th percentile)
Length: 23.75 inches (75th percentile)
Head Circumference: 16.25 inches (75th percentile)

He got a great check up and was such a little doll during the exam! He was so calm and sweet.....he just cooed and flashed his great grin at the doctor. He received two immunizations today and only cried for one. What a champ!

I noticed that Brendan had only gained 6 oz in the last month and the doctor said that right now he is "slow to gain". She is not worried about his current size at all, just that he has gained less than half a pound in a month. He is still nursing exclusively and the doctor wants me to stick with it without supplementation. We will go back in one month for a weight check and go from there.

One other thing is that Sweet B has an umbilical hernia (just like mommy!). It is pretty large but we are going to keep an eye on it. Most heal up by the second birthday. Doc says that it is not painful like one in an adult. If he doesn't close up by his second birthday it might require surgical repair but we feel pretty confident it will fix itself over time.

James went along and got his flu shot. Poor thing! He hated it! I treated him to a sugar cookie after we left the doctor's. We are giving the kiddos tylenol and rubbing their little legs. Oh the things we have to do to keep our babies safe!

A little rain? So what!

Today we went to Fidelity's Site Appreciation Day at Circle R Ranch. Even though it was pretty yucky out were still able to do some cool stuff. Our friends the Merrills came with us. It is neat that James and his buddy Jack are old enough to have fun at these kind of events now. Last year James had to stay in his stroller the whole time. What a difference a year makes! Daniel and I LOVE taking J and B out for fun days. I am not sure who enjoys them more, us or them! What fun it will be when Brendan can join in!

At the ranch, James rode on a pony, went on a little ride inside these barrel things, tried out a bounce house, played with bubbles from a bubble machine, and had a snocone and popcorn for the first time. Brendan was a good sport and was very good the whole time. We kept him snug and warm in our awesome BOB duallie stroller. Love that stroller!

lucky me.....

Today I have been hanging out with my boys! We have been having so much fun! Being home alone (gasp!) with both of them used to seem like a daunting task. How would I ever do it? Would James get jealous? Would he choose not to cooperate at the most crucial of times? Would Brendan cry while I had my hands full? Well the answers to these questions are yes, yes and yes! But little did I know that before long we would develop a schedule that works for us. It is getting easier even though some days are just plain hard. Running things on a schedule sounds rigid but planning and routine are the name of the game at the Duffy house. Good news is that toddlers LOVE routine. It allows us to all hang out together and for each of my kiddos to get their own special one on one time. Once I go back to work we will have to tweak it. But as Ginger (also known as Super Mom) reminded me, mothers have to take up the Boy Scout motto and "Be Prepared!". The fact that James is a MARVELOUS big brother helps. Jealous moments are few and far between I am glad to say. Brendan wins Baby of the Year Award and makes mothering two so much easier than I know it could be. There are still those days (ok, most days!) where I wait to hear the sound of the garage door opening (reinforcements have arrived!) but must admit that this fleeting alone time with my sons is a gift I treasure.

J and B are both sound asleep now so I am taking a few minutes to upload some pictures I took today. I know I have said this before, but I wish I could just freeze time. They are growing way too fast. James will be two before I know it and Brendan is almost 2 months old. Here is how we spent our morning:

We colored...


We played in the playroom...



We just hung out together....



and we made cookies!