2 For 2

Jon and I celebrated our second anniversary this week. I wish I could say that we left this kids with their grandparents and went on a romantic get-away, but in fact we stayed home.

 After putting the kids in bed, I made dinner for two.

I bought a new dress to distract myself from the fact that my shape has changed since having two children.

 Jon wore the tie and vest that he got when we got married.

And just as we were crawling into bed, the baby woke up.

These have been two busy and difficult years. We've survived two births, five moves, a graduation, two rounds of unemployment, and countless late nights wondering if we'll ever get life figured out. But I love this man, and I am grateful every day that he is a part of my life. Every day is hard lately. But I am so grateful for a loving and supportive husband who finds some way to make me genuinely smile every day.

The best decision I made was giving this man my phone number.

Birth Announcement

I apologize to those who would like a birth announcement for Atticus who will not be getting one. We simply don't have the resources to print enough for all of the people we love. So this is for you.

One Month

Atticus is one month old today, and I just can't believe it. I can't believe that it was only a month ago that he joined our family in the flesh, and I can't believe that it's been that long. I know I just contradicted myself, but it's true. Atticus went to church for the first time as well. We lasted all three hours, but by the end we were hanging on with our fingernails.

Atticus is doing very well. He is well above his birth weight and has outgrown a few of the smaller newborn outfits, a feat Netty didn't accomplish until she was three months old.

Yesterday he had his first photo shoot. Here are some of the better pictures of our little man.

To Utah, To Utah Part 1

As I mentioned in a previous post, Jonathan's grandma died, and we drove to Utah so that he could go to the funeral. I wasn't too excited to take a week-old baby to a funeral with lots of people and commotion, besides the fact that I was still exhausted beyond belief, so Jon dropped Atticus and me off in Syracuse for some R&R while he and Netty continued on to Spanish Fork. My parents had a houseful as well, but most people were gone during the day, and I was able to relax and sleep while other people held and took care of the baby. It was still exhausting, but then so is virtually everything after having a baby.

Before we left Idaho we had to pack, take Atticus in for one more bilirubin test and his PKU screening, and drop off the bili blanket at a friend's house so that she could return it for us. All the while we fought desperately to keep Netty awake so she would sleep in the car. And it worked. She slept most of the way.

We tried to only make one stop--the rest stop in the Malad Pass--but after feeding Atticus, letting Netty run around for a while, and getting back on the road for a mile, Atticus started screaming uncontrollably. We stopped at a gas station in Malad to calm him down, and he ate some more. He was fine again until Brigham City. Rather than stopping again I climbed in the back. Of course, we hadn't packed very well, so the back seat was full. So I sat on the floor between the kids. Very uncomfortable. But I took pictures of everyone so all could see that we were having fun on our adventure. As it turns out, Atticus was just cold, so I put Jon's jacket over him.

Netty did very well. When she wasn't sleeping she was looking at an Enfamil coupon book that came in my gift bag from the hospital. She loves this book.

Or she was drinking my water.....

Uncomfortable, but still smiling!

 Jon trying not to go crazy driving on the freeway with screaming babies in the back

As per tradition, Papa rocked Atticus in the famous rocking chair that has all of our names and the dates we were first rocked burned into the bottom. I think Atticus is the youngest since my niece Sierra to be rocked.

 Atticus wasn't impressed.

Despite little sleep and the somber occasion, Netty had a great time at her Great-Grandma Claudia's funeral. They were sitting in the second row pew at the church, and she kept climbing under the seat and patting the casket and trying to get the flowers.

Grandma (Jon's mom) said Great-Grandma Claudia would have been happy to play with Netty at the funeral.

From the left: Mitchell (Jon's Dad), Grandpa Dean, Paul, Craig, and Lionel

We tried to make the trip back to Idaho in one shot, but, of course, the kids had other plans. They both started screaming just before Blackfoot. We pulled off into the Blackfoot Walmart parking lot so I could feed Atticus.

Netty and Jon walked around the parking lot, checking on Atticus and me periodically to see if we were ready to get back on the road.

More pictures of the trip to come....

Growing Boy

Bathed, jammied, fed, and ready for bed!

New bedding from Auntie Beanie (aka NaDene Lemmon, my former roommate)

Close-up of Atticus in bed

Looks a little bit like the Prince John, the Phony King of England pose.

Chillin' with a pink pacifier because my parents are too cheap to buy a new one.

But it's a manly pink, right?

Another pink pacifier. Yes, he stuck his finger through the little hole all on his own.

Totally relaxed

Blah...

Getting a back massage with lotion after bath

Bright eyes at bedtime

Being Dad and Mom

Do you ever have those moments when suddenly you blink and think, "Wait, am I really here? Is this really my life?" Whether from fatigue or the ever-changing chaos around me, I have these moments every day, sometimes multiple times a day. Sometimes it's a bad feeling, like a "What evil have I done to deserve this" feeling. But most of the time it's a good feeling.

In the last two years I got married once and gave birth twice. And that changes a person. My clothes don't fit the way they once did. I cry during movies, something I very rarely did before. In fact, I tear up at least once a day now. Three consecutive hours of sleep feels like the greatest amount of heaven on earth. And my favorite part of the day is not when I'm getting into bed, it's that space before bedtime, before my children's bed times when I can just hold them, smell them, look at how perfect they are (in the spiritual sense, not the temper-tantrum-toddler sense). I had the unique opportunity the other night of holding Atticus in my left arm to nurse him and Netty in my right arm while she drank her bottle. My life has changed so completely. And I love it.

Netty and Jon

Netty and Me

Atticus and Jon

Atticus and Me

What Big Sisters Do

After a couple of rough weeks in which Netty didn't want to have anything to do with me, I finally have my best friend back.... And boy, have I missed her! She is not a baby anymore. It seems as though she became a little girl over night. She is growing up into a wonderful big sister and my helper.

Big sisters eat "yucky cream" (sour cream), and they like it.

Big sisters find creative ways to entertain themselves while Mom feeds the baby.

Big sisters watch Disney movies, not just Baby Einstein.

Big sisters sit up to the table to eat.

Big sisters use their fingers to quiet the baby when a pacifier is out of Mom's reach.

Big sisters face the front in the car.

Big sisters stay hydrated.

Big sisters watch movies and eat snacks with Mom and Dad while the baby naps.

Big sisters are gentle with their baby brothers.

Big sisters can sleep anywhere.

Or not.

 Big sisters get the mail with Dad.

Even in thunderstorms.

Big sisters love their babies no matter what.