Ranch Life

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

2012-02-14T21:12:00.000-08:00

I've got my three love monkeys here...very low key holiday for us.
Forrest did enjoy decorating his very first Valentines for his preschool/daycare buddies...was pretty cute to see!
Lots of love to spread in this household :-)

Forrest's very first 'tines.....

Just shy of the big THREE and 3/4 of the big ONE year old....these are busy boys!

2012-02-13T20:47:00.000-08:00

Look at these two Fulton boys...enjoying our mellow winter puddles, enjoying each other, turning their trusty Radio Flyer wagon into the Ranch Puddle boat, and growing up before our very eyes! As I write this, Forrest is just one short month away from the big THREE! We are very excited for this number, as moving away from our stereotypical Terrible Two's has been a vision of ours for a bit of time here as we travel through the trials and tribulations of Forrest. But in all reality, more people than not remind me the three can really be the Tortuous Threes....or, rather, the TERRIFIC Threes as I would like to think of them. Regardless, Forrest is a spirit to be reckoned with to say the least. I am writing this on a particularly challenging day with him....one where you would rather send him to live with the wolves, or to play on the freeway, or to hang by the ceiling fan by his toenails, (all memorable little tidbits from my own childhood!)

At just shy of three, he LOVES to be outdoors, though doesn't necessarily remember that in the morning as he protests loudly to our efforts at getting him to his beloved outside place. Once there, though, he is usually a happy camper. We had a great walk today as he tromped in puddles, enjoyed playing with his boat, and tested out his new Bogs which we had splurged on, (much easier to splurge when you know two little boys will be using them eventually!) He is a overall good eater still, and porks down on steelhead, broccoli, cauliflower, any berry, apples, string cheese, yogurt, milk, and of course the beloved juice. Night time has been a struggle for the last several weeks as Forrest has been climbing out of his crib, (yes, he is still in it!) and we have met that challenge with some firm discipline that seems to be working. His new night schedule is to bed at 9, awake by 630-7, with a good 2 hour nap, sometimes 3. He really still needs his nap, or this kiddo is hard to deal with. So we try to make it happen. Still no serious potty training yet, though several peeing incidents in the potty make me hopeful! Looking forward to summer or at least warmer weather for that goal.

Forrest overall is a happy, super cute, energentic kid who just wants to have attention and be played with. We've had some great days with him recently that make us see the light at the end of the tunnel...here's looking forward to the big THREE for him!

And Talin at 9 months! Wow has time been flying for this one. He is a mover all the sudden, scooting, starting to crawl, and finding his baby voice more so now than ever. He's a good eater, feasting on everything from steelhead/carrot/avocado to egg yolk/sweet peas/avocado/corn mixes mom makes as well as the jarred stuff. He is on a bit of a breast feeding strike currently, but still loves the pumped stuff and formula just fine. Sleeping has been a bit of a struggle for little T man, as he seems to like to wake up at the 530 hour, no matter what day it is. Yesterday was 5 a.m. with no chance of renegotiation. This makes for parents who feel they have a newborn back. Today was a bit better with the 6am wake up call...6 we can do, but 5? really Baby T? Along with your usual 2am wake up feed? He also is a bit of a light napper, which in the same house as Forrest just doesn't jive. I'm a firm believer that whatever is true this week won't be next week, or at least next month, so lets just hope it all passes!

Finger foods are also a new thing for this kiddo! He's a fan of putting everything into his mouth, especially those delicious puffs!

I predict a 10-11 month walker here....though his balancing has gotten exponentially longer just in the last 2 days, so he could prove me wrong! But we are "helping" him out by putting him on his little baby butt as much as possible...;-)

These two brothers are such fun to watch. Tonight Forrest was decorating his brothers bald head with race car stickers as Talin scooted on the floor to chase him....cracking up the whole time. Pretty hilarious!!! They are a hoot, a hollar ( or a dozen....), and sure are cute along the way :-)

Feeling complete....

2012-02-06T16:00:00.000-08:00

So what did you do for Super Bowl?

2012-02-05T21:13:00.000-08:00

We ate lots of good junk food at our neighbors house and enjoyed Madonna, took in a bit of football, and a completed a LOT of kiddie herding....

Sunday Walk

2012-02-05T14:29:00.000-08:00

Feeling Thankful...in a nutshell

2012-02-03T22:58:00.000-08:00

Felling VERY thankful for...

1) Friday.....and I'm not on call this weekend...need I say more :-)

2) A recent wonderful email from my lovely Grandparents, 80 years young and going strong. My Grandma Sheila has gotten wonderful news from Stanford that the carcinoid, (a form of cancer) she has been fighting is under control! Still a daily battle for her, but such great news for the best Grandma you could ask for!
3)These two lovely boys. Forrest with his smiles, growing vocabulary which is primarily positive and loving, and crazy spirit, (takes some getting used to, but still wonderful!) Having a conversation with Forrest is wonderful. Sure there are still aggression issues, obedience issues, etc, but he is becoming a person. A person full of ideas, mostly good, nice, and thoughtful ones. When he will converse with you, he is a small amazing human being. We read books together every night and he LOVES this. He snuggles in your lap and we read and read until bedtime sneaks past us. Very thankful for these moments!

And Talin, my wonderful blue-eyed baby. I NEED him to stay a baby just for a while longer! I love his little baby feet and toes, his joyous expressions at the simplest things, (a spoon sends him over the moon!) Life is wonderful when so simple. I have had several of my wiser patients tell me I should hug him extra hard, as their babies are all grown up and have babies and grand babies of their own and there is "truly nothing like a baby to make you smile". I agree. He is really amazing. To hear this from an 80 year old who has fought breast cancer, an invasive belly surgery, and a broken hip all in the same year....well....you tend to listen. Savoring these moments as much as I can as he is now a mobile baby, scooting around, and full of smiles, laughs, baby language, and "mamamamamamamamamamamamaaaaaaa" :-) :-) :-)

4) My hubby, hard working, fish catching, wonderful partner. He is also a happy camper as his steelehead have shown face and he has been catching dozens of the fishies down at our beach and up river, (as witnessed by the last post...) A break in the grueling firewood routine by a few hours of fishing can really lift the spirits!!! He has been amazing in picking up the loose ends, be it dishes, laundry, or kiddie detail, he is there!!! I love him SO much!

5) For my body. I'm working on it....trying to mold it back into decent shape after two babies and lots of physical inactivity have left it pretty weak. I truly believe if I had never been a rower in college, and therefore not known what good shape our human body could be in, I wouldn't be so motivated to try and make it STRONG again. Maybe not college rower strong, but strong enough for this mama to chase after her boys, for her to keep up with a good garden, to kayak the river, to run or ride a race if she felt so inclined, and, most importantly, for her to feel truly happy. I do now completely realize that my happiness and therefore my thankfulness, really does stem from a strong body...
So therefore, it's in the works, a few workouts at a time, (the goal is 4 a week), and a LOT of sore muscles, ( and I mean a lot....I kind of doubt my abs will ever get back to the way they were! Sculling crunches...what is that? I would be happy to do 10) I hope we will get there one day. I'm just happy for the opportunity at the moment. Opportunity means goals get achieved. It will happen....

"Worry less. Smile more. Accept criticism & failure. Appreciate. Listen. Don't hate. Love deeply. Embrace change. Take chances. Be thankful."

-unknown

Yet another Fulton Fish Adventure...

2012-01-30T21:56:00.000-08:00

Days like these make me SO thankful for the beautiful and amazing home we have.

As you all know...we have two young ones under 3. I think everyone would agree that this scenario equals a HUGE ordeal to really go anywhere out of the house. Driving to that place....ginormous ordeal. Okay, so maybe I'm blowing this out of proportion, but we seriously hole up during the weekends. Fulton hemits, yes we are. I relish not having to be ANYWHERE by ANYTIME, with dozens of people counting on me to do what I do. It really is my sacred time.
So....just how sweet is it when the rain gives us a break, the river finally drops a bit and cleans up, and the Fulton Family comes out of the little ranch cave and wants to adventure! All just with a hike out our front door! Mind you, we still pack up the whole nine yards, with kiddies you have to. But no driving, no money spent, no worries over car sickness, getting somewhere in time, or who we might see when Talin poops up to his ears or Forrest tests his vocal cords and brute almost 3 year old strength, (oh except the occasional bald or golden eagle, bear, or steelhead...;-)
So....you get my drift. Pictures follow on our great little outing today. It wasn't without tears, or major dumps, or even a fall in the river, (first of many for Mr. F I'm sure...)
But it was with some great fishing for Forrest and Alex, some great hiking and outdoor time for little T and myself, and some outstanding beauty for all of us...

Forrest gets a keeper! Hatchery steelie...

Food and fishing all at the same time...bliss I tell ya...

Happy and always hungry river baby

Father and son, with many more to come like these....:-)

In awe of the steelie....

Little T, waiting for his turn with the rod!

The weekly grind...

2012-01-28T16:43:00.000-08:00

"Heigh Ho, heigh ho, it's off to work we go...."

I'll call it the weekly grind because for our schedule it's just that. Every Monday night I pack for much of the week. We spend the night in town closer to my work 2 nights a week so this means making sure the appropriate clothes, diapers, milk, toys, etc get put in the car. This also means timing it all right to be sure someone or TWO someones don't puke their little breakfasts up. This last week it was Mr. F who's stomach lurched...and let me tell you that starting the week with vomit in your backseat just isn't all that peaceful, serene, or even tolerable! But, we're slowly developing a routine...and just when I think I've figured out how to manage it all, something changes. The last two weeks it has been Forrest realizing he can climb out of his crib. I know, this really should have happened years ago, and physically he's been probably able to do it for at least 1 1/2 years. But, now he KNOWS he can and our somewhat peaceful bedtime routine has been shot down. 8:00 bedtime? No way. Now it's 9:30, if we're lucky. Couple this with sleeping in the same room as baby T and myself at my mother in law's house, a couple of night terror's on Mr. F's part, and Mr. T not sleeping through the night and WHAM!!!
you get a very grouchy mama feeling very overwhelmed.
So, change it up again..... I think it's better to just go home, do the hour drive each way, and be in our own space, with our own rooms, so at least some sleep is had. At least until something else changes, which could be in months, or days, who really knows.
Much worth the drive I think.
One of the biggest realizations about parenthood, especially parenting TWO, is that you really relinquish control. That feeling is not fun. You've got to roll with the punches, be able to see other options, even if they aren't ideal.

The second realization, equally important, is the beauty of a good partner. This is the primary reason for me deciding to just go HOME when Ive got both boys, he's my sidekick in this adventure of parenting and without him, and WITH a full time job I really don't like how I feel. Those that are single parents, major props to you!
Trying to keep it all sane over here in the woods...
and we get some moments like the one below, taken on a little "mama's trying to avoid the duo carsick kiddies" break on the top of one of the passes on my morning drive.
Pretty serene....for the moment ;-)

Talking about the weather....again...

2012-01-22T17:15:00.000-08:00

It seems we talk about the weather...a LOT....around here. Maybe because we live in an area where we do tend to get a bit more crazy weather, (I know, for those on the East coast or in Alaska, it's down right boring here probably...) or maybe because we do have to be out in it more than most due to our rural area, (can't just go shopping or go to the gym to get the rainy day crazies out here!)
Regardless, both Alex and I are regular NOAA watchers and it is not at all unusual to have the radar map going to see when and how much rain we're getting, and if we might get a break in it all for a brief time to get the kiddies and our crazy selves out of the house to keep from going totally nuts...
Yes, totally nuts. Two little ones that LOVE to be outside under 3 years of age, and two snotty noses nonetheless that probably shouldn't be in the cold rainy weather too much make it a bit nuts in our teeny tiny house. We may have a lot of land, but, you know if you've been here, our house is a bit small.
So....we get outside when we can. We've been lucky enough to have sunny (but oh so frigid!) weather thus far this winter. Now the rains have come with a bit of a vengence and we are trying to acclimate to the change. It is much warmer now, but the wet stuff does keep falling....and falling....and falling....with some areas near us getting a whopping foot of rain with this series of storms.
So....any cool rainy indoor activities you all have? (Besides the usual play-doh, endless choo-choo trains, fort building, dishes doing (Mr. F's fav) and loooooonnnnngggg baths?
In the mean time, in order to try not to go tooo bonkers, we'll just keep walking over here when the skies give us a break and don't absolutely pour down....

Juvenile bald eagle, greeting us on our rainy walk

Little T baby was all smiles! (maybe....;-)

The boys surveying at River Bend

Loving the cold winter sun....

2012-01-14T14:22:00.000-08:00

Winter wagon walks = one happy but tired Talin = one LONG afternoon nap, (I hope!!!!fingers and toes crossed!)

Talin baby, knocking on the door of 8 months old....

2012-01-09T21:06:00.000-08:00

I really truly can't believe little Talin is already 8 months old! Forrest at this age was already practically walking....that fact stuns me and scares the willies out of me as the thought of two mobile boys is a bit hard to fathom!
Little Mr. T is still doing so well though. He, I am quite sure, will not be a 9 month walker as his brother was. He is trying to get more mobile, can pivot pretty well and rolls pretty well too. Still no actual crawling, and he does love to stand. We try to put him on his belly as much as possible though, as...again...the thought of two walkers is a bit scarey!
Talin has officially started daycare. 4 days a week he is now in another home, and lucky for me, a lady that lives just 1 block from the hospital I work at AND has extended hours when I need them. I often work very late Wednesday nights and she can watch him until 11pm if need be. An operating room nurse has her son there until this time, so that is always nice to have a comrad to do the late pick up with if need be. I absolutely hate leaving him there that late, but he is often asleep after 730 pm anyways and, I know he is in a safe spot, being well taken care of. I can also give my one late night a week and feel like I am contributing to my job as I should be. Still, it is not ideal in my mind, but it is working and on this late night Talin baby and I spend the night at my mother in law's house just a few short minutes from the hospital....so, no late long drive and a much better more relaxed morning as well for Thursday.
Talin has definitely found his appetite. Although we are still breastfeeding, he seems to love food more than anything at this point. I'm doing my best to make our own babyfood as much as possible. We still have carrots, winter squash, and potatoes from our garden and some of his fav combos include all of the fore mentioned veggies with maybe a cooked apple, an avocado, or just a bit of olive oil, and all puree'd up to his liking of course. He is a big fan of the fruit and cereal as well, lapping the sweet stuff up with the best of them. And....yesterday was his first salmon dinner! I made a pureed salmon, avocado, and carrot batch that he loved....can't say this baby isn't getting his omega 3's! We do use a bit of jared food for daycare, simply because of the ease of it.
Talin does now have 2 teeth, popping his 2nd one out somewhere in between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. #3,4,5 and who knows how many are close behind though as he is a teething monster and we are keeping the chew toys, Motrin, and carrots close by.
Not sure of his weight, though he is comfortably in 9 month clothes and still has his beautiful blue eyes and big wonderful noggin.
Sleep and Talin are hit and miss. 2 nights ago he slept the entire night, 11 hours. It was....AMAZING. Every other night though, including last night, have been up and down....with us having to get up and soothe him several times, (thanks Honey for taking much of these little wakings,) and with me feeding him at 2 or 3 am. This age is hard, as I know he's teething like a little banchee, and I just can't let him cry and be in pain, much less wake up Forrest, so we are giving in, trying to soothe him, and hoping that we maybe get a few more of the entire nights full of sleep in the next...ehhh....year???;-)
We love our Mr. Talin baby....here's to the last 1/3 of your first year of life!!!

Christmas x 2!!!

2012-01-02T09:58:00.000-08:00

Santa came!!!A train table for Forrest amongst other loot :-)

This year our Christmas was broken into two, the first being on Christmas day with just our little family and Alex's mom, and #2 being on the 28th with my parents. I didn't have much time off for the holiday this year, but managed to sneak in the morning of the 28th off to be with my parents and family. It was a great time for all of us and our little kiddies made the day with their smiles and cuteness.

Talin baby has smiles for everyone

New waders for my hubby....

A new mountain trike for Forrest!

A new bath tub and sink fishing pole from Dad

What could it be???

....a Radio Flyer wagon!!! For the whole family :-) (great garden veggie loading wagon ;-)

Granny loving her little Talin

Talin with his loot

T baby's first Christmas in his mama's favorite hat

ring toss with Granny!

It was a fabulous week and we feel very grateful to have wonderful family and friends to celebrate the holiday with.

I'm one lucky wife and mama....

2011-12-25T17:11:00.000-08:00

We are on our way to our wonderful neighbors house for Christmas dinner, but I have a spare moment to relay just HOW special and wonderful today has been. I, currently, am the proud and lucky girl to own a dishwasher!

YIPEEEEEEE!!!!
Those that know us also know that our house has not had a dishwasher. And I have wanted one for quite some time. Well today my mother in law bestowed one upon this crazy household for Christmas! I was not expecting it, but it is wonderful as it gives us more time to be together as a family in my mind, and less time for myself and my hubby to scrub dirty dishes, bottles, sippy cups, etc. Time is really truly the most valuable thing in the world right now, time spent RESTING, spending time with your loved ones, and yes, working at times.

Additionally, my hubby gave me....drum roll please....

Laundry baskets!!!! 5 of them!!!

And before you can roll your eyes and say "Aleeeeexxxx"....STOP...because, the entire gift was the fact that he is going to take over the kids and my laundry detail.
Yes...you heard right! Or at least I think I heard right....;-) (right honey?)
And the 5 laundry baskets was his idea of "organizing" the situation.
Wow, I am one lucky girl I tell you.
Truly the best two gifts I could have asked for.

PS Alex and the kiddos had a wonderful day as well, which will be shared later :-)

Merry Christmas to All....

2011-12-25T17:00:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a great Christmas and 2012! We value and treasure all of the wonderful people and relationships this blog brings, weather it is strictly web based, (love all you mama friends out there!) or family and friends who check in to see how we are doing. We hope you all have a WONDERFUL holiday and new year!

Christmas is coming....

2011-12-24T20:53:00.000-08:00

And we have been living it up...sort of. Between crazy work and kid schedules we are participating in the festive Christmas spirit in a more limited way. The weekend seems to come around and all I want to do is hole up at home and participate in my own holiday cheer with our little kiddies. So what follows is a summary of our little bit of pre-Christmas cheer!

cookie making extravaganza!

Winter walks

cutie on the beach!

Santa visits Forrest's daycare!

Talin loving the Christmas tree :-)

The Brothers...

2011-12-03T14:46:00.000-08:00

These two boys sure are growing up fast. They are changing daily, and part of us wishes we could freeze them in this innocent time for them....but just part of us, and some days a very small part! It is no joke, raising two boys. Alex and I are getting worked for lack of a better word. Between the awesome fishing adventures, walks, family back rubs, and laughs we do have our fair share of tears, agression, blow outs, screams, etc. I guess it comes with the territory! One thing I didn't realize about parenting was the extreme highs and lows little kiddies have, and the corresponding affects on the parental figures. Holy moly most days we're just trying to tread water over here, and then we'll have a super sweet moment with one of both of them and it makes it ALL worth it, and then some!
So, for an update on each of the little rugrats....

Talin is growing like a little weed and coming out of his mellow baby shell a bit. He is now 6 months 3 weeks old and I believe he weighs about 17 lbs. He is sitting like a champ, sometimes trying to lunge forward, and rolling a bit, but for the most part is not yet mobile, (I think our Christmas tree is safe this year!) He eats solids like a champ...when he likes what is being offered. He is a bit picky, and will only take his formula or breast milk seperate...no mixing for this baby for some reason! He is getting probably 5 formula bottles a week, and is on breast milk the rest of the time as well as carrots, winter squash, potatoes, beets (when his mood is right!), and of course all the good sweet fruit. Rice cereal goes well with breast milk and a bit of fruit for him, and his little digestive system can sometimes still get the best of him as he transitions from pure mama milk to a variety of things. He is waking up still in the night to eat, but we are slowly getting on a 12 a.m. feed, and then a 6 am feed which is excellent for this mama. He is a bit of a gassy baby, still needing to be burped to be completely happy.
He loves his brother, but doesn't love his brothers agression and will go from laughing to crying in .2 seconds flat when Forrest gets to be too much for him. For the most part though he laughs and LAUGHS when Mr. F gives him attention. We are just approaching the whole sharing thing as Talin is getting more and more grabby, wanting toys, etc. And, yes, the phase where EVERYTHING goes straight to the mouth is here. So toys smaller than his fist are put away...I hope!
He is a great traveler, (besides his carsickness, which is a real problem. I feel so bad that he has acquired my soft stomach! I hear that once I can turn his car seat around this will improve... though that is awhile off. I am going to invest in a "barf bib"...the name says it all. Hopefully this will help with the clean up, poor guy!) and in general is in a great mood. He is a blankie and pacifier baby for sleeping, and usually goes down well. He has a habit of cat napping during the day, so we are working towards a solid 2 nap schedule to get him down longer than 30 minute stretches, (as I type, he's been down for over an hour, so far so good!)
I'm just soaking up my little Talin baby. He is truly wonderful and makes me smile with his good natured open mouth kisses and love!

Forrest is marching closer and closer to the big 3 years old! At almost 2 years and 9 mos he is steadily, though slowly, finding his language. We are actually looking into helping him out on this with an evaluation with a speech therapist as although is comprehension is normal, and even beyond normal for his age, his speech is a bit behind. He jabbers on and on, though has some troubles pronouncing certain sounds that he perhaps should have by now. People tell us that kids make huge leaps between 2 1/2 and 3 with their speech, but we would rather be proactive at this point.
He is still a VERY agile and active guy. He can cast 100 feet across the river and reel in like a champ. He seems to have the coordination of a kid far older than 2, but is still in a 2 1/2 year old body. I think this coupled with his lack of language, and who knows what leads to a bit of agression that we are dealing with. It is our biggest struggle with Forrest, just learning what makes him tick and what sets him off. One minute he's cool as a cucumber, and the next, well, watch out! We are lucky to have daycare/preschool providers that are very tolerant with him, (their 4 year old child had similar issues,) though to not see much improvement in the last few months does get to us. We try reward systems, timeouts, explanations, etc and hope this is just a "phase" but it does make for a tough time when he is in one of his bad spells.
Despite the above, we are continually impressed with Forrest and how caring he can be! We have determined he has "healing hands" as he loves giving his Dad back rubs with lotion and is very gentle with this. He gives out hugs and kisses whenever leaving his daycare, or when I have to leave for work. He still loves his trains and this makes for some good bargaining for us parents. He also still loves anything mechanical or anything that involves building things. Legos, mega blocks, etc are made for him and can really entertain him for awhile. Movies are a treat. He loves them and we try to limit them somewhat, though it is nice to have an ace in the hole when you absolutely NEED that break. His recent favorties are the BBC series Human Planet that we have purchased, Finding Nemo, anything having to do with Thomas the Tank Engine and Diesel, and Mary Poppins. As far as weight, I think he's around 33 lbs. He's a good eater and loves salmon, apples, pasta, carrots, and of course his special treats he gets on occasion, ("Dee doos" aka cookies....:-)
Overall we are surviving quite well over here. I realize these days do really go so fast and despite the fact both Alex and I are stretched pretty thin at the moment with our kiddos needs, we really do work well as a team in this whole child rearing deal. I could not have a better father for our kids than Alex. He gives it his all and despite the crazy, hair loosing, head banging experiences that two kids can have on a single parent, (when one of us is working), it really is so awesome to see what cool people our boys are turning into. And to see what awesome brothers they will be for each other!

Appreciating the experience can pay off.....

2011-11-28T23:24:00.000-08:00

Our days of fishing as a family have been few and far between lately due to, well, life I guess. But, we all managed to sneak out today at a "secret" fishing spot just upriver from our place. It's a bit of a cliffhanger, but Forrest, aka "mountain goat" was as sure footed as ever.
I was just looking forward to spending some time by our beautiful river on a warmish day with both of my kiddies and Alex, I was also hoping to get some good family shots for a possible holiday card. Fish or no fish I was happy!
And wouldn't you know if Alex hooked two. The first, a small half pounder or "baby steelhead" Forrest got to reel in, probably his 3rd or 4th fish ever. But the second hook up was an adult! And a somewhat bright adult that Forrest man, (or toddler?) handled as well as you can hope a 2 year and 8 month old to do.

It was a fun and beautiful day, not without toddler meltdowns as you will see........:-) But all in all we are so very thankful for the great opportunity to life in the gorgeous place we do and have the property we have, (and let me tell you sometimes we need every inch we have with these two boys!!!)

A behind the scene shot ;-) Watch out Forrest...Santa's elves are watching!!!!!

First baby girl....

2011-11-19T23:15:00.000-08:00

The two Terri's....(Terry, and Teri) the best mom's around!

Cousin Amy is having the first girl in this next generation of kiddos. She timed her shower to be the day after the big wedding so myself, as well as other family members, could make the wonderful event. Amy's sister Sara was in charge of the big event and the grand master planner could not have put on a better shower. Yummy food, great drinks, fun games, and wonderful little girly gifts, (that I have so much fun giving given my two boys....;-) filled the afternoon.....

yummy treats, iced tea, sangria, and this was only a fraction of it!

Baby Talin, again the life of the party....besides of course the guest of honor Amy!

Little baby Kalea is one lucky and loved girl!

mama and 3 sisters....:-)

The cutest little tutu for baby Kalea!

Baby Talin giving Great Grandma Sheila smooches!

Loving being with his Aunt Megan

And, when the shower was over...some one on one time with Great Grandpa!

weddings and babies!!!!!!

2011-11-19T22:51:00.000-08:00

I've got a lot to catch up on here in the Fulton Clan, but figured I would try to stay current in at least ONE event this year and post about cousin Kyle's wedding and cousin Amy's baby shower that Talin and I had the pleasure of attending this weekend.
That's right....just Talin and me, solo mama and solo baby. I'm loving it, getting one on one time with my little happy charming Talin. He was a champ on the plane and other than some car sickness issues, (my poor little guy has my soft stomach....) he's been a happy little guy.
Of couse we started with Talin getting all gussied up for the occasion....

Jen and Kyle, the lovebirds!

Best cousin friend Sara!

smooches abound.....:-)

The sisters, back together again :-)

tearing it up on the dance floor with Uncle Jesse!

Baby Talin was the fav dance partner!

The best date ever....(besides my #1 Alex of course...miss ya hubby!)

The parentals, tearing it up

And this picture, well.....the party was just getting started with cousin Ryan!

And next post....Amy's baby shower! Stay tuned :-)

A 4th little foodie is now in our house!!!

2011-11-04T23:19:00.000-07:00

MMMMMM, avocado with Grandpa.....

As of yesterday, officially 1 week before my baby boy's 6 month milestone, we have let him try his first delectable bites of food! He had his well child exam on Monday and we got the go ahead to do it....his official stats you ask? Well, at nearly 6 months little Talin baby is just shy of 16 lbs, (25 percentile), and is in the 45 percentile for height, though the actual measurement has left me at the moment. His head however remains huge at the 99th percentile....that's my kid! Matching Forrest pretty well when he was this age.
None the less, we got the go ahead to start solids. Talin has had nothing but good ol' mama milk up until yesterday. I'm very proud of this fact, but it is getting very tough to keep up with my growing boy's appetite. I therefore am more than happy to start feeding him some yummy delectables from our garden and perhaps...just perhaps...get some more shut-eye at night and calm the voracious appetitie my little boy has?????
One would hope...;-)
But, for him, a whole new world of flavors has opened up....
And he is more than ready for it, at times lunging at the food, and trying to grab at the spoon. Pretty funny to watch!

"Wow Mom, these carrots are so good, I'm gonna leave some on my nose for a snack for later!"

We love our little foodie and even though he'll be mostly on breast milk, (I hope!) for awhile longer, this food stuff is pretty fun...:-)

Pumpkin patch extravaganza...

2011-10-20T21:52:00.000-07:00

Pardon the tardiness of this post as life has just been plain nuts lately in our household, sleep has been minimal, and the kiddies have been amazingly sweet and just plain crazy lately (actually forget the plain crazy, how bout CRAZY crazy!), all at the same time it seems.
But, on to the cute boys now! 2 weeks ago my sister and her amazing friend DD graced us with her presence for 6 wonderful days. It was awesome as always to have her and she and DD helped with kiddie care, gave Alex and I our first night out in over half a year, (uggh, WAY too long!), and helped me on an adventure to the pumpkin patch and farmer's market. We threw in a brewery or two in there and BAM, what a fun weekend!

DD and Baby T cuddling up a storm

Aunt Megan the great!!!

The cutest baby dragon around...

Enjoying the hay ride!

this patch had a baby dragon to go with it!

the pumpkin patch/hay ride crew! (After a Guinness or two for us big kids....)

Soaking this Little Talin baby up!

I think we need our own hay bale maze at home...

...Seriously... :-) Mr. F had SO much fun in this thing!

Thanks a million for family and friends who help us out in these crazy but amazingly fun baby days. Couldn't have done it without you!!!(Really truly, would never try to attempt it....;-)
And this mama needs some sleep, I think I'll dream about how to build a hay bale maze and somehow keep it dry this winter...hmmmm...

Fall has come....

2011-10-02T22:40:00.000-07:00

With the first big soaker just hours away, I can admit that Fall is here. We've been feeling it in the air for weeks now, but have not wanted to admit that the cooler weather was nipping at our heels. Summer was so wonderful this year, full of beautiful babies, sunny hot weather, river time with great friends and family, and of course our beautiful garden.
It also seemed all too short with it not really getting hot till July this year. Makes the idea of a rainy winter, (aka, being stuck inside with two kiddies during a rainy winter...) kind of daunting.

Forrest loving one of 3 apples he sampled after nap today.

But, who am I kidding. I LOVE fall. I am the pumpkin lover of the world, loving all of the spice, cool fall air, lovely fall leaves and fires in the woodstove. And the rain hasn't kept us indoors yet, so I'm sure this wet season will be no exception.

The past two days we have been preparing for the rain, putting away all of our fun outdoor toys, getting loads of apples, squash, melons, tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes out of the garden and leaving the rest to fend for themselves in the wet weather, (or its just the simple fact, I have no idea what to do with 20 eggplant!!!)

a tractor load of squash...Baby Talin will be loving the stuff soon!

Apples galore

My little watermelon hound...who knew October melons would be a perfect size for him!

It's a nice feeling to see so much food in one place, and also a bit daunting trying to figure out what to do with it all!
Regardless, summer has been kind to us and again will be here soon. Time to get cozy and enjoy the cooler season :-)

Wanna-be 'Susie Home-Maker...'

2011-09-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

So, I've been called a little susie home-maker in recent weeks due to my activities of food preservation .... juicing, freezing, and now canning!
Truth be told, I am a big wanna be. With our large garden I should be all up and up on this food preservation stuff. But, most of the time I'm happy to get out the door with shoes on my kids much less trying to safetly harvest and put up dozens of pounds of garden delights...
Alas, year by year, I am getting better at it! And just today I had a virgin canning experience with my neighbors, who were also newbies as well. We stuck with tomatoes, which are fairly easy to can in a hot water bath if you add a bit of lemon and lime juice, and made plain peeled tomato halves as well as a great stewed tomato recipe that took bell pepper, onion, and great spices.
It did not produce a ton of jars, though it was extroardinary sucessful in our eyes as I KNOW it is the first of many totally cool canning experiences....

And come mid winter, those juicy heirloom tomatoes will taste SO good!!!!

My fishermen...

2011-09-25T22:36:00.000-07:00

And I'm sure this post in a few years will include my THREE fishermen. But, currently, it is only two as my Little Talin is still my partner in crime, (and I have yet to even purchase a fishing license this year...guess I've been a bit busy hey....???!)

Needless to say the fishing has been fannnnnnntabulous!!! Forrest has gotten to witness more salmon being caught then he knows what to do with, and is so excited and interested in fishing at the moment that it is awesome just to let him go to town with his "bb-pole" on our front porch fishing for steelehead. My fish frenzied hubby is loving life in seeing literally thousands of salmon move up river daily. It is truly an epic year.
Talin and I hold down the fort, take cute pictures of ourselves and just love life in general....I am soaking it up as I know one day my THREE fisherBOYS will leave me in the dust!!!

my collection of heart rocks....sappy river mama !!!!

2 1/2 Years and 4 Months...time keeps marching along.

2011-09-17T15:26:00.000-07:00

It seems time is flying by these days. Summer seemed to be gone in a snap, and suddenly Forrest is on the downhill side of his big 3rd year of life, and Talin is no longer a wee one anymore!

Talin is still a joy in every sense of the word. I love this little guy so much!

In the past two weeks his alertness has definitely increased and he now has some trouble napping during the daytime, I think just because he wants to be up, and a part of everything. He still requires a lot of sleep, and then becomes overtired and we are left with a fussy baby until he eventually conks out. But "fussy Baby" Talin style is still not anywhere near the fussiness that CAN happen with other kiddos, and over all we feel so lucky and blessed with our little T. He is still breastfeeding exclusively. Still not sleeping much more than 3-5 hours during the night. And still loves his baths, his swing, his baby bouncer, and his carpet...though nothing for too long of a period of time. If you keep him busy, he is a happy camper. He LOVES his older brother and smiles and coos like no other when Forrest gives him attention. Though if the attention turns at all loud, or rough, Talin is quick to protest and despite all the noise in this house seems to like the peace and quiet a bit.

I don't know his weight, but I do know he is outpacing Forrest. He is already outgrowing his 6 month clothes and is quite the chubby happy baby!

Mr. Forrest is joyous, crazy, talkative, (most not quite understandable yet, though chatter on he does!) 2 1/2 year old.

He is a HUGE fan of his fishing rod, and is obsessed with catching a "big steelhead on the river". His favs also include his trains, boats, and books and more books.

He's got a great little personality and when he gets excited about something it is very fun to watch. He can crack you up one moment with his crazy ways, make you smile with his "tank you's", and then make you red in the face with his screaming and hitting....tis the ways of a 2 year old! He seems to be making big improvements, (some days...;-) on the hitting front, as his daycare teachers have told us he now has buddies and is playing much better.

He can still be quite destructive at times and we are trying to remind him of he strength and channel it to productive things. If there is a job to do and he is at all interested, he is your man. Potty training has stalled out and we are back to diapers full time for the moment. He, for the most part, is very good and gently with his baby brother. He wants to help him, cuddle with him, and tries to calm him when he is crying. It is very cute and awesome to watch.He's a great eater as well, chowing down on most of our garden treats. I am hopeful that this next 6 months will be full of adventure, (duh...:-), progress in language and potty training, and fun times for our big Forrest guy.

Life with 2 kids is tough, no doubt.
Most days and weeks I feel like this!

smiling but crazy, including the hair...kind of sums up my life!

But the two boys fit with our lifestyle well and we are one happy family here in the woods....sometimes happy simply just to get to bed! But happy none the less :-)

Wonderful Watermelon!!!

2011-09-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

Our garden this year has been great, but the surprise star of the abundance of veggies and fruit has been our melons! We have never had much luck in the past getting the juicy sweetness ripe enough for the end of summer heat. But, this year, despite our late summer, our watermelon rocks!
We grew two varieties, sunmoonstars, and a seedless. Both are as sweet as can be and we are still swimming in the delicious fruit...

Feeling much better this morning....

2011-09-17T14:09:00.000-07:00

Other than a little swollen nose, and an orange pen mark thanks to F above his eye, little T is doing A-Okay...:-)

Another addition of the good, the bad, and the ugly.....

2011-09-16T22:49:00.000-07:00

The good: It's FRIDAY! And this mama has a three day weekend. The rat race of the crazy week is over, and today I managed to get 30 patients evaluated and treated, a Costco trip finished, both of my boys successfully dropped off and picked up from kiddie care, (different kiddie cares mind you, and Talin's first time at good friend Nicole's house, he did great!) and dinner, semi fixed and on the table....kind of...read on...

The Bad: In our evening craziness Forrest decides to draw on his little brother's face and then poke his eye with the marking pen he was using....screaming ensues....

The Ugly: Forrest gets put in a time-out chair. I comfort Talin. Forrest doesn't stay in his time-out chair so I put Talin down in his carseat sitting in the recliner and put Forrest in his crib for timeout. Walking out from Forrest's room I hear a CRASH.
My stomach leaps into my chest, I feel sick. I run over and find Talin face planted, having fallen off the recliner where his not so smart mama had placed him, car seat on top of him, nose spewing out blood.
And if it sounds awful, it WAS! I'll never forget that awful sight.
Yep, my sweet baby boy got his first bloody nose tonight and it was MY fault.
Very Ugly.
Thankfully, all seems to have settled down now, Talin is back to his smiles, and just finished feeding. But the poor little guy cried for 45 minutes straight and Forrest was his usual crazy self into everything you can imagine while I was trying to comfort my baby T. Thankfully Alex came home after about 30 minutes of mayhem to all three of us crying and rescued ALL of us.
Uggh.
Not going to be winning the mama of year award on that move. I think I'll go to bed now, after hugging and kissing my little guy and thanking the heavens for quickly healing babies....

A John Carleton's-Eye View....

2011-09-15T23:39:00.000-07:00

Last night of summer

Everybody was kung fu fighting

For more beautiful photos check out
http://www.flickr.com/photos/johncarleton

"Only where children gather is there any real chance of fun." -Mignon McLaughlin, journalist and author

2011-09-10T17:37:00.000-07:00

And boy oh boy did children gather for this past Labor Day weekend! We were lucky enough to have my old rowing friend turned very good mama friend Sheelagh Carleton and her family over for 2 days. They put forth the effort and make the trek over to our neck of the woods for some fun times with the SIX kiddies! Sheelagh and John have two older girls, who are 6 and 4 years old, and then two younger boys, who are almost exactly the same age as my Forrest and Talin. It has been incredible to have this close connection to an experienced super mom with boys the same age as mine. Our friendship is truly invaluable to me.

Over the course of a day and a half we cooked and ate yummy food, took a good walk, went on "Bear Hunts" on the quad with Alex, spent most of a day down at our river beach, night picked strawberries, got stung by yellow jackets, (uggh!!), had just a few toddie meltdowns, and had a glorious camp fire, and even had an hour or so there where nearly EVERYONE, including exhausted parents, took a nap :-)

We were also blessed enough to have the wonderful talents of John to capture the fun with his camera....truly made for some lasting memories and I hope we can continue to meet up year after year as our kids grow older!

Enjoy the pictures...there will be another post with some more beautiful shots from John. And please click on the pics to blow them up...they really are something special in their bigger version!

The jungle cruisers....!

The blue eyed babies of the group, Talin, nearly 4 months and David nearly 6 months, already buddies

Forrest and his "people" as he so fondly called them....

Forrest, my crazy watermelon eating summer kid...

The "bear hunters..."

Beautiful David the sand eater....

Mama friends and their sons!

The youngest member, Baby Talin

The whole group, in one shot, quite an amazing feat :-)

Summer camp fire...toasting marshmallows!

First, (Of many...) Camping trips with the two kiddies....and the help of amazing grandparents!

2011-08-24T15:52:00.000-07:00

Dad with his two lake boys!

Forrest, Dad, and Grandpa on an early morning fishing trip

I *think* he's having fun!!!

A beautiful baby Talin, the best camping baby around!

MMMMMM, BBQ salmon!

The wonderful ocean going/river boat turned lake/water ski boat for a day!

sunset cruise with the hubby!!!

Water fights with Granny are the best!


Perfectly happy beach baby enjoying the scenery....

And, the take home message....it was VERY nice having my parents to camp with on our inagural outing with two kids....and when you get down to it the ONE two year old was enough work for everyone to handle! And, we learned baby Talin continues to just be the happy smiley baby of the family. We had a great time at Trinity Lake, which included my first water ski ride in over two years behind the great jetboat! Muscles I had forgot had existed hurt, but it is an acheivement to say that both my dad and I suceeded in the waterski adventure....
Here's to more adventures camping with our newly expanded family!

3 Months Old!!!

2011-08-11T22:12:00.000-07:00

Already, our little Talin is 3 months old. Out of his "4th trimester" as some say, though with this cute, lovable, cuddly, and YES still unbelievably mellow baby it has been nothing but fun!
He is really turning into the smiley baby, and loves to look at faces, coo, and even giggle and laugh. He likes his swing well enough, but also likes his baby chair, his baby ergo, baby bjorn, and the sling. He loves his baths which is the secret weapon so to speak when the evening fussies hit. Overall there are few places Talin is NOT happy.
He does very much dislike his older brother's screeches and loud antics and lets us all know right away with a good cry which just adds to the commotion Forrest is creating. He is still a champion breastfeeder, but handles bottles well enough despite being a bit slow and getting them down. He is still waking up during the night to eat every 4-5 hours, but has taken a 6 hour stretch without milk recently, (now we just need to get that during the evening hours and I'll be a real happy mama!)
He had his first ride in our BOB stroller earlier this week and seemed to enjoy the bumps and scenery. However, Forrest was quick to let us know he wanted his baby brother out of HIS stroller...;-) So the sharing begins!!!
We are so in love and happy with our little boy Talin. He handles our busy life like the little champ he is and I tell you there is absolutely nothing better than coming home from a day at work to the cooing, smiling, and cute baby blue eyes that he can give....

The Paradise Beach...

2011-08-08T14:29:00.000-07:00

All year long we look forward to our beach days. We have an amazing beach along the Trinity River that we can call our own, and we spend as much time as possible enjoying it during the months of July and August.
This year however, due to the late rains, our beach was under water until mid-late July. So we are now SO thankful to be enjoying the lovely stretch of sand in the August heat.
The afternoons we enjoy down there are priceless. They are not exactly peaceful with a 2 year old and infant, but full of fun. It is also exciting to think of how we can continue to enjoy the river fun in the future when our kiddos get older and more able to swim, recreate, and play without constant parental involvement and supervision that is necessary at this time. I'm sure there will be a day in perhaps even the near future that they OWN that beach. That they will want to spend every waking hour creating forts, building tree swings, and finding the perfect crawdads and jumping rocks. That is very exciting to me as it is my picture of an ideal childhood. I'm also excited to see them enjoy what we enjoy so much.
For now though, it is still fun. We are beginning to conquer the life jacket saga, (Forrest was not a fan at first but now knows it is a MUST,) and Forrest is quite the amazing hiker down to our beach which has a rather rough river trail. He won't let anyone help him now, up or down. It is so fun to watch him try to conquer these little feats, to put his mind to it and actually succeed and be proud of himself! Alex and I joked that this would probably be the slowest he takes that river trail EVER, and soon he will be running down it full speed, (makes me a bit nervous to think about it....though a lot of this kiddie adventure stuff does, just can't think of the "what-ifs...")
Here are some recent pictures from our oasis. I feel so blessed to have this beach be a part of our lives for 2-3 months of the year. As floaters, kayakers, and boaters float by all of them comment on the beauty of the beach and surrounding area. We do our best to take care of it and treasure it as much as we can....

Alex enjoying a zen moment...

Forrest hiking down the VERY steep river trail, (and these stairs are the easy part!!!)

Enjoying some Talin time!

A VERY happy river baby, he loves it down there!!!

A good old fashion water fight, just don't drop the beer Dad!!!

Nature boy...

Nature boy, toddler-melt-down style.

Dad and his little watermelon head

Out for an adventure!

Our neighbors, stopping by for a visit... :-) Love it!!!

Kayaking fun with Dad...

2011-08-07T15:01:00.000-07:00

My dear ol' Dad came to visit last week, partially to come and rescue my mom from the throngs of our crazy household, (partially a joke, and partially a bit true I bet right Mom??!!) and we took the opportunity to kayak a nice section of river. It was a GREAT day, one that started with me swimming the first rapid just to make it a bit exciting. This trip was sans kids and we lived it up with some good beer....

...some great swings and dives off a rope swing along the way...

look hard and you'll see some feet danging from the tree....Tarzan Dad...ahhiieeeeeeeoooo!!!

And some great relaxing, swimming, just plain enjoying the beautiful river scenery....

My parents are now back home, and I can't tell you how much we are going to miss them!!! My mom's visit and help was amazing and it has been so nice to have all my family up here this summer in our little neck of the woods....
Before they left for home we all went camping on Trinity Lake...yep, 1st camping trip with two kids...stay tuned for the crazy stories :-) hehe!!! (Hint hint dear ol' Dad, email me some pics if you get a chance!!! :-)

The trials and tribulations of Forrest....

2011-07-28T22:58:00.000-07:00

Oh Forrest, the 2 year old. He is quite the mess these days. And is driving us a bit crazy. He can turn from a sweet, lovable, talkative, amazing, interactive boy to a 2 year old hellion faster than you can repeat his name.
Of course, he has had big changes recently in his 2 year old life...
Okay, more than big, to his eyes, I'm sure his little world has been rocked!
I mean, just the new big brother role is enough to cause some major behavioral changes. And then add a new daycare, and then add a two month at home stint with mama and the new baby just PRIOR to starting the new daycare just for a REAL contrast shock, and you've just about got it covered. Oh yeah, and then the constant stream of family and friend visitors, and potty training just for fun....Whew.....
Couple all that with the typical needy, often whiny, very often, (in F's case) tendency to be a bit agro and agressive when he cannot communicate and WHAM, you have a character that is for all intents the Tazmanian Devil Forrest Fulton!!!
Except this is our son we're talking about. And violent fits of yelling, hitting, screaming are not in my ideal scenario of a peaceful family home. And, more realistically, are not in my scenario of my often messy, chaotic, but loving home of a 2 year old and infant. And....when the hitting is making it's way into the new daycare, well, just not tolerable. Forrest is a very physical kid. Physical in mostly good ways until recently. He can hike up 200 vertical feet on our river trail and loves doing it, loves the challenge, won't let us help him! This hike makes most adults sore for days, and many just avoid it entirely because of it's difficulty. Not Forrest. He's walked over a mile on dirt roads all while pushing his bike when he was not much older than 12 months. For the most part we conquer his need to be physical with good, healthy physical activity. But lately this balance seems a bit out on sync.
I so love Forrest. And I feel so bad for him really in this time of change. Dropping him off to his new kiddie care as he looks at me with sad eyes, or starts to cry right from the get go is absolutely no fun. I also know that this is completely expected for weeks, even months when a toddler starts a new school. I also know hitting is VERY common and very normal in the life of a 2 year old and maybe even beyond. It just doesn't seem so normal when it's so prevalent in our home.
I know a lot of it has to do with his language skills or lack there of. Don't get me wrong, his talking has actually taken off recently. He knows too many words to count and understands most others better than we even realize. But I think he still lacks the ability to express himself when he is upset, mad, scared, angry, etc. And he is very emotional I'm sure in all of the new experiences he is taking part in over the past few months. When that happens, he hits or screams instead of telling us how he is feeling.
We do timeouts, reminders to use his words, etc. but we seem to be at a stale mate.
I also must acknowledge that maybe this daycare is not the right place for our little boy. On paper, it's perfect. They have animals that Forrest loves, (horses, dogs, goats, pigs.,) They're easy going attitude and relaxed way of doing things more closely mimics our lives, and they also have a preschool program which Forrest can easily transition to so we don't have to move him again to another school. But....in reality their setting may include just a few too many kids for Forrest's liking, (he's a kid that enjoys the social interaction of kids but can very easily get freaked out and scared by a group of kids, he likes his personal space...) I'm not ready to throw in the hat and trust the care givers to let me know if they feel this is not a great fit for him, but still, it does make a mama worry.
And worry,
and worry....

Our little summer boys...

2011-07-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

10 weeks young...

2011-07-20T22:58:00.000-07:00

Our little Talin is in the double digits...in weeks that is. He seems to be getting cuter by the day all the while staying cuddly and lovable. He is sleeping pretty darn well at night giving his mom some good 4 hour stretches every now and then and is still the champion breast feeder. Bottle feeding breast milk and pumping for his mama is going much smoother this time around. I'm keeping a good little supply stocked in the freezer so far. Forrest was rather voracious in his eating, making it hard to keep any supply, but so far Talin is living up to his mellow personality. This next Monday will bring his 2 month physical and shots...not looking forward to that one....

Sister Natalie just left yesterday and has been visiting for the last week from Massachusetts. We all loved having her here and her visit was all too quick. Forrest loved the great Aunt Nat play mate and Talin was always up for a good cuddle from his auntie.

My mom is still here, helping out so SO much. We were lucky enough to get all of us on a float down the river. Yep, ALL of us, kids included! At 9 weeks and some odd days, Talin has done his first river float. He slept like a champ in his car seat, waking for a little look around and snack before going down for another nap. It was a fun adventure to say the least. Probably not so relaxing for my mom who had the job of entertaining the Forrest boy in the drift boat, but very memorable, that's for sure!

We can't believe how quickly time is flying by. Talin is flashing smiles all the time, gaining head control by the minute it seems, and can now bat at his toys with his hands a bit, I'm sure looking forward to the day where he and his brother will do more than JUST smile at each other.... ;-)

FUN!!!

2011-07-13T22:42:00.000-07:00

Liz and my Mom...notice the "FUN" spelled in the sand! Pretty much sums up these two!!!

My mom is here visiting! AKA, "Granny" came to visit with great family friend Liz. Liz unfortunately was only here for a week, but my mom is here for the month of July and boy oh boy are they fun! Our kitchen has never been so spotless, Forrest is just loving all the granny and Liz attention, and our whole family is loving the visitors.

Liz and Mom, at the river

Forrest and Talin loving the Granny and Liz play mates!!!

One of many stories with Granny....

Baby T and Granny meet....

As soon as Liz leaves, Aunt Nat comes! This is coming right as I make the transition to go back to work and it is just perfect to have extra sets of hands to help out. It does TRULY take a village....

The good, the bad, and all the little stuff in between...

2011-07-05T17:10:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to pretend that being at home with our new family of two kids has been all roses. It's been, well, TOUGH! From the needy 2 year old with the defiant streak, to the endless diapering, laundry, meals, etc. it is quite an adjustment. Just the adjustment from being at work, to being at home, and from Forrest being a daycare three days a week, to now being at home 24/7 is tough, not to mention gaining a newborn. We've had good and bad days, or more like good and bad hours. That is what is really amazing, how quickly a bad set of moments can morph into great memorable times.
Such as.... when your 2 year old has beamed you and his little brother with the cold hose water for the 18th time, thoroughly soaking the both of you and waking the little guy from his brief sleep that was OH SO NEEDED on this fussy infant day, you snap. You yell...perhaps even loose your temper and feel the need to spray the hose on yourself to cool off your hot head. He goes in time out for the 10th time, (hmmm I wonder if it is working....) and when you release him from his hold you decide to go on a walk...right then and there. Wet, naked 2 year old, (yes shoes on,) postpartum flabby mama in her bathing suit, and all. So down the dirt road you walk, without the stroller as you know the toddler has energy to burn, and you are finally happy that there is some quiet as the 2 year old is happy as can be walking up the "big hill" and you would do anything for the peace. The infant is FINALLY sleeping, albeit a bit steamily, in the sling. You start to enjoy yourself. Your 2 year old starts to sing the cutest song about the butterflys, the bears, and do a little jig, naked, in the middle of the dirt road. You laugh to yourself and contemplate your neighbors expressions if they were to run into you in this hot, dusty, naked, and beautiful moment.... Then the dad drives up in his big truck and the 2 year old screams in delight as he heard the big truck coming and you give a sigh of relief at the sight of your partner in crime here to help, as you know the walk can't last forever.
Moments like this happen ALL THE TIME. I wish I would write them down more. On this same crazy afternoon we had also painted, as shown in the pictures below. I was *trying* to have different activities for Forrest so we could avoid the meltdowns, endless defiance, and mama crazy times that seem to be occuring more frequently. It was great, for about 10 minutes, and then the whole hose thing happened and well, you know the rest.

In looking back at this great day of blue and green feet I will remember the good times, the precious times, and I hope NOT the poorly tempered mama moments. After days like these I really WANT to be a better mother, and not loose my cool.
I think I'll be taking lots of walks in this long journey of raising kids...:-)

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-05T00:34:00.000-07:00

We had a great day today, celebrating the 4th on Arcata plaza with good ol'4th of July fair Humboldt style complete with reggae music, organic free range hot dogs, balloon animals, hula hooping and lots of beer and oysters for the adults. This was my first time at the festivities and Forrest, Talin, and I had a good time with good friends for several hours this afternoon.

Talin was a trooper! Either wide eyed at all the excitement or sound asleep....

Forrest and neighbor Jerry

Forrest's first sparkler...VERY wary at first, I think I like that!

Liking it more!

Naps were had by the boys and then for the evening we went to our good neighbors house for a good neighborhood fireworks show! They don't blow off the real kind of fireworks out here where we are due to fire danger and the Eureka show is often covered in fog so this was it for us! Strawberry and vanilla icecream as well as more drinks topped the evening off and Forrest got his first real show of fireworks. He liked the sparklers okay but wasn't too much of a fan of the bigger fireworks that were noisemakers. A bit too much for him!
It was a great day none the less. One tired Forrest boy hit his bed hard tonight!

Yep, I think they're brothers......Guess which one is which!

2011-07-04T19:13:00.000-07:00

Lucky number 7....

2011-06-29T16:43:00.000-07:00

Talin, fitting right in amongst Forrest's favorite toys...

Our little newborn is 7 weeks old! The 6 week milestone slipped by, not by myself, but for all of you I just couldn't find the time to post about it. I even weighed little Talin on the meat scale for the big 6 week milestone and "poof" here we are at 7 weeks! Talin at 7 weeks is a full fledged cutie baby. I love this stage, when they are more wide eyed that a newborn, but still don't quite have the head or body control to be a bigger baby yet. This little guy is 10 lbs 5 oz. and still a strong eater. He's had a few fussy days or hours, but for the most part is still our easy going little guy. He's taken pumped bottles of breast milk like a champ with dad in preparation for the dreaded going back to work milestone and is sleeping okay at night. He just transitioned out of the bassinet that is a family heirloom on my dad's side to a cradle that I slept in when I was a baby! He almost always ends up in bed with us though in the wee hours of the morning as he just plain sleeps better and I get lazy in the 3-5am time when I am SO wanting an extra few hours and he seems ready to get up and start the day...especially with these long summer days! He is a cuddler and seems to always migrate to me in bed, nuzzling right up to my armpit or some other not so sweet smelling body part...funny guy!

Little Talin's hand eye coordination is getting better as he tries to bat toys, or actually smiles when he is able to touch something with his still crazy spastic hands and feet.

And, still blue eyes for this boy! As my maternity leave winds down I am so enjoying my family and my time off. I'm loving Talin to pieces as I think I'm appreciating these little baby times more watching Forrest and how much of a "big boy" he seems to be all of the sudden. Too soon I'm going to have two crazy Fulton boys running around and these sweet baby days will be over....

beautiful summer....filled with poop and pee....

2011-06-21T15:31:00.000-07:00

We finally have SUMMER here at our home. Forrest has become the naked toddler, half by choice, and half by mama's wishes in attempts to try and potty train.
Speaking of which, I could do a whole load of posts on how I feel like I'm surrounded by pee and poop all day. With a 2 year old and a nearly 6 week old, life is full of #1 and #2! Forrest really is getting the pee in the potty concept down. Bribery with cookies, (his favorite, mint malano's, yummmm!) is working AND I think he just finds great satisfaction in finding a spot of yard, (with 260 acres and no city folk around, this is how we're starting,) or his little potty to do his thing in. On the poop front, no beans yet. He poops where he wants to, poops a TON I think because of his veggie filled diet, hates poopy diaper changes and currently those said diaper changes are my LEAST favorite thing ever. He kicks, screams, and ends up in his time out spot more often than not. SO...we're going naked, at least while outside which is a huge part of our day lately. At least then he is more aware of his poop accidents, we save diapers with his good pee in the potty times, and truthfully cleaning up a misplaced poop on the lawn is so much better than his diaper changes at this point. A kicking and screaming 33 lb toddler is quite the battle!
So, wish us luck!
And to end this "shitty" post (hehe...) here are some BEEEOOOUtiful summer naked Forrest pics I took on our walk last week to get your mind OFF #1 and #2...
Enjoy!

I absolutely love them...

Amazing Family....

2011-06-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

To have 4 generations under one roof, enjoying each other, for an entire 4 days! I feel so blessed and happy to have had the opportunity to have my grandparents and my dad down last weekend. Thank you family for making this amazing trip work. You drove miles and miles to see our little family and it means so much to us!

Talin and his beautiful Great Grandma Sheila

My grandparents, enjoying breakfast

Talin and his Great Grandpa Gerald


Grandpa and his two Grandsons

My little 5 week old Monkey...

2011-06-16T22:18:00.000-07:00

Time is flying by here with Talin. This will be short and sweet and I'll save the verbage for the 6 week milestone.
Isn't he a cutie!!!

A fish story...

2011-06-16T17:21:00.000-07:00

My dad happened to be lucky, ( and brave?) enough to accompany Alex down to Burnt Ranch, his epic salmon fishing spot here on the Trinity River. The water is VERY high this year so this makes fishing a REAL adventure to say the least. My dad didn't get a fish, but did get to document a fish fight that ended with Alex getting a bit wet....

Alex hooks a big one and well into the fight the salmon runs downriver leaving Alex to chase him on the rugged bank...

The fight goes on...

No more room to follow the salmon downriver....the battle ensues...

Trying to hang on as the fish runs, trying NOT to get spooled.


It comes down to getting in...49 degree water....

Alex, knee deep. Notice the fish tail in the middle of the picture...

SUCCESS!!!

And the salmon arrive....as do the grandparents!

2011-06-11T22:33:00.000-07:00

We're having a blast here, hanging with not just my dad, Forrest's and Talin's grandpa but also my Grandpa and Grandma, making that our kids GREAT grandparents, all under one roof! My hubby took the afternoon to fish and look what he got! Two giant salmon! Forrest and his great grandpa were all about the fish as witnessed by the photos.
And this was Talin's first look at the great salmon we are so familiar with.

This was Alex's first fish since having Talin, and first salmon of the year. We're a happy family here in the woods!

And, of course, not to leave out Great Grandma and Talin, cozying up in our beautiful weather here today....

4 weeks with my little baby T

2011-06-08T21:45:00.000-07:00

4weeks have flow by, yet it already seems ages ago that little Talin came into this world! He is still fairly mellow by nature, though has had days of seemingly endless feeding sessions as he puts on his baby fat. He is nearly 9 lbs and has shown his little smile to his Dad as of yesterday! He loves to be held and seems to love his baths. He is not the biggest fan of the swing as his big brother was, though recently will at least tolerate it for awhile.
We have nick named this little guy "guinea pig" for the cute little grunts and squeaks he makes and the soft downy "fur" he still carries. It fits him well! Forrest was "lamprey" for his voracious suck...I think I'd rather have a guinea pig the second time around!

And this is how we roll with two kids! We've already ventured out on a few walks and adventures with the two kiddies. I'm overall feeling well carrying the load though my back definitely feels how weak my abs still must be...in due time I suppose...

And in the cards for the next few days....?
sleep...
sun...
and hopefully more sleep...:-)

Feeling the love...

2011-06-05T19:08:00.000-07:00

As I write this I have bubbling water cooking up some spinach linguini, homemade pasta sauce reheating on the stove, and garlic bread in the oven...the extent of my cooking as the pasta sauce is actually my neighbors Lori and Ed's homemade speciale, and all was delivered in a basket yesterday along with some very cute baby and toddler gifts! This is just one example of the love and support for baby Talin that we have felt. Just to mention some of the meals we have eaten lately thanks to our great neighbors and friends...
*yummy fresh halibut fish tacos from great friends Andy and Shelby...
*pulled pork that made a TON of great lunch sandwiches from neighbors Jerry and Karen
*great frozen lasagna from sister Megan and Shelby!
*corned beef and cabage delivered in a crock-pot from neighbors Dick and Lori
*a great chicken casserole from the same person as who made the above meal...
*fabulous chicken burrito makings from two nurses at the hospital PLUS great sand toys for Forrest!
*sushi gift certificate and a frozen strawberry pie from friend Jess!
And this is just SOME of the meals we have recieved. I hear a rumor more are coming which is absolutely amazing considering where we live. To have meals show up at your doorstep when you are 50 miles from any big town seems like a feat in itself!
Baby gifts for our little boy #2 have also been streaming in, eveything from his own super beautiful home made baby blanket to cute puzzles, books, and toys from Forrest we are certainly feeling the love here at home! This all means so much. Having a baby is such an exciting and exhausting time all at once and the personal touch of a gift or meal or just a note really makes it all perfect!
Thank you all!

May 31 in the garden...

2011-05-31T22:25:00.000-07:00

Yep, almost June folks, and as I start to write this it is absolutely pouring outside. We do finally have something to show in the garden though, including some delicious crunchy peas! As you can see, the entire family are fans, especially Forrest...

We've also got beautiful heads of broccoli a week or two away from being ready to eat!

Tons of lovely lettuce...

And, how can you forget the splendiferous strawberries! They are quite the beauties this year...

My hubby has been tirelessly plugging away at the garden, today more carrots, beets, and lots of our summer favs started in the greenhouse, (melons!!!! mmmm). Yesterday I snuck away from babyland to get our onions and basil in. Slowly our summer garden will snap into shape, here's hoping the weather will do the same!

And, because no post these days is complete without a pic of the wee one, with his daddy, snoozing...

2 weeks old.....and still the mellow infant? A jumbled update...

2011-05-26T21:37:00.000-07:00

Little Talin turned 2 weeks old yesterday! And up until yesterday he has been an amazingly quiet, mellow newborn. Everything with him has been peachy really. He weighed in at 7 lbs 15 1/2 oz surpassing his birth weight by a bit, and gaining more by this time than Forrest had. I was glad to hear this as I have not been capitalizing on his sleepiness, (as in getting more sleep myself,) and have been waking him up quite regularily during the day to be sure he remains fed. And...he still has his days and nights rather mixed up so I haven't really gotten longer than a 3 hour stretch of sleep in the last 2 weeks, though I can deal with the 3 hour stretches, it's when it's 1 and 2 hours, or last night, every 45 minutes that starts to make me a bit crazy.
Anyways, life had been pretty great for this little guy, breastfeeding is SO much easier the 2nd time around, and all my worries I had with Forrest didn't really exist with little Talin...!

But, lo and behold, he "woke up" a bit in the last 24 hours. Maybe it's a fleeting growth spurt and I'll have my mellow 2nd child back, but I'm not betting on it. He's been a fussy guy today, eating and eating and eating. I'm obliging as this time around the breastfeeding is much easier on me and I know he's growing like a little weed. He loves to sleep on his parents, not a great fan of the swing yet as Forrest was, though does seem to like walks and falls fast asleep in his carrier. He is absolutely more wide eyed lately, and his eyes are still a deep blue, very beautiful!

We, of course, lost the great Aunt Megan and Craig who must return to real life! We will miss them so much!

Meanwhile we settle into our family of four and let Talin eat and eat and eat....and cuddle which he is super good at!

We'll try to keep updates coming though one handed typing is a bit cumbersome while feeding Talin. And if I'm not feeding Talin I'm chasing Forrest, changing endless nappies, sometimes all while feeding little baby T! And that sleep thing, I think it still happens a bit too ;-)
Big props to all the mama's out there with more than two kids, how the heck do you do it?????

The BIG Brother...

2011-05-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

My Forrest. 2 years and 2 months old. This big brother thing has come barreling down on him like a ton of bricks I'm sure. One minute he has his mom and dad all to himself, and the next there is a little being just about permanently attached to me.
Thankfully he has never taken out his frustrations on baby Talin. He remains so gently around the baby. His whole voice and demeanor changes around the baby as he strokes his head, and whispers "baybeeeeeee". :-) and kisses his furry little scalp.
However, in regards to his mama, he has been going through some tough times. I really am not supposed to be lifting him because of the c-section and for the first week I didn't...this was really getting to him and he noticed. All of the sudden I was not his primary care provider AND I couldn't lift him up when he needed something, and just a hug. He also started not letting anyone else in the house take care of him without a big fit. We've had plenty of help, and he loves Craig and Megan, but he wanted MAMA to do it. And then came the tears.
Simply a way to test me to see if I truly could still care for my little 2 year old and an infant.
This was tough. Especially on me and my emotional state. A fear I hear is pretty common when you go from 1 to 2 kids, or maybe add any number to you family is whether or not you are truly capable of the job. And Forrest's tears, fits, acting out was pushing on that very question. Around day 8 I finally broke down and picked him up from the crib, (it felt fine, I wouldn't have done it if it hurt,) and he hung on to me so tight as if to say "oh Thank you mama, you are still here for me!" It was probably the biggest hug I've ever had from him.
It seems to have gotten a bit better since that point. Poor guy. He doesn't understand why I couldn't lift him up, and why I still shouldn't be lifting him. I tell him I have an "owie" but something isn't quite connecting when he says "up peeease". He still comes to me half the time to help him, even if there are spare hands around, but this is slowly improving too.
I know we're going to take steps backwards soon, probably when Craig and Megan leave in a few days. Our household will resume its normal size, and my mama skills will truly be tested.
He will be without his normal daycare routine so it will be interesting to say the least.
For the most part though our big brother is rising to the task.
Some current Forrest factoids!
At 26 months he is.....getting ready to potty train! He now runs away when he poops or pees in his diaper so we know that he has enough control to know when its coming. And he STILL hates diaper changes, as do I even more so now that we have 2 kids in diapers. Everybody I talk to says to wait a while after the baby comes to start this process, so next month, potty training here we come!
he is also.....talking more and more. Sentences, some intelligible, most not, but he tries about everything and in the last month his vocabulary has exploded.
Favorite foods are apple juice, (any kind of juice really,) spaghetti, rice, strawberries (which we now have fresh in our garden...!), dressing (yes the kind on salad, sometimes the salad goes with it...), and broccoli.
His favorite toys, Thomas trains and movies, a hula hoop (as of yesterday after watching some hula hoopers at the farmer's market,) his wagon, play-doh, a little silver ball the size of a golf ball, (I have no idea where it even came from,) and his bear animals and going on bear hunts! (we've got several roaming the property this spring and he loves to go on walks, be VERY QUIET (quite amazing!), and see them!
Our little boy has grown before our eyes with Talin joining us. He seems to be bigger everyday next to our newborn. I'm sure this summer will be full of surprises!

Endless Gratitude....

2011-05-18T20:51:00.000-07:00

For these two people! We are lucky enough to have the amazing Aunt Megan and her boyfriend Craig here for another 6 days. I cannot tell you how much they have helped our little family go through the transition from 3 to 4. They cook, clean, do dishes, and have endless patience with Forrest and of course endless open arms for our new little Talin. It takes a post-partum hormonal mama to really tell you just HOW much they have helped! So much, in fact, I'd give my right leg for more time with them, (okay, so not really, couldn't chase after these two boys then...!)

Aunt Megan and Talin, first bath at home!

Craig on a "bear hunt" with Forrest

More bear hunts!

They have made this first week of Talin's life a very beautiful one! 7 days old already! More about our little guy later.....

Thank you thank you to Craig and Megan for your endless work in helping our family grow......

Talin, 4 days old....

2011-05-15T22:59:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody, my name is Talin, and 4 days ago I became a newborn. Just like that, not a fetus anymore! So far my life is pretty nice. My mama feeds me as much as I want to, and I spend the day sleeping away...much like the picture below.

I've already proven myself different from my older brother in my mellowness, though my parents keep telling me that they expect me to "wake up" anytime now. Other than the fact I have my days and nights mixed up, life is great! My older brother holds me once a day and always wants to be near me. I'm told when I get older we'll get to play all the time. Today I pooped my first breast milk poop, (mmmmmmm). It's all downhill from here!
Okay, see you all later!
Mr. Talin, Forrest's little brother.

Happy Birthday Talin!

2011-05-13T22:58:00.000-07:00

seconds old....:-)

Dad, trying to comfort the little guy, "It's bright out here....!!!" is what I think he's saying....

New addition to the family!

Talin and Auntie Megan....:-)

Talin, Grandma Gloria, and the boys....

Forrest, so excited to meet his new brother!

"Babyeee, mama?" He was a smiling kiddo.

introducing....

2011-05-11T21:47:00.000-07:00

Talin Gerald Fulton, born today at 335 pm via CSection. 7 lbs, 11 ounces and he is perfect! His cord was unfortunately wrapped around his neck preventing him from dropping and leading to the C Section. Katie made it to 7 cm dilated before the decision was made without any pain relief and ultimately everyone is so thankful for the way it turned out. He is truly perfect and Katir and Alex are in bliss holding their 2nd beautiful boy. Thankyou SO much to all friends and wonderful family for the good blessings!

Patiently Waiting....

2011-05-10T22:43:00.000-07:00

with the contemplating Gargoyles.... 39+ weeks

with Forrest staring at awe at the size of his baby brother...

with Forrest taking a turn with the contemplative Gargoyles...


and with Megan, on our little walk/jog this evening, trying to get "something started" before going to the hospital tomorrow....

But, alas, all is pretty quiet in the Fulton household. After an awesome dinner, and some hurried last minute packing, and FINALLY, the final patient chart dictated so this PA doesn't have to worry, this mama's headed to bed.
After all, I've got some work to do tomorrow :-)
I've got a lot on my mind, but mainly am contemplative like this gargoyle friend you see in the pictures about possibly entering the last hours of my pregnant body.
It has been a fine pregnancy indeed, one where my little wee boy seemed to cooperate with every long day, short run, and periods of exhaustion with nothing but growth and health. It has been amazing to be pregnant, but these last few days absolutely tell me the time has come for this little guy to come out. I feel extremely blessed to be able to take part in the miracle that is all too common, and maybe taken for granted as well.
So I thank my body, and my wee little boy, for giving me this opportunity. It has been an incredible journey, and we'll see how it all concludes in the next 2 days.
Regardless, I'm learning to enjoy the ride whatever it holds.
Thanks so much for the well wishes, we'll try to keep you all posted.

5/10/11, 5/11/11, or 5/12/11???

2011-05-09T15:31:00.000-07:00

These three dates are out there.
One of them will be our little ones birthday.
I'm trying to avoid a C-Section and in doing so have to try to go into labor in a bit of a controlled setting. Because of where we live, VBAC's, (vaginal births after Cesarian's) are not routinely done. Granted they are completely safe in the right setting without certain risk factors and so far I'm lined up to be a good candidate for one. In a bigger city, in fact, they are encouraged.
I'm already 3 centimeters dilated, 80 % effaced, and he's dropped a bit as of my appointment this morning, so my body is trying to do this already. On Wednesday morning I will go in and my water will be broken if this has not happened on its own. And that should set off labor...
Wow!
We're excited here, and in that weird state of trying to get things done, wanting to relax, and apprehensive about the next few days.
I'm having contractions already, they're weak as far as contractions go, but this possibly may happen without the need of my OB breaking my water. I'm all for that if so!
Regardless, the next Fulton baby will be here soon....woohoooooo!!!!!

Dear Mom,

2011-05-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,
Happy Mother's Day! Here is an updated blooming belly picture for you... within a week from my due date! Your grandsons are both doing well, and so is their mama, thanks to you! You have a goodie box coming soon, and I'm so sorry it will probably be late :-(. You can rest assured your second grand-baby's room is FINALLY ready! (I know you were starting to think it would never happen....:-)
I hope you have a WONDERFUL day as goodness knows you deserve it. We are busier than ever before here preparing for the new arrival and your name comes up between us all more than you know. As we clean, fold, wash, move furniture, and, finally, put our feet up Megan and I know you would love to be with us working away, being the wonderful mom you are and always will be!
Lots of love to you on your day,
Love,
Katie
P.S. Forrest couldn't help but add a few things....

PPS - Hope you're eating your favorite, lox and bagels this morning!

A baby "sprinkle"

2011-05-07T22:57:00.000-07:00

a little gaming going on with wine as the prize!

A week ago I was lucky enough to have a nice night out with friends for some delish teppanyaki and good baby vibes. My sister helped with the details, and the theme of the night was simple, HAVE FUN! No gifts, (though not all followed that rule!) and if you felt like sharing frozen meals and desserts we were happy to have the help stocking up our freezer, (mmm mmm, strawberry pie, frozen lasagna, frozen pizza's....:-)

Our cute little "sprinkle" favors filled with deluxe M&M's and truffles :-)

The night was filled with awesome food, good friends, and a great time. Megan and I finished the night off with a monster frozen yogurt, (actually was for the boys at home despite the look of the huge pregnant lady that is about to devour it....we split a smaller one, really, I swear ;-)
Thanks SO much Megan for all your help and thank you to everyone for helping to celebrate my little boy #2!

Mother's Day sounds like a great day to have a baby....

2011-05-05T23:16:00.000-07:00

"What are you planning for Mother's Day" is the question of the week.
"Having a a baby" is my answer :-)
The cankles are back in force, the last day of scheduled patients is tomorrow, this baby boy had an ultrasound which shows he's as healthy as can be, 7 lbs, 11 oz, and this body is starting to revolt. I'm 2-3 cm dilated and 60 % effaced, though have been that way for a week now, and I absolutely feel the change.
Now, granted, work has been INSANE.
No cutting back, easy, carefree days here. I would have loved that, but it can't always be planned. There are times when I'd rather cut off my right leg than drag it around with me for the day, though the patients I'm trying to treat, make better, improve seem to always be in a worse way than myself.
And there are times I want to snap instead of smile brightly at the 50th person I've seen at the hospital that mutters the words, "You''re still here?" "Is that safe" or "Why don't you go home and put your feet up?" and then in the same breath asks me for orders on 3 pateints at once that desperately need something NOW, or tell me someone is bleeding and needs an extra stitch, or that so and so's family needs a conversation on how we are going to save their leg, their brain, or their life.
And then I catch myself and know that all is okay. After all, it is a hospital. There is never ending need in the hospital, and until I remove myself from the situation, it will follow me. I am still healthy, baby is still well and growing, putting the finishing touches on his big brain, (yep, another big headed Fulton baby according to ultrasound...woopeee!!!), and if there was a medical need, I would have been done with work weeks ago. Afterall, my pain is because soon there will be another life on this planet, a healthy beautiful life, where most of my "work" doesn't have near the beautifiul outcome that I will have in maybe a matter of days.
One of the floors of the hospital where I spend a lot of time rounding currently has 5 nurses pregnant, and myself. We are all about 6 weeks apart, so when we all happen to pass each other in the hall, and see the different sizes of bellys working away it is an amazing reminder of how awesome our bodies can be to grow these little beings and function well enough to work, care for others, and be active and HAPPY with what we're doing while growing human beings!
Moms are quite amazing creatures, my own mom having THREE of us girls is quite an amazing woman, my grandmother having FIVE boys was especially amazing, and having another little one on Mother's day sounds like a grand plan for me.
(for multiple reasons....cankles included!)
So, I'll take it. Leave the flowers at home, I'll take the breakfast in bed later. Having a baby sounds much better :-)

Aunt Megan and Forrest's new best friend...

2011-04-30T23:22:00.000-07:00

Megan has just recently returned from her LOOOOONNNG but super exciting and adventure filled stint living in Australia for 7 months and she has come to see us! She is here till her 2nd nephew arrives and boy oh boy what help she is. Her boyfriend Craig, (aka British surfer and Forrest's new best friend....:-) is awesome as well. She was lucky enough to meet him in Australia and we have quickly grown attached as well!

They have been helping a TON around our place and it is SO nice to have them here! Megan will return to Santa Barbara after the baby arrives, but we are oh so thankful for their company and help. And having a visitor with an accent is always fun too....(especially one that loves salmon, looking for bears, playing with 2 year olds, and completing all kinds of odd jobs like putting up kitchen cabinets....comes in handy for this nesting mama!)

This little boy is gonna be a BIG brother....

2011-04-28T23:15:00.000-07:00

And oh boy how his world is gonna change. You wonder if he really has any idea just what is about to happen in the next week or two in this house!

Changes are in the air as we check things off our list, (or MY list, my nesting list I guess you can call it!)

Thanks to the TERRIFIC help from my wonderful sister, newly home from Australia, and her equally wonderful British/Aussie boyfriend, (more about both of them later...) this household is in full baby prep mode. Forrest is completely enthralled with his aunt Megan and his new surfer buddy which makes life all the easier for this tired, HUGE mama.

This happy family of three, soon to be four is working hard. This weekend is gonna be filled with fun dinners out, birthdays, and hopefully some R&R.

Oh yes, and that name....
hmmm......

This is kid is due in less than a month....

2011-04-16T22:22:00.000-07:00

4 weeks, to be exact.
And, yes, I know, he could come later, he could also come earlier, like SOON.
Am I ready.
Are we ready, as a family?

Do we have a

room?-name?-childcareforForrestonthebigday(s)-timeofftorelax(what's that?)-preregistrationathospitalcomplete-freezerwellstocked-newbornclotheswashed-newbornclothesevenUNPACKED???-hospitalbag ready(yeah right,)-nestingcomplete?(or even started...)

uhhhhh...
Well we've got at least two of those thought out, one done...and, that's it folks.
Yep, lots to do.
And this BIG, now 9 months preggo mama, is still working hard. At work that is, as in the paying job.
Looking forward to checking off items on this list.
And hoping that we don't have an early baby this time....
(though looking at the size of my belly, wondering about the possibility of this!)
For now, enjoy the new blog picture, it was taken on Monday. We're having fun here on this rainy spring Ranch, even if we are still a bit unprepared....
Wish us luck!

Loving the sun with Forrest and his canine companions...

2011-04-03T09:28:00.000-07:00

34 weeks...

2011-04-03T08:03:00.000-07:00

...And feeling rather huge! Baby boy #2 has put on a lot of weight, I feel, in the last month as his exit day nears. As you see he has just about filled me up. It's very exciting to say that he is due NEXT MONTH!!!It is also hard to believe I'm going to fit another few pounds of baby in my belly, despite the fact I've been through this before and Forrest himself was just shy of 8 lbs.
My body is revolting a bit more, nothing serious, just this sciatica that we're working on. I get a great (though short,) massage every week and last week she worked pretty hard on my leaving me more sore for the following 2 days than I care to be. I'm still deciding if that was therapeutic or not...It does feel good to get the massage though even if it's localized to the spot where you're hurting the most. And as many know, being pregnant causes multiple aches and pains. It might be nice to splurge on the whole body once before this is done!
I'm feeling well though overall. Our household for the time being is over the sickness that got us all a few weeks ago. The sun is shining a wee bit more these days as witnessed by these pictures, and we're all trying to enjoy some more outdoor time lately.
On the baby stat front, he's pushing 5 lbs this week, likely to gain another 1/2 a lb. a week from here on out! He's a mover, at times, primarily when I slow down. I feel like he's trying to wiggle his way out already. He's already head down which is a great thing, and I really don't think he has enough room to sumersault at this point though I've heard differently.
I skipped my run this week, will do a run/walk tomorrow, but I think for now my running days are behind me for awhile.

And the following picture is a bit of bliss I got to experience as Forrest splashed away in the puddles.....

Pretty dang nice if you ask me...:-)

Taking a step up at 33 weeks pregnant...

2011-03-25T21:54:00.000-07:00

This week has been an interesting one to say the least. I think the fact that I will soon be a mama to two boys is starting to catch up to me. It might be the ever growing belly which is currently seemingly HUGE. It also could be the rain and snow that never seem to end. I also have that wonderful shortness of breath starting. As I go from patient room to patient room in my job I've been asked more than once this week if I'm okay as I seem out of breath...I remember this from the Forrest preggo days, and know I should probably just slow down and take some time to BREATHE!

This week has also been interesting as my job has very suddenly changed on me, in a matter of 24 hours. A possible loan repayment option with my employer has been on the back burner for 6 months now and suddenly, over night, it has happened. This is actually wonderful news. My school loans are HUGE, and I often wonder when the day will come when they are just HALF paid off. Fully paid off seems too far in the future. I now have a very large sum of $$ supposedly allotted towards the loans every year in exchange for a bit more work and stress in my life. I should be feeling blessed that I have been choosen to have this occur when I am in this state, huge, growing a baby, and about to take some time off after the baby comes. Currently though I'm just feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Granted I have known that this was probably going to happen, but never though it would actually START so suddenly, in my 8th month of pregnancy, just when I'm feeling that I should probably cut back and allow myself to, well, grow a baby I guess. It's not so much that it is more hours, more just like a big increase in job responsibility, and more hospital time, which corresponds to more stress. Again, this overall is a wonderful thing, money always is, and I will ultimately be providing better patient care. But the timing is a bit awkward.

I'm using this weekend to get used to it. I have three days off to breathe a bit, get some sleep, and charge into next week where my 33 week pregnancy will turn into 34. I guess it's kind of like changing jobs overnight. Though that's an exaggeration as I still work for the same employer and about 60% of my job is the same, the other 40% now just took a step up.

Kind of elusive in the description I know. Just needed to spread the word and vent a bit. A good weekend at home cures all woes....
:-)

You know it's time for winter to end when...

2011-03-19T21:51:00.000-07:00

1) You're 32 weeks pregnant and you can baaaarrrley zip up your good down jacket....(we had SNOW this morning peeps! March 19th!) Granted you have a couple of layers on beneath the jacket but STILL, you decide it is now officially time for spring warmth to return!

2) Your kid is running a 101 temp, has a snotty nose and a cough and you still let them go outside and hammer nails with Dad cause cabin fever has set in hard! (don't look too hard below his nose, yes that's probably snot...)

3) okay this is just another cute kid pic, hammering away, not really another reason for winter to end....

4) AND another cute kid and Dad pic...like father like son! Except father has enough sense to wear a beanie, and son obviously has NOT.

5) And yes, not only do you let him go outside in the frigid temps, you let him slosh around in the huge mud puddles that now look like lakes in your front yard. (Granted, we have a pretty good rain boot/rain pants/velcro system where, believe it or not, he stays dry as can be. I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't had taken his boots off and felt his dry socks with my own hands....)

6)You find yourself trapped inside your rather small house with a gallon pot of pea soup that is oh so healthy and good for your sickly family, (thanks to your mother in law,) but also oh so, ummm, gas producing. Especially with a pregnant mama, a papa with a fast metabolism, and a little boy who just love to fart in general....uggh, someone crack a window....

7) You realize you've made "smoothie treats"(as known by Forrest,) out of the usual frozen fruit, etc EVERY weekend for the last month possibly as a subconscious effort to make the rain STOP. Somehow frozen smoothies when your high is 37 degrees is just not the same.

8)You find yourself looking longingly at the cheap Mexico vacations being advertised on your spam and lust over the sun loving couple in bathing suits despite your current whale like proportions at 8 months pregnant. 8 months pregnant in a bathing suit WOULD be worth the sun you decide....

9) Your entire family has had a steady string of winter bugs, and you currently have a voice that sounds somewhere in between Oscar the Grouch and a pre-pubescent boy. Your medical mind is suddenly convinced that YES rain does cause sickness and that Mexican HOT vacation is just what the doctor ordered...

10)You go through all the above thoughts and decide to take a look at the forecast, hoping for SOME glimmer of sunshine, and you see.......

NWS Eureka, CA
Point Forecast: Willow Creek CA
40.94°N 123.62°W (Elev. 600 ft)

Mobile Weather Information | En Español
Last Update: 2:44 pm PDT Mar 19, 2011
Forecast Valid: 10pm PDT Mar 19, 2011-6pm PDT Mar 26, 2011

Tonight

Rain

Lo 36 °F

Sunday

Rain

Hi 45 °F

Sunday
Night

Showers
Likely
Lo 35 °F

Monday

Showers
Likely
Hi 50 °F

Monday
Night

Chance
Showers
Lo 38 °F

Tuesday

Chance
Showers
Hi 53 °F

Tuesday
Night

Rain
Likely
Lo 40 °F

Wednesday

Rain
Likely
Hi 52 °F

Wednesday
Night

Rain
Likely
Lo 42 °F

The big two year old bash....

2011-03-15T16:59:00.000-07:00

...was a rainy one indeed. But much fun was had as we celebrated the 730 days Forrest had been on this earth. We had a great turn out for the weather, and everybody was well dressed for the occasion, (in other words, leave the party dresses at home and bring your rain boots!)
It was a great event, and we all slept well that night...;-)

Forrest's Granny and Gramps showed up for the big day, and their help and great spirits made the party...

Party favors for the wee guests....

The few seconds Forrest would wear his party hat....:-)

Plenty of BBQ'd salmon for everyone!

Plenty of sugary treats decorated for the occasion...

Forrest taking in the singing of "Happy Birthday". I think at this moment he realized all these people were here just for him!

Trying to master that blowing out the candle dealio...

Happy Birthday little boy! (He was a fan of the animal sugar cupcake toppers....)

The family turkeys watch in earnest at the present opening...

The littlest girlie party goer enjoys her food...

The adult Turkeys stay warm with the good beer and food...!

And the younger turkeys enjoy their blueberries and goldfishies....

Thanks to EVERYONE who was able to make it to our rainy day ranch party!

Forrest G. Fulton, 2 years old!

2011-03-14T16:14:00.000-07:00

Yep, this little boy has made it to the big TWO. Officially toddie status now, as he races around, playing with his cars, messing around in the sink, hooking up his trains, and coercing his parents into being his own personal jungle gym. Forrest is full of energy, and full of spunk. He has his favorite things, ("deedoo's"aka cookies, "moovies"aka Sesame Street, Thomas, or Planet Earth Series if his parents have any input at all, endless huge puddle walks, giving the dogs "teets"aka dog treats, and his new favorite, ballons and swatting them at whomever will play!)

And he also has his dislikes, the usual diaper changes, (potty training can't come quick enough in this household,) waking up from naps, having his hands be cold or dirty beyond his liking, and putting on his jacket. Forget about the hat or beanie, just doesn't happen. This is just on top of the usual minute to minute attention span that is forever changing. You've just got to go with the flow with this kid!

We really can't believe this kiddo is already two whole years old. Two years ago he was just a little 7+ pound newborn and now look at him! How quickly these babies of ours grow up. I'm not sad at his "growing up," possibly because we're going to have another little newborn in our household soon enough, more just amazed that we all go through this amazing period of growth and change in just two short years....

We love you little Forrest!

It's a party!!!

2011-03-12T23:18:00.000-08:00

This little guy is turning Two!!!

Our household is in full fledged party planning, with all Grandparents visiting for the big event. And, it's supposed to POUR. What better fun than having 20 adults and 1-4 year olds over for a BBQ in the rain!

But, we perservere in this household. Plans are in force for outdoor and indoor fun with 2 woodstoves and plenty of good food, sugar, and of course....BEER, (gotta keep warm somehow!)

And don't forget the mere jubiliation of celebrating the 2 years of life Forrest has brought to us!

Wish us luck!

(Pictures of the last days of Forrest as a 1 year old to follow...)

Scaling small mountains with mama and little bro in tow

Reading with Granny

Finding mud puddles upon mud puddles with Grandpa!

Adventuring with mama...

How we roll after the rain...

2011-03-06T21:17:00.000-08:00

Forrest and his wild mane of hair...never been cut! Not for long...

This little boy needs his exercise, and also wants to do what HE wants to do. So we've learned to
A) Pick our battles
B) Get him OUTSIDE when it is at least above 20 degrees and not absolutely dumping a waterfall.

Thus, when our tromp runs into puddles the size of small ponds and Mom seems to have forgotten the rainboots, (but remembered the camera, juice, and snacks thank you very much...) the following happens...

This equals some very soaked shoes, socks, pants.
And one VERY happy and tuckered out Mr. F
Remember, pick your battles. Pond sized puddles are actually a very good thing....

SPRING!!!

2011-03-06T14:23:00.000-08:00

Garden starts free of mice carnage!

lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, swiss chard, etc.

Turkeys growing

Daffodils blooming (first one peeked through today...)

Forrest loving the "gree hou...." aka green house

Spring is finally showing itself here at home. Despite some pretty solid rain, (as in nearly 2 days straight yesterday and the day before...) the warmth of the sun, the length of the days, and the greenery and flowers all point to SPRING. Finally!!!

30 weeks...

2011-03-06T13:58:00.000-08:00

...10 (+/-) to go???
2 years ago I was anxiously awaiting little Forrest's arrival, as he was already a few days late at that point and little did I know I had over a week to go! Now with Fultmeyer baby #2 I've entered into the 30's...that point in pregnancy where you get bigger, and BIGGER, and just when you think your belly can't expand no more, oh it does.
The last weeks have been tough, namely on the work front. Thankfully things slow down a bit from here on out and instead of taking on just one full time job + extra shifts at the ER, the ER job is going by the wayside for the time being. It was great while it lasted, extra money always is. But when the work weeks are separated by NO days off and you start questioning your ability to do the job due to burn out, it's a sign just to say NO!
Little boy #2 still doesn't have an official name, though there is at least one or two being thrown around. He is supposedly 3+ lbs, and just last week we passed our glucose tolerance test with no issues other than some grumpiness at having to fast for the hour + drive into work/the lab.
My appetite is off the charts for the most part, but I'm still staying active and manage to lumber through my 3 mile jogs a few times a week somehow...(it ain't pretty, but still feels good!) So all is good here in baby growing land...75% of the way DONE !

Dear Little TykesTyke Bike Maker,

2011-02-19T23:16:00.000-08:00

This is Forrest Fulton's mom, who is very much amazed at just how well your blue, red, and yellow piece of plastic holds up. Did you have ANY idea your bike could travel over 50 miles on dirt roads, through toddler knee deep puddles, up and over hills, even small mountains! Did you have any idea that the small plastic 3 inch wheels could withstand rocks, toddler tantrums, and, of course, the previously mentioned 50+ miles all pushed by this little tyke who is not even two yet? 

We had no idea, as I've always seen the toddler play equipment that can litter a poor parent's yard, often going unnoticed by the toddler for months, even years, and then ends up in the dump. But this fine piece of plastic machinery is being USED. Not just used but if it had its own odometer, I think we would be amazed at the miles it will have traveled over its lifetime. We are quite happy that he prefers to push the piece of plastic rather than ride it, as that would probably entail that we push him the miles he likes to travel. This boy will push your lovely toddler transportation device till his little legs just about give out..., (if that's possible...)

My only worry is that Forrest is going to outrun the lifespan of this tyke bike, (which happens to be a hand me down from another active super boy, so who REALLY knows how many miles this trusty steed has on it!) and his baby brother won't get to run the wheels off of it as Forrest happily does now.

Oh well, Forrest's second choice is his plastic Fisher Price lawn mower, but that will have to be another letter.

Sincerely,

The Fulton Parents who will always be grateful for the lifespan of your tyke bike.

Mouse attack

2011-02-13T14:44:00.000-08:00

We've had a bit of a mice problem here on our sweet home. Lately they have taken over our little greenhouse wreaking havoc on our baby starts. Our newly sprouting broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, cabbage, etc was thoroughly plundered by these seemingly meek creatures. It was maddening. You would think they have enough vegetation to eat besides our babies! And that isn't all the damage they have done, more like just the tip of the iceberg. Alex has a handful of stories with mice getting into his truck and causing all sorts of damage, and though I have not had any damage to report yet, I've been known to get a mouse or two in my car.
When this happens, we set up our little zapper trap, stuff it with dog food, crackers, etc, and ZZZAAAPPP the little pests are electrocuted. Works fine when you have a tiny passerby in your car. But for the multitudes that can gain access to the greenhouse, this isn't enough unless you buy stock in D cell batteries.
So, my wonderful husband just finished making our greenhouse bomb proof, (well, hopefully at least mouse proof.) With loads of crush rock, some wire net flooring, and lots of grunt work we hopefully now have a nice peaceful greenhouse for the babies of our garden.
Time will tell......;-)

3rd trimester here we come...

2011-02-13T14:19:00.000-08:00

27 weeks is upon us and our little baby boy #2 is 2+ lbs! As I move into the last third of this pregnancy and feel the familiar heavy belly starting to weigh me down thoughts of how having two little ones start to get to me. In good and bad ways of course. Both Alex and I are going through a bit of an anxiety time wondering how the heck we're going to manage one rambunctious toddler, one newborn, and two fulltime jobs. I know these thoughts are plentiful among parents worldwide, and I know somehow it will work out, but geeze, the complexity of daycare, when, how much, and the all familiar breastfeeding and pumping woes I know will soon be upon us.
I am conquering the anxiety by planning ALREADY for this summer. Calls to my mom, (who as a hard working teacher has this summer off...woohoo!) and my sisters have already yielded the much needed help that will be necessary to transition this fairly smoothly running family of three to that crazy number of 4! It certainly does help knowing how much work one is and what works for one and what doesn't, but then other parents warn that two kids is not only twice the work, but FOUR times the work and my thoughts go haywire again.
Despite all this crazy pseudo planning, this pregnancy is breezing by quite nicely. The next few weeks will bring my wonderful glucose tolerance test, (which is always good for a somewhat sickly sugar high!) and my baby appointments moving to every two weeks. Also planning on how the heck baby #2 is going to get out in this world is being discussed. Names are being bounced around, but no big announcements here yet.
My little wee boy is treating me well, as I'm still able to jog a few times a week and stay active in the garden and on walks with Forrest, (yes, despite the looks of that picture above!!!) Work is trying, as I do a lot of procedures on veins which leaves me crawling around on the floor or leaning heavily over somebody. Patients must think I'm nuts to be in the different unusual positions I have to be in with my evergrowing belly, but, again, so far so good! This little guy is a mover, and seems already to be taking up ALL his space quite nicely. Now comes the miracle of how in the heck 5 more lbs of him is going to fit in ME....
one stretch mark at a time...;-)

Forrest the blooming Picasso, (in 15 minute spurts....)

2011-02-06T14:19:00.000-08:00

This warm Sunday was screaming for some more outdoor time, so after our lunch, and before the crazy nap time crankies hit we tried to fulfill the creative juices and create some Valentine's Day treats.
Forrest loves to paint...for about 15 minutes, and then his mind wanders, or he hears his Daddy's saw, or the scotch tape holding up the beautiful works of art just becomes more interesting.
Still, it's a fun way to burn up a portion of a sunny day and gives his mama some time too to express herself with good old washable crayola paint, (hopefully with practice she'll progress beyond hearts and fishies!)

My fiesty nearly two year old....

2011-02-04T22:18:00.000-08:00

One minute laughing crazily giving his daddy kisses on his nose, the next minute hitting his mama and throwing a fit for who knows what, (lack of blueberries, wanting to throw food, wanting the steak knife he knows he can't have, etc.)
Tis the life of this little dude!

It's been the challenging terrible two's here in this household, and yes, we haven't even hit that two year old milestone yet. I know it's common, very normal, and just about every parent goes through some form of it, but woweeee, it can be tough!
How can this little being be so cute and cuddly one minute, helping mom throw trash away and saying his adorable "HIIII" one minute and the next turn into demon toddler that can't seem to communicate for the life of him, likes to throw his milk on his momma, AND follow it up with slamming his dad with his toy dino.
Hmmmmmm.
We do timeout. We do straight out NO. We do explanations, long winded and short winded on why things are dangerous. We do distractions. And we also try not to set too many limits so he doesn't get straight up fed up with NO, (not that NO has much of an impact anymore....hmmmm.)
So, just a phase?
This too shall pass???
Or, are we missing the boat somewhere. I don't think so, at least not a major boat, but sometimes I wonder.

And then I see this little smile and some mysterious drug seems to make me forget his crazy ways and say YES, you can be a mother of two, you CAN!
One sticky mess at a time....

6 month milestone, morning runs, and super January weather....

2011-01-23T11:39:00.000-08:00

We have had unbelievable January weather the last few weeks. 50-60 degree daytime temps which is AWESOME for us, sunny days, and little or no rain. On my weekends off we've been trying to take advantage of the lovely weather by getting outside, hiking, running, and starting our garden! Yes, via the greenhouse that is. In the last two weekend I've started lettuce, microgreens, spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower. Our greenhouse is a nice little oasis of a warm spot in our chilly climate here as even with these nice days, it still stays cold for quite awhile in the mornings.
Forrest and I go on walks and runs and I'm happy I can still push him in the BOB on our morning run. My pace is slow as molassas, but the point is we still get out there! After the run, (walk on other days...) he enjoys a little snack and then tromps around, terrorizing our Turkeys, playing with the dogs, jumping in the dirt pile, and "helping" start our seedlings in the greenhouse. The life of a crazy toddler...

And on other news, Fultmeyer boy #2 is now 6 months baked! 24 weeks along and I'm starting to feel the familiar tight hip flexors, the wonderful round ligament pain, and the continued amazement at the moving belly. All in all I"m feeling great. I had some fairly consistent Braxton Hicks a week or so a go that I was questioning, but they have not returned and my midwife is saying everything is measuring up well....including the lovely weight gain and belly size!

I think I'm going to do a 5K next week, Trinidad to Clam Beach run, complete with a water crossing, sand run, etc. Should be fun and plenty of people walk it if I feel so inclined. 3 miles has been feeling about right lately so we'll see how it goes. I'm amazed at the people that continue to run till their 9th month. How in the heck did it feel comfortable? Pretty crazy how different our bodies can all be during this incubator time...

2's are wild! 22 month old Forrest, just 2 short months till he is TWO YEARS OLD!

2011-01-15T12:48:00.000-08:00

rain walking with cars in tow...

Can you believe that? I can't. I nearly almost have a 2 year old! Forrest is still the incredible cute kid he always has been and is growing and saying more each day. Talking is still not his forte, though he tries just about any new word you can think of. New ones this month have been owl, Grandma, doggie, (a step up from his "da" which he still does love, but can mean dog, dad, that, or whatever he feels like).
He is such a good eater and visions of raising two growing ravenous boys are filling my head. This kid packs in just about anything we eat for dinner with favorites of salmon, yogurt, any rice, apples, crackers and popcorn, and his milk. I'm not sure on his weight stats, must be inching closer to 30 lbs, his feet continue to grow, still in size 7 shoes, and a few 8's. His favorite toys include his animals made my Henoch and Schoeln, very life like and he is in love with his Dog and Bear. If one is missing he mopes around calling for it and looking under everything. Cars still rule his world, as do his blankies, favorite books, and anything to do with the outdoors. He is also still very mechanical and will spend eons, (in toddler time at least,) taking something apart and putting it back together again
Our dogs, Chester and Tessie are also best buds with him and he MUST say goodnight to his furry friends before going down in his crib. Yep, the crib still lives on, he continues to go down easily most nights with maybe 1-2 brief wakeups on average. Last week I had a bad night with him where he was up every 30 minutes...makes me wonder if he is plotting with his younger brother to get me "re-trained" to wake up with a newborn!
He is still super charismatic, friendly, and always saying "Hi" to anyone he meets. His little personality is coming through as well, he is a crazy energy filled kid who at times cannot keep still and runs laps and laps inside the house, climbs ladders he shouldn't, etc. He also has his orderly way about him, likes to organize his cars, close all our doors and cabinets and throw things in the trash, (lets just hope we can keep it to actual trash that goes in the can!)
We have yet to give him a haircut so these locks are getting a bit ragged...I think his first trim will come before he turns two.

He is pretty amazing...and will be a great big brother :-)

Single Katie to mama Katie of two boys, ( and an awesome husband...!) in under 90 seconds...

2011-01-09T22:34:00.000-08:00

***Double click on the video to bring it up larger through YouTube...***
This was made very easily with "pummelvision" a website that seamlessly puts together these collections...
I have John, super duper hubby to friend Sheelagh to thank for this idea. His version is incredible simply due to his talent as a photographer. Go here to see his talent in action...

2011-01-08T15:59:00.000-08:00

22 weeks: Baby is as long as a spaghetti squash. Your baby has stretched to the size of a spaghetti squash and weighs almost a pound. (Length: nearly 11 inches.)

Yep, 22 weeks...51/2 months...I'd be lying if I said I was amazed at how fast it was going. I am however amazed at how fast I am GROWING! When I catch glimpses of my baby belly I feel more 7 months along. I know your second child is supposed to pop a bit faster but wowee, we are enlarging fast in this household! I also feel like I am feeling stronger movements a bit quicker...at 21 weeks we also SAW the first real baby movements, as in my belly was jumping too and fro. This was a neat thing, as Alex got to see it happen as well.

I am, however, feeling great. I don't feel all that pregnant yet, at least most of the time. I am trying to keep up the exercise if work allows. It depends on the day if I get the running in, somtimes it is a walk/run...though just the other day I surprised my self by running 3 easy miles. I love food and have a huge appetite. No nausea here! No swelling, heartburn, or any other hard to deal with symptoms yet...

My cravings, Greek Yogurt...yummmm!(though pricey...sheesh!) and CHOCOLATE! I am trying to keep that last one contolled by not eating ANY sweets at work and just having my treat for dessert. The holidays fed me endless sweets I think and now I'm trying to reel my sweet tooth back in!

Overall I'm enjoying the pregnancy and what will be most likely the easiest time of my life raising two boys! Forrest is nearly 22 months, as cute and lovable as can be, and I can hardly wait to see what two will be like!

It looks as though the satellite dish is scarily beaming info into our baby boy....hmmmm....

Sledding fun...

2011-01-08T14:58:00.000-08:00

2 days after Christmas we took a little afternoon trip up to the snow, only a 30 minute drive from our place. Sometimes we get snow, but not ever enough to sled in... This was Forrest's first time sledding and did he ever love it! The snow man picture that is now my blog header came from this same trip. My parents were with us and my dad took part and got the hang of the toboggan. Poor Alex was our chauffeur and had to steer clear of the snowy slope due to major back issues....but a fun time was had by all including the little Forrest- meister. He wanted more, and more, and MORE despite his mama's tired body after huffing him and the sled up the hill a dozen times. We will be back, I can say that!

book worm...

2011-01-07T21:39:00.000-08:00

Okay, so maybe not a true book worm, but a book on tape worm perhaps! Books on tapes are my new found hobby and make my work commute so much more enjoyable. So far I have been through the above titles and can't believe how much it has changed my drive. My drive has always been far more enjoyable than a city commute, but even the beautiful scenery and NPR has its limits.
Listening to books on tape is like following a movie, but better, (as isn't the book always better than the movie!) And it's making my commute actually feel productive and fulfilling, and NOT a waste of time which it can often feel like.
I am 1/2 way through the third Steig Larson book which is a great series....and Three Cups of Tea was an awesome eye opening adventure filled account of a true story. I highly reccomend all of the above titles...
(and it helps drown out the endless Sesame Street that is playing in the back seat for Forrest...not that I don't enjoy them, but anything can get a little old!)

It's a........

2010-12-28T10:14:00.000-08:00

boy!!!!

Forrest is going to be a big brother to a little boy! Our big ultrasound was this morning and we were so excited to find out whether our little bean would be a smolt, or smoltess....
My mom got to accompany me to the event along with Alex, and signs point to a baby boy for this Fultmeyer clan!
Either way we would have been overjoyed, and the important thing is of course everything looks healthy and perfect on the anatomy scan...
2 little ranch boys....
:-)

A sneak peak in pictures of a magical day...

2010-12-25T22:48:00.000-08:00

Grandpa helps out with his first remote control car

happy boy!

A biker is born!

Mom even gets into the RC car...!

first fishing rod of many...

our cutie rocking elf

VERY happy family...

Forrest was truly overwhelmed with his first Christmas where he actually knew SOMEWHAT of what was going on. His little face when he saw his Santa gifts was priceless. He just stood and stared at all of it for awhile, stared at us...and his first gut instinct I guess said...TRAIN SET!!!! But fun times with the rocking horse, bike, and the rest of his gifts lasted all day. What a magical day with both sets of grandparents, great food, and all of us enjoying the time in our little cozy house.
The Christmas spirit was thick over here...:-)

The peaceful wee hours of Christmas...

2010-12-24T23:59:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from our home to yours! We wish you the best of health, peace, and happiness. My parents, (aka Santa's elves...) are visiting and it's been a busy Christmas Eve.

Bikes have been worked on, (Santa needed a little assistance of FORREST's first BIKE!!! WOOHOOO!)

Can you tell this mama is excited...?

Train sets have been magically appearing...along with rocking horses who like to stop by!

All for this super happy and amazing little boy!

They say as you get older, Christmas looses its magic.

I disagree...it will be one of the most magic things of all to wake up tomorrow and see this little face...:-)

Thawing out in Santa Barbara

2010-12-13T20:30:00.000-08:00

ice cream on the pier

beach bum...:-)

sandy toes

A beautiful weekend was in store for us in Santa Barbara. We left our extremely chilly and rainy northern California home for absolute paradise. I really think it had been a couple of weeks since our white bodies had even seen the sun let alone felt its warmth.
Good rowing buddy Sarah Dreger got married and we were honored and excited to attend the festivities. The weekend was a quick one...only two full days, but we packed in lots of beach time, visiting with Tammy and her little cutie Graham, and of course the wedding fun.

Forrest showing his studly wedding look

The tired but happy parents, on 3 hours of sleep, (early early flight!)

Family shots are hard to come by!


the beautiful bride!

First Dance, crappy shot, but they were so happy!

cutting the cake!

The back of Sarah's beautiful gown, she had awesome red heels too...

Graham, Forrest, and Mr. Turtle

The buddies, eying each other on their favorite, the swings!

old rowing buddies, now mama's!

18 weeks

2010-12-13T14:03:00.000-08:00

This little bean is a growing baby! All is well here on the prego side of things. I'm growing by leaps and bounds it seems as my little squirt or squirtess is busy growing and kicking! Yes, I can definitively say I have felt the tiny kicks...and some more major kicks, perhaps some punches from the little one. It's funny but the first time I was absolutely positive was just last night on the plane, with Forrest's head in my lap, as he was soundly sleeping, (finally....) away. Almost as if his little sibling was getting back at him when he had the chance. Forrest is a bit boisterous lately, and I almost have to guard the belly from bodily harm. A sign of things to come with these two siblings I'm sure!
I'm feeling well, my appetite is great, (i.e. chowing down a foot long sub with no difficulty at all...ugggh.), and of course the other pregnancy symptoms of constant urination, fatigue, and the popping belly button have come but are managable!
So, big events in the future, the half way point! 20 weeks is less than two weeks away. And a few days after that we get to sneak a peak at our little Fultmeyer's gender...
boy? girl? what do you think?

Sweet Moments, all for my head...Christmas, Toddlers, and the little mango!

2010-12-06T13:52:00.000-08:00

This weekend is one of those that 1,000 beautiful pictures should have been the result. Christmas with Forrest is truly a great experience this year. And yet, we're having a camera crisis currently. Our two newest cameras, (one of which is only 4 months old....grrrr...) have their automatic focus on the fritz and won't even function enough to give me the opportunity to try a blurry shot. Technology at its best.
And, my fish loving hubby if off duking it out with the salmon again and took our oldest digital.
So, the result, lots of beautiful "memory" shots for this mama's head.
And the best follow...
***Forrest decorating sugar cookies for the first time! I can't say it was an entirely peaceful and fun experience. We went from exhilarating shrieks to tears in a matter of seconds as I tried to "control" the situation as best as I could. This morning I still found red sugar in my ear...No Joke!!!
***Forrest "helping" put up the Christmas lights around the hearth. He kept holding the lightbulbs up to his nose, you could see the twinkle in his eye!
***Our search today for a Christmas tree on our property. He was dressed in a cute sweater and despite the lack of finding the "perfect" tree we had a blast.
***Forrest dancing to Christmas carols. His little jig cracks me up! This one HAS to be a video when the camera situation gets solved.

So, still no camera. I might take matters in my own hands and shell out for a new one...
As this means no belly pics for all of you of the newest Fultmeyer baby!
I do happen to have a two week old pic....I think I was 15 weeks here. Still a crappy picture. And I now realize that taking a belly shot in black, with a black window backing you up just does NOT do you justice. But again, it's what I have!

I am of course a tad, (okay a LOT, in my eyes anyways!) bigger with my belly currently, but this is close...
Feeling great. Really in the "Honeymoon stage" of my pregnancy I believe. I just have to make sure to drink enough water, (always a fault of mine!), eat when I'm hungry, (or I CRASH...like on our Christmas tree walk today, I was ready to eat the bark off the trees...) and get my sleep. The rest is easy at the moment...sweetness....

A little surprise the Turkey left...!!!

2010-12-02T21:19:00.000-08:00

Can you guess what it is....??? Can you, can you???!!!

SURPRISE!!! (I bet you thought you were in for MORE salmon pics didn't you!)

Our Thanksgiving bird decided to coax us to let all our family and friends in on our little secret, as yes, we're pregnant! Fultmeyer babe #2 is due in May and we are very excited. I'm approaching 17 weeks along, feeling well, and all is happy and healthy in this body and household....

A few thoughts earlier in my pregnancy are listed under the label Fultmeyer #2 and were posted earlier this fall.

An early Christmas present to be delivered in late spring is a nice way to look at it! We are excited to add a sibling to our crazy cute little family.

Much love from our family comes with this news...;-)