Precious Siblings.

It's the stuff like this that makes my heart melt.

We figured out that the kids are big enough to hold hands in my car now!  The cutest part was that Caylee copied everything Connor did on the ride from dinner to Walmart, so she followed him nodding his head, clapping, waving, etc.

Our Week...with a Sick Family

Caylee's birthday week started out great with the kids playing together and having a great time!

On Wednesday, we celebrated her birthday with some cake and presents.  But by Thursday morning, she was throwing up and I had to pick her up from daycare early.  The flu was going around there last week, so she may have caught something from there.  She seemed fine after a long nap (when I took this photo), but she was on and off the rest of the week.

Dada stayed home with her on Friday, but then he got sick.  Grammy also caught it and was in bed all weekend.  Connor and I had some extra time to spend together since we were the only healthy ones.  Selfie!

Dada was feeling better for a little while on Saturday, so we all went to Connor's first basketball class.  The coach is awesome, so I'm really excited to see how much progress he makes over the summer.

On Saturday afternoon/evening, we said goodbye to my car.  As much as it can be a piece of junk, I've had it for 9 years and I'm not a person who likes change.  Both kids kinda grew up in that car and I've had it since I quit my first "real" job after college.  It's bittersweet to get rid of it, but I need something new and more safe for the kids.

The selfies didn't turn out very well, we were all tired, and it was raining...

On Sunday, Connor asked me to take a picture of him and Kitty snuggling!

12 months!

1 year old.

Weight: 19 lbs, 3 oz. (25-50%)

Height: 28.5" (25%)

Head: 44.5 cm (25-50%)

I can't believe it's been a year since she was born.  It's been one crazy year of ups and downs, but my heart is full.  My family feels complete with my baby girl and she's turning into a little person now.

• Professional crawler and goes pretty fast when she needs to get somewhere

• Loves to eat! Some of her favorites include hot dogs, guacamole, yogurt, peas,

• Learned how to drink from a pouch

• Still perfecting drinking from a sippy cup, but she's getting much better

• Loves being tickled and having bubbles blown on her tummy

• Just switched to size 4 diapers

• Wears 9 month clothes

• Spending a lot more time with Kitty, playing with him, petting him, etc.

• Loves to open drawers, close doors, play with cabinet doors, take things in and out of baskets

• Favorite thing to in the kitchen is play with the bottom drawer on the rolling cart

• Takes 1 nap (around noon) or 2 naps (morning & afternoon) depending on schedule

• Such a mommy's girl!  Follows Mama around everywhere

• Breastfeeds every 3-5 hours when we're together or has bottles when we're apart

• Loves playing with Connor

• Sleeps from about 7:15 pm - 6 am on weekdays and 7:30 am on weekends

• Starting to get interested in pulling up on things and loves to stand with her hands held, but really not ready to walk yet

Poor girl was not in a good mood when I took these last photos.  I think she still wasn't feeling well, but hey, I was stressed and wanted to get them done.  They're still cute!

Happy Birthday, Caylee!

Covered in cake and icing,
your smile stretched ear to ear.
A single candle celebrates,
the joy of your first year.

We sing Happy Birthday,
you play midst wrap and bows.
We marvel at how you touched our lives,
just one year ago.

I remember the first time I held you,
kissed your head, whispered your name.
you've changed our lives forever,
Our hearts will never be the same.

As a child you'll love this day,
for all the sweets and presents too.
As parents we'll love your day,
for the gift we got was you.

Each year we'll add another candle,
so proud to see you grow.
But always with the memory,
of your first day long ago.

I can't believe it's been a year since this day.  That was one of the longest days of my life, but it was all worth it when we got the most precious gift at the end.  My heart and family are truly complete with you here.

Our matching bracelets are something I will treasure forever. 
Mama and my two babies <3 br="">

That sweet little face on your first day in the world

All those perfect little baby features that I just wanted to treasure forever...

Before I knew it, you were 3 months old and a smiley little girl!

You learned to sit by yourself at about 6 months and started saying, "Dada!"

At 8 months, you were already loving every food you tried and starting to really enjoy playing with your big brother.

At 10 months, your little personality was developing, you started to crawl, and you really started to interact and play with Connor.

And at 12 months, you're a little girl! You look more and more like Connor (and I) each day, you're trying to talk, you're more interested in standing up, and you love to eat!

My love, you are one today

And learning so very much,

There is nothing in this house,

That you don’t want to touch!

Your fingerprints are evident,

In every single place,

Along with the mischievous smile,

On your little face!

You have made our lives complete,

In each and every way

You alone brighten up

Every single day.

You are our special little girl,

We’ll watch your life unfold,

Have a Happy Birthday.

Now you are one year old!

Happy Birthday to my sweet baby girl.  I love you so, so much!

When did they get so big?

It's hard to find the time to really sit back and reflect on them, but wow, they're so big now.  In these few minutes when Connor decided he wanted to shovel the snow and then sprinkle salt down on the sidewalk, I realized how big he was.  When did he learn how to do this?  And how does he do it so perfectly at only 3.5 years old?  He grew up before our eyes and he's a little boy now.

His scribbles turned into letters and faces in the last few weeks.  It was literally a change that happened in an instant.  Something just clicked and he figured it out!


My baby now eats real food and pretty much anything we give her.  When did she learn to feed herself?  And when did she learn to do it so well?  I love this stage when she'll eat anything we give her and she smiles as she chews it. 

Those black beans were gobbled up quickly and she wanted more!  It was her first time in a highchair and suddenly I realized I had to start carrying bibs with me again.  She was just a little newborn and now she's eating from the table with us. 

:::Sigh::  

My babies are growing up.

Me.

So yeah, this is kind of a shock.  Never thought in a million years I'd ever see a two-digit number when weighing myself.  (Ignore my nasty nail polish, but hey, it's winter.)  I weighed 100 when I started college, so I probably weighed 96 during my senior year in high school or something.  I obviously don't have the same body anymore since everything has shifted around from childbirth, and I definitely don't feel like I'm in high school.

The baby weight kind of flew off this time due to 2 kids, running around like a crazy person, breastfeeding, and my migraine meds that can cause weight loss.  Honestly, it's kind of nice to have one less thing to worry about right now, so I'm enjoying the fact that I can have a beer every other night (dark beer for milk supply) and a couple lactation cookies.  I'm 99% sure I'm gaining at least 5 lbs back after I stop breastfeeding, so I'll just enjoy it while it lasts.  I'm still eating the same way I always did and working out the same amount I always have. 

Someone recently told me they were a little worried because I looked too skinny and part of me was like, "Well, thanks!" and then part of me was like, "Ooh, well, maybe I look worse than I thought."  But that's the normal struggle I've always had.  I don't have any kind of eating disorder and I don't work out too much.  If you know me, you'll see me drink beer and eat dessert.  I've fluctuated up and down 15 pounds in the past 15 years (when not pregnant).  I'm not confident and I'm uncomfortable with myself when I'm bigger.  Yes, maybe people thought I looked better being a little bigger, but to me, it felt odd.  To grow up always being skinny, I didn't feel comfortable NOT being that way. 

Anyway, this post kind of went off on a tangent of where I was planning on going, but I won't delete it now.  This is more of just a record of where I am not at 7 months post-partum.  I can guarantee I'll be back up by the end of summer when I'm breastfeeding a lot less, but I'll enjoy it while it lasts.  One day, I'll look back at this photo and be shocked!

Best Friend

He looked up at me and said, "You're my best friend, Mama."

Heart melted.

Caylee's Birthmarks

Now that it's been almost 7 months, I thought it was a good time to do a birthmark update.  Considering they were pretty much non-existent when she was born, they've gotten a lot bigger.  However, the doctor is still promising me that the strawberry marks will go away.  She said the little gray areas are showing progress that they're starting to heal and I can see hair starting to grow in them too.  The smaller "stork bites" are probably permanent, but at least those aren't as obvious.  Her hair should cover those completely.

Since she can sit up now, they're definitely more obvious than they were when she was laying down all the time.  They're a part of who she is, but I do hope the strawberry marks get smaller as she grows up.  I would hate for her to be made fun of if it takes awhile for her hair to grow in.  That's why she wears so many pretty hair bows!

4 months!

Weight:11 lbs, 6 oz. (5-10%) 

Height: 24.25 inches (50%)

Head: 39.5 cm (10-25%)

It's funny how she's exactly the same height Connor was at 4 months, but 2 pounds more!  But she's still only in the 5-10% for weight!

What a big girl!  She's really looking more like a little girl rather than a newborn these days and all the teachers at daycare have been commenting on how she looks like she's been growing.  I haven't seen a change in how her clothes fit, but I'm sure she's about ready for her next growth spurt.

The 4 week cold finally came to a conclusion when she was diagnosed with her first ear infection at the doctor during her 4 month check-up.  I kinda figured it would happen soon, so I wasn't shocked.  Hopefully, she'll feel better soon!

At 4 months, my little girl is loving chewing on her hands, tummy time, and sitting to look around.  She's quite the little talker and loves to smile at people!  She's been going everywhere with us and she makes it so easy to take her places.  Besides the fact that she's Little Miss Pooper, she's so easy and sleeps in her carrier or wherever she needs to.  Her blowouts are pretty much out of control at this point, but there's not much I can do.  I'm probably going to go up to the next size in diapers even though she's nowhere near the weight just because I don't know what else to do at this point.  Good thing she's cute!

This last month flew by while being back at work.  I really need to keep reminding myself that my family comes first and I need to treasure my time with them.

Caylee's First Day of Daycare

Tuesday was a pretty hard morning for me with my first day back at work and Caylee's first day of daycare.  I cried my eyes out all day on Monday, so I think I was pretty overwhelmed and numb by Tuesday.  Surprisingly, we got out of the house on time (after changing Caylee's outfit three times) and got to daycare right when it opened.  She fell asleep in the car since she isn't used to being out that early and Connor was happy to show her the baby room at school!

She slept for awhile in her carseat while we picked out her crib and got her bottles ready.

When she woke up, I took her out and put her on the little "snake" pillow with her friend to play.

When I saw that smile, I burst into tears! Miss Raheela, the main infant teacher, gave me a hug and told me she'd be in good hands.  I totally trust the teachers and I know she's going to love it there.  I just didn't want to change how our lives have been for the past 3 months.  I didn't want to miss her little smiles and she's my last little baby.

I gave her a kiss and ran out before I could cry again.  Fortunately, I was so busy at work that I didn't have too much time to be sad.  She was so tired that she slept almost that entire evening once she got home too.  She did wonderful on her first day! 

I'm an emotional mess today

I go back to work tomorrow.

I'm going to miss spending every waking minute with this little face.


It didn't really hit me until today as I sit here in the dark with her sleeping next to me.

This week, I tried to make it a little extra special by taking more photos...

And capturing every little detail...

But it still just doesn't seem like enough to make me feel good about going back...

Yeah, I miss seeing my coworkers and hearing the gossip, but I'm gonna miss the snuggles and this face more.

I know I have to do it...it's just so, so hard to get through the days leading up to it.  Once I'm back, it will be routine and I won't know any different.  I have to remind myself that I never look back and wish I would have done it differently with Connor.  I'm giving them the life I want them to have by working.  They're going to grow up and understand that we decided this to give them the best childhood and best education. 

As I'm typing this, I'm crying.  She's growing up so fast.  She was a newborn just yesterday and now she just looks so big sitting next to me.  She's just about ready to find her right hand, she loves to sit up and look around, and she looks more like a baby than a scrunched up newborn.  It's everything I ever wanted, but it just happens so fast.  I love her more than anything and I feel like my family is complete.

She's about ready to breastfeed and I'm running out of tears, so I'm going to stop now.  Love you, Miss Caylee, my baby girl.