12 days and counting

i am due in twelve days. twelve. this has been, by far, the easist pregnancy out of the three. maybe because i was in such good shape when i got preggo. (keyword: WAS!) as good as i've been feeling i AM tired, my body DOES hurt and i am a TAD cranky. mostly i am really excited and anxious to meet this little man and to see how he will change our family dynamic. i've been feeling a little sad too thinking about that, how stephen won't be my littlest baby anymore and how mason will have that much more responsibility as the big brother. also this will be our last baby, unless the powers that be have other plans. i'm looking forward to trying to live in the moment and enjoy the baby time as much as possible.
i am also a little excited about the future and some plans i've been making in my head, regarding going back to school and things like that. more will be revealed on that :)
stephen DESPERATELY wants to be potty trained! he has been taking off his own diaper and going potty in his little potty all by himself. as fantastic as that is, its a little difficult because i am not in a position right now to take a few days and do the deal. i want to wait until after the baby is born and do it this summer. its pretty great though to watch his independence and self sufficiency grow.
i probably won't blog again until after baby has made his arrival. so next time i'll have a birth announcement!

ho ho ho

we really had a great christmas this year. one of the best parts has been that mike has been home so much over the last few weeks so we really have been able to spend a lot of good family time together. on christmas eve we had our friends the levits over and mikes brother kelly and his wife dmitri. we cooked up a big ole yummy bird and had sweet potato, butternut squash & pecan pie for dessert. the kids ran around and played (happily) and the adults got to relax and enjoy ourselves. santa did make it by our house this year, and really enjoyed the milk & cookies we left. the boys were so excited to wake up and see what presents were left for them. we made homemade monkey bread, yum!, and fried bacon, of course! i realize that i am talking about food a lot here, that is because not only are we big eaters around here, but one of my most favorite things is cooking with my husband. i really enjoy working side by side with him. later in the morning we went over to mimis house and had a visit with her and mikes sister leila who was in town from arizona.

shalom everyone!

choo choo

here are some pics from a little train ride we went on down in alvin before christmas. it was a neat little place that had some live christmas tunes and kettle corn. the boys LOVED it!

merry merry

it snowed this past friday on the 4th. it was AmAzInG!!! for me anyway! it has snowed five times in my lifetime, 3 of which have been in the last five years. i have never gotten to experience it actually snowing. it started to sleet here around 7:30, turned into the real deal around 9 and went all day long until about 4:00! mike had taken mason in to school but we picked him up around 10:30 so he could enjoy it with us. we didn't spend too much time outside because we live in houston and do not have appropriate cold weather clothes. it was super awesome, the boys loved it. although i think i was the most excited out of all of us!

party time

to celebrate the boys bdays we had a party at the casa. mike grilled burgers and the kids jumped on the moonwalk and ran around. it was a lot of fun and the boys had a blast! i did not take many photos, but here are a couple.

Happy 5th Mason Owen!

Mason turned five on november 19th. FIVE!FIVE!FIVE! i have no idea how we got here, but glad i've made it (so far)! We celebrated by eating ice cream sundaes with one of his favorite candies thrown in, gummie worms. mmmmMMMMmmmm......MMMMMmmmmMMMMM.....
i cannot believe my baby is five. along with continuing to be one of the hard-headest children, well people, i've ever known (and attitudinal as well) he is so funny and kind and smart. he is really getting the knack with letters and is starting to learn how to read a bit! he LOVES all things science/nature/animals. he loves to know things and to talk about those things. oh mason, you are so much like your mamma and i wonder if i will ever learn how to not butt heads with you? i love you i love you i love you and i am so glad that you are mine :)

happy second birthday stevie c

i'm a week late on this post as his bday was last saturday. did i mention that i was not even in town for said bday?? so we celebrated when i got home on sunday evening, my fabulous hubby made a cake! i cannot believe its been two years since he was born. he has gotten so big and is no longer the baby that he was. to me he still seems like it. even through the words, the independence, the attitude. hes still that little guy that we brought home that i could not hold enough, rock enough, kiss enough. he is definitley not mommys little boy anymore, has taken alot more to his dad. (he finally realized that dad is the fun one!)
i love you stephen. you are such an amazing joy in my life, our lives. you fill my heart up. you are soo goofy and smart and silly.

ms mariam

i went for a visit last week to see my sister becky and my fantabulous niece mariam. i had such a great time hanging out with my sister and holding her beautiful baby! mason kept asking me what i did while i was away (i went for 4 nights) and really all i could say was hang out and hold the baby. it was nice to not have to run around two little boys creating havoc!!
she is super cute and really a calm baby (lucky you sis, lucky you!) i didn't take as many pics as i should have but here are a couple. also big sister kate was coming for a visit as well and luckily we got to overlap for a day so the three of us could be together, which hasn't happened in, wow, a long time. i can't even remember! enjoy the cuteness!

i think i forgot to mention how freaking cute this town is that they live in. its about 20 minutes west of charlotte and has the quaintest little main street. LOVE it!

smell my feet

we had a fantastic halloween. mason was a knight and stephen was, well he was supposed to be thomas the train. i'm suprised i got him to wear the hat to trick or treat!

and how could i forget........

MY NIECE MARIAM!!!!! becky delivered this little angel two weeks ago today on September 30th. she weighed 7 lbs 6 oz and is 20 inches long. isn't she FaNtAsTiC?????? momma and baby are doing well :)
congratulations my sweet sister. you are going to be great at this! (you already are) she is so patient and loving and kind. i am so glad to be sharing this motherhood journey with her!

13 weeks to go

went to the midwives yesterday and had a checkup. all is well in babyland, baby is measuring at around 28 weeks. his heartbeat is strong and steady. no news is good news, eh?
every day that goes by i get more and more pregnant. i feel as if i could not be any more pregnant but know that i am kidding myself. i've already gained a whopping 20 pounds (eek...that kind of snuck up on me). i'm having trouble staying asleep at night, which i partly blame on the lingering cold/allergies/??? but also the constant need to flip over and over till my back gets comfy. so i'm a little tired, which is also stephens fault as he has been waking up at 5 freaking thirty this week. WTF???? yeah, so tired and a tad grumpy. so i belive i am officially into the third trimester and i am getting nervous about this whole 3 kid thing. really its about having my two year old and a newborn. how is this going to work? i think i am going to have to work even harder at letting go of some of my "controlling nature". i am very much a person that is comfortable with and for my sanity relies on the idea that there is a place for everything and everything in its place. i.e. when its nap time a baby should sleep for the appropriate amount of time. hahahahahahahaha...... so where was i? oh yes: letting go. acceptance. these are the keys to a life of peace and serenity. go with the flow kb. (please do remind me when i'm blowing postpartum gaskets over here) so i'm freaking out a little bit :) but i cannot wait to meet this guy. i was watching the boys running around tonight with 'super speed' really enjoying how different and how the same that they are. pretty soon there will be another, brothers. what a beautiful blessing. this is going to be fun yall.
mason has been drawing a lot more lately, really creative detailed drawings. the last few days its been of piranhas eating other fish. i am loving watching his creativity flow more. for awhile he seemed really concerned with doing "it right". not wanting to make a mistake. but lately for some reason he has loosened up a bunch. also the tantrums are less so things are generally much calmer and happier here. stephen is a ham and a half. talking ALOT more. still train obsessed. i love these kids :) my three sons to come.....

Freedom House Update

after 10 months of being open we are FILLED TO CAPACITY PEOPLE!!!!!! and have a FREAKING WAITING LIST!!!!
just had to share that....

Goal!

yesterday mason started on his soccer team at the ymca. they had a 30 minute practice followed by a 30 minute game. unfortunately i missed it, i was at my friends sons funeral. mike took the boys and said that it was really fun and mason really enjoyed himself. i was a little concerned about how the whole thing would play out (not just dad having to take the two boys on his own) but how mason would handle it. when dealing with the new & unfamiliar he has a tendency to be very shy and at times to get very frustrated. he's like his mom, he doesn't want to learn how to do things but wants to know how, already!! it sounded like it was a success. i can't wait to go watch for myself next week :)

6 months...really??

i am now into my 24th week of pregnancy. i cannot believe how quickly time has gone by, although i know that the last trimester is when things start to move at snail pace. i've finally started to feel the limitations that my body has as a result of being pregnant. after cleaning the whole house yesterday AND going to the gym i realize i need to take it down, just a notch or two. really i have been feeling well physically, i like being pregnant. i started back to the gym for cardio a few weeks ago and i feel really great that my big preggo butt is working it. i was SO sedentary with my last pregnancies and i feel very empowered to be able to run for 30 minutes (and to still be fitting into size medium maternity clothes!!!) for those that witnessed my body changes with the boys i know you can appreciate this with me :) i got HUUUGGGEEE!! people constantly asked me if i was having twins...i was like no. just fat. thanks! i LOVE feeling baby getting bigger and constantly moving around in my belly. its such a beautiful thing to be able to be a part of. there is a person. growing. in. my. body. again!! wow. here are a few pics from my u/s last week. he is sucking his thumb :)

the boys are doing fantastic. mason is getting along well in school and some of the behavioral issues we were having as he got adjusted into his routine have been working themselves out. he has been really interested in letters & sounds lately, oh and star wars. gotta have the battle droids! he is eating like a horse and is continuing to grow, we always joke that he has a hollow leg. man that kid can EAT!
stephen is rocking and rolling as well. he talks so much and has been (with help and coercion) counting to three. he is obsessed with trains. did i say obsessed? OBfreakingSESSED. still will barely eat a damn thing and it makes me nutso. he just got over having what i think was the flu last week, poor guy. he is enjoying his mothers day out (as is mommy) and having daddy around more often (as is mommy!)
so things are as they should be at the cottingham home. freedom house is doing very well and after almost 10 months of being open, we are still here!!! with clients...that pay rent....wow! i am so grateful and i think in shock and denial that this thing is/has really happened for us.
in other news my first niece should be born within the next week or so. my sister becky who lives in n. carolina will be giving birth to her first child pretty soon here. i get to go for a visit the first week in november and am so excited for her :) she has been a rock for me my whole life and been such a good friend, i am so happy about the birth of her daughter. i love you becky!!
in other awful/terrible/gut-wrenching news.....i posted a few weeks ago about the birth of my friends son rhyder who was born with some health complications. he passed away on saturday afternoon after being with us for 3 1/2 weeks. i don't have words for this, they all seem stupid and pointless and empty. my heart is so very sad for my friends and their family. i have never been so close to such a loss before. it is.....awful. my heart aches for them and their loss.
i hate ending on such a sad note but there it is.

new beginnings

mason started back to his montessori school this week. it is his last year of preschool before he starts kindergarten (wow!) and has done remarkably well transitioning back into the swing of things. mommy has been tired. i got used to not having to be anywhere at any specific time! i know, boohoo, i had to get the kids up and dressed and out of the house by 8:15, life is hard. mason is one of the oldest kids in his class so he really gets to be a leader this year. there are a lot of smaller kids than usual which i think will be good because he will get more attention from his teacher while doing afternoon work (which is where they work on reading, writing, etc).

we went today to meet stephens childrens day out teachers, i've been calling it mothers day out which apparently is very 20 years ago? it is now CDO, just so ya know. they seem fantastic and i LOVE his new classroom! he starts back next tuesday and i think he is really going to have some fun.

an update on baby rhyder who i wrote about my last post. they are currently being discharged from the hospital to go home. from what i know they have gotten a lot more information about his health and issues that he has, which can all be worked on once he gets a little bigger. soooo we continue to hope and pray for strength for him and his parents!

miracles in the making

this morning at 7:20 rhyder anderson was born weighing in at 4lbs 13oz and 15" long. when he was 2o weeks old in utero he was diagnosed with trismoy-18. if you do not know anything about this genetic disorder just know that statistically the babies have a 50% chance of not surviving until birth, the ones that do survive have a 50% chance of living for 24 hours. today he was born via cesarean birth, blue, not breathing, with a very low heart rate. after being given to mommy & daddy and getting some oxygen he began breathing and pinkened up! he has been able to relieve his bladder and has eaten at two seperate feedings (these are things that most tri-18 babies have trouble with). so already he is beating the odds, minute by minute, prayer by prayer. he will stay in the nicu for now so michelle & dave are staying with him as much as possible. it was important for me to share this on here because of how i LOVE this family and how close to my heart michelle & dave and their children are. please think of them, pray for them, send good energy their way (however it is that you may roll!!)

he is a handsome, strong little man!! i love you rhyder! see you again soon!!

20 weeks

i have not been writing on here as much as i have wanted to. i really wanted to document this pregnancy and the changes going on with the boys, but for some reason haven't been able to get it together.
i went yesterday for my 20 week ultrasound and midwife appointment. baby is growing well and looks very healthy. we are having another BOY as you can see in the photo below. he didn't cooperate and give us any face shots so at my next appointment i get another scan, darn. i am very excited to find out that i am having another son. i really was pulling for a daughter, but god knows what he's doing and knows what i need way more than i do. i keep thinking about my house full of boys, and though they can be handfuls how FUN they are. three brothers, what a gift :)

Mason went with me for the appointment and was really excited and on his super best behavior. poor thing was VERY disappointed when i told him he was having another brother. he crossed his arms & pouted. he really wanted a baby sister. he came around though and got to tell mike the news & stephen that he was going to be a big brother, to a brother just like him! mason told him that he would get to show his little brother how to play with trains. (stephen is OBSESSED with trains right now. obsessed.) it was really cool.

so i'm feeling well lately. baby is moving around a bunch. i've actually been feeling him since about my 15th week which has been different this time around. another difference is the change in my breasts?!?!?!? i know this is very common iin pregnancy but WTF? never for me before! other than an aching back, sore boobs and difficulty sleeping this pregnancy has been wonderful. i don't think i've been too difficult to live with (ask my husband, he'll tell you the truth!)

mason starts school back monday and i'm actually really sad about it. he will start going monday through friday instead of the three days he did last year. i am going to miss him. i know i will enjoy the time but i am so used to him being with me. stephen starts his MDO on the 1st. so in a week i will have two days a week to.... hell i have no idea what i'm going to do!

Canada Pics

here are pics from our trip to my moms a couple of weeks ago. i'll write soon about the trip.


at regina beach

with bailey in moms backyard

more beach

cuties

pickin strawberries at grandmas

chillin with grandpaw

stork

riding in the convertible

harvested from their backyard garden

at the expo - we sw a birds of orey show. this is a golden eagle

rides at the expo

at a local park