Let's Do 52!

I've been trying to do this on a few different websites I've been on, but it keeps getting let go, so I'm going to try to complete the project here.  You can see the original posts and project information on the Paint the Moon website, but basically it's one photo a week for an entire year.  You have two different themes to choose from each week, and it's supposed to help you enhance your photography skills.  I'll combine a few of the weeks into one blog post, so I don't have to make a bunch of new ones.

Let's Do 52: Week One

Theme was: new beginnings (January 1st - 7th)

I missed this week, somehow.  So, sorry ... no photo.

Let's Do 52 - Week Two

Themes were: togetherness or metal (January 8th - 14th)






  Story of my life.  They are constantly together.  Wherever Henry is, Jacob is not far behind.  :) 
Let's Do 52: Week Three

Themes were: abandoned and doors (January 15th - January 21st)

I actually didn't have a photo for this week either. (I said I have been TRYING to do this, but it keeps falling through, haha.)

Let's Do 52: Week Four

Themes were: blessings and tiny (January 22nd - January 28th)






  My tiny blessing! 

Let's Do 52: Week Five

Themes were: delicate and shadows (January 29th - February 4th)

My delicate littlest man asleep on his daddy.

Let's Do 52: Week Six

Themes were: obsession and hearts (February 5th - February 11th)






My obsessions!
Let's Do 52: Week Seven

Themes were: handmade and macro (February 12th - February 18th)





My handmade Valentine's present from Jacob.  <3 

Let's Do 52: Week Eight

Themes were: strength and green (February 19th - February 25th)

Didn't have anything for this week either.

Next week's themes are play and round.  Stay tuned to see what I come up with!

He's IN!!!

Oh man ... my baby boy, Jacob, has been officially enrolled in preschool and will be starting in the Fall, 2011.  Where has my little baby gone?!  It's so bittersweet.  I'm so excited for what that new chapter in our lives will bring.  He'll be going two days a week on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:00 - 11:45 AM.  You can view his new school's website here.  I can't believe in just a few short months I will be the mom to a preschooler!!

Henry's 4 Month Check-up!

On Friday we took Henry in for his 4 month well baby visit.  He's growing like a weed!  He was 7lb 8oz at birth and now weighs a whopping 15lbs 4oz.  He was 21 inches at birth and is now 25 inches.  The poor little guy had to have two shots and one oral vaccine, but he did really well with them.  Only cried for a second and this time I was able to hold him through the whole thing which made me feel better.  I hate that he has to go through that, but I'd rather he have the vaccines than not.

It's crazy how fast they grow!  Here's a picture of Henry when he was 10 days old.







And, here he is at 4 months!  I can't believe how fast the time is flying by!

Our afternoon at the park in mid-February!

That's really unheard of around here, but on Friday we had an unseasonably warm day.  70s and sunny!  It's was GORGEOUS!  John took the day off from work to enjoy some of that nice weather and to have a day alone, but that didn't really happen.  He ended up coming with me to Henry's 4 month well check-up (I'll write about that later) and ran a few of his own errands.  Then after I got off work, we picked the kids up from daycare and we all four headed to our neighborhood park.  Jacob's at the age now where he loves to run, jump and CLIMB on just about anything.  He's pretty independent when it comes to playing on playground equipment, though we still go behind him to spot him.  Just to be on the safe side.  I tried to get a few pictures of him, but he was so excited and so busy exploring that he couldn't stop for even 2 seconds to let me snap a picture.  Here are a few that I was able to get of him, though.





Henry really seemed to love being out in the fresh air too.  He was so calm and relaxed and just all around happy.  He even let me put him the swing and snap a few pictures.  Here are just a few of my favorites!

Date night!

I love date nights!  We haven't really had one in awhile.  Henry is breastfed, so it's hard to leave him with most people.  He'll take a bottle, but the temperature has to be just right or he won't touch it.  He'll take it easily for Roxanne (his daycare provider), but she has been giving him bottles 5 days a week for almost 2 months now.  Anyway, tonight we were lucky enough to get to have a date night and it was just what the doctor ordered!!

We didn't really do much, but when you're with the one you love, you don't really NEED to do much, I guess.  We went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner.  We drew it out, so dinner last almost 2 hours even though our wait was only about 20 minutes.  It was so great, though!  We had a whole Thai themed dinner.  Thai Lettuce Wraps for an appetizer, Thai Chicken Pasta and Bang Bang Chicken and Shrimp.  We shared everything and brought home our leftovers.  We also each had a piece of cheesecake (which ended up being leftovers, too) because we had coupons for them, so they were FREE!  Yum, yum, YUM!

After dinner we didn't really want to spend anymore money and there really isn't alot to do around here besides going to a bar, which neither of us wanted to do, or going to a movie, which is insanely expensive these days.  So, we just drove around for a couple of hours talking and laughing!  It was seriously so much fun and like I said, we didn't really do much at all!  Love ya, boo!!

Valentine's Portrait Session (and Henry's 3 month pictures)!!

On Sunday, I decided I needed to get some 3 month pictures of Henry and then just rolled Valentine's Day into our mix of pictures, so I set up my makeshift portrait studio in my living room and got to snapping the pictures of my babies. Take a look at some of my favorites from our session ....

Henry Update!

I just don't know what to do anymore. I've never looked forward to a doctor's appointment so much in my entire life, but Henry has his 4 month well check on Friday and I can't wait! I pray to God the pediatrician can shed some light on why he's such a bear all of a sudden to get to sleep and STAY asleep.

I've found if I lay in bed with him and nurse him for his naps, then we're good. He's at least taking decent naps that way AND (win/win for me!) I get to catch up on my shows on the DVR, lol. I tried it with bedtime tonight and it was a big fat FAIL! I was able to nurse him down and get him so he was asleep enough that HE popped himself off, but as soon as I left the room and got settled on the couch, he was awake and screaming again. *sigh* I ended up giving him 2 more ounces by bottle. That was enough that he was relaxed and didn't tense up when I put him in his crib. He wasn't asleep, but he's not crying right now and it's been about 10 minutes (*crosses fingers* that he doesn't start crying now that I said all of this). I might just have to do this every night for awhile until he gets over this growth spurt/4 month sleep regression, whatever it is. I just don't know anymore. I find myself praying a lot more than I ever used to ... for patience, strength and guidance because I've never been this stumped and frustrated in all of my life.

Why didn't I try this sooner?!

Apparently all I need to do to get Henry to lay down and take a nap is lay down with him myself. Wish I had thought about this a month ago! We laid down in our bed and he nursed side-lying (first time this has really worked, ever!) for 45 minutes. The first 10 minutes was him truly eating. The last 35 minutes was him taking a little snooze. I'm gonna give it another go in a few hours when he takes nap #2 of the day. I usually like to do housework or catch up on my shows when the kids are sleeping, but for the time being I think I'll just take his naps how I can get them. At least me HAVING to lay down with him means I get some downtime and I can get caught up on my shows in bed. I think I might actually start to look forward to 3 naps a day! haha I'm praying that him actually getting some sleep during the day will make for an easier time going to bed at night, too. Stay tuned to hear how the rest of the day goes, nap-wise, and how bedtime tonight goes!!

They grow so fast!

Babies, that is. I can hardly believe how fast these kids are growing.

Henry will be 4 months old on Monday. I feel like he was just born. Like they were just showing him to me for the first time. That grey, goopy little baby. Some days I miss those moments so much. I miss having a sweet little innocent newborn.

He's learning so much, though, and reaching all types of milestones. He's almost outgrown his 3-6 month clothing already. He's SO tall! He's trying to sit up on his own already. He loves to pull himself into a sitting position. He's also getting super close to rolling over. He really wants to, he just can't get his little leg up and over quite yet. He thinks his brother hung the moon, too. Jacob can dance around in front of him and he'll laugh hysterically at him. It's great because Jacob can entertain Henry while I get a little cleaning or cooking done. haha We're having some serious sleep issues with him right now. I'm praying they're short-lived because I don't know how much more I can take.

Jacob, my biggest little guy, is going to be 3 in May. I can't believe how fast time has gone. Where did my little 4 lb premie go?! It's time to start thinking about preschool for him already! He cracks me up every single day. He has something new to say or do almost every day. He loves fire trucks, buses, trucks, cars and airplanes. He's a true boy, through and through. He knows most of his letters, all of his colors, shapes and numbers. He's just such a smart little guy. I really feel honored to be his mother!

We have a lot of fun things to look forward to in the next coming weeks/months. Valentine's Day is on Monday. Then we've got Easter and Jacob's birthday. Then Summer will be here before we know it! This Spring, though, we're also going to be enrolling both boys in a swimming class and more than likely Jacob in a gymnastics class. I can't wait for the upcoming months, and I can't wait to share it all with everyone else!!!

A Post a Day!

That's my new goal. I've been slacking terribly in keeping this blog up to date, so I'm going to start a challenge with myself to do a post a day for an entire month. That will start March 1st. I'll still try to update in between now and then, but the actual challenge begins on the 1st. :o)