Beach Bums

So...yes. It's been well over a year since my last post. You know, life happens, and with two little ones, it gets a little crazy. But I'm determined to get back to blogging!

As the summer comes to an end, I've been reflecting on all of the fun we've had. And our best day, by far, was our day in Galveston. We had driven to College Station for a long weekend, since I had a meeting for work, and the more I thought about it, the more this seemed like the perfect time to take the kids on the first trip to the beach. Tootie has been asking about the beach for a while now, and they are both little water babies, so we knew they would love it. And boy, were we right! Just listen to them enjoying their first feeling of the waves and sand under their feet!

Both kids wanted to be in the water the whole time we were there. They didn't even want to stop for lunch! Chunkamunk kept asking to go, "Farther! Farther!" I took him out as far as I was comfortable, and while he "swam," a fish jumped out of the water a few feet ahead of us. He was so excited! Tootie built a sand castle, and for a long time we all just sat in the shallow waves and collected shells. 

Daddy and I took turns taking the kids out into the deeper water. Tootie was not a big fan of that, but our little guy has no fear. We lounged on the beach while the kids made friends with other kiddos playing nearby. Once we realized we were all getting a LITTLE too much sun, we decided to pack it in. But not before taking a family selfie to remember our amazing day! Can't wait to get back down there next summer!

Introducing the Young Mr. M - Part Two

Just before midnight, on a breezy and beautiful March 14th night, Luca Logan made his debut. We had been prepared for a MUCH longer night of laboring, but that didn't mean we were any less tired after all of the excitement! Once the doctors were through with the weighing and measuring and wiping down and diapering, he was returned to my arms to get in his first good feeding.  And he ate.  And ate.  And ate.  While he gorged himself, Daddy made the requisite announcement phone calls (yes, even after midnight!) and let the patiently waiting grandparents know that he had arrived and that we were all doing great. 

Once Luca had eaten his fill, his adoring grandparents came in to shower him with kisses. We even FaceTimed in Uncle Colin, all the way from Florida, to watch his nephew's first bath. We were all exhausted, but that sweet baby was too much to resist. He let everyone cuddle him and pass him around until it was clearly time for us all to get some rest. By around 6:00 a.m., we had been moved to our new room and settled in to try to sleep. My hubby, recalling his uncomfortable sleeping situation when Tootie was born, brought himself an air mattress. The nurses all thought it was pretty genius.

There are no words to describe the feeling as we settled down to rest after welcoming our sweet son to the world. We were exhausted but so incredibly happy. He was perfect, and precious, and beautiful. (His Daddy would tell me I'm not allowed to call him beautiful, but you know what? He WAS.)  

The Chunkamunk Sleeps

After a bit of rest, we were able to get up and start our first day with our sweet son with full, thankful hearts. We were so blessed.

Introducing the Young Mr. M - Part One

Picture this:

It's March 14th, and I am one day past my due date and M.I.S.E.R.A.B.L.E. I was so beyond ready to have this baby that I was getting desperate. I paid a visit to my doctor that Thursday afternoon at 3:45, and she could tell I was ready to pop. She volunteered to do a procedure called "stripping the membranes," and we jumped at the chance, since she said if it worked, it would probably be within 24 hours. We didn't think twice, just said, "Do it." After all, we had our hospital bags packed and in the car, so we were ready for just about anything. 

Note to readers: when your doctor says, "This is going to HURT," she probably means it. After the procedure, Chad pried my clenched hands from the table, and we headed home. By the time we arrived, my labor had begun.

I had been nervous that, since I was induced with Makenna, I wouldn't really KNOW that I was in labor when it happened. But oh boy, did I know it. The regular, painful contractions began by about 5:30, and I timed them on my trusty Contraction Timer app on my phone. Five to six minutes apart pretty much from the beginning. By 6:30, I knew it was go time. Chad suggested that we take a quick nap before we left, since it was bound to be a long night, but I nipped that in the bud REALLY quickly. We did not at all have time for napping. So we scarfed a quick dinner of baked tortellini, gathered the last few things we hadn't already packed into the car, and were off. On the way to the hospital, Chad had a scare that I was going to have the baby right there in the car on Highway 183. Thank GOODNESS that wasn't the case!

Chad dropped me off at the hospital door, and I was whisked away in a wheelchair to be admitted while he parked and brought Makenna in. The nurses were asking me questions mid-contraction. Um, hello? I can't talk right now, thanks. My insides are squeezed so tight I can't even think. Whisk me off to a room, gown me and let's get this going. They started monitoring the contractions and the baby right away, and it was clear this was it. We called all the grandparents to let them know, and the out-of-towners (i.e. Dallas and Frisco) headed our way. The in-towners stayed home, sure that nothing exciting would be happening until the next morning. HA! 

My best friend came to pick up Makenna and take her for the night, and then we could really focus on Baby.  Things progressed quickly, and though I had told myself I would try to do this one without the drugs, that went right out the window. How people can actually WALK AROUND during labor is utterly beyond me. The anesthesiologist hooked me up, and I thought it would be smooth sailing. Wrong! That epidural only took on my left side, so I felt everything - EVERYTHING - on my right side. Chad had the squished hand to prove it. My nurse never left my side, and I suppose that should have been the first clue that things were moving faster than anticipated.  Before long, I was feeling the pressure, and it was push time!  The nurse ushered the family out of the room and started pushing buttons to call the rest of the folks needed for the delivery.  We had been hoping to make it to midnight so that he could share a birthday with Makenna's best friend, but the nurse looked at the clock and said there was no way that it would take that long.  Um...WHAT?!?!?  We were REALLY having another baby!!!

And then...after maybe 10 minutes of pushing tops...there he was.  Our sweet, handsome, wrinkly, dark-haired, screaming, BIG baby boy.  I'll never forget hearing the doctor say, "What a TANK!"  Nine pounds one ounce, 22.5 inches of pure sweetness.  Luca Logan had arrived.

One Morr Morrissey, Indeed!

I know, I know.  Bad blogging Mommy!  It's been months and months since my last post, and so many fun things have happened since then that I really, REALLY wanted to blog about.  But time just gets away from us over here!  So, suffice it to say that the most exciting thing to happen in the Morrissey Household recently has been one tiny, itty bitty, soon-to-be little addition...

Baby Morrissey #2 is currently percolating away over here!  Our due date is March 13th, 2013, and we could not be more excited!  Big Sister Makenna is in love with mommy's "baby belly" and makes sure to pat the baby and give kisses every day.  This should make for quite an adventure for the next several months!  So blessed to be a mommy times two!!

Have You Thanked God For Your Little Ones Today?

About 45 minutes ago, I was rocking Toots in her room, putting her to bed for the night.  She was peacefully sipping on her milk, occasionally stopping to whisper, "Niiight niiiight."  Suddenly, she put her cup to the side and squirmed around so that her sweet little head was on my shoulder.  I patted her back and gave her a little smooch on the cheek.  And she bit me.  On the shoulder.  HARD.  It STILL stings.  


My gut reaction was, "@#(*@$, that HURT!!!"  What I SAID was, "Makenna!!!  We don't bite!!"  But poor baby girl is teething something awful right now, and unfortunately, biting is exactly what she does.  As frustrated as I was with my little vampire, I couldn't help but get a little teary.  (And no, not because of the pain.)


It seems like the last few weeks, I've heard so many sad stories.  So many parents out there who are suffering because their sweet little children are sick, in pain, or even dying.  And so many children whose parents are sick, or can't hold them, or who are losing parents when they are still so young.  It hurts my heart beyond belief to even try to imagine what they are going through.  I can't even fathom it and can only pray that I never have to experience it myself.  It has made me realize how incredibly thankful I am that God has blessed us with this beautiful, precious little miracle we call our daughter.  All of the hair-pulling, shoulder-biting, eye-poking, teething-tears and screaming in the world could never make me forget how much I love her.  But some days, I forget to say a little thank you to the One who made her and trusted me...ME...to be her Mommy.  


Today is NOT one of those days.  Dear Lord, thank you for our sweet baby angel.  I promise to hug her tightly every chance I get, tell her I love her every day, laugh when she laughs, wipe away her tears when she cries, soothe her when she's sick, help her learn, help her grow, help her play, help her pray, and the million other little things that I dream of doing for her as she grows up.  And most importantly, I promise to help her understand how much You love her and how thankful we are that You created us and this beautiful family.  AMEN.

Can You Say?

Our little Toots is approaching 15 months old.  I know you're thinking, "Seriously?  Can that be right?"  It certainly is.  With each stage that we approach, I have conflicting emotions.  While I'm sad to see some of her baby-ness disappearing, I am also thrilled by how much she is growing and developing into such a sweet, fun little person!  She is learning so much and just soaking up everything around her like a little goofy, cheese-face-making sponge.  

This is the cheese-face, folks.

She runs.  She points at things she is interested in.  She plays with her kitchen, her blocks, her cook-and-play pot and plastic vegetables.  She hugs her stuffed animals and dolls.  She dances and shakes her booty.  She "reads" (i.e. pages through) her books, sometimes looking intently at each page, and sometimes just racing through to the end.  

If she wants us to read to her, she carries a book over, hands it to Mommy or Daddy, then turns around and backs up to sit down and get comfy in one of our laps.  Finally, FINALLY, she will sit still and let us read to her!  Oh, how I have been longing for that day!


Our favorite new game is a pretty simple one.  Her language is developing so quickly that we are constantly starting sentences with, "Can you say..."  Depending on Tootie's mood at the time, the results can be varied.  Sometimes, she will repeat (or try to repeat) every word. Other times, she just smiles sweetly and pretends like she doesn't hear, as only a toddler can do.  The list of words she says AND understands is getting so long!  Of course, we have the usual - uh oh, Mama, Daddy/Dada, kitty (or "titty", as she says), ball, night night, baby, hi, bye bye.  We get an occasional thank you (which is actually starting to sound much more like "thank you" than "dat doo), and an occasional "peas," which, of course, is please.   


Then we have more fun little words and phrases.  My favorites are "niiiice" and "naaah niiiice."  We've been trying to teach her to be gentle, and she picked these up SUPER fast.  When she wants to pet one of the kitties, she smiles and says, "Niiiice," like they can understand and will somehow hold still for her after that.  If she hits or pinches, which is an unfortunate phase we are in right now, she will repeat after one of us when we tell her that's not nice.  


Toots is also obsessed with her belly.  And anyone else's, to be quite honest.  She will pull up her shirt, put her finger in her belly button and say, "Beh-yee."  Then she does the same to Daddy or Mommy...whoever is closest.  She points to her nose and says, "Nooooose," then does the same to Daddy or Mommy  - often accompanied by a hard pinch of one of our noses and a resulting "naaah niiice."  She is quickly learning "toes" also.  We're still working on hair, ears and eyes, but getting there slowly but surely!


This is SUCH a fun time in all of our lives.  We are just having a blast teaching her all of these wonderful new things.  Seeing her eyes light up when she catches on to something new, or her smile when she says a new word and just KNOWS she is using it correctly, is so amazing!  We can't wait to see what the next few months will bring!

Writer's Block!!!

You know what I hate?  WRITER'S BLOCK.  I have too many things to say about our baby girl these days, which I know is causing the problem.  So for now, I'll settle for a photo of our little Tootie.  Don't think it's possible for her to be ANY. STINKING. CUTER.