Kalasek Kiddos: 6 weeks....time is flying by!

Well we at the Kalasek household are getting along rather well. Keeping busy, Brian and I are sometimes sleeping well, and Easton continues to be such a great big brother! Exciting news for the French family. Easton and Ben will get a lil French cousin in early October. My brother and Halley are expecting!!! I had to wait until I knew it was ok to share but to be honest I have been dying to put it in my blog! We couldnt be happier for them and so excited that Ben and their lil prince/princess will only be 9 months or less apart! With all the kids joining the French family our Xmas holiday will be a new kind of exciting~ All of us cousins officially now have 1 or 2 kids!!!!

Ben has been now going btw 3-4 hours btw feedings at night which doesnt seem like much but it leaves us feeling like we have slept for ages compared to how our nights started out. He still continues to have gassy/tummy issues but they arent consistent anymore and its just one bad day here or there compared to every single day which is nice. Happy Baby = Happy Mommy! He is smiling more and so strong! He is already wanting to hold his head up by himself and if i lay him down flat he will try to roll over already. Easton better buff up or he is in trouble once Benjamin is mobile LOL! Ben definitely is shedding the "looks exactly like Easton" look and coming into his own. He is filling out a lot more than Easton and definitely has a more aggressive personality. He wants you to know when he is mad, hungry, etc.

Easton is still loving his Tuesday night swim lessons with Baylor. He talks about it all week and he is doing so good. He loves getting dunked under water and at the end of the lesson he even jumps from the side into the pool and his instructors arms. I am so proud of how well he is doing. He continues to be such a big help. If baby Ben is having a bad tummy day he will rub his stomach and say "its ok baby Ben...it'll get better" If Brian or I have Ben and need something he will go get it for us and he is so good at cleaning up all his toys before nap or bed time. Fingers crossed he is still taking a 3 hour nap in the afternoons. Although I no longer am kid free for these 3 hours it is still nice t have some of that time to shower or get a few household things done (if Ben lets me). My parents came over to watch both kids last weekend for a couple hours. Ill be honest I was a lil hesitant due to Ben's inconsistent fussiness. If he is going to be unhappy Id rather it be me that listens to the crying than someone else. Luckily both boys were great and I think we could talk Nana and Papa French into doing it again sometime....Watching 2 is definitely a lot more involved than watching 1 thats for sure.

Brian continues to be super dad and really the driving force behind my sanity. I am so lucky to have such a helpful husband. Not only does he constantly cheer me on and let me know how proud he is of me as a mom, but anytime he sees that I am exhausted or just had a trying day he insists on staying up with Ben that night and letting me get a full nights sleep. Normally he just takes Friday and Sat nights since he doesnt work the next day but on occasions where he thinks I need a break he happily volunteers. He calls it Ben and Daddys camp out time! Actually Ben tends to sleep longer and better for dad than mom. I can already tell Ben is going to be a daddys boy!

Ben failed his hearing test at the hospital due to fluid in the ears. His right side kept passing but his left had fluid in it causing that side to fail. We had to take him back after a week to get it checked again. Still failed and this time the lady got to see the mama bear side of me. As she was attaching all these cords and things to Ben's ears and body he got very upset (rightfully so he was 10 days old and getting poked and prodded) then she told him to "quit being so dramatic and that he needed to get over it" Obviously that didnt make me very happy at all. Then she dropped some of the equipment near him and said "good thing i didnt drop it on the baby" What!?!?!? I think Brian was holding back laughter as he watched me react to her. Dont mess with my baby boy!!! Unfortunately the fluid still hadnt made its way out so he failed again and we had to take him back last week. THANK HEAVENS he passed this time. We do not have to see that lady or deal with her again!

We also had a play date with my dear friend Leigh Lindstrom's two cuties. I have been friends with Leigh for over 20 years. Its so fun that now we have kids so close in age and we live so close that play dates are definitely going to be a very frequent thing for us! I am so blessed to have other mommy friends that I have known since childhood and trust and love with all my heart! They help keep me grounded and let me feel not so crazy in tough times! Even though this is round two for me in the baby department it still feels like its the first time and there are times when all I want to do is cry! Its nice to have friends to lean on in those times who have been there/done that. Being a mom is the greatest thing in the world but that doesnt mean its always easy! I really did forget how tough the first few months are. They are full of wonderful "firsts" but they are also full of sleepless nights and endless worrying. I try to keep it all in perspective and focus on the best parts which are his little noises, his sweet face, and my favorite thing ever...when he puts his little arms around my neck and I feel his breath on me and we are both in pure mommy/son heaven!