Cake face!

Annie is 1!

Then:

Now:

Happy Birthday sweet girl!!

Musings on Motherhood- 4.5 years in...

I came across this picture today. It's of me & Jack the day he came home from the hospital. Notice the distressed look on my face masked by a smile. I knew I was supposed to be happy. Here I was, bringing my first baby home from the hospital. He was healthy (obviously he had a great set of lungs!) & he was beyond beautiful.

But, I was freaked-out beyond belief. I couldn't sit. I could barely walk. I was more tired than I had ever been in my life. Three weeks from bringing him home not only did we have to be out of our apartment, but we were relocating to St. Louis- a place we grew up but hadn't lived for years & years. And, all Jack did was cry. We couldn't lie him down. He would cry & cry. He would nurse & be done & then 45 minutes be ready to eat again. All day & night long. I vividly remember whispering to myself during one of his crying bouts, "Don't shake the baby. Don't shake the baby. Don't shake the baby."

I thought this moment was what it was to be a mother. I could see no further than the situation I was in. The only thing I knew for sure was that I was never going to sleep more than an hour stretch again & that this child was going to cry for the rest of my life.

Fast forward 3 1/2 years...

We got another crier on our hands. She cried for about 9 months & then finally got happy. We thought we had "paid our dues", but not only was Annie's infant temperment eerily similar to her brother's, it ended up being more extreme. Surely our 3rd will be a dream baby, right?

But, these 2 babies have stolen my heart over & over & over again. There are few, if any, people that I would rather spend my day with than Jack. He's so funny, so sweet, Mr. Cuddly, & so full of joy. He tells me he loves me a zillion times a day (who wouldn't want to be around that??) & at 4 1/2 he has officially passed through infancy & toddlerhood & into the world of being a little boy. He loves to wrestle with John & his friend Grayson. He loves to play Star Wars (today he was Luke Sky Walker, I was Leia & Annie was "a BAD Storm Trooper") & he loves nothing more than to run around a playground.

Annie is still Miss Touchy. She loves her Mama more than anyone else, but Jack makes her laugh the easiest. Since the day she was born she hasn't liked other people to hold her & she isn't shy about making her feelings known. But, she also has the best smile in the world. She lights up a room. She's started playing peek-a-boo & giggles & giggles. Her favorite times are mealtimes, bath time & when she's only wearing a diaper. She's our roly-poly sweet girl. I love that I get to spend every day with her.

Having children has been the best thing I've ever done in my life. Cumulatively, I've had over a year of sleepless nights, 2 bouts with reflux, seizures, hip dysplasia & all around general crankiness for months from both of my babies; but I really wouldn't change any of it. My children have made me a better person. They have forced me to think of someone other than myself. I would do anything for them.

Today I sat in our rocking chair, rocking Annie who was feeling bad & battling a bad cold & Jack snuggled up next to me to rock too. I wanted to freeze that moment- snuggling with both of my sweet babies, their heads on my shoulder, just rocking & rocking.

I know these moments are fleeting. Jack has shown me that they stay little such a short time. I feel like I blinked & he become a boy. I'll blink again & he'll be a teenager & then a man. Same with Annie. So, I savor these moments I have with them. I savor the crying- even when it drives me batty. I savor the sleeplessness for I know that one day, much, much too soon my house will be quiet again & I'll wonder where my babies went.

Father & Daughter

Looks like trouble...

Happy Halloween!

I forgot my camera on Halloween, so these pics are courteousy of my friend Emily.  

The family.

(A side note- John has a Batman mask on his head, not a new, weird haircut.)

Jack & Ava Belle

10 months old!

It's been a while.  There are many reasons for that.  Most of them involving a never-ending cranky baby that I've been holding & bouncing & loving on most hours of the day.  Below are some unusually happy moments.  I love these pics!

Miss Annie is 10 months old now.  As you can see, she's graduated into hair accessories!  At 10 months she is crawling, very, very slowly, but still crawling!  She tries to pull-up on things (like daddy's files in the photo below.  What I didn't capture was the box toppling over on top of her shortly after this pic was taken & her dissolving into instant tears!)

She's working on her top two teeth & currently battling a never-ending cold.  She eats almost whatever we put in front of her as long as it's not fruit & has only recently developed a liking for actual baby food.  

She's still a terrible night-time sleeper, but takes great naps now & for that I am very thankful.  

I've had lots of great blog entries floating in my head these past few months, but they never seem to actually make it to my blog.  So, I've been relying on photos of my kiddos to fill the space until my wit & time return.  Hope you've been enjoying them.  They are just as delightful (& way louder) in real life.

First Day of School

Jack started JK this year.  I can't believe how big this kid is.  

He loves school so much.  

Jack & his best buddy Grayson are in the same class.  

I think they might cause some trouble together.

Another Favorite Meal

Apples!

Annie loves, loves, loves apples.

Go Cardinals!

Bowling!

We all went bowling the other evening & had a blast.  Jack was surprisingly good, although I guess the bumpers didn't hurt!  He loved the shoes.  When he put them on he started dancing & said they were tap-tap shoes.  Even Annie had a great time hanging out.

Photo Shoot!

One Last Birthday Pic

Jack's favorite birthday present from the Maynor family. 

Our house is so small that he has to walk sideways.

I love this picture so much.

Birthday Season in Pictures

July is birthday season at our house.  Poor Annie is the odd-baby out.  She doesn't get to share her birthday with us, just with Jesus...

Jack's 1st birthday party on his actual birthday.  

Don't look too close.  

You might get blinded by the terribly ugly cake I baked.

Very excited by the Batmobile we gave him.  

Can you tell the kid loves superheroes?

My friend Emily greeted me on the morning of my birthday with 11 tasty dounuts.  Yum.

Happy 33rd to John!  I made him a yummy Oreo cake.  It was gone in about 2 days.

Jack's Birthday Party Cake

My mom & I made all of the kids capes with their names on the back.  

(Really, my MOM made the capes, I ironed on the letters...)

At the end of the party we were treated to a concert by a swim-suit clad bunch.

We turn 10 today!

TEETH!

Can you see Annie's first little tooth poking through?  This picture was taken 6 days ago & already there is a second little tooth right next to the first.  The sure are cute, but strike fear in my heart every time she eats!  I haven't been bitten yet...

Happy Birthday Dear John!

(photo courtesy of Jack)

Happy Birthday dear one.  You will always be my favorite.

Happy Birthday Baby Boy

Four years ago today, we met this little boy.

I had no idea how much he would turn our lives upside down.  I also had no idea how rich & full he would make our lives.  And, I certainly had no idea how much I would love him.

This year I've had the privilege of watching him grow into an incredible big brother.  Annie will soon discover how lucky she is to have been given such an amazing big brother.  I can't count the number of times I've seen him comfort her when she cries.  He pats her & says, "Aw baby.  It's okay, brother's here."  It melts my heart every single time.  

He's an amazingly kind & sensitive little boy.  We are so thankful he is in our lives.

Happy 4th birthday baby boy.  

6 Months & 4 Years!

Annie turned 6 months old last week.  I took her for her 6 month check-up & Jack for his 4 year check-up on Monday.  Annie weighed in at just over 16 pounds & is in the 50th percentile for weight & 75th for height.  Her noggin remains in the massive 92nd percentile.  

Jack is a lightweight at 32 pounds & 40 inches tall.  He's in the 20th percentile for weight & 50th for height.  

They are both hitting all of their milestones & healthy.  4 shots later, here are some pics for you!

This pic is courtesy of Jack.

Annie eating sweet potatoes.  

We started solids a few days ago.  She isn't loving it yet.  

I'm already ready to move on to food she can pick up & eat herself.  

She's much more interested in the sandwich on my plate 

than the sweet potatoes than on her spoon.

Visitors!

Our dear, dear friends Kevin & Laura (aka Kbo & Lola) came to visit this week from Jersey City.  Their son, Linus, was born 11 days before Annie (and due 4 weeks AFTER her...) & we had yet to meet him & they had yet to meet Annie.  We had a fun filled visit & it made us miss then even more than we usually do.  The babies loved each other.  The were full of smiles & touches & coos for each other.  It was very sweet.  We've already decided that Annie & Linus are getting married one day.  

Smiling babies.

Tired babes & mamas.

Jack & Lola

Jack had a serious crush on Lola & in this photo he is soaking wet, trying to get her all wet.

Summer Fun

We've gone to the Tower Grove wading pools a few times this summer & it's turned into one of our favorite places.  Extra bonus is that I don't have to wear a swimsuit...

Happy Father's Day John!

I am so thankful to have married a man that's not only a wonderful husband, but also a wonderful father.

Some questions I asked Jack this morning (ripped directly off my friend Melanie's blog...)

What's your favorite thing to do with daddy?  (I asked this several times & got different answers.)

-Playing Candyland.

-Playing Spiderman.

-Playing the racing game.

-Having piggyback rides.

What don't you like about daddy?

-When he hits me.  To which I replied- "Daddy doesn't hit you!"  and Jack said, "Sometimes he does when we play!"  Whew.

-When he does crazy faces & scares me.

What do you call daddy?

-Stinky head.

How does daddy make you happy?

-He hugs me & kisses me & tickles me & does his chores.

Photo Shoot!

Cookie cutter kiddos.