Back At It!

I'm going to try and get back in to the blogging routine!  With Josh being the awesome sleeper that he is (I really hope I didn't just jinx things), I definitely have time to do fun things in the evenings like blog and read!  After 5 years in this house, I FINALLY got a library card the other day.  That's kind of embarrassing, but I checked out some books and I'm determined to read more.  And I'm also determined to start training for that half marathon I signed up for…  There are just not enough hours in the day!

Anyway.  Life has been good over here.  We have slowly but surely been getting out our Easter decorations and I can't believe Easter is already next Sunday.  Andy had school 3 of the weekends in March (BOO!) but I'm excited because he only has 3 weekends left this semester!  I'm not sure who is more excited, Andy or me!  While I strongly prefer when Andy is home, I do have fun with my baby boys!  Last weekend we attempted the mall.  I only crashed in to like 5 people trying to maneuver the double stroller.  Ben is getting to the age where he is really bored by clothes shopping, so we spent the majority of the time watching the Easter bunny from a distance.  He was very intrigued by the bunny, but he didn't want to get too close.

Believe it or not, it wasn't very crowded on a Sunday afternoon, so the bunny came over to say hi to Ben.  Ben was not interested, but he did accept a gift from the bunny.

But then he hid from us all.

We're going to brunch with the Easter bunny next weekend, so we'll see how that goes!  Speaking of bunnies, have you ever seen such a cute one?!  Love this boy and all of his smiles. 

Ben started gymnastics a few weeks ago, and it is really high up there on the list of cutest things ever.  He is quite the brave guy, and it is probably better that Andy has been going with him, because I am terrified of a spinal cord injury with every move he makes.

Look at this kid.  The other kids were feebly holding their parents' hands as they ran down the mat, and this guy jumped right in on his first try.  (Not the best video, but you get the point.)

Yesterday, we went to lunch with Maddie and Sarah.  Note that Maddie's grilled cheese and chips are completely gone (plus she ate a cookie) and Ben took literally 1 bite.  Sigh….

After mass this morning, we went over to Andy's parents' house for brunch.  Ben got to play with balls so he was a happy camper.  Josh got to smile so he was a happy camper, too.

This one is blurry, but that doesn't take away from his awesome smile.

We ended our weekend by dyeing some Easter eggs.  There was only one spill but a lot of splashes, and Ben's fingers will probably be blue until Easter.  

Josh took an amazing 2+ hour nap this afternoon, but he didn't want to miss all the fun!

I'm so excited for next weekend!  Lots of Easter egg hunts, kind of like last year, but I think Ben will have even more fun this year.  I'm ready for some warmer weather around here!  Ben has caught so many bugs this winter and Josh currently has a junky sounding cough that I'm pretty sure he got from his big brother.  I just want everyone to be healthy and stay healthy! Alright, time to READ and go to bed so I can get up at 5:00 tomorrow morning to RUN! 

3 Months (3/18/2015)

Well, my maternity leave was over in the blink of an eye.  I went back to work on the 12th, which was Josh's 12 week birthday.  It wasn't as traumatic going back the second time around, probably because I knew I would survive and it was actually nice to talk to some adults again.  I am so lucky to have the BEST co-workers ever.  They make work not seem like work.  (Most of the time.  It actually felt like I had never left after my first day back...)

Now that I am back in the groove with work, I'm going to try and get back to blogging more regularly and working out more regularly too!  I signed up for a half marathon in June, so I should probably start running.  Eek!

GENERAL: Dear Josh, you are such a good baby!  You make me think I could handle lots more babies!  (Haha, hopefully Andy didn't pass out when he read that one!)  But honestly, you almost never cry and when you do squawk, you're easily consoled.  When I weighed you today, you weighed 10#7oz and I think you're a little over 22 inches or so.  You have the best little rolls!

SLEEP:  Your sleep has been nothing short of AMAZING!  You typically go to bed around 7:00-7:30 when your big brother goes to bed.  You had been waking up consistently at 3:30, but this past week or so you've been waking up around 1:30.  You don't really cry when you wake up, you just make little noises and I wake up and feed you.  You're still in the bassinet in our room and you still prefer to sleep on your tummy.  After you eat when you wake up at night, you will go right back to sleep until you wake up again around 4:00 or 5:00 and eat again.  You like to have a morning nap and then you sleep every few hours throughout the day too.

EATING:  Eating has been going pretty well too.  You still nurse like a champ when I am home, but I've had to start pumping more now that I am back at work.  You've been taking about 5oz a few times a day while I am at work, and then I nurse you the rest of the time.  My supply has been going up and down, so I hope you're getting enough!

COMMUNICATION/COGNITION: You are still the happiest baby in town.  I love coming home from work and seeing that sweet smile!  You continue to coo and it's just music to my ears.  Oh, and you GIGGLED for the first time earlier this week and I can't wait for more of those!  I really think you love hearing Ben the most.  He always comes down to snuggle with us in the morning, and your face lights up when you hear and see him.  You two love each other SO much and I hope that is always the case!

FINE/GROSS MOTOR: You are quite the tough little guy, just like your brother.   You haven't started rolling just yet, but you sure know how to wiggle and move.  You like your head to be at the top of the bassinet.  You're also getting so good with your hands.  When you're not putting them in your mouth, you are starting to reach for toys.  When you're in your bouncy seat, you grab the toys and start to do mini pull-ups!  Like I said--TOUGH!

Sometimes Ben wants to be in the pictures, sometimes he doesn't, and sometimes he is just plain silly. 

I love you boys more than life itself!  

Life Lately

Happy March!  Josh has been going to bed shortly after big brother, so I actually have some free time at night again!  Don't get me wrong, I love hanging out with all of my boys, but it is really nice to have some alone time too.  I hope that I finally get back on a better routine with blogging.  I thought I would go through my (hundreds of) pictures from the last month or so and write a little update about what we've been up to.  


In early February, Ben caught a NASTY bug.  It really knocked him down.  There is nothing worse than a sick baby, in my opinion.  I hate seeing him sick.  He is usually the most active little boy and to see him sick is heartbreaking.  

But, being the tough cookie that he is, he fought through it the best he could.  Andy took care of Ben while I was with the baby.  I was PRAYING that Josh wouldn't get sick.  Thankfully, everyone else in our house managed to stay healthy.  My mom, on the other hand, must have given Ben one too many smooches and got sick too.  This mean bug made its way through her house too.  I am so thankful that we are all healthy now!  Hopefully that will be the worst of this winter's illnesses!

He missed school for the first time.  We stayed home and washed our hands about 10 times an hour.

It is so hard to keep Ben from his baby brother, so I am trying my hardest to keep Ben healthy so that Josh stays healthy too.  There is a whole lot of this going on in our house on a daily basis:

How can you break this up?

I was SO thankful for my mom's help when Ben was sick, especially when Andy was gone at school.  She kept Ben overnight so that I wouldn't have to worry about 2 boys.  Lifesaving!  Best mom EVER!

Back to his typical meals!

Once Ben was completely better and after the house was totally sanitized, we made some Valentine's day cookies.  It sure tested my patience!  Ben was not concerned in the least when the hearts did not turn out perfectly.  

But he LOVED making them.

Even more fun than making the cookies was decorating them.  The next day, my college roomie and her girls came over.  Ben now associates Natalie with cookie decorating and he is always asking for both.

Mid February, we decided to take our first road trip and mini getaway as a family of 4.  There is no way I would have done this when Ben was a newborn, and I like to think that I am a little less of a germaphobic overprotected momma the second time around.  Off we go!

First stop: Culver's!  

Second stop: Water park!  This was actually Ben's second trip to the water park, but he was barely 1 year old the first time.  He was a little overwhelmed this time, but once we were in the area for little ones, he was a fish. 

He even mastered the slide. 

Josh and I did go in the water for a bit.  (Well, he went in when I was holding him.)

But most of the time we did this:

There were negative temperatures outside, but we were nice and warm at the water park!

We left the hotel for a bit to go to dinner.  At the restaurant, our food and drinks were delivered on a train.  

Ben LOVED it.

Love my boys.

It wasn't the greatest night of sleep for all of us, and Ben actually fell out of the bed in the middle of the night.  I was glad we only opted to stay one night!  The next morning, we went to breakfast at the hotel. 

Although Ben had fun at the water park, I think he might have had more fun playing the games.

Believe it or not, basketball was his favorite.

Love that he was content being on the rides without putting money in. 

All in all it was a great trip!  It was Valentine's Day the day after we got home.  Ben, Josh, and I went to visit great grandma while Andy got some school work done.   Josh fit nicely into the onesie Ben wore for his first Valentine's Day. 

Josh had many Valentine's!

So sweet.

Both of the boys are so loved!

We had a low-key but fabulous Valentine's Day at home.   My mom had made us some heart-shaped mac and cheese which obviously tasted better than regular noodles!  Andy made some other delicious food and we ordered an on-demand movie.  I didn't make it to the end of the movie, but it was still fun. How perfect are my Valentines???  I'm surprised my heart hasn't BURSTED yet. 

The next day we went to watch the junior ballet company with some of my co-workers and their kids.  Ben was so good!  He wasn't excited to get his picture taken with them, but he sat so nicely the whole time.  So proud of that boy. 

I'm getting tired, so I'm just go to add some random pictures and call it a night!

First time Ben fed his brother.  Priceless!  He was so proud!

Before his first round of shots.

First trip to Build-A-Bear with Auntie Anna.

My mom and I were shopping so we crashed the party. 

I have to mention the story behind the bear's name.  My dad recently got Ben a book about Jackie Robinson.  While the book itself is a good story about his life, it isn't totally appropriate for a 2 year old who asks, "why??" every other sentence.  (They throw rocks at the neighbors, the pool is segregated by skin color, etc.)  We usually end up changing the story every time, but Ben loves it!  Anna texted me and asked if we knew anyone named Jackie, because Ben wanted to name his bear Jackie.  I told her only Jackie Robinson!  And thus, his name is Jackie.  :)

First trip to the dentist.  He was not a fan.

He brought his own sunglasses because he saw them wearing sunglasses in the video on their website.

First double date brother playdate.  Ben and Jack are 8 months apart and Josh and Ryan are about 2 weeks apart.  

We went to visit some more friends!

Josh's first Mexican restaurant.

First wheelchair basketball game. 

And lots and lots of your daily cuteness.

Andy and I ended February with a date night!!  My mom watched both boys so we could have a night out.  We went and had a drink and then went to dinner and a movie.  (50 Shades of Gray…dumb!)  We were going to go play games at a wine bar after the movie, but we were too tired, so we were home by 10:00!!  It was great to get out though!  Thanks, Mom!  XOXO

While I am excited for March and (hopefully) warmer weather, it also means I will be going back to work soon!  It's tiring but I love spending 24/7 with my boys!  They are seriously the sweetest little guys.  So thankful for the last 10+ weeks at home!