Week in the Life - Day 3

Hannah came in my room this morning at 6:45. I have no idea where my late sleeper has gone, but I want her back!  Any time before 7:00 is way to early for this momma.  Nevertheless, we were up.  Hannah ate a pop tart for breakfast and watched a little Max and Ruby and played until Ethan woke up at 8:15.   Ethan ate a go-gurt for breakfast, as he does most mornings.  After he ate we all played in his room a little while and I debated on weather or not I had enough energy to get  both kids ready to take Easter pictures of them today.  Ethan decided he needed at nap by 9:15, so when I put him down I decided I'd be able to get Hannah and myself ready during that time, so that's what we did.  I woke Ethan up at 10:30 and we headed to the Azalea District for pictures.  I'm glad I did. I think the pictures will turn out great. I haven't seen them yet...that would be because when we got there I realized I had left my camera on all night and the battery was dead. Total bummer, but luckily we had met my sweet, talented friend Kathryn there and I know she got some great shots, because she's just great.

After taking pictures we went to a nearby park and played for a while.  Promising Hannah play time at the park was the only reason she cooperated so well during pictures.  Seriously, she tends to do great during photo sessions, even without bribery. 

On the way home from the park Hannah munched on goldfish the entire way and Ethan babbled. It was a sweet moment looking in my rear view mirror.  Since Hannah had consumed so many goldfish on the way home when we got home she wasn't really hungry, so she just ate a fruit cup of pears, while Ethan ate bananas. While I was eating lunch and before I put the kids down for naps, Ethan discovered something very fun.

It's a blurry picture since my good camera was dead, but he was having a ball with these pots.  At 1:30 the kids both went to sleep and I picked up toys, made a few phone calls, made a grocery list and actually took a cat nap myself.  Ethan woke up at 3:20, but I could tell he hadn't slept enough so I rocked him (a RARE treat) and he went back to sleep until 5:15!!!!!  In the meantime,  Hannah slept until 4:30. When she got up she ate some pretzels and then I had this fun activity planned for us.  We painted with shaving cream. 

Ethan joined our fun when he got up and he loved it, too. He only tried to eat the shaving cream a couple of times...I was surprised. Daddy got home shortly after this activity and we went on a stroll around the block again tonight and then we came home and ate dinner.  The kids both ate hot dogs and Wes at chili and rice and I ate brocoli and rice.  Very random dinner tonight...hence the reason I made a grocery list today.

Hannah discovered her Easter basket from my parents in my closet today. I thought it was hidden, but her little eyes spotted it. So we called Granna to see if we could open it early.  Of course Granna couldn't resist her sweet voice on the phone.  Tonight, she thought Ethan should open his, too. She's loving all the goodies from Granna.

Hannah and Ethan both took late baths and did not go to sleep until about 9:15 since they both took super naps today.  So, once they went to sleep I showered and got Hannah's stuff ready for school tomorrow.

Another fun day tomorrow!

Week in the Life - Day 2

Hannah started our day today extra early at 6:30.  Wes heard her while he was getting ready to leave for work and she was apparently waking up from a dream and saying that she needed to find Marley's purse. So, he put her in bed with me and we rested until 7:00.  I turned on Mickey Mouse and then Max and Ruby for her until 8:00, when Ethan woke up.  I got Ethan and fed him a waffle (he ate the entire thing) and Hannah ate a pop tart.  We played with markers and had a pretend picnic and then it was Ethan's nap time.  I got Ethan dressed for the day and put him down at 9:15 and Hannah and I got dressed.

Ethan woke up at 10:30 and since Dr. B told us Hannah wouldn't be contagious today, we headed to Kohls to return something and then to the mall to eat with daddy at chick fil a.  Hannah usually has school on Tuesdays, but since she was sick yesterday I kept her home.  We got home at around 1:00 and both kids went to sleep at 1:30. During nap time I vacuumed, cleaned up around the house and took care of some other things I've been needing to do.

Ethan and Hannah both woke up at the same exact time at 3:30. Ethan ate raisins and goldfish for a snack and Hannah ate veggie straws.  After snacks we went on a walk. We are borrowing this double jogging stroller from a friend right now and Hannah wants to ride in this every time we walk. 

When we got home from our 2 yard walk (Ethan kept pulling Hannah's hair and Hannah was getting so mad so we just headed home) we played outside for a little while.  Hannah was fussy and I thought she might have started feeling bad, but it wasn't anything that a little Beauty and the Beast couldn't fix. Ethan and I played in his room while she watched that. 

At around 5:15 I started getting things together for Ethan and Hannah to go spend the evening with Aunt Jenn and Uncle James while daddy went bike riding and mommy went shopping.  I opened the fridge to get some grapes to cut up for Ethan's supper.  Ethan went straight for the fridge and so I let him play there for a little while. I was literally standing 2 feet away from him and when I turned around to put the grapes back in the fridge I saw that he had gotten into the cream cheese and opened it! He was having a ball.

So after this incident I decided to give both the kids baths and that way we wouldn't have to worry about it when they got home from Aunt Jenn and Uncles James' house. And I never thought I'd be able to get rid of the chive and onion smell from Ethan if I didn't bathe him.  Hannah asked to go outside to play hopscotch after her bath.  Since she was already clean I decided to bring hopscotch inside.  She loved this.

After playing for a little while I ran into my room to change clothes to get ready to go.  When I came back Hannah had helped herself into the high chair (which she hasn't sat in in over a year)....

and Ethan had decided to eat markers...

All I could do was laugh.  I had JUST bathed this child. HA!

I dropped the kids off at Aunt and Uncles at 6:00 and I headed to the mall for some much needed retail therapy. It had been too long! When I got home Ethan was asleep and Hannah was playing with stamps.  I read Hannah a book and tucked her in.  

Not much longer until my head hits the pillow now.  A fun Tuesday with my littles! 

Week in the Life - Day 1

I decided it was time to document our daily lives again.  Last time I did it was in August and you can read about day 1 here.  Hannah was 27 months and Ethan was almost 3 months. LOTS has changed!

Now, Hannah is 6 weeks shy of turning 3 and Ethan is just 2 months shy of turning 1 (GASP)! 

So here we go...

Our day started a little after 7:00 this morning when Hannah came in my room.  She crawled in bed with me and we both snuggled until Ethan woke up at 7:20. After I went in and got Ethan I came back to my room where Hannah was watching Mickey Mouse and she felt like a heater.  I checked her temp and she was running 100.2. We had plans to meet my sister, but instead I called the doctor and we all got ready and headed to see Dr. B at 9:30, where we found out Hannah had strep throat.  That put a little damper on our plans for the week, but I was so glad we caught it quick and we were able to get on an antibiotic.

When we left the doctor we headed to Braum's for some ice cream for Hannah, but she wanted nothing to do with it. I knew she was really not feeling well at that point. After picking up her prescription we headed home and Hannah fell asleep in the car on the way home at 10:30. I put her in my bed when we got home and she slept until 12:30 while Ethan and I played.  Don't tell daddy, but Ethan was all about Hannah's baby dolls and giving them kisses. It was so sweet, so I had to take a picture....and a video.  I don't plan on making a habit of letting Ethan play with dolls, but this was just too cute.

After playing for a little while Ethan and I ate lunch.  Right when we finished lunch is when Hannah woke up....just in time for Ethan to nap (just perfect timing - ha!) So I put Ethan down at 12:45 and since Hananh didn't have much of an appetite all day, we just played in her room for a while, colored, painted her fingernails and toenails and watched TV together. I was really wanting her to rest, but she wasn't acting sick AT ALL. So, at around 3:30 when Ethan woke up we headed on a walk around the block and then played in the backyard until about 4:45.  Ethan eats dinner at 5:00 usually so I fed him carrots and chicken and he was shoveling it in. I love how much this kid eats! While Ethan ate Hannah had some rest time in her room (which means she played games on the IPod). 

Ethan was extra fussy this afternoon so I put him in his crib after he ate.   I've been putting him in there after his dinner time and 20% of the time he will fall asleep and other times he just plays.  Today I think he dozed off for about 10 minutes and when I heard him I went and put some toys in his crib and he played in there for about 45 minutes while Hannah asked me for 100 snacks while I cooked dinner. 

(Does this little girl look like she had strep throat today?!)

Wes got home at 6:00 and we ate boiled shrimp for dinner. Hannah ate chicken nuggets. I was pretty much letting her have whatever she asked for this evening since she hadn't eaten all day.  Her evening menu was chicken, potato chips, yogurt, oreo sticks, goldfish and popsicles. After we ate we headed outside for a stroll around the block and more play time outside.  Of course we had to have some popcicles to cool down. 

At 8:15 I put Ethan down for bed.  He typically goes to bed at around 7:30, but we pushed it a little tonight to soak in all the sunshine we could.  Daddy bathed Ethan tonight while I took a shower.  We skipped Hannah's bath tonight out of me just not wanting to do it and justifying that she didn't get that dirty since we laid around most of the day - ha! 

Hannah went to bed at about 8:45. After that I was a big bum. Hannah and Ethan's afternoon naps are always at the same time and since they weren't today because of Hannah's random morning nap time, I literally haven't had 2 seconds to myself today, other than my shower, I guess - ha! So, I'll be off to bed shortly, too.

I hope for the next few days to include a few more details and better pictures just so I can have that to read for later, but with our unexpected sickness today, it was a really off day and I didn't think to make a mental note of our day and how it played out exactly.  

Ethan - 10 Months

Oh, sweet little Ethan...you are 10 months old.  You are more precious now than ever.  You've always been such a sweetheart, but your personality is starting to really blossom.  You have a sensitive spirit and you totally lose it when you bump your head, fall down or take a tumble.  I'm sure you will toughen up with age, but right now you definitely need mommy when you are injured.  You think you are 3, so you are injured often. You are always trying to climb on something you shouldn't or pull up on something that isn't stable.  You want to be BIG so bad. 

You got tubes this month on March 5.  That was a huge turning point for our family.  You have always been mostly happy during the days, but your night time sleep has been way less than average. Up until you got tubes you were waking 5-7 times at night.  You now either sleep all night or wake once and fall asleep quickly after a little cuddle time with mommy.  My heart hurt for you for so many months and I'm so beyond thankful that you are feeling better.

After your afternoon naps you aren't the happiest baby until bedtime.  For whatever reason, whether you nap for an hour or 3 hours you just wake up cranky and remain that way until we put you to bed. You still manage to flash us some big ole smiles during that time, but you aren't at your happiest. 

At 10 months you:

• Are in size 2 diapers, size 3 at night
• Wear size 2-3 shoe
• Wear 6-9 month clothes. Some 12 month shirts are starting to fit.
• Are a tiny little thing, but people always comment on how big you are. Must be the cheeks.
• Nurse 3 times a day
• Eat solids 3 times a day
• Eat a lot of baby food still, mostly because it's most convenient and it's quicker than self feeding
• Snack on goldfish, cheese, cheerios and yogurt bites. Not a huge fan of puffs
• Are a GREAT eater.  You haven't turned your nose up to much
• Have had a handful of formula bottles to get us through some tough times with you
• Can clap, but you don't do it often
• Have waved a few times
• Babble alot. Momma and Dadda are common words, but not much of anything else consistent yet. Just today you started say Nanananana (for no no)
• Pull up on anything
• Pull up to your knees without holding on to anything
• Sleep from 7:30 p.m. until about 8:00 a.m., waking once on occasion
• Take 2 naps a day. About an hour in the morning and 2-3 hours in the afternoon.
• Have 2 teeth
• Crawl extremely fast, usually dragging one leg behind you. Starting to bear crawl more.
• Are obsessed with wheels...on cars, lawnmowers, strollers, etc.
• Starting to get some noticeable hair
• Love your sippy cup and get so excited when I give it to you
• Love your daddy. You crawl fast to him every day when he walks in from work.
• Sleep with your blue puppy lovie and when you nestle your head into it your eyes get so heavy
• Play really well alone

Ethan, you are such a sweetie and your daddy and I just love you to death.  You are always laughing and when your sister is crying you just laugh at her.  You love tormenting her and we giggle at your expression when she is bothered by you.  When you are awake you are on the go and you are always busy moving from one thing to the next.  Every night as I'm putting you to sleep I pray for you and thank God for such a special, sweet little boy.  You are one of a kind and we are so thankful to call you ours.

xoxo,

Mommy 

Sibling Love

My heart MELTS when I turn the corner and see this.

Hannah and Ethan, please love each other forever. It makes my heart smile.

When I grow up...

Like father, like son....

Like mother, like daughter...

New Hardware

Oh, March 5...how we have waited for you to get here! Today was the day for tubes for Ethan's ears.  Ethan's pediatrician referred to Ethan's tubes as new hardware for his ears. I'm so thankful that all of Ethan's ear issues are behind us!

The night leading up to surgery Ethan couldn't eat or drink anything after midnight.  For most kids his age, that's not a big deal, but little Ethan is used to nursing about every couple hours during the night. It's the only thing that has soothed him during all this sickness.  So, it was a rough night, but I took it in stride knowing that (hopefully) this was one of our last really bad nights.  Ethan was a trooper through it all, though.  We were at the hospital bright and early at 5:45 a.m. and he got all prepped for surgery. 

He looked DARLING in his little gown.  He wanted to crawl around so bad, but luckily the bracelets they put on his wrist kept him occupied for a little while. 

Poor guy (and mommy) had a tough time coming out of anesthesia, but after about 20 minutes he was calm, eating and ready to konk out.  We were home by 9:00 a.m. and Ethan rested well, woke up and was ready to play! It's like it never even happened.  We've been covered in prayer by so many during this process and we definitely felt those prayers this morning. Everything went smoothly.  I know this procedure is minor, but it was a big deal for us to see our baby go through all of it and we are so grateful for relief.

My sweet boy just hours after surgery...

Now, everyone cross your fingers that Ethan sleeps well from here on out! 

Fun outside

I don't know about you other moms out there, but afternoons drag on over here.  We usually do something fun every morning, or at least get out of the house, but after nap time and before daddy gets home from work can seem like longer than the entire day.  The warmer temperatures sure have helped things, though.  We are enjoying most afternoons outdoors in our backyard.

(This nail looks really dangerous, but I think the picture made it look closer than it actually was - ha!)

Hannah loves piddling in the yard and picking up leaves and kicking balls....and playing with Jersey's dog chain and acting like it's a jump rope.

Hannah usually out sleeps Ethan every afternoon, so Ethan and I have had some of our own fun outside while Hannah finishes her beauty sleep.

He's so curious and into everything.  He will get beyond mad if he can't reach something or if we take something away from him. I definitely see a spunky personality coming out in him.  I'm not sure Wes would like me to describe our little boy as spunky, but my brain won't think of another appropriate word right now...

I pulled out the water table and Ethan loved it. I knew he would. He LOVES bath time, and that's a huge understatement.  He will crawl to the bathtub multiple times a day and pull up on it.  If he could talk I know he would ask me to put him in there all day long,

When Hannah woke up on this particular day she couldn't wait to join in on the fun....and take all Ethan's toys that he was playing with in the water.

Spring is upon us, people...and we couldn't be happier!