Swimming at the Clubhouse

The neighborhood clubhouse had a really nice hot springs pool. Lillie and Emmett loved swimming in it because the water was so warm, being heated by a natural hot spring. It was a really hot day and with the warmer-than-normal-for-a-pool wasn't as refreshing as it could have been for the adults, but the kids loved it anyway. I didn't even wear my swimsuit because I knew I'd be spending my time on the side with Henry. He slept through most of it. Lillie did not want to leave.

You know what I hate?

You know what I hate? Making the bed. I feel like it's such a waste of time because I'm just gonna mess it all up again twelve hours later. And I don't know about you, but I don't ever go into my room unless I'm going to sleep and most of the time I don't ever even turn the light on. So pointless. But do you know what I love? Going into my room and seeing the bed made. It's so calming and comforting. Go figure.

 

I took this picture during our trip to Utah. This girl makes me laugh all the time, I can't believe some of the things that come out of her mouth. We head back tomorrow, really not looking forward to it. The two weeks flew by and I am not ready to go back to the grind of normal life.

Sweet Dreams

Lillie graduated to a big bed about a month ago! My mom brought some old Barbie sheets down at the beginning of July and that was enough to get her motivated to move out of the toddler bed/crib. She's done perfectly ever since moving in. We put the crib away so that in a month or so we can pull it out as Henry's bed and not hers. Which leads me to the next great news:

Henry slept through the night! 11-7! Seriously the awesomest thing ever. I still kept waking up all night long wondering when he'd wake up, but it's at least better than having to get up. So happy. I know that this won't be a permanent fixture yet, since he's anything but consistent, but at least I know it's possible! Aaaaahhhh sleep. So comfy and quiet... can't think of anything better.

Balboa Island and finally some sun!

Eric had a half day yesterday and couldn't do any work in the clinic because it was closed, so it forced him to come home and play with us. Lillie asks daily to go to the beach and so we obliged. We wanted to try somewhere new since the last 5 times that we had gone to the beach, it was cold and overcast. So, we decided to head south to Orange County.
Once we got down there, we took an auto ferry over to Balboa Island, got some homemade icecream and headed to the water. It was a perfect day. Not too hot, not too cold. The ocean is finally warming up, so you can almost stand to put your feet in. The island is so cute too, tons of cool shops, I think we're gonna have to spend more time there.
Lillie was in heaven playing in the sand, but is still afraid of big waves and would send Eric down to fill up her bucket with water for her to play in. Henry did well, he had to be behind the umbrella because any sort of breeze makes it hard for him to breath. He slept most of the time, I'm sure its because the sound of the waves was so calming.
It was a fun time for all and I think we're done with LA county beaches. It was worth the extra drive time.

Lillie's hair gets super wild when we go to the beach because of the ocean spray and wind. Not so cute, but seriously, what can I do?

2 Month Stats

Henry went to the doctor today. He was so cute, smiling and cooing at the doctor. He was so happy until the shots came... 4 of them. I've never heard Henry scream so loud and high pitched. He was bleeding all over the place after that. Broke my heart, poor guy. Got some stats:
Height: 25.5 inches
Weight: 15 lbs 8 oz

In the top 1% for his age on both. I love that little chunk.

2 Months Old

Today Henry is 2 months old. I cannot believe how fast it has gone by but even more, I cannot believe how much he has changed in that time. Henry is such a fun addition to our family.

• He has started to smile and coo, which we love!
• He's a fussy and spitty baby at times, so I've taken all dairy out of my diet to try and help with this. Fortunately/Unfortunately I do think it helps. I just miss all the foods I have to do without.
• Henry is huge, my mom sent me this outfit today, it's size 9 mos and it fits him perfectly.
• He is a champ at taking naps, usually I can just swaddle him and lay him down, with no crying.
• He usually only wakes up once a night.
• He loves his binky and sucking on his fists when he can find them.
• He doesn't mind tummy time, which is great, but does love to cuddle and be held.
  

Babies are a ton of work but a lot of fun. I'd totally forgotten. We love Henry.

Tomorrow we go for our 2 month appointment. Although I am anxious about the shots, I am excited to see how much he weighs and how long he is, because I'm pretty sure he's off the charts.

For Ashley and Joe

My cousin Ashley and her husband Joe, lost their baby girl a week ago. We couldn't be at the funeral on Saturday but we let a balloon go at our favorite park in Brylee's honor. It was so hard to watch the balloon get smaller and smaller as it got higher and higher. My heart hurts so badly for them but I am so glad that they and I know that families are forever and that they will have the chance to be with her and raise her in heaven.

Lillie-isms

The other day Lillie was particularly gassy and when asked why, she said, "My bum just wants to talk to me."

Yesterday we got Lillie a balloon and today it has already lost it's helium. Lillie said the balloon "needs new batteries."

Smile for the Camera!

Bye Bye Mullet!

Name that movie: Now, you're telling me you were so ingrained with white trash DNA, your hair actually grows in on its own all white trashy like that?

C-O-L-I-C

A four letter word as far as I'm concerned. Lately, Henry has been about as fun as a toothache. Sounds harsh, but oh so true. You'd say the same thing if you've lived at our house the last two weeks.
Not that this is an original problem. There was about a two week period, 5-7 weeks, where Lillie was sometimes fussy in the evenings. But then I stopped taking prenatal vitamins and just took 2 flintstones instead and she got better. I'm not sure if it was because of the vitamins or not but the fussing ended and that's the important thing. It wasn't that bad, especially compared to now.
For the last two weeks, pretty much every evening is spent rocking, bouncing, patting, and shushing for about 3-4 hours, all in vain. He cries and cries and cries and cries. There aren't any signs of it letting up either and frankly, I am sick of it. I am so tired by the time that 7:00 rolls around, the last thing I want to do is wrestle Henry for hours and hours. Not that it's his fault at all, poor kid. It breaks my heart to see him clearly in pain with his back arched and head thrown back, screaming at the top of his lungs. I wish there was something I could do to help. Sugar pills and water sold as cures for colic are lies.
I really want this stage to pass and I'm sure he does too. I think we'll both go crazy if it lasts much longer.

My Big Helper

I won't lie, I was worried with how Lillie would handle having a new brother. Someone who would take up a lot of Mommy and Daddy's time. Someone who would be noisy and stinky and take over her bed. But she has been wonderful. Lillie is such a big help, she brings me burp cloths, blankets and binkys and takes dirty diapers to the trash. She sings songs to Henry when he's crying too. It melts my heart everytime she kisses him, cuddles him or tells Henry she loves him.
Henry loves his big sister too. When he was first born, he would turn his head toward her voice and she was the first person he smiled at. And now, he kicks his legs and smiles huge for her all the time. Can't wait for this guy to get a little older, I think they're going to be good friends.

Yellowstone '88

Rolene, Tyler and me at Yellowstone, enjoying life until...


The log rolls over. I love all the 80's clothing!

Potty Humor

I never thought I would say this, but I hate automatic flushing toilets after today. I have never been a fan of public bathrooms, I avoid them as much as possible. But now that I have a potty trained kid, trips to public toilets are pretty much a guarantee every time we go out.
Let me give you a little background first. I don't think that I am unique in my hatred of bathroom germs, but I don't touch door handles, I lock the stall with my elbow, flush with my foot, use toilet seat covers or hover if necessary, and turn the water off with paper towel. You know, the normal precautions people take. Now... back to this lovely story.
Lillie needed to use the potty. I took her in and squatted down in front of her to hold her up on the toilet while she does her business. As soon as I start to move her off, the toilet flushes prematurely, sending a spray of toilet water directly at my face. A drop even landed on my lip! Aaaaahhhhh!!! Panic ensued while I frantically wipe my sleeve all over my face to remove the offending droplets, and let out a small scream of disgust. After washing my hands, I splashed water all over my face to try and make me feel better. It didn't work, I still shudder as I think back on that terrifying experience. I think I need to check to see if all my immunizations are up to date.

Moral of the Story: I can think of something worse than a child with peed pants in a public place.

Hank the Tank

 

This is my 6 week old baby. He weighed 14 lbs on our scale. I saw this tiny little baby at the mall today, and while we waited in line for the elevator, I asked her mom how old her baby was, thinking she would say about a week old. But she said that her baby was 1 month. I couldn't believe how much bigger our son was than her. She weighed almost 9 lbs. Thats close to what Henry weighed at birth.
You're probably thinking, sheesh, why is she making such a big deal about her son being big? It's because Lillie so wasn't like this. And I don't feel like I'm doing anything different, other than he likes to be fed a little more often. Don't get me wrong, I love all his pudge. I am just amazed every day how he looks so much bigger than the day before.

Burn Baby, Burn

It's difficult to have a infant in the summer here. I feel trapped inside because it is too hot during the day to be outside with a baby. The only times you can get out are first thing in the morning or in the evening. Especially with a vehicle without A/C, I can't even justify a trip to the mall or target between the hours of 10-7. So we're stuck. This means that I am constantly picking up after Lillie as she tries to find things to keep her entertained and I'm getting cabin fever. Today the high is 98 degrees... great.

Experience Beyond His Weeks

In Henry's first month of life he has experienced:
-His first trip to Disneyland
-2 Earthquakes
-His first trip to the beach
-His first art gallery
-2 movies in the theater

Answer to Prayers

Yesterday was a tough day for me, as I'm sure you'll see from reading my post. I went to bed feeling like a terrible mom for being so frustrated with Lillie and feeling very inadequate in the task of taking care of two kids. I received an answer to my prayers today while I was blog surfing, when someone had a link to this video. Hope it helps you as much as it has me.

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&vgnextoid=bd163ca6e9aa3210VgnVCM1000003a94610aRCRD&channelId=bd163ca6e9aa3210VgnVCM1000003a94610aRCRD

Henry 1 Month