Monday, October 10, 2011
Weekend Recap
It was probably one of the last really warm weather weekends for awhile, so we took advantage of it on Friday night and had dinner outside (although we didn't make it too long after the eating, the bugs are out of control!!)
We kicked off our weekend on Saturday morning with a surprise 30th birthday party for our friend, Lisa. The party took place at the zoo, so of course Jake was all about it (cake, food, AND the zoo?? sign him up!) But first, there were donuts to enjoy.....
This is how Liam spent most of the party, though he did wake up for the last hour or so to show off his cuteness to everyone:
Jake and Lisa's son, Aaron, had a great time together and were typical boys, crawling under the tables and "sharing" goldfish snacks.
After nap that day, we were able to visit with the Martinis, who were in town for the weekend, yay! As always, Ben and Jake had a great time together and Liam got to sit in the bumbo seat for the first time (thanks for the loan, Melissa!)
My mom joined us on Sunday to watch the Steelers game. But first, we had to go through the HUGE stash of clothes that she brought up for the boys! She is a pro at consignment sales and scored some really great deals for both boys at a recent sale...it was like christmas at our house!
Later in the day, we had a relaxing dinner (Liam enjoyed peas for the 1st time, we'll get to that in a later post), followed by a marathon of board games per Jake's request, while Liam logged in some more time in the bumbo.
We kicked off our weekend on Saturday morning with a surprise 30th birthday party for our friend, Lisa. The party took place at the zoo, so of course Jake was all about it (cake, food, AND the zoo?? sign him up!) But first, there were donuts to enjoy.....
This is how Liam spent most of the party, though he did wake up for the last hour or so to show off his cuteness to everyone:
After nap that day, we were able to visit with the Martinis, who were in town for the weekend, yay! As always, Ben and Jake had a great time together and Liam got to sit in the bumbo seat for the first time (thanks for the loan, Melissa!)
My mom joined us on Sunday to watch the Steelers game. But first, we had to go through the HUGE stash of clothes that she brought up for the boys! She is a pro at consignment sales and scored some really great deals for both boys at a recent sale...it was like christmas at our house!
Later in the day, we had a relaxing dinner (Liam enjoyed peas for the 1st time, we'll get to that in a later post), followed by a marathon of board games per Jake's request, while Liam logged in some more time in the bumbo.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
4 month check up and FOOD
Height: 26" (75th percentile---he's tall & thin!)
Head circumference: 42.5 cm (50th percentile)
I looked back, Jake was heavier at this age (15 lbs, 3 oz) but a bit shorter (25 & 1/4 inches), so they're pretty similar in size so far.
The appointment went well, he's right on track for everything which is always reassuring to hear. He flipped from back to belly the other day, but hasn't done it since then. He's also done belly to back a few times, but overall just doesn't seem to be too interested in rolling.
Jake had a pretty decent flat spot by this age, so I was relieved to hear that Liam's head is "beautifully rounded".
The doctor said it would be fine to start solids whenever we felt comfortable and whenever we felt that Liam was ready. We've had him at a chair at the table for a few weeks and while he's not swatting at our food or anything, he's certainly shown more of an interest since being up there with us. The doctor also mentioned that many babies get relief from their reflux and less spit up once they start solids...that was all it took to convince us to give it a go!! :) My clothes and my carpeting will thank me if that's true....
He was a bit fussy most of the afternoon from his shots, so I wasn't sure if he would be all that into trying out the cereal for the first time, but I figured we could offer it and if he didn't seem interested, we'd try again next week. Well, not only was he interested, he consumed the entire bowl of cereal, then cried when it was all gone. SUCCESS!
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| First bite, a bit unsure.... |
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| Hey mom, let's get some more of that going here! |
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| Aaand, here's what happened when we were pretty much out of cereal, trying to scrape together one last bite.... |
In other news, we pulled out the exersaucer last weekend and said goodbye to the swing (he's never really been into it, anyway) I have to stuff a blanket around him to kind of prop him up, but he seems to enjoy it.
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| Why do you always have that thing in my face?? |
Monday, October 3, 2011
Chop, chop!
Before/After:
Please excuse the horrible lighting in our gameroom & exhausted look on my face in the "after" picture, it was 6am & I had already been up for 2 hours, but that's a different story...
You might remember my post from awhile ago, lusting after the adorable Chelsea Kane cut, but deciding against it because I was pregnant & didn't want to chop off at that time. Then, back in July trying to decide if I should keep it long, or take the plunge. After more deliberation going into this hair appointment, I decided to go for it. It feels good to have all of that hair gone!
When I came home, this was the conversation that took place with Jake:
Brian: Jake, look at mommy, doesn't she look pretty with her new hair cut?
Jake (pausing a moment to stare): What happened? I don't like it. Where did your hair go? (then about an hour later he was just staring at me again) Mommy, where is your hair? Let's make it long again!
Kids: brutally honest.
Please excuse the horrible lighting in our gameroom & exhausted look on my face in the "after" picture, it was 6am & I had already been up for 2 hours, but that's a different story...
You might remember my post from awhile ago, lusting after the adorable Chelsea Kane cut, but deciding against it because I was pregnant & didn't want to chop off at that time. Then, back in July trying to decide if I should keep it long, or take the plunge. After more deliberation going into this hair appointment, I decided to go for it. It feels good to have all of that hair gone!
When I came home, this was the conversation that took place with Jake:
Brian: Jake, look at mommy, doesn't she look pretty with her new hair cut?
Jake (pausing a moment to stare): What happened? I don't like it. Where did your hair go? (then about an hour later he was just staring at me again) Mommy, where is your hair? Let's make it long again!
Kids: brutally honest.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Look! We left the house! By ourselves!
After the bridal shower on Saturday, my parents were nice enough to volunteer to watch the boys so that Brian & I could go out and celebrate our anniversary. After a small debate about where to go to dinner (I'm not really sure why Brian vetoed my original idea of Red Robin...), we settled on a local restaurant near my parent's house called Al an' Rubens. Our dinner was delicious, and it was nice to have some time to ourselves to catch up without feeling rushed or pulled in a million different directions.
After dinner, we headed over to the local outlets to do some shopping...shopping is such a different experience when you're not pushing a stroller, passing out snacks, taking breaks to feed or change a baby, etc...it was very enjoyable! Of course, we ended up buying stuff mostly for the kids, but that's ok :) It was a really nice night out, and I'm so glad that we got to enjoy the time together.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Sir Spits-a-lot
Liam has a lot of nicknames, L-I-AM (his rapper nickname), bugga (I'm not sure why, I started calling him this as a shortened version of snugglebug), but perhaps the most accurate nickname we use is "Sir Spits-a-lot". Poor thing...his clothes just stand no chance. We use bibs all of the time (which drives me crazy, half of the time the bib covers up something cute on his shirt, but it's easier to change bibs 49 times a day than it is to change his whole outfit). but sometimes, even the bib can't provide enough protection and the outfit is ruined.
Fortunately, his reflux is a bit better as of this week. He had been on 1.6 mL of zantac for awhile now (probably almost 2 months), and it was working well, but then he started having many of the same symptoms as before...crying when trying to nurse, crying and fussing right before spitting up, arching his back, etc.... An estimated weight check at home showed that he was about 13.5 lbs, which bumped him up to the next dose at 2mL. He's been on that dose for about 6 days now and is showing improvement. The volume of spit up is still unbelievable (seriously, sometimes it sounds and looks like a someone just threw a bucket of water all over my floor), but he seems to not be bothered by it as much now, so that's all we can ask for. The doctor seemed confident before that once he starts solids, we would see an improvement in the reflux and hopefully be able to start weaning off the meds soon after that. He goes in next week for his 4 month check up and I'm assuming they will tell us it's ok to start solids, so we'll see if he seems ready and if we feel comfortable. But if it helps, I'm all about it!!
Here is a shot of what his shirts inevitably end up looking like after being on for a short period of time, this was over the weekend, I was trying to get some nice, smiley shots of him while he was playing on his playmat...before I could snap a single smiley pic, this is what happened!!
Fortunately, his reflux is a bit better as of this week. He had been on 1.6 mL of zantac for awhile now (probably almost 2 months), and it was working well, but then he started having many of the same symptoms as before...crying when trying to nurse, crying and fussing right before spitting up, arching his back, etc.... An estimated weight check at home showed that he was about 13.5 lbs, which bumped him up to the next dose at 2mL. He's been on that dose for about 6 days now and is showing improvement. The volume of spit up is still unbelievable (seriously, sometimes it sounds and looks like a someone just threw a bucket of water all over my floor), but he seems to not be bothered by it as much now, so that's all we can ask for. The doctor seemed confident before that once he starts solids, we would see an improvement in the reflux and hopefully be able to start weaning off the meds soon after that. He goes in next week for his 4 month check up and I'm assuming they will tell us it's ok to start solids, so we'll see if he seems ready and if we feel comfortable. But if it helps, I'm all about it!!
Here is a shot of what his shirts inevitably end up looking like after being on for a short period of time, this was over the weekend, I was trying to get some nice, smiley shots of him while he was playing on his playmat...before I could snap a single smiley pic, this is what happened!!
One year ago today....
Exactly one year ago today, we found out that we were expecting another new addition to our family :) I can still remember being in bed that morning and wondering if it was even worth it to take a test, or if it would be too early. But of course, it's me...and I just couldn't wait.
Here's our little guy, doing his "frat boy" pose...this is what happens when you go a bit overboard on the milk consumption. (I really have no idea why, but he always puts his hand down there when he falls asleep in the bouncy!)
Here's our little guy, doing his "frat boy" pose...this is what happens when you go a bit overboard on the milk consumption. (I really have no idea why, but he always puts his hand down there when he falls asleep in the bouncy!)
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Katie's Bridal Shower
My brother is getting married next month, so my mom hosted a bridal shower yesterday for his fiance, Katie. The shower was held at Palazzo 1837 Restaurant in Washington; if you're looking for a unique and beautiful location for any type of get together, definitely check this place out! The restaurant is an old home (built in 1837-hence the name), and all of the rooms are still in tact. Here is a look at the room we were in:
and the food is delicious!
My mom ordered these favors from Country Confections, how cute are they??
The fabulous (and delicious!) cake (thanks, Lisa of Lisacakes!!) :)
We interrupt the coverage of the actual shower to bring you this slightly humorous side note...Melissa & I are known for doing everything together. We've worked 2 jobs together, we got engaged and married within a few months of each other, and our kids are just a few months apart, just to name a few examples. sometimes, things like this happen:
As you can imagine, the joke of hte day quickly became, "did you guys plan this?". As if the twin look weren't bad enough, as Katie was opening the gifts, we discovered that we actually bought her the same gift. Yeah...it's scary sometimes. (But look how cute Melissa's bump is!!!)
Back to the shower, Katie got a lot of great stuff!! she's a very fun girl, and I'm looking forward to having her as my sister-in-law soon :)
At the end of the shower, Nate & Brian came...mainly so that we could put them to work to load up all of the gifts, but also so that everyone could say hi to Jake & Liam.
and the food is delicious!
My mom ordered these favors from Country Confections, how cute are they??
The fabulous (and delicious!) cake (thanks, Lisa of Lisacakes!!) :)
We interrupt the coverage of the actual shower to bring you this slightly humorous side note...Melissa & I are known for doing everything together. We've worked 2 jobs together, we got engaged and married within a few months of each other, and our kids are just a few months apart, just to name a few examples. sometimes, things like this happen:
As you can imagine, the joke of hte day quickly became, "did you guys plan this?". As if the twin look weren't bad enough, as Katie was opening the gifts, we discovered that we actually bought her the same gift. Yeah...it's scary sometimes. (But look how cute Melissa's bump is!!!)
Back to the shower, Katie got a lot of great stuff!! she's a very fun girl, and I'm looking forward to having her as my sister-in-law soon :)
At the end of the shower, Nate & Brian came...mainly so that we could put them to work to load up all of the gifts, but also so that everyone could say hi to Jake & Liam.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Happy 5 years to us!
5 years have gone by since our wedding, and in that time, we have managed to buy 2 houses and have 2 kids. Those big life changes have certainly kept us busy, but in that time, we've also managed to make a lot of great memories (as both a couple, and as a family). We've also learned a lot about finding balance, between marriage, kids, careers, etc.... It has been a fantastic past 5 years, and I like looking back on days like today and reflecting on how lucky and blessed we are to have found each other, and created a life for ourselves and our children.
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