we are lovely: a blog about birth stories...

I am excited to announce that Cody's birth story is now featured on abirthstoryblog!  I stumbled upon this site recently and I have been enthralled with all the interesting birth stories there.  This blog has it all...home births, c-sections, epidurals, nightmare experiences, and picture-perfect ones.  I decided that Cody's birth story was entertaining enough for others to be interested in and perhaps benefit from, so I submitted it and it was accepted.  They even sent me a sweet email thanking me for sharing and to let me know that it would be online today.  His story falls under the categories of "home birth, natural birth, unassisted birth".  If you love a good birth story then grab your popcorn and pull up to your computer for some good reads.  If you are pregnant, be aware that some of the stories are a bit unnerving...but, for the most part, they are all beautiful depictions of how a life was brought into the world.  Enjoy!

Cody is 2 - a birthday breakfast celebration

Our little man turns 2 today!  We started the big day with a birthday breakfast party.  It was a wonderful morning with family celebrating Cody over pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and fruit cups.  There was also some spiderman themed tableware (per Cody's request). 

Silver dollar birthday pancake towers.  There are two candles on the stack in the middle.  This served as his birthday "cake". 

Big sis Lyla helps Cody blow out his two little candles.

Fruit cups.  These honeydew melons were delicious!

After breakfast Cody got to open some presents.  Cody finally got his dream lite!  He's been asking for one for ages because Lyla already has one.  He's going to love falling asleep in his crib tonight with stars on his ceiling!

Grandpa Glen got Cody an "Earth and moon in my room" astronomy explorer set.  It has an earth and a moon that you put on the wall and you can control the lights with a remote.  So cool!

Baaba gave Cody a play tent.  This is awesome!  I know Cody and Lyla will have many fun times playing under this canopy.

We have been so blessed to have Cody in our lives for the past two years.  It's funny how once you have a child, you can't imagine what life was like without them.  He's only been a part of our lives for the past two years, but it's like we've always known him.  We love him "big as the sky" and can't wait to see what the next year holds.

cody on the piano

"Jesus loves me" performed on piano by Cody Mitchell - 21 months old

a.k.a. the cutest version of "Jesus loves me" you will ever hear.

don't call me baby

My sweet Cody boy finally said his own name!  I gave him his yogurt and granola this morning and said the usual, "here you go, baby."  He pointed to his chest and replied with, "No baby.  CODY."  It was his first time ever saying his name!  He has always referred to himself as 'me' or called things 'mine' or points to himself in pictures and says 'baby'.  He says his name so proudly now.  Well, I guess I can't call him baby anymore! 

But even when he's 30 years old, he will still be my baby boy.

verbal growth spurt

We've noticed that recently Cody has been using a lot more words.  Though he's pretty quiet compared to his chatter-box sister, he can hold a pretty good conversation!  When Lyla was 17 months old, I made a list of all the English and Japanese words she used.  You can find her impressive list here. 

At last week's visit, Cody's doctor asked me how many words he uses.  Off the top of my head I said that he probably uses about 20 words.  She was surprised that he knew that many.  I think she would be quite shocked if she knew that it's actually more like 48 words.  Travis and I made a list last night of all of Cody's words.  Here they are (and I'm sure I forgot some):

lyla
mommy
daddy
grandpa
baaba (grandma)
ball
uh-oh
no
cookie
cracker
okay
where
my
mine
hug
fuzzy (his blanket)
bye-bye
up
down
hair
car
juice
airplane
diaper
poop
please
more
i do!
kuku (shoes)
yucky
hat
eye
body
baby
hi
nose
bible
doggie
dude
kaki (draw)
flower
turn
sock
you
done
outside
money

cody is 18 months old

My hat-wearing, shoe-fanatic, huggable, loveable, kissable, sweet boy is 18 months old today.  Cody wears shoes all the time and he protests every time I take them off.  He would wear them to bed if we would allow it.  He will even resort to finding mom and dad's shoes so he can clippety-clop around the house.  He also loves headwear...hats, beanies, hoods, tiaras, buckets...if he can somehow put it on his head, that's where it's going!  He recently started adding a few words to his vocabulary and is currently saying "okay" and "I do!" a lot.  It is so adorable.  He follows his big sister around everywhere and mimics every move she makes.  As a result, he is learning to be a bit more bold and outgoing.  Every once in a while he will say, "hey dude" to a random stranger.  But more often than not, he is a pretty shy guy.  He is definitely more timid than his big sis, but he does not hesitate to stick up for himself.  I often hear Cody and Lyla arguing and he will clearly shout, "NO, Lyla!".  I cringe at the thought of how many fights I will have to break up between these two strong-willed children.  But Cody has a very soft side.  He loves to cuddle with me and I just soak up all the attention I can get!  We have our nighttime routine together...after bathtime, tooth-brushing, and jammies, we grab a bottle of soy milk, his "fuzzy" (blanket) and rock in the rocking chair together.  He often lifts up his head to search for my face in the dark and gives me a kiss.  What could be better than a kiss that you aren't asking for or expecting from a baby?  I don't think there is anything sweeter in the world.  It's hard to believe that he will be turning two years old in six short months from now.  I still think of him as my baby boy.  Maybe that never goes away.  Happy 18 months, my son!  I love you bigger than the sky!

cody's first cut

Cody finally grew enough hair that he needed his first haircut from daddy!  He doesn't have a lot of hair, but the hair he did have was super long and scraggly, so it was time.  It was just days before Easter and I thought he could use a clean cut.  Documenting this experience brought me back to Lyla's first time as a "client" in her daddy's chair. 

Trav started with the shears while I protested.  I wanted him to use the clippers and just give him a quick fade. 

Cody sat very still for the entire cut!  He is such a good kid.

 

In the end, Travis did bring out the clippers to finish the haircut.  So, we compromised.  The result was a fresh cut for my handsome little man!

 

How He loves us!

I started to write an email to my friend to introduce her to cody because she has never met him.  It was turning into a novel, so I decided to blog about it instead.  I could gush on and on about my kids.  I love my children and I am completely amazed at how two totally different and unique individuals could both come from my womb.  I look at them everyday and marvel at the diversity of God's beautiful creation.
 
Cody has a wonderful personality.  He is a thinker.  He is very flirtatious and mischievous. He has a special smile he likes to give where he looks at you and drops his chin down and grins. He is very sweet and loves to cuddle. He will often walk off and play for a few minutes and then come back for a hug or to hold my hand, and then he wants to go back to playing. Cody is fascinated by Lyla and follows her around watching everything she does. He thinks she is hilarious and laughs at everything she does. It is obvious that he really contemplates his actions before he moves on them.  He listens when we say, "NO" (certainly a blessing for a parent!). When he chooses to speak a word, you can tell he has been thinking about it and practicing it in his mind before he actually says it aloud. He just recently started saying "book", "cookie", "lyla" and "mine".  He says them all perfectly and clearly.  He even combined two words today when he was telling on Lyla for taking his cookie!  He said, "cookie da mine!"  Amazing.  Having said all of the above, what comes as something of a surprise is that Cody has the worst temper I've ever seen! When he gets upset, he often will try to hit himself or bite something.  But the anger passes quickly like a flash in a pan. He is also very curious and inquisitive...he will carefully pick up a block and try to place it where it goes. He can quietly play by himself without requiring a lot of stimulation. I see him being an introspective kid that is always content with what he has. Until he hets angry, then watch out!  He will need time to cool off and return to the situation.  How different he is than Lyla!

Lyla is a dynamic person and a complete joy to be around.  She has been so outgoing, self-assured and independent from birth.  She never needed a cuddle with mom or any kind of reassurance of love. She waves goodbye casually when we leave her in the care of others...even if she doesn't know them!  This was always a blessing when she had a different babysitter every saturday, but also made me wonder why she didn't have any separation anxiety from her own parents.  I wondered if she even cared about her dear old mom and dad.  To Lyla, strangers are just friends she hasn't met yet.  She is quick to walk into any room full of people and say, "Hi, I'm Lyla!".  Lyla requires constant attention and stimulation from people. She will completely disregard our attempts to discipline her if she thinks her actions are worth the inevitable punishment. Saying "no" to her is futile. She doesn't hear anything when she is intent on doing something. Lyla has never had an interest in puzzles, but she has such a knack for manipulation and scheming (puzzles of the human variety). She can make almost anyone fall in love with her. She is a social butterfly and melts hearts within seconds.  Lyla is so smart.  She is already learning how to read! Her letter recognition is nearly perfect now and she can sound out simple words when prompted. She amazes me daily with her sense of humor and her sassy attitude. I picture her growing into a difficult teenager who fights me with her strong-willed nature, which unfortunately she inherited from me.  I also see her stepping out in faith to do incredible things for God's kingdom.

Both of our children are wonderful and I am so grateful that they are mine!  I love them with all my heart in completely different ways.  When I think about how much I love my children, it amazes me to think that God loves them more.  Even more incredible, God loves me that much too.  Me?  Even before I became a believer, He loved me?  Yes, He is our Father in Heaven who watches us all with that same adoration that we have for our children.  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life". -John 3:16.  A friend at a recent bible study brought up the concept of reading that most-quotable and famous bible verse with a new approach, with an emphasis on the word "SO".  If we could only comprehend what that kind of love is like...if we could only wrap our minds around that kind of sacrifice, we would all fall on our knees in complete awe of our Creator!  He. SO. loves. us.

cody's baker's dozen birthday party

It was my dad's idea to celebrate cody's birthday at the 13 month mark to make up for the catastrophe that happened on his actual birthday. I loved the idea of doing a baker's dozen birthday and I am happy to report that it was a success! This is a picture of his golden butter cake. Those are blueberry yogurt pretzels from henry's next to the cake: I made this felt banner for his highchair:
Travis called this a "shrine" to cody. This picture is actually from his december party. I decided the shrine was a little over the top, so I decided not to do it this time.
This picture is also from last month. That's why you can see the Christmas decorations. I came up with this idea of tissue balls and balloons everywhere because Cody's favorite word is "ball". He loved the green, blue, and orange balls all over the place. Thanks to Trav for executing my vision!
During the party, cody cruised around the house doing his own thing. Of course, one-year-olds don't really get what all the fuss is about on their birthday. He loved all the food though! He is always eating or on the go or a combination of the two. It's hard to get a good picture of him. Here he is in his ADORABLE onesie made by my very talented friend, Kata. She has a shop called mukibaba on etsy. She and her sister sell cute magnets, bookmarks, mug cozies, earrings, and (soon to come) custom baby clothes!
A picture of the festivities. We were so blessed that many of our friends were able to come. It was a wonderful time.
Cody's first few bites of cake. (Notice no shrine). I think that the cake eating is definitely the highlight of the 1st birthday party. I try to make it even more special by not giving them cake before their birthday, so their 1st party is literally their first taste of this scrumptious dessert.
And this was the end of the sweet celebration of Cody. Happy Birthday to my sweet, cuddly, and headstrong son. You bring a lot of laughter and joy into our home. I can't wait to see what the next year has in store for you!

the birthday party that wasn't

I had been looking forward to cody's 1st birthday all year. I wanted to start out my resolution to always make his december birthday special with his first year. Nothing too big or fancy, just a celebration at home with family and close friends. Birthday decorations would mingle with Christmas decorations to make it all the more festive. As usual, I stubbornly stuck to planning the party for the actual date of his birthday, which happened to be a wednesday. So, I planned an evening party in the hopes that everyone would be able to attend after work. I was delighted that so many rsvp'd with yes-es. With help from my mom and travis, I spent two days shopping for food and decorating for the big event. Everything was set for a perfect birthday party.

Then, two hours before guests were to arrive, I started feeling nauseous. Uh oh. Was it the cake batter I licked? Did I get that stomach flu that has been going around? I really wasn't feeling well at all. One hour before the party, things quickly turned south. Lyla and I started vomiting at the same time! My mom insisted that we go to the hospital in case it was salmonella or food poisoning. Whatever it was, I knew it was bad. I felt AWFUL. So, with less than an hour's notice, Travis called everyone on the guest list to tell them that the party was canceled. My parents took the kids, and Travis and I got in our car, and we all headed to the Inland Valley Hospital emergency room. Just as I saw the sign for "Emergency", my hands went tingly and numb. To my horror, I found that I could not move my hands or legs and they were seizing up completely. At this point I truly thought that I had food poisoning and I was going into some kind of toxic shock. So scary. I was wheeled into the ER and led to an exam area. I was told that people who hyperventilate often get cramping in their hands and legs. That was a relief to hear. I guess I was hyperventilating?

So we waited in the exam area...and waited...and waited. Not patiently, either. I was in agonizing pain from the nausea, vomiting, and (sorry) diarrhea. During that time, we heard that my mom was admitting Lyla because she had also vomited a few more times. I was vaguely aware that Lyla was in the room across from me. A physician finally came to see Lyla and she was given an anti-nausea pill that worked seemingly instantly. Travis later told me that as soon as they put the pill under her tongue, she smacked her lips, smiled, and said, "I feel better". That's my tough little girl.

Across the hallway, mommy was not doing quite so well. When the physician finally came in to see me, I was barely conscious. She asked me some questions (I think) and pushed around on my stomach and ordered the same pill that Lyla received. It did not work. I was then moved to a private room and put on an IV. It took the nurse 3 tries to insert the IV because I was so severely dehydrated. They tried another type of anti-nausea medication. It did not work. I was terribly thirsty and bitterly cold. That hospital bed was extremely uncomfortable and I was afraid that I might be spending the night there. However, I was given a third and stronger type of medication that finally did the trick. So, 5 1/2 hours later, I was discharged with no answer as to what had been wrong with me, but I did have a prescription for drugs that took the nausea away. Praise Jesus!

On our drive home, we heard that Lyla was fine ever since she received her dose of medication. Cody was having really bad diarrhea, but otherwise acting like his usual happy self. I couldn't help but feel so guilty that his party had been ruined by my sickness. I know that he will never remember what happened, but I was so depressed that his special day was spoiled. My sweet son deserves a wonderful birthday celebration, and he had to settle for Lyla and my parents singing "happy birthday" to him in the parking lot of the ER.

To add to the nightmare, Travis and my mom also contracted this vicious somach flu virus the next day. It pained me to see Travis and my mom going through it as well. At least I could sympathize.

It has been 3 days since Cody's birthday, and we are just starting to tentatively get back into our normal life routine again. I still haven't eaten anything besides crackers, jello, and plain pasta...or gone to work yet. Birthday decorations are still up and party trays are still out. We had to give away/throw away a ton of delicious party food. Such a shame. We have been debating whether or not to try the party again or just cancel altogether. I think we will try again in January...have it exactly one month later and celebrate his 13 months of life...his "baker's dozen" birthday. So I am not posting photos of the decorations because I will reuse them next month. My prayer is that it goes more smoothly next time and I will be posting about what a success his party turned out to be!

A peaceful night of sleep

Cody finally slept through the night in his crib! He has been sleeping in his crib for about a week now, but last night was the first time that he didn't wake up. I even had time to sneak in his room this morning and take these pictures.

We have a pillow in his crib because he has been congested, so the doctor told us to prop him up to help him breathe better. This poor little guys always has a cold. We recently turned the heater in our house up to 72 degrees at night to see if that would help him sleep better, and it worked! I think he was used to the comfort of our body heat from co-sleeping for so long.

My sweet angel baby.

cody the tiger

and of course there was a little tiger in our midst last night. These two shots were the only ones we got before he freaked out about the headpiece. He was sooooo cute in it, but it still worked without the head on. He had so much fun watching his big sister and his cousins trick-or-treat. Next year, he will be right there with them!
Can you tell in the pic below that he was really starting to lose it? Yeah.

10 monther

Our little dude is 10 months old today. Cody has brought immeasurable joy into our lives. He is a typical mamma's boy...he cries when I walk away from him and he just about leaps into my arms when I walk back into the room. This scenario plays out over and over in our household. Travis finds it annoying while I adore it. Just look at this face!Cody is an expert crawler now. He is also quite the chatter-box. Cody can say "mama", "dada", "lyla", "baba", "elvis", and "bye-bye". He is such a boy in that he is fearless and goes for everything with gusto. He likes to bang objects together noisily and he makes a lot of growling/roaring noises when he sees his toy cars, tools, and dinosaurs.
Some of his coolest toys are his 1980s dinosaurs which actually belonged to Travis when he was a little boy. He loves his T-Rex! I love thinking of baby Travis playing with the same exact dinos that Cody plays with now.

beautiful baby boy booty

I just couldn't resist.

cody's 1st beach day

cody had so much fun at the beach! he sucked on some sandy sticks...
hung out with sarah...
watched as lyla and daddy played near the water...
felt the ocean water with his toes...
and, of course, got lots of kisses from his big sister.
After the beach we went back to Sarah and Ryan's place to have some delicious tacos. The salsa came fresh from their garden. It was a great beach day with the Hartegans!

9 months

Cody is 9 months old today! The biggest development in his world is that he recently started crawling. It is the cutest thing. He tucks his left leg and only uses his right leg when he crawls, so it looks very awkward. He can pull himself up to a standing position too and he looks like such a big boy when he does it. Cody is also waving hello and saying "dada". He does not have any teeth yet...I'm just waiting for like 6 of them to all come in at the same time. That should be fun. We're also waiting to see some more hair growth. Cody just has a patch of hair in the front, so people always think he has a mohawk. He is such a happy little dude. He is always babbling, laughing at his sister, and smiling. Cody is pure sweetness! It's hard to believe that in 3 short months, we will be celebrating his first birthday. Not to mention that it will also be Chrismas time! Time flies.

Cody eating for the 1st time

Cody is 4 months old! Here's Cody taking his first few bites of rice cereal. He did so good! He understood right away what he needed to do and even started going towards the spoon in anticipation of the next bite. This boy loves to eat! Hopefully he will sleep more soundly at night now because he still wakes up about 3 times to nurse (and I have to go back to work on monday. yikes!). He is such a mellow, happy, content little guy. I can't get over how easygoing he is.

like father, like son?

what do you think? any resemblance?

something sweet from chicago

I love getting mail unexpectedly. When I saw that we received a package from devon in chicago, I knew it would be something special. Look at this adorable customized onesie for Cody. I can't wait for him to wear it in just a few short months! Thank you, little d!

the new man in my life

Here he is at 2 days old. He has been a very calm and mellow baby so far. I am so in love!