Truth is

Written by Shannon Leigh

I am weary

very

very

very

weary.

Our child doesn't sleep.

I am loosing my mind.

He confuses the crap out of me.

He is just so inconsistent.

You see, there was a short snippet of time when he did sleep.

Oh glory.

In fact I think that's what I told you all in my last post (long ago).

He was sleeping from 8pm to 6am…

I was hoping that it wasn't a fluke.

Boy was it ever.

That lasted a whopping week.

And then it has gotten progressively worse.

I am so tired.

I am aging at a certain rapid rate.

To be fair, Max is a rockstar napper.
He takes 2 solid 2 + hour naps in his crib everyday.
He is generally happy and sweet during the day.
Interactive.
Playful.
Joyful.
He is a great eater (still nursing and eating solids too).

But at night?
He tuns into a demon child with a serious temper (I kid- sort of).

Up until this point we have given him the benefit of the doubt.

Maybe he really is hungry?
(We have started supplementing frozen breast milk after each meal just be sure he's getting enough)

Maybe his teeth hurt?
(Tylenol/ibprofen/teething tablets)

Maybe he has gas?
(drops)

Maybe he is in a growth spurt?

Maybe he just needs to be a little bit older?

We've tried to feed (stuff) him before we go to bed at 11pm.
We wake him up after he goes to bed at 7 and we fill him up and put him right back down.
He still wakes up 3 to 4 hours later screaming/completely inconsolable.

We've tuned off the monitor and let him "cry it out." 

He cries for HOURS.

He doesn't stop.

And when he does stop, he starts back up 20 minutes later.

Trying to intervene with paci-plugging just makes him irrate.

We've tried it all.

But enough is enough.

I think he has a temper and get's ticked when he wakes up in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep.
I do believe this is a classic battle of wills.

My dear precious boy… mommy's will is stronger.

Bootcamp starts tonight.

I apologize if this is incoherent.
I'm tired.

Maxwell Wade, 3 1/2 Months

Written by Shannon Leigh

My, my, my…

how life has changed.

Our sweet baby boy is 3 1/2 months old.

He has changed so much over the past few weeks, I can hardly stand it.
And of course we are falling more and more in love with each passing day.

Right now my Max is cozied in bed in his swaddle.
Yes, he still loves being swaddled (woombied if you will).

We seem to have tuned a corner in the sleep department, thank you Jesus.
He generally sleeps from 8 to 6 without waking so we are feeling much more rested in recent days.
We just hope it's not a fluke!



He can sit if propped and he has, on occasion, sat on his own for a few seconds at a time.
He loves to stand and bounce constantly.
We even got out the exersaucer because he likes to bounce and be upright so much.
He has also started to roll from his tummy to his back and can get from is back to his side on his own.
He is such a big boy and is completely different from Ruby.

He obviously eats like a champ.  I mean check out those THIGHS.  

Couldn't you just nibble on them.  I do, daily.

I am guessing we'll start solids soon but we'll see what the doctor says at his 4 month appointment.

He babbles and laughs and absolutely loves to be talked to.
His eyes are too big for his face and they can light up a room.
We still aren't sure what color his eyes are going to be.  I am guessing hazel?  I think they're too green to be blue but to blue to be green?
He's got beautiful baby skin and his rosy cheeks just long to be kissed.
I am happy to oblige.

Who would have thought that I could love a funny looking baby boy so much?


The second baby is so much easier than the first (in some ways).
We are so much more relaxed and know what to expect to some degree.

That being said, there are plenty of  challenges.

Sometimes the days are long.
I am tired.
I am pulled in 800 different directions every day (figuratively and literally).
I am covered in spit-up.
I do not feel attractive (see statement above).
My toddler throws fits in public.
Max pees on our bed.
Matt and I fight.
The dog throws up on the carpet.
I don't get to use the bathroom by myself.
I am ravenously hungry.  All.The.Time.
I am getting wrinkles.
I get a paper cut
I haven't painted my toenails since before Max was born.
&
My ab muscles may never be the same.


But I am blessed.
And one precious giggle from this guy and a sweet snuggle from miss Ruby somehow makes it all worth while (on most days).
It's a strange phenomenon, motherhood.

I don't think I'd trade it for anything in the world.

Roley Transcends

Written by Shannon Leigh

If you knew me as a kid odds are that you also knew Roley, the wiener dog.

It's important to note that Roley was not a real dog but he was my favorite stuffed animal of all time.

It was the early 90's and Roley was my BFF.  He fit perfectly in my arms and between my legs as I wrapped his lanky body up for a good snuggle.

To this day I have no idea why Roley was THE ONE, I had dozens of stuffed animals.  But there was just something about him.  Maybe it was his floppy ears or his velvet nose?
He was a gift from my oldest sister.  We don't remember the occasion in which I got him but I remember receiving him.  He wasn't expensive or special in any way (my sister recently informed me that she picked him out from a bin at K-Mart) but he was truly the love of my life.

One time I was on a traveling softball trip (probably much too old for stuffed animals) and I left him in our hotel room.
I.WAS.DISTRAUGHT.
I remember sobbing and sobbing while my best friend, Jenna, had her arms wrapped tightly around me.  I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, I was miserable.  I kept envisioning him in a trashcan somewhere or in the arms of another little girl.  I just couldn't take it.
Luckily my mom called the hotel and they found my lover dog wrapped up in the sheets.  They were kind enough to send him back to us in a box.  They had him folded up in a much too small box that didn't have air holes.  I was appalled at his treatment but I was so glad to have him back.  I am fairly certain that the crease in his mid-section remains to this day.
On family vacations my dad would prop him up on the steering wheel and wave at the cars whizzing by.  I thought it was absolutely hilarious.
Once Roley's ear got ripped off and I completely freaked out (I don't remember the exact details of how it happened).  I thought he'd never be the same. Luckily my mom was able to mend him but he still bears the scars of different colored stitches.

However silly it sounds, Roley was kind of my first baby.
The way I loved him was pretty intense.  I should have known how much more I'd love my REAL babies.  The Lord made me this way I guess, to love something/someone so intensely that it hurts.  I suppose it's a bit of a blessing and a curse. :)

When I outgrew stuffed animals I could never bring myself to get rid of my Roley.  He eventually got moved from the center of the bed to the top shelf of the closet.  I suppose this is the story for most stuffed animals.

When we moved into our new house last month I happened to unpack a box that housed my beloved Roley.  Ruby found him and instantly fell in love.  She is crazy about him and plays with him everyday.
There is clearly something special about this handsome little wiener dog.

He apparently transcends generations.

P.S.-this is what my house looks like on most days and YES, Ruby is wearing her purple dress AGAIN.  It's not worth the fight:)

I think it's fun that Ruby has been into both Matt and I's favorite childhood stuffed animals.
How could we forget her love for Bruno?


Um, wasn't this just yesterday?

Ain't Too Proud Monday

Written by Shannon Leigh

So there was this one time back in January of 2009 that Izzy looked like this.

We tried out a new groomer and it went really badly.

Izzy just isn't cut out for a poodle cut.

Poor dog.

Ain't Too Proud Monday

Written by Shannon Leigh

At any given moment my precious little boy can go from this…

To this...

We have a spitter on our hands folks.  

Life Lately

Written by Shannon Leigh

This was a series of text messages that I sent to family on our way to Christmas, the day after we moved into our new house.  Things were a little crazy.
I felt as though it needed to be shared on a larger scale.
Enjoy.


So just to give you a little glimpse into our trip so far…

Ruby wants to wear her stupid purple dress, like she does every day.  I put her in something else and she threw a major fit. So I finally gave in and put some tights on her and threw her in the car.  

We leave the house 2 hours late (mostly because Matt is OCD and mopped our entire wood floor and he can't find any of his shoes).  This lead to him to searching through boxes and leaving footprints on our freshly painted basement floor that we spent HOURS painting.  He didn't find them which leaves him grouchy.  We get in the car as fast as we possibly can.

About 45 minutes later Ruby, in a panicky voice says "I have to go potty!" We both looked at each other.... "Did you take her to the bathroom?" we say. In the chaos of leaving the house neither of us took her to the bathroom and we know once she tells us she has to go we have a very small window. 

So we stopped on the side of the interstate.  We don't have our potty chair, so we tell her she gets to pee in the grass like Izzy (she thinks this is great).  Matt takes her around the side of the car and helps her pull down her tights and undies.  She starts going and pee starts to trickle, no stream down her leg and gets absorbed into her freshly laundered tights.

So we strip her down in the freezing cold only to realize the fresh undies and tights are in her suitcase conveniently located at the very bottom of our trunk.  We finally get her changed and she throws another massive fit because she doesn't want to wear her seatbelt.

We get back on the road where Matt promptly takes  55 NORTH when we were supposed to take 55 south!

And now Max is stirring... Oh well, I pumped a fresh bottle for him to give him on the road.  The bottle that is currently sitting on the kitchen counter, in Mahomet.

Mister Bliss

Written by Shannon Leigh

"You know, your blog still thinks you are 39 weeks pregnant."
Yes, I realize I am about 6 weeks behind in posting about our darling boy as I was kindly reminded by my dear friend Betsy a few days ago.

My sweet little mister has arrived and boy have we been happy and busy.

As I write, Mister is taking his morning nap swaddled in his woombie and Ruby is happily watching (and dancing to) a Charlie Brown Christmas in her purple sparkly dress.
We have settled into a nice little routine around here despite the absolute craziness going on around us.

We are moving into the new house at the end of the week.  We are living out of one kitchen cabinet with food and essentials and every spare minute has been spent packing and NOT napping like I would like.
We have a tiny little Christmas tree tucked into the corner of the kitchen perched on top of Ruby's table.  With all of our Christmas decor packed away we bought purple lights and some cheap colorful ornaments to Ruby's delight.  I was nervous that Ruby would somehow be disappointed with the lack of decor but she thinks it's awesome!  I'm not sure what I was worried about.

Although things are crazy, life is good.  Max in wonderful and Ruby is a rockstar.

After meeting our little man in the hospital we decided to name him

Maxwell Wade Anderson

It was a tough decision but he came back from his first bath with a mohawk and we just knew he was a Max.

I was a bit nervous about having a baby boy after having a girl first but let me tell you- I'd have 12 more boys if the Lord allowed (okay, maybe not 12).

They are just as precious and there is something really special between a mommy and her little boy.
Everyone told me it would be an instant and different kind of love but I was skeptical.
And boy does it happen, and it happens IMMEDIATELY- the second they laid his chubby body on my chest.


All the fussiness of girls (the bows, the shoes, the clothes, the accessories) is stripped away with boys and I just get to love on a precious little bundle without all the stuff.
It's kind of nice.
Don't get me wrong, there is nothing more precious than a pair of pint sized ballet flats and a giant bow but I am loving the simple striped sleepers and fuzzy, non-accessorized head.

Thankfully my recovery was laughably easy this time.  I didn't have any stitches and let me tell you it's a completely different experience as far as recovery goes.  Nursing has been pretty simple too, aside from some major overproduction in the beginning.  The Lord was kind to me and thankfully within 48 hours I was making decisions out at the house and meeting with our contractor.  Plus Max slept for the first 3 weeks of his life.  It was quite the blessing.

Max is a big boy with a smaller than average head.  We have already put away his newborn clothes, which about killed me.  He likes to be swaddled and loves tummy time.  He is super smiley and loves it when we talk to him.  He is like clockwork when it comes to eating and sleeping.  He generally gives us one 5 hour stretch + another 3 hours at night.  He isn't as great of a sleeper as Ruby was (yet) but we really can't complain and we are hopeful that the 8 hour stretch is just around the holiday corner.

Although our days are crazy, they are wonderful and I am soaking up my baby boy and my precious 2 year old as much as I can.
I'll be back to post his birth story and the meaning behind his name soon!  Stay tuned (I hope it won't be another 6 weeks before I post again but I'm not making any promises).

-Shan