3 months!

Ethan is now 3 months old, as of last Tuesday. I haven't had a lot of time to make posts lately because I've been dealing with sick little girl. Anyway, this will have to be yet another quick post because I have to feed Ethan in a minute. But, here's my cute boy at 3 months!!! (Mallory at 3 months)

A rare family photo

While the kiddos are napping, I took a few minutes to organize hundreds of photos I have on my computer (though I should be finishing my taxes...oiy!). I came across this family photo taken over Christmas at my folks house. We have very few family photos!!!

Courtney and Erin...

Has it really been a year since our last visit together??? We need to do this again!!! Little MD is a tad bit bigger than he was in this picture, right C? :-)

Happy "Our" Valentines Day

Read here why this day is important to us.

A few milestones...

Well, we've reached a few milestones in our household over the past few nights. First, Mallory went to bed two nights ago (and last night) without screaming!!! YEAH!!! It had become routine for her to start screaming as soon as we said "Amen" after her bedtime prayer. This had been going on since Christmas. She has been waking up about 5am with a very wet diaper, but as soon as she's changed, she'll go back to sleep. I might have to start putting diaper doubles back in her drawers...

Second, Ethan has slept the past 2 nights in his own room. This is HUGE for me. I was initially concerned about Mallory waking up when he wakes up, but with her radio and her humidifier going, his cries are drowned out. Ethan is still waking up about 3am and I'm hoping that his body will get used to that missed feeding. Confession: I am putting a few teaspoons of rice cereal in a bottle for him at 11pm. I figured it would make his belly a little fuller. He's not really used to sucking on a bottle, but I'm REALLY ready for him to start a 6-8hr stretch (now that he's 3 months today!!!) and will try just about anything.

I'm am a bit sad today because it's hitting me that my kids are growing up so quickly. It's an inevitable reality. Time is fleeting. And this phase of their lives (newborn and toddler) are the shortest. I love 'em.

Playtime in Mallory's Room

Well, I've been pretty faithful at keeping my camera handy while we're playing during the day. The good thing is that I have tons of pictures of the kids playing. The bad thing is that I have TONS of pictures to sift through! But, it's fun!!! Enjoy.

A Date Night!

While my mom was here, Patrick and I took advantage of her babysitting skills and headed out for a night together. We ate at a great Asian place here in town, Stir Fry Cafe, and then meandered around the neighboring Barnes and Noble, enjoying a piece of Dark Chocolate Cake from their sampling of "The Cheesecake Factory" desserts. It was nice to linger over our meal, sipping Shiraz (me) and a Blue Moon (Patrick). We had a nice time. I'm looking forward to doing it again!!! :-)

Could it be?

I can't believe Ethan is finally ready for the Jumperoo. He's 12 wks old today and he's just growing so much. Here is a video of his first experience in the Jumperoo.

(See Mallory's first experience here)

More of the Big Heavy

My mom took LOTS of video of Ethan and Mallory while she was here. You might have to tilt your head a bit to watch this video of Ethan, but it's worth a tiny crick in the next. ;-)

Another Spaghetti Video...

Grandma in town

My mom is in town this weekend and whenever she's here, the camera is out and loads of pictures are taken. I took her camera and loaded all the pictures on my computer (even ones since Christmas!!!) and decided to give you a look at some of our activities. These pictures were taken today.

Here is the little E-man (A.K.A. "The Big Heavy") in his Sunday best (Ralph Lauren Polo all the way). We pretty much POURED him into this 3-6mo outfit.



















Mallory and spaghetti. Yummy lunch!




















Here is Mallory with her most favorite animals (most all of them are dogs, by the way). She showing us Peppy in this picture. Also making an appearance is Blue, Lolly, Wiffer and Scruff)

Me and E

I have been wanting to take more pics lately that are more on the creative side than formal portriature, but I've put other things ahead of this. I think that once I'm behind a camera taking pictures and then looking at them, I enjoy seeing what is produced, though I am often critical of my work which, in turn, helps me get better. Here is my creative pic for today. I hope to do this daily which means I need to keep my "big" camera within arms reach, which is difficult to do with curious hands in the house. It can be a goal, though, right?

Though I may not post my works daily, I will try as often as I can. You are my accountability.

Pics from Today

Since I haven't posted any pics lately, here are a few from this morning that I took. Mallory has been a bit whiney lately but has sweet moments as well...seconds after whiney moments. Here are pictures taken within a minute of each other. Amazing how quickly she can turn from sour to sweet.



















Here is my chubby E. He's a sweetheart. We're still working on the sleep thing, but he's getting much better.

Little E?

We took Ethan to the Pediatrician today for his 8 week well visit and found out that he was a whopping 16.3 lbs (98th %) and 25.5 inches long (97th %), which is about the size of a 5-month old. The doc was impressed. :-) And I think we can cut out his 3am feeding!!! Now, if Ethan can just get on board with that...

Smilin' "E" and Jealous "M"

Family Pics from Christmas

Here are some pics of both sides of the family taken around the holidays. So, I'm a little late with getting them up, but better late than never!!!

Cayman, Cayman, Cayman!!!

That's what I say in my head every time one of our neighbors come to my front door with Cayman on a leash. Today was one of those days. We thought our 6ft fence would keep our Beagle contained, but no, it does not. She has found the "ups" to get over it and play with our neighbor's dogs. And, she's also jumped our neighbor's fence to get into their OTHER neighbor's yard (with a 3-ft gap between their two fences) and play with their dogs. She's only run away once by jumping the back of our fence, but is mainly interested in socializing with her furry friends. She keeps life interesting.

She has some crazy antics and I figured it was high time she had a post on our blog. While I was unloading groceries on Friday, Cayman decided she was going to "explore" our Explorer since the only place she usually sees in our vehicle is from inside of her crate through the little peep holes. Once inside the car, she did not want to come out. I even shut the doors, went inside the house and waited for her to bark to get out. Nope. She just wanted to chill inside the car. So, I took some pictures thinking that this event would be blog-worthy.

A milestone (for me, at least)...

The maternity clothes are all packed away. All of them! This is a huge accomplishment for me, since they were part of my wardrobe for 6 months after Mallory was born. It's only been 10 weeks and I'm just excited.

Patrick watched the kids for me on Friday night while I went to Stein Mart and racked up on some of there 75% off sales. I got 7 shirts and a pair of jeans for less than $50. Though I have a LARGE pre-pregnancy wardrobe that I still can't fit into (thanks to being a nursing mom), I needed some more shirts and one more pair of jeans to complete my post-pregnancy-but-not-yet-ready-for-pre-pregnancy-clothes wardrobe.

Yeah for me.

First Snow fall of the winter...

...was last week. I took Mallory outside and enjoyed watching her experience it. Though it was only a dusting, it was enough to make out nose and cheeks turn red.




















Here's a "self portrait"...

A few more...

I couldn't resist posting a few more...

PS: For Mallory's 2-month pictures, go here.

Ethan is 2 months!!!

Gosh, I wish I had hours to write about my son. He's such a fun little guy, that is when he's not crying. He cries a lot. But, we're still trying to figure out his needs so we can meet them so we're all happier. He's not picking up on the Babywise pricipals as well as Mallory did, so I'm trying to figure out his own system that will work. He's starting to smile and melt my heart with "goos" that he now vocalizes. I love cuddling him. He's getting to be SO BIG...he's pushing 16 lbs and is out of 3-month clothes...he's in 3-6 month and some 6-12 months!!! He's in sz 3 diapers (since 6-wks old) and is a big ol' blub o' love.
I took his pics today and had a REAL hard time just choosing a few. Here are some of my favs!!!

"The Gun Show"

Christmas Pics...

I would add captions, but Ethan is with me now and is crying his head off. I'll have to come back and add some, but for now, here are some pics from our Christmas.

Happy New Year!

Though we had a WONDERFUL holiday season, I'm ready to get life back into a normal swing. I figured I'd give a small recap of our holiday and then I'll make some separate posts with some recent pics...which I know some of you are anxious for!!!

1. We had both sets of grandparents for Christmas. Very Special. Very Fun.
2. We bought Mallory her first potty. Now, I've got to start the lessons.
3. We went to see the light display at Bristol Motor Speedway. It was VERY cool. Though we sat in line for an hour before we entered the gates, it was worth it. I think Mallory will enjoy it a whole lot more next year.
4. We went to Elberton (where my folks live) for a few days around the new year. It was our first trip with Ethan, who did VERY well. Cayman stayed in a kennel this year (recap of what happened last year can be found here and here). We had a lot of fun relaxing, playing games and watching the kids and their antics. I love going to my folks house. I can always relax there.
5. Patrick got to watch Star Wars episodes 4, 5, and 6 on the big screen in Elberton, where the community theatre was putting on a Star Wars film fest. He missed 1, 2 and 3 but got to see the important ones. I went and say Episode 5 with him (his favorite - Empire Strikes Back). It was very cool.
6. We visited with one of Patrick's cousins who happened to be passing through our neck of the woods. Erin, who he hasn't seen in over 10 years, was a delight!!! She and her husband were only here for an hour, but it was fun to catch up and visit with a long-lost family member.
7. All the Christmas decor came down on the 3rd and the house looks like normal now. I miss the eclectic look of Christmas, though it will be fun to spruce up my living room with some new accessories with some Christmas money. :-)
8. I have a New Years goal of getting back to my wedding weight by the end of next year. Thanks to having 2 babies, I'm a little off, but I think I can loose 25 lbs in 12 months. :-)

If I think of some other things, I'll let you know.

Merry Christmas...

Sorry it took me a while to follow up on my last post. We've been very busy, if you can only imagine, and blog posting is definitely on the back burner. In addition to our Christmas celebrations, we've been battling a little 20-month old who has decided she doesn't like to sleep anymore. She cries when she goes to bed, she cries...er...screams...in the middle of the night, and fights her nap-time too. It's now become a norm and we're trying to figure out what's wrong; we don't know if she's scared or just wants attention or what. So, experienced moms out there, any suggestions???

But, we had a great Christmas with both Patrick's folks and my folks. We ate well, too (prime rib, potatoes, pineapple-cherry upside down cake, homemade yeast rolls, spiced wine, etc, etc) and I absolutely loved being in my kitchen.

We head out today to celebrate Christmas in Elberton with my sister, bro-in-law and parents. We're looking forward to some relaxing and hopefully some much-needed rest! I'll have to post some more pictures soon...

Christmas is right around the corner!

I'm getting excited about our Christmas celebrations...starting tomorrow (hopefully). Why I say hopefully is because Patrick is supposed to be off tomorrow though he may have to see a patient. If he's off, I think he'll take Mallory to the gym, which she (and he) both love to do! I have to do my Christmas grocery shopping tomorrow because there is no way I'm going out into the stores on Saturday unless it's an emergency!

So, I've been looking through recipe books, trying to decide what to make for our meals around Christmas. Which, I guess, leads me to outline our plans for the coming week. Patrick is supposed to be off from Friday through Tuesday. His folks are planning to come into town on Sunday sometime, though I'm not sure when they'll leave. So, we'll have probably have our family Christmas on Saturday morning and then Christmas with my in-laws on Christmas Eve morning. My parents are coming in town either Christmas Eve night or Christmas morning and will stay through Wednesday sometime. It will be fun to have both grandparents here on Christmas Day. I'm looking forward to baking, roasting, mashing and sauteeing holiday treats and meals to fill our bellies, which help from Gram and Grandma though I'm hoping to have a lot of stuff done in advance so we can enjoy each other while they're here. BUT, for those of you, like me, who love to be in the kitchen, I want to spend some time there over the holidays.

Once I figure out what we'll be having, I'll share. In the meantime, I'll be doing an inventory of my cupboards, sifting through recipes, and making grocery lists. Fun, fun!

Helping Mommy in the Kitchen

I made Ginger Snaps the other day and Mallory "helped". She's getting to be such a big girl.

Recent pictures of Ethan

Ethan is becoming a chub. He's eating really well and is getting the hang of evening sleep, though there are still a few nights during the week where he fusses a lot. But, he's getting better. He's a cutie and I'm enjoying being a mommy to a boy (though changing his diaper is another story!!!)

Long time, no blog

Finding time to blog is hard for me. But, I enjoy keeping my blog updated with pictures so my out-of-town fam and friends can see my beautiful kids. We're all doing well and are looking forward to the holidays!

Oh, and we have been doing our Advent traditions I outlined in my December blogs from last year, I just haven't had a chance to post about it. I'll have to do a mass post of all of our sessions after Christmas sometime. I love the Advent season!

...to Grandmother's House she goes!

I called my mom on Saturday and asked her what she thought of keeping Mallory for a few days for me while I caught up on some much-needed rest. My mom and dad said that their schedule at the restaurant was pretty flexible this week, so it worked out well. I know I'm going to miss her, but I'm so tired and my naps are catch and go with Mallory and Ethan's schedule. I've missed several days of naps and with only averaging 5 hours of sleep and STILL trying to recover from Ethan's delivery, it's been physically exhausting for me.

My main goal while Mallory is at her grandparents is to rest. But, I'd also like to clean bathrooms, vacuum and mop, finish my shopping, start wrapping presents, order new checks at the bank, organize the huge pile of papers on my kitchen counter, and, and and...we'll see how much I get done.

For now, though, Patrick and I are going out to dinner tonight with our little E. Though Ethan has his moments when he's inconsolable, he's very good for the most part and will sleep through just about anything, well, except for the dog parking half way through OUR nap today and Ethan waking up from the dog barking with a poopy diaper (hence no nap today!). I'm looking forward to being with my boys tonight.

Anyway, we'll see Mallory again on Thursday. And in between now and then, I KNOW she'll have a great time with her grandparents. I'm sure she'll love all the attention that I haven't been able to give her as of late. I'll miss my girl. Tons.

A new diet

Well, after a few days of having a fussy son (and I mean FUSSY...almost every waking moment!), I think I have determined that he has trouble with my intake of dairy. I have been cutting back for the past week and just recently cut it out completely and I have already seen a marked difference in his behavior. Also, the ecsema that had broken out pretty majorly on his face is also going away. Hm. It amazes me how truely interconnected we are while I'm breastfeeding. It's a wonderful bond I have with him! But, it has been a challenge for me to cut out cream from my coffee, milk for my cereal, chocolate, cheese, sour cream...anything with dairy. It's going to be a challenge for the next several months. I did buy some soy milk yesterday and it's not bad in cereal, though I don't see myself chugging down a glass for fun. It will do, though it doesn't replace the taste of half in half in my coffee!!!

Ethan is doing very well now that I'm monitoring my diet more closely!!! He's got is afternoon routine down pat; he has his feeding, is awake for about another 45 minutes and then is out for a good 1.5 hour nap. At night, it's a different story! He wakes every 2.5-3 hours to eat and is fussy from about 5-6:15 am. Needless to say, I'm lacking in sleep! Anyway, I'm hoping we'll get on a good nighttime routine soon!!!

So, goodbye ice cream, pizza, and cheese on my sandwiches. I'll see you in a few months.

Christmas Pic with Gram and Pops

While my in-laws were here, we attempted to make a Christmas picture. But, with hungry kids and an ansy father-in-law, we only had 3 pics and this was the best one. :-)

Picking out the Christmas Tree

We went out as a family last Thursday and picked out our Christmas tree. It's always fun with kids!!! Patrick and I really enjoy hunting for the perfect tree. I think we found it!

Mallory's new outfit

Thanks, Gram!

Reasons why I haven't been posting lately...

1. I have 2 kids (OK, you moms with 2+ who blog more faithfully...I'm getting used to this!)

2. We've been decorating for Christmas
3. We've had company for the past 6 days (Mosses on Fri - Sun, my mom from Mon - today)
4. With only approx. 15 minutes on the Internet a day, and having LOTS of Christmas shopping to do, blogging was put on hold
5. Sleep is more important that blogging. Really.
...

There are more, but I'm currently eating dinner while blogging and I don't want it to get too cold, which I guess means eating and blogging are equal?

Here's a picture taken tonight. Here are my kids watching Baby Einstein in their PJs. Melts my heart!