3 Months!

Maddie turned 3 months old today. What a sweet baby girl she is. If you hold her, bounce her, talk to her, she's so happy! Really, an easy baby so far.

Here are some things you're doing now, sweet girl:
1. cooing and smiling all the time
2. holding your head up, but it's still a little wobbly
3. playing with your hands
4. waking 1-2 times a night (rather than 2-3) -- improving!
5. batting at things above you in your bouncy seat
6. sleeping in your crib instead of the bassinet
7. watching your brother intently -- he so interesting!

I finally have your nursery together. Just took me three months! Every little girl loves fairies, or at least I did growing up, so I hope you will too! Grammy painted a beautiful fairy picture just for you.

2 Years!

Our baby boy (yes, still a baby) is 2 years old! We had a joint party with Nolan, dressing them as conductors for their traintastic bash! It was adorable. They're definitely two. They spent a good chunk of time pushing each other, then crying. It made me laugh a little. How could a little insignificant red truck cause so much trouble one minute then it's not even on their radar the next? Here's an example of what two looks like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZawpUDLIsY

Kids: 1, Mom: 0

To say that having two kids is more difficult than one is an understatement. It's so, so much fun, but I'm not going to lie ... sometimes I feel defeated by the little people in our house. Especially in the mornings. If you ever have to visit us on a weekday morning, don't. It's not fun at our house. I'm running around like a madwoman trying to get myself ready, plus two kids. And, since I'm breastfeeding, that takes out about 20 minutes. A little over a week ago, Adam and I packed the kids into the car to go to work and I just started crying. I hadn't even backed out of the driveway yet and I already felt like I'd had a full day! So that got me thinking...

I wonder sometimes if I was a better parent before I was a parent. There were so many things that I said I'd never do that I do daily now! Especially when I'm stressed for time, like the mornings before work. For instance:

1. My kids won't watch TV until they're 2. The week we brought Madeline home from the hospital, I plopped Luke in front of the TV, "What do you want to watch?" Translation: please sit here for 30 minutes so I can take care of your sister, go to the bathroom, take a shower. Now, he brings me the remote. Sigh.

2. My kids will behave when out in public. Yeah. Right. I'll admit I was one of those people: "When I have kids, they will not act like that!"

3. When my kids misbehave, I will talk to them calmly so they understand how to act correctly. I try. I really do. But, the fourth or fifth time that Luke sits on Max, I start to lose my patience.

4. I will never bribe my kids with candy to be quiet. I took Luke and Madeline to the grocery store last week. After Luke's second meltdown, we walked right to the candy aisle, "Which one do you want?"

But, just as I'm feeling totally overwhelmed or beat, Luke comes to me with a big sloppy kiss, "Hi, Momma." Or, Madeline talks to me with her baby coos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHZAcHeQv7w. And, my heart melts.

At least I'm not the only mom who's racing around all the time, feeling nuts, or that's what my friends tell me. This is how my friend Morgan went to her son's first parent-teacher conference. The funniest part about it is that she didn't even notice until she was on her way home:

Sip 'n' See

Adam's sisters and our sisters-in-law threw us a sip 'n' see party at Adam's parents' house this weekend. It was really great -- so nice to relax with friends and family, have a little cocktail and let everyone meet Madeline. I love this idea! Less formal, more relaxed, and even the guys didn't seem to mind since it's a semi-shower disguised as a party. All you have to do is promise beer, I guess. Four generations -- Madeline, my mom, me, my grandma Future best cousins! Olivia and Madeline Aunt Brooke and Maddie Great Grandma and Grandpa BFFs, Luke and NolanAunt Michaela and OliviaAll tuckered out from her party

2 Months!

Baby doll is 2 months and counting! She's just the most adorable little thing, but I know I'm a little biased.

She and Luke have such different little bodies. Madeline is chubby and sweet. Luke was lean and long. At her doctor's appointment last week, she weighed 12 pounds and is in the 75 percentile for height and weight. When Luke was 2 months old, he weighed 11 pounds, 6 ounces. So, she's a little chunkier than he was. It's so cute. And, she hated her vaccinations. Not that I expected her to like them, but she cried and cried all night. Afterwards, she just wanted to be held and rocked. Poor baby. They're probably so uncomfortable.

The smiles are more frequent and you can tell that they're intentional now. She'll get really excited when I walk in the room. Afterall, I'm the source of food right now, so I'm probably her favorite person in the whole wide world. And, that's a pretty great feeling.

She started daycare last Monday, and the teachers say she's their "angel baby." That's funny ... that's exactly what they said about Luke, and now I get notes sent home saying he's sitting on his friends or riding them like a horse.

She's still waking up twice a night -- about 2:00 a.m. and 4:30 a.m., then we're up for the day at 6:30 a.m. I'm pretty exhausted, but that comes with the territory and it's really not that bad. I don't mind waking up for her, my sweet baby girl.