Friday, November 30, 2012

November Self Portrait

At the beginning of November I finally started running again, after a year long hiatus.  I suppose I could blame most of it on pregnancy, but let's be honest, I probably could have run for the majority of my pregnancy.  I felt fine.  I just used being pregnant as an excuse. 

But no more excuses!  I am fully recovered from Emma's birth, so when I started running I promptly signed up for the Lights in the Parkway race to keep me motivated.  This is a 5K night time race through the Christmas lights in Allentown.  My mom, sister, and I ran this last year for the first time and we all loved it!  It's the only race I've ever done at night, and it was so pretty and festive :)  So when I heard that they were both running again this year AND I was going to be in Allentown already, I took it as a sign that I was meant to run it too!

We all had a great time again... running through the Christmas lights, listening to the band play Christmas music, and sipping on apple cider and hot chocolate when we were done.  Great way to get everyone in the holiday spirit!


Yes, yes, this is extremely poor quality, but we had to take what we could get.  The picture was taken with a phone...at night...with lights in the background.  Not ideal photo conditions to say the least.  But there I am in all my running glory, ha ha! 

I spent the month easing my way back into running and I'm so glad that I did. I feel like me again!!

Happy Holidays!
 

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Emma: 2 Months!

Dear Emmy Lou Who,

You are the most pleasant, content baby, which is such a blessing.  There has been such a marked change from last month in that sense.  You were a little bit cranky last month, especially after you ate, but once we figured out that you had thrush and a yeast diaper rash we fixed you right up with some Nystatin, and you are a whole new baby!  You love to watch the world around you.

(I apologize in advance for the horrible lighting in these pictures.  Aunt Tina is probably appalled, ha ha!)


You started smiling at us, and I still say that having your baby smile at you is one of the greatest feelings in the world.  Your little smile melts my heart every time. 



You have also started cooing, which I think is the sweetest sound on earth.  I have some videos of the little baby noises you make and I'm glad, because these days fly by, and before we know it you will be talking like your sister.  The doctor even mentioned that since you are mimicking noises already, it is a strong indicator that you will be an early talker.  I'm warning you that it'll be tough to compete with that sister of yours.  She is quite the chatterbox these days ;)



At your 2 month doctor appointment your stats were:

Weight: 12 lbs 3.2 oz (60th percentile)
Length: 23.5 inches (80th percentile)
Head Circumference: 40.5 cm (95th percentile)

You got 3 shots at this appointment, and you took them like a champ.  You cried when you got them, but stopped as soon as I picked you up, and you immediately went back to your smiley, happy self.  You had no reactions, and no crankiness either.  Tough cookie!

You are such a pleasant little thing despite your slew of (albeit minor) issues.  The whole yeast scenario was a mess that led to 10 days of meds for you and Mommy.  You have a very dry scalp these days, but it doesn't seem to be itching you or bothering you at all.  And last, but not least, that constant cold that you seem to have.  You have literally been congested, sneezing, snotty, with goopy eyes, etc since before you were a month old.  We had a few days of relief and then you got another cold.  Doctor Mike says it's par for the course with an older sister in preschool. 

But like I said, despite ALL of this, you are so content and smiley.  In fact, just the other day when I went to get you in the morning, your one eye was crusted shut and you had snot hanging our of your nose...but you looked at me and got the biggest smile!  I couldn't help but laugh!  I love you little lady, and we're bound to get over this cold soon :)

Other news: You found your hands and like to examine them (although not with the same intensity as your sister, ha ha!)

Addy at 2 months :)


You at 2 months :)
 
You are also able to grasp onto things that we put in your hands, and you love playing under the activity mat.  You weren't a huge fan of that mat last month, but now that you are more aware of your surroundings you love it!  You don't really like tummy time unless someone is patting your tush, but event then, you don't last for long on your belly without getting really irritated.  You usually like to rotate between your big Fisher Price swing, the activity mat, and being held.  And your car seat, with all of its warm cushiony padding that Daddy put in there, keeps you snug as a bug, and you fall asleep in no time.  Especially if your seat is on top of the running dryer.... not that we ever do that ;)

You are still exclusively breastfeeding and you eat about 7 times a day.  I am pumping a whole lot less than I did with Addy (There just aren't enough hours in the day with two kids under two!), so you are not a big fan of the bottle.  Weeks go by without us giving you a bottle, so when we decide to give you one, it takes you some time to agree to it.  You'll have to get used to it soon girlie, because Mommy is going back to work in a few weeks.

I have to say that we still don't have a very good bed time routine.  It's that awkward stage where I don't want to put you to bed as early as Addy (7:00) because you will then get up twice in the night instead of only once.  As it stands, we generally put you in your crib between 9-10 at night and then you get up around 3 or 4AM to eat and then back to bed until 7-8AM.  It's not bad at all, and you settle right back down after your middle of the night feed, so I don't mind. 

Gone are the newborn days when Daddy had to hold you for awhile after I fed you in order to settle you down.  Your love of the midnight hour has passed, and you now know that night time equals sleepy time :)  It sometimes takes you a little while to get settled when we first put you down, but then you sleep well all night.  We even had your first "sleeping through the night" episode a few nights before your 2 month birthday.  You slept from 9:45PM-7:45AM!!!!!  Now I'm sure that was a fluke, but even one uninterrupted night of sleep helps Mommy out!

Your hair is remains full and dark, and you still have those beautiful blue eyes!  I hope you keep all of those features :)






Emmy, you are the sweetest little thing on the planet.  Even your little cries are sweet.  You don't cry often, but when you do, you are easily consoled, which is wonderful.  If all else fails, a little snuggle and a walk around the room does the trick every time.  Mommy, Daddy, and your big sister love you so, so much!  You've been with us for two short months, but I can barely remember life without you in it, nor would I want to.  You are right where you belong, and our family is so enriched by having you in it.  Love you bug!

Love,

Mommy

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Addy and Emma Videos

Below are a few of the videos that I've taken of the girls over the past week.

The first is a little clip of Emma now that she has started cooing.  She started it when she was about 5 weeks old, but it took me awhile to get a video.  I love, love, love those little baby noises!




Addy loves to sing and dance, so here is a video of her current favorites :)

 
 
And then a video from today, just for good measure.  I often find myself calling Emma "Emmy Lou Who", and so Addy has taken to calling her "Emmy Who Who".  Love my girls :))
 
 
 

Monday, November 12, 2012

Happy Halloween!

Addy had such a great time this Halloween, starting with her parade/party at school and ending with trick-or-treating.  She got her first real taste of candy (i.e. at least 20 pieces before we had to physically stop her!) and she was loving life!  She had lolly pops at school, and then proceeded to ask for them 20 times a day for the next few days.  She had Skittles, Tootsie Rolls, Candy Corn, Milky Ways, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups..... you name it.  She had it.  This Halloween Addy discovered a whole new world that she never knew existed.  The world of sweets.  We are in for it.  I still feel like I am constantly saying, "No candy", and Halloween was over a week ago!

Addy was a pumpkin this year, which was very fitting for a few reasons.  Number one, Addy loves pumpkins, and whenever we go on walks around the neighborhood she squeals with delight and shouts, "Punkin!"  whenever she sees one.  Number two, "Pumpkin" is one of my nicknames for Addy, and has been for as long as I can remember.  So it worked out nicely that the consignment sale (where I got both girls costumes for a total of $9) had a pumpkin costume in Addy's size.

Anyway, here are some pics of the festivities:

Halloween Party at school:

Ready to collect her treats... with an extra bucket just in case!
 

Daddy came to the party too!
 

Addy's classmates left to right: Greer, Addy, Brandon, Lacey, Marshall, and Jack.  Scarlett is in her class too, but she hadn't arrived yet when this photo was taken.
 
 

Mommy and Addy :)
 
 
 
The only way to get Addy to wear the hat was to tell her that she couldn't get treats unless she wore it.  Questionable parenting?  Sure.  But it worked ;)
 
 

Ready for the parade!!
 

Lolly pop #1 of many


Snack time!  (There's Scarlett in the Dalmatian costume.)
 


Emma joined the fun!
 



Addy had a great time at her school party, and Mike and I did too.  I am so glad that we enrolled her in school this year, because she loves it and really does learn a lot.  I love her school and her teachers, and I feel like every day when Addy gets home I discover at least one new thing that she learned!

On Halloween day I ventured out to a play date at Barnes and Noble with both girls.  Ummm, yeah, I may not be doing that again for awhile.  Addy is just so active that it is really hard to be in a public place (where she is running around) and keep tabs on both girls.  I had Emma in the stroller and she was fast asleep the entire time (thank goodness!!!), but I kept leaving the stroller to go and chase after Addy, all the while praying that no one was stealing my baby.  (OK, before anyone gets too panicky, I had lots of friends there that were keeping an eye on Emma while I ran after Addy.) 

But when I decided to go to this play date, I had visions of Addy sitting nicely on my lap listening to the story and coloring while Emma was in the stroller right next to us.  Ha!  Not even remotely how it went.  Addy wanted to run all over the store collecting books.  She had no interest whatsoever in sitting and listening to a story.  And during "craft time", she was running around trying to grab other kids crayon buckets.  And after craft time was over, Addy continuously ran back and forth between the train area and the story area.  Stressful excursion to say the least, and that was with one of my children sleeping the entire time!  I shudder to think about what it will be like when Emma is mobile!  All of my friends were laughing at me frantically running around after Addy while their children sat angelically in their laps.  I kept saying, "Addy, don't you want to sit with your friends?"  Answer: "No."  Plain and simple.  Looking back, I'm sure it was comical, because it was like a zoo in there.  But I think I'm going to stick to play dates at people's houses for awhile ;)

There wasn't a whole lot of time for picture taking during this excursion, but I did manage to snap a few.

Addy and Phoebe

Addy and Troy
 

She really loved this train table, and if we had more space in our house, I would seriously consider buying her one.  But there is just no where to put it.


Home again, home again.  Thank goodness!



Time for trick-or-treat!


Yup, another lolly pop before we even begin.
 

Trick-or-treating at Sophie's house.
 

Daddy and Addy headed down the street, while I stayed back in the yard and waited for them since Emma was asleep in the house.  Funny story though.  They were going to one house.  Just one.  But I was waiting.  And waiting.  And waiting for them to come back.  I had my camera in hand, ready to go.... waiting.  Turns out, those neighbors invited Mike in for a beer.  Only Mike would set out to take his toddler trick-or-treating and come back with new friends and a beer in hand.  Only my husband.  Ha ha!
 
I ran right over to get a picture with Addy...and to grab a sip of that beer ;)
 
 And then Sophie came out and made Addy's day!

 
Addy seriously loves her :)



 

And Jenna too!


Yup, that's another lolly pop :)  Hey, it's Halloween.  We were living it up!
 
 
Then Emma woke up and was ready for some Halloween fun!
 

My girls :)
 
 

Can you tell that Addy is getting really tired of having her picture taken?  Ha ha!
 
 
Later in the evening Addy's job was to give candy to the trick-or-treaters.  She did a great job....
 

...even though we had to tell her multiple times that the candy was for the other kids and she needed to put...it... down!!  Look at her face!  Gotta love it!
 

Back inside to get ready for bed.
 

Ended the night fireside...
 

... with a precious baby by my side.  I love my family!!!
 
Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!!
 

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Happy Fall, Y'all!

We have had a lot of fun this fall, especially since Daddy was home with us for 6 weeks!  We also had a lot of visitors due to Emma's arrival, so we've had a blast this season!


 We brought the activity mat out for Emma, and Addy decided that she wasn't too big for it after all ;)
 
 
We take a lot of walks.... Daddy and his ladies, ha ha!
 

We made some Halloween art at a play date.  Really cute idea: make spiders out of the girls hand prints, and then do it every year to see how they grow :)  Addy's on the top, and Emma's on the bottom.  Addy nicely decorated both of them with stickers :)
 

We had picnics outside in the beautiful weather.
 
 
 Addy played at the park...

 
While Emma slept at the park...
 
 
 
We went to the pumpkin patch with Grandma and Grandpa (or "Pop", as Addy calls him, ha ha!)
 

 

 
 
Mike took Addy down this huge slide, and she surprisingly liked it... but what she really liked was watching everyone else come down.  See her in her little orange shirt plopped down there?  She decided that once she and Daddy came down she was gonna hang out for awhile and watch everyone else :)




 


 

 Had to get a photo with this sign just like we did last year :)



Last year:



This year:

Addy grew half a foot!!!


Addy picked out pumpkins to take to school:
 


 
 
 We went on a hayride:



 Watched our PSU games....

 
 
 
 ...or in Emma's case, slept through our PSU games :)



Addy played with her favorite friends: the "big girls" next door.

 
 
That girl loves to "climb".




 Addy chatted on the phone with friends ;)



We played outside a lot!
 
 
 
...and slept outside.

 
 
 Even did some coloring outside:



My girls :)
 

Emma started to smile :)
 
 
I started to run (with my favorite running buddy, of course).
 
 
 
Daddy hung out with his girls as much as possible before heading back to work:

 

We played in the leaves:




 And we got dressed up for church of course :)

 
 
Whew, so there was our autumn in a nutshell.  I really need to start posting more often so that each of these posts isn't so insanely long.  It's just that by the time I get around to it, I've literally taken hundreds of pictures since the last time I blogged!  Adding Halloween festivities to this post would've made it unbearable, so next up: Halloween!!!!  Until then :)