The Cunningham Family: May 2011

5.31.2011

bedtime boys

These boys look so angelic after baths each night.

I just can't get enough of their shiny hair,

bright eyes,

and rosy cheeks.

I love them so much.

And I can't wait to see what their little brother looks like.

5.28.2011

Sweet Moments

Today was full of tender moments with my boys.

While sleeping on the couch this morning Logan asked to come lay with me. He snuggled up beside me on the couch and lay there for at least an hour, watching his movie, loving on his mommy.

I hugged Jack after he followed directions this afternoon and he kissed my neck, looked up at me and smiled saying, "Thank you, mommy."

At the park Jack found a dandelion.

He asked, "What is it, mommy?"
"A flower," I told him.

"Here, mommy. It's for you," he replied, handing it to me.

Then when Logan saw the dandelion on the table next to me he asked what it was.

"A flower," I told him.

"Who from?"

"Jack."

"Why?"
"Because mommies love flowers."
"I'm going to find you a flower, mommy."

And he got on his little bike & rode away.

Quite a bit of time elapsed and I had all but forgotten about his mission when back he came, pedaling like mad, one wilting yellow dandelion clutched in his fingers awkwardly as he tried to steer.

"Here, mommy, I found it! I found you a flower."

My eyes instantly welled up with tears.

I am so blessed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And for laughs,

here are a few things the boys say that I think are cute and don't want to forget...

-Instead of asking for "whip cream" on their hot cocoa, they ask for "rip cream."

-Instead of saying "without", they say "for-out".

(Like, "Don't ride for-out your helmet!")

-When playing ball they say, "Catch it to me!"

5.27.2011

Lincoln Baby Shower

My girlies at work, Lisa Miller & Lisa Woodruff threw me a shower, even though I quit three months ago. This hilarious game was Lisa Woodruff's idea.

"Pin the Sperm on the Egg"

Hilarious!

Lisa Woodruff & Phyllis

Kristi & Phyllis

Mary

Kathy

Becky

Kristi

Lisa Woodruff spinning me around...

for my turn!

Lisa Miller

Kristi, who recently returned from her honeymoon, got the Joshy sperm right on the Shelly egg. Good for her!

Baby booties & mittens- so cute!

Becky & her little one Kaden
Heather in the background

Mary got me a million washcloths- I am super excited to throw away all the grubby ones we've been using the last three years for the boys!

One of my favorite gifts:

matching shirts for my three boys!

Thanks, girls!!!

I was so spoiled & I had an awesome time!

Josh was off work Wednesday to get finger printing done as part of the process of getting his Alaska teaching certificate, and he was off yesterday because I wanted him to watch the boys so I could go to the baby shower my former co-workers were throwing in my honor. So I took full advantage of his being home both days to run errands with just one child, not two!

Wednesday afternoon I took Jack with me to Motherhood to pick up some nursing bras & tanks. I figure if I am going to make this whole breastfeeding thing work, I better be prepared! It was amazing how much easier it was to shop (let alone try on clothes) with only one toddler running amok. While we were there Jack spotted some stuffed animals. He held up the most adorable elephant and said, "Mommy, we should buy this for Wyatt!" So that is exactly what we did. When my sister brings the boys to the hospital to meet Wyatt for the first time, I will have each boy bring the "bubba" they chose for Wyatt. I think it will be sweet!

Wednesday night (after Jack & I got home from Motherhood) Josh and I dropped the boys off at my mom's so we could meet up with some of his friends from the WSU Teaching Cohort. It was great to see everyone, hear about their experiences this year and was especially nice to touch base with Jana, who just wrapped up her first year teaching in the Lower Yukon School District where we are headed. Unfortunately, Jana's village is quite far from ours, but it brings such peace of mind to know that she went and she survived it, and now there is someone I can ask all the questions that pop into my mind!

Before we left the boys at my mom's, though, we were visiting with my sister, who was also there. Both boys came up to me, independently, and said, "I'm ready for you to go now, mom," or "Can you leave?" They know that they have better run of the house with their parents gone! I was cracking up!

So Thursday it was Logan's turn to run some errands with me. We went to Babies R Us to look at carseats because although I got one for free, I am considering purchasing a new one. The used one I got is adorable and in fantastic condition, but does not have the strap adjuster in the front. So I would have to change the strap tightness from the back each time before I left the house. Trust me, it's going to be a pain! I haven't decided yet just what I am going to do, so Logan & I did a little comparison shopping and checked out the inventory.

Then it was his turn to choose a bubba. I handed him about eight different stuffed animal/blanket snugglies that I thought he might like to choose from. I so wish I had had our video camera with me. He was like a girl picking shoes. He would pick up each one, rubbing it, commenting on if it was soft, or silky, or warm, and then he would use his thumb & pointer finger to test the tags. A few were immediately rejected. Finally he had to decide between a bubba who was only warm & cozy, and one who had a silky backside on the blanket. In the end, he chose the one that, like his, has a silky underside. Watching him agonize over this decision just melted my heart. He is so cute!

On the drive home he told me he saw Grandma Woo Woo's car. "I like her," he said. "I like Grandpa Jerry, too. Great Grandpa Jerry. He plays with me. He is funny. Daddy's funny, too. You can leave me with Grandma Woo Woo and go bye-bye, mom. She will take care of me."

I just love to hear his rambling thoughts!

5.26.2011

Rant

Okay, I am pregnant & hormonal.

I know that.

But regardless of my state, I have to share this story with you.

The boys and I were shopping at Fred Meyer Tuesday afternoon and had just stopped in at the little "cafe" to have donuts when this woman starts yelling across the tables at me.

"Ma'am? Ma'am! Are they twins? Are they identical?"

Seriously YELLING.

"Yes they are."

"How can you tell them apart?" (I absolutely hate this question because I never know how to best answer it.)

"I just can. But my sister says his face is rounder," I said, pointing to Logan.

"Oh, yes. Yes, I can see that," she said, walking over to my cart.

"They are just adorable. What are your names? Can you give me high five?"

She started high fiving with Logan, but Jack was not interested. She was relentless in her pursuit of a high five from Jack. Meanwhile, I lifted Logan out of the cart and into the big boy chair at our table so he could have his snack. I turned back to the cart and she had her hands under Jack's armpits like she was going to pick him up.
"I got it," I said, as I awkwardly took him out of her hands and put him in his chair. That's when she noticed my pregnancy.
"Your hands are quite full, and it's about to get a lot crazier! Is it twins again? Is it a sister or a brother?"

"It's another boy. Just one this time," I told her.

"I am the only girl with three brothers," she replied.

As the boys dug in to their donuts with humongous smiles on their faces she commented about how lovely it was to be a child, and that we should all live our lives backward, starting old and getting younger so we could really enjoy being small children. I just wanted her to leave me alone so I could enjoy my children. And again she mentioned how now (after 35 seconds spent with them) she could tell them apart quite easily, too.

She finally started packing up her things to leave, but before she left us alone she asked, "And what does Daddy do?"

"He's a teacher," I replied.
"Oh," she said disapprovingly. Only then did I finally give her eye contact. And she tried to recover with, "Well, he must be teaching tomorrow's leaders."

Seriously.

I could have punched her.

Ugh.

Some people!

Most of the time I am quite tolerant of people's questions and responses to the twins. I answer them kindly, trying to inform the masses and correct old, erroneous thinking. But every once in a while I run into someone who just gets under my skin the way this woman did. She so startled me in her abrupt manner, shouting across the cafe, and when she followed that up with trying to actually hold one of my children, I simply could not hide my irritation!

5.25.2011

37 weeks + 4 days

{all packed}
So, our third son is due in 18 days. June 12, 2011 is my "official" due date, although the ultrasound measured him as being due June 9th. For those of you who don't know, our first two sons were born on June 6th. I think it would be totally awesome to have all three of our kids on the same day. Since Logan & Jack already have to share their special day, I figure what's another brother? Mostly I love that their birthdays will all (most likely) be in June, and then six months later we'll have Christmas. It's a perfect balance of child spoiling.

{adorable "Wyatt" wreath from Julie}
I am currently the most pregnant I have ever been. I gave birth to Logan & Jack at exactly 37 weeks. So I'm in new territory here. It's funny- for a while the pregnancies felt quite comparable (having gallstones with Jack & Logan; being morning sick with Wyatt) and then later at the start of the third trimester, when I started having trouble sleeping & getting my shoes on, it still felt about the same as when I was pregnant with the boys. Up until about 33 weeks. The last four weeks, though, have been quite tolerable. I can still put on my own shoes, paint my own toenails and get completely ready without having to sit and take a break on the couch. None of those were possible at this point in my twin pregnancy.

{my belly & pretty toenails}
I don't sleep well and my back hurts- those are my two biggest complaints. And I think those are very common. I snore like a chainsaw (God bless my poor, poor husband) and I find myself sounding like an 80 year old man when I try to get up off the floor. Oh, and I am starving. The last week I have just been famished. I eat and I eat and I eat. And still, the baby wants more!

{vaginal birthing book}
Otherwise I am feeling good, and working hard on preparing for his arrival. I have been nesting like mad, washing all his tiny clothes & blankets, organizing other parts of my life, and reading about vaginal births. I am hoping for a VBAC and considering doing it sans drugs...
It's funny- this is my third kid, so I feel like I have the 'parenting' thing down. I'm a pro. But when it comes to this whole 'birthing' thing, I am such a rookie! My fear is that I will not be strong enough to withstand the pain of labor. I also worry about his health. Even if I can get him out of my body in one piece, will he be okay? We opted with both our pregnancies to forgo any screenings, knowing that whatever will be will be. But that also has me wondering if he is alright.

{birthing gown}
According to my weekly Baby Center updates he is roughly 6 & a half pounds and 19 inches long- basically the same size Jack was at birth (6lb.13oz. & 18" long). I went to the doctor today and although I have been having intermittent contractions, my cervix is still closed, but it is softening. I've got mom sewing like mad, trying to finish Wyatt's baby blanket before he gets here. She's already finished my birthing gown, which is gorgeous; and is also working on making a Hooter Hider for me to use while nursing. Meanwhile, I am crossing things off my own To-Do list, like purchasing infant ibuprofen & gas drops, a baby book, and newborn socks. Josh and I stayed up until nearly midnight the other night rearranging the living room to make space for the pack-n-play.

{new living room setup}
I feel like I am about as ready as I'm gonna be.

Last night I took a bath and as I lay there staring at my belly, which was rolling about with elbows & knees, I saw what I think was Wyatt practice breathing. A slow, constant, up & down motion on the left side of my belly that was not hiccups.
So apparently Wyatt's ready, too.

Now we wait...

5.23.2011

Logan & Jack's Third Birthday Party

{Logan in green, Jack in blue}

The Birthday Boys

We had a Buzz & Woody theme,

which the boys LOVED!

{Great Grandpa Jerry}

And we had all the people Logan & Jack love, too.

Me, my BFF Annie & Logan

Opening presents is serious business!

Josh & I got the boys new Saltwater Sandals for this summer.

Jack wanted to put his on right then!

They had one present they had to open together (from Josh & I)

"Teamwork!"

"Oh, cool!"

Mommy reading the boys' birthday cards to them.

This cool outside water toy from Aunt Christine is a big hit- Jack keeps asking me if it's summer (like every three hours) so he can play with it in the yard!