2 Months

Charlie is 2 months old already! It continues to amaze how quickly he grows and how quickly time passes. He had his 2 month check-up this past week, and he's growing well and took his shots like a champ! He weighs 12 lbs., 12 oz. and is 23 inches long--he and Abe are nearly identical in their size. According to Abe's baby book, Charlie is just a few ounces bigger and their length is the same.

He's enduring so much at the hands of his brother--for some reason Abe thinks it best to be just a millimeter away from Charlie's face whenever he has the chance! He also seems to think that trains are the very best companions--I find a train next to Charlie's head all the time!

The best we got from Easter morning...

Brothers:

On another note, remember how I told you I was going crazy over lemon zest lately? Well I just had to share about these tasty little cookies--Lemon Butter Cookies. Oh my goodness, they were SO amazing! My husband thought they needed a little more citrus-y flavor, but I thought they were buttery and light, with just the right balance of sweet and tangy. Thankfully, I made them for the Bible study guys who come over on Tuesday nights, otherwise I may have eaten WAY too many! Aren't they cute with the lemon zest up on top?!? The original recipe actually calls for lemons, oranges, and limes, but I only had lemons and oranges on hand and wanted to save the oranges for breakfasts and lunches. Thus, mine turned into Lemon Butter Cookies instead of Citrus Butter Cookies.

The recipe is courtesy of the Pioneer Woman (I LOVE her recipes!):

Cookies:

2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 c sugar
1 egg, separated
1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon zest
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 c flour

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy and smooth. Add egg yolk and mix. Add zest and flour and mix until just combined. Add lemon juice and mix until fully incorporated.

Roll into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Don't allow the dough to spend too much time in your hands, or the heat from your hands can warm the butter and cause cookies to spread. Bake 12-13 minutes at 350 degress. Watch so they don't brown!

Allow to rest on cookie sheet 3-4 minutes after removing from oven, then allow to cool completely before icing.


Icing:

reserved egg white
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. milk (2% or whole)
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
dash of salt

extra zest for garnish

Whisk or beat all ingredients until fully combined. Add powdered sugar as needed to achieve a thick but still pourable consistency. Drizzle over cookies and garnish with extra lemon zest if desired.

Yum!

Next week I'll update on our weekend in IL!! SO excited to finally head back!

Random Happenings

I figured I probably ought to do a blog post, considering it's been nearly 2 weeks since my last one! No set topic, just what we've been doing lately!

On Monday of last week, my Grandma, Aunt Linda, mom, and sister Andi came up to visit. It was Grandma and Aunt Linda's first time to meet Charlie! And mom and Andi's second time seeing him since he's been born. They were amazed at how filled out he's gotten! [Sidenote: I am so anxious to go to his 2 month check-up next week! At his 1 month, he had jumped from the 25th percentile to the 75th, gaining 2 pounds in just 2 weeks (they would have liked to see a weight gain of at least .5-1 pounds, so 2 is a TON!) I'll be sure to update you on how much he has grown this time!]. Anyway, we enjoyed a nice lunch at our place (I SO loved having them here for lunch! I miss having people over...). Mom and Grandma watched the boys while Aunt Linda, Andi, and I went grocery shopping. Aunt Linda bought us some treats (like soda pop and beef jerky!), and then we hung out at the mall before meeting up for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. You'll be proud of me--I didn't get my usual Luau salad--I got spicy chicken tacos, and they were SO good! I was glad a ventured away from the norm a little. After dinner, we parted ways. It's always so good to see everyone, but the time just goes too quickly.

Then on Thursday, Ryan's parents and brother Alex came up for the day. Because of exams this week, Thursday last week was set aside as a study day for Ryan, so he buckled down the days before and after so he could have the day free to spend with them. For lunch, we found a fun little restaurant downtown called the Smoke Shack. It really was a little "shack"! I had a BBQ pulled pork sandwich with sweet potato fries-delicious! We headed back to our place so Abe could nap and then just spent the afternoon in conversation. Again, the time just went too quickly. We were so glad they were able to come up, if only for the day.

Later that evening, Shayne and Emily kept Abe for us while Ryan and I (and Charlie) went to a Christian Medical Association marriage night. The staff advisor and his wife felt God leading them to share with the married members of the CMA group regarding married life as a medical student, resident, and practicing physician. We talked about the Biblical model laid out for husbands and wives, generally speaking, and then how that would/could be affected with a career in medicine. It was a really nice evening, though I feel like we only touched a small portion of all we could potentially cover!

Ryan is in the midst of his third exam block for the semester--we're almost done with the first year! Only one more month and then SUMMER! Can I even begin to express how excited I am for summer?! With Ryan's research position, he'll work a standard 40 hour week and then have his evenings and weekends entirely free! I can't wait!

The past two nights, Charlie has slept 7 hours! Of course, he's been falling asleep around 8:30-9, so that still means a 3:30 feeding for me, but I'll still take it! I get to enjoy some uninterrupted time with Ryan before bed and still get a nice 5 hour stretch of sleep. I hope it continues! He's also starting to do much better about going right back to sleep after he eats, and that makes all the difference in the world.

Today, we headed out to the State Fair grounds to meet Emily and Brady for the Milwaukee county consignment sale. Even if there were no good deals to be had, I was still looking forward to seeing what it was like, with SO many vendors selling all things baby, toddler, child, and maternity. By and large, however, I found most everything to be very overpriced (the consignors assign their own prices). Most of the time I found myself thinking, "Hmmm, I don't really care if that's from Baby Gap--I'm not going to pay you $6.00 for a faded t-shirt! I could pay the same for a new shirt off the clearance rack!" Still, I did find 3 nice sleepers for Charlie for summer (since Abe was 6 months in the winter, all of his of that size are fleece or really warm), a pair of swimming trunks for Abe, and a pair of tennis shoes and sandals for Abe, both perfect condition! I also got Abe two wooden Thomas the Train Engine cars with the metal ends to connect up to his current set. He was absolutely thrilled, and I was equally as happy to bless him. There were so many toys there, and though he kept asking if he could go look at them, he willingly obeyed when I told him he needed to stay by me while we looked at the shoes first. He was looking longingly at all the toys, but he didn't whine or complain when I told him we couldn't get certain things. Given his current struggles with obedience, I was so pleased with how he behaved. Maybe we're making some progress?!?!

And lastly, if you haven't made pancakes with fresh blueberries and lemon zest yet this year, you MUST do so ASAP! It tastes like a bite of Springtime! I'm just a little bit obsessed with lemon zest right now...

Anyway, thanks for catching up with me! Hopefully it won't take me quite as long before the next one...

Life These Days

Life with two is wonderful!! And crazy, tiring, and downright exhausting.

I'm fairly certain that coffee is determined to become my enemy. At least fresh, hot coffee that is! Take the other morning, for instance, when I was up before the boys and made my coffee, ready to sit down and enjoy a cup in the quiet. Well, the quiet ended just before the coffee was done....and two hours later, when the coffee machine automatically turned off, I still hadn't had one cup. Or, like another morning, when I was ready to enjoy a cup and Abram climbed onto the table en route to his high chair, knocking my bowl full of cereal onto the tile floor. Instead of getting my coffee, I proceeded to clean up the shattered ceramic, cheerios, and banana slices that were formerly going to be my breakfast. At least I hadn't poured the milk yet...I was so thankful for that! Abe was very worked up about it and felt terrible for breaking "Mommy's bowl", so I spent a lengthy amount of time trying to calm him down and assure him that it was OK-that accidents happen!

Now on the other hand, the washing machine and I have become fast friends. The addition of a new family member who happens to poop and puke a lot has made sure of that!

Oh, and my hair--I'm getting it cut tomorrow. I've been growing it out for well over a year, it's finally nice and long, and now I'm cutting it. The daily abuse it suffers as it serves as a pull toy and a sponge for spit up has made me ready to see it go. Not to mention the fact that less on my head means less to wash and dry which in turn means more time at my disposal. Time these days is a most valuable commodity!

Most days, Charlie is a pretty good baby until it gets close to bedtime. Then he becomes a bit of a bear. Yesterday, however, he decided to be a bear for most of the day. When Ryan called at a little after 5, I assumed it was his usual "I'm on my way home" call. In fact, it was to tell me that he had to stay for a surgery and would do his best to leave by 7. A quick glance at the clock told me that I had two more hours by myself with these little rugrats, and I began to cry. I had been holding Charlie nearly all day because he had been so fussy, and my arms were just so weary. I did put him in the sling for a time, so my hands would be free to get some work done, but even that tires your upper back and shoulders after a while. As it turned out, Ryan wasn't able to leave the hospital until well after 8. I was beyond thankful when he finally walked through the door!

The day did have some redemptive moments though, like this photo:




And this video:




Once Charlie finally fell asleep for the night, he slept so well! I had the energy and gumption to rise early, exercise for a half hour, and shower before the boys woke up. It was a wonderfully fresh start to a new day!

Life with two is making me recognize my need for GRACE in a whole new way. Between a [VERY, as of late] ornery 2.5 year old who seems to thoroughly enjoy pushing the limits and a rather needy newborn, I'm leaning so heavily upon God to carry me through each day. And He does! He gives me grace for each moment. I feel like God is allowing me to see myself outside of myself, and reflect with accuracy on "how I do" in a day. Some days, I see that I did not exhibit the fruit of patience and love as I believe Jesus wants me to, and I pray for forgiveness and for God to continue making me more like Himself. And then there are other times, when I get to the end of the day and feel like I "behaved" in a Christlike manner and modeled Christ for my children as best as I know how. At these times, I praise Him for continuing to grow me and shape me.

But really, back to the beginning, when I stated that "life with two is wonderful"--it really us. Amidst the craziness, there are so many moments of euphoric joy that make me so thankful for these two boys, and so willing to give of myself for them!

Which brings me to today, Good Friday, as I consider how great of a sacrfice Christ made, when He gave up not just sleep or ease, but His very life, for a sinner such as I.

"For he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.”" Mark 9:31

Rejoicing for Sunday! He will Rise!