Cute Pics

Here are some upsdated pics of the boys. This is us at the church carnival, halloween. Jakes awake, can't type now!

BALLS!!!!!

Do you know that Anthony's favorite thing in the entire world is... Balls! All balls... footballs, baseballs, basketballs, golfballs, cricket balls??? Yes, all balls, all sizes, shapes, colors. And regardless of the actual type of ball, they fit into one of 2 categories in Anthony's little mid... basketball or baseball. And as you can imagine, to as boy with such a facination with balls, a pumpkin patch is ball heaven! Here is Anthony at the pumpkin patch and some other great shots... Anthony as a copper-man, a super hero about to throw a tantrum, playing "sword" with the vaccuum attachment, and little Jake, just hanging out being happy and cute!

Christian Jake

Well, Jake is finally a little christian! He was baptized at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church Saturday admist all of his family. It was such a joyful time, and such an honor, to give this precious gift from God back to Him! After the baptism all of the family came to the house to celebrate... and boy do we have alot of kids! We even had 3 cousins missing but still the house was jammed pack full of little ones.

Almost all of the Costanza and Short side were all there with their families. Sitting admist the little yells and squeals, I was talking to Kelly about how boring life was before all of the chaos these littles ones bring... we are so blessed! I am thankful for the chaos, the messes, the little hand prints on every wall and window, and even the bumps and bruises that come along with these little ones. I am thankful for having to sweep the floor daily to get up all of the crumbs launched from the table during meals. And yes, I am even thankful for the melt-downs that my little ones seem to plan simultaneously! It brings so much joy to sit back for a second and take in the noise and excitment that comes with kiddo-s... even if that precious moment lasts only a second, interupted by a tug at your shirt by a little guy asking for more milk.

Here is jacob with his grandparents (Mickey & Don and Mike & Mary) and his God parents Jon and Kelly.

First week by myself...

Okay, this was the "official" first week by myself. Mike went back to work and despite all of my worst fears, I survived the work week with the 2 kids by myself. At times, it was crazy... take for example today: we came home from church and Jake was screaming with that quivering lip thing he does, Anthony was yelling at me "MaMa, MaMa, MaMa" because he was tired and he's constipated, and Dixie was throwing up on the carpet. I was sitting there on the couch, Jake was nursing and finally quiet, Anthony was pulling my finger, trying to get me to stand up and come play outside with him, and Dixie was dry-heaving. I just laughed ... face it, there's not much you can do in a situation like that but laugh!

All in all, I was very proud that we all survived... no we didn't just survive, we did great! This is my standard for great at this point: we all ate, poopy diapers were changed within a reasonable time period, and no one died. My friend Wendi let me borrow her Moby wrap (mobywrap.com... it's amazing!) and I just put Jake in that thingie and was still able to play around (even on the fort and sliding on the slide) with Anthony. I vacummed twice, washed Dixie, cleaned the kitchen, and thought about sweeping (but I wasn't THAT good!). Luckily I had friends bring me dinner (God bless YOU!) so most of my meals were prepared. All in all, I'd have to say we did pretty good... but thank goodness Mike is now off for a couple of days!







Another precious pic of Jake...

Anthony and his daddy watching the cowboys game... Little Romo zonked out...

Introducing... Jake!

I'd like to introduce you to the most amazing little boy in all of the world... Jacob Donald Short. We've been calling him Jake and are considering the "The Don" as well :). He is named Donald after his PaPa Don, and Jacob... well, we just liked the name. He decided to come, after 3 weeks of "practice" contractions, last Saturday, September 1st.

I went into labor at 5:00 in the morning and the contractions steadily increased in intensity and length from then on. (I was so scared that I wouldn't know when labor was real... but somehow I "just knew"!) Mike was diligent about rubbing my back through the contractions and kept telling me how well I was doing. Around 7 am I decided that this was in fact the "real thing" so I called my mom and sister to come over. Shortly after they arrived Mike left and brought Anthony to his Uncle Jody and Aunt Julies house. By the time he was finished we girls had gotten bored at home and decided that we should be walking instead of sitting anyway... so as any good country girls would do, we avioded the heat outside and went to Cabelas. (For those of you who don't know, Cabelas is a huge outdoors and sporting goods store...) It seemed like a good choice b/c it was on the way to the hospital and there are places to hide admist the "rooms of death" with the displayed animals hunters had donated. Any who... we were there for a while, my sister timing each and every contraction, and both of them offering support and back rubs during contractions, Mike and my Dad met us. We had a quick bite to eat (I'd regret eating that bacon in a few hours!) and once my contractions were quite strong and 3 mins apart, we left for the hospital (I was entering the "serious about this birthing thing" phase).

Once at the hospital, I was checked and found to be 6 cms dilated already (I was 3 cms the day before at my docs appt)! My mom, sister, Mike, and doula (Gina) were all in the room, and my dad quickly joined us. I got my IV antibiotics, sat on the ball for a while, visited with my family between contractions, then headed to the tub once the nurse gave the okay. I labored the rest of the time (1.5-2 hours) in the tub to the sound of Nora Joans in the surround sound and the touch and encouragement from Mike, my mom and sister, and our doula. I announced that I needed to use the bathroom, and knowing what that meant, nurses filled the room and escorted me to the delivery room. The Doc (Dr. Wilson) came in got all scrubbed up and dressed and anouned I was full and ready to push. After 4-5 good contractions, little Jacob was welcomed with the "happy birthday" song from all of us, the doc, and the nurses.

I am so happy and proud that I was able to have the unmedicated birth Mike and I wanted, but it pales in comparison to the feelings and ovewhelming awe we felt when our little guy was placed on my chest. He was a little purple at first, but pinked up quickly (APGAR's 8 & 9 for color only). There he was, in all of his glory, his very presence singing praises God, alert and looking at us as though we were old friends. He was so calm, and almost reassured about his place in his family. We spent those first minutes together as a family, gazing into one anothers tear stained eyes, in compete awe of the goodness of God. Mike said a beautiful prayer of thanksgiving and Jacob was welcomed by the warm hands of his parents, NaNa, and Maw Maw.When the nurse took him to weigh him and anounced he was a whopping 9 lbs and 1 oz, I almost fell off the bed! Mike with his chest out proud, and me in amazement, couldn't believe that we made such a big, healthy boy! He was given back to me and nursed right away as the doctor was finishing up.

Mike brought him to the nursery after a while for his bath while everyone watched from outside the nursery glass. My dad and I were in the recovery room, talking about how amazing what had just happened was and how awesome this little person is... while we were eating huge sub sandwiches (I was starving!). Over the next couple of days, our whole family was able to come welcome Jake in the hospital... Mike and I "rested" and fell in deeper love with out new little one, and I ate... and ate... and ate... and ate (who knew that labor made you so hungry!)

Anthony came to see his new baby brother and was so proud. He walked right up, said "baby" and gave him a kiss. When we came home from the hospital and Mike picked Anthony up from his Aunt and Uncles house, he walked right in, and unpromted, made a bee-line for Jake and gave him a kiss on the head. Anthony has not missed a beat... as if Jake has been here all along. Anthony pulls his stool up to the bassinet and stand on it so he can watch his baby brother sleep. He even shares his balls with him... which is a BIG deal if you know how much Anthony loves balls!

Now we're getting settled in to our new lives with two kiddo-s, enjoying the fabulous cooking and company my mom is so generously giving, and learning more about eachother every single day. So, feel free to call or visit, we love company! There's not too much more we can say...Life is good and God is Great!!

"Potty Time!"

So, as any efficient mother would do who is expecting her 2nd child, I had the great idea to potty train Anthony BEFORE the new little one arrive. So, I bought him a potty seat and step stool, fully believing that he would: #1 be interested at all in this, and #2 would be potty trained in just a few quick, painless hours. Well, my little son had different ideas... yes, he LOVES the potty seat. But boy, you best leave his pants ON when he's sitting on it or you'll get a teradactyl-like screatch from him!

So, I decided not to force the issue (fully realizing that he is only 18 months old!) and left the potty seat next to the big potty for the time being. (Okay, I'm about to brag like all mommies do, so be prepared...) My son is THE most adorable little thing on the face of this earth, and this just reaffirms my position! Look at the picture... he came out of the bathroom like this, all on his own! Mike and I almost peed on ourselves laughing so hard. So, despite all of my best laid plans, my son has found a new use for his potty seat... looks good ehh?

Splish Splash we had a blast!

Tuesday was Anthony's 1st time going to a waterpark... and who better to share this MONU-MENTAL experience with than his Maw Maw, Na Na, cousins Sam and Maddie, and mom and Dad?

When we first got into the water (6 inches deep mind you), he screamed... yep that's my boy... fearless! Eventually when he was able to be peeled out of Mikes arms, he sat on our laps in the water. Being the crazy guy that he is, he first touched the water, a few minutes later he got braver and splashed the water... and before you know it he was walking around splashing all of us, having a blast! {Please allow me to have my shameless mommy "my son's the cutest" time here... he is the most adorable splasher of all time. OK, I know you're probably rolling your eyes right now, but really, he splashes really cute. He dips his little hand in the water, takes it out (palm down) and flicks it on you... okay, I'm done, thanks for indulging me!}

Anyway, the day was so much fun... and all of the cousins play so well together. I sware he thinks Samantha hung the moon and in Maddie he finds his match. They are the two cutest, most innocent looking little people, but oh boy, when they get together...

their inner "wild child" comes out (Mom says they take after me... as a teenager...I can't deny it!) So enjoy these pics of... yes... the cutest little boy in all of Northern hemisphere (and southern too!).

Fun in the Sun!

The 4th of July in Myrtle Beach, SC... yes, life is good! Mike's family had a reunion of North and South (he has lots of family in Conneticut)... and what a better place to meet... hey, you do what you have to do, right? Mike got to see all of his cousins and relatives and Anthony and I got to meet all of them for the first time. These were the nicest group of people... we all had so much fun together!

It was so cool to see all of the kiddos. It reminded me of when I was young... all of the adults hanging out while the kids were playing together nearby. There was almost 60 people there... these pictures are just a small hand full of the family.

We shared a room with Mikes sister Kelly and her husband Jon & their 3 kiddos, Hannah, Daniel, and Luke. To say the least, it was a fun adventure having 4 kids and 2 adults in a room for 4 days! The cousins all got to play lots with eachother(with minimal spats thank you very much!) and the adults helped to keep eachother sane! It was so nice for Anthony to get closer to his 3 cousins... and Mike is quite happy that Anthony now likes to play ball and cars with Daniel... rather than just playing tea cups with Hannah :).

Here's Anthony going to the beach... ready for fun!



This was Anthony's first trip to the beach... and while he was not a big fan of the waves (okay, he screamed to be picked up when the surf rolled in), he loved the sand! I think that boy could play in the sand all day, if only he had his shovel and pail! He eventually learned to scoop the sand with the shovel and put it IN the pail, rather than ON the people around him. He was so precious playing out there... maybe he'll be a surfer-dude some day (as long as he doesn't have to move too far from Ft. Worth, HA!)

*Notice his beach-ready bod... rolls in all the right places!

This trip was so much fun! a nice retreat from the every day.. and what a perk to visit with family! Here are a couple more pictures of the trip. Here are the 2 beautiful sand mermaids Hannah and Ally, Mike with little Luke (notice the cool mow-hawk!), Anthony and his Daddy out to eat, and Anthony with his grandma Short soaking up the rays.