Goodbye, Glendale!

Three years and two months ago, Ryan and I walked away from our first home together.  Little did we know it was a bad time to buy since the housing market would come crashing down soon after we married and bought that house!  I was about 9 weeks pregnant with Connor, and we packed up the house with the help of good friends and moved a couple miles away into Ryan's childhood home.  Some might call it a rough start to a marriage, but we always seem to come out of those types of situations better than we started.  Tough decisions make us stronger.
So, when Ryan was offered a better opportunity amidst a rough economy, we had to think long and hard.  We agonized over which decision would lead to a better life for our children and for us.  The pros and cons list were equal, and we knew that we just had to follow our gut and take a leap of faith.  This lead to the decision to move to San Diego.  That was barely four weeks ago.  In that four weeks, we have made two trips out to San Diego, looked at numerous rental homes, signed a lease, and began packing.  Ryan started his new job last week, and we can't wait for him to come home tomorrow so we can begin this new chapter of our lives together. 
Over the years, we have had baby showers, wedding showers, birthday parties, Thanksgivings, Christmas's, Easters, and so many other celebrations.  We have been blessed to have a home that our family and friends have felt comfortable in.  After all, isn't that what a home is?
When we moved into this house, it was not for the long term.  We needed a little "in between" house-a place to rebuild.  I know that, but it still holds SO MANY special memories.   As I said, I was pregnant with Connor when we moved.  Ryan was working in Parker throughout the week, so when he came home on the weekends, I put him to work decorating the baby room.  We painted, updated outlets, put together the crib, put up sports decorations and I sat in that room and rocked and read to my unborn little man for hours.  I ate a big breakfast the morning he was born because I was headed to the hospital to be induced.  I remember Ryan and I sitting in silence that morning at our little round table because we knew our lives were about to change in a way neither of us could even imagine.  Three days later, we brought our little 7 lb 14 oz Connor James into our home and set him on the coffee table in his carseat.  He slept next to me in his pack and play for three weeks, and I loved nursing him in the middle of the night.  I spent hours feeding and rocking him while watching football, cried as he smiled for the first time, watched him sleep in his swing, and video taped him roll over for the first time.  He learned to crawl and pull himself up on our coffee table.  His favorite game was to crawl underneath it, and laughed hysterically while bouncing a ball under or over the table.  He laughed for the first time at the dogs jumping.  We planted a tree in the backyard to celebrate his birth.  He took his first steps from the couch, and practiced stepping and falling until he got it right the week before his first birthday.  He and I have walked countless times around the block.  First, with his little walker when he could only make it two houses down before I would have to pick him and the walking toy up and carry back to the house.  Now, he and I can walk the entire block, hand in hand talking about everything we see along the way.  Connor became a big brother in this house.  On his 15 month birthday, I looked at a positive pregnancy test, and told Ryan by asking him to put on the outfit I laid out for him.  The shirt said "Big Brother".  My belly grew yet again in this house.  I felt Brooke constantly.  I spent hours making her room "just right".  I went to AJ's for a raspberry hibiscus tea, and came home to start contractions.  Two days later, we brought 6 lb 7 oz Brooke home to this house (we noticed in our video that it was much messier than when we brought Connor home!).  Just like her brother, she spent three weeks with us in our room, and I made sure to really enjoy waking up to feed her.  Our sweet Brooke hasn't had as much time as Connor here, but she has already had so many firsts!  She was our stubborn one who didn't want to sleep through the night.  I went in many times to pick her up, rock and sing and feed her to sleep.  We would get up before the sun would come up and sleep out in the living room together in the La z Boy until Connor and Daddy got up. She learned to roll over, sit up, and crawl to her brother.  She has learned to stand and be brave enough to practice all day, falling and getting back up again.  They are learning to play together here.  They know their routine here.  More importantly, they have been LOVED here.  And although I know they will have memories to make in the new house, this was their first home, and I will remember such special memories as their first days on this Earth and how our family was made in this house. 
So, thank you Yucca house, for providing a place for my children to start their lives, and for the countless stories we have to share because of you. 

Monthly Updates

Well, time has certainly passed.  As you all know, we are in the process of moving to San Diego.  In 2 days! Yikes!  On my list of things to do in between packing 3 years worth of stuff was to update on Brooke and Connor, since it has been almost 3 months since Brooke's last update.  Luckily, I kept up pretty well in her monthly calendar, so I'll just recap here.  Since her 5 month mark, Brooke can now:

*sit up
*crawl using her right foot to push and drag her left leg
*pull herself up and stand on her own (this happened the day after she got crawling down!)
*crawls to her brother with lightning speed.  That's what got her crawling in the first place!
*eats food.  She skipped baby food altogether. It disgusted her!  I didn't even get to use my sister in law's fancy BabyCook because she was so grossed out by baby food!  So, we went straight to people food.  She has become a pro in the last 3 weeks and using her forefinger and thumb to pick up food. She loves it all, with some minor exceptions, which really depend on what day it is.  As long as other people are eating it, she wants it!
*plays with her brother.  Connor loves to throw an object, and then she crawls as fast as she can to get it before he does.  He always beats her, but it makes her laugh!  They also sit next to each other at the dinner table-Connor in his booster, and Brooke in her high chair.  He makes funny faces or sounds at her, and before you know it, they are giggling like crazy!  They'll do the same thing in the carseats.  It's so darn cute! 
*drink from a sippy cup.  She's gotten good at drinking her water!  Which has been great in this nasty heat!
*has her "big girl" carseat.  Britax in pink to match Connors.  Hers is a newer version though and seems bigger.  Oh well!
*take a real bath!  I even took her baby bath to Goodwill today, and didn't cry!




She is in 9 month clothes (and some of those don't fit!), size 3 diapers, sleeps through the night (7 pm to 6 am), takes two naps a day (9-11 am and 2-4 pm), *Yup, I'm a firm nap mom!  It took a little while to get her on this routine, but I was determined, and now she's a fantastic sleeper!* She grew 3 inches in 3 months, and she still has the cutes little chubby body.  She still has three rolls on her left leg, and two on her right.  Brooke still has 2 bottom teeth, even though I swear the top ones have been trying to come in for months!  She's pretty serious, but her brother can get her to smile and laugh just by lookin at her.  Other people have to try pretty hard to get a laugh out of her! She loves to swing, chew on anything she can (her favorites are toys at Rachel's and a little yellow frisbee here) and loves anything that makes noise.  She has the BEST smile in the morning when you go get her, and squeezes you tight like you are her favorite stuffed animal. :)  I love her more and more each and every day.  Her adorable little personality is starting to show through!


Connor is becoming more vocal now.  He is repeating things les and less, and starting to put together his own sentences!  He can and identify ALL of his letters and numbers through ten.  However, today, he counted all the way up to 17!  He was counting the buttons on the dishwasher and kept counting.  He didn't know I was listening until he got to 17, and then I think I scared him because I made such a big deal out of it!  He has so much going on in that smart head of his, and I think sometimes I forget that because of his verbal skills.  He is one smart cookie!  Last week, he was in trouble for knocking his cup on the ground from the table.  (My aunts and mom were over, but I still had to follow through!).  Once he finally picked up the darn cup, I told him to put it on the table.  He looked at me with his charming smile, and then started pointing out his head, feet, eyes, nose and then pointed them out on me as well.  By this point my family was laughing hysterically, and I had no choice but to join them!  He and I have been having some necessary "date" time.  He had been acting out a bit, so I thought he might need some special one-on-one attention.  (Any moms out there, or siblings for that matter, of two or more will understand that!).  I took him one day to Einstein's and we shared a bagel.  He was so sweet-standing right by me, holding my hand, giving me kisses and talking up a storm!  It was obvious that he just wanted a little TLC, without sissy to interrupt.  It reminded me that I need to do that more!  He is the most special little man, and I make sure to tell him that every single night.  He can turn a bad mood good just by his bright smile and eyes! 

Hopefully that gives everyone a quick update!  More to come soon.  I have to post about the move, and get some pictures out of the new place and our adventures to come!