Productive Weekend

Lee and I were very productive this weekend...go us :-)  The realtor is officially putting our house on the market next week and so this weekend we had some touch up painting to do, some caulking, etc. etc. Amidst all the hard work we made it out to dinner Sat. night and got some play  time in with the girls. Then next weekend my parents are coming up Saturday to help Lee clean out the garage and my mom is painting bathroom ceilings. We should be set after that!

In other news, Brielle has been FUS-SY the last couple days and sleeping very little at night. She's been waking up at 4am ready to start the day and  not going back to sleep (ugh!) and she continues to act gassy and uncomfortable after feedings. I think I will call the pediatrician tomorrow morning to see if he has any suggestions. I also think some of her problem may be a growth spurt. Those are common usually at 1 week, 3weeks, and 6 weeks of age from my understanding, so it could be a 3 week growth spurt. She wants to eat constantly which makes sense then. Tonight I actually broke down and decided to give her a bottle of formula (i had some ready made bottle samples from the hospital) and she sucked down the whole 2 ounce  bottle no problem, so maybe she's just really really hungry.  I did the bottle simply b/c she's been eating so often today that I didn't feel like she was giving my boobs any time to replenish themselves! lol...so we'll see. She didn't seem any less fussy or gassy after the bottle as compared  to nursing though...

Saturday morning Lee had to run to town to get some supplies for our home improvement projects, so he took Raya with him. He said she was an angel and he had no problems :-) Apparently he told her she could  pick out a present at the  store and he said she had it narrowed down to wooden blocks or a dog toy haha...and finally she decided on the wooden blocks :-P I'm glad she did too b/c she has had lots of fun playing with them together with daddy!!! Probably wouldnt' have had as much fun with the dog toy!

Daddy had fun spelling their names haha

Raya had fun wrestling Daddy...

...and looking outside for squirrels, birds, and "elephants" :-P

She did  NOT like Daddy stuffing her baby into the blocks container though...she tattled on him to Mama :-P

(Clothing change here--Raya spilled all over herself haha...still from today though....)

Mama was folding and putting away clothes and Miss Raya suddenly started going through  the laundry and collection wash rags...

Apparently she remembered that I sometimes let her  help me dust, and I use wash rags as dust rags....b/c  Miss  Raya started dusting for me all on her own! :-)

And what has  Brielle been up to today you may wonder?

Well, there's been lots of eating and spitting up...

And lots of crying!

And in between there were tiny amounts of sleeping.

"What Mama? Have I been naughty?"

I should have known when she came out as cute as Raya what I was in for! I always joked that Raya was a cute and high needs baby...you couldnt have both "cute" and "easy"!! I thought maybe this time I'd get the homely easy going baby, but I guess alas I'm destined to only have the adorable  ones :-)  Fussiness is a small price to pay then I guess....

Although Lee says the 3rd one can be an ugly little boy LOL...he said, and I quote, "If we ever have a boy he'll be a hillbilly like me so it won't matter if he's cute!" 

Matchy Matchy

Today  I unknowingly dressed the girls alike haha. Apparently I was in a Carter's brand blue/pink outfit sort of mood today b/c I  dressed both Raya and Brielle in similiar things! I realized this fact this afternoon when they were both hanging out on my lap, so I tried to get a picture. But  it's mighty hard to take a picture of your own lap, especially when there are two wiggly girls on it--one of whom is desperately trying to watch Caillou and refuses to look  at the camera :-P

....you get the idea though...



Someone was drinking milk :-P

 Brielle did ok last night sleeping, after her first day on the "schedule". I did get her to sleep in her crib from about 11:30pm until 3am, which is great for her. After her 3am feeding though she would scream every time I laid her back down, so I eventually let her sleep in bed with me after that. Baby steps people :-P

Of course she had no trouble sleeping during the day today!

It's all good though...I like my afternoon baby cuddling sessions :-)

We're slowly making our way into more 0-3 month outfits! Gotta love a good cupcake ensemble :-)

...although Brielle is still working on her outfit modeling skills hehe

She doesn't think modeling is very fun...she needs to start taking things more seriously!! lol

With the amount of pictures we all know I take though she'll continue to have many opportunities to refine her modeling skills!

Love her.

To end, a funny story about Miss Raya this morning:

Raya was sooo dramatic when I dropped her off at daycare this morning! I really had to go get groceries so I wanted her to go to Erins, but  when I said "we're going to Erin's and you're gonna play with friends!" she started screaming "no mama!" and crying haha. Then when we actually got to Erin's she kept saying "Home! Home!" and wanting me to take her home. She was hysterical while I tried to get her coat and boots off and then she ran crying to this random other mom dropping off her kids and the lady picked Raya up and Raya was crying and asking the lady to take her home :-( I felt so bad! Of course then when I go to pick her up she's playing and having fun and as we get ready to leave she's waving bye bye and saying "bye friends" haha. Little shit....she was obviously traumatized over there LOL.

Baby's getting fussy and Mama's getting tired!

Today is day 2 of Brielle being more fussy. Still nothing like Raya was, but we're having about 3 fussy periods a day now, lasting maybe an hour each. I can get her to stop fussing by swaddling her and walking/bouncing and using the paci--so it doesn't seem at all like colic as of now, just general fussiness. My pediatrician said fussiness usually peaks around 6 weeks old, so here's  to hoping these next few weeks aren't horrible! :-P I think  some of the  fussiness at least is related to stomach issues. She's a spitty baby like Raya was (we're going through 3+ outfits a day!) and lately she's having a couple times a day where the spit up comes out her nose! I'm going to call  the pediatrican about that I think, just to make sure it's normal. I've also started (as of today) more of a loose "schedule" for feeding and napping--tried the s ame  schedule (from "Babywise" book) with Raya and it didn't really work lol...she outsmarted it :-P ...but  the book claims that more than 80% of babies will sleep through the night by 7 weeks old if you follow their guidelines. We're going to give it a shot with Brielle!

Ok, now onto the pictures...

If you wonder why Miss  Raya lately has been looking dissheveled in her photos, as opposed to the dressed up and accessorized fashionista of the past, it's b/c most mornings I'm dressing Raya while Brielle cries and I've started telling Raya "hurry! hurry! Sissy's crying!!!" and we try to get dressed as a race :-P ...hence lots of thrown together looks and crazy hair

Today Brielle's  first outfit was a little jumper that Raya also wore as a baby. I believe Bridgett gave us this jumper?? Anyways, I threw on a headband just for Grandma F.!

Not so cooperative for pictures lol

Still a cutie though :-)

Our second outfit of the day was one of my favorites with Raya...faithful blog readers will remember this from many of Raya's baby pictures :-)

Here is a comparison...Raya on the left, Brielle on the right ....still looking very much alike, although Brielle insisted on doing a half cry for pictures so I couldn't get an exact comparison!

And then of course Miss Raya today had to get her sissy cuddles in. She was "writing her shopping list", which is a favorite activity of hers, but she insisted on holding Brielle at the same time. Apparently she can multitask even better than Mama! :-)

I've determined that Brielle has an "ugly cry" haha

But in her defense, it's hard to look cute and maintain composure when you're being squeezed out of your ever loving mind!!! ;-P

...Grandpa H. was somewhat horrified by my letting Raya touch and hold the baby when he visited this past weekend, b/c  he kept thinking Raya was hurting Brielle. I wonder what he'd think of this picture?! ....I  assure you though, no babies were hurt in the making of this blog update :-)

Professional Photos are done!!!

Brielle's professional  2 week photos are done...yippee!!!!!!!!! Clearly it was difficult to photograph a very awake and wiggly newborn who refused to curl up, be on her belly, etc. haha....b/c there is only one page of photos in her gallery, and for sessions where Raya has been extremely cooperative I've had 2 full pages! That said however, I"m extremely  happy with the ones we got!!!! I can only afford to buy 2 or 3 photos from each session, and there are definitely more than that I'm in love with :-)

Here are my favorites!!

Love this face!!

She hated her belly like I said, but we got one! And I love this one b/c it reminds me sooo much of the ones we got of Raya on her belly...they both had a very disgusted look on their face lol

This one of course (which is slightly different than the one from the sneak peek, which I also liked)

This one is plain and not "girlie" but I love her little face in it :-)

And then of course my shabby chic ensemble, which photographed BEAUTIFULLY, just like I thought it would! Looks great with the floor she had and I  think the color looks gorgeous on Miss Brielle.

You can tell in these photos she was a little rolling ball of energy hehe. No sleepy baby here!

...pondering the meaning of life...

Sweet girl

The rest of the photos can be seen at http://www.atplayphoto.com/ (click on "website" and then "clients"...password is "Brielle")  I  think I picked out the winners here, but feel free to check out the others :-)

When Daddy's away....

Last night Lee got snowed in at work  and stayed overnight with his boss....so it was just me and the girls on our own...Lord help me! :-P

Miss Raya is starting to get pretty annoyed with me feeding the baby all the time. I can only do so much one-handed while sitting on the couch, and I  offer to read her books, etc. but she refuses. She's starting to demand my 1-on-1 attention during Brielle's feedings and I simply can't do that obviously! So she has resorted to some pretty funny attention seeking behaviors lol.

Last night before bed I was sitting on the couch feeding Brielle, and Miss Raya didn't feel she was getting enough attention....so soon this little scene played out on my living room coffee table! (Luckily I had my camera within arms reach haha)

Step 1....preparations are made.



Looks innocent enough, right?

Step 2... get baby Anna


Step 3....climb on up (while Mama is screaming "Raya, no! No, no...get down! Raya Marie!!!!")

Step 4...take baby Anna for a walk, STANDING on the coffee table (and clearly the little shit knows she is pushing my buttons at this point! haha. And in case you can't tell, my "stern" voice has  no effect on Missy Moe...she never even paused to consider following my directions to "sit down!" LOL)

Step 5....after realizing Mama is about to lose her mind she follows my last pathetic attempt to direct her to "get down Rayana Marie!!".....by pushing the stroller right off the edge and onto the floor. Mission accomplished.

The child is honestly to smart for her own good.

Then this morning she wanted my attention during yet another nursing session, and in an attempt to get me to chase after her she stole all her bedtime loveys and paci out of her  crib and paraded them in front of me in the living room...

I give up! :-P

During a short nap break of Brielle's we did a little dancing to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse...

SPIN!!!

...and fall

Now to end with some Brielle pics...Grandma F. feels that Brielle will grow up and wonder why I always had headbands on Miss Raya at this age, but never on Brielle haha. Well the main reason is that very few of the headbands fit Brielle right now! Plus, I honestly love Brielle's spikey hairdo and I kinda don't like covering it up with hats or big headbands haha. If I coudl put small little clippies in her  hair I'd be doing that, but alas, no hair up top yet ;-P

But to humor Grandma I did tell Brielle she had to try on a big headband today...Brielle does NOT approve!

I think the weight  of the bow made her eyeballs go all wacky hehe

**insert major diaper blowout and  outfit change here**

Then Daddy made it home this  afternoon!!! His work was cancelled today so once the roads got cleared some he came back home. Brielle got in some Daddy cuddles while Mama took a shower and did some chores!

...it wasn't long before Daddy joined Brielle in a little R&R :-)

3 weeks old

My little peanut is already 3 weeks old...I can't believe it!

Instead of writing a 3 week blog update I found a poem that I'll let speak for itself :-)

Lost Some Memory I think I've lost some memory since my baby was born I don't remember sleeping late on a lazy Sunday morn I don't remember quiet dinners with candlelight and wine. Or getting up and ready for work and making it there on time. I don't remember summer days just lounging on the beach And those memories of "girls' night out" are somehow out of reach. I don't remember long warm baths with bubbles and a good book Or my favorite TV program or a movie worth a look. I can't remember all those things I spent time on yesterday And I can't remember life being any other way. And as I lay her down at night and kiss this little girl I can't remember so much happiness, such love and joy in my world. (c) 1997 Juli All Rights Reserved

It's definitely been a busy (and at times challenging!) 3 weeks, but I've enjoyed every minute of it! I waited a loooong 39 weeks and 4 days to meet this little bundle, and she truly has been a joy to our family since she's arrived. Personally for me having a 2nd baby has made our little family seem like even more of a family...2 parents, 2 adorable kids, 2 puppies, and a mini van--the "perfect" family by anyone's standards, is it not? :-P

Looking forward to many more weeks with  this baby girl!

...she's been a sleepy little thing today...not much variety in our pictures lol

To end, here is Miss Raya this morning--lookin' a hot mess and loving every minute of it!

And now I *should* be getting back to housework, but this  poem pretty much sums up how I feel  about THAT! :-)

What Did I Do Today

Author - Unknown

Today I left some dishes dirty,
The bed got made around 3:30.
The diapers soaked a little longer,
The odor grew a little stronger.
The crumbs I spilled the day before
Are staring at me from the floor.
The fingerprints there on the wall
Will likely be there still next fall.
The dirty streaks on those windowpanes
Will still be there next time it rains.
Shame on you, you sit and say,
Just what did you do today?

I held a baby till she slept,
I held a toddler while she wept.
I played a game of hide and seek,
I squeezed a toy so it would squeak.
I pulled a wagon, sang a song,
Taught a child right from wrong.
What did I do this whole day through?
Not much that shows, I guess that's true.
Unless you think that what I've done,
Might be important to someone
With deep brown eyes and soft brown hair,
If that is true... I've done my share.

Now off to do some more cuddling! This stay-at-home-mom stuff may not be for everyone, but  it's certainly for me! :-) I'm a lucky, lucky girl it's true...