Sep 20, 2012

Carter - One month!

Well actually he is now 5 weeks old! I feel like I can't believe he is already that old, but on the other hand it seems like he has been with us forever! 

He is still a pretty mellow baby.  Loves to be held. Only really cries when he is hungry, bored, or super tired.  It is hard for me to hold him as much as I would want when I am home alone with both kids. Leah needs a lot of attention right now, but Carter gets bored after being in his bouncy seat for even short periods of time, so that makes it hard. He is starting to give us big smiles and coos which is SO CUTE! I could stare at him all day long.  I don't want to jinx anything, but he has been sleeping better the last few nights, giving us one 4 hours stretch which, we will take it! We don't know his exact weight but we think he is around 9lbs. As far as I can tell, nursing is still going really well. He still hasn't had a bottle at all.

Leah is an amazing big sister! She loves Carter so much and is always wanting to hold him. Especially when he is in his bouncy seat and she has easy access to him, she is right there in his face to stare at him and give him kisses. If he cries she will go get one of her stuffed animals or her musical glowworm to put next to him and says "it's ok baby!". She will also help me by going to get diapers and stuff. The other day he was fussing and I asked her why he was crying and she said. "I think he needs his diaper changed", so I checked him and sure enough, she was right!  We have had a hard time this week especially with Leah. She has good days and bad days but the last few have been tough. Especially since we have just been at home with no planned activities or playdates. Leah has been clingy to me and wants me to hold her a lot, especially when I am nursing the baby. And when I tell her I can't hold her right then, she starts crying and throwing a fit and it takes a long time to calm her down. But even though she is acting out and wants more attention, she has never shown any aggression towards Carter. She loves him being here, she just doesn't love that I am holding him all the time.
This is how he naps everyday, all snuggled up in his cozy blanket in the bouncy seat.

Love them! I am one lucky Mommy! :-)

Sep 17, 2012

Leah's First Dance Class

I have been so bad about updating my blog! I feel like I am just now starting to get into a routine.....But sleep deprivation is still an issue....we just need sweet Carter to sleep longer stretches at night....!!  And he is now one month old, so I need to give some updates on him. But for now, I want to share about Leah's first dance class!

Leah's first class was this morning and it is ballet and tap. It is through the local parks department and is in this cool lodge place on a small lake where they hold weddings and events! We are doing the class with Leah's friends Ashlyn, Emma and Emmy. Dance was such a huge part of my life growing up and to see Leah enjoy it so much is amazing! I had to stop myself from tearing up during the class!
Here are a few of the 5000 pictures I took :-)








Leah really had so much fun and keeps talking about it!  And she followed the teachers instructions so well. Am I allowed to say that she was the best one in her class....?  ;-)

Sep 5, 2012

The First Few Weeks

No I didn't forget about my blog. We are alive and well and despite extreme sleep deprivation, we are enjoying our life with sweet little Carter.  He is such a calm and mellow baby. He only cries when he is hungry or being changed. He loves to snuggle and wants to be held all of the time, so that is the reason for our lack of sleep. He doesn't like being put in his bed (co-sleeper).  Sometimes he will sleep a few hours in a row, and other nights he wakes up fussing after a few minutes.  He is doing awesome at nursing and is gaining weight very well. At 16 days old he was up to 7lbs 15oz. Leah had a hard time nursing and gaining weight, so this has been a much better experience so far.

Leah loves her baby brother. She calls him "her baby". She always needs to know where he is and what he is doing. She is always asking to hold him. She gives him lots of love and kisses. It is very sweet.  She has been more sassy lately and throwing more fits, but I think that is mostly because we have been off our routine and she is not the center of mommy's attention.  The last 2 days she has been much better. Dustin is back at work full time now so we are getting used to our new routine.  I have yet to venture out of the house by myself with both kids, but we have a few playdates at friend's houses this week.

Daddy and Carter
Our first outing as a family of 4! We went to get donuts and to the park.
LOVE
My cutie boy
First stroller ride together
"I want to hold him!!" I hear that at least 10 times a day!
Two kids in the back of my car!
I am glad we kept Leah's bouncy chair! :)




So things have been going well overall. I will like when Carter lets us sleep a little more. I like that it is still nice weather outside. It is a lot easier to deal with being at home and tired when it is sunny and warm outside. I would be miserable right now if it were dark and rainy. But anyway even though it was awesome with Dustin being home (and also my mom who has the summers off), it is going to be good getting back to our new "normal". 

Next week Leah starts dance class! It is ballet and tap. She is in the same class as her friends Ashlyn, Emma and Emmy. I am just so excited for her since dance was a huge part of my life. She is really excited too and I hope she enjoys it!  That will be once a week through December.  I also signed her up for another Discovery Class at the kids museum which is once a week for 6 weeks starting at the end of this month. I am nervous taking her her and having Carter with us as well.  It will probably be a challenge but it will be nice getting out of the house and Leah getting to spend time with other kids.