The Blunt, Honest, Kinda Hilarious Truth about Motherhood...with 2!

A while back I did a post on the things I've learned since being a mother. I've learned A LOT since having Gabriel and I'm still learning more everyday. I've also found that life with 2 boys is quite different than life with 1. So here's the blunt, honest, kinda hilarious truth about motherhood with 2 boys:: 

1) If one is crying- the other one will most likely start to cry as well. I mean, really? This usually happens to me on car rides when Gabe is really tired. He'll start crying uncontrollably, wake Lincoln up, and then Lincoln starts crying as well. It's usually one of those moments where I just take a deep breath and deal until we can stop or we get home. 

2) Your oldest will take interest in the youngest one's toys. Yes, this is a fact... at least in this house it is. Gabe LOVES playing with all of Lincoln's things. His walker, rock n play sleeper, teethers, swing, bouncy seat... you name it, he loves it. Thank Goodness that boy doesn't weigh to much- so I don't have to worry about him breaking them! haha. 

3) God does have a sense of humor! :) I'm a firm believer that God does a sense of humor... I mean, he gave me 2 boys! haha. If you know me, you know I love ALL things girly... but God gave me these 2 boys and now I'm learning to love Cars, dirt, and playing outside. It's definitely interesting and there is never a dull moment. But I love every second of it. 

4) The youngest child will learn so much quicker than the first. I'm a firm believer that children learn by observing other children. Lincoln is already catching on to things so quickly- and I believe it is because he has his older bro to look up to.

5) Diaper changing will become more of a hobby-you'll just do it without thinking. Seriously, I probably change at least 10 diapers a day...probably more than that. Perhaps I should count how many I change in 1 day. It's crazy! And the craziest thing of it all?? My boys will always, always poop as soon as I change them. It NEVER fails! 

6) You will freak out anytime they are near any thing that could possibly hurt them. I'm on edge every time that Gabe takes off running on our concrete playing. It freaks me out. I know it's inevitable for him to get a scraped knee or need stitches, Again, but I REALLY want to avoid that. Oh boy, what am I going to do when they are BOTH running!? 

7) You will do more laundry for these small people than you ever have before! haha. I feel like I do laundry every single day... and on those days that I don't feel like folding- I just hit start on the dryer again! shhh... don't tell! 

8) Night Terrors. They're terrible! Gabe recently started having night terrors and I absolutely hate it. He is still asleep and he starts crying out loud or whining- and he's inconsolable during these times. I've read about them and most say to just block them from anything that can injure them. That most likely they won't remember any of it in the morning. And yes, that's true. I'm usually more traumatized than Gabe is the following morning... not to mention more tired! 

9) Toddlers are like little tornadoes. My house constantly looks like a tornado went through and just threw our toys everywhere...and yes, I mean EVERYWHERE! Granted, it's partially my fault for buying the kid so many toys.. but seriously, how does one little boy make such a mess? Can you imagine life when they're both running and playing? Whew! I'm tired just thinking about it. 

10) Your body won't be the same after birth. Don't we all know this already? Boy, what I'd do to have that old body back. But, these boys are worth every bit of it! 

11) You will be exhausted and yes I mean EXHAUSTED!!!! Keeping up with these 2 boys has me more tired than I have ever been. I was just telling Jesse how I wish I could just have one day to catch up on my sleep. 

12) Again, people will always comment and give their own parenting advice. Just take it in stride- that's all I can say. I remember taking Gabe to the grocery store when he was still a baby... I had him in his carrier and thought that he'd be just fine. We weren't in the store more than 5 minutes and he started screaming. I had just fed and changed him so I knew that wasn't it. Well, this older lady came up to me and said- "Oh, I think he's hungry... is he on the breast?" I simply replied, no he's not hungry- he's just mad." Again, she said, "I think he's hungry." What can ya do? Just smile and move on! haha. 

13) Following the previous post...shopping in general will be hard with 2 if you are alone. I usually try to only take 1 of the boys with me when I do my grocery shopping OR I go with my mom so she can help too. I must say that the last few times I've gone grocery shopping with just Lincoln (he's always in his carrier) I've had people offer to unload my cart for me. This always restores my faith in humanity. 

Our Favorite Photographer

So today I want to give some credit to a very special friend and photographer... Amber Joiner from You-nique Capture Photography! 

I met Amber when I started my job at Verizon in August 2010. Not only was she a wonderful co-worker, but she became a wonderful friend. Amber has been capturing our family memories since Jesse and I got married in January 2011. 

I have a huge amount of respect for photographers. Not only are they all very talented...but they also have the wonderful opportunity to capture memories that will last a lifetime. I can't remember a time that I didn't have a camera in hand when hanging out with my friends. I believe that pictures are irreplaceable... they capture all of those special moments in life. It's like life freezes for that moment of time and you will forever have that memory. 

As I said before, Amber has been capturing our memories since our wedding. And now, she's been photographing Gabe since he first came home from the hospital. I'm in love with all of his pictures. It's so amazing to put all of the pictures side-by-side and to see how much he has changed in just a few months! As you can imagine, these pictures are all over my house. With each new session, I find that I'm wanting to order hundreds of dollars of pictures... That's how good they are! :) 

So, here's a cheers to Amber from You-nique Capture Photography. Not only is she a fabulous photographer, but she is a wonderful friend as well. She's our favorite photographer... Gabe just loves her and loves getting his picture taken! :) If you're from the Southern Illinois area... or even Branson, MO area... I encourage you to look up Amber and to let her capture your family memories as well. Remember; pictures are irreplaceable... they capture a moment of life that you will never forget. Every time I look at Gabe's pictures I'm reminded of some kind of memory... like, his first session when he was still so small and how we tried so hard to get him to do one pose that we never captured. Or how he was smiling so big for Daddy during a session... Or how he peed when we took his diaper off. These are the memories that I will remember each time I look at his pictures. Memories that are so special! :) 

You can visit Amber's Photography page at

www.younique-capture-photography.com! 

She is also on Facebook...

so you can look her up there and see some of the beautiful pictures that she has taken! :) On her site you will find a list of prices, packages, etc...GOOOOOO look and book your session today. I guarantee you won't be disappointed! :) 

Here's a picture of a display we have in our home with all of the pictures that Amber has taken for us! 

These are a few of my favorite things....

I know, I know... 2 posts in one night. WOW! haha. Just wanted to share a few of my favorite things at the moment with you all! These are all things that I believe you should invest in! haha. :) 

My friend Giovanna got me this bag! I absolutely looooveee it!! She brought this to us as a gift for Gabriel while we were still in the hospital! I instantly thought it was cute...but didn't realize how handy it would become once Gabe got here! It's been so nice to have...especially since Gabe is still in the hospital and I'm pumping at home. It makes is so convenient to transport milk to the hospital! Not to mention the fact that it is super adorable! I'd recommend this to any mother! I'll definitely be buying these as baby-shower gifts in the future too! :) 

I read this book when I was first put on bed rest back in May. It was such a good book... I ended up reading it in 3 days! And for those of you who know me...you know that this is amazing...seeing that I don't like reading that much. However, I do enjoy reading when the stories are about real life. I found this book especially interesting because it has to do with a mother and her son with autism. And since working with children with autism is what I ultimately want to do...this book was very intriguing to me. Definitely recommend this book to everyone! For those who may not know much about autism and the struggles and joy's that these families go through...this book will definitely open your eyes! It's a remarkable story! 

My Aunt Jill and Cousin Caitlin brought this book to me to read while I was in the hospital. However, I didn't get to read it until I got home...but Man, was this book Good!! Again, it's a real-life story, so I read this book in less than 3 days. I found myself staying up late just to read more. Not like me at all! This book will definitely make you look at life in a whole new perspective! I'd recommend this to EVERYONE!! Such a great read! :)

Ok, these flip-flops are AMAZZZINGGGG!!! Seriously!! They're made by a company called "Sanuk" and the soles are made out of yoga-mats. My friend Courtney and Jean brought these to me in the hospital as a gift right after I delivered Gabe. My feet were still the size of Texas at the time so I couldn't wear them. However, now that my feet are back to normal size... I wear these shoes EVERY SINGLE DAY! They're honestly the most comfortable flip-flops I've ever worn! Honestly, you will L-O-V-E them as soon as you put them on...it's like walking on air! 

Ok...who doesn't love Victoria Secret, right!? My mom gave me one of these sleepshirts while I was still pregnant. I was finding it hard to get comfy in my normal t-shirts at the time. This sleepshirt is soooooo comfy, I want one in every color! Though they are a bit pricey... I must say the comfort that comes with these shirts are worth the extra $$$. Now I know you're probably only paying the extra money since it's VS and you could probably find one just as good only cheaper...but seriously, like I said..these are totally worth it. Plus, they're super cute! 

Who doesn't like Crackle Nail Polish!? This is so fun and crazy for summer. I love this nail polish! :) 

"Here Without You" featuring Sara Evans! 

I love this song...but Sara Evans just made me fall in love with it all over again! Jesse even liked it...and he's not a fan of much of anything doing with country! So, that says alot! haha. 

26 weeks!

- What I'm craving these days: sweets... i just made some cookie bars tonight cause I really wanted some chocolate! Other than that, nothing too crazy! 


- How I'm feeling: tired, of course! But that's nothing new. My feet also hurt...but I'm thinking that's only because they're HUGE!!


- What I don't like: hmmmm... well, Jesse cooked some steak the other night and it didn't bother me...so I guess I can't say steak anymore! So, right now, I really don't know! I stick to things I know I like! :)  


- Sleep: I can still only sleep on my left side! It's the only way I get comfy! I've also learned to put a pillow underneath my belly to help make me more comfortable, as well as having my body pillow! Our bed is full of pillows these days... in fact we have 8 plus my body pillow...so 9 pillows total! haha. 


- What I'm looking forward to: The material for the bedding finally came in...so I'm super excited to start working on that with my mom! Also, I'm looking forward to the baby shower and starting the final trimester! Can't get here soon enough!! 


- Size of Baby Schiff: Our baby boy is around 9 1/4 inches now!! He almost weighs a whole 2 pounds...so I can't blame all this extra weight on him! haha. 

- Baby Schiff's development this week: Baby Schiff now has a distinct sleeping/waking cycle. Hopefully, it's a good cycle! :) He can start to see things now because his eyes are beginning to open, if they haven't already! He's able to somewhat move his heard around as well these days and his hair is starting to grow in! 


-Message to Baby Schiff from Mommy: You're bedding is finally here and I can't wait to start working on it! Your daddy has to leave in about 9 days for 3 weeks for the military... so it's just going to be You, Rylee, and Me for awhile! Oh the fun we'll have!! :) Only 14 more weeks until we FINALLY get to meet you! <3

*Please excuse the spot on my shirt...I had just finished washing the dishes and didn't feel like changing! haha*

and now...a little update. So, about 3 months after Baby Schiff is born we have the annual Marine Corp Ball in StL! I'm using the ball as my motivation to immediately start working out after Baby gets here... or at least as soon as possible! I bought a dress for 10 bucks at TJ Maxx for the ball, so it's going to be my inspiration to lose all this extra weight! I love the ball...Jesse doesn't seem to enjoy it as much as I do...but I love having a reason to go out, dress up, and get pretty! It kinda feels like prom...only more formal and a lot more fun! 

What else is new!? I've found a new love for my new cup. It's one of those Plastic cups that you can take with you anywhere...it has a straw and everything! I'm sure it has an official name but I can't think of it right now! Go figure! Anyway, I love it. I take it EVERYWHERE with me. It's so convenient at work as well, because I can just fill it up with water all day long! It helps me to drink all the water I'm supposed to drink in a day as well! 

It's been a lonnnggg day today! Jesse had classes for the mines and somehow ended up with both sets of our car keys. Yes, that's right...He took my car and somehow took his jeep's keys with him as well. What's funny is before he left I reminded him to leave the keys and he said ok, they're on the desk! So, I was going to be extra nice today and take his Jeep up to the car wash and clean it as well. Too bad I couldn't because I didn't have the keys! When I called to ask him where they were he said they were on the desk... when i informed him they were not he said.."oooh, that's because they're right here!" hahahah. Oh well, I got a lot accomplished by being stuck at home all day anyway! I did about 3480923840923850 loads of laundry. Yes, that many indeed! At least it felt like that many. Good news is:: It's all done...except for some towels..but that's no biggie! I also cleaned our bathroom, cleaned out some cabinets, and did the dishes. And since Jesse seems to think I don't cook enough anymore, I made us some delicious tacos and mexican rice! I also made dessert... which we have yet to try because we're both full! :) 

Rylee...what's she been up to you may wonder!? Well, Today she hid some more of her chewy bones and stuff because I found several of them while cleaning today. So, of course she had to find a new hiding spot. It's hilarious because she'll hide them in the covers that I have laid out and then I'll move them to make the bed and she'll just have to hide them again. So I get to hear her whine even more!! She's so funny though! I woke up early this morning because I had to pee...yes, that seems to be a continuing trend these days...and it's only getting worse! Anyway, she usually wakes up when I get out of the bed for any reason and this morning she didn't. So I got worried because I didn't see her. I "quietly" tried to say her name but apparently it wasn't quiet enough because I woke Jesse up. Turns out, Rylee was snugged right between his legs down by his feet passed out. According to Jess, she went from sleeping in his arms to sleeping in his feet last night! She's such a baby...but that's ok, because we've kind of made her that way! 

Alright, I think that about does it for tonight! I promise to update a lot more from now on! 

*The material for Baby Schiff's bedding! <3 it!!*

*My dress for this year's Marine Corp Ball... definitely different from last years*

*My new FAVORITE cup!*