An almost 2 year old

Well, today is the 3rd of March which means in one month Porter will be two. How do I feel about that? I just can't believe it. Where did the last 2 years go? I guess because I was nursing him for the first 17 months of his life and then got pregnant at month 13 of his life, I have always been nursing or pregnant for the last 2 years. So I am excited for the next years to come with him and not worry about being pregnant again. It was a rough 10 months for all of us, but we have made it and now can enjoy the joys of being two and very active.

Porter loves to go and do and do some more. He is a hopping fool. He loves to chase and run. He loves to do somersaults and climb on the couches. He loves to ride Strawberry (Grandpa Al the horse). He loves to push boundaries and think outside the box. He loves to read, color and paint. He loves to splash in mud puddles with his rain boots and even without his rain boots. He loves to give his sister kisses and will do it repeatedly at night knowing full well we will let him and it keeps him out of bed longer. He loves to play balls and loves to go shopping for balls at Target. He remembers things I had no idea little 2 year old minds would remember. He knows Home Depot, he knows La Hacienda, he knows where our street is, he knows where Daddy and Mommy go to work, he knows when we are on the way to Grammie's house, he knows his cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles in pictures and points to the correct ones. He loves life!

I could go on and on but those are some of the things that jump out in my mind when I think of our little Porter-man. So he is turning 2 and one of the things I have been wanting him to learn is to tell people how old he is. He just learned how to say the number one with his hand and when asked how old he is will show you one finger. So along with that learning I figured why not start showing him basic counting and count up to five. So he have say, with his mouth, two and three and show you that on his hand as well. So he is all ready to turn two now and be able to tell people how old he is. So cute! I keep asking him what he wants for his birthday and I don't think the concept of that makes any sense to him as he has no response really. If only it stays that way, right?

One more month and what used to be my little baby, Porter, will be 2. Now, what should we do for a birthday party? Hmmmm.... Do we let him eat the "real" stuff? Porter has not had any dessert or intentionally sugary foods the first two years of his life. Yes, he has had muffins that contain sugar, but generally they are homemade and not cupcakes but muffins like blueberry or bran. He does eat fruit flavored yogurt, but again, yogurt is not known to be a sugary item. He does drink juice but nothing like Caprisun or Sunny Delight. All that to say, he has had some sugar but nothing dessert like, so the question is, "Do we let him eat cake?" For his first birthday he had a sugar-free banana cake. I will admit, it wasn't amazingly delicious but he didn't know the difference at all. This year, we will see. The jury is still out and AJ and I haven't decided. When I post about his birthday, we will see which way we went. :0)

Family of Four

Well, here we are. We are all at home now and we are a family of four. AJ is back at work. My parents came and stayed with us for a week and helped with so much. They helped with the transition back home and my mom did laundry and cooked. They both loved on Porter and played Lego's, blocks and read books. My dad helped by running to the store for groceries and did some yard work with me as our yard was out of control. It was a great week. But it had to end and I had to just do it on my own.

So yesterday after I returned from taking Maggie to the pediatrician, they jetted off back to their house in Bend and I was on my own! Wednesday afternoon seemed pretty breezy as we did lunch, went on a walk and by then, daddy was home! Today was a bit more rough. I go to a Bible study at our church on Thursday mornings for moms of young children called Hearts at Home. I hadn't been for the last 3 weeks so I decided I needed to get back in the routine and woke up early to shower and get going to get us all out the door to Hearts. I figured it is good practice seeing how I will be going back to work in 5 weeks and we will need to have it figured out by then!

Well, mission accomplished. We were all buckled in and heading out the driveway by 9:07am. Yes, it starts at 9am and we were technically late, but I consider this a success. If only that was the hardest part of my day. It was the easiest. We came home and Porter went down for a nap and Maggie decided to eat and then nap, but I was starving and couldn't sleep and had phone calls I needed to make. So when Porter woke up, I was just finally getting settled down and then I couldn't. Argh.

After nap I helped Porter get some lunch and changed diapers, more diapers and nursed, nursed again and more nursing Maggie. Porter was in somewhat of a cranky mood and just wanted to do anything and everything that I didn't want him to do, thus, we were at odds with one another all afternoon.

Needless to say, about 4pm, I was really getting ready for AJ to be home. But of course, he texted me at 4:45 and said he had just gotten out of a meeting. Thus, he wouldn't be home for a little bit more. WHAT?? I was done. Long afternoon. Thankfully, AJ's dad showed up at 5:10 with make your own pizza for dinner and entertained Porter. AJ did get home and then ran to the store for a few more items. JJ then came over and we had a great dinner. After dinner, JJ cleaned up the kitchen (unloaded the clean dishes and reloaded the dirty ones and put away all the leftover!). AJ got Porter ready for bed and then JJ rocked Maggie to sleep and then went home. AJ and I turned on NBC for a night of laughs and I was actually able to blog some and enjoy some time on the laptop.

I guess I must say, for how long my day was, my evening with my family has been very delightful. Being a mom of two kids 21 months apart is hard. Someone told me today that she saw the light at about 6 months with hers. Well, I guess I only have 5 months and a week left! I love being a mom and I love my kids and husband but today was a rough introduction. Each day will have its challenges and each day may get a little easier but I am trying to enjoy each moment as this is the last time I will be in the newborn baby phase. One day at a time!

A whole new view on life...

Magnolia Raine Miller DeBacker entered our lives in the craziest fashion one could ever think of on January 16th at 11:10pm. Four days overdue and she was 7 pounds 4 ounces, 20 inches long and a head full of head like her big brother, Porter! She never took a first breath of life and has been fighting for it ever since. To read her story and to keep up to date on her, we have started a blog for her to keep all informed.

Please check out her progress at:

www.magnoliaraine.blogspot.com

We are thrilled at her progress and rejoice and pray with all those praying for her and us. We thank you! Maggie is THE cutest little baby you will ever meet and we can't wait to introduce her to all our family and friends.

Again, thank you for all your love and support and continue to join us in prayer for Maggie and the life journey she has ahead of her that her Mighty Creator has chosen for her. We love you, sweet Maggie!

Christmas 2010

Our "First Christmas Tree" all decorated with presents under the tree!

Al and Lori's Christmas tree with presents spilling out from underneath!

The stockings...

Porter opening a present from Grammie and Grandpa-a magna-doodle.

Jana and Finn

Porter told us Christmas Eve that he thought Santa was going to bring him a guitar. Much to his delight, Santa pulled through and he got his very own guitar! Now he can play like his grandpas and uncles play.

Porter demonstrating how to use Grammie's camera!

Grammie and her grandboys

Aunt Christy celebrated with us and loves making Porter laugh!

Me and my sister, Christy!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

My family, the Miller family

For Thanksgiving this year, my side of the family all got together at my brother's house and had our Thanksgiving meal together. All 13 of us sat around their dining room table and enjoyed all sorts of yummy food!


Since it was the first time in a long time that we ALL had been together, we decided to brave the cold and attempt some outside family photos with my brother's camera on timer. It made for some intersting pictures since no one was behind the camera to get the kid's attention. But we worked with what we got and got a few fun shots!


My parents also wanted their picture with all their grandkids. My brother has 4 kids: Gracie (7), Benjamin (5), Zoey (3) and Kate (1) all with bright red hair! And then my little kiddo, Porter(1) with his dad's blonde hair!


So this is the Miller family. Andy, oldest Miller child, and his wife Ruth. Me, preggers and middle child, and my husband AJ. My sister, Christy, youngest child, and her husband Tobin. And then our parents, Jim and Glenda.

Silly Christy and Tobin!

Happy Birthday!

I celebrated my 34rd birthday this last Friday and AJ and I had planned to have a night away in Portland as celebration!

Friday I had to work on my actual birthday and I ended up working late but when I walked in the front door at home, I was greeted by my husband and happy child and beautiful flowers. AJ had gotten them for me along with a super cute card and a gift card to my favorite local place, Jori Zan's, a body piercing store. I had been wanting new plugs for my ears. I was excited. So after opening that, we headed out to go to dinner as a family and do a little Christmas shopping.

On Saturday morning we had a brunch to go to with 3 other families that we have done this with for the last 3 years and we do an ornament exchange. We got up and got ready, gave Porter a nap and packed our bags for a night away. Porter was going to stay with Grammie and Grandpa DeBacker and spend the night at their house. This was the first time since he was born that AJ and I had gone somewhere together without him! Off we went to the brunch and had a blast!

Then we ran by Jori's and I picked out some new plugs and we headed to Al and Lori's to see Al's side of the family before lunch and drop off Porter. We said hello to everyone and said goodbye to our baby and climbed in to the Subaru and headed to Portland as just US! It was amazing!

We had booked a night at the Hotel Modera in downtown Portland and checked in to our room. It was cute and very nice. The hotel was very modern and we both felt it was pretty trendy, almost too trendy for us. But we loved every moment of it.

The hotel lobby and cool sitting area.

The other view of the lobby.

Covered walkway entrance to the hotel. On the left are full fire pit type things you can sit around at night and have your drinks and enjoy being outside and be warm!

After we checked in and got to rest a little, we headed out to the spa as AJ had booked a hour long pregnancy massage for me. Ah, it was amazing and relaxing. I am always wanting AJ to scratch my back or rub my neck and he does but never for as long as I would like. So this was his treat to me. It was warm and relaxing and so nice to decompress.

After that we headed back to the hotel room and put on our warm comfy clothes and headed out to walk to the theater where we were going to have dinner and a movie. On the walk over I realized my head was really cold and I had forgotten my hat at home, not the hotel but home. And AJ had forgotten to pack socks so we were both pretty cold. We decided to stop at Columbia and buy a hat for me and AJ bought some new socks. It made the walk there and back much more enjoyable.

Here is AJ putting on his socks right in front of: (hehehe!)

We then walked on to the Living Room Theater. It is a smaller theater where they serve dinner and refreshments. We ordered dinner and ate most of it in the lounge and then took the rest in to the theater and had our dessert there. The food was amazing! And truly, creme brulee for dessert while watching a movie is really the best thing ever.

The theater seats maybe 50-60 people and the seats are much more comfortable and there is lots of leg room. We went to see Morning Glory and we both enjoyed it. It was a great date. On a random side note the bathroom stalls are tiny! If I had been much more pregnant, it would have been really uncomfortable. Everything else was amazing!

The bar and lounge area of the theater.

Dinner...

After the movie we bundled up again and headed back to the hotel. It was cold and quite the walk for me but it was still fun and we just took our time. On the way home we did run in to a street band that was performing in front of Nordstrom. It was a pretty cool band and had an interesting sound. AJ likes supporting the locals and so we bought a CD. It was cool to stand there and watch them for a little. Then we walked over to get a closer look at the Portland Christmas tree only to see it was all tented off as in Pioneer Square they were having a Holiday Ale Festival and we couldn't get close. So AJ took a picture of the tree above all the tents. It was really pretty but would have looked better if all the tents were then. We then arrived back at the hotel and put our jammies on and crawled in to the warm and cozy bed. Ah, blissful.


The next morning I woke up at 8 as I can't sleep in anymore. I think part of it is I end up having to pee so badly in the morning that it wakes me up and I can't fall asleep again. I let AJ sleep in and then had to wake him up at 9:30 as I was getting hungry! He was the best and went out and got us Starbucks coffee and pastries. I was loving life, reading the paper, watching TV and drinking yummy coffee. Man, it was amazing! So about 11:30 I decided to take a shower and get ready to go do some shopping!

The coolest thing in the hotel room was the bathroom mirror. When I stepped out of the shower I noticed a square on the mirror was not fogged up. The rest of the mirror was foggy from the shower steam but not the middle square. It was cool. You could still see your face to get ready even though you had just gotten out of the shower. Check it out!



After getting ready, we packed out stuff back in the car and headed out for lunch. One of my favorite places we used to eat at all the time when we lived in Vegas was Buffalo Wild Wings and they came to Portland about 3 years ago, so I love going there whenever I get a chance. Yummy lunch with just my husband, wonderful.

AJ treated me like royalty and no matter what it was, the decision was mine. AJ would just say, "It is your weekend." It was the best. I sort of considered this a babymoon as well, seeing how Porter is 20 months old and we have never left him for a night at the same time. AJ has gone places and I have gone places but we have never been able to go together. I know Porter will have to have some nights away from us while we are in the hospital after Maggie is born so this was a good experience for him. We are so thankful and grateful for Al and Lori for taking Porter. Thank you! We knew he was in good hands.

In 5-6 short weeks, AJ and I and Porter will be a family of four and welcoming Maggie in to our lives. It was good to get away, be refreshed and enjoy each other and gear up for the next stage in our lives. Maybe in another year, AJ and I can leave both the kids for 2 nights!

I have learned...

Through this last month of blogging I have learned that I am fully capable of creating a new habit and routine. It was easy the first few days and then I hit a rough patch only to come out at the end, not even realizing it was the end. I am sure most of my 5 readers will think I will disappear again and not blog but once every 3 months if that. But my hope and desire is not for that to happen. Can't guarantee how much I will once Maggie comes, but I do hope for December to keep blogging the important things and things that are on my mind.

It was a challenge but I conquered it. I can now apply this lesson to other aspects of my life and realize that I am capable of change and new things and consistency. Just like I found the 20-30 minutes it would take me to blog, after baby, I can find the 30 minutes to walk the treadmill and feel a little better about myself. A small step for me.

So, welcome in December. I am glad you are here. For me it means of time of celebrating my birthday and for a day or two or maybe three, it is all about me. A middle child's dream! AJ and I are going to Portland for an overnight in a swanky hotel adventure with no child (besides the one in my belly and she is pretty mellow most of the time). My in-laws will have Porter for the night and AJ and I have hopes of dinner and a movie, but we may just end up falling asleep at 9 and sleeping in till 10 or 11 the next day. Either way, I am excited. I get to have adult conversation with my husband, his full attention and no screams or cries or sippy cups being thrown my way.

I am also sort of considering this our "babymoon" seeing how Maggie is due in 42 days so this may be the last time for a bit that AJ and I get to be just us even if for one night. Our family of 3 will soon be a family of 4 and for that I am excited.

So, off into December I go with excitement for my birthday and reflection on our Christ who was born to save us all. It truly is one of the most wonderful times of the year. Merry Christmas and Feliz Navidad!