Two under two

I'm so proud to announce that we have a new addition to the family! Cohen Grant was born on August 20th at 4:04pm. He weighed in at 7 lbs, 4 oz and 21 inches long. I had this grand idea to make sure and document my labor and delivery with this baby so that I wouldn't forget anything. You find yourself forgetting little details as they get older. Well... the contractions came on hard and strong and so the details quickly became little bullet notes of a few words. Haha! So here's the grand story....

(I was induced 5 days early)
- Called the hospital at 6am and they bumped the induction back to 10am
- Left the house at 9:20am and got a call from the nurse that they were ready for me
- Arrived at the hospital at 10am (room 1336), met with Dr. Cobb
- Started IV fluids at 11:00am
- Started pitosin at 11:25am
- Contractions started 2 minutes later
- Broke my water at 12:54pm
- Epidural at 2:15pm
- Started pushing at 3:55pm
- Born at 4:04pm


See, wasn't that so grand and detailed? Oh well... I got all the majors. :) He is a precious little boy with a head full of beautiful dark hair. And Noah has been just precious with him! I love these boys more than words can express!

Well, life with two little ones has proved to have its challenges. I feel like I'm constantly weighing whose needs are more pressing at the moment. Let's be honest... they both need you... all the time. Or so it seems. :) So these are the situations that I weigh throughout my day, in case you were wondering:
What's more important? ...
* The hungry baby.. or the toddler on the kitchen table
* The baby who just spit up everywhere, or Noah pulling the milk out of the fridge
* Cohen's explosive diaper, or Noah putting all of our movies in the oven

You see my dilemma :)

Life with a toddler seems more challenging to me at the moment than life with a newborn. Perhaps because it's uncharted territory. If you've never had a 2 year old or you've forgotten what it's like... Let me refresh your memory. They get frustrated easily because for a year and a half we have adored every little thing they do. Now they are exploring the world around them and are experiencing limits/boundaries and the word, "no" quite often. And you can't reason with them... ever. Don't. Even. Try! Haha. They don't understand that you're trying to protect them. All they hear is "No". There is no rational thought behind their frustrations because, let's face it, they are still babies and they don't quite understand. Here is a glimpse into my reality these days...

*Noah's wants to play trains
*Noah's wants you to play with him
*Noah's upset because you're not playing the right way
*Noah's upset because you're laughing at him
*Noah's upset because in his frustration he pulled apart the train tracks
*Now Noah's upset because he's in time out :)

Before I make my sweet little boy seem angry all the time... Let me show you another example. Sometimes the problem is that he wants something he can't have or can't have right away. And he never understands why. Can I get a witness? It goes something like this...

*Noah's hungry
*Noah wants potatoes
*You start cooking the potatoes
*Noah's upset because he wants to eat them NOW
*Noah's upset because you told him to wait (apparently that's an awful word)
*Noah's excited because you just took the potatoes out of the oven
*Noah's upset because you just told him the potatoes have to cool off first
*Noah's screaming because he just put a flaming hot potato in his mouth
*Noah doesn't want potatoes anymore

Haha. If you're laughing it's because you've experienced this situation or something very similar with a toddler. It's a phase... they will outgrow it. That's what I keep telling myself. And he's just so stinking sweet at other times that it makes up for it. He is a precious boy with the most vibrant personality. He constantly keeps me laughing. And to give him (and all other 2 year olds) credit... I'd be upset too if you took away my passy/bottle, told me to go potty on a cold giant toilet, put me in a toddler bed and had another baby. This is a huge time of transition and change for them. Moms... show them grace and love! (But still discipline their tantrums of course)

On a more serious note... This week has been especially hard because we are all battling colds. Nothing is harder than having sick babies and being sick yourself. Having little ones is busy and taxing at times but it's precious. No one has it all together and every kid is different. As moms, we're all trying to figure out how to get a shower on any given day and I'm sure we can learn a lot from each other. And I know that what we are doing has more value than we may know this side of heaven. That it's so much more than wiping noses and bottoms and doing laundry and cuddling those crying little ones. I want to encourage you moms out there with a quote I read this week:
"Your greatest contribution to the Kingdom of God may not be something you do, but someone you raise." - Andy Stanley

During my pregnancy with Cohen, this verse was on my mind a lot.
"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart."- Jeremiah 1:5

You never know what God is going to do in and through your children. Today's society tells us that children are a burden. That kids alter your way of life.. your finances, your body, your marriage, your career, ect. That's not what the Bible says. In fact it says, "Sons are a heritage from the Lord. Children a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them."- Psalm 127:3-5

So today and every day I'm feeling extremely blessed by the hand of Almighty God and honored that he entrusted me with these precious lives. I am praying that Noah and Cohen would be valiant warriors for the Kingdom of God. So be encouraged today dear moms out there. You don't labor in vain. My prayer is that we are raising followers of Jesus Christ. That He has set our children apart for something great! We are serving not just our children, but the Lord! What an honor and a privilege!