Wake me up when September ends...

Y'all...how did it get to be October already? Wasn't it just August?!? Seriously. So, life with two kiddos is BUSY. But it's a good busy. A busy that's full of snuggles, hugs, giggles, and lots of love. With Emma, I felt bad if I was blogging a week late with her monthly updates. Poor Henry, I'm only 3 months late now. But at least I've kept a running list of ideas that I wanted to write about, so that counts, right?!? As much as I don't want to forget all of these moments, I want to LIVE in these moments too - to be deliberately present in my kids' lives and be part of the memory making, not just an observer or the documenter behind the camera.

MONTH ONE

Henry's first bath at home - with big sister's help

After three "luxurious" days in the hospital, we headed home and back to reality where we were officially a family of four. Kevin was able to be home with us for a total of 10 days before he had to head back to Corpus Christi, and we soaked up every minute of daddy time, especially Emma. Our family and friends were great about bringing us food so we didn't have to worry too much about having to cook while juggling all of the new adjustments to our lives. Now, to be honest, my kids have been pretty great sleepers from the get-go. Unless they're going through some major growth spurt, they have slept anywhere from 4-6 hours during the night as infants. So with Henry, we were feeding him at around midnight, then getting up with him somewhere between 4-6AM, and then he wouldn't wake up until 9-10am. Emma wakes up anywhere between 8-9AM, so it wasn't too too harsh on all of us. We also made sure to really wear out Emma during the day so she'd crash at night.

 

Photoshoot in our own house

When we took Henry back for his first check-up two days after being discharged, his weight had fallen from 7lbs, 1oz  at discharge to 6lbs, 15oz, but since my milk had come in in full force a day prior, our pediatrician wasn't overly concerned. And quite honestly, she didn't need to be. I actually ended up needing to pump the first week home because I was already making more milk than his little stomach could handle, and he caught on how to do this whole breastfeeding thing very quickly and became quite a greedy eater. By the time we went back in for his two week checkup, he was already up to 8lbs, 1oz and has been steadily gaining weight ever since.

At the ripe ol' age of 8 days old, Henry had his newborn pictures done, and we finally got some family pictures as well. Sarah of Sarah Borchgrevink Photography came to our house and set up shop and did a wonderful job at capturing our family and the preciousness of our newborn baby boy. She spent 4 hours with us working to get the right shot and making sure that we were all completely comfortable and satisfied with what we were getting from our session. I am SO in love with all of her photos that it's been hard to pick out which ones I wanted to get as prints for the house. Below are a few of my favorites and then a link to all of them for your viewing pleasure.

Click here to see all of the newborn pictures!

Puzzles were a good distraction for

Emma while I nursed

After Kevin headed back to Corpus, the true reality of having two kids set in, and I was officially outnumbered. Luckily, having a newborn is pretty easy. They just eat, poop, sleep, and repeat. Emma actually asked me why her baby brother slept so much because she was ready to play with him 24/7. I think she was maybe a little disappointed that he didn't do a whole bunch right away. On the other hand, having a three year old is exhausting. I think the hardest thing is balancing my time between the two of them and trying to get Emma to understand that when mommy is feeding Henry, she can't play with Emma. Bed and bath time were the hardest for me those first few weeks; it seemed like I couldn't catch a break timing-wise to where Henry wasn't fussing when I was trying to get Emma taken care of. But I think we're over that hump for now and have figured out a schedule that works for everyone.

Our other saving grace was that we had helpers come during the day. My cousin Sharon was a godsend and came at least once a week to either act as my mommy's helper or to babysit so I could run errands or go to doctor appointments. I was pretty sad when she had to go back to college at the end of the summer, and we all miss having her around. Emma got to have lots of play dates with her cousins too while Grandma was keeping them this summer, which meant that Grandma got some snuggle time in with baby Henry (and mommy got to sneak off and shower).

Emma (left) and Henry (right) both at 13 days old

Video: Jungle Time at 3 weeks old

MONTH TWO

Getting ready for

Henry's Upper GI

So as you can see, at the end of the first month, Henry had already gained almost two pounds over his birth weight. He was definitely a champ eater. Matter of fact, we joked that he had two modes: happy and hangry. When he is hungry, you cannot get the milk to him fast enough. But despite the fact that he was eating well and clearly gaining weight, he was spitting up quite a lot, and it was starting to cause him discomfort. Since Emma had reflux as an infant, I already knew the signs of what to watch for with Henry - crying uncontrollably for long periods of time for no clear reason, not wanting to lay down to nurse but wanting to nurse ALL the time, crying after spitting up. It was all there, but it hadn't gotten crazy bad yet. So our pediatrician sent us over to Texas Children's for an upper GI to just confirm that he was refluxing and that there wasn't something else going on. While it sounds kind of scary to take an infant in for an upper GI, it's actually pretty easy. The hardest part was the fasting beforehand and the super hungry baby afterwards. But we got the test done and sure enough, he had GERD. Once we got him started on meds, he was a new baby. No more fussing, good feeding sessions, and Mr. Happy-go-lucky was back. Plus, it made spending time on the floor, whether on his back or his tummy, much more enjoyable for everyone.

Video: Tummy Time at 1 month old

Henry and Daddy in the

car at Whataburger

It was a good thing we got Mr. Henry all squared away because we had places to go and people to see, and by that, I mean we had the second of the two Walther boy weddings in July. Stephen and Emily tied the knot on July 16th, so the four of us made our first big road trip from Houston up to Fort Worth. I have to say, since I was used to traveling back and forth to Corpus with Emma and Lizzy in tow, I wasn't too worried about the drive. I knew how to entertain Emma, but really, the unknown variable was how Henry was going to take being in the car for that long. Making the trip at 5 weeks old, he was still sleeping a great deal. In fact, on the way there he slept until we were just about an hour away from our destination. So, we stopped at Whataburger, and everyone got a bite to eat. After everyone was settled, we got back on the road and pulled into Fort Worth just in time to go straight to the rehearsal. Emma, of course, was the flower girl, so she had to get her practicing in and her prancing about out.

After the rehearsal, we had time to check in to the hotel and change before the dinner that evening. Emma was excited to run around to everyone's rooms in the hotel and the fact that she got to sleep on a couch that turned into a bed for her. Henry's Rock'n'Play was perfect for sleeping in the hotel room, especially since my dad had got our room upgraded to a suite so we'd all have a little bit more room to move around. That evening, we headed out to the Reata Restaurant for time of fellowship and yummy food. Henry slept through the whole thing in his car seat, and Emma had a blast running around playing with her second cousins and generally basking in the limelight of everyone's attention. You'd never know from the way she acted that this was all about Emily and Stephen's big day!

On Saturday, the ceremony wasn't until 6pm, so Emma's grandparents, Sandra and Elmer, took her out for breakfast and occupied her time a bit. I even got to run out and get my hair done. We had to be at the church early since we were parents to a VIP. Once we got there, all Emma wanted to do was find Emily. She couldn't wait to see her. The ceremony was a beautiful and worship filled time, and you could just see the love that Emily and Stephen had for each other. Afterwards, we partied the night away. Well, most of us that is. Henry slept through the WHOLE thing...ceremony and reception. But that didn't stop him from still dancing with a pretty lady, Miss Sarah Peck. Here are a few photos - I'll post more when their official photos come in!

Video: Emma's Dance at Stephen's Wedding

Needless to say, after we got home from Fort Worth, everyone was just plain tuckered out. After being on the road, having one event after another, and not sleeping in our own beds, we crashed, and I think we were just in kind of hibernation mode for like two weeks. There were a lot of pajama and movie days in there for sure!

When we finally came back up for air, we ventured out to one of the Houston Mom Blog's summer play dates. This time they were hosting a roller skating party at Kingdom and Wheels in Katy. Luckily, my cousin Sharon was able to go with us because I booked us tickets to go to this in a moment of mom-sanity not thinking about how I was going to juggle a baby while Emma was skating around. Guys, taking Emma roller skating was so nostalgic. I can't tell you how many times I was at the Bear Creek roller rink growing up. And of course, being the adventurous spirit that she is, Emma dived right into to trying to skate. Now, I will say skating has improved for beginners. Back in the day, your parents just strapped the skates on and pushed you out on to the floor to cling to the wall for dear life as you made your way around the rink. Now though, they have these cool rolling walkers to help newbie skaters figure out how to skate. Still, Emma definitely had a number of big time wipeouts, but she'd get up every time and try again. Not only did she get to skate, but there was a fun play area, and she got to go out to the mobile princess salon and have her nails done. It was a blast, and I was glad to get to take Emma to do something just for her.

Video: Emma's 1st time skating #1

Video: Emma's 1st time skating #2

By the end of Henry's second month of life, he and Emma were best friends...whether he knew it or not! Emma's been a great helper, even if some times she helps a little too much!

MONTH THREE

I think by August, I had kind of figured out a routine for how to manage the two on my own. Kevin was still coming home every weekend from Corpus, but Sunday night - Friday night, it was mom who was on duty 24/7. I'm not going to lie, finding new TV shows for Emma to watch on Nick Jr. has been a big help when I just need her to be still for a bit (like when trying to nurse Henry). We are now lovers of the shows Wallykazam, Paw Patrol, Bubble Guppies, etc. The good thing though is that Henry has finally started to move towards a more predictable schedule. It still has its variations from time to time, but I can generally gauge when he's going to be headed towards nap time and plan accordingly.  Plus, both he and Emma nap in the afternoon around the same time, so I do have a little bit to myself.

The car crew ready to head to Corpus

Since we made the trip to Dallas and back pretty successfully, we decided that we would attempt to make our first trip down to Corpus Christi. Just as a refresher, it takes anywhere from 3.5-4 hours to make the drive, depending on stops. In preparation for our upcoming trip, I had been sending supplies, like diapers and our Joovy, back with Kevin little by little each weekend so I wouldn't have to pack so much in our car, and Kevin got the changer for Corpus all assembled and ready. My plan was to drive during nap time, so that we could get as far as we could without needing to stop and feed someone or go to the bathroom. But we only got as far as Cinco Ranch before Henry decided it was time to eat...sigh. After that though, it was smooth sailing. Emma napped on and off, watched her iPad, and snacked. Henry slept all the way to Refugio and then just chilled in his car seat til Corpus, so we didn't have to make any additional stops.

These two can sleep anywhere

Once there, everyone settled into their spaces right away. Lizzy knew where her bed and kennel were; Emma went straight to playing with her toys; and Henry was just content to wiggle on the floor. We really didn't have any planned activities for our stay this time around, so we were pretty relaxed. Emma discovered Kevin's Xbox and decided she needed to play games. So Kevin hooked it up and gave her a controller to "play." She thought it was pretty neat and had a blast pushing all of the buttons even if she didn't understand exactly what she was supposed to be doing. We decided to go to the beach for a little bit on Saturday, but we neglected to check the beach report before we went. It was quite windy, so the waves were pretty strong and that meant someone had to be with Emma in the water the whole time. Even though we had a little pop up tent for Henry to chill in, the wind still blew through the mesh and he was not a fan. We ended up staying for maybe an hour or so before we decided to throw in the towel and call it a day. Emma was pretty sad to leave, but she was already tired out from jumping in the waves. That night though all was forgiven when we introduced Emma to playing Chutes and Ladders. Playing board games with a three year old definitely requires some patience since you have to explain the rules over and over and over again. But we all had fun!

Emma and her teacher

After we headed back from Corpus, it was time to get Emma ready to go back to school! This year she was moving from the toddler side to the preschool side, and that meant all kinds of new changes - no more nap time, getting to go in the car rider line, and of course, new teachers and friends. We went to Meet the Teacher and got to see her new classroom and of course, meet her teacher, Mrs. Hutchens. Now I have to say, Emma does really well with change. She took to her new classroom and teacher right away. I think part of why she adapts so well is that she just loves everyone and wants to be everyone's friend whether she's known you forever or just met you for the first time. I've never had to worry about first day of school tears because she's always ready to go on a new adventure. In fact, she always telling me she needs to ride the yellow school bus even though I've tried telling her she has to wait until she's five for that!!

Since Emma now heads off to preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays, that leaves me and the little man to have some quality alone time. He's a real trooper when we have to run errands and smiles and flirts with everyone he sees in the store. We get to have a bit of quiet time at home too where we can play or hang out uninterrupted. Every once in a while, Henry goes to his Mimi's house for the day while Emma is at school, so I can have a few hours to myself too. This mama does need to recharge her batteries (and get her toes done) from time to time! We do miss Emma though, and she's always excited to see us both when she climbs back into the car in the afternoon. Going to school twice a week definitely helps the week move by faster, and it makes the days we stay at home easier because Emma's usually not bored to play with her toys.

 

Typical day at home!


Video: Talking to mom - 2.5 months old

Our last big event was Labor Day, which also happened to be my 36th birthday. When asked, I seemingly never remember how old I'm supposed to be anymore. Maybe it's because I have too many other numbers filling my head now that I have to keep track of four people's pertinent information. Maybe it's because after a while the years all start to just blend into one another. Either way, I'm a year older, maybe wiser, but definitely living a life fuller. Our Labor Day weekend this year was packed full of events. First, it was opening weekend for Texas A&M football. My family still has their 8 season tickets, and everyone makes an effort to go to the games. Kevin was in from Corpus, and Stephen and Emily flew in from Kansas for the holiday weekend. We were able to leave the kids with my in-laws and head to College Station for some much needed adult time. It was a thriller of a game against UCLA that went to overtime, and it was good to just spend some time with my siblings. Being nine and twelve years older than them, it's been good to develop relationships with them as adults as we've grown to have more in common, especially since now both of them are married!

Next up on our schedule of events, we celebrated my birthday a day early on Sunday with brunch at Cracker Barrel. While I had the option to choose something fancy, let's be real - I have two kids that were going with us, and I actually wanted my brunch to be enjoyable. Turns out Cracker Barrel hit the spot. Everyone got to eat a good hardy brunch after staying up late for the football game the night before, and we got to munch on some of our favorite cookies from Suzybeez. My mom had taken Emma shopping to buy me a birthday present, and she was excited for me to open it. Everyone else chipped in towards getting my car windows tinted darker - a much appreciated gift for those long drives to Corpus!

It's my birthday - so everybody matched!

After the brunch festivities, we went home and rested a bit before we had to head out to Katie Johns' wedding that evening. While it had been perfect weather that morning, it was raining buckets as we headed out to the wedding - bad luck for us, good luck for Katie and Stofer though. It was a beautiful ceremony, and we all had fun hanging out with old friends. Emma had a blast taking pictures in the photo booth. She got one with us, Mimi and Pappy, Philip and Ashley, and Stephen and Emily. She definitely knew how to ham it up with all the photo props. After the wedding, the two kids headed home with my parents to spend the night, so I could be child free. That was the best birthday present ever! I think I got 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep and woke up feeling like a completely new person. Plus, Emma and Henry got to hang out with Uncle Stephen and Aunt Emily a little bit more before they had to head back to Kansas.

All in all, it's been a pretty good first three months as a family of four. Sure, it's had its challenges, but it's also had its blessings. Both of my children are such miracles from God, and I'm so honored that I get to be their mother. Watching them grow and change and learn so much is just incredible. There are days where I just wish I could freeze the moment so that I could hold on to it forever, but the best I can do is try to capture it in photos and in my heart. We love sharing our lives with you through this blog, and hopefully, we can be a bit more timely with our updates next time. If not, just know that we're busy making memories and living life to its fullest!

 

Click here to see all of our pictures!