Sip and See for Henry!



"It's okay brother. Evie not drop you!"



Proof of Evie's excitement! Henry was wondering why I just woke him up from his nap.

"Brother, has alligators too Mama!"

Our sweet neighbors hosted a Sip and See for Henry this morning! It was so much fun, wild but fun! Anything with kids has the potential to be a bit chaotic! I was worried that we were not even going to make it out the door. Evie was so excited and thought it was Henry's "dirthday" party. She liked the idea of a sip and see but told me she was not going to sip. Then, Evie moved on to talking about her own "dirthday" party that will happen in January. She will tell you that her birthday is in January but has no clue that it is barely September.  That girl loves a party, she gets that from her Daddy!

Henry really enjoyed his nap at his own party.

 

Evie LOVED her new jammies.

My neighbors planned a wonderful morning and we enjoyed delicious food along with lots of mom talk. It was an eye-opening experience to talk about issues that will happen with older children. I always say even though the baby years are physically exhausting - it's going to be much harder later on down the road. Real issues are going to crop up and I just hope that we will be ready to tackle them!

Carol Anne, Rachel, Donna, Ashley and Carolyn!



Courtney got in a picture since she was my fabulous photographer!

Thank goodness, we are still in the baby stage! Henry was just a doll. He slept most of the time and then he woke up to be held a bit. Henry and Evie looked so cute in their coordinating alligator clothes. Our neighbors were so generous with thoughtful gifts for both Henry and Evie! I LOVE, LOVE the white cardigan sweater with his monogram! It's perfect and just my style. Henry is going to be one well-dressed kiddo and Evie scored some new toys too.


Clearly, Evie was excited about the cardigan too!

It was such a fun morning. Evie was exhausted from playing so hard with her boys. She passed right out. Henry's asleep too so it's nap time for me too!

Doctors and Fortunes

Evie is really into playing doctor these days. She was given a doctor kit for her birthday and it has been a favorite since January. She likes to give shots and administer medicine. Henry gets his reflux medicine twice a day and apparently she has noticed just how it is done. She was using the syringe to give us both "medicines" this morning. Evie wanted me to "choke" before she'd give it to me. She makes this horrendous sound before administering the medicine to herself. Evie kept saying' "I am going to doctor you." She was so funny telling Henry to open up so she could give him some too.


Henry went to get his two month shots this morning while Evie was at school. I was shocked to find out that Henry weighs 14 pounds and some ounces. That means, he has gained over 6 pounds since he was born nine weeks ago. Henry is 23 1/4 inches long. He is huge! Dr. K said he is ready to have his feedings further apart so we may try every 3.5 hours. Henry is a hungry boy.


Evie is just so amusing these days. She kept requesting "words" for dessert last night. I had no clue what she was asking for until I saw the box of fortune cookies. Evie loves to get out her fortune and she recited it over and over. Her fortune was, Laughter is the best medicine. She thought that was so funny! I was feeding Henry and she wanted me to play with her. She looked at Henry and said, "You done yet. Hurry up, please."


I picked Evie up from school and they told me she napped again! She was the first to go to sleep and the last to wake up. That really surprises us and it will be interesting to see if this continues. Evie is exhausted after school and was asleep long before 7 tonight. Carl drove to Knoxville and back today so he missed seeing Evie. She was crying for him at bedtime but was asleep before I got downstairs.

Pajama Day!

Wednesday's are going to be our pajama day since Evie has school on Tuesday and Thursday. It's been so nice to hang out at home in our pj's! Evie loves to be cozy so she is thrilled get to wear her "jammies" all day. Henry woke up about 9 this morning and I brought him downstairs. Evie was playing on his play mat so I put him in there too. Of course, I could not resist snapping a few quick pictures of my cute kiddos!

First Evie, thought it'd be fun to hang out at the other end but Mommy thought that seemed a bit dangerous!

Then, she decided it'd be fun for baby to play too.

Next, Evie had a really great idea and brother thought it might be funny!

So they waited for mommy to go get her tea and this is what happened!

Evie told me she took Henry's clothes off so she could pet him. She thinks he is our family pet! Brother did not seem to mind and did not make one peep while she was doing this. He must have his Daddy's super laid-back personality.  Nothing seems to bother him which is a good thing since Evie keeps us on our toes.

Feeling like a real Mom

Evie had her first full day at school today complete with the car line! That really made me feel like a mom waiting in line to drop off Evie sitting in my mini-van. Evie was so excited to be at school and literally jumped out when the door opened for her.

It's been raining for days but it was so peaceful at home this morning with the pitter patter of rain. Although, I missed the pitter patter or rather clomping of Evie's little feet. Henry was having some tummy issues so he only slept in 30 minute increments this morning but he is feeling better now after some Mylicon. I did not get tons done but I loved having extra time to cuddle Henry. He helped me clean out Evie's closet and do a few little projects between his naps.

Evie shocked us all by napping at school! They had to wake her up to come out to car line so she was a tad grumpy at first. She felt much better after drinking her chocolate milk. We came home and watched Tangled together so she could rest a little more on the couch. It got a little tough as the afternoon progressed since she was so tired. She was fine as long as I kept her busy. It will take her a few weeks to adjust to this new busy schedule. We are thrilled that she loves school so much and hope it continues!

2 Months!

Dear Henry,

  You are two months old today! It feels like you were just born but you have been with us for 62 fabulous days. You have captured all of our hearts and we cannot imagine life without our sweet Hen Hen! Evie loves you so much and it's really amazing to see your relationship grow with your sister. She keeps a close eye on you and ALWAYS wants to know just where you are at all times. When she wakes up from her nap, she often runs to where she saw you last and is quite concerned if you are not still there. One day, she thought I had lost you because she could not find you. Evie worries that I am going to forget you if I load her in the car first and leave you in the kitchen. Henry, Evie's got your back and it is my greatest hope that she always will.

You weight about 12 pounds and wear a size 1 diaper although you are quickly approaching a size 2. Henry, you love to eat and rarely miss a meal. You eat about every three hours during the day and sleep really good most nights only waking up once to eat. Mommy is so excited because you slept from 9 to 5:30 last night. That really helps your Mama out sweet boy so let's keep doing that, okay.

Henry, you are such a wonderful baby. You mostly sleep but you are begining to spend more time checking out your environment. Mommy and Daddy love seeing all your sweet grins and coos. You always smile real big when I come get you from your crib. That makes it all okay even at 2 in the morning. Our middle of the night feedings are actually are most special times because it's just us without your sister bossing either one of us around. You cross your precious little feet at your ankles, hold on to me with one hand and gaze at me like I am the most wonderful person you have ever seen. I love you more than I ever thought that I could even though I am not a rookie mom anymore. Same thing happened with Evie, you just cannot understand how much Daddy and I love you until you have your own baby one day.

Let's see, your favorite activities besides sleeping and eating must be watching Evie and sitting in your bouncy seat. You LOVE your bouncy seat and want to catch those dangling animals so badly. It's fun to see you swipe at them with your chubby little fist. Evie likes to "guckle" you in your bouncy seat and you like to sit next to her while she does her thing. Tummy times keeps you entertained and you have really amazing head control for such a little guy. You have rolled over quite a few times from your belly to your back so we have to keep a close eye on you to avoid a tumble.

You are all boy already burping, excessive pooping and making some other unmentionable noises. Mommy does lots of laundry and you surely can go through some diapers! You burped the other day and Evie asked me what that sound was. I told her it was you and she said, "no, that a man." That made us laugh so hard because she's right you are quite the expert burper. Evie literally never burped as a baby but you more than make it up for it. Your reflux is so much better and you only cry if you are hungry, tired or if I forget to give you the medicine. Mommy is still avoiding dairy and it has made a HUGE difference with your little system. It's really not that hard and this is such a short season of my life. I will always do what is best for you and if dairy makes you feel bad then Mommy is happy to skip out on the cheese.

Henry, you have had quite a busy month. Uncle Ben came to meet you and he thought you were pretty cute just like the rest of us. You took Evie to school for the first time. You have been on a few playdates and out to eat. You have met most of Evie's best buds and will make your own friends too. We finally made it back to church and you did great. Mommy was a little teary when you received your first blessing at church. We want you to always know that as much as we love you, Someone bigger loves you even more than any of us can ever imagine.

What a special blessing you are to our family and we are so proud to be your parents. We cherish this incredible fleeting time with you as a baby and look forward to many years of fun with you as you grow.  Love, Mommy and Daddy

Weekend Wrap-Up!

We have had a wonderful weekend and the best part is that it is not quite over! Someone is turning 2 months today so I have to post about that later so let's cover the weekend first.


Evie LOVES trains and will be so happy one day when Henry has a train table. She likes the sound they make, the railroad tracks, the little people and any book you can find about a train. Being the accommodating parents that we are, we took Evie back to Cheekwood so she could see her trains. Evie was not so sure that we knew where we were headed and kept asking if we were going to see the trains. I told her that we were almost there and she was squealing saying, "Evie so excited." I just love her joyful personality! Evie was so happy to see her trains especially the little red train. Carl and I always seem to take Evie to see her trains on the hottest days of the year. It was literally 97 degrees at 10:00 in the morning! Cheekwood had a little craft for the kiddos in their air-conditioned art building so we made a beeline down to make a musical instrument. Henry was ready to eat so Carl took Evie to paint. Evie was thrilled to be painting so thrilled that paint was all over her Lilly. Carl did not know about the smocks! Oh well, at least it's the end of the summer.  We headed back to the trains for one more peak before heading out to Chick fil A.


Everyone took naps except for Evie. She was too busy bossing Raffi around in her crib. He has suddenly become her baby and she spends lots of time covering him up, rocking him etc. Nap time was not happening at our house so we jumped in the car . . . well jumped might not be the best word since it literally takes us thirty minutes to get out the door with our two kiddos. We headed out to see our friends the Onello's for supper. It was so fun to see the girls playing and Evie is just fascinated by Abby's twin sisters. Victoria and Sydney are literally the most content children that I have ever met. They just take it all in with a big smile on their face. Abby and Evie had a blast playing together. It just keeps getting more fun seeing them play together. Evie loved Abby's extensive jewerly collection as you can see from the pictures. Aren't they just so cute together? We enjoyed a delicious dinner and had so much fun catching up with our friends. Let's just say that we were all happy to make it back home after listening to Henry scream for 30 minutes. It was a family bonding experience as we all took turns trying to shush him. Poor little guy was hungry since he had not taken the opportunity to eat. Everyone slept late on Sunday. Henry slept until 9:00!


Carl and Evie made us waffles for breakfast. YUMMY! We spent the rest of the day just hanging out at home. Courtney and Christian came over with their boys for dinner. Our most un-organized dinner ever but it was also one of our best. Sometimes the most chaotic times are the best times and having two kids certainly makes things chaotic! Carl made delicious chicken. I roasted some potatoes, made a salad - that was dinner! Our kids were wild but we had a blast. It's so wonderful having neighbors that you love and we are so thankful to have them right across the street. Henry even took a bottle from Courtney. He's not too keen on taking a bottle from me. Evie was tuckered out and went to sleep before I got back downstairs. It's been so fun catching up with our friends and having extra time to spend together as a family.


We are looking forward to another lazy day at home enjoying the rain. Happy Labor Day!

Busy Days!

Evie had her second day of school yesterday and had another fantastic day! She loves school so far and I sure hope it continues. Her teachers suggested that we tell our children what we will be doing while we are at school so I told Evie that I'd be getting a haircut. She gave me her purple bracelet to wear during my haircut!

Henry had his first babysitter yesterday! I was way calmer about it than I ever was with Evie. Karen is a grandmother and loves babies so I knew Henry was in good hands. Evie was over a year old before I left her with a sitter. Second children totally change the game! Everything is different this time around.

After our busy week, I decided that we needed a day at home so that's just what we did this morning! We stayed in our pj's and watched Sesame Street, read books and played with babies - both real and pretend! It was so nice to hang out with my two precious children with no agenda or place to go. I am so fortunate to be home everyday with my sweet children. It's truly the greatest privilege of my life to have the opportunity to watch my children grow.

Evie and I made paint this morning. I had noticed lots of bloggers posting about making cornstarch paint. It was pretty much a disaster at our house.Thank goodness, it was an outdoor project.  Lots of mess and Evie was not that into it. She actually asked if we could get the chalk out in the middle of our painting. We will try it again but I will make the paint in advance. Evie loved making the paint but by the time it was made; Evie was ready to move on. She really enjoyed spraying the driveway down with the garden hose. That was her favorite part!

We are looking forward to the long weekend and having Carl home for three days! Our schedule is filling up with lots of fun activities and opportunities to spend time with our friends. Hope your Labor Day weekend is off to a great start.