Baby Makes 4

   So it would seem that a lot has happened since my last post, most significantly is that I have given birth to our second son.  We have all been so excited for Baby O's arrival, so naturally he was late.  41 weeks and 2 days to be exact.

   We have been settling in to life as a family of four.  T loves his new brother, but still needs to learn about personal space.  Unfortunately T had a fever and cold when O was born and for the first week so we had to keep them apart as much as possible.  I felt awful telling T, "No, you can't hug your brother", "No, you can't hold O", etc.  T has been amazing through this adjustment, and now that he is better the boys can bond and be together.  I love watching T talk to the baby and when O cries T always comes over and says, "I think he wants his big brother".  I can't wait to see these two grow up together.  I only hope they are as good of friends as my sister and I are and R and his brother are.  I love that from now on they have each other to turn to in good times and bad (though I hope the bad times are few and far between).

   I don't have much else to say yet about life as a family of four aside from the fact that I feel so blessed.  I have an amazing husband and now two wonderful sons.  We are settling in nicely around here and I hope it stay that way.

Real Mums

This is a shout out to all the REAL mums out there. I'm talking about the mums who are honest about motherhood and about their children. I am so lucky to have many mummy friends who fall into this category but I know that is not the case for everybody.

I have met the competitive mothers. The ones who were right pack to their pre-pregnancy weight within days of their baby's birth. They are the same mums who bragged about their babies sleeping through the night by 3 months and are talking (full sentences, of course) before a year. In my humble opinion they are the mothers that lie! I can't get my hear around what these women are getting out of these.....half truths...?....These women are making others feel bad about not only themselves but other children as well.......

Oh shit, I digress. This post is NOT about the competitive mums or any other type of mums. This is about the real mums. I love having mummy friends that I can be real with. Mums that say they are tired. Mums who, when I visit their house, it looks similar to my own. I don't mean by design or decoration here. I mean there are toys out and maybe some stuff on the floor or some dishes in the sink. These mums are open and honest about their children and themselves. I don't mean self-deprecating just truthful. They don't make you feel bad about yourself as a mother (or wife for that matter). They are supportive and encouraging. These mums make you feel normal. Motherhood is hard, why deny that?

We mothers all need to realize that nobody (except maybe for ourself) expects us to be perfect. Admitting it's hard work will make you realize you are not alone. It takes a stronger person to ask for help then to suffer through it alone. I know I can ask any of my mummy (and non-mummy) friends and they will help me out in a second. If you can't say that is true for you, you may want to reevaluate your friendships. You don't need to compete. There is no such thing as a perfect mother. You can only be the best you can be and believe me, your children will love you just as you are.

So to all the mums out there who admit their tired, that parenting is hard work and that sometimes they need "me" time. Who say their kids aren't perfect but they are perfect for me....

THANK-YOU!!

I know it's bad.....

I have just gotten back from an amazing weekend in Paris with my family. I love traveling with my boys. We have so much fun and I love watching T explore new places. Traveling is something I love and I'm so happy to share it with T.

However, on our way home I always feel really good about myself and my family when I see other families and how hassled they seem. There was one family yelling at their kids in the airport and another Dad getting really pissy with his son getting into the car. I can't help it, I know it's bad but it really does make me feel like a

great parent. Now don't get me wrong, I get annoyed with T and with R but the traveling doesn't stress me out. Coming home makes me sad our vacation is over but we always seem like a closer family after spending time together. Seeing other parents, who frankly don't seem to be enjoying their family at all, makes me value my family even more.

So thanks to the stressed out traveling families for helping me appreciate my family even more.

It's Nice to be Loved

I am currently sitting outside on a beautiful end of summer morning, under the lilac tree enjoying the sun and a quiet moment. I am also child-free right now. T has run off next door, to visit his uncle back form Italy, after 6 weeks. It gives me a chance to think just how lucky we are to have so many people in our lives who truly love T.

I come from a very large family and have always taken for granted the people who love me. I have 32 aunts and uncles on one side of the family alone, countless cousins and add in close family friends and we are well beyond 100 people in my everyday life who care about me. I thought this was totally normal. I didn't see anything special about having a small Christmas dinner of only 15 to 20 people. It wasn't until I was older that I realized not everybody is so luck.

So now with my only son I want to surround him with people that love him and care for him....and luckily I have been able to. We are so fortunate to have people in our family, and friends who we have made our chosen family, to love T. I know these people will always be there for us and it warms my heart. I know these people love my son and it makes me love them more.

So to all these people this post is for you. I want you to know that I appreciate all you do for us, T in particular. For all the love you bring into our lives, I hope one day I can do the same for you.

xoxo