Explain this to a 2 year old!

This year Elias really notices all of the Halloween decorations and stuff in all the stores and houses. He has started to become scared of skulls, masks, witches, etc. Part of his fear has to do with the fact that Gus put on a very scary mask one day in Party City that made Elias literally try to jump out of the shopping cart. Now when he sees a skull or something scary he says "mask, mask!". When he started to show fear towards these things I told him that we don't have to be scared. We can just say "In the name of Jesus, I'm not scared". I have said this to him over and over again. I thought it would be a good way for him to learn to call upon the name of the Lord when he is scared. Turns out I am not so sure he understands. Now EVERY TIME he sees something scary he screams out "Jesus! Jesus!". Down the aisles of Walmart and Target I hear "Jesus! Jesus!". Passing Halloween decorations while driving I hear "Jesus! Jesus!". Looking at the Judgment set at the church I hear "Jesus! Jesus!". I am not sure if he is really calling upon the name of the Lord, or if he thinks those things represent Jesus. I think I need to work on clarifying the matter to him. I've had to explain this subject to many people that have heard his exclamations of Jesus as we pass Halloween decorations. It is not easy to explain things to a 2 year old!

Elias Update

-We had Elias' 2 year checkup, and of course he is a happy and healthy boy! He is only 26 pounds (which is in the 23 percentile) but is 36 inches tall (which is the 90th percentile).
-He has become rather obsessed with pumpkins after our visit to the pumpkin farm. He points them out everywhere we go.
-His speech has just exploded in the last few weeks. He has really began to use full sentences all the time, rather than just occasionally. He is growing so fast! I think I am finally ready for another baby, but we still plan to wait another year.

There are so many other things that have happened lately, but this happens to be a very busy time of year for us, so it's all I can do!

Elias is two!

Elias turned 2 today. 2 years has flown by, and we have enjoyed this little boy so much. I decided to finally write out his birth story. It is very long, and I wrote it not so much for others to read but for my own records. I don't want to forget even the painful details of that day! Don't worry, it is not graphic.

I was scheduled to go to the hospital to be induced on October 4. We got to the hospital about 9pm to get things started. I had been on bed rest for 2 weeks because I was showing signs of preeclampsia. One symptom was that my blood pressure was a little high. However, my blood pressure was perfect the entire time I was in labor. Anyway, as the nurse (who was WONDERFUL) put my IV in I began to have a slight panic attack. I HATE needles. It actually made Elias’ heart rate drop a little. After we both recovered everything was fine. At about 11 pm they gave me something to prepare my cervix for labor. When I went to be induced I was not dilated at all, and my cervix was not effaced. My body was showing NO signs of labor. My chances of having a vaginal birth were not really high considering my body had done nothing on its own to prepare for labor. So about 11 pm they give me a drug to prepare my body for labor. I sleep fairly well until about 6 am, and then I began to feel cramping. At about 8 am my doctor comes and breaks my water and starts me on pitocen. Things begin progressing well, and the pain is not too bad. About 11 am I get a shot of some drug that took away the pain, but it made me feel very loopy. I got another shot about noon, but it did not work. At that point I asked for the epidural. The anesthesiologist came in the room with a great air of arrogance and acted as though I was an inconvenience. As he begins to place the epidural I feel cramping in my back and say “ouch”. He replies with “You feel that? You are not supposed to feel that”. Very comforting. He has some trouble, but finally gets it placed correctly. I anxiously wait for the pain to magically disappear. I continue to wait and NOTHING happens. The pain does not disappear or even fade a little. He comes back in and tries to readjust it with no success. Then, the head anesthesiologist comes in and does it all over again. At this point I am freaking out a little, because I want the pain to end. Gus ends up getting stressed and almost faints. That actually made me laugh a little even though I was hurting. Long story short, the epidural only numbs my right leg. A lot of good that does. I feel EVERY single contraction. Due to the pitocen they are long and very strong. I have a breakdown and begin to say that I can’t do this. I really start FREAKING out. It was so very painful. After a good 20 minutes of this I finally buckle down and tell myself that I HAVE to do this. It will be painful, but I have to get through it. Honestly in that moment seeing my mom in the room gave me such strength. She had 2 out of her 4 labors without drugs, and she was still alive! At that point I knew I would not die. (Yes the thought of death crossed my mind. I was also about to request a c-section.) Through it all Gus and my mom were so great. I could not have made it without them both there. With every contraction I would grip the bar of the bed and begin to pray in the Holy Spirit. It was the only thing I knew to do. I had NOT prepared for natural childbirth. I could hear Gus and my mom praying too. Finally right at 4pm the nurse told me I could start pushing. What a relief! Pushing actually gave me relief from the contractions. I pushed for 38 minutes, and then our sweet baby boy was here! I could not believe that I had just given birth to him. I could not believe that I was holding my son! It was overwhelming to say the least. He was perfect in every way. Praise God! The pain (and complete agony) were absolutely worth the reward of having him!