Great-Grandma's are the Best!

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I took the boys to my hometown for L's first big trip. I forgot my camera (of all things) but luckily, Grammy had hers handy. Here are some pictures from his big trip - the biggest treat was for L to meet his Great-Grandma M. Here are some sweet pictures from some of their first moments together.

Cousin C was taking her turn holding the baby. I was their for "support" - and all of the sudden L started turning his head to my voice. Pretty soon he was looking at me upside down. Mom thought it was cute and snapped this shot.

J had a BLAST with his cousins while we were there. Cousin S (on the left end) and Cousin C (on the right end) always shower him with attention...and they play so well together. The girl to J's right is Cousin M - a distant cousin who fits right in. J really took to her and kept asking when she was coming back. :)


The only way to ride! Thank goodness for these AMAZING swaddle blankets. They have a slit sown in right where L's little hiney bottom is. This is so you can thread the car seat buckle through the blanket, snap baby into the car seat, then swaddle baby up! It was a LIFESAVER on the trip to and from my hometown. The only problem it, we have to keep the car really cold so L won't overheat. I will be SO HAPPY when we see our last 100 degree high around here!!

Procrastination & a Giggle

I promise I don't sit around and just stare at L all day. I do actually DO things throughout the day. But I must admit, this morning, he was in such a good mood, I couldn't help it. I had tons of laundry, dishes, cleaning, etc to to do, but all I could do was play MarioKart with J and watch L coo and smile this morning. Sigh - tough life huh? :)

Well, my procrastination (and lucky timing) paid off. I got the cutest video of L! He was talking and smiling so I grabbed my camera and surprise, actually got something on video. He sort of half-sneezed and it sounded so funny to me. Apparently, he thought it was funny too because he gave me a short little giggle. Enjoy!

And here's another cute shot of the boys together. J wanted to "play" with L last week so he joined in the fun of the baby's activity gym. Now you understand why I just want to spend all my time with them instead of doing laundry. Well, most days! :0

Comedy Gold

No matter what you think of the upcoming election or candidates, this is comedy gold. The wife and I can't help but laugh when we watch this. And we've watched it a few times. (In case you haven't heard, Joe Biden was just announced as Obama's choice for Vice President.)

Bonding time with Daddy

Isn't this a sweet picture? Last week, hubby gave our little boy his very first bottle. We decided to wait until he was six weeks old because a) we weren't in any rush since I am nursing him and luckily, that is all going great and b) all the breastfeeding books suggest waiting until six weeks if possible to give both mom and baby time to adjust to nursing. It was actually quite funny. At first, L had wide eyes and didn't quite know what to do. He was just staring at his Daddy. After a minute or two, he realized it was dinner and went to town on that bottle!

Yesterday, we decided to give L another bottle, just so he won't freak out when he HAS to have one when Mommy isn't around (luckily, he doesn't seem to mind taking a bottle...yay!) This time, big brother helped out. J was SO excited to be feeding his baby. He did a great job - he really is a super-sweet big brother.

Trying to catch that smile...

L is seven weeks old today. I cannot believe it. He is growing and thriving and doing all the things he should do - right on track. He has been smiling for a couple of weeks now (really smiling...he was sleep smiling from birth!) Every time I get the camera out and he sees it, he goes back to Mr. Serious Face. He is giving me big, beautiful smiles every day now. Mostly in the morning - what I call our Happy Time. :)

Well, yesterday I almost caught one. The angle is crazy because I have L in one hand & the camera in the other. But you can see at least his half smile here -

Today, I got one on video. Except it's super dark (I wasn't fully awake yet & didn't think to turn more lights on!) But you will see just how great his little smile is...if you look real close!!!! lol!) Oh and excuse my crazy, frizzy hair (remember, I just woke up) and J in the background wanting me to change the channel on the TV so he could play MarioKart. It's actually kind of funny - he sounds like that little kid from Willy Wonka that was addicted to TV!

And another picture - b/c I couldn't resist. Here he is in better light!!!!

Happy 10th Anniversary My Love!

Today is the 10th Anniversary of one of the happiest days of my life. Thinking about it, I have to say it was THE happiest day of my life, because without it, I could not have had my other two happiest days - the birth of our sons. Of course, I am talking about the day JMcD and I were married.

Hubby & I often look at each other and out loud, wonder how we were so lucky to find each other. We were friends for a long time before we went out on a date, and even after the first couple of dates, I remember thinking, "Oh, he's just a friend. I'm sure this won't go anywhere." LOL! One month later, we were both head over heels and KNEW we were meant to be together. We are so similar in so many ways - our faith in God, our beliefs about family and raising our children, our goals for the future. We've actually had someone tell us that we sound like we were matched up through one of those dating services!!!!

So here's to you, my sweet husband. Our lives are crazier than ever, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Thank you for 10 wonderful, crazy, sometimes insane years. I think this simple statement sums us up pretty perfectly -

Whatever souls are made of, his and mine are the same.
- Emily Bronte

Happy 6 Week Bday LJ!

Really? It's been six weeks? And today, he did something again for us - TWICE - that he did once last week. We thought it was an accident, but nope, we got it on video this time. He ROLLED from his tummy to his back. Ummm, I need to look at J's baby calendar but I'm almost postive he didn't roll this early. This little boy is STRONG. We're in trouble. :o

Once I figure out how to post a video, I'll put it up here.

The Grandma's Turn 60!

Last week, when we went MIA, it was for a couple of reasons:

1) Hubby had to go out of state on a business trip (eek - didn't want to be home alone so soon!)
2) My mom's birthday happened to be at the same time...and it was a BIG one!
3) The boy's great-grandma, my Grandma, had not yet seen L. She was itchin' to get some snuggle time with her EIGHTH Great-Grandbaby. :) (I'll post some super-cute pictures of L with his grandma soon.)

So off we went. Luckily, my sweet hubby took the boys and I half-way to my hometown to meet my Mom. The boys and I loaded up in her car and were off. L's first overnight trip! Thank goodness it was only an hour and a half total. Little toot doesn't seem to like his carseat, and if the car isn't moving, he tends to get upset. I am hoping this will fade over time. In the end, the 1 1/2 hour trip (yea right) took a total of 2 1/2 hours! Had to stop to soothe, then stop to nurse, then stop to soothe.

I digress. Not only did my mom turn the BIG 6-0 this year, but so did my mother-in-law. Makes it easy for us to remember how old they are (our dads were born the same year too. Cool huh?) The boy's nana (my MIL) turned 60 in July, and we celebrated with her the weekend after L was born. We surprised her with a cake and presents. Here is a picture of J with his Nana - of course, L had to eat at that very moment!

My mom, aka. Grammy, turned 60 last week. Since the boys and I were able to make the trip down for her actual birthday, my sister and nieces decided to do the same. We missed not having our hubbies there, but it sure was nice for us to be able to help our mom celebrate turning 60. The kids had lots of fun too, as you can see here:

Happy Birthday again Grammy & Nana! We all love you!

Darth Vader's a What?

This one is for all of our Aggie friends & family. Yesterday, we took a family trip to the grocery store. While in the car, J starts asking his daddy questions about Darth Vader. Why is he the bad guy? What does he do? (He is a little curious/obsessed with villains in cartoons & movies and why they are "evil". He does NOT like them.) So the hubs is explaining who Darth Vader is, why he is bad, etc. J gets really quiet and thinks for a minute. Then he asks, "Is Darth Vader a longhorn Daddy?" LOL!!!!

This kid is smarter than we give him credit for. (To our longhorn friends, we love you and you know that J does too. We did remind him of who you are and that not ALL longhorns are bad...hehehehe.)

Hmmm, wonder where J gets his love of Aggieland. ;) I am starting to think he was born with it - this is him last October working his way down a long line of former Aggie football players that went on to play in the NFL. He was so excited and waited patiently as they each signed his football. The kid seriously bleeds maroon. I wonder if L will too?

Going to Church

Last Sunday (not today), we took L to church for the first time. He did great for the first 20 or so minutes. Then I spent the rest of the time in the nursing/cry room. He wanted to eat - then cry - then eat - then cry. This was because the cry room was FULL of babies, and every time another baby cried, L thought he needed to cry out of sympathy. Finally, I took him back to the nursery and found an empty room. Whew! I forgot how exhausting it can be to take a newborn out if it's time to eat (it should get easier on mommy though...my Hooter Hider came in the mail yesterday. This will keep me and L covered during nursing, while allowing my hands to be free. Yes, I will post pictures later!!!!) Today, L and I are at home, mostly because he had a really rough day yesterday (tummy issues), and we are both exhausted today. Daddy took J though...he really loves church and his class so we hate for him to miss it b/c of us!

Here is a picture from last Sunday, as we were getting everyone ready. Hubby and I didn't have enough brain power to think to take a picture of the boys AFTER they were both dressed and ready. As you can see, L is in his cute froggie outfit, but J is still in his power rangers pj's! Anyway, it's a cute shot. What do you think is going through L's mind? :)

Good Baby

Well, my baby is trying to earn brownie points with his mama. Last night, he slept from 9:45 p.m. to just before 3 a.m.!!!! WooHoo! Didn't I just say I was anxiously waiting to get longer stretches of sleep at night? Of course, this could have something to do with him getting a shot yesterday at his doc's visit, but I'm praying not. I'm hoping it's b/c he is getting bigger and able to go longer periods b/t feedings at night...we shall see.

We'll be out of pocket this week. We have some exciting things going on this week...until then, here is where we were when the boys got all dressed up on Saturday. There was a family death on my dad's side (my great-uncle). We didn't dare take the boys to the funeral, but we did drive about an hour south to meet my Nana, Uncle B and his girls, D and M for lunch. Here's a family picture -

And me & L with his Great-Nana -

L's one month check-up

Today was L's one-month check-up and he did great! He got a follow up vaccine and he was a trooper.

The big news is that he weighs... 10 lbs and 6 oz (50-75% on growth chart). That is a three and a half pound gain in the first month of his existence. He is 22 inches long (50% on growth chart). He is not afraid of an aggressive growth pattern. I am sure that the wife will add details later on.

*************UPDATE***********************

The hubby was right, I have more to add. :) So when we got home, I checked to see what J weighed at one month. I suspected about 1 1/2 lbs more than what L weighted today - guess what? I was right! J weighed in at 11lbs 13ozs at one month. Almost exactly 1 1/2 lbs more. L is gaining the exact same amount of weight that J did, as L started out 1 1/2 lbs less at birth than J did. Kinda cool. L has gained 3 lbs 7 ozs since birth; J gained 3 lbs 6 ozs!!! Weird huh?

So even though L is "behind" where his big brother was on the growth charts at this point, we suspect he will soon catch up. Oh, and in case you were wondering, his head is also measuring in the 50-75%!!! Brainy like his big brother.

Happy One Month!

Yesterday, L turned one month old ~sniff, sniff~ It has been a great first month with our sweet baby boy. J has been such a loving big brother (give or take one or two stressful, possessed moments) and the Hubby and I are much less stressed this time around about having a newborn. I find myself trying to cherish every single moment of L being so little and tiny, yet at the same time, anxiously awaiting the day when he is just a tad bit older and is sleeping through the night and interacting a little more. I know, I know - soon enough I'll be wondering where this time went. :)

I should mention that L is a GREAT sleeper. I think since we've hit the one month mark, it is less likely a fluke, and more than likely just his nature (I really didn't want to jinx it by saying anything any earlier!) Pretty much from the first week home, he has been giving us one good four hour stretch between feedings at night. It's usually the first stretch - he'll eat around 9:30 p.m., then crash, then wake up between 1:30 and 2 p.m. It's amazing how getting more than 2 or 3 hours of sleep in a row can really help. After that though, in the wee hours of the morning, it's usually only 3 hours between feeds, and occasionally, only 2 or so. I am tired, but at the same time, I wasn't sleeping much better prior to having him, so not much has changed. Except now I have to be AWARE when I'm awake of what I'm doing, or else I might drop a baby. I promise I haven't, yet. The other great thing about L is that at night, he eats, then is ready to go right back to sleep. I call it the "milk coma." Puts him right out!

Here are some oh-so-cute pics of the boys from yesterday. Happy One Month Birthday L - we love you and can't wait to celebrate many, many more milestones with you!

Proud big brother holding "his" baby. Aren't their outfits cute? Thanks Nana!

I not only dressed the boys up for a photo op, but also because we went to see someone very special yesterday. More info and pictures to come...

Mobile Post #1

Apparently you can post from your mobile device, so here is a photo of Jacob the day he and I went to the driving range. A man on the tee box told Jacob that he hit the ball better than his 10 year old daughter who had been to golf camp.

Go Snake!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

A picture's worth...how much?

Wow. One picture of newborn twins is worth $14 million!!! O.k., so it's probably two or three pictures, but still. One guess as to which set of twins this is. If you guessed Brangelina's baby boy & girl, you are right! I have one super cute baby boy and a ham of a three year old that are very photogenic (as you can tell from the proof shots below from our last photo session). Any takers?


At least the Jolie-Pitt's are using the money for good, as is reported here. Plus, I recently heard that they enjoy spending some of their quality adult time together at the shooting range. I told the hubby this and we decided we could probably be friends with them. ;)