Overnight

If you have kids, then you know that sometimes you go to bed and your child literally changes every night.  Or you leave the house, and when you come home you could swear that your child looks older.  It's like they grew up while you were away, and you get a glimpse of what your child will look like or be like in a few years.  And then you try not to cry... emphasis on "try."

Lil's seven-month birthday was like this.  On Thursday I literally had to wrap my mind around the fact that she has been here for seven months.  I feel like I was pregnant yesterday.  I feel like we just came home from the hospital.  But mostly, I just feel like she should still be a newborn... but she's changing and growing before my very eyes.  And on her seven month birthday we made two discoveres: #1 - her first little tooth is finally popping through.  In true Lilly-fashion, she hasn't even batted an eye on this.  There was no extra snot, drool, fever, or crankiness, so I was shocked when Josh thought he felt one.  But sure enough, there is was, a little tiny nub of a tooth on the bottom right.  She doesn't let anybody look at it since the little one loves to stick out her tongue, but we did get a quick glimpse before bed last night.  I love a baby's toothless grin, but I know she's going to be thrilled that this brings her one step closer to more solid foods... that girl loves to eat!

Discovery #2 - Baby Girl is on the move!  She's been low-man scooting for awhile, and rolling her way back and forth across the living room, but on that 7-month marker, it all came together.  And what is it with babies and iPhones by the way:

I did not know that having a little girl would be so special.  I love Jacob in such big ways, and I am amazed that I can love her equally, but different.  No mother can explain it I'm sure, but the love I feel for them is so special and unique to each of them, because they are both so special and unique.  But what I love best is how much the like each other!  Jake took awhile to come around, but now he cannot get enough of his little sister, even to the point that he basically screams in her face when she's sleeping, because he wants her to wake up and play!  He's been "teaching" her how to crawl, telling her "Okay, Lilly" when she cries, putting her pacy in her mouth, bouncing her when she's in her jump-a-roo, putting his forehead right up to hers when she's on all-fours (which makes her laugh), giving her kisses, and showing an overall, genuine concern for her when she's upset.  He loves his baby "E" and that makes a mama's heart overflow.  And Lilly?  Oh my gosh, she thinks he hung the moon!  He does things to her that give me a minor heart attack and she just laughs and laughs!  Nobody can get her going like he does!  And as soon as Jake realized that he has a constant, loving audience?  Yeah, he just eats it right up!  They are two peas in a pod these days and I hope that as parents we can always continue to cultivate and grow that relationship so that they'll always have a special bond.  Nothing would make me happier.

So what's Lilly like at 7 months?

• Has one brand-new tooth
• Sits up on her own, but still can't get into that position by herself
• Can successfully do a low-man's Army-type crawl
• Wears 9-12 month clothes, but we're almost out of anything left in the 9-month range, particularly pajamas.  Dresses still work
• Wears size FOUR diapers.  Yes, you read that correctly.  To put it into perspective, Jake wears a size five.  But that round belly is the cutest thing you've ever seen!  Plus, we took the girth of her thighs and compared it to Jake's and cousin Adam's... she has them both beat!  Those rolls are delicious (and will soon melt off now that she's getting her workout on!)
• Mostly nurses, but takes at least one bottle a day, mostly to give me a break.  She holds her own bottle, which is so helpful!
• Has solid food only at dinnertime, mostly because she's so content on milk and growing like a weed.  So far we've had peas, green beans, avocado, sweet potatoes, and bananas, all of which we mix with oatmeal to thicken it up.  Plus, she loves to gnaw on saltine crackers.  We've tried yogurt drops, and while she can pick them up, she still can't really figure out how to get them into her mouth.
• She finally loves bath time and splashes around, which in turn makes Jake soak the entire bathroom.  This could get interesting over the next few months!
• Notices and watches the TV when it's on, particularly when it's one of Jake's favorite shows
• LOVES the iPhone, my laptop, and anything electronic.  I think this is a universal baby-thing
• Bounces like a crazy person in her jump-a-roo (and even when she's not in it!)
• Is attempting to pull herself up onto things, but has had no success so far.  I'm okay with that.

There's more of course, but these are just a few of the things that I want to remember.  Her personality is still just about the sweetest thing you'd ever come across.  I've had many people tell me that they've never heard her cry, and that's probably because she rarely does!  Try to change her clothes though and that all changes... my baby would rather be naked!  But in those moments, she reaches for me, and she stops immediately.  Now THAT, my friends, is what makes motherhood so special.  God knows we need those moments, and I cherish it every time it happens.

Speaking of motherhood, May is Mom's Day month and in honor of that I am going to do a series of mom-related posts.  I have a few friends who are either expecting or just had a baby, but I have several more who have all been there already.  Together we are like an arsenal of advice!  I'll post the dates on what days I'll post what and I'd love to have you join me!  Topics include hospital must-haves, top 5 baby gear items, don't waste your money baby gear items, maternity leave survival and sanity (how not to just sit around in your pajamas all day!  Haha!),  all about your diaper bag (and why you love it or what you wish it had), and just a general post about how motherhood has changed you.  If you've already posted on any of these topics, you can just link up your old post to mine so you don't have to start all over.  But if you haven't, put your thinking caps on and join in the fun... the more the merrier!  Look for posting dates early this week!  

What are we feeding them ??!??!!

Sometimes I just gotta get back to the basics and post about the kids... they are my favorite topic you know!  I'm a little behind on this post, but better late than never, right?

At the end of last month we brought both kids (at the same time) for their check-ups- Jake for his two year appointment and Lilly for six months.  Josh arranged his schedule so that he could help me wrestle manage the kids and I'm so glad he was there!  They actually both behaved wonderfully, but with extra hands we were able to snap some photos for their baby books... oh wait, I still haven't done those!  That's why I blog this stuff, people!  Those baby books are on my "someday" to-do list along with about 4,000 other items.  But anyway...

Jake got checked out first and I have never seen our son sit so still!  We stripped him down and as the doctor took his temperature and listened to his chest and lungs, Jake was as calm as a cucumber, which is very unlike him.  He kept giving the doctor these suspicious sideways glances (which, if you've met Jake you've probably seen him do from time to time... I'm still trying to catch that on camera!) and so we were quite entertained.  The only time he had a minor freak-out was when he looked in his ears and mouth, but he got over it quickly.  Here's our heavyweight champion's stats at 2 years:

Height:  37 1/4 inches (98th percentile - is he seriously already over 3 feet tall?)

Weight: 33 pounds, 15.5 ounces (98th percentile)

This boy has permanent bed-head due to SO much hair!  I am somewhat jealous of that mane.

Lilly was up next and laid there like a perfectly content baby should.  The best part though?  This was the first day that Jake really showed a lot of concern for his baby sister.  He made sure to be right up next to her, just to make sure this suspicious looking doctor did her no harm.  Since that day he's really been great with her- puts her pacifier in when it falls out, gets up in her face when she's crying in the jump-a-roo, and sometimes even pats her and says "okay, E" (which is mimicking us when we say 'It's okay, Lilly').  The boy can't say L's yet so her name is tough on her.  I was curious to see how much our little chunky monkey was going to weigh and she did not fail to impress.  Here's Lilly at six months:

Height:  27 inches (90th percentile)

Weight:  19 pounds, 10 ounces (98th percentile - must be those delicious thigh rolls!)

The funniest thing that was said to us was not to worry as to whether our daughter was obese.  Seriously??  Did he really think that I would worry about that?  Maybe he's had some other moms ask as to whether their baby is fat, and that's a sad thing I tell you.  I say the rounder, the better!  Because of her size, the doctor left it up to us again as to whether or not we wanted to start solids with her.  Apparently her au natural diet from mama is quite substantial, as it was the first time around.  I tell you what, if I could jar this stuff that I make and send it to starving children in third-world countries I would!  We've since started giving her one vegetable each night when we all sit around the dinner table together, but not much more.  She grabs at our food sometimes but is still content with nursing for the most part.  Jake weaned himself right before he hit the seven-month mark (basically when he realized that he'd rather crawl around and not stop to eat) so we'll see if she decides to do the same.  For now it's working well for us.

There is no way I could list all of the milestones we're hitting on a daily basis around here.  Jake's vocabulary has pretty much tripled in just the past couple of weeks and he's saying (and repeating) new things everyday!  Plus, we had no idea he knew his numbers since he would never count with us, but suddenly we can't get him to stop.  He picks up phrases from his older cousins and cracks us up with expressions like "Sweet!", "Nice!" and "Score!".  Oh how I love that little man.  Lil is still just as sweet as can be, has mastered sitting up, but still can't get in the position on her own.  She says "Dada" and "Mama," which is music to my ears, and spends a lot of time on all fours trying to figure out how to move.  It will be any day now, and my world is about to be turned upside down I'm sure.  I'm going to just enjoy the days of non-mobililty while I still have that.

Oh, and as a random side-note... the picture above makes it appear that I'm still in maternity pants, which I am not thank-you-very-much.  I do still sport my belly-band from my pregger days since many of my shirts seem to be mysteriously shorter than they used to be.  Or perhaps it's because I have been pregnant and nursing for the past three years, so the last time I bought "normal" person clothes was back when shorter shirts were in style.  Yeah, this mama needs a new wardrobe!  If any of you have suggestions on revamping a wardrobe without breaking the bank, please feel free to share your wisdom!

Dear Sweet Lilly-Bug,

I am baffled... how has it been six months already?  I am convinced that with every child that comes into a family, time speeds up exponentially... and if I could, I would keep you just as you are for awhile longer.

I never really had the fear that some moms get before their second child is born.  I have heard of mothers who worry that they will never be able to love a second child as much as they love the first.  I somehow knew all along how capable of loving you I would be, even if I had to "share" the love with your brother, but I am in awe of how much I can love you.  Boys and girls are different... I already knew that.  And I love your brother to bits, but with you it's just... well... different.  When you came along I just wanted to hang onto you and never let you go.  I want to protect you from the world by keeping you all to myself.  I want to cuddle you until you won't let me (which is what I fully intend to do) and squeeze those sweet cheeks until they turn red.  You are so incredibly cute that I could eat you up... and I can never get enough.  You're a borderline obsession for me, and I'm okay with that.

I think a big part of this has to do with your personality- talk about laid back!  I used to say that your brother was an easy baby, and I still think that he was in a lot of ways, but you redefined what an easy baby is for me.  Nothing ever ruffles your feathers and all you want in life is to be talked to and smiled at.  If you do get fussy, it's usually because those things aren't happening and even if I just pass by and talk to you for a minute, your whole face lights up.  And your smile is just about the prettiest thing I've ever seen... and we see a lot of it.  You are so very alert and watch everything that goes on around you.  I am always impressed that you can spot me from across the room and know who I am, even from far distances.  It melts my heart every time.  You also love to watch your brother, and he makes you laugh the most.  In the rare moments (that are becoming more frequent) that he comes over and talk to you or pats you on the belly, you giggle yourself into fits.  I'm still trying to catch it on video and will hopefully be successful eventually.  You are truly his biggest fan and nothing makes a mama happier.  We've already taken you on a long car trip and an airplane ride and you've proven to be a champ at world traveling.  Aside from pooping up your back (which is your favorite thing to do apparently), we hardly even knew you were with us!  You even fall asleep when you're being carried through the airport in the Moby wrap... now that's impressive!

Another "rumor" about the second child is that they get the short end of the stick a lot.  While it is probably true that I do not have fourteen thousand of the same picture of you sitting in your bouncy chair like I have of Jake, you are so much more spoiled in other ways.  Because I've done this before, I have parented you without fear that I would do something wrong.  I have gone with my own instincts, even when they aren't "by the book."  I also understand now how quickly you'll go from being my baby to a non-stop toddler, so I try and cherish the baby-moments before they're gone.  So with that, I rock you to sleep just about every night, and if it spoils you to the point that I'll be paying for it later I'm okay with that.  When you fuss in the middle of the night I pull you into bed with me, and you sleep soundly between me and your daddy until the morning.  On many occasions, you even start out there.  I know it might develop bad habits later, but we'll deal with that when the time comes.  Waking up right next to your smiling face is worth it... and you smile the biggest in the morning!  Someday you may not want to snuggle so I'm going to get it all in while I can.  You are a night owl and generally don't go down for the night until close to 10 (which would explain why I am always exhausted!), get up around 4 to eat, and then love to sleep in until 8 or 9.  You are definitely my kid in that way.

As for what you're up to these days, well, you're moving at your own pace.  Another benefit of being the second child is that we're not always "pushing" you to do the next thing.  Nope... there is no rush at all.  For the longest time you were just content laying in one spot.  There were days when I thought you would never roll over.  And then on your 4-month birthday, you did it!  Both ways!  And you've been rolling back and forth across the living room ever since.  You recently enjoy sitting up to play with your toys, but cannot get into the position on your own.  You'll topple over occasionally, so we usually put the Boppy pillow behind you for support.  And over this past week you've spent a lot of time on all fours rocking back and forth.  I'm not quite ready to have you crawling all over the place, but it will happen before I know it.

Let's see... what else?  Oh yes, those deliciously chubby thighs... we say that you have rolls on top of your rolls... and everyone loves them so much.  I'm curious to see what you weigh (we have our doctor appointment this Friday) and am impressed that you are so round on breast milk alone, with an occasional bottle of formula.  We've put off solid food only because you are so content with the milk, but we'll probably introduce it in the coming weeks.  The only other thing you have tried is some rice cereal and peas, and you liked both.  Your roundness has you wearing 9 month clothes already and I'm trying to use up the rest of the size 3 diapers so that we can move you up to 4's.  Your brother is in 5's, so the thought of this is killing me.  Your eyes are still a mystery color and I think they'll be gray-ish like your Aunt Mindy's.  Your hair is always in your eyes, but it is a beautiful auburn color that looks red in the sunlight.  As the only girl cousin on this side of the family, you're admired a lot.  I feel like this will always be the case and might cause some problems in your teenage years, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.  For now, I'm okay with everyone fawning all over you... you really are that cute.  You have your daddy wrapped around your finger and it doesn't help things that the only sounds you really make are "da-da."  Yep, he's smitten... and it's the cutest thing ever.  Speaking of smitten, both of your grandpa's and your uncles are, too... you are one lucky little girl.

Sweet angel, I could go on and on and on for days about you.  You have proven that second babies are just as special and loved as first ones are, in some ways even more so.  I cannot believe how in love with you I am, and that love just grows bigger everyday.  Thank you for being so sweet and loving all the time.  Thank you for making my day everyday.  And thank you for being mine.  I am one lucky mama.  Happy half-year birthday, baby girl.  Now do me a favor and make sure the next half goes by a little bit slower.

Forever and ever (which is how I sign letters to your daddy, and now to Jake and you!),

Mommy

6 months

4 months

1 month

Already?

Our sweet Lil has been with us now for four months, which is hard to believe.  I felt like my pregnancy took forever this time around, and yet the past four months have flown by in the blink of an eye.  When she was born I promised myself that I would cherish every second, cuddle her more, and somehow manage to make time pass more slowly, but with all the craziness of life, I lost the battle.  We have no control over the passing of time, and I am baffled at its speed now that I have two kids.  Granted, I'm still baffled at the idea that I have two kids at all!

So what's she like at four months?  Oh sweet Lil... you are wonderful.  While a bit of a chunky monkey, her smile can light up a room.  She is weighing in these days at 16 lbs, 5 oz. (95th percentile and almost double her birth weight already!) and is 25 inches tall (75th percentile).  But oh how I am in love with those rolls!  We often say that she has rolls on top of her rolls, and I could just squeeze them all day long!  Her wardrobe consists of mostly six month items, but she can actually wear quite a few nine month outfits as well, particularly in the waste, but not so much in length.  And we're already up to size 3 diapers, mostly because the size 2's were no longer containing that oh-so-fun poo up the back situation!  That's always our tell-tale sign that it's time to go bigger.  At her appointment our doctor told me that we can start her on cereal, but that it was up to us as she's doing so well on just breastmilk.  We often joke that I must make cream as our kids have never had any problems putting on weight.  If there were a way for me to pump and ship it to the hungry kids in third world countries, I would gladly do so.  We'll probably start giving her cereal once a day in the evenings at least in the hopes that she will sleep through the night.  Bigger babies (and particularly nursing babies) have a more difficult time making it all night and she's usually up around 2am and 5am to eat, even if it's just a little.  One thing I have been successful at is the goal of cuddling her more as she pretty much winds up in our bed in the middle of the night every night... and I love those cuddles from my sweet girl, even if it means that we'll have a tougher time getting her to sleep in her own bed later.  Granted, I try and at least start her out in her pack-n-play every night so that she gets used to going to bed on her own, and most of the time she'll settle eventually.  If she had her way though, she'd stay up until midnight and sleep until ten.  She is her mama's child.  Twice now we successfully put her in the crib to go to bed, which is in Jake's room, and we've had a 50% success rate.  The first night Jake didn't even hear her fuss, I was able to go in, feed her, and put her back to bed, and then brought her into our room for her second feeding.  The second night I heard her stirring around 3 and when I went in there I was surprised to see Jake's bed empty.  I scanned the floor for him, since he sometimes falls asleep while playing, and then I heard "Baby!"  When I looked over at the crib, Jake was sitting next to her in the crib, patting her on the belly.  I'm not sure who woke up who, but I'm pretty sure big brother woke up, heard her in there, and decided that he needed to check her out.  We're going to put the crib rail back up pronto before trying for a third attempt!  While it was sweet, there is no part of me that needs the extra worry of her getting hurt, albeit unintentionally from a loving big brother.  While he's still not always a big fan, she has grown on him quite a bit and I think that will only continue as she gets more interactive.

It's amazing to me how two kids from the same parents can be so very different.  And what amazes me even more is how early on you can tell!  At four months Jake was already strong-willed and determined to accomplish the next milestone.  At four months he was rolling both ways, jumping like a maniac in his jump-a-roo, and getting up onto all fours and rocking back and forth.  As for Lilly, she is so calm and mellow in comparison.  While I have seen her roll from her stomach to her back (and she often does it when I put her to bed), she really has no desire to do it when she's playing.  If you put her down on her belly, she'll stay just like that until we come and get her... and she let's us know when she's over it!  She would much rather sit in the swing and take a nap than do just about anything, and only tolerates the jump-a-roo so far.  Jake never liked the swing, but Lilly would spend the day there if we let her!  Last night was the first time we saw even a glimmer of that determined attitude as she tried so hard to roll from her back to her belly over and over and over again.  She gets about 90% the way there, and then just giggles and let's herself roll right back over to where she started.  It's not that she doesn't have the ability to do these things, it's just that she doesn't really care enough to try!  She is perfectly happy just laying around, being looked at and talked to, and smiling back.  While Jake is my spirited, strong-willed, stubborn, and active child, she is my carefree, laid back, go with the flow baby.  In many ways, we have created little clones of ourselves, so I think they'll get along just fine in life.  I think God knew what He was doing when He created her for us... she definitely balances the scale around here.

Other than that, she's pretty much a happy baby all the time.  She's been chewing on her hands a lot lately, but we still haven't seen many signs of teething.  She has just recently become pretty good at reaching out and grabbing objects and is mesmerized by the lights on the iPhone, just like her brother (and mama for that matter!).  We've even seen her put her pacifier back in her mouth a couple of times, or at least get it to a place where she can chew on it.  That is a skill that makes a mom's job so much easier!  And the one thing she's doing way ahead of her brother is attempting to hold her own bottle when she gets one, which he never had much interest in doing.  I think she just wants to ensure that I don't take it away from her though!

Life with two is definitely a change.  I feel like I need to pack a suitcase in order to go anywhere and could win an arm wrestling match with anyone after carrying the two of them around all the time!  Honestly though, I wouldn't have it any other way.  It's overwhelming sometimes, and some days are difficult depending on their moods and willingness to nap, but it's twice the smiles, twice the cuddles, and more than twice the love.  My heart is so full because of these two and I can hardly remember life without them!

Thanks for an incredible four months, sweet Lilly.  You truly are a precious angel.  I would pray that you would stay this age forever, but I already know that it won't work.  I will, however, spend everyday loving you right where you're at.  To me, you are perfect.

Happy Birthday To...

ME!!!

On Tuesday I turned the ripe old age of 31...

I have a husband who loves me unconditionally, accepts me for who I am, and encourages me to be a better version of myself everyday.

I am helping said husband accomplish his dream of planting a church... and though it's been trying at times, God has truly been moving and I cannot wait to see who he sends us when we open our doors on February 12th... less than a month away!

I have a great job in a not-so-great economy that allows me to work from home, which also allows me to spend more time with my kiddos.

Speaking of kiddos, I have two of the most amazing, beautiful, kissable, wonderful babies that God has entrusted me to care for in this life.  Jake and Lil are my world.

I have a a mom and a dad who are still married and am super-close with both of my sisters and their husbands and children.  We're a fun bunch to be around (in my opinion).

When I married Josh, I gained another family, and I love them all to pieces.  They are also a very fun bunch, and about ten times louder (which explains a lot about Josh's personality)!

I have come to a place where I firmly know who I am, what I will and will not stand for, what I believe, and what is truly important.  I definitely could not say that about myself 10, or even 5, years ago.

I am a child of God, no matter what the numbers of my age say.

I am... BLESSED.  Next time you ever hear me complain, please direct me to this post.  Oh, and make me watch this video:

Yes... I think I'm going to like my thirties JUST fine.

Baby's First Christmas

Check out the Baby's First Christmas ornament on our tree!

Oh wait... does that say 1981?  

Maybe I will have a Mini-Me afterall.  It's only fair since Josh already has one of his own!

Then again, Jake started out looking like me, too, so only time will tell!

The kiddos

I'm long overdue on an update post... particularly for Jake, so his portion might be a bit lengthy.  Since he's my oldest, I'll start with him first:

I can't believe my baby boy is already 19 months old!  At his 18 month check-up last month he was 35 1/4 inches tall and 30 1/2 pounds... both of which are in the 98th percentile!  I think we have a future linebacker on our hands!  He's well into 2T clothes and is almost out of size 7 shoes.  The little man passes his "hand-me-ups" to his cousin, Adam, who is 2 months older than he is!  Must be his corn-fed Illinois roots!

I think at every stage I make the comment that "this is my favorite age," but I really mean it this time!  The kid amazes me because he learns something new EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.  And I'm with him all the time, so I'm not even sure where he picks some things up!  I could not possibly list all of the words that he says, but some of his favorite phrases include "Oh wow!", "Oh no", and we just started saying "Uh-oh."  The other day he was looking at a Halloween greeting card and saying "oh wow" over and over again and then handed it to Josh.  Josh said "thanks, buddy" and Jake looked back at him and said, "Say oh wow."  He cracks me up.  Honestly, he pretty much talks non-stop all day long.  It's endless chatter and I will pick up a word here and there, but the rest is just gibberish.  He has a Buzz and Woody doll and my favorite thing is when he holds them close to his mouth and talks quietly to them as if it's a secret.  Buzz and Woody probably have blackmail information on us by now, but we wouldn't know it!  Like I said, his vocabulary is huge, but the word "Anyo" can mean airplane, thank-you, Angie, or I love you at any given time, so you have to pay attention to the context!  He's also obsessed with the moon, which I love since I've always been a bit enamored with it, too.  He's such an observant fellow and will point it out even if he sees it in the daytime.  He'll also point out airplanes that he hears fly over our house when we're inside, which always impresses me.  And if we're in the car, he generally points out tractors (or other construction equipment), animals, and other obscure things before we even see them.  He once woke up out of a dead sleep in his carseat because he heard a siren and had to see where it came from.  It blows my mind.  There are also certain words that he always whispers, which is kind of strange, but I like it.  "Bye bye" is one of them and he usually says it over and over when we're leaving some place.  On the flip side, he always growls the word "Spiderman" (which sounds more like Mah-mah... maybe he thinks I'm a superhero?  Sweet!) because Josh said it in a strange voice the first time he ever pointed him out to Jake.  What a smartie.

Sorry... I don't think I meant to go on that long about vocabulary and that's only the tip of the iceberg!  Physically, Jake is one of the most coordinated little guys I've ever seen!  He can throw a ball clear across a room and runs EVERYWHERE.  Well, sometimes he gallops which is hilarious, too!  We have a pretty substantial hill in our backyard and he loves to walk to the top and then run down it at full speed.  I keep waiting for him to face-plant, but he always makes it down in one piece.  He also hasn't met a piece of furniture that he can't climb and I've even found him on the kitchen counter on more than one occasion.  He walks up and down the stairs now like a grown-up would, but prefers to slide down on his belly since it gets him there a whole lot faster.  Again, it's all about speed.  His jumping skills (on the bed, the couch, his crib, you name it!) have only improved since our last post about it.

Other things that Jake loves include cars, trucks, trains, etc... anything that has wheels it seems!  He also loves airplanes and was in awe of a firetruck that we saw the other day.  I learned today that he can put his puzzle pieces in their proper places and can point out all of the animals in his animal book.  If you ask him where the giraffe, zebra, bear, etc. is he will point right to it!  He still has a slight obsession with Barney and if he gets ahold of Josh's iPhone, he can literally unlock it with his finger, find the YouTube icon, and load a Barney video on his own!  But sometimes he's more in the mood to play his Cars game or play with his Toy Story 3 app and can load those up, too!  It's scary how good he is with that thing!  He is also very into dressing himself or, if I pick out his outfit, he will later come to me with something different (that he most likely found in the hamper) and start trying to pull off his shirt.  His choice is almost always red, but the other day his choice was something that Mommy loved!:

At mealtime the kid eats almost everything, but we're finding that he does go through phases of what he likes and dislikes.  He once loved grapes and now he won't touch them.  He still loves almost every other fruit though and asks for a "bapple" at least once a day.  We have to hide watermelon if we have it in the house because he would literally eat it all in one sitting.  Unlike his mama he likes most veggies as well and seems to prefer carrots and broccoli... I'm glad he doesn't take after me on that!  It's actually more difficult to get him to eat meat than anything else, but we find that he'll try just about anything as long as there's a healthy amount of Ranch dressing on the side, which is totally something he gets from his daddy.  We're starting to give him a cup of water without a lid at mealtimes, which goes well most of the time.  He loves to play in water though, so every now and again he'll splash his hands in it or dump it on his tray and swirl it around.... it just depends on his mood I guess.

Josh and I see a lot of our traits in him, which is good and bad.  He gets easily frustrated if he can't do something or figure something out right away, which is totally me.  He's also a natural leader almost to a fault and will physically grab your foot and move it in the direction he wants you to go.  Or he'll grab you around the leg and "steer" you there.  If you're carrying him, he will point to where he wants you to take him, so he's getting quite bossy these days!  If I'm holding Lilly he'll often point to her chair or carseat and say "Baby" until I put her down!  He still pretty much leaves her alone unless she's laying on the floor, in the bed, or on the couch (basically not in any of her baby gear) and then he's all over her!  He thinks it's hilarious to pull out her pacifier and shove it back in her mouth, so I have to watch him closely.  He also comes dangerously close to stepping on, laying on, or putting all of his weight on her, so I stick by to make sure she's safe.  I'm glad he seems to love her though.

Like I said, I could go on and on and on about him at this age, so I'll just mention one more thing and then move on.  I am particularly proud of the little man when it comes to learning his letters.  He has always loved books and has had a baby laptop that teaches letters since he was 9 months old.  Apparently that stuff has sunk in because he can now recognize several letters... see for yourself (and please ignore the crying baby in the background!):

Oh how I love him!

As for Lil, there is not too much to report since she did not have a 1-month check-up.  We went at two weeks and she was 21 and 3/4 inches tall (90%) and 8 pounds, 13 ounces (60%)... tall and skinny!  We go back at 2 months and I am interested to see how much she's grown, since I can definitely tell that she's gotten much bigger since then!  She's out of her newborn clothes (sniff!) but still swims a bit in 3-month clothes, particularly in the waist.  She still has all of her hair and I'm pretty sure she's going to keep it (unlike Jake did) because she has much thicker hair than he ever had and dark eyebrows and lashes.  Her eyes are still a dark gray-blue, so it might be awhile before we know what color they will be in the long run.  She's now six weeks old and giving us lots of smiles, particularly in the mornings.  She snoozes during the early afternoon and is a bit of a night owl, staying awake for hours at a time in the evenings.  The good news is that she sleeps for 5-6 hour stretches during the night so I'm getting more rest than I expected to at this point!  She still seems to have a pretty calm disposition and only fusses if I don't feed her when she wants to eat, particularly in the evening.  She doesn't mind tummy time at all and actually seems to prefer it.  And although I know it was a fluke, she has already rolled over from her tummy to her back!  Granted, it was one of her "angry" moments and she was wailing, so in her anger she accidentally rocked herself over!  We were impressed that Jake did it at 7 weeks, but she must have our competitive spirit and had to beat him to it!  What a big girl!

Here's our sweet Lilly at one month:

Love that cute little double chin!

Like I said, Jake pretty much leaves her alone until she's not in one of her designated baby seats, swing, etc.  When she's on the couch or in this chair for example, it's fair game.  These would probably be a whole lot cuter if he was actually wearing more than just a diaper!  But it goes to show their difference in size!

Ohhhh life with two... it sure does keep things interesting!  There's never a dull moment in Mauneyland these days!

Newborn Photos

When we lived in Illinois, a great friend of ours was a fabulous photographer (you can check her out here) and took gorgeous photos of Jake as a newborn.  She did them in our home and I thought, hmmm, maybe I could do that someday.  Since we've moved and she was not available to drive all the way here to photography Lilly (c'mon Jan, it's only a 9-hour drive!) I set up a little area in our house and did what I could.  The first batch were taken on day 13, and Jan suggests that newborn photos are done before the baby is two weeks old.  Honestly, I cut it a little bit close.  She was pretty much mad the entire time, but I did manage to get one or two:

I was hoping she'd sleep so I could really position her the way I wanted to, but she wasn't having it.  This girl loves to sleep, but she does not like to be messed with while she's snoozing!

A week later I couldn't resist and tried again.  She was still wide awake, but in a much better mood.  Here are some of my favorites:

This one makes me smile!

My "money shot" of the day came out a teensy bit blurry, but it will end up in a frame somewhere anyway:

I am still learning a lot... I'm finally pretty good with the functions of my "fancy" camera and have lighting pretty much figured out, which is half the battle I think, but there is plenty of room for improvement.  I can't wait until Jake is older and will actually cooperate and follow instructions so that I can use him as my guinea pig.  And if I could just learn how to edit in Photoshop I'd really be in good shape!  *sigh*  Guess I'll add that to the list of "things to do when I have some free time."  So basically I'll get around to it in about 18 years!  In the meantime, I need to get back to playtime with the little ones!

Celebrating Lilly

Have I mentioned recently that I LOVE living near my family?  My sisters and mom missed the baby shower for Jake, so they wanted to do something special for Lilly.  They threw a party ten days after she was born, invited a few friends and family, and we had a very low-key welcome party for my sweet girl.  In a word, it was perfect.  The only thing missing was a few of you that couldn't make it, but I look forward to your visits soon!  Welcome, Baby Lilly!

The Guest of Honor... my pretty girl!

The food table... yummy!

Beautiful Decor

One of my residents from my UT days (and now one of my very best friends)... love you, Laura!

The award for farthest distance traveled goes to my Aunt Karen and cousin, Hillary!

The kiddos with their Great Grandaddy and Mawmaw.

Did I also mention how much my family and friends rock?  We had guests from Cincinnati, Atlanta, and even Cleveland come for the day!  Lilly sure is loved... and we sure are blessed.  Thanks to everyone for making our day so very very special.

The Second Time Around

Labor and delivery... the fun part of having kids, right?  My doctor in Illinois told me that he wasn't sure which scenario was worse: having never been through it and having no clue how labor really feels or having been through it already and knowing (somewhat) what is coming for you.  I think he made a good point, but even with the long labor I had the firs time, I was actually looking forward to going through it again this time around.  Never in my life have I experienced something as miraculous as meeting my baby for the first time, and to have the opportunity to go through that again was something that I was very excited about.

Before I get into all of the details about how Lillian arrived into this world, I will preface it (for those of you who don't know) that with each of my pregnancies, I have to give myself a shot of blood thinners everyday.  When I was pregnant with Jake, a massive blood clot formed in my leg and so the doctors have me do this as a precautionary measure.  You can read all about it here, and about Jake's delivery here.  Because of the blood thinners, I am induced with each baby at 39 weeks, so that I can stop taking the shots 24 hours beforehand in order to prevent hemorrhaging.  In the event that I go into labor before 39 weeks, there is also a shot they could give me to reverse the thinners... it all sounds very complicated, but it's really not... especially since we knew the drill this time and also did not have the fear that an existing clot could possibly become dislodged during delivery like we had with Jake.  That alone made the idea of labor and delivery a little less stressful.

So anyhoo, just like with Jake, I really had the desire to go into labor on my own and have as natural of a birthing experience as possible.  I had some major issues with the epidural the first time (and I only got it because I so desperately needed sleep, which I never got!) and was nervous about going that route again.  I was measuring about a week and a half ahead (which was mostly fluid and not baby, thank goodness!) and having Braxton Hicks contractions for weeks, so I thought that there might be a good chance that it would happen.  So once again, I tried every old wives' tale in the book and even baked a batch of "Break Your Water Cookies" two nights before my induction date.  I could only stomach about seven of them before I felt like I was going to throw up... they taste a lot like gingerbread at first, but as soon as you swallow- look out!  There is a kick of cayenne pepper that will surprise (and potentially gag) you!  I would not recommend it, although they might be a nice thing to bake for that neighbor you don't like so much!  I also had two different doctors "strip my membranes" the week prior to help kick-start labor to no avail.  None of my efforts paid off, so by Sunday afternoon, I knew that we'd be heading to the hospital early in the morning for an induction.  Josh managed to go to bed pretty early, but I stayed up making sure the house was perfectly tidy for when I would bring Lilly home.  Once in bed, I laid awake and cherished every bump and move in my belly, knowing that I would miss it.  I was pretty bummed that once again nothing about my labor would be natural.  With Jake, they tried a "cervix-ripening" treatment to help me thin and dilate, but since I was already dilated to a 3 and 50% effaced, they would be going straight to pitocin from the get-go.  The plan was to start on that in the morning, the doctor would break my water a couple of hours later, and then the baby would probably arrive sometime that evening... again, nothing natural about it at all.  So as I laid there and thought about it, I went ahead and made the decision to stop debating about it and get an epidural.  If I was already going to be hooked up to all of the other machines, I might as well.

Monday morning we were both wide awake bright and early.  Josh and I were on the road by a quarter after five and drove through torrential downpours and thunderstorms to get to the hospital.  We did manage a stop at McDonald's though so that I could get a sausage biscuit, which I knew might be my last meal for awhile that day.  Once we arrived at the hospital, Josh dropped me off at the door and I went upstairs to get registered.  A family getting out of the elevator saw me walking in with my bags and said that I was looking pretty good for it to be that time.  I thanked them and did not mention that unfortunately I was not actually in labor.  Once upstairs, I registered with the front desk and Josh came upstairs just as I was headed to our room.  It was around six o'clock on the dot by the time the first IV went in, and it did not go well.  The nurse missed my vein and it burst, causing a big bump on my hand. I teared up a little once it was pulled back out because I felt like everything was already going wrong and my nerves started getting to me.  It was really the first time in nine months that I had any sort of anxiety, but Josh assured me that all was going to be just fine.  A second nurse came in and put a new IV in properly and they started me on a saline drip... our day had begun!

Bye bye, belly!  And notice the really hot (I mean, they were literally HOT) compression socks I had to wear for better circulation.  I make labor look GOOD!

The first hour was spent with nurses coming in and out to check blood pressure and get things set up.  The weather was still pretty terrible and we heard that there were tornado watches all around us.  It has rained on every single one of mine and Josh's special occasions, so something about that news calmed me down a bit.  Around seven, the nurse came in and turned on the dreaded pitocin, but assured me that she was only setting it to a 2.  I wasn't sure what the highest number was, but a 2 sounded reasonable.  We called my sister, Angie, and let her know that my induction was officially underway and she could head over whenever.  I was given the privilege of seeing my friend Chelsea's baby come into the world back in January and once I learned that my sisters had never been given the opportunity to see it for themselves, I invited them both to be there for Lilly's arrival.  Mindy had to work unfortunately, but she's got dibs (along with Chelsea... I owe her one!) on our next child... which will hopefully be a few years down the road!  Angie must have been waiting by the door because she got there quickly!  I'm not sure who was more excited!

A couple of hours passed and they had turned up my pitocin a couple of times when the doctor came in to check me around ten o'clock.  I was at a 3 and a half, which made him decide that it was time to break my water.  When I had Jake, my water broke unexpectedly and it was by far one of the strangest things I had ever experienced.  This time it was much more methodical and the gush of water (sorry... from here on out it will probably get a bit more graphic, so if you don't want to hear about it, I recommend that you stop reading now!) was much more gradual.  And when they had said that I had a lot of fluid, they were not kidding!  I could literally hear it pooling underneath me and Josh said that it looked to be about twice as much as I had with Jake.  She sure had a nice little private pool for nine months!

This is the point when my epidural debate started again.  From all of the reading I had done, I knew that an epidural could slow down labor.  I asked the nurse when she thought I should get it and she told me that it was up to me.  I didn't want to get it too soon so I decided to wait until my contractions started getting stronger, which did not take long at all.  Within a half of an hour they were right on top of each other and pretty intense, so I was breathing through each one and trying to stay relaxed.  I started getting clammy and nauseous and was quickly reminded of how fun labor really is!  The funny part about deciding that I would get an epidural is once I had my mind set on it, the anesthesiologist could not have gotten there quickly enough!  I felt like I had to wait forever, but it was probably only about fifteen minutes of hard contractions that I had to endure.  The woman who administered it was a sweet lady named Mae, and she quickly became my favorite person.  She talked me through everything that she was doing and immediately put a booster in my line to help ease the intensity (and cool me off) a bit.  I will say, the best part (in my opinion) about the epidural was how cold it felt on my back.  I tend to stay really hot and sweaty, which leads to nauseous and throwing up (fun!) so I was grateful for the change in my body temperature.  After about 10 minutes, the tingly feeling started in my legs and within 15 I could not feel a thing.  NOT. A. THING. in my belly.  My sister would watch the contraction monitor and comment on how big each contraction was, but I was oblivious.  For a girl who was at one time pretty anti-epidural, I sure changed my tune!  And the anesthesiologist clearly knew what she was doing because I could still move my legs and wiggle my toes unlike the last time.  It was bliss I tell you.

The next hour was pretty uneventful, but I was able to joke around and chat with Josh, Angie, and the nurses.  Around eleven the nurse came in to check me, and was just as surprised as I was when she announced that I was already at an 8!  I had been at a 3 1/2 just about an hour ago!  Apparently the epidural does not have the slow-down effect on me that I had read about!  She left us alone again and we all just talked about how excited we were to meet Lillian.  By the time she came back to check me again (around noon), she told me that it was time to call the doctor!  I was tremedously surprised and ecstatic to say the least.  She left to get the doctor and suddenly about four other nurses and four nursing students walked in.  Two of the nurses were from the nursery and would be taking care of Lillian, one was another labor and delivery nurse, and one was the nursing students' instructor.  Upon check-in that morning, I had signed a waiver that said that I was willing to have nursing students in the room with me to observe.  Granted, I was expecting maybe one student, so it was a bit of a surprise to have four!  But again, I was in epidural-heaven and just went with it.  If it had been my first baby, or if I was trying for natural labor again, I probably would not have been too thrilled, but everything had been so easy thus far that I thought why not!  

The nurse finally came back and told me that both doctors were in surgery so it would be about fifteen minutes "doctor time."  Which meant that they'd be there whenever they got done.  The room cleared out again and we just sat and waited.  And sat.  And waited.  And sat.  And... well, you get the point.  It turned out that "doctor time" was really around an hour, and the whole time I could literally feel Lillian pushing on my pelvic bones every time I had a contraction, so every couple of minutes I would feel insane amounts of pressure.  Had I not had an epidural, I'm pretty sure my body would have reacted and started pushing, so I was thankful that I was able to relax.  I told Josh that I was pretty sure the baby was going to fall out at any minute!

Around 1:00 my doctor finally came in along with the parade of nurses.  In total, there were eleven people in the room, not counting myself!  Once everything was set up and ready to go (which didn't take long since they had everything ready about an hour earlier) she told me that she could already see the baby's head!  Crazy!  With Jake it had taken me almost an hour to get to that point, so that was awesome news to hear.  I will say, the only downside of the epidural was that I could not tell when I needed to push.  With Jake, it was such a relief to push through those painful contractions, but since I was numb, they had to tell me when to start and stop.  And then I couldn't really tell if I was doing a good job or not.  It was weird.  I'm actually glad that I had been through it before without the numbness because I could kind of remember how to "bear down" and push effectively.  At one point between pushes I looked up and saw all of these faces staring back at me and all of the students had these excited expressions on their faces.  I started laughing because of the absurdity of it all!  I'm still a little stunned that I could actually just laugh and enjoy myself at this point in the day.  The doctor had me not push through one of the contractions and I learned later that the cord had been around her neck and she took that time to untangle it.  I would have never known since she stayed so calm and handled it like it was no big deal... which I guess it isn't if you're a doctor who sees these things frequently.  Surprisingly, after about 20 minutes, she told me that it would take one more push and she was right!  At 1:29 PM Lillian Joy Mauney made her entrance into this world and even received a round of applause.  Or maybe that was for me... either way, it was pretty awesome.  They wiped her down and put her on me, which is always the most magical moment for me.  She was pretty purple, but absolutely beautiful.  I felt much more alert and lucid after delivery this time around, and those first moments of me and Josh holding her and loving on her were so very special.  Angie took video of our "first meeting" and I tear up every time I see it... I still stick to my theory that those moments are the closest a person can ever get to physically meeting God here on earth. Josh stayed with her as she was weighed and measured and the nurses finished cleaning up.  I could not believe that everything had happened so quickly and honestly, I would do it again tomorrow if it went that way every time!  What a difference from the first time.

How many people does it take to deliver a baby?

One of my favorite pics... the students were SO excited to observe!

First meeting our daughter... love those magical moments

Brand new beauty... love at first sight

Lilly and our wonderful doctor... we loved her!

Proud Daddy

Our first visitors arrived shortly after she was born, and the first one in the room was Jake.  It was so good to see and love on him!  He climbed right up into the bed with me and the two of us shared some cookies.  Josh brought the baby over, but he was much more interested in his snack.  It's now 2 1/2 weeks later and not much has changed in that department!  He says "baby" when he remembers that she's in the room or when she cries, but pretty much ignores her for the most part.  He does try to put her pacifier in her mouth from time to time, even if she's sleeping, so that's pretty cute, and only once has he hugged her, which almost made me cry.  I actually prefer that he leaves her alone because I don't have to worry too much about him messing with her, but I'm sure things will change dramatically when she starts doing more than just sleeping.  He also hasn't had many jealousy issues, although he did get pretty upset when I wouldn't pick him up and carry him the first week that we were home.  I'm glad that phase has passed.

He looks even bigger to me now!  He's going to be a great big brother!

Throughout the day we had all of our family in the area come and visit the newest member, including Mindy and Michael who drove down from Cincinnati.  Angie agreed that being on the "other side" of labor was an amazing experience and I know that Mindy was bummed that she had to miss out.  We would've loved to have had her there, too.

Our other labor partner... thanks, Angie!

Finally a girl!  Lilly with her mommy and two awesome aunties!

It was nice to have a couple of days to spend as just the three of us, but we were definitely ready to get home when it came time!  And I must say, these first few weeks of being a family of four have been so great.  I feel so blessed to have two beautiful children and a loving husband.  Lillian has definitely turned out to be the easier baby of the two thus far, so I feel like I am enjoying this early stage even more than I did the first time.  Plus, I am more confident in my mothering skills, which helps tremendously.  And I am loving the time off from work to just love on the both of them everyday.  It doesn't get much better than that!  One of these days when I find some time (ha!) I will update my blog header so that she's included... Mauneyland now has an official population of FOUR!