Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

Uriah Cole is a year old today!

I seriously cannot believe it has been a full year. Since the three hour labor and rush to the hospital trying not to push, since the first moment I held my wiggly (screaming) boy. Little did I know how much joy he would add to our family. He is so wonderful and I am so thankful I get to spend every day with him. 

On Sunday, "Mom, I know you think I look adorable in jeans and a polo, but I am cutting a tooth." 

Today, at 6:30am. 

Happy Birthday, Baby. 

A List.

[red and green pancakes]

1. We had a wonderful 2 weeks in NJ with my family for Christmas. It was the first time we had been back for the holidays in 6 years...such a treat! Jill and Marty were able to join us for Christmas weekend and were able to meet my entire extended family, and THEY SURVIVED. (Although I think my family is pretty awesome, there are a lot of us. 45 people at Christmas dinner.)  During the rest of the two weeks we were able to hang out with my sister and her kids several times, my cousins and siblings all got together for a game night, dinners out, paint balling, and just general hanging out with various combinations of my family members. It was great. 

[playing outside at my parents' house]

2. While we were in NJ, Uri started walking. He would take a few steps between two cheering people, but now he is using it as a real mode of transportation. It is adorable to see him walking around the house with his arms in the air. My new favorite thing = seeing what large object the 1 year old will attempt to carry around the house. 

["I love crayons. I have no idea what to do with them, but they taste great."]

3. I am out of my first trimester and MUCH less tired now. I am trying to get back into the swing of things, cleaning my much-neglected house and getting caught up on put-off-projects. I think this first trimester was my hardest, perhaps because I was still juggling nursing and night wakings, but regardless, I am really happy to be clear of it and back to my as-normal-as-one-can-be-while-pregnant self. 

[the beach chair belongs in the trunk....okay fine, let's take a picture.]

4. Oh my gosh we are having another BOY! I am super excited (although I would be either way, but still). I am anticipating having 2 boys close in age will be a lot of fun. I was a little bummed that Josie won't have a sister (our plan is that this will be our last baby) and I was totally crying the other night as I sorted through her clothes, but I am really excited to see how our family dynamic forms with 2 boys and an older sister. Josie is such a good little mama already. :)

[this little boy has his Mama's heart completely...I'm a goner]

5. Josie and I are doing gymnastics on Saturday mornings! We just started 2 weeks ago and it was SO much fun. Its very hands on for the parents (which I expected) and I was actually sore afterwards (which I was not expecting). It runs for 14 weeks and should get interesting as I get bigger. Haha! 

[our mother does our hair...]

6. Uri and I are finished nursing. It was not nearly as bittersweet as when I finished with Josie, I think partly because I realize in 4 short months I will be nursing around the clock again. Also, he is a snugly little fellow, so we still have plenty of cuddle-time together. He is an EARLY riser most mornings, but recently has been willing to snuggle up next to me in bed while I catch a few more Zs. Then at almost 6:30 on the dot, he sits up and demands a banana...haha. 

 [needless to say, the chair is back in the trunk]

Ha! I got it!

Okay, so Uri came down with a cold a couple days ago and was SUPER-over-the-top-miserable. He took 3 naps on Sunday, then slept terrible, had to be nursed around 2am, and then took a horrible nap Monday morning. But when we ran Tom to the airport and then picked up some stuff at the grocery store, he seemed much better. At lunch that day I realized that while he still had a cold, I don't think it was as bad as we thought. After months of teething, Uri's first TWO bottom teeth came through. Yay!!


And I thought for sure that I would have trouble getting a picture. They are still just barely through and he has his tongue in the way a lot....but I got it: 

Don't worry, I am firing his barber. Wow. 

In other news, last week Josie sang in her very first performance. Also another challenging photo. It was at Nurture, our mom's group at church, and all the 2 year olds and older came out and sang Joy to the World and Oh Holy Night (I think?). During the week before, the gal in charge of the kids programming sent out an email asking us to practice with our kids so they wouldn't forget what they had learned. When I sang a little of each song and asked Josie if she knew them she insisted that, no, she had no idea what those songs were. 

Okay, I took this picture WHILE they were singing. Obviously, they all knew the song as well as Josie.

And where to look. 

25 two year olds singing in a choir: WOW.

When we are not teething through drool and snot and singing in harmony for captive audiences, we have been hanging out at home. When we don't have time (or lets be honest, energy) to get down to the park, I have taken the kids out to ride Josie's trike. I also brought Uri's cart outside to wear him out for naptime too. And check out the cuteness...

He absolutely loves this activity. We have done it a couple times for at least an hour each time. :)

A sad day.

Today, Tom is in Pennsylvania saying goodbye to his dear and longest friend, Ben. He was the best man in our wedding and an integral part of the Swogger family growing up. Ben is the closest thing Tom had to a brother and he is in enough of their family photos you might believe he really was. I remember when Tom and I were dating in college, I couldn't wait to meet Ben because I had heard so much about him. When I finally did, what I had heard was true: he was genuine, sweet, and very funny. 

When people ask me to describe my husband, one of the first things I say is that he is a great friend, and not just to me. I can't help but believe that this is at least partly because he had a such a good, long friendship through his childhood and beyond. Someone to learn how to be a faithful and honest friend with. I wish I could be alongside Tom today, to say goodbye to Ben in person. I feel so indebted to him for the mark he left on my best friend. 

So although I am very sad to even write this, I am also extremely grateful for Ben's life and the gift of himself he gave to Tom and his family. It was a privilege to know him and call him a friend. He will be very missed. 

This picture is from the last time we were able to see Ben when Josie was just bitty. I had another one in mind but can't find it right now. :(

For these I am extremely thankful...

While there are many many little things I am very thankful for every day, these are the big ones in my life right now. I am so utterly humbled by how blessed I am. 


My dear sweet beautiful babies. I know we are blessed to have two healthy children and I cherish every day with them. Even the days when they get me up at 5:30am. I am also extremely thankful that I get to stay home with them. I get to see every bit of their day and that is a gift in itself. 

My husband and very best friend. I can't imagine doing life without him. He is a hard worker, a loving husband, a great friend and a wonderful daddy. 

My family back home. Four of my best-est friends and their spouses and kids. My amazing parents. I miss them every single day. 

California, although it comes with the cost of being so far from some of the people we love the most, has been good to us. We have wonderful friends here, we live in a great, safe area with parks and a bay and great neighbors, Tom has a job he loves and is thriving at, and lets not forget how wonderful the weather is. 

Last, but by no means least, I am thankful for this little one. Swoggie number three, due sometime mid-May. We are very very excited. :)

Photo ketchup

Here are some recent pics of my beautiful children. I know you have all be dying for me to post them.

This one really doesn't need a caption. I just love this boy. I cry when I think about him getting older and marrying some girl. 

How unhealthy. 

This is Rainbow Rice. I found the recipe here: http://pinkandgreenmama.blogspot.com/2009/07/rainbow-rice-is-twice-as-nice.html. Its super-duper easy to make and is very entertaining. 

There are two rules regarding rainbow rice:

1. No eating it. 

2. It has to stay in the bin. 

Where have I found rainbow rice? 

1. Definitely in the diaper. 

2. Definitely in the carpet, on the table, stuck to the baby, while scooping dog poop in the yard, on the kitchen chairs, under the dishwasher...

This is the height of my vacuum's career. His job satisfaction has never been better.  

Yet another pic that needs no caption. His blue eyes and dimple speak for themselves. 

And oh my gosh don't the jeans just kill you?

Uri thinks Daddy is pretty fun. 

Wow, that was a lame caption. No, but really, he gets really excited when Daddy is home and acts like nothing is more exciting. 

 So, while not an avid trash-picker, I did drive by this gem recently and went back for it. Its a sand and water table and I have been wanting one for a while. Cause what is more fun than sand and water? Maybe what I should have asked is what sticks better to children?

 So pretty much now my house is covered in Rainbow Rice and sand. My vacuum is giddy. 

The boy eats and he eats well. And sometimes we do bath time directly after lunch. 

 One thing recently I have really been enjoying is mealtimes with my kids. Sure, there are frustrating moments, but mostly we have a good time together. Who would have thought? I didn't think this happened until they came back from college. 

 We recently had a playdate with our Nurture group (Nurture is our church's equivalent of MOPs). We went to a great little park near the beach. Josie dashed right to the motorcycle. And my thoughts dashed 15 years from now and I haven't slept since. 

We thought a group shot on a moving object would be fun. Heh. Just kidding, we got it so stay pretty still. I love this one cause obviously the only ones that really care about getting a decent picture is my friend Lexie and Uri. Uri was totally into it. 

 Another thing that has really started to stand out recently is how different my kids are from each other. At 8 months, Josie never would have crawled through the sand, splashed and stood up in the big bath, or enjoyed the swings at the playground. Uri on the other hand brings half of every playground or beach home in his clothing, will not stay still in the bath, and today I probably pushed him in the swing at the park for 15 minutes. I love it. 

Someday, when Josie is a teenager and feels she can give me fashion advice, especially if its regarding footwear,  I will pull out this picture...

 That is paint. Colonel Sanders soon found that paint tasted really bad so we had to wash it off. But she did continue to rub is all over her hands until it started to dry too much. Then she covered the bathroom with it. I mean, washed it off in the bathroom. 

Why I buy paper? I do not know. 

Day in the Life

Whoever it was that warned me that adjusting to having 2 kids might be difficult was right. It has taken me a while. But I finally feel like I have a routine that is working for all 4 of us.  Since being back from the east coast, I have worked hard at keeping a good rhythm in our days and week, both for the kids and myself. One thing I realized while we were gone is that whatever routine I had fallen into after the baby was born was not working. I was always tired, cranky and feeling like I was just barely getting by. Our house was a disaster most days of the week, we were eating meals with a lot of cheese, so we all felt gross too. Oh, and I was really really sick of my dog, which was sad and frustrating. I love love love having 2 kids, but man, I needed my days to not be so exhausting.


Being at my parents house gave me time to just step back and think about what was and wasn't working. I made lists of things I wanted to do. And when I got back to Cali, I was really pleased that a lot of it worked. I finally figured out a time that worked to walk my poor neglected dog. I have been using Flylady's ideas to keep my house in order. Honoring my own bedtime as much as I can and eating a lot better food. And its been wonderful.


Everyday is basically the same, just with slight variations, here is an example:


Wakeup is usually around 7am.
Diapers are changed, banana eaten or at least grabbed and everyone is loaded into the stroller.
We take about a 40 minute walk with the dog. (this is the best change, so many benefits)
We eat breakfast around 8 or 8:30, then the baby takes his first nap.
I clean up the kitchen, pack Tom's or all of our lunches, and get ready. (Tom leaves between 9:30 & 10)
When the baby gets up, we typically have something planned, so I dress the kids and we head out. (church, the park, grocery shopping, etc)
I have been doing a lot of picnic lunches at parks recently and it works great for wearing out the toddler before naptime.
Then we go home for naps at 1pm. Ahhh.
I almost always snag a 20-30 minute nap and then do things I can't with the kids awake (email, meal plan, etc). Oh, and drink an iced coffee. My midday treat. :)
Uri gets up around 3pm and we play and he snacks while I get something done in the kitchen.
Josie gets up between 3:30 and 4pm.
If she went down well for her nap, we have a tea party in the backyard and then play out there for a bit.
The baby goes back down around 5pm, I prep dinner, and Josie plays or does some sort of project.
6pm the baby is up, dinner is usually set and we hangout and play until Daddy gets home around 6:30-7pm.
Then its dinner, bath, and bedtime is 8pm.
I finish cleaning up dinner, run a load of laundry if needed (but when is it not?) and then hang out with my hubby.
Shower, chill out, bedtime is 10:30pm.
The baby still nurses around 12ish and then again at 4am (although sometimes he skips the first one).
7am we begin again :)


Hmmmm. I just realized this post is pretty long, sorry.


Here are some pics:

Jammies are perfect early morning stroller attire. Note Josie's amazing bedhead. :) 

Josie and Uri, "Riding in a car." Josie even has her purse over her shoulder. 16 years from now I will have to take a similar shot. :D

We have since lowered the mattress in the crib. 

Tea time!