The flu...

Well...2 more weeks have passed and the Connolly's were hit by the flu!  IT WAS AWFUL!  Noah started throwing up on a Thursday night...the entire day care got hit by Friday.  Mommy went to the UNI craft show on Saturday...by midnight...I had it.  We went to the hospital on Sunday morning for fluids.  By then...my mom had it...my in-laws came to help during the morning and Sunday night my dad helped.  My father-in-law had it Monday morning and Scott came home from school with it on Monday night.  This flu was the both ends kind...and exhausting.  We called to make sure I could still nurse Ryder and we could...but I was so dehydrated that he didn't get much.  I think we are getting back to the right levels...drinking LOTS of water...hoping my supply can keep up.  Otherwise...

Ryder had his 4 month check (a bit behind b/c of my delaying of his shots).  He weighed in at 15.4 pounds, 25.5 inches long!  Big baby!!!!!  He is doing every milestone like he is supposed to and has been cleared for good. I haven't decided if I am ready to start him yet.  This is going by so fast...and I also think until Scott is home...I am not ready to tackle the baby food and Noah eating by myself.

Noah...well...we are battling it out right now in the food area.  He is going through this phase where he doesn't want to eat certain things...and we are sitting at the table until he finishes.  Super fun...ugg.  But we are not giving in...he has been an okay eater and this is going to be a downward spiral if we give in.  And...as a toddler...our listening skills are not the best!  So...we will battle it out:)

Scott is hanging in there with school.  Not many men teachers in the junior high...so he is kind of lonely...and his 7th graders are struggling in football...but the high school is doing great!  So that helps! 

Jenny...is very overwhelmed...we are understaffed...I am traveling to 26 high schools this fall compared to my 12 from last year...so I am pooped.  I am at least a week behind in checking email.  Not going to complain...trying to have a better attitude...but I am pooped at the end of each day from feeling so behind.  At least everyone is feeling the same way:) 

We are still trying to menu plan...it was a bust this last week b/c of the flu...but it is helping.  Our house currently looks like a tornado went through it...but tomorrow morning is the cleaning day.  We are almost caught up with laundry (after having 4 FULL baskets sit in our upstairs all week...had to dig through it for clean clothes!!).  So...here we go again!

Here are some fun pics:

 exhausted...story of our lives:)

 precious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 "see me eating my sherbert mom?"

 big gripper!!!!

using the bouncy jumperoo!!!

So...school has started and life got crazy!!!

CRAZY!!!!!!  We now have a 16 week old...or 4 MONTHS!  Ryder-roo is a laughing, wiggling machine:)  Noah is a very loving and very protective big brother.  Backing up:

 Ran the dirty girl race in Welch, MN!  Megan Stull is my best friend from grad school and a breast cancer survivor.  My mom is a survivor as well...and I would do just about anything to defeat this!  And...about anything for Megan:)  It was a mud run similar to Scott's...extreme 5k...ya know:)

 4 mud pits...had to crawl through...it was at a ski resort...HUGE HILLS!!!!!!!!!!!

We hung out a hotel with my in-laws and brother-in-law and his family.  The kids (the other pics are super blurry...pool messes with the lens!?!?!?) well big kids...had a RIOT in the pool.  It was a lot of fun at the zoo as well...walked around the Como Park zoo...will be more fun to do in the morning when we are not so tired:)  It was a great little weekend with the in-laws!  This ended up being the weekend before I went back to work...so we were super overwhelmed when we got back getting ready!  Scott had 2 a day practices...we had August visit days at work...and my parents were gone at the beginning in North Carolina.  We survived!!  I chopped my hair at the end of the week and am donating it to Pantene Pro-V's version of Locks of Love (only need 8 inches).  Here are the pics...next time...even shorter:

I had a gift card to Jiva (a pricey place in town) so it was basically free!  I look pretty chubby...getting there with the baby weight.  I am about 5 pounds away...and just need to work out!  I am doing my mommy work out class at noon and when my travels are done (26 high schools this year...more on that later) I am working out/running during my noon hour 2-3 days a week.  It is my me time...as well as my get healthier time!  Adjusting to two and work has been okay.  I have to get up at 6am at the latest to make it all work and get out the door.  So...I feed Ryder and then pump...sometimes this is a great plan as long as he is in routine...but if not...we are all thrown off.  We have seen a lot of 4am!  Noah is a SUPER slow poke in the morning...so getting him to move is a task.  Off we go...it is like a mad dash:)  Ryder has been starting to hang out in the bumbo and still chills in the swing.  We will start baby food after his 4 month check...we are a bit off base since we spread out our shots.  I will do another post about baptism soon (it was super fun) and the baby shower my friend and I hosted:)  In the mean time...fun pics of the boys:

 1st dentist appt!!  He did great after getting used to the tools:)

 Happy bath time!

 sad face...

happy face!!!!!!!!!

 tummy time!!!!!!!!!!

 homemade super hero:)

 what a keeper of a hubby:)

 the best way to wake up and go to sleep:)

Quick update!

So...Ryder is almost 13 weeks (tomorrow)!!  He started laughing last Friday...hysterical!!!!  Just talking to him and making funny faces and he giggles.  Baby giggles could possibly be the BEST noises ever!!!

Noah...we say "here's the deal" a lot with him...like, "here's the deal, Noah, you are going to bed" or "here's the deal, Noah, you have to eat those carrots."  Last week...Noah said, "here's the deal, Mom, I get to watch 2 Georges."  I about fell over!!!!!!!!  First...he uses it the right way and second...just funny:)  We tend to watch a lot of Curious George and watch them before a nap...good times.  He had a headache we found out last night..but him trying to explain he said, "my hair hurts".  Gave him tylenol...which he promptly threw up in my hands...and luckily Scott was walking in the door to help!

I am back to work full time and am exhausted.  But...getting there!  Had SAA tonight...so I am wired and didn't want to sleep for an hour when I have to feed little man shortly. 

I need to write about the race and baptism...next time! 

Vacation!!!!!!

We went on vacation towards the end of July with my parents and brother and his wife.  We headed out with a loaded van (and a few things in my parents van!) to Apple Canyon Lake...near Galena, IL.  My parents rented a house and it was all ours.  It was quite the trip...very curvy roads and out in the middle of no where.  Ryder and Noah were champs the whole way...very lucky.  We did a fun trip to a park near by...ate some yummy food on the lake.  My brother and Jenna came later and we just chilled.  Played Farkle...even Noah joined in in throwing the dice.  My parents rented a pontoon for that Saturday and we spent most of the day on it.  Noah and Ryder did their first trip on a boat...it was BEAUTIFUL...finally not 1,000 degrees:)  Noah even got in the lake (life jackets for both boys of course).  Noah also went fishing for first time:)  We grilled and just had a great time.  Here are some fun pics:

Next post will be on the next mini-vacay with my in-laws!

We have loved and lost...

We were on the end of our vacation yesterday when my dad got the call from Scott.  My brother and him were golfing...I thought...great...someone hit the van.  As my dad handed me the phone...I knew it was something bad.  Scott calmly told me that Drake Martin had passed away in a hiking accident.  I didn't process...I just stood there and then the tears came (Noah asked why my eyes were dripping...so precious...).  Drake is someone Scott and I (and my brother and sister-in-law...and many more) worked for as undergrads and then I went on to work with as my first job at UNI and then continued on into a professional (and personal...grown up friendship).  Drake and I would have lunch together regularly after I left the DOR to go to Admissions.  He was full of wisdom and stories.  He was hiking at Backbone park on Saturday and fell...and died.  He was 62 years old...he has two daughters...Riley and Dillon (Riley will be a junior at UNI and Dillon will be a freshmen at a school in MN).  We would talk about his daughters...the joys and tribulations of teenages.  We would talk about his love life...dating is a new ball game!  We would talk about work and things we wanted to improve.  You could talk to Drake about anything.  Drake had met Ryder...bringing with him a meal.  He pushed Noah in our backyard on our swingset.  He came to the hospital when Noah was born.  Drake was more than a mentor to me...I just don't even know where to begin to describe him.  As I looked through the many posts on Facebook...it is easy to see how much Drake impacted UNI...and easy to see how much he impacted the world of housing and higher education.  I know he did a lot for the Cedar Valley and his church.  I posted this message on Facebook yesterday via my brother's iPad...not much access on vacation:

"As I read so many status's about my friend drake...I don't have the words to describe what he meant to me. As he held each of my babies and told us to treasure each moment, I thought he is such a good man. As he told me time and again how much he cared about others, I thought he is such a true person. As he gave me a hug the last time...I thought we are so lucky have someone like him in our lives. As a student I may not have always appreciated everything he taught me, but as a professional...I respected everything...I will live my life each day like drake would want me to and work with students with passion like drake did every day."

 Drake was one of those once in a lifetime people.  He was one of those once in a lifetime people you work with.  As undergrads...we would joke about Drake's corny jokes and sometimes thought his res ed stuff was out of date...but in reality...we all loved Drake.  We didn't realize it at the time...but Drake truly cared about each and every person he encountered.  My husband put it best...Drake took everyone as they were and accepted them...no questions asked.  I can say the UNI is a better place because Drake Martin was there.  I am going through that time as a professional where a lot of the people who have impacted me are leaving...retiring, etc.  Something like this was not what I was prepared for.   I will hold my babies tighter and work harder at work in honor of Drake...b/c that is what he would have wanted. 
I will post on vacation later...

8 weeks old!!!!!!!1

We had Ryder's 8 week appointment yesterday!!! Can't believe it has been 8 weeks since he joined our world:)  He weighed in at 12 lbs and 15oz...23.5 inches long!!!  He is a growing baby!!  Like the 75th percentile for weight and 95th for weight...if he is like Noah...he will level out:)  Ryder...you are still eating every 3-4 hours.  Stretched out to 5 hours 2 nights in a row!  We will see if it becomes a pattern.  I am a pumping machine trying to stock pile for when we are all back at day care and work.  3 grocery sacks full of frozen milk!!!!!  Ryder discovered his tongue and his hands in his mouth.  He is also starting to coo...it is the BEST!  Noah loves to "talk" to Ryder and gets very excited when he talks back to him:) 

It is starting to sink in that my maternity leave is coming to an end...2 full weeks left.  Then I am back at it for 2 weeks of part time and then back at it!  Part of me is excited...part of me is nervous and the other part is sad.  I have really enjoyed this time...especially the second month.  More confident in myself and being a mom...that makes a HUGE difference.  I am very nervous about getting ready in the morning by myself with two kids...but we will take it day by day.  Scott and I are committed to keeping this place cleaned up...we will see.  Cleaning up every day a bit...hopefully will help!  A friend from work made the comment about having your house one step above a Taco Bell bathroom...no offense Taco Bell...but I thought that was HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I am above that!  Scott is great at organizing and shoveling things out...so we have made huge progress on that end! 

There was an interesting story this week about the new CEO of Yahoo being pregnant and due in October and how she will work through her leave.  Lots of sides on this topic...she has lots of resources for extra help...but working through her leave???  Interesting!  I have been very lucky and I check my email...but my away message directs them to talk to the office...and I am doing just that...letting people read that!!!!!!!!!!!  Here are some fun pics:

 Noah talking to Ryder!

 Fresh out of the bath!!  Noah looks like such a big boy!!  Ryder is heading to the next size in diapers!

 Happy baby smile:)

 First time with the play mat!  Not into it quite yet...

 We bit the bullet...used WalMart gift cards and bought a double jogger.  We can use the baby carrier with it!!  Tried it out...we LOVE IT!!!

 The Hupke's visited!  Noah and Kaleb (6 weeks apart) played all night long!!  So wished they lived closer...it was great!!!

Sleeping boys...so peaceful...love them!!!!

The "trying 3's" and almost 8 weeks!

Having a toddler is an adventure almost every minute of the day.  Noah LOVES being home with us...in fact if we never left our property...I don't think he would care!  He loves to play cars and super heroes and the sandbox and the pool and anything with a ball and with tools...specifically with his Daddy.  Mommy is ok...but if daddy is around...I'm out:)  There is something so precious about hearing your husband's voice change into super hero mode and the giggles that come from the room!  I LOVE IT!  A friend from church (she is like another mom to me) talked to me today about the "testing 2's and the trying 3's" and it is perfect.  Noah is a very sweet...funny...loving little boy.  He has discovered that he can scream...which is NOT COOL.  Daddy has a ton of patience and takes him aside for talks.  I had my first public meltdown with him at the mall.  I just let him scream and then eventually we moved on.  He also talks back and says no...like when we tell what and when to eat.  We know it's normal and are thankful that he can communicate! 

I love being home...I start my last 3 weeks of maternity leave tomorrow.  Some days go so fast that I can't believe that is correct and other times...I am ready to go back just to have a routine.  I feel like I am getting the hang of things with Ryder...he eats every 3-4 hours (even at night) and I pump after a feeding every other time.  The sleeping thing is a constant battle...he does sleep well...much better than Noah...but getting him to sleep on his own is another story!  I am incredibly anxious about SIDS...we follow EVERYTHING they suggest...I am constantly pushing the pacifier...some days are better than others:)  I asked day care about sleep and I forgot that they don't leave the babies by themselves in a room...someone is always watching them...so at least that part of sleeping I can be relieved!  We are building a stockpile of milk for day care (in fact my parents will have to store some for us!!!).  Ryder started smiling on July 4th...it is the BEST!  We haven't caught a lot on camera...but a few on the video camera.  I hopped on the scale and then with him...and we are guessing around 13 pounds...we go this week to his 2 month check (2 months...that is crazy!!!!!!!).  We made the decision to spread out the vaccinations...he will get them all...just not all at once.  So...this week with be the full check and one round.  Keep you posted!

 The card...

 The roses that Noah picked out...thanks daddy;)

 The boys reading one of their FAVORITES!!!!!!!!! 

 1st Pintrist meal...pineapple-barbque-chicken...in the crock pot!  It was awesome...and easy!!

 Smile at church!!!!!!!!!

 Sad face....like 10 seconds later

 1st bottle!!!  On Sunday, July 8th!!!

 I needed something different for my jewelry and we searched on Pintrist and came up with this...it is filled now and looks great.  Scott is becoming quite the handy man!!!  I will post a pic of it filled next time!!

We have made a commitment to be more healthy and have started running.  Will keep you posted!  Scott decided to run something called the Warrior Dash.  He asked our friend TJ to do it with him and we spent Saturday cheering them on.  It is more mileage than a 5K and contains obstacles.  Scott has run one 5K with me and one with our friend Andy...that is it.  I am not fast...but I like to run and have run quite a few road races...2 marathons, 2 half marathons, the BIX, lots of 5Ks...but this was another beast.  He started training and I am SOOO proud of him!  He finished in about 48 minutes...they got stuck waiting a few times to get through some obstacles.  It was in Earlham (near Des Moines) in the middle of NOWHERE and the weather was in the 90's.  Brittany (TJ's wife) and my Uncle Steve and I were along for the ride.  We thought we might be able to watch a bit...but it turned out to mostly be in the woods...so we only saw the beginning and then end.  Here are some pics:

 Yes...that it barbwire with red flags on it...

 MUDDY water..gross...

 Almost out!!!!!

 DONE!!!!!!!

 The team:)

Donated shoes...:)