Wow! I’ve been a slacker. In my defense, I have recently become a mother of TWO! This has taken some adjustment on my part, especially when it comes to time management. And though updating this blog has been on my To-Do List since this fall, I have been hard pressed to find the time to update. So, thank you for checking in from time to time. And I will do my best to keep this up to date from now on. Here is what has happened this past fall, and winter. Happy New Year!

PS. All the credit for that slideshow of pictures goes to Tanashe Martin at Timeless Photography by Tanashe. Check her out on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Timeless-Photography-by-Tanashe/403075798676

Fall 2012

Our fall was a little on the crazy side, as we were preparing for the arrival of our new little one. Here is what you’ve missed:

Brendan started pre-school for the first time. He goes two days a week, for 3 hours each day. His teacher is Ms. Mary, and he has such a good time. He has made a new friend, Rory. They are two peas in a pod. Both love super-heroes and are full of energy. They hold hands quite often as they walk out of school together, a truly adorable sight to see.

As is our tradition, we went to Eckert’s again this year to pick apples and pumpkins. We were joined by Aunt Elaine, NaNa, BawBaw, Uncle Shane, Aunt Lilly, Zara (their dog), Aunt J’me, Pete, Jaxon, Aunt T, & Uncle Danny. Brendan and Jaxon had so much fun on the rides. But I think their favorite part was the giant bouncy mat. Even most of the adults had a good time on it.

A few days before Halloween we went to Cousin Brandy’s annual Halloween party. Brendan chose to be Bane (from Batman) this year. So, Mommy and Daddy were on their own for coordinating costumes. We decided to be a pumpkin smuggler (Mandy) and a pumpkin farmer (Daddy): mainly because I insisted on being comfortable since I was so pregnant. On October 31^st, we trick-or-treated again with the Whitlocks. Having just been put on bed rest, Mommy stayed behind to hand out candy, while the others went to knock on doors. Brendan got a nice haul again this year.

Next came the most exciting event this fall (and year!), the arrival of our new baby boy. Tristan Cole Pelhank was born on November 17 at 6:56 am. I will include his birth story on the blog, but to sum up, it was an incredibly speedy delivery. Things happened that weren’t planned, but in the end, he was born healthy and we couldn’t be more blessed. Brendan was SO excited to find out he had a little brother. From the start, he has been an incredibly easy baby. More to come on Tristan in another post….

For Thanksgiving, we were with the Cole family this year. For a lot of the family members, it was the first time that they were able to meet little Tristan. So much of the day was spent passing him around. Brendan got a lot of attention, too. Everyone wanted to hear about what he’s been doing as a big brother. And what a helper he’s been! He’s always willing to get anything that Mommy or Daddy needs while we’re busy feeding or changing the baby. And he’s very patient when Tristan is cranky. He’s also trying very hard to be gentle around Tristan, and succeeding most of the time.

Brendan's first day of preschool

1st Day of Preschool

Jaxon, Aunt T, and Brendan at Eckert's

On the hayride.

Got a lot of chuckles from this shirt: money well spent.

Jaxon and Brendan show off their apples.

Brendan hitches a ride with BawBaw to reach some apples that are high up.

Apple cheers!

Having fun on the bouncy mat!

Pumpkin Farmer Daddy, Pumpkin Smuggler Mommy, and Bane Brendan.

Bane: ready for some candy.

Tristan's Birth Story

We were scheduled to be induced on Monday, November 19. While lying in bed in the early hours of Saturday morning, Mommy’s water broke. We called BawBaw as he was going to stay with your big brother, Brendan, and told him to head on over. We told him not to rush around as Mommy was going to take a shower, as she figured we would have plenty of time before you made your debut. During shower-time, Mommy realized that contractions were coming on pretty fast and maybe we didn’t have as much time as we thought. By the time she was done getting dressed, her contractions were about 5 minutes apart…time to head to the hospital. We pulled up to the hospital at the same time as your NaNa and Aunt Jess. They joined us as we checked in, got suited up, and were settled in the room by 5 am. Mommy’s blood was taken for some tests around this time, and she asked about an epidural. We needed the results of the blood test before it could be administered. As we waited, the contractions got closer and stronger. At one point, the nurse came in and Mommy asked again for the epidural. “Still waiting on the blood work,” was the response. Aunt T was able to join us in the delivery room, and a few other family members waited in the waiting room: BawBaw and Brendan, Uncle Shane and Aunt Lilly, and PaPa Pelhank. By about 6:15 am the contractions were so close together that Mommy had about a minute to breathe between contractions when another would come.

That was when the anesthesiologist arrived to ease the pain. (Or so we thought). We were asked to clear the room, except for one…Daddy. NaNa asked if Daddy wanted anything, and he requested a juice. After the room was clear Mommy sat up to receive the epidural. As she was sitting on the edge of the table, you dropped into the birth canal. We had to stop the anesthesiologist before he could administer the epidural. Tristan was coming, whether we were ready or not. As quick as could be, the doctors and nurses were summoned. In all the commotion, NaNa had been trying to find Daddy’s juice. Still searching, she made a stop at the nurse’s station, which happened to be across from our room. Thank goodness she stopped there, or she would have missed the birth! She heard Mommy yelling at the anesthesiologist, trying to make him understand that you were in the birth canal. She looked into the room, saw what was happening, and ran down the hall to get Aunt T. They rushed in, to find the medical staff frantically trying to put on scrubs and assemble themselves in time to catch you. Mommy was told to push if she needed to (and boy, did she need to). She was pushing as the medical staff was chaotically organizing themselves and prepping the room for your arrival. Four pushes, and you were here. 6:56 am. Daddy and the doctor saw that you were a boy, and we knew your name would be Tristan. And even though we were kind of in shock at the speed with which you arrived, no one could deny that you are absolutely adorable: big pouty lips, nice round head, great color, lots of strawberry-blonde hair, and sweet dimples. Mommy would have a lot of healing to do after your birth, but none of that matters now that you are a part of our family. 

Winter 2012-13

Christmas! So busy. But so fun with our two boys. We had Christmas with our nephew, Jaxon a little before the chaos of the actual holiday. As usual, the boys had a blast together. We had Christmas with the Coles the Saturday before the actual holiday. Christmas Eve we were able to go to church and in the evening celebrated with the Zervas clan. We also performed a lot of our Christmas Eve traditions alone with Brendan for the last time, (IE: laying out reindeer food, reading Twas the Night Before Christmas, and putting out cookies & milk for Santa), next year his brother will join in the fun. And our Christmas Day was enjoyed with the Pelhanks and McCorkells. Again, so busy, but so fun.

For Superbowl Sunday we were invited over to the Whiltock family’s house to watch the game (& commercials). Brendan had fun playing with the girls and all of their toys. Mommy and Daddy had fun spending some time with some of our best friends. And of course, the food and drinks were great, too. It was nice to be at a place where we didn’t have to worry about the safety or appropriateness of bringing our kids.

At the end of the season we’ve gotten a decent amount of snow and ice so we were finally able to go sledding. We’ve been in this house for over 5 years now, and this is the first winter we have been able to try out our awesome backyard sledding hills. SOOOOO worth the wait! They’re a blast. If anyone ever wants to come over to sled with us, you’re welcome to it. We’ll provide the hill, you provide the hot chocolate.

Baking Christmas cookies.

Jaxon and Brendan's Christmas

BawBaw and Santa Tristan

Mommy and Tristan

Brendan, Aunt Lilly, Uncle Shane, & Tristan

Granny & baby Tristan

Aunt Jess & Tristan

A Christmas Eve tradition: reading Twas the Night Before Christmas together.

Brendan is ready for presents on Christmas morning

Brendan shows off his new bike.

Tristan on Christmas morning.

B & Tristan pose with Uncle Danny & Aunt T on Christmas day.

Dancing to Beyonce, at the halftime of the Superbowl. Shown: Josie, Leanna, Brendan, Kelly, and Travis.

Tristan takes in his first Superbowl party.

My #1 Valentine.

My second born Valentine.

Daddy & Brendan built a mini-snow fort.

First sledding experience in our yard.

Double sled! Mommy & Brendan.

Meet Tristan

We would like to introduce the newest addition to our family, Mr. Tristan Cole Pelhank. As mentioned before, he is an easy baby. He has three basic cries: one for when he’s hungry, one for when he’s uncomfortable or hurting in some way, and the other is his tired cry. They are all distinctly different cries, and he doesn’t use them that often. He smiles so much more than he cries. From my experience, that is extremely rare in a baby. And because each cry is so easily readable, he is surprisingly easy to care for.

Tristan is extremely strong. He was able to hold his head up (for short periods of time) when he was two days old. He could stand while holding your two fingers at 2 months old. And he was able to roll over from belly to back at 9 weeks of age!!! His other accomplishments: can hold a toy, smiles and laughs, coos when you talk to him and says “ooh” and “ahh”, can bring his hands together, bats at toys, blows bubbles, recognizes our voices, holds his head steady…just to name a few.

He unfortunately developed bronchiolitis at 2 ½ months that we’ve been working to get rid of. He has to get his medication through a nebulizer. It’s essentially an inhaler for babies. At the beginning, we had to give him nebulizer treatments three times a day. But now that he seems to be getting better, we’re down to twice daily. When his breathing and coughing are back to normal, he won’t have to use it at all. He takes it like a champ though. At the beginning, he didn’t even make a fuss. He’d sit there and let us put that mask over his face, as it puffed the vapors that look like smoke directly in front of his eyes, without the least bit of a fuss. Lately he’s been a little less tolerant, but he’s still pretty darn tough in my eyes. We just hope that he get better soon.

Nebulizer treatments