Weekend Wrap-up!

Not too much to report these days! Our days are pretty much the same but we are loving being a family of 4. We were so excited to get to sleep late yesterday. Evie slept until 8:30 and Henry slept until 9:30. Now, that's something we could get used to around here.

I spent most of the day on the couch feeling a bit under the weather. My antibiotics have kicked in now and I am much better! Thank goodness, it was on a day that Carl was home or I'd have to call in some reinforcements.

We are loving all these delicious dinners from all of our friends! YUMMY! We had Poppy seed chicken last night with salad, fruit salad and my favorite a 'Smores Pizza. If you live near a Papa Murphy's pizza run there and get one - they are heaven on Earth. Even Eve said, "I love this chocolate, Mama."

Carl and I watched a movie last night. Henry slept through most of it! Evie woke up earlier today because I turned the air way down because I was worried that Henry was too hot. Oops, I forgot that Evie might be too cold! Carl said her hands and toes were frozen this morning.

   We hung around the house all day. Carl trimmed some bushes. Our yard looks great after he worked on it for two hours.

   Evie got to see her boys for a few minutes. Their Nana is visiting from Virgina so Evie met her too. Although, she was quick to tell her that she had her own Nana. Linda was so sweet and told Evie that her Nana loved her very much!

    Our wonderful friends the Horton's arrived after a long drive from South Carolina just in time for dinner. We were so excited to see them. Evie and James had a ball playing together and we all had a nice visit. It's so good to finally have them here in the Volunteer state. YEAH!!!!!!!! We cannot wait to see them again tomorrow.

Happy Birthday to our Aunt Libby! We hope you had a special day! Evie and Henry send BIG hugs and kisses your way.

Life with 2!

Just a few observations from my first few weeks with two children . . .

1) Someone always needs me! Henry went back to sleep at 7:20 and Evie wakes up at 7:23.

2) Stain remover is something that I should consider buying in bulk at Costco!

3) Laundry is never, ever caught up!

4) Our days go better if the dishwasher is unloaded before bedtime!

5) It takes three times as long to get out of the house as it used to take me with just Evie.

6) Crying is our new normal . . . Evie still cries more than Henry but is still getting super upset when he cries. She wants me to "Hold Henry or Help Henry" even if I am driving! As long, as I am holding him the crying does not bother her one bit.

7) Nothing is sweeter than sitting with both kids reading books together.

8) It's quite magical to see our two children beginning to form their own relationship. Evie shares her toys and always wants to know just where her brother is at all times.

9) Not sure why I thought being a mom to just one kid was so hard but I sure did think Evie was a lot of work - she still is - but now life with one seems like a piece of cake. It's all in your perspective!

10) There's not much time for anything besides taking care of babies all day and night! Thank goodness for Carl because he is a HUGE help. I cannot imagine life with two kids without him.

Wordless Wednesday - Chocolate Cake Edition!

3 Weeks!

I cannot believe it - Henry is 3 weeks old today! He's really growing fast. Two weeks ago, we thought he'd be in newborn diapers forever and now he's outgrowing them quickly. He weighs about 9 pounds and is super cuddly! Everyone that meets him thinks he is such a sweet baby. Mommy and Daddy think so too! Evie is still quite anxious when Henry cries. She runs to help him and alerts me as soon as he makes a whimper. Today, we were going up the stairs to "rescue" Henry and Evie shouted out, "Henry, Mommy and Evie coming to get'cha!" I love that she cares about her brother so much.

Henry sleeps pretty well most of the time. I have started using a little bit of the Moms on Call schedule and it helps a lot. He has only been up twice a night for the last two nights. . . around 1 and then again around 5. That changes by the night though so we will see what happens tonight. He loves his white noise machine turned up LOUD like the book suggests and calms right down if he is upset when he hears it. Nap time is either really good or really not! He loves to be swaddled and sleeps best in his crib or Mose's basket. Noise doesn't bother him but he does not always like to be held while he is sleeping. Depends on who is holding him! One of our neighbors came yesterday and Henry spent the entire time staring at his face even though he had been awake for nearly two hours. I am amazed that he can stay awake for such long periods and be perfectly happy! Evie keeps him quite entertained with her constant chatter and loudness! She was building fences out of blocks - trying to put him inside the fence, bouncing balls across the room and banging on the wall - none of that phased Henry at all!

Bath time is his favorite time of the day and there is nothing better than a clean baby to cuddle before bed. We just love our little boy so much! I might not have agreed to "two and through" if I had known he'd be such a happy little fellow. Lots can change still though but I am keeping my fingers crossed that he has his Daddy's laid-back personality!

Getting in the Groove!

We had a really good day today! It did not start that great with both kids waking up at 6:30. Carl took Evie and I took Henry. Henry went back to sleep so I did too until almost 9. Carl dozed a little on the couch with Evie.

Henry seems to be adapting a routine of eating, hanging out and then sleeping for two hours before we do it all over again. Let's hope this continues because it gives us so much time with Evie and Henry needs his sleep too.

We have not even left the house today but the day sure goes by fast since it's a constant three ring circus. I sure miss my Mom and Evie misses her Nana. It's so good to have Carl back! Evie has had a much better day and took a super long nap which she desperately needed. Maybe tomorrow will go this well too!

Catching up!

We have had a busy few days. Henry has been in the middle of a feeding frenzy which has finally slowed down a bit. He was eating every two hours and now he is back on track. Evie is really sweet with him but pushing the limits with us a lot!

My mom left today and we already miss her. Evie was so upset when we dropped her Nana at the airport. She cried telling us "Evie needs her Nana. Evie fly on airplane too." Henry slept through it! Evie is still crying more than Henry which is not what I expected. We are trying to be extra patient and give her lots of attention. It's hard though with little sleep!

Carl got back last night! YEAH! We missed him a lot and that defnitely impacted Evie. He has had a ball playing with Evie today. Evie had so much fun playing with her boys this afternoon. I did have a chance to get out for a bit this afternoon since Henry took two naps lasting more than two hours.

Pictures!

I am exhausted so this will be super short! We are thrilled with the pictures that our photographer took of Evie and Henry! Valerie truly captured Evie's personality and Henry's newborn look.

   We have had a good week. Henry is much more alert and is getting lots of cuddles. Evie adores her brother and makes sure that I take care of him when he cries. I wonder how long that will last! My mom has been so helpful this week and done all of our laundry and cleaning. Carl gets back tomorrow and we cannot wait to see him.

Henry's Birth Story!

Henry was due on July 9 but we decided to schedule an induction for July 5. I never would have done this the first time around but considering our family lives quite far away it seemed like the best idea for Evie. My doctor did not think that I'd make it to the induction. Henry held on until Nana and Ipop arrived to take care of Evie.


   It felt so weird the night before knowing that Henry would be here the very next day! I was very teary knowing that it was Evie's last night as an only child and that her life would be forever changed. Carl and I went to bed later than usual and woke up early to be at the hospital at 5:30.


     It certainly was different walking into the hospital this time knowing so much more than I did the last time. My nurses started the pitocin around 7:30 and it started working very well. I got an epidural around 9:30. Things got moving pretty quickly. It was so much easier this time! I remember the doctor coming in to tell me it was time to push and I started getting teary - notice the trend with the tears. We were so excited to finally be meeting our baby boy. He arrived within 7 minutes and it was love at first sight. Carl and I were so happy to meet our healthy baby boy. Henry weighed 8 pounds and 6 oz. He was just perfect! We had some time together as a family of three. It was just perfect holding our baby boy! Then, my parents came to meet Henry and Carl went to get Evie along with his parents.


    I had talked to every single person that I know about the best way to introduce your toddler to the new baby. It worked out way better than we expected. We had a present for Evie from Henry and a present for Henry from Evie. Several people had told me to have Henry in his bassinet and be extra excited to see Evie. I was so thrilled to see Evie. She came in and gave me a big hug before asking where her brother was. Carl took her over to see Henry and we talked to her all about her brother. It went really well. She gave him lots of kisses and held him for a bit. Then, she decided it would be more fun to drink some sprite. Then, everyone else came in and lots of pictures were taken. Henry was passed around and everyone agreed that he was adorable just like his sister.


Henry and I enjoyed our time in the hospital together. I missed Carl and Evie a lot! It was wonderful to come home as a family of 4. Henry is two weeks old today. He is the sweetest baby. Evie loves having a baby brother and is so gentle with him. We look forward to lots of fun adventures with our two kids!

Weekend Wrap-up!

We had a great weekend although much less busy than usual! Carl and Evie went jogging. Henry and I stayed home to straighten up a little. Laundry seems to multiply at our house. We have so much laundry that I can never keep up. Evie and I played with her dolls. Henry slept most of the day.

Evie and I went to Harris Teeter to pick up our grocery order. It felt so easy to just have one child again. We ate lunch together and then took naps. Carl and Evie played outside and I did a few things inside.

     Courntey and Christian made us a fabulous dinner! It felt like we were in a fancy restaurant. They grilled delicious filets, roasted potatoes with dill, fresh warm bread and chocolate chip bars for dessert! We felt so special and so thankful to have them as our neighbors. It was the best meal that we have had in a LONG time.

    Bedtime comes early these days and wake up times are even earlier! Henry is doing really well sleeping three to four hour stretches. We have had three nights that he only woke up once and some nights that he woke up two or three times. It's all starting to run together. He is still the sweetest baby and it's so fun to see Evie with him. They hold hands during "double diaper changes" and this afternoon he was touching her hair. She liked that a lot!

   We took our first outing as a family of four. Publix was Henry's first venture into the world. He liked it and did great in the store. We were in and out pretty quick since we only needed a few things. Evie and I helped Carl pack for his trip. He left this afternoon for a week long trip. It's training for his new position so it's pretty important to be there. Thank goodness, my mom flew in to help us out! I am not quite ready for solo parenting at this point.

   Evie woke up talking about her Nana and was so happy to see her. She literally ran around in circles for a bit and then settled down for some tent time with her Nana. They played outside for a bit since today was relatively cool compared to what's coming in the next few days.

   

2.5!

Dear Evie,

    Time is really flying by . . . you are halfway to being 3 years old! I feel like you were just born but I think that will still be the case even when you are a Mommy one day.  You are just the light of our lives! We love you so much and cannot imagine our lives without you in it. You are funny, beautiful, precocious, a little bit stubborn and most of all so sweet.

   You love to wear shoes of any type - sandals, heels, tennis shoes! They are all fun to you and we love to see you sashay around the house in your fancy dress-up shoes with your shiny purse dangling from your wrist while pushing your grocery cart. You have a sudden interest in wearing your floatation devices around the house as part of your dress-up routine. It's pretty funny to see you with your pink float around your belly. Sometimes, you even take your pink float with you in the van as if it were a lovey. Evie, you love all things "wimming" and spend a lot of time "jumping" in pools that you make out of pillows and blankets. You are just as thrilled to play in a real pool too.

    We love how you have started telling us that you love us! It is so special to hear those special words from your sweet little mouth. I love hearing you say it and it will never get old. Maybe, Daddy should record you saying it so I can replay it for myself on those days you are not so sure that you love us even though we will know that you really do.

   You call me "Mama" a lot now. I asked your Daddy where you got that from and he thinks it's from Caillou. It's pretty cute and much better than just plain mom which will happen soon enough.

    You just became a big sister to your brother, Henry and you are doing a fantastic job loving him. It warms our hears to see you kiss him, worry about him when he cries and it shocked us both when you shared your Raffi with brother. Henry cried this morning and apparently Mommy was not fast enough getting to him. You started saying, "Mama, he crying. Help" and then before I knew it you were both crying. Sometimes when Henry cries he sounds like a cat so you begin to imitate him by meowing. We want you to always love and protect your brother!

      I remember when you came to the hospital to meet Henry and it looked like you had grown two inches since I had put you to bed the night before. You are such a big girl now! Your hands still fit perfectly in my hand. I used to carry you around on my hip like you were weightless although that is much harder to do now. You are really growing before our eyes. Sometimes at night when I am up feeding Henry it feels like just yesterday that I was up late at night feeding you. I try really hard to remember how you looked as a baby but it's so hard. You have changed so much! I am so grateful that we have so many wonderful pictures of you that I can look at to remember you as a baby!

    Your manners have really blossomed. It's so cute to hear you say bless you when we sneeze or excuse me when you are trying to squeeze by in a tight space. My favorite is when you say, "I sorry Mama" when you do something wrong. Apologies can be hard to make but it helps everyone feel so much better. Manners will take you where money won't so it's very important to always treat people with respect and kindness. Someone told me that when I was in college and it has stuck with me as an important guideline for life.

 Evie, you never run out of words and talk all day long! Sometimes if we tune you out for just a second, you look at us with a pitiful little face and say, "don't hear Evie." You are very sensitive yet spirited! It can be an interesting combination because you are not afraid to try new things but sometimes you need a little extra encouragement if you are sad or worried about something. Discipline can be tricky with you and you respond best to redirection or explanations. It's so funny to see your mind working.

       You take after me with a BIG sweet tooth! Dessert is your favorite part of the day. You call it "zert" and sometimes begin asking for it at breakfast.

    You weigh about 31 pounds and are about 37 inches tall. You wear a size 5 diaper but are super interested in using your potty. We let you use your potty when you ask but will start working with you on it more in the next few weeks.  You like to eat veggies with dip or anything with dip! Yogurt with sprinkles with your shiny spoon and you still drink lots of "tea". That's chocolate milk! You still nap three hours a day and go to bed about 7:30. I love that you are beginning to sleep until around 8 on most mornings that helps me out a lot but Daddy sure misses seeing you in the mornings.

   Evie, you LOVE your Daddy so much! You have so much fun with him and he loves to be silly with you. That makes you his perfect partner in crime. You two are beginning to have lots of inside jokes and have really gotten closer since Henry was born. I love seeing you love your Daddy so much!

   Evie, we both love you so much! You will always be our best girl and we feel so grateful to have you as our daughter. You are such a blessing and we continuously thank God for your presence in our lives. We are so lucky to be your parents! Love Always, Mommy and Daddy

 

Venturing out with 2!

Evie loves to cook so she made her own cinnamon toast this morning.

She might have had a few licks of cinnamon-sugar!

Evie waiting on her Daddy to come in from the driveway. She waits so patiently for him to get in the house.

"He's coming. He's coming. Daddy's home!"

Evie snuggling with Henry before bedtime.

Evie demonstrating Henry's new swaddle blanket which may have been the secret last night.
THANK YOU CANDICE!

We have had a really fantastic day. That makes up for yesterday which was a really hard day for us all! Everyone slept well last night . . . even me. Henry only woke up once at 2:30 to eat and went right back to sleep. That made a huge difference. I am not sure what we did besides our usual. I fed him about 9:15 and put him in Mose's Basket. He woke up at 2:30 and I fed him and then he slept until 6:30. Maybe he will take after me and sleep through the night early. My mom told me that I slept through the night at two weeks. I am not expecting this to happen again but sure was nice last night. Evie slept until 8:30 this morning and Henry sleeps most of the day still. That gave me a chance to get us ready for our outing.

 It took me a LONG time but I got all three of us out of the house at 9:30. I was so proud! It went way better than I thought and I did not even use one thing out of the diaper bag for Henry. Evie worked her way through the bag. I went to Christina's house for a board meeting for my MOMS group. I had lots of helpers! Maybe, I will get really brave and venture to Sonic next. We all went outside tonight for Popsicles and playtime. It's hot but that is just part of summer. Now, it is time to get a few things done. I miss having my afternoons to get things done while Evie naps but it sure is nice to snuggle Henry. I am trying to have special alone time with both kids but it is easier to do it with Evie. She is so much fun these days although she is still keeping me on my toes too.

Wordless Wednesday

Evie said, "I too busy for pictures, Mama" so it's just Henry!

One Week!

We cannot believe that our sweet Henry is already one week old. Carl and I feel like it has been easier than we expected but that is not saying it is easy. The hardest part is making sure that Evie feels special. I am spending all the time I can with her when Henry is sleeping. It makes me a little teary wondering how Evie feels right now. She was our entire world for 2.5 years and now there is a little baby here to share her parents with all the time. Evie loves her brother so much and is a wonderful big sister. One of my friends told me to think about things from Henry's perspective that he will never get the attention that Evie has received. We both agreed that is actually a good thing.


Henry is such a calm baby and rarely cries for more than a few moments. I sure hope he stays this way! He spends most of his day eating and sleeping. Although, he looks around tracking all the noise in our house. He is sleeping for three hour stretches and is finally going longer between feedings. I was practically operating a 24 hour buffet during the first few days. He likes his swing, being swaddled and resting on his side. We already love him so much and are so grateful to have two healthy, happy children. Be sure to notice Henry's part. Carl washed is hair and had a little fun styling his hair.

Our First Day on our Own!

We made it through our first day without Carl! Everyone did great even Mommy. Evie slept until 8:00 which helped get the day off to a terrific start. Henry slept a four hour stretch with me in the guest bedroom - not the best habit but it sure works for me right now! Our friends the Porter's brought us dinner and Evie enjoyed seeing her friend, Jacob. It was so nice to have a fun visit to look forward to in the middle of the day not to mention a delicious dinner!

    I am not sure exactly what we did today but here are some pictures to give you a little glimpse into our first day at home without Daddy. These pictures do not show the mountain of laundry that needs folding, the dozen diapers that I changed, the hours spent loving my sweet babies but they are proof that we had a fun day together!

We performed a show on the hearth in our fun pink shoes!

We took a little snooze in our crib and woke up so happy to see sister.

We waved at sister and she loved it!

Evie shared her shaker with Henry!

Evie took care of her baby and fed her baby from her "belly" too!

Snuggled with brother and he did not mind too much!

Henry sleeps just like his Daddy with his hands behind his head.

We broke all kinds of baby rules and took a nap on our side. It was the longest nap of the day!

We learned about the letter M and made M&M cookies for a special snack.

We ate so many M&M's that we ran out before our cookies were decorated!

Evie joyfully swaddled her phone just like her brother gets swaddled!

We sure were glad to see Carl walk in the door! He jumped right in helping me even though I am sure he was exhausted too after a long day of work. Life with two is super fun but super busy too!

"Cousin Time"

Evie LOVES her cousins and was thrilled to hear they were coming to visit her! She talked about it all day. Evie called it "cousin time." I told Carl that we really need to stop telling her things until right before they happen! Carl took Evie to run a few errands and then we just hung out with Evie. Henry is such a good baby (so far!) and sleeps a lot which is helping us transition to life with two kiddos.  Nighttime sleep is not as good but he will get there. It does not bother me too much especially when he is so content in my arms. He does occasionally get mad but not like Evie used to. Henry does not like diaper changes and sometimes just wants to talk to us.

   Mary and Lucy came during Evie's nap so we had a nice time watching the girls hold Henry. They were so sweet with him. Mary held Henry for the longest time and he was so happy! They went to check in their hotel while our friends came with dinner. Christina and Ed brought us a delicious meal with the best peanut butter brownies that I have ever tasted! Carl took Evie to the hotel to go swimming with her cousins. She was beside herself with joy to be swimming and being with her cousins. I relished my time with just Henry! It was so nice to hold him and talk to him while not worrying about Evie feeling left out. She is doing really well with Henry - much better than we expected the first few days to go. Although, we have heard that the first few weeks are either the easiest or hardest as the oldest child gets acclimated to life with a baby. Carl and I have talked about how Evie has not changed at all but we have changed! We love Evie more than ever and are working really hard to make her feel special. She just seems to BIG to us now and it makes me laugh that I was carrying her around plus Henry just last week when he was still in my belly.

   Everyone came back over for dinner. Henry slept through dinner. Sometimes, I forget he is even here since he just does his thing. Evie went to bed and we did too. Henry did not settle down to well at first but I just hung out with him. Not sure, what exactly I did with him but we were up for a long time. He went to sleep a little before 2 and slept until 6 and then again until a little after 9. My favorite hours of sleep are from 5-7 so that helped me feel rested for the day!

    Kurt and Lollie came back with the girls. We visited for a bit and then everyone went to the park except for me. Henry napped and I did a few things around the house. We had a fun weekend. I am nervous about Carl going back to work tomorrow but I am just taking it one day at a time. Carl told me just keep them alive and fed so that sounds easy enough. Lollie told me not to worry about anything that happens with Evie in the next few weeks like too much TV or me losing my patience. Evie will not remember this and chances are I will not either!