Lauralyn 5 Months Old

Weight: 14 lbs.
Diaper: 2
Clothes: 3-6 and 6 month
Shoes: 0

Our baby is 5 months old!  A few new things happened this month.  The biggest thing is that she started eating some baby oatmeal.  We started her out at around 4 and half months, but it wasn't until she was closer to 5 months that she really started getting into it.  She is a messy eater and likes to blow raspberries with food in her mouth.  She is only eating one solid feeding, and it is at dinner time. 

I can't remember if she was doing this at 4 months or not, but she is rolling everywhere!  I can put her on one side of the living room, walk away, and she is on the other side of the living room when I get back.  She mostly sleeps on her tummy now because she rolls over after I put her down on her back and gets comfy on her tummy.  She also pulls her legs up under her and scoots to get to things.  This is crazy to us because Lawson never did this, at least not at this age. 

She still smiles and belly laughs a lot and her sleeping is getting better.  She even occasionally sleeps through the night!!  I get sad every time I realize how big she is getting.  Most likely she is our last baby, so each new milestone is bittersweet.  She is the perfect little addition to our family.  I can hardly believe that next month she will be half a year old!

I'm Two!

I'm two!  That's what Lawson will tell you when we ask him how old he is, and today it is true!  We have had quite the week this week.  Lawson came down with the flu on Monday, and he has been the sickest I have ever seen him.  But today he is finally on the mend, and I think by his party Saturday he will be back to his crazy self!

Lawson,
I truly can not believe that you are two today!  You have brought more joy to our family than you will ever know.

You are ALL boy!!  You LOVE to be outside all the time!  You throw a fit when it is time to come inside.  You will even go in the backyard and play by yourself for a long time.  You are always dirty!!
You have a special blanket that you would take everywhere if we let you!  You have it at night and whenever you take a nap.  It is silky and you love to hold it while you suck your thumb.  And speaking of sucking your thumb, you love to do that when you are tired!  You have loved it since you were about 2 months old.  I know it is going to be a battle to break you of the habit, but for now it is still cute. 

You are doing great at school!  You surprise us all the time with little things like counting or new words.  The other day we were at Walmart by one of those stands that plays sample music of CDS and The Wheels on the Bus goes Round and Round was playing.  You looked at it very seriously and started doing the hand motions.  It cracked your daddy and I up!  It still does thinking about it! 

You have a special love for the cartoons Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  It actually is the only way that you sit still is if you are watching it. 

You are so sweet to your sister.  You love to hug her and kiss her and take care of her.  She loves when you give her attention!  You even like to share your blanket with her.   

Potty training has not happened yet, although you do have a potty and you will sit on it and try to potty sometimes.  My fingers are crossed that this summer you will master this skill!   

You are fearless!!  It is a good thing, but sometimes you think you are bigger than you are.  You think you are as big as your older cousins Abram and Asher or our neighbors Davis and Reed. You love to hang out with the big boys!  Davis and Reed have big four wheelers and if we don't watch you, you will jump on it and start driving it. You also like to get in daddy's boat and play alligator hunter with them. 

We love, love, love you so much!!  We are so proud of the little boy that you are, and pray for you each day that you will grow into the man that God wants you to be.

Love,
Mom

Lauralyn 4 Months

Clothes: 0-3 months
Diaper:  Just moved up to a 2
Weight: 13 lbs.
Height: 24 inches
Shoes: 0

Lauralyn is still a happy little baby.  I will say she is our "high maintenance" little girl.  She likes things a certain way!  She doesn't like to be wet or poopy, she likes it quiet when she eats and sleeps.  She gets a little temper when she doesn't get her way and it is too cute!  She is sooo different from her brother, and it may just be the difference in a boy vs. a girl.  I've finally come to terms with the fact that she is not the great sleeper her brother is. She's not a bad sleeper....its just that her brother LOVES to sleep and sometimes asks to go night night. 

She did great at her 4 month dr. visit.  Didn't even cry on the first shot, but did on the second one.  He said she looks great and is developing perfectly. 

She is such a joy in our lives.  She loves when her daddy or brother talk to her, her whole face lights up.  And she has started belly laughing.  I've found her ticklish spot right under her chin and love to make her laugh!  I look forward to continue watching her change and grow over the next few months.  We love our little girl!

Cousins

My parents are adding onto their house and my sister-in-laws family is doing most of the construction along with my brother, my dad and Jarrett.  So.....this means lots of play time for the cousins.  The weather has been beautiful, so the boys have been having a ball playing outside.  I thought these pictures turned out too cute of the three boys in the jerseys Jeje and Papaw bought them.

This picture is a little glimpse into the future of what it will be like once they are driving....makes me sad that they will be that grown one day!



My Child is a Little Obsessive

Lawson is constantly cracking me up with some of his tendencies.  I know if I don't write them down, I will completely forget them, or barely remember them.  He has gotten to a point where he wants things a certain way.  If we walk into a room, he has to have the light turned on.  If he is sitting at the table, he wants the table clear (no diaper bag sitting on top of it).  He also does not like for dirty clothes to be laying around.  This morning after I changed Lauralyn's clothes, I just left them on our bed.  Well, I guess this drove Lawson crazy because he had to crawl on the bed, get the clothes, crawl down and take them to the dirty clothes hamper.   He does the same thing with trash (and he knows what is trash and what isn't).  He will throw diapers in the diaper pale and other trash in the trash can.  Last night after dinner he asked for the food that he did not eat to be put in the trash.  I know most of these things have to come from me because quite frankly, I can't get his daddy to pick up his own laundry and throw away his own trash.(joking!)(kindof)  It's nice to know I have someone on my side :)

Valentine's Day Stress

Holidays stress me out!  And now that I have a little one in "school", I really feel stressed.  Just the thought of being crafty and cutesy, stresses me out!!  Don't get me wrong, I want everything to be just right and I want to make things special, and most of all I want to be thoughtful when it comes to creating treats or gifts or Valentines for others, but still it stresses me out.  I'm really not sure how I'm going to handle Kindergarten and on up!  And on a similar crafty note, Pinterest stresses me out!!!! 

Now that I got that out of the way....I did make cookies for Lawson and Lauralyn's babysitter.  They were a modified version of cookies I have been making for years.  Peanut butter with a heart Reeses in the middle.  Easy, festive, and yummy!  I also had Lawson decorate the bag.  All I had were brown paper sacks, so I drew a heart on them and let Lawson go to town with crayons. 

I am a little stressed still because Lawson doesn't go to "school" on Tuesday/Thursdays.  Therefore I didn't do Valentines for his class because he wasn't there.  I REALLY hope I wasn't supposed to because nothing is worse to me than getting a gift and not giving one.  STRESS!

And here are my precious little Valentines...dressing them in cute holiday outfits does NOT stress me out.  Well...maybe a little because I hate spending money on clothes for one day.  Luckily for me this year, both of these are hand me downs!

Anyways, Happy Valentines Day!!

"Working" Momma

I typically use my blog to remember key things about our lives, but today I want to remember what it was it was like as a working mom of two under two.  Maybe next year at this time I will look at this post and miss the days of exhaustion. (I'm almost positive that I will miss it!)

My Babies

I decided to put working in quotations because truly whether you work outside of the home or your occupation is stay at home mom, it is both work!  Never have I agreed more with that until I had 2 children under two at home all day every day while I was on maternity leave.  I was tired!  And quite frankly, it wasn't until the end of my maternity leave that I figured out how to at least somewhat get things accomplished while feeling like I was giving both of my children the attention they needed.

Now I am back at work, and wow it is even more exhausting!!  Lauralyn is 3 months old, and Lawson is 22 months.  My day starts at 5:00 am (or sometimes 2:30 am when Lauralyn doesn't want to go to sleep after her middle of the night feeding), both kids are in bed by 8:30 pm to 9:00 pm and I'm typically asleep by 9:30.  Between diapers, feedings, washing bottles and pumping equipment, packing lunches, laying out clothes, packing two diaper bags, cooking dinner, cleaning up after dinner, cuddling, bathing, playing.....there is little time for anything else!  Laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping, sleeping in(I wish) is done on the weekends.  Jarrett is a HUGE help.  We do pretty much all chores together, so that makes it a little less time consuming. 

I'm exhausted right now, and have to take it day by day.  It is just for a "season" right?  I constantly have to remind myself to enjoy each day and to remember the big picture.  AND spring break is just around the corner, and I can not wait to spend the week at home with my babies.  I know it won't be nearly as exhausting as it was when Lauralyn was a newborn.

All that being said, I enjoy working (I'm a high school business/technology teacher) and I LOVE being a mom.  I'm not sure that I would change anything about our life right now (well maybe if LL would become a better sleeper at night).  We have been blessed with amazing childcare and  I believe I am right where the Lord wants me to be.  I truly feel blessed to be able to have a career and a family.

It is all worth it when I have a moment to hold both of them and Lauralyn is smiling with her entire face while Lawson is saying "momma" a hundred times and pulling my hand to come play with him.  These are the moments that make my heart want to burst!