Girls Trip

Over the weekend Mckinlee and I took off on a girls trip to see some old college friends. My friend Chelsea is expecting a baby boy next month, and she was having her shower this past weekend.  This was the first time that I have left Caleb for more than one night, and it was also the first time I have been that far away from him. However, I knew that having both children in the car by myself for that long would not be a pleasant experience, and that Caleb would have so much more fun here. I did miss him terribly, but he and I both had great weekends. 

Mckinlee and I headed off to Illinois on Thursday to spend the night with my college friend Erin.  She and her hubby just purchased their first home, and I was so excited to see it.  It is just the cutest.  They are doing a lot of renovations on it, and I know it is going to be perfect when they are finished. That night we just hung out at her house, ate dinner, fought with the pack n play, and went to bed.

The next morning we loaded up in Erin's car, and we traveled to Michigan.  The entire trip we kept hitting construction, and bundle is not the happiest in the car, but we made it, and it was so much fun to be reunited  with old friends.  We all went to dinner that night, and then we just hung out at Chelsea's apartment that night.

The next day we traveled to St Pete's beach. We ate, and we walked around, and then we headed to the beach to lay out. Lake Michigan in gorgeous!!!! It was bundles first trip to the beach, and her and Declan were just oh so cute. That night we hung out at Chelsea's, ate dinner, and later filled up on doughnuts and wine :).

Sunday was the shower, and Chelsea looked so cute. Our table dominated the games, and we all took home a prize.  After the shower it was time to say goodbye :(.  The weekend passed to quickly. 

I assure you bundle could breath, and he face was not covered up.  

Mckinlee and I spent the night in Illinois Sunday night, and then we headed back Monday. We made a pit stop in Indy to see Beth, and then we came home to get little man! I was so excited to get my hands on him!!

Typical Day Wednesday

I have been following Kelly's Korner this week, and she has been doing daily posts to help her remember what her daily life with 2 young kids was like. I have loved reading them, and I thought I would do my own little post about our daily life as well.

Wednesday:

Caleb woke me up at 4:40 this morning.  He can open his door now, and I could hear him walking through the hall saying "mom mom mom mom".  He came to my side of the bed, lifted his arms to me, and needless to say he slept in our room the rest of the night.

Around 5:50 bundle woke up, and I heard her talking to herself in her crib. I gave her a minute to see if she would fall back asleep, but she started to fuss. I went ahead and got her, brought her to our bed, and I fed her.  Caleb was still awake during this time, so I gave him my phone to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on while I nursed.

I had to get up early this morning to take my sister to the airport, so Nick stayed with the kids until I returned. We then blew up Caleb's pool, and filled it with water for the day.

I ate my breakfast, spent about 40 minutes trying to get little miss down for a nap. She is all about rolling and loosing her binky nowadays, and then Caleb and I headed out to swim.  Presley and Brit joined us for swimming and a picnic.

Toward the end of the play date 12:30ish Caleb was in melt down. He was so tired, so he went straight down for a nap. Just in time for bundle to wake up. 

I fed bundle, and then fed myself. I then played with little miss on the floor for a while.  She is all over the place now!  The blue/boy clothing is a typical around the house outfit for her. That is what she gets having an older brother. She rocks it though.

Mckinlee and I are now sitting at the computer desk blogging, because blogging is impossible once Caleb wakes up. 

After Caleb wakes up I will put Mckinlee down for a nap, probably play outside some more, and start dinner.  I think we are going to go swimming at my in laws after hubby gets off work. 

A Day in the Life with 2 Under 2

I was speaking with a friend today, and she asked me about how life really was with 2 under 2.  I got to talking to her about funny daily occurrences, and it reminded me of a story that I have been meaning to share on the blog.

A Day in the Life With 2 Under 2

A few weeks back I was being oh so kind and had agreed to babysit for a friend.  I had a fun day planned with Caleb, my friends little boy, and a few other of Caleb's friends. We were having a small play date in our backyard, equipped with pool, sand box, and balls.  Mckinlee was oh so precious and slept through most of the play date, and the boys enjoyed running around and playing together. The day was actually going great. 

After the play date ended, Mckinlee awoke and was ready to eat.  The boys still wanted to play outside, and since our yard faced a wooded area, and our porch was covered, I decided I would nurse Mckinlee outside while they played.  I sat down on the patio chair, latched Mckinlee and continued to watch the boys play in the sand.  I have failed to mention previously that only the front of our yard was mowed.  Hubby had not gotten around to the back of the yard yet, and therefore the boys were not allowed to play back there.  I was having a mama moment watching my little man frolic and play unaware that my peaceful summer day was about to take a turn for the worst. 

Caleb being the sweet, wild, adventurous toddler that he is decided that mamas rule to stay in the front of the yard was not one that he needed to listen to. I mean after all he does not quite understand the concept of poisonous snakes and other creatures that are sure to bring death that could be lurking in those long, green flakes of grass.  Oh no to him it was just more room to run and explore.  I saw him start walking toward the backyard, and I immediately said "Caleb, stay up here do not go back there".  He looked and continued to walk.  I again said "Caleb one, two,..if I say three you will (insert punishment).  He still continued to "frolic" rather quickly now towards the death grass.  This is when the dilemma in my head began.  A dilemma that only a mom of 2 under 2 would understand.  Is this really a moment worth taking action on, or I am overreacting.  Aka....do I really have to get off my butt and cause both my children to start screaming at the exact moment?  Unfortunately the death grass caused this to indeed be one of those moments. Sooo...

I told the other little boy to stay at the sand box, I swooped up my daughter (who by the way was STILL NURSING), and began walking towards Caleb.  Caleb sees me coming, and begins to run to the VERY BACK OF THE YARD.  I may have failed to mention that it was a VERY LONG YARD.  So lets take a moment and picture this.  I am running/waddling quickly through my death grass with my shirt pulled up, a baby attached to my tit, trying not to flash my neighbor who is mowing his lawn, and trying to catch my running toddler.  Get the picture?  Lets reflect on that for a moment....

Okay, so when I finally reach Caleb I grab his hand to walk him back to the house, and he immediately throws himself on the ground and starts kicking and screaming. I am talking full out terrible 2 tantrum.  I am trying to get him to stand up, promising immediate punishment if he does not listen, all while NURSING A BABY!!! Lets reflect on that a moment...

I of course am not strong enough to scoop my 27 lb child who is kicking and screaming up with one arm, nor can I get him to stand on his own.  So, I had to step out of the death grass, run my daughter to a flat spot of the yard, break he latch and lay he down.  Guess who was not happy! I then had to run towards my toddler who is now rolling in the death grass, pick him up, take him to the porch, and place him in time out all while he and bundle are SCREAMING!!!!

Fast forward one minute....bundle is latched again, Caleb has said sorry and is out of time out.  I sit back down, finally calm down, and take a breath.  I will be darn if my little stinker of a son who is so stubborn (like his mama), goes BACK TO THE DEATH GRASS!! Guess who had to repeat the entire process again?? This mama! Baby attached to boob and all!! Guess who went immediately inside this time??? THIS FAMILY + (child I was babysitting who Thank God was kind and minded during this incident).

Fast forward to coming inside. Mckinlee is still trying to eat, because God knows with all the stress I was not letting down very much milk! Both of the boys were covered in sand.  I mean COVERED!! I decided to run them a bath, sat Mckinlee down for a minute to get them undressed, she is SCREAMING, Caleb is SCREAMING because he did not want to come inside. I was hoping the bath with his friend would fix it! Man was I wrong!!!

I place both boys in the bath, latch Mckinlee and sit on the bathroom floor. My son decides he is going to CLIMB OUT OF THE BATH!! He has never done this before nor does he know how to. He slips, falls, and hits his face.  I lay Mckinlee down again, check his face, calm him down, and place him back in the bath!! I will be darned if he does not climb out and fall again.  At this point I am crying to. I am so stressed. My son is banging the bathroom door screaming for dada. I kept assuring him that I as well wished dada was there at that moment.

So...I sat there in the bathroom floor, crying, listening to my son bang the door and scream, finished nursing, finished bathing the little boy, swooped up my son, placed him in bed, and shut the door. I then dressed the little boy, picked up Mckinlee and breathed a sigh of relief once Caleb fell asleep. 

Yep......life with two under two can be like that.......but it is worth it :). 

Fathers Day 2011

There is something amazing about seeing your husband become a father.  It literally takes your breath away, and causes you fall more and more in love with them.  My husband has become a greater father than I could have ever asked or prayed for.  He is truly a man who is in LOVE with his children.  It is a love that you can see the moment he walks through the door, and runs to embrace them. It is a love that shines through even in the middle of the night unexpected wakings.  He is always there to help, support, discipline, snuggle, play and love our children.  I am so thankful to have a husband who longs to be involved in his children's life.  A husband who wants to interact with them, wants to take in every moment, and who loves them as I love them. Thank you Nick for being the great father and husband that you are.  You truly are the greatest blessing, and I am so in love with you. 

Hubby's Second Blog Post

Last Fathers Day I had Hubby type out his memory of Caleb's birth. I loved reading it, and having his memories down in writing. This year, I thought it was only necessary for him to do the same for miss Mckinlee.

Hubby's Memory of Mckinlee's birth: 

After Caleb came along I thought that I could never love anybody that much ever again.  Then my baby girl came into this world and I realized that that love could happen again.  This birth was different in the fact that we didn't know when Mckinlee was going to come, because with Caleb we had a set date.  When Sarah woke me early on that cold February morning it was a rush of adrenaline knowing it was time.  But we wanted just to make sure and did the timings of the contracts, which seemed like it took forever.  So we got the car loaded and when my mom showed up to watch Caleb we took off to the hospital.  After we arrived and got checked in the nurse came and checked on Sarah then told us we had to walk to halls.  That was the last thing I wanted to hear, because that meant that they might send us home.  So, needless to say i was not excited about the prospect of Mckinlee not being born on that day.  During that hour of walking I'm pretty sure my hands got a better work out than my legs did with all of the massages I gave Sarah.  We finally got back to the room and we were told that today would be the day, but that day would be longer than we thought.  Then the waiting began and we tried to pass the time any way we could.  I was even being yelled at for being tired just because I yawned, by Sarah.  At this point it really started to kick in that I was going to have two little tornado's running around the house destroying whatever had been put away, but i couldn't wait.  When the family arrived it helped to pass the time a little bit, but we were so tired that we both tried to sleep.  Unfortunately for Sarah that was a lot easier for me, because it wasn't like I was nine months pregnant, in pain, and having a baby or anything.  As she progressed the excitement grew in the room and then it was time for my little girl to join the family.  Sarah giving birth to Mckinlee was just as exciting and I had the same overwhelming feeling of happiness and joy that I had when Caleb was born.  It was like deja vu seeing her come out, being laid on Sarah's chest, then the whole process of cleaning, bathing, and the measurements.  But it didn't make it any less exciting the second time, because the love that I felt for Mckinlee was exactly the same.  During this time we came to realize that  she looked  exactly like Caleb and that was pretty wild.  Being able to hold my daughter for the first time really made realized the love that I have and will Always have for her.  Unlike with Caleb's birth after Mckinlee was born we took a hour before we let anybody in, which i really enjoyed it gave us time to really bond.  Then the parade really started, and did I mention that it was Superbowl Sunday.  Which don't get me wrong I enjoyed the birth of my child way more than sports.  But can you imagine watching the game while Sarah and her friends talk about things that no man should have to listen to.  Finally, my mom was able to bring Caleb up to the hospital to reunite our family which will always be one of my favorite memories.  He had his big brother t-shirt on and an I love you balloon with his big grin on his face hidden behind his Binky as he walked in the room.  While he was there everybody left for a while and it just the four of us in the room.  This is when we got our first taste of having two kids and reality really set in for the both of us.  After two days of little sleep and more nurse visits than I can remember we were told it was time to go home.  Even though we did have to wait 45 minutes for wheel chair to be brought up to the room.  Which meant we could start to get back to being a normal family.  Through all this I know that I have been given the best kids and a wife that is better than any man could dream of. 

Happy Fathers Day Papaw

Happy fathers day to the best daddy and papaw in the world! We love you!

Lost Photos

Pictures of little miss at 1 month in a dress grammy got her.

Mckinlee 4 Months

When did my newborn start growing up? I am so amazed at how much faster time is flying by with my second child.  It is breaking my heart into a million pieces.  I just do not have enough time in the day to take in all the sweet innocence of my little bundle, and it tears me up inside.  She is growing growing growing before my very eyes, and  I am already missing that sweet newborn stage. 

Mckinlee this month you have become such a little personality.  You are the sweetest little princess in the world, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to be your mama. 

Mckinlee at 4 Months:

Sleeping:  You are still a great sleeper.  You take a nap every 1 1/2-2 hours daily.  You generally sleep for an hour each time.  You are going to bed at 8 now, and you are waking up around 5:30-6 to eat.  You have started waking up a little earlier, but I think it is due to the 4 month growth spurt/sleep regression.  You generally fall back to sleep for about an hour after your morning feeding.

Eating:  You are still eating every three hours.  You eat from one side each time.  You are still so tiny, and seem to be perfectly content with just my milk.  Your brother started cereal at 4 months, but I honestly do not think you are ready yet.  You take a bottle of breast milk before bed, and you are taking about 5-6 ounces for that feeding.

Size: You are still teeny.  You have your 4 month appt today, so I will be sure to add your stats. I am guessing you are maybe 12 lbs?  You are still wearing size 0-3, and 3 month clothing. Some 3-6 fits you.  You can still not keep a size 0 shoe on. You are wearing a size 1 diaper.  You are so so so petite, so different from your chunky monkey brother, but I love it.

Exciting New Things:

• You laugh out loud now. 

• You coo all the time
• You have started to squeal when you get really excited
• You try to climb out of your bumbo

• You roll from belly to back all the time, and you have rolled from back to belly one time.
• You still get upset when I am not holding you.
• You try to eat everything now.  everything that touches your hands goes straight to your mouth.
• Every time I try to clip your fingernails you try to eat my hands.
• You move all over the floor and your bed. I find you in the weirdest position.
• To roll over you bring your knees in and push yourself over instead of using your arms.
• You smile at everyone.
• You are still a belly sleeper.
• Your acid reflux is basically non existent now
• Your hair is so curly now
• If you hear my voice you will look all around until you find me.
• You think Caleb is hilarious.
• You really do not fuss often unless someone else besides mama is holding you.
• You do great falling asleep on your own.
• You will only take your binky while you sleep, and sometimes in the car.
• You HATE riding in the car. You scream the entire time.  We are driving to Michigan in a few weeks so it should be interesting.
• You can hold your own bottle now. 

• You do not like to cuddle to fall asleep. You would much rather be in your bed. This saddens me at times, because I just want to hold you and take in your sweet babyhood.  
• You still love to be carried in my sling.  

You are growing up way to fast my sweet girl.  l love you to pieces. 

Caleb 22 Months

My sweet little man turned 22 months on the 4th, and I am just getting around to blogging about it.  22 whole months. Wow! 2 months away from 2!!! Didn't we just celebrate his first birthday??? This year has flown by!

Caleb at 22 months...

Eating:  You are obsessed with Goldfish! I mean obsessed! Strawberries and watermelon are also a favorite this month. 

Sleeping: We are at a new home, your big boy bed is placed on its tires (it was not before), and you are doing great.  You were a little iffy when we first moved, and you spent a few nights in our bed, but you are doing great now. You take one nap from around 1-3 and you go to bed around 9.  You have been waking up at 5 or 6, due to no curtains being hung in your room, but we fixed that and I am hoping you start sleeping in again.

Speech:  Your speech has really developed this month.  It seems as though you are adding new words daily. You still uhh and point a lot, but you are starting to really communicate now.  Your favorite thing to say is "mom da, da mom". It is adorable. You also still sign a lot. You have started saying the words "more", and "help" when you sign them now.

Size: You are wearing a size 5/6 shoe. Size 5 diaper. 18-2T clothing.

Exciting New Things:

• You love to climb up and down the stairs and count "2.....2....A.....2....".
• You know the letters O, A, and B.
• You wake up and say "ma ma da da" when you are walking to your door.
• You can open all doors now
• You love to play with play dough, and to draw.
• You love to drive your hands or your cars and say "Go Go Go".

• You boss Bella by saying "GO!!".
• You sign I love you.  You accidentally hit Mckinlee in the head this month, and you automatically signed sorry and I love you, and then you gave her a kiss.
• You are really getting into the terrible twos :(
• You are so silly now. You make us laugh constantly.



• You head bang to all music.
• You sign with Mickey Mouse when he says "say it with me..".
• You love to "eat" from my nipple shields while I am feeding Mckinlee.

• Everything is a hat now.

• You make the funniest shy face.  It cracks me up.

• You can draw an O
• You say "bye and then blow a kiss".  You generally do this when you are pulling a bag behind you, or when you are riding in your car.
• You are obsessed with Auntie K and Abby still.
• You always hold out your arms for people in pictures to hold you.
• You love to come lay in my bed, and you have to have dadas pillow. 
• You are understanding the concept of time out now.
• You love Presley Kate. You get so excited to play with her. 
• You are learning to share. 
• You love love love to play at parks. You are really impressing me with your climbing skills.

• You are still scared of everything.  You do the "hurt/scared" sign about a million times a day.

• You love the water.

I love you so much little man!