GIRLS WEEKEND

AA and I had our first girls weekend (and we barely spent any money!). With news of my dear friend N's new baby, AA and I hopped on a jet plane (or something like that!) to Washington DC. AA was a rockstar on her first flight ever! She slept during takeoff and landing ... but was wide awake for the entire duration of the flight. Never shedding one tear, this gal cooed and smiled like I've never seen before!

We were so excited to visit N and her new baby boy, Thatcher, in the hospital. AA and Thatcher are exactly 7 weeks apart. (As a reminder, their big brothers EJ and JP are only 10 days apart ... )

It's amazing how much these new little ones resemble their big brothers!

I am overjoyed to be sharing this "second time around" experience with N. Despite the miles between us, not a week goes by without numerous phone conversations regarding raising our kids!

Conveniently, Washington DC is also the place where A's sister lives. We stayed with her for the weekend. AA loved meeting her cousin K

and cousin B (even if they weren't willing to change her diaper!).

She was spoiled by Aunt M.

We had a great flight home yesterday. I was so happy to see JP when A picked us up from the airport (the longest I've been apart from him). I'm told that the boys had a good weekend of their own ... one that involved a boat show and Grandpa J's own tractor.

We ended our weekend by joining up as a family and visiting L and J in the cities. Even with the chaos involved with four young kids, we had a wonderful time! JP loved playing with Estee's and Evelyn's toys ...

even if that meant putting up with some girl germs!

THIRSTY

AA must have been really thirsty this morning ... JP shared his juice with her for quite some time!

PLAYDATE

Our friends M and S drove down to visit today. Since the last time we had an organized playdate (I still need to find a better word!), two new babies have come along! AA slept the whole time, and the parents tried hard to catch up while watching all of the little ones! It took JP about an hour to figure out that baby Mason (6 months) couldn't take his hand and walk downstairs to play with the cars and trucks! He then moved on to Carrie (2.5 years) ...
JP was thrilled to show off all of his new toys ...

even if she found him annoying!

SLEEP

As I was getting AA ready for bed last night, I informed her that she would be sleeping in her crib (for the first time). Her reaction was priceless:AA spent the first six weeks of her life sleeping next to me in a Moses Basket. (And prior to that she slept in me for nearly ten months!). I must admit that the transition to the crib in her own room was much more difficult for me. I stood and watched her fall asleep ... and I checked on her about ten times before I actually went to bed. My sweetheart is growing up too fast!
She awoke around 3 AM and then again at 5 AM ... not the most stellar performance, but all in all, I think the transition went well. AA was full of smiles this morning ... she must have had some good dreams!

SECOND TIME AROUND

Although I could still be classified as "Type A", I'm definitely changing this second time around. I'm sure it's a common thing for parents of two (or more!). I've already encountered several examples of how my parenting ways have loosened up ... a lot! When JP was born, I was absolutely adamant that he never use a pacifier in those early days ... in fact, I recall a special sign the nurse made for has bassinet in the hospital 'Mother requests no pacifier'. It was probably the same nurse who answered my call light at 3 AM the first night of AA's life when I requested a pacifier so I could get some sleep!

JP never had a baby swing. As a new mother I was terrified that he'd never learn how to sleep on his own if he had a swing ... and look at AA now! We bought this swing at a garage sale for AA and we love it!

JP wore about four outfits each day during his first few months of life ... I never allowed him to sport an ounce of spit up or the slightest remnants of a blowout. My criteria has changed for this gal! One thing hasn't changed ... baby AA is loved so much!

BIRTHDAY WEEKEND

Sometimes things just don't go as planned. That's a lesson I've learned time and time again as a mom. This time, though, the change in our big* weekend plans had really nothing to do with my kids. (*"Big" definitely being a relative term for a home bound mom with a newborn in the land of the frozen tundra).

A date night out to celebrate A's birthday quickly turned into a night in with Grandma K and Grandpa A as A contracted a nasty stomach bug just in time for his big day. And, a night out for dinner with the extended family in the cities quickly became a gathering with take out pizza at Uncle J's and Uncle M's after a series of events (a torn Achilles requiring surgery for Uncle M, a horrific car crash with miraculous endings for Miss K, and frigid subzero temps ...). JP and AA didn't mind a bit ... weekend Plan B allowed even more time soaking in attention from everyone!

JP making a birthday card for Daddy.

A little bit of birthday cake always makes the tummy feel better!

So spoiled!

JP and his super hero!

WELCOME!

And I'm back!!! Since taking a six month break from the blogging world, I'm happy to return to my online "baby journal" ... and a way to keep family and friends updated on our daily adventures. I'm not so sure I'll be able to post as frequently as I did before, but I hope to share the highs and lows of mothering TWO UNDER TWO!

AA UPDATE

In just six weeks, my sweetheart has grown from this
to this!

AA is already showing so much personality! She is going to be a true diva ... she loves to stare at her teddy's amazing shoes on the changing table and quivers her little bottom lip when trying to get my attention! AA is such great baby ... she has already learned to sleep during loud chaos and put up with endless eye pokes and belly squeezes from her older brother (although I know this could change any day!). She is beginning to smile at A and I ... but is always willing to display a big grin for JP. She eats like a champ (I think she weighs over ten pounds!) and is slowing sleeping more and more each night. I've absolutely loved having a little girl to dress each day! Despite a wonderful head of hair, this girl doesn't care for anything on her head ... she fusses when I place cute bows, headbands, or hats in place. (This is CLEARLY something she must get used to soon!).

God has truly blessed us with our little "surprise"... we are so fortunate for a beautiful and healthy baby girl!

JP UPDATE

Since completing JP's blog last summer, my junior prince has grown from a baby to a full fledged boy! At nearly 19 months old, JP is as charming as ever! He is OBSESSED with trucks, cars, school buses, fire trucks, and bikes. Really obsessed. He is nonstop energy ... but will "back it up" and plop on anyone's lap to read a book or two (or three or ten). JP loves to "deet" (dance) and play "gata" (guitar). He is learning new words every hour (A and I really need to be careful these days!). He is a great eater ... enjoying way more vegetables than I could ever swallow and always requests "apples" (tomatoes) ... and anything smothered in "baba-q sas" (BBQ sauce, ketchup, salad dressing, syrup ... basically anything in a bottle sitting on the table!). He sleeps 12 hours at night and takes a 3 hour nap ... giving all of us a chance to recharge from his contagious energy.

JP is at such a fun age ... I'm excited to report more of his updates soon!

ONE MONTH OLD