Milestones

I am constantly struck, these days, by how continually life changes.  For example, I am a total night owl.  I would rather stay up until 1 or 2, then sleep in the next morning.  But tonight, I am forcing myself to stay up until 10 pm so I can feed Emma one more time.  FORCING!!  It doesn't seem all that long ago that I was pulling all nighters with my girlfriends, or Jake and I were talking on the phone through the night.  And now...well, let's just say night time is the hardest time to love being a mom :)  I am trying to do my best to cherish every moment I have with my kids.  But does it really have to come at 12:30...and 2:30...and 4:45...and again at 6:30??  (These are all AMs, by the way).

But the days just keep on ticking by, and my kids keep getting older and older!  Calvin is becoming more of a little boy every day and it is amazing to watch him develop and learn things.  Today he was tracing letters I wrote out for him.  And he is saying new words all the time.  Things like "absolutely" and "perhaps".  Words that when said in a sweet little two year old voice make your heart absolutely melt.  And today was a BIG milestone!  We had a poop in the potty!!  We've had poops in the potty before, but this was the first time Calvin told me he needed to go.  It was a BIG day in the Eschbach household.  And yes, I am cracking myself up over the fact that I am SO excited over a poop in the potty. 

Calvin showing off his treat for the big poop :)

How crazy cute is this kid?

 

 

And in Emma news...she is four months old already!  She is so, so close to rolling over...if only that darn arm would get out of the way!  We call her the squack box because she is constantly chatting, and making sure her opinion is heard.  She's still pretty unpredictable and we've had a hard time getting on a good schedule.  Sometimes her naps only last about 45 minutes and sometimes she sleeps 2 1/2 hours.  She went through a good couple weeks of sleeping through most of the night, but she's back to waking up every couple hours.  She's still sleeping in our room, so it makes for some pretty long nights.  We love her to bits though, and we love what she has added to our family. 

 



How sweet is this angel face?

She'll be rolling in no time!

Reunion

Throughout our married life, we have been blessed with some amazing friendships.  It is always fun to have friends who are in the same stage of life as you are.  Newlywed friends who want to stay up late playing games because we all have nothing to do the next morning but catch up on sleep.  And in this stage of life, it is such a blessing to have other young families to provide encouragement, and who don't mind getting together for dinner at 4:30 so we can all be home and have the kiddos in bed by 7.  My how things have changed! 
I have shared before about the wonderful gals I shared a small group with, beginning when I was pregnant with Calvin.  My dear friend Julie was part of that group until she and her family moved back down to Houston, Texas, where they were originally from.  This last week, they were able to come back up here for a visit and it was SO MUCH FUN to get all of our kids together. 

Here's a little progression of how our group has changed over the years...

We were missing Jen's baby girl, Kyrie, who was still napping

 

 

Eight kids later and it is still such a blessing to be connected with these girls.  Of course, our time together has changed drastically.  We aren't able to get together nearly as often as we used to.  And when we do, you can imagine it is a little bit chaotic.  But the memories we will forever share of this incredible time in our lives are such treasures.  

Bad Blogger

So it's official...I'm a bad blogger!!  I often think about things I want to blog, but never get around to it.  I love reading other people's blogs, and staying up to date on their lives.  And I think there are at least a few people who read this, and I love keeping friends and family updated on our lives.  So I will continue to try, but I apologize for the long stretches of silence that can be found here. 

Nothing monumental is currently happening in the Eschbach household, we are just enjoying the days as they come.  Sometimes I am really thankful during seasons like this, where there doesn't seem to be much change.  Even though there are things in our lives that could improve, or make life easier, I am thankful for peace and predictability.  I also am learning that those seasons should be cherished, because they often don't last long!  Every day is a journey as I am trying to seek after the Lord's will in every aspect of my life.  In my role as a wife and homemaker, a fun mom and a mom who disciplines her children with love and grace, a friend, a daughter, and so many other roles God has blessed me to be in.  It has been my prayer lately to find joy in even the most mundane of days and cherish every moment. 

We have had some pretty fun times lately.  We were able to get away for a week with Jake's folks, and travel as a family down to Palm Springs, CA.  On the way down, I was telling Jake that I would never want to live somewhere that's hot and sunny all the time.  And by the end of our first day, I was asking when we could move!  The weather was perfection.  Not too hot, but warm enough to be outside and enjoy the pool, wear flip flops, and drink iced americanos.  The resort was filled with grapefruit and lemon trees and we were free to pick as many as we could eat. We had fresh squeezed lemonade every day! 

Calvin and Emma could not have been more perfect travelers!  When we landed, the folks sitting in front of us on the plane stood up and were surprised to see two children sitting behind them.  And traveling with kids, although it comes with added stress, also comes with blessings.  People are much more gracious when you have a smiling three month old in your arms.  And traveling with grandma and grandpa is awesome!  I swear it is my mother-in-laws dream vacation to get to watch babies all day, and I was more than happy to fulfill her dream :)  We had a great, restful time as a family! 


How fabulous to spend January days in the sunshine! 

 
Isn't he handsome?  Hard to believe this summer we'll be celebrating our 5 year anniversary! 


How great of a life is this? 

A few cute Calvin stories from our trip...
*I joined Jake and Calvin in the pool and was informed that Cal had pointed to the rather large, older man at the other end of the pool and called him a bear.  As we were swimming around, he kept pointing at him, asking to "touch the bear".  Luckily, the man was far enough away I don't think we offended him. 
*Since it was warm and clear, we would go outside each night and look at the stars and moon.  After finding it, Cal would ask "hold the moon?"  So cute.  I love the two year old mind. 

If you ever need a little dose of craziness, you are welcome to spend a little time at our house.  I try to be organized and with it, but most days don't end up that way.  I love that I am able to spend my days at home with my kiddos and just go with the flow.  If the day goes according to plan, great.  If not, who are we trying to impress, anyway?  Are my kids on a consistent schedule?  No, but they seem okay with it. 

Enjoy the days! 

Emma's Arrival

Our sweet little girl decided to grace us with her presence on Tuesday, October 23.  We are overjoyed to welcome her into our family, and are loving getting to know her!  My labor experience with Emma was so incredibly different than with Calvin.  Everyone told me it would be, but I didn't want to get my hopes up, expecting a quicker and easier delivery.  I wanted to be realistic.  With Calvin, I was in labor for about 30 hours, from first feeling contractions to actually meeting him.  I was up for two nights, progressed super slowly, and was totally exhausted by the time I asked for an epidural, allowing me to rest. 

This time around was so different.  Tuesday morning, I was feeling a little crampy, but not wanting to get my hopes up.  I was still a few days before my due date, and I had already mentally prepared myself to be late.  Calvin and I went to our Tuesday morning Bible study like normal.  The crampiness continued, but remained really light. When Jake headed to work around 11 am, I told him I was feeling a little off and I'd keep him posted, but didn't think anything was going to happen.  By the time I put Calvin down for a nap around 12:30, I was starting to feel pain in my back, similar to what I'd felt when I went into labor last time.  I started feeling really cold, but my palms were sweating.  I called my mom and told her what I was feeling and she knew I was in labor.  Around 2:30, I called Jake to come home, and within half an hour, I was really having to breath through the contractions.  Jake's folks came to pick up Calvin and I could hardly talk to them. 

We arrived at the hospital around 3:30, and after throwing up in the lobby, I checked in at 4 cm.  Yahoo!!  Last time, they sent me home because I wasn't far enough along and I did not want that to happen again.  The contractions had gotten so intense, so fast, I knew I would need an epidural.  What a wise decision that was :)  Thank you Lord, for modern medicine, and for anesthesiologists! 

Me...in labor! 

I got my epidural around 5:30 and had already progressed to 6 cms since checking in...much faster than last time.  Oh epidurals are wonderful!  My pain was immediately gone, and I was able to have visitors while labor progressed...amazing!  My water broke around 8:45 and they said I was ready to push.  I pushed for a whopping 6 MINUTES and Emma was born at 9 pm on the dot!!  She weighed 7 lbs 10 oz and 20 1/4 inches long.  Piece of cake!  I can't believe how different of an experience it was...everyone was right :) 

Our first two weeks have had their ups and downs.  Emma ended up back in the hospital for two nights with jaundice.  We went through the same thing with Calvin, although we were a little surprised considering what a better eater Emma has been.  We had our two week check up today, though, and she is back up to her birth weight and the doctor (and I) was very pleased.  I think she is a bit colicy (sp?) and has some good, long crying sessions, but we're figuring that out, too :)  I was blessed to have Jake home for two weeks, and today has been my first day at home with both kiddos.  It has gone great!  Calvin has been wonderful with Emma, and a great helper for me.  He tests me a little extra while I'm nursing, but we're working on listening and obedience, as we will continue to do for years to come :) 

We are so glad Emma is finally here and we can start figuring out life as a family of four.  I am already looking forward to the weeks and months ahead when we can get out and about more...as opposed to being stuck to the couch nursing constantly.  But I am doing my best to cherish the moments with my teeny little girl, even when they are in the middle of the night and the little sweety is screaming bloody murder. 

 

 

 

 

 

Counting down the days

That's right folks...we are two weeks, a mere 14 days, away from my due date!!  It is all seeming very real that at any moment, our lives are going to change again with the addition of a sweet little girl.  Our house is full of pink, fluffy goodness and we are all so excited to meet our new addition whenever the Lord decides it is her time to come. 

How crazy adorable is this??  A sweet friend made it for my baby shower this past week. 

I have been praying the last few months for a better attitude this time around.  If you knew me when I was pregnant with Calvin, I was a beast at the end.  Irritable, uncomfortable, emotional, and just really miserable.  And not that those things aren't true this time around, I've just been much more conscious of how I deal with it.  Being pregnant with your first, there is a lot of opportunity to sit around and think about how miserable you feel, and get overly anxious towards the end.  This time around, I have a crazy little two year old to keep me occupied.  I've also worked hard...maybe a little too hard...to be "prepared".  Yes, I have the drawers stocked with clean baby clothes and blankets, hospital bags are packed.  But I also have a stocked freezer with dinners to last us a lifetime, and baked goods so it will still taste like fall even if I don't have the energy to bake :)  My family will be much better taken care of this time around :) 

Now, we can relax and enjoy these last days of just the three of us.  I am trying to soak up every sweet Calvin moment I can.  Thankfully, Jake will have time off work to give Cal some extra attention once the baby comes.  Overall, I think he is going to do great and cannot wait to hold his little sister! 

Can't wait to announce our little girl's arrival to the world...hopefully sooner rather than later!!  I'm due the 26th, but our AMAZING birth photographer is leaving town the 23rd.  So pray for a baby before the 22nd!!  I would hate to not have images like these this time around :

Birthdays and Big Boy Beds

We had such a fun time celebrating Calvin's birthday with family and friends.  Last year, I made such a big deal out of his birthday.  It wasn't anything huge or fancy, but we invited a ton of people and I fed them all...big mistake...don't feed people!  It was such a special time, but I spent the entire day up until the party completely stressed out, baking a cake and making 80+ homemade tortillas for a taco bar. 

This year, I wanted low key.  Besides, birthday parties at this age are more for the parents than they are for the kids, right?  Calvin won't remember if there were decorations, or what the cake tasted like, or any of the details that I let myself get stressed out about.  So this year, we did cupcakes in the park with family and some close friends.  Everyone brought their own picnic dinner and we had a great time chatting, laughing, and watching the kids play. 

Why is there a candle in my pancake??

 

Cal LOVES the splash park! 

 

Enjoying his birthday cupcake...and he now thinks everything that comes out of a muffin tin is birthday cake :) 

 

With Grandma E

 

With daddy and Papa K

 

Our little family

 

And in other news at the Eschbach home...Calvin is in a big boy bed!!  I was a little nervous about the transition, but we wanted to have him good and settled before the baby comes.  He'll be sharing a room with his little sister once she's a decent night sleeper.  He has never tried climbing out of his crib, to my great surprise, but we didn't want to have two cribs, so the transition was made.  He has done great!  He was so excited to "help" daddy build it, and sleeps like a champ in it!  He has been waking up earlier, and either starts shouting for us, or pounding on his door.  But through the night has been great!  I did shed a tear or two as I was tucking him in the first night...babies don't sleep in beds, big boys do...where did my baby go??

 



SOOO Excited!!

 

 

 

As of tomorrow, I am 34 weeks along with baby girl!  Crazy how fast time has flown, but we are starting to feel more and more prepared.  I feel as though I am going to be much better prepared this time.  Not just in the baby department, but with house cleaning, meal prep, things like that.  With Calvin,  I was working full time until a few weeks before he was born.  So while I did a lot around the house, homemaking wasn't my "job", like it is now.  I am loving getting freezer meals ready, working on some canning, and getting to sew some of my own projects.  It has been a very different experience, and we just can't wait to meet our little girl in a matter of weeks!!

 

 

Happy Birthday!

Our sweet little boy turned two last week, but today is birthday party day!  We'll be gathering with family and friends at Calvin's (and my) favorite park to celebrate.  Hopefully I'll remember to take some pictures and will share some of the fun :) 

 

Can't believe this sweet, smiley boy is two already!  The years have flown by and he has just been the joy of our lives.  He makes us laugh constantly and is so loving.  We are so excited to watch him welcome his new sister into our lives in just a few weeks.  He is going to be such a good helper, entertainer, and protector of his "tiny". 

We love you sweet boy!!