2 – 8 – 12 – 32

2: My firstborn son will be TWO in just two days. He’s so much fun right now but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss my little baby. He’s still very much a baby in many ways, but those baby-like things are quickly disappearing. For example, one day he was a paci-obsessed baby and the next day, when it broke, that was it. No more paci. And suddenly I’M the one saying we should get him a new one, because I already miss what he looked like with it in his mouth.

8: The hubs and I celebrated 8 years of marriage last week. We didn’t get each other cards, but I surprised him with a new PC and he surprised me with bronze earrings (bronze being the traditional 8 year gift and the PC running Windows 8) .

12: My 12 weeks of maternity leave are just about up. I’ve loved having this time with all of my boys and I’m going to miss them something fierce during the day, but I’m excited to take on new professional challenges too. Just trying to savor these last few days. And with BOTH of our families in town this week, it won’t be restful or relaxing, but definitively a lot of fun.

32: I turned 32 yesterday. Two of my grandpa’s favorite things were horse racing and Cardinals baseball, so it’s no coincidence that I spent the afternoon at the race track and the evening at Busch Stadium. From beginning to end, it was an awesome birthday. (Photos on Instagram: @missliz27)

It started with donuts and coffee, which is always the best way to start any day. Then our family of 4 and my parents piled into our car to head to the race track. The first race I bet on, I won. (Lucky number 7.) I won two more out of the 8 races, so not too shabby. D loved watching the horses and would clap for them as they went by. Once we returned home, we only had about and hour before it was time for the hubs and I to head to the game. It was a big one too. Cards v. Yankees and Derek Jeter’s last season before retirement. I paid extra to get the all inclusive seats and it was so worth it. The Cards won 6-0, which was just awesome. After the game, we checked out the new Ballpark Village before my boobs told us it was time to go home. (The woes of breast feeding.) And the boys even took it easy on my parents while we were at the game so hopefully they’ll be willing to babysit again sometime.

So that’s what’s new with me. How about you?

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Mother’s Day 2014

Is it just me or has Mother’s Day become this insane competition to see whose husband/kids can come up with the best brunch, gifts, and excursions? Even my husband admitted that Mother’s Day is  “a lot of pressure” because we’re all bombarded with advertisements that essentially guilt everyone into making sure they appreciate all the mothers in their lives, and do it better than everyone else.

On the other hand, as the recipient of all of this appreciation, I guess I shouldn’t be complaining. Despite the stress it causes him, my husband always goes above and beyond. I’ve already told the boys, jokingly of course, that they’re going to have a hard time living up to the Mother’s Days that their daddy gives to me.

This year, I woke up to the smell of bacon, coffee, and blueberry waffles.  But before I could even come downstairs, the hubs sent D into the bedroom with a card. On the inside, a little blue handprint (D’s) and a little blue footprint (Sam’s). So cute.

Downstairs on the table was a lovely display of breakfast, flowers, a framed pic of the boys, and a box full of my favorite goodies – chips, hard apple cider, cookie dough ice cream, Dove chocolates, and Food Network magazine.

After breakfast and showers, we attempted to head to Grant’s Farm even though we both had a hunch it would be insanely crowded, much like the zoo was last year when we went. When we saw the line of cars just trying to park in the main lot, we turned around and headed to the Frisco Train Store instead. Of course, once we got there, the sign on the door said they would be closed for Mother’s Day, so we headed to the Transportation Museum. Third time’s a charm as the parking lot was pretty much empty! Score! We paid our entrance fees and bought our train tickets and $28 later we were finally on our way to an enjoyable afternoon. What is it about trains that can keep little ones occupied for hours? D had a blast! The auto exhibit was less exciting for him, but still pretty interesting to us.

 

After the museum, we went to a new-to-us restaurant in the area where I had the most delicious buffalo chicken sliders. Fortunately, both boys behaved themselves, right up until we were paying the check. Sam started getting fussy and D yelled at the top of his lungs, which turned almost every head in the joint. That was our cue (and also why we don’t eat out much anymore). Of course, neither one made a peep the entire way home. Kids, man.

The rest of the evening was pretty typical. A little afternoon mimosa for me and a couch nap for the hubs. Later, we spent about an hour hanging out in the backyard. D started pointing at the sky and it took us a minute before we realized he was pointing at the moon. Little guy discovered the moon for the first time! So cute. Overall a pretty fantastic day with my little family that I’m so lucky to call mine.

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How I Feel – Newborn Edition

When it’s the end of nap time, but I manage to squeeze in a shower without the baby waking up.

What I imagine my husband is thinking when he sees me wearing the same nursing tanks and PJ pants day after day after day.

But when I attempt to put on real clothes, this happens:

When I finally take a shower and the baby spits up in my hair 15 minutes later.

 

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Two Months

 

Weight/Length:  At his 2 month checkup, little man was 11lbs 6oz and 22.5 inches long. A little on the small side but his appointment was also a week and a half early.

Sleep: Goes down around 9pm, wakes around 3am for a feeding, and goes back down until about 7:30 or 8. Technically, he’s sleeping through the night since 6 hr stretches are considered “sleeping through the night” but in my world? I need 8-10 hrs. I’ve gotten a few 7 hr stretches here and there, but nothing consistent. Hoping that changes next month.

Feeding: We’re still nursing every 3-5 hrs, even though I considered throwing in the towel several times those first 6 weeks. I still pump 2-3 times a day too. All of it is getting easier, but it still runs my life at the moment so EVERYTHING is scheduled around feedings/pumping.

Firsts This Month: First Easter, first trip to church, first Mother’s Day and best of all FIRST REAL SMILE! He’s been smiling since birth, but this month was the first time he smiled in reaction to our faces/voices. Baby smiles are the best!

Developments:  He’s already outgrown his newborn clothes and diapers, so we’re in 0-3 month clothes and size 1 diapers now. He’s getting better head control and can follow objects around the room so I know his eyes are focusing better too. He’s finally cooing and making sounds at us too.

Likes: Much like this brother, Sam gets bored if he’s in one room too much. If he’s fussy but not hungry or tired, it’s typically because he’s bored and the easiest cure is to just take him outside. Works every time.

Dislikes:  He’s tolerating diaper changes now without screaming, thank goodness. And doesn’t really mind clothing changes either. But his biggest pet peeve? Hiccups. And being bored.

What I’m Thankful For: Earlier this month, D came down with a fever followed by a cold, which he then shared with his daddy and myself. We ended up getting sinus infections and I was terrified Sam would catch it and end up in the hospital since he’s so young still. Fortunately, the worst thing he had was a runny nose. I still can’t believe he didn’t get as sick as the rest of us and I’m SO THANKFUL!

What I’m Looking Forward To:  Baby laughs. I can’t remember exactly when D started laughing, but I can’t wait to start making this little guy laugh. Sometimes he’ll laugh in his sleep and it’s the cutest thing.

How Mommy’s Doing: GREAT! Looking back at those first few weeks post c-section, I honestly didn’t think I’d ever heal enough to be able to walk upright, let alone start jogging again. Yet, here I am, already attempting the couch-to-5K program. My gut is still ridiculously huge and I’m about 2 dress/pants sizes bigger at the moment but I’m trying to not let that get me down. I know I still need to clean up my diet because it’s out of control. (I need a cookie butter intervention. And a soda intervention. And a cinnamon roll intervention. And an ice cream intervention. And…see my point?) But body image issues aside, I’m really happy right now. I love spending time with my boys and husband and wouldn’t trade this time for anything. I’m FINALLY having the maternity leave I dreamed about. Too bad I only have a few weeks left.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Many Faces of Sam

Wanna know the number one cure for a bad mood? A baby’s smile. It’s true. I mean, just look at this face!

See? Don’t you feel better?

Happy Friday!

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How I Feel

When ALL the dirty dishes are in the dishwasher, but I find a dirty sippy cup 15 minutes after hitting start.

When both boys are napping at the same time.

When the toddler dumps out ALL of his blocks.

When I workout for the first time in almost a year, yet this is what I expect to happen:

 

 

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23 Months

I can’t believe that in less than a month, my little man is going to be TWO! Only one more of these updates to go. EEK!

Weight: Surprisingly, he’s still hovering just under 27 lbs and about 34 inches tall.

Sleep: Things got worse before they got better. First, we started the month with middle-of-the-night wakeups which always resulted in him coming to our bed. Then his daddy made the mistake of taking a nap or two with him when he was sick and suddenly EVERY nap became a battle to get him to go down in his crib. Same with bedtime. Lots of crying. We finally had to do a modified CIO method which involved a new bedtime routine of bath, jammies, putting Sam in his crib and reading to him (to show D that Sam was going to bed too) and then finally reading a book to D and putting him in his crib. We’re a few nights in now and that routine seems to work. And by some miracle, it’s also stopped the middle-of-the-night wakeups too. So we’ll stick with this until it no longer works.

Foods: Nothing new. Still a picky eater.

Developments: His new favorite phrase is “Oh no!” And he uses it in proper context, which is super cute. He also knows his colors, some numbers (1-4), and most letters. It’s getting him to SAY them that’s the challenge.

Firsts This Month: Nothing of note.

Likes: Current favorite things are: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse & Little Einsteins (STILL), ice cream & fruit, and being outside.

Favorite Songs: Nothing new this month, but we’ve been revisiting old favorites such as “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” (Hawaii guy version) and it’s still his favorite song of all time.

Favorite Toys: He’s been pretty obsessed with his bead maze this month. He plays with it every single day, multiple times a day.

Dislikes: His biggest tantrums occur when he’s trying to do something and can’t. Yesterday, he was trying to close the bathroom door but he wasn’t strong enough to pull it shut so what did he do? Sat down and banged his head on the floor. Toddlers, man.

What I’m Thankful For: That D has adjusted so well to his little brother. Most of the time, he just ignores him, but when he does take notice, he’s always kind and gentle. Well, except for when he’s trying to point out all of Sam’s body parts and tries to put his finger in his eye. I’ve had to stop asking “where’s Sam’s eye?” when asking him to show me all the other body parts. Same goes for me, too. I’ve ended up with far too many toddler fingers in my eyes.

What I’m Looking Forward To: As much as I want to keep my little boys little forever, I’m excited for D to turn two. One of the best aspects of being a parent is watching our little ones grow and learn new things.

How Mommy’s Doing: Tired and battling a nasty sinus infection, thanks to a cold virus that D caught a couple of weeks ago and passed around to the entire family. (Did I say he’s a giving child? Because he is.) I haven’t started working out yet, but as soon as I kick this sickness, I plan to start. (And after I indulge in the donuts the hubs just went out and bought.) I’ve been so thankful to have the hubs home during my maternity leave, but part of me feels like we haven’t really taken advantage of the time like we should have. Shouldn’t we take a little trip somewhere? Shouldn’t we be going on adventures around town every day? We haven’t even been to the zoo once this year. Our days are usually just spent at home, feeding two little ones, changing diapers, putting them down for naps, and going through bedtime routines. Moments that we’re not doing those things are spent catching up on laundry, doing the dishes, feeding ourselves, grocery shopping, and showering. On a good day, if the weather is nice and the timing works out, we go to the park for some fresh air, but even that’s not an everyday occurrence. Still, even though the days can be pretty monotonous, I’m grateful for the time and the cuddles with my little family. One can never get enough cuddles. Well, maybe D can, but that’s why mommy had another baby. So she can get more cuddles. :)

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