Wisdom Wednesday: Lessons from my parrot.

Today Cooper is two-and-a-half.

Say wha?

Me and Coop get each other, we always have. Since he was a baby I swear to you he could understand what I was thinking. Nowadays however, he just repeats what I say. Scratch that, EVERY-THING we say.

About two-months ago his language exploded. He's still not great on verbalizing words correctly all the time, but boy, does he verbalize. 

It's funny to hear what you say repeated back to you. It makes you hyper-aware of how you talk and what you are saying; because as soon as your words are out that little brain is processing before you even realize what you said.

And then there's how I, as a Coop and Ben's mom, act. How I respond to stressful situations, how I communicate with them and others, how I behave ALL THE TIME. I mean, how much pressure is that? I have my moments, y'all.

I've realized first-hand the impact my words and actions have on my child.

The whole "do what I say not what I do" thing won't fly either, because kids are much smarter than that. It's that time in parenting that you want to be the very best version of yourself, because of your child. You want to model behavior for your kids that are the character blocks of who you want them to become. And my friends, it's impossible to build with blocks you don't have. The whole "fake it 'til you make it" thing (love that saying by the way, got me through a lot of things in my professional life) doesn't fly when you are raising PEOPLE. 

You have to take a good look at yourself and make improvements when you see something you don't like (judge less, listen more, choose to look at the positive side of things) those are some of mine, to name a few.

Alas, reason #4012394 I love being a mom.

It truly does force you to improve yourself, and all because you love another person so darn much. 

One month with Benjamin.

We made it!
One month today last Tuesday we met little Benjamin.

Is it bad that it seems like it's been longer than a month?
Ben's first few weeks were...let's just say needier, than Coop's first few days.
He cried a little easier and would fuss when he was awake and not in your arms at all times.

However, once we hit the 4-week mark, he kind-of just, dare I say, mellowed?
Like a lot.

It's like he's gotten used to his own skin a little bit (outside of mama's tummy), has decided he trusts us and relaxed a little bit.

You wonder what it will be like with a second child; after all, the first is so anticipated and such a huge deal in your marriage, because now you have created a family.

I've found that I love Ben uniquely. A special bond that is just his and mine.
I am in love, in lo-ove, with this face.

Double take, wha?

Some things you should know about the little guy:

- I call him Benjamin when I'm speaking TO him but Ben when talking ABOUT him.

-He has dark blue eyes! Coop has gorgeous baby browns so we shall see how this pans out.

-His lips are to die for.

-Homeboy hates being swaddled but loves being held.

-At 4-weeks he got his tears and started blowing bubbles.

-My favorite Ben-Moment right now is the sounds he makes when I'm burping him (sweet coos and sighs).

Oh and for those of you wondering about this guy...

Well he's still our little ham. Our little potty-trained ham, at that. 

Coop went to his very first (let's be honest only 15 minutes) Broncos scrimmage.

He rocks the orange, y'all.

And just loves his little brother. If Ben's crying or upset Cooper is the most concerned person in the room, and always loves to get Ben up from a nap. I've caught him trying to pick him up out of his swing a couple times. It would be cute if it wasn't so terrifying.

Benjamin has sweet dark blue eyes that somehow say "Mom, I will own you the rest of your life. See this face, mom? It's only going to get cuter."

I know, Benjamin, I know.

xo

Wisdom Wednesday: A quick reminder.

Wednesday is quickly coming to a close, but seeing as I just made a cup of coffee, you see how my frame of time is lately. Alas, I saw something last night I really wanted to share today on the blog. A little, note-to-self, if you will.
For those of you who don't know, I'm on Twitter. I don't use it effectively at ALL, and honestly I average about a tweet a month. I originally joined Twitter to follow people, get news alerts and guiltily see what all my favorite Bravo stars are up to (which by the way is a whole lotta CRAZY)! But I also follow positive, uplifting folks, and I saw this come across my feed late last night...

 

Joel OsteenVerified account@JoelOsteen

God doesn’t waste anything we go through. He knows how to bring something good out of every situation.

If there's one thing I learn as I grow older, bad things just happen.  To good people, to friends, to me, to you. So is LIFE and we're not promised an easy road. You may think everything happens for a reason, and me, I'm not so sure all the time. But I do know that our Almighty God works everything towards a greater good for those who love Him; including our hardships and struggles, or things we just can't find sense in that happen to us or those we love. 

I've tried lately to work on accepting things that don't go my way and to realize that though I don't always see it at the time, there is great good to come. 
After all, we are all a work-in-progress.

Benjamin Wallace.

He's here, my friends!

(If you don't follow me on Instagram, surprise!)

Meet little Benjamin Wallace Kauffman. The newest stealer of my heart.

Fresh baby!

Bathed and looking good.

Peaceful Ben.

He arrived prompt as can be on his due date, July 12th, via cesarian and he sure did make me work for it. He's worth it!

Ben is a look-alike of his older brother, with darker hair and lighter eyes, but to me looks more like his daddy. Is that even possible? He's a great eater, a great sleeper (so far) and so very kissable.

We are through the "dark" days now, you remember the dark days, ladies? Those first few days when you're body goes outta-whack and hormones through the roof. Now we have settled into a nice routine as we all get to know each other.

I am overwhelmed with gratitude towards those around me...

For a healthy baby boy.

For a first-born who constantly makes me proud with his kindness, sweet nature and ability to adapt.

For a supportive family. Seriously, I could NOT have made it through the first two weeks without my mom and mother-in-law.

My parents: Nanna and Papa Pat.

My inlaws: Papa, Mimi and Great Grandma Genny.

And most of all for my husband; who through this second-baby process has been my rock and my best friend. There's no one I want by my side more than him. Thank you, Lord, for this man.

You learn a lot about love during these times, and I've been overwhelmed by all the love in our lives.

Get ready for picture overload around here! 

Thanks for all the well-wishes.