2 Months Old!

Our little Eli is two months old (actually he'll be two and a half months tomorrow)! Really though it just seems like he has been a part of our family forever. I love how God does that! Well, our Eli is doing great! He is actually a very easy, mellow baby. He loves to snuggle and be held. And thankfully he is starting to enjoy more time on his own (in his bouncy chair, or on a blanket on the floor)- previous to this he NEVER wanted to be put down! He loves to be talked to and in response will flash you the best little smile ever! He is starting to make a lot of adorable little noises- I call them "coos" but Joe says that they are little "roars" (apparently this is more manly)!:) He is fascinated by ceiling fans, bright light through the windows, and the fire in the wood stove. At two months he weighed 12.8lbs. He's in the 75th percentile for weight (gotta love that chubby little face), 50th percentile for height, and 25th percentile for head circumference (apparently he didn't inherit his head size from my side of the family)! Everyone comments how strong he is and they are right- he holds his head up very strongly, loves to stand on your lap, and has a great little grip. Sometimes it almost seems like he's going to sit up on his own! Our strong little man. He is also a good little sleeper. At night he usually sleeps from 4-7 hours straight, wakes up to eat, then goes back to sleep for 2-4 more hours! Of course I am looking forward to when he starts sleeping straight through the night, but for now this is pretty good! He's still a big eater- eating pretty much every 2 hours during the day (still)! He does usually do one stretch during the day that is longer (3-4 hours)- so that's really nice. We are so enjoying our strong, sweet, cuddly little baby Eli!

Piggy Bank Bounty

Gotta love the little Elvis lip!

Lily's piggy banks were getting pretty full! After two and a half years of us, my parents, and other family and visitors giving Lily change to put in her piggy banks it was time to empty their bellies! Lily really enjoyed shaking the change out all over the living room floor! I then taught her the names of each of the coins and we began seperating each kind into their own pile. Lily thought this part was fun for about five or ten minutes before she lost interest and I ended up doing the rest on my own. We did this because the last time we had change we found out that our credit union requires that the change be seperated and rolled. Joe didn't tell me until later that they now have a coin counter machine. Oh well! Lily and I also talked about the different things she could do with her money- including save it for college someday, save it for something that she really wants, give it to God (through the church), or give it to others who are in need. Then a few days later the four of us headed down to our local credit union and Lily got to dump all of her change into the coin counter. Our little lady has saved around $130!! We planned to open a savings account for her that day- but didn't realize that we would need her social security card- so that will have to wait until the next time! Overall it was a fun little learning experience. Although I'm sure she still doesn't understand very much of it she did say all on her own this morning, as we were getting ready for church, that she could give some of her money to God. In a hectic morning I couldn't help but stop and smile and be proud of my little girl.

A day in the life...

So I thought it might be interesting to give a glimpse of what one of our days looks like. So, here is a day in the life of me...

Thursday:

4a.m.- Wake up to feed Eli

4:30a.m.- Finish feeding the baby and both of us drift peacefully back to sleep

5:55a.m.- Lily trots on downstairs, peeks in my bed, and wakes me up. It's very early, but this is one of Joe's gym mornings so my day starts early. I force myself out of bed. Turn on the Curious George video for Lily (yes, we often let her watch videos or cartoons in the morning- what can I say- I'm not a morning person). I lay back down on the couch for a half an hour while Lily watches George.

6:30a.m.- I decide to get off the couch even though I would prefere to lay there for a few more hours!:) Take a shower and get ready for the day (but put my pajamas back on because Eli is asleep in my bedroom and I don't want to risk waking him to get my clothes). Have a brief conversation with Lily about toast in the middle of drying my hair. Go to the basement and turn the dryer back on because the clothes didn't get completely dried. Fix breakfast for me and Lily. Joe gets home from the gym and the 3 of us have breakfast together. Lily talks about what she wants to be for Halloween (aparently it's a ghost or a bunny- she wants me to be a Cheerio)! Clean up from breakfast.

7:30a.m.- Baby wakes up. I feed the baby (while watching the Today Show- Joe and Lily play upstairs). Dress the baby. Then I get dressed and have a small emotional break down because I can't find clothes that fit. I find a sweater that I don't really love- but at least it fits. I feel sorry for myself for a minute or two, strap on the pedometer, and look at my beautiful baby and decide it's all worth it (and that I'm going to the gym tomorrow).

8:45a.m.- Put Eli down for a nap. Start writing this blog post (because I'll never remember all of this at the end of the day). Put Eli's pacifier back in about 5 times. Watch Lily color and remind her to put the caps back on her markers. Baby falls alseep. Get Lily dressed. Pick up Lily's room. Play with Lily (we play kitchen, Bee Bop Band, and ballerina). Get roast out for dinner.

9:50a.m.- Eli wakes up and I feed him. While feeding the baby we have "God Time"- I read to both of them from the toddler Bible and we talk about how God created everything. Lily plays with stickers while I finish feeding the baby. She finds a halloween sticker and I try to explain the difference between a "mommy" and a "mummy."

10:20a.m.- Get the kids ready for the library. When we start driving a song I like by the "Black Eyed Peas" comes on the radio. Lily is upset and wants her music. We have a conversation about taking turns.

10:30a.m.- Toddler Time at the library- singing, dancing, stories and coloring. Afterwards we pick out some books. Mrs Cindy, the children's librarian, reads to Lily while I pick out a few magazines for myself and check out. Eli falls asleep.

11:45a.m.- Back home. I make lunch and put a roast and veggies in the crock pot for dinner. Eli wakes up. Lily and I have lunch while I'm holding Eli. I feed Eli while Lily looks at the librry books. Update this post. Quickly check my email.

1:00p.m.- Eli falls back asleep (I kiss him a few times because he has the most adorable chubby cheeks ever). I put Lily down for her nap (I give her a big hug because she gives the best squeezes ever). I clean up the lunch mess. Now that both kids are "napping" I have a little time to myself. I watch a little television, eat some crackers with cheese spread, and finish my blog post on sledding. This only lasts about 20 minutes- Eli wakes up. We sing and read a book. He gets a little fussy so we walk around the house- picking up the living room a bit along the way.

2:15p.m.- I feed the baby. I talk with my friend Laura for a few minutes on the phone. Normally this afternoon we would be with a few of our friends for our weekly prayer group/playdate- but Lily is still napping so we don't make it this afternoon-bummer.

3:00p.m.- I give Eli a bottle to suplement his feeding. Change a very messy diaper. Give Eli some tummy time. It's snowing outside.

3:30p.m.- Eli goes down for a nap. I finish picking up the living room and start cleaning the bathroom (it's been a while and we have friends coming on Saturday). Lily wakes up half way through cleaning the bathroom, but Joe comes home from work 5 minutes later. I finish the bathroom and reward myself with a giant mug of hot cocoa while I glance over one of the magazines I got from the library.

4:30p.m.- Eli wakes up. I feed the baby. We eat dinner together as a family. I put Eli down for a nap. I take the dog out for a walk. I don't normally walk the dog but I need the exercise and fresh air. It's actually quite beautiful walking in the lightly falling snow. Come back home. Hold the flashlight on Lily (as a spotlight) as she dances in the living room. Help Lily pick up her room. Eli wakes up. I walk around with him and pick up the living room (trying to hold off his next feeding for a bit longer).

7:00p.m.- Feed the baby. Update this post. Read some of my friend's blogs. I was going to finally learn how to use the video camera my parents bought us, but only got a far as finding the directions. Lay down on the couch for a few minutes. Eat some more cheese and crackers. Get enough energy to switch the laundry and put in a new load (but not enough energy to fold the laundry). Trade backrubs with Joe while we watch The Office (but it's a rerun so somehow I end up watching the militry channel). Fall asleep on the couch for half an hour.

10:15p.m.- Try to feed the baby- he can't stay awake long enough to eat very long.

10:30p.m.- Lights out for me...I'm exhausted!

P.S.- Even though I was pretty specific I didn't include everything that happened during the day- there were many more conversations (like Lily wondering if carrotts and birds go to the bathroom), moments of discipline, snacks, bathroom breaks, diaper changes, sighs, and laughs. I thought this would be fun to do and I was right. Not only did it help me to be really intentional with my day, but it also was a real encouragement for me to look back and see how much I really accomplished during the day!

Sledding With Friends

A week and a half ago (yes, I am a little behind) we spent a WONDERFUL morning sledding with our good friends and their kids! It was a perfect day for sledding and we had a blast! Lily just absolutly loved it- which was great because last year she only liked sledding in our backyard (the bigger hills seemed to make her upset- too much snow flying in her face). This year though she was loving it! We all took turns sledding, Joe raced his friend Brave, I took pictures, Eli slept the whole time in the car, the kids played, Indy (our dog) chased each of us as we went down the hill, Jennifer and I talked, and then we had a great lunch at our friend's house (were Eli finally awoke from his slumber). What a wonderfully lovely and fun day off!

Sneaky Eyes

Giving each other the "Sneaky Eyes"

Old McDonalds

Today Lily asked if we could go to "Old McDonalds" for lunch!:)

Have I mentioned lately that I adore this little girl?

While I Was Cleaning...

Last week Eli was taking a nap and I was quickly trying to clean up Lily's room. While I was doing this Lily was in the bathroom (right next to her room) pretending to give ONE of her stuffed animals a bath. A few minutes later I came into the bathroom to find what you see above! Somehow, without my noticing, she managed to bring every one of her stuffed animals into the bathtub! Hey, I was just relieved that she was still pretending to give them a bath- I'm sure we were mere minutes away from having them all covered in shampoo and soap!:)

Normal

Since Eli's birth I've been doing my best to keep things as "normal" as possible for Lily. In reality we are all experiencing a new normal. Lily's "new" involves being a big sister, not getting all of mom and dad's attention, etc... Our new normal involves learning how to be the best parents we can to two little ones and readjusting to having an infant in the house again. We are all experiencing changes... but it's all worth it!

Regardless I am trying to keep things somewhat normal for our little girl. We still do crafts and projects and baking from time to time. And although I can't hold her stuffed animals and make them talk as often as I used to I still try!:) And we are doing our best to get out and do some of our normal things- like my mom's prayer group, library time, and ocassional play dates! We even started a new weekly art class called "Clay Play" at the Children's Discovery Museum!

And Joe is doing a fantastic job taking care of Lily in the morning and evening and playing with her a ton! They have really been enjoying times together at the YMCA pool- apparently Lily is getting very close to learning to swim!

So yeah- life goes on with a new normal. Enjoy these pictures of one of our little projects. Lily and I made these paper crowns a little bit before Christmas. Lily had such a great time decorating them- even making one for her Pinky Bear! Life goes on...

Little Brown Bear

A 7 week old little brown bear

I'm not sure it gets much cuter than this...then again I am fairly biased!:)

Thanks Tessa for the adorable outfit!

Snow Pops

Above: Enjoying the Snow Pops!

Below: Snow Pops out in the snow in our backyard!

A few weeks ago Lily, Nonnie and I made these incredible Snow Pops! I got the idea from another mom's blog and she said it was simple (and they are so fun looking) so I thought we would give it a try. They are pieces of chopped up chocolate cake mixed with homemade cream cheese frosting- rolled into a ball- and then dipped in colored white chocolate. Delicious? Yes indeed! Easy? Not so much. There were lots of steps, but more than that they didn't hold up well when they were being dipped in the chocolate. We had a lot of them fall apart. Thankfully they were just as tasty even when they were laying in a heap of cake ball and white chocolate. We did sucessfully dip a bunch of them, but in the end I said that this wasn't a dessert I would ever do again- it was just too much work. But then I realized what a fun treat it was for Lily (she seems to really like food that she can eat off a stick)- and they were the perfect sized little treat, so... maybe we'll try then again when I have more time on my hands...we'll see!

Power Outage

Heavy Snow

Sledding down the porch stairs!

A little tumble off the sled!:)

Joe and G-Pa taking turns pushing Lily in her sled

We don't loose power very often in our little town and when we do it's not out for very long. In fact I think the longest it's ever been out (since we lived here) was two hours...until just a couple of days after Christmas. We got a good, heavy snow and the power went out around 2a.m. (I know this because I had just finished nursing Eli and wasn't back asleep yet). I heard two pops outside- and my father who was sleeping upstairs also heard the pops and saw a flash. Then the power was out...and stayed out until lunch time. Thankfully we have a wood stove that Joe faithfully kept burning and our house was fairly warm. Joe also brough up his ice fishing heater that helped keep our living room (and baby) nice and toasty (relativly)! Joe, Dad, and I took advantage of the snow and spent part of the morning playing outside and pushing Lily around in her wonderful sled! It really was sort of a cozy morning- but we were happy when the power came back on just in time for lunch!

Christmas Family Picture

I really wanted to get a family picture of the four of us this year in front of the Christmas tree. Well, okay, I probably want this every year...but it seemed even more important this year since it's Eli's first Christmas. I planned on having my mom take it before we left for church on Christmas Eve. But...we ran out of time. So then I thought we would take it on Christmas day right before we left for Joe's family's house. But...we ran out of time. Then I thought I would dress the kids back up in their Christmas clothes the Monday after Christmas to take it. But...there was a snow storm and we lost power for about 9 hours that morning (so we couldn't take showers). The day after that Joe wanted to take the Christmas tree down so I finally gave up and we took this impromptu picture. We were NOT in our beautiful Christmas clothes (in fact the kids, as you can see, are still in their pajamas), obviously Eli was not very happy, and Lily didn't really want to sit down. But...I got the picture. It's not what I was hoping for...but there's always next year!:)

Budding Artist

It seems we have a little budding artist on our hands! Lily got this great easel from my parents for Christmas and she LOVES it! It has a chalkboard on one side and a dry erase board on the other- but Lily's favorite thing right now might just be the giant roll of paper! Right now it is in our mudroom (because we don't really care if she gets paint or markers on that carpet) and she is in there playing with it every single day. She has little tins of crayons, markers, colored pencils and chalk most of which she can do on her own (although she is still learning the importance of putting the caps back on the markers)!:) At this point one of us has to be around if she wants to do paints (otherwise we might have a very colorful mudroom)! I love seeing her be so creative!

Sledding and Dancing!

After opening Santa presents and stockings on Christmas morning we enjoyed some yummy homemade cinnamon rolls, got ready, and headed to Joe's parent's house to celebrate with all of Joe's family. This was also Eli's first long(ish) car ride-2 hours. He did wonderfully! Or so I heard. We had to take our vehicle in addition to my parents rental because we couldn't quite fit all of us, our luggage, and the dog in one. Joe decided that I needed a break so I drove our car all by myself (well, I did have the dog). I played the Christmas music loud, sang along, and ate an entire bag of chocolate covered pretzels! It was a nice break.

Anyway... we had a wonderful day with Joe's family including a delicious meal and amazing desserts (the Almond Joy cheesecake made by Joe's Aunt Cindy was incredible)! Joe's family likes to have everyone open their gifts all at once- this year it felt like a frenzy! I could barely keep up with Lily who was tearing through every present put in front of her. She may have liked ripping open the wrapping paper more than anything!:) Lily and Eli got sleds from Joe's sister. While it may be a while before Eli gets to use his Lily was ready to try hers out immediately. We hadn't planned on doing anything outside so we didn't bring much snow gear, but Joe still found some somewhat warm clothes and bundled Lily up so she could try out her new little sled (notice in the pictures that she is still wearing her dress shoes- they were the only ones we brought)!

After sledding in the backyard and dessert I tucked myself away in a bedroom to nurse Eli when I heard lots of laughing and clapping. I came out a bit later to find Lily entertaining the entire family with her dancing! Of course she couldn't dance for them until she put her Christmas dress back on, but once she did she became quite the little entertainer. She would choose a partner and together the two of them would do a little dance in the middle of the living room with the rest of the family in a circle around them watching. At the end of each dance Lily would proudly take a bow and everyone would clap. Then Lily would choose a new partner and everything started all over again! Oh my goodness it was just too much- our daughter is just full of personality. This went on for probably half an hour. Apparently she really was paying attention during the Nutcracker! It was actually quite wonderful Christmas entertainment!

Santa Came!!

Christmas morning we woke up and opened our stockings and a few presents that Santa left!

Lily's big Santa gift was a set of doll bunkbeds! These bunkbeds were actually made by my great grandfather (my grandma's father on my mother's side) and were mine when I was little. I remember very well playing with them when I was younger! Joe worked hard at refinishing them and now I get to watch Lily play with them too. I'm sure that someday her children will play with them and I just love that!

Christmas Eve

Opening presents with Grammy

Opening presents (extra parts for Mrs. Potatoe Head)

Joe opening the poster of President Obama that my parents gave him (as a joke)!:) Umm...later he burned it in the wood stove.

More opening presents (notice Eli peacefully asleep in his swing in the background)

A high chair for Bitty Baby

Green Bay Packer Pom Poms

Indy got into the action too- here he is exhausted from ripping up all the wrapping paper!

Lily in her new cheerleading outfit- watching G-Pa as he plays with one of her new puppets

Above: G-Pa rocking Eli

Below: Eli and one of his Christmas presents

This year we decided to spread out our Christmas celebration over a few days (well, really we do this in some form most years, but still...). With two little ones it was far less overwhelming for everyone and it felt like Christmas day for 3 days in a row! So here are some pictures from Christmas Eve morning/afternoon. We opened gifts in the morning- and it pretty much took us ALL morning. Actually we stopped shortly before lunch because even Lily was getting a little tired and just wanted to play with some of her new toys! We finished a little bit later when Eli was awake to join us!:) Later that evening we had a really fun and wonderful dinner of all appetizers! After dinner we headed off to church for the Christmas Eve service (pretty much my favorite part of Christmas)!

We returned home from church to find that "Santa" had left his big, red Santa sack outside our door! And right as we were walking up to discover it we spotted one of "Santa's Reindeer" in our back yard! Okay, it was really one of the MANY deer that live around our house, but Lily really thought it was a reindeer and it just made the whole evening seem that much more magical! It really was too perfect! We finished the evening exploring Santa's sack, placing baby Jesus in the manger, and celebrating Jesus' birthday with a very special birthday cake! Perfect!