A Few of My Favorite Things...

It's Christmas Eve!  One of my most favorite days of the year.  We travel across the highway to mom and dad's for the festivities later this afternoon which will include homemade pizza, Italian sausage, chi-chi beans, and holiday cheer.  I just can't wait. 

More to come about the Christmas happenings in a day or two...I wanted to blog about a couple of things that are making me giddy these days.

1. The iPhone 4s.  I resisted and resisted and resisted getting a smart phone. I was committed to a basic texting phone ever since I left my Blackberry behind in the corporate world.  After surveying everyone I knew about the benefits of an iPhone, I took the plunge.  It is awesome.  It has changed my life.  I have a fabulous 8 meg camera, HD video camera, email, phone, kid-entertaining device all in one!  I can upload pictures straight to my online portal, navigate with GPS, track my running pace and routes, and on and on.  Love it!  Oh, and I did have a glitch when I first got it...took it to the apple store and within 10 minutes had a brand new one. No questions asked.  Talk about creating raving fans. 

2. My Nikor 50mm/ 1.8 camera lens.  I WISH I would have invested in this sooner.  I can finally get the shots and exposures I've been longing for.  Makes me want to be a photo hobbyist!

3.  Christmas cards.  I LOVE them.  Every. Single. One.  I've been hanging them from ribbon on our doors downstairs.   The house is covered up in them right now and they just make me so happy.  Old friends, new friends, family, long lost buddies...and pictures of all the smiling happy faces.  Ours turned out really cute this year too!  It only took me 250 tries to capture this one...a true Christmas miracle.

Summer - 4 Months Old

The princess of the house (as I call her) turned 4 months old last week.  She continues to win the hearts of everyone she meets with her sweet grin and baby-charm.  Last week she found her voice and now our house is officially never quiet.  She's figured how to belt out a girly-type yell that often times turns into a squeal of delight if she discovers she has caught your attention.  It's really pretty hilarious.  My only thought is that she had to find a way to compete with her brother a little to demand attention when she wants it. 

At her four month well-check the doctor gave us an A+.  She is growing right on track and looking perfectly healthy.  She is not the bruiser that Marshall was at this age.  He was always at the top of the growth charts in the 90th percentile.  Sister continues to hang right around the small side of average. 

Height:  24 1/2 inches  (50th percentile)
Weight:  13 lbs 6 oz (25-50 percentile)
Head: 40 1/2 cm (25-50 percentile)

We were given the go-ahead to start rice, followed by fruits and veggies, in hopes that her sleeping will improve.  Hoping to do that in the next few days or so.  We also started giving her a bottle formula right before bed.  That seems to be helping some...she is sleeping solid until 12:30 and then waking again around 3 and again sometimes at 5.   Anyone reading out there...please send us some good sleeping mojo if you can!

At four months, Summer is:

• Consistently napping three times/day.  Sometimes in her crib, sometimes in the bouncy seat.
• Going to bed at 7:30 and waking around 8 the next morning (with 2-3 wakings in between)
• Growing some beautiful brown hair...looks to be straight at this point. 
• Eyes are still dark blue.
• Not rolling over yet but getting better on her tummy.
• Just figured out how to grab her feet.  It's just about the cutest thing ever.
• Favorite things are still kisses and being sweet-talked to. 
• Getting more beautiful every day!

For kicks, Marshall at 4 months old:

Summer's Baptism

A very special event occurred last weekend.  Our sweet Summer Grace was baptized in front of 500 people, including all of our family and my best girls, Carrie and Charlotte.   We vowed to surround her with steadfast love and guide her so that she may grow in faith all the days of her life.  It was such a sweet and special day for us. 

She wore a beautiful dress that I wore at my baptism 32 years ago...and that my aunt wore before me.  The whole gorgeous ensemble included a dress, slip, stockings, booties, and a bonnet.  Of course, baby sister is not used to anything but comfy Carter's cotton dresses so she was a bit irritated when I first dressed her in all the frills.  Marshall assured her, "Baby Sister, you need to keep your dress on!  You are going to get bab-a-tized and there are going to be french horns and tubas there!". 

I actually had to take the entire outfit off of her until we got to church.  I put it back on 10 minutes before showtime...everything but the bonnet.  I decided I would rather have a sweet baby without a bonnet than a crying baby with an heirloom bonnet on. 

It was an honor to have Summer baptized by the same pastor who baptized Marshall.  I'm a sappy kind of girl...and of course I was getting all emotoinal during the baptism.  I was even asked, "are you ok?" by the pastor....yes, yes, I am ok...this is just what I do.  It just meant so much to us. 

Barry and Arlene hosted a beautiful lunch after the service (where we took a bunch of pictures and then I promptly changed Miss Summer into something more comfortable!).

St. Nick

Our visit to see Santa was a huge success this year!  He's been hanging out at Bass Pro Shops since early November so we went to see him just before Thanksgiving.  Baby Sis went first and was her normal laid back-self...she sported an adorable grey dress and matching headband.  Too cute for words.  No tears from Mr. Marshall this year...not even much hesitation.  He went armed with a list, Santa and he went right to work discussing details.  The whole experience still gets me giddy.  I've always been a huge fan of the 'ole elf. I sat on his lap until I was at least 12 years old....no sense in giving up the dream, people!

Thanksgiving Rewind

I'm behind on blog posts, as usual.  At least I have a legitimate excuse...lack of a solid night's sleep...yes, she still is beckoning me to her room several times/night.  Last night at 2 AM she was playing smiley games so I called Michael in to catch some of the action.  I know, we aren't suppose to encourage this behavior, but she is just so darn sweet!  

After all the turkey was consumed on Thanksgiving day, we agreed it was best Thanksgiving ever.  What made it so great?   We were able to feast with both families for several hours....get naps in the middle of it all, AND be home in our own cozy house for the lighting of the Macy's tree on television.  Marshall commented, "I wuv this!  It is so much fun to be all snuggled up together!  Let's get popstickles for everyone!"...it was at that moment we declared victory over Thanksgiving!

We started early with a Thanksgiving breakfast at Grammy and Grandad's. We didn't hold back on filling our plates up since we had an entire afternoon before our turkey dinner later that day....biscuits, scones, casseroles, and honey baked turkey! The parade played on the television in the background and Marshall got a loving dose of time with his favorite cousins.

 

After a stop at home for naps, we packed the car back up to join my family at Grama and Grandpa's house where Louie, Naomi, Grama and Grampa C were all there polishing off a plate full of fried artichoke hearts and breaking open the holiday cheer.  We had a traditional Thanksgiving feast complete with Grama C's jello mould, Kirchner-favorite cauliflower, and my (if I must say myself) fabulous green beans. 

  

The holiday season had officially begun! 

Summer - 3 Months Old

Hard to believe our baby girl is already three months old!  She hit the three month mark last week and is really starting to show us her little personality.  Sweet, sweet, sweet!   Life in our house with two kids if finally starting to feel like a new normal and we've got a pretty good routine down.  It's amazing to me just how different she is from Marshall...the way she likes to be held, what makes her smile, her ability to be content just hanging out on her own for a while.  I fall in love with her more every day and can hardly wait to get her dressed up in her Christmas best, complete with red bow and cutie tights!

At three months old, Summer...

• Is still nursing.  She is beginning to take a bottle a little better...I finally got more serious about making that happen.  I offer her one bottle/day.  She still prefers the mommy way but at least I've got her able to drink a few ounces from a bottle when needed. 
• Loves to be kissed...she opens her mouth into a wide smile when you smoother her with kisses.  It's too cute.
• Has a pretty good head of hair...can't tell if it will be curly like mine (used to be before preggo hormones took over) just yet.
• Is not rolling over yet but has great head control and can sit in her bumbo seat for a few minutes at time.
• Has discovered her arms and hands.  She loves to hold them up and bring them together in front of her face. 
• Loves to talk and be talked to!
• Is moving into some 3-6 month clothes but still fits into some 3 month things. She seems so petite compared to the size Marshall was at this age.
• Is not sleeping through the night...not even close!  I am waking up with her 3 times/night still and the sleep deprivation is starting to affect my clarity (and my blogging)!  Thank goodness she is cute and sweet.  She does, however, go back to sleep very easy...my saving grace. 


In other news, we've been so lucky and excited to have some special visitors lately.  Erin and her daughter, Morgan, came in from NC to stay with us last weekend.  Cuteness overflowed in our house and the kids did really well together.  How lucky we are to have remained friends this long...love seeing our kids play together! 



watching morning cartoons on the couch...


And to top off all the excitement our friend, Renee, who moved away from Atlanta after college is in town for three months!  We've seen her several times and are trying to soak up the luxury of having her so close by.  No surprise that Marshall absolutely adores her. 

To infinity, and beyond!

I'm really, really glad that this Halloween lived up to all the hype around our house.  We have been sporting the Buzz costume for a month now so I was a little worried it would loose its luster when the big night finally came around.  Mr. Marshall was a trick-o-treatin' fool and he loved every minute of it...having his grandparents there to ooh and ahhh at him, passing out candy to our neighbor kids, and then finally the mad dash around the neighborhood.  He was out there for two full hours with two home-base rest breaks...this kid just didn't want to stop.  He was quite the friendly neighbor as well.  If any of the folks would have invited him in for coffee, I'm pretty sure he would have walked right in and made himself at home at their kitchen table.  The whole night had me cracking up.  Definitely the best Halloween yet!

Oh, and thank heavens our pediatric dentist is taking candy donations to send to soldiers overseas.  Just dropped off SEVEN pounds of extra candy we had around our house after Monday evening's event.  This momma would stand no chance against that mound of temptation.   (Don't worry, I did save some for the guy who did all the work collecting it....)

Mike and I get costume credit this year!

Just a little door-bell happy...ding dong, ding dong, ding dong!

Baby Sister sportin' the holiday colors.

City taxes bought us a special treat from our local cops.  :)

Space Ranger on a mission.

Summer - 2 Months Old

Baby Sister turned two months old early this week.  I'm beginning to pull clothes out of her drawers that are becoming snug.  It makes me a little sad.  While I know there are wonderful, happy milestones and events ahead, I'd rather wait for them a little longer.  This is (most likely) our last baby...and she is growing too fast!

All my emotions aside, she is just a joy!  She continues to be an easy baby with sweet, sweet smiles for anyone who wants to baby talk to her.  She is beginning to notice her brother and it appears that he has begun to consider her a permanant part of our family.  I'm starting to wonder if he remembers what life was like without her?  When she is not around, he asks where she is.  He helps us take care of her by throwing away diapers and replacing passies that have fallen out of her mouth.  When she is crying he informs me that "..she needs a boob, mommy".   hahaha!  We are mastering the art of venturing out together with two kids in tow.  I even pulled off a small trip to Wal-Mart this week with the both of them by myself.

Summer's 2 Month Stats:
Height:  23" (75%)
Weight:  11 lbs. 3 oz (50%)

At 2 Months, Summer is:

• Sleeping in her crib like a big girl. (We moved her out of the bassinet at 6 weeks)
• Usually goes to sleep around 9:00 PM and wakes up around 6 or 6:30 AM.  I'm waking up with her twice a night still.  She'll usually give me a good 4 or 5 hour stretch but then we are up ever 2-3 hours after that.  Hoping she hits a stride sometime soon and let's me sleep a good 7 hours...whew, it would feel wonderful. 
• Trying to nap in her crib but still prefers her vibrating bouncey seat.  We seem to replace the D battery it takes every week.
• Still nursing like a champ (and burning my extra 500 calories/day for me). 
• Working on taking milk from a bottle.  This is not something she loves but we working on it so that I can be apart from her for more than a few hours at some point.  Michael and I have an overnight trip w/no kids planned in December so that is our motivation!
• Really starting to enjoy her play mat.  She swats at the toys while big brother cheers her on. 
• Loves to talk with anyone who smiles at her and tells her how sweet she is.

Daily Chuckles

I can't tell you how many times a day I hear or see my kids do something hilarious or amazing or downright surprising.  I'm so lucky to be able to witness them all...and I try my best to remember them so I can share them with Michael when he gets home from work.  Like yesterday when we were strolling by the City Hall building and Marshall told me he wanted to live in there.  I told him that people work in that building, but they don't live there.  Then he said, "I want to work in city hall.  People will ask me for money and I will say, 'ok, here you go'. "  Or how he devoured the chocolate banana pops we made for lunch and demanded one more...and then I realized he had managed to eat everything but the banana...not an ounce of chocolate left on it (now that takes talent, huh?). 

But Monday was one of the best.  I was coming back down the street from an evening run and I saw this...

He wanted his OWN baby carrier...and luckily Michael is a creative dad!

Baby Buzz

Sunshine

She started smiling three weeks ago (at 5 1/2 weeks old) and our hearts forever changed.

(forgive the poor quality of these photos...these smiles happen so fast that I have no time to adjust my camera correctly...should probably go back to Auto mode for now, shouldn't I?)

And this one just because I think she is the most beautiful baby girl in the world...

Summer - 1 Month Old

Our baby girl turned one month old yesterday.  I know her babyhood is going to fly by at warp speed so I find myself trying to soak up her sweetness every chance I get.   I've found that my mommy experience is serving me well.  With Marshall, I think I spent a good bit of time with my nose stuck in parenting books trying to figure out if he was growing and eating and sleeping right.   I now know they don't stay as tiny babies forever and that these fleeting days are ones that I need hold on to and ingrain in my mind as much as possible.  All to soon she will be rolling, laughing, crawling and then walking and talking just like her big brother.  And as much as I LOVE Marshall at 2 years and 8 months old, I look back and wish I had appreciated his baby days just a little more.   

At one month old, Summer is:

• The perfect addition to our family with her sweet, laid back demeanor.
• A fabulous napper...she sleeps a lot more than M did, for sure!
• Has kept her beautiful, dark brown hair (with a cute cowlick on tip)
• Has dark, steely blue eyes
• Is going to bed around 9:00 PM and waking when big brother does around 6:30 AM.  I'm getting up with her about twice a night these days...she goes back to sleep fairly easy for us right now.
• Is nursing like a champ.
• Enjoys car rides, walks in the stroller and being outdoors in the cool weather (where she is usually napping or hanging in the Baby Bjorn).
• Has been showing us some tiny smiles for some time now...but still waiting for the "real" thing.

1 Month Stats
Height:  20.5 inches (25-50%)
Weight:  9 lbs 1 oz (50-75%)

Sleepy baby, love this pose.

Tailgating. It's changed.

I'm short on time these days but determined to document these early days with Summer.  Every day is a new adventure with her and we love her so much!

We hauled it up to Athens on Saturday, newborn baby in tow.  I must have really been itching to get out of the house because I am pretty sure this was a little more work than it was worth.   But the weather was going to be pretty cool and we had a chance to catch up with a few good friends. I did, however, change a poopie diaper in a truck bed, breastfeed in the backseat, and sneak my 2 year old into a girls dorm bathroom only to find out that the he didn't have to go #2 anymore. Oh, and I had to wear a mens collar shirt because I have nothing cute that fits me right now.  It was comical and a little tiring, but worth it - especially for the photo ops.

Story Teller

Our normal routine of book reading in evening has evolved - it has evolved into making up our own stories.   True stories, partially true stories, spin-offs of other people's stories, and totally made-up stories. 

Mr. Marshall has got an imagination like no other...and a vocabulary that surprises me every day.  And I finally caught it on camera without him chasing after me to take over as camera man.  Cracks me up.   Enjoy!

Timing

It's no secret that my little boy has always been a little apprehensive about leaving his mom and dad.  It took nearly two full years for him to pull through an hour in the church nursery without tears and heart-wrenching drama.  Granted, my boy has spent nearly every day of his life at home with me...or his dad....or one of his beloved grandparents.  He's got it good around here.  I'm not sure it would be a place I'd want to leave either.

The last six months he's become such a young boy.  A boy who wants to explore and learn and tell you (in great detail) what's going on in his little head.  When most of his buddies were signing up for preschool early this year, I hesitated.  He seemed so young and still so baby-like to me.  Yes, I was exhausted at the end of our days...and yes, I would have LOVED a few mornings a week to myself.  But I knew in my heart he wasn't ready.  I wasn't ready either.  He's got a good 20 years of school ahead of him, why rush it? 

One of the greatest lessons I've learned in parenting is to let my kiddo take the lead when it comes to big changes.  It's a hard rule to follow at times, especially when you feel what you are doing is different from everyone else.  But I've learned that things work out better for us when we wait for our own right time...whether that be behind, ahead, or right on track with what we expect. 

So lately, there have been comments in our house about "going to school for real", carrying a Buzz LIghtyear lunchbox, being a big boy and learning new things without mom there with him.  I just sent in his application for Pre-K 3.  We are open to starting him in January if there is space.   I'm excited that his time is coming.   And grasping at these last few months that may be left before we start another new journey. 

Sweetness

Words can't describe what it feels like to see your own babies loving each other.  Marshall is settling into his new role as big brother and has been such a big help around the house.   Once he got over his initial disappointment in the fact that Summer doesn't talk yet...and she doesn't know how to chase him around yet...he decided he still wanted to keep her around.   I even overheard a "Bless you, baby" when she sneezed this morning.  Pure sweetness.

Love Story

I checked into Northside Hospital on Monday, August 15th.   Walking up to the registration desk felt so familiar but very different at the same time.  I was calm and relatively pain free since I was there to be induced the next morning.  We had to wait for our room for a few hours but Michael and I decided to enjoy our time alone together and considered it a "date" over McDonald's nuggets and a cheeseburger. 

Mike left and I was alone for the night so that he could spend some QT with Mr. Marshall. The next morning I woke early and they started me on pitosin.  It worked as planned but still made for a very long day of waiting...and waiting...and waiting!  We had a good support team that day that included mom, dad, Barry, and Jennifer.  I was so lucky to have my sister-in-law there to serve as my personal nurse (she's an RN) for the day.  She also manned the camera which was awesome! 



Post epidural...feeling good!



Sweet, patient Aunt Jennifer...

The labor and delivery were about as smooth as they come.  Modern medicine is a wonderful thing!  Miss Summer made her appearance at 5:01 PM with a full head of dark brown hair.  Arlene came with the new big brother to meet her that evening.  Seeing my big baby boy walk in the hospital room and offer a tiny little baby doll (that he picked out with Grammy) to his little sister sent me on an emotional roller coaster that lasted until the moment he left us.  He was so sweet with her and so excited to finally meet this little one we had been talking about so much. 

She's here!

Already a daddy's girl, for sure!




Marshall's gift to Summer

 

She is such a sweet, precious bundle.  A great sleeper so far...I apparently forgot how much newborns sleep, an awesome eater (hallelujah, BF is going easy this time!), and just about as laid back as they come.  She seems to complete our family in the  most perfect ways.  

 I wondered how I could ever love another baby as much as I love my Marshall. Mom always assured me that your heart would just grow bigger to embrace the second one. It did. And is the most perfect love story. We are all over the moon for her.

Summer with Grandma and Grandpa

Summer and Grammy

Summer and Grandad

Marshall's gift from Summer Grace...

Headed home from Northside!

Welcome Home Baby Sister!