Pumpkin Patch Fun!

We took Ethan to his first pumpkin patch on Sunday and he had a ball! Forget fall weather, it was 83 degrees and H-O-T outside! A local family grows pumpkins on their property and has created a great family outing for people right in their backyard. They have a hayride, two different pumpkin patches, and a 'petting zoo' which consisted of two goats, a donkey, and a miniature horse. The first thing that caught Ethan's eye was the big green tractor. He ran straight over to it and marveled at its big wheels.

 

Next up it was time to check out the animals. He was very gentle with the goat and gave it a nice little love tap.

 

Then he decided he would throw gravel in the donkey's face.

 

There was a big heap of gravel next to the animal pen and Ethan thought it was great. He sat on top of it and just rolled around getting the white dust all over him. What a boy. We made our way to the pumpkin patch where Ethan was more interested in swatting the flies off the pumpkins rather than picking one out.

 

 

We ended up getting four pumpkins for our front porch decorations. There was no shade to be found and had to be at least 90 degrees in the field so we wrapped up our trip and headed home with some cute pictures! =)

 

 

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly...

Blog posts just don't come as often with two little munchkins, huh? It's rare to find time with two free hands to type, let alone both kids sleeping at the same time. So I will type as fast as I can knowing this post will probably take me three more days to complete =) Whew, I feel like life as been a whirlwind lately. Emerson's colic seemed to really peak around weeks 8-10. She went from having one bad day a week to every day being a bad day. A bad day for us means spontaneous crying/screaming at all times while she's awake. I pretty much know from the time I'm done with my first feeding if it'll be a good day or not. On a bad day, I can't put her down even for a couple minutes without crying. On a bad day, sometimes she misses her naps because she can't fall asleep...other days she's so exhausted from crying that she'll pass out and give me some relief. Those two weeks where we were constantly having bad days were very emotionally and mentally tough. She requires so much one-on-one attention and it's hard to juggle her with still trying to give Ethan everything he needs. As always though, I manage to get out every day and take Ethan to the park, the library, run errands, etc. and just pray Emerson will give me a hour to "enjoy" our little outings.

Last weekend, Eric, Emerson, and I headed down to Lexington, KY for our friend's wedding. We were pretty anxious leading up to the trip because Emerson has never liked the car. It's a guaranteed trigger for her. All the prayers must've worked because she was an angel there and back. She fell straight asleep when we left on Saturday, slept all the way to Louisville where we stopped to eat, and fell back asleep as soon as we got back in the car. It honestly made the entire weekend so much more enjoyable. We were also anxious to see how she would do with our Aunt Linda and Uncle Rick watching her while we were at the wedding...but she surprised us again and did great! Linda kept sending me text messages throughout the night to ease my worry. Every update I got was music to my ears! Emerson was in the middle of a 10-day stretch where she was having really good days - no crying, seemed content, smiling, cooing, etc. I thought maybe, just maybe, we had turned a corner? I thought maybe the colic drops she was on were actually helping?

All that went out the window this week =/  Tuesday was the only day that was bad all day - the other days have been sprinkled with bad stretches that usually last a couple hours. It's just utterly exhausting to go from smiling in the morning to inconsolable in the afternoon. My only saving grace throughout the day is her long afternoon nap she takes lasting 2-3 hours. Sometimes the first hour of that is in my wrap, but at least she's resting and quiet. She turned 12 weeks on Thursday. Most colicky babies grow out of it by four months, but I've had several people tell me lately their baby didn't knock it until around six months. Our next step of action is to call a chiropractor. We've had several friends recommend chiropractic work and I'm familiar with parents taking their kiddos to get adjusted to rid them of such things like ear infections, tummy issues, colic, etc. I reached out to two of my friends from college who are licensed chiropractors in Michigan and North Carolina to see their thoughts - they've both treated babies and seen success in reducing colic behavior. Our good friends, Mike and Stephanie, take their son Mason to the chiropractor for colic and they really believe they've seen results (no spontaneous outbursts of crying for no reason). At this point, it may help her and it may not. But, it certainly won't hurt to try.

I've never really used this blog as a means to "express myself." I (sometimes) envy the bloggers that I follow who literally lay every detail of their lives out for total strangers to read. But, that's why we follow their blogs - obviously we relate to them in some way through their writing. If I had all the time in the world, I would honestly write about how hard the last 12 weeks have been. I would write about how it's exhausting to go from resenting her one minute when she's screaming to feeling sympathetic and wanting to "fix" her the next. I would write about how I am jealous (and actually angry) at other moms I see in Target who have a sleeping infant in their carseat. I would write about the days where I've wished it was just Ethan and I and the days where I think about baby #3. I would write about my moments of rage and my moments of grace. I would write about the days where I cry more than Emerson and the days where Ethan reminds me to laugh. I would write about the days where I feel like super mom who accomplishes so much with two kids and days where I feel like a complete failure as a parent. One day I might get it all out on paper (or the Internet)! Until then, I continue to rely on my family and friends on a daily basis. I have two friends that truly understand what we we're going through and last night she reminded me the only way to stay sane is to stop trying to understand it. Colic is unpredictable. It's erratic. It's an anxiety filled roller coaster day in and day out. Eric and I's outlook is to do whatever it takes to keep her calm. When she's calm, we're calm. My grandma so sweetly reminded me that when she's better, we won't look at Emerson and remember what she 'put us through'. And I truly believe that. I already see glimpses of it when she smiles and coos and every bad day is immediately erased from memory. Every night I go to bed thankful we are one day closer to our sweet baby Emerson outgrowing this.

Last Days of Summer!

Ethan and I tried to soak up the last days of summer by pulling out the pool one more time! Good 'ol Indiana weather - 90 degrees one week,  60 degrees the next! Emerson was taking a long afternoon nap which allowed Ethan and I much needed alone time. This boy sure does love the water...

 

{Two Months Old - Emerson!}

Hi Family and Friends!

It was a big week in our house because my big brother turned two and I turned two months! As you might've read in my last post, I have colic. I am averaging one really bad day a week with maybe a few hiccups sometimes on the other days. When I say a bad day, I mean a B-A-D, rotten, stinky, awful, terrible day. It's hard on me and hard on mommy and daddy too. I just don't know what else to do but cry. Nothing soothes me - not a bath, not a paci, not even when mommy wears me in her wrap. Sometimes mommy just cries with me because that's the only thing that helps her. However, after I have a bad day, I always have several good. Even though I have colic, I still smile and coo at my mommy and daddy (only after I have a full belly) and they say that helps make everything better. I have grown a lot since my last update at one month. Let me tell you about some of the things I'm doing:

• Most importantly, I'm sleeping through the night!! I started doing this at six weeks old. My parents were so proud of me and said I'm a good sleeper just like my brother. I sleep from 10pm-7am.
  
• I have started taking naps in my own room. Mommy puts the rock-n-play in the crib so she can see me on the video monitor. Eventually I will start sleeping during the night in my room, but for now I'm still in mommy and daddy's room.
  
• What do I like to eat? MILK. I'm such a good eater. I nurse with mommy 4-5 times a day and then daddy feeds me a 5 oz. bottle of breast milk at 8:30pm every night.
• I weigh 9 lbs. 13 oz. and 22.5" long. Dr. Newby is so happy with how I'm growing.
  
  
  
• I had to get shots at my doctor's appointment. Let me tell you, NOT.FUN. First off, they made me get naked which I don't like. Then they stuck me three times in my leg and it hurt soooo bad. I was not a happy camper. But, mommy scooped me up real quick to try and calm me down. And my big brother was there too. Once I was calm, he held my hand. I love him.
  
• I have outgrown my newborn clothes. I'm mostly wearing 3 month clothes now - wow!
• I love to stare at pictures on the wall. There are some above our couch and above my changing table. I have also discovered the fan.
  
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• I (usually) take an early morning nap for about an hour, cat nap over lunch while we're out running errands, a long afternoon nap (2-3 hours), early evening nap (45 min-hour), and then get my bottle at 8:30. Then my parents wrap me up at 9:15pm and I'm always asleep by 10pm.
  
   
• I have really good head control. Even the doctor pointed that out at my appointment. She couldn't believe how well I hold my head up for only being eight weeks old. I'm also very alert. I love to open my eyes big and wide to take in everything around me. Everyone tells me what beautiful eyes I have.
  

• In the last month, I started smiling and cooing after my feedings. Mommy and daddy (and sometimes Ethan) like to talk to me after I'm done eating. I talk back and give them lots of smiles. It makes them smile even more!
  
  
  
  
  
  

I know with each passing week I will become more and more happy as the colic starts to disappear. The doctor said it will be completely gone by four months. Mommy and daddy said I may go to my first IU football game this weekend! I sure hope so because I have a really cute IU onesie I want to wear. Thanks for checking in on our blog!

 

 

Happy 2nd Birthday!

Hi Family and Friends!

I'M TWO!!! Having birthdays are so much fun. Mommy and daddy (and the rest of my family) made me feel so special on my big day. We had a birthday party on Saturday with all my grandparents and my two cousins, Jayden and Kaleb, because Papaw and Ginka were babysitting them. I always have fun when I see Jayden and Kaleb. We were extra rowdy and rambunctious that day. Maybe it was the festive streamers and balloons. Yep, it was definitely the balloons. Who doesn't love punching balloons and getting all wrapped up in the strings? My grandparents must know me well because they got me such great gifts! This is my new art easel. Mommy said it will help us work on our letters and numbers. You can also draw with crayons and chalk on the other side.

 

I got my first set of golf clubs! Did you know golf clubs also make great weapons?

 

I think I'm a natural at golf though...look at my form!

 

This is my new wooden airplane! I can ride around on it when my legs can touch the floor, but for now it's just a rocker. It has my initials and birth date on the tail wing.

 

I also got a cute new pair of jammies, flashcards with all the words I'm learning, a fun game called Monster Bowling, a membership to the Wonderlab (our local children's museum), and money for my college fund. I felt really loved that all my grandparents came to my party.

 

Mommy and daddy were telling me all week that it was my birthday and we would sing "Happy Birthday" and I could have a cupcake. Last year when everyone sang to me, I cried. This year I smiled because I'm a big boy now. My cupcake was chocolate with orange and blue icing. I wasn't too interested in the cake part...I really just wanted a couple licks of icing and then I was done.

Sunday was my actual birthday and I was pretty worn out from my party. Plus, as a birthday gift to myself, I thought it would be fun to cut three new teeth at once. All I wanted to do was have my paci, carry around my blankie, and hang out with mommy and daddy. I was so happy though when they came into my room in the morning to wake me up and surprised me with balloons and sang to me! I did get a special birthday pancake for breakfast with a #2 candle in it. I told mommy and daddy the candle was "hot."

 

Pa and Gigi came by for a quick visit on their way out of town - they drove all the way from Tennessee to celebrate with me. After my afternoon nap, mommy climbed into the crib with me because she said she wanted to snuggle with her baby. After dinner, mommy and daddy gave me my cupcake again to see if I wanted a yummy treat. I ate a little more cake this time, but then I decided I wanted strawberries!! They were so excited I made a healthy decision (mostly because it meant they could finish eating my cupcake)! Mommy and daddy sang "Happy Birthday" to me one more time before I went to bed and then I called it a day. I went to bed with a big smile on my face. Being two will be fun, I just know it.

Would you like to know some of the things I'm doing now as a two year old? Let me fill you in:

• I am really into trucks. Big trucks. I have a new truck book that Ginka got me and I read it every single day. I point to the giant excavator and say "ohhhhhhhhhh." Then I point to the concrete crusher and say "ohhhhhhhhhh." If you ask me to point to a certain type of truck, I can pick out the correct one. That's because I'm smart.
• I am starting to "talk" more and more each day. Sometimes no one knows what I'm talking about, but they sure nod and act like they do! My favorite word right now is "broke." Everything is "broke." I can also say more and ouch.
• I weigh 22 lbs. 4 oz. and measure 34" tall. The nurses had to prick my finger and draw blood at my two year check-up. I like my nurses so much I just sat in Miss Hana's lap and let Morgan poke my finger with a needle. I didn't even jump or pout. Miss Hana rubbed my back and I got a prize because I was so brave.
  
• I like to walk around the house and call for "Mady." That's what I say when I'm looking for my cat, Max. Then when I see him I squeal at the top of my lungs and he runs away from me.
• My mommy fed me fast food for the first time ever. I had chicken nuggets at Wendy's. She said she didn't mind too much because I need the calories.
  
• I like to say "hi" and wave to people.
• I love to hide things and then throw my hands up like "where did it go"? My favorite things to hide are my little cars under a couch pillow and the vacuum under my blankie (even though you can still see the vacuum).
  
• Speaking of hiding, I love to hide in mommy and daddy's closet. I like to sit behind the door. Then I can pop out and say "boo"!
  
• When Emerson is sleeping (or when I see someone in a book sleeping), I put my finger over my mouth and say "shhhhhh."
• I love my baby sister and give her hugs and kisses every day.

• I still take two naps a day, usually from 10-11:30 and 2:15-4.
• My favorite thing to eat right now is still vanilla greek yogurt. On some days, I eat it at every single meal. I also still eat a couple bites of deli meat and hummus, nutrigrain bars, strawberries, toast, pancakes, frosted mini wheats, cheerios, goldfish, pasta with spaghetti sauce, and maybe a couple bites of a banana (on a good day).
  
• I am starting to use my imagination more and more. I do little things like take my plastic toy dog and offer it my paci...silly doggy! Also, anytime I see food in a book I bend down and lick the page like I'm eating it! 
• Here is my first masterpiece I drew on my art easel all by myself. You saw it here first folks:
   
  
• I have renewed my love for books. Often times you can catch me sitting on the couch by myself reading a book. I love to grab a book and sit in mommy and daddy's lap while they read to me too. Then I pick out another book. Then another. Then another. My favorite books right now include "Green Eggs and Ham," "How to Babysit a Grandpa," "Mighty Dads," and "I'm Going to be a Big Brother." 

Another year in the books and I can't wait to see what's in store for the year ahead!