London :: 2 Month Update

Dear London,

Today you are two months old! I'm pretty sure I blinked, and April was over like that! You have changed so much in just one short month. We are starting to see your little personality emerge with smiles and baby coos. Seeing you smile and hearing your little baby "oohs" and "aahs" is so much fun! You are tracking objects and making more eye contact with us now. You even like to catch glimpses of your big brother's tv shows ;)

This past month we have really gotten into more of a schedule/feeding pattern. During the day you are eating every 3 hours or so, followed by play time then a nap. Lately, you have been getting more consistent with your night time sleep as well. Most nights, you are only waking up once a night to eat, which usually falls around 3 am. Hooray for extra sleep for the whole family! ;) Your favorite time of day seems to be first thing in the morning when you wake up for the day (usually between 6-6:30 am). You are always so smiley and content after waking up. 

Even though you are only two months, your likes/dislikes are pretty obvious to Mommy & Daddy. You have no problem being vocal when you are hungry or dislike something, so I thought I'd share some of your current likes/dislikes: 

Likes: being sung to, bath time, hanging out in your Rock n Play, afternoon naps in Mommy or Daddy's arms, playing on your activity mat, girl time w/ Mommy while Noah is at school (we love our Target shopping trips!), and walks in the stroller. 

Dislikes: tummy time, diaper changes, your swing, and while you do love bath time itself, you don't enjoy getting out of the bath to dry off ;)

Daddy and I are looking forward to watching you grow even more over the coming summer months. It has already been pretty hot here in South Carolina, and even warmer weather is on the way. Warm weather = dressing up in pretty summer dresses ;) 

We love you, sweet girl! 

Until next time, here are some of my favorite photos from your 2nd month.

Yay for tank top weather! ;)

Found your thumb (just like big bro)! 

Snuggle time

That face <3

One of my favorites (just before bath)

Just hanging out with mommy while big bro is at school

8 weeks old

All dressed up for your 1st southern festival (big hair bow and all!)

Posing for the camera (you love to sit up!)

All clean :)

Here are your 2 month stats: 

Weight: 10 lbs  
Height: 22.75"  
Clothing size: 0-3 months

I love you,

Mommy

Noah :: 2.5 Year Update

Dear Noah,

It's been far too long since I last wrote to you - almost a year to be exact. In that year, quite a lot has happened - we moved from PA to SC, you became a big brother, and you are now a talking-up-a-storm 2.5 year old little BOY. You are clearly no longer a little baby, and while that makes mommy a bit sad, you have blossomed into such a happy, fun loving boy. 

There's a lot to catch up on so I'll share some of the highlights with you. Last summer we spent a lot of time traveling and got to spend nearly 3 weeks in NC with Mommy's side of the family. We had such a BLAST! We had fun riding the choo choo & carousel at Pullen Park, took your 1st trip to the beach, and we even went strawberry picking. But perhaps the biggest highlight of our trip was meeting your baby cousin, Emma, who was just 2 months old at the time. 

At the end of the summer you turned two years old. We celebrated your birthday with a tractor themed party with family and friends at a local park. Your official two year old height/weight stats were: 28 lbs and 35 3/4". Here is your two year old photo :)

Shortly after your birthday we celebrated another huge milestone in your life with your 1st day of school! We decided to enroll you in a two year old preschool program, and it has been one of the best decisions Mommy & Daddy have made for you. You absolutely LOVE school. You have learned SO much in such a short amount of time. Not only has school helped you with learning your ABC's, numbers, colors, etc....but it has been a huge part of your language development. When you started school you could say only a handful of words and now you are speaking in full sentences. Mommy & Daddy are so, so proud of you!

In October we found out that we would be moving to South Carolina for Daddy's new job. We made the official move into our new home the week before Christmas, but still managed to get our Christmas tree up just in time to welcome family on Christmas Eve. We enjoyed a simple, yet fun holiday with your grandparents, aunts, and cousin in our new home. You seem to really like our new house (especially the backyard and your huge playroom!), and have done very well with this big transition. We hope that you will love growing up in the South!

Less than two short months ago we welcomed your baby sister, London, into the world and you officially became a big brother! You are just smitten with her. The transition to our new life as a family of four has gone fairly well. Naturally, it's been a big adjustment for you, and some days are easier than others, but we are slowly settling into a new routine. Mommy & Daddy are so excited to watch you and London grow up together. 

The last time I wrote to you I included a "favorite things" list, so I thought it would be a good time to update it with your current faves. 

Favorite TV show: "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" is by far your #1 favorite show with "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" and "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" as close seconds.

Favorite movie: You still LOVE "Cars", and have since added a second favorite, "Planes".

Favorite books: Your favorite books seem to change fairly often, but a few of your current favorites include "Honk Honk, Beep Beep", "Otis", "Little Blue Truck", "The Very Hungry Caterpillar", and any book related to Lightning McQueen or Dusty.

Favorite toys: Basically ALL of your die-cast cars and planes from your favorite movies, "Cars" and "Planes". You have such a fun imagination these days and will spend hours flying your planes through the air and driving your cars all over the house. You even like to recreate the scenes from both movies as you watch them. 

Favorite activities: Playing in the backyard, chasing bubbles, drawing with chalk, playing in water (you are still a big fan of bath time), taking walks around the neighborhood, playing on your iPad, and being a big helper around the house (you love to help with chores). 

Favorite foods: Pizza, granola bars, muffins, blueberry waffles, pancakes, and pretty much any carb or sweet treat ;) 

It's been one awesome year, and I can't wait to see you grow up even more this summer as we approach your 3rd birthday. Mommy & Daddy love you more and more each day. 

Until next time, here are some of my favorite photos from this past year.

1st lollipop ;) 

 Getting our bags packed for a summer full of travel!

1st trip to the beach (you LOVED it!)

Beach day fun!

4th of July at the zoo (it's become a yearly tradition)

Carousel ride w/ Daddy

Family selfie :) 

Daddy's car washing helper

Little car lover :)

Happy boy playing outside :)

Birthday dinner at Red Robin

1st day of preschool

Just swinging

 Playgroup buddies (we miss them!)

Announcing your baby sister's gender!

Preschool trick-or-treating 

 Happy Halloween from "Daniel Tiger"!

Christmas morning kisses :) 

New Years Eve ice cream party :) 

Big boy haircut + style

Holding your little sister for the 1st time :)

 I don't have any current weight/height stats for you (your next check up isn't until you turn 3), but you are mostly wearing size 2T clothes and you have just transitioned into size 6 diapers. 

P.S. Potty training starts this summer!  :) 

I love you,

Mommy 

London :: 1 Month Update

Dear London,

Today you are one month old! Since this is my first time writing to you, I thought I would tell you where this monthly letter tradition all started. I first started writing to your big brother, Noah, when he was born, and continued with monthly letters for each month of his 1st year. I wanted to do the same for you, and hope that someday when you are older you will appreciate these letters. In each of these letters you will be able to read about milestones that you've achieved, how big you've grown, our family adventures, and daily life. I hope that you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them! 

This past month has gone by in a blink of an eye. Your first few weeks of life were mostly spent sleeping your days away while Mommy & Daddy adjusted to life as a family of four. You were so sleepy that we had to wake you up most of the time just to feed/change you. You still sleep quite a bit during the day, but you are waking up more and more as each day passes. Right now we are working on getting your days/nights in order by following an "eat/play/sleep" pattern during the day. During our "play time" we play on your activity mat and read books together. You seem to really love your play mat, and Noah enjoys playing beside you!

You are such a cuddly little girl and you absolutely LOVE to snuggle. Your favorite thing to do is lay on Daddy's chest. We think you are a Daddy's girl already ;) When you're not snuggling, you are eating like a champ. You are currently eating 3 oz. of pumped breast milk every 2.5-3 hours, and you will occasionally have a 4 hour stretch at night.

You've had several "firsts" this month, including your 1st official bath in the bath tub, 1st walk in your stroller (double stroller with big brother, of course!), and your 1st visit to the zoo. Yesterday we celebrated your 1st Easter. We had a nice, relaxing family day here at home. You got your first Easter basket and we watched big brother hunt for eggs in the backyard. 

Daddy and I are looking forward to watching you grow this upcoming month. We love you, sweet girl!

Here are some of my favorite photos from your 1st month.

Our first time meeting...just minutes old :)

Daddy's girl already ;)

 
 2 days old

Headed home from the hospital!

 Big brother is absolutely smitten with you :)

 1st trip out of the house (Target) as a family of 4!

Sleeping Beauty :) 

Off to take your big bro to preschool

 Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Sleepy newborn smiles :)

 Mommy's girl

#1 Little sis (big bro would agree!)

Some quality big brother time :)

Bath time makes you sleepy

All set for your 1st visit to the zoo!

Here are your 1 month stats: 

Weight: 8 lbs, 8 oz.
Diaper size: Transitioning into size 1 
Clothing size: Still mostly in size NB, but you can fit into a few of your 0-3m outfits

I love you,

Mommy

London's Birth Story

London came into this world a bit earlier than we expected, and today, March 25th, was her original due date, so what better day to share London's birth story than today?
 
First, a little bit of background as to the final weeks of my pregnancy with her. We made a huge life change in December when we moved from PA, our home for the past 7 years, to SC. The move came in the middle of my 2nd trimester when I was (luckily!) feeling pretty good. I was past the morning sickness phase and my energy was back...things were going well! With the move, came the switch in my OB care to a practice here in SC. I was nervous to meet my new OB (I loved my OB back in PA), and once I got to the office for my 1st appt, my blood pressure was extremely high. We chalked it up to stress, and I agreed to do some blood work and come back in a few days for another BP reading. My blood work came back good, and my BP had went back to normal. I went back for my next appt 4 weeks later after the holidays were over, and my BP was back up high yet again. This perplexed both my OB and I because I have always had very good BP. Over the next several weeks I underwent more tests, including regular blood work and a 24 hour urine test. Long story short, I was diagnosed with mild pre-eclampsia at 36 weeks pregnant. My BP continued to rise, and a few days later, I was sent to L&D for monitoring. Fortunately, my BP was stable enough while I was lying down; therefore, I was put on bed rest for a week, and my c-section date was moved up to March 6th. 

On March 6th, at 37 weeks + 2 days, we woke up bright and early to head to the hospital for my scheduled c-section.  We arrived at the hospital at 7:30 am, where we checked in and got a room. I put my hospital gown on and was hooked up for monitoring. After my IV was in, I had a brief meeting with my OB and my anesthesiology team, which let me know exactly what I could expect. Shortly after 9:00 am I kissed Rob "goodbye" and made the long walk (yes, they make you walk!) to the OR. After a successful spinal (thank you, Jesus!), Rob was brought into the OR at 9:20 am, and sat next to my head while they finished prepping me and started surgery. 20 minutes later, London Rayne made her entrance into the world at 9:43 am. 

London's birth stats ::

7 lbs, 3.5 oz | 19.25" long  

My c-section experience with London was night and day different than my experience with Noah. I was able to see London immediately after she was pulled out and I was able to hold her while they finished with surgery. Getting to hold London immediately after birth was definitely one of the biggest highlights of my life. With Noah, I was so highly medicated and "out of it", that I sadly do not even clearly remember the 1st time I held him post-surgery. 

My entire surgical team, including my super sweet OB (why on earth was I nervous to meet her again?!), were truly amazing at keeping me calm and relaxed throughout the entire process. I can honestly say that I loved every minute of my delivery this time around.

Below are a few photos from London's birthday, including a few from our hospital stay. 

1st time holding London

Daddy's girl :)

 In Recovery

Just a few hours old wearing her 1st bow ;)

 Big brother came to visit!

Sleepy girl (2 days old)

Headed home!

I'm hoping to bring this blog back to life, and I plan to update more frequently with updates on both my little ones as we navigate life as a family of four! 

Until next time,