Insta-Friday!

Yeah... apparently no blogging happened in between last friday and this one. I think the summer heat is making this Mama feel tired.. that and the fact that we took two littles on a road trip to the lake last weekend and have been trying to recover ever since. We've been sleeping and enjoying the blessed air conditioning. Here's a peek at our week via Instagram...

She decided it would be fun to stay up until almost midnight

talking to her Auntie. She didn't even make it to the boat the

next day before passing out.

 

Liv and her Auntie cuddling.

 

 

Happy girl on the boat! She wasn't into the water too much,

but riding the boat was fun! It lasted a few hours then she

melted down because she wanted the jacket OFF!

 

She's been reading to Sissy, teaching her numbers, letters,

and colors! It's precious and keeps both kiddos happy!

 

Seriously so in love with this squishy girl!

 

Pumpkin Spice is HERE!!! Unfourtunately it was 102 today

so I had mine iced thankyouverymuch!

 

Have a wonderful weekend y'all!

 

Insta-Friday!

Happy Friday! This Mama is so. stinkin. excited. to be heading to the lake with my family! I can't wait to see how Miss Hannah does out on the boat/water this year! Please pray for a smooth drive down with two littles? Thanks friends! Here's a peek at our week...

Some much needed rest and peace after long nights.

 

Sweet baby slept off her shots and was a happy girl again!

 

She had been singing "Jesus Loves Me" all morning... precious.

 

It's been a while since this happened.

She had been sick and refusing sleep for a week.

Spending the day at Gramma and Papa's will do this to a girl.

Big girl sitting in her Bumbo! Please don't grow up so fast Liv!

 

#mugswap2013 gifts heading out to a special someone!

So excited to check my mail each week and find mine!

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

A Little Link Love...

In the beautiful and crazy chaos of Mama-hood, I've been deeply encouraged by several bloggers. These woman have touched on things I'm currently waist deep in and I'm so happy I stumbled upon their meaningful words. I thought I'd share the love...

To Moms of One or Two Children...

{On why it gets easier after two kiddos}

Multiplied, not divided...
{On getting to know baby number 2}

Some thoughts for new Mamas...
{On trusting your own intuition}

Easier by the Dozen...
{On why 1+1 is tough}

Because sometimes bedtime takes forever...
{On why it should}

 

A Special Date with My Girl {Monsters University}

My sweet girl LOVES Monsters Inc... She has watched it a hundred times and still squeals with excitement when we pop it in the blu-ray player. "Boo! Sully! Mike Owskiii!" She yells. She recently took a birthday trip with her Auntie Naenae to Build-a-Bear and as girly as she is, I expected a pink and purple, sparkly, princess bear. She came home with a Teddy in a Monsters U t-shirt and a Mike Wazowski stuffed friend. She carries them around everywhere.

I wanted to take her on a special date, just for her, after Liv was born. She had been so good with Sissy getting so much attention, and this Mama was missing the one on one with her as well. When Monsters University came out this summer...I knew it was time for her very first movie theater experience! Daddy happily agreed to stay with Liv so we could have our date. I packed up some of Hannah's favorites (gummies, strawberry milk, and Joe's O's), she grabbed her new Owskiii and off we went...

We met my dear friend Lindsey and snapped a few pictures before heading in. I was worried about it being so dark, but she didn't seem scared at all! At only 2yrs old this girl sat through the previews, Disney short film, and the WHOLE movie and never got off my lap! (She was way too tiny for the theater seats.) Lindsey and I kept laughing because she was so engrossed in the movie that she'd yell "Oh No!" when Mike or Sully were in trouble, or "Woo Hoo!" when something good happened. So. Stinkin. Adorable. 

 

The movie was super cute and I really enjoyed getting to do something new and special with my girl. It was long past nap time when we left, and I was so proud of Hannah for not having a toddler sized meltdown. I'm not sure we made it out of the parking lot before she passed out...love that about her. 

 

This age comes with lots of changes and challenges... Some days I feel very tired from redirecting, timeouts, and teaching. The days like this one though, outweigh all of that. It's a privilege to raise this sweet girl...the memories we make, the hilarious things she says, and the ornery bits too. I'm so incredibly in love with this child.

Insta-Friday!

I'm so incredibly excited that it's Friday y'all! It has been a loooong couple weeks and this Mama is going on a DATE tonight! Bri was out of town last weekend, at The Worship God conference in Louisville and boy are we excited to have him home! Life with out Daddy is hard... and I'm so thankful for friends and family who came to help while he was away. It's so very different with two littles... we're learning, and getting it all figured out slowly. Here's a peek at our days...

Our 1st date since Liv came along! So giddy!

 



Happy Girl... those reflux meds are working!

 



How we spend our days...

 



Some cuddles with my girls while we were missing Daddy

 

A rough day for this one... lots of crying for Daddy

 

Oh Liv... love this sweet girl so much!

 

A lunch date with my girl... of course we had Chick-fil-A!

 

Passed out during tax-free weekend shopping!

 

Sister love and matching outfits... love it.

 

A rare and blessed nap for us all!

 

Have a wonderful weekend y'all!

 



Olivia Grace {Weeks 5-8}

 

Poor sweet girl's colic set in... Weeks of a very sad baby. Mama and Daddy worked so hard to get her feeling better. She made such a turn around after sticking to the meds for a few weeks! More on that HERE. We keep her swaddled tight, and let her nap on her tummy when we can lay her down.

She's gaining weight so quickly! This month I put away all the newborn clothes and got out the 3 month pieces! Hannah didn't wear those until she was 4 months old! We think Liv will catch up with her quickly. She's eating every 2 hours during the day and about 3 hours at night... Hungry girl! 

 

She has the cutest little chubby hands... always putting them over her face and trying to suck her thumb. Such personality already! She startles easily and when her sister comes running into the room she throws them up in the air. She seems to be very particular... she wants her diaper changed immediately and only likes to be held over our shoulders, on her blanky so she can hold it tightly in her fist.

We saw our baby girl smile for the first time this week! So precious it melted this Mama into a puddle! Her eyes light up when I talk to her, especially after she eats...This is our special time together when she interacts and shows her sweet little personality. 

We love our Livi girl more and more each day... 

Weeks 1-4 HERE. 

Hannah's Photo Project HERE
 

Surviving Colic {An update on Liv}

It's hard to put into words how these past weeks have been. I've said to Brian more than once that I felt like I was just floating through our days... not soaking them in and trying to memorize every precious moment, the way I did when Hannah was tiny. The days were SO much harder. It's just so very different when your sweet baby cries so hard that she can't take a breath.... for as many as 4-5 hours in the evenings and throughout the day as well. She's not a "fussy baby," as many moms have told me, or "spoiled" as another said. She hurt... her tummy HURT!

We've been giving her Zantac now for a few weeks and the change has been AMAZING! I have seen my sweet girl smile at me! She has actually laid on her playmat without screaming, and she's smiled and cooed while looking around! She's still not all that content after eating and that means keeping her elevated and making sure she gets those blessed meds twice a day which can be tricky... But she is a whole different child than weeks 4-8!

As far as her lip-tie, we saw an ENT last week who commented that she does have pretty good mobility- meaning as long as we assist her in getting a good latch, that shouldn't be affecting her colic issues. We're still seeing a specialist at Children's Mercy next week to see if surgery is neccesary to avoid long-term complications (problems with speech or dental work).

I've been so incredibly encouraged by other mamas who survived Colicky babies... for those of you who have stopped me at church, or sent me an email... THANK YOU! It means so much.

Oh goodness how we love our sweet Liv... we are so happy that she feels better!