Mothers day 2013

My third mothers day. A fabulous one.

Me & kiddos went to Las Vegas Tuesday night to have a nice long,relaxing visit:

Grandma & Grandpa
Aunt Melissa/Shelly
Uncle Todd/Jes
Cousins
Pool
Not Working
Discovery museum
Many friends
Dinner with girlfriends
Shopping with bestfriend Kelli
Shopping by MYSELF
Watching old b&w movies with parents
Not working
BBQ with old friends & swimming
Family dinner with just adults
Family dinner with many crazy tiny people
Laughing
Smiling
Sleeping
Not working
Happy happy toddler with cousins
Happy happy baby with attention
Time without husband
Time with husband

3 years ago I told Brad I was pregnant on Father's Day-I was going to be Mom! Two little people have come to our home: healthy, happy and full of love. Faye makes me laugh everyday, is my little bestfriend, and is our sweet crazy lady. James is our fat, smiling, bowling ball! I am grateful to be their mother!

Brad totally surprised me with a beautiful book of pictures! Apparently while I was running Ragnar he had a whole photo shoot with our kids!! What a stud. He also went and got my ring all fixed (diamond had to be fixed in band, got rhodium finish, cleaning, the works!) It feels so much prettier on my hand now. Plus a few days away from home? I scored!

So grateful for my mother, my sister, my in-laws, and many friends and second mothers in my life!
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

I'm raising a cannibal

Faye was prepped all morning to go to the office to drop off her Easter eggs to Jack&Bridget and then go to lunch with Amy.
"Mine eggs Jack, a go eat Amy."
"Faye are we going to eat lunch with Amy?"
"Yes, I eat Amy."
:-)

i am not a monster, i am a MAN!

 STOP PUTTING MY SISTER'S BOWS ON MY HEAD!

James 2 months

you are 2 months old?! (well, now even older than 2 months!)
that's crazytown.
we love you.
you are very fat & getting fatter everyday! (5 ounces every 2 hours for 4 feedings.. REALLY??)
here you are with your doggie:

you are the same size faye was a 4 months. the resemblance is starting to lessen, sadly. she definitely got much lighter eyed & lighter haired & more girly, but there is still a STRONG likeness in person. i'm kind of sad they are starting to look less alike. although, faye's receding hair line was kinda unattractive, so james has got that going for him! (i guess he has got to enjoy his hair while he has it, right? get ready, buddy, you will most likely be bald at 24...)

 

Video of Labor

http://youtu.be/clNjqVcwzMs

i love this video. i love that i'm playing spider solitaire. just hanging out. i love brad & that he videos things. i'm really in a lot of pain, right? you can totally tell i'm in labor *wink*

i totally support people who want natural births. i think it's awesome. i also support people who do not. i LOVE LOVE LOVE that fact that the last couple hours of being a family of 2 or 3 have been pleasant, happy, snuggly memories with brad. we talk & laugh & play games & enjoy our last moments before our world is rocked with a baby. I loved that with James my epidural was lighter & i could feel more. i also loved that i was at a 5 before i had an epidural this time & really enjoyed the hours of natural labor. i was also glad when i got pain meds when i could no longer enjoy natural labor.

this video is when i have been complete for over an hour, but baby was face-side up so we were waiting to see if we could get him turned the right way. i had to do pushes sitting regular, then turned on my side, regular, turned, & he finally came around & was ready to come out at 10:25 AM.

two babies, one gene pool

brad + lindsey = babies that look like brad.
many people think that james & faye do not look alike. they are mistaken. CLEARLY.
so so so so many times i have looked at james' sweet face, smile, eyes, expression & thought, "you look like your sister!" and then i dance a jig inside bc i think she is very cute & that bodes well for his future. :)
every picture i find of them it's a dead giveaway which is which, besides the fact she is usually wearing pink, is he is FATTER. oooooo my fat baby boy. love them both!

Cute face

James is a different baby. Week and a half on bottles and he is happy, more calm, sleeping longer& just generally more pleasant to have around! He hasn't screamed for an hour( or more) in2 days!
He is weighing in over thirteen pounds (we have his 2 month appt soon, too, for more stats) and has some serious fat rolls going on! Chin, wrist, thighs- so kissable!! I love it!
He loves watching& talking to everyone. He loves Disneyland, or anywhere outside. He puts up with Faye kissing him, putting stickers on his face, piling toys on top of him, & talking too closely/loudly very well. What a trooper!

New member of the family!

Nope, not baby J- a Kia Sorento!
A piece of heavenly news is we got a new car!  2012 Sorento with 3rd row seat is our new family-mobile! Our accord (which we bought to drive into the ground) had too many problems& we decided to get out while it was worth a lot. Instead I now drive around in quiet style & comfort& security of 3 separate 10 year, 100,000 miles warranties!
I bore Brad a son& he bought me a car! :-)

Faye is 2!!

I have no idea how to even start. My baby is TWO. Two!!
She is just as sweet, smart, talkative and a joy as she ever was! My Angel baby has become a sweet little lady!
28 pounds, 35.5 inches tall, barely a size 5 shoe, dirty blonde hair, hazel eyes the exact shade as mommy's, and daddy's even keel personality.
Everyday I love you more, Faye! My baby!

We weren't able to have a party with friends this year so we went to grandma's for cake the Sunday before. Little princess!
In her real birthday we had eggs and bacon for breakfast& played happily all day. Daddy got off with early& we went to Disneyland with auntie coco and the boys (since it's Matthew's birthday the next Sunday). Happiest place on earth!! Great day with a great little lady!!

Sunday afternoon tunnel time

What I love most most most about Faye being 2 is how FUN she is!! It's like having a little fun, smiley, companion all the time. Everyday she is saying new words, using verbs more correctly, and just a joy to have around. I'm amazed at how cute & happy she is. Love her!

Sweet little man

James is very snuggly& sweet. We love him!
He is quite the opposite of his "angel baby" sister in some things tho! He screams murder when he is tired-I'm serious, I've never heard a newborn scream so loudly bc they want to be asleep! Definitely related to my side of the family! He acts like he has never eaten before when he is hungry, & has a volume level at a million decibels all the time. BUT when he doesn't have any issues, he LOVES to be snuggled & wrapped up& be held (i could leave Faye laying on the couch or play mat all day, she didn't care to be held). He sleeps fairly well& eats waaaay better than his big sister ever did. WHAT A RELIEF! I've had some stressful moments with breastfeeding, but nothing compared to the absolute nightmare of low supply/bottles/pumping/crying/worrying that we had last time!!
Faye is obsessed with him. First words out of her mouth after naps, in the morning, before bed, or 100other times per day, are "baby Jimmy night night?" "Where baby Jimmy go?" "He awake!" "I wanna see baby Jimmy!" Etc.
I live that she loves him so much!
So glad this little man came to our family!

James Elias Barttels

Baby boy had no name for the first 12 hours of his life, but finally we came around to a name!
James Elias. After his daddy's middle name & my great-grandfather's middle name. An Old & a New testament Bible name.
He is SO FAT. A GREAT eater. VERY snuggly. More hair, darker eyes (they might be blue, but I have a feeling they will be hazel like the rest of us), and SO MUCH LOUDER. I mean, the crying decibel level?? Wow. Opposite of Faye.
HOWEVER- he looks just like big sister. Different nose, but seriously, so similar! Apparently I only make one kind of baby! I didn't realize how similar they looked until I started looking at pictures of her at the same size. Those Barttels genes are strong!

Our home is full of love, without sleep, and happily settling in to being a family of four!

January 16th, 2013

Monday, January 14th:
Took Faye to dance class then went directly to Disneyland and stopped at Wendy's for lunch on the way. Played with Auntie Coco, "the boys!" and Melanie. Walked all over & then RAN (BIG PREGO LADY RUNNING- I would have LOVED to see that happening, they don't call it a jogger stroller for no reason) from Happiest Place on Earth to car so I wouldn't have to pay for parking. Had many contractions & rejoiced! Drove straight to Dr. office. Faye sleeps in car. Daddy picks up Faye from Dr. office, I run in, expecting the worst (aka ZERO dilation & zero effacement) but literally JUMPS with glee as she leaves Dr office after he tells her she is at a THREE!! Hooray!! Since I'm already overdue 4 days Dr. says I can schedule an induction if I so choose. YES I SO CHOOSE!
Wednesday it is.
Call & tell Mother Wendy to pack her bags, texts everyone she knows that she is dilated so much bc that means she WON'T have another baby 10 days over due!! Hallelujah!
Eats Athen's West Greek salad to celebrate & makes ginormous batch of chocolate chip cookies.

Tuesday, January 15th:
Let Faye eat & do whatever she wants- it's her last day of being an only child. She eats cookies, drinks juice, takes out all toys, plays with mom & then Grandma gets here just in time to bring her a ton of presents from Christmas!
I am in IT'S ALMOST TOO LATE- MUST.CLEAN.EVERYTHING.IN.SIGHT. mode. Brad comes home from work with huge list of "honey- do's". Bathrooms are scrubbed, vacuumed, fan blades cleaned, basically anything that can be put away, cleaned, dusted, moved, thrown away- is. Eat dinner with Grandma & Uncle Kevin. Hang out, relaxing talking, watching episodes of Dr. Who. Have tons of contractions. Realize that labor feels like getting the flu- nauseous.
Finish packing bags- leave for hospital at 12 AM. Kiss my first baby as she sleeps and say good bye to our home of three. It will never be the same.

Wednesday January 16th:
Get to Hoag hospital at 12:15 AM.
Baby "No Name" Boy Barttels born 10:25 AM.
9 lbs 8 oz. 20.25 inches long.
Family of four!!

2013

I do not make New Year resolutions... Not to be confused with New Year's resolutions, or worse, New Years' resolutions. (Does the new year possess the resolutions, are there multiple years?? I'm always confused!)

Brad & I have never made any "resolutions" together. Oops. Usually when we have something we want to accomplish we just do it then. Crazy kids. Why do in June what you can put off til next January!? jk. I digress.

But this year we decided to actually make a few:
1. Go on 2 dates a month. For the past couple years with job losses, baby birth and life in general, time & mula for just Brad & I has all but disappeared. Mostly we had "family nights out." We decided now with 2 kiddos (and one that now talks & wants to be part of every conversation) we needed to plan & make time for US. And luckily we are in a better place that now we can afford babysitters! Woot!
2. Exercise 3x a week. Self-explanatory. Luckily for me I am running Ragnar again in April & have 20 pounds of baby weight to lose, to I'm ALL about it.
3. Send birthday cards to all our family. We love them, we should tell them more.
4. Have Family Home Evening. I am not a huge fan of FHE. EVERY NIGHT IS FHE, come on, people!? However, Brad put his bid on this one, so I comply. I DO like the idea of setting time aside to make treats together as a family... does that count?
5. Put more money in savings. Again, self-explanatory.

:) Let's see what happens!!

some of my favorite things

 

tonight our house is overflowing with cuteness. 

first, we are trying curlers for the first time in faye's hair to practice for uncle chad's wedding on friday. what is it about tiny girls in tiny curlers?? i love it.

second, she is snuggling watching football eating popcorn with daddy. she is definitely his little girl. she loves to snuggle with him. they both have the same favorite snack. i love them.

Anniversary Mushy Gooshy

I love this man.

He is kind, and sweet, and generous. He uncomplainingly does everything I volunteer him for- teaching classes, doing the dishes, making bread, babysitting 2 babies that are not his own, taking Faye out so I can get work done, changing my mom's lightbulbs, carrying heavy things... he. is. the. best.

He rarely utters a cross word. I take a secret pleasure when Faye has been naughty enough for him to actually use a stern voice and tell her "NO!!" because he NEVER raises his voice. He may seem kinda tough on the outside but has a heart of JELLO on the inside. Even when I am upset at someone or something, he never fails to really try to understand how or what they are feeling, what the motivation was, how it could be looked at positively. (It's annoying how open-minded he can be, actually.) He is always encouraging me to think of it "from their perspective."

We have our differences, but really, they are few and far between. I'm about half (ok, realistically, less than half) as nice and kind as forgiving as Brad. He makes our marriage work about 75% of the time and I take the other 25%. He asks so little from me, it makes me ashamed how much I demand of him, his time, his energy.

He listens. He cares. He is observant. He can tell you almost all the people he has ever met and something about them. He remembers all the details about all the childhood memories. When we are with his family or friends from growing up, he can fill in all the gaps in their stories.

I think I am the luckiest girl in the world. He is funny and clever, he loves our children, and I LOVE HIM. He is the answer to many prayers. He is my better half. I love our children more bc they are part him. He makes me happier than I could have ever imagined a friend, confidant and husband could.

For our anniversary he took me to Amelia's on Balboa Island where we went on our first date. It was delicious and romantic and lovely to be out with my favorite person all to myself.

Brad Barttels, I love you. Thanks for the best years of my life. Here's to an eternity more!

halloween 2012

This picture is from the Trunk or Treat on Saturday. It's the best one I got this year...poor Faye has been sick with croup, so Halloween usuals (pumpkin carving, seed roasting, dressing up) all went out the window. Instead we snuggled on the couch this week enjoying the cooling weather (CAN I GET A HALLELUJAH!?) and trying to get better. Daddy was really disappointed bc he really wanted to take her trick or treating...so we went to a few apartments in our complex and boy! did she get the hang of taking candy fast! It's like kids are born knowing how to work it. Even her scratchy-throated "Thank you" was just so down right adorable, she usually got another candy just for saying it. People are suckers for tiny polite children dressed up. :-)
Maybe next year...

fishy!!

Faye won this tiny fish at our church's "trunk or treat" party on Saturday. Our first family pet! She talks to it all day long, "fishy! hello fishy!" It's quite cute. I asked her if we should name him Octavius, and call him Gus, but she yelled "NOOOOO! Fishy!" So I guess that's his name. :-)  Brad even bought fish food, so I guess we are now invested...we will see how long it lasts!

Big Girl Bed!!

who is letting my tiny baby grow up??

so 2 over weeks ago my kid started crawling out of her crib.

WHY DOES SHE HAVE TO BE SO TALL & STRONG & SMART? i mean, come on.

so then we fought her to stay in the toddler bed. mostly it resulted in sleeping on the floor.
we pushed her toddler bed up against the side of the twin bed so she wouldn't fall out, but still had a large gap to GET out. this has resulted in sleeping mostly through the night. half the time she just asks to sleep in the big bed and points at it, wanting to sleep there. but it's a twin bed ON RISERS, so if she fell off it would definitely hurt. i finally bought a bed railing for the side and installed it today. moved everything back, taught her how to climb up & down out of the bed & then put her down for her first BIG GIRL NAP!

she barely fell asleep bc she was SOOOOOOOOO excited. i mean, look at this cheese???

First day of nursery!

Hooray! Hooray! Sitting through church and getting to pay attention....will to our primary class at least!
She is only 17 months but they said it was ok. My baby is getting so big!
She made a little"kite" thing she is  dragging around. Love her!