Word (less) Wednesday

Easy Wreath Craft

St. Patty's Day is just around the corner so I figured I needed to decorate the mantle to celebrate. Henry loves all the decorations we had up for Christmas and Valentine's Day so I figured why not for another holiday.

I went to Pinterest and searched for wreaths. There were a few I liked but they seemed hard and a lot of money. I only had one Michaels' coupon so I had to shop/craft wisely. I did pull some ideas but nothing really hit me.

I ended up just walking around Michael's to see if there was something I could come up with. I was in luck because the St. Patty's Day decorations were 40% off. I grabbed some foam clovers and a pre made bow. I figured I could stick these onto something so I headed over to the Styrofoam aisle.

My mouth dropped when I saw how much they wanted for a round piece of foam. I was about ready to throw in the towel when I came across the grapevine wreaths. These were less expensive and much prettier to craft with so I picked one up.

I was pretty excited when I checked out and my bill was under $15. Yes, I'm sure I could have found a wreath for under $15 but there is something about it being homemade.

Making the wreath probably took oh, I don't know, five minutes tops. I just got out the hot glue gun, glued them down and Viola - My St. Patty's Day wreath.

I then hung it over the mantle with a command hook and placed out the Subway Art I found online, along, with a clover plate and I was all decorated.

Easy Peasy.

Tummy Tuesday!

We have really been working on the Tummy time with Mary. It was hard with Henry because all he did was puke when laid on his belly.  She is getting pretty good at it. Look how high her chin is in the second picture.

Yes, her eyes are still blue but they are more a grey blue then Henry had. People keep asking us if they have changed but no not yet.

Happy Tuesday!

Middle of the Night Thoughts

I wrote a whole post in my head at 3am and for the life of me, I can't tell you what I wanted to write about, so, I will just ramble.

Maybe it was suppose to be that not having a reflux, screaming baby is AMAZING! It never gets old that we can feed her, burp her, put her in the car seat and NOTHING comes back out.

Maybe it was suppose to be that we were using the Babywise method but shortly gave it up and decided to just feed her when she is hungry. The Babywise method is Eat, Play, Sleep or as Charlie likes to call it...."Eat, Pray, Love". Don't ask, we are delirious. She kind of gets into that routine anyway but I don't like that I should only feed her every so often hours.

Maybe it was suppose to be that we are pretty sure Henry is going to be a car salesman or in some kind of sales when he grows up. I think yesterday he asked 50 times for a certain car from CARS. He is so persistant about getting it. No, he did not get it, but I am sure he will get it soon.

Maybe it was suppose to be that my mom is coming in town on Thursday and staying for the whole month of March. YAY!

Maybe it was suppose to be that the knot in my stomach is returning because well, work is looming. In little over a week, I will be back at the office - OMG! If I'm back at the office then that means we will have a 2 month old, a 2 month old.

I think that covers everything that runs through my head in the middle of the night.

Word(less) Wednesday

New Blog Design.....done by me.

We're Expecting!

Now we all know that is not possible, but we ARE expecting! We are expecting to bring home a puppy in June, squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Charlie and I discussed different breeds and we really thought about a lab, but after talking to many people and hearing about their shedding we decided to go another route. I think Charlie would have gone for it but I just didn't think I was ready for that much hair around the house. Maybe someday we will have that lab but right now it is not the right fit for our family.

So we continued our discussion and read about Springer Spaniels. Charlie and I have always loved Springer Spaniels and after some research we decided that a springer would be a perfect fit for our family. I think Ellie would be happy we stayed in the spaniel family.

We have been talking to a breeder in Leesburg and he emailed us last night that they are pretty sure the Mama we like is pregnant. Here is a picture of Roxy - this picture reminds me of Ellie. As soon as I saw this, I knew Roxy was the one.

We are going out to meet Roxy and the breeder tomorrow morning. Henry is going to be so excited but it is going to be hard to convince him that we won't get the puppy until June. Once Roxy has the puppies we will go out again and have Henry pick the female he would like. We are hoping for a liver and white puppy, but we shall see.

I know that it might feel like it is too soon but our house without a dog just doesn't feel complete. We are surprised we were able to wait this long but it just made the most sense to get a puppy in the summer.

I'm looking forward to all the smiles this new puppy is going to bring to our family. Henry is already asking if the puppy can sleep in his room with him. I just know they are going to be best friends.

Happy Valentine's Day!

This was Henry before we left for school this morning! His face pretty much sums up him.

Celebrating her First Valentine's Day! I think her bib is bigger then she is!

We made these shovels for everyone at school along with giving them CARS Valentines. I bet the girls in Henry's class will be pretty excited to get a Tow Mater Valentine. Although, I'm sure Henry will bring home some Princess ones.

Charlie gave me roses on Sunday. We aren't really that big into Valentine's but I love that he gave me red roses.

I really want to eat all of these! These little gems are from Mary to her boys. She worked hard this morning on them. I hope the boys like them!

Hope everyone is having a great Valentine's Day!

XOXO

Stats!

We just got back from Mary's one month appointment and Henry's 3 year old appointment. It was a little hectic when we first got in there but it was kind of fun taking both of them at the same time. No, I didn't go at this by myself, Charlie came with us!

Henry was up first. He is weighing in around 32 pounds and is 40". He is rocking the charts for height. The doctor said he is closer to 4 year old height then 3 year old. Weight wise he was average. He also passed all the other tests that he had no idea he was being tested on. I love how they sneak them in there.

Mary was up next and waiting patiently on the table. I was holding breath when they went to weigh her, then when I saw what she weighed I was over joyed! She weighed in at 7 pound 12 ounces!!!! That is over 2 pounds in two weeks that she gained! She also grew an inch and a half! The doctor was very impressed with her one month stats. She is still in the low percent range but whatever, she is gaining!

We ended the appointment with her first shot. She screamed for a second and then was totally fine. I hate watching her get them and watching her face turn bright red.

We also discussed with the doctor Henry's behavior at school. We are doing the right things and she said it is really going to just take some time. All kids are different and some take longer to adjust then others. We just need to keep giving him positive reinforcement.

All in all a great appointment all around!

One Monthday!

Can you believe it, she is one month old today! Holy hell time flies when you are having fun. I created this little document so I can print them and keep track of what she is doing each month. I actually stole this idea from some Mom friends who blog, I don't think they will mind.

I am also hoping to stay on top of her Monthday photos. Here she is with her "One" month picture.

She has changed so much already. The most change is her cheeks -they are really filling out. I think that is where all her weight gain is going. We go to the doctor on Monday and I can't wait to see her stats.

I think I will get Henry a cupcake tonight to celebrate his sister's One Monthday, he will love to blow out a candle for her and eat the cupcake too!

Are you Smarter.....

Are you smarter then a 3 year old?

I know all parents brag about how smart their kids are but my kid might top the cake. I'm not saying Henry can read or do math but boy can he be deceiving and he knows exactly what he is doing.

For example this morning he came in before 7:00am. He left his car in his room and wanted to go back and get it but he wouldn't unless one of us went with him. I told him the light switch was right there but he wouldn't go turn it on. After a little more whining we still were not moving. So, he sits back and you can tell he is thinking.........He looks at Charlie and says "I have to go potty." GAH he got us! His bathroom his right by his bedroom so of course if we take him to the potty we would pass his room. Out smarted!

Example two (again this morning)...he comes back from his room and still can't find the car. Charlie now tells him that he isn't going with him because it is not 7am. Henry hops of the bed and starts pushing the buttons on the alarm clock to make it 7am. At this point Charlie and I just laugh because we are being outwitted by a 3 year old.

Henry has been having some trouble at school. He is acting out and not listening to his teachers. We get a report every day and most days it doesn't look good. Charlie is usually the "enforcer" so he usually talks to Henry about what happened. Well, yesterday I picked Henry up and the report was not good. So, I try to talk to him about it and then I tell him that when Daddy gets home he is going to talk to him. Henry with his big blue eyes, looks at me and says, "Mommy, can you talk to me instead of Daddy."

Charlie and I are going to have to be on top of our game with Henry. We will prevail and not be out smarted by a 3 year old!

Word(less) Wednesday

Tummy time something that we never really could do with Henry.

Update on Us

I'm on my second cup of coffee so forgive me if this post gets a little out of control.......

Four weeks ago today we welcomed Mary into our lives. Her actual Monthday will be Friday and I will do a post then about how much she has changed and she has changed a lot.

Everyone loves to ask the following questions, so I'm going to answer them here..

How is it going..It's going great! We are working on a schedule and getting into a routine as a family of four. Sometimes, all the players don't like to participate but we are working on that player and hopefully he comes around soon.

How is it with two..Honestly, it's not that hard. It does help that Henry goes to school all day but really the weekends and evenings are great. I'm pretty sure I have mentioned that I have an amazing husband so that helps a lot too. It is hard balancing everything and trying to keep Henry entertained, but you figure it out. He does know what he is doing because he always seems to ask for help when one of us is feeding Mary or playing with Mary. He wasn't born yesterday and knows we are not paying him all the attention anymore.

Is she sleeping..yes in three hour spurts for the most part. She is starting to wake more during the day. I'm already looking at trends with her during the day. It seems she wakes up eats and then naps around 8:00/8:30am for most of the morning. She will then eat again and be awake in the afternoon. Around 5pm/6pm she eats again and will be up for a little and then sleep until her evening feeding and from there she just wakes to eat. She also likes to poop in the early morning feeding, fun times because it's like three poops in a row.

How is Henry..loaded question. He has his good days and bad days. School is rough and he is having some hard times there. We also have to remember that along with this life changing event, he is still 3. School is working with him and we are working with him at home. In the mornings, we have to tell him that I'm going to work and Mary is going to school so he thinks that I am not home all day. He is usually pretty good but last night, not so much. He was in our room at 3am, and normally we would just throw him in the bed when this happens but we can't right now because of Mary. So, Charlie took him back to his bed and he was not happy. Again, he knows Mary sleeps in our room so of course he wants to sleep in our room too. Then around 6am he was back and throwing cars so he got sent to his room. Yes, at 6am we were putting him in his room, it was not a good start. Hopefully, the day will be better.

Henry does love his sister, he is the sweetest big brother. He loves to kiss her and turn her seahorse on when she is crying. I thought the novelty would have worn off but it hasn't and I love that he runs in the door and kisses her. He is also so proud of her when I bring her to school. He tells everyone that she is his baby and fends the kids off when they try to touch her.

How is Mary..I'm not going to lie, Mary is a dream BUT you have to remember Henry was not a dream at this age. I just think any baby would have been easier this time around but seriously she is incredible. I'm not even sure how this happened and I know it's not always going to be like this so I'm cherishing these moments. She still loves to make all kinds of squeaking noises when she eats and it brings a smile to my face every time. She is gaining weight, well at least in her cheeks and is starting to give us smiles.

I think that covers everything. We really are doing great and loving every minute of this. We have been blessed by so many family and friends who have sent notes and gifts. Mary is going to be a fashionista with all the clothes she has received and you know I would not have that any other way!