The little guy is now a month old, although it feels like he's always been a part of our family. It's been interesting to see the similarities and differences so far between him and his big sister.
How they are alike-
The face! Everyone keeps remarking how much he resembles L as a newborn. My friend LEBean says that she and I are just able to make the same kind of baby.
Nursing has been easy and so far, both have been fine taking a bottle. Since I'll be going back to work in a month, I'm praying this will continue.
If we're out, he'll be asleep most of the time, except when he's hungry (about every 2 and a half hours). He's definitely the easier child to take out in public right now.
They both are good escape artists with the swaddle blankets, although L was able to get out of them a little earlier on.
Loves the ceiling fan, even if it isn't moving.
How they are different-
At night L slept in the swing from about day 3; her little brother prefers to snuggle and sleep with us, but we're transitioning to the vibrating chair and he's been sleeping for longer stretches at night in it. He tolerates the swing off and on during the day. Big sis likes to adjust the speed and music for him,
He spits up more. It doesn't seem to bother him, but I have to keep the burp cloths accessible all the time to save our clothes. His eyes are bigger than his stomach, like his father.
He is taking a pacifier a lot earlier, although he does like the same kind big sis did. He's also a big fan of his fingers. He was actually born with a callus from sucking on them in utero.
We think his eyes are turning blue, and his hair is coming in blonde! L's hair didn't lighten until after a year.
Overall I'd say our family of 4 is adjusting well. Things take a lot longer to get done around the house with 2 munchkins to feed, keep in clean diapers/Pull-ups, clothes and also happy. This post, for example, was started 2 and a half days ago, and Christmas decorations took a few days to get put up and then a week for the storage boxes to be put away. I've gotten lucky and both will occasionally be napping at the same time; then it's the big decision-do I sleep/relax or try to get a task completed? About half the time, dozing on the couch while Property Brothers plays in the background wins.
Monday, December 8, 2014
Thursday, November 13, 2014
First Week
At this time last week we were headed home from the birthing center with our SON! November 6 was a whirlwind day.
I woke up to my alarm, set to get ready for an early morning at work but instead starting having contractions. My doula arrived around 8 and by 9:30 we left for the birthing center, my husband saying Hail Marys the whole way up. My 10:31 I was holding a baby, in shock that it was already over, given the munchkin had me in labor for a full day. Then we decided to check the sex of the baby and were in even more shock to find out the sonographer was wrong back in July. Fortunately my doula is expecting a son and lives a few minutes away from the birthing center so she lent us some clothes so the little guy didn't have to go home in a Daddy's Girl sleeper. After skin to skin time, stitches, lunch, a fabulous herbal bath and multiple checking of the baby's vitals we were headed home, 5 hours after birth as expected. I am so grateful that God answered my prayers for this delivery experience. It has been so nice to recover at home.
I am loving being a hermit, watching Netflix that isn't Daniel Tiger (currently watching an Anthony Bourdain series), not wearing any makeup, and staying in pajamas all day. My mom and husband have been wonderful help and big sister is adjusting really well and loves her baby brudder. Friends and family have been super generous, buying and sharing TONS of clothes, bringing meals, and sending flowers.
Our little man is an easy baby, as long as he's fed he's happy, but once he decides he's hungry I've got about 2 seconds before he turns tomato red! Nursing has been going well overall but I forgot how tiring it is to do it so frequently. I'm taking advantage of the extra help to get a nap in during the day. My hubby and I are so much more relaxed this time around; taking care of someone so small really does come back to you like my friends said it would. Continue to keep us in your prayers!
I woke up to my alarm, set to get ready for an early morning at work but instead starting having contractions. My doula arrived around 8 and by 9:30 we left for the birthing center, my husband saying Hail Marys the whole way up. My 10:31 I was holding a baby, in shock that it was already over, given the munchkin had me in labor for a full day. Then we decided to check the sex of the baby and were in even more shock to find out the sonographer was wrong back in July. Fortunately my doula is expecting a son and lives a few minutes away from the birthing center so she lent us some clothes so the little guy didn't have to go home in a Daddy's Girl sleeper. After skin to skin time, stitches, lunch, a fabulous herbal bath and multiple checking of the baby's vitals we were headed home, 5 hours after birth as expected. I am so grateful that God answered my prayers for this delivery experience. It has been so nice to recover at home.
I am loving being a hermit, watching Netflix that isn't Daniel Tiger (currently watching an Anthony Bourdain series), not wearing any makeup, and staying in pajamas all day. My mom and husband have been wonderful help and big sister is adjusting really well and loves her baby brudder. Friends and family have been super generous, buying and sharing TONS of clothes, bringing meals, and sending flowers.
Our little man is an easy baby, as long as he's fed he's happy, but once he decides he's hungry I've got about 2 seconds before he turns tomato red! Nursing has been going well overall but I forgot how tiring it is to do it so frequently. I'm taking advantage of the extra help to get a nap in during the day. My hubby and I are so much more relaxed this time around; taking care of someone so small really does come back to you like my friends said it would. Continue to keep us in your prayers!
Saturday, September 6, 2014
30 months and 30 weeks
The munchkin is officially 2 and a half today. The way she acts and talks you'd think she's much older. It's fascinating to watch her figure things out and convey what she's thinking. She knows her colors, if she sees letters calls them "ABCs". She'll occasionally count "123" and can identify a few shapes. She loves going on bike rides with her daddy to the playground, coloring, reading books, and watching Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. She's still in gymnastics once a week and other parents often comment on how strong she is and how well she can do the little routines (when she wants to follow directions). She started Parent's Day Out this week and didn't even look back when we dropped her off. We're really excited to see how much more she'll learn from being there, one that we're hoping for is potty training. This summer ended up being so busy (I worked all of June, then we visited family most of July) that I couldn't get into a consistent routine, but even so, the interest isn't quite there yet.
Her little sister is 30 weeks along. I found out I was pregnant 2 days before the munchkin's birthday and got her a Big Sister shirt to open as my way to announce it to her daddy. This pregnancy has been thankfully uneventful, but the first trimester was tougher than I remember it being before. I wasn't working full time or chasing a toddler before so the nasuea and fatigue was especially rough. We made the decision to deliver at a birthing center this time, so we're praying that this will be another smooth (and hopefully shorter!) labor without any complications that would require a hospital stay. The munchkin is excited about being a big sister and kisses my belly and talks to the baby. We've been reading books and encouraging her to take good care of her baby dolls to try and prepare her. The office is now being taken over by baby stuff but we're so grateful for the generosity of friends and family to share things with us. My co-workers have been great about making sure I don't push myself too much or carry heavy things. The comments and questions from students are pretty cute, too.
We'll see if there's another post before the baby comes!
Her little sister is 30 weeks along. I found out I was pregnant 2 days before the munchkin's birthday and got her a Big Sister shirt to open as my way to announce it to her daddy. This pregnancy has been thankfully uneventful, but the first trimester was tougher than I remember it being before. I wasn't working full time or chasing a toddler before so the nasuea and fatigue was especially rough. We made the decision to deliver at a birthing center this time, so we're praying that this will be another smooth (and hopefully shorter!) labor without any complications that would require a hospital stay. The munchkin is excited about being a big sister and kisses my belly and talks to the baby. We've been reading books and encouraging her to take good care of her baby dolls to try and prepare her. The office is now being taken over by baby stuff but we're so grateful for the generosity of friends and family to share things with us. My co-workers have been great about making sure I don't push myself too much or carry heavy things. The comments and questions from students are pretty cute, too.
We'll see if there's another post before the baby comes!
Friday, March 14, 2014
The Puppy Pawty
For the munchkin's second birthday party I decided on a puppy theme, because she loves all dogs (no, she did not get one as a present). Like last year, I relied on Pinterest and people much more talented than me to put it all together.
This was the banner on the front door, and we had a "Happy Birthday" sign over the food.
I used vases and some clearance tennis balls from Target and collars from Dollar Tree to decorate the tables.
Here is the cake! My friend used a rectangular cake and cupcakes to turn it into a dog bone. We even had enough pieces left over to make a little smash cake for her (which she didn't smash, just ate the icing).
My wonderful sister-in-law made the cupcakes. She used Junior Mints for the big part of the paw print, which I thought was so clever!
The dessert table also had Puppy Chow, of course.
We grilled hotdogs with all the fixings, and had the fruit served in dog bowls.
These were the treat bags everyone took home. Found dog bone shaped cookie cutters on Amazon and baked sugar cookies and included a couple of puppy stickers.
We were blessed with beautiful weather and had a great day celebrating with family and friends.
Guess who's 2?
Our munchkin turned 2 a little over a week ago, so an update is in order about her.
Praise God first because she's healthy. Still on the short side, wearing 18 month pants and onesies comfortably but her belly means she wears 24 months/2T shirts (which isn't the same size, I learned). She's overall still a good eater but cheese, fruit, and ice cream are definitely her favorites.
What she likes-
Water! She asks for baths all the time. Every time we pass by a fountain she has to stop and put her hands in the water. Then she touches the water to her forehead, like she's blessing herself before going into Mass.
Being outside. We spend lots of time in the backyard and taking advantage of our Arboretum membership. Lately she has been trying to look for bugs. She likes to ride on her new bicycle, can throw and kick a ball, and is doing better about drawing with the sidewalk chalk instead of eating it.
Climbing. The kid has no fear at the playground, or at home. She is loving gymnastics class and has become a very good jumper.
Babies. Thanks to some friends who have had babies recently, she is getting lots of opportunities to hold them. If we're out and she sees a stroller or bucket carseat, she has to go say hi to the baby.
Reading books. Spot, Todd Parr's books, and the series that started with "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" are her current favorites.
Saying no. Sometimes it's pleasant, other times it's very emphatic.
It's really neat to see her vocabulary expanding. If you ask her what color something is, she'll almost always say it's blue, although she can say the names of the other colors. She will identify two of something without being prompted and will say "ABC" as well. She has her animals and the sounds they make down.
I am waiting until summer to tackle potty training, and as long as she doesn't try to climb out of her crib, we're keeping her in it (hope I didn't just jinx it). She's definitely starting to assert her will but most of the time, distraction will keep us from a temper tantrum. Everyone told us it would go by so fast and it really has. Sometimes I look at her and am just amazed at how big she is. We are grateful for every day we have with her.
Praise God first because she's healthy. Still on the short side, wearing 18 month pants and onesies comfortably but her belly means she wears 24 months/2T shirts (which isn't the same size, I learned). She's overall still a good eater but cheese, fruit, and ice cream are definitely her favorites.
What she likes-
Water! She asks for baths all the time. Every time we pass by a fountain she has to stop and put her hands in the water. Then she touches the water to her forehead, like she's blessing herself before going into Mass.
Being outside. We spend lots of time in the backyard and taking advantage of our Arboretum membership. Lately she has been trying to look for bugs. She likes to ride on her new bicycle, can throw and kick a ball, and is doing better about drawing with the sidewalk chalk instead of eating it.
Climbing. The kid has no fear at the playground, or at home. She is loving gymnastics class and has become a very good jumper.
Babies. Thanks to some friends who have had babies recently, she is getting lots of opportunities to hold them. If we're out and she sees a stroller or bucket carseat, she has to go say hi to the baby.
Reading books. Spot, Todd Parr's books, and the series that started with "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" are her current favorites.
Saying no. Sometimes it's pleasant, other times it's very emphatic.
It's really neat to see her vocabulary expanding. If you ask her what color something is, she'll almost always say it's blue, although she can say the names of the other colors. She will identify two of something without being prompted and will say "ABC" as well. She has her animals and the sounds they make down.
I am waiting until summer to tackle potty training, and as long as she doesn't try to climb out of her crib, we're keeping her in it (hope I didn't just jinx it). She's definitely starting to assert her will but most of the time, distraction will keep us from a temper tantrum. Everyone told us it would go by so fast and it really has. Sometimes I look at her and am just amazed at how big she is. We are grateful for every day we have with her.
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