Third time's a charm...?

Well hello there! It's been awhile!

Lately I've been feeling pulled to come back to this little space to record our life happenings and going-on's. I have loved looking back on this blog and reading my previous posts and having "oh yeah!" moments when I come across something about the kids that I had forgotten. Since I stopped blogging, I haven't had anywhere that I've been recording updates. I find myself saying "oh, that was adorable, I need to write that down!" and of course, it doesn't get written down and now its long gone. So here we are, trying this little blog thing out again for the third time. ;) I am lowering my expectations this time around and hope to blog around 2-3 times a week.

I'm planning detailed update posts on each of the kiddos to come in the next few days...so try not to lose any sleep while you excitedly wait for those. ;)

I do have some big news that I would love to share (and a huge part of why I'm wanting to come back to this blog).....we are expecting another sweet little baby boy in February! We are over the moon excited, as are Hannah and Graham. I am already 20 weeks along and will post a pregnancy update soon. As I said above, this pregnancy was a huge reason why I felt a pull to come back here...I am already halfway through this pregnancy and have not recorded a single thing about this little guy! #thirdchildproblems ;)

We found out super early on (when I was only 3 weeks along) back in June, but kept it a secret for a little while until we slowly started announcing to family and close friends. We didn't end up announcing publicly until I was already 19 weeks along, just because I had a rough first trimester and didn't feel up to the family pictures I had planned as part of our announcement. But it all worked out because I loved being able to announce the pregnancy and the gender all in one!

Anyways, stay tuned for a more detailed pregnancy update. In the meantime, enjoy some of my very favorite pictures from our pregnancy/gender reveal announcement!

Five on Friday

Hi loves! I'm so excited to be jumping on the Five on Friday train with some of my favorite bloggers, Christina and Natasha!

So let's dive right in.

One. Disney Cruise Update

Last week we surprised the kids (and ourselves!....keep reading) by taking them on a Disney Cruise to the Southern Caribbean. My parents had planned this cruise about a year ago and Noah and I had decided to sadly opt out, as the cruise line was going to charge full price for the babes. Since Graham would only be 7 months at the time and not using any of the ships facilities/food/activities, etc...this was a hard pill to swallow and we decided to not go this time. However, literally 5 days before the ship was scheduled to set sail, we called Disney just to double check and they offered to give us a discount on the kids in order to fill up the remaining rooms on the ship! We booked it immediately and did not regret it for a minute! It was one of the best vacations we've been on. Stay tuned for a full recap, as soon as I get the collection of pictures from everyone's cameras. Here is a sneak peek though...

Two. Ikea 20th Anniversary Sale

This weekend (starting today) Ikea is having their 20th Anniversary Sale. Today this super cute chandelier is on sale, and I'm thinking it would look awesome in Hannah's big girl room transformation. On Sunday this kitchen cart is marked down from $50 to $20. I've had my eye on it for a long time. I've seen such adorable ideas on how to put it to use on Pinterest....however, I think I am going to be using it to store Hannah's arts and crafts projects. She's so into crafting right now, and I've been looking for a way to organize all her supplies so that it's easy for her to get to, but also not a huge eye sore in our living room. 

 

Three. Fit Bit

I've been having the hardest time losing the baby weight the second time around. I'm not sure why that is. After Hannah, I lost all of it within 4 months after I had her. Now, Graham is 8 months old and I'm still holding on to more than I even care to think about! I got a Fit Bit about a month ago (for those that don't know, a Fit Bit is a handy little tracker that you wear around your wrist that tracks your steps each day). I haven't used it that much yet, but I'm making a commitment to get in shape, starting with meeting my daily step goal!

Four. The Husband's Secret

I'm about halfway through this book, and I'm obsessed! I won't give anything away, but I highly recommend it. I'm already anticipating the end though. Does anyone else get sad when they finish a good book? I feel like I always need a promising new book keyed up and ready to go to get me out of those post-book blues. So, what should I read next? Any recommendations? 

Five. Weekend Plans

We spent this whole last week recovering from vacation and traveling, but we are ready for some October fun! Today we are headed out to a U-Pick apple orchard to stock up. I've never been much of a pumpkin fan (gasp, I know) but I love apples. I've been pinning all sorts of apple recipes and Hannah and I are so excited to start cooking up an apple storm. Saturday Hannah has her first day of swim lessons at the new Snohomish Aquatic Center. Girlfriend is not a fan of the water and while I don't want to push her into something she really doesn't like, I want her to learn to be comfortable around it. Between mine and Noah's family we spend a lot of time in Hawaii and Lake Chelan, so its essential that she at least learns the basics. Afterwards we have plans to meet up with some friends and their brand new baby girl at the pumpkin patch. I'm way too excited for apple cider, hay rides and posing my kids in front of pumpkins for 5 million pictures. On Sunday, I'm meeting up with my mom for a day date at Ikea to snag the aforementioned kitchen cart. I'm also hoping to snag this adorable throw. Then its back home to continue with the kids bathroom remodel that has been sitting in limbo for about a month now. Whoops. 

Have a great weekend, friends! Thanks for stopping by!  

We're back!!!!!

Hello, darlings! Long time, no chat! I don't have a great excuse for why I stopped blogging...life just got busy and blogging started feeling more like a chore. Lately, however, I've been feeling like I miss having this outlet to document our day-to-day details. I'm not great at keeping journals (go figure) or taking the time to get pictures printed for a scrapbook, so I tend to just jot down quick notes in my phone as reminders. Only problem is, when I go back to look at them I have no idea what "H saying 'rowww? rowww?' means. So here I am....giving this space another go, with the hopes that I will be able to capture life as it is now and create a virtual scrapbook, of sort, that my children and I can look back on for years to come.

One Particular Harbor....round 2!

And because every blog post needs a picture, and because I'm obsessed with my kids...

Newborn Essentials

Since this is our second time around, I thought it might be helpful to come up with a list of items that we have found essential to our everyday lives for the newborn stage.

1. Snuza Hero-This little guy is a lifesaver...literally! It's a baby monitor that attaches to your baby's diaper and monitor's breathing. If movement is not detected after 15 seconds, it will vibrate to try and stimulate the baby. If after 5 more seconds movement is still not detected, the Snuza will sound an alarm. I am completely paranoid about SIDS and used the Angelcare monitor system with Hannah, however, Graham is sleeping in his inclined sleeper and  the Angelcare system doesn't work with that (we will use the Angelcare when we move Graham to his crib). The Snuza is portable (so we can also take it with us when we travel) and does not have wires. It literally just attaches to the baby's diaper. I would not be able to sleep at night if we did not have this. 

2. Wipe Warmer-I really like the wipe warmer for the newborn stage. However, we retired the wipe warmer when Hannah was about 3 months, and we will probably do that with Graham as well. It's perfect for keeping those chilly wipes warm for middle of the night diaper changes. Graham does not like being cold and the cold wipes would end up making him scream and more "fully" wake up. Now, I can change his diaper, give him a little 'sleep feed' and place him back in his sleeper all before he fully wakes up. I only use the wipe warmer at night though. 

3. Jolly Jumper Car Seat Cover-I did a TON of research on car seat covers. I just used a thin blanket for Hannah since she was a summer baby, but with Graham being born in the middle of winter, I wanted something a little more substantial to keep him nice and toasty. You might be surprised how much research goes into.....well, pretty much everything involved with babies. But specifically car seats. The "shower cap" style covers (covers that go over the top of the car seat) are the safest. Any cover that has fabric that goes between the baby's back and the car seat is not recommended...but I'll let you do your own research and make your own decisions. We decided on this style because it was the safest and I am not disappointed. We've had some cold, windy, and wet weather the past month and its been so nice to zip this puppy up and know Graham was warm and dry inside. 

4. Waterproof lap pads-These waterproof pads are the perfect size to lay down for on-the-go diaper changes or to protect an area. I will lay one down on top of our changing pad cover for extra protection. I also put one on our bed for diaper changes or underneath Graham while he's napping in our bed. This way any leaks or spontaneous diaper incidents don't always require everything to end up in the washing machine.

5. DayDreamer sleeper-This is the inclined sleeper we got for Graham to sleep in. It's been great for his congestion at night and I sleep easier not worrying about him choking on spit up or having trouble breathing through congestion. 

6. Boppy pillow-I love this! I use this every time I nurse Graham at home. Its just so much more relaxing to rest him on this while I nurse. I also use this when he is sleeping in my arms; I can just rest my arms on the boppy and still get to hold him without feeling like my arms are going to fall off. I like the Boppy better than the My Breast Friend pillow because when Graham gets a little more head control, we will use it for tummy time and to help him sit up...My Breast Friend pillow can only be used for nursing.

7. Bouncer-Graham doesn't love his bouncers. But we have two of them (one for each floor of our house) and they are useful to put him in when I need to put him down for a minute. I usually bring a bouncer into the kitchen with me while I cook dinner, and I will bring one into the bathroom with me while I shower and get ready for the day. 

8. Swing-Graham loves his swing! We keep ours downstairs and I will usually put him down for his nap in this while we are all downstairs. I also sometimes use this to put him down when I need free arms. Some people prefer to purchase either a bouncer or a swing...but I believe both are essential. The bouncer is small and portable, which is nice when you want to be able to bring the baby with you, but also have free arms. The swing is nice to give the baby a swinging motion to help calm them down. 

9. Swaddle blankets. We swaddle Graham for all his naps and at bedtime. He loves being all snuggled up close and tight. I LOVE the Aden and Anais blankets (along with pretty much every other mom). They are perfect for swaddling. We also use the Halo Sleepsack Swaddle, which Graham also really loves.

10. NoseFrida-Love this thing. It looks scary and gross....but no worries...it isn't. And it's much more efficient than the suction bulbs, which is easier on baby...which makes it easier on you.

11. Vaseline- We used an entire jar of Vaseline in the first week of Graham's life. Between his circumcision healing and dealing with meconium diapers, Vaseline was an essential part of diaper changing. Friendly Mama tip: putting Vaseline on the baby's bottom after you clean it will help with the next diaper change. Especially in the first few days. Meconium is incredibly difficult to wipe off, but if the baby's bottom is coated in Vaseline, it will wipe right off.

12. Baby K'tan- Graham and I both love this. Its so comfy and easy to put on and Graham loves being snuggled tight and close to me. I keep it in our diaper bag and will put him in it every time we go out. It also allows my arms to be free so that I can still tend to Hannah and participate with her at her activities. We also have the Ergobaby with the infant insert, but haven't had a chance to use it yet.

So those are the twelve items that we have used almost daily since bringing out little guy home. And most of those items we also used regularly with Hannah...and I'm still recommending them, so you know they are good. ;)

Graham Ryan: 1 Month

*This is one week late...but we've been sick, so I haven't had time to post.

Weight/Length: 10 lbs 13 oz (75th-90th percentile) 22.5 inches (75th-90th percentile)

Hair/Eyes: Hair is light. He has the sweetest little peach fuzzy's on the top of his head. Eyes are bright blue. Love them!

Diapers: He's filling out his size 1 diapers much better, despite his tiny little legs and no-butt.

Clothing: 0-3 month and some 3 month clothes.

Favorite things: Mama's milks and being held.

Likes: Looking around, he's getting more and more curious! He loves being held and listening to Mama sing and talk to him. He loves smiling and cooing; its about the sweetest thing I've ever seen. He loves laying quietly on his back in his crib...I think it's his spot to just rest and be calm from the chaos that is big sister Hannah. ;) He loves snuggling up in his baby carrier (Baby K'tan).

Dislikes: The two main culprits are gas pains and being cold. His gas pains are still bugging him, but they have gotten noticeably better (and I didn't end up having to eliminate dairy...I tried and didn't notice much of a difference). He doesn't love bath time, but is fine when we run the warm water over him. He is getting better about diaper changes and the coldness of the wipes, but still isn't a huge fan. He also does not like getting his little nose suctioned out...which unfortunately has to happen a lot due to his congestion.

Sleeping: Still sleeping pretty well. He's been more congested at night lately, so we have him sleeping on his reclined sleeper every night, which seems to help. He naps on and off throughout the day and then usually goes down for bed anytime between 9-10 pm. He has his longest stretch of sleep during the first part of the night...so he'll usually sleep from about 9-10pm until about 2-3am. After that he will eat and doze off every hour or so until it's time for me to get up. Unfortunately I have not been able to get myself to fall asleep any earlier than 11pm...so even though he sleeps for a good 5 hours in the night, I am only sleeping for a few hours of that. And then I just doze off with him during the second half of the night, but I don't get a good sleep in since he feeds on demand during that time. Someday I'll figure it out! :)

Health: He had his first cold; lots of sneezing and coughing. Poor guy. He also broke out into a pretty awful rash on his face and cradle cap on his head. Our pediatrician said to just keep his face and head clean and it will clear up on its own in time, but I've been experimenting with putting breast milk on his rash and cradle cap....and its working! Hopefully it will be gone in no time.

Milestones: He has lots of smiles, its so cute. He's also starting to try and mimic our faces. He'll open his mouth wide when I open mine and tries SO hard to stick out his tongue when I stick out mine. He's also starting to coo at us when we talk to him. It's my favorite thing about the newborn stage...so sweet to hear their little voices. Now that his cord is off, we've been doing more tummy time, which he tolerates pretty well. He loves looking around and will try to kick his little legs back to move forward. I'm thinking he will crawl earlier than Hannah did....she just laid there with her head up during tummy time. ;) He's been on many play dates and shopping trips so far...thanks to big sister. I usually keep him in his baby wrap to keep strangers and germs away, but he mostly just sleeps through everything anyways.

Mama Thoughts: I'm down 23 pounds and seem to have stalled here. Unfortunately I still have about 18 pounds to lose until I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight...and then an additional 8 pounds to get to my pre-Hannah weight! So still a lot of work to do!

It's been so much fun watching Graham and Hannah interact. Graham has gone from being very skeptical of his big sister, to completely amused and content by her. When he is fussing Hannah will go over to him and talk to him or try to put his binky in to calm him down. Sometimes she will be playing and will just randomly get up and go sit by Graham and give him a kiss. It literally makes me cry to see her being so sweet to her little brother. I love how much she loves him.

Letter: 
Little man,
               I can't believe you are already 1 month old! It doesn't even seem possible that it's been a whole month since we walked into that operating room and met you for the first time. You have been such an amazingly easy baby. I keep waiting for the "period of purple crying" that we most definitely experienced with Hannah....but you don't seem to have any specific time of extreme fussiness. In fact, you only fuss when you are hungry and if you are cold.
              My favorite thing you do right now is your coo'ing and smiling. You smile at me the second you see my face and you start cooing. I really think you are trying to talk to me and it's so cute. I also love that you look around the whole room for me when you hear my voice.
             I really can't believe how lucky we are to have you in our lives. You are the perfect addition to our family, little man. These past 4 weeks have been the best and I have loved you for every second of every one of them!
       I love you.
Love,
       Mama

Graham Ryan: 2 Weeks

*This was meant to go out last Friday (Feb 21st) but being the awesome blogger that I am, I forgot to hit 'submit'. So enjoy this slightly late post. ;)

Weight/Length: 9 lbs 3 oz (75th percentile) 21 1/4 inches (90th percentile)

Hair/Eyes: Hair is light...in the back and little fuzzy's on top. I am kind of in love with the fuzzy's. So sweet! He still has blue eyes, but I'm predicting they turn brown.

Diapers: Newborn during the day and size 1 at night. We've run into a slight dilemma with diapers. The problem is that his little tummy fits either size just fine...however, he has the tiniest little chicken legs and absolutely no butt, so I can't get either diaper tight enough to fit around his legs and little hiney. The result is A LOT of leaks up the sides of the legs and back. I seriously was changing his clothes with every diaper change. But I've found that while he swims in the size 1's, they at least provide more coverage up his back, which prevents some of the leaks.

Clothing: Newborn and 0-3.

Favorite things: Mama's milks.

Likes: He likes being held, which I can't say I mind. I love holding him. He really likes being swaddled, and sucking on his binky. He likes when Mama talks and sings to him. When I lay him on my tummy, he'll twist his head up so he can make eye contact with me and watch me sing to him. It melts my heart. He really loves sleeping on Mama and snuggle under my chin. He seems to like the swing, but hasn't spent too much time in it yet. He also seems to like his carseat and the car. He just looks around (maybe its the change of scenery he likes) and ends up falling asleep while I drive.

Dislikes: Gas pains, poor little man. I hate them too...he scrunches his body up, wriggles around, cries out...there really isn't anything I can do that helps. I try massaging his little tummy and pumping his legs. We've tried gas drops. The next thing to try is eliminating dairy from Mama's diet. I'm starting today, and really hoping we notice a difference in the next few weeks. He also dislikes being cold...which is basically when he comes out of the bath and during diaper changes if I use cold wipes.

Sleeping: He sleeps great! (Knock on wood). He sleeps for about 4 hour stretches at night, and then will just fuss until I wake up to feed him. He doesn't cry. He also sleeps in the bassinet! This is a huge change from Hannah...she wouldn't sleep anywhere but on top of me and would wake up crying every couple of hours. I'm really hoping this sleep pattern sticks around. :) Graham has been slightly stuffy the past few days (normal newborn congestion from living in fluid) which really effects him at night. I would wake up to hear him having trouble breathing through his nose, so we purchased an inclined sleeping wedge that he currently spends most the night in.

Milestones: He's been lifting his head since day 1. He's very alert and curious about sounds. When I have the T.V. on, he'll stop what he's doing and listen for the direction of the sound and then turn his head to look at it. It's adorable. He also is a smiley little guy...some smiles might be from gas, but he smiles a lot when I run my finger gently on his little cheek. We also had our first outing on Feb 18th to his well-baby check up and to Target. He did awesome, and it only took me a few minutes to get the hang of having a newborn in public and nursing in public again.

Mama Thoughts: So far I've lost about 16 pounds. I'm feeling pretty good, recovery wise, and definitely getting sick of laying in bed all day. Monday is our first day on our own, and I'm slightly anxious about it.

So far, everything seems to be running relatively smoothly though. My hormones seem to be in check....so far....meaning my emotional breakdowns have been far and few between. ;) Just kidding. Luckily, the good ol' 'baby blues' haven't seem to hit me...in fact, I'm feeling the opposite. I'm over the moon happy and constantly reminded how in love I am with this little man. And.....I am slightly embarrassed to admit this...but I actually have baby fever! Yes....I am crazy. I am 100% positive its the hormones though. I'm on some kind of 'baby high' still. Oh geeze!

Week 2...What we've been up to

It's been two weeks since we brought our precious little guy into the world and I bet you are just dying to know what we have been up to. ;) Okay, I bet not...but I am going to share with you anyways. 

Our first week at home was pretty much all recovery. We were so lucky that Noah was able to take the whole week off to stay at home with us as we adjusted to being a family of four. Prior to Graham's birth, I had visions of us spending the week all playing together and giving Hannah plenty of time to get to know her new little brother. Unfortunately with my c-section recovery, I was unable to get out of bed much...let alone walk up and down stairs. That meant that Noah pretty much had Hannah (and Mama) care 24/7 and I had Graham care 24/7....so we didn't actually get a lot of quality time altogether. I definitely missed my little girl that first week. It was tough to say the least...especially with post-partum hormones going crazy. I called my doctor a few times practically crying because I was convinced that all the symptoms I had were not normal...apparently they are very normal. Haha. 

Our second week was much better. Unfortunately Noah had to go back to work, but my Momma came to stay with us for the whole week. She was a huge help with everything Hannah related. I ended up signing Hannah up for gymnastics, just to give her something to do to get out of the house, which she started this week. I am so excited for when I feel up to taking her. I hear she loves the trampoline and foam pit. ;) 

We didn't do much for Valentine's day. In fact, I pretty much slept through it. I did get around to taking pictures of the babies in their Valentine's day outfits, however they didn't turn out at all how I imagined. Graham was still too little to fill out his outfit, and I was not feeling well enough to really get creative with my photography. Regardless, I documented Graham's first holiday, and that's good enough! 

These pictures just make me laugh. From the grumpy toddler, to the screaming baby, to the dripping chalkboard paint pen...I'm blaming my pain meds! 

Graham is doing wonderfully! We had our first outing on Tuesday (Feb 18th) for his 7 day well-baby check up and for a trip to Target. He did wonderfully. He is about 9 lbs and 21 inches, so he's definitely growing! He rarely ever cries...in fact the only time he cries is when he's cold (he hates diaper changes with cold wipes) and when he has gas. Which, unfortunately is a lot. I feel awful for the little man. He has the worst gas pains...something we noticed just 24 hours after he was born. He wriggles in pain and scrunches his face up. We chatted at his appointment about it and fear that it might be an allergy to dairy...which means Mama needs to cut ALL dairy out of her diet. I'm in the process of learning more about this lifestyle change and plan to start ASAP. I can't stand to see my little guy in pain....and if I happen to lose weight faster in the process, that's just an added bonus to him feeling better. ;) 

Hannah has been adjusting relatively well...this week has been tough on her though. She doesn't quite understand why Mama can't spend as much time with her and she has definitely been giving my mom a run for her money by fighting diaper changes, meal times, and naps. She clings to me and wants me to do all of that with her instead. I feel pretty awful that I can't quite juggle everything on top of continuing my recovery...but I'm very hopeful that next week (our first week on our own!) will have things return to normal. 

So, I think that about catches us up! I am SUPER excited for this weekend...I WON a free newborn photo session for this Saturday! We decided not to do newborn photos for Graham because they are ridiculously expensive and I knew I wanted updated family photos done in the Fall anyways. But I randomly emailed this photographer about a newborn model ad (not realizing it was a giveaway) and she emailed me yesterday that she picked us for the newborn session! I am SO excited. We have pictures at noon tomorrow and I get the pictures and all printing rights...for FREE! 

Then we have a few fun playdates to look forward to on Monday and Tuesday next week....a nice transition into our first week alone. 

Have a great weekend friends!