5 months

Jacob is 5 months old!  His personality is really showing these days!  He is starting to get himself on a schedule and loves kisses from mommy!  He is fully sitting up now too!  It was hard to get his photo this month though..so finally I resorted to laying him down:

This is why it was so hard to get his photo--he loves to put his feet in his mouth:

Look at those thighs!

Happy 5 months Jacob!

Kim's Wedding

Well, I have been once again terrible at updating my blog with the boys.  When I do get the time, it's going to be a picture heavy kind of posting.  I just seem to have a hard time uploading pictures.  Well, in comes my cousin Shannon who is far better then me with the picture thing.  She just emailed me some pictures from this past weekend.  John, AJ, Jacob, and myself travelled up to Philly for my cousin Kim's wedding.  It was a very short trip (we left early on Sunday so we could get back in time for the Skins game), but fun all the same.  It's just crazy to me that my younger cousins are doing grown up things like getting married.  I still feel so young.  Anyway, back to Kim's wedding.  John and I were able to get out without the boys--my dear Aunt Nydia babysat them for us and they had a ball!  My cousin Melissa is a preschool teacher and brought over some fun toys for AJ.  Jacob also did very well.  John and I are so lucky to have such good kids.  Aunt Nydia made the comment that she would love to babysit them anytime (SCORE!).

Here is my handsome husband and myself at the table.  Notice the black eye?  Yeah, John wasn't behaving, so I had to put him in line.  Just kidding, he got elbowed at Ju Jitsu practice the day before.  It actually looks worse today then it does here because it's brusing under the eye.  He wanted me to pose on the black eye side to conceal it, but we sat down the wrong way.  

My twin cousin Shannon and I!  Shannon and I are two days apart in age.  Our moms are sisters and best friends.  As kids we would travel together a lot and our moms would dress us up the same.  I'm so glad that despite being far from each other we are still really close.  She is such a great mom.  Leah is so cute.  They came to visit us Thanksgiving weekend (man, I need to get those pictures posted) and it was funny to see my nephew Roman and AJ running around like crazy boys do and then there is sweet Leah, just behaving and cool.

4 girl cousins.  We were often together as kids since we are so close in age.  Colleen (also Shannon's sister), Jacquel (it was her birthday), Shannon, and Me.  There was a picture like this of us when we were little, so we always have to get a photo of us :).

Our family all got a little wild.  A fun night celebrating Kim and Jim (I'll need to post a picture of her, she was a BEAUTIFUL bride!).

Happy Monday!!

Cousin love!  Roman (almost three), AJ, and Jacob.

4 months

Sorry for the poor quality, taken from my IPhone.

Stats
Weight: 16.1 lbs (75%)
Height: 26" (75-90%)
Head: 41cm (25%)

Dear Jacob,

You are 4 months old!  I say this everyday, but you are growing too fast.  It is amazing how it feels like just yesterday I was holding your tiny delicate baby body over my shoulder and now you are a mover!  Get used to those words, I'll be saying them the rest of my life to you.  You can almost sit up unassisted (for a few seconds at least), you roll from side to side, you turn your whole body to look at something you hear (like a big brother), and you try to sit up!

While I often wish I had a remote on you and your brothers life, where I mostly wish I could pause every moment and enjoy it for as long as possible (of course I want to fast forward through your brother's tantrums!), I can't say with all honesty that I am not looking forward to getting this month over with.  You went from being a really GOOD sleeper to a really BAD sleeper literally overnight.  The doctor says this month is when you are really taking in the world and that most babies have some sleep regression at this time.  I don't know how true that is, but what I do know is that a rested mommy is a more fun mommy!  At least I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

You are still a very social baby, just like your brother.  You love to be talked to.  You are also reaching and holding on to things!  The other night you had a really fun time exploring one of your brother's trains.  You have discovered your feet--and daddy loves to 'get your toes'.  All I have to do is pretend to kiss your neck and you giggle with such loud laughter.  You LOVE belly time now.  You are still a good baby, but if you are hungry you will SCREAM extremely loud.  You started taking baths without the newborn cover--mommy didnt' feel very comfortable without it until recently!  You are still sleeping next to me in the co-sleeper.  I just want to be able to hear your breath and I know I will miss you if I move you to the crib.  Maybe I'll get more sleep if I don't wake up to every little sound, but I just can't stand the thought of you being away from me yet. 

I have to mention how much you and your brother love each other.  I know one day I will have to remind myself of these days as you two are fist fighting on the floor over something trivial, or elbowing each other in the back seat because "he is touching meeee".  Just this week Daddy and I had a Thanksgiving Lunch at AJ's school.  I told AJ that just mommy and daddy were going to come spend time with just HIM.  He did NOT like that you weren't coming.  Usually kids crave one-on-one attention after a little sibling comes into the picture, but not your brother.  He just loves you so much.  It melts my heart to see you two together.  I am the luckiest mommy in the world.  One morning you were laying safely on my bed while I was getting ready in the morning.  Your brother came in and laid down with you and made up a song just for you, "we are a family, we stick together, we love each other, I love you, you are the cutest baby....".  That is what life is worth living for, that is what life is all about.

You started daycare this month.  Man, it still hurts to drop you off.  I know it's good for you and you just love your teacher.  You get spoiled being the only baby there.  She admits she holds you most of the day because you are so cuddly.  I love and hate that, since I WANT to hold you all day.  But it gives me relief to know that you are in good hands. 

I just love you to pieces.  I fall in love with you more and more every single day.  I know this will never stop, as I still feel that way about your brother.  I am excited to see your personality change and grow, but I want to just keep you where you are right now.  I want to soak in every single moment.  I'm so lucky to have you.

Love,
Mommy

I'm still adjusting to working--but it's going great so far.  I have been assessing ways I can make things easier on me, but overall, it's going well.  The boys are doing great.  Here is a video and photo of them.  As a side note, I just got the new IPhone 4s and I love it.  I always have my phone handy to snap a photo of my boys or video something awesome.  I am officially an Apple girl.  It's kind of like pringles, once you pop, you can't stop.

Since I have been a bit distracted in the morning, I haven't kept such a good eye on AJ as I usually do.  One morning I realized he wasn't in his room playing after I got out of the shower.  I called down to him and he was down in the basement playing with his toys.  Not a big deal since our house is kid proofed.  As I was putting my shoes on getting ready to walk out the door, I noticed a large RED crayon marked stairwell.  You better believe he CLEANED it up.  Here is the video.  I will tell you, he did quite a good job.  I'm also thankful for washable crayons.

Jacob is still a happy baby.  He is also still chunky :).  I just love little chunky thighs.  Nothing makes me smile more then seeing some chunky thighs on a baby!  We just bought him a bumbo chair.  We didn't have one for AJ, but I will tell you, the chair is amazing.  It has a high back to support a learning to sit baby.  It gives the baby the opportunity to sit up and look around and really be involved.  I love it because I can plop him in there in the kitchen while I make dinner and we can chat and then he can also sit and look at us while we eat dinner.  Well, our chunky little thighs BARELY fit.  When I sit him in there, I need to squeeze the middle part and push his thighs down into the opening.  Then when I take him out, I have to do the opposite, or when I lift him the chair comes with him.  I hope his thighs will fit for a few months!  Look how happy he is:



Back to Work

Today is my first day back at work...and I survived the morning getting two kids out of the house.  Well, I got AJ ready, but John took him to school (luckily).  I even managed to get up at 5:30 for an early morning workout.  It's very bittersweet for me.  I do enjoy having a career, but I really want to be home with my boys.  This will be good for all of us, I'm sure.  I have no fantasies that it is going to be easy.  I have a big weakness though, I want/need to do everything perfectly.  I have what you call OCD and a controlling nature.  I don't deal well with others (aka John) doing things because I feel like I do it best.  It's a really bad disorder that causes me stress.  The reality is that you CAN'T DO IT ALL.  I just hope that I do a decent job at it all.  As long as I keep in mind what the priorities are, I should be ok.  Kids first, job second, healthy meals third.  Laundry and house cleaning will have to be a distant forth for now.

I am feeling really sick to my stomach today.  I hate leaving my smiling little baby boy.  I hate leaving AJ too, but I know he will be ok at school--and I know he enjoys it.  He can also speak, Jacob can not.  I know we choose the right place for him, but I just wish I could be with him!  I miss him.

Oh, and I forgot how much PUMPING and WORKING SUCK.  My first work pump session, and someone is knocking on my door.  I have my own office and happen to have no windows to the office on my door, so I'm lucky...but I also have no lock.  HR is working on adding one luckily!

Roll Over

During playmat playtime this afternoon, Jacob started attempting to roll over!  He hasn't done it yet, but he is really close.  He is attempting from back to front.  AJ first rolled over from front to back, mostly because he HATED tummy time (like his brother).  It's odd to me that Jacob is trying the opposite.  We are only a mere days (or sooner!) away from rolling over!

Side note, this explains why he hasn't been sleeping too well at night, as milestones usually disrupt sleep.  PHEW, I was starting to think he was regressing!

Three Months

We have been MIA for a while because we were in Southern California for 10 days celebrating my best friend Maggie's wedding!  I have a dedicated post for the trip, but it was very amazing and the kids did very well.  I feel proud that John and I conquered our first BIG trip (and 5+ hour flight both ways!) with two kids.  We survived!

While we were gone, Jacob turned THREE MONTHS!  It's so incredible--while I feel like three months has gone by so fast, I also feel like Jacob has been a part of our family forever.  Just like I can't remember life without kids, I can't remember what life was like as a family of three.  He came into our family and fit just perfectly.  He continues to be a very good baby.  He cries when he is hungry or hot or tired or when his diaper is filled, but other then that, he is just so happy.  I look at him and he just takes my breath away.  His big brother continues to do that to me every day (even if some of those breaths are frustrating breaths!).  I am so lucky to have such beautiful boys.  I can't stop counting my blessings.

Jacob's personality continues to evolve.  He loves to look at you right in the eyes.  He loves to be talked to and will even contribute to the conversation with the cutest little coos.  He sometimes sounds like he is saying I love you.  Well, I'll tell myself he did at least :).  I am unsure how much he weighs, but he is probably about 16-17 pounds if I had to guess.  He has the cutest chunky thighs and a big round belly.  He has a grip too!  He will hold on to objects and it is hard to let go.

He isn't sleeping 12 hours straight yet, but we have gotten some good 6 hour stretches.  He tends to get up 1-2 times (although this week with jet lag, it has been more!).  That is sleeping through the night for me!  AJ was 14 months before he slept longer then 3 or so hours consistently.  I'll take a couple of extra hours (speaking of sleep, I should be getting to bed!).

Here is our bundle of joy:

He loves to chomp on his hands.  He is drooling a lot.  AJ cut teeth early, so it's possible Jacob will too..although I don't think he is quite there yet.  Notice how his toes are curled.  I love it.

I had to get a picture with AJ and Jacob, but it was late in the day and like I mentioned before, we had a rough week getting back to East Coast time.  We were all very tired most of the time and the kids just didn't have much patience for pictures.

We felt Jacob was ready for a jumper or stationary entertainer.  AJ LOVED this thing when he was small.  Jacob has fantastic head control and sometimes even attempts to sit up (more like he just pulls his head up and squeezes his abs when in an inclined position).  Although he can handle himself in the jumper, his feet don't quite hit the floor yet, so I guess we will wait a bit longer.  But I had to get some pictures of him in it.  Look at Mr. Joe Cool, leaning back with his arm rested.

He loved staring at all of the little toys.  He especially loves the sun.  Funny, because AJ loved sun's when he was little too!

Happy 3 month birthday little boy!

First trip as a Family of 4

For John's birthday this year (yes, this is from AUGUST!), we travelled down to Virginia Beach for a night.  It was a very short trip, but so much fun.  Despite it taking us 6 hours to get down there (when it's normally three)-- due to traffic, potty stops for AJ, Jacob needing to eat (note for next time, bring the pump and bottle feed!), and us getting a tad bit hungry--we had a great time in the car and while we were there.  I think John can say he had a wonderful birthday.

John and AJ got ready and ran outside as soon as we got there.  I had to top Jacob off before our evening began.  Here is a shot from our hotel room, below.  We stayed at a low key but nice hotel in the North End of Virginia Beach, which is my favorite spot because you miss the crazyiness of the strip.  This picture is of John and AJ, taken with my zoom lens.

AJ LOOOOVVEEEDD the water.  The only time he didn't love it was when we were in Turks and Caicos and he was full on teething at 9 months.

AJ is laughing in this picture.  Luckily John is strong, or he would have probably dropped him since he was moving a lot!

AJ also loved the sand.  He liked building a sand castle with me.  He had the sand ALL over his body.

Even though Jacob stayed out of the sun, the sand, and the water...I still had to dress him up in a cute little bathing suit. 

More castle building with AJ.  Everytime I would actually get the castle going, he would be so delighted to knock it down.  He is a true boy--ever so destructive!

After a couple of hours at the beach, we enjoyed a little of the hotel pool.  I even braved a one-piece bathing suit only 4 weeks after giving birth. 

OH NO!  AJ DUNKED DADDY!

Our first trip photo as a family of 4!  At this point AJ was getting chilly.  Somehow it was a little chilly despite being a hot summer day.  Why does that happen at the beach sometimes?  Wind?

Since we were already checked out of our hotel room, we couldn't shower..but they had some places for us to change and clean up a bit.  We then ventured to the Southside of the strip for a nice seafood lunch and some walking and shopping.

I was ever so impressed with my one month old.  He was easily adaptable and enjoyed strolling down the strip in the Moby.  He even slept during lunch.  I was also happy with AJ--telling us when he had to go potty and being a good boy.  I was impressed with John and I too!  We survived our first trip together with a little newborn and three year old--and happened to really enjoy ourselves!

Pumpkin Patch

This morning (of course before the games!) we met our best friends Clare and Josh along with their adorable little boy Daniel (and future baby girl Foley!) at the Burke Nursery Fall Festival.  We got lucky and had a break from the rain while we were there.  You could tell we had a ton of rain recently, as the grounds were very muddy.  Luckily John and I wore our Northface hiking shoes, but we didn't plan well with AJ and he wore his newish Under Armour shoes.  Oh well, it's just mud!

The nursery was great for kids AJ and Daniel's age!  They had a lot of slides that both of them really enjoyed.  Look at Clare, over 5 months pregnant and still chasing after her 18 month old like it's nothing!

We went on the hayride--luckily without the hay (because that would have been wet!).  The boys enjoyed all of the spooky decorations on the ride!

Peek a BOO!  AJ peeking through the nose of the pumpkin slide:

AJ and Daddy.  My husband is so good looking :):

AJ, Mommy, and a bit of Jacob (who slept the entire time!):

The boys enjoying this ride:

Our family of 4.  Can't see Jacob, as I had him nice and warm.  It was quite chilly due to the wind today.

The boys in the Pumpkin Patch.  It was hard to get them to pose.

Afterwards we went over to Clare and Josh's for a great lunch made by Clare.  The boys both had fun playing.  They even figured out on their own how to play with the toys together!  Look how cute they are sharing the fire truck:

We left when AJ started rubbing his eyes.  He fell asleep on the way home..which is how I knew he had a lot of fun!  It was so great to see the Foley's!

Maternity leave

 As I mentioned before, I am loving maternity leave.  AJ is still in school two days a week, but I get a lot of time to play and explore with him.  We have done crafts, science experiments, field trips, and play dates.  Recently my best friend Lauren and her husband, Will, bought their first home--only 10 minutes from us!  Here is a picture of their new home (this and the other pictures are stolen from her website, ourlittlehalfacre.blogspot.com):

At least once a week we get to see and spend time with Lauren and McKenna.  They have truely made my leave amazing.  It's nice to get to see them so much.  Here is a picture of our two:

We even made the trip out to Bluemont, VA to go peach picking.  Here is a picture of me holding Jacob with McKenna in the background:

We met up with my friend Christine (from work) and her two little ones too.  Here is Avery and AJ walking down to get peaches:

And another photo:

McKenna picking peaches.  She is so darling.  She is a super sweet little girl.  She loves Jacob--always making sure he is well taken care of with his paci!

I'm sad because one month from today I go back to work.  While it's for the best for our family, I DON'T want to go back.  I do love working and I love my job, but I wish I could have off the next year or so!

Lauren wrote a post on her blog about staying positive.  In life, and especially when you have kids, it's really hard sometimes to stay positive.  I sometimes find myself feeling a little overwhelmed and exhausted and wishing I could just sleep a full night's sleep or stay up late to watch movies or sleep in until unreasonable hours.  Then I remember how LUCKY I am to have this 'problem'.  I may not get enough sleep or as much free time as I would like, but I am SO LUCKY to have my husband and kids in my life.  It is really important to stay positive no matter what deck of cards you are dealt.  You have to remember how lucky you are to have what you have and never focus on what you don't have.  I really am so lucky!

Zoo Trip

A couple of weeks ago, I took the boys (by myself!) to the Frederick Zoo in Frederick, MD.  It was awesome.  I thought they had a lot more animals then the National Zoo (at least when we went a year and a half ago) and it was pretty empty so we felt like we had the whole zoo to ourselves.  It also felt way more safe and I could take the stroller into the buildings if I wanted.  The weather was a perfect 75 and the kids were in good moods. 

Here is AJ and Jacob in front of the Flamingos.  I love them!

The kids are both in the stroller and ready to go!  I think this was the few moments that AJ was in the stroller--he much preferred to walk around and explore.

AJ in front of one of their ponds.  There were swans in this one (can barely see them in the background).

AJ looking at some of their reptiles.

Jacob was so happy the entire time.

As was AJ!  It was hard to get him to look and pose in front of the animals because he just wanted to look at them!

They had a petting zoo (which personally I can do without, I think animals are dirty and scary!).  AJ was almost brave enough to feed them, but this animal was a little too pushy and AJ backed away quickly after I took this shot.  I would have done the same thing.  You can't get me close to the animals!

AJ posing in the petting zoo area.

Yeah, I feel like that too sometimes.

A lion!  Very muscular and he even ROOOAARREEDD for us!

An Eagle!  I told AJ how it was America's mascot and all he could say was "BOO EAGLES!".  Yeah, his dad has him a *little* brainwashed.

A Koi pond!  How beautiful!  I would love to have a Koi pond one day in our dream house.

AJ looking at some alligators!  We learned a lot about alligators, like that they can't eat when it's chilly (it was expected to be in the 40s that evening in Frederick) and how they have to 'round them up' when it starts to get cold out and take them indoors under warmers because that is how they can survive.  They are some lazy species too--they just like to lay around all day!

A fun day at the zoo!  Did I tell you how much I'm loving maternity leave?