So, I don't know how many people ever even check in on me here anymore, because I rarely post, and I haven't posted since William was 2.5 months old, and he's going to be 7 months old on Saturday! Life has been busy and crazy, but I've just not felt the motivation to continue to blog in this place though I do still want to continue blogging.

I've decided to move my blog here: https://wsquaredsmommy.blogspot.com/

I'm not planning on moving any content at this time, and I do plan to close this blog at some point, but I'll leave it open for a bit longer. Please come visit me and follow my new site!

So, I haven't been back to update, because life has been busy, and we've been running around making new friends, seeing old friends and family and preparing for holidays. However, on Thursday, I was reminded just how lucky I am and how important it is to stop and just soak in this time that we get to spend with our little family rather than rushing around and preparing like crazy for the holidays.

We were planning on heading out of town on Friday late evening to go back home for the holidays, and we were planning to be gone about a week and a half; however, William (2.5 months) was just not acting like himself. He's typically a very laid back and relaxed baby, and he was just fussy and inconsolable. I just felt like something was off, so I decided to make him a doctor's appointment before we headed out of town.

We went to the appointment, and his pediatrician said he had some definite congestion and his chest sounded coarse, but he wasn't too concerned. He sent him for a chest x-ray just to be sure, and he wrote us a prescription for breathing treatments and an antibiotic. We did the chest x-ray, and we went home. I honestly thought nothing of it, and I just knew he was fine...then, I got the call. His pediatrician called, and he wanted us to check William into the hospital as soon as possible. He had pneumonia...I had a total breakdown. I was not at all prepared, because I thought he was fine, and it was nothing, so I just started crying. I called Grant, and I told him he needed to come home right away. I ran to pick up Weston, and I broke down at daycare picking him up. I think the director, and his teachers thought I had lost my mind. Anyways, Grant met us at the hospital, and I dropped Weston off with Grant. I went with William, and we checked into the hospital for three long days. I spent most of my time at the hospital from Thursday afternoon until we were released on Sunday morning. It was terrible...

I had to see my baby get breathing treatments every four hours, have an IV in his foot then pull it out and have to get it put in his arm, have multiple attempts at getting the IV in, because he's a chubby baby, and it didn't go in easily, sleeping and laying in a tent as much as possible, so he could get oxygen and more...it was a nightmare. Not only that, but by Friday, I knew that I was sick too. I was achy and feverish, as well as, congested and coughing. It was terrible! I also had a mild case of mastitis, because he wasn't nursing well. It was truly miserable. I thought that Grant and I would be fine to not have anyone come down and help, but after feeling so terrible, I called my mom, and she arrived at 1:00 AM on Saturday morning. Grant came to the hospital first thing on Saturday to relieve me, and I came home to shower and nap. Then, I went back to the hospital and Grant headed home to be with Weston. Grant spent the evening with Weston while my mom and I were at the hospital with William. Then, I went home, and my mom stayed the night with William. I was just exhausted and sick. I REALLY hated to leave him, but I knew that I needed to get some sleep and try to feel better.

William came home on Sunday morning, and we are now back together as a family under the same roof. He has a follow-up visit on Wednesday morning at our pediatrician's office, and we hope that he is well enough to travel for Christmas on Wednesday evening. We were planning lots of visits with friends this week, but we aren't going to be able to follow through, unfortunately; however, I'm just grateful that he's going to be okay, and he's going to be home for Christmas. We are truly blessed and this just reminded me that we need to slow down and just relax and spend this time celebrating our family and not rushing around trying to get things done and do too much.

It's easy to take your babies health for granted...I hope to never take my healthy, happy babies for granted again. There are SO many people who don't have healthy babies, and they'll be spending the holidays in the hospital. Life is good, and William is recovering. I'm getting lots of snuggles and spending more time just relaxing on the couch and playing with my babies instead of constantly running around and feeling stressed!

As promised, I want to share Williams Birth Story with you all, as it was quite an adventure for our family. Grant moved to Brunswick in August when we closed on our new house, so he was five hours away, and we feared that he would miss Williams birth if things went quickly, and I went into labor when he wasn't in Athens.














To attempt to have William when Grant was in town...I did everything. I walked, miles and miles and miles, I ate TONS of eggplant Parmesan, I saw a chiropractor and an acupuncturist, I tried castor oil, etc. You name it, and I probably tried it to get William to go ahead and make his big debut. Nothing worked, and I was SO frustrated. I was SO tired and ready for him to arrive, and I really was more than anything ready for our family to be back together again, because it was hard to see Weston cry every Sunday when Grant left for the week.













I had contractions all day on Saturday, September 24th and Sunday, September 25th at almost 39 weeks; however, they kept coming and going, and they weren't consistent. My doctor had stripped my membranes on Friday, September 23rd, and I just knew that this was it, so Grant made the decision to stay and work from Athens on Monday. I was scheduled to be induced on Wednesday, September 28th, because my doctor wanted to try to make sure that Grant could be in town for Williams birth. I took off work on Monday, September 26th, because I was feeling so worn out from all the contractions, and I went to the mall, and I walked. I was 39 weeks that Monday, the 26th. Grant and I walked again that evening, and I woke up to bloody show on Tuesday morning. Grant went on to work on Tuesday, the 27th, and I decided to take Weston to daycare, and I was going to get my haircut and walk at the mall. I went to the mall first, and I walked just over two miles. After the walking, I was having contractions, but they didn't hurt, so I went on to my hair appointment.













I was having some fairly strong contractions about 10 minutes apart during my hair appointment, but I just knew that it was nothing, and they were going to stop again, so I headed back to Monroe, and I tried to lay down and take a nap. The contractions started getting closer and were about five minutes apart when I finally emailed Grant. I still didn't think I was in labor, because they didn't hurt. They were strong, but not real painful. I emailed Grant and said "I'm having contractions about 3-5 minutes apart, but they don't hurt or anything. Do you want to come to Monroe and try to work from here a bit this afternoon." He called me and headed straight back to Monroe.













He got to Monroe, and they were about 2 minutes apart but still not painful unless I was walking. He told me that I needed to call my OB, but I was being stubborn, so he called. They told him to go ahead and bring me in to the hospital. We headed in to the hospital on the way there, and they were between 1-2 minutes and getting stronger and more painful by the minute. At one point, I told Grant to drive faster. We got to the hospital, and we registered, and I was in a lot of pain every time a contraction came by that point. We got into the room, and they got us set-up at 3:30 PM. They checked me, and I was dilated to an 8-9 at 4:00 PM. I couldn't believe it...they tried to convince me not to get the epidural, but I was in tears by that time and begging for it, so they got it, and things slowed down a bit from there. They broke my water, and the midwife let me just relax for a bit. I was feeling a lot of pressure around 6:30 PM, so I called the midwife and asked her to check me. She came in, and checked me and said I was ready, so I pushed. He was immediately crowning, and she told me to stop, because we only had one nurse and no nursery nurse present yet. She was calling for the nurses, but I couldn't hold on any longer, so I pushed once more with just the midwife and one nurse, and he arrived at 6:41 PM.



















William Thomas Harvey weighed 6 lb., 12 oz, and he was 19 3/4 inches long. He was smaller than his big brother at birth but absolutely perfect! We are in love, and he is a wonderful, calm, quiet and relaxed baby! Thankfully he's so easy, because his big brother is a handful at this phase!

So, I have been SO bad about updating but life has been crazy busy, and I just haven't had much time to get my thoughts together enough to update the blog! But I've gotten a number of emails and comments asking how things are going, so I knew it was time to come back!

As my title suggests, a lot has changed since my last post, so this post will be full of bullets:

- We sold our house in Athens to the company that Grant and I both work for, because no one had bought it before our 60 day offer came to a close, and we closed on a new house in Brunswick in August. We sold our house on August 8th and closed on our new house on August 10th...

- Weston and I moved in with my parents, so I could continue seeing my doctor, stay at work in my office and Weston could keep his sitter in late July.

- We set-up the house in Brunswick, but we have yet to decorate and get everything like I want it; however, we were able to set-up both boy's rooms before I was unable to travel and William arrived.

- William arrived on Tuesday, September 27th at 6:41 PM...birth story to follow. :)

- The boys and I packed up our things from my parents house and moved down to Brunswick on Friday, October 7th.

- We've gotten settled and transitioned to life with two boys in a new town. We've found a new church that we really enjoy where there are a lot of young couples with children. They've invited us to attend gatherings with them, and we are really enjoying spending time and meeting new people in our area.

- We enjoyed a fun Halloween where Weston dressed up as a fisherman and William didn't dress up, because I didn't want to spend money on a Halloween costume for a one month old. We got bit up my sand gnats and mosquitoes.

- Grant got awarded the Distinguished Young Alumnus award for the UGA Warnell School of Forestry this past weekend, and we were invited to a celebration dinner, brunch the following day, two tickets to the Sky Box for the UGA vs. New Mexico State Homecoming game and a two night stay at Hotel Indigo in Athens, GA. William was able to attend with us, and it was a great honor for Grant to receive the award.

Anyways, I've got lots more to update on, and over the next few days, I'll do posts about the following: Williams Birthday, Weston's Allergies, Asthma and Eczema, Halloween and the Boy's Rooms at our new house.

For the moment...I'll just share a photo of our new little guy and his proud big brother, Weston.

I'm not going to lie, life has been really difficult lately, and while I have so much to post about and so many updates in our life, I haven't been updating my blog much lately, because every time I sit down to type, I feel the tears well up to my eyes when I think about how overwhelmed I've been and how much I'm struggling with the changes that are our life right now.

So, I'll sum it up in bullet points now with some details, and I'll try to be more regular posting on my blog.

- As I posted in early May, we are moving about four and a half hours away from our friends and family, and it's hard. Weston and I are here in Athens while Grant spends most of the week down in South GA. It's hard to be pregnant and alone with a toddler...the emotions are high, and it's just tough. I'm also very sad about moving away from my friends and my home, and it's been really difficult making this transition, and I haven't even had to do it yet!

- My blood pressure is already high at 26 weeks pregnant...I am now making regular visits to my doctor, monitoring my salt intake and drinking lots of water. I'm also trying to relax a bit more, but I'm not real successful being home along with a toddler.

- The struggles of working with a relocation company and a down economy have been difficult...it's been shocking, and we still haven't even made an offer on a house yet. We are hoping that we will make offers this week and next, and we'll be able to move the first week in August, but we still don't know. It's tough...it's emotional to think that we are moving, and we don't have anywhere to live and Weston and William don't have rooms to sleep in. I know they will, but I'm a planner, so this is tough for me!

- Weston is getting tubes in his ears on July 18th...I'm nervous, but I'm also excited. I'm anxious to get past this chapter in our lives where he is living in pain, because his ears hurt. I'm SO grateful that he will finally be able to feel better and hear!

- I'm having to do quite a bit of travel for work, and I despise it...if I never had to travel again for work, I would be happy. I can't stand it, and it's making a me grumpy sometimes, because I don't think that this is a feasible situation when William is born. I don't think there is anyway that I can travel and live this far away from any family. I'm struggling with this...

- Gaining weight...I hate gaining weight, and I know it's inevitable when I'm pregnant. I feel huge though, and I constantly get comments like, "Oh you are big...you aren't going to make it to your due date!" Keep in mind that I'm 5'0 tall, and I don't have much room for this baby to go, so I may look bigger. No matter what, it doesn't make me feel very good.

- The truth...Grant told me that I was gaining weight all over, but it was "normal" for pregnant women. I already feel huge, and I know that I asked him if I was gaining weight, but I just wanted the answer to be "no". He is such a truthful guy, and I know he didn't mean anything by it, but it hurt. I won't let him know that it hurt my feelings, because then he would feel bad, because I know he didn't mean anything by it.

- My marriage! This is probably the biggest thing...Grant and I work together SO well as a team, and we have the things that we do around the house, and we get everything done, and it works perfectly. He spends a lot of time with Weston on the weekends and let's me run errands, so I can get a break after spending all week with Weston by myself, and it's SO nice. He also lets me sleep in every Saturday and Sunday morning. It's great! We have a great time spending time together on the weekends and just enjoying one another's company, but I feel like we are just in this "routine". We don't see one another all week, and it's just like we have so much to do and want to do on the weekends, that we don't just sit and talk to one another. We don't relax or have time to watch movies together in the evenings. We go to bed at different times, because we both have different things that we want to get done, and I don't feel like we have that excitement in our marriage anymore. We don't do anything spontaneous or get to spend time just us together. We are so busy with the move and trying to find a new house that we just don't have time to think about all those romantic things and doing things for one another that makes you feel good. We love one another so much, but it's just hard right now...I know that it's just a phase, and it will get better, but right now, with a pending move and upcoming new baby, it may be awhile, and I know that I have to be patient.

Anyways, I think that's it...though probably enough! Lots of updates and struggles in our life right now, but we are working together, and it will get better all around.

I've got lots of updates and life has been crazy, but for now, I'll leave you with this...our big boy! Weston has been sleeping in his "big boy bed" for about two weeks now, and he's doing great. He likes to get up a little bit earlier than I would like and come in and see us, i.e. 5:45 AM, but he's not getting up all hours of the night, and he's doing really well.

Here is my little guy...

So sad to report that Weston has another double ear infection this time with pus in both ears, and our doctor is a bit concerned that his speech may start to be delayed, because he can't hear us. I'm SO sad that it may cause him developmental issues, because he can't hear us.

He's not responding to antibiotics anymore, and he's allergic to penicillin, so we had to do the antibiotic shot today. We have to go back for the second one on Thursday. Hopefully, it works! Anyways, we have a referral to an ENT, and we hope to get in and get the tube surgery quickly! I want my angel to be well!

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we move forward with this journey!

I was hopeful that Weston would be able to move to a "Big Boy" bed before William arrives, but I know that he's still going to be a bit young when his little brother arrives, so I was worried that it might not be possible; however, Weston decided for me that at a mere almost 16 months old...he is ready for a Big Boy bed!

He may not understand that he is going to be moved and why he needs to stay in his bed right away, but unfortunately, he has to be moved quickly. He has become quite the climber, and he can climb/fall out of his crib even though there are no bumpers and the crib is all the way lowered.

The first time that he did this...he scared me to death! I heard this HUGE thud, and I was sound asleep. Talk about getting my adrenaline running at 6:00 in the morning!! He has done it twice since then, and he has become more and more graceful with each climb/fall from his crib. He definitely needs to be moved out of his crib, so he doesn't get hurt. We are working on converting his crib to a toddler bed, and we are also working on getting a more permanent bed for Weston. (Thanks Amanda!!)

Wish us luck that the move won't be too difficult for us!

Now, my little boy has a double ear infection, and my heart is broken! He spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights waking up every 1-2 hours, and I knew that he must have an ear infection. On Friday night, he spent the night with my parents, so Grant and I could get some stuff done around our house in preparation to sell. My mom said he was up and down all night crying, and he might have an ear infection...he had a cold and runny nose last week! On Saturday, he was up every 1-2 hours, and he got up for good at 5:45 AM. It was the same thing on Sunday.

I called at 8:00 AM when the doctor's office opened, and they got me in at 9:15 AM. Dr. Baker, our pediatrician, saw us in the waiting room, and he waved to us, because we are old friends. The nurses said "Hi, Weston!" as soon as we walked in the door. I think that's a sign that we are there too often! Weston has been off the last antibiotic for 11 days, and he's back on another antibiotic. I feel SO bad, and I don't know what to do. I'm at a total loss, and I just feel like a terrible mother. I know that it's not my fault, but I do everything that I can, and he still gets sick. I nursed him for an entire year, and I thought that might help his immune system, but it seems to have made it worse.

My heart is breaking, because I'm getting constant comments from friends, co-workers and some family to the effect of..."OMG, is he really sick again?!" or "Unbelievable! Weston is ALWAYS sick!" or the best one..."What's wrong with that kid?" And I feel bad...those comments are not very encouraging to me and don't make me feel better. I feel like I did something wrong or something is wrong with Weston, because he's always sick. I'm trying so hard, but I still feel like a bad mother, because I can't do anything about it! As I sit here in tears, I just wonder if there is anything else that I can do...Is there something wrong with him that I don't know about that is making him sick all the time? We are going to the allergist on Friday, and I'm praying that he can help us figure something out. I would do anything to be sick all the time and have my little man be well!

Yup, that's right...our little family is moving! Grant was promoted to Resource Supervisor over our companies Coastal Unit, so we are moving from Athens to Brunswick, GA in the next few months. I'm SO sad about the move, because we will be leaving all of our friends and family, and I've lived here my whole life. But it's a great opportunity for our family, and I'm looking forward to the potential for me to work less hours, so I can spend more time at home with my boys.

The hardest part is that Grant will be moving in the next month or two, but Weston and I will be moving in with my parents while we await the arrival of William in late September/early October. I'm not too thrilled about the idea of finding a new doctor and hospital, so we've decided that it's best for me to stay here with my family and Weston and keep Weston with his awesome daycare provider until William is here.

After William arrives, I plan to stay here for a couple of weeks while things settle with a newborn, and I have some help since my dad works from home, and then the three of us will join Grant in Brunswick. I'm anxious to move forward with the process, so we can find a new house in our new town, and we can get settled in with our things before William is here.

Does anyone live in Brunswick? Or in the surrounding area that reads my blog? I'm guessing probably not, but it's worth a shot...I've started my search for things in the area that we need to find shortly after we arrive, i.e. pediatrician, doctor, gym, etc., and I'd love advice from anyone who is familiar with the area.