Crazy weekends and ordinary days

So the weather here suddenly turned GORGEOUS.  Two weekends ago I had Hannah bundled up under blankets and hats to watch baseball:

 

 and then this past weekend this happened:



Sundresses and bare feet.  Beautiful breezy warm days. Saturday my brother did some overdue work on my car, which is running much better.  Then I met up with mom for my friend Meagan's baby shower.  A lot of long time family friends were there and it was fun to introduce Hannah to them.    It was a Peter Rabbit theme and adorable.  Sunday my friend Becca's little boy had a birthday party and it was the perfect day to sit in a her backyard and visit.

I love to watch these two together.  Ryan is such a hands on dad.  Also, look at how long her fingers are.  It's freakish.  She has been uncharacteristically fussy in the evenings.  My mother in law suggested she could be teething since she is drooling like crazy and chewing on her hands.  Isaac got his teeth so late, it hadn't even been on my radar but I am thinking she could be right.  That gummy grin may have a tooth sticking out of it soon.  I hope it gives her a little relief.

 

My Aunt sent her a Minnie Mouse purse and she seems to like holding it.  Having a girl is so fun.

I know I have said it before but I will say it again:  I am so blessed with my two kids.   Isaac is such smart and funny kid and so sweet with his sister.  He posed for this picture and said "We are two peas in a pod mom!" 

Isaac is in full blown baseball mode now. 

 

He has played two games so far: one win and one loss.  He has been playing in the outfield or shortstop. I think Ryan enjoys watching his games and practices a little more than I do.  I still prefer to watch soccer over baseball but I am trying to keep it positive and of course he looks adorable in his uniform. 

Have a great week!

Finally Friday!

So I guess once a week is about as often as I am going to be able to update the blog.

 So one big change was my in-laws have sort of come on some hard times and have moved in with us for a few months while they prepare to move to Florida.  They have moved into what was Hannah's room and now Hannah is back in our bedroom which I am not too crazy about.  I have to admit, I was expecting things to be a lot harder than they have been.  They leave the house very early in the morning (like 5 am) and return home between 8-9 at night, so I haven't seen too much of them.

Isaac's football party went well.  The Sportsplex provided me with a high schooler to assist and he was great with the boys.  As much as I was dreading a birthday party, it was actually very easy and I know he had fun.  Isaac has been a such a trooper through the past few months that he deserved a party and some fun.

  He got several gift cards as well as some cash from the tooth fairy and he was so proud to go to the mall over the weekend and spend it.  We were having Hannah's picture taken at the Picture People so we let him go on his own to a few nearby stores.  Suddenly I have a child who is old enough to go to the mall.  Crazy!

He continues to be busy, busy, busy with sports and other commitments.  I just spent 30 minutes inputting all of his practices, games and tournaments into the calendar on my phone, so that I can keep on top of everything.   His soccer schedule was very easy with games and practices on set days and times.  Baseball is so sporadic, it is kind of making me crazy.  Plus when it rains they move practices to random indoor facilities at more than 10 bucks a pop.  It is worth is though because he seems to truly love baseball.  He has the biggest grin on his face during every practice.

We have filled up our entire huge trashcan with things we have gotten rid of, have several bags to go off to charity and I have sold quite a few things on a local yardsale site.  Ryan can be very sentimental about keeping things, so it is great that we are on the same page with decluttering the garage and basement.  It's nice to have some spaces cleared out.

Little Hannah Banana has had a nasty cold this week.  She has still been pretty pleasant all things considered but her sleeping routine has totally disintegrated.  She hasn't even wanted to eat much, which is how you know things aren't quite right.  She is still lucky enough to spend most of her weekdays with grandma.

3 Month Hannah Update

 Holy cow!  It's hard to believe Hannah is three months old.  On the one hand, it feels like time has flown by and she is growing up so fast.  But on the other hand, it is hard to remember a time before she joined our family. 

Our little Hannah Banana continues to be rather serious, and at the same time, quite sweet.  We found a great deal for The Picture People through Groupon, so we took her in over the weekend for some shots.  She was giggling and grinning the whole way there, but she would hardly crack a smile once she was in front of the camera.  She is also cooing and talking a lot more.  Sometimes in the morning she will lay in her crib making "ooh" and "ahh" sounds to herself.  It's adorable. 

 

She has started drooling like crazy and is going through 5-6 bibs a day. I finally gave up and got her some 6-12 month socks too. Although she is only 3 months, her 0-6 months socks keep popping off her big feet. She never misses a meal and has been growing like crazy.  I am not sure how much she weighs at this point, but some 3-6 months clothes are starting to be too small, especially one piece outfits.    She is definitely gaining more control over her hands and arms, and she will often shove a fist into her mouth.

 

We have moved her back into our room in the pack and play and that has sort of caused her to regress a bit in terms of sleep.  About half of the time she will get up one time a night and half of the time she will get up twice.  Ryan always tries to get me to do the first feeding, gambling that she won't end up waking up the for the second.  She also LOVES to sleep late.  Saturday it was almost ten o'clock when she woke up.  Her brother has always been an early riser, so it is a great change of pace. 

Daddy's mini-me

She likes:

• Reading books with Grandma.
• Riding in the Moby wrap.
• Looking at people.  The other day at Isaac's baseball practice she was staring so intently at the lady sitting next to me, it was hilarious.
• Short periods of time in the excersaucer.
• Watching her brother Isaac.

She dislikes:

• Too many trips in the carseat in a single day.
• Being flat on her back.
• Hiccups.
• Having lotion put on her.
• Sitting in a dirty diaper.  Isaac never seemed to mind as a baby, but she will fuss right away.  

We have loved watching you grow and change this month Banana!

Still alive... barely

I have survived my two weeks back at work. The long, cold days of hibernation during my maternity leave are officially over.  I am putting on real clothes, and packing a real lunch and going back to my real job.  And it's going all right.  Last week I was absolutely exhausted physically and emotionally overwhelmed.  Most of the days I got up with Hannah to feed her at 4 and then my mind started racing and I never fell back to sleep so by the time Friday rolled around I was in total zombie mode.  Thankfully I have gotten more sleep this week.  There were a few mishaps (a forgotten bus note for Isaac, misplaced car keys) but overall, things have been going fairly smoothly.  This week was definitely easier than last week, so hopefully that trend continues. 

The actual work part wasn't so bad-- my substitute was really good and stayed on top of everything very well, so it was an easy transition back in that sense.  So far things went well for Hannah staying with my mother and Ryan during the day also.  I miss her very much when I am away but I do feel good knowing that she is in great hands with my mom.  Bonus is my mom tends to bake cookies and other baked goods, which is always nice to come home to.

Ryan had an interview for a transfer to a store with his company that is much closer to home than the Center City location where he works now.  We are waiting to hear back.  I know he will miss the colorful characters of North Philly but it would be nice to have him spend more time at home and less time commuting.  

Isaac has been busy, busy busy.  He is playing Little League for the first time this spring and even though this is the soccer "off season", different soccer commitments keep popping up.  He ended up getting called to be a sub for a game in the winter league, since they were short a few players.  We brought Hannah along to cheer him on.

 

 Her first of (probably many) soccer games.  We declined an invitation to play in a travel league for spring since we are committed to baseball, but he is playing in a one day tournament, and he does have a few scrimmages.   He is still keeping up with Cub Scouts and viola and seems to have a lot of invitations for playdates, so he is always on the go.  He is having a football themed birthday party tomorrow, which should be really fun. 

 Last night he begged me to take him and Hannah to open swim at the YMCA. Ryan was working, so my initial reaction was "Ugh, not tonight" but I couldn't bring myself to say no without a good reason and so I agreed.  It took about 30 minutes for me to prep everything and get us out the door but it was actually relaxing and fun once we got there.  Hannah was unimpressed with the pool. Maybe because they only had large swim diapers and hers went about up to her armpits.

 

 She didn't fuss or cry but she didn't seem especially interested in splashing or water play.  We did watch Isaac go down the water slide over and over which was nostalgic.  When he was a toddler his favorite thing to do stand and to watch the big kids on the slide and now he is the big kid.  CRAZY.   He ended up having to retake his swim test and he passed with flying colors.  I really would like to get him back into swim lessons.  Maybe in the summer when we have more time.

 

 As usual, Isaac was super sweet with Hannah.  He pretended to be a shark and swam around her, gently splashed her and interacted with her.  Sometimes I am amazed at what fabulous kids I have been blessed with.  They really are the best.

Hannah continues to be the sweetest baby ever.  She is pretty reserved but she has a great smile she will flash, especially for Daddy.  She will look around the room for us and then grin when she spots us.

 

She is a pretty good sleeper and has had a few nights where she has only gotten up once, which has afforded me some longer stretches of heavenly sleep.  She also loves to sleep late (8:30 or 9:00) which is also a treat. Isaac used to be up for the day at 5 in the morning when he was that age. I always feel a bit sad when my alarm goes off at 6, knowing she will be sleeping for at least two more hours.  She is also my cuddle bug.  She is happiest in your arms, or in the Moby wrap and she will wiggle her body in to be closer and cuddlier.  She is starting to reach for things more and her movements seems more coordinated.

I am looking forward to a fun weekend.  I don't have much going on myself, besides shuttling Isaac to various commitments.  Happy spring!

no matter what they say

It's my last week of maternity leave.  I am in a bit of denial that next week I won't be spending the morning laying in bed watching Jimmy Fallon on the DVR and taking impromptu tandem naps with this pretty girl.  

I am linking up with Agi for her I am Beautiful link up where she has challenged us to post a make-up less picture.  My waistline may be a bit rounder, but that is from carrying this little girl under my heart for nine months.  I have bags under my eyes from the twice a night feedings.  My skin is ridiculously dry and that stubborn patch of excema by my eye has flared up again.  My outfits may be spit up stained but I am embracing life with my newborn and being kind to myself about my appearance at this point.  There is no reason I can't be on the other side of the camera once in a while and why I can't feel beautiful in this sleep deprived season of my life.

I am still not feeling my best (emotionally) about returning.  I did schedule my first haircut in over a year for Saturday (a nice trial run for Ryan to watch Hannah for the morning before they are on their own for two full days Monday and Tuesday).  I also bought a few looser fitting tops to help transition back to my work wardrobe.  It won't make up for my sadness at leaving Hannah for the day but at least I will be confident that I am looking my best.  

Happy Thursday!

call me julia

One of the things on my goal list was to take a cooking class with Ryan.  I signed us up for a French cooking class as a Christmas present but we waited until now because I was anxious about leaving the baby.  It actually worked out since it fell only a few days after our wedding anniversary so it was nice to have a real date.  The class was at Sur La Table in the Court at King of Prussia. All of the other participants were older women and of course they all loved Ryan.

We made a frisée salad with poached eggs and lardons which was salad of somewhat bitter greens with a hot bacon vinaigrette.  So basically bacon and eggs on a salad.  Neither Ryan nor I had ever poached an egg before.  The salad was amazing and really not hard at all to make.

The main dish was Coq au Vin which was basically chicken and vegetables cooked in a red wine sauce in a Dutch oven.  The side was Haricot Vert (French green beans) with grainy mustard sauce.  Both of these foods were AMAZING.  

We forgot to take a picture of dessert which was an apple clafouti.  It was sort of a cross between an apple crepe and an apple custard.  That was Ryan's favorite part of the meal and he is so not a dessert person.  I will definitely make the dessert again.

It was a fun date night and a chance to try some foods we might not have tried before.  

Old Ladies

I stopped at Wegman's to buy a few essentials to get us through the latest storm.  As I am pushing the cart around a tiny old lady with hot pink lipstick spotted the infant carrier in the cart and exclaims, "Oh! A baby!  Can I see her?"

I agreed and proudly angled the cart so that she had a view of this sweet face. 

"How old?" she asks as I swing the cart.

"Two months."

"Look at those eyes.  She can really see."

"Yes, she can."

The woman really peers at Hannah and then says, "This is your baby?"

"Uh, yes."

"Her dad must be really dark then."

Sigh.  "Yes, she is biracial."

"Well, it's probably better for her to have a variety of genes."

??? Isaac and I have such different complextions I am used to people beig confused or making comments but this exchange was just bizarre.