Happy Days

I can honestly say the last week has been pretty good,  despite the fact that it rained EVERY day from Monday through Friday. By Wednesday the kids and I were a little stir crazy (mostly I was, there's only so many things to do at home) and I decided we needed to get out despite the torrential downpour outside. So we ventured to the mall to catch up with friends, get in some walking, have a change of scenery, and ride the carousel. I even pushed nap time back a couple of hours to enjoy some more time out of the apartment! And the kids did well and avoided any major meltdowns!

I was able to have a nice afternoon hanging out with a dear friend that I don't get to see often enough. The kids were really well behaved, and Sarah was a little ham showing off every skill/word she's learned in the last year! And once the kids finally decided to go down for their nap, I was able to enjoy some adult time.

Friday night we went to see The Hunger Games, good movie, but not as great as the book. And my parents watched the kids for us, but unfortunately Andrew has decided that bottles are bad again. I have got to figure out how to get this kid to take one, or I will be forever stuck to an every two to three hour feeding schedule! It seems like every time we think we have it all under control he goes on a bottle strike again. B

Saturday was dinner with friends and let's just say that long waits at restaurants are bad when you have a group with two toddlers and an infant. Luckily I had the foresight to pack some random toys and coloring books and the weather was nice enough to let the toddlers run around outside. Eventually we all ate and made it home in one piece!

And here was our great Sunday!

This week is all about party planning and wrapping up loose ends, because somebody is turning two on Monday!!

7 Months

My littlest is officially closer to toddler-hood than being a baby. *Cue tears* Not really, because I'm not a crier, but I am a bit sad that he seems to be growing up so fast. But for now, he's still my sweet and cuddly little man.

He is constantly learning new things though and showing us just how smart and big he is getting. Here's just a little overview of the things he's doing/accomplishing.

• Says "dadadadadadadada" and "yayayayayayaya"
• Waves at us, although to be honest it looks more like an arm spasm that he has no control over, but he does it when someone waves to him. So I'm counting it.
• Gives high fives when asked most of the time. Although sometimes he just pulls your fingers close to his mouth for a quick chomp.
• LOVES  food. Solid food (cereal, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots) or nursing. He could eat all day long. 
• Still in size 3 diapers
• Wearing mostly 9 or 12 month clothes. The 9 months are getting snug so we'll be exclusively in 12 month before he's 9 months old I think.
• Rolling around like crazy. Gone are the days of an immobile baby. I think crawling is close, he sometimes inches around in an army crawl type move but it's mostly barrel rolls. (Kinda like big sister did )
• Taking 2 (sometimes 3) naps a day. I've been trying really hard to maintain a stricter nap schedule but then along came some new teeth.
• We currently are in the midst of teething hell right now. It's pretty unpredictable. One minute he's happy go lucky and the next he's a hot screaming mess! There are 5 pearly white and RAZOR sharp teeth in his mouth right now, but with the way he has been acting, more have to be coming.
• Speaking of those little teeth, he's been biting while nursing lately. NOT fun at all, and he drew blood a couple of times. So if anyone has tips on how to get him to quit that, I'd appreciate it.
• He's sitting up on his own for much longer stretches of time.
• The jumperoo is still one of his favorite things, but he gets bored faster in it now.

This little guy is so much fun and adds so much to our life. Now there are still days when I can't believe that I'm the mom of two kids and there are days when I want to pull my hair out or go cry in a corner. BUT, most of the time I feel incredibly blessed and happy to have Andrew as our son!

Water Table Fun

So since our weather has been so warm lately, I broke out the water table. It had been sitting on the patio, accumulating dirt and spiderwebs. So I drug it out washed it down and let the big girl play! She really wanted to help me with the washing of it so I let her. That led to changing her into a swimsuit and swim diaper (because her clothes and diaper were soaked) and hours of fun!

Showing off her swim"soup"

Cheese

Cutest little diaper butt ever

Loving playing in the water!

Oh hi Mommy! 

Doing dishes

By the time I convinced her to come in, she was a bit cold. Her toes, hands, and lips were blue and her nose was running like a faucet. BUT she loved every minute and cried about having to come in.

Spring Has Sprung

And I am SO loving it right now. The weather is gorgeous! It's the kind that begs for flip flops, sidewalk chalk, littles being outside swinging, yelling, running, and going down slides! And we were more than willing to oblige.  

What are these on my eyes Mom?

Much better, now I can see!

Rocking the sunglasses on the playground!

Sliding in khaki shorts after a big rain ... not a good idea. Mama had to do laundry but man did Sister have fun!

Family walk at nearly 6:00 in the evening. Thank you daylight savings for the extra hour of sunlight and  our screwy schedules!

Stopping for a water break! Doesn't she look like such a big girl?

Yummy water!

My Kiddos at 6 Months

I thought it might be neat to compare a picture of the two of them at 6 months old. 

Andrew

Sarah

Definitely some similarities, but I don't think they will be mistaken for twins. What do you think?

Spring is Coming

And with it, a lot of changes and transitions for our little family. I guess it's kind of fitting that spring is a time of change for us. I mean the outside is slowly transitioning into new life and so are we.

Our first major change is our living situation. We knew that this would be our last year in the apartment, and that we would be looking for a new place to go. But it turns out that finding a new place isn't as easy when you have two dogs, two kids, and a budget. So my parents generously offered to let us move in with them for a few months so we can save up for a down payment on a house. I am MORE than thankful that we have this option and I can see so many upsides to being there. (babysitters, home cooked meals, help with the kids, a yard, a nearby park, and so on.)

But I would be lying if I said that I welcomed this opportunity with open arms. In fact, I tried my hardest to avoid it. Why? Pride, plain and simple. I was worried about being judged by my friends and I really wanted to continue living on my own. I mean I haven't lived at home full time since before college when I was 17! But I had been praying for a house with a yard and park nearby. God answers in funny ways I guess. So while this may not have been my first choice, it is the best choice. Our family will benefit in SO many ways and I am so glad that I was able to get past my pride and see that.

With moving comes the task of packing, something that ALWAYS has and ALWAYS will stress me out. But I am learning to take it one step at a time. Ryan is so much better at handling overwhelming tasks like that. He seems to be able to look at it and see what needs to be done and how to accomplish it. All I see is a two bedroom apartment that appeared to be small but in reality has TONS of things that need to be sorted, packed, and stored away! But, like I said, I am taking it slowly and I will follow Ryan's lead on this one to try and avoid meltdowns and unneeded stress.

So besides moving (in a month!!!) we have a party to plan. My biggest will be 2 in less than a month. It's such a bittersweet thing to watch her move further away from the baby stage and into childhood. As we prepare for our move, we also have to take in to account all of her transitions. She will be moving out of her crib when we get to my parents', we'll start potty training seriously, she'll have her first hair cut, and the weaning from the pacifier will actually happen. So much to look forward to (and dread). I'm so glad we'll have help with it all.

Not to mention our little man is slowly but surely working on becoming mobile. He scoots and rolls and has made some valiant attempts at crawling. That is something I am not ready for, two mobile kids ... EEK! He's currently teething and it's a nightmare. The poor kid is cutting like 4 teeth at once. He already has 3 bottom teeth in and is working on some top ones and at least another bottom one. We're also slowly tackling solids and working on getting him to appreciate them. He has taken to oatmeal okay, but when we attempted pureed green beans, he gagged and threw up. But let's be honest, it's pureed green beans, they can't be all that yummy. But my little one is now more than halfway to a year old and I can see glimpses of the little boy he's going to become now and again. Once he starts walking and talking and eating real food I'm sure I'll wish for my tiny snuggle buddy back. Right now though, I am just enjoying watching him hit all the new milestones and experience life.

And finally one last thing. A lot of our friends are getting ready for some major life changes too. I have three friends that are currently expecting babies and for two of them, it's their first baby! I am so happy for all of them, and it's kind of nice to be on the outside looking in. I have been pregnant for the majority of the last two years, so I can be sympathetic and understanding for all of them! And I am more than excited to cuddle some tiny newborns, BUT give them back to their parents for the night! I did have a thought of how much fun it would be to be pregnant at the same time as my friends, but it was fleeting. I'm ready to be the friend who they can call at 2:00 when the baby is up and they want someone to talk to, or the one who can step in and watch the baby so Mama can get a nap or a shower!

Life is surely going to get busy soon and I am ready for it. So forgive me if my blogging is even less frequent than it has been. We have a lot to do and not much time.