6 weeks already?!

My tiny baby is already 6 weeks!!! I can't believe how fast it goes. He is still so little! This outfit is a newborn outfit, and still big on him . I think he just finally hit the 8 pound mark (just a rough estimate on my scale at home). He's starting to get some rolls and fill out a bit, but he's still little. Overall, he's a really good baby. He's starting to smile regularly and we're getting a few little coos out of him. He sleeps 6-7 hours at night, eats and goes right back to sleep for 3 more hours, and then takes great naps during the day. He's starting to act like he doesn't like to be swaddled anymore, but I'm scared to mess with what's working. :) Isabelle loved to be swaddled and so I did it until she was 6 months old! We'll see.

He really likes to play on the floor and reach/swat at toys. Isabelle loves to sit close and supervise his floor time, which means I am also always close to supervise. He has been rolling over since he was 2 weeks old. He really likes to arch his back and neck which make him roll over. The very first time I ever laid him down on his tummy he rolled over. I thought it was a fluke, so I did it again. That first day he did it 4 times in a row. Over the next 2 weeks, I did it every day and every time he rolled himself right over. He's starting to tolerate his tummy so he either doesn't roll over every time, or it's after a few minutes now. He loves his bouncy seat, but doesn't care much for the swing yet. It scares him. He also loves to watch Isabelle, even when she is REALLY in his face. These kids are so much fun and there's never a dull moment! Christmas post yet to come.

No crying = Not hurt

Since Michael rolls over, I don't lay him on things anymore. I was putting away laundry and laid him on the floor outside Isabelle's closet. When I turned around like 45 seconds later, I found this....


Actually first I saw an empty floor and freaked out for a second! I asked Isabelle where Michael was and she showed me. There he was all snuggled in Isabelle's bed, covers to his chin, complete with Abby and Sarah (those are the dolls that aren't much smaller than he is). It was so cute!!! I didn't hear a peep, so apparently she didn't hurt him. I asked her why she moved him and she replied, "Michael SUPER tired mom! Michael cold." Isn't she so considerate?

Isabelle loves this little guy. She is still really good with him for the most part. We have had to create two ground rules with baby Michael. She's not supposed to touch him if he's in his car seat or his eyes are closed. She is obsessed with putting the paci in whether he needs it or not. He'll be out cold and there she is trying to shove in a pacifier in his mouth. Also when getting ready to go, I often put him in his seat and finish getting stuff together and once again, she just mauls him. He can't defend himself strapped in and completely helpless. Michael is starting to smile and coo a tiny bit and he loves to watch Isabelle.

My Little Pink Marshmallow

We've had some good snow over the last week or so. We went out to shovel the driveway and Isabelle got all suited up. I think kids look like marshmallows in snow suits. Isabelle is no exception. She loved playing in the snow and eating it mostly. I asked her what the snow tasted like and she said "Ice." She refused to wear gloves and so periodically she would ask Mike to warm up her hands. "Cold hands, Daddy. Warm up!" She would say. It was cute. She didn't want to come in when we were done.



Yep, we start em young in this house. Gotta earn your keep around here! She loved pushing the broom and using a dust pan as her shovel. Time to invest in a smaller snow shovel. :) She LOVES the snow. She must be Mike's kid!

Gingerbread House

One of my family traditions growing up was gingerbread houses!!! We didn't do the lame graham cracker ones either. While my mom was here, I learned all the nitty gritty that I didn't ever have to do growing up so I can do it with my family. Matthew and Casey and Jill and Tommy came over and we each made a family gingerbread house. We had a fun evening. Isabelle sat in her high chair and just ate all the candy.

"Mismas Tree"

We decorated our Christmas tree. It was quite a funny experience. What was supposed to be a time of family togetherness, turned into family irritation. However, after the initial 30 minutes, things settled down and we had a great time. Michael was snoozing on the couch, Mike was the photographer and I handed out ornaments while Isabelle went nuts decorating. She loved putting all the ornaments on the tree. She did a decent job spreading them out. Since then, she hardly touches the tree, and hasn't touched the presents underneath! Once again, SHOCKED! Last Christmas she never touched the tree either, even after helping decorate. My mom helped me decorate the rest of my house and it definitely looks better than in years past.

(Yes, Isabelle and I match. It seems to happen alot, and I don't even do it on purpose. Apparently that day I was in a brown mood.)

The Whole Family FINALLY

We finally got a picture of the whole family. We haven't even gotten a snapshot of the family, until now. Pretty pathetic. Anyway, we blessed Michael last Sunday with just a few family members and we actually got a nice picture of all of us.



The proud big sister. She still thinks she has a new doll. Just yesterday was the first time she tried to carry him though! We made it over 2 whole weeks! I was shocked it took so long. She even got her arm under his arm and she wasn't just carrying him by his head.



I had to add this cause I thought it was cute.

Week 1 of two kids

The first week went really well. Granted, most of the time, I've had lots of help, but overall it's gone well. The times I've been alone have been very problem free so far.

Here he is coming home from the hospital. You never know how big they're going to to be and the outfit I took obviously is GINORMOUS!


Mike and Michael enjoyed some Saturday afternoon football.


Isabelle thinks the world of her little brother. She always says, "Morning Michael!" every time he wakes up, and then asks, "Sleep good?" She brings him toys and showers him with kisses. I love the "trying to hold, but really choke-hold" help.


She is so helpful and hasn't tried to carry him anywhere YET! She loves to hold him and help with diapers. She also loves to help with lotion after baths. Jake has actually had a harder time with the new addition than Isabelle. He's been extra whiny and trying to fight for a little attention. I think he's sad we brought another tormentor into the home.


My little handsome man at 4 days old.

Introducing.....

Our little boy, Michael! He was 6 lbs. and 15 oz. and 20.5 inches long. He was two weeks early! Both of my kids were born during the 38th week, and I'm not going to complain about that! :) But I'm afraid it's set in my head that's as long as pregnancies are supposed to be. I could be severely disappointed on the next one.

Everything went really smoothly with the delivery and recovery. I had been having lots of contractions for 2 days and they got more consistent and stronger. By time I got checked into the hospital, I was already at a 6. After pushing for just 10 minutes (quite different from my 3 1/2 hours with Isabelle), he came into the world showing off his great set of lungs. We're both doing great.

It was great being able to hold him after he was born. It's amazing how much you can love someone so soon!





His hair actually isn't red, although it sure looks like it in this picture. He's got dark brown just like everyone else in our family.


Here we are hanging out at the hospital. I have really felt good after this one. With all the swine flu stuff, kids under 14 can't come visit. I was really disappointed Isabelle couldn't come visit. I know it's for the best, but Mike and I have missed her terribly. I'm ready for the family to be together. I can't wait to see how Isabelle "meets" him.

Halloween Recap

Isabelle now only does cheesy smile. I can't get her to smile normally anymore. Oh well, here she is all ready to go for trick-or-treating. She had a great time and came home with some loot. Mike's parents came out to our house. We had some great Chinese take-out and watched Transformers 2. Mike's uncle and his wife came over too. I stayed home to pass out candy, but Isabelle had 5 adult escorts to go trick or treating. She didn't last long because it was cold, but she keeps asking to go get candy at houses now.


We have some great neighbors that we hang out with alot. It just so happens they have girls too all close in age. Avery is exactly 1 year younger than Isabelle, and Georgia and Eden are 7month old twins. Georgia and Eden's parents had a little get together on Friday that we celebrated the birthdays and Halloween. Really it was just a good excuse to get together for dinner and show off our kids costumes. We HAD to get a group shot....35 pictures later, this was as good as I got.


Avery the lady bug, Isabelle the pumpkin fairy, Eden the hare, and Georgia the tortoise. It was funny watching them all figure each other out in their costumes.


Here's the birthday girls. Isabelle asks to play with these friends almost daily. She loves her neighborhood girls.


We had a great Halloween and all the festivities leading up to it. Now for the rest of the holiday season!!!!!

Intuitive Kid in Boots

Last week, I was on the computer and Isabelle was playing by herself. She randomly came up to me and pointed to my stomach and said, "Baby Michael coming soon." I then asked her when he was coming. She responded, "On Friday." What?! I was shocked first of all she knew any days of the week, and then that she had any idea the baby is coming in the next few weeks. She didn't let me know which Friday, but I'm curious to see if he actually comes on a Friday or not. We don't really talk about the baby coming at all, just that there is a baby in my tummy. It was interesting.

Mike's mom just got back from our land of clothes. Mike's sister has a little girl a little bit older than Isabelle and has let us use lots of her girl clothes. Every time his mom goes to visit Jeannie, she always comes home with a new wardrobe for Isabelle. This has not only been a HUGE blessing financially, but also so much fun because she has ADORABLE clothes! This last trip Mike's mom came home with "THE" boots. Isabelle loves them! She's been running around the house, "Cute Boots!" She loves to hear the noise they make on the hard floor. It's pretty fun to watch.