Christmas, Cameron, and...Chaos!!!

Well, I'm finally getting around to posting some pictures. As the title states, it is chaotic around here! But we are all doing well. Cameron is eating like a champ, which is starting to take it's toll on me. He is starting to have what I call marathon nursing sessions and nursing for 45 minute stretches at a time. That means I only have about 2-2 1/2 hours in between each feeding to sleep at night, which is pretty tiresome. But I have my wonderful mother who gets up with me, changes Cameron and brings him right to me. Then she sits and makes sure I stay awake while I'm nursing him. We have some of our best talks at 4 in the morning while I'm nursing, though a lot of the time it's both of us making sure the other one doesn't fall out of the chair from falling asleep!

Owen is doing pretty well, though he's taking the adjustment a little harder than I thought he would. He loves Cameron and loves on him all the time saying, "He's so cute!" or "He's so teeny weeny!!" But I think he is a little more jealous than I thought he would be. I guess it will all just take time. We are hoping to get him moved over to his big boy room in the next couple of weeks since we weren't able to get that done before Cam arrived. I think that will excite him to have a whole new Thomas room.

That's about all that's going on here. So I guess it's on to the pictures!

Owen with his new Thomas train set which he absolutely loves. He had so much fun opening gifts. Every time he opened one he would get these big eyes and gasp. It was so cute! Then he started opening our presents when he ran out and he'd gasp and say, "It's a box!" like it was the best gift ever!

My two boys under the tree.

We have yet to let Owen actually hold Cameron because he is so small and we are afraid he will just want to hold him all the time. He could also pick him up if he wanted to do because he's so small so we don't want to put any ideas into his head!

Cameron has been spending a lot of time in his infant carrier due to some congestion. The doctor says it is his first cold. :( It hasn't gotten any worse so we are happy about that.

That's all for now. I'll try to get some better close-up pics of Cam and post them ASAP. Hope everyone is doing well!

Merry Christmas!

Well, I made the hike up the stairs tonight to read to Owen before he went to bed so I thought I would post a little myself. Unfortunately, I am just too tired to do pictures at the moment so my witty banter will have to be enough for now. :)

First off, thanks so much to all the well wishes we have received! I have thoroughly enjoyed reading everyone's comments and emails, as the well as the flowers and gifts that we have gotten. We are having such a great time with our new little guy, little being the operative word. I just can't believe how tiny he is!!! His weight dropped to 4 lbs. 13 oz. by the time we left the hospital yesterday. I am working feverishly to get it back up but he isn't cooperating with me all that well. They advised me to feed him every 2 hours but being that he is so small, he just likes to sleep all the time so it's difficult to get him to wake up to eat anything. Thankfully, he is getting something but it has been a bit of a struggle for me and I am pretty worn out and feel like a "milk machine!" Tired as I am, I don't feel nearly as stressed, hormonal, and pain-stricken as I did when Owen was born so I am definitely happy about that. I feel some pain and I'm definitely tired, but it has all been pretty manageable so far. It has all been made much easier with all the wonderful help I have. As you know, I wasn't very prepared for this child--I was planning on doing all of it last weekend with my mom here to help me!!! So they worked around the clock to get everything ready for Cameron and I to get home. My parents have been such a blessing to have around and Cody is at my beck and call doing anything I ask of him. I couldn't ask for a better situation! And even better, my mom is planning to stick around until mid-January so that will be a HUGE help!

We had a wonderful Christmas today, opening gifts off and on throughout the day. Owen got a Thomas train set which, along with the tons of other stuff he got, has kept him busy for the majority of the day. He is adapting well to having Cameron in the house and always comes over to him and says, "Baby Cameron! He's sooo cute!" My mom made a wonderful Christmas dinner and we just had a very relaxing day.

Well, I'm off to get a little rest before it's time to fire up the milk machine again. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! I will post pics of ours later this week so stay tuned!

Cameron Joseph

Cameron is now just under 5 lbs, but will hopefully get his weight back up quickly so they can go home tomorrow. He is doing great and looking so cute in these pictures! I can't believe how different he looks from Owen's newborn pics. The blonde fuzzy hair is just adorable! And where in the world did that come from??? Anyways, everyone is doing great and Sarah is feeling pretty well. She was especially relieved when she was able to get up and get a shower! Here are some great pictures Cody took.
Owen was so glad to see his mommy. Sarah said she put a present in Cameron's bassinet for Owen when he got there and it was wrapped in Thomas paper. It was one of the Thomas trains (I can't think of the name of the character) and Owen was ecstatic when he saw it. Sarah said he did great and is so gentle and caring with him. He is off to a great start at being big brother! And he is starting to say baby CAMERON a little bit better now instead of saying baby CAMERA :) What a sweetie.


Mom and Cam

Grampa Steve, big brother Owen, and Cameron

Gramma Debbie glad to be holding her new grandson after a long night of driving and arriving to Newton at 3 a.m.

Sarah looking beautiful while holding her most precious Christmas gift ever.

Christmas came early

Cameron Joseph Muhs arrived at 11:29 am this morning weighing 5 lbs. 5 oz. and 18 3/4 inches long. Sarah called Cody literally 5 minutes after he had been at work telling him she thought her water had broke. Thinking it was a false alarm, Cody emailed his boss quickly telling him the news and that he might be back at noon. Well, as it turns out he was wrong and Sarah was right (happens a lot I hear). In the meantime, Sarah rushed around the house getting herself and Owen ready to go. She hadn't packed a THING either! But she managed to get out the door. She kept telling Owen they were going to see the doctor today and mommy was going have a baby, so Owen kept saying all morning, "We're going to get a baby, we're going to get a baby!" Too cute! Cameron has sandy blonde curly hair and is just precious as ever! Mom and baby are both doing great. Sarah is surprisingly feeling pretty well. They are expected to come home Christmas Eve. Tomorrow, Owen will be introduced to his new baby brother. More pics to come. Merry Christmas everyone!!! It will definitely be one for the Muhses and Glodos!

Posted by Owen and Cameron's Auntie Beth

A Boy's Rite of Passage

I really don't think a man can go through life without trying on his mother's high heels at least once, do you? And just to clarify, Owen pulled these out of my closet and put them on all by himself. I meerly captured the moment. He was walking around in them saying, "I'm so tall!" Wear them proudly, son!

"C is for Cookie"

I guess it is fitting that that is one of Owen's favorite songs right now. He sings it constantly around here! We had so much fun last Sunday baking Christmas cookies for Cody to take to work. I kept him in his Christmas jammies all day because they just made for such cute pictures!

Please excuse the way I look--I'm 8 months pregnant, exhausted, and out of make-up and haven't been able to get over to Des Moines to buy any!

Thomas was always close by and, of course, had to have a little taste of flour and sugar.

It's hard to see but we are using the adorable snowman measuring cups that Cody's mom bought me especially for baking Christmas cookies with Owen. He thought it was so cool! He kept saying, "It's a snowman!"

This boy loves to use the mixer!

He got a big kick out of cracking the eggs.

As you can see by the look on his face, this was his favorite part--rolling and cutting the cookies. When we first got started he said, "It's Play-Doh cookies!" (because that's what we do when we play with Play-Doh)

After we cut the first few cookies he started counting them on the pan. I was busy cutting some and not paying any attention and then I looked over and every cookie on the pan had a tiny little finger print in it! Needless to say, we didn't send any of those to work with Daddy. We cut star cookies and every time he saw one he started singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." After a few times of rolling and cutting he'd had enough and just wanted to play in the flour so Daddy kept him occupied while I finished up. But we had so much fun and can't wait to do it again next year!

Snowed in...again

Last night and all day today we are being hit with yet another winter storm. This one is the worst of the few we've been hit with in the last 2 weeks as it brought some ice first and now it is snowing on top of that. It's very reminiscent of the ice storm we had back in February where we were without power off and on for days and ended up having to go to a hotel. I don't think this one is quite as bad, though I have heard reports of power being out in different areas of Newton. Thankfully we haven't lost ours yet so keep your fingers crossed! Some good friends of ours bought a generator after the bad February storm so they have said that we can head over to their house if we lose power for too long. Cody went to work this morning, much to my dismay and protestations that he stay home. He just called and said that he is going to try to brave it at noon and get back home. The problem is that he'll be traveling in the thick of the storm but we're afraid if he waits til it's over it will be dark and it will be even more difficult for him. Please say a prayer that he makes it home safely! I even had a doctor's appointment scheduled for this afternoon and they called me this morning to say that they are closing I needed to reschedule, which was fine by me! They are even closing many community colleges and universities and many of them are in the midst of finals week! So that tells you just how bad it is! I took a few pictures out our front and back doors--I was too afraid to venture out any further!

Notice the ice on the power lines.

Now we're just praying that all this clears so my parents can get here for Christmas!

Snow Men

We got about 3-4" of snow on Thursday so Daddy took Owen out to play on Saturday afternoon. He wanted to make a snowman with him but the snow was just too powdery and wouldn't pack well. So they just ran around in the yard for a bit and then did a little sledding. Owen LOVED it! He got out there and said, "I love snow!" Then every time he would fall down he'd get back up and say, "I'm ok! I'm ok!" And at one point he heard a loud truck or something and he said, "I hear Santa!!!"

All bundled up on his way out the door.

I think he was saying, "Merry Christmas, everyone!" here.

Every time he went past me on the sled he'd yell, "Bye bye, Mommy!!!!!" (FYI: For anyone with little ones, these sleds are great!)

Our little ham

When he came in he sat with me on the couch for about 20 minutes under a blanket getting "toasty warm" as he put it. Cody was out shovelling so I couldn't get a pic of our snuggle time. :( However, I did get pics of us baking cookies later in the day so stay tuned for those!

The Muhses are definitely in the Christmas spirit. We went to a light display on Friday night and had a great time together. Owen loved seeing all the lights and even got to see Santa Claus, though he didn't feel like waiting in line to sit on his lap. He makes us listen to the Sesame Street Christmas album at least 4 times a day and walks around singing, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and "Jingle Bells" all the time. He is just mesmerized by everything Christmas and making it so enjoyable for Cody and me!

O Christmas Tree!

Well, we finally got our tree up and decorated. We got a new tree this year so I was so excited to get it up and see how it looked. The best part is that it is pre-lit! I think that is the best invention ever! Owen had so much fun decorating it! He had trouble actually hanging the ornaments but that didn't stop him from pulling them all out of the box and checking them all out. Last year my mom had my old Sesame Street Christmas record converted to CD for me. I have listened to that record every year for as long as I can remember as I decorated the tree. I was so excited to share the tradition with Owen and he just loved listening to it and singing along with it.

Grandma Debbie got him Thomas and Percy ornaments this year and he just loved when we brought them out of the box. He started playing with them but after we explained to him that they go on the tree he really hasn't bothered them since. He loves to look at them but he understands that they are for looking and his other trains are for playing. Thank goodness!

Here he is checking them out on the tree.

Helping Daddy put the star on top. The tree was too tall for Owen to reach the top though! :(

When we were all done decorating and turned the lights on he just wanted to sit in a chair in front of it and look at it. I think it's so funny because I used to do the exact same thing every year when I was a little girl.

Eventually he went and got his blanket and snuggled in!

The first thing he said to me when he woke up this morning was, "Wanna go see the Christmas tree?" He is just enamored by it! It is so much fun watching all of this through the eyes of your child. It just makes the holiday that much more special. Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year and I can't wait to share old traditions and create new ones with my children in the years to come. Hope all of you are enjoying the season as much as we are at the Muhs household!

They Really Do Say the Darnedest Things....

***Tapping his fork on his high chair tray he says to me, "It's a tap dancer!"***

***Yesterday I told him we were going to go get his haircut and he said, "Get haircut and see Grandpa?" (Because he usually goes with Grandpa Steve to get his haircut when we're in Murphysboro.)***

***Cody let me sleep in on Saturday morning and when I woke up I yelled for Owen to come in and see me. He climbed up in bed with me and said, "Hey, sleepyhead!"***

***When he is done with his bath at night he likes to run in to see Daddy and yells, "Oodie Nudie!" Daddy will say, "Hey, Oodie Nudie!" One day he was walking around the house in the middle of the day and said to himself, "Hey, Oodie Nudie!" He then realized he was dressed and changed his mind and said, "Hey, Shirt On!"***

***Last night Cody was changing his diaper and when he took it off Owen said, "Phew! Stinky pee pee!"***

***When reading his books to himself he sits down, picks out a book and says, "Wanna read this book? Yeah, that'll be a good one."***

***As I was cleaning the bathtub yesterday, Owen came up behind me, hugged me and said, "Oh, Mommy, you're so cute!"***

Slowly But Surely

Cody has been working very hard all by himself on our basement for quite some time now. We started it before we found out about the last baby last year! But with him doing all the work himself and also working long hours at work, he only has limited time to put into it. He has been working pretty feverishly lately to get it done before the baby comes. While we probably won't make our deadline we are fairly close, which is good enough for us. We're hoping to hire someone to mud and tape and possibly even paint, which will speed up the process and take some of the burden off Cody. I thought I would post some of the pictures of his hard work to this point.

As you come down the stairs, you turn left and go down this hallway. That first doorway that you see to the right is to what will be the storage room.

This is the storage room as you look into it from the doorway. There is a little more room in it than this picture shows. Eventually it will have built-in wooden shelves where I will someday put all my things in plastic bins, neatly organized!

Further down the hallway, you come to a second door and that is the guest bedroom. Like the rest of the rooms in the basement, it is small but it will do it's job just fine. It has a full size window in it so when we sell the house eventually, we will be able to list it as a 4 bedroom.

This is the view from the opposite wall of the bedroom, showing the closet.

Outside of the door to the bedroom, we will have an open TV room. The thing that looks like a closet that you see will house our big screen TV that we hope to buy someday, along with a new couch and a chair or two. Right now I'm pretty sure we'll be paying for all those with the money tree we hope to find miraculously growing in our backyard. There is a sliding glass door in this room which leads to the new patio and backyard. I think you can see it in the first picture.

The TV room opens to this...right now it is just sort of a catch-all but it will be the computer/game/toy area. The door on the left is to a bathroom, which won't be started until after the baby is born. And the door on the right is a small storage area that has the furnace and water heater in it.

And there you have it! It is small but it is going to fit our needs just fine and open up the 2nd bedroom upstairs (currently the computer room) for Owen to have his "big boy" room. We still have lots of work to do but we can't wait to show it all off when we're done! Hats off to my wonderful husband for all the hard work he's put into it all thus far!