Me - a worry wart???

Jeff makes fun of me because he says I worry too much.  The funny thing is, I don't worry about the stuff he worries about and he doesn't worry about the stuff I worry about - so I guess it all works out in the end.  

I thought I wouldn't worry so much this time around with the baby - you know, I don't go check on him all the time to make sure he's breathing.  Of course, that could be because he snorts and grunts so loud I almost called the doctor to see if he has some form of sleep apnea (that was one of yesterday's worries).  And then there is the fact that he decided NOT to sleep for most of Tuesday night and Wednesday - sending me into a hysteria about having a baby that will never sleep again unless you're holding him - yada, yada, yada.  I think Jake knew I was going over the deep end (getting all my books out and consulting friends) so last night he slept the entire night from 9pm-7:45am (except for the 3 hour feeding intervals) without so much as a peep.  AND, he slept most of today too  -- whew!!!!!!  Does that mean my worries are over?  Probably not...... but for now, I am at peace!

Just a funny picture with Dad.  Jake loves to do the "big eyes" - he must get it from Kylie.

Is this how I look to Jake upside down??

Please excuse the nudity - but I HAD to show you his HUGE belly!  This kid can EAT!!  And I don't think I will ever be able to nurse him in public (not that I would anyway) with the amount of grunting, snorting and wheezing he does.  Maybe he is just trying to show his appreciation for the enormous amounts of milk he is consuming.  :)  

A post for Grandpa!

I really love the freedom of this blog - I can post all the silly snapshot pictures I take without the pressure of feeling like they need to be "perfect" for my professional image. Hopefully it shows that there is beauty and fun in EVERY picture - especially if you know the story behind the image.

So, for this one, the family will get a laugh out of this I'm sure. I admit, I am known as the woman who doesn't know where the vacuum cleaner is - or maybe I know where it is, but I choose not to use it. Anyway, Grandpa thought it would be nice to get me a "SHARK" (as seen below) for Christmas - since there are always lots of crumbs to pick up under the table and this cool gadget is battery charged and works like a charm. So, is it a bad thing if I teach my 3 year old how to use it instead???? :) Just kidding - she actually WANTED to do it when she saw it being used. So, in this case maybe she won't grow up to be like me......





And, for some more comparisons, a picture of Kylie in her crib......



And a picture of Jake in his crib around the same age. Funny crib story for you....

As you can see, there is lots of stuff in the crib with both of them, things that are taboo for babies (stuffed toys, blankets, etc). Well, we also had the video camera (for the monitor) resting on the giant green frog in Kylie's crib when she was a baby. One day I said to Jeff, "we need to figure out where we are going to put the camera for the monitor - like maybe on the wall or on the shelf or something?" To which his reply was "Why can't we just leave it where it is?" The epitomy of a parent who has know idea what is going to happen when his child starts MOVING! I think Jeff's camera question can be ranked right up there with his recent question when I was close to my due date with Jake and having some contractions: "Do you FEEL like you're dilated?" Oh man- is that good for a laugh or what??



And lastly, just a picture of Jake in between eating, crying and sleeping. :)

The MEGA BLOCKS !

I will take all the credit for this one. About 18 months ago, I ventured across the street after work to the SuperTarget looking for a new toy to bring home to Kylie. I was excited to see the look on her face when Daddy arrived home with a 'present' for Kylie - don't worry, this would far from become a habit in our family since daddy does the finances and is continually perplexed by the piece of our 'pie' that goes to Target, already. (diapers and toilet paper are expensive!!)

Strolling through the toy ailse - completely out of my element - I'm searching for the perfect new toy - many are too old, some are too young ... then I see it, an end-cap full of Mega-Blocks on SALE!! that's it! Not quite the lincoln logs I remember but should do the trick. Endless permutations and combinations of things to build.

I recall a week-long tradition last summer when Kylie and I would build "the little boy" every morning before eating breakfast - it was so cute and something special between the two of us. (i will find the pic of the little boy and post it here later in the week). Recently we've been building the "big bad wolf" (must be reading the 3 little pigs at school :)

... and purely by accident, she conjured up a "jungle gym" concept and used the single blocks to represent little girls and boys jumping and playing inside. Ahhh, Daddy's little girl. Let this be a lesson, buy toys that allow construction, de-construction, drawing, morphing, sculpting, etc. -- they stand the test of time and won't be forgotten about in a week.

He's getting so big!

First up - a picture for Nana. She brought this outfit for Jake and we all had a chuckle because it looked so huge when we held it up to him. That was only a WEEK AGO! He is seriously growing right before my eyes - with little chubs forming on his legs, arms and even his fingers. Jeff can thank me for cropping out his cool devil pajama pants from this picture.... :)

This was so funny too - Kylie is giving him a kiss and I think he's trying to eat her nose! (Uh-oh - just realized you can see the devil pants in this one -- sorry Jeff!!)


And a shout-out to my husband. As you might expect, we really couldn't do much for V-Day but he decided to cook me dinner for a little "date night" at home. When I came downstairs, I was surprised to see the extent to which he went to make things really nice. He got out our china, lit a candle and had some nice Jazz music playing. He cooked me an awesome steak dinner and we had chocolate overload cake for dessert - yummy! Best of all - he did the dishes too! :) Although, he's actually been doing most of the dishes since Jake arrived so maybe I should have done them! Horrible picture, I know, but it was so sweet - I wanted to include it in my memoir!

Everybody else is doing it!

Several kids have gotten their hair cut short lately - so we decided to follow the crowd and get a new "do" for the K-Bear. Her hair is so fine - and has just a little wave to it - so it's been looking pretty nappy this winter. I think the cut is adorable (and it looks like she likes it too!). Although, the best part of a hair cut to Kylie is the lollipop! :)

And, just for some humor, a picture of triple-j fresh out of the womb on his birthday. Can you tell this little guy has some lungs or what??? :) And since I'm planning to print this all out one day - the official stats:
7 pounds, 8 ounces, 19 3/4 inches, 1/26/09 at 8:33am

All About Kylie

Well I decided to copy my dear friend LIZ when I received this poster from Kylie's school on FRIDAY and it was due on Monday! Just as Liz said, these are things I had never bothered to ask Kylie before, so her answers were amusing. I did get several different answers for some of the questions, but her favorite color seems to be consistently orange - and her favorite place to go is definitely the "jumpy house" (aka Kangazoom). I'm a little nervous that she keeps saying she wants to fly and be in the circus - add that to the fact that she has been wearing tiny stickers on her upper and lower lip and doing some pole dancing - what is a mother to think????



And, just thought I would add this cute picture of Jake with a little grin. Just after eating of course. :)


And one of Kylie - same swing - around the same time frame. I'm addicted to the comparison pictures - it's so fun to see! :) It also proves that Kylie was DEFINITELY a much more challenging baby at this point. Almost every picture we have in the first two weeks she is wide awake.

All by my lonesome...

.... with two sleeping children. I guess I shouldn't complain - it's the ideal scenario. But, I did almost throw a tantrum myself when Jeff said "c'mon mom let's go" as soon as Kylie went down for her nap. The assumption of course is that I need to stay here with the baby anyway right? You start to go a little stir crazy after a while. I've been showering and "getting ready" every day - although I'm not sure what I'm getting ready for.....

So, I decided to get back to my evil ways of taking pictures of Kylie while she's sleeping. The story behind this pic is quite funny actually. A few nights ago Kylie got out of her bed and got this basket that was in her room and put it in her bed with her. Then she started stuffing her animals & babies into it. It seemed quite strange to us until we put two and two together..... Jake sleeps in a moses basket. So, this is the scene in her bed each day now - I don't know how there is any room for her to sleep - but she manages it.



This one says it all! The sweet but mischievious smile, the proud big sister shirt - but underneath it all - the VILLAIN! We can't figure out how much of it is just her age and how much is actually some kind of jealousy or rage - but she has been VERY difficult lately. She does everything to push our buttons - over and over again. Each task is a battle, and she asks to go to time-out just to annoy us more. Then, as if to make sure we still love her, she wakes up in a glorious mood this morning with hugs and kisses for all. Ahhhhh, can you say "Sybil"????? For those of you who haven't heard of Sybil (like my husband) - just google it!



And I must be delirious for posting this. But, since I plan to print this all out in a nice book someday - might as well have the real stuff in there. Me and baby Jake. Not quite as beautiful as the portraits I've been taking with Daddy and Jake - but hey - I showered! :)


My final note is one of admiration - for all those women out there with one, two, three or even more children. It takes a lot of strength, endurance, patience and, ummm, wine??? Any advice is welcome! :)

**** UPDATE **** Jeff just came home with a pint of hand-packed Jamoca Almond Fudge ice cream from Baskin Robbins. My all-time-favorite!! All is well with the world......

First Official Photo Shoot

Just thought I would post a picture from my ATTEMPT at a newborn photo shoot yesterday with Jake -- my hardest client ever! He pooped on my furry white blanket and peed at least 4 times in various places -- and he refused to go to sleep!! I guess I should have photographed that! I'll be posting a few more pics on my photography blog.

The one-eyed Jake!

Big Sister Post

Well, life with baby brother has been fun. I love him so much "in the whole wide world" and I just wish I could put my plastic toys in his mouth and he could play tea party with me!

I just found out that MY mommy is also JAKE's mommy! They forgot to tell me that before he arrived - but that's okay. Daddy got up with me this morning and let mommy sleep for a while longer - and when she came downstairs she was so proud to see the tea party I made on the floor.....



Isn't he just sooo cute! I love to give him kisses.


I really like to hold him too!


Me, Daddy and Baby Jake!




This is me with Jake on my big girl bed. I sang him the "ABCD" song and he went to sleep.


Don't be fooled by all the smiley, happy pictures though. I'm definitely giving mommy & daddy a run for the money these days. I jump on the couch, scream at the top of my lungs and my favorite word is NO! But hey, who can blame me - things are a little crazy around here!