19 Months!!

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Wyatt,
It's so fun watching you learn and grow each and every day! You are an absolute joy to spend my days with. I didn't think I could possibly love you any more, but when you're being sweet to your sister it is the best thing in the world!
  
What you did this month:
  • You weigh 27.4 pounds and are around 36 inches tall.
  • You are wearing size 5 diapers, but I just updated our order to size 6.
  • You wear size 24M/2T in pants and 24M/2T in shirts.
  • Your favorite foods right now are pizza, French fries, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and juice.
  • You usually wake up between 7:30 & 8, take a nap around noon for about 2.5 hours, and go down at night around 8.
  • You can say "mou" (which could be more, music, Mickey Mouse, Mimi, movie, basically all of his favorite things start with 'm'), "where'ditgo" (Where'd it go?), "do" (go), "dat" (that), "jew" (juice), "no", "what'sthat", uh-oh, "what'sat?" (what's that)
  • You got 4 new top teeth, for a total of 14 teeth, and you have 4 more on the bottom that will be coming at any time.
  • Sometimes I can get you to point to your ears, bellybutton, nose, head, and tummy. You have to be in the mood though.
  • You still really enjoy Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
  • Your new favorite movie is "Frozen", we usually watch it once a day. Well, you don't watch the entire thing, but it's on.
  • You're also obsessed with the "Frozen" soundtrack. You love to just walk around with my phone and listen. 
  • You are loving school!
  • You are climbing on everything. Everything is a step stool so you can reach where you shouldn't, like the kitchen counters.
  • You are your daddy's shadow. You're always wanting to help him and be where he is.
  • You've started jumping in place. It's the absolute cutest!
  • You also started walking backwards, so your daddy says. I have yet to witness this.
  • You love to try and give Stella her paci or blankets when she's crying. It's the best thing to see!



 
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Wyatt's Thanksgiving Feast

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Wyatt had his Thanksgiving Feast at school on Thursday. He enjoyed it a lot more than the Halloween party. He still wanted to leave when he saw me but I got him calmed down with juice and a snack.
^^^The menu consisted of chicken nuggets, French fries, corn puff chips, and bananas.^^^

There were several activities set up in the gym for the kids. Wyatt was definitely most interested in the chickens. 

 
There was also a great collage and he was very interested in finding the pilgrims and Indians.


 
 
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Breastfeeding Must-Haves

Thursday, November 20, 2014


ONE - The Boppy pillow is great for nursing mothers. There are other pillows on the market that serve the same purpose, this is just the one that I've used with both of mine.
TWO - Lanolin is great for sore or cracked nipples. It starts working almost immediately, love this stuff.
THREE - Nursing pads are a must. I know some people use re-usable and others use disposable.  Disposable just works best for me and these are perfect.
FOUR - I had forgot about these Soothies when I was pregnant with Stella, but was so relieved that I still had some in the fridge. Those first two weeks can be tough on you and these definitely help with the pain. 

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2014 Christmas Wishlist

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

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Our Weekend

Monday, November 17, 2014

We had a pretty lazy weekend, but hey, we stayed warm. With temperatures barely rising out of the 30s all weekend, it was a good weekend to stay indoors.

Friday the kiddos and I enjoyed lots of playtime inside while daddy was at work.

^^^Wyatt's new favorite thing to do, sit in his toy box.^^^
 
We started watching a new (to us) TV series this week, The Americans. We're a little obsessed so that's what we spent our evening doing, once the kiddos were in bed.

Saturday morning my sweet hubby let me get a little extra shut-eye. Except I find it very hard to sleep when my boys are giggling and playing so loudly. It makes my heart so happy to hear them together.  Sean also took Wyatt to run some errands so I could get a few chores done around the house.  


 
Saturday night our beloved Hogs finally pulled out a W against an SEC team!! They broke their 17 straight SEC losing streak, to the #17 ranked LSU team, and the score was 17-0...crazy, right??
 
We rounded out the night with some more of The Americans and ice cream, of course.
 
Sunday we continued our lazy weekend. The boys went to Wal-Mart for their weekly trip. When your husbands go to the store, do you feel they buy everything?? I don't know why I send him with a list, ha!
 
Sunday evening we finally got around to watching a movie that Sean rented on Friday, A Million Ways to Die in the West. It was so funny! Very dry, but funny!
We finished up our weekend with The Walking Dead. Such a good show!
 
Do you and your hubby have a favorite show, or a show that you're currently binge watching? What were you up to this weekend?
 
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{FIVE} Tips for new Moms

Friday, November 14, 2014

Becoming a new mom is one of the most exciting experiences, but it can also be one of the most stressful. As a mother of two, I'm sharing some tips that I have found useful as a new mom. I hope you find these helpful as you begin your new journey!

 
SLEEP 
Whenever you can, just sleep. I've learned house chores can be done really quickly...small amounts each day. So, forget about them and take a nap. The baby will sleep a lot so take your pick. If you have two kiddos, sleep while the older sibling is napping.

 
 DO SOMETHING FOR YOURSELF
Whether it's workout, blog, read, or just to take a shower. Spend a few minutes each day for you. I usually do this during Wyatt's naptime or while he's at school. I usually use my time to blog or just read blogs.

 
 GET SOME FRESH AIR
This is a little more difficult to do now that it's so cold. But, heck, just go for a short drive to get out of the house for a few minutes. Your sanity will thank you.
 

 GET DRESSED
I find that the days that I get dressed when I get out of bed, are usually better. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, just something besides what you slept in. I feel more motivated and better about myself, which I think makes me feel like a better mom.
 

 ASK FOR HELP
Men are not born with the nurturing instinct, so a lot of times daddy may not know what to do or when to do it, just ask him. Also, ask friends for help. One of the best things that my group of friends does for one another is prepare dinners. It helped me out so much that first week that I was solo. If you have family that can help, ask them. Whether it's parents, grandparents, or siblings, people are always willing to do, especially when it involves a precious baby.


 
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One Month {Postpartum}

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

I thought I'd give a little update on how I'm doing postpartum, and as a mama of two. I had intentions of taking some pictures of my progress but that has yet to happen. So, sorry for the picture-less post.
 
Recovery:
Recovery has been easy as pie, especially compared to my recovery with Wyatt. I didn't have an episiotomy this time so I didn't have that pain to recover from. I was sore for about 2-3 days and then I was completely back to normal. I do still have some really light bleeding but nothing that's too bothersome.
 
Body:
As with my pregnancy with Wyatt, I gained about 40 pounds. When I got pregnant I weighed about 120 and when I checked in at the hospital I was 158. Today I weigh about 135. I'm pretty happy with my progress, considering I haven't done anything besides breastfeeding to drop weight. I am hoping to start working out soon, possibly this week...if I get motivated enough. I'm ready to get rid of this nice "donut" around my mid-section.
 
I do have stretch marks, which isn't a surprise. Some are old, some are new. I need to start rubbing some Mederma on them, which really helped last time.
 
Emotions:
My emotions have been all over the place. The first week, honestly, I was great. The second week I was a little more emotional. I was more tired and my boobs hurt so I blame it on that. The third week was definitely the most difficult. I was by myself with two kiddos and I was exhausted. I was pretty much an emotional mess, crying anytime I felt the least bit overwhelmed. Last week (the fourth week) was pretty great. I even managed to make some dinner a few nights. I do find myself getting flustered, for lack of a better word, when Stella is fussy and just wants to use me as a pacifier. Mainly because it ends up really hurting, and I wish she'd just take a pacifier. But, we're still trying the pacifier and hopefully that will help, eventually.
 
Having Two under Two:
Let me just say, we have good days and bad days. Wyatt has watched way too much TV the past 4 weeks and I'm in the process of changing that. I will say, Wyatt has done 100% better than what I feared. He loves his sister and, for the most part, understands that she takes precedence when it comes to being held, unless he has a real reason for needing to be held.
 
The hardest part has been Tuesday and Thursday mornings. I have figured out our routine, we are just usually about 5 minutes late to school.
 
Another "obstacle" we face is getting outside. I know, it sounds so easy, right?? It just seems like every time I finally get Wyatt ready, Stella ends up crying. And she doesn't like to be outside in her rocker/sleeper, so I have to "wear" her, which adds a whole other dimension to getting ready. I have to figure out my timing with that, it's a work in progress. So far the best thing that works is leaving her in her swing and just putting the monitor on her.
 
Overall, Stella has made the transition pretty easy. She's a pretty easy baby, although can be a tad fussy at times. Thankfully she loves her swing and when all else fails, there's that.
 
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One Month!!

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Our Dearest Stella,
 
It's so crazy that you've already been with us an entire month! You fit into our family so seamlessly, it's like you've always been here. I can already tell you and your big brother are going to be the best of friends! He takes such good care of you, and you don't even mind when he's climbing all over you. We love you so much princess, happy one-month birthday!
 
What you did this month:
 
  • You are weighing about 8.5 pounds, according to my scale. 
  • You are still wearing all NB clothes but we're going to start some 0-3 months.
  • You are wearing size 1 Pampers Swaddlers.
  • You nurse every 2-3 hours during the day and 5-6 hours at night.
  • You are a great sleeper. You're not really on a schedule yet, but we just try to keep you up in the evenings as much as possible. Typically you nurse and go to bed around 9 and sleep until about 2 or 3. Then you wake in the mornings about 6.
  • You sleep in the Fisher Price Rock and Play Sleeper at night in our room. During the day you don't want much to do with it, though.
  • You absolutely LOVE your swing, thank goodness! During the day it's usually the only place you'll let me put you down.
  • You don't like to be swaddled, actually you hate it. You love to have your hands free.
  • You enjoy laying down and looking around when you've been fed and are happy, otherwise, you prefer to be held. 
  • You are so smiley. You smile when I talk in a "peppy" voice to you, so sweet. 
  • You've started "cooing" a little bit. Mainly in the mornings.
  • You don't care for pacifiers, although, I still try.
  • You had a few visitors this month, including Mimi, Pop, Grandpa, Gramma, and Uncle Levi. Plus friends who have come by.
  • You are definitely on-the-go much more than Wyatt was. You've been to a pre-school party, Wal-Mart (several times), the park (twice), a pumpkin patch, and trick-or-treating.
  • Thankfully, you're pretty much a go-with-the-flow baby.
  • Your brothers squealing and screaming doesn't seem to bother you at all, even when you're sleeping.
Definitely looking forward to you interacting more with Wyatt, since he'll soon be your favorite!
 




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Halloween 2014

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Our Halloween festivities started on Thursday, with Wyatt's school costume parade and classroom party...neither of which were a big hit. He actually did okay during the parade, considering there was a huge gym full of people he didn't know all staring at him.
 
 
 
He did prefer for Ms. Dana to hold him and even once he saw me he did okay. The party....yea, he hated it. He did not like the fact that I was in his classroom and we weren't leaving. He cried the entire time. And there was even one point where he was trying to pick up Stella's car seat and carry her out himself. Needless to say, we left early. He didn't even enjoy any of the wonderful snacks that I prepared.
 
 
On Friday we got the kids dressed and headed out to a few houses on our street. Wyatt was dressed up as a mechanic and Stella was a polar bear. They were originally going to be Mickey and Minnie, but I didn't want to fight that costume battle.
Wyatt had no clue what we were doing but he really enjoyed watching all the kids running around from house to house.
Stella enjoyed being "worn" in the carrier and slept, go figure.
 
After going to about 5 houses we headed home and passed out candy to everyone. I think he enjoyed doing that just as much as walking around. All in all I'd call it a successful night. Maybe next year he'll understand the concept a little more.




 
 
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