ike: 7, 8 + 9 months and rockyp: 30, 31 + 32 months

post by casey.



it's been 3 MONTHS since I've updated you on the kiddos! And in Baby-Land...Ike-World...that's entirely too long! He's a completely different person! I'm a completely different person! J/K. Same ol' me but since having to fill out those 8 pages of doctor questionnaires on what my 9mo is up to...I've changed...and not in a good way;). I know I've said it before BUT I'LL SAY IT A-FUCKING-GAIN. Those things are out-of-control.

- nope, not pulling himself up onto the couch and trash-talking with me through the Bachelorette.

- nope, hasn't quite figured out how to pick-up a cheerio with only his thumb AND pinky finger and then shoving those into the small top of a baby-safe bottle and then handing that bottle to me and asking for it back in Spanish and then pulling himself up on the couch WITH the bottle and trash-talking with me through the Bachelorette.

*it's Bachelorette Season and I'm into it. Sorry, not sorry;).

long-story-short. We've got him in classes now because he sucks.;)

now, here are some photos of my baby boys:). From these photos, you wouldn't know that there's anything wrong with them;). But based on that paper-work, we're gonna have to 'keep an eye on them';). I kid. They're perfect! Well...Ike is perfect...#thankgawdforikee;). Rocky on the other hand...he's caught somewhere between me still finding him COMPLETELY ADORABLEEEEEEEEEE. Gah. And literally being the worst...like duct tape his shoes on, duct tape his ass in a cart, duct tape his ears open (listening problem - hello?! anyone in there? not gonna stop? nothing?! k, thanks). 

you guys, I'm not gonna lie....Summer Vacation is...harddddd-ishhhhh?! Even I'm confused as to how I feel about it. Really. Ask me today, I think I'd agree that it's the BEST! Loving this weather. Loving having the kids home. Loving our time and adventures together. Ask me 12 hours from now...I might be mentioning that Summer Vacation can GO STRAIGHT TO HELL!!!!;)

lots of caps. I apologize. I'm feeling things this morning;).

okay. PHOTOS OF THE KIDS!!!

so Ikeeeeeee, is basically perfection;). Love him. Love his soft body. Love his gummy smiles!!! No teeth yet. Still co-sleeping...which may be the longest we've had a baby in our bed but he's still doing great, so what the heck ever:). Sleeping is...?! Sometimes he has a great night...sometimes we don't sleep for days. With Summer Vacation, I've noticed that we're really not on ANY schedule. This fall, once the older 2 are in school, I hope to get him on a better napping schedule:). 

we're still nursing! Ike did have his first bites of food at about 9 months but we haven't really gone much further. Every now and again, IF we're having something easy with our meals (cottage cheese, scrambled eggs, yogurt, apple sauce), I'll give him a few bites. Or if we have those little pouches of baby food available, I'll help him with that a bit. But overall...I just love nursing him and we're in no hurry to have him fending for himself:).

ike is sitting by himself. He drags/crawls/moves all over the house! We're on constant watch for tiny bits of ANYTHING that he might find and put in his mouth. Since Theo had a 'choking incident' when she was about his age...I have some MAJOR stress about choking and so I'm always on the lookout for anything he might find.

he's just the best. Really:).

willb + ike

sitting up on his own but still a tad wobbly at times! Mom's always a hand away;).

rowdy + ike

and then there's RockyP!!! Like I said above...he's in this tiny little window of time where he does ALL the things wrong. Not listening. Getting into everything. Basically, follows behind me undoing my life. BUT his smile still melts me and even while wrecking anything he touches, somehow, I just can't be freaking mad at him! You seasoned moms out there know...this passes in the blink of an eye...so I'm trying to enjoy;).

it seems that overnight we can understand him! Even just a few weeks ago there was a lot of "huh?", "wtf???", "sure...I think?!" in response to his gibberish;). BUT now he's full of full sentences and stories and a LOT of it is making sense;).

he's a great cuddler! We've been blessed with THE.BEST.CUDDLERS! Good gracious!

rocky is still on his mattress on the floor, upstairs, with a baby-gate across his door. I did just find some metal frames to attach to the headboards I already have and so I'm excited to move some things around and set the kids up in rooms together again!
(currently they each have their own room but I think I'd like to put Theo and Homer back together and then Rocky and Ike will have their own rooms for a bit)

he pooped on the floor today. That's where we're at with potty training:).

i love this mischievous little shit so so much:).

rockyp + coy

why is your face like that.

for the love of GOD, just SMILE.

guys...they all look the fucking same.

ike: 3 months.

post by casey.

it's impossible not to take Ike for granted! So often...very often...I make sure to take a minute, snuggle him tight and thank him for being here and thank him for asking so little of me;).

ike has been such a joy - have I said that about all my babies (minus HELLION newborn Theo?;). Well, he certainly is:). He's exclusively nursing. He's giving us a bit of sleep at night. He's co-sleeping and sleeps best in my arms at night but takes a few nice long naps during the day on his own...giving me a lot of time to be productive around the house! He loves smiling and chit chatting with us! 

he did get a bad cough over the holidays and we're finally on the tail end of that - thankfully - UPDATE: the cough is back since I drafted this post:(!!!. But we took many baths together during that time and it had me kicking myself for not taking baths with all my babies! He loves the water and it's a great way for both of us to relax before bed!

i just can't believe he's been here for 3 months. It seems like forever but I can hardly believe that just 90 days ago, I had a baby!?!  

"a baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for."

- Pablo Picasso

i will add, that I've heard of such a thing as Mom having a little 3 Month...thing? Breakdown? Mental Break? Hicup? Wall? Exhaustion?!? Whatever it is...maybe I'm there. Ike is 3MO and it's been wonderful but I'm also having a hard time not being exhausted most days and just impatient and I have felt so extra busy lately?! I don't know. It's hard. It's really not. But it is. 

I'm absolutely not complaining or really looking for advice OR pity. I think we moms have all felt this way before. Absolutely, blissfully HAPPY. But yet under&overwhelmed and sad&happy and tired but productive...like some days shit bothers me more than others?

Today sharing my bagel, after having made them ALL.THE.TOAST, almost had me in tears! But 10MIN later we're all building blocks together and I don't feel like putting them all in little individual dog crates - NOT that I've ever thought of that before or considered it;).

i may be 1 lost marker cap away from walking away from it all...or not. We'll see;). All I do know is that when you go into the docs office and they have you fill out that paperwork that asks if you cry a lot for no reason or feel sad or don't want to leave the house or think about doing weird stuff to your kids - like, let's say, putting them in little dog crates - you answer NO and say, "I'm fine:)". 

Because, really...you are...I am:)

having said all that...by all means, chit chat with someone if you really DO want to put your kid in a tiny dog crate while you cry the day away. For real. No shame in that:).

ike: 1 week.

tomorrow will be 2WKS with this wonderful little baby boy.

You guys...I used to dread the night time - especially, after Theo rocked my world by NOT sleeping for 7.weeks.straight... - but Rocky and Ike have renewed my belief in sleeping babies everywhere;).

things are going so well...and as any mama knows...that can change on a dime but for now, I'm soaking up the chest cuddles and nursing breaks and 3HR stretches of sleep at night and quiet walks around Target - yeahhhhhh, we've been there a disgusting amount of times in only 2 short weeks!!:). 

Ike is a breath of fresh air and on those nights that Jacob walks in at 6PM from work and I then take Ike and lock us in my bedroom, away from the sass that has been the elder children:/...I just look at Ike and I just can't be sad or mad:).

i'll spare you the details on Homer and Theo and Rocky's poor attitudes - believe me, it's not 'adjusting to the baby' attitudes...it's 'they're assholes' attitudes - but we're dealing and digging up patience...patience...serenity.now;). And 4 hasn't been an adjustment at all. Really...once we had 3...it's hardly noticeable that there are 4 now! It's been a pretty seamless transition!:)

i'll also spare you the story about Rocky shitting on my rug. Rocky...my child...my human son. 

Shit. 

On my rug.

i'll also spare you the story about how Rocky threw a mini nerf gun at my face and I still have a slightly painful eyebrow because of it.

but I WILL share the story of Ike's first trip to the doctor!!!;)

after holding our breath in the waiting room for 45MIN, the nurse/MA? comes out to call us back and says:

"Ike-ey. Ike-ey Smith?" 

And I look around like...ummmm, I guess that's us, IKE. 

I considered making a quick announcement to the waiting area, letting them know that I had actually named my son, IKE. NOT Ike-ey;). 

On the way to the room I decided to correct the nurse, only because we had to spend some time together and I didn't want him to continue to be called the wrong name and end up looking silly when maybe the doctor corrected her or something.

SO I say: "No big deal - except that it is;) - BUT his name is just, IKE:)."

To which she responds: "Oh! Well, I'm definitely going to make note of that because I can see that getting messed up a lot?!"

me: CONFUSED FACE.

you guys...no name is safe;).

i'll leave you with that because Homer's in the bathroom with a poop situation that he describes as "juice"...omg.

Ike is screaming - only for the 3RD time in his happy life;).

Theo is running around dressed in an Ewok costume.

And Rocky has a plastic bag on his head.

i got this. I got thissssss.;).

#nailedit

anyone else fall into a state of depression after cutting all yours and baby's hospital bands off?

Cause that makes it all real and the birth is officially over and the baby is here and lifeeeeeeeee;(

beautiful photos by: Courtney Smith Photography

IKE.

post by casey.

we welcomed our 3rd son into the world. Third son. Fourth child. 

HOW?!??!!?!? - I'll tell you 'how' in just a minute but I gots to compose myself:')))).

IKE Ewalt Smith

October 15, 2017 . 151AM

8lbs 2oz . 19-3/4"

IKE: in Hebrew the meaning is, He Laughs. Laughter:) We also just liked it!

EWALT: a family name on my dad's side. My dad's mom, my grandmother's maiden name. I was named after my great-grandmother, Mildred Arlene Ewalt (Casey M-A-E...I was also born on her birthday, March 23rd:).

Some people have also mentioned that it sounds very Starwars-ey. Which Jacob is totally cool with;).

photos by Courtney Smith Photography:)

i know most love a good birth story but I'm going to try to keep this short and sweet - similar to all my births!:)

Ike came 3 days early, after about 5 hours in the Hospital and 2 pushes. You did wonderful, baby boy:).

some of the highlights were:

- me calling the Birthing Center at 7PM on 10/14/17 to let them know we were coming BUT that I planned to stop at Target first...and then we'd be there...they later told us that they all laughed prettyyyyy hard after getting off the phone with me!!!!;)

I also hung-up after that call and looked at Jacob and said: "WHY DID I SAY THAT??!?!? WHYYYYYY DID I TELL THEM THAT?!??!?". SO embarrassing...so typical;).

SIDE NOTE: contractions were too intense and we did end up skipping Target;(.

- unlike with the other kids' births, I was able to walk around at the Hospital and try to keep things going on my own this time around.

When we arrived at 830PM, I was 6CM dilated, which I was really happy with. I felt really calm and somewhat motivated to let things happen naturally for a while...it just...felt...right!!! I declined the epidural and wondered if I might actually do this shit au'natural...BY CHOICE...this time - if you remember...we didn't have time for it with Rocky and so that shit went down fast and painful but you know, crossed Natural Birth off the Bucket List;) - Rocky's Birth Story HERE.

After 2 hours of wandering the halls and trying the Birthing Ball for one contraction, I was STILL 6CM.

1045PM: EPIDURAL, PUUUUUUULEASSEEEEE!!

- I do have to say...I've had wonderful experiences with the Epidural and this time may have been the best yet. It most definitely 'took the edge off' but it was much more localized to my stomach/contractions and so I was able to, very much so, recognize contractions/feel that intense pressure/pain - but on a smaller pain level - and my legs hardly went numb but I felt really present for the birth and aware and it was really perfect for me.

- the epidural did slow things down. My contractions were about 3MIN apart prior and then slowed to about 8MIN:/

We even inquired with our doc about what happens after you're at the hospital for more than 6HRS?!?!?;) We've never been at the Hospital for longer than 6HRS before birthing a baby...which has been wonderful:).

- I was 8CM at 1AM on 10/15/17 and so they broke my water

- sometime after 130AM on Sunday, October 15, 2017...2 contractions and 2 pushes...Ike was born at 151AM:)

one of my favorite parts was them asking us if we knew what we were having and how excited they always get about the not-knowing and surprise to come:). Of course, they asked Jacob and I what we thought we were having and I replied Girl - and explained that I've guessed wrong with EACH baby so far...and Jacob, boy.

when they laid the baby on my chest they said to me: "You were RIGHT!!!!" and so I excitedly said: "OMG!!! We had a girl!!!!???!!!!". To which the doctor replied: "No, you were right...you ARE always wrong! It's a BOY!!!!".

We all died laughing!!:)

it's taken 4 pregnancies and 4 births for me to find this place of pure contentment:). They've ALL been wonderful. We are SO fortunate. Lucky. Blessed!! They've all been so so good and different and perfect in all the ways. But this time around, especially...I wasn't too anxious. I felt at peace about what was coming and what would happen...the unknown. I feel especially excited about the future. 

this isn't me announcing that we're 'done'. :)

but what I think I'm trying to say is that I'm finally embracing the hard and the easy and the scary and the recovery and finding patience and...I'm finally taking the time to take care of myself in all of this. It's SOOO much about this family and these babies. But I finally feel like I'm still here too. And I can have them and give them all that I have...but that doesn't have to be it. I get a little bit too and that's OKAY!!!! If anything...me taking care of ME is going to pay off for them as well:).

and I'm not just talking about making time for a Target run;). I'm talking about asking for help. And putting things off. Embracing our messy days. Letting go of the guilt. Taking time to use the fancy/organic butt spray;). 

i'm very happy:) 

the kiddos are in love and have already started physically fighting each other for their place in line to hold baby Ike. That's gonna be cute for like 37 seconds;).

now that I'm home...we're settling in and Jacob and I have already talked about our game. How we're gonna do this. The answer is: we have NO clue;). BUT we're not scared about that. We're just pumping ourselves and each other up!!!

"let's not yell at them!!!"

"let's try to be SUPER patient!!!"

"let's not argue over who has it harder or has gotten less sleep or is more stressed out...at 227AM!"

"if the baby is screaming and I haven't slept in 4-1/2 dayssssss and Homer's hiding behind the chair with my phone playing a video game I said no to and Theo is screaming cause she can't watch Spirit on Netflix and Rocky just came out of the bathroom wearing my $27 lash lengthening mascara all over his god.damn.face...We will NOT . TURN . ON . ONE . ANOTHER!!"

i know that all of this is bound to happen and saying it out loud and preparing for the worst...has actually only benefited us:). I couldn't do this without Jacob - wait, I currently am...cause he's at some sort of Sportsman's Banquet on my 1st night home...!?!?!?!?!! - I encouraged him to go...no worries:).

SO...baby Ike. Good grief. We love you so much. You're surrounded by a mess of love. SO much of it. It's evident to me on the most mundane of days, how much love there is in this family. But especially, every time these babies arrive:)

Find your tribe. Love them hard.

"In raising my children, I have lost my mind but found my soul."

- Lisa T. Shepherd