Halloween Fun

Halloween isn't even one of my top favorite Holiday's, but Drew ended up being in his costume a total of 4 times and we had several outfits for Ady! Last night was trick or treating in our neighborhood and Drew scored loads of candy for us to eat.

But backing up a bit, on Wednesday night we carved our pumpkin along with the rest of America. Ady even helped to scrape out the goop.

Then, we had our Halloween fashion show! 

That left sleeper with the pumpkins all over it was the very first thing Derek and I purchased for Ady the week after we found out that we were pregnant. Little did we know that we would have a 9 pounder and should have gotten the 6 month size instead of 3 month! 

Hope you had a great Halloween as well!

Mimi's Musings

As I mentioned before, Mimi is in town for almost a month to enjoy spending time with these two...

It's funny how when others find out that my mother-in-law is staying for that long, the normal reaction is a huge gasp. Apparently not too many people get along with their MIL's which is quite the opposite as us. I feel very lucky to have a great MIL that I love very much! (.... even if she does let Drew get away with whatever he wants)

It's been nice having Ady here at home while I work so that A) I don't have to start pumping yet and B) I get to hear her 'talking' throughout the day and see her smiles whenever I want. We've also enjoyed having Mimi around for the neighborhood Fall Fest and Crocker Park Trick or Treating.

A visit from grandparents isn't complete without some tracing and drawing lessons....

And Drew, of course, LOVED baking cupcakes with Mimi!

Next up; Grandpa comes into town tomorrow just in time for Halloween!

Ady // 3 Month Update

The smiles and giggles are what made this month my favorite yet! I love your happy face and watching you stare at your brother melts my heart. It's not as fun working as it is staring at your face all day but at least I get to hear you cooing at Mimi in your room throughout the week for a couple more weeks!

Stats: ...all estimates as we don't go back to the doc until 4 months
Weight: 14lbs 7oz (80%)
Height: 24in (60%) 

Sleep: You still get an A+ little girl. You still go to sleep around 8:30-9p and wake one time and then normally sleep until 8-9a. We even had one day where you slept TEN hours straight this month! When you wake up, you nurse and then we rock you back to sleep anywhere from 30-60 minutes. Naps still aren't scheduled yet but you're still snoozing a bit in the morning, then a good afternoon nap and sometimes another evening quick snooze. You still have a bad startle and we have to pat/rock you back to sleep quite often. You've been in your crib all month though!

Eat: Still 100% breastmilk again with about 95% nursing and 5% bottles of expressed milk. You are still a nursing champ. We had a couple weeks with spit up issues but we have learned to not burp you right away and you haven't had as many issues lately.

Diapers: We're about 90% cloth and 10% disposables. I love your bum in a little pink diaper and we can thank them for no diaper rashes!

Clothes: You're mostly wearing 6 month outfits and sometimes 6-9 only because the cloth diapers are a bit bigger than disposables. 

Talk: You 'talk' ALL the time and Mimi even got your first laugh last week. Since then Daddy also got a small giggle but you have yet to giggle for mommy. Drew loves making you smile and you are just a content, happy baby the majority of the time! 

Other: You've batted at your carrier and playmat toys a few times and are definitely putting toys to your mouth. You still don't mind tummy time, it's just that we have to make sure we don't do it after you ate or you'll lose your meal all over! 

My Last Meal

See... told you this blog would be neglected. There's just.no.time.

Back to the reason for this post. Don't ask me why, but sometimes Derek and I play the 'what would our last meal be if we were on death row' game. Weird? Yes. Ever going to happen? No. But it's fun, so there's that.

Anyway, to break up the posts containing thoughts and pictures only about my kids, I thought it would be fun to post everything that would go into my last meal. We are watching calories right now so it's fun to dream of our faves. I'm sure I forgot to think of something but feel free to play along if you want to!

Appetizers:

Guacamole from Boudro's in San Antonio

Crab dip from Mariscos in Lawrence, KS

Cherry Donut from Westside Market in Cleveland

Sides:

Cheesy Biscuits from Red Lobster

Banana Bread from my mom

Main Course:

1 slice of Chicken Mac N Cheese pizza from Angelo's in Cleveland

Burnt Ends from Oklahoma Joes in Kansas City

Chicken Tetrazzini from Derek's mom

Drinks:

Amaretto Sour from Velvet Tango Room in Cleveland

Cappuccino from Aixois in Kansas City

Sangria from Columbia Restaurant in Sarasota

Desserts:

Chocolate Ganache cupcake from Georgetown Cupcakes in DC

Cherry Milkshake from Fritz's in Kansas City

Chocolate Bag from McCormick and Schmick's

So there you have it. My 9,300 calorie 'last meal'. I'm pretty much drooling as I type this and am craving it ALL now. #fatty

What would be in your last meal?

Goodbye Maternity Leave!

I feel like it was just yesterday that I was going back to work with Drew. I knew that someday I'd enjoy another 3 months away from the deadlines and conference calls and trainings, but it's surreal that my second maternity leave has already come and gone. Just like with Drew I have soaked up every second of it, and enjoyed each week.

Throughout our time together, I took Ady on endless walks and jogs as well as wandered the aisles of Target often. I watched tons of TV during all the nursing sessions and held her while she napped probably 841 times. During longer naps, I spent hours upon hours studying my new editing software all while keeping this blog, our 2014 family picture album and her baby book up to speed. We sat outside together as much as we could to enjoy nature and had quite a few playdates with friends.

What I did most, however, was stare. Sleeping or awake, it didn't really matter. In the first few weeks she would sleep so much that I was able to snooze often with her in my arms. Around halfway through maternity leave we started jogging a bit on our daily walks. I absolutely adore how her eyes would lock onto mine and not look at anything else the entire way. She's been smiling since around 5 weeks, but these last few weeks the smiles and coo's have been out of control. They are so frequent and you better believe I'd sit for an hour and 'talk to her'. The staring competitions was the best part. Who wouldn't be happy staring at this face all day?


Tomorrow is my first day back to work and although I'm ready for the routine of it, I will miss the do-what-we-want casualness of these past 12 weeks. It was so nice just going where we wanted, when we wanted and not having a schedule. Luckily, my mother-in-law is coming in for a few weeks in a few days and I'm excited for that. I work from home and extending the time with Ady around is a blessing. (Oh, and not having to start pumping all the time yet... SCORE!)

So goodbye maternity leave. Tomorrow will be hard, but I'll just consider you and Drew my "rewards" at the end of a workday. And to me, your faces are the best prizes!

Apple/Pumpkin Picking

When it's exceptional weather on a weekend in October, what else do you do besides go pick apples and pumpkins at an orchard? Seems like half the world had that thought as well based on social media these past few days. Our friends invited us to a new place and it was filled with tons of fun for the kids. The best part for me? Kettle corn of course. And kudos to Ady for sleeping in the Beco all 3 hours we were there!

My friend is due in just over a month so we had to take a fun belly pic!

Hope you're enjoying your fall!

GO ROYALS!!

In honor of Fro-back-Friday and the Royals playing tonight, I had to post pictures of my Royals fans. First the husband! Derek has been a die-hard fan since I've known him and never wavered. He's loved the Royals through all of their endless crappy years and has tried to watch all games possible every season. I absolutely hate that we haven't been there for any of these games as this is what he's been waiting decades for. Literally, decades.

For all you non Royals fans, the last time they won the World Series was 1985. And guess who was there? Yep, the hubs. Check out his ticket below.... $40! Bet you they will be between $500-$1,000 now! He was so proud of that jacket that his parents bought him and then passed out from all the fun.

One more picture of my older Royals fan.

And here we are, starting the tradition with another generation. Drew loves his KC team and is a Royals fan just like his daddy!

 GO ROYALS!!!

October

Way back when I started really enjoying taking pictures and studied the art of it, I would have never imagined that I would have an October like this! Right now, I'm sitting at a total of 20 sessions (a few are mini sessions) with inquiries still coming in. I realize this is the month to capture families with the fall colors in the background, but WHEW. I'm going to be one worn out momma by the time November is here.

So, my blogger friends and readers, I'm warning you now that this blog will be somewhat neglected over the next few weeks! With 10 week old, a toddler, a full time job starting back up next week, hundreds of pictures to edit, a house to maintain and a husband to keep happy, there's just no time left to sit down and blog let alone read your blogs! I'll try and post here and there, but come November, I'll be back in full force!

For now, I'll leave you with this sweet face and you can blame her for taking up my blogging time. :)

Ady & Mommy Comparison

We are both around 10 weeks here...

I still think the eyes, lips and mouth are very similar, but the shape of the head, eyebrows, forehead and cheeks are all from Derek.

But wait.... 10 weeks already? STAAAAHP!

I've Missed Him

Hopefully this post will serve as some sort of 'light at the end of the tunnel' for some moms. And really, I've been even waiting to mention it in fear of jinxing it. Guess I should also knock on some wood as I type this. Or maybe I just shouldn't even let these words be read. Here goes nothing!

We think the worst of the Trying 3's are over. 

Key word is 'think'. And hope, and pray. He could always revert back should something set him off, but for now we are loving life. LOVING it. I have missed my little guy and his happy go lucky, laid back, not always testing self.

For a few weeks now, Drew has been an angel. Like hardly any tantrums, listening to what we tell him, following rules, offering his help with Ady, and just generally being an awesome kid. If this continues, his 'trying threes' stage lasted about 6 months with just a month of that being absolutely awful. Could it be that 3 months before his 4th birthday we are already seeing signs of the "favorable fours"?

I came out of his room after putting him to bed the other night and had tears in my eyes when I said to Derek "I missed him". Because I had. I have missed reading without throwing a tantrum because I turned a page and he had wanted too. I have missed picking him up from school and not having to walk on egg shells with what I ask him. I have deeply missed him saying things like 'you are my best friend mommy' and 'I love spending time with you mommy'. He now takes his plate over to the sink after we eat without being asked, and picks up his toys without protest. He grabs wipes for Ady when we ask and let's the dogs in and out of the yard if needed. Man I've missed him.

Although the sheer love obviously never fades, I'll be the first to admit that there were times I dreaded. We had quite a few early bedtimes as the evening was just unbearable and we cautiously attended outings or get-together's for fear of a meltdown. The nights of offering to do all the dishes in order to avoid playtime are over. We haven't had a timeout in weeks and I even was asked to snuggle the other evening. Huh?? This kid has NEVER wanted to snuggle. I have missed my turkey.

So for you moms currently in the trying threes phase, just know that soon enough it will end. Promise. And then you'll have your angel back that you've missed so very much and the world will be right again.

... until it's the next kids turn.

Why I Hate Mosquitoes

Let's play "What Is Wrong With This Picture". Ready.... and go:

Did you see it?  If not, I'll give you a clue. It's gynormous and red. See it now?

Remember Drew's bout with cellulitis in July? This is now the 2nd time that a mosquito bite has left more than just a red itchy spot on my kid. He woke up on Monday morning with a puffy, hot and droopy red ear that was firm to the touch. I should say that we were pretty confident that it wasn't a spider bite as we had played tennis the evening before and all gotten bit! Thankfully my brother was in town (he's an ER doc) to examine it and confirm that there wasn't any cellulitis around. It was simply just a bad reaction to another bite and some benadryl just about zapped it within 24 hours. We also had an appointment with the pediatrician on Tuesday for Ady's appt and confirmed with her that he just has sensitive skin and we will always need to have him loaded with bug spray. This morning marked 48 hours since it blimped up and it's about 95% back to normal.

We currently use deet free 'Off' bug spray, but if anyone has tried the mosquito repellent bracelets for kids, let me know. I'm willing to do anything to keep these pesky bastards away from my kid. Thanks in advance!

Weekly Randoms

Does anyone else have problems shutting down their mind at times? When I lay down to go to sleep, it often just races with 80 million thoughts! So if my mind is all over the place, then I can have a blog post like that right?! Good.

B is for Bumbo
My little worm sat in ours for the first time last week. She loved it!

F is for Family
Can't mention enough how thankful I am to only have my brother a couple hours away. Oh, and it must go down in the history books that I was thisclose to beating him at tennis for the first time in, like, well, forever probably. We were tied 4-4 and I lost on his serve of 40-30. This is huge you guys. I generally can't even get a point on my brother. Next time. Next time.

H is for Hair
Ohmywerd this mullet / rat tail / baldness is too much to handle right now.

N is for Neighborhood
Each month the ladies meet for bunco and sometimes we have a theme. This month was 80's themed so Derek's mom mailed me her dress from the 80's. Isn't it totally tubular? It was my first night out in over a year and I definitely over-indulged a bit much.

S is for Stinker

Miss Ady has been breaking out of her swaddle when sleeping. It makes me nervous as she has a huge startle reaction and always wakes herself up if not swaddled. 

I'm sure I could go on and on with iphone pics and random thoughts, but those were the most entertaining of the week.

Ady // 2 Month Update

Man this was a fun month! Your noises, smiles and squishyness in general melted my heart daily. I love the connection we have and it secretly feels good that you won't let anyone else rock you to sleep. You can be a momma's girl for as long as you want my little worm.

Stats:
Weight: 12lbs 8oz (76%)
Height: 22.75in (60%) 
Head: 15.35in (70%)

Sleep: Still absolutely awesome. You are definitely now on a routine where you go down around 8:30-9p and wake around 3a-4a. You nurse and then go back to sleep until around 7:30-8a. We even had a couple nights where you didn't wake up until 5 or 6a! Naps aren't on a routine yet but you tend to take a morning snooze or two, then a good 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon followed by another snooze in the evening. You were swaddled at night all month and sometimes for naps. This month we'll be working on transitioning you to your crib but you definitely got momma's fondness for sleep! 

Eat: This month was 100% breastmilk again with about 95% nursing and 5% bottles of expressed milk. I know my body should make enough milk for you, but as I start to work out more and watch my food intake during the day, I worry that I won't make enough for you. Thankfully we're not anti-formula and if we need to, we'll supplement!

Diapers: We're now almost fully in our cloth diapers with a disposable here and there. It was an easy transition getting back into that routine and I love your little tush in them! 

Clothes: You're mostly wearing 3-6 outfits and sometimes 6-9 only because the cloth diapers are a bit bigger than disposables. 

Talk: You love making noises and have this adorable little sound that I need to get on the camera. You smile all the time at mom, dad and Drew and I can't WAIT to get a laugh out of you. Oh, and grunting? You still take the cake with the volume and quantity of that.

Other: You've definitely been watching your hands and bringing them to your face as well as grabbing other things that touch your hands. You also love tummy time and do a great job hanging out on your tummy for a while. We also whipped out the Bumbo this month and you enjoy sitting in there from time to time!

Outtakes:

Love you my princess!

My First

I always feel lucky to have this little guy as mine after photographing a family where the 3 or 4 year old won't smile once for the camera. My little man has always been an awesome picture taker and I am so thankful for that. Hence, why I have officially made him my location-scouting buddy for future sessions! Sure I might have to bribe him with a cookie, but it's worth it to get snapshots of his handsomeness.

Is there where I can add a cliche parental statement about how I have the most adorable 3.5 year old? Good. Cause I do.

Big Trucks Event

This is the 3rd time we've been to one of these events and Drew always loves them. I wonder how long seeing a police car or fire truck in person will be cool? Oh, and shocker, the kid wasn't going to be happy until he sat in a dump truck. Forget the boats and SWAT vehicles, let's go straight for the dirtiest piece there. #boys

This year there were two helicopters that landed in a nearby field and I had no clue how crazy loud and windy those things were! Thankfully, Ady slept right through both of their landings so that Drew could get an up close look at them.

Here are pictures from this year as well as the two previous visits, all on the front of firetrucks. Ady didn't make the picture, but the extra weight on me from her sure did. Ugh.

Coolest Big Brother Gift

We were given so many wonderful gifts for Ady when she was born, but a few special friends and family members also gave something to Drew. Although they were all so sweet, one gift that we just received is absolutely amazing and I had to share it.

Derek's Aunt, so Ady's Great Aunt, is super creative and came up with all of the words for this book. She found pictures I had taken all over my social media and put it together to create something just awesome.

Here are just a few pages and images in the book.

Thanks again Karen and Kenny! This will be something Drew will be so proud to read to Ady someday!!

Breastfeeding Update

I made it 6 months breastfeeding Drew and looking back at his baby book, we even supplemented formula for the last 3 of those 6 months. I'm really shooting to go longer with Ady and so far I think we're doing good! She lost quite a bit of weight in the hospital (probably no thanks to my spinal headache and not being able to really nurse) so we had to supplement with formula the first 6 days of her life. Since then she's had 100% breastmilk and it's been about 95% from nursing with about 5% bottles. I'm completely NOT anti-formula, but I'd love to make it as long as I can without having to add any into the equation. For now, she's chunking up and happy and that is the best part! Who knows what will happen when I go back to work and have to pump all day.

As far as pain, it went away much quicker this time. I absolutely love nursing now and have no pain. The noises she makes and her adorable grunts are the best, not to mention she's SUPER fast and efficient. Bonus! Oh, and nursing in public? Psshhh, just throw a blanket over my shoulder and I'll nurse anywhere.

So that I can look back one day and remember our schedule, here's roughly what a typical day looks like for us now. Obviously her naps aren't scheduled yet and we work around those, but this is a general outline.
7:15am - Wake her up, get Drew up, then nurse her before we get Drew to school
8:15 - Back from school drop off and pump another ounce or so to store
10(ish) - Nurse
12(ish) - Nurse
2(ish) - Nurse
5(ish) - Nurse, and sometimes she'll want another snack around 6p
7(ish) - Nurse
8:30(ish) - Nurse, then put her down for bed
3:30a - 4:30a - Nurse, put her down, pump around 4 ounces to store, then back to bed for all

Earlier this week, we even got a night where she slept for 9 hours straight! It would have been spectacular had I fallen asleep at 8:30 as well! Either way, we still feel blessed by how good of a sleeper she is. Can't wait to see the doc in a couple of weeks at her 2 month check up to get her percentiles!

Lessons Learned

Last week I survived the entire week of Derek being gone for work. In that time, I learned a few things. 

A) Military moms and dads as well as single parents are my heroes. To not have spousal support with kids for months on end would be super tough and therefore I give extra kudos to you all.

B) My kids are awesome. Seriously. I don't know why I was nervous and underestimated myself, but it really wasn't that bad. I'm not saying it wasn't tough, but Drew is such a big help and can do so much on his own. I enjoyed reading to both kids in bed (when Ady wasn't crying) and my dinners with my man were special every evening as Ady would sleep. We had fun and laughed and snuggled while watching a movie and it was just awesome.

C) I missed my American Honey and Diet Dr. Peppers at night. At the last nursing session before bed a few nights I indulged in this fave drink of mine and it was delightful. Much deserved after surviving the day!

D) Drew and I bond more when daddy isn't around. We all know that he's been a daddy's boy for a good few months now, but last week brought him back to me. Now he asks for me to play instead of always daddy and enjoyed telling me stories. I have missed him and I'm doing my damnest to make sure he stays my boy. 

Man I love them something fierce.

Soccer Mom

It's official. I'm a soccer mom.

T-ball is over and now it's soccer season and personally, I think it's even more adorable of a sport. Little toddlers in shin guards? I die. But for some reason he doesn't look like a toddler above... more like a 7 year old!

There was some apprehension and tears when we got there but I was able to get him down from the ledge quickly to enjoy his time. So what if I bribed him with a piece of cake at a birthday party we were heading to later in the day... whatever works right?

Check out that face!

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Also, I was just released this week to begin doing extracurricular activities again (like running you pervs....get your minds out of the gutter), so I wasn't able to get out and run a 5K just yet, but my friends Jenny and Desiree are doing a link up on Monday. If you're running a race this weekend, click their names above to check out the deets and link up!