The Switch

Being a mom to 3 boys is amazing; I wouldn't change it and love every quirk that they have. But, as many moms know, especially moms to boys, there is a little switch-a-roo once they hit about 18 months or so. Let me set this up for you: When we are pregnant, us women take it very seriously: we eat what we are suppose to, refuse those yummy, frothy drinks, and rest as much as possible. When our baby is born, it is our job to nurture this new being. We are the ones that know which cry means what, we know the feeding/nap schedule, and we are the only ones that can console a crying baby. Jason teases me and tells me to get it all in, because, once they hit a certain age, they will be switching to him. And it is so true!!

When Jason was born I don't think we realized this would happen. Yes, Jason would say he couldn't wait until Jay was older so he could wrestle and play sports with him, but I didn't think it would be so drastic!! We both dote on our boys all the time, but I didn't think that Jay would find me no fun once he got to the age of 2! He and Jason are like peas and carrots. They are glued to one another as soon as Jason walks in the door from work.

Now, Jackson is 18 months old (today actually!) and he and Jason have already started that new bond. Jason teases me that Jack is leaving me and coming to him! I think Jack has been more of a Momma's boy than Jay ever was, so in a way I'm sad to see him go to the Testosterone Side! Whenever Jason is home, Jack has started walking around the house yelling "Da! Da!" until he finds him. He wants to sit with Jason more and loves rough housing with him and Jay.

I still have Jacob and will relish in my baby time that I have with him. And, I know that being a mommy to boys, I will always hold a very special place in their hearts. I may not be the one coaching their baseball teams, or work on cars with them. But, I will be the one who is at every game rooting them on,making them promise me that they will wear their seatbelts, and teaching them how to treat women. I hope that when my 3 boys leave the nest, they will see me as a great influence in their lives.

I will stop there because thinking about them being men gets me sad. I want them to just stay little forever....OK, not forever, but I am trying to take in every moment of this season of our lives.

Until all that happens, and even if they prefer their Daddy over me to play with, I am still the one they run to to kiss their scrapes and to get rid of the monsters!

Whirlwind

The past few weeks have been hectic, but in the end, it has truly made me look at things with a whole new perspective. We recently finished up our renovations to the house and it looks amazing if I do say so myself! We have a few more upgrades to do, but the big things have been completed.

The boys, of course, are growing rapidly and sometimes I just want to push the pause button! Jay will be 4 in May, Jackson will be 18 months the end of this month and Jacob is 3.5 months old now!! Each one is totally different and continue to amaze me each day.

Recently we had a scare with Jacob and all I have to say is that God has wrapped His arms around my sweet little boy. We noticed at Jake's 2 month check up that he is favoring his right side and flattening the back right side of his head. We didn't think much of it at the appointment, but started to do a few things that the doctor recommended. However, it seemed to get worse and then Jason noticed that his forehead on the right side was more pronounced than the other side. I called the doctor and when we went in we had to go to the hospital to get an X-ray done of his skull. The doctor wanted to make sure that his plates in the front of the skull had not prematurely fused together. And had they done that, than surgery would be the next step. To say the least, I was a bundle of nerves. I had recently heard a story of a little boy who had a tumor in his brain and died shortly after the surgery, so that was all I was thinking about.

Jake DID NOT like the X-rays and they had to hold his little head still so they could get pictures. Withing minutes of leaving the hospital, our doctor called us with the good news: everything was good!! The protruding is just from him favoring the right side and we just need to continue working with him. Having this scare and knowing how quickly it can change from good to bad, I got down on my knees and thanked God for allowing him to be healthy.

Being a stay at home can be a thankless job ( Jason does tell me everyday how much it appreciates me and what I do), but the boys are too young to see all that goes into it. They just know I am Momma and I am there to cater to them!! This scare has truly shown me that being able to stay at home with my babies is a great opportunity that God has allowed me to have, not a lot of mommies get this chance. I am able to see them grow everyday and see them learn new things. There may be days where I just want to lock myself in the room and yearn for quietness, but in the grand scheme of things, I don't know what I would do if that was taken from me. Now, don't get me wrong, I jump at any chances I can get to get out of the house, because my kids need a healthy mommy, not a neurotic one!!

Staying at home has taken some adjustment because I am not one who likes to not contribute, but I am learning that my contribution to our family is raising our boys and teaching them how to become men (eventually!). As I write this, Jake is trying to roll over and he will get it very soon!