Day to day

So, I don't like to post short, one liner blogs :)  So over the last few days, I have recorded a few thoughts and fun things about the kids...

March 15, 2001

Had Sam's 7 month appointment.  Here are his measurements:

19 lbs
29 1/2 inches

He is really growing so fast!  I'm thinking about putting his 9 month clothes away, but he has a lot of onsies that barely fit, but I still want him to wear.  I hardly have any onsies in 12 months :(

March 16, 2011...

Sam held a sippy cup all by himself and drank the whole thing!  My little baby is taking big steps to becoming a toddler!!  He can also get up on all fours and rock a little... I predict that he will be crawling in less than a month.

Hannah told Josh, "Bye, Bye Dada.  I love you,"  all on her own without us prompting her.  I could tell that it melted Josh's heart :)

March 17, 2011...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

This picture is from last year, but it was a very special day for us and that is why I put it up right now.  One year ago, we found out we were having a little boy!!  From about 8-10 weeks into my pregnancy, I knew I was having a boy.  Josh was convinced it was a girl, even thought I tried to tell him differently.  At the ultrasound, we almost didn't find out what we were having and at the last minute he turned and spread his legs.  There was no doubt that we were having a boy!!

So fast forward one year, and we now have two precious children!  Sam is bigger than Hannah in this picture, never would have thought that would be possible.  Sam is such a joy to our lives.  He is a happy, content baby and love to laugh and giggle.  The only time I see him upset or frustrated is when he can't move like he wants too.  As soon as he starts crawling, he will be following Hannah everywhere and there will be NO stopping him :)

Pure Cuteness!

  Well, it's been a few weeks since I've posted anything... and honestly, not much has happened in all that time!  I've been busy at work... extra shifts, meeting, and mandatory education has kept this mommy busy!  Daddy has been working extra hard at work too trying to catch up on some of the things he got behind on, and has been putting in 60-70 hours for the last few weeks.  So proud of him for the hard work he is doing right now!  He has even been getting up at 6am so he can come home on time and spend time with the family :)  I love him so much!

  So over the last few weeks, we have either been home, at Grandma's or church.  I know most people get cabin fever by this time of the year, but honestly, I have thoroughly enjoyed being home with the kiddos!  We have such a great schedule going, I have been able to keep up with my Bible reading and pleasure reading, and I have started down the road of cloth diapering (for money saving purposes, and I will write more about cloth diapers later).  I haven't truly grocery shopped in probably 6 weeks, and today I am using my last frozen meal!  Supplies are getting low and I think on Sunday I will have to make a pretty big trip to the grocery store.

  I am learning right now to enjoy the pure cuteness and precious times I have with my children.  Their outlook on life and joy in learning the basics of life bring such laughter, joy and love to this house.  The fact that God created these precious lives to allow Josh and I to care for and raise to Glorify Him is a gift beyond measures!  And you know what?  Your kids don't care how you look or how dorky you are... they think you are the coolest person ever!!  I think it boosts your ego a little when you have kids too :)

  Our pastor said something in a sermon the other week, and as I've thought about it... I know it must be true.  We think God gives us children to raise them, but really God give us children to raise us!  Josh and I agree this couldn't be more true, because as we had Hannah and Sam we have grown spiritually sooo much!  There is no way we could ever be half decent parents without our GREAT GOD :)

  Love you all!

A Great, Big Boy!

When I was pregnant with Hannah, I thought for sure I would be having a 10 lb baby (I was a big baby and Josh is a big guy)... girl, did she prove me wrong!  She was born 6 lbs 11 oz and has remained on the tiny side all 22 months of her life :)

So when I was pregnant a second time, I assumed I would be having another small baby and as I planned for what clothes size this baby would be in throughout the first year I assumed the baby would be small to average size... boy, did Sam prove me wrong again, being born at 8lbs 6 oz and 22inches long!  Okay, really, God proved to me that I cannot be in control or know ahead of time how he will create my children to be :)

Last night, I gave Sam and Hannah a bubble bath together.  It was Sam's first time sitting in the big bath tub!  As you can see, Hannah and Sam have the same size head and are probably 5-7 lbs difference in weight :)  My thought was, "If Hannah is in the 75th percentile for her OFC, then what in the world is Sam?"

So, here's the comparison of the two at their 6 month check-ups:

                               Hannah Marie                          Samuel Edward
Weight                     13lbs 15.5 oz                                17lbs  8.5 oz (50th)

Height                      25.5 inches                                   28 3/4 inches (>95th)

OFC                        oops... must have lost it                 47.1  (>95th)

Haha!  Hannah wasn't even as tall as Sam until she was over a year old!  Our pediatrician assured us that she doesn't believe that there is anything wrong with Sam, and that he is just a very big boy :)  Typically, they would be concerned with a baby with a huge head (fluid on the brain) but his head and height allign with each other.  He is sitting up very well for his age and his motor skills are right on track.  And he has a very healthy appetite!  Oh, and Uncle Pete... he's taking after you.  He has a nice little case of eczema!

So, our little Sammy really isn't so little anymore!  He's a Huge baby but I think no matter what, he will always be my little baby boy :)

Doggy Bowls

Okay, if you know my daughter, you know that she is obsessed with doggy bowls and has done some crazy things in the past with them... including putting the baby pacifier in the water bowl and eating her snacks out of the dry bowl :)  But in the last week she has taken it to a whole new level!

This week she has:

• Dumped what all over herself
• Dipped any toy she can find in the water
• Found a medicine cup (from the DayQuil) and drank water from it
• gotten on all fours and tried to drink the water from it

Oh my, she is going drive me bonkers :)  Hope Sammy is quite as obsessed!

Cute, Sick and Ice

Our family has been "stuck" in the house because of the winter cold for three weeks, and yet it is absolutely crazy!  Believe me, I cherish every minute I get out of the house... just breath the fresh cold air :)

Okay, so we're really not "stuck"... it's just that it has been cold outside and I honestly am enjoying our schedule at home that I really don't feel like shaking things up to just go do something.  So, over the last two weeks, I've spent time playing with the kids and cleaning and organizing the house and cooking!  On Sundays we all go to church and then to my in-laws for the day (except for this past Sunday because Josh is sick, I'll explain that later) and Josh has watched the kids some evenings so I can get out.

Hannah has been absolutely cute and silly over the last few weeks.  Her personality is blooming by leaps and bounds every hour of the day and she brings so much happiness and joy to Josh and I constantly!  She just has her own way of making everything so adorable.  She is really interested in interacting with our WHOLE family (yes, puppies included) and everyone is her playmate.  Tonight, we spent some time playing with her "stickies" and crayons and a blank piece of paper.... she struggles with stickers to get them on the paper, but for some reason she loves them ALOT!  I would hold up the sheet of stickers and she would say "This one Mommy", and when I gave it to her she would say "Thank You, Mommy" in her cute little high pitched voice.

One of my favorite times of the day is putting her to bed at night.  We have this new routine that Daddy holds her and I hold Sam and we pray as a family.  Then she leans toward me and I kiss her cheek, then she leans toward Daddy and he kisses her cheek, then she goes back and forth between us and at the end we kiss her cheeks at the same time... and it makes her giggle!  Tonight, I put her to bed after we prayed by myself since Josh is sick, and she had to make sure she had all her blankies.  When I laid her down I gave her the pooh bear blankie and the sheep blankie (the one from Williamsburg that Mimi gave her).  But something must not have been right, because she sat up and started looking all around.  Then she found what she was looking for, her dolly that Grandpa got her at Rootsies... "There it is".  Then she looked up at me and waved at me and said, "Bye, bye."  This made me laugh, I guess that was her way saying she was ready to go to bed.  Laughing as I walked out, I told her I loved her and she said the one thing I will never get tired of hearing, "I love you, Mommy."  What a little sweetie!!!

Poor Sam!  My little man is sick... thank you Daddy!  Josh started getting sick at the end of last week with a dry, hacking cough and by Saturday it turned into a head and chest cold along with a fever.  And Josh has had that fever ever since.  But he is an amazing Daddy, he watched the kids for two days while I worked and slept.  I know it's hard to do when you are sick, but he really stepped it up and spent time playing with them and taking care of them!  However, Sam came down with a fever and runny nose today... and we can officially say this is his first "sick" day!  

Sam is getting so big and is growing everyday.  My 5 1/2 month old is in 9 or 12 month clothes (depending on the brand) right now... I probably should have moved him up a month ago, but I wasn't ready to make the change :)  He is eating like a little piggy too :)  He gets two to three bottles a day along with breast feeding, and in the morning he gets a full bowl of rice cereal and for lunch and dinner he can eat a fruit and veggie. Yes, I feed him 2 second foods.  We just skipped right over the 1st foods, and went straight to 2nds.  So, the kid absolutely refuses to eat veggies, but if I mix it with the fruit he will eat all of it!  No, I don't always give him both of them at one meal... only if he seems really hungry!

But I'm not surprised that he is so hungry, because he is constantly moving!  I don't remember Hannah being this active.  He roles all over the place and he is now so fast at it.  And yesterday, for the first time, he started sitting up without any support for a few minutes at a time!  It's amazing how fast they grow and learn to do things on their own.

So now we are nice and warm in our home while Indiana is getting hit with the biggest ice storm it has seen in years!  Forecast is calling for 1-2 inches of ice... I have the bags packed and blankets ready to go in case we lose electricity.  That is my biggest fear, that we lose electricity.  It is too cold to stay in our house, but how do you get anywhere when everything is covered in ice.  And it will not be going anywhere because it is going to be cold for days... so here we are stuck in our home for now!

I hope you are all staying nice and warm!!!