I decided to ditch Facebook but set up this blog to let family keep up to date with our babies. Explanations later.
Our Backstory
That's us. Andrew on the left. That little guy is Tyler & my princess, Ava, is in red. That's me, Jen, holding my babies. Those little peanuts are my entire world. And, the reason I'm posting this.
Andy & I met in 2009 through mutual friends at a super bowl party. After hanging out in a lot of group gatherings we went out to dinner one night, and we've been inseparable ever since. We spent every day together from February through November when he took a job in virginia and left Michigan. We spent 8 months in a long distance relationship. It was tough because neither of us wanted to admit that this was starting mean a lot to the other & we were pretty serious about each other. The year before we met we both came out of long relationships that ended very badly. His worse than mine, but nonetheless both bad...
That following summer we moved in together & admitted to loving each other. In august I went off my birth control because I felt like they were making me crazy. My hormones were all over the map. When I didn't go back on a different pill we decided that a baby wasn't such a bad idea & just kinda went with "if it happens, it happens and that's great." By October, still no baby. We actively started trying. By that I mean, charting temps & ovulation kits and all that fun stuff. By Christmas , still no baby... So, Andy took a job in Oklahoma and left January 19th. January 24th at 5am I got a positive test back. We were expecting baby #1! Our first peanut was due October 8, 2011.
May 16, 2011 - IT'S A GIRL!
That baby girl measured 3 weeks ahead during my entire pregnancy. By September the doctor estimated her to be 8lbs 6oz at birth. They decided to induce labor to deliver her before she got any bigger. Had I gone to my due date I would have had an 11lb baby.
September 28, 2011
Ava James Parke is born at 7:47pm via Caesarian birth. She weighed 9lbs 3oz & measured 22.5 inches. I gave birth to a toddler! My newborn was already more than 1/3 my height at almost 2 feet long!
After Ava was born Andy left Oklahoma to take a job in North Dakota that doubled his income. This was so I could stay at home with her and quit my job. I hated my job. Well, I hated the company I worked for. My actual job wasn't bad. The quotas, rules and upper management got to be ridiculous and out of hand. There were many nights I left work in tears because the environment was so unhealthy. But I stayed for the money and insurance (to have a baby!). Overtime was overkill there... But it's not good with a baby & family. Rather than put Ava in daycare Andy found a job that covered both our salaries, and then some.
In march 2012 I had to move to North Dakota. I couldn't be alone in Michigan anymore. Andy came back to move us out there.
March 15, 2012 - we got married!
I was leaving Michigan and lost my health insurance when I quit my job. I was able to get state insurance for being a single mom without a job. But I never used it. Insurance is not WHY we got married. It's why we got married in the courthouse though. Before we left Michigan we wanted everything to be legal. March 15, 2009 was our first date :) we planned to have a wedding and reception May 18, 2013 but some things happened during the planning that crippled our finances.
That summer I decided If I wasn't having a wedding I wanted another baby. And, again, in august we started trying. I wanted a spring baby. but, it wasn't until January that I got pregnant with baby #2. Due date: October 10, 2013. Poor kids will always share a birthday party :(
May 15, 2013 - It's a BOY!!
We left North Dakota June 26, California bound. I hate North Dakota. I met some nice people and have some good friends still. However, being snowed in from October through May was more than I could handle. My aunt offered to rent us her extra house & we jumped at the opportunity. I should also point out that the cost of living in North Dakota is astronomically high. For a 3BR house after all the dust settles with utilities it's $2000-$2500 a month. Our heat & electric was easily $300-$500 a month 3/4 of the year. The windchill drops temps down to -50• most nights in December, January & February. That's pricey.
After spending exactly one month in California we left for Wisconsin. Got stranded in Wyoming for a week. But finally made it to Wisconsin. Traveling across the country, then back at 7 & 8 months pregnant was horrible. The U-Haul was the worst. My feet swelled to 4 times their size. I had elephant feet for a week.
Once we got to WI we got settled in and found a house. I'm still not unpacked. Andy had to go back to ND before moving in and getting our stuff delivered. Not much made it out of the boxes. Pretty much just my kitchen was fully unpacked.
The next six weeks felt like the longest of my life. 9 months pregnant & moving into a new place on your own with a toddler... Not easy!
September 24, 2013
Tyler Jason Parke is born at 11:20am weighing 8lb 13oz. there's still some debate on this as he was 7lb 15oz in the OR but 8lb 13oz four hours later... Hmmm not sure which is accurate but the hospital has him at 8lb 13oz. And he was 21.5 inches long. Another tall baby!
Both my babies are named after my family. James is my dad. He passed away in 1992, when I was nine, from a heart attack. Jason is my little brother. He passed away in 2012, at 28 years old. Also, heart attack. They live on through my babies though. I see so much of my dad in both of them it amazes me. And I do see Jason in Tyler. I'm afraid Tyler got the ears. ;)
Two days ago my husband went back to work. Here I am trying to keep it together with a 6 week old & 2 year old... Two days in a row they've defeated me.
I've cried a lot. Yes I miss my husband. But I've cried because this is hard. Very hard. Two babies 24/7, completely alone. But if crying gets it all out and a few minutes later I can get everything together, then I cry. Sleep time is the worst. Naps & bedtimes... Oye.
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