Busy weekend

Since being back to work, I've been looking forward to the weekends more than ever. Most nights I seriously get only a half hour of quality time with Reese since she's so darn tired from daycare. Cam stays up later, but it still feels like I never get enough time with him either.



This weekend our friend Jonesy was visiting from Atlanta. He went to high school with Mike I've known him for nearly 16 years. It was great catching up with him & having him meet Reese & see Cam again.



We went to a really pretty park in Dunedin on Sunday. It's so nice since it's right on the water at the marina.



Cam loved running around like a madman with Leah while Reese was happy to cuddle with Mommy & Daddy. I seriously need to get a Baby Bjorn but they're just so expensive & Reese is probably our last child.







The weather was good while we were at the park, but quickly became windy & misty as we headed into town to check out the craft fair. Unfortunately our visit ended faster than we anticipated, but fortunately we then headed to Matt & Kelly's for some Japanese food courtesy of Matt.



But regardless, anytime I'm with my family, I'm a happy camper! I'm a very lucky girl!



Today I'm home from work since poor Cam is sick with a stomach bug. He was sick on Friday but quickly recovered & did fine over the weekend. He was his normal self yesterday & went to school, but woke up sick this morning. As I was literally heading out the door, he threw up all over our bedroom floor. Poor buddy. Right now he's sleeping on the couch & I'm praying he feels better soon! I'm also praying that Reese doesn't catch it!



It's never easy watching your child feel sick!

Flying high

Yesterday Mike was admiring his baby girl & I think the feelings were mutual because Reese sure seemed to be admiring her daddy!





Mike has always been such an awesome dad & it's so incredibly sweet to watch him interacting with his little girl since I had only known him interacting with Cameron.



I always knew he'd be great with a little girl since he interacts so well with girls in general. All of my girlfriends have always loved Mike & he's very comfortable in a room full of females. Not to say that he's a creep or anything like that, but he's just not someone that gets squeamish in the presence of girls. Mike loves him some girl talk!



When Cam saw Mike holding Reese up, he just had to have a turn too! All in all, he's doing so well in the jealousy area, but he doesn't want to be left out!



On a side note, you'll see that Cam's wearing a pull-up in these pictures. He's been daytime potty trained since he was a little over two years old. He was potty trained so much faster than I had ever imagined. However, he's still needed to wear a diaper for naps & bedtime until recently. He went from waking up with a soaking wet diaper & bed to waking up dry. It just happened one day. Pretty crazy. We still have a box of pull-ups though so we're putting him in those until they're out & then switching over to undies at bedtime.



The only problem is, when he needs to pee in the middle of the night, he wakes us up to do so! Probably five out of seven days in the week, he's waking us up. We tell him that he can just go potty himself, but he still comes into our room each time. Of course just as Reese is sleeping through the night, our three year-old starts waking us up!! But, I am very proud of him for staying dry through the night. I was starting to think we'd be sending him to college in diapers!

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It's Bumbo time!

Lately Reese has been wanting to sit up so badly. It's absolutely hilarious watching her lay in her bouncy seat, looking like she's trying to work on her abs. She strains to sit up when she's in her car seat too. I always say, "Where do you think you're trying to go?!"



So Mike thought we should try her in her Bumbo seat this morning.



She did great & it was a really good way for her to strengthen her neck!



Cam did awesome too! Just look at him holding up his head! His neck is getting so strong!



Cam & Reese just love spending time together!



Reese then instantly went from being perky to exhausted! Anytime she starts fussing, we know it's nap time. I put her in her swing & she was literally sleeping seconds later. It's not easy being 3 months old!



On a side note, I just had to display the tulips Mike had delivered to my work on Valentine's Day. I just love tulips! Almost as much as I love Saturday mornings with my family!

Three months!

Reese you are three months old today! Happy Valentine's Day to the sweetest girl I know! You are growing so quickly & are such an absolute joy to our family.



So what are you doing as a three month old, Reese? Well, you're officially in daycare & have been for a little more than a week. You also just got your first cold.. Coincidence? I doubt it. I have to say, knowing you're sick makes your mama feel pretty sick too. I know I can't protect you forever, but I just wanted to protect you a little longer. You're one tough cookie though so I know you'll be fine! It's just a little tiny cold but it breaks my heart to hear that bit of congestion when you sneeze!



You were eating strangely recently but seem to be getting over that. You had been sucking down three ounces & then deciding that you were pretty much done. But after about a half hour or so, you'd finish the other two ounces. Other times you'd drink the full five ounces in ten minutes flat. You're such a goofball! Right now you're drinking five ounces of breast milk every 3-4 hours or so & you drink 5 bottles a day. I exclusively pump your milk & do that five times a day. It's not always easy or convenient, especially at work, but you are so worth it!



You've been sleeping wonderfully!!! That has so helped make things feel like they're getting back to normal around here. Daddy used to get up with you in the middle of the night on weekends & I'd get up with you & Cameron in the morning & let him sleep in. But now that you're sleeping through the night, we can all be up as a family again! I missed that a lot. I'm so proud of you for being such a good sleeper so quickly. Over the weekend you had your last bottle at 8pm, were asleep by 8:45pm & then slept until 7:15 in the morning. How awesome are you?!


Cameron liked your 3 month sticker so much that he wanted to wear one too!

Like I said earlier, you are an absolute joy! There's no better way to describe you. I am so thankful to have you & it feels like you've been a part of our family forever. You smile all the time & you're so laid back & content. You love your bouncy seat & think the animals dangling above you are pretty cool & amusing. You're cooing all the time, especially after your baths. That's when you talk to Mama the most. You've also discovered your hands recently & love sucking on those cute little chubbers!





You are smitten with your brother & I swear he gets the biggest smiles out of you! Even if he's doing nothing, you beam at him. He adores you & is such a wonderful big brother!



Reese, we love you more than you'll ever know & thank God for bringing you into our lives every day!

Time is not on my side

Well, it's been a long time since I've blogged which is really not like me. But I guess I've never been busier in my entire life. Lots going on these days! Grammy went back to Chicago so Reese started daycare on Monday. That wasn't easy for me since it's difficult to let go & lose control. While I'm at work I'm wondering if she's napping long enough, if they're feeding her at the right times, if she's getting bombarded with germs... Don't get me wrong, even though I'm a total control freak, I tend to be a pretty laid back parent. We don't have an overly rigid eating schedule for Reese but it's more important that her last bottle fall at a good time so she's not having it too early or too late. Luckily Reese has been sleeping really well though so we're no longer feeding her in the middle of the night. She's in her own room since Grammy's gone back & I think she likes it! She still wakes up a time or two but we just put her paci back in her mouth & she goes right back to sleep.



Work has been insanely busy for me since we finally moved to our brand new hospital on Tuesday. It's been super exciting but also nuts. I'm putting in longer hours some days so it can feel like I barely get to see my babies during the week. That never makes a mommy feel good.



At school Reese doesn't nap nearly as long as she does at home, so she's pretty pooped by the end of the day. We've had to put her down for a nap shortly after coming home & then she wakes up to eat once more only to go right back to sleep.






We're all trying to get into a groove & all in all, we're handling it pretty well. For the most part, anyway. There have been some rough patches along the way but we'll make it in one piece!



Having hectic weeks means we soak up the weekend & savor every minute that we have with each other. And since this is our first weekend as a family of four in a long time, we're really looking forward to it! I've taught Cam to say every Saturday & Sunday morning, No work today! No school today! That means we get to be together! Things aren't always easy but at least we have each other!