The Day of Thanks

As I prepare for Thanksgiving I can't help but think of how blessed I am, & how grateful I am for my wonderful life. I have been given so many wonderful things in this life & I can't help but feel a little guilty that I don't always appreciate all I have on a daily basis.

I have an amazing husband, he is so hardworking, & does all he can to support our family. He is a fabulous husband & father... anyone that can keep up with Hannah's endless energy & be patient enough to play make believe with her every morning & night (I am not exaggerating) is amazing!!

Then there are my 2 wonderful kids that bring me more joy that I ever thought possible. Hannah is so full of life & keeps us very busy & is always making us laugh. She is such a great big sister to our sweet little Milo. She loves to help out & to give him kisses. I am loving the peace that Milo brings to our home with his sweet innocence, reminding me of where I came from. It helps me try harder each & every day to be the best I can be.

I could go on about our extended families, because both Jeff & I came from amazing parents who do so much for us. I am so grateful for their love & support of our little family. It is so nice to be able to spend a day reflecting on all that I have been given & remembering to give thanks for all of my blessings! I hope that everyone is able to fully enjoy their Thanksgiving while surrounded by those you love, no matter if it is with friends or family, enjoy the day!

He's still at it!

Milo is still at it... if you put him on his tummy he will roll over onto his back. He will do it a few times in a row before he wears himself out. I can't believe how big & strong he is getting, see for yourself.

And for a little family update... We are doing great. I am adjusting to exhaustion quite nicely after my meltdown last weekend. I had to let "pefection" go & accept the way my house looks. That combined with all the added help Jeff is giving has made for a better week!

Hannah is still has entertaining as ever. She keeps us laughing on a daily basis & she LOVES to use her imagination. You never know if she is Hannah, or one of the many characters from all her favorite movies & television shows. Thankfully she has worked through her terrible sleeping habits. We had to ignore her for a couple of mornings, but she managed to stop waking up at 4AM & is now sleeping until 6:15 or 6:30. She is such a great sister to Milo & a help to me. I assumed she would be helpful, but I had no idea she would be this great... what a blessing!!

Jeff is still very busy with work & school. There are only 2 more week of classes, followed by 2 weeks of finals that end on December 15th. After a month off he will start his last semester of law school!! Where has the time gone? We are very anxious & excited to begin that next phase of life.

The 6 Week Peak

We have hit the 6 week mark, which means the 6 week fussy peak, although with Milo it's hardly fair calling it that. If a stranger saw Milo right now they would never consider him fussy, & I don't consider him fussy... but he is a little fuss-IER than usual. Last night I fed him around 6:00 & he did is usual long feeding, but he fell asleep. I usually put him down & he takes a little cat nap & then I go back to feeding him for another long stretch as he stocks up for the night. Well he didn't wake up, & I tried to wake him around 8:00, but no luck. So I put his pajamas on & put him to bed, & had the fear that he would wake up soon. So around 9:00 I crawled into bed myself & sure enough he was up at 10:20. Then again at 2:20 & then at 5:30... yes, I know this isn't that bad for a 6 week old baby, but it was rough on me. He usually goes down between 7:30 & 8:30 & gets up between 1:30 & 2:30, & then again between 5:00 & 6:00. So that combined with a long day yesterday where I may have over done it just a bit, I am feeling drained today.

Milo is doing great, he is so mellow & sweet. He really is such a great baby, I keep saying it over & over, but it's true! He is just really easy going. Hannah loves him & is really good with him. I can't wait until he is a little more social, because she will have so much fun with him. I know they are going to be the best of friends (cue the cheesy music) and it will be so fun to watch them play & interact as he grows up.

The Big Girl Potty

I honestly am not one that wants to push my children to potty train. Sure there are times when I am buying a case of diapers I think how nice it would be to have that money for something else, but not enough to push. I don't look forward to accidents or using ever public restroom we are near... will it be any easier with a boy? Hmm.

Well about a year ago Hannah showed an interest in the potty, & because she was just over 18 months old I bought one of those little potties & we bought come panties. By the time I had all the gear & I was ready for the training to begin, she changed her mind! And she hasn't showed an interest.... Until now!

She has suddenly become more aware of when she has the urge to go. The first of this new phase was last week when she pooped in the bathtub & then flung it out of the tub. We told her that if she needed to go that we would get her out of the bath & put her on the potty. A few days later she was grunting in the tub so I put her on the potty, but no luck. I decided that I will start talking about it more, but still I don't want to push her, when she's ready it will happen. During the week there was a couple of times she said she had to go, but they were false alarms, or her being silly... who knows!

This morning she decided she needed to go, so Jeff put her on the potty & sure enough she actually went! I was a bit shocked after having heard those words before, but not having results. I still am not sure if it is the start of the process & if so how long it will drag out, but it does give me hope that I won't have 2 in diapers for very long.

October with Hannah

Hannah is such a character... there is never a dull moment when she is around. Here are a few recent Hannah stories:

I was very curious to see how she would adjust to having the baby around & having to share Jeff & I, but she is shocked us & done remarkably well with the change. I was also very interested to see her reaction to the whole nursing process, but again she surprised me.... she didn't take much interest at all. But one day she did ask about it, & it sounded like this: "What is Baby Milo doing to your elbows." I got a good laugh out of that.

Hannah has had some sleeping issues lately. My poor mom had to deal with them for the whole 17 days she was visiting. She was really fighting us on going to bed. After going through the whole bedtime routine, once she was alone in her room she would scream this terrible scream & yell for me to come in.. It didn't matter if we extended the whole bedtime routine or made it shorter, the screaming still took place. And if I gave in & went in her room it didn't seem to matter much either, & sometimes made it that much worse! My mom sure found a lot of enjoyment out of the screaming & yelling. It took me awhile to realize it was because of the lack of sleep. But once we started putting her to bed earlier the screaming session got shorter & then was a thing of the past.

On Sunday October 21st, she was in the bath & Jeff had left her for a moment to come help me with something. Upon his arrival he saw that she had pooped in the tub & then flung it out on the rug. Jeff asked her why she had pooped in there & she said, "It's okay, I flicked it out!"


On Monday the 22nd she asked if she could feed Milo. I told her that only Mommy can do that, but she can feed her doll. So she grabbed it, lifted her shirt & asked where her elbows were. I showed her where her ELBOWS were & then showed & told her where her nipples were. She then lifted her shirt again & while standing there held her doll in a headlock & pretended to let her nurse for all of 1/2 a second before dropping the doll & moving on to other things.