Wordless Wednesday (Getting Bigger)

Christmas Time is Here

... happiness and cheer ... Name that song! Anyone?

Anyway, I'm happy to say that we are officially decorated for Christmas, inside anyway. We went to Sam's yesterday and got a good deal on some shatterproof ornaments (100 of them) and put them up on the tree. Sarah and Ryan also decked out her little tree with some pink ornaments galore! Sarah picked them out herself and I didn't have the heart to tell her to put them back. So in addition to the pink ornaments and tree skirt from last year, she has some hot pink balls for her tree now.

Sarah is absolutely enamored with the decorations. She loves looking at the tree and telling us how pretty the lights are AND she totally loves her new nativity set. Ryan's mom got her a Little People nativity to play with and she was so happy to play with it for almost an hour. (A long time for any toddler!) Although, the wise men seem to be on top of the stable a lot. But hey, it's her toy right? She can pick out baby Jesus, Mary, and Joseph when asked to. And really that's what is important. We wanted her to have a nativity set that she could touch and play with and what better way than this? I just know that the Christmas season is going to be so much more joyful and fun with a toddler around!!

Sarah's Pink tree! (Sorry crappy cell phone pic)

Sarah's new nativity set!

 I love these next two pictures!!

Sarah in front of our tree, but she thought she was in time out because Daddy kept telling her to look at the tree. Hence the next picture.

I came to sit with her so she knew she wasn't in trouble just that we wanted a neat picture. 

And The Good Times Keep Coming!!

Our holiday week has been absolutely wonderful so far. It started off with having Daddy home on Wednesday and I got to have a few (much needed) hours to myself. Ryan took the kids over to his mom's house to help prep some dishes for Thanksgiving dinner. Sarah really got a kick out of cooking with Gummi and Daddy and has been asking "mo cook-in" since then. Like I've said before, Sarah really does have a helping spirit. She enjoys helping out with cooking, cleaning, laundry, anything really! Ryan even took Andrew with him for part of my "alone" time, but as any nursing mama knows, sometimes it really is easier to just have the baby with you. Hence my LONG afternoon nap!

Thursday our  families came together for a GREAT time and YUMMY food. Seriously, we had dinner around 3:00 and we didn't leave until after 10:00! We were all just having fun chatting and catching up with one another. And then my mother in-law offered to keep Sarah overnight! It was awesome to not have to worry about the bedtime battle after a day full of eating sugar! Seriously, at one point Sarah ate straight Cool Whip out of a bowl. (Bad mom award here!) But she loved it, so I let her!

Friday was the crazy Black Friday. I ran out to Kohl's at midnight and managed to snag jeans for pretty much everyone but Andrew. (He didn't need any.) Ryan was running out of work appropriate jeans (no holes), Sarah had none that fit her anymore, and I needed another pair to go with my boots. So I braved the crowds and was able to get everyone some jeans for great prices! Oh and another reason Sarah needed jeans, she has figured out how to unbutton and unzip her one pair that does fit. That's resulted in a few instances of a pantless toddler.... Anyway, the crowds weren't too bad and I even managed to go back out later in the day (after coming home and sleeping until noon minus feeding Andrew). I had to go back out for necessities, nothing too exciting.

Oh and we decorated for Christmas on Friday! When you find yourself without your curious daughter, it's best to take advantage of that opportunity and drag out boxes and totes without having to worry about keeping her out of them! Our nativity is out. The village is set up. We have a garland up and our tree is put up but not quite fully dressed so to speak. I need to find some good shatterproof (AKA plastic) balls to use. With a toddler, we can't be too safe with decorations. I would be absolutely crushed if some of my childhood ornaments (especially ones from Kelsey) were broken, so it made more sense to get things that can't break!

I can barely wait to see what the rest of the week/weekend has in store for us! But until I update, please enjoy my babies!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving was absolutely wonderful! Ryan's parents hosted and my parents and siblings joined us there. I cannot express how great it is to not have to worry about splitting the holiday! No multiple houses to juggle, travel time to consider, or awkward family dynamics.

And in honor of my Thankful Thursday (which I didn't get a chance to post yesterday), here's a list of things I am grateful for!

1.  Sweet potato casserole
2. Finally being able to bring out the Christmas decorations
3. Grandma or Gummi (Ryan's mom) keeping Sarah overnight so we can get decorations up and Ryan can have a chance to sleep in.
4. Smoked turkey
5. Great Black Friday deals!
6. Leftovers!

And last but not least my beautiful family of four! 

Somehow Andrew managed to spit up on his outfit in the 5 minutes between getting dressed and getting the camera.
And Sarah's turkey bow is the same one from last year! Thanksgiving Last Year

Love Andrew's face and Sarah's hamming it up!

Mommy and kiddos! 

Daddy and kiddos and everyone is actually looking at the camera here!

UGH

Yesterday was quite possibly one of the worst days we have had since Andrew came home! It should have been an easy, laid back day because of MOPS. You know, because Sarah gets super tired from playing and having to get up early that she comes home and totally crashes. In fact, most of the time she barely makes it out of the parking lot before she falls asleep. But today, oh today was such a different story!

Our first problem, was how early our day began. I was up at 7:00 and had to drag Sarah out of her crib by 7:30 to make sure we had enough time for breakfast, getting our food together for MOPS, and getting all of us out the door and into the car. Now I know there are tons of mamas and kids who start their day way earlier than us EVERY SINGLE DAY, but you have to understand that Sarah has been used to sleeping until at least 9:30 for the last week or so. She was highly upset about the change in routine and more than a little grumpy/tired because of it.

And apparently she decided to show her grumpy self off to the teachers in her class today. Usually I get all kinds of comments like:
"She's so sweet"
"Sarah's a busy girl, lots of energy!"
"She sure loves to talk and laugh."

Not today. Enter problem number two! The message I was greeted with today "Sarah's had an emotional day." Great, what in the world does that mean? Well it meant that my normally cheerful toddler was a red-faced, snotty, sobbing mess. I mean she was full out bawling and making these pitiful sobbing, snorting noises. It was bad. So why wasn't I paged to come get her at some point during our meeting? Who knows. I finally got her calmed down enough to eat some lunch and boy did that drag out. We finally left church about 1:00 compared to our usual noon.

So then Sarah fell asleep just as we were pulling into the complex. SUCCESS right? Wrong! Her nap lasted about 45 minutes before she woke up with a piercing scream. I then spent the next 3 hours trying to get her back down for a nap. I begged, I pleaded, I bargained, I turned on the TV, I played music, I lost my temper. Nothing worked! I was so angry about this skipped nap and later all I could think about was why? I'm pretty sure  know I scared Sarah , because I saw the look on her face. I didn't really mean to get that upset, but all I kept thinking about was the stuff I could be doing and I was practically mourning the loss of what had become my guaranteed 3 hour naps on MOPS Mondays.

Looking back I'm sure I could have just left her in her crib for a while and gone about my chores. Enforce a quiet time even if she won't nap kind of thing. But instead I just got so angry that she was awake that I wasted what time I could have had and brooded about it. Andrew was sleeping for nearly the whole ordeal (thank god for small blessings!) but he woke up close to the time that I figured out a nap for Sarah would be pointless anyway. So for about 5 minutes I think all three of us were crying... Not a good day. Like I said, I have no idea why I was so upset about the skipped nap. I was just bound and determined that it wasn't going to be the start of a pattern and I needed to show her who was boss. All that attitude did was make everyone miserable and stressed.

So now that I've confessed what a horrible mom I was yesterday, here's my resolution for today. I'm going to forget about yesterday and deal with today with a fresh perspective. If we have nap troubles again, I'm going to try my best to deal with it better. Lucky for us we have no big plans, so I won't have to make an early wake up calls or really do anything out of the ordinary. So here's hoping it all stemmed from a routine being thrown off and nothing major like illness or what have you. And here's to grace to get through the day and patience for my children, who are my blessings even when I don't realize it.

Sunday Slowdown!

This holiday week/weekend can't came fast enough. Ryan only has to work Monday and Tuesday of this week and then he's home for the next several days, which means EXTRA hands at home with the kids! I'm going to be honest, this weekend and last weekend have just been horribly busy! Like run around like a chicken with your head cut off, crazy! We had baby showers, family in town, fevers/flu,(that was last weekend, two baby showers in one weekend when you're feeling sub par was brutal!) planning meetings for MOPS, a fundraiser for my dad's campaign, baking, and another MOPS meeting.

Instead of feeling refueled and recharged at the end of the weekend, I've been feeling drained and just beat! That in turn has made me short with the kids and grumpy with Ryan. I am ready to just have a few days where nothing big is expected of me and I can have some time to just enjoy my little family and maybe have family nap time too! So here's to a good holiday and some good time to relax. Or maybe I'll decide to go Black Friday shopping instead ....

3 Months Old

Andrew is 3 months old today and life is great with him. He could quite possibly be the happiest and easiest baby I've ever met. He's all smiles, eats like a champ, and consistently sleeps through the night!

So here are Andrew's stats and a few things about him

• At his appointment on Monday he weighed 13 lbs 6.5 oz
• He wears size two diapers
• Our big guy is in 6 month clothing!! There are some 3-6 month pieces that he can wear, but we tried to put a sleeper on him the other day that was a 3-6 month size and we couldn't fasten the top buttons because his neck wouldn't fit. 
• Andrew smiles ALL the time. Seriously he loves smiling and has even started laughing at some things. He loves it when I poke his nose and cheeks. I love hearing his laughter.
• Our feedings are about every 2 1/2 hours during the day.
• I feel like one of the most rested mamas to small kiddos! Andrew sleeps from about 10-6, then wants a snack (5 minutes tops), and sleeps until 9:30 or 10:00. And lucky for me, Sarah hasn't been waking up until then too!
• The swing is still Andrew's favorite hang out spot. He naps there, plays there, and just chills out in there when I have to get some stuff done.
• He frequently turns tummy time into nap time, which I find pretty funny. I mean seriously, he's supposed to be working on upper body muscles and instead he's sleeping. But he does have great head control.
• Our struggle with acid reflux is getting so much easier. He's not throwing up as much these days and even when he does it's usually not a lot. But usually about once a week or week and a half we have an exorcist moment! And Andrew usually waits until Mama is holding to completely empty the contents of his stomach. But at least he's not as uncomfortable as he used to be!
• He's a generally laid back and happy kid. He prefers to kind of watch things (especially ceiling fans) and doesn't really need to be right in the middle of stuff. 
• This big guy is a snuggle bug! I love cuddling with him and taking naps with him. I absolutely adore the fact that Andrew wants to be snuggled, because I feel like Sarah never wanted to be held. The only problem with snuggling Andrew is that after a while he gets a little heavy!
• After three months, I can't believe how much I love this little boy! I know that I was so worried about loving him like I do Sarah and having enough of me to go around for my kids. But my worries were for nothing, because I have plenty of love for BOTH of my littles!

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm going to take the time to be grateful for the little things in life. You know, those small things that put a smile on your face, but maybe you take for granted.

1) Bath and Body Works Holiday soaps. Ryan and I took the kids out last night to pick out some soaps and I LOVE how they smell. My mother in-law brought me one over the weekend and I just HAD to go out and get more. So now, when I wash my hands after the 5th poopy diaper in a row, I'll smile because it smells good. At least that's the idea.

2) Netflix! I cannot tell you how much I appreciate Netflix. I need to write a letter thanking them for keeping Blue's Clues, Sesame Street, and Dinosaur Train on instant stream!! Sometimes Netflix saves the day when Sarah is in an extremely foul mood. Turn it on and BAM Elmo saves the day!

3) Home cooked meals! I got a great recipe for chicken lasagna rolls from a friend and made some for dinner and froze some for dinner when we have nothing to eat later!

4) Watching Sarah help me bake yesterday! It totally warmed my heart and she was SO excited to help Mama out! She has such a helping spirit and I need to be more mindful of it. Too often I'd rather do it myself to save time or a mess. But the look on her face when I let her beat eggs was priceless! So to go along with this one, baked goods!

5) Naps. I take one nearly everyday when my kids do. Somehow I lucked out in the nap department. Sarah has started to take a consistent 2 1/2 - 3 hour nap and Andrew usually sleeps for most of that nap too! It's  what keeps me fueled for the evening and helps me be in a better mood (usually) for Ryan when he gets home.

And to put a smile on your face ...

My happy boy!

My baking girl. All she needs is a chef hat!

Monday Mind Dump

1. I love the cooler weather, but I am not a fan of the illnesses that seem to fly around during this time of year. We've already had one hospitalization, two fevers, several runny noses, a couple of coughs, and some congestion. No fun!
2. I am so glad Andrew is healthy again! Having an infant in the hospital is SUPER scary and stressful. The sight of his tiny little body strapped to a stretcher isn't something I'll be forgetting anytime soon. Or the image of his little head with the IV port in it.
3. I wish I knew of more indoor play places/opportunities for the kiddos. Pretty soon the weather is going to get cold and stay that way and I would love to have a handful of places to rotate through so Sarah doesn't get too bored. Everyone knows that home isn't fun after a day or so.
4. I desperately want to figure out a way to not spend a fortune at the grocery store and STILL have nothing to eat. I swear things are getting so expensive these days, it would just be easier to order in everyday.  I was going to say it would be easier to eat out, but with two small kids that's probably not true.
5. I love Christmas music and I was disappointed that our radio stations decided not to start on November 1st this year. They did it last year and I LOVED it, but I guess too many other people thought it was too soon.
6. I think I am in need of  a few cooking lessons sometime in the near future. Or at least some new recipes. I want Sarah to start eating what we do, so I don't have to keep an endless supply of hot dogs on hand. Maybe some new recipes would help with that. But who knows for sure?
7. Oh and as soon as it gets to about 50 degrees or so and stays there for more than one day. I am going to get a hazelnut hot chocolate from anywhere BUT Starbucks. (Not a fan of the bittersweet chocolate they use.) Doesn't it just sound yummy??
8. I need to stock up on baking supplies so I can get some cookies and breads started for the holidays!

Thankful Thursday

Today is an interesting Thursday to list what I am grateful for. We have been at the hospital with Andrew since about 10:45(ish) last night. He spiked a pretty high fever (102.5) and because he was so young he had to go to the ER. Babies never get sick during regular office hours, do they? Anyway, after being at the ER for about 3 hours we were transported via ambulance (talk about scary, seeing your newborn strapped onto a stretcher) to the local children's hospital where he has been doing really well.

So what am I thankful for this Thursday?

1. My husband. When he hasn't been here with me, he's been at home with Sarah taking care of her. He is such a great support and understands that sometimes this mama just needs to let off some steam/anxiety and he takes it in stride. He also sat in a recliner all night holding our son so I could get a couple of hours of sleep. Talk about a great man
2. My mom and sister. They met me at the ER so I wouldn't have to be there alone while Andrew was poked and prodded and my mom was the one who thought to ask the doctors questions.
3. My mother in-law. She came and sat with Sarah overnight so that Ryan could come be with me here at the hospital when the worst of things were going on and I needed him. 
4. My friend Jamie. She's totally awesome! My sister's baby shower is this weekend and I have cupcakes to make for it, and she graciously took on that task for me so I can just rest and be with Andrew. Honestly she's totally amazing and I am so blessed to have her in my life.
5. The awesome transport team who took care of Andrew while he was in the ambulance. They were so competent and nice that I hardly worried at all while we were en route to the children's hospital. (I was praying for a safe ride there the whole time and thankfully God heard!)
6. The nurses, doctors, and all other medical staff that have been helping my poor baby. I'm happy to say that when he's been awake today, it's been mostly smiles and coos. That's despite the fact that he has an IV in his head and about 4 different wires connected to him to monitor his heart, oxygen levels and so on.
7. MY SON! I have never been more grateful to have this baby than the last few hours when I saw him so sick! He's been a trooper through all the needle sticks and the poking and prodding. Right now he's napping in his hospital crib and looks absolutely peaceful!

Wordless Wednesday

Thankful Thursday

Since Thanksgiving will be here before I know it, I thought it would be more than appropriate to continue with "Thankful Thursday" this month. So here's what I'm thankful for today.

1. My marriage! It may not be perfect, but it's good. My husband loves me and I love him. We are working hard to model a good relationship for our kids, and I can only hope that the example we set helps them in their choices of spouses later in life.
2. My kids. I know there are times when I write about how crazy my kiddos are making me and how tough life is. The truth is though, my life is so much better because they are here. I cannot imagine what I'd be doing if they weren't here. I'm so much happier and more loving because of them.
3. Fall and everything that comes with it. I love the trees changing colors, the leaves on the ground (especially the crunchy ones), the great drinks (pumpkin spice, apple cider, hot chocolate), the cooler weather/wind, cool weather clothes, and the time I get to spend with family with the upcoming holidays!
4. My warm place to call home and good food to eat! I know I complain about apartment life, but at least I have a home. While it may not be my dream place, it's in a safe neighborhood, isn't run down, and it's where my family is.
5. Yoga pants ... they're comfy and they fit all the time. From pre-pregnancy, during pregnancy, to postpartum. Yoga pants are just great!

19 Months Old

Sarah is 19 months old today and I am so NOT okay with it. I mean, when I realized that this was her 19th month, I had to take a few deep breaths. Now before you label me crazy, let me explain!

19 months is closer to TWO than it is to one. And let's be honest, I'm not ready for a two year old. Two is farther away from that little baby I brought home and closer to a big kid! Logically I know she has to grow up, and believe me she knows it too. She's always discovering something new and she surprises me almost every day with some new word. But when I look at her I still see more baby than kid, and I think I want it to stay that way.

I wish I could freeze time and keep her at this fun age forever. I love watching her learn and interacting with her. I love that she thinks she's such a big girl, but the second she gets scared, sick, or hurt, it's Mama to the rescue. I don't ever want her to get too big that I can't snuggle with her or sneak her onto the couch with me for a nap. Like I said, logically I know it has to happen, but emotionally my mama heart isn't ready for a two year old. At least I still have 5 more months to prepare.

Okay go ahead and label me crazy, because if I already have these whacky emotions about her NOT being two, I'm gonna lose it at kindergarten. Don't get me started on anything beyond that...

Isn't this face just great?!

Happy November!

First off it's November already! Seriously, how did that happen? I swear I was pregnant yesterday and it was like 105 degrees out right? Or it could just be that I think time is flying way too fast again, who knows for sure. Speaking of weather though, our high for the day is in the upper 70's (did I mention it's November) but tomorrow we have a chance of snow?! You tell me how that works...

Anyway, Halloween is over. And I think I'm glad it is. We don't have very many kid-friendly neighborhoods in our area/family's area. I'm talking 3 lights on in the whole street... so we had to do safe indoor trick or treating. Bummer. But Sarah managed to get a good haul that I can steal from, I mean, she can eat until the New Year. And she really seemed to enjoy herself. She was so excited to go to the mall to "shoppy for candy". She's gonna be a shopper when she's older, I can feel it. Oh and she learned to say sucker, which is way adorable when she does.

Here's a few photos of our Princess and her Frog!

So now that we've celebrated the end of October, I'm ready for November and all the chilly winds, good food, and family it will bring!