Weeks 3 to 4

Other titles for this week could have included: "Pink Eye times 2!" or "Reality Sets In (and sometimes bites)" or even "I Love/Hate Eye Drops"...

We started the pink eye adventure last Thursday (July 30). Aunt Carrie came over to play and after lunch we realized Megan's eyes were looking goopier and goopier and pinker and pinker so we headed to the doctor (thanks Carrie for coming with us!). We got eye drops started and started washing our hands like crazy to protect Brooke. Unfortunately, she got goopy eyes on Saturday and also started drops. So that's 2 girls times 1 drop per eye 3 times a day--that equals 12 drops and at least 3 toddler tantrums.

Thus infected, we decided that this was NOT the Sunday to return to church. So we spent a quiet day at home. Dan and I read through a lesson together, we listened to the Mormon Channel online, and drove to the temple in the afternoon. Megan enjoyed walking around and pointing and saying "Ten-to". (and not looking at the camera)


Monday morning, Megan's eyes (which had looked better) started to look worse and by Tuesday were really bad again. So back to the dr we went and came home with a new super strong antibiotic which seems to be doing the trick. Brooke's eyes are fine on her first prescription so that's a relief (and Dan and I have avoided it too).

So, this week I've been getting out more. (grocery store, doctor's appt, pharmacy, michael's, hobby lobby, and the library) This has been good and bad. It's nice to get out of the house. But I'm also learning that it's nice to just be home sometimes too!

I've decided that adjusting from 1 to 2 has been a much more challenging adjustment for me than going from 0 to 1. Or maybe I just don't remember the challenges and in a year I will say this was no big deal either :). Let's just say I've been VERY ready for Dan to get home every day this week. And my daily prayers now include that I will be patient and soft-spoken (but not a pushover) with our sweet, head-strong 21 month old (who is still adorable by the way, just exasperating sometimes).

The low point of the week was getting Megan to leave the child-size chair in the computer area at the library so we could go home yesterday. We're talking a full on yelling, kicking, going-limp-so-you-can't-carry-her toddler tantrum that started at the computer area and continued in the entryway, 100 degree parking lot, and car. All of that was with the diaper bag, library book bag, and Brooke in her carseat on my "free" arm. Megan wouldn't even get in her carseat. After 5 minutes of her screaming on the floor of the car I bodily folded her into it and buckled it. She continued screaming for the next 10 minutes but was ok by the time we got home. I on the other hand had about had it and called in tears to tell Dan that the book we'd gone to pick up for him had better be the best book he'd ever read in his life because anything less than that was NOT worth it. For some reason, he decided that he could work from home today and even suggested I go out to lunch without the kids :). I can't imagine why.

This means that today has been the high point of the week! Even though Dan is working, it's just nice to have another body around when you're battling a toddler. And there have been very few battles today! Yay! We've had a lot of playing and dancing and singing and taking care of Brooke and Megan's dolls. And instead of going out to lunch while Dan took his lunch break, I went to WalMart all by myself and reveled in the joy that comes from parking and just walking in without maneuvering carseats and toddler shoes and a diaper bag. I could have been in and out in 10 minutes if I'd needed to, but instead I just meandered slowly and enjoyed the alone time. It was wonderful. And currently--both girls are asleep for the 2nd time today! I took a nap the first time and now I can blog! What a fantastic day.

By the way, Brooke is getting strong. She loves tummy time and can hold her head up for a long time! We can't believe she's almost 4 weeks old! She continues to be an easy going girl and a great sleeper. She only cries when she's hungry or poopy. We just love her.


Here's our photoshoot from after lunch (matching outfits courtesy of Stephanie). It starts out a little shaky.


Then we get some good ones.


They are just so cute.


And, obviously Megan's done and trying to shove Brooke off her lap (and the couch). Hence the blur as I quickly reach in and save Brooke.


This is the end of this long rant/post. I feel better already. Hopefully you enjoy the pictures if not the whining :)

Some favorites

Here are some of my favorite pictures so far:









Oh, we just love these girls!

For the fam...

I've had more than one request for MORE PICTURES in the past few days. So, for our family that live away, here's a bunch of pictures. These are just from our camera. I'll do another slide show when I get the pics off my parents' cameras. Enjoy!

Sisters

Yup, we're pretty sure Megan and Brooke are related. But they do have little differences too! (you can tell that Brooke fills out that little outfit better than our teeny Megan did).

Brooke (2 days old)

 

Megan (4 days old)

 

First Week

I can't believe Brooke is already a week old. And yet it already seems hard to remember what life was like without her! Here are some pictures from this week from our camera. When I eventually get the ones off my parents' camera, I'll put up a slide show or something.


Megan's excitement over this new baby in the house has continued--she still gets pretty excited when she comes downstairs in the morning and baby Brooke is still here. Megan is learning to be soft and gives the sweetest hugs and kisses to her sister. She is always trying to help take care of her and loves to point out Brooke's features (nose, ears, eyes, etc.).


Brooke is a fantastic baby so far. Other than a rough first night home, she's been a good eater and even better sleeper. The past 4 nights she's been eating at 10 pm and not again til 3 am and then not again til 7:30 am or so. Getting up once a night is totally do-able and I am appreciative!





We had a really enjoyable first week as a family of four. Dan got to take the whole week off and I was so spoiled! My mom came over last Wednesday (our first day home) after keeping Megan one more night so we could have our first night home with just Brooke. Mom made us lunch, dinner, cookies, and let us both get naps! Our ward brought dinners the other nights of the week and Dan was wonderful to get up every day with Megan and let me sleep in--it was nice.



I enjoyed my quiet Sunday morning while Dan and Megan were at church. My Houston family came for dinner on Sunday (except my Dad). My sister-in-law Amy brought the yummy food and it was fun to have visitors.


Yesterday, Dan worked from home so I had one more day of extra hands around. It was nice to be able to go to the grocery store one more time with just one kid (I left Brooke napping with Dan).



Today was my first day all alone with two kids! It went pretty well. Megan didn't nap but that's usual :). Other than going through pool withdrawal, I'm feeling great and was able to get a nap in. We still have meals coming in and it is so nice to not worry about making dinner. We'll see how things go next week when reality really sets in!

Who does Brooke look like?

Brooke


Megan


I think she looks like my hospital picture but Brooke has more hair. Dan said a lot of his coworkers think she looks like him. What do you think?

Welcome Little One!

We just wanted to introduce our new baby girl! More pics will come later, but here are a few for now.
Name: Brooke (no middle name)
Born: July 13, 2009 at 3:17 pm (yay for afternoon babies!)
Weight: 7 lbs, 12 oz (almost a full pound more than Megan)
Length: 19 1/2 inches (an inch longer than Megan)





Here is a "before" comparison--

With Megan at 39 4/7 weeks


And with Brooke yesterday at 39 3/7


I woke up with contractions Sunday night (Monday morning really) around 2:30 am. We got to the hospital at 8:30 am and everything went great! Little Brooke was born just under 7 hours later. Megan got to come meet baby Brooke around 7 pm last night and her first reaction was pretty cute--she lunged to try to touch the teeny baby! I'm feeling good and we'll probably go home tonight after dinner (the food is good, but getting woken up by both a new baby and nurses/techs/etc every hour is not as fun). We hope everyone is having a great week!

July 4th

We just wanted to say a quick "Happy Independence Day!". We've had a nice, relaxing holiday. We skipped the neighborhood parade (it was just too hot) but had some neighbors over for a little afternoon barbecue and games.
Megan looked pretty cute in her patriotic getup. And as you can see, it's hard to get a good picture of a 20 month old when someone's not holding her down :). By the way, this is me at 38 1/7 weeks. I am finally feeling mentally ready for this new little girl to come. All that's left is to wait! Nothing is happening yet on that front, but we'll keep you posted.
Enjoy your holiday weekend!

Counting! (kind of)

Megan has recently learned to count. Or at least has learned how to say two, five, and ten. We think it's pretty cute, but you can decide for yourself.

Wake Up Call!

What an interesting morning I've had today. I don't sleep nearly as well when Dan is out of town, but after today, I don't know if I'll ever sleep well again (whether he's here or not!). Unlike Megan who (as you can see) sleeps like a rock. *this picture was after swimming on Saturday


At 4:10 this morning I was ripped out of a deep sleep to the SMOKE ALARM GOING OFF!! Talk about a heart attack and a half. I jump out of bed, my mind racing when it stops. Then I am just confused--did I dream it? but it was loud! was it the house alarm? Nope, still armed. I throw on my robe and flip on the light in my room--no smoke. Run into the main room--no smoke. But it starts to beep AGAIN!!

Now I sprint upstairs. No smoke in the game room, I open Megan's door (she is sleeping through the alarms)--no smoke. And our smoke alarms are all connected so if one goes off they all do and they speak to you--so I am hearing the comforting words "Fire, fire" during all my panicked running around. The beeping stops.

Now I'm torn. What on earth is going on? I can't see any fire. Megan is safe. I'm not leaving her upstairs--what if there is a fire but I just haven't found it yet. So I scoop her out of bed. The beeping starts and stops again.

I grab my cell phone, purse, keys, and shoes. I walk around the whole house and check every room--no sign of smoke or smoldering or fire in any way (thank goodness). Megan is in and out of sleep on my shoulder.

I'm feeling ok at this point--I can definitely get safely to all the doors or out our bedroom window if I needed to. I decide to put on clothes just in case. By this time it's 4:25. Megan is laying on our bed staring at me like I'm a crazy.

I decide that if it goes off again, I'm driving to my parents' house. I turn out the lights in the hopes that Megan will quickly fall back to sleep in my bed. I lay down next to her (my heart is still racing--at least the fight/flight response doesn't cause labor). She drifts off at 5:30. I was in and out of sleep but the alarm doesn't sound again.

Since it's been 4 hours now and the house is still standing, I'm feeling pretty confident that it's not on fire. I noticed that the "test" button was blinking on the smoke alarm in my room so I tested it this morning and the light isn't blinking now. Was that it? Was it testing itself? But why would it do that? And why couldn't it test itself at 4 in the afternoon when Dan is in town?

Sigh. Hopefully I'll get a nap today--that was pretty much the most terrifying experience of my life. And I'm calling the builder's warranty people to help me troubleshoot the problem--because I sure don't want it to happen again tonight :)

35 weeks already?

I can hardly believe I'm due in 5 weeks. It really just doesn't seem possible! I'm finally starting to get the itch to get things ready for new baby. My mom is going to come over and help me go through my 0-3 month clothes and get them organized and all.

I want to get some other projects done too. We got 4 more blinds yesterday and need to get those hung (we've only got 1 more window after those!!); I want to get the twin size bed set up in Megan's room.

Other than that, we've been thoroughly enjoying our summer! Megan and I go to the pool almost everyday and she is so much more comfortable in the water. It helps that the water temperature is almost 90. She doesn't even cry when I put her face in and let go of her for a swim--she usually comes up grinning. It's so cute. Here's some pictures from the last week--enjoy!

Megan and Daddy


34 5/7 weeks... (notice that Megan and I are twins)


Cute girl last Sunday

Piggies? or Antennae?

What do you think? Pigtails or Antennae?
I'm torn. But Megan's pretty cute either way.

Summer Lovin'

The school district in our neighborhood had its last day of school yesterday...which means that today was the first weekday our neighborhood pool was open!!!
No morning nap + 1 1/2 hour at the pool = the longest nap Megan's taken in a week and a half!!
Yessssss.
We ran into lots of friends there and had a great time. And I'm having a great afternoon because while Megan napped, I was able to get stuff done, read a little, and take my own quick nap.
Ahh, I love summertime. I think we've found our new routine for the next 6 weeks.