Giving Thanks

Well it has once again been a whirlwind of a few weeks, but we have sooooo much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving....

1.  Liam is FINALLY BETTER!!!  meaning no runny nose and he has been such a happy SWEET boy for the past few days..most likely because he finally does not feel yucky...he has started taling more again.  Added a few new words like train, crawl, and more...his little voice is so adorable.  I wrote down all of the words I know he IS saying and we are up to about 45...not too bad. For all that this poor child has been through with his sinuses and ears, it is a wonder he is talking at all!  So proud of my little man.  (one side note about Liam as well...he followed me into the bathroom the other day and sat on his potty and did all of the "steps" as if he was really going.  Even got some toilet paper and flushed just like a big boy!  Still a LOOOOONG time from potty training, but it was impressive!)

2. Rowan's ultrasound showed that her hips are developing within normal range!!!  We were SOOOO relieved and do not have to go back for 3 months now.  NO HARNESS!!!  The pediatrician also said he could not even feel the clicks at her well visit last week.  YAY!

3.  Rowan had her 6 week (well 2 month) check up and she is growing, growing, growing!  They gave her the 2 month shots and she did fabulous with them!  She is such a relaxed, laidback child...it amazes me she could be mine!  HA!  She weighed 11 lbs 3 oz (85th percentile), was 21 and 3/4 in. (50th percentile) and her head was also in the 50th percentile.  My little chunky monkey!  LOVE IT!  Here is a pic from the appt...

4.  Rowan is recovering better than expected from a pretty bad case of RSV.  :(  We had her back at the drs. the day after her well visit and she tested negative.  They said it could be too early and that IS just what happened.  Liam had been diagnosed with it the Friday before and we tried VERY hard to keep him away from her, even drove in seperate cars, but it was really difficult and she unfortunately caught it.  Her cough started on Monday night and by Friday she was not eating and really struggling to breathe.  Friday night was EXTREMELY scary and we went back to the drs. on Sat. morning.  They gave her a breathing treatmenr right away as her oxygen level was really low. The dr. explained there was an 85% chance we would have to go to the ER before the end of the weekend.  Here we are, Sunday afternoon, and she is looking better and eating well.  She is still coughing, but not struggling to take a breath anymore.  It was VERY scary and something I hope we never have to go through again, but we are SO thankful she is doing better.  My sweet girl has had 2 ear infections, RSV, and a sinus infection in her short 7 week life. :(  Hopefully this is it for a LONG time!

5.  We are very thankful for all of our friends we have met here in Texas.  Always something for the kiddos to do and lots of moms for me to get support from.  Always have loads of fun with this crew on our "Adult AND Kid Playdate"...

We also were able to meet our neighbors across the street on Turkey Day and Liam had a blast playing with Anthony who is 6 months younger than him.  Here is a pic:

Our Thanksgiving was filled with yummy food and LOTS of drinks....YIKES!  The day started with mimosas and wine flowed all day.  It was so relaxing and I would not trade the time with our little family for ANYTHING! 

For ONE YEAR ONLY, I bought a pre made Holiday Dinner from Market Street...I was MOST THANKFUL not to have to cook.  I enjoyed it last year though, and look forward to doing it again in 2012...but this year was pretty yummy!

Liam enjoyed green beans, cranberries, and loved the turkey!

Rowan just relaxed!  ;)

We are hoping to make it to NJ as scheduled this weekend...we are supposed to have Rowan's baptism on the 4th and Laurie, my bestest of friends, is getting married on the 10th...the dr. was not sure yesterday if Rowan's lungs would be able to handle the pressure of the plane and we do not want to put her in ANY danger.  We should know more by Wednesday...fingers crossed.  Happy Turkey Time!

We are all getting adjusted

So I am learning that by Thursday, with 2 kiddos, I am ready to throw in the towel.  ;)  I was having A LOT of mommy guilt this morning.  Last night I slept almost zero hours again and I have been so tired so many days that my patience is not what it should be.  In every situation, I am TRYING to take a step back to soak it all in and remember that "THIS TOO SHALL PASS" and one day I am will be longing for these days...missing my sweet LITTLE babies.  Sleep deprivation and me are not a good combo, but I MUST do my best for the two little munchkins that are depending on me!  I feel very bad for Liam, like he had not has his "whole" mommy since he was a year old.  I got preggo in Jan., was sick til March, SOOOOOO tired like I could not even move, and then I was just sooo big, I could not be very fun and do all of the things he needed me to do.  Now, we there is a whole human being he has to share me with and it has to be sooo hard for him.  I must start to make some extra Liam time each day and plan some special dates just for us.  He really is growing into such a good boy, although he tries my patience sometimes, I am proud of the little man he is.  I could not ask for anything more.  And my sweet girl has been awake a lot more during the day (which is why I am confused she is still not sleeping to good at night) so she sure is keeping me busy.  Just getting so big.  Watching her big bro a lot more and interested in what is going on the room.  Definitely does not like to miss out on anything. ;)  You like to be "in motion" at all times.  If the car stops, you cry.  If you are still in your bouncy seat or carseat for too long, you cry.  You do crack me up. You are smiling so much more!!  Cannot wait to see your personality emerging in the next few weeks and months.  You are very sensitive but just so sweet!
Here are some fun pics of my two babies that make me smile.  Just some random shots from random days in our house.  ;)

                               cutie pie watching Regis and Kelly ;)

                                           happy girl

                            do not always want to share dada ;)

was supposed to be for little sister, but of course the 2 yr old LOVES the baby toys!!

but we did try to play with little sis for a hot minute....





Each day, I need to remember how truly blessed I am.  A wonderful family.  November seems like a good month to give lots of thanks for all I could ever wish for!  :-)

Just because it is QUIET!! And Happy ONE MONTH to my baby girl!

Ahhhhhhh...the sound of silence!  Both babies are nite-nite.  This time change thing over the weekend was definitely much more interesting with two little ones!  No nap whatsoever for Liam yesterday..which is VERY rare and Rowan, well, Rowan is all messed up with naps vs nighttime but we will get that all worked out! 

FINALLY, both kids seem to be getting over these colds.  Liam's nose is still running but the ear infection has seemed to clear up and his cough has gotten a little better.  Rowan is still a little stuffy, but done very well with it overall! 
Last Friday, Liam stayed home from school again, but we were able to venture out to Sprouts.  I mainly wanted some wine for the weekend ;) but we did need fruit and meat.  All went very well!!  Rick and I kicked off the weekend with a glass of vino on Friday night.  After a LOOOOONNG week, it was GREAT! 

Saturday morning, we were off and running!  Rick took Liam to soccer, while I took Rowan grocery shopping.  I came home and unloaded, as Rick headed to Target to try to get our camera fixed...well, it was fixed, needed to be charged.  Who knew cameras needed to be charged?!?!  ugh...I will try to post some pics at the end of this entry..if "time permits".  After Target, Rick and Liam went to have breakfast and play at ChickFilA and my sweet little girl and I headed out shopping..needed to return a bunch of stuff and buy some other little things.  We were all home at noon and then it was naptime.  Rick decided to take a trip to Home Depot to fix our roof...yes, you read that correctly, HE, with nooooo roofing experience whatsoever, decided he could save us 200 dollars and replace some shingles.  His words as he walked out to begin "listen for me and come to check on me"...okay, listen for falling Ricks??!?!  Well, he DID slip and came in with three "battle wounds"...scrapes on his legs and hand and I need to write this down so he remembers that he said "he will never get up there again.  He WAS scared"...hopefully there will not be, but let's see what happens next time.  But it is fixed.  YAY!  After naptime, we all went to the mall to look for clothes for our family pics on the 20th.  Well, Liam got a shirt, and Rick and I are still undecided as to what we will wear.  It is a work in progress, but I cannot say I am not stressing about what we all will look like!  to be continued on that one...

Saturday ended fabulously as we came home, cooked steaks on the grill, fed the kiddos, bathed the kiddos, all while have some wine!  Rowan took a little nap then and Liam, Rick and I watched "National Lampoons Christmas Vacation"  love that movie and being at the mall got me in the xmas spirit!  Liam LOVED the movie!  It was very cute!  He was in bed at 8:30 (old time)  Bedtime came somewhat early for the rest of us at 11..yay Rowan!

Sunday was a VERY relaxing day.  Liam got up at 7:30 (not too bad with the time change) we spent the day watching football, eating good food, resting, and we also watched movies of Liam as a baby.  He LOVED seeing himself on TV and I think it was good for him to see that he was a baby too!  And mommy took care of him just like I am Rowan now...he even started crawling around the room while he was watching it...silly boy.  It was loads of fun.  Great weekend, which always goes TOOOO fast!

Today Rowan is one month old!  CANNOT believe it!  You are such a joy.  Been smiling a lot more.  You are in 3 month clothes and almost a size 2 diaper.  You LOVE to be held and snuggle with mommy and daddy.  You are taking the bottles very well, when we give them to you.  You are starting to lose your hair on the top front, but still have your sideburns!  ha It is sooo super cute and makes you look like a little old man, but we still think you are just beautiful!!!  Not sleeping very well yet.  No consistent patterns to nap or nighttime, but we are working on it!  Mommy still feels pretty rested overall.  I am just loving every minute of watching you grow...but of course wish you would SLOW DOWN!!
Here are some recent pics....

                                       HAPPY GIRL!  1 MONTH OLD

                      GREAT BIG BRO WATCHING REGIS AND KELLY  HA!

Some Halloween pics that should have been in the previous post...

                                    my banana and my gorilla

        And Liam at his Halloween party at school...
                    doing a craft and in his parade :-)

That is all for now!  Here's to a great week, free of sickness, meltdowns, and babies awake at night.  ;)  at least I am hopeful! 

Life as a Family of Four

Let's try this again!  I just typed up a 2 week long post and his publish and my internet was out, so it was lost...arghhhh.  Here it goes...

Soooo, I knew this would happen but I have been quite busy since Miss Rowan arrived so have not had much time to blog, but here is what's been going on since my last post.

Gmom left Oct. 14th after a nice visit!!  We spent that weekend as a family of four!  Friday was our first trip out altogether...where else would we go for this???  Target of course!  ;)  It went very well!!  Liam had soccer on Sat. morning.  Rowan and I hung out and did laundry.  Naptime came and went and we were extra brave and ventured to the mall to let Liam play a bit.  Did some shopping and came home to cook dinner.  All was a success!  Sunday was time to relax before dada went back to work on Monday.

My first week solo with two kids went EXTREMELY well.  Granted, we were in the house most of the week, BUT I was brave and went to where else???  Target on Tuesday with both kiddos.  We even made it to drop Liam at school ON TIME on Wed. and even to Rowan's drs. appt. on Wed.  Again, ON TIME!  go me!  Thursday was chilly so we laid low at home and Friday, we dropped Liam off to school again and had a girly shopping day.  GREAT WEEK!  Liam was super well behaved although he still was not feeling 100%.  Rowan was her usual happy self.  :-)

Saturday morning, Liam and Rick went to soccer and then Rick went to pick gigi up from the airport.  We had a nice visit with her!!!  Liam loved spending time with her and Rowan loved meeting her.  Saturday was a relaxing day at home.  Sunday, Rick and I got to go to Target (ha!  I think we have an addiction!) by ourselves.  Liam took a nap and then we all headed to the neighborhood fall fest and had some yummy treats.  Monday, Rick went to work, and Gigi, mommy, Liam, and Rowan headed to Willow Bend for some playtime and lunch.  It went smoothly overall.  Tuesday, Liam and mommy had a date to his fave place--the library for storytime and some new books.  After, we came home, ate lunch, fed Rowan, and headed to his ENT dr. appt.  All went well and we got some yummy ice cream after as a special treat!  Wed. morning came fast.  We dropped Liam off at school and then dropped Gigi off at the airport.  Rowan and I did some shopping and then picked the little man up from school.  Thursday was FREEZING so we laid low and relaxed at home.

Friday was Liam's school Halloween parade and party.  It was so much fun to be a part of it!  Since Liam would not wear his adorable Elmo costume, we got a backup gorilla from Gymboree.  He even put his hood up for his teachers and did a wonderful job walking in his parade.  Mommy had so much fun going into his classroom for the party.  They had some yummy snacks, did a craft, and then one of the moms read a story to the class.  GREAT DAY!

Saturday morning was spent at the drs again!  UGH!  Liam came out of school on Friday with a cough and runny nose AGAIN!!!  Never ending with this sweet boy!  Since his surgery he has had croup, two ear infections, and two awful sinus infections!!!  They said it was viral, but of course, he was miserable all day!!!  We did have a wonderful visit from our good friend Ginny!!!  She brought Rowan some adorable clothes for when she is a big girl and a nice present for Liam, which he loved--a purse!!!  haha  It was so great to see her and catch up!  She and her adorable daughter Maren were our first Texas friends but they moved to Houston for a few years last Dec.  CANNOT wait till they are back!!!!

Sat. night I decided I wanted more than 1 drink...so I took out some frozen milk and mama had 4 drinks!  It was sooo relaxing and fun.  We watched Bridesmaids, which was okay, but the night was a wonderful one!  Rowan even slept 6.5 hours straight on Sat. night.  It was in our bed, but after getting up for her in her crib every 45 minutes on Friday night, it was SOOOOO great!  We will try the crib again in a few weeks but for now I am LOVING some 6-7 hour stretches of sleep!!!

Sunday, Rick took Liam to Home Depot in the morning and they brought us home some lunch from Market St.  At naptime, Rick and I popped the bottle of champagne we bought to celebrate Rowan.  Rick carved pumpkins and I addressed birth announcements, birthday invites, and baptism invites.  GREAT WEEKEND!!!!

Monday was Halloween and quite a long day in the house.  Unfortunately, we had to miss the 09ers Halloween party cause Liam was sick, but we did have fun trick or treating when daddy got home from work.  Liam LOVED getting candy and got the hang of the trick or treating thing pretty quickly!!!  We went up and down our block.  Short and sweet but lots of fun!  Rowan slept soundly in the stroller.

Yesterday, was another VERY long day in the house.  Liam is still feeling AWFUL and Rowan came down with a cold yesterday.  Mama was going a little nutty trying to keep the germs from her, and I am truly surprised I did for this long!  She is very congested today but handling it so well!!  I HATE when these kids are sick!!!  Which in this house is ALL OF THE TIME!!!  :(

This morning we did all make it out to Rowan's one month check up on time!  Liam was an angel.  Rowan weighed in at 10 lbs 2 oz!  She did still have a click in her left his so we are seeing the specialist tomorrow to have an ultrasound and be fitted for her brace.  I am very tankful they caught this ealry and she will never remember wearing this (from what I hear) awful contraption!  Not sure how we are going to dress her, but it will all be figured out and she will be good as new!!!

Rowan--you are a pure joy!  Getting so big already!  Very alert.  DO not like your crib--which you made VERY evident the other night! Mommy has found you like your belly a lot more than your back (which I know is not ideal) but you are sooo strong!  You even flipped yourself to your back because you were mad you were in your crib the other night!!!  SO STRONG LITTLE MISS!  Size 3 month clothes.  Size 1 diaper.  Not a big fan of the paci.  Love sleeping close to mommy (which I m LOVING) an slept 10:45 til 5:45 last night in my bed!  I am savoring every minute for now but know we need to try your crib again soon....xoxo

Liam-you are being a GREAT big bro!  Love to give the baby kisses and help to change diapers.  You are such a sweet boy and a very good listener these days.  Love you to the moon and back!!!

Would LOVE to add some pics to go with this post, but the camera broke on Halloween :(  So hopefully will be fixed this weekend or we are getting a new one asap!  Time is ticking away!!! 

All for now--TWICE!!!  ;)  Happy Wednesday!