To the beach and back!

Austin eating his seafood!

Hanging at the water with Daddy!

My boys hanging out in the tent.

Am I cool or what?!?!

He loves the beach!

I have come to the conclusion that life with two isn't terribly different than life with one. Now that we have a bit of schedule it just means that Jason and I each have a child most of the time instead of being able to tag team the one. Don't get me wrong, life definitely has it's challenges, but I really think that the transition from zero to one was much harder than one to two! :)

With that being said, we decided to head to Myrtle Beach with my parents and sister (and meet up with my brother) for a few days this past weekend. I completely forgot how much junk you need to bring along when you have a baby! Gone are the days of packing just clothes for Austin! We toted along our pack-n-play, the stroller, the diaper bag, diapers, wipes, burp clothes, blankets, tons of clothes (because there is a good possibility of spit/diaper issues), baby soap, etc. I felt like I was packing for a week, yet we were only there for 2 and a half days!

All in all, we had a great trip though. Upon getting there on Friday, we went straight to the beach. Carter was miserable in the tent that we brought along, but enjoyed hanging out by the pool. We put his toes in though, and you would have thought we were trying to kill him! He let out the largest scream we have heard from him and then was fine as soon as we pulled his toes out. Needless to say, we don't plan on putting any part of him in a pool again for awhile! Austin had tons of fun splashing in the waves and digging in the sand, and has become quite the swimmer too! That night we went to a great seafood buffet, and Austin ate his body weight in crab legs, calamari, and shrimp! After that, we all went miniature golfing at the hokiest place ever, but had a blast doing it!

Saturday we spent the day hanging out at the beach and pool area. My brother, Kurt, came out for the day which was a really great treat. Our hotel had a really neat area that you could wade out to, which Austin named "Crab Island". We ended up crabbing out there using only sand buckets and sticks! Believe it or not, we got 6 crabs and ate them that night (along with some cod and shrimp) for dinner. Austin also got 2 hermit crabs that he named Lightening Bolt and Sonic. So far, they are surviving!

Sunday we got up, had breakfast and left. Thank goodness too, because I ended up coming down with mastitis and needing to have my doctor call a prescription in to the CVS down there. It was not the way I wanted to end the trip, but what can you do?!?!

Above are some pictures of the trip for you all to enjoy!

P.S. Went to the doctor today, and my little bruiser is now 10 lbs. 14 oz!!! I am raising another little chunker!!!

And Baby makes 4...

I would be lying if I didn't say that the past 2 weeks weren't a bit of a blur. No matter how prepared you are, nothing can prepare you for the way a new baby can rock your world. However, unlike with Austin's birth, this time my mind and body were in sync with one another, and the arrival of Carter was as smooth as one could imagine!

Carter David Hoffman was born on August 22 at 11:07 AM. He weighed 7 lbs. 7 oz. and was 19 inches long. The c-section was SO easy (in fact I joked with Jason in recovery that I was ready for number 3), and it was wonderful just walking in to the hospital, having the spinal and 20 minutes later having a baby! The hospital staff was amazing, my room was huge (the walk-in shower was larger than my one at home!), and even the food was good. To say that the experience was the best it could be almost feels like an understatement.

On top of all of that, Carter is the most laid back, sweet little boy I could ever imagine! He is a very alert little boy, but only cries when he is hungry. Unlike Austin, he never had his days and nights mixed up (praise the Lord!), but I think I am so much calmer this time around as well, that getting up with him doesn't bother me one bit. He has already scheduled himself (as I let my babies create their own schedule), and right now that means getting up about 2 times a night. It really doesn't get any better that that! In fact, most days I don't have any coffee and I think I have only napped 3 times since being home!

As for Austin, he is the BEST big brother! He constantly wants to hold Carter, talk to him, "play" with him, etc. He really has transitioned well and seems to be thoroughly enjoying his new role as the big brother. He also started preschool last week, and soccer the week before, so I think that having him more scheduled is helping as well!

That's pretty much it from our end. I was blessed to have my Mom with us all last week, and my Dad came down this past weekend. Now my in-laws are coming until Friday, so we will continue to have help (which has been fairly necessary since I haven't been cleared to drive yet). We have been keeping busy running errands, and yesterday drove out to the North Carolina Zoo! Overall, life has been great these past two weeks, and if you are in the area, feel free to stop on by!

Down to the wire...

Praise the Lord, I am able to make one last update before Carter joins us!!! I had my last doctor's appointment this morning and have had no change whatsoever! To say I am prayerful and hopeful that we can make it to Monday, for our scheduled c-section, is an understatement.

This past week, I have been feeling great (very little discomfort), Austin has a count-down going until he meets his brother (the excitement is too much for him right now!), and Jason and I feel about as prepared as you ever are for the arrival of a baby. Mentally, I am still trying to wrap my head around what it may possibly be like with two, how things are going to change, and the concept of getting up again all night long, but I know that nothing lasts forever, and I am going to attempt to enjoy as much of this time as possible with such a little baby.

Other than that, we are just trying to prepare for next week! It has to figure that next week is probably one of our busiest of the past few weeks...the c-section is Monday, Austin starts soccer on Tuesday or Wednesday, and he has preschool orientation on Thursday (the same day I am discharged from the hospital). Oh well! I guess you have to get in to the swing of things some time! :)

My last request of all of you is that you pray for us this upcoming Monday. The c-section is currently scheduled to start at 10:30 AM (as long as there aren't any emergencies), so prayers for the doctors, nurses, and all 4 Hoffmans would be greatly appreciated. Right now, I feel such a wonderful calmness, and know that that comes from the love and prayers of the people around me! Thank you all for your support...it means the world to Jason, Austin, Carter, and I!

Austin's 5th Birthday Party and Baby Update 2

Austin and Karli playing a game

Playing Lego Pirates of the Caribbean

The cupcakes I made

The Heffner Family

Austin opening presents at home with family

I guess the most exciting thing right now is that not only did Austin have an amazing time this past weekend with his birthday, but I was able to enjoy it with him!!!

By around dinner time on Friday night, we had 10 family members in our house who would be staying for the weekend. It sounds overwhelming just writing it, and to be honest, it was, but Austin had a wonderful time having so many sets of grandparents in our house. My parents, sister, grandma, and my Dad's parents came in to stay, as well as Jason's parents, brother and grandma. Friday night was chaotic trying to find a place to accommodate all of us for dinner (Golden Corral won out there) and getting things ready for Saturday, but it was nice to have family around.

Saturday morning we had a big breakfast and finished all prep work for Austin's 5th Birthday Party, which had a Super Mario Brothers theme. My brother and his girlfriend came up from Myrtle Beach to celebrate as well (although they couldn't stay the entire day). From 1-3 PM we were at Strafe Gaming Lounge here in Fuquay Varina for Austin's party, and it was great! The kids were able to entertain themselves with the video games, the parents were able to chat and not stress about where the kids were, and best of all, I didn't have even more people in my already cramped house! :) The highlight of the party, for me, were the t-shirts we gave out as party favors. Austin's godmother, Lauren Fasnacht, created the most adorable shirts to give the kids, and Jason and I had them too...they were loved by all, and it will be a wonderful reminder of the great day every time we wear them! After the party, family came back to the house and Austin opened more presents. After a yummy meal of pizza and salad, Austin played with toys and the Wii with Uncle Andy and Aunt Er.

Sunday morning everyone except my grandparents left (they left the following day), and Jason and I had a quiet day at home since we both ended up getting sick Saturday night! All in all, the weekend went pretty well, and Austin had more fun then he could have imagined!

As for the baby update...things have finally slowed down! Nothing has changed since last week, which makes me VERY hopeful that we will be able to make it to our scheduled c-section date of August 22nd. I know that God's timing will be perfect for Carter's arrival, but I must say that I hope God is favoring the 22nd! ;)

Thank you for all of the love, support, and prayers you have been putting our way, and hopefully next week I can blog about yet another week of pregnancy and fun! Above are some pictures of Austin's party!

Baby Update...

So for those that are far away, I thought I would update you all a bit as to what is going on. Right now, I am 36.5 weeks along and VERY done with being pregnant (at least physically)! We had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday that went well, but because he hadn't been moving much over the weekend, we were sent in for a stress test. All was fine, but as of now, my doctor is not hopeful that I will make it to the 22nd of this month. I am currently 3 cm dilated, 50% effaced, and having intense Braxton Hicks off and on all day long. Needless to say, I would prefer the 22nd, since it is organized, planned and all set up, but know that God is in control and will bring Carter to our family when He says it is time! :)

Right now, the goal is to stay pregnant through this Saturday the 6th so I don't miss any of Austin's birthday party, and as long as all goes according to my plan (which we all know is just hopeful thinking), I will update again next week with pictures of his party!!! :) Love to you all and God bless!

5 weeks and counting...

So we are down to less than 5 weeks until Carter comes to join our family. In typical Hoffman style, he was measuring larger than normal at my last visit, so today an ultrasound was done to check up on his progress. His body itself is, thankfully, an average size, however, his head is measuring big. He will probably end up following in his brother's footsteps and have quite a large head when he is born. Praise the Lord for c-sections! :)

On a different note, Austin has been in Pennsylvania visiting family since the 10th of July and won't come back until this Friday, the 22nd. He spent the first week with Jason's parents and the second with mine. Needless to say we have been told about quite a few toys that were bought and nights when 3 bowls of ice cream occurred, so we will need to have a detox session when he comes back! He seems to be having a blast since he hasn't wanted to talk to either of us since he left... :)

While Austin has been away, Jason and I have been trying to clean, organize and prep our house. Other than being completely overwhelmed by the feeling that we will soon be a family of 4 instead of a family of 3, the prep work has gone over well! We have some wonderful friends from church who helped us move furniture around last Sunday, and things are beginning to find new homes throughout our house.

The next few weeks will be fairly busy (when are they not in this house), but they will also be such a blessing. Some neighbors are throwing a shower for me this Saturday, Austin has a big sibling class that same day, on Sunday we are celebrating Colombian Independence Day with a Colombian dinner at a neighbor's house, the following weekend Austin has a birthday party to go to, and the weekend after that our church has an event at a local lake and everyone will be here for Austin's birthday party. It is hard to believe that he will be 5 this year...I really didn't understand how quickly time went by until I had a child...

That's about it from our end. Please continue to pray for us in the coming weeks as things get even more chaotic in our household! :)

So how bad am I at this...

Considering the fact that my last blog on here was when we got our dog (who will be 2 soon), I thought it would be a good time to update. My goal is to try and keep this blog as up-to-date as possible, so those of you who won't be able to see us on a regular basis can still feel like you are a part of our lives! I'm thinking I will try to update about once a week...we'll see how long that lasts! ;)

In case you have been living underground for the past few months, the Hoffman Family is going to be expanding again, but with a human being this time!!! Carter David will be joining our family sometime around August 23rd, and needless to say, Austin is thrilled to be having a brother! The pregnancy hasn't been as great as it was with Austin, but I am assuming that's because it's the second time around. We have a wonderful doctor though who has been watching everything pretty closely since Carter is already measuring fairly large and Austin was 8 lbs. 10 oz. when he was born. Time will tell how big this new Hoffman will be!

Other than that, we are just enjoying life here in the South. We found an amazing church last July that we are active in, Austin went to preschool last year and will go again this year, and we went to Disney again about a month ago. We try to stay busy, and seem to be fairly good at it! (Just ask Jason who says he never has a "relaxation" day...wait until number 2 comes!)

If you got all of the way through this, thank you! I will attempt to be better at this, and feel free to share the link with anyone else who may be interested in our lives (not that we are that interesting, but you know...) :)