Oh those crazy cousins!

Last week was kind of a crazy one...filled with an awesome visit from my sisters and all their babies (though none of them could really be considered "babies" anymore!), Maguire's 2 month checkup, the NCAA tourney (boooo KU---we're still real sad in our house about that one), and then just the various day to day comings and goings that seemed to keep me too busy to pick up my camera and shoot.  Shame on me!!!

Last Thursday, my 2 sisters and sister-in-law came up to visit so they could take the kids to Disney on Ice.  My day started out just straight chaotic!  I have to reflect on that morning a bit because it really was pretty ridiculous!  I don't even remember exactly all the details now, all I know is that I had a major flip-out moment, hormone surge, something crazy and out of my mind!!!!  I was of course busy trying to feed the baby, bathe him, get him ready, soothe him, get him down for a nap, pack his bag, clean the house because everyone was coming over, oh...and take a shower and get ready (yeah right).  On top of that, I wanted to be an all-star entertainer, like I seem to think I am, and prepare lunch for everyone before they got here so we could eat before we all headed out shopping.  Not to mention that I had baked some cinnamon quick bread for Michael for breakfast because of course I'm a rockstar wife like that (totally being sarcastic here!).  But for me to make that fabulous lunch, I needed to go to the grocery store.  Which is not an easy task now with an infant.  So I made a list of about 10 things and not so kindly asked Michael if he would go to the store for me.  He said he didn't want to spend all morning there because he had to go to work at 1.  Anyway, he comes home....long story short, he doesn't get the chicken for the chicken salad sandwiches because.....ummmmm, well I didn't put it on the list!  Enter total meltdown scene here.  I'll spare you the details but there were lots of tears shed.  Michael was so sweet about it but of course I felt like a guilty loser afterwards!  My sisters were so sweet and came over and we fed the kids turkey sandwiches and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and they could have cared less that there was no fresh fruit salad or pretty little chicken salad sandwiches for lunch.  My point being....I'm learning slowly, taking it day by day, how to balance this new life I have now.  I can still be a great wife, mom and entertainer but there are just some days/things that just aren't that important! 

Anyway, crisis averted!!!  So I guess it was the next day that we ended up heading to the mall.  It cracked me up that there were 5 of us girls (including Mom), 5 kids, one infant, 2 strollers, and 4 SUVs just to go to the mall!!!  I would have great pictures from their visit but does the above kind of let on as to why I didn't haul my camera around too???  Oh my my...

But the pics I do have are just precious!  This was the first time that all of the cousins have been together all at once!  The kids were just soooo good with Maguire!!  I can't stress that enough.  They loved on him and were so gentle and just simply enthralled to be around him!!  I love watching them with him!  It seriously just fills me with pure joy!!!  Cheesy, I know!

Look at these cutie patooties...they just LOVE their baby!!!  Looking at these pictures just makes me so happy knowing that Maguire is going to grow up with this crazy bunch of yummy little kiddos!  They're going to make some pretty awesome memories together, I'm just sure of it!  Not to mention all the trouble I'm just sure they're bound to get into!

One more thing....just so I don't forget...Mr. Man weighed exactly 10 pounds even at his 2 month checkup.  However, though he is gaining weight (and his pediatrician wasn't concerned in the least), that only puts him in the 11th% for weight.  Though for height, he is in the 70th%!!!  So he is a long, skinny little bird!!  Needless to say, I've been letting him gorge quite a bit and I swear I'm going to pack some meat on his little bones by his 4 month checkup!!!! 

Oh and...one more thing to mention so I can look back on this time fondly :)  Our little presh continues to only get up once in the middle of the night!!!  Our bedtime routine continues to be fairly consistent with him going down for bed around 9 after bathtime and his last feeding around 8:30.  He's also putting himself to sleep without hardly any fussing which is so awesome!!!  I better go find a piece of wood somewhere to knock on........Enough of that, enjoy these precious little pictures!!!

Hi Mom, you didn't brush my hair very well today!!

Izzy, Elyse, Eli, Maguire, Kinley, and Mason

Moments & Memories

We had Maguire's newborn photos taken when he was a week and a half old by Jennifer Frechin at Moments & Memories Photography.  It took me a while to get them ordered because they were all so stinking good!!!!!  The photographer, Jennifer, and her assistant were AWESOME!!!  He started waking up as soon as we got there and I was freaking out that this was going to be a disaster.  I just had to tell myself that my baby was not going to be any different than any other baby....babies cry and are unpredictable!  It's just the way it is!  This was their job so I was just going to trust they knew what they were doing.  And holy crap, did they!  They would put him right back to sleep instantly, mold his body exactly how they wanted him to be positioned and then somehow keep him there while they rushed around snapping pictures!  They used a hair dryer and a really noisy vacuum cleaner and it cracked Michael and I up how the minute they turned that vacuum on, Maguire calmed down and went right back to sleep.  Trust me, we were taking notes for when we went home!!  {We have since tried that a couple of times and it works every time!!!!}  I kept thinking that he was going to poop on Michael but no, luckily he didn't.  However, he did manage to pee on me but I held him out immediately and he did it all over the floor instead!!!  He was such a good boy through the whole thing and the photographer and of course, Mommy and Daddy were very pleased!!!!  Here's a few of my favorites!!! 

Ok, so I had a BUNCH of favorites!!!  I really did like ALL of them!!  Thanks, Taran, for the great referral!  We were very happy with how they turned out! 

Happy 2 Months Baby Boy!!

Baby Boy is now 8 weeks old today!!!  I can't believe how time has just absolutely flown by!  He has changed soooo much this past month!  Everything people tell you, is so true about how it only gets easier and more fun. 

The smiles you give me, my little monker, are so stinkin' precious it's not even funny!  I get so giddy every time I go to get you out of your crib and feed you!  {I think it's hormones but it feels like PURE JOY!!!!}  You're starting to hold your head up {almost} on your own and you are staying awake longer and becoming much more active.  You've found your fists more and sure do like to suck on them!!  You haven't been spitting up as much either so that has been WONDERFUL!  The little noises you make just absolutely thrill me.  The sniffing/huffing noise is my favorite and makes me melt!  Oh and let's not forget the way you sleep!!!!!!  Ahhhhh...getting up with you once a night is just perfectly fine with me.  That's our little bonding time and I don't mind it at all {I mean, ask me that in a couple months if we're still doing it and I might not answer the same!!!  Ha!}.  Your daddy and I are absolutely loving getting to know you and watching you grow!  I love you sweet baby boy!!!  How cute are you in this picture, seriously!???  I didn't even notice your hand until I went to upload these pics!  FANTASTIC!!!

I'd Choose Mine

They say you can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family.  Well.......I've decided, I'd choose mine!!  Even with all of our craziness!  I swear, I have the coolest sisters EVER!!  And you should meet my sister-in-law too.  I mean, I got real lucky with that one!  In all honesty though, there is nothing like a sister.  Mine are my best friends.  I know I can go to them with anything...all the good, the bad, the ugly, and all the in-between.

I think having my baby has really enhanced our relationships even more.  I know it has for me.  I have always said that the next best thing to having a baby yourself is to have a niece/nephew.  There is nothing like it.  I love my brother and sister's kids as if they were my own and I LOVE that I know that is how they feel about my baby.

To my sisters {and that includes you, Tara!}, thank you for always being there for me.  For listening to me when I needed someone to cry to, bitch to, put me in my place, be on my side, laugh with, and get advice from.  You are the most beautiful, inspirational women I have ever known and I thank you for always sticking by me and loving me unconditionally.  And most importantly, for loving my child as if he were your own!!!  For all this, I am forever grateful!

  

"Sisters function as safety nets in a chaotic world simply by being there for each other." Author Unknown 

Uh-mazing recipe!

Hey, I know I just posted about our last weekend, but I have just a few minutes before the baby wakes again so I wanted to share an amaze-balls recipe!  And besides, that last post was started clear back on Monday...I just never found the time to wrap it up!

So tonight, Maguire and I are hanging out by ourselves because Daddy went to the Big 12 games at the Sprint Center.  Jealous!!!!!!!!  But in all honesty, I really wanted him to be able to go because I know how much he loves college basketball.  I mean, the guy LIVES and BREATHES KU basketball!  I tease him that every single time I turn any tv on in our house, it is always tuned in to ESPN.  No lie!

Since it was just me tonight, I thought I'd whip up a little pasta dish that I made for Mom and I the other day.  Since I'm nursing, I've noticed that soooo many things I eat affect the baby.  I'm trying to stay away from tomatoes and spaghetti sauce, salads and raw vegetables, spicy foods, onions, and limiting my dairy intake.  That last one is a real booger, let me tell you.  Coming from a girl who's normal lunch could easily consist of some cubed cheese, a turkey and cheese sandwich and cottage cheese.  No joke.  This has not been easy!  I digress...back to the topic at hand.

I decided to make a variation of this awesome recipe found here over at The Smitten Kitchen.  It's called "Spaghetti with Lemon and Olive Oil."

The first time I made it, I didn't add the cream.  It was a tad on the dry side but was yummy nonetheless.  Tonight I added a little sour cream because I didn't have the regular cream.  I still thought it was great!  I added a little bread to finish off my carb-load and was thoroughly satisfied for the night!!  So if you're looking for quick and easy, here you go.  P.S. my meat and potato-loving husband probably wouldn't have gone for it but you could always add chicken to make it heartier!!!

Family Filled Weekend

What an awesome but exhausting weekend we just had!  Michael, Maguire and myself took a little roadtrip this weekend to visit his sister and brother-in-law in Oklahoma so that I could attend his sister's baby shower.  She is due almost exactly 12 weeks after I was and is having a little boy so I'm sure our two kiddos will have so much fun growing up together and getting into all sorts of trouble! 

Let me just tell you how much work it was to take this little trip though!  My goodness!  Well, I don't have to explain to anyone with kids.  We had to pack tons of crap and it took us an hour longer both coming and going.  I wouldn't trade it though.  Maguire did awesome!  He slept exactly the same as he does at home, going 5 1/2 hours and then 3 hours, so I was very happy with that.  Of course he got lots of attention at the baby shower because he's just so darn cute!  Ha, if I do say so myself!  He got to meet several family members so I was thrilled with that!  Great-Aunt Sue, Great-great Aunt Sue, Great-great Aunt Ronita, Great-grandma Nadine, Great-grandma Evelyn, Aunt Jenna.....just to name a few of the people introduced to Maguire at the shower!  We even took him out to eat for the first time at a noisy bar and grill and he slept through the whole thing!  Proud momma! 



Michael's sister, Brittni, and her boyfriend, Chad, also came to the shower and hung out with us on Saturday and we had a great time with them too, as always!  I didn't take many pics though throughout the weekend and I'm disappointed that I didn't.  Here's a few that I did get though.  Rebecca is 34 weeks along.  Doesn't she look awesome?!!  Brittni makes me feel like I'm in college again so of course we have to "pop a knee" and "hand on hip!!!!"  If there's one thing my brief stint in a sorority taught me, it was that!

Grandma Diane & the babe

Aunt Jenna meets Maguire

Uncle Jim and Maguire

On our way back from Bartlesville, we stopped at my grandparents' house so they could meet the little mister.  It truly is so heartwarming every time I get to see them now.  The older I get, the more I realize how very important family is.  I am always blessed every single time we make the effort to see family.  I know that having the baby makes travelling to visit just that much more difficult, but we have to continue to do it, even more so, as I want Maguire to grow up truly knowing the meaning of being a part of a large, loving family!

Overall, it was an awesome weekend, but we were all very ready to be home at last!!!  Even the little man!

   

Random Ramblings

Lots of fun stuff has been happening in our house lately!  Last Sunday we took Baby Boy to church for the first time!!!  He did so good!  Of course he slept through worship which is soooo incredibly loud, and as soon as it got quiet, he decided it was the perfect time to wake up and start filling his pants!  He wasn't going to last in the carseat so I took him to the "Nursing Mother's" room.  Let me just tell you how I have NO excuse whatsoever for not going to church because I'm afraid of how he'll behave.  The room they have set up has a tv with a live feed of the service so I didn't miss a thing by taking him out of the sanctuary.  It was an ideal setup with dim lights, comfy chairs, a changing station and a privacy curtain!!  So not only do I love going because of the worship and the message, but now I love it even more because of how easy they have made it for a mom with a new baby.  If you're looking for a great place to connect with God, I urge you to check out Heartland.   Don't you just love this handsome little face?!!!!!!



We have also moved Maguire to his crib which made me so incredibly sad!  But he's a noisy little booger in the middle of the night and it really was time for him to sleep in his nursery.  So far, he's been in there for the past 2 nights and has slept better than he was in the pack and play in our room.  He has been going 5 hours between nursing and then 4 hours between.  I have felt GREAT the past couple of days!!!  Happy Boy below!



I am also working on figuring this little man out during the day.  Mid-afternoon to evening is the most difficult for me because he really wants his mommy to hold him all the time and it simply wears me out!  I love that he wants to be held but of course I worry if I'm starting some bad habits.  Here's what I think.....who cares anyway, right?  He will only be a wee baby for a little while.  I'm going to treasure it and love on him as much as I can!  Tonight I made dinner and strapped him into the Baby Bjorn.  He fell asleep and I was actually able to finish making dinner and then eat it while it was still warm...which has not been the case recently!  Handsome little boy below!!



I was also able to return to the gym today which made me feel even more back to normal!!  I absolutely loved it!  Michael stayed at home with Maguire while I went and he told me the little turkey didn't cry once!!  What???  I guess he sat in the crook of his arm and watched tv.  Nice!!!  Anyway, this is enough rambling for now.  We're taking our first road trip this weekend to visit Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Jim for Rebecca's baby shower.  Wish us luck!!!!  It could be a long drive!!!!  I'll end this with a quick shot of what I SWEAR was the start of him smiling!  I {heart} this face!!!