Memorial Day Weekend Photo Bomb

I hope everyone had a fantastic Memorial Day weekend. We did a lot of relaxing, grilling, and enjoying extra time with Daddy. We had a busy start to the kickoff of summer.

Emma went to Lowe's on Saturday with her Aunt Tonia and Aunt Kimi. They have a Build and Grow program that lets kids build wooden projects that they get to take home. They even get a little apron and a cool little patch to show which workshops they have completed. So cute! For this workshop, Emma made a little plane. She is so proud of that plane, as she should be; she did a great job on it!

Enjoying some snuggles with her Auntie.

Sophia has quickly tired of tummy time, the Bumbo, and all of her other "baby" toys. She's been ready to move on to bigger and better things for quite some time now. All she wants to do is stand, so we decided to pull out the jumperoo. Emma wasn't very fond of this at first and her feet couldn't quite touch the ground at four months, but Sophia has loved it so far. She can touch really well and even bends her legs up and down really quickly. Her favorite feature is the light-up keyboard.

Taking a closer look at the keyboard.

On Saturday evening, we headed over to Mimi and Papa's house for a yummy dinner. My in-laws have a fantastic covered porch complete with comfy seats and ceiling fans. The kids love it outside and it's so nice to enjoy the outdoors without being at the mercy of hell on Earth (aka summer in the South).

Since we were all dressed in our patriotic colors, I thought I'd attempt a family picture. Out of about 65 pictures, this is the best we got. I have big dreams of the day when all four of us are looking and smiling (normally) at the camera.

Sunday was hot, hot, HOT! Emma and I spent some time outside. She played in the sprinklers and with her water table while I read and laid out. While I took my turn cooling off in the sprinklers, I found this little bathing beauty had invaded my spot:

This is our last "relaxing" week of the summer. Next week we start Kindermusik and Little Gym and swimming will start back up. I also start my inservice classes soon and that will take up a good chunk of my time. Busy, busy, busy!

Memorial Day

Today we pray for all the men and women who bravely fought and lost their lives protecting our freedom. To those that continue to serve our country each day; your sacrifices are immeasurable and even though it doesn't seem like enough, thank you.

Peek-a-Boo

One of Sophia's favorite games is Peek-a-Boo. Her favorite way to play is to lie on her back and have us move our heads to disappear and then reappear. She loves it and laughs like crazy. So of course we do it a lot so that we can hear her sweet little giggle. I'll let you play along from my perspective. ;)

Little Gym Graduation

Yesterday was Emma's Little Gym graduation. She LOVES going to Little Gym and looks forward to it every week. She's made great friends there and she has learned so much. We're so proud of her!

Reading while she waits for class to start.

Prior to this picture, she had attempted this same thing but slipped and fell face first into the beam. She cried for about 3 seconds, got right back on and gave an adamant "NO!" when I asked her if she wanted help. What a trooper!

She decided that she needed a break!

Five Question Friday 5/20/11

Whoo hoo, it's Friday! Even though I am not currently working, I still look forward to the weekend. The hubs is home, swimming lessons, hanging out...and it looks like it's going to be a beautiful weekend. I'm really looking forward to getting the kids out of the house. They've been cooped up like wild animals (and have acted liked it too) with all the drizzle and cold temps we've had around here lately.

I'm not complaining though, Mother Nature. Please don't throw summer at us with a vengeance. I loathe summer in the South.

A quick Sophia update: She must feel bad for the three hours of sleep she gave us the other night because she apologized big time. She's been sleeping for over ten hours as of now. Apology accepted sweetie.

I'm linking up with Mama M. today for Five Question Friday. If you want to join in on the fun, head on over and link up too.

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1. Do you and your spouse go to bed at the same time?

Sadly, no. We used to, but now with a newborn in the house, we are like ships passing in the night. Ships that are running low on steam.

2. A question for the ladies...What kind of facial hair do you like on your man?

Just a little bit, and I like it neat and trimmed. However, when Andy doesn't shave for a couple of days, I like it too...until he kisses me. Ouch!

3. What's the worst vacation you've ever taken?

That's a toughie. I would have to say our last trip which was to Baltimore. I hate saying that, because it was such a great place and we could have had a lot of fun. But it was our first trip away from Emma. We were 10 hours away, I was pregnant (a.k.a. an emotional wreck), and we just couldn't seem to get our minds off of how much we missed her and wanted to be home.

Now? With two kids? No breaks, haven't enjoyed a hot meal with my hubby since February? Bring it.

4. What's the first-ever blog you followed?

Pioneer Woman. Oh how I love thee, Ree. If you have lived under a rock and don't know who she is, please do yourself a favor and check her out. She's in my blog roll. I'm proud to say that I have been a follower of Ree since the beginning. Like when you could comment on a post and have a chance of being the first one.

5. Do you enjoy amusement parks?

Yes? I used to, but I haven't gone as a mom. Not sure if I will still feel that way. However, when the kids are a little older, it is Disney World here we come!

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And because they're cute and because I can, here's a picture of my babes. Have a great weekend everyone!

Back to the Doctor

I haven't blogged about Sophia's reflux in a long time because she has been doing so wonderfully. She's been sleeping and eating well, her flare-ups were few and far between, and very mild. Unfortunately, she took a turn for the worse on Sunday.

Sunday made us feel like we took two steps backward and were right back where we started. Worse, actually, because we saw how well she was doing and how happy she could be. She was back to constant arching, choking, shrieking in pain, and not sleeping.

Monday and Tuesday were more of the same and we knew it wasn't just a major flare-up. We made an appointment with a pediatric GI doctor and hoped that they could help us.

We took Sophia to Children's Hospital this afternoon and it looks like we're changing things up again. The doctor would like for us to change formulas (again) to a soy formula, add a Mylanta type of medication to help coat her stomach after meals, and eliminate rice cereal for thickening. If that doesn't work, he's going to increase her Prevacid dosage. She's scheduled for an x-ray and blood work next week to check for any physical problems. I would hate for her to have some sort of "abnormality" because surgery would be the only solution. On the other hand, it would fix the problem.

She was just as sweet as she could be at the doctor's office. She couldn't have been any better. She didn't fuss on the way there, she doled out smiles to the entire staff, and was as good as gold during the 2 1/2 hour visit. She REALLY loved the exam table paper. When we laid her on it and she found out that it made noise, she kicked, flailed, squirmed, and did everything else she could to make it crinkle. She sure knows how to keep herself entertained! She weighed 12 pounds 5 ounces and was 23 inches long. She is getting so big!

While we were at the hospital, we saw so many sweet children and their families fighting battles that I couldn't even imagine. God humbled me to let me know how truly blessed I am. Yes, Sophia's reflux is difficult at times and we often feel at our wit's end. However, we know it could be much, much worse. I am so thankful that my girls are happy, healthy, and that I am able to tuck them into their own beds each night.

Rolling and Baths

Sophia is so cute to watch when she does tummy time. She is so strong and pushes herself up all the way so that her chest is up off the ground and likes to hang out like that for a while. Lately, she's been turning herself completely around on her mat (or blanket). She especially likes to do this at night. We'll put her to sleep facing the video monitor and we will wake up with a perfect view of the back of her head.

She's also started rolling again. She first rolled when she was just two weeks old, but that was just a happy accident. Now, she does it on purpose when she's decided that she's had enough tummy time. I haven't been able to capture it on video, but I did get a series of action shots from start to finish.

Tada!

Emma has been in "do it myself" mode for quite a while now, and each day she adds something else to her ever growing list of independently accomplished tasks. Last night it was giving herself a bath. She did a pretty good job, and she sure was proud of herself.

Emma has plenty of her own towels, but she spied her sister's and just had to have it. This is the look she gave me when I asked her if she took her sister's towel. Stinker. ♥

Playing Catch-up

I can't believe that it's been over a week since I last posted. I wish I could say that we've been on a fantastic vacation and I've been relaxing by the beach, but sadly, that's not the case.

We've been here, at home, just doing our thing. Sophia has been awake for longer stretches during the day now, and Emma is currently in the process of giving up her nap (much to my dismay), so blogging time doesn't come easily.

So what have we been up to?

I'm not a big fan of sandboxes, and we don't have any beach vacations planned for any time soon (Honey? Are you listening?), but I wanted Emma to get a chance to experience the fun of digging around in the sand without worrying about what is in the sand (I have a mild case of germaphobia). I got this great idea to make a Sensory Box, which introduces kids to various environments. I did a beach box. Emma loved searching for buried sea creatures, plants, and other beach themed objects.

Even Sophia got in on the action.

This sweet little lady had her first, real night of sleeping through the night. We've been hitting 5-6 hour stretches, but last week, she went 10 1/2 hours. That's right. It hasn't been consistent since then, but whoa, was it awesome. Of course, I didn't really take advantage of it. I shot up out of bed in a panic when she didn't wake up at her usual 3:45 feeding. For the next five hours, I popped in and out of her room to make sure she was still breathing. Sigh. The life of a paranoid mom.

When she's awake, she is AWAKE. She is so active and alert. Her favorite hobby is to watch her big sis run around, singing and dancing like a lunatic. I can see in her eyes that she can't wait to join in. I love when her eyes get big like this, and she's intently checking something out because she's the spitting image of her daddy.


Emma's great-Aunt Margie gave her a water/sand table for her birthday. We filled it up with water to try to beat the heat. We had a few days in the 90's last week, so we broke out some of Emma's summertime toys for a test run. She liked it just a "little" bit (please note the sarcasm). I don't think she could have had more fun.


I also set up this sprinkler attachment that Emma received as an Easter gift from her aunties. She was a little afraid of it at first, but pretty soon she was having a ball running through it.

I love this kid!
p.s. She took a GREAT nap that afternoon!

Our best buddies came over for our monthly play date night and we had a great time, as usual. Sophia was so good, and showed her godparents that she can do more than scream. Here she is getting snuggles from "The Godfather."

We attempted a group picture of the kids, and well, this is the best we got.

Are they smiling? Nope.

Are they all looking at the camera? Nope.

Are they cute as can be? Yup.

I love these little munchkins.